2015 in Review

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2015 was another incredible rollercoaster of highs and lows. I can’t believe this is the fifth year I’ve been writing an annual review! You can check out previous ones here: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

In no particular order, here are the top ten things that I’ll remember from this year, both the good and the bad:

Fitness:

Hitting the gym regularly. Here’s the breakdown month over month:

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Visits 2 0 4 13 20 13
Month Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Visits 19 21 15 13 9 18

Since April, I’ve averaged about 16 visits/month to the gym. Overall, I’m glad that I’ve fallen into the routine of working out in the morning before work. Hoping it continues in the new year!

Running:

I had planned to run several half marathons this year, specifically the DC Rock and Roll and the Brooklyn Rock and Roll. Unfortunately, I ended up doing neither. In fact, since April, I’ve focused much less on running workouts in favor of more strength training. In the new year, I hope I’ll finally find that balance between strength training while picking back up on a regular running schedule.

Half Marathon Bibs

 

Bibs from half-marathons I’ve ran in the past. I hope to run more in 2016!

Career:

At the beginning of this year, I would’ve never expected that I’d have switched jobs twice in one year — but that’s exactly what happened. In April, I was recruited out of the education technology startup I had been working for the past year and a half and joined a healthcare startup. In November, I was again recruited out of that healthcare startup to join a university. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that something like this would’ve happened, in turn increasing my salary by 60% in just 12 months. I’m glad to say that I’ve found my niche within marketing, and am so thankful to be in a career that I find interesting, challenging and rewarding.

UMUC Swag

Swag from my new job at the University of Maryland, University College.

Business:

I’ve always wanted to start my own business, and when I turned 27 earlier this summer, I set out a goal that by Labor Day 2015, I’d earn my first dollar from consulting work outside of my day job. While I didn’t meet the end-of-summer goal, I did manage to find consulting work with a former employer, and finally got my first payment as a freelance consultant in December!

First freelance paycheck!

My first check as a freelance consultant!

Travel:

My 2015 travel highlights post (see here) goes into detail on this topic, but suffice it to say, 2015 was another incredible year of travel. I would’ve never imagined that in the past 12 months, I’d be fortunate enough to visit six countries, 28 cities, flown over 100k miles on some of the most luxurious first class products (Singapore Suites Class, Etihad First Class Apartments, JAL Business Class), and do this all for leisure on vacation time. Not only did I travel way more than I could’ve imagined abroad over the past year, I also traveled a lot domestically, visiting Hawaii three times this year, exploring the beaches and lakes of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast throughout the summer, and traveling to California and Chicago. 

2015 Best Nine

My #2015bestnine according to Instagram. Most of which had to deal with travel.

Travel Burnout:

I always thought that there was no such thing as “too much traveling,” especially given how much I enjoy traveling, exploring and discovering new places. Well, without any notice, by mid-November, after a whirlwind three-day trip around the world, I was feeling major burnout from travel. In 2016, I’m hoping to find that balance between continuing to do the thing that I enjoy the most while being mindful of knowing when enough is enough.

#RTWin80hours

I can’t believe I did this routing in just 80 hours.

Driving:

2015 was a memorable year in driving, for two reasons. The first happened earlier this year down in Australia, where I rented a car in Tassie. It was my first time driving on the left, as well as the first time I’ve ever gotten a speeding ticket. The second reason why driving was so memorable happened just last month, in November, when I purchased my very own car! Again, I would’ve never imagined at the start of this year that I’d have a car, but I’m glad that I made the purchase. Otherwise, I’d have a 2-hour commute each way on my way to work, no thanks.

Driving on the left

My rental car in Tasmania. Looking forward to driving in foreign countries again in 2016.

Jason's Toyota Corolla

My very first car! Hoping to put on some serious mileage and do some road trips with this one in the coming year.

Breaking up:

I learned about relationships this past year, having broken up from my first serious relationship with a guy this past summer. It’s been a slow healing process, but by and large, I’m thankful for all the memories and experiences I had in that relationship. This was definitely the biggest life-learning experience I had from this past year.

IMG_9583

A simple reminder that every beginning begins with an end.

Friendships:

I met some amazing people this year, a few of whom that I can already see as being solid friends for years to come. That being said, I do know that I could’ve been a better friend to others, and I’ve lost touch with others, but am hoping to rectify this in the new year.

2015 Friends & Family

A snapshot of some of the wonderful people that I’m grateful to call my friends and family.

