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Sunday 21 December 2014

List of Rules & Duties for being 48

I've been enjoying reading the writings of the prolific Maria Popvov, and happened upon her writings on Susan Sontag Rules for being 24.

I thought I'd come us with a few rules for being 48:

  • Eat Les
  • Drink less
  • Do core and/or strength training twice a week
  • Don't complain - Don't explain
  • Be direct and firm with 'getting to be adult' children. Support and Love them. Provide guidance, but let them choose
  • Spend more time fostering old and new hobbies with bride
  • Listen more. Criticize Less.

Monday 8 December 2014

Chatuchat Market - Values & Why We do What We do - Home in 4 hours

Getting fitted -
2 New Suits, 8 Shirts, & 1 Shorts.
Bangkok – Tipei to Vancouver. In 4 hours I’ll be home in 
YYC!


Had 24 hours in Bangkok after an amazing 7 days off Yatch racing in Phuket. Got my 2 new suits fitted & did some shopping for the family.

Enjoyed Chatuchak market. Here's a Link to a video of my stroll through animal section of the market. 

Thinking quite a lot about values & how they determine who we are. Just over 2 years ago I discovered a chart of values, and was asked to order those values in my own priority. (I forget where I got this list of values.)

I posted my list in order of priority in "Notes" on my iPhone. Without effort, I would occasionally happen along this list.  I probably seen the list about 6 times since developing it on Nov 23, 2013 (It’s date stamped by my freaking smart iphone!)

Since doing this, I found it very helpful in understanding why I am - what I am & why I do what I do.  (It helps with the pain!)

My list is below. I encourage you to do the exercise yourself. If you wish - it would be fun to discuss how our lists are similar and different. Lets go for a coffee. Bring it up. I will forget. The list is on my phone … so easy to access at a moments notice.

FYI … as I think about sharing this list – I think the instructions were ‘not to spend too much time thinking about it. Just do what comes to ‘top of mind’.  Pretty sure that it was how I did it on Nov 23, 2013 … and I have not made any changes to the list since.

Values Most important to me:
Fish at Chatuchak Market
1 health
2 adventure
3 freedom
4 love
5 success
6 intimacy
7 comfort
8 passion
9 security
10 power

Value I would do the most to avoid having to feel;
1 depression
2 guilt
3 loneliness
4 anger
5 frustration
6 humiliation
7 failure
8 rejection

//
I feel that this ‘forced’ 90 day sabbatical combined ‘mid-life crisis’ is a bit of a defining moment in my life. Perhaps a gift.?
Perhaps a bit like being in jail.?
I suppose time may tell.

I’m happy that instead of buying a red sports car, I got Yellow Panniers for my bike.  (Besides, I plan to live until 116 years … so I’m not REALLY allowed to have a mid life crisis until I’m 58. Perhaps I’ll get the red sports car then. (However, planning it to be  a 40’-55’ Catamaran to be moored at Granville Island, Vancouver.)

The above value exercise is interesting to me.
I doubt much if my values have changed much since before Dad died. (They were formed by the time I was 14 years old – I think.)

Although as I reconsider the above comment, and look at “Rejection” being the Value that I would do the LEAST to avoid having to feel … I doubt if that was the case in my teens and throughout my 20’s. 
Realizing the world is a pretty harsh place and “you get what you negotiate … I don’t mind getting rejected these days”.

//
Note to Younger People (and Older too):
Do this exercise … and post it as a ‘note’ on your phone … and monitor it every few years as a check in.  I think it would be a bit like having an annual school photo – but waay better!





Saturday 6 December 2014

Last day at Kings Cup

From Back Left  - Oscar, Andy, Tim, Ollie, Rob Tanner (from PEI!), Captain Peter Creamers, Nigel, Martin
Bonita, Oscar, Me, Panda (Paul), & Graeme
Finished racing today.
Learned quite alot on this cushy 75' boat ... and learnt a bit more about myself ... and the kind of sailor I am ... and the kind that I would like to become.

Here's a video of Day 4.
http://youtu.be/DzQ42ubHtQ8

Just booked a flight to Bangkok tomorrow ... and changed flights to fly home on Monday!
Excited to be returning home.



The Warwick Designed 75' Cruising Shahtoosh ... had a Mele Espresso Machine!

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Kings Cup

Shahtoosh, Kings Cup Regatta, Kata Beach, Thailand - 2014
The wind has been very bad ... little wind ... and the days are busy.
It's a great crew of 12 guys from Hong Kong (via Ireland, England, Belgium, Canada), London, and Auckland and me.
All are very experienced - except me.

We meet each day on the beach at 7am ... and are often on the water until 4 or 5pm.  Then then we meet for supper.  I'm the light drinker in this crew!



I made a video of Day 2 activities: Day 2 on Shahtoosh - Kings Cup

We are a heavy 'cruising' boat. Not really built to be fast. However, Captain Peter, did hope to have better results this week.  The very light wind is not doing him any favours. The boat would be more competitive in stronger wind.





Sunday 30 November 2014

Day 29 – 116km – 20.7 km/hr – Khao Lak to Kata Beach, Phuket. How I got to Crew at Kings Cup.

Finally got a great 'pull' by drafting this Mopad
or restaurant on wheels.
I’m not sure if I’m tired … bored, low on electrolytes, or just hot … but I felt terribly slow today. There was a big shoulder much of the way … with a fair amount of traffic. (Nothing worst than riding on 22x South of Calgary or HWY 8 to Bragg Creek.)

I’ve been trying to get mopads to ‘motor pace’ me a for much of the trip … however, for the most part they have no idea what I’m doing … and will either speed up or slow down … hardly acknowledging that I’m trying to ‘work’ with them.  I got a good ride today in this mopads draft! 


