Hey
I set this site up a few months ago as a platform for things I was writing.
I wasn’t quite ready to actually tell anyone about it but figured it was a good way to keep myself accountable, give myself goals and deadlines, and self-review and improve as a writer when I read back and cringe at all the typos (easy to deal with) and stupid ideas (harder) I’d posted, to the internet, forever.
Funny how I never thought twice about those stupid fucking facebook statuses back in the day.
So I made a site.
I was living in Japan at the time so most of my writing was about Japan.
Before that, I lived in Vietnam. And every now and then I’d go on holidays to somewhere in Asia. And I’d write about those things.
But now I’ve moved back to Ireland. I’m not travelling all the time. But I’m still writing. I’ve got hundreds of pages of notes and ideas and thoughts and info about my time in Asia, and I think exploring new places stuck with me now, whether Ireland or Indonesia.
I had a good weekend exploring my native West of Ireland: Westport in Mayo and down to climb Diamond Hill in Letterfrack. Few oysters and pints of shtout in Clifden. That’s as good as going anywhere.
And now back to work. Along with travelling, over the last few years I think I’ve burned a writing habit into myself. So this site is a platform for things I do be thinking about. I’m sure in a year or whatever I’ll be mortified by whatever I wrote here, but that’s how it is.
If you don’t cringe with embarrassment at who you were last year, you’re not growing up.
A better writer than me said that before. Look it up.
So what am I writing about?
Well, I’m passionate about life and all the things you can do with it. I love travelling, running, swimming, snowboarding, surfing, trail-running, climbing mountains, riding motorbikes, doing yoga and dancing. So I’ll be writing about those. Hopefully in a manner that will be of interest to someone.
I also know that you need a healthy mind to make the most of these things, or to enjoy them in the first place. I love the mental benefits of exercise, and the physical benefits of being motivated. So I want to write about maintaining healthy habits to keep yourself motivated to enjoy life. Meditation, learning about psychology, nature, family, friends, career and anything else to keep your mind ticking over.
You live,
You learn.
Life is a choice.
And if nothing else comes of it, I’m learning an awful lot just by writing. It’s good for you. It’s deep practice of thinking.
I’m going back to college this year to learn more about Psychology and Wellbeing. I’m enjoying writing. I like teaching as well. So who knows where I’ll go with this. Hopefully I’ll be able to teach or inspire a little bit with written words.
Oh, and the name: years ago I moved away and a friend noted that Gav was Gone. It’s happened a bit again over the years. It’s travel related, I guess. Though maybe it can mean whatever you want it to mean. Now I’m starting to think it’s a bit like The Be-Sharps. I’ll work with it.
Hopefully it will soon be relevant as “Gav has gone and become a writer.”
And I’m still going to be writing about travel. I have tons of stories from the last few years of travelling around Vietnam (a lot, mostly by motorbike), Mongolia, Myanmar and loads of others, and more recently, Japan where I spent a few months. I’d like to share them with the internet (I don’t know if anyone in particular is reading this just yet) and any useful information I might have. Or even just a little bit of encouragement.
And particularly Vietnam, a place I love now as much as any other, in spite of its flaws and its weirdness and its health hazards. It’s a beautiful place full of beautiful people, and I like to think I saw the best of it over the years, from its unique countryside, inimitable hospitality to its whacky everyday occurrences, and the best football fans in the world. So hopefully I’ll get around to sharing more stories and travel guides to the place. Everyone knows what to expect from Ha Long Bay and Hoi An but maybe I can show you some other things. With motorbikes.
If you like or dislike anything you see then please do comment or follow me on social media.
Or don’t.
Your choice.
Gav
s in the world. So hopefully I’ll get around to sharing more stories and travel guides to the place. Everyone knows what to expect from Ha Long Bay and Hoi An but maybe I can show you some other things. With motorbikes.
If you like or dislike anything you see then please do comment or follow me on social media.
Or don’t.
Your choice.
Gav