So it’s been another year since the last HiveFest and I’m super excited to take part in this one, especially because it’s happening in Malaysia. That’s the place I got stuck during covid, but also where I had my first experience outside Europe. I mentioned it before – those covid times in Malaysia were also the first time I tried being sober, no drinking or smoking, and now coming back here, still not having touched alcohol for the whole year, and not planning to change that – it feels surreal. Not saying I was an alcoholic or needed it to socialise, but hey – at the end of the day, it’s a fest.
The journey obviously isn’t short. No direct flights from Poland, and I remember that clearly from covid days, when I tried to get back to Poland from KL. For almost 6 months I kept hearing the same thing from the Polish embassy – there are no flights anywhere close to Poland, contact us in a month.
So this time, knowing that and having some experience, I had to go into traveller limbo. The idea was to not spend a fortune, but still keep some comfort. I found a $25 bus ticket to Vienna, thinking it’ll be a rough ride – but I was wrong. RegioJet surprised me completely. It was one of the most comfortable buses I’ve ever taken (maybe only those Malaysian bus-limos beat it). Coffee machine on board with all kinds of lattes, hot chocolate, tea. Leather seats, tablets. Honestly, I never expected that from some Czech transport company.
Vienna went smooth too. Those small perks I got from different sources gave a little touch of comfort – and the lounge at the airport was honestly one of the best I’ve used. Gave me a chance to relax, eat something proper and get ready for my flight to KL via Abu Dhabi.
I’m trying to gather my thoughts but it’s hard to reflect on everything that’s happened in the past year – that would need a separate long post, which I’ll probably do at some point. But that’s for later. Right now, I’m on the way to Kuala Lumpur, and I’ll be happy to share more with some of you in real life. As I sit on the plane listening to Zimerman Orchestra and sipping coffee, hoping it keeps me awake – my brain goes into full ADHD mode. This is what happens when you take action and realise how deep you already are in something – cancelling wouldn’t even make sense. Same with many decisions I made this year. It wasn’t more or less than in the past, just a different mindset. More Hive-focused. More open. More thoughtful. And that’s what I’ll be sharing with some of you – maybe now, maybe later.
And not just me – I know many of us will go into different mental zones in the next few days. For those who never attended HiveFest – let me explain. It’s easy to get overloaded. The intensity is next level. And this comes from someone who knows what intensity feels like from sports. It’s like playing 90 minutes under Diego Simeone – but here, it’s another game. Endless conversations in all the languages you can handle. Talking to computer geeks with zero social skills about some new code you don’t even understand and chanced that anyone will use it its close to zero, but you nod and think - no wonder why succesful companies need project managers. Conversations about the future, about projects, about the space we’re in. Listening to panels, trying to stay focused, while also preparing (hopefully) a successful art display with 
If your head’s not spinning after all that, fair play. Mine is. But I’m not complaining. I do it because I want to. I choose this. It’s a weird kind of masochism, but it gives me purpose. The way I experience HiveFest is intense. Draining. But worth it? 100 percent.
If I had to measure everything I do by asking whether it’s "worth it", I’d still be stuck in the business I used to run before Hive. Chasing those potential millions I could’ve had by now. But truth is, none of that would give me the same kind of satisfaction as these small missions I take on now. Even filming penguins. Like I said, I do it because I want to. Because I believe there’s value in it. And because it’s still incredible that after all these years – nearly ten – I still see the same faces in different parts of the world. A little older maybe, still weird, but still believing in something. Something better. All playing the same game, holding those blue cards.
And me, still with my camera, somewhere in the middle of it all. It takes me back to the first HiveFest I attended, when I told Roeland – “Hey, I’ll come to Lisbon and film the event, but no one is going to tell me what I’m supposed to do or what to film.” And his answer was simple – “Yes. That’s what we’re all about.”
The journey to Malaysia feels like the Hive journey itself – long, bumpy, exciting, unpredictable, but always moving forward, with a destination somewhere ahead. Abu Dhabi was where I planned to post this, but of course, Keychain didn’t work – classic airport wifi....Or...
Next stop – Hello HiveFest (I'm actually here). Hello KL. I don’t even know if it’s day or night anymore. Jet lag’s kicking in. But I’m ready.
