New Poll - Getting Wet

We all get wet, most of us at least daily - but how do you prefer to get wet?
Vote in the new poll, and see where you rate.

underwater musing

This is what you get when you submerse your camera (suspended on a very small float that really should be called a sink...) press record and try to swim in front of the lens...

The two almost evident people in the video are The Frenchman and myself.

I really should just call it something more like "study # 3", install it in a gallery of modern art projected onto a 30m wide screen, and hold lectures discussing it... but perhaps I'm being just a little bit cynical.

It's a long weekend here - and I want to be a little creative. Of course - it's when I am feeling most creative that I'm committed to other things, and when I have the time , I have not the inspiration.

Today was a hellish day at work - I'm not one to ever lose my cool - but I found myself telling a patient's relative off today. I'm tired of people who just don't listen - but are very ready to complain that they're not getting what they want (which, if they listened, they'd realise they were actually going to be getting exactly that) - I felt like changing my mind after their complaining. Last night I also had a nurse calling me for advice about a patient - and when I didn't answer my mobile, phoned back 3 minutes later to complain (to my voicemail again as I still didn't answer her) that I hadn't called back and that as I was on call I had to be tied to the other end of the phone waiting for her to call. Of course, I was in the shower at the time, and called her 5 minutes after her initial call. This time she didnt answer, so I called again and again for 10 minutes eventually getting her , explaining I was in the shower and not getting any kind of apology from her (she expected one from me and yes I was too kind and gave one as soon as I returned the call.)

Why are people so impatient and so unkind?

Reconnecting

The past few days have been good for the soul. I've spent time with a few friends with whom I have a strong connection, but for various reasons haven't been in touch with at any great depth for some time.

Thursday morning one of these friends came and visited. The day was one of those unforecast perfect days - the weather report had said stormy, but not a cloud in the sky it was sunny and delightfully warm. And so we decided to venture to the national park beach. Having not seen him for a some time it was like being on holidays, and walking through a place he'd not been before made it all feel new to me as well.

The beach was pristine, with barely one or two others there, crystal clear blue-green waves rolling in. The water was chilly but we dived in and stayed a while, thrown about occasionally by unexpected waves as we chatted, floating and meandering in the water like contented seals. We got out and lay naked in the sun and then I started shivering uncontrollably. Obviously the water was cooler than I realised, or my insulation thinner, but to sit in the warmth of the sun and be shivering all at once was strangely exhilarating. And to have the space to ourselves was priceless. I smiled and laughed a lot as we caught up on things we had missed.

We could have stayed there all day.

World Class Stupid

I've stumbled across this exceptionally well written blog by RomanHans: World Class Stupid. It's worth a look for some very entertaining reading. Don't expect any photos, but the visual imagery is still breathtaking.

Wild Wednesday

Are you tired of people telling you what to do? Tired of Wild Wednesdays when Superchilled suggests you give flowers to a loved one, hugs to a stranger, asks you to take a photo of a part of yourself and email it, encourages you to get wet, get naked, go for a walk , a swim, a run, or have unbridled passionate sex?

It's time for me to stop asking questions or suggesting plans, and time for you to start suggesting wild wednesday themes.

Maybe you've had a favourite wild wednesday experience - or perhaps you have an idea for one that would be the ultimate challenge. Make it known. It can be a theme for today or next week... it's up to you. If you've never commented on a blog - here's your chance to do it.

Same Same, but Different?

Have you ever met someone who, through life, became a series of different people? I'm not talking actors or those with major psychiatric disorders, but general everyday people out there.

As we go from childhood to adolescence we can go through phases, but the basic tenets of our personalities typically remain the same. You can do personality typing to find which category you fit - but classically these things remain true and unchanging throughout our lives.

Does that mean we should just resign ourselves to being who we are - without any attempt to improve ourselves? Or should we try to defy the statistics and make ourself into someone else? If we do change are we then just becoming a false version of who we really are , or is it a true improvement / modification? I certainly see a lot of people who partner up with someone with the expectation of changing them and moulding them into a form that they think is ideal - and it usually creates disappointment all round.

