I have really done it

I haven't posted in some time. I have been living a wonderful life here in Taipei. All aspects of my life are going very well. I've worked hard teaching students from the ages of 4 to 13 and although it has had its challenging moments, my school is starting to consider me as a valuable Teacher in their system.

I've got a regular acting gig on live TV here as a CEO of a US skincare line. That's all I can say about it , but it has been a blast. I have been in a commercial as well.

I have also become more proficient at photography and have been working on project I am creating called Fierce Beauty where I have met and been photographing some interesting woman.

I have come in contact with some interesting people, but have been blessed to have met Pauline (that's not her Chinese name) who has been my balanced, honest and sweet friend and confident for six months now. I am very lucky to have her in my life here.

In the beginning I lived with some young Chinese students and shared everything. It was difficult for an older geezer like myself to adjust.  In the early days here there was nothing that was set in stone, I had no idea if I could get the right visa to stay here longer and pass the physical examination that was needed. I wasn't sure where I would work and whether I could sustain an income here. I had no idea man.

Really I just went with my gut in Toronto which said...You have to make a major change in your life man..There might not be much time for adventure left in your little world. I was in a rut and my life consisted of basically going on auditions and doing extra work and smoking great pot all the time. It wasn't very fulfilling to say the least. 

So I took a chance and made a physical move to Asia on a hunch and it has been fantastic. I have earned my own studio on a rooftop of a building near the coveted 101 building and I love my area. My chinese still is awful but I am learning slowly...Very slowly.

I take it one day at a time with gratitude...however I would say that buying self help books and smoking dope but never actually physically making any big moves was not the answer for me. You have to actually make the move.. Do it . 

So life is good. This is the life I was meant to be living. From this place I can figure out the other big questions. Who knows, I may even start my own family at my old age. What a transformation that would be. Lets see how that plays out.

Bye for now.

Rick

It's Working Well....

I'm convinced that all of these self help mantras I've read over the years that spoke about   

manifesting your destiny...ultimately amount to nothing without the absolute key, which is ...take an action.

Make a decision outside of your usual locked in daily thinking and fantastic
results will occur.

Coming back to Taiwan has resulted in amazing moments and feelings of fulfillment. I have been challenged here as original plans and jobs fell through. So what...plan B...

I perservered and moved to Taipei alone and now I am teaching full time and doing acting gigs on the side...
The acting gig I've done three time as a CEO of a skin care line on live tv here has been an absolute blast.

I have a good female friend here who has been an amazing supporter so far and I've been able to battle through some colds and toothaches and fatigue... and amazingly I am still standing.

These are good days! New worlds are starting to open and now I am just waiting for the right visa to come through so I can make a bigger mark.

Life is fresh and surprising again and I am very grateful.

Stay tuned..

Rick

Moving your body across the world

I have had a good solid year of small acting gigs (Own network and Reelz) and background acting gigs on Designated Survivor and Suits.

So it even seemed like an unlikely decision for myself to turn my back on this recent success and say..."why do I feel kind of dead inside?"  I realized I needed something exciting to happen. I needed something to change.

Why not make a change happen.  Here is the genesis of my idea to go back to Taiwan.

I had just completed a screenwriting online course and I was offered an ESL teaching course for 15 dollars. I thought, what a bargain, so before I knew it I had signed up. That got me thinking, "maybe I could teach in Asia again if I am physically fit enough and if I could scrounge up the cash to make it happen".

The next step was actually submitting my name for a job in China. I heard back from the school within an hour and they said I was shortlisted for the position. I started to get a bit of the old adrenaline flowing again. However the more I thought of China and its oppressive pollution in the cities that were being offered, the more I wasn't sure. Was I going for it or not?

I conferred with my friend Steve in Taiwan (on facebook) that I hadn't seen for 10 years, and he asked me why I wasn't considering Taiwan again?
Well, I really enjoyed Taiwan in my previous two trips but there was a bit of a sour taste left in my mouth because of the way I was deported due to a Visa overstay.

The more we talked, the more I realized that I needed to know someone, anyone... in a foreign country. It would be good to know Steve, he could help me get the scooter I needed, and to hookup to the phone system, and we could meet after class etc.

He assured me that there was a job waiting or several like it for a guy like me. That was it.  I arranged for a close friend to look after my place and before I knew it, I purchased that ticket online.

Holy shit, I have just committed to go teach in Taiwan, wow, Im over 50 now with a heart issue, am I out of my fricking mind.

No I hope not. I was waking up each day with a new bounce in my step. 22 hours away by plane was an Island the size of Vancouver Island with 22 million people.The cities I would be in Taoyuan is dirty, hot and industrial with the odd earthquake and typhoon.

This will be a great challenge. There is an opportunity to save a little money for my new investment account that I have opened. I need to have some type of investment to fall back on. Living paycheck to paycheck sucks.

Would you decide to go from a balanced but slightly unfulfilled life to a life on the set of the real life blade runner?

