Well its time to pack the suitcase and Jet off once again.... the first of many in 2009. Hong Kong is the first port of call which is a great place to start.
Shall be swinging past Dubai on the way back home to catch up with an old school friend.
The question is what to pack into the 6 days in Hong Kong?
Snow and rain will be replaced with sun filled skies and warmth I hope.....February is a good time to go apparently. Last June on the previous visit to Hong Kong it was stormy for the duration so hoping to see a different side to this fascinating place!
One thing I'm surprised to see is the number of visitors this site has supposedly received. Over 1 million surely that cannot be right!?
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Sunday 13 April 2008
Jose Gonzalez @ The Edinburgh Assembly Rooms
She’s late because she’s been climbing trees behind her house and painting flowers on her two-year-old niece’s legs all afternoon, so I meet her at the bottom of my street, waving to her as she skips along excitedly from the bus. Her sister has bought some new clothes via mail order that arrived today and she’s already helped herself to a stripy red vest with gold buttons and a pretty, short skirt that shows off her legs. I kiss her and we race down to the subway at Hillhead, huddling for warmth on a brown metal bench as we wait impatiently for the train. An old jakey comes smiling over on his heels giving us a perfect ‘O’ sign with his finger and thumb and exclaiming ‘True Love! True Love!”
Under-ground we squeeze into one seat by a partition and she nestles her head into my neck as I slide a hand round her small waist. A guide dog in training ignores its master to come and sit obediently by my side and I place my other hand on the dog’s warm collar. I am suddenly awash with a sense of familial warmth and belonging and smile to myself at the possibilities of life as we rattle along together inside this metal carriage.
She refuses to get on the train at Queen Street without a coffee, but we manage to board with seconds to spare and find seats opposite each other at a table with two young tie-guys staring vacantly out of the windows. I’m a little annoyed because I want her all to myself and brood irritably over an empty notebook, but she doesn’t seem to mind and pulls out a battered copy of Through the Looking Glass, giggling to herself as she drinks her coffee and reading out occasional extracts for me. Suddenly she grabs my pen out of my hand and writes ‘Don’t waste time or time will waste you!’ on the folded Metro lying on the table, spinning it round for me to read and offering only a sly grin by way of explanation.
The receptionist’s spiel in the Royal Mount Hotel is so melodic and well rehearsed that we are both momentarily put into a deep trance and its not until we get into our room with its fat white pillows and castle-view that we realise we’ve actually arrived in Edinburgh. We pull some chairs up to the window to watch the pedestrians and buses rush by on Prince’s Street and I put on some Jose to get us in the mood. She asks me if I think its strange that I’m English and she’s Glaswegian and whether I think that she sounds rough because I’m so polite and all. I suggest that we get naked and under the covers to discuss it, which she says is extremely impolite, but she agrees anyway because it’s raining outside and the gig isn’t for hours yet.
Afterwards, we get dressed without showering and cross the Waverley Bridge up to Cockburn Street where there’s a little Mexican restaurant I know with brightly coloured paper decorations hanging from the ceiling and walls filled with black and white stills of families and fiestas. A blonde, Polish waitress with burn scars on her left arm sits us in a quiet corner downstairs and we order beer and fajitas which we wolf down hungrily, talking all the while of our own plans to run away to South America together. I try to take some photographs of her while we digest, but she comes over all shy and covers her face with the scarf that still smells of sulphur from her trip to Rotarua geysers in New Zealand. I’m not disheartened though; even if she only lets me take photos of her eyes and hands it will be enough for now.
The Assembly Rooms are alive with chairs and chatter as we step past the marble columns and red drapes and heads bob up in every seat, but a security guard takes a shine to us and tells us that if we hurry upstairs there’s still room on the balcony . We run through the velvety carpets dragging ourselves up thick, gold banisters and spot two perfect chairs overlooking the entire room, sliding over laps and legs and snapping them down.
High domed ceilings scattered with stone-flowers, balls of light, red velvet curtains and looping arches fill the rooves of our consciousness, but before we have time to absorb , the lights dim low and a slight young man with long black hair and an open forehead ambles onto stage with guitar in hand and launches straight into a collection of emotional folk songs, sketched out by intricate picking and country rhythm and set off by a haunting, feminine voice that bewitches and unsettles. This is Death Vessel. I become so absorbed that when he suddenly stops strumming and starts snapping his fingers in rhythm while continuing to sing I am brought to a moment of such clear awareness that I feel the wax melt from my ears and the words flowing directly into me, the bright flags waving in the disused corridors of my mind. When he finishes, she grabs hold of my thigh and looks at me in that super-intense way I like, staring right into my eyes as she tells me how she’d been dreaming of swimming deep underwater, surrounded and buoyed by liquid as she was sucked down, away from herself and deeper, into another world. I put my hand softly on the nape of her neck, but she catches me as I glance down at her perfect nipple, visible in the looseness of her vest, and scalds me with a playful slap. I’m a typical Scorpio, she says.