The saying goes that the only constant thing in life is change, so what happens to our personalities? Are they stuck in a pre-ordained path? I've been told I'm change intolerant but I think that's crap - perhaps by thinking that I'm not - in fact I am? Maybe I should change my personality based on popular opinion? But popular opinion is just as likely to change. Certainly I think we can improve ourselves in all kinds of ways. We can exercise regularly to be physically fit. We can look at ourselves and critically analyse the way we do things and question the reasons behind the things we do to gain an insight into our decision making, and nut out ways to make our existence a better one.

But is ignorance true bliss?
And is change for change sake reasonable? If it ain't broke don't fix it?

I work with people trying to modify their lifestyles all the time. Sometimes a major life overhaul is needed, and in order to do that people need to break their routines. It can be very comfortable being in a routine - and change can be serious hard work, at least to start with. People need to be convinced that they really need to change, and even then actually making it happen certainly isn't guaranteed.

I guess it holds the same for our personalities - but is it really possible to become someone different?

Destination Unknown

Destination Calabria: Alex Guadino - 3min 4sec

Last week I had no idea where I'd end up. So this week I'm embracing the uncertainty and randomness of life and am starting off with something a little sexy, and a little unexpected.

Turn it up loud and enjoy.

Sandman

I'm just not getting tired of Aussiebum's promotional campaigns... Here they're promoting this young man as Australia's first indiginous male model - I'm not sure this is technically correct, but why let the truth get in the way of good story!! His right leg's been photoshopped... but who cares, even if he's an amputee he's still cute. Love this image.

Don't you HATE it when...

People tell you to do exactly what they do…

Kind suggestions from people are always welcomed in the sense of “I enjoyed this – you might like it too…” – but I’ve noticed a lot of people INSIST you take their advice – there really is no alternative, like you’ll die if you don’t do it.

We took my parents to my local restaurant and family friends who were finishing their meal there told us “you must order the …(food that they had ordered and was sitting unfinished on their table) it’s really good – it’s called..” (and they spelled it out in detail). It was a command…
I’m thinking… Um, I’ve eaten here more than once, no I don’t really feel for that today and, if it’s so fantastic – why have you left half of it?

A retired gent who swims at the Uni pool on Friday mornings, ALWAYS tells me how he shaves while in the shower, with a "proper" razor, not an electric one (which I’m using at the time) and that I should do that too, he also seems astounded each Friday that I’ve “only” swum 1km or so (it’s my morning wake up swim in between work and work – not a serious training session) and seems surprised every week by this fact. Do I suggest to him he has early dementia, or just repeat my same responses every week? (and should I tell him we have a water crisis in this country?)

I have an uncle who will always tell me the best way to get to a destination – I may have driven there a hundred times, but he’ll assure me that HIS way is better, faster, less police, less traffic, awesome weather, more scenic… oh and he's also the guy who if I just bought something – he bought almost exactly the same thing at a garage sale last week so much cheaper… What was I thinking?

Gay men will always have an opinion on cutting, trimming, shaving, waxing or lasering hair… (quite possibly different for each location) and it’s rarely “I prefer it this way” it’s almost always “you have to be XXXXXed” , like the world will fall apart if you’re not the way they prefer. Bugger off I say.

Perhaps I’m just not good at taking advice.

Wild Wednesday

We tend to be focused on other people - mainly celebrities and models - when it comes to physical features we like in people - but here on Wild Wednesdays for a few weeks I've been exploring what people find physically attractive in themselves... and a few readers have been sending in photos of said body parts. Above are a few from this week. Thanks everyone for sending them in - If YOU have a favourite part of your body - find or create an image of it and send it in to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com and I'll post it.