Spirituality:

Whether I was traveling abroad or somewhere around the States, I was fairly consistent at attending mass every Sunday at least once a month throughout the year. I’ve also continued to practice being more mindful, listening to more instrumental music to help calm and make my mind clear.

Sunday Mass at St. Patricks, NYC

Mass at St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City.

Conclusion: 

Overall 2015 was a positive year for me. It certainly was filled with challenges, many of which were completely unexpected. Despite the challenges, I can honestly say that this was another fantastic year where I truly lived my life to the fullest. No holding back, no regrets, nothing. Life is such an awesome and crazy adventure, and I can’t wait to see and experience what’s to come in the new year!

2015 – Travel Highlights

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I can’t believe that 2015 is nearly over! I’ve usually written these highlight posts at the very end of the year, but thought I’d post this a little early for a change since I won’t be traveling anywhere else outside the Northeast Corridor till next year. Here are my travel highlight posts from 20142013 and 2012. Below are some quick stats to provide some perspective on where I went this year:

Cities visited: 28 cities
Countries visited: 6 countries
Miles flown: 105,894 miles
Weekends away from DC: 29
Total miles redeemed: 322,875 miles
Total dollars spent: $11,995

For perspective, this is what all my air travel looked like over the past year:

Jason Bilog's 2015 Flights

But enough about the stats, here are my travel highlights from 2015: 

January:

Places visited: New York City

In January, I headed up to New York City twice.

Walked the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn BridgeExplored Arthur Avenue (Little Italy) in The Bronx.

Arthur Avenue, The Bronx

February:

Places Visited: Las Vegas, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart

In February, I visited Las Vegas. I came back to the DC area for a few weeks before spending the latter half of the month in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart.

Las Vegas

View of the Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas Strip

View of Las Vegas from above.

Vegas from Above

Sydney, New South Wales

Walked the Bondi-Coogee Walk

Bondi-Coogee Walk

Watched the surf at Bondi Beach

Surfers at Bondi Beach

Saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Attended Sunday mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral

St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney

Celebrated Lunar New Year in Sydney

LNY in Sydney

Hung out at Sydney’s Fair Day, the start of the city’s two weeklong Sydney Pride.

Sydney Fair Day 2015

Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Marveled at the beauty of the Southern Ocean

Great Ocean Road

The water was so cold here, despite being summertime.

Southern Ocean

Melbourne, Victoria

Watched the sunset over the Yarra River over Melbourne atop the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest tower

Melbourne Eureka Skydeck

Explored Melbourne’s laneways, filled with delicious eateries and interesting street art

Malaysian food in Melbourne

Malaysian food in Melbourne

Graffiti along Hosier Lane

Graffiti along Hosier Lane

Saw penguins at Melbourne’s Harbour

Penguins in Melbourne

Hobart, Tasmania

Drove along the left side of the road, and rented my very first car in a foreign country.

Driving on the left

Hiked up Mt. Wellington to get this gorgeous view of Hobart.

Hobart from Mt. Wellington

Explored the surrounding countryside with mates old and new.

Exploring Hobart countryside

Hiked Freycinet National Park in Eastern Tasmania to get a great view of Wineglass Bay.

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

Explored Port Arthur, one of Australia’s oldest penal colonies.

Port Arthur, Tasmania

Wandered around Salamanca Market in Hobart.

Made in Tassie, Salamanca Market

Candy stand at Salamanca Market

March:

Places Visited: Maui, The Big Island

In March, I visited my grandparents back in Hawaii on the Big Island.

View from my grandparent’s hospital room window.

Kau Hospital, Pahala

 

Sunset over Lanai island from my hometown of Lahaina

Sunset over Lanai

April:

Places Visited: Los Angeles, Tokyo

In April, I visited my brother in Los Angeles, before heading over to Tokyo in style aboard Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class on the A380. I returned back to the east coast via New York JFK aboard Japan Airlines’ Business Class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Experienced Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class

Singapore Suites Class

Stayed at the amazing Andaz Tokyo

Andaz Tokyo

Went to Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disney World.

Tokyo Disneyland

Stood on the tarmac at Haneda airport, exploring JAL’s Maintenance Center

JAL Maintenance Center

Saw a Shinto ceremony at Meiji Jingu in Tokyo

Shinto Ceremony at Meiji Shrine

Experienced Japan Airlines Business Class

JAL Business Class

Flew over pristine winterscapes over Northern Canada

Winter over Northern Canada

May:

Places Visited: Chicago, Beijing

In May, I traveled to Beijing in American Airlines business class, after quickly snapping up the glitch fare they briefly had on sale.

