1. Michael Phelps

Ok, can anyone else say big deal? Wow you got 8 gold medals, good for you. Does that mean that we have to hear about it 24 hours a day ?! I dont think we’ll see anyone running 100m dash backwards anytime soon. So please give it a rest with all these lame variations of how fast you can swim across a pool.

2. TV Coverage

So when theres a Canadian athelete our Canadian broadcasting company usually tries to do their best in covering them on tv, which is great! I love being able to support my fellow countrymen in whatever sport they’re participating in. So why dont they do it ?! We had a Canadian table tennis player competing in the first round, and the CBC schedule showed that the match would be broadcasted from 02:00am — 05:00am, and omg what was on the air at the time?? Yup you guessed right swimming! They actually did show a 5min clip of the highlights of the match, where our fellow Canadian lost 14-11 in the 7th set, and had 4 match points.

3. Lame Sports

Wow I didnt know ballroom dancing was actually a sport., and wtf is equstrian ?? riding horses is a very popular spectator sport for the wealthy, but somehow managed to make it into the Olympics.

4. No Squash

OK, so im a little biased on this one being a squash player and all but come one, squash is a great sport even to watch. Ive had so many non-squash players ask me why squash isnt in the olympics and it makes me laugh everytime. Like I honestly wish I could be at the meeting when they decide becuase its actually mind boggling to see some of the activities that actually make it into the olympics.

5. Professional Atheletes

Stay at home please. As if anyone had a chance at winning tennis with players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal playing in it, like come on you guys have enough glory, leave the competitions to the amature atheletes across the world. Professional atheletes should be banned from all of the competitions in major sports period.

Regardless of these 5 major factors the olympics have sparked some intersting conversations with people, and been great background noise, and im hoping for the day when they actually are a little more concious of what the olympics actually are. For those of you that are so excited to actually watch swimming for the duration of the olympics while theres real athletes competiting in sport then im happy for you.

im just thinking to myself, all my loved ones havent heard from me in a while and i thought i would say hello.

I started off saying hello to an old friend, she was very happy to see me and made me feel so cozy again. shortly after I could hear the rain coming down, so i decided to go for a walk, and getting about to the end of my street i thought to myself.. why am i walking lets ride!!

I ran back home to grab my bike, and booked it over to the creek. I drove in the main gate, one of the rare times i have but now that i have a membership it rocks!! i

Just as i was pulling up to a set of picnic tables just off to the side, opened up a rather large field that absolutely lit up completly by a sharp bolt of lightnign right in front of me!! i dropped my bike off and climbed up onto the table for a while, reaching for my bag i grabbed my water and just stood there for a minute just watching the night sky.

A strong gust of wind came along and gave me the signal to move on, and onwards I rode. what an incredible sensation it started to rain, only drops came but it was enough to let me feel it.

Next I came up to the shore line, an elder tree agreed to watch over my bike if i would return one day and tell him about how the world has been changing. He showed me his three children and just as it turns out they were watching the night sky also. I sat down beside the youngest of the 3 and we were so engrossed into watching the night sky shine bright with light, that it was the entire universe. I returned back to the elder and pulled out a snack, i packed a grape fruit earlier and omfg was it evar delicous, it was the most lucious juicy fruit that ive ever had in my life. i sat down on the ground emcompassed by the warmth of the elder i was rejuvinated from the cooler temperature, and I enjoyed that grapefruit so much, i worked my way down to about 1/2 of the fruit left, and i broke it in half. A little snack for someone i thought to myself as i dug a lil hole in the ground and put my peels away.

the sky was lit up with colours that will only ever exist in that moment of time. The wind returned to guide me as it again was time to ride on.

oh k btw, just figured out that computrer problem (xp) i found an old ide kicking around and slotted her in.

I was being engulfed by the forest as I carried on my journey and it was just amazing to feel the energy like that at that moment. I was completley in the heart of the woods now, and I took a stop to meditate here and absorb, resonate with the earth as much as i could.

it was pooring rain down so hard at this point, it was incredible i was just sitting there and not even getting that much wet, pure bliss.

The rain stopped and i knew it was time to go from here. I continued on, and shortly after i came to a clearing that was well light up by the sky. I needed to take a pit stop, and nows my chance i thought, i pulled up beside a tree and started to let it drizzle out. A sharp snap of a twig caught my attention and the sounds of little footsteps coming towards me made me feel a lil funny.

I was still firehosing away and was not ready to stop yet, but the footsteps were closer and closer, and finally i could see it what I was fearing .. the penetrating white lines of hair on black. A skunk, im not really too familiar with behaviour patterns for them but this one was coming closer and closer to me, I made out a shhhhhh’ing sound to try and scare him off, but he started to circle me in a 2m radius ok finally im done pissing!! yes, i grabbed my bag and hopped on my bike fast i couldnt get my pack around my shoulder and it swun back down towards my handle bars, fuck the strap is caught in the wheel as im frantically pedalling away, FUCK the skunk is charging at me as i look back,,k after a nightmare few seconds of trying to get my strap out of my wheel, as the skunk is barrelling down the path at me its only 1m away and i can see its eyes glowing. Finally my strap breaks free of the wheel, with one swift motion i swung my bag over my shoulder mounted my bike and rode off into the woods. before the skunk got me.

wow what a rush, obviously i was creeping in on his home and taking a piss at his tree he prolly wasnt too happy with the idea of someone moving in on his terrotory but whew, it made me laugh so hard after that i was tripping so hard about not getting sprayed by him.