This week's challenge is about things that annoy you in others. We've all had times when someone has pissed us off and we just want to tell them off, but bite our tongues. Sometimes it results in us distancing ourselves from them, and sometimes it all passes and things go on - but it can often remain a background issue that festers in our thoughts and can create all kinds of stress. Often the stress is unfounded - and the issue is due to miscommunication - but sometimes it isn't. So today is the day to clarify those issues that have bugged you but you said nothing. If someone treated you badly, tell them how you felt and why. Work through the issues, it might end up being yours rather than theirs, so prepare for anything, and see how wild your Wednesday can become.

FINE PRINT: superchilled takes no responsibility for consequences of actions resulting from said recommendations. Any love children that result will not be sponsored, any divorces will not have legal payments subsidised and medical bills for either party of a physical altercation will be repaired at the cost of the reader (or nominated 3rd party, excluding superchilled).

More blatant free advertising - Aussiebum

Aussiebum: Broome Swimwear ad
1 min 18s

How Gay is Your Sport? #6 RUGBY UNION

It's been a while since my last gay sport ranking - but the World Cup is here - and even though I haven't watched a match, I figured it needed to be rated. So with a complete lack of insight I give you 'How Gay is Rugby Union?'.

Well, despite the promotions (above), and the exceptionally homoerotic Dieux du Stade calendars... the sport itself doesn't seem to be particularly gay. Unless of course you play for one of the world's gay union clubs...

Participation Rating:

It's a contact sport - so it's very up close and personal, though that might not be in such a pleasant way much of the time (I watch it and I feel like I'm at work.) The culture tends to be very 'yeah mate', 'what a hot sheila' , 'd'ya see them pair a tits?' ... But you do get to have some close up locker room / shower experiences with some potentially very hot men though, and I'm sure in a big team you'll have at least a few others who are watching more than the soap in the showers... 3 stars

Spectator Rating:

If players like those from the calendar are frequently on field - then there's a lot of reason to root for them! I tend to be more an AFL man myself - it's the tall men in it I guess that magnetise me, but from what I have seen - the rugby men who are working their way to the top grades are the most spectatable, rather than the ones who have been there a while. Overall, it's a bit of hit and miss in the spectator stakes. 2 1/2 stars

How to drive your Doctor insane

While in the waiting room, be sure to talk loudly, cough over fellow patients, and ensure your children jump up and down over the seating and other patients while you wait.

When greeted with "How are you today?" respond with: "I wouldn't be here if I was well.", or alternatively: "That's a stupid question!"

Ensure you say exactly what you think your condition is - especially if you don't really know - and tell the doctor how they should be treating you (for example "I have the flu, I need antibiotics") - debate the medications they are prescribing particularly if you have no idea what pharmacology means, or if you heard something on current affairs TV about a new drug that you think you should have.

Return with a problem that you had before - but for which you didn't take the doctor's advice - and complain that it didn't get better.

If you're coming for a planned medical examination - make sure you haven't washed for a few days, or have just done a really heavy duty exercise session with a smelly old pair of shoes.

If you've come from work on the farm/workshop, be sure to wear your boots complete with track marks detailing your every muddy, or better still greasy step over the carpet. Laugh when you see them.

If you have a cough and fever - cough directly over your doctor unapologetically - it's sure to work wonders. Similarly if your kids are coughing in the direction of the doctor - don't discourage it - and certainly don't give them a tissue and ask them to cover their mouths when they cough.

When your kids start to run about the surgery pulling apart medical equipment, books, papers and trying to turn off IT equipment, laugh and encourage them. If your kid is looking for something to play with - give them the doctor's pen, and if you return it ensure it is mucus coated.

After you've been through a list of a dozen or so complaints that you have, report at the end of the consultation , "Oh and by the way, I've got this chest pain now, it started when I was walking up the hill...".

Arrive late when the surgery is about to close, report "It's only a simple problem - I'll only be a minute" or alternatively "it's really urgent" and proceed to detail your life history of medical and family problems, none of which is urgent, and ask for a medication prescription you need that you've been aware of for the past 3 weeks, but that requires an in-depth medical review to continue.

On a similar note, if you've been sick all day and know you need to see your doctor, wait until just before closing time to turn up for review.

