When it Rains, it Pours

It's been one of those ends to the week.

Since starting work on Thursday and working almost constantly since, I have been just supercharged with things to do - bloody sick people!! Where do they all come from? From stitching people back together and sending people off to hospital (plus receiving more patients at hospital!) to counselling those who are angry about dying. In the free moment when I got to have breakfast with my friend Mark at diggies cafe at the beach - it POURED literally with rain this time - we had to take shelter inside (even though we were well under cover outside - such was the ferocity of the rain storm). Back to work in the morning (ie Saturday) but then have some time to recharge. I hope.

Have a great weekend in the meantime!

Impulse Swim

When it comes to water it's never hard to get me in. I was walking the dog at the beach just now and discovered it to be so incredibly summery and beautiful that I had to go swimming. Sure I didn't bring a towel or speedos but never let technicalities get in the way of a swim I say.
What does everyone else do on impulse with reasonable regularity?

Public Nudity

Have you been nude in public? Is it something you aspire to? Do you want to become infamous? Check out the public nudity challenge at aussielicious for your shot.

Location 11 winners + New Location 12

In Leg 11 of Superchilled Race Around the World, we travelled to Split in Croatia the gateway to the Dalmation coast... (We'll be heading south of there again later this year.) Altraeis got lost in Prague & a few other locations along the way - but good effort there mister!! The winner was Maple Leaf Terry in Sri Lanka who hit the nail on the head. Altraeis gets the best effort award this time.

Now for the next leg. Pictured below is one heightened perpective on this location. Can you tell me where we are? First in correctly wins. Get somewhere near or creative and win the alternate prize.

The Race Starts NOW.

Brush with Celebrity...

After posting the clip of Nemesis - the gay twin singing duo - Jed from Minnesota emailed a picture of his brush with celebrity. They were performing at the national human rights campaign dinner, and seem to be rather personable, (just like Jed!) Thanks for the picture.

Strange Sighting #3

While doing my crunches tonight at gym, the guy next to me on a fitball was chatting to someone on his mobile phone, I assumed. I continued with my crunches as he continued with his conversation.

Then he got up, and as he turned I realised, there was no mobile phone, no earpiece and no-one with him...
It was time for me to avoid eye contact, and move quietly and quickly to the nearest exit...

Hot Music Clip

Nemesis: Number One in Heaven

for more on these gay twin singers... click here

Mother's Day at BSB

The queues are getting longer and the food is running out - it feels like we've arrived in the communist bloc, or maybe too much free blogertising has taken its toll... perhaps we need to find a new BSB? These questions and more will be dealt with another time, but today at the bourke street bakery we discovered that The Patient Man got his (or is that Collette's) dresses in the front pages of the popular press this week (though he was too busy exploring the wonders of American men to revel in his glory), Much About Monty was revealed but not discussed, The Sailing Penguin got lost somewhere on the Croatian coast in his quest for a Superchilled Race Around the World Title (and during his latte got beaten by a Canadian in Sri Lanka), The Frenchman infused his haemoglobin with a caffeine chaser while the always delicious Aussielicious explored American culture with The Patient Man in preparation for a hotilicious date (in between signing autographs from all and sundry including two big fans with small dogs, and a Japanese tourist who only recognised him when he disrobed, again) . It was hard to keep up, but the hitherto unknown (to this blog) Rick was in the wings taking notes for a tell-all tale on a blog yet to be unveiled.

I think I overdosed on chocolate, one shot of the BSB hot chocolate and you're already over the legal limit - and then there were the chocolate-cherry biscuits... heaven on a milk crate. I managed to swim it off at the pool afterwards - definitely performance enhancing. Thanks BSB boys, fabulous as always, but where was Sam of the original fab 4?

Oh, and I miss Byron - the weekend was great, but Byron... well, it's just a world away.

Oops almost forgot, Happy Mother's Day!

How Gay is YOUR Sport?

Last time we looked at AFL which garnered a 2 star participation rating and a 4 star spectator rating (see post here). Today we're looking at:

DIVING

Participation Rating:
it would have to be the most gay friendly sport (is anyone not gay who dives? seriously?) You also get to wear next to nothing with a host of other hot men wearing next to nothing and spend time with them in hot tubs between dives... Synchronised diving means you HAVE to get up close and personal... No option but a 5 Star Rating.

Spectator Rating: Near-naked invariably cute men, aesthetically pleasing activity, gay friendly crowds, water, potentially grand packages (see Canadian gold medallist - in red) no option but a 5 star rating - making Diving the first 10 out of 10 Gay Sport rated here at superchilled.


Coming soon @ superchilled : Ice Hockey

Saturday - Drying off with Norten

click to enlarge

The Race Continues... Location 11

We've had a rest this past week from racing around the world, Byron being the oasis of choice. But now the race is underway again. As previously, if you can be the first to correctly name the location of the photograph above from our travels, then you win first place. If you can create an entertaining alternative guess then you're in the running for the creative prize.

The Race Starts NOW.

The Frenchman

Here is the Frenchman enjoying a siesta at the beach house in Byron. He's not a fan of cards and I think we were playing a game of 'up the river down the river' at the time I took this photo. The game was new to me and a lot of fun. At that point in the weekend the house was a little quieter and a certain calm had descended. Looking at the photo (I'm working overnight now and he's at home) and I feel lucky to have him in my life. Over the weekend I was thinking how great it has been to have him with me over these past almost 12 years. Sure there are times when we have both felt like running a thousand miles the other direction, but I'm glad that we haven't. More often than not we've flown that distance together in our exploration of the planet (and recurrent visits to the Frenchies). It's been important and rewarding for us to have the support of family and friends. The frequent amazement people express when they learn of our longevity as a couple makes me a little sad that gay relationships are often lacking in such support and encouragement that we have had. I hope the future shows a much more encouraging and supportive society, and a more encouraging gay community as well, which has sadly not been as supportive in general as one might expect. I'm pretty sure though that we'll be creating more amazed expressions as the years go by.

