Off out tonight with BJC, should be a fun evening, although gonna try not to hit it too hard (and make it home) as I am supposed to be off surfing this weekend!

It’s Friday, beer ‘o click, party time!!!

It looks like from the charts that Runton might be working this weekend. Granted the water is only 7 degrees, but f*ck it, this could be the little weekend adventure that I need to blow those cobwebs away.

I still get totally pumped at the idea of getting in the juice and riding some waves, so I will make a quick decision in the morning and hopefully catch some sweet waves tomorrow!

So I was on the train this morning, having a chat to my friend Ben and generally just chilling, reading the papers and having a bit of a laugh. An old lady and her husband boarded the train a little further on down the line and she ended up sitting opposite me.

We exchanged glances as polite strangers do, and then I had a little nap. On arriving at Liverpool Street (where the train terminates) she asked me if I did this journey every day. I said yes and she said to me how expensive it was and asked how everyone manages to afford it, I replied that I said most people find it pretty hard. The conversation continued and she commented on how depressing the journey was, how dirty the train was and how did I manage to put up with it all, I said, I just do, like everyone else.
After we had finished up and said goodbye, a little alarm bell went off in my head and I thought, wow, it isn’t just me who gets bugged out by the way things are here, it was kinda comforting to think that someone else empathised with my feelings.

But there is no use just moaning about it and taking no action. Which basically brings me back to my post the other day about going travelling/exploring/surfing again. Working and commuting in London is a necessary evil I guess, but there is a better way, I guess you just have to have the balls and brains to break the mould and think outside the box.
I got contacted by an old school mate the other day, who is testiment to this fact. He met a Canadian girl (presumably fell in love) and then moved to Canada, and now lives a happy life with his wife and new baby, and all within 2 hours of some of the best skiing in Canada, surely a good trade-off for life in Essex/London.

Anyway the saga continues about where to go and what to do, but come April I won’t be sitting at the PB in Covent Garden that is for sure…

So I woke up this morning to a beautiful white winter wonderland. It had snowed overnight and we had a few inches settle on the ground. I took the train to work and it was quite magical speeding through the Essex countryside with everything covered in a blanket of white. Everything looked peaceful and silent, and very cold.

Shame I had to come into the office, today is the kinda day you just want to stay cosy at home, sipping hot chocolate, cuddling up to someone special in front of the fire, and maybe even braving the elements and going for a winter walk through the snow covered forest.

I took a few pics this morning, here they are. Fingers crossed I will be able to get back home tonight!

So the little old lady who has lived next door to us since 1987 is moving away to March in Cambridgeshire tomorrow. I popped in tonight after my session at the pool to say goodbye, it was cute, she was thrilled that I had stopped by. Hopefully she’ll have a nice life up there and the new people will take care of her beautiful garden that she has left behind.

So I was watching a TV documentary on BBC2 last night all about the Caribbean and was blown away by some of the stuff I saw: the wildlife, the colour of the ocean, the beautiful reefs, the cool indigenous people. I remember going to Jamaica when I was 10 and seeing some pretty amazing stuff, but this programme really gave me the urge to pack up work and go and see a bit more of the world.

My current routine is getting pretty dull, I get up super early (it is still dark), get on a train for almost 1.5 to 2 hours and then sit in an office all day behind the PB. I then jump back on the train, and go to the gym and then go to bed. This has all kinda stressed me out over the past 6 months. When I returned from my tour, I was super chilled, relaxed and easy going, all the rushing around over the past 6 months has made me, in the words of Walter, very un-dude!

On the plus side, I have earned enough dough to travel and stay anywhere I want in any country…so….

I took stock last night, and thought where do I want to go next, and when. I figure if I can handle working until the end of March then I will take off a month, or maybe 2, or maybe even 6 and just do another WST. The options are open at the moment.

It would be great to go to Brazil to surf, learn a language, check out the culture and see Elise. Or I could go back to Bali for a month and surf all the spots that weren’t working last time round. Or I could be real hardcore and even take a trip to the Antarctic or Alaska on one of those cruise vessels, it is all there for the taking.

There is STILL so much to see and do, and I kinda feel, with my impending 29th birthday around the corner (7 March) I wanna do it now, and not wait till I am an old fu*ker. I must say though, it would be nice this time around to share some of those experiences with someone special, we will see…

One thing is certain, a return to my previous chilled out vibe is very much overdue…

Ok back to the designs and code, at least I got iTunes to rock the PB and keep my vibe alive!

Hopes, dreams, faith (and a little babylove) are what its all about!