In the middle of your consultation send text messages from your mobile phone.

When your mobile phone rings (loudly please) be sure to ignore the posted signs and answer the call in the middle of your consultation, then continue a prolonged, inane conversation with your loved one while your doctor waits.

Your doctor is sure to value you as a prized patient who will get very special treatment every time you turn up.

I've experienced all of the above. It's truly a joy.

At The Beach

It was a sunny day - and I figured it was as good a time as any to get out into the surf with my camera and do some experimenting. Here are some of the results. It was a lot of fun - although I was occasionally thrown into the rocks as a result of trying to protect the camera and 'get the shot' rather than look after myself, but it was worth it.

(For larger versions just click on the images, as usual)

Hit on at Gym?

I think I’ve been hit on – by a girl….
Ok it’s probably happened before – but I’m usually so oblivious to it that other people have to tell me what I missed.

I was in my own little bubble heading for the water cooler between sets, when this decidedly cute, blonde and brand new staff member at my gym stands in my way. I initially think that maybe I’ve been doing something wrong with my training that she might want to correct, but she doesn’t. She asks me about my day, about how things are. I tell her I’m comfortably exhausted, having also just done a swim squad session, and am now working through my weights. She tells me she loves that feeling of comfortable fatigue after exercising, but that she can’t swim more than 12 laps. She’s more a runner. I tell her I have started to run recently, but I’m more a swimmer. She asks if I compete, and I tell her I do ocean swim races in summer, that they’re a good focal point for training. She asks me about what swim squads they have for adults at the pool and if they have stroke correction. While I tell her, I’m thinking – *um shouldn’t she be able to tell me this?* And she then says – ‘I should be the one who knows all this’. We move on to the prospect of doing triathlons and the complexities of same… Somewhere in this she has asked my name, and given hers, when I confirm again at the end of the conversation she recalls that if you repeat a new name 3 times you’ll remember it – and goes on to repeat mine and use it repetitively in the parting few sentences where she finds out I come to the gym regularly on days she works…

I make it to the cooler and back to my weights, and wonder where that all came from. But I like the interaction, more than I get with most people at the gym these days. I’m left wondering if she was being a really friendly and helpful staff member – or was it possibly more?

Wild Wednesday

A few weeks ago the Wild Wednesday challenge was to send in a photo of the favourite part of your own body. Thanks to the people who sent in the images above. But does this mean everyone else doesn't like their own body? Has no favourite part? Is self loathing so widespread? Or is sloth more the issue?
I'm keen to find the bits that people like of themselves - we all know the bits of others we like - but you can find that anywhere.
If you're happy with your entirety - then send a photo of all of you! There are no limits. Use a camera phone, edit an existing image, jump on the photocopier at work - I don't care - just SEND ME THE IMAGE!!!
superchilledtrevor@gmail.com anonymity guaranteed unless you want your name up in lights.

And I can do lights!

Spending Time

Basking in the glow of an evening of warmth.

Sydney has been made a ghost town in the presence the APEC summit. The streets are empty, steel and concrete barricades protecting us from world leaders and motorcades longer than the streets on which they travel, abounding. But despite the coolness, echoed in current weather, tonight was a night to remember.

We caught up with a friend from LA who is in town on business (bad timing with all this APEC stuff going on) and a selection of his work colleagues, local and imported for the event. Such gatherings can be draining at times, but this was not one of those times. It turned out to be an all gay event - though I wasn't certain of this at the outset. No ice breaking was required and I don't think there were any pauses in conversation all night apart from when the waiter crashed the dessert, but that was just a momentary lapse. The topics on offer ranged widely, and back stories equally complex. I could easily have chatted with each person at the table individually for the whole evening and was quite disappointed that it all had to end. The restaurant was one of Sydney's finest, but I hardly recall the food (yes it was good - but the conversation better).

