Teen Author Festival

This week is the Teen Author Festival in New York City. Last night I went to the VOICE panel, and it was really inspiring. Some of the questions addressed: How do you 'find' your character's voice? What are ways to reveal voice (both first & third person) in a manuscript? What makes a voice authentic?

Now I really want to read this.

Tonight is the Reader's Theater at Barnes & Nobles Union Square, and I'll be there... If you're a writer or reader in the NYC area, I hope you'll check out the schedule & try to attend one (or more) of the events!

Time Management

My dad plugged me into an AWESOME, LIFE-CHANGING app – Pomodoro. It's a time management application based on the Pomodoro Technique. I've been using it all week and my productivity level has skyrocketed! Basically the program is a timer. It's initially set-up for 25 minutes with a 5 minute break. Each pomodoro activity gets a name (for example, some of mine include writing, cleaning, language class and emails). You can choose to mute the sounds or have a ticking clock. After four pomodoro rounds, I take a longer break (such as walking the dogs, stretching) before resuming my to do list. You can also view your daily/weekly pomodoro statistics...

Having a set time to complete tasks has helped me juggle numerous projects this week. It's also a great way to minimize aimless web surfing (ahem, twitter, facebook). If you've got a lot of things going on in your life, I'd recommend trying it out for yourself!

Bye, Bye Florida

It's been a fabulous five days in Florida!

Click to read more ...

Goose Story

I loved this video about a man & a wild goose, featured on tonight's CBS Evening News... Enjoy!

/>

New Year, New City

Hello everyone! I disabled the blog during the holidays while I worked some things out, but I'm back! We recently moved into New York City, so we're still unpacking boxes, adjusting (i.e. teaching my dogs about the elevator) & exploring our new home.

I'm writing more than ever (professionally & personally), which makes me very happy. In the last few months, I've encountered beluga whales, snorkeled with wild manatees, gone dog sledding and attended the Westminster Dog Show, so life is busy as usual!

I hope you all have been well. I look forward to sharing updates on writing, travel, running, reading, wildlife & more with you......  xo

My Experience Studying Wild Whale Sharks... Now Live!

I am so thankful, blessed and excited right now! My case study on wild whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico just went live on the National Geographic Channel's GREAT MIGRATIONS website! {Have you heard about this amazing television event yet? It's premieres Sunday! It's not to be missed!!}.

Projects

{I took the photo above in Sabah, Malaysia}

It's been a really long week for me, how about you?

The highlight of my week was finding out that I'm a high school journalism project. I've never, to my knowledge, been anyone's project before. So that's pretty fun.

These stories, below, have been my recent projects. In case you'd like to check them out in your leisure time – many of these posts have videos from my recent expeditions:

Nighttime Wildlife River Safari

Whale Shark Eyes

Wildlife of Gomantong Cave

Saltwater Crocodile Breeding Ground

Tree-Dwelling Pit Viper

Orangutan Bridges

City Rats

Miami's Hidden Animal Kingdom

Bat Exodus

Tracking Wild Elephants

Stinging Invertebrates

Alien Crayfish Invasion

Cat Facts

Dogs & Dewclaws

Toxic Toadzillas

Manta Ray Transport

What are you up to this weekend? We've got to finish up the loose ends from our move and then start packing. We leave for Europe on Wednesday and we'll be gone for two weeks, so there's lots to do!

Shift in Place

We moved yesterday to rent my childhood country home with my brother and his family. The property backs up to over 100 acres of preserved land, so this is truly mountainous rural living. This next year will be about spending quality time with family, escaping to the outdoors and letting nature be my muse...

Wildlife Experiences

More of my Borneo-related wildlife stories have published this week – Hope you can check out the site and join me on a nighttime river safari, tracking wild elephants, photographing poisonous pit vipers and observing orangutans crossing man-made bridges!

Click image below to link directly to the Nat Geo INSIDE WILD blog...

You can also go to Borneo YOURSELF & enjoy all of these wildlife experiences! I traveled with Terra Incognita Ecotours – The full itinerary is available online – and I cannot say ENOUGH good things about this company & the founder, Ged. Feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions about my experience with this ecotour group, and I would be happy to answer them! If you love wild animals, sustainable travel, nature, photography and culture, you'll love a Borneo Terra Incognita ecotour.

