Wipe That Face Off Your Face!

On the Portland trip, we learned that I cannot sell boards. That was Liz's skill set. Gris kept calling me Lion-O 'cause of the hair. Quantum of Solace shoulda been called Quantum of Awesome. Even though Daniel Craig has 2 first names, his bond is the raddest bond ever. Quantum is as good, maybe better than casino royale. It's got everything: quality action that stretches reality just enough to be entertaining, hot chicks that are smart, technology that's realistically integrated into the story, and even character development. This is the home stretch for me in San Diego. By the 1st I should be in Tahoe full time. So waves better start rolling through! And snow better start falling! Pizzle's been getting a workout with all the 10 hour car trips I've been taking. Belle & Sebastian is still ruling most of the time. They are so good.

P-Roid

P-Roid
Originally uploaded by wootang71

Back in Truckee for work. Received the new boards, shipping them out. The rain's finally turned to snow (kind of). The top of deathstar is all white. It's really cold. I guess i still have summer blood. It's nice to be back at "home". Even though now that I'm up here San Diego is getting a solid swell. If this swell knows what's good for it, it'll still be around by Thursday when i get back.

The piz has been hit with all sorts of new goodness: Lykke Li, Greens Keepers, Aphex Twin, Duffy, Chairlift (even though their song Bruises ended up being the new ipod nano song), the Kills, and Department of Eagles. Polaroid cameras are rad.

Runners Up

FMP
Originally uploaded by wootang71

Ok, what i meant with the last post about not ever liking anyone so much that i'd change my life is rooted in my observation that everything is replaceable. cold to say, but it's true. there isn't anything or anyone so valuable, unique, or important that they cannot be replaced. Look at presumably one of the most important people in the world: the president of the USA. the president is in leadership of the most overall powerful country in the world. that person should be considered important, right? well guess what, that person is replaceable. we have a vp next in line. and another person behind the vp. in my experience, i may like someone so much that i can't think of anyone else. but when that person's gone, eventually so are the feelings. and then someone else fills that spot. happens to me, happens to everyone else. if it happens once, then that's something. if it happens over and over, that's a pattern. and i see a pattern of replaceability. i can say that i've loved a girl before. but i can't say that i've ever loved a girl so much that i'd change my life, stop traveling, and maybe even stop surfing or snowboarding (painful just to think of). material gets built and broken. people come and go. economies rise and fall. the sun will come up tomorrow. probably like most people, i don't like the idea of being replaced. if i can't fulfill someone's need, they'll find someone else who can. i like attention just like the next person. but if this girl isn't giving me the attention i need, i'm gonna find one that will. which brings me full circle (in my coffee-fueled head): how can we have confidence when we know we're expendable?

for the sake of not sounding like a lump of coal, i do understand that everyone's different. that's what i like about people. my friends are my friends, and i would do a lot for them. but i know that if one day i'm not around (happens a lot), it's not like their lives are over. they'll find another friend to hang out with. 'cause i'm replaceable, too.

the piz has been doing me well lately with the lucksmiths, santogold, belle & sebastian, and even the newest rogue wave album.

#1

Just got back from wedding #3. That's a lot of weddings for me. It was a whirlwind week. Cruising from San Diego to Half Moon Bay. Taking down some sangria with Wayne at Cha Cha Cha. Getting stuck in traffic and missing buses. Rolling on Bart and rolling into the wedding group smelling like the Mission. Hanging out with Job. Haven't seen her in 9 years. She goes by Elisabeth now, no more Liz. Forgot that she rented my Mom's place sophomore year. Job is how i know Sara, the bride. I met Pam through Sara. Pam introduced Sara and Todd, the groom. Then Pam married Sara and Todd. To each other, i mean. 3 way marriages aren't legal even in California. Crashed in Bernal, then rocketed to Truckee, but not without stopping for a paella burrito with Csontos in Davis. Visited dealers. Truckee was work, packing boxes, shipping boards, and playing boom blox with joe and liz. 16 hours after arriving, i'm out to South Lake, meeting in Sac which i missed, then Mountain View. Had a couple scotches with Dewey and crashed in Monterey. Now I'm back in San Diego, and the waves have gone flat.

At least weddings are fun. Polaroids rule. Open bar always helps. Open bar + Jameson + Wootang = whiskey fingers and no memory. Maybe I'm just thinking out loud, but I'm starting to think that there might not be anyone i like so much that i'll change my life. Don't get me wrong, I like attention just like anyone else. But I realize it's not specific to anyone. I definitely understand having love for someone. But just because I love a girl doesn't mean i have to marry her. Or start a life with her. Or be with her every second of every day forever. That's just not me. I'm open to the possibility that I may by chance meet a person that changes my mind. But i'm not holding my breath. Again, just thinking out loud. Got some of The Blow, the Lucksmiths, and Erasure on the pizzle mix.

