Norm Writes
  • Home
  • Who in the World
  • Blog
  • Postcards
  • Why I write

Your December 2016 postcard from Norm: the WHY? edition!

11/27/2016

6 Comments

 
Picture
The WHY? edition
I get a lot of questions about traveling and living abroad, particularly from my friends in the United States, who seem equal parts fascinated and horrified by the fact that I’ve chosen to reside in countries other than where I was born. So today, I thought I’d share the WHY of my most recent decision to move to the Philippines.
​
Picture
Why now?
When I left the U.S. in early November, it was rapidly approaching wintertime – a great season to spend in Southeast Asia. From June until November approximately it’s the monsoon or rainy season here in Asia, and it’s not quite as fun living here with downpours, soggy clothes, mosquitos, and floods. But come late November, the weather turns to sunshine and I probably won’t see a drop of rain until May. From February to May it’s the hottest time of the year in SE Asia, and each day literally feels 1C (sorry, I’m back on metric) hotter than the last. Through March and April it’s hotter than Hades and I’ll be dreaming of rain and the comfort of a cool summer/fall in the states!

Why Asia?
Asia is frigging fascinating with its blend of unique religions, cultures and histories, packed with 70% of the world’s population within a 1,000-mile radius. Southeast Asia is also extremely safe compared to living in Central America, has great food, friendly people, never-ending places to visit, second-to-none natural beauty...and it’s cheap! 

Picture
Why the Philippines?
I’ve lived in Vietnam for a short spell and Cambodia the lion’s share of the last three years, which I really loved. But still, it’s not easy living there, and the culture is SO different that not a minute goes by that you don’t feel like a stranger in a strange land. I also visited the Philippines every year for a month or two, and finally decided to make this country my home base – and could afford the higher cost of living. What’s so different about the Philippines?
 
First the bad news: it’s pretty expensive compared to living in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – hotels and food are double the cost, I’d say. Speaking of food, it’s terrible. I know I’ll offend some of my Filipino friends, but everything here is deep-fried, greasy and rich, and fast food, pork and rice seem to be the main staples. There is some great seafood and fruit when you get to certain beach areas, but it’s literally hard to find fresh vegetables on a daily basis. The cities can also be super grimy and dirty and you really need to know where you’re going, and travel is never easy.
 
The good news: The Philippines is insanely cool and I think really one of the most unique places on earth. The country consists of more than 7,500 islands, only about half of which are inhabited. The white sand beaches, sand bars, emerald lagoons, rolling hills, Spanish ruins, waterfalls, volcanic peaks and coral reefs you can visit are seemingly endless. In fact, Conde Naste Traveler just named the Philippine’s islands of Boracay and Palawan as the #1 and #3 best in the whole world!

Picture
But perhaps the Philippine’s greatest natural treasure is its people. Filipinos are incredibly gregarious, welcoming, happy, social, caring, and warm. I’d best describe the culture as half American and half Latin American, thanks to influence of Spanish conquest for hundreds of years. Filipinos LOVE basketball, often wearing jerseys as everyday attire and games in flip flops springing up in every Barangay (neighborhood.) Filipinos are also very musical, and life here has a light, singsong vibe. The country is about 90% Christian and 80% Roman Catholic, and most Filipinos also speak English (though sometimes I need an English-to-English translator!)
 
But just when I think I’m getting to know the Philippines, it surprises me, a country of intrigue, mystery and surrealism, both geographically and culturally. ​

Picture
Why Cebu?
In past years, I tried my level best to living right on the beach here in SE Asia. While that works out great for some, there’s a profound lack of consistent Wi-Fi on the smaller islands, remote areas and beaches. That turns my usually 50-hour workweek into a sweaty, frustrating 70-hour affair as I run around looking for a place with a good signal. So this year, I decided to make the city of Cebu in the Philippines my home base, instead.
 