I arrived at the Kata Beach Hotel at 1pm … and met the other 11 crew at 3pm. We had some drinks and went for supper. The owner of Shatoosh, Peter Creamers, owns a construction company in Hong Kong.  He has a full time crew of 3 (all from the Phillippines.) 

Tim originally from New Zealand, lives in Hong Kong – he’s our Strategist.
Ollie from Auckland is our lead Bowsman. He makes sails for North Sails. (I will be working most of the week on the Bow.)
Nigel, originally from England is in the insurance business in Hong Kong. I’m staying at him 2nd home nearby.
Panda – from Australia – sails everyday.
James – from Essex – is in Property. He has sailed and raced all over the world.
X – from Dublin – a pilot.

I think what got me on the boat was a connection to Rob Tanner. Rob, originally from Charlottetown, owns a construction company in Hong Kong. He has sailed and raced all over the world … and has worked for and with Peter. 

Peter responded to my ad on the "Notice Board" of Phuket King's Cup Regatta:
//
"Been sailing all my life – mostly on < 19’ catamarans and dingies. Since turning 40 eight years ago, I have convinced Sun Sail that I am capable of renting and captaining 39-41’ monohulls in Carribean and Thailand!

I’ve done a few Ocean races on Canada’s East Coast (Grew up in Prince Edward Island.)

I’m taking a 90 day sabattical from selling homes in Calgary, Ablerta and will be cycling SE Asia prior and after Kings Cup.

I’m fit (5 time Ironman athlete) and still racing bicyles. 73 kilos.

Got a place for me?

Thank you for your consideration,
Bryon"

//
Peter replied that he thought he did have a place for me, and suggested that Rob was a ‘fellow country man’ of mine.

In any case – I’m on the 75’ performance cruiser, Shatoosh.

Feeling very happy and grateful for this experience!

//

Since learning about the Kings Cup race three years ago, I had it in my mind that I would like to race it.  I enquired to renting a boat for this years race, but I could not get one for less than 10 days … at a cost of > $15,000.


Funny Spectacle - not sure how to play this sport ... but there was
a bird in each cage. A huge crowd watching! I was looking for reasons to stop biking today
and enjoyed watching for a bit. I have no idea how this picture has so few people in it
as the grounds were FULL of people watching!

Friday 28 November 2014

Day 28 - November 28, 2014 – 200 km - Ranong to Khao Lak

Not my longest day in the saddle … but my 2nd longest day. (The longest and way hard day with MANY hills was on my birthday in Laos – Nov 22 - click here for a recount of that special epic day.)
Oh ... here's the video of my day of many flats on November 23. Laos is Spectacular! http://youtu.be/KPnxpNxAPgs
//
Today was not a particularly interesting ride … so had fun listening to audible.com:
-      - The Art of Learning
-       -Vegabonding
-     -  Kevin Rose … who stated digg

Enjoyed meeting Stefan from Cologne, Germany. At 45 he committed to taking a year off for a cycling tour when he turned 50. (He's 50 now.) He’s rode 4000 km in Europe and 2000 in Thailand since August. He flies to Australia soon, then New Zealand … to be home in August.

He provided me with a few suggestions on routes to Phuket that would be most interesting. (There aren’t many options … but there is a couple of smaller road choices.)

It was funny ... when he met me ... I was (as usual) in full cycling kit ... going hard and sweating up a storm.  As soon as he saw me he said, "Wow, it really is sport for you, hun?"

I have met about 15 cycle tourers to date ... and have yet to see one with bike shoes, jersey or even cycling shorts! (My standard kit ... except I wear one cycling shoe and one sneaker!)

Stefan from Cologne, German - on the bike since August.
I decided I would not look for a place to stay until I had ridden at least 200km.  At 190km there were options ... at 198km there were options. I was tempted ... but at same time I secretly hoped there would be no options at 200km and would have to ride more ... but there were a ton.
I checked into a place at 200.4 Km's!

It feels like it may be town after town for the next 115 km to Kata Beach Resort.

That's fine.
I've done over 2000km of riding since November 2. I'm ready for some sailing beginning tomorrow! :-)



Coffee and Snack - 50km into ride today.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Day 27 – Nov 27 -Bus from Bangkok to Chumphon – then bike to Ranong - Haircut - 120km - Bus from Bangkok to Chumphone – then bike to Ranong - 120km

Those fucking Thai's. Don't always beleive 'em. I was dropped here at
3am and told the connector bus would be here in 40min.
At 9:30am I started the ride from Chumphon to Ranong - 120km.
Had a bit of a disaster bus ride from Bangkok.  I paid for me and the bike … but arriving at the bus … the driver REALLY did not want to load my bike.
In the end, the bike was loaded … but I had a few unpleasant interactions with the jerk bus driver.


At 3am, he woke me up … screaming that this was my stop.
My bike and bags were already unloaded … I found a bench and was told the connector bus to Renong would be here in about 30 or 40 min.

Got a hair cut, and shave, and eye brow trim, and ears and nose!
Ranong.
At 7:30am I noticed the scewer bolt was gone for my rear wheel. (Pretty sure that the bus driver is fucking with me.)  Got it sorted it out with some help … and waited until 9. At this point my bus ticket has been looked at soo many times … that it is now missing.  They tell me there is another bus coming at 9:30 … but I will have to pay again. It’s 100 Baht …  about $3.30.  I’m fed up.

I get on my bike and ride.

Coming from Northern Laos … this is a rather boring ride.

I have 315 km to go in next two days … to be at Kata Beach Resort for “Crew Briefing” of Satosha on Saturday at 3pm.

I’ll do 200km tomorrow and 115 on Saturday by 1:30pm. Yes. I can do that.