American Airlines Business Class

American Airlines Business Class to Beijing

Stayed at the beautiful W Beijing Chang’an Hotel. 

W Beijing Chang'an

Met up with an old high school friend living in China

Leanne in Beijing

Ate delicious Peking Duck at Beijing’s Famous Dadong Restaurant

Peking Duck at Dadong

June:

Places Visited: Los Angeles, Richmond, New York City

In June, I headed back to the Los Angeles area for my brother’s graduation from grad school. I also visited Kings Dominion in Richmond, VA, and New York City for NYC Pride Weekend.

Walked along the pier at Seal Beach, California

Seal Beach PIer

Visited Kings Dominion theme park in Richmond, Virginia

Kings Dominion, June 2015

Walked in the 2015 New York Pride Parade with Google

NYC Pride Parade 2015 with Google

July:

Places Visited: Hershey, PA, Rehoboth Beach, DE (twice), Baltimore, Philadelphia

In July, I stayed grounded in the Northeast. I began the month spending the 4th of July weekend in Hershey and Lancaster, PA, followed by two trips to Rehoboth Beach and a weekend trip to Philadelphia.

Visited Hershey Park, Pennsylvania

Hershey Park, Pennsylvania

Watched fireworks over the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Fireworks over the Susquehanna, Harrisburg

Got a behind the scenes tour of a friend’s brewery in Baltimore

Behind the scenes at Peabody Heights Brewery

Walked the boardwalk at Rehoboth

Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk

Hung out with friends at Spruce Street Harbor Park in Philadelphia

Hanging out at Spruce Street Harbor Park

August:

Places Visited: Philadelphia, Upstate New York, Chincoteague and Assateague Island, Annapolis

In August, I headed up to Philadelphia again, spent a weekend in Upstate New York, visited Chincoteague and Assateague Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and did a day trip to Baltimore and Annapolis.

Spent a Saturday at Ashbury Park on the Jersey Shore

Ashbury Park, Jersey Shore

Relaxed at Oquaga Lake State Park in Upstate New York

Oquaga Lake State Park, Upstate New York

Ate delicious seafood at Assateague Island

Seafood at Chincoteague Island

Hung out at Annapolis Harbor

Annapolis Harbor

September:

Places Visited: Burlington, VT; Montreal & Quebec City, QC; San Diego & San Francisco, CA; The Big Island, HI

In September, I began the month in Burlington, VT, where I visited Montreal and Quebec City. I then met up with my brother in San Diego, before heading over to San Francisco for Dreamforce. I then headed over to Hawaii again for my grandpa’s funeral.

Vermont / Quebec

Driving along Lake Champlain in Vermont

Lake Champlain Byway

Hiked Mount Royal Park to get this amazing view of Montreal

Mount Royal Park, Montreal Skyline

Marveled at the architecture in Quebec City

Quebec Provincial Government Building

Admired the powerful yet calm St. Lawrence River

St. Lawrence River in Quebec City

Got out on the water on Lake Champlain

Toured Lake Champlain

Explored the quaint college town of Burlington

Burlington, Vermont

California

Spent a relaxing weekend in San Diego

San Diego Harbor

Running in the early morning around the UC Berkeley Campus

Morning run around Cal-Berkeley

Watching Stevie Wonder perform at Dreamforce

Stevie Wonder at Dreamforce 2015

Hawaii

Visited Hawaii for my grandpa’s funeral

Naalehu Church

Witnessed this beautiful sunset in Kona

Sunset in Kona

Visited Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii

October:

Places Visited: Outer Banks, New York City, Chicago

In October, I visited the Outer Banks for my friend’s bachelor party. I also visited a friend who recently moved to New York, then headed over to Chicago to visit a friend that just moved to the windy city.

Outer Bank, North Carolina

Road tripped down to the Outer Banks for a friend’s Bachelor Party. 

Outer Banks, North Carolina

 

New York City

Watched Chicago on Broadway

Chicago The Musical on Broadway

Chicago

Admired Chicago’s stunning architecture, despite the gloomy weather.

Chicago Architecture

 

 

Had an amazing four hour long, 10-course meal at a wonderful steakhouse in Chicago.

