Gunky Funky
  • Blog
  • Projects
  • Writings
    • How and Why I Write
    • Short Quotes
    • Travel Stories >
      • Around the World >
        • Korea
        • Philippines
        • Hong Kong
        • Singapore
        • Retrospective
      • Europe >
        • London Disrupt 2014
        • London 1998 >
          • The Search for Drugs
          • The Ethics of Cities
          • The history of the London Underground
          • A Poem
        • Italy Corsica Amsterdam France
        • Paris in the Spring
      • North America >
        • Yucatan, Mexico
        • Jamiroquai in Mexico
        • Ayahuasca in Costa Rica
        • Fear and Laughter in the Pacific Northwest
        • Burning Flipside >
          • Flipside 2007
          • Flipside 2008
          • Dr Tikis Script
        • Super Bowl XL
      • Morocco 2003
      • Australia 2010
    • Technical Writings >
      • NIME 2013
      • ITT Tech Courses I Taught >
        • Java I
        • Java II
        • Software Application Programming
        • Scripting and Web Authoring
      • Software Development Methodologies
      • Home Wine and Beer Making
    • Book Reviews >
      • The Miracle of Right Thought
      • The Source Field Investigations
      • The God Conspiracy
      • Chinese Health and Healing
    • Show Reviews >
      • Phish
      • Bonnaroo >
        • Bonnaroo I
        • Bonnaroo II
      • Skerik Syncopated Taint
      • Cleveland, Ohio >
        • Galactic 2006 Cleveland
        • Ernie Krivda
        • Medeski Martin and Wood >
          • MMW 2003
          • MMW 8-2005 Cleveland
      • Toast Tour 2009
    • College Musings >
      • Ethics Papers
      • The Story of Cybil and Charlotte
      • Full Circle or Straight Line
  • Music History
  • Infinite Creator

My Second Ayahuasca Experience

7/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
It has been several years since I've visited Ma Ayahuasca, and this story was written back then, but not published until now. Interesting; I think it contains wisdom. Notably, "Humans don't exactly 'need' drugs like ayahuasca, but when we expose ourselves to the other drugs in our food and media, we become conditioned to the point where we may indeed need another drug to quickly break the conditioning..."

Nowadays, I say things like breathwork can help too.


Read More
0 Comments

On Writing (and editing) a memoir

7/22/2017

1 Comment

 

My New Book, Spin the World Around, is available now on Amazon

Picture
​At the end of my trip around the world through 24 countries, I found myself with a 750,000-word draft “travel book.” It was gargantuan. After months of editing, I realized I needed to split it into two books, and of course, continue editing. The first book was a guide for someone to travel deeply and cheaply entitled How to Spin the World Around. Now, I present a nonfiction narrative entitled Spin the World Around, in which the protagonist (me) essentially discovers the methodology of travel later outlined in the first book.

Picture
​The experience of writing a memoir has been a time-consuming process, and it taught me about how we can play with time. Just the other day, I was cleaning out my garage and I found a journal in a filing cabinet. I opened it to an entry I had written when I was in high school, and it was about the desire to travel the world for adventure. “I’m not afraid of death,” was one of the lines written in the journal entry. I hadn’t read this entry probably in decades, but I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the same line written in my high school journal was later said during a key moment by a person I met years later in this book I’m about to release – about my world travel adventure. Be careful what you wish for; I’m glad that’s behind me. Then, I realize that this book I’m about to release actually ended about 3 years ago, and the protagonist was not only growing and changing over the course of the book, but once the book ended, I continued to grow and and change. I realize and accept that I am no longer the person I was in this book, just as a river is ever-changing and never the same moment to moment. That said, capturing the river in a given moment with a photograph or a story is a worthwhile creative endeavor. Learning to look back at our past selves with compassion is also worth it.

