If it's in the guide it must be true...

Sometimes you read travel guides and the reality is far from the expectation...

This morning we headed to the local pool where they have everything - thermal pools /lap pools / steam baths/ water slides and just after we've done a km or so in laps the front page of the Lonely Planet Iceland guide walks into the pool, sits collectively in one of the pools and over the next half hour or so takes us live into a Pet Shop Boys video.

And this is what they look like - just as on the cover of the guide.

They're even wearing the same shorts - all of them.
They're all over the pool area and we're literally bumping into them, not that we have any problem with that.
And who needs to eat breakfast after this? We've had all the feasting we need.

More details of the Arctic tour can be found here.

Superchilled in Iceland

Iceland so far is all and more than I expected. Sunny, warmish (in the sun it's summery - in the shade it's wintry). And the men are beautiful (not ALL the men mind you...) but we headed to the swimming pool in the mid evening (they're open till 10.30pm) and discovered a distinctly social gathering place. 'Hot Pots' abound with people just soaking in the warmth of pools in varying temperatures (all labeled accordingly) and chatting away. This is where we discovered the really gorgeous men. Lingering looks, everyone checking everyone out, but not a lot of pings on my gaydar - but it's really difficult to tell... which makes it all the more interesting anyway. There are steam baths and saunas too. When you arrive at the pool you have to shower naked before with everyone else. It's a communal feel really, and I could happily live in this life of cute butts splashing about lazily. But apart from all the cuteness the city here (Reykjavik) has a real buzz. It feels very welcoming, has some great architecture, great light (well 24 hours of it) so the colour is awesome and I've been photographing wildly late into the night.

I really do feel superchilled here - so I'm following my blog theme, and I have a feeling the rest of the time here in Iceland will continue in this vein.

Molde - Norway

Right now I'm in Molde - which is on the west coast of Norway. We hadn't planned to stay here - but when the opportunity presented itself - in the form of a spectacular hotel here - we decided to take it. We'd been camping for some days and needed a chance to recharge - mostly our batteries which had been steadily depleting. But also time out for a bit - and The Rica Sail Hotel is it. I see mountains in the distance as I type - the sauna also has a large glass window overlooking the fjord and you sit naked up in the sky watching the water and the mountains beyond. Bliss.

There are more details at the travel blog. And hopefully some photos to follow pending resolving some software issues.

Posting might be a but irregular as we've been busy exploring and in the wilderness... And with all this daylight - there has been no time left for much else.

Absolut Stockholm

As I write it's a little after midnight, the sky is still blue and the horizon deep red.
It's been a Stockholm weekend.
While it has been a little cool, when the sun came out today it was just perfect. I manaed to overcome my hetlag with a swim at Eriksdalbadhuset - though The Frenchman managed to leave his swimming gear accidentally in the hotel. The change rooms seemed to be a bit of a cruising space, but with the standard of the local talent I'm not complaining!

We've been treated like family by our friends of friends Robban & Mats, who met us for the first time on Saturday evening. We've been on the go ever since and the Swedish hospitality has been sensational. A party here, a boat trip there, a picnic somewhere else, night clubs, royal gardens... Klaus & Lars delivered the perfect boating trip, with more endearing hospitality from people we've only just met!
Thanks guys - you're all stars! We've been made to feel at home and I'm not sure I want to leave.

The above photo is from our hotel - we're on level 10 of Hotel Clarion - Sign and it's really been just perfect for us this weekend. Though we've really only spent enough time here to sleep and have huge breakfasts!

There are more photos, but there is no time to edit them just now. So we'll see how we go with those later.

I do feel like I'm on holidays now. Some time I'm going to actually sleep too.

iphone therefore iam

I've been holding off buying a new mobile phone waiting to see what the new iphone is like. We don't have the old one here in Australia (not officially anyway) and the closest I've got is the itouch, which had me lusting after it (or was it the cute guy demonstrating it? I don't quite recall) but the experience was good and I'm looking forward to more, and it might even mean I can avoid the need for a notebook computer. If it could replace my keys and my wallet so it's the only thing I need in my pocket then it would be perfect. (I think that's the 2009 edition)

Wild Massage Wednesday

When was the last time you had a massage?

