Riding the dangerous wind

The quarter-life crisis. So much to do...so little time. I'm moving to New York City in a couple of weeks and the idea of starting my adult life has been freaking me out. Deciding between acting classes and interning, applying for jobs and setting up interviews has me on-edge and out of whack. But this post is inspired by what I've realized just a few moments ago- I should only be so lucky that my biggest worry is which path to choose for myself- which adventure to go on next, how to make a name for myself after graduating college- I have no restrictions or obligations right now. I am free. At least for now. And starting now, I will take advantage of my advantage and do anything and everything to get to where I want to be figuratively, no matter where I am literally. It seems like this quarter-life crisis is striking a lot of people my age, but like a Chinese proverb says "a crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind." Besides sounding like a magic carpet in a sand storm, the crisis metaphor does hold true. Growing up and moving on is rough but also exhilirating, and I'm starting to see that anxiety can work wonders when channeled into creativity and action. I mean, I started a blog for goodness sake. Looking for a cure for post-college woes? Move. Do things. Explore. And if you're so inclined, get a job. But take it easy. I'm starting with the basics. Going to NYC. I've been enfatuated with the Big Apple forever, and going that is the only thing that feels right, right now. For today, that's enough.

And the beat goes on...

My dream of lounging on the beach in Australia has been crushed. Not because my competitors had better videos and not because of any lack of qualifications on my part, but simply because Tourism Queensland's computer systems could not support the massive amounts of applications they received. I was told there was nothing I could do, even though I uploaded my video on two occasions well before the Feb. 22 deadline. My anger and frustration quickly turned to productivity as I registered an account on CNN's iReport and posted my video and my complaint for the world to comment on. Lots of friends and Facebook-acquaintances left me kudos and encouragement, but surprisingly, I heard from no one else that had suffered similar circumstances to mine. The mass e-mail I received had said 4,000 people lost out on their chance at The Best Job in the World on the final day alone. So I figured I'd be greeted by a slew of other distraught travel journalist hopefuls who would view my video, comment and boost my ranking until CNN had no choice but to air my piece and shame Tourism Queensland. I mean how do you hold a competition with a prize of $100K during a devastating world-wide recession and not prepare for tens of thousands of applicants? As I mentioned in my post at http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-218526, in the end, Australia is the real victim of this fiasco. My video is creative, fun, and a definite contender amid the mass of web-cam creations featuring snorkel-masks and fish tanks. My original goal after hearing the bad news was to gain so much attention for my misfortune, that Tourism Queensland would appreciate my resourcefulness and allow me to resubmit my application. But the response I've gotten from family, friends and people I hardly know has given me the ego boost I needed to dust myself off and get back to planning new ideas for videos, trying new things, chasing my dreams. Below I've uploaded my first travel package about Syracuse, New York. Where will I travel to next? What new endeavor will I pursue? I change my mind daily, thanks to all who understand that and support me as I keep searching for happiness, and my very own Best Job in the World.

The Best Job in the World

(Originally written Feb. 17, 2009 @ 2:00 AM) My chances are about one in 12,000 for landing "the best job in the world," and my odds are exponentially worsening by the minute. Time is running out for the Queensland Ministry of Tourism's competition searching for one lucky soul to work as caretaker on a gorgeous Island of the Great Barrier Reef. As I prepared my own video to be submitted and racked my helplessly hopeful little brain for witty words to string together, all I could think of to describe the coral, sand and sun popping up in my Google searches, was paradise. To avoid cliches when choosing a title for my video (paradise found, island paradise, etc) I checked a thesaurus for synonyms. Nirvana. Bliss. Utopia. No wonder people from every country and culture, of all different shapes, sizes and sanity levels, are sending in their cheesy, painfully desperate yet inspiringly enthusiastic videos in the hopes of escaping their troubled realities for a taste of paradise. The winner gets to live in one of the most beautiful, unspoiled areas of the world for six months, plus a AUS $100,000 salary, just for keeping a blog and giving updates on the islands. Sound like the best job in the world? It sounds more like the best vacation, or in my case, the best way to put off getting a real job (in the world). So with 12,000+ applicants as of yesterday, and still 4 more days for anyone in the world to give it a whirl, it looks like the definition of paradise is universal, and that the one thing we all have in common is a desire to go there. While religious fanatics blow up their neighbors in the Middle East and revolutionaries take hostages in South America; Democrats and Republicans battle over economic policy in the US and all the citizens of the world struggle over some problem or plight, I wonder if paradise isn't the beautiful island itself but rather the idea that all people share this same notion of heaven on earth. If everyone's job was to relax in a beautiful setting, enjoy the surroundings, meet interesting people, play, explore and share the experience with the rest of the world, wouldn't there be less fighting, lower blood pressure, and more shiny, happy people holding hands? Maybe that's the hippy in me, but I'm a dreamer, and I'm not the only one. So for me and the other 12 thousand idealists trying for our chance at paradise, we're on our way. Paradise isn't a place, it's a mindset. Now if only Congress would jump on the bandwagon, take a vacation and loosen those skivvies they all seem to have twisted...