Picture
​A certain amount of time was needed between the completion of the events and the manifesting of storyline omniscience. This allowed me to write a nonfiction narrative instead of just regurgitate a slew of chronological journal entries. Editing became key, as well as generating a story arc and developing a writing style. I worked with several editors and learned something from each of them. Before I even split to two books, I was encouraged to focus on action-based parts from the first editor. “More Action! Action! Action!” she’d write in the margins. The second editor was actually a writer who I paid up front through a proxy, but they never got back to me after they got paid. One guy offered to edit, but after reading the first chapter, he claimed to already know how it ended, so I knew I was in for another re-write.  The editor I ended up crediting on the title page spent the most time with me and made the most impact on the writing style. The entire process helped make me a better writer… and editor. The good editors would generate writing assignments for more writing to be further edited. This process could go on for infinity, but eventually I needed to let it go. I encourage everyone to write their own memoir, if only to learn about oneself through creating it and become a better writer (and editor). In the mean time, I hope you enjoy my story and find my message valuable.

​With that, I present to you – Spin the World Around. Available now.

1 Comment

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2 Minutes

5/10/2015

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

All jingled out? Discover the world’s best places to avoid Christmas

12/23/2014

1 Comment

 
This is the first of a series of travel blog posts I'll be hosting in partnership with a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, one of the Internet's greatest travel sites. Let us take you away! As a company out of the UK, please excuse the British spelling, but if you hear the English accent in your mind's voice, it's all the better! Tired of tinsel and turkey? Fancy a Rudolph-free zone? Join Holiday Lettings in some alternative holiday destinations, from Istanbul to The Bahamas.

The Maldives

PicturePhoto credit: Mac Qin (license) via flickr.com
Why dream of a white Christmas when you can bask on a beach with sand as white as alpine snow? In the Maldives the sapphire skies meld beautifully with the azure ocean waves and the palm trees sway gently on the shore. Just sit back with a coconut cocktail and watch a mesmerising sunset turn both sky and sea a gorgeous golden hue.

If you can drag yourself off the beach, dive into the warm water to see the neon-coloured fish and coral reefs. Feel the breeze in your hair as you try your hand at surfing or sailing. Then fall hook, line and sinker for night fishing (and the taste of your own barbecued fish).


Read More
1 Comment

Call me when you have your platform...

7/26/2014

0 Comments

 
...said the literary agent. Since committing myself to releasing a wanderlust guide about a trip through 24 countries on the cheap, I've been making my way though the system in place to maximize the experience. I went to the Writers' League of Texas conference last month and spoke with some agents with an intention to use a traditional publisher. Until book stores and traditional distribution are obsolete, there's something to be said about the format. Maybe it's like the record album, but I still love holding a former tree and reading from it.

So I'm focusing on this new entity called "Spin the World Around." It is the name of the memoir, but it's also a way of living.

What keeps the planet spinning? The force from the beginning. ~Daft Punk

All esoterics aside, I took some really cool pictures along the way, and I thought that sharing them would be a nice platform to illustrate the manifestation.
My plan is to post a single high-res photograph each day until the book is released. With so many photos, I should have a platform by then. Here are the social network icons, without the names... Dig it!
Ok, well, so here's what i learned at the conference:
1. Twitter: you should be posting 4x per day and only 20% of your posts are about you.
2. Facebook: sadly, it helps to pay them to promote you

For the photo posting idea, here's a list (and my accounts for Spin the World Around):
1. Flikr lets you share high-resolution photos
2. Pintrest: photos pushed from Fliker whose locations can be added to a map
3. tumblr: similar to Flikr, but maybe not as high-res
4. instagram: has additional effects and a forced resolution, so postings are a separate work of art that can be re-posted to Flikr as such
5. imgr: for memes and funny pictures
6. Reddit to re-post photos
0 Comments

Ayahuasca in Costa Rica

5/27/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's been about a year and a half since my adventure in Costa Rica with a Columbian Shaman and Ayahuasca. Once in a while, I get people contacting me on Facebook asking for advice for their upcoming journey. Here's my story.

0 Comments

Full Map of my Trip!