I have also been in contact with some acting and modelling agencies in Taipei and they are interested in meeting me. I believe that a older white guy who can still occasionally bring the goods, might be in demand there. I love teaching the kids so that part is always very fulfilling and should take care of itself on the emotional meter.

That's the story though. I will miss all my close friends (including a  very sweet and sexy woman I have been dating)and supportive family, after the initial stunned response, everyone  has been very supportive. 

I am off for a quick dental surgery to remove my wisdom tooth in the next couple of days and then it is the final preparations to move this old body across the world. Wish me luck. If it doesn't

work out as smoothly as I have anticipated, let it be noted here that I needed to break out of my doldrums and take a chance again.

Rick

Happily miserable

Im up north watching my mothers cat Lucy for a couple of days. My body is telling me its a great time for a full on cold!

Its always such a challenge to get sick. The mental gymnastics you go through and self loathing are horrible.

Its lack of sleep and lack of oxygen i think that starts working on me. So I like to run through all the questionable circumstances in my life in a 5 minute loop...Im happy and miserable i think. Im happily miserable.

I found some old family photos that include some baby photos of myself...i look like a very innocent and happy child. Poor guy had no idea what was in store.

Its the middle of the night and i could go on..except im groggy and cranky...

Thats it from the front lines for now.

Doubts in the September heat

Its the middle of September already and its hot here in Toronto Canada, like it is the middle of summer.What the heck is going on?

 I am sitting at my table in my little apartment in midtown...listening to some meditation music and taking a quick check in on my emotional state and my thoughts.

Here are two quotes I just came across. "Infuse your sensitivities with courage"...Daniel Laporte

This one is simple but strong, and then there is this one:

"To live in an evolutionary spirit means to engage with full ambition and without reserve in the structure of the present, and yet to let go and flow into a new structure when the right time has come"
Eric Jantsch

Although this one has some new age buzz words in it, I do like the imagery of flowing into a new structure with ease.


I am still going on my auditions and doing my background acting , and all is well! I have my small victories and that is enough for me at the moment.
It wouldn't be enough if I didn't have this new project i am doing where I will film people who love their art but hold down a second job to make ends meet. There are a couple of individuals that are stepping forward for this one and I know  there will be a real soul connection for us in the end.

I bought a camera for the project and a tripod and I worry that I don't have the right sound capabilities and professional history to make this thing work.  How can I edit 4k video on my lousy laptop, its not going to work...

As I sit here I have all sorts of doubts. However, this film is a perfect little vehicle for my brain. Something that will flow effortlessly at times and also offer me some moments to polish footage and reflect on some very human ideas about art and desire.

I do need to have some courage, more courage, no doubt. I just read that the blood thinner I am on causes major issues with internal bleeding. So rather than focus on that, I will focus on the project for now. Seems spiritual enough.

Rick

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Epiphany on an Island

Vacations are necessary for Soul Growth. I went years without one and was lacking in energy and inertia and creativity because of it.

i had moments on a deserted beach on Vancouver Island for
three days in a row. Those moments were so pure and beautiful. I could not get enough... i was reduced to tears of joy. The rest of my adventures were special but could not reach the heights of my communion with nature on that beach...

Im very grateful for those moments.

Now im back home in the city again.. worrying about lifes grinding mess. Until next year!! 

FLYING BACK TO VANCOUVER ISLAND

So I am going on vacation. My first one in years.  9 days to Vancouver Island and the Mainland to visit some dear friends and some family and others that I haven't seen in years. 

What is it about visiting another city that makes you feel so inspired, and invincible?

I think it's hard to have a lot of passion for routine.

I step inside the same building 3 times a day. I get on the same bus, walk down the same street, I have the same options available for dinner and for entertainment. I'm not complaining, because I have a very balanced and conflict free life right now, but when all of a sudden I introduce a plane ride and an exotic Canadian destination into my world, my mind goes crazy with positive overload.

So some of the thoughts that enter my head when I visualize the trip are: enjoy the moments when you are there...really take it in. breathe...

..be grateful for the opportunity to explore, but also to be still in nature. Oh and what a natural wonder Vancouver Island is...Ocean, Mountains...Trees and more Trees...Moose and wildlife everywhere.

I am contemplating doing a little film about my trip. I am not sure what the focus would be? I would prefer it wasn't me, but instead the beautiful island and all of its harmony and aesthetics.
Can you  fully enjoy the moment if you always concerned about filming it? Thats open for debate.

Then there is the human side of meeting people that have not had any full contact with me in person for years. What a great opportunity for me, to take in their lives on the island or on the mainland and really hear about them.

It's been 23 years since I lived in Victoria and I'm certainly a much different person. That life, was a merry go round of tensions and deadlines and relief sought through alcohol. It was a great opportunity to forge a different life for myself, (a family and children and a house by the ocean) but because of my predispositions and choices, it never was to be.  So be it. I am back.

Its always good for me to write this down, even for my own eyes. I am a much more balanced, positive, and content person on so many levels. This is the time of my life, this is the time to seize the moments on the Island one more time, not in some kind of a frenzied grabfest, but in a curious and innocent way. I truly look forward to every moment. See you on the other side.

Rick