Quick Update

Hello everyone! Hope you all have been well. It's been a crazy busy, exhilerating August.... I'm back in Hong Kong after about 10 days on the island of Borneo. We hiked through thick rainforest, photographed exotic plants, tracked orangutans and elephants, cruised a river filled with 20-foot crocodiles, snorkeled in coral reefs and so much more. Can't wait to share all the news with you soon..... now, off to catch my flight to the States!

Follow my frequent travel updates on Twitter.

Living with Less

I am so inspired by a recent New York Times article on why consumerism doesn't equal happiness.

Obviously, the idea that "money doesn't buy happiness" is not a novel theory – but I loved the real life stories shared in this article, tales of people who spend their money on 'experience' versus 'stuff.'

Click the New York Times article below, if you'd like to read it....

REVEALED: Secret Animal Mission

You might remember when I jetted off to Florida on a super secret animal mission? Well, now I can finally spill the deets... I observed the Georgia Aquarium ship an 8-foot wide giant manta ray in water, across state borders, on an 8-hour overnight transport. Seriously. I was in the SUV following the truck for the entire journey. Awesome sauce.

These transport posts went live on the National Geographic INSIDE WILD blog in a series. Here's the first blog post What's it Take to Ship a Manta Ray? about preparations and the second blog post Manta Ray Transport...

And if you're up for reading my other recent Nat Geo posts over a cup of coffee this morning, here are some links to new posts:

Giant Grasshoppers

Aerial Surveying of Wild Manta Ray Populations

Notes from a Dog Walker

School Bus-Sized Fish

I'm in Washington, D.C. right now wrapping up a few things before I fly out to Mexico this weekend. I'll be there with a team doing whale shark research attending the annual Whale Shark Festival.

Click to read more ...

Piggyback Ride

Last week, I snapped this pic of an orangutan mama and her baby while working at the Tampa Zoo. Aren't they precious? I'm doing a lot of prep work for my upcoming Terra Incognita Ecotour to the island of Borneo, where I'll be studying orangutans and other animal species for ten days. I'm beyond excited – just one month until departure!

Front Pages from Around the World

Have you ever wanted to read the front page of an international newspaper? The Newseam online features the daily newspaper front page from 74 countries. The text and images – unedited from their raw form – reveal the topics important to a local population. Viewer discretion is advised, as some content may be objectionable to some readers. And FYI, you can also visit the Newseam Museum in Washington, D.C.

Travel Etiquette Survey

Over breakfast this morning, I read today's USA Today and noticed this travel etiquette survey snapshot (above). I'd have to agree that people who "cell yell" quickly get on my nerves. Also rude passengers on airplanes. On my flight yesterday, a woman spilled her coffee on the empty seat next to her. When a man boarded and went to that very assigned seat, she told him what happened but didn't offer to help clean it up or switch seats! (I overheard the story via the flight attendants). What are your biggest travel etiquette pet peeves?

Trolley Trend

Don't you just love spotting a trolley on the streets? And even better... a trolley whisking away a bride and groom? One of my best friends rented a trolley for her wedding party a few years ago. It was so much fun to travel together and hop off at various points along the Delaware River for impromptu photo sessions. We're entering wedding season up north, and I've been spotting the vintage wedding trolley trend everywhere.

Like in historic Annapolis, Maryland...

And charming Red Bank, New Jersey....

 So old-fashioned and romantic, don't you think?

Earth Day Turns 40

{source}

I hope you enjoy celebrating our beautiful planet today.

How much do you actually know about the Earth? Take this quiz to find out and see photos of our rapidly disappearing world.

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." ~Native American Proverb

 {source}

* © passport in my pocket *

Planet(s) Earth

It's a week-long celebration of our planet at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Earth Day Network is currently hosting a Climate Rally to initiate support for a comprehensive climate bill, and NASA has had informational exhibits in honor of Earth Day's 40th anniversary.

As part of this event, artistic globes are on display throughout the National Mall. This unique exhibit is meant to showcase environmental problems and potential solutions, inspiring a movement of change.

My sister, nieces and I checked them out on a windy Sunday afternoon....

Check out more Cool Planet Globes.

* © passport in my pocket *

Sunset + Planets

Has anyone else looked for Venus & Mercury in the western horizon? Last Saturday we packed up our binoculars, chairs and cameras and went to Fort DeSoto Beach on a rare planet hunt.

Venus was visible after sunset...

Mercury was slightly lower on the horizon than Venus, and toward the right. But unfortunately my camera was not strong enough to capture the small glimmer of this planet. Check out some stunning photography of Mercury here

.

It's not too late to see this planetary duo for yourself! They are visible for another week or so. Find out more information here.

* © passport in my pocket *