I carried on my way. and for a good while i just biked, no direction or aims, just rode through the darkness as a king and his horse. the woods guided me to the exit and i made my way to the street, i was just crossing the street when i saw a pretty big frog down below, i immediately parked my bike to the side and watched him, i thought to myself id love to hold him, but then part of me thought that would scare him, i watched his throat bulge up and down as he sat there, and as i approached he stopped. BUt at this point i decided that he can feel the energy around him and know there is no dager from me, i grabbed for him, he slipped right through my hands the first couple of grabs but i got him this time,kneeling on the ground i opened up my hand and he jumped right out. My warrior instincts took over at this point and i grabbed him again , and this timei raised my hands up to my eye level, and then i released my grip on him. Excactly as i thought he wouldnt jump out becuase we’re too high, i told him i was sorry for disturbing his peace but i wanted to to touch him. he was responsless to me, and he made me laugh as i knew he wasnt going to budge., I lowered my hands to the ground and he stayed there for a sec, and then with one big leap he jumped into the bushes, off to share his encounter with me to his companions.

I eventually returned to my home, and started to trouble shoot my dads vpn problem, time is running out and i gave my word that i would fix it. Im happy to report that the xp install is about 90^ done now, and the xplite seed worked like a charm, on that spare ide drive that i found kicking. and its like 7:00 now everything working perfect dad is actually eating breaky and lookin foward to a stable VPN.

Love to Live

hehehe, thats exactly what I thought when we were bussin back from the coach station, to my friends flat. So anyways funny story about me gettin there, so just FYI I been travelling for like 3 months already, and I never missed a bus/coach/train/plane as of yet.. hehe, and I had one more booked for Bristol, 12:45 .. and thing is I started playing squash at 10:00 that morning, heavy trainin session with this dood i been hitting with down here., but anyways it was like 11:45 .. ‘just 1 more rally, just one more rally’ .. next this I knew it was 12:20, still had to pack, and print off my tickets.. when i got home.. so u guessed it missed that bloody coach =/. and cuz it was this supersave i had to spend another 8 quid on a ride. so whatever, we got it sorted anyways. ;0

Now .. back to dracula town!! so we talked n shit and it was wikkid to finally meet kr4y! one of the sickest dnb producers in bristol, and omg hes my friend!!! so frieday night we just chilled, shortly after 04:20, matt his flatt mate tossed on some of the olskool beats, mfg .. i remember i just crept into the room cuz the baddest ass toon was on, and saw them playin wii tennis and we played all night, but omg!! wii tennis!!! it is really amazing!!! like so amazing, especially cuz I play tennis and the movements were like sooooooooo like same.

So it was a great time to get to know these guys, there was a couple of ppl over also, and this is like ol skool bristol boys, bristol is like home of dark, full cycle, krust, die and krew, just so u kno. so we chilled more, and eventually looked up a party to check out for sat. Lucky we found one,!!! 2bad mice was headlinin to catch the eye, and from the looks of the gig it seemed like was gonna be a sicko lskool night, there was a nu skool gig up on the room2, but nah, didnt recognize any of those labels except for ram rekkords. heh
so interesting enuf, ram rekkords doods were up on early, and we rolling out some shit .. and i mean like not my kind of shit, so bad! heh, and we kept chekin out the rooms, and the main room was like even gayer. .. like sounded like breaks, house, which was so gay.. soooo gay. anyways, we drank a few and like around 2wo , they switched up, interface and redskin .. wtf .. this shit sounds like dnb, man it just was gg from here. omar is on dnb!!

Ambush, Element, Fission .. just laced it down, there were some wikkid mcs up on it also.. this is like a tight lil club 50 ppl up in r2, so it was nice and intimate!! what a vibe, and i kinda crept up front with the mcs pushin up that vibe, and man, it just kept gettin better, place was off of the hook, fuk forgot his name, think it was Part of Ambush tho, he started to feel what tracks set me off, and started droppin track after track, it was totally insane!! karryn!! yah thats right i was already off my horse and it was pure me!!

so got to meet all the krew, when they were switchin up and at the bar, everyone was so wikkid, couple of them have been played out in Toronto and got some more contacts so it was all wikkid. wish i could show off some of the club and the looks, but sorry guys .. just have to use some imagination

So I think we ended up back at kr4ys at like 06:40 or somethin like that,  and we talked some shit kray passed out and I called everyone I knew from here, and minnie too but everyone was already passed out so no one to talk shit more too =/ even ppl i called 2wice didnt pick up lol .. then passed out till 11:00 .. i had a coach to catch and wasnt really up for missing it again!! heh, so we ate and all that shit, and I was off.

Besides the mad partying, it was amazing to link up with kr4y finally! he was a good hearted kid that hooked me up with some goods when I was half way across the world 5 years ago, and we been in touch since that, and I was so happy to get the invitation out to Bristol, just to be immersed in not only the club stuff, but the hardcore drum and bass culture, a house full up of producers, sound system engineers, and old skoolers, even just when we sat around after 04:20 and talked about parties .. talked about gigs djs, and all those lines and times and rhymes.. drumandbass culture reprezhentin all round the gLoBe !! It just wikkid how evreything I love for, becomes my footsteps, everywhere I have been there has been so much love!!