Jose Gonzalez takes his seat. He warms his fingers with melody, stumbles upon his gentle voice, brings the depth of rhythm and harmony alongside him with friends and then begins to carefully weave for us a vision: a log cabin, lost in the Swedish firs in the heart of winter, a small boy wrapped in colourful ponchos drifting in and out of sleep by the fire, listening to the soft, melodic voices of his parents as a million snowflakes fall like stars through the window singing of love and life and loss.
And as the music and images swim up and over me I too begin to feel as though I might be slipping into a fluid dream world beneath and beyond the ocean. I look across at the girl I love and smile as we float up and under the sparkling chandelier, riding the waves of these beautiful, ethereal songs, holding each others hands so tight we can’t even clap our applause.
Under-ground we squeeze into one seat by a partition and she nestles her head into my neck as I slide a hand round her small waist. A guide dog in training ignores its master to come and sit obediently by my side and I place my other hand on the dog’s warm collar. I am suddenly awash with a sense of familial warmth and belonging and smile to myself at the possibilities of life as we rattle along together inside this metal carriage.
She refuses to get on the train at Queen Street without a coffee, but we manage to board with seconds to spare and find seats opposite each other at a table with two young tie-guys staring vacantly out of the windows. I’m a little annoyed because I want her all to myself and brood irritably over an empty notebook, but she doesn’t seem to mind and pulls out a battered copy of Through the Looking Glass, giggling to herself as she drinks her coffee and reading out occasional extracts for me. Suddenly she grabs my pen out of my hand and writes ‘Don’t waste time or time will waste you!’ on the folded Metro lying on the table, spinning it round for me to read and offering only a sly grin by way of explanation.
The receptionist’s spiel in the Royal Mount Hotel is so melodic and well rehearsed that we are both momentarily put into a deep trance and its not until we get into our room with its fat white pillows and castle-view that we realise we’ve actually arrived in Edinburgh. We pull some chairs up to the window to watch the pedestrians and buses rush by on Prince’s Street and I put on some Jose to get us in the mood. She asks me if I think its strange that I’m English and she’s Glaswegian and whether I think that she sounds rough because I’m so polite and all. I suggest that we get naked and under the covers to discuss it, which she says is extremely impolite, but she agrees anyway because it’s raining outside and the gig isn’t for hours yet.
Afterwards, we get dressed without showering and cross the Waverley Bridge up to Cockburn Street where there’s a little Mexican restaurant I know with brightly coloured paper decorations hanging from the ceiling and walls filled with black and white stills of families and fiestas. A blonde, Polish waitress with burn scars on her left arm sits us in a quiet corner downstairs and we order beer and fajitas which we wolf down hungrily, talking all the while of our own plans to run away to South America together. I try to take some photographs of her while we digest, but she comes over all shy and covers her face with the scarf that still smells of sulphur from her trip to Rotarua geysers in New Zealand. I’m not disheartened though; even if she only lets me take photos of her eyes and hands it will be enough for now.
The Assembly Rooms are alive with chairs and chatter as we step past the marble columns and red drapes and heads bob up in every seat, but a security guard takes a shine to us and tells us that if we hurry upstairs there’s still room on the balcony . We run through the velvety carpets dragging ourselves up thick, gold banisters and spot two perfect chairs overlooking the entire room, sliding over laps and legs and snapping them down.
High domed ceilings scattered with stone-flowers, balls of light, red velvet curtains and looping arches fill the rooves of our consciousness, but before we have time to absorb , the lights dim low and a slight young man with long black hair and an open forehead ambles onto stage with guitar in hand and launches straight into a collection of emotional folk songs, sketched out by intricate picking and country rhythm and set off by a haunting, feminine voice that bewitches and unsettles. This is Death Vessel. I become so absorbed that when he suddenly stops strumming and starts snapping his fingers in rhythm while continuing to sing I am brought to a moment of such clear awareness that I feel the wax melt from my ears and the words flowing directly into me, the bright flags waving in the disused corridors of my mind. When he finishes, she grabs hold of my thigh and looks at me in that super-intense way I like, staring right into my eyes as she tells me how she’d been dreaming of swimming deep underwater, surrounded and buoyed by liquid as she was sucked down, away from herself and deeper, into another world. I put my hand softly on the nape of her neck, but she catches me as I glance down at her perfect nipple, visible in the looseness of her vest, and scalds me with a playful slap. I’m a typical Scorpio, she says.