Tomorrow, 'Wednesday' will be the answer to that question, because today it's your wild wednesday challenge to book yourself in for one.

There are loads of kinds of massage, and there's going to be one that is just right for you today. 

I've booked myself in for a remedial sports massage with a therapist who knows where it hurts, and I like it! I come out feeling like I've mastered my pain control and at the same time I've felt great, with muscles metamorphosed into a new me at the end. Fresh, vibrant and totally pummeled.

What kind of massage is for you? Shiatsu, Swedish (maybe I should get into the theme of my trip and go for this one!) Champissage, Bowen therapy, or perhaps you're thinking more sensual, Tantric and the like. I don't mind which way you go; hell the more diverse the better! 

Who will you choose? A guy a girl, a lover, a friend? Your regular masseuse, or perhaps you're thinking complete decadence and want to go for the whole tandem massage experience - ie two masseurs working on you at once - which, I have on good authority, is definitely an out of this world experience!

Pick up your phone and arrange it now. It's a superchilled compulsory activity. 

Enjoy.

I know I will. 

Jaffas, Sex & More

A few weeks ago I got this moisturiser "AHAVA Facial calming Moisturizer SPF 15 / dermud..." blah blah because I'd just had the second facial of my life and in the daze at the end of it I said yes to the sales pitch. I have in fact been using it, and I do like it. I'm not sure if it makes me calm, but every time I use it reminds me of Jaffas - (the chocolate balls covered in a crunchy orange flavoured coating) because despite the 'fragrance-free' labelling it smells like Jaffas - which for me instantly takes me to the cinema where traditionally you roll then down the (preferably wooden) floor and you can hear them rolling all the way to the front... down the steps... the works. And so today after applying it, I felt the urge to go to the movies, and eventually after a day full of other stuff, we did. It wasn't The Counterfeiters as we'd planed, but Sex and the City, which the Frenchman

 had felt exhausted by the promotions for already.

Two and a half hours later we stumble out, and we actually had a surprisingly good time of it. Some glitz and glamour, beautiful places and made up faces... And a sprinkling of cute men and gay kisses to keep us awake. The story actually meant something too, which was nice, and I felt in the mood for being creative again at the end. And I like that. 

The best thing about getting out of the movies late on Sunday night - is when Monday is a public holiday! It feels like Saturday night, only better. 

And today's phrases in Norwegian are: 

Hvor er kinoen?

Where is the cinema?

Vi snakkes.

Talk to you later.

And I will.

swimming, working and Norway

On thursday night in between work and work I dash to the pool for training with the squad, though I'm a little late, too many sick people keeping me back! They've started already, of course, but in the fast lane the regulars have disappeared into the cold weather and I get a personalised training session. It's too cold to start with so I go faster than planned, and keep up the pace until in the end I'm doing 50m swims every 35 second interval. It's intense but in this weather, and seeing it's been shortened for me, it feels great and I feel invigorated. And then I rush out and go to work, again. Because isn't that what everyone does?

At work I'm asked to stick needles into almost everyone it seems - often more than one. And I think of a friend who likes the idea of sticking needles into people and realise that it's good he doesn't have my job, or he would be entirely unpopular. Staff talk to me about stresses they had with a cardiac arrest that morning and how unimpressed they were with the doctor who attended. So I'm debriefing them and trying to keep out of the storm myself, while trying to avoid having to stick more needles into people because you can only push people so far before they crack. (I know).

The kitchen staff at the hospital realise they have no meal for me (I'm starving) but rather than me turning up to find nothing, they call me and ask if they can cook me something - this has NEVER happened before. I'm very impressed, though the options I have for my evening meal are somewhat limited, but still it's been made for me personally so I heartily thank them ( I don't think the other doctors actually speak to kitchen staff) and walk out with a tray so full of food I could survive in remote Iceland for weeks.

And as I'm in my hospital room reading about where to go in Norway (yes we're going there too) I realise how terrible my Norwegian is right now - but the more I think about it the more words come back and think I might be able to pass as a somewhat informed traveller when I make it back there.