Steak at Maple & Ash

November:

Places Visited: Dubai, Sydney, Honolulu

In November, I visited Dubai, Sydney and Honolulu on a crazy three-day trip around the world. The trip was mainly to fly Etihad’s new First Class Apartment product.

Dubai

Had high tea on the 123rd floor at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, in Dubai.

High Tea at Burj Khalifa

Marveled at the architecture at Dubai Marina.

Dubai Marina Skyline

Watched the sunset over the Persian Gulf in Dubai.

Dubai Sunset

Etihad Flight 454

Traveled on arguably the most luxurious first class product currently available in air travel: Etihad’s First Class Apartment from Dubai to Sydney. 

My first class apartment.

Etihad First Class Apartment

Here’s the shared business and first class lounge.

First Class Lounge on the plane

And by the way, did I mention there’s a shower on board for first class passengers?

Shower Dial

December:

In December, I took my first road trip with my very own car to Philadelphia. I’m also planning to visit New York one more time this year for Christmas.

Road tripped to Philadelphia with my first car ever!!

Jason's Toyota Corolla

 

How did I afford to do all of this?

A ton of miles redeemed, cheap rent and cheap airfares. 

Total Miles Redeemed

I redeemed a total of 322,875 miles this year, spread across the following accounts, for the following trips:

British Airways: 38,500 avios

  • DCA-LGA roundtrip (9,000 miles)
  • LAX-SJC one-way (4,500 miles)
  • SYD-HNL one-way (25,000 miles)

American Airlines: 145,000 AAdvantage miles 

  • DCA-OGG (Maui) one-way – 17,500 miles
  • AUH – SYD one-way on Etihad’s First Class Apartments – 60,000 miles
  • NRT – JFK one-way on Japan Airline’s business class – 50,000 miles
  • HNL – JFK one-way on Hawaiian Airlines economy – 17,500 miles

I’ve also already redeemed the following for next year:

  • DCA – CGK (Jakarta) one way on Cathay Pacific First Class – 67,500 miles
  • DCA – BKK (Bangkok) one way on Cathay Pacific Business Class – 55,000 miles

Delta Skymiles: 22,500 Skymiles

  • WAS – OGG one-way on American Airlines economy

United: 42,500 United miles

  • IAD – DXB on United economy – 42,500 miles

Singapore Airlines: 74,375 Singapore Airlines miles

  • LAX – NRT on Singapore Airlines Suites’ Class – 74,375 miles

Total Spent on Travel

As of this writing, according to my Personal Capital account I spent a total of $11,995, or roughly $1,064/month, on travel so far this year. Personal Capital also includes ridesharing and subway expenses, including those that were taken in DC. As a result, I’d suspect that my average travel costs per month are under <$1k/month. A grand a month on travel might seem like a lot to some, but considering I spend only $300/month on rent by living in a living room, the ~$1k extra a month that would’ve otherwise go to pay for rent instead paid for my travels.

What a year of travel has taught me?

Three lessons I’ve learned from a year of travel are: 

  • Award points make travel ridiculously accessible. But just because something like travel is accessible and readily feasible, it doesn’t mean I should do it all the time.
  • The world is a whole lot smaller than we truly realize. You can pretty much get to anywhere in the world within 24-48 hours.
  • Travel burnout is real. It’s important to recharge and take a few days (or weekends) off from traveling. 

There’s so much more to write, but I’ll save my stories for each of these places in later trip reports. 2015 was an amazing year of travel.

Travel Goals for Next Year:

In the coming year, I’m hoping to do three things:

  • Decrease my travel budget to finally pay off my student loans
  • Do a lot more road trips to explore more of the mid-Atlantic and the Eastern Seaboard. 
  • Mitigate travel burnout by limiting the number of times I’m flying, both with domestic and international travel

Here’s looking forward to another year of travel!!

One Day in Quebec City

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One of the great things about traveling solo and renting a car is the flexibility it affords you with making travel decisions on the fly. When I visited Montreal over Labor Day, I didn’t have any plans to head up to Quebec City. Curiosity, of course, got the better of me, and I decided to make the 250 km drive to check out the epicenter of French Culture in North America: Quebec City. Here’s how I spent a Sunday afternoon in the city:

#1: Observed the stunning architecture

Provincial Government Building.

Quebec Provincial BuildingThe Fairmont Hotel Frontenac, an icon of the city of Quebec, renowned for its architecture. 