Cebu is the country’s second largest city (NO WAY I was going to live in big, dirty and insanely-congested Manila) and sits in the central Visayan region. It’s still a city but three clicks more mellow than Manila. But Cebu City also sits on the island of Cebu, with plenty of amazing beaches, waterfalls, and other attractions a 2-3 hour bus ride away.
 
Cebu also has an international airport, so I can easily bounce out on long weekend trips to other islands and those aforementioned amazing beaches, some of which are only a comical 35-minute flight away! Oh, and I can get good Wi-Fi in Cebu, as well as all the modern amenities before taking frequent adventures around the country.


Picture
Why IT Park?
Upon landing in Cebu, I booked a nice hotel for a few days and started my apartment search. It’s a whole lot harder to get reliable and accurate information about areas of the city, neighborhoods, and apartment complexes here. For instance, one area in Cebu – Mactan Island was described to me as having perfect white sand beaches or being really dirty with water you wouldn’t even want to swim in, depending on whom I asked. But with the help of some Internet research, scouting some neighborhoods, and a lot of great feedback from helpful locals, I narrowed it down to IT Park.
 
It’s a really cool community consisting of only nine square blocks walled off from the surrounding streets. IT Park is foremost a business park, with 99% of the people here working in the big international call centers around me. Since most of them accommodate calls from the U.S., they operate 24-hours a day, so the streets here are far more busy at 3 AM when people are taking their “lunch breaks” than during the middle of the day. 

Picture
The banks, endless coffee shops, convenience stores, food joints, noodle houses, etc. around me all operate 24 hours a day, too. While it’s not an entertainment district by any means – IT Park only has a couple of small wine bars – the influx of educated, hard working Filipinos means there are always people around, hanging out and socializing. The only other foreigners I see are Korean, Japanese and a couple random Europeans or Australians, who work as the managers for these call centers. IT Park has a super cool night market on the weekends and one of the coolest restaurants I’ve ever seen, an indoor-outdoor Hawaiian-themed place wrapped around a huge old tree.
 
IT Park is also remarkably safe and clean. It has an energized, bustling, super-miniature New York City feel, and it couldn’t be more convenient for me to live and work in. So chances are if you’re calling a customer service number from the states and you get a Filipino on the other end of the line, you’re calling my neighborhood.

Picture
Why Premier Residence Apartments?
I looked at several other apartment complexes and condos here, but they were either too stuffy, too overpriced, or too big and impersonal. But finally, the Premier Residences was recommended to me, and I knew instantly I’d take it.
 
In densely packed Philippines cities, space is at a premium, so for one person, my 28-square meter studio is considered luxurious. It’s a modern spot with a nice kitchen and bathroom, small living area, fold-down murphy bed to save space, and a simple desk right by the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover one wall, giving me a great vantage point of the busy street below. The apartment also has a nice infinity pool on the 11th floor roof deck with great views.
 
Like most apartments in foreign countries, it came furnished, and I signed a six-month lease. I even signed up for cable TV and Internet service, but I’m still waiting impatiently for them to come do the install. How much does all of this cost? $400 a month, which means my total budget is around $1,500 a month, or $2-$3K a month if I want to splurge and travel a lot.
 
So with all of that, there’s only one more question I may have missed:
 
Why travel and live abroad?
Why the hell not? Haven’t you been paying attention?

***
Thanks for reading this WHY edition, and hit me up if you have any questions about living or traveling abroad, and come visit me anytime! 

-Norm  :-)

6 Comments

The Best Rapper From Every State

11/15/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

Who's the best rapper of all time from each state? In this map I broke down the 50 states of rap (and the District of Columbia, which is well represented by Wale). There were a lot of easy ones, but some states where it was hard to find even one credible rapper (Montana) and even a handful of states where I was unexpectedly impressed by their underground rap scene (Iowa). Some notable rap stars saved me by being born in smaller states (Wiz Khalifa, Missy Elliot, Guru, Speech) while I'm sure some of my choices will be controversial - or flat out wrong. 