Jose Gonzalez takes his seat. He warms his fingers with melody, stumbles upon his gentle voice, brings the depth of rhythm and harmony alongside him with friends and then begins to carefully weave for us a vision: a log cabin, lost in the Swedish firs in the heart of winter, a small boy wrapped in colourful ponchos drifting in and out of sleep by the fire, listening to the soft, melodic voices of his parents as a million snowflakes fall like stars through the window singing of love and life and loss.
And as the music and images swim up and over me I too begin to feel as though I might be slipping into a fluid dream world beneath and beyond the ocean. I look across at the girl I love and smile as we float up and under the sparkling chandelier, riding the waves of these beautiful, ethereal songs, holding each others hands so tight we can’t even clap our applause.
Tuesday 8 April 2008
Bedtime
one self portrait
one photo over the easter weekend, a rest day! Finally...It is midnight in Flensburg. I have been for a run, about 14km, 75 mins. Ate some bread with herring and some bread with prawns. I need to get to my room. Training is pretty tiring and I have noticed that if i drink the protein shakes at night it gives my some interesting gifts in the morning. I will not take a photo of it. I am feeling pretty fit. Always have something tired, legs today, was shoulders a few days ago. I had to do 10 x 50m reps, each one had to be less than a minute, I was consistently at 55-58 secs. So aiming for the 50.
I got my wetsuit, it is tight. I got my tri suit too and tri bars... SO i guess I am ready to go. Just got to get fitter. I was impressed though, i was checking my heart rate today and it was at 52 BPM while I was standing in the car park.
I will get some more photos up soon
Wednesday 19 March 2008
BA
Are fuckkkerrss.. they lost my bag and my runnning gear. So i am running in crap Nike trainers that hurt and make me run slowly.
Anyway, i ran a lot, with Kelly from work for one night. Rode my bike and swam in swimming pool in Germany, it was German. 2.7km swim tonight... nice.
whats this below... i rode through it, bollocks to it
50 mile ride... not tired yet...
Tuesday 4 March 2008
Heart
Tiring...
I got the the 1500m swim in 42 mins on Friday and on Sunday I managed 10km in 52 mins, after a 2000m swim with intervals. Saturday was a bit easier, I rode about 50km dead in 2 hours, far far too slow but it was more of a cruise, plus wind... the ride had a tough climb too outside Henley... some old dude also tried to overtake me and knock me off my bike. I saw him at the lights, and spent about 2 mins giving him some abuse
Below is the bike run from my HRM in 2 pics as the HRM ran out of memory during the ride, i forgot to delete 20 files.In the 2nd curve you can see my heart racing when there is no speed at about 37 mins...
Below is an image of the 10km route I use for timing on
I got the the 1500m swim in 42 mins on Friday and on Sunday I managed 10km in 52 mins, after a 2000m swim with intervals. Saturday was a bit easier, I rode about 50km dead in 2 hours, far far too slow but it was more of a cruise, plus wind... the ride had a tough climb too outside Henley... some old dude also tried to overtake me and knock me off my bike. I saw him at the lights, and spent about 2 mins giving him some abuse
Below is the bike run from my HRM in 2 pics as the HRM ran out of memory during the ride, i forgot to delete 20 files.In the 2nd curve you can see my heart racing when there is no speed at about 37 mins...
Below is an image of the 10km route I use for timing on
Friday 29 February 2008
Tri Beastin it
Saturday 1500m swim & 2hr turbo session on the bike
Sunday 16km run with fast intervals
Monday First brick session ie beast 1 hour turbo session and then a 35 min run
Tuesday about 2000m of swimming and then about 10km run
Wednesday 1hour bike session
Thursday hard hilly run for an hour
Friday 300m warm up and then a 1500m Time Trial swim... 42 mins. Could have gone faster and have to hit low 30s. Need to find more races too
Suffice to say this is a beasting. I east ALL the time. Use Musclemax protein drinks, Isostar drinks to try and recover but my body has no clue what is going on. Permanently tired and sore...
Next week is mostly running! Which I think is my worst discipline. But it is addictive...