It came up over dinner that Sydney isn't really known for depth. Superficial is seen as the order of the day - every day, and getting past the surface more than a challenge. Now I don't think this is completely the truth - but I can see how it can be seen to be so. It can take time to progress to a depth beyond the surface, and we're so often buzzing from one thing to the next - that after pleasantries, we're off to the next venue, the next best thing... How often do we take time to fully explore issues? Discuss politics? Really connect? Spend time...

5 hours later we are heading home. The time has flown by, and half of the group will be flying out within days.

Damn it was good.

But I'm left hungry for more.

Brainchilled Sunday

Sundays are designed for not being too cerebral, so here's some eye candy, and a taste from aussiebum of their 2008 summer range. I've not actually got anything aussiebum yet - despite my aesthetic tendencies - but if this is anything to go by you'll see me in the summer range this season. Maybe even the swimwear.

The Race to Location 19

It seems there are few people game to hazard a guess at the location of the current leg of Race Around the World. So (thanks to a reader who will for the time being remain anonymous) we have an unprecedented 3rd photograph of the location below - this time in winter.

Hopefully it will help you arrive at the destination.

For the original photos and competition notes - see the race notification post here .

Oh, and if the cute man in the original picture is reading this. I want to hear from you!

Bonne Chance...

Run Norten Run

I couldn't do my regular training swim today, so decided it was the perfect time to try out the new runners I've recently bought (went to 'Athlete's Foot' on Tuesday, where the cute salesman actually measured all kinds of things, thank you very much!). A little skeptical about these shoes that were sizes bigger than I usually buy, but soon discovered they were just perfect. I was bounding along to my inbuilt sound track from Run Lola Run (who needs an ipod when these things are just stored in my head) , my steel springs pushing me along faster and harder. So along the Sea Cliff Bridge I go, with rolling waves and spectacular scenery that less people were enjoying today because of course, first run - it rained.

There was this ecotourist family with 1 1/2 kids who were also there in their heavy duty all weather gear (me in board shorts and T shirt), the mum smiled at me , the dad gave me a look that could kill - like I was creating a tidal wave of CO2 emissions or something. Norten, our labrador, managed to keep up for half of the run - but was dragging the chain - or more the point I was dragging him all the way back. (ASICS=GOOD)

It seems running is in fact making me leaner than all my other exercise, so I'm contemplating keeping it up in summer too...

Benno's new book...

I've been sent some pics from the new Benno Thoma book - and while I posted some on 1234Men, I have more so thought I'd add some of them here. I think it would look good on my coffee table!! And you can order it online via his site Benno Thoma - Around the Globe .

And no I'm not paid to promote it - it's all out of the goodness of my heart...

Enjoy.

Pop up Windows in my Head

I wake up to one of my morning alarms, but my brain is incorporating it into a dream that is more pleasant than getting up right now, and so the brain wins and I'm still in bed, alarms blazing, surround sound and internal widescreen activated.

I’m in the shower, finally having succumbed to the alarms (or more likely woken up because they’ve turned themselves off) and while I’m lathering up I’m visualising Me, dressed in something appropriate for the weather happening outside today, and in rapid succession I’m seeing Me running at lunch time – cut to a close up of my new asics running shoes pounding the pavement of the Sea Cliff Bridge – a glance at the Molten Brown shower gel (that I look at more than use) and I’m re-living the conversation a recent guest initiated, centred on the decadence of same, I can hear his voice, see his face... smell the shower gel, which I’m still not using.

My day has started. It’s filled with pop up windows in my head – they’re usually high quality video and the download speed is lightning fast.


I’m at work, and in the middle of writing notes on my computer screen, patient sitting besides me answering my questions, I pause, it looks like I’m contemplating my thoughts for the next question or my next written sentence, but a big pop up window has opened, it contains the plans for the evening ahead visualised in detail, maybe even images of the food, it comes to a natural end and closes, and I’m wondering if my last question was what I think it was. It usually is and it seems I'm the only one who has noted this slight absence.