1/29/2014

0 Comments

 
Above is a full map of my trip around the world. Click on the word "Tripline" for details
0 Comments

Gratitude

12/19/2013

0 Comments

 
Photo
Thankful for every friend I've met along the way. It has been bliss. every awkward moment; every physical injury; every look in the eyes; every touch; every deep conversation; every thought-provoking personal moment; every sight and adventure we shared; every platonic bond; every drive through the streets; every meal at home or in every restaurant; every sleeping space, no matter how luxiourous or spartan; every kiss; every hug; every handshake; every drink and smoke; every sunset, star gaze, or nature hike; every personal recital of moments of my life or the life of my friend; every language barrier; every time i helped someone improve their English; every end of the night or start of the day; every train, plane, or bus ride; every missed connection; everything lost or given away; every lesson; every smile; every consolation; ...and all that's to come...

0 Comments

A brief retrospective 3/4 of the way...

12/5/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
So, when i was 6 months into my trip around the world, I was sitting in my friend's flat and decided to write a retrospective on where i'd been. It was quite the journey, and it was only 2/3 of the way finished! Here is my report!


 The universe provides.



Check out my book!

2 Comments

Singapore Thing

8/14/2013

0 Comments

 
PictureDrinking from the Merlion
The adventure never ends. Singapore is a unique city in many ways, and my experience there definitely fit into that category. It's been a while since I've posted a blog entry. Basically, I decided to write a book when I get back that brings all these travels into a cohesive full story, so I'm now leaving things out of the blog and saving them for the book. I did a little bit of that in this story, but for the most part, most of what I have to say about my stay in Singapore can be found on my travel entry for this lovely city, which is also a country, as well as an island. It sits at the southern edge of Malaysia, and it is it's own little world. Check it out!

0 Comments
<<Previous

    RSS Feed

    Russ

    Spin the World Around

      Contact Me

    Submit

    Categories

    All
    Ahaucha
    Airbnb
    Alaska
    Alto Sax
    Amazon
    And Fire
    Android
    Aparigraha
    Around The World
    Around The World Travel
    Asana
    Asia
    Asteya
    Astral Projection
    Audiotrip
    Austin
    Austin Silent Disco
    Authority
    Ayahuasca
    Ayahusca
    Baritone Sax
    Best Travel Blog
    Bhagavad Gita
    Bikram Yoga
    Binaural Beats
    Bitches
    Boulder
    Bramacharya
    Budget Travel
    Burning Flipside
    Burning Man
    Cajun
    Caning
    Caribbean
    Celtic Cross
    Central America
    Cheltenham
    Chicken Adobo
    China
    Chinese Food
    Christmas
    Cleansing
    Colorado
    Columbia
    Conspiracy Theory
    Coronavirus
    Corona Virus
    Costa Rica
    Couchsurfing
    Covid-19
    Crazy Dance
    Create Your Reality
    Daejeon
    Dave Brubeck
    Debate
    Denali
    Dharana
    Dhyana
    Dim Sum
    Disco
    Dmt
    Double Sax
    Dr. Tiki
    Earth
    Editing
    Emperador Light
    Empire Of The Sun
    Ethics
    Europe
    Facebook
    False Dichotomy
    Fantasy
    Fela
    Fela Kuti
    Flikr
    Flipside
    Fluoride
    Food Courts
    Forgetting
    Free
    Free Will
    Funky
    Galactic Signature
    Gangnam Style
    Girdwood
    Goenka
    Groceries
    Guided Meditation Treks
    Guru
    Gymnastics
    Hatha Yoga
    Headphone Concert
    HEB
    Higher Self
    Hinduism
    Holiday Lettings
    Honey White
    Hong Kong
    Imgr
    Incline
    Inside Job
    Instagram
    Ios
    Ishvarapranidhana
    Jamiroquai
    Japan
    Java
    Javascript
    Jazzfest
    Job Search
    Jp Sears
    Judgement
    Juice Cleanse
    Jungle
    Kali Uchis
    Karma
    King Crimson
    King Super 20
    King Zephyr
    Kiss And Tell
    Korea
    Kundalini
    Labels
    Lamma Island
    Later
    Latin America
    Law Of One
    London
    Lucid Dreaming
    Manifestation
    Mark Sandman
    Materialism
    Mattress
    Meditation
    Melting Pot
    Memoir
    Memorial Day Weekend
    Mexico
    Michael Jackson
    Middle East
    Mindful Travel
    Mobile Clubbing
    Monterrey
    Montreux Jazz
    Morals
    Morphine
    Mrt
    Music
    Music Is A Meditation
    Music Tutorial
    Nacpan Beach
    Napsan Beach
    Nature Sounds
    Neurolinguistic Programming
    New Age
    New Interfaces For Musical Expression
    Nice Jazz Festival
    Nime
    Niyama
    Octopus Card
    Okcupid
    Old Flavours
    Oppression
    Out Of Body Experience
    Palawan
    Personal Growth
    Peru
    Philippines
    Photographs
    Photojournalism
    Piano Tutorial
    Pintrest
    Pittsburgh
    Platform
    Podcast
    Pranayama
    Pratyahara
    Prince Karma
    Psychedelics
    Puerto Princessa
    Pyropolis
    Quarantine
    Racism
    Reddit
    Reincarnation
    Religion
    Retreat
    Right Thought
    Rigveda
    Samadhi
    Sanskrit
    Santosha
    Satya
    Savasana
    Saxophone
    Saxophonics
    Science
    Seoul
    Sex
    Shaman
    Sheet Music
    Silent Disco
    Singapore
    Singapore Sling
    Singlish
    Skerik
    Sleep
    Smart Phone Development
    Smartphone Travel
    Social Network Platform
    Software Development
    Soju
    South America
    South Korea
    Spin The World Around
    Spirituality
    Startup
    Steelers
    Steemit
    St Lucia Jazz
    Supermarket
    Svadhyaya
    Swift
    Synervoz
    Take Five
    Talk Radio
    Tapas
    Tarot
    Techcrunch
    Telepatia
    Tenor Sax
    Tensorflow
    Texas
    They Live
    Tinder
    Topo Chico
    Travel Blog
    Travel Book
    Travel Guide
    Travel Hacking
    Travel Technology
    Tripadvisor
    Tripping Balls
    Trip Review
    Truth
    Tsa
    Tumblr
    Turkey
    Turnmeup
    Twitter
    Upanishads
    Urban Mattress
    Video Blog
    Vipassana
    Vomiting
    Waterfalls
    Wawa
    White Supremacy
    Whole Foods
    Wind
    Writing
    Xchox
    Yama
    Ymca
    Yoga
    Yogasutra
    Zombie

