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"Travel" while you are at Home

Yesterday as I took a shuttle bus to the Hong Kong Airport from the Jordan district, I started a reading a book I had bought the previous evening. The book is titled "The Art of Travel" and describes the mind and behavior of a man while he is traveling.

It also aims to explain why people choose the places they decide to travel to. This certainly was not a "travel guide" and doesn't tell you where to go or why to go. It actually was a book that aimed to show you the reasons behind your motives for choosing the places you have been and want to visit.

One of the major points in the book that really hit home for me was his advice on how to learn to "travel' even while you are at Home. What does he mean by that? Well, we need to start realizing that when we anticipate traveling to a place it isn't always as great as our fantasies.

There are always negative points about a place we visit and there is always stress and frustration and even anxiety when traveling to a place for the first time. However, when on a journey of travel we start to notice the little things, all the small details that fasciniate us about the foreign land we find ourselves in.

So what about this "travel" while at home? While we are at home we need to take much more time when we go about our daily routines to stop and see the minute details around us of the place we find ourselves living in. What makes this place unique and different  to the foreign places you have been to and anticipate going to?

What in your hometown can you find to spark the curiosity of a foreign place? Start noticing little things the next time you go outside such as the road signage on the highways, what words do they choose to describe things? How about the way in which food is described on a restaurant menu? How about the language and conversations happening around you in a restaurant or on a bus?

Even if you master the art of traveling while at home, I still strongly encourage everyone to travel to a foreign place. And no, Las vegas isn't that "foreign"! I believe a well traveled man or woman is much better at traveling while at home and can also be a much more open minded and accepting person of all people.

We need many more traveling minds in our society in order to make our world a better place. So please, if you do not have a Passport go now and start the application process! It will be the best investment you ever made for your soul.

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I'm Coming Home, I'm Coming Home..

Yes, you heard that right. After 6 years of living in San Francisco and after the past 3 months living here in Taipei, Taiwan, I am now coming home to good ole' San Antonio, Texas. For how long? That I don't know  because I don't like planning my whole life.

However, I coming back to "settle" down again with family and lifelong friends that I do miss dearly. Things are great in Taiwan and in San Francisco but due to unforeseen circumstances that I won't go into detail about here, I am being led back to Texas.

As much as it wasn't my complete choice, I am actually quite happy and excited about making a return to my homeland. Cowboys, Mexican food, Tejano music, family, childhood friends, and oh don't forget Whataburger! haha

Oh and yes High school Football games on Friday nights, Spurs games with friends, and I get to watch NFL football once again on Sundays with family and friends. I have changed as a person for the better over the past 6 years being in San Francisco and being to Taiwan on 4 separate occasions.

Oh and currently sitting in Starbucks in Hong Kong for my 2nd trip here. I have seen the world and seen the people that inhabit it. I have met and made friends with many people from Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and so on.

Most of my family and friends in San Antonio have not. Whether you believe it or not, this does make a huge impact on the way a person sees the world and the people who live in it. I am forever changed and bring this knowledge back to my home.

I am truly hoping to make a positive difference in the lives of my family and friends with the things I have learned along the school of life. The journey I have had is very unique for anyone being from my home of San Antonio. I'm coming home, I'm coming home!

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Interesting Life Journey

So far, my life has been an interesting journey. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and lived there until I was about 23 years old. But there was that one month or so when I was 18 that I went to live with my Uncle George in Spokane, Washington.

But boy oh boy, that was a very boring month for me and not to mention the weather was just too damn cold haha! Don't get me wrong my Uncle was not and is not boring but lets just say the town of Spokane is not the place to be if you are 18 years old and gay.

However, there was one thing that I did in Spokane that truly changed me in such a way that I looked at life a little bit more positively. I watched the movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the local theatre and absolutely fell in love with it!

After the month in Spokane though, I moved back to good ole' San Antone where I lived until age 23. At age 23, I had this spark of inspiration to move myself all alone to a city that would accept me for who I was. That city was San Francisco, California.

I lived in San Francisco, California for 6 years even though everyone in my family thought I wouldn't last a month there. I am very proud of myself for being loyal to myself and doing what I felt was right no matter what anyone thought I could and couldn't do in life.

After 6 years and just two jobs (yup loyal to my company as well) in San Francisco, I got another spark of inspiration to move and this time it was to Taipei, Taiwan. Upon moving here, I had already visited Taiwan on 3 separate occasions and even had started ThinkTaiwan.com.

Now as I am living here in Taiwan in the city of Taipei, I look back at the interesting journey my life has been on so far. San Antonio, Spokane, San Francisco, and Taipei. What a very interesting mix of places to have lived in and experienced!

San Antonio: How I miss your breakfast tacos with homemade flour tortillas! and not to mention live Tejano music!

Spokane: How I miss my Uncle George and his amazing acting talent!

San Francisco: Oh how I miss the cultural diversity and wonderful authentic Asian food

Taipei: Can't say I miss anything here yet...but living here is wonderful. Friendly people, great food, and amazing weather. The Island life!

Where will my life journey bring me to next? Will I make a return to a place I have lived before or is there a yet a new city that awaits me on destiny's road? Who knows? I sure don't but this is part of what makes life so exciting and fun. Either way, I choose to be happy even with the "homesickness" of each place I have lived.

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Where is my heart and home?

You often hear it said that "Home is where the heart is". However, I often wonder how many "homes" can a person have? Does your heart have to be in only one place? Or can you heart truly be in more than one place? And if it can, does this mean you have more than one "home"?