Sunday 16km run with fast intervals
Monday First brick session ie beast 1 hour turbo session and then a 35 min run
Tuesday about 2000m of swimming and then about 10km run
Wednesday 1hour bike session
Thursday hard hilly run for an hour
Friday 300m warm up and then a 1500m Time Trial swim... 42 mins. Could have gone faster and have to hit low 30s. Need to find more races too
Suffice to say this is a beasting. I east ALL the time. Use Musclemax protein drinks, Isostar drinks to try and recover but my body has no clue what is going on. Permanently tired and sore...
Next week is mostly running! Which I think is my worst discipline. But it is addictive...
Monday 18 February 2008
Moon Sickness
I had a cold so no training this weekend. Have not done anything since Wednesday after a beast run during my lunch hour.
Spent the weekend in bed and in the evening taking advantage of the clear night. Trying to get photos of the moon. Gibbon. Small but my lens does not have too much of a zoom. I also used my polarising filter. I spent the weekend also working out the aperture, shutter, manual priority controls. What
Monday 11 February 2008
Tired
Ran Tuesday
Swam Wednesday
Ran Friday
Swam Saurday about 800 metres
Ran further on Sunday
Swimming tonight
Missing bike training but that will happen at the weekend. Running is easy, I can run a good 45 mins to 1 hour without much thought. It is tiring this... i may have a cold but i may be tired. Chlorine in the water gives me bad sinuses so I need to find another pool... its the non stop exercising and thinking about when I can fit time in. Plus sit ups and push ups every day to every second day. I am not eating chips or crisps, I am not drinking during the week and at weekends I am boring and not drinking much either....
Just need to fit in skiing holidays
Wednesday 6 February 2008
TRI TRAINING
I started last night. I ran in the forest here in Flensburg, Germany, with my head torch on. It is frightening, listening to a band called M83.... whoah... then see something reflecting... eyes... whose eyes? Cat? Dog? Wolf? Bear? Do they have wolves or bears here??? GROWLLL.. argghhh... walk up to it... it is still... looks like a wolf...
hear a voice, German... figure has stopped. What do I do know? swear... if in doubt swear. Say I can only speak English, the shape... a German Sheperd dog... and a German voice stating, she is not scary.. i am thinking.... YEAH RIGHT! then there is a second dog... i just notice as it runs "towards" me...
i am going swimming at the indoor pool tonight at the hotel
hear a voice, German... figure has stopped. What do I do know? swear... if in doubt swear. Say I can only speak English, the shape... a German Sheperd dog... and a German voice stating, she is not scary.. i am thinking.... YEAH RIGHT! then there is a second dog... i just notice as it runs "towards" me...
i am going swimming at the indoor pool tonight at the hotel
Edam bourg: Scott Land vs Franz
So Scotland lost, gutted. I had not been to Murrayfield since I was a schoolboy, like 15 years ago. An amazing weekend. Saturday was good. Sunday was better. The French supporters were hilarious, wearing "kilts" singing their songs, beating their drums. I was just proud to be a Scot singing the nationa anthem again. Sitting drinking beer talking "French"... It was a forward pass... maybe.. i was busy fannying as usual.
Then out for dinner in the evening after much looking around and walking for hours from Murrayfield up to the Castle
Then out for dinner in the evening after much looking around and walking for hours from Murrayfield up to the Castle
The Verb he air
The first real weekend of skiing for me... I was pretty apprehensive having just come off the back of a knee injury which put me out of action from October. I had been running and riding a few times towards the end of November and in December. It was pretty low impact. Carrying a few extra kgs... I had been to the MK snowdome perfecting my air... and learning rails in January, so I knew from that I could ski. After crashing off the rails a few times and twisting my knee with no major ill effects.
We met on the Saturday morning as Ash turned up the trailAddiction bus with Doug and Ali, clearly already having tantrums at each other. Amusing from my view point, pretty much how the weekend went, awesome to laugh so much and do the best sport in the world.
Carrying those extra kay jeez pretty much stopped me getting up any of the back country boot packs at any speed. Plus all my gear. So Doug, Ali , Ash cane it off whilst I slowly plod up the mountains. We were at 3000m. We hit Stairway to Heaven, which I renamed Stairway to Hell. Then blasted down the pitches there. Snow was ok.
Then we hit the slopes for a bit. Had some lunch, saw some good looking girls eating. Then discovered the Super Bowl. A couloir at around 40 degrees then a nice bootpack. BEASTED. But we hit the powder, it was awesome. Nice and fast turns, I think 2 long fast turns for me.... Then we mis navigated back off the hill. I was already beasted and we had to get back up and then do a long traverse. SORE. Plus exposed. Then me fannying around the slope back. We then had fun with some kid jumping the queue.
