Surfs Up

The ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) world tour arrives in South Africa this week and kicks off at the fabled Super Tubes in Jeffrey’s Bay. The idea that surfing is a summer thing and the whole concept of an Endless Summer is a myth particularly here in South Africa, when winter actually brings the good waves. I remember my brother and I almost getting hyperthermia on one or two occasions when my mom, accidentally forgot us at the beach, in the dead middle of winter…in those cases we’d actually sit under the cold outdoor shower to keep warm, as the water from the shower would be higher than the surface temperature.

All through my teen years, I was constantly ragged on by others; about growing up surfing in Port Elizabeth and how consistently small the waves were there. (I also lived in East London which is ironically, the most consistent surf destination in South Africa…but I didn’t surf back then) While that might have been true, I’d argue that the waves in PE are right up there with the best when it does eventually get going! However most times that argument fell flat and I’d have to fall back on the “J-Bay is only a 30-minute drive away” trump card. It worked, and silenced my critics every time!

J-Bay is a world class surf break and is considered to be the best right-hand breaking wave on the planet. There were times during Uni where I had to weigh up the opportunity cost of either attending Economics lectures or catch a wave in J-Bay with some old PE surf rats like Mush and Jono Scheepers, needless to say it was a no-brainer and J-Bay won on countless occasions… In most cases it’s a sleepy town, but come competition season the place comes alive and becomes a circus of freaks entertaining us with their tricks, including one Mister Robert Kelly Slater.

I’ve followed Kelly’s career for years, way back when I was little grom (young surf dude) circa 1990, when Kelly blazed onto the scene and surfed in the Quiksilver Lacanau Pro in France, against my favourite surfer of all time Tom Curren. While Kelly might have lost in that heat it paved the way for an unbelievable career, including winning 8 world titles.

This year he is going for his 9th and chances are, if he wins Billabong Pro J-Bay he would have it sealed up. Perhaps not crowned the new world champ, but he would have accumulated such an insurmountable tally of points that it would just be a mere formality to wrap it up. As he has already won 3 of the 4 tour events, and the only person who is actually participating on tour to win an event (The other event was won by a wild card entrant). Besides Kelly I'm also cheering on young local upstart Jordy Smith