What an amazing past 2 days. I believe it was just meant to be for me to be there, like get this,. most of you know about the new website design I made for my site www.omarsamad.com .. these big bright colours of the rainbow .. I came up with this idea one day in Australia just a thought I had . There was a big festival taking place that weekend of nov 11th, and I was so lucky to be part of it. It seemed that everything that I believed in was at this festival, Peace Love Unity Respect .. it was called the Rainbow
Festival for Love, in celebration of World Peace Day, Nov 11th. And the Theme for this festival was the rainbow!! which is a remarkable simliar concept to that website design I did. I remember first getting there only knowing Uki San, and his friend Baba san which were both volunteers to help support the event and soon left me to my own. As I was walking past the various booths setup, I said Konichiwah to a girl and she greeted me kindly she was part of a group called the OK Cafe .. where everything is OK!! and she introduced me to her friends, and omg, what an amazing group of people they were, we sat down and talked about me for a bit, and everything and we ate food, being hand fed by some of the most beautifull girls ive ever seen! and guys too! lol but they were so warm to me, and I really got attached to them over the festival days.

There were many musicans that performed, the main stage was setup really nicely where there was plenty of room to go around. Every 30min there would be a couple of songs played that were very happy and dancy, and EVERYBODY was dancing so much! there was some traditional songs also that had pre-set movements and they did a really good job of showing off the actions first and everyone could follow allong, and omg it was soooooooooo much fun!! We danced and played all day, and the sun began to set, now im not sure of his name right now but there was a famous singer from Okinawa that came up at about 18:00 .. and I wasnt sure at all about what he was singing about but .. the vibe that was going on right about that time was unbelieveable I was already starting to get teary eyes just from hearing it the tone of the sitar, the crispness of his voice .. spectacular, suddenly I felt some arms wrap around me from behind and it was Aki San!! she started to tell me about what he was saying .. ‘he wants to take the energy that people use in the world to fight each other, to use it to love each other and take care of the earth’ .. and just wow .. tears just started streaming down, and I looked at Aki san and she was crying just as much!!!! she gave me another hug, and we started to sway to the beautifull song with the rest of the people. What an amazing moment, I also tried my best to capture some of it on video!! so keep it tooned. And the whole crowd linked arms around shoulders and we just swayed .. so amazing!!

Mayumi san was busy working away with mom on preparing some more soup for the festival.. oh yeah, I spent the previous morning in the kitchen with mom and Mayumi san, helping to prepare vegetables for the soup, (which was my job) ^^ and I did a SUPER job they said!! so for 2days I helped out with that kinda stuff in the cafe, they only let me do about 2-3 hours a day, but it was a pleasure to help. So Mayumi san quickly made me dinner for the last night here, and omg what an amazing dinner it was, chicken, black bean rice, seasoned seaweed, green tea cake, some amazing salad that i couldnt get enough of and some fresh lotus root and okra!! wow every meal that Mayumi san made was un believeable .. and I always told her it was the best meal ive ever had in my life, and everything was different never had the same thing twice!! so as I was eating Aki san came back to the cafe to drop off the rest of Mayumi sans dishes, and she started to talk to Mayumi san in japanese .. just wow . I dont think ive ever been more turned on my two women in my life, just the tones and expressions on both of them, the sounds of Japanese words , and not to mention that they are both some of the prettiest girls ive ever seen!! hehehe so then Aki san started telling me how 2morrow the festival is going to be really good as well and I should go, she showed me the schedule and I just thought to myself wow theres no way I can miss out on it, so I planned to stay till about 15:00 then leave for Tokyo fair enough. So we sat and had tea and talked for a while and eventually she left and we went to bed.

Now in the morning I quickly packed up my gear and cleaned up my quarters, ate breakfast and we were off to the festival!! this time it was Mayumi sans father that took us there, and Mayumi san was able to stay for a couple of hours, we get there and wow!! they had a big globe in the middle with all the rainbow scarfs that were made in clumps around the globe on the floor and people were hunched down by it holding on to it. what a site to see, there was a countdown in Japanese to 11:11:11:11 and wow, a minute of silence, folloewd by a speach, and people doing the wave with the scaves in their hand, what a vibe!! and as u prolly guessed it yeah we were crying!! but only teary this time heheh. So today I was making no mistake in getting one of those rainbow necklaces and I got 2 1 for Mayumi San also! and we’re never gonna take them off !!! hehe but I went and found all my friends from the OK Cafe again, and OMG they were just as happy to see me again as I was to see them!! Tiger san, Tao san, and lots of others that i forgot the names of!! hehe but they wrote down in my address book! so we walked around for abit, and soon after that I was standing on my own just watching the people around here, and some guy approached me Takahiro .. ‘I heard you are from Canada friend’ he said as he extended his hand to me. So we talked for ages, and it was amazing to connect so well with someone, he actually invited me to stay with him in Osaka .. and im regretfully writing this journal on my way to Tokyo ;( if I could be there now I would!! hehee but I think my own desire to explore abit of Tokyo in my last 2 days in Japan was a little stronger than getting to know an amazing person… which makes me wonder why I chose to go on my own to Tokyo!! But i also rememberd that I havnet unsheathed my blade in Japan yet, and the desire to do so overrides any personal desires I may have. He was truly an inspiring person that volunteers his free time to helping save sea turtles, and is going to be studying marine biology in University in Australia next year, so im deffo gonna cross paths with him again.!! but regardless .. I might go there to spend some time with him before I go yet. Probally not.. but its a nice thought to know I could make it so. So again there were more amazing songs after each other, and omg wow, its already 16:00 .. I think i better go, one by one I said goodbye again, and had to pry away, and yes!! u guessed it again!! I think spending those days in the Zen temple .. made me remember how amazing it is to be me again.. even more so!! and to walk through life with an open heart at all times, which I have been living everyday since I can remember. So wow as I was making my way out of the park, the Singer from Okinawa came on and I could hear that one song from yesterday it was one of the traditional songs with the special movements, and wow touching experience!! hehe but I kept going. and omg on my way down, I saw Tiger san with his big sign .. Stop Rokkasho (Nuclear) .. he said he was going to nara station .. to promote, and while we walked we linked arms, and chanted ‘Stop Rokkasho!!’ he made his place to the Nara station and we said our good byes again!! hehe, he started to chant even louder and also sing I lost the meaning of what he was saying, but I just watched the beauty of someone taking a stand for something they belive in .. and doing everything they can to make a difference in the world.