And the Norwegian phrases for today are:

Jeg elsker deg.

I love you.

Jeg leser bloggen din hver dag.

I read your blog every day.

Of course you have to pretend you're singing when you say these and people will love you for it when you do. Especially me.

And when we get lost in the mountains in Never-Dark-Norway, this is the man who is going to come along and give us a hand, or a foot, or whatever it is that seems most appropriate at the time. And I will come home wearing his jumper (genser in Norsk speak).

a grey grey dey

I'm wrapped up inside looking out at a stormy grey ocean. It's the middle of the day but it's dark, and the distinction between the horizon and the sky is grey too - very grey. Last night the power was cut, probably a tree falling on the lines, and at 2am I figured it's time to go to bed anyway, But I couldn't sleep, perfect darkness, warm bed, cold feet. So when the power finally reappears and those lights we thought had been switched off came back on, I'm still awake, and get up and having taken the opportunity of no power to move the imac to a table that's actually ergonomically sensible, I get back online and continued where I left off. This time searching for swimming pools in Sweden and Iceland. And who'd have thought it but Iceland has more pools than Australia, it would seem. There's at least one in every village. I think I'm ready to move there already - though I'm not sure how I'd cope with winter. And to give you an example you can see this website which shows the pools in just the capital (and remember it's not a very big capital city). They are all filled with geothermally heated water and mostly don't have chlorine - they just pump the water right through, and so you're watched showering with soap naked before you go in - (I wonder if they have any job opportunities there...)

Ultimately I head to bed but when I wake up it's just as dark, and getting out of bed takes a while. But there is work to be done - and now I'm off to do it.

Wild Wednesday in 15 minutes

What can you do in Fifteen (15) Minutes?

This Wednesday has 1440 minutes, that's one thousand four hundred and forty minutes.

If Madonna can save the world in 4 minutes what do you think you can manage with 15?

The challenge is to take a 15 minute segment out of your day and do something that rocks your socks. Escape work and see if you're noticed, do it on your way home, do it at home, invite someone around to do it with you. It doesn't matter when you do it, just make it happen.

But what can you do in 15 minutes?

Buy a new outfit.

Run 2-3km.

Soak in a bath.

Have fast & furious shag.

Write a short blog post. (titled 15 wild minutes?)

Meet someone for a coffee (and a decadent snack)

Swim 1 km

Take time out on a park bench... 

There are endless possibilities, just make it something out of the ordinary. Something you won't forget.

Whatever you do, remember it's just 1% of your day.

What will you do?

tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock

Blast from the past... Somewhere

Having worked as a dancer and fashion model Efua (pron. Ef'wah) Baker released her only album in 1993. She co-wrote all ten tracks on Dream Juice which was released under the name EFUA. This single got to No. 42 on the UK singles chart and 18 in Australia, and I like it a lot - loads of tongue-in-cheek all round. She's now a personal trainer to the stars I believe (including training  Christian Bale for Batman Begins... ) I like her diversity.

EFUA: Somewhere     4min 14sec

Tuesday Man

Is there anything in this image that I don't like?

Not yet - but I'll keep searching...

Hit the ground running

"I'm bored"

As a kid it was my catch cry, with its cousins "are we there yet" and "I'm hungry".

Now I have so many things to do, both things I want to and thing I have to do, that bored is a fond memory. Though really, even if given the chance to have nothing to do, I'll fill it up with a thousand things, plus one or two more, because I'm sure I can fit it in, somewhere. And then on the way too or from wherever I'm going I can be doing things too, whether it's texting, calling, reading, or even mobile internet surfing. Every minute of my day has something planned for it. And some things unplanned; they just get thrown in and somehow manage to get done - most of the time. It's a 'hit the ground running' world.

Down time? 

I guess for me that's swimming or running, or gym. The more intense that is, the more relaxed I feel. Occasionally TV, but I try to avoid too much of that- and when I'm watching I'm constantly analysing - "is this really what I want to be doing with my time?"

But I love it. I thrive on doing things - getting things happening - interacting and creating. And while I love sleep - if I could skip it completely I would. A luxury for those times when, well I don't know - just a luxury that isn't in my diary just yet, but I'm sure I can find time for it, how about next month?