Feel free to share this rap map and comment below as to which ones I got right and wrong! 

-Norm

The Best Rapper From Every State:

Alabama
Mick Jenkins
 
Alaska
Josh Boots
 
Arizona
Judge da Boss
 
Arkansas
SL Jones
 
California
Tupac
(props to Ice Cube, Too Short, Del, E40 and so many more)
 
Colorado
Pries
 
Connecticut
Apathy Demigodz

Delaware
J.Harm
 
District of Columbia
Wale
 
Florida
Rick Ross
 
Georgia
André 3000
 
Hawaii
Tassho Pearce
 
Idaho
J-Boi
 
Illinois
Kanye West
(props to Common)
 
Indiana
Freddie Gibbs
 
Iowa
Kemyst
(also check out Maxilla Blue and D.O.P.E. Clique)
 
Kansas
XV
 
Kentucky
Cunninlynguists
 
Louisiana
Lil' Wayne
 
Maine
Spose
 
Maryland
Logic
 
Massachusetts
Guru
(props to Ed OG)
 
Michigan
Eminem
 
Minnesota
Brother Ali
 
Mississippi
Big K.R.I.T.
 
Missouri
Tech N9ne
 
Montana
David Dalla G & Surebert
(by default because I literally couldn't find any other rappers from Montana)
 
Nebraska
Pigeon John
 
Nevada
Dizzy Wright
 
New Hampshire
Adeem
 
New Jersey
Lauryn Hill
(mad props to the Fugees)

New Mexico
Wake Self
 
New York
Biggie
(props to the legends Nas and Rakim, Wu Tang , Jay Z and Big Daddy Kane)
 
North Carolina
J.Cole
(props to Phonte)
 
North Dakota
Wiz Khalifa
(he was born there)
 
Ohio
Bizzy Bone
(from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
 
Oklahoma
Elteazee
 
Oregon
Cool Nutz
 
Pennsylvania
Black Thought
(props to Lil Dicky)
 
Rhode Island
Sage Francis
 
South Carolina
Alpoko Don
(formerly Dondada)
 
South Dakota
Biggs the Boss
 
Tennessee
Juicy J
 
Texas
Scarface
(Geto Boys)
 
Utah
James the Mormon
(He's got skills, but worst rap name ever?) 
 
Vermont
Neffy
 
Virginia
Missy Elliott
 
Washington
Sir Mix-a-Lot
(props to Macklemore)
 
West Virginia
DreadHeadCed
 
Wisconsin
Speech
(formerly of Arrested Development)
 
Wyoming
Y-O

***
Feedback? Suggestions? Great rappers I missed? Comment below or drop me an email. 

0 Comments

Paddy Power: where Donald Trump, the U.S. election, and big-time political gambling come together.

11/13/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
A lot was riding on this past US presidential election. It wasn’t just the fate of the nation being decided; whether we’ll be led the next four years by Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the White House. It wasn’t just policy, law, the economy, peace, or liberal vs. conservative doctrines teetering in the balance. In fact, there was a lot more riding on who came out a winner as POTUS in the early morning hours of Tuesday: money.
 
That’s because tens of millions of dollars (and a lot of UK Pounds) would change hands as our biggest political election became a matter of wager and sport, no different than the betting that takes place every Sunday on NFL football games or on mega fights in Vegas.
 
The epicenter of this international gambling-on-politics trend seems to be an unlikely source: Paddy Power, an Irish bookmaker that coordinates legal wagering –online but also still on the phone – for gambling across the UK. It was Paddy Power, among others, that handicapped the U.S. presidential election, offering odds and big payouts on Clinton and Trump.
 
But it back fired – big time – for the Irish bookmaker when Trump turned all the polls upside down and shocked the world with his victory. In fact, Paddy Power had early betting lines at only 150/1 for Trump – a virtual long shot.
 