Ash booked a good cheap hotel... nice.. good food too. Hit the bars that night, watched a fight. Drank beer. Vitamin B tablets
Woke up the next morning and we saw She Man. Lovely. Skied Sunday, which was good, more chilled than the previous day, with my dead legs trying to ski a mogul field, I gave up and let the lads do it. Skied in the afternoon. Finally went to the bar, worked out it is possible for a woman to look good after kids.
We met on the Saturday morning as Ash turned up the trailAddiction bus with Doug and Ali, clearly already having tantrums at each other. Amusing from my view point, pretty much how the weekend went, awesome to laugh so much and do the best sport in the world.
Carrying those extra kay jeez pretty much stopped me getting up any of the back country boot packs at any speed. Plus all my gear. So Doug, Ali , Ash cane it off whilst I slowly plod up the mountains. We were at 3000m. We hit Stairway to Heaven, which I renamed Stairway to Hell. Then blasted down the pitches there. Snow was ok.
Then we hit the slopes for a bit. Had some lunch, saw some good looking girls eating. Then discovered the Super Bowl. A couloir at around 40 degrees then a nice bootpack. BEASTED. But we hit the powder, it was awesome. Nice and fast turns, I think 2 long fast turns for me.... Then we mis navigated back off the hill. I was already beasted and we had to get back up and then do a long traverse. SORE. Plus exposed. Then me fannying around the slope back. We then had fun with some kid jumping the queue.
Ash booked a good cheap hotel... nice.. good food too. Hit the bars that night, watched a fight. Drank beer. Vitamin B tablets
Woke up the next morning and we saw She Man. Lovely. Skied Sunday, which was good, more chilled than the previous day, with my dead legs trying to ski a mogul field, I gave up and let the lads do it. Skied in the afternoon. Finally went to the bar, worked out it is possible for a woman to look good after kids.
Tuesday 29 January 2008
Lapland - Levi
Having just had my first ever naked Sauna, the body is feeling fully refreshed. The spacious hotel room is equipped with the perfect bathroom - complete with a private sauna.
The first evening within the Arctic Circle is proving to be a very relaxing one. I'm sat in the bar being entertained by Dutch piss artist regailing tales about the northern lights and intrepid adventures on a snowmobile.
A cool crisp pint of Lapin Finish beer is close by my side. A very nice lager indeed!
A herd of reindeer are milling around outside, probably trying to find bits of lichen underneath the thick snow.
The Taxi driver from the airport was once again a bit of a legend. Not a surfer this time - but a snowmobile racer!
He happen to drop into the conversation that his biggest ever jump on a snowmobile was 43m! He is a little short of the world record of 184m, but neverless this is a ridiculous distance to fly through the air on a 250 kg chunk of metal!
So here in the deep freeze - lots of activities to keep the winter enthusiast very happy indeed. Some great skiing, incredible snowmobiling, Husky mushing, Ice fishing, great food, friendly people............and a winter paradise to explore! Good work if you can get it I suppose......
Only the bitterly cold temperatures, and some uncooth typical ignorant brits doing their best to contribute to noise pollution levels to complain about..
Peace out!
The first evening within the Arctic Circle is proving to be a very relaxing one. I'm sat in the bar being entertained by Dutch piss artist regailing tales about the northern lights and intrepid adventures on a snowmobile.
A cool crisp pint of Lapin Finish beer is close by my side. A very nice lager indeed!
A herd of reindeer are milling around outside, probably trying to find bits of lichen underneath the thick snow.
The Taxi driver from the airport was once again a bit of a legend. Not a surfer this time - but a snowmobile racer!
He happen to drop into the conversation that his biggest ever jump on a snowmobile was 43m! He is a little short of the world record of 184m, but neverless this is a ridiculous distance to fly through the air on a 250 kg chunk of metal!
So here in the deep freeze - lots of activities to keep the winter enthusiast very happy indeed. Some great skiing, incredible snowmobiling, Husky mushing, Ice fishing, great food, friendly people............and a winter paradise to explore! Good work if you can get it I suppose......
Only the bitterly cold temperatures, and some uncooth typical ignorant brits doing their best to contribute to noise pollution levels to complain about..
Peace out!
Monday 28 January 2008
Finland
Just stepped out of a Taxi in Helsinki. The taxi driver was a total legend. He works when he needs to and lives the dream as much as his money can afford him to. A true believer of acquiring money to realise your dreams. He is off to Panama in a couple of weeks for 10 weeks of surfing on the pacific west coast.
Surely an ideal way to escape the bitter cold of the Finnish winter!