So what's on this week's agenda?

I need to start up a new business. The photography one I keep talking about. People keep wanting to buy my photos. Need to chat with the accountant about that one. Perhaps a few government bodies as well to get it registrered. See if I can create a website with the name I want. Finalise a logo...

Book accommodation for Stockholm & Reykjavik, and look into a few other accommodation options within Iceland too... Oh and then for another trip OS later in the year. (Yes Jed if you're out there - it's happening).

Upload the last of my pc photos to my imac and organise them. 

Take Norten for a walk or 7.

Swim 5-7 times. Cook a few times more.

Run if my foot tendinitis is settled enough. 

Chat to the builder about some renovations. Oh and to the estate agents too.

Write an interesting post or two on superchilled. One that people will want to read and make some kind of difference to the world.. maybe. Oh and find a wild wednesday theme.

I have a few people to catch up with too, and I think I need a haircut. 

Ah yes, and then there's work, and we're 1 doctor short this week - so it will be especially busy for the next 2 weeks in fact. And there are a few review articles I want to read.

I'm very not bored.

But I'm still hungry...

"This won't hurt a bit"

So I go for a blood test today, not too worried—figure it’ll be over quickly at least… I have big veins! But by the time they even call me in I’ve already guessed what everyone in the room is having blood tests for.
The nurse seems pleasant enough.
“Does it hurt?” she asks, needle already embedded into my flesh.
Somehow she’s managed to miss my HUGE VEINS.
“It’s fine,” I lie.
I forgo complaints as there's still a needle in my arm - and no blood in the tube. I don't want another needle I just want to be out of here. I think I'm going pale. She loosens the tourniquet and somehow manages to get blood without it - I told you I had big veins - but it still takes her forever .
I make the mistake of watching. I wish she didn't know I was a doctor - I'm sure it psyched her out.
Why is this taking so long? The needle is STILL in my arm.
“Really it doesn’t hurt,” I keep telling her, only by now it hurts to say it.

FINALLY she removes the needle and I dive for the examination couch, it's that or the ground.

She realises how pale and clammy I've become as she presses the cotton wool into my arm.

I wait for it all to go away.

She guiltily gives me a box of juice and I'm on my way. 

Then in the evening I pour my soul out and send the story of my blood test to my friend. She mutilates it. "I hope you don't mind."
"Oh no, It's wonderful, really, I like it lots"
And I'm right back where I started.

Do you know about this picture?

Here's an image I posted a little while back. A reader asked me for more information about it as he and his partner have a particular affiliation with it and are keen to see if they can get an official print or something. But I only know that I like it. 

Does anyone know more about it? The artist? The title? The owner? 

Transparent Wild Wednesday

"Hi John, you're looking like you had great sex last night. Have you got those reports?"

"No mum, no he's not my cleaner he's my sex buddy."

"Actually I feel like crap, but I don't want to talk about it with you"

"Yes it was good for me, but not as good as when we did it in the ___ with B_____."

"I don't normally donate to charity on the streets, but you're cute so I'm making an exception."

"You're driving me crazy with all these acronyms and jargon, speak to me in ENGLISH and show me how clever you can be without being a wanker."

Wednesday's the day to imagine you've taken a truth serum. To use the buzzword of the decade, make yourself transparent. Be honest, open and maybe even bold. While honesty can be confronting, it can also be refreshing. Life lived in the protection of our expectations is not necessarily a whole lot of fun, nor much of a challenge. So scare yourself, scare those around you; effect change or just do it for laughs, but see how transparent you can be and see what difference it makes to your day. 

Dance Dance

On my birthday I typically send a selected group of family and friends crazy doing things that are a little out of their comfort zone, but hopefully still a lot of fun. This year I had them all ballroom dancing. A private lesson I arranged with the delightful Virginia at Logan Dance Sydney who had us laughing sweating and actually moving to the music in some form of order. They do same-sex ballroom/Latin (like I really know the difference) dancing classes there on Sundays but we had the place to just us on Saturday evening and it was a hoot. I was laughing out loud, and a lot. Can you get any gayer than this? I don't know but after seeing the top dancers at the 2002 Gay Games, I thought it looked like the ultimate thing to do and Saturday was the day. It seems it was even more popular than I expected - there is talk of going back for more... It wasn't all same sex, but my brother got to dance with quite a few of my male friends... he is a particularly good sport.  