Hotel Frontenac

#2: Wandered around the streets of Old Town

View of the Saint Lawrence River from the Hotel Frontenac

View of St. Lawrence River #2

The funicular connecting Haute Ville and Basse Ville
Funicular
Streetscape in Quebec City

Street Scene #3

#3: Discovered Quebec City’s Art Scene

Murals abound in Quebec City. This one was simply stunning.

Mural #2 Mural #1#4: Learned about the history of French Canada and Quebecois identity

The Musee de la Civilization has an interesting exhibit on the first floor regarding the history of French Canada and Quebecois identity.
Musee de la Civilisation

#5: Caught an impromptu street performance

Quebec City is also known for it’s street performers. A large crowd had gathered around this group.

Street Performance in Quebec City

 

 

Have you visited Quebec City? Any suggestions on what I should check out next time I’m in the city? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

How I Fell in Love with Montreal in a Weekend

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The entrance to the EAT YUL summer food festival in Montreal.

The entrance to the EAT YUL summer food festival in Montreal.

I love languages. My first attempt at learning a foreign language was with French. As a kid, I remember reading The Adventures of Tin Tin, watching Madeline, and getting my mom to buy me some French Language books at the local bookstore. In the third grade, I participated in an art competition where I drew the Eiffel Tower. Next to the tower, there was a small little turboprop plane, with me as the pilot. I recall thinking that someday, I’d get to be a pilot and fly around the world, seeing landmarks just like La Tour Eiffel. I absolutely loved French culture as a kid.

Fast-forward more than fifteen years later from that art competition, and although I’ve yet to visit Paris (I’m saving that for a vacation with my mom – it’s her dream city to visit), I finally made it to a French-speaking city: Montreal! Although I was there for only a weekend, Montreal is the kind of city that I’ll definitely visit again. Here are my top reasons why I’d visit Montreal again in a heartbeat:

Reason #1: It truly does feel like another country

Montreal is just a few hours north of New York City, but throughout the city you’re quickly reminded that despite being a province of Canada, Quebec has it’s own unique culture and might as well be considered a country within a country. From the signage on the freeways, to being welcomed with a “Bonjour, Hello” by shopkeepers, the French language is pervasive throughout Montreal. Besides the language, the architecture is European influenced.  As a Francophile that loves architecture, this fact alone will keep me coming back again and again!

A stop sign in French

A stop sign in French

 

“Old Port” in French

“Old Port” in French

Street scene around the Old Port area

Street scene around the Old Port area

Reason #2: The surrounding landscape is breathtaking.

Montreal gets its namesake from the mountain directly west of the city: Mount Royal. The park itself, created by Frederick Law Olmstead (known for creating Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn), is one of 17 large parks in Montreal proper. Moreover, these parks are really accessible to get to if you don’t have a car, which makes taking a breather from the hustle-and-bustle of city life just a walk in the park.

View of Montreal from Mount Royal Park.

View of Montreal from Mount Royal Park.

Staircase at Mount Royal Park

Staircase at Mount Royal Park

A fountain at La Fontaine Park, near The Plateau.

A fountain at La Fontaine Park, near The Plateau.

Reason #3: The gay scene is legendary.

Although the city has just a little over 1.6 million people, Montreal has one of the largest gay district’s in North America. The bulk of the activity happens around Saint Catherine Street, which runs for nearly two kilometers! Although I didn’t get to visit many of the places here during my first visit to the city, just walking along the street during the day gave me a sense of how much activity must happen here.

Pink lights hanging atop the length of Saint Catharine Street

Pink lights hanging atop the length of Saint Catharine Street

A statue along Saint Catharine Street

A statue along Saint Catharine Street

A special-interest store along Saint Catharine Street

A special-interest store along Saint Catharine Street

Reason #4: The eclectic food and art scene

I love food and art. Montreal has both! I’ll let the pictures below do the talking.

Romados, a popular Portuguese-style restaurant specializing in rotisserie chicken. 

Romados, a popular Portuguese-style restaurant specializing in rotisserie chicken.

Fancy poutine

Fancy poutine

Street art around Le Plateau.

Le Plateau #2

 

Le Plateau #1Street art around the Art Museum.

Art #3

 

 

Art #4Conclusion

I’ll end this blog post with a caveat: I visited during the summer. I’ve heard that Montreal can be brutally cold during winter. I’m going to see just how cold it gets when I visit again later this year in mid-December. Here’s to hoping that Montreal continues to appeal to me in the future, despite the frigid temperatures.