There is a reason that so many Fins love to indulge in the extreme.
Be it getting in a Sauna naked, then running down the garden having cut a hole in the frozen ice at the bottom of it, and jumping in, or engaging in some serious vodka drinking activities, or rallying through the barren icy roads in the wilderness.
This reason is primarily down to climate, and a culture that has been born from it. A land of extreme temperatures, has given rise to a nation of extreme people.
However despite this, alot of them seem as calm, measured - chilled like the frozen tundra that surrounds them.
Almost apparently devoid of stress. Perhaps in a country where the number of Saunas almost outnumber its 5.2 million population, there is something to be taken from the philiosophy of - a sauna a day will keep the doctor away.
That coupled with a couple of shots of Vodka!
Cheers......
Surely an ideal way to escape the bitter cold of the Finnish winter!
There is a reason that so many Fins love to indulge in the extreme.
Be it getting in a Sauna naked, then running down the garden having cut a hole in the frozen ice at the bottom of it, and jumping in, or engaging in some serious vodka drinking activities, or rallying through the barren icy roads in the wilderness.
This reason is primarily down to climate, and a culture that has been born from it. A land of extreme temperatures, has given rise to a nation of extreme people.
However despite this, alot of them seem as calm, measured - chilled like the frozen tundra that surrounds them.
Almost apparently devoid of stress. Perhaps in a country where the number of Saunas almost outnumber its 5.2 million population, there is something to be taken from the philiosophy of - a sauna a day will keep the doctor away.
That coupled with a couple of shots of Vodka!
Cheers......
Tuesday 8 January 2008
2008 Is here
Our Blog took a bit of a nose dive after its initiation in Jan 2007, around the April mark.
Lets kick start its heart!
Here is an entry to salvage some continuity and help to aid communication between some friends who now lead ever more seperate lives, as each and everyone of us take on new challenges, assume unavoidable responsibilities, and move to far reaches that our globe has to offer.
One thing is for certain:
Some of us put higher and higher expectations on ourselves to achieve.
What perhaps we do not realise is that we have many great things around us that we take for granted.
Friendship and the free non materialistic things we have is something that is impossible to measure, and irreplaceable without.
Lets hope 2008 is the most successful year to date!
Happy NY y'all
Lets kick start its heart!
Here is an entry to salvage some continuity and help to aid communication between some friends who now lead ever more seperate lives, as each and everyone of us take on new challenges, assume unavoidable responsibilities, and move to far reaches that our globe has to offer.
One thing is for certain:
Some of us put higher and higher expectations on ourselves to achieve.
What perhaps we do not realise is that we have many great things around us that we take for granted.
Friendship and the free non materialistic things we have is something that is impossible to measure, and irreplaceable without.
Lets hope 2008 is the most successful year to date!
Happy NY y'all
Saturday 30 June 2007
5-minute Glasto Poem
Pixies, dragons, elephants, cows
Hippies, chai, farmers, ploughs
Girls, falafael, tents, beer
Anger, love, anxiety, fear
Poppers, acid, weed, mud
Whisky, tears, music, blood
Days and nights blend into one
When you are a Glasto bum
And 5 days on without a shower
When you barely have the power
To skin a joint
Or see that band
Or hold your new friends by the hand
There's only one place you want to be
Back at home, drinking tea.
Hippies, chai, farmers, ploughs
Girls, falafael, tents, beer
Anger, love, anxiety, fear
Poppers, acid, weed, mud
Whisky, tears, music, blood
Days and nights blend into one
When you are a Glasto bum
And 5 days on without a shower
When you barely have the power
To skin a joint
Or see that band
Or hold your new friends by the hand
There's only one place you want to be
Back at home, drinking tea.
Sunday 27 May 2007
Land of the Frogs
France
Undoubtedly this is a country of extremes. Extremes in terms of the geography the landscape, and extremes in terms of the experiences and the people.
France is a country that has exceedingly good things, but also ridiculously bad. The people range from the warm and friendly to the arrogant and ignorant.
In an attempt for you to create your own image of France and to tie it in with the experience of the last week here are the key phrases and words that link the experiences with the impressions.
