Sawadee is a basic greeting in Thai. It’s not the full extent of my Thai, but I don’t know much more. The masculine form of the greeting is Sawadee Krup. Feminine is Sawadee Ka. I’m no Irish Polyglot (Benny rules!), but I do what I can to be respectful while in new countries.
I just got back from a 1 hour foot massage. Including tip it was $6. I guess that’s a pretty good deal. ;) Since walking around in my Vibram’s
I never keep up with these general update posts, but I feel like Sweet Shit Saturdays will stick, even if I don’t do it every week. If you can come up with a better middle word I’d love to hear it. Sweet Stuff Saturdays sounds lame. Sweet Saturdays sounds lame. I don’t need to curse, but in this case it sounds better than the alternatives I’ve come up with.
In the future I hope these updates won’t be all about me (lame!), but there are a few things in my world I need to tell you about. So on to the good stuff! (all links open in a new window)
Frequent Flyer Master Review: 191,316 Miles Can’t Be Wrong
In the past 1 1/2 years, with the help of Chris Guillebeau, I have accumulated well over 300,000 frequent flier miles. My current balance is 191,316 (it’s actually higher now, but the review was written 10 days ago)! So far I have received ~$7,000 worth of flights for less than $300 in taxes. Rock on! Thanks Chris!
Chris launched Frequent Flyer Master last year and it’s good. It’s not perfect though. I hate reviews that don’t talk about the negative aspects of products. So click here to check out my Frequent Flyer Master Review and get the real skinny.
iHeadlines – Instant Blog Headline Generator
I’ve received some great feedback on my first iPhone/iPod/iPad/iPood (coming soon!) App. I’ve only made 6 sales thus far (so, you know, super rich!), but I’ve sent free review copies to Darren Rowse, everybody at CopyBlogger, Johnny B Truant, Ed Dale, Pat Flynn, and a few other people via a Twitter giveaway. I only have 50 total free copies to give away (and the free codes expire!) so I have to make them count. i.e. I have to find influencers who hopefully like the app and will write about it…or just like the app and not write about it! So far, none of the influencers mentioned have gotten back to me. That’s OK. Keep on keepin on.
BlogCastFM.com Interview
Srini interviewed me while I was in India about 6 weeks ago and the interview went live last week. During the course of our interview I was disconnected 3 times (Indian internet!) and my mic made lots of noise. But the editing turned out well and I think it’s a great interview. I’d been listening to BlogCastFM interviews for a while, but I never made actual contact with them. Baker mentioned me in his interview and so they got in touch with me. Thanks Baker and Srini and Sid (the other dude behind BlogCastFM).
Awesome Articles I Hope You’ll Enjoy
Insecurity Doesn’t Pay The Bills by Dave Navarro
“Everyone you admire is really, really screwed up.” Dave always kills it. Always. And this article is no exception.
Also, if you’re ever planning on launching an eBook then Dave’s How To Launch The !*&# Out of Your eBook is a must read. I didn’t buy it until after I launched How To Live Anywhere. I did a lot right and a lot wrong. You can bet I’m going to do a lot more right when I relaunch in ~2 months.
18 Ways To Avoid Becoming A Human Robot by Ashley Ambirge
Ash is killing it over at The Middle Finger Project and this article is full of good deeds and sweet shit. Perfect for Saturday. :)
The Levy Flight by Seth Godin
If you’re an entrepreneur you’re probably reading Seth’s stuff already. If not, it’s time. The Levy Flight is something I talked about in the BlogCastFM interview although I didn’t know the name for it.
That’s enough links for today. Expect some more good stuff next Saturday.
Oh, btw, I’m doing a 7 day trial: no Twitter or Facebook until next Saturday. I’ll let you know how it goes and how much more productive I’ll be this coming week. :)
yay, thanks for front row seat link love in the first paragraph :D
I liked your honest review of Chris’ book and despite how much I love him (and he is somehow EVEN COOLER in person if you would believe it!), I won’t be buying that product because of it’s US focus. I imagine it’s worth it for the free miles you get when signing up though, and he confirmed that even non-Americans can get them. Once someone gives tips for someone based in Europe I will be the first in line to get it!
Oh yeah, you’ve convinced me to the get the launch the *** e-book. You had already recommended it in an e-mail; it should be a worthwhile investment, especially if it helps me sell just 3 copies more to cover its cost :) Although I plan to have a way neater and easier to read sales page than theirs and not BS my price by hiding it tucked away deep within a random paragraph. It’s a clever technique but it’s really bloody annoying. I imagine the book is full of such aggressive tactics, so I’ll pick the ones that would least infuriate people :P
I really miss Thai massages!! The day before I left Thailand, I went wakeboarding with Sean, David and others and destroyed my body from crashes and was craving inexpensive massages for weeks! The last one I had an hour before getting the taxi to the airport was indeed a “happy ending” to my time in the country without needing any “funny business”.
Hope to see you here in Berlin some time from May!! I have a spare bed and Internet ;)
Thanks Benny! I’ll do my best to make it to Berlin. It’s a great city and I wouldn’t mind spending a few more days there. :)
And you’re welcome for the link. I absolutely love what you’re doing and I want your upcoming guide to be a massive success so you can write more awesome stuff and do a little less translating work. ;)
As far as How To Launch: it’s definitely not all high pressure tactics. And I won’t be following every single thing in the guide either. I’m gonna stay with a fairly anti-sales approach like what I have now for How To Live Anywhere. It might mean less sales, but it’ll be to awesome people who truly want what I’m providing.
Thanks a mil Karol! You can bet I’ll be picking your brain several times over the next month ;) Your advice (e.g. high affiliate commissions) has already definitely influenced how I’ll be sharing the guide.
I love my translation work, but unfortunately I end up working 10-12 hours a day and missing out on a lot of where I’m living because of that. All of my time in both Palolem and Bangkok were spent working for example. If I can monetise my site a bit then I can make translation a part time gig and focus more on my mission to help people tick “speak a language” off of their bucket list and see foreign cultures at a much deeper level because of it :)
I’m still indoors this weekend, but then I’ve blocked any other work for the rest of the month to write the guide. I’m confident that it will be a worthwhile investment and ultimately lead to something way better than just an hour a day or whatever could have.
Cheers!
Hey Karol,
Sounds like you are doing big things!! Your apple app sounds awesome… I’m waiting for the iphone to come to Verizon, and then I will for sure be another sale for you. :) It sounds like a great program, and I wish I could take advantage of it NOW!!
Thanks Karen! I appreciate your support.
Ooo la la! My name in print!!! This is ABSOLUTELY some sweet shit. By the way, personally I like the name. Then again, the title of my blog is The Middle Finger Project….soooo I might be a little biased toward vulgarities. ;)
Apparently I need to start stalking you more. I didn’t realize you were over there gallivanting with the boys in Thailand. Why, oh why, have I not just hopped on a plane already?
In any event, as it was declared on Twitter, I’m officially your biggest fan. Thanks for the mention, here–it’s an honor to be included with such good company.
Rock on, friend!
Thanks Ash! And you’re welcome for the mention. Hop on that plane ASAP…Thai New Year (Songkran) is coming up. Looks like more good times ahead!