I’m in the process of commencing a pap test (sigh), and bloody hell, a thousand pop up windows have all turned up at once – they’re viral windows and each contains a photographic image of a prior pap test or similar examination from the past. I’m in a horror movie and I’m starting to sweat. I right click in my head – CLOSE ALL WINDOWS - and continue working. If I’m lucky, half way through a conversational reference (you have to talk your way through these things – it makes everyone feel more comfortable) a window will pop up with a widescreen holiday scene – it might be alpine, or beach, but it’s welcomed and the rest of the procedure goes by in a flash.

From time to time a patient will arrive and automatically all other windows are closed and Abercrombie and Fitch LIVE commences in 3D, no visualization required… But then I have to watch out for an x-tube window popping up at the wrong moment… in which case I then need to summon a visualisation that I have saved on hard disc for just such an event. But it doesn’t come automatically like all the others and I'm glad people can't read my mind right at this moment.

Every day is a movie – or in my case – a couple of hundred of shorts. But there's no guide, no scheduled programming, it's all random, apart from one or two selected intermissions from time to time...

Wild Wednesday

Today it's time to get wet with someone. At the beach, in the pool, in the shower at home or maybe at your gym?, in bed, at work, at the water cooler, at the bar. The location is yours to choose. For top marks do it clothed (even if the clothes do come off at some point, that's bonus marks). A water balloon, yeah that works.

On Wild Wednesdays, anything goes.

The Race

Location 19... where is this? (click for large view)

It was a tight finish in leg 18 of Superchilled Race Around the World, and Jessica beat everyone to identify Bahnhofstrasse in Zürich as the location for the photo. Yarravillepaul won the popular vote, intoxicated and in the gutter of that same street, he just didn't know where he was.

Which brings me to today's race location. Summer is getting closer here, and coming to an end up there in the northern hemisphere, so we can all enjoy the beauty of the summer swimming pool. But where is this one? And what is the man sitting in the foreground thinking?

First correct and most creative entries for the respective questions win.

Your Race starts NOW.

Bonus picture here->

Bourke Street Bakery and More

Mine was an awesome weekend. Our catch ups with friends at BSB have reinforced to me that you really don't need any specific event or objective, nor a stunning location to have a great time. It is the people you spend the time with that makes it. We have spent time at various places this weekend with different friends. We've also taken time out for 'just us' time, and it has been great.

Above we have Jon & Gordon who joined us at BSB for the first time this weekend. I think they fit the ambience well. They'll have to come back. Brenton (below) was ubercool and ever-reliable coming despite multiple fractured ribs and crushing soft tissue injuries from collisions with poles and mishaps getting tied up... All this exercise is certainly getting him ready for summer!! Christiaan was notably absent, but he's in a whole other world right now anyway.

Spring is here and Summer is decidely in the air. I am so looking forward to it.

12 Years On

(be patient with this flash animation - it may be slow to load)

September 1st is our anniversary - the day when we declared that we had fallen for each other back in 1995. It was also the day we came out to each other. A big day.

We were of course on the telephone at the time, something like 2 or 3am after a 4 hour plus phone call. I was working in the country - The Frenchman studying back in my home town, and it was to be a week or so before we'd actually be together to say it live, face to face. Needless to say it was a long week! It was the first time I'd had that sensation of my heart being ignited that I knew I was waiting for. It just felt right. And now 12 years later it still feels right. There have been times when that's been questioned of course, but they have obviously been transient.

I'm not sure where I'd be if it weren't for my mum bringing him home, all those years back, for dinner... (thanks mum) . It's been a fast and fun 12 years. So much seen and done, and continuing to happen. Our relationship has morphed through time but keeps strengthening. I did a 'facebook' likeness quiz someone had sent me this week - and it turned out Sylvain had entered details for it too - we got a 98% score - 'twins' which is a little spooky as I don't think were THAT similar, but I guess there are certain essentials that are there that work, as they have for 12 years. Perhaps we've grown more alike as couples tend to. Regardless of the analysis it has been a great 12 years. I'm looking forward to the next 12, though I really have no idea what they will bring.

Happy Anniversary Babe!!