I got some more cash out and some food for my journey, and I was back at the cafe, I kindly asked if Mayumi san could prepare me a final meal, and she was more than happy to. and wow what a meal it was.. she kept passing me plates of food untill I couldnt have another bite!! hehe and treated me to more of her delicous green tea cake!! Sugoi !!
I was just eating the cake, and wow just realized Im leaving the cafe soon, the sounds of that Burnam woods cd was playing , and omg i just started streaming tears again! mom was asking me questions and when she looked up at me, just smiled and handed me a tissue. I finished up and began to make my way out, I got a big hug from mom and Mayumi san and promised to keep in touch, and instead of saying goodbye it was a see you soon!!

and here I am. 20:42 on the way to Tokyo.. and im a lil anxious about the hotel situation.. hehe cuz I was suppsed to be there like at 20:00 but I called and said I was going to be late, and the attendant was not too happy at all!! lol he said 21:30 maximum and hes leaving at 22:00 so I hvae to call him when i get to Tokyo and he said hed wait for me if i called before 21:30 which is theoretically possible cuz the arrival time is about that, so then its about a 20min subway to the Hotel.. so HOPEFULLY ill make it.. if not .. then ill be writing about my Tokyo Night time adventure!!! so keep it tooned everyone and remember I love you all !!

so just so u know, the dood waited up for me and i got to the hotel at 22:43 he didnt seem too bothered about it either, but on the fone he sounded like a dick about it. anyways it all worked out

zen

There are many ways to explain what zen is and before I experienced it I had a pretty sound explanation, now I know it means nothing.
I just returned from the Anataji Monestary which was a 4km hike into the mountains of Hamasaka, what an amazing place, I just wish I had more time to spend with the monks there. I was there for 2.5 days, but every moment added to the experience of a lifetime. Lucky to find one of the rare Zen temples that accept foriegners the head monk here was actually a foriegner.

The stairs.. after reaching the top of the mountain, which was one of the most beautifull hikes in my life, I came to a giant stairway of stone, that led upwards even more so. I couldnt get over the spectacular beauty of the place, I met this Japanese girl on the bus and she also was on her way to stay a few days. We were greeted by some friendly faces in the kitchen area when we first arrived. Got the tour and setup our quarters for the time being. There was 8 people in total, and interestingly enough many of them spoke english, however it didnt really matter much as there was no talking unnecessarily during the whole duration of when i was there.

03:45 was the wake up call for morning saZen (silent sitting). There was a monk running up and down the hall waving a bell, and it was almost like part of my dream waking up ina black room hearing this sound and footsteps, especially in such a foriegn place. saZen started at 04:00 we silently filed into the hall and then we took our place for meditation. I was uncomfortablefor the last part of the hour some tightness in my hips were controlling my thoughts, and I was consumed. there was a 15min walking meditation which was like the slowest walk you could ever imagine, a half a step every 4-5s .. after this, and then we followed that by another 45minutes of saZen which was much better. “STOP IT” yelled the docho-san which scared me so much, and pretty sure evryone else, it was like a slap in the face to wakeup, he was yelling at this one guy that was yawning during the walking meditation steps and i remember that clearly cuz i was looking right at him while he was yawning.lol

Initially I was still in awe, and never felt my seat of power during each of these sittings, and we broke up for breakfast. Now also when we conduct ourselves in the Monestary there is no talking at all, unless its a relative question. and most of the time we could easily follow suit to what others do as that is the way of Zen, to be aware of the surroundings .. to be aware of everything. Meals was like a race, there was a strict code of ettiquette that must be followed, from placing the chopsticks over the miso soup bowl, to the positioning of all the bowls in front of you. and it was imperative that everything must be followed. and how u sat. the chants done before and after every meal, and especialy when there was no snacking in between, and from the hard work inbetween the aura that was created while we waited and chanted reminded myself of how fortunate we are to have this food to eat, this water to drink. The monks that live here grow everything themselves, they have no money for personal possessions, or anything else, they just exist to swim in the wonderfull bliss that life is, right in the heart of the earth away from the maddening cities and tucked away from destructive power of humans .. for now. It was a magical place.

We were all assigned work, and I was paired up with the girls, Tomoyo-san, and Shinako-san. I dont know why but .. it always seems im paired up with girls naturally.. lucky me!!
our task for the morning was to chop firewood for the kitchen, which was small. So we made our way to the barn where the wood was, and we began. At first I was struggling with it using a strange technique I didnt have the flow. The monk came up to me grabbed the axe, and put a new piece of wood up, and showed me. Nara ho di neigh (I understand) I said to myself, and he made his way to continue on with what he had to do. I instantly found the hand of zen, as I watched myself do the rest, and it became a meditation as we silently worked on chopping and placing the wood up on the shelf, we had a tea break, and a lunch break, the lunch break was informal, and we were allowed to eat in the kitchen and not the dining room, however being such a beautifull day I decided to eat outside suprisingly I was the only one who wanted to eat outside which was fine by me, and what a fantastic idea as per usual, I lost the track of time, just being amazed at how beautifull it was up there, there was a distant sound of water coming from the nearby moutain stream. So back into the hall for instructions, this time we were set to harvest buckwheat and Atzuki (sweet beans). Which was so fun, under the blazing sun I went inside to get one of those Trinangle hats and it felt so kool!! like those hats are so good for keeping the sun off, and made me feel like jubei .. kibagami jubei. hehe and again while we worked in silence I found the mind of zen as the work became timeless and a pleasure to be of service.

