Sailing Home

There is just not much wind. Which makes for a quiet trip back, but also a bit boring one and long, too. So, I am writing to you from the bow of the foredeck of the boat we are on. It’ll probably be another hour and a half to two hours until we are back on the dock. So what are we dong. We are slow racing another boat back to the marina.

Very different from our earlier racing with wind.

In my desperation I have started to take images of my shades and the reflection in the lenses, if you can believe that.

On the bright side, life slows down when you when external forces dictate a slow down and when you then go with the flow relaxation starts to unfold…..oooooooommmm mani padme aaaaauuuuummmm.

Stay sharp
Markus from Relaxistan \m/

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Frolicking On The Weekend

It’s hot in Bangkok, so we went out to Pattaya to go sailing. Initially there was barely any wind, I put my fins on and started pushing, while my buddy Bryce was blowing into the sails from the cockpit. When we finally had picked up some speed, we enjoyed the scenery.
The sun and the clouds put in a show.

No, life is good. With the wind picking up we picked up two more boats and what was supposed to be a jockeying for position became a race.

No, I am typing this entry after I have snorkeled and I am wondering what to write next. I am thinking pirates, but there are none around. So instead you’ll get to see my really cool boardshorts WITH skulls…..I know, I am so hip in my pirate skull boardshorts.

Alright, now it’s time to head back. Hoist the sails, raise the anchor and get the boating heeling back to Ocean Marina.

Ahoi mateys and keep your wyes on the horizon (sailorese for stay sharp).

Markus \m/

TYPICAL …. or not?!

You know I don’t like stereotype, pigeonholing or the simple fact of trying to fit people into categories. Everyone has the ability and chance to be a true and unique individual with his/her own unique set of characteristics. But sometimes, really only sometimes cheap and shallow preconceives notions are validated and confirmed…….I wanted to say her irrevocably or irrefutably, but that would mean to further strengthen stereotypes. So instead I will make this short. I took this picture at the exit door of kitchen of a pretty upscale restaurant in my neighborhood in Bangkok. If you have been to Bangkok, you know that there is a lack of inhibitions of the male populous when it comes to public urination – in this case against a kitchen door.

Either way, it’s Bangkok or would I be stereotyping stating this?

Cheers and stay sharp
Markus \m/

The Sweet Demons Of Addiction

I am cold turkey and this past week the demons of my addiction have stirred a bit. And while most people laugh about my demons, to me they put up a fight and they can make my lie somewhat uncomfortable.

I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, no medical dependencies, no illegal drugs either. No, for me it’s goddam’ chocolate. And I am a spoiled bastard, too. Although according to Keith Richards book “Life” one should always go with the purest and finest to avoid issues and complications. Now whole mild chocolate is great, it is the swiss army knife of chocolate, it soothes the urge, but it does not necessarily provide ecstasy – that moment of “Whooa, Dude, That Was Awesome”. That comes for me from Italian Hazelnut Nougat – not Belgian, not Turkish, no Italian. Just imagining as I write this how I unwrap the little bugger from its golden aluminum-paper sandwich foil makes my mouth water. That first moment when you feel this smooth, nutty and sweet sensation expand in your mouth – Oh man, it barely gets better than that. Barely is underlined here, because there are clearly things that are better, BUT not many.

However, it is not just conveyor-belt-eating of Gianduja Nougat, no sometimes like any addict you want to binge and purge. Then my friends, my choice is clearly an aromatic 750gr jar (or bigger, but not the 5kg jar, that would be just obscene and vulgar) of Nutella and a big spoon – OH MY GOD!!!

But here is the unique characteristic about being a Nougat-o-holic, you don’t loose your senses when you go at it (maybe a bit), no you can still reflect and observe your behavior, like I do now. In late December of last year I made a promise and a challenge to myself. Evidently, we had just come off the Christmas holidays – which to me is like a Chocolate  Woodstock.

On January 1st 2014, I went completely cold turkey off chocolate for 100 days – no exceptions, no excuses. The first few days were tough, much tougher than I thought, which surprised me and annoyed the hell out of me. But then my mind and my body got accustomed to the new boundary conditions. In fact I lasted for 111 days, until April 21st 2014. Then, feeling all smug and proud, I chose to end my abstinence, thinking I can “manage and control” my chocolatic intake. For a few weeks, I was doing very well, but then I binged a little while we were in Italy – a little sorrow and a great selection make for a perfect seductive environment – think you are coming home from work, the lights are dimmed, and you see a naked slender leg waving from the couch around the living room corner, while Marvin Gaye croons softly “Let’s get it on”. You know there won’t be any dinner, but it’ll still be a fun feast. Anyway, I digress, I was bingeing a little and that was the start of my falling of the often cited band-wagon.

