2015.

Can you believe it's 2015?!

Haha, I guess you can say it's been 2015 for a while, I mean it's even 2015 even by Chinese standards(Chinese New Years just passed ^^).

And of course I am WAY behind on my blog... so much as changed but so much is still the same. I am still traveling, still single, still trying to find my way. I am spending this winter in sunny San Francisco, and its very hot. Actually unbelievably hot. Having spent the last three winters in Chicago, Stockholm and Copenhagen, this balmy winter feels refreshing yet a bit...unnatural. Dare I say I miss the snow, the wind and dark nights of Northern Europe...or maybe I just miss my fabulous fur coats ;p

I have made three new years resolutions. Very clear, very simple ones.
1. Build my company
2. Find love
3. Get in shape

Sure, starting my company is utterly terrifying and having not worked out for two years due to traveling has made getting in shape a very daunting task- but of the three resolutions, it is the second one that is by far the hardest. Honestly, looking at my track record, I know that finding love in one short year is probably not in the cards for me. I mean - when have I even stood still long enough to get to know anyone, let alone develop feelings? But in making my resolution, I will at least open myself to try to feel "something". I promise I will allow myself to GO ON DATES. I am human afterall....

And even though this year just started, I will already be traveling shortly! I will be heading to Denmark and south Sweden and possibly Berlin in the next couple of days. After that I will be going straight to LA and then maybe Chicago?(unconfirmed). Things are about to get pretty crazy but as usual I am sure I will manage :)

I know its a bit late, but Happy 2015 and safe travels to everyone! I have a good feeling about this year!  - An Optimistic Nomad -Ran

San Francisco China Town

The day after Chinese New Years: Fire Crackers litter the streets

Happy Year of the Goat! 样年快乐！

Reason Behind the Madness

And the headache begins---how does one small asian girl move all her worldly possessions from Denmark to USA?

It seems just yesterday(well actually just 10 short months ago) that I made the big leap across the pond from Chicago to Copenhagen, but now I'm leaping again from Copenhagen to San Francisco.

My zigzag journey around the world has been exciting, hectic and unpredictable. Who would have thought that going to business school in Denmark would lead me back to USA in less than a year?

A little under three months ago - I literally canceled my flight to London the day before I was flying and bought a ticket at the airport 2 hours before my flight and flew to San Francisco for Makers Faire San Mateo. I packed one suitcase and thought I was staying only 5 days. Due to the fact that I bought the ticket so last minute, I had the worst ticket possible where I had to transfer in London and then sleep a night in JFK New York Airport(scary o.o) before driving directly to Makerfaire San Mateo with suitcase in tow.

Looking back, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, now its been almost 3 months and Im still in San Francisco and have now put a deposit down on an room in the "lower Nob Hill"(aka the Tender Nob).

Hmmm but was this move so unpredicted? While at first glance- it seems like I am just randomly moving around the world, but digging a bit deeper there is logic in this madness. Denmark is a great place for entrepreneurship, especially for young companies. There is a lot of energy and the ecosystem has been really coming together and gaining momentum. There are many accelerators and office spaces that do not take equity or money from young startups, plus there are many government grants and programs available to startups. So yes, Denmark is a great place to start a business!

So why move to San Francisco? Well as a lesson learned from Kickstarter---network, Network, NETWORK! It goes without saying that the Bay Area is the epicenter of the startup/high tech industry. Where else can you find so many talented, driven and ambitious people and companies all focused on entrepreneurship and the "next big thing". The speed at which things happen here is just mind-boggling, there really are no words to explain this except that you have to live it to understand it. Since finishing up Chicago Tech Week and Makerfaire Kansas City two weeks ago, I have just been getting a preliminary glimpse of the life here in San Francisco- I am seriously learning by doing here, because almost everyone I run into is somehow involved in the tech industry, whether, they be a VC, designer, media, engineer, lawyer, etc. Startups are the norm here- I always knew that was the case, I just didn't realize what that meant until now....and I LOVE it. In two weeks here, I have experienced/learned/done more than I could imagined.

So I guess my decision was made for me- career comes first and I have to follow opportunity. A piece of my heart will always be in Scandinavia, and I know I will find a way to return to this beautiful place. But for now - San Francisco is where I need to be.

My life: Wuhan > Dallas > Baltimore > Chicago > Stockholm > Copenhagen > San Francisco.
Ok, Im ready :)

-Ran - A Nomad on the Move

SF Apartment Search Update

So I just posted my rather disheartening post about my dismal attempts at apartment searching in SF and guess what...right when I was about to give up ---I FOUND ONE!!!!! Woohoo!!!

So maybe it's not in the best neighborhood, and I don't know who I will be living with and I can't move in for another month, but you know what? It's MINE, its affordable and...there's wifi! What else could a girl ask for in this world?!

So f%cking happy right now! Funny how your luck can change so fast huh?

-Ran- A Smiling Nomad :D

Countdown to...???

The clock is ticking down to the end of my lease in Copenhagen and ....I'm still not clear on my plans.

I know strategically that opportunity lies in SF at the moment but logistically how will I move my stuff over? or should I move everything?

I have a feeling I will be commuting between Europe and America often in the near future, but where do I make my home base. Not to mention, I'm not sure I even have much of a choice as I will again be homeless in less then two weeks and no clear plan in place.

I have scoured Craigslist in SF and so far no luck ....urrrgh. No matter what happens, this will be my fourth move in less than a year---oh the life of a traveler.

Day 50 in San Francisco...

So approximately 50 days ago, I canceled my flight to London and Amsterdam and instead bought a last minute flight to San Francisco.

I packed some random outfits leftover from my Berlin/Amsterdam trip and thought that I would only be in the Bay Area for 1 week, but now almost 2 months later I find myself living the one the smallest(but centrally located) rooms in SF.

Im surprised that I'm still there and even more so, I'm surprised that I've been able to survive off of just one suitcase of poorly packed clothes. (I only have shorts and it's actually pretty damn cold in SF- A big THANKS to Tom Wang for telling me I needed absolutely no cold weather clothes :p)

The last 50 days have been crazy, exhausting and exciting!