Nice-Pebble Beach-Topless Women-Michael Jackson-FA cup Final-Executive suite-Rooftop Dinner-Champagne-Year anniversary-One way streets-irratic driving-Monaco Grand Prix-Rich and plastic-Cold shower on the beach-Cannes-Film festival-U2-Borat impressions-Beers-Wannabe rich-Luxury Camping-Grasse-Car Park-Baking Sun-Sofitel rooftop pool-Valentino party man-Panoramic view-Luxury yachts- Marina-Marquees-Jam of the traffic variety-Alpine Rally-Radisson-Room with a view- 39th floor-Exemplorary room service-Virgil Symposium-Espace Tete dor-equisit hostess-Camp French blokey-Short Client-Happy Short Client-No room-Hilton last resort-Champions league football-Hilton Casino-Blackjack-Big win-Mini bar raid-TGV-Wrong station-RER-Accordian players-10 Euros-Ridiculous airport-ridiculous staff-ridiculous set up-illogical practice-mosquito plane-spotty hostess-Back in the land of the Fat.
This was one of the most striking reverse culture shocks I have experienced, considering the period of travel was just a short 1 week. The difference in the average size of human from the south of France to the North of England, in particular Manchester airport out side all the pie shops (Pizza Hut, Burger King etc) was ridiculous. Going from tanned, fit slim, healthy looking people, to pasty, fat, lazy, wasters that littered the airport. I myself felt physically sick on arrival, and now realise that our country has some serious issues to address.
Undoubtedly this is a country of extremes. Extremes in terms of the geography the landscape, and extremes in terms of the experiences and the people.
France is a country that has exceedingly good things, but also ridiculously bad. The people range from the warm and friendly to the arrogant and ignorant.
In an attempt for you to create your own image of France and to tie it in with the experience of the last week here are the key phrases and words that link the experiences with the impressions.
Nice-Pebble Beach-Topless Women-Michael Jackson-FA cup Final-Executive suite-Rooftop Dinner-Champagne-Year anniversary-One way streets-irratic driving-Monaco Grand Prix-Rich and plastic-Cold shower on the beach-Cannes-Film festival-U2-Borat impressions-Beers-Wannabe rich-Luxury Camping-Grasse-Car Park-Baking Sun-Sofitel rooftop pool-Valentino party man-Panoramic view-Luxury yachts- Marina-Marquees-Jam of the traffic variety-Alpine Rally-Radisson-Room with a view- 39th floor-Exemplorary room service-Virgil Symposium-Espace Tete dor-equisit hostess-Camp French blokey-Short Client-Happy Short Client-No room-Hilton last resort-Champions league football-Hilton Casino-Blackjack-Big win-Mini bar raid-TGV-Wrong station-RER-Accordian players-10 Euros-Ridiculous airport-ridiculous staff-ridiculous set up-illogical practice-mosquito plane-spotty hostess-Back in the land of the Fat.
This was one of the most striking reverse culture shocks I have experienced, considering the period of travel was just a short 1 week. The difference in the average size of human from the south of France to the North of England, in particular Manchester airport out side all the pie shops (Pizza Hut, Burger King etc) was ridiculous. Going from tanned, fit slim, healthy looking people, to pasty, fat, lazy, wasters that littered the airport. I myself felt physically sick on arrival, and now realise that our country has some serious issues to address.
Sunday 6 May 2007
Riding
href="http://farm.static.flickr.com/207/485339938_5a06d3b49a.jpg"
rode at chicksands on sat. was good
rode at chicksands on sat. was good
Wednesday 25 April 2007
Sierra Nevada
Hello,
Well myself, Ali, Ash, Mel, Tom, Jimi T and Skates are back from Spain which quite frankly was superb. The area is fantastic with the cool city of Granada and the Sierra Nevada Mountains within about 25mins of each other. 5 days was spent exploring the area under the guide of Ali who learned the trails during his time with Ford over there. Definitly heading back soon.
Well myself, Ali, Ash, Mel, Tom, Jimi T and Skates are back from Spain which quite frankly was superb. The area is fantastic with the cool city of Granada and the Sierra Nevada Mountains within about 25mins of each other. 5 days was spent exploring the area under the guide of Ali who learned the trails during his time with Ford over there. Definitly heading back soon.
Social Change
How about this?
Step 1. Calculate the level of emissions that Man can produce without contributing to global warming. Call this level the Emissions Ceiling.
Step 2. Identify a country that currently produces at the Emissions Ceiling.
Step 3. Impose global laws to bring about forced regression of development on all countries currently above the ceiling level to bring them down to the level of the country identified in Step 2.
Step 4 (optional). Provide (genuine) development aid to all countries significantly below the ceiling level to bring them up to the ceiling.
Result. All the world's nations live equitably and we no longer have to worry about global warming.