15:00 officially done work, and time for showering, now this time, waking up so early in the day, kinda played off with my bodys schedule and I didnt have time to take a proper shit, so I wasnt feeling that good about it now, and decided to get it out, I did some yoga thats designed to get it all out and things started moving!! and shortly after took a nice hot shower, and wow just feeling amazing now!! We soon after ate. And this was an intesne meal, I mean, after working all day, we built up somewhat of a hunger for this, and when it came time to chant before we ate, to thank the universe for allowing us to eat, really resonated with me and I could feel the aura around me amoung everyone, the paitence we endured, and then finally .. Ikadakimass !! (Something like lets begin this meal together) after the meal and at the evening tea ceremony I announced that it was a honour to be welcomed into their house and to learn their way of life, and it was my final night here.

An hour and a half later, we began the evening saZen and this is where it got interesting to me, part of the way of zen in saZen is that you sit with your eyes open, and it was different to me, and finally it sat with me .. im not sure about when it was time wise, but I remember just looking at the wall and in my peripheral vision I could swear the lights were dimming and returning to normal, .. I didnt move a CM to check, but I could still see this.. wierd, and then also what was even more interesting I started to hallucinate .. yes thats right, i could see a pair of pants in the wall in front of me .. and there was a pattern of leaves that were around the crotch area.. and they were waving slightly .. like regardless ive felt this sensation before through meditation and it was amazing to be reminded of it once again, I had to close my eyes now to be sure of it, but I did, and wow.. it was there. those colourfull shapes and patterns you see when you take magic mushrooms.. (from what i hear anyways) wow, it still amazes me thinking about it, and I couldnt stop smiling now, this was it.. my seat of power is what I call it also I had tears streaming down my face, my awareness was back at one with every part of my being, I could see everything so clear, and bearing witness to all the love that exists in my life, the people around me, the connection I have with people, the energy in this room, that poor little boy and his family that I sponsor, the faces of time that paved the footsteps in my life. Shortly after .. the sound of the meditation bell rang, and it was time to leave the hall and prepare for bed. wow was it really over??! Honestly it didnt feel like it had been an hour, and I was left with this feeling .. I couldnt stop smiling, and I went into the kitchen for a cup of sencha and then I was outside under the stars..

wow, it was truly incredible out here, just as amazing as it ever had been in my life. we were on a 4km high mountain, so i wrapped myself up in a blanket or 2, and layed there with my tea. Then there it was!! it wasnt the biggest one ive ever seen, that was actually in Australia when me and Karryn were laying there looking at them, im still sad that she didnt see it at the same time, but this night, hehe was ahlg 3/4 that size and that is pretty big so prolly like 6 or 7 dots of stars connected to make a line, thats how big, pretty big eh?!!? after my tea I retired to my room. and stayed for my final night.

The mysteries of Zen revealed themselves to me during my time there. faces of the nameless monks that vibrated throughout the universe as I stepped into their path.. it was a very profound reason that I was here with them, it all was meant to be. I remember on my journey up I was worried abit that I had taken a wrong bus, and I did actually so I was behind schedule by 45min .. but I remember saying to myself that if it was meant to be it will be. and truly it was. The time there didnt give me a chance to think about anything. the time gave me the chance to remember that nothing really matters .. everything that really exists is a preception of

The train from Tokyo was a snap, 2h 45min, on a bullet train, I wasnt sure if it was a bullet train when I stepped on board, but I remember looking out the window and was just like ‘omg thats fast’. So getting to Kyoto is where I switched up to the Nara train line, and it was another 60min to get to Nara, I picked up a map from the booth I saw over on the counter, and was on my way to Yoan Cafe. So already I was sayin to myself how much of a fool I was for packing so heavy, but regardless of that I came up with a great idea of attaching the bag to my backpack with a rope, so i can just pull it! and omg made the walk so much better. So I was happy! so happy, and just walking up one of the main streets on the way, just wow, I couldnt wipe the smile off my face at all now! I was greeted with warm smiles and friendly faces all the way to the cafe! There was an old couple that were pointing out to my bag and laughing I turned around and laughed with them, and was waved them bye. The walk up these streets and neighbourhood was sensory overload.. this is what Japan was all about, this is exactly what I wanted to see and feel .. im so lucky to be here right now, but at the same time it feels so right and part of my destiny. The whole jounrey ive been on, from feeling the confidence in being enlightened to myself, I still feel there is so much more depth, and I am begining to rip my face off again, the lust for personal possessions is drifting furter away, ive already given half of the crap I brought with me, and I will do so even more so till im satisfied.

So a couple wrong turns here and there, and next thing I noticed I was there! Walking into the cafe I was greeted by one of the most beautifull woman ive ever seen and her parents, they kindly invited me inside their lovely cafe, we sat for a few minutes, and I decided to walk around for a few minutes before the sun went down. I cant wait for the chance to see these places during the day, the temples here.. are just unbelivable, im delaying the post for this so I can put the pictures btw.
and I only walked around 2 blocks!!

