About Jef van de Graaf

Adventures, History and Experiences

From Toronto, Canada · Now in Chiang Mai, Thailand

1988

October 21

Happy Birthday to Me

That’s right, I’m a 90s kid.
2002 – 2007

High School

Begged CS Teacher to Pass Me
& Failed Grade 12 English

My career in “tech” started by blowing into a NES cartridge to “troubleshoot” a game that didn’t boot. Beyond that, I had to beg my Computer Science teacher not to fail me⁠. I later failed English 4U because my Grade 12 teacher was a bully⁠.
2007 – 2012

University of Waterloo

Got a BSc in Honours Biomedical Sciences with a double minor in Biology and Psychology.

Also a research assistant for John C. Semple:
1. Multivariate studies of Solidago subsect. Squarrosae I: The Solidago speciosa complex
2. Multivariate studies of Solidago subsect. Squarrosae II: The Solidago bicolor–S. hispida complex
2011

Hitchhiking

Toronto to Vancouver Island

Hitched for 6+ months with a guitar and a tent. Saved ~$10K from tree planting in Northern Ontario and fruit picking in the Okanagan Valley before returning home and finishing my degree.
2012

Cycle Touring

Toronto to St. John’s

Partnered with Boost: Child & Youth Advocacy Centre and started a fundraiser called Positivation. I raised over $1,000 and nearly died in Come By Chance⁠.
2013

University of Manitoba

Spent a year living in Winnipeg working with kids in care as well as a group home for adults with special care needs. Took an applied counselling program to level up my communication skills for this career.
2014 – 2018

Cycle Touring

Toronto to Tokyo

Sold all my belongings and took a one-way ticket to Tokyo, kickstarting the craziest adventure of my life.
2015 – 2016

Private English Teacher

Built my first business, privateenglishteaching.com⁠, and taught up to 65+ students in Shunan, Japan. Sold my business then continued my cycling adventure.
April 2016

Kumamoto, Japan

Maple Syrup Relief

Raised 100 000円 then cycled to Kumamoto, Japan after the earthquake devastated the city.
2016

WordPress & Copywriting

Taught myself how to build sites with WordPress and launched an e-commerce business, dropshipping kung fu shoes from Taiwan to North America. Failed at that, so I became a freelance copywriter instead.
March 2017

Masbate, Philippines

Lakat Aklat

Assistant volunteer teacher, providing English lessons, fun games and books to read for kids in remote areas.
2017 – 2020

Top-Rated Upworker

Relied on Upwork while cycling across the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. Returned to Canada in 2018 after my bike was destroyed in China. Registered as a company then returned to China to continue my travels to Vietnam and back to Indonesia.

Total earnings
$60K+
Total jobs
180
2020 – 2021

COVID Era

Escape to Thailand

Arrived in Bangkok a month before the COVID lockdowns. Took a train to Chiang Mai and just days later, the entire country was locked down.
2021

Deportation

Deported by Jogja Immigration

Had some issues with a Balinese visa provider and Jogja immigration during the peak Delta-variant period of COVID. Ended up getting deported and quarantined in my mother’s basement for 14 days.
2022 – Ongoing

Living the Chiang Mai Dream

It’s okay to be jealous.
2024 – 2025

Copywriting is Dead

Experienced my worst years as a freelance copywriter. Returned to Canada for a bit to recoup and figure out my next move.
2026

Goodbye WordPress

Migrated all my WordPress websites to a simple, AI-assisted workflow in June. Took about 2 months to fine-tune my process, rebuild 30+ personal sites, and turn this into a viable solution for new clients.
2026

Games

Built My First Games

Released Nekoshi & Friends⁠, Stickfinity⁠,
You Suck at Living⁠, and 11 Bored Games⁠.
2026

10-Year Anniversary

Currently celebrating my 10-year anniversary as a freelancer, business builder, and entrepreneur.