I was born and raised all my young life in San Antonio, Texas which is where all my family and school friends still live. However, when I was in my early 20's I moved to San Francisco, California where I lived 6 years. Then, I found a beautiful Island called Taiwan!

I couldn't stop thinking about Taiwan during my last couple of years in San Francisco. So much so, that I visited Taiwan on 3 occasions and on my 4th visit to Taiwan, I am now officially "living" here. But, its not all that simple actually.

While living in San Francisco, I found myself dearly missing Taiwan. But when living in Taiwan, I find myself missing my home in Texas. However, when visiting Texas, I can't seem to wait to get back to San Francisco and then the cycle of missing places starts all over again.

What does this really mean? Could it be that my heart is in 3 places at the same time? Where is my heart? Where is my home? People often ask me in Taiwan, "where are you from?" I nearly always say Texas as this is where I grew up and learned values, manners, etc. But after living in San francisco for 6 years I could definitely say SF if I wanted to.

Home is where the heart is. After traveling between San Francisco, Taiwan, and San Antonio, I have found that my heart is in all 3 places and all 3 places are my Home. What does this all mean? What do I do with this realization? What do I do with homesickness? 

I have come to the realization that my heart will only truly be happy once I am able to freely travel between all 3 homes of mine when I am feeling a bit of homesick for one of my homes. In order to have this ability, I am going to have to build an online mobile business of my own.

I need the freedom and flexibility to travel and follow my heart where it is leading me in the moment. I realized that I am not the type of person that can own a physical business in one location. I need to be mobile. Wish me luck and remember to find a way to follow your own heart as well! Find your home (s)!

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"Are the Good Times Really Over for Good?" sung by the legendary Country singer, Merle Haggard

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My favorite Jay Chou Song! "Fragrant Rice". So beautiful and touching. This song reminds me that no matter what happens to you in life, family and "home" is where the heart is and are always there to lift you back up and to remind you about what really matters in life!

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I never heard this song before from a taiwanese singer! I love it !

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World Journal Article about me!

Yes, you heard it right! The #1 Chinese newspaper in all of North America wrote an entire article about me and my website www.ThinkTaiwan.com !! I am honored to have this happen to me and is probably the most exciting thing that has happened for me so far!

The article is not only located on the Worldwide website of World Journal but also printed in the SF and LA edition of the World Journal newspaper with a photo of me! I will take a photo of this later and post it up here! (I bought all the copies my local dim sum place had left haha)

For now, check out the link to the online version of the article which so far in less than one day already has over 1,000 views! Oh and those do not count the views to the SF online version of the same article which has over 700 views! Click the below link:

World Journal Article about Mike Price and ThinkTaiwan! (click me)

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Doesn't get much better than this!

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Coming out and Growing Up

Just a month ago, I turned 28 years old. It has been about 11 years since I came out of the closet to the whole world. I haven't really sat and thought about this in many years. What spurred this thinking tonight was re-watching the gay movie "Edge of Seventeen"

It was right about 17 years old when I came out and very shortly after I did I watched this movie  "Edge of Seventeen". It made me very teary eyed watching it again tonight as it brought back not only the memories but the feelings that accompanied them.

It makes me think about the first person I ever told that I was gay....ME. Coming out to myself was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Second hardest..my loving mother. I will never forget the moment of coming out to my mother....ever. 

Coming out to my friends was the easiest thing. Amazingly, even though I grew up in Texas, my friends were very supportive of me. Yes, sure, they made their fair share of gay jokes but all in all they loved me and treated me well.

Watching this movie again also reminded me of the days I would spend shortly after coming out, locked in my room with headphones on listening to Elton John's Greatest Hits (I am not making this up)

At the time I had nobody gay to look up to and the only person I knew that was gay was Elton John. So I thought by listening to his music I would have some connection to the gay world cuz I was still not old enough to get into gay clubs.

It's amazing how at 28 years old being gay in San Francisco seems like nothing special at all. In fact, it feels normal, like this is what life has always been like. How soon we forget our past when we get too busy and comfortable living in the present.

At age 17, I would have never dreamed that I would get the chance to be an openly gay man living in the gay capital world. Here today, not only am I an openly gay man, but I am living in the great city of San Francisco.

As much understanding that I have of myself now and as much freedom I have in this city, it still hurts to think of my past and my struggles with coming to terms with who I am as a gay man. It wasn't easy at all. But as they say "It gets better"

Coming out never ends. Coming out is a ongoing process gay men have to deal with their entire lives. This culture and society we live in assumes men love women and want to get married and have children. That's just the way it is. And we gays have to deal with that for now.

But not only is coming out a never ending process, so is Growing up. Growing up and coming out involve a lot of work. Work on the self. My advice to all those that put time into reading this blog post is never give up on your self.

You are all you have for all eternity, learn to live with yourself and love yourself and guide yourself to limitless possibilities. As cliche as it sounds, life is what you make of it. But more importantly you are what you make of yourself. Do yourself proud.

Gay pride is not about parades, ass-less chaps, or naked men drunk in the street. Gay pride is about respecting yourself, loving yourself, trusting yourself, and not letting the light go out. Gay Pride is about coming out and growing up! 

To the lighten the mood a bit after reading this post, watch this music video I just saw for the first time tonight. It's from the soundtrack of "Edge of Seventeen" It's called "Destination Unknown" That's what life is. And you have to learn to love it !