Speaking of gay themes, and dancing, there is a TV show I've just seen my second episode of called Skins. It's UK based (and UK readers probably know more about it and have probably seen - or missed -  the end of the current series). It's targeted to a late teen / young adult audience and is really a lot of fun. Innovative and certainly entertaining plots with a decidedly cute blonde (above) in the cast... and significant gay themes. I'll be keeping an eye out for Skins on SBS, Mondays at 10pm.

It's My Birthday

I got my package (mentioned in a post below). It arrived at work no.1 on Thursday but I had to leave it there until after work no.3 Friday because I was basically working right through... And then it was so big I couldn't fit it into the car (bloody convertibles!) but managed to squeeze it in, levitating on the front seat/dashboard and obscuring my view of the road. I don't think I ran over anyone on the way home. 

So it gets home - but I'm starving and the pizza I've picked up with the levitating package in the car has precedence. The Frenchman can't keep his hands off it though, and we break through the box, the multiple layers of plastic wrap (elegant though it is) and place my new imac on the lounge room table. 

It comes to life and looks beautiful. We both smile. It asks for a photograph and we're surprised by the huge flash it creates as it immortalizes us on the big BIG screen. I try to find the picture to paste here - but I'm a little lost and when I find it, it is so small... need to learn more about the settings... I've managed to connect it to my pc and as I type the files are downloading from its hard drive. Easy. The more I use it the more fun it is and I'm just getting started. 

And now I'm exhausted - I didn't sleep much at work last night and I have a big day ahead. I'm excited by it all already, exhausted, excited, and so in need of sleep. I'm back to the apple orchard. It feels like home.

Stockholm

A reader recently asked about traveling to Stockholm where he plans to travel solo.

It just so happens that I too will be headed to Stockholm, in less than a month now. My initial experience there was back last century when I was studying in Oslo and took the overnight train there for a weekend. I arrived in the early hours and needed to pee... of course you need money to use toilets there (very foreign to an Australian) and nothing was open for me to change any coins. So my first impressions of Stockholm were quite urgent, and the automatic toilet I ultimately found, door accidentally ajar in a pretty little park by the water is etched in my mind forever.

But there's more to Stockholm than the toilets. Though I'm sure a good many readers will have memorable toilet stories of their own... Most of my memories though, include ice & cold with sunshine to make it all sparkle, and old parts of the town and very little social interaction - because I was very shy back then. I have a collection of pretty photos (none digital) and no recollection of cute men - because I wasn't really out to myself and well, everyone was wearing parkas and things anyway being winter and all.

So what can one expect from Stockholm in 2008, in mid June?

If our experience of the rest of Sweden is anything to go by, an avalanche of Saabs and Volvos, some striking design in the way of architecture, homewares and men (we're wondering if Stockholm will keep up with Gothenberg's high cute man index) and more light than you can find in a convenience store. And these are the things (not in that order) that I am going to be looking for. Of course to get over jet lag I will need a swimming pool, and if that swimming pool has a simple classic architectural feature, nordic gods swimming and a cafe with designer forks, then I might as well end the holiday there and come home, my itinerary completed.

We're looking for accommodation to book, because while friends' friends have invited us to stay with them - we don't want to impose. So if anyone has suggestions on cool places to sleep, please let us know.

Do any of superchilled's readers have suggestions of things one MUST NOT MISS in Stockholm? If you're Swedish, you have no choice but to comment. (I'm afraid it's the law.)

Wild (Package) Wednesday

Where do I sign?

It's Wild Package Wednesday, I'm afraid that's the theme we're running with today. Get your hands on a package. Pack your own, or someone elses. Find something you want to wrap up, or just, make up something that seems to fit the theme...

I'm awaiting a very much anticipated package very soon... While I'm wild about what's in the package, I'm happy to be wild about the delivery agent too...

(How many wild package clichés can we come up with today?)