The lyrics of “Mr Brownstone” by Guns’N’Roses made so much more sense to me all of a sudden. “I used to do a little, but the little wouldn’t do it. So the little got more and more.” You can imagine, my chocolate consumption increased and I bought quite the “stash” in Italy to bring back home. That was May and I n July I attempted to repeat my 111 day abstinence, only to cave in after 11 days – pathetic.

Now it is September and I have managed 19 days – it is still a challenge, especially when I am hungry or when I have had a tough day at work or simply when the beast in me rants and rages at the stars (yes, this is borrowed from a Johnny Cash song). But I have developed coping mechanisms. Like yesterday evening, I bought myself 3 Rocher pralines (Wafer balls covered in chocolate and ground Hazelnuts – AND best of all – filled with Nutella), which I proceeded to give away, after my demons went to sleep.

I know re-reading this entry, it sounds pretty pathetic, but I thought I’d share it anyway. You see the thing is, if I drank or did actual drugs the way I can go apeshit on chocolate, my friends and family would have had a an intervention already. But with chocolate it’s oh so cute and it is laughed off. Yet, it sort of scares me that there is something so mundane as chocolate (granted it’s the good stuff, from Italy) in my life, that can make my brain obsess, that I even feel compelled to write in my blog about it – that is a sad state of affairs, don’t you think.

Anyway, enough of the rambling. Take her easy for the rest of us sinners (yes, this is a quote from the stranger in The Big Lebowski) and stay sharp.

Sayonara Dudes and Chicas.

Markus \m/

 

 

STOP Playing Pretend

OK, so my feeble attempt at writing something black and sordid bombed spectacularly. So, let’s get on with it and celebrate life rather than dwelling on some ship-wrecked-being-adrift (adrift is a cool word) fantasy.
I came to this conclusion as I was running on the beach – running reduced to the barest essentials of decency, a pair of board shorts. The run was very liberating and felt unshackled, just running along the beach in the inch deep water splashing happily everywhere, feeling the sand between my toes as I pushed off with every step. But it wasn’t just a relaxing for the mind and soul, visually it was stimulating as well.

This is the view I had when I got to the beach at the start of my run. Fishing boats on dry land. The neon light tubes you see on the boat are to attract the squid at night.

As I ran along, the sun rising up the horizon in the East did I her best to interrupt my running to take her pictures – how can you not stop when nature seduces you like that.

A show that displayed natures virtuosity in contrast and shades.

The turn-around point was marked one one hand with the end of the beach, but also by a decoratively growing palm tree, whose statement was:”Either climb on me or run around me.”

I know, not bad for a Saturday morning run.

So stay sharp and try things you suck at, only to publicly admit later, that you suck at them indeed.

Markus \m/

Let’s Play Pretend – The Dark Black Edition

Hello from Hua Hin – we drove friends of ours who are visiting to Hua Hin for a few days at the beach. I only know Hua Hin between November to April, because that’s when the wind blows and I can kite surf. Today it is flatter and smoother than a baby’s butt with ZERO wind. So, as I walked along the beach, I had this idea – let’s play pretend. As I looked across the ocean, I figured, I should play pretend as an adult and heck why not go down the dark paranoid alleys of being lost, directionless, adrift.
So, let’s start. We’re at the beach and we have had a few pirate cocktails, possibly one of the 17 was spoilt.

The, with what we thought was a swagger, we staggered to the beach to enjoy the ocean: “Dude, like it’s so transcendent, you, you, you know what I mean, it’s like so…..whoa….”

And although, we sound a bit stoned, we’re what I imagine it is to be drunk.

Now, we are a little hungover and we come to the realization, that we have a few hours missing. After this shot of our feet, we see this……

“Are you shitting me? How the hell did that happen? We’re adrift, like Moses in the Egyptian desert, like 5000 years ago. Really, how did this happen, man?”
We tread water and look around a bit more, to only see more water and this stupid endless sky with the clouds making out with the ocean at the horizon.

We are kicking harder to raise ourselves a little higher to possibly see a sliver on land. But all we see is…….

So, this is where we are, we don’t know where we are. Gulf of Thailand, likely somewhere off the coast of Hua Hin.

…….

to be continued…

Magical, Magical Power Of Light

Yesterday, nature demonstrated again complete and utter superiority. Dramatic clouds – CHECK, opening fOr sun rays to pierce through – CHECK, balance of aesthetics, light and composition – CHECK.
All that was left to do, was to push the trigger.

While this images looks like it is heavily processed, I can promise you it was not. The colors were all there as you see them. We had about a 5-10minute window where nature was posing.
At the end of that window I had to go B/W to have some drama.

Well there you go.

Stay sharp……
Yours Markus \m/