Dumper? I don't even know her!

So, Jerm, lemme guess which network is yours.
Originally uploaded by wootang71

San Diego has been crazy. Crazy busy that is. It's gotten to the point where if I have nothing to do for 30 minutes, I get bored. Moving around Carlsbad. Dealing with Automaton stuff is tough. Partly because i'm venturing into all new territory. So I have no experience doing what i'm doing. Also since the stakes are rising, so is the risk. New distribution in Russia! Gives me an excuse to visit mother Russia. At least Moscow. Japan distributor came to visit and talk shop for a week. ASR week, like any other tradeshow, is draining. Picked up a 5'6" twin fin off of Craig's. But not one of those "classic" retro ones. Got me the ...Lost RNF. Been hanging at a buddy's new restaurant. Italy has gone, but Frenchie's about to rock on up. Lego Star Wars on Wii has been taking over my life. And we have a south swell rocking up tomorrow. San Diego's been good. My taste in music has not. Listening to a crap load of Belle & Sebastian, and I can't get enough of Camera Obscura. That band reminds me of an itchy straw hammock on Koh Phangan. If you know Jerm, it's not tough to pick out which network is his.

The Rio

What's Not To Love?
Originally uploaded by wootang71

San Diego re-entry: Hood to Tahoe, rolled into the Singer compound during a bbq fiesta. Tahoe to Sacto, meetings all day, then stayed with Tim and Emily in Davis. Homecooked meals rule! Sacto to San Francisco, more meetings, cruised with Jim and Gen, hung art and drank Tommy's margaritas. SF to Palo Alto for a Cali breakfast with Ashley, Liz, and Helen. Continued on to Monterey where Dewey, Gwen, and I lurked at Pebble Beach. Saw family in LA on the way to my new digs in Carlsbad. Who thought all that driving could tire you out? But it's good to be back in SD. I had a double surf day and i'm enjoying a slight sunburn. It's rad to be back in the sun and active, especially when that activity is surfing. Although California is flat compared to Indo, I like that the paddles out are 1/50th the distance. Tis the season to get married. I have 3 weddings to attend in the next 6 weeks, so it's time to break out the big boy clothes. Gonna be a busy as f week with my cousin getting married, catching up with the homies, catching waves, and people moving away. Such is the life. Pizzle's gotten a weird mix lately picking up tunes from other's pods and comps. The range is some John Lennon solo stuff, Beatles, Nina Simone, Atmosphere, T.I., Billy Joel, Ming & Ping, Morrissey, Bob Dylan, and a dash of Elvis. This pic was seen at Saffron, one of my SD comfort food joints. Marketing geniuses. Gotta treat the tract right!

the contiuum

The Goonies Rocks
Originally uploaded by wootang71

Bangkok to Hong Kong to Los Angeles to San Diego to Tahoe to Hood... going east to west gives the best jet lag. and when i say best, i mean worst. i used to not suffer jet lag, but clearly i'm not getting any younger. "home" is a concept that i think most people understand in a different way than i do. since i've been 12, the longest consecutive time i've spent in 1 place is 6 months (except for 2001 when i was in san diego for 8). i'm not trying to go into the cliched philosophical discussion of what 'home' is, but i'm pretty sure i don't have the same understanding as most people. maybe it's my nature. i can say that i haven't yet ever missed 'home'. i do miss things from california, though. like freeway driving (although the autobahn cannot be beat), mexican food, surfing beach breaks. reef break perfection is cool, and call it wabi-sabi, but i enjoy the imperfection in california waves. and, i'm often in the mood for surfing without health consequences like bouncing off a coral bed. i don't miss how crowded california is. i suppose a lot of people like the security of having a headquarters. a place to return to that is their domain. i know this feeling and sometimes it's good. walking into certain houses is like walking back into a certain life. the singer's in tahoe, griz's in hood, bill's old house in poway. while i like having my own space, i feel that a permanent home is something that ties me down. for me, the question isn't ever 'when' am i gonna go as it's more 'where'. i'm gonna go. i'm gonna follow my bliss. although i know 1 day it will end, i don't see myself ever not traveling. "i think you are like this" says marisa. sleeping on a train in thailand, in a truck in a costa rican jungle, waking up to the sound of waves on kauai, listening to the snow fall in tahoe. sipping coffee in copenhagen, partying in stuttgart, cruising the museums in london, walking the coast in kaikoura. 20 hours of sun in olso, riding the ferry in auckland, eating asian food in melbourne. sailing to catalina island, hiking the kalalau, drinking sangria in barcelona. distracted by a seahorse in indo, sleeping on a bus in vietnam, dry powder in japan. what is home?

i understand routine and how it's comforting. but going somewhere i haven't been to before has always, and probably will always be an attraction to me. while in hood, i took a day to check out the goonies rocks at cannon beach, or. the drive was a couple hours, and the pizzle was playing some soulja boy, odb, spandau ballet, penguin cafe orchestra, m.i.a., r kelly, and other songs i'll tag as hood '08 in my head.