Other UK bookmakers who do the same thing like Sun Bets had the chances for Hillary Clinton winning at 83 percent. Convergex had Trump’s odds of winning at a similar 28.5%.
 
But as the election progressed and the FBI renewed its probe of Clinton’s emails, Trump’s chances of winning grew. Heading into the weeks before the election, his odds grew to 5/1 then 5/2, just as Clinton’s dropped from 2/9 to 1/3.
 
There was heavy betting on both candidates, as UK bookies took in about £20 million (about $25 million USD) in total wagers. But when the FBI announced that Clinton was in the clear again, Paddy Power maintained their odds overwhelmingly for her to win the Presidency. In fact, they had the chance of Trump winning the election were roughly the same as flipping a coin and getting heads twice in a row.
 
Interestingly enough, there was a huge influx of money coming in for Trump to win in the last few days of the election, with 91% of wagers placed on the real estate mogul to win.
 
But Paddy Power was still so confident in a Clinton victory that they actually started paying out winnings to those that bet on the Secretary of State and former First Lady, doling out £800,000 early to customers.
 
Big mistake.
Historically big.
 
When Trump shocked the world on November 8, Paddy Power and the other betting sites were left with a stiff bill, facing the biggest political payout in its 28-year history.
 
One man named William Hill won £4 million on the outcome of the election, which was a record for political betting. Another Trump “super fan” named John Mappin won £103,000 on Trump after putting down 33 individual bets over 18 months.
 
Paddy Power, already on the hook for £800,000 in early payouts to Clinton non-winners, would be facing imminent bankruptcy from the double losses if not for one thing: their historic blunder(s) have gotten them so much worldwide publicity that attention to their wagering site has skyrocketed, and they’re in the black once again.
 
Paddy Power’s odds makers got the Trump win incredibly wrong on the heels of another titanic upset: Brexit. In fact, they’d given the UK a 90 percent chance of remaining in the European Union, which obviously didn’t happen.
 
If someone had bet on a Donald Trump victory, Britain leaving the EU and soccer team Leicester City winning the Premier League they’d have won a massive $50 million USD payout on a measly $5 bet, as they had the chance for all three events to happen at only about 0.000033 percent.
 
Did you cash in by betting on Trump, or lose money on Clinton? Don’t worry – you’ll have plenty more chances to wager on political happenings within the Trump presidency and in future U.S. elections.
 
Here are some odds Paddy Power and Sun Bet have posted:
 
President Trump “Specials”:
Odds                Event
1/3                   To see his term out
9/4                   Not to see his term out
3/1                   To get divorced during his term
5/1                   To win the 2020 presidential election
10/1                 To be impeached
12/1                 To be jailed for a sex offense
6/1                   Hillary Clinton to be jailed before the end of 2020
4/1                   To build a complete wall between Mexico and USA
40/1                The first commercial flight to Mars to take place during Trump’s presidency
66/1                Trump to paint the White House gold
100/1              To be banned from visiting the UK during his term
 
Where will President Trump’s first state visit be?
 
13/8  Russia
7/4    Mexico
11/4  Canada
6/1    Scotland
6/1    Israel
10/1  China
16/1  Solvenia
25/1  Ireland
25/1  Cuba
40/1  Venezuela
100/1 North Korea
 
US Presidential Election 2020 odds:
 
11/10  Donald Trump
7/1       Mike Pence
7/1       Paul Ryan
7/1       Tim Kaine
8/1       Michelle Obama
9/1       Elizabeth Warren
12/1    Hillary Clinton
13/1    Julian Castro
16/1    Cory Booker
16/1    Amy Klobuchar
20/1    Bernie Sanders
20/1    Kamala Harris
25/1    Trey Gowdy
33/1    Ted Cruz
40/1    Jeb Bush
66/1    NFL quarterback Tom Brady
66/1    Mark Cuban
90/1    Kanye West
100/1  Chelsea Clinton
150/1  Kevin Spacey
275/1  Kim Kardashian
 
 -Norm  :-)

Originally written for Blue Water Credit.




