Revamping HowTze.com

I decided to revamp my site howtze.com in November 2023, to focus only on travel-related content - bucket lists and footprints.

While it started with a strike of "Enough watering other's garden. It is time to water your own garden.", the process reminds me of pruning bonsai.

There are 2 important points to keep in mind:

1. Clarity leads to power
2. Knowledge is power. Applied knowledge is real power

Clarity leads to power. Quantifiable, measurable, graphical elements bring more clarity.

How did it start?

This has to be traced back to early 2023. I made a New Year resolution to travel overseas, as 2022 was mostly traveling to Sarawak, Borneo for business purposes (Miss Tourism International 2022).

Personal resolution 2023:

1) Stay lowkey

2) Make money 

3) Travel monthly 

Then, the resolution (rather than simply calling it a wish) evolves:

Go overseas. ✅

Go overseas every month.

Go overseas every month, at least one week per trip.

Go overseas every month, at least one week per trip, and fly business class.

While not "every month" was achieved and no specifically other criteria were met, I made it 5 months overseas this year to date as of November 2023.

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”

Where did the inspiration come from?

Inspiration 1: Where the hell is Matt?

This video clip was published on Jun 20, 2008, with 53,260,110 (53 Million+) views and growing. As stated below the video on the YouTube page: "14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands. Thanks to everyone who danced with me." ~ Matt Harding

The point in this case is that he traveled around the world while he was young, enjoyed his trips, produced content of value, and is still making money today out of what he enjoyed doing back then.

Notes: Matt Harding's Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/mattharding2718, website: www.wherethehellismatt.com

Inspiration 2: It took me 40 years to be here!

My friend once told me there was this guy who traveled around the world collecting the sound of nature and selling it to rich people who bought his recording to test out their home audio system.

One thing he never forgot was his expression when sharing his secret: "You might see me doing enjoyable work traveling around the world yet can make money out of every trip instead of just spending money like most people, yet it took me 40 years to figure all this out!"

What had been figured out from these inspirations?

As stated above, knowledge is power, yes. But only applied knowledge is real power.

It's a shame that I knew both inspirations above for quite some time, but not until recently did I figure out how I could apply it to my passion and generate real value out of it.

Can we add value or make money out of every trip? Yes. If we can squeeze more value out of one single thing, why not? My Sugar Cane Juice Theory applies. 

What do I like? Can I make money doing what I like? Why not?

"In my view, the amateur does not love the game enough. If he did, he would not pursue it as a sideline, distinct from his ‘real’ vocation." ~ Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

What had been done for the website?

1. changed to Trawell premium theme.

2. trimming of posts from ~300 posts to only travel-related content:

- Suwon, Korea (8), Oct '23
- Tokyo, Japan (20), Jun '23
- Taipei, Taiwan (2), May '23
- Hong Kong, China (3), Apr '23 
- Bali, Indonesia (2), Mar '23
- Dubai, UAE (4)
- Vientiane, Laos (1)
- Osaka, Japan (5)

What next?

Add more previous travel content.

To add a page for the Top 10 photos of the year. Maybe one for around the world, one for my home country, Malaysia.

Keep refining the resolution and execution in actualizing the goals.

What had been learned and applied?

Clarity leads to power.

Most of my previous footprints had been in Asia. More to explore.

Never stop exploring.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Above are the Western perspectives while the similar ones in Chinese are:

读万卷书不如行万里路；

千里之行，始于足下。

Just do it. Start something, somewhere, somehow.

Do what we can, with what we have, where we are, towards where we want to be.