A New Woo?

I Like to Lurk
Originally uploaded by wootang71

When i travel, i'm fairly sure i'm a different person. close to it, at least. when i'm home in america, i focus on positive cash flow, and that's kinda soul crushing. especially since my cash flow isn't alway positive. on the road, i'm just different. it's like once i pass through immigration on the other side, my passport gets stamped and i leave something behind as i proceed to the adventure. now that i think about it, maybe i'm not really a different person, but i do feel like a big load's been taken off me. i'm a little more free. i believe a great perspective is: it is what it is. taking things as they come. i just notice that on the road, things seem to come at a rapid rate.

My last day of the trip, entirely in Bangkok, was awesome. on the bus from donsak to surat thani, an acquaintance from the beach on phangan, known as "the chilean", recognized me at a rest break. we then caught an overnight train from surat thani to bangkok and checked into a hotel just off the koh sanh road. now that i think about it, the story isn't all that interesting. all we did was a bit of gift shopping in the AM, missioned around on the public bus system, relaxed in their air-con room during the hot hours, then walking the streets all afternoon while drinking beer and eating tamarind candy. catching meals at street stall restaurants. talking kak all day. i can't think of anything we didn't talk about. sleeping in a/c was a major bonus, too. we didn't know each other for that long. kinda weird, it's the comfort of strangers. realistically, it's likely that i'll never see either of these girls again. but there is that chance. that's part of the traveling game. take it or leave it, it is what it is. this is where i'm supposed to come back with the splitting 2 girls dynamic, but i think i'll give it a rest for now.

where am i? i like to lurk. tyne and marci, and you-know-who, at bounty in kuta, bali. Vampire Weekend has slimed their way into my pizzle playlists.

Postulates for Positive Travels

Kuta
Originally uploaded by wootang71

Another aspect of the se asia trip that made it so enjoyable was that i was consciously applying past lessons to enhance my travel experience. the ninja and brandon would be happy to see me independently developing and successfully implementing these tactics for happy endings. or call them guidelines, givens, or postulates. i call them good advice.

1. don't get attached. we're all traveling for fun. so keep things fun. it may mean something, but most likely not. much in the following list are closely related to #1.
2. don't say anything stupid. especially anything that alludes to breaking #1. in fact, the less you say, the better. just listen, and if you have to say something, keep 'em talking about themselves.
3. girls are like buses: if you miss one, there's another one coming along.
4. there's no such thing as players. postulate: girls will decide whether or not they'll sleep with you within the first 5 minutes of meeting you. while people are entitled to change their minds, it's rare in this case and not a good idea for a guy to bank on it. if you've been put in the friend zone, drop it. if you're on the good side, there's only 1 thing a dude can do: don't screw up. girls: it's not possible to be a "player". there're girls who put out, and girls who don't. simple as that. a girl that thinks she's a player is delusional. it's like giving a starving man food, or a thirsty man, water; he's gonna take it!
5. don't let them set precedents. not unless you like your pride being used as a door mat. #5 can be used to counteract people in breach of #4, but is generally good advice for all occasions.

obviously, each of these 5 topics can be discussed until we're blue in the face. but the trick is to know the essence of each, and then coordinate them all into a single plan of attack.

Beer, doesn't hurt, either. Bintang time was always a good time. Here's me and a Bintizzle on Poppies 2 in Kuta. Thailand left me in an 80's pop-dance frenzy, with Cyndi Lauper, the Human League, the Bangles, the Cars, Tears for Fears, the Outfield, Modern English, A-Ha, and many more embarrassing my pizzle.

Supernova

Supernova
Originally uploaded by wootang71

The first rule of Thailand is: don't trust anyone trying to help you. The 2nd rule of Thailand is: don't trust anyone trying to help you. Sounds cold and harsh, but the reality is that in SE Asia, people will rip you off. Big if they can. It's nothing personal, it's just how street business is done. Get used to bargaining for everything. In Vietnam, vendors and cabbies were fairly blatant about fleecing travelers. In Thailand, they were so good that sometimes I didn't even know I was getting ripped off! Of course I can't say that everyone is trying to rip off travelers. But in my experience, those that are offering help will. Those that you have to approach for help are generally safe. Once I got past the "financial customs", I finally got to enjoy Thailand.