Prognosis. Not gonna happen. Those of us who live in the First World are no way going to be prepared to reduce our standard of living to one which is compatible with life at the Emissions Ceiling, perhaps one comparable to today's Tanzania.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and in our predominant capitalist world ('our' as in 'belonging to those of us who are fortunate enough to, by choice, live in and benefit from it, as opposed to those who are oppressed by it or slaves to it') necessity means 'economic necessity'. Until a solution to global warming is economically imperative, the policy tinkers and often misinformed, often half-hearted (though laudable) individual efforts will do nothing to reduce our emissions and change our society to the benefit of our planet.
Having said that, it doesn't mean that we should stop our misinformed and half-hearted efforts. Perhaps the global warming phenomenon is a genius ruse created by some social philanthropist who wants us all to rediscover the adventure in overland travel (rather than the teleportation of air travel), or to get all the fat people walking and riding bikes rather than using 4x4s. This is certainly my hope!
Step 1. Calculate the level of emissions that Man can produce without contributing to global warming. Call this level the Emissions Ceiling.
Step 2. Identify a country that currently produces at the Emissions Ceiling.
Step 3. Impose global laws to bring about forced regression of development on all countries currently above the ceiling level to bring them down to the level of the country identified in Step 2.
Step 4 (optional). Provide (genuine) development aid to all countries significantly below the ceiling level to bring them up to the ceiling.
Result. All the world's nations live equitably and we no longer have to worry about global warming.
Prognosis. Not gonna happen. Those of us who live in the First World are no way going to be prepared to reduce our standard of living to one which is compatible with life at the Emissions Ceiling, perhaps one comparable to today's Tanzania.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and in our predominant capitalist world ('our' as in 'belonging to those of us who are fortunate enough to, by choice, live in and benefit from it, as opposed to those who are oppressed by it or slaves to it') necessity means 'economic necessity'. Until a solution to global warming is economically imperative, the policy tinkers and often misinformed, often half-hearted (though laudable) individual efforts will do nothing to reduce our emissions and change our society to the benefit of our planet.
Having said that, it doesn't mean that we should stop our misinformed and half-hearted efforts. Perhaps the global warming phenomenon is a genius ruse created by some social philanthropist who wants us all to rediscover the adventure in overland travel (rather than the teleportation of air travel), or to get all the fat people walking and riding bikes rather than using 4x4s. This is certainly my hope!
Tuesday 10 April 2007
Ridin - no pics
Ok, what a great weekend for weather.
Friday - went shopping
Saturday - rode in Swinley, managed to do a step down i have done once before, but had the fear after i landed it front wheel first and rolled on the front whell for 10 metres, so, 3 months later i have done it. on my 4x bike, its frightening, shoots you up in the air and down in to a left hand corner so a bit of a hip. really nice and glad to have got that done. then i just rode lots of local trails with a friend. Was nice, fast trails and good traction. then went shopping in london for my sisters wedding
Sunday, ran and then rode with the girlfriend.
Monday, went to the Bull track in kent. It was fun. an ok DH track but then jump city, lots and lots of trails, managed al most all the trails, they were all at least 10 in a row, ranging from super small and tight, really tech landings and no time for the next. that was great, the flow once i had them dialled was really nice. just went in slow.
then a much bigger set with some sniper landings, but they were easier
i saved my self something for next time... a huge 10-15, gap... (i think) i have done one that size before in FOD a few times, but this was much more built up. so i am going to try next time, annoyed i didnt do it.
good to ride after hurting my back, neck and head last week. and good to ride both long travel bikes and hard tails
now hopefully i have found someone to swap by session for a 224.
Friday - went shopping
Saturday - rode in Swinley, managed to do a step down i have done once before, but had the fear after i landed it front wheel first and rolled on the front whell for 10 metres, so, 3 months later i have done it. on my 4x bike, its frightening, shoots you up in the air and down in to a left hand corner so a bit of a hip. really nice and glad to have got that done. then i just rode lots of local trails with a friend. Was nice, fast trails and good traction. then went shopping in london for my sisters wedding
Sunday, ran and then rode with the girlfriend.
Monday, went to the Bull track in kent. It was fun. an ok DH track but then jump city, lots and lots of trails, managed al most all the trails, they were all at least 10 in a row, ranging from super small and tight, really tech landings and no time for the next. that was great, the flow once i had them dialled was really nice. just went in slow.
then a much bigger set with some sniper landings, but they were easier
i saved my self something for next time... a huge 10-15, gap... (i think) i have done one that size before in FOD a few times, but this was much more built up. so i am going to try next time, annoyed i didnt do it.
good to ride after hurting my back, neck and head last week. and good to ride both long travel bikes and hard tails
now hopefully i have found someone to swap by session for a 224.
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