Me First?

Who needs to eat out when you have a resident chef? David here worked quite tirelessly feeding a seemingly endless number of mostly men at the Byron Bay beach house. It made me think, there are people in this world who just get out there and do things - and there are those who deliberate and put it off and want other people to do it for them. I guess we all fall into different categories at different times, but there are certainly people who are a lot more giving than others more of the time. I must say I do like the people who are generous of themselves. There is a certain human quality in them that stands out, they tend to have a certain sense of understanding, tolerance and I guess a selflessness that I admire, and aspire to. In this world we seem to have a great emphasis on 'me first', and often in doing things we are expecting recognition and reward. If someone doesn't see that we've done - something nice or good, we'll bring it to their attention. It is a challenge to be humble, to focus on others first. I think a lot of new parents learn quite rapidly what it is to do things selflessly; there's a newborn there and it isn't going to feed, bathe or look after itself. But for those of us without kids its much more a matter of choice. Do we choose to be giving or do we choose to look after ourselves first? Focussing on others can give even greater rewards on a more personal level, and I guess ultimately selflessness can itself be quite rewarding. It's still an everyday challenge.

This weekend test out a random act of kindness, or two or more. Then come back and let us know how it felt!

More of Byron

I like this shot which was taken at King's beach on our final day in Byron. Todd was a very relaxed subject for this photo and thank god it was warm enough to hang about on the beach even after the sun had moved off. It's just an awesome place, so chilled out and beautiful. Although the previous day at the beach it had poured on us - I was swimming in the rain which was very heavy, like a summer rainstorm. The pock marked sand afterwards felt like you were walking on braille, then walking out barefooted through the muddy pools on the track, under another rain storm made it all very sensuous. Todd was one of the people who helped make the weekend such a fun one, the lucky bugger is still up there with the remaining (yet dwindling) group.

Superchilled Byron

We’re just back from Byron Bay, and I’m having trouble putting into words the great time I had there. I think decadent seems to fit well. The things I love were plentiful, swimming, cute and interesting men, relaxed times chilling out with new and well known faces, and awesome weather. I wasn’t sure it would turn out this way – you see, our regular trip up for the last ocean swim race in our calendar with a few friends who mostly also swim, was heavily modified this year with the addition of a complete crew for a 40th birthday event (the birthday boy and most of the partiers not known to us). So we were dispersed amongst 4 or more houses, the main one on the beach the hub for most activities (the photo above is from inside it). Keen as I am to meet and get to know new people, it was daunting at times, but made easier with various games and interactions that happened along the way. A logistical nightmare at times, it seemed to flow reasonably fluidly and at the end now looking back, I had such a good time I’d do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and…

Here are some photos from race day, including most of our swim 'team'.

Not the official party but his actual birthday.
(click on photos for larger versions)

Just a taste of Byron...

Hungry for more?

(update: links for the above pictures now work)

Back Soon

If you're new to superchilled, it might be a good time to read through older posts and see what you've been missing.

Have a great weekend.

We're off to Byron Bay

We were up in Byron Bay with friends earlier in the year and are headed back this weekend for an ocean swim race this Sunday and staying on for a few days. Paradise...

Location 10 - Revealed

Superchilled Race Around the World was keenly contested in this leg. With contestants essentially working together to find the final correct location. Craig correctly got there first "Ta Prohm Temple" in Cambodia, part of the Angkor Wat temple complex, as initially suspected by Brenton.

We travelled there in 2005 when The Frenchman had a work seminar there and figured we should take advantage of the free accommodation in a place that we had heard great things of. It was much greater than I expected and Ta Prohm was my favourite location (featured in one of the Tomb Raider films). It's the awesome trees growing over the top of everything that makes it even more sensational. The gastro that I developed in the last 2 days. when we had planned farther afield day trips, was not so sensational, well, perhaps it was, but for all the wrong reasons. Overall though it was a great although limited experience of Cambodia.

On this leg Geoff gets the 'most creative' prize with tourist photos of everyone BUT himself at the temple and locations resembling Ta Prohm. Well done everyone.

Caption This.

I finally had a quiet day at work today!! Managed to escape early and headed to the beach for a swim - it was a balmy 27 degrees (at least) and the beach was filled with young men playing ball sports (including more than a few American men passing their gridiron balls). I did some laps in and out of the breakers as training for this weekend's trip to Byron Bay for an Ocean Swim Race. There were a few stingrays out there too - so I kept my feet off the ground. Then had a hot chocolate at diggies afterwards in the setting sun - and took these pics. Heaven...

What do you think he's saying in this picture above? Add your captions in the comments.

How Gay is YOUR Sport?

Over the coming weeks I'll be looking at various sports and determining how gay they are both in terms of participating in them and being a spectator. They'll get a rating out of 5 for each category...

Aussie Rules Football (AFL)

Participation Rating: 2 STARS
You get to be up close and personal with a lot of well defined, often cute, athletic men, but have to also tolerate loutish behaviour and trips with the boys to the straight pubs and obligatory chatting up of women... combined with a reasonable degree of homophobia.
Spectator Rating: 4 STARS
A men only event, with loads of flesh - short shorts, sleeveless shirts with great arms (and legs, and the rest) cute men getting up close and personal. The games last forever but its a relaxed & fun experience - unless you were born in Melbourne in which case your life is defined by it.