Koh Phangan was awesome. I've heard so many jaded travelers saying that Phangan is over run and just about parties. I can't think of any place in Thailand that doesn't have a good party. Being a major hub for travel in Asia, Bangkok is the jumping point for all sorts of destinations. And it's no secret about the Full Moon Party on Phangan. Which was exactly why we trekked over there. That said, Dave and Maria luckily booked our bungalows at a beach on the NE corner of the island. Most backpackers head for Baan Tai on the south to be close to Haadrin for the FMP. Problem is, the beaches there are non-existent. So there's not much to do other than party. Up on the north, I regrouped with Marcin, and finally Dave and Maria. The FMP was the FMP. Rolled in on a boat, stayed up as late as we could, everyone got separated, and we got really wasted. I still can't seem to figure out how i managed to get on the right boat back home. I do remember Maria making me bail 'cause we somehow resumed the party on her and Dave's porch with some Israelis, and some other randoms at 5am. But other than that, we did a whole lot of chilling on the beach, lots of drinking beer, and that's fine by me. We did venture into Thong Sala one Friday night to check out muay thai kick boxing matches with Mrs. Handsome.

After a week, it was time to part. Dave and Maria stayed while Marci and I headed for the docks. I was en route to Bangkok, he was going to Koh Tao. And this set up for an awesome day in the BKK.

By this time, my taste in music was going awry with Petshop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, and all sorts of 80's dance pop sneaking out of the pizzle. Thailand does that to a person.

SE Asia Time

Koh Phangan
Originally uploaded by wootang71

Thailand was off the hook. but let's start from the beginning. Transit in se asia, in my experience, is seriously unpredictable. every single bus, train, or plane i caught was delayed, late, or changed somehow. in fact, our flight from bali to sumbawa was changed to 2 hours EARLIER. "wtf" is the correct response. 10 hour bus ride from nha trang to saigon, vietnam. spent a night then caught a flight to bangkok. went directly to the bangkok train station. all trains south were booked solid except the 23.20 which meant 3 hours chilling at the station. this train, however, despite its overnight status does NOT have any sleeping berths. "wtf" is the correct response. arrive surat thani 2 hours late to miss the bus transfer to the donsak docks to wait for the ferry. it's a mass migration to koh phangan for the full moon party, no secret about it. but 2 days of straight transit has taken its toll. i meet up with quentin (belgium), jackson (paris), and nicole and lisa (swiss) and proceed to get drunk at the docks. we catch the ferry and kill more beer on the ride over. when we disembark on phangan 3 hours later, i'm drunk. following dave's directions, i scour baan tai on the south shore all afternoon looking for our hotel. which ended up being on the north shore. drunk, frustrated, and tired, i wander back to thong sala to see if marcin is getting off on the last ferry. apparently he did, but i missed him completely. ended this day splitting a room in baan tai for the night with a friendly german girl. 20 years old, of course. got more drunk, called dave, and made a plan for the next day to get my ass to the right hotel. and this was day 1 in thailand.

does it offend you, yeah? and we smoke fags were driving my pizzle.

Necessary Necessities

Dry Docked
Originally uploaded by wootang71

outside of the normal traveler's gear, there are items i feel are necessary for comfortable travels in se asia:

1. camera. just lug the thing and don't be afraid to use it.

2. ipod. and i mean the large capacity ones that also play movies. on long transits, music is your best friend, especially if you can't find anyone interesting to chat up. for me, i often associate songs with certain memories. listening to that song again reminds me of what i was doing and where i was at the time. ipod's are also good data storage devices for things like photos. and if you really wanna do it right, bring some ipod speakers. goes really well when throwing a gathering/fiesta/dance party in one's hotel room. and yet even better is to bring the a/v out cable so you can play music and movies through a tv. perfect for a "night in" or impromptu "dates".

3. even though i generally don't travel with one, an unlocked mobile phone is really nice to have, especially when trying to meet up with people in unfamiliar territory, or texting that swiss chick you met on the ferry.

4. toothbrushes. i swipe all the hotel toothbrushes from my rooms. i go through a lot of brushes for some reason. gotta keep the tooths clean. i also swipe the hotels mini soaps. you never know.

5. tp. i'll admit it, i was intimidated by se asia's use of the squat pot and bucket of water, or if you're lucky, the garden hose. i'm not so down with it. probably 'cause i'm not an expert with the technique. And if you ever expect to have an upset stomach (very likely) learn from my bali belly lesson: carry your own toilet paper.

6. small money. as if bargaining for pennies doesn't make me feel bad enough, it's an added kick in the pants to whip out a huge bill that could have covered the initial negotiating price. some people won't even give you the correct change for the agreed amount if you do this. and that's even IF they have change to begin with. i remember when 1000 baht notes were virtually worthless because vendors didn't have enough change. just carry small money.

Low tide in Indo means dry reef and dry docked boats. Sumbawa, Indonesia.