0 Comments

And the winner is... Find out with these 15 eerily accurate predictors of Presidential races.

11/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Will Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton be our next president? While you may think that we need to wait until the final hours of November 8, 2016 to find out who will be the 44th Commander in Chief of these United States, there are ways to predict who will be victorious.
 
In fact, our methods of predicting who will be the next U.S. President, and whether the Republicans or Democrats will seize power, has nothing to do with New Hampshire or Iowa, Quinnipiac polls or economic indicators. We’ll rely on these weird, funny, and downright bizarre - but shockingly accurate - predictors of Presidential races:
 
Popular Halloween masks
According to CNN Money, Halloween mask sales are a rock solid predictor of who will be elected the next U.S. president. In fact, whichever candidate sells more masks or costumes with their likeness has also won the presidential election going back to 1980.
 
Accuracy: 100%
Prediction: Donald Trump masks were more popular than Hillary Clinton masks (and far more scary!) so the Republicans win.
 
Which candidate has better hair
Since television became popular, starting with Kennedy beating out Nixon, the candidate with the better hair is almost entirely ensured to win the presidential election. In fact, Obama and his close-cropped haircut beat out a balding John McCain in our last election.
 
Accuracy: 100%
Prediction: Hilary’s mop isn’t anything special, but Donald Trump’s coif looks like a spray-tanned beaver died on his head.
 
The kid vote
To educate and familiarize our children with Presidential elections, many elementary schools set up their own voting booths and conduct mock elections. Teachers collect and tally the results, announcing them to the children as a fun part of the learning process. But those results are also turned over to Scholastic News, who has published them in advance of the real Presidential election. Incredibly, the kids have polled for the correct president in 15 out of the last 17 elections. The only exceptions were in 1960 when our nation’s children chose Nixon over Kennedy, and in 1948 when they voted Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman.
 
Accuracy: 88%
Prediction: We’ll have to check the Scholastic News results early next year!
 
How the Los Angeles Lakers fare
Nine times in history the Lakers were in the NBA championship series in the same year as a presidential election. They’re record in those finals is 5-4, but that’s not the predicting factor. The first eight times the Lakers were in the finals, Republicans won the presidency later that year, with a perfect 8-0 record.
 
Accuracy: 100%
Prediction: Lakers had one of the worst records in the league last year, so Dems slam dunk this one.
 
Oscar-winning movies
This is an amazing predictor. During election years, take a look at which film won the Academy Award for Best Picture the year before. If the movie has a bummer, sad, or negative ending, the incumbent party will win the election. But if the movie has an upbeat or storybook happy ending, a new party will be in the White House.
 
Accuracy: 90%+

1975 Best Picture winner One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Bummer ending, so the incumbent party lost the presidential election the next year.
 
1979 Kramer vs. Kramer
Bummer ending, so the incumbent Democrats lost the Republicans won the presidential election the next year.
 
1983 Terms of Endearment
Family heals and comes together, the incumbent party wins.
 
1987 The Last Emperor
This is the only year that didn’t really work, since the communist system was restored at the end of the movie, but the incumbent lost.
 
1991 The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal got away, so Incumbent loses.
 
1995 Braveheart
William Wallace may have met his demise but Scotland won her freedom.  The incumbent party won.
 
1999 American Beauty
The main character is murdered and things go from weird to catastrophic, which means the incumbent party lost.
 
2003 The Lord of the Rings
Our heroes are victorious and evil is defeated, which means the incumbent party wins.
 
2007 No Country For Old Men
The bad guy gets away with murder, and the incumbent party loses.
 
2011 The Artist
Happy ending, the incumbent won.
 
2015 Birdman
Prediction: This film had a pretty positive ending to a dark, serious film.
Prediction: That means the Democrats will win as the incumbent party!
 