    Archives

    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    April 2020
    July 2019
    August 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    Copyright (c) 2015 Russell Eric Dobda
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • Projects
  • Writings
    • How and Why I Write
    • Short Quotes
    • Travel Stories >
      • Around the World >
        • Korea
        • Philippines
        • Hong Kong
        • Singapore
        • Retrospective
      • Europe >
        • London Disrupt 2014
        • London 1998 >
          • The Search for Drugs
          • The Ethics of Cities
          • The history of the London Underground
          • A Poem
        • Italy Corsica Amsterdam France
        • Paris in the Spring
      • North America >
        • Yucatan, Mexico
        • Jamiroquai in Mexico
        • Ayahuasca in Costa Rica
        • Fear and Laughter in the Pacific Northwest
        • Burning Flipside >
          • Flipside 2007
          • Flipside 2008
          • Dr Tikis Script
        • Super Bowl XL
      • Morocco 2003
      • Australia 2010
    • Technical Writings >
      • NIME 2013
      • ITT Tech Courses I Taught >
        • Java I
        • Java II
        • Software Application Programming
        • Scripting and Web Authoring
      • Software Development Methodologies
      • Home Wine and Beer Making
    • Book Reviews >
      • The Miracle of Right Thought
      • The Source Field Investigations
      • The God Conspiracy
      • Chinese Health and Healing
    • Show Reviews >
      • Phish
      • Bonnaroo >
        • Bonnaroo I
        • Bonnaroo II
      • Skerik Syncopated Taint
      • Cleveland, Ohio >
        • Galactic 2006 Cleveland
        • Ernie Krivda
        • Medeski Martin and Wood >
          • MMW 2003
          • MMW 8-2005 Cleveland
      • Toast Tour 2009
    • College Musings >
      • Ethics Papers
      • The Story of Cybil and Charlotte
      • Full Circle or Straight Line
  • Music History
  • Infinite Creator