I came back to the cafe shorlty after I set out, and Mayumi san suggested I goto the Japanese Baths and directed me right to it. At first I was a little surprised to see a woman right at the front with all the people around, but I think its just a little more open here the nudity in some regards. but regardless it was an experience, you start off by cleaning yourself with soap thoroughly in bucket baths of hot water, and then theres a series of 4 tubs, warm with bubbles is the first tub, and secondly is an electric shock one, which I was only in there for a few min, very intersting sensation!! and then it got hotter as it goes on, and then there is a cold tub which was clutch! In there I met 2 American doods 1 of them was actually staying with me at the cafe and the other was a fellow traveller, who had plans to join us for the travellers meal tonite at the Yoan Cafe. We cleaned up and made our way back to home.

So we were upstairs just chatting and also met one of the other travellers staying here, Nala a very lovely girl from Finland who has been studying Japanese language in Osaka and been here a couple of days. ‘can come down stairs now’ we heard from the bottom floor in a beautifull voice. What an amazing site,(i was in shock else I would have taken a picture) of the table arrangement, just wow, tonite we were going to be eating our own hand rolled sushi, there was a platter of assorted fish, all fresh, and also live octopus!!! (which was my favourite!!) and a big bowl of rice, and some mushrooms with mountain potatoe, and a very unique spinach salad ive never tasted before.

Ikadaimass !! I said out and we started, Mayumi San showed us how easy it was to roll one up, and it was!! I think all those times of rollin ls backz0rz kinda helped a bit but it was amazing!! my first 2 sucked, but i was doing them perfect for the next 100 rolls hehe wow this was honestly the best meal ive ever had in my life! everything so fresh, and nice the tea to go with was just perfect aswell. there was Salmon, Tuna, Crab, Octopus, and a couple other local fishes here I forget the names of. More importantly besides the food was the company, what an amazing opportunity to meet some of most intersting and beautifull people in the world! we talked and talked and ate and ate, seated at the floor level, what an experience. its been real pleasure to be here so far and its just getting started!! Soon after dinner a good friend of Mayumi san came over to visit, omg what a kool guy!! he reminded me of Gai sensei!! very funny and pleasent to talk he sat with us for some time.

So im just like chilling with Dave now on our beds and we’ll see what gets up to 2morrow not sure if our plans align but the day has yet to be seen.

Day1

06:58 Just took a nice shit and shower gonna eat soon, kinda nervous about what is to come its day 1 of the dive course. didnt sleep much only about 6h which is only thing that worries me a bit. so now im all packed up and ready to go.

21:40 Well it went a lot smoother than I thought, everything was so well organized and the whole breathing under water, flooding the mask with water and clearing it was a snap, and it was so much fun! The training and all the skills we learned put me at ease cuz i didnt understand how u did some things and excited me even more, emergency breathing techniques and all that stuff. My mind is fuzzy now just spent the last 2 hours studying that book. more 2morrow.

Day 2

• get alarm clock
• rash vest
• towel

23:10 Ok i Fuckin passed!!! was easier than i thought, 96% wasnt sure about getting all the gear or not unless I actually passed the course, but I did !!now just have to lug it around the world But man I dont care .. im gonna be entrusting my life to technology to take me below the sea, so im gonna get the best you can regardless. IM SO EXCITED!!!! hehehehe 2morrow morning we are off to sea something ive dreamed about for evar !! gonna pack up and rest.

oh yeah just before when I was walkin home from the restaurant, I heard Table Tennis.. omg , and it was a round robin night!! how could a warrior resist sharpening his sword!! some excellent players there, I eventually leveled off with this older man and we did drills and played a match he beat me, 11/9, 14/12, 11/5, 11/9 it was close, but it was his day, i was happy regardless We played till 22:30 when the club closed last 2 to leave!!!

Day 3 - Set Sail

09:26 So just woke up from a power nap, and we’re on the boat!! only I am way to excited to get on here hehehe just got my mask all cleaned up n shit, all my gear out fuk yea! The view is just incredible I still cant get over im gonna go top deck for a bit to see more of it, and maybe take a seat with the captain for a bit.

12:41 -FIRST DIVE!! wowowowowoowoowowowowowowowowowowowowo!!!!! hehehe, i was just floating upside down looking at everything, it was incredible, this big fish, (bigger than my head) was like less than 10cm away from my face! looking right at me. my mask fogged up and i had to clear it up a couple of times, which was annoying but i felt comfortable doing it so it wasnt too bad. gonna go eat ttyl!

Day 4

14:10 PADI CERTIFIED — Now offically licensed to be an open water diver!! so a few more skills dives we did, i think 2 more, where they check all the skills we learn, again and again, which is great .. really makes evreyone feel comfortable and safe . Im not sure about my partner Hannah, shes racing through everything like way too fast, i mean if it was a race.. id be number1 regardless, but this is different for me slowing down and enjoying the enviorment is what gets me off, i still cant belive how amazing it is here.

16:49 First Free Dive — un fucking believable .. the great barrier reef is the most amazing place on this planet, I had no idea such a marvelous place existed, and to be there in the water .. Stringing words together like this is no justice to how beautifull the natural earth is down there. I switched partners at this point, I couldnt stand being with Hannah anymore she was on a rush to maybe try and impress the coach, or whatever, i dont care, Im really glad that I could swap and be with Andrew, I really like this guy, even when I was staying close to him during the training dives, hes on the same tracsk as me, being safe as the number1 caution checking out the meters regularly and saying OK everytime we look at each other .. which is like couple times each min!!! heheh it makes me laugh now cuz its like an exaggeratted effort but.. it just makes everything feel so much safer and then more fun.
The coral .. the fish .. I can’t belive the kinds of fish there, and OMG we saw 2 giant sea turtles !!!!! and a shark!! white tip reef shark, it was about 4m away, but what a beautifull creature, so smooth and slick, and also I wasnt scared at all in seeing him. k (night dive briefing time)