The thickness of women’s eyebrows
According to “Women’s Wear Daily,” in years that Republicans win, you’ll typically see thinner eyebrows and more red lipstick among ladies. However, in years a Democrat wins the presidential election, you’ll see bigger eyebrows and softer shades of lipstick.
 
Accuracy: Questionable at best
Prediction: Republican
 
Pick whomever Sylvia Browne doesn’t
Do you remember The Montel Williams show? He had a psychic named Sylvia Browne who appeared on there from time to time. Every four years she would announce the winner of the presidential election months ahead of time, as reported to her by the spirits. The only problem was that Browne hasn’t been right yet.
 
Accuracy: 0% (or 100% if you pick against her)
Prediction: The Montell Williams show is no longer on the air, but years ago, Sylvia “The Psychic Who’s Always Wrong” Browne made a bold prediction that Hillary Clinton would never run. Hmmm…
 
The Redskins Rule
Apparently, the football team in the nation’s capital is a precise predictor of U.S. presidents. If the Redskins win their last home game of the season before Election Day, then the incumbent party will win. Incredibly, it’s worked for every single election since 1940, with only one exception.
 
In 2004, the Packers beat the Redskins in the final home game before the election, but President George W. Bush won and retained his presidency, but remember that he’d actually lost the popular vote in 2000, when a Supreme Court ruling over a Florida recount awarded him the Presidency. So if we look at the popular vote, not just who wins, then the Redskin Rule holds up a perfect 18-0.
 
Accuracy: Solid as oak
Prediction: The Redskins tied their last game pre-election, 27-27 with the Bengals. The game wasn’t a home game or a road game, since it was played at Wembley Stadium in London. Oh boy, will we have another voting virtual tie and need a recount?
 
The 7-Eleven Cup Rule
7-Eleven, the popular convenience store, offers custom coffee cups every election season, allowing customers to choose a cup from the party they want to see in office. In the last four elections, the presidential candidate who was chosen most on a 7-Eleven cup, won.
 
Accuracy: As consistent as morning coffee
Prediction: This year, 7-11 rolled out three cups: Republican, Democrat, and “Speak Up” with no candidate names, obscuring the polls. The popular favorite so far? The nondenominational “Speak Up” cups.
 
The World Series Rule
This one is pretty simply – if the American League wins baseball’s World Series, a Republican will win that year’s Presidential election, But if a National League team hoists the World Series banner, the Democrats are in for a victory.
 
Accuracy: The best analytic since “Sabermetrics”
Prediction: The National League Cubs JUST won the World Series last night in a historic game 7, which means our next president will be a Democrat.
 
The vote in Vigo County, Indiana
Since 1956, the way that little Vigo County, Indiana votes has predicted the U.S. presidential election every time. In fact, their results are surprisingly accurate – within 3% of the popular vote – and the trend of Vigo as a prognosticator goes all the way back to 1892 with only two exceptions.
 
Accuracy: Bet the farm on it
Prediction: TBD!
 
The Presidential Candidate Height Rule
This is amazing (and scary!): since 1900, the taller Presidential candidate has won every election with only eight exceptions. Most recently, the 6’1” Obama beat John McCain (5’6”) in 2008 but also beat a taller Mitt Romney (6’2”) in 2012, leading us to wonder if Romney wears 1”+ lifts in his black wingtips? .
 
Accuracy: Meh
Prediction: Donald Trump is 6’2” and Hillary Clinton…is not
 
The Last Name Rule
If we go back to 1900, the Presidential candidate with the most letters in his last name has won 16 times and lost only 8.
 
Accuracy: Sports betters and gamblers wish they had a two-thirds success rate
Prediction: Trump (5) falls just short of Clinton (7)
 
The Summer Olympics Rule
Just like U.S. Presidential elections, the Summer Olympics happen every four years – but is there a correlation? In fact, in the last 13 out of 14 Summer Olympics, a precedent has been set that predicts our next President. If the host country has previously hosted a Summer Olympics, the incumbent party has won the election. Only Japan’s hosting of the 1964 Summer Olympics bucks this rule…BUT…Japan had been awarded the 1940 Summer Olympics but they were cancelled because of WWII, so it can be almost justified as 14 out of 14 wins
 
Accuracy: 95%
Prediction: The Summer Olympics were hosted in Brazil in 2016 for the first time…which means a Republican is sure to win.
 
The First Lady Cookies Rule
Finally, we’re getting down to some really scientific methods of predicting the next U.S. President with…cookie recipes? The popular home magazine “Family Circle” has published a favorite cookie recipe from each of the Presidential candidate’s wives since 1992, with readers voting for their favorite tasty treat. So far, Hillary Clinton over Barbara Bush and Elizabeth Dole, Laura Bush over Tipper Gore and Teresa Heinz Kerry, and Michelle Obama over Cindy McCain and Ann Romney have held up flawlessly,
 
Accuracy: 100%
Prediction: Bill Clinton can’t bake (pun very much intended), but Ivanka doesn’t look like she’s cooked a thing in her life. So it’s a dead heat in the bake off!
 

0 Comments

    RSS Feed


      Receive a digital postcard from Norm every month:

    Yes, I want a postcard!

    Don't miss Norm's new book,
    The Queens of Dragon Town!

    See More

    Norm Schriever

    Norm Schriever is a best-selling author, expat, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. He travels the globe, telling the stories of the people he finds, and hopes to make the world a little bit better place with his words.   

    Norm is a professional blogger, digital marketer for smart brands around the world,  and writes for the Huffington Post, Hotels.com, and others.

    Check out South of Normal his Amazon.com best-selling book about life as an expat in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

    Cambodia's School of Hope explores education and empowerment in impoverished Cambodia, with 100% of sales going to that school.

    The Book Marketing Bible provides 99 essential strategies for authors and marketers.

    Pushups in the Prayer Room, is a wild, irreverent memoir about a year backpacking around the world.  

    Follow Norm on Twitter @NormSchriever or email any time to say hi!

    Categories

    All
    Advice For Writers
    Amazon
    American Exceptionalism
    Anthropology
    Asia
    Backpack
    Basketball
    Best Seller Lists
    Blogging
    Book-marketing
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    Cambodia
    Charity
    Child-poverty
    Cloud 9
    Communications
    Costa Rica
    Crazy-asia
    Culture
    Dumaguete
    Education
    Environment
    Ethics In Writing
    Expatriate
    Favorite Song
    Festivals
    Fraternity
    Funny
    Future
    Geography
    Give A Photo
    Giveaway
    Giving Back
    Health
    Heroes
    History
    Hugo Chavez
    Human Rights
    Humor
    India
    Islands
    Itunes
    Laugh
    Maps
    Marijuana
    Martial Arts
    Memoir
    Music
    Nature
    Nicaragua
    Non Violence
    Non-violence
    Ocean
    One Love
    One-love
    Our World
    Philanthropy
    Philippines
    Population
    Positive
    Positivity
    Postcard
    Poverty
    Pura Vida
    Pushups In The Prayer Room
    Race
    Reviews
    Safety
    San Juan Del Sur
    Science
    Screenplay
    Self Publish
    Siargao
    Social Media
    Southeast-asia
    South Of Normal
    Speech
    Sri Lanka
    Story
    Surf
    Surfing
    Tamarindo
    Thailand
    The Philippines
    The-queens-of-dragon-town
    Tourism
    Travel
    United Nations
    Venezuela
    Work From The Beach
    World Health
    Writers Forum
    Writing
    Writing Forum
    Writing Your First Book

    Archives

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

Norm Schriever

Email:     hi@NormSchriever.com