21:58 Night Dive — Ok just got back from the night dive there was a full moon out tonite!!!.. wowowowoowoowow, feels great, there wasnt so much activity as in the wild life down there, but the ones that were out were incredible, our coach Dave pointed out a fish that blows a bubble of mucous around its self for protection .. looking at it, was just amazing.. he says that he dives there lots of times, and sees new things all the time. The whole experience of night time diving is unbelievable .. the calm serene waters, and wow saw a shark, aswell this was a baby only about 3m in lenght, but sooo pretty!! Regardless of all the fish and everything, my favourite part of that night dive was when we came up to a small gully in the coral, where the full moon jus shone right down into, and light the gully up, I found my own space away from ppl and i would just hover upside down watching my bubbles float up to the moon, just floating .. same position.. im so controlled and good at breathing and floating , and swimming now this stuff is a breeze and again being with Andrew as a buddie makes the whole experience that much better. comparted to how i felt on the first dive with Hannah, having her rush off like that. heh well Desert time Mathais is an amazing cook as much as he is in person, really spoiling us i think its a chocolate cake if not mistaken!!

11:44 All Good Things; nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo we started our ascent back into the land now =/ what an amazing experience im still at a loss for words when I try to think about it, I hope my pictures help paint the picture. More than just the dives the social part of talkin with group,, instructors and other divers from around the world was fantastic, so many beautifull people ive met here everybody was just so amazing to be around and it does look like theres some life long friends ive made here, just hanging out on the deck, eating , waiting for the next dive, just incredible. its just the start of a new love for me, and im feeling that totally giddy thing about it. hehehe oh btw, I did the adventure diver course while I was here so I could goto a depth of 40m now!! great for those wreck diving, and eventually check out the elora corey.!! and I started my thing on photography!!

Again only pictures will be able to help here, there was literally walls, that were 10m of coral, which connected and made caves and small passageways for exploration, they were just un real, Completely different plaent, I remember just standing at the bottom of it, and looking up, lol next thing i knew i was at 21m at depth oh no!!! i said to myself no more than 10-12m so I can make my air last longer!! hehe but im so glad I went there, it was incredible, and even so was a different planet, theres fish that we saw on our 30m deep dive that only live at that level, the lion fish.. what a beautifull fish, google it!!!

I had a camera with me so I was snapping away as much as I could, I actually went to 21m cuz of it so burned air faster, only was down there for 27min but never the less.. heh

OK, sorry for not updating with my journal from out at sea yet, but I just have to write about tonite as it was a very important night to me., and i’ll update the journal of my reef trip next!

Battles are part of my life, and for me theres nothing more exciting than a battle against someone strong., that can bring out the warrior within me. Tonite it was a battle of squash, ive been playing number 1 position for the A league on the Northern Subburbs squash team, and havent had a challenging match really, I lost a 5 set match the other week, which was dissapointing,,but the level of the player wasnt exciting and although i didnt want to loose, i wasnt really playing my best I thought. but tonite..

He was strong .. I felt the energy the moment I saw him, and I was already excited, the first game he came out strong, and fast, I drew the first blood, but he took the first game quite easily. I walked off the court smiling, and back on again, now the fun starts, I started to move and my spirit force began to take over, I could finally play someone at full strength!! and not hold back, the second game we were level with each other untill about 5/5, a very long crunching ralley now, especially for him, my movement slowed down to my comfort zone, and I was in control, but he didnt give up, I won that ralley, and right then I knew I could do it, I could hear myself screaming inside me .. I CAN. I CAN I CAN. and I went up 6/5, 7/5, 8/5 and then a couple tins by me, and he was at 8/7, oppps i did that again.. heh, i hit a dying length off his serve and then a very steady rally after that to win that game, the next game was 9/5, and by now there was no stopping me, last game was 9/2.

This feeling .. is what i live for, and doing what I love around the world .. is the most amazing feeling. Evrything just attracted into my path here, finding the club, and the people there, it felt just as warm and homely as it does in Canada, squash is a lifestyle and most amazing part of squash is the people that associate with it, everytime I played there I loved the feeling of looking up and seeing everyone in the club watching the match, the love for squash here is just amazing, something that I cant thank myself for.

State of Mind. What a fukkin night, nick i tried my best to capture some of the night, it was .. off the hook. Model T one of the hottest dnb djs in Australia was on earlier in the night, but he set the whole place up for the night, banging selection early on and more than enough to move me, i rode that shit all the way to the darkness that was soon to come.

I lost my voice a little earlier than expected, like midway through Model T’s set, but it wasnt so bad actually cuz it was a smaller club and I didnt have to yell so much anyways Crowd was soooo wikkid and the smaller club made it a lil more intimate on the floor, reminds me of those back in the day parties ^^ And actually there was 1 lil thing that made me feel abit wierded out, at one point this girl was dancin beside me and she bumped me really hard on the hip, and I was gonna say sorry, but first thing that comes out of her mouth was fuck you, so after a thought I was like bitch, fuck you too. And then she kinda just went away and that was the end of it thankfully.

But everyone eles was soo wikkid, and the sets got nice and dark.. sooo dark, and next thing we knew omar is on dnb .. uh oh!!! Breaking out all my original jungalistcal bad boy flow, and always inventing the new steps to go with the new sounds.

Raving across the world .. just incredible how regardless of where you are the energy is the same, and the people that attract to it and are there are so close to home. I love how theres a general kinda style to ppl how they dance and how they set into the drumandbass culture, over here its pretty safe, there was a big support from New Zealand krew over here with the state of mind label, and they were all pure vibes.

So after the party was done, about 05:00ish we chilled out on the streets for a bit, I ran around for a bit lookin for some food, really nice pizza place I eventually found which was top. But then, we did my 2nd most fave thing todo on a night out, AFTER PARTY!!!!! One of Johns good friends Craig was at the club too we hung out inside, and he invited us all over to his place, which was amazing!! I loved this part so much, cuz me and lady sat on the sofa witha blankey and John was playin some amazing Chicane music on the computer, which was PURFECt!! if you never heard chicane before, it’s a chill trance label, and i’ll send a link if u want. and Craig was just on a single sofa beside us, he popped on some strange dvd that seemed to flow with the music that was comin on. These kinda times remind me of when Jay used to take me round Toronto, we’d always after party till about 9:30–10:00 !!

Being with these people .. My heart just echos ripples of love throughout the footsteps in my path, when i feel the love from them for me being there that moment makes me cry, even when i think back on the faces that are in my life. Craig was a really amazing person, he gave me a gift!! and also hes a head chef somewhere and invited me to the restaurant for a free meal!! so im deffo gonna take that up

I think we just decided to get a lil closer to home now, and we moved the after party to Johns now, so we went over to Johns, and i had some of his lovely Marberries and Bannanas we chatted and chilled abit, and I was like in need of sleep with a 17:00 flight comin up to Cairns I kinda needed to get some ZzZzzzzzz. John and karryn went over to Sarahs place to chill with her a bit, shed been out partying but just ended up at a different club, not sure where but sure she had a good time.

I remember waking up shortly to Johns wakeup call, and then Lady and mom and dad came to pick me up.

Just getting back to the inner city life in AUS, spent the last 2 days at a rave deep in the bush, and .. just wow. Not only was the venue one of the most amazing places ive ever been to, but the crowd was just wikkid!!! it was smaller more intimate, and had the kinda vibe that everyone knows everyone.

I know my path as a warrior is ultimately to walk alone here, but the love in my heart makes me miss some of the magical people that have come across my life. Everyone comes into my life for a reason, and the energy that they eminate has a strong connection with me regardless, and experiencing that connection if only for a short time makes me realize how many wonderfull people and things there are in this world.

We set up our campsite some time on Saturday afternoon, and met some of our neighbours in the area, and settled into the grounds. I call this place dinosaur valley becuase the way it looked.. the trees, the raw earth, the way the hills looked reminded me of broncosaurus, well some of them anyways.

The biggest hill was North of our site and when it was approaching sundown I decided to climb it, and what a climb it was, taking my time and listening to the story of the trees as I ventured into the woods I was still in awe as I progressed. Finally reaching the top of the hill, the sudden sounds of branches breaking and footsteps startled me, it was a kangaroo!!!!! only a small one but still!! i just managed to catch a glimpse of it as it ran off, didn’t even have a chance to snap a few photos.

But as I moved onto the flat hill top, just wow. the view downwards into the valley was mainly blocked by the tall trees, but to the distance I could see clear and vividly deep into the valley, really amazing. Also the music … Psy Trance at its best very light and atmospheric to suit the time of the day, (can hear abit in one of my videos, msg me for a link) I stayed there in meditation for about an hour untill I could feel the suns energy leaving us for now., I watched the sun go down. and it was one of the most spectacular sunsets ive ever experienced, I could literally watch it moving as it set off past the tree tops on the far side. The time of sorcery was about to begin.

We raved that night .. and day, there was nothing like being on the earth surrounded by love, and energy , barefootThere were many faces that came across my path that night, and the energy is engrained within my heart. Jenatia, Hannie, Greg, Michelle .. some of their names. Hannie what a beautifull girl!!! I always love when people come up to me and talk to me, she said right away she loved the little line of hair I had under my lip.. something I came up with back then, and still carry. also how lovely my eyes were!! I love it when people feel the need to talk to me, and im sure she was happy also.

That night, we raved!!!! the energy waves from the sound form different ways inside me, trance .. its not drum and bass!! hehe the movements that I come up with are different yet beautifull in their own way, and it was amazing to experience the rave here. the different ways people move, the little sub-cultures that form here, it was pure hippy and there was so much love !!!

Nick .. The stars are different here!! so amazing, and so clear I couldnt get over it!!! I still wish I could go back to look at them some more! not that night, but that night me and Karryn curled up in our sleeping bags by the hot coals of the fire, and slept under the stars, what a beautifull sleep. we laughed and giggled for a while, untill sleep. John chose the car after the temperature began to drop.

I loved every minute while we were there.

I woke shortly before sun rise, and while it was still dark out it made the fire up. to me there has always been something magical about building a fire under the stars, and sitting there I spent hours in meditation, even just laying down beside the fire and looking at time. Some of my visions were magnificant that night, but that is another story.

Oh, so during the day there were many flies and were kind of annoying I discovered that when I stood by a tree that they would not come near me. and didnt think much of it, but that morning I was being harassed, and it just clicked to me that its because they are eculaptus trees! quickly i grabbed a nearby branch that had fallen, broke some of the leaves up and rubbed on my face and neck, stuffed the branches down my shirt so the leaves hung over my face and viola !! no more bug problems!! and i Looked soooo kool also (Sorry Nick forgot to snap a pic =/ i know.. i know)

That morning 2 warriors came across my path, Jimmy .. a native Aboriginal that has lost his path, and Nick a travelling companion of his. He shared with me tales of his travels in search of his roots, he walked with everything he owned in his bag, a few photos, and some other small items, he made his way all across Australia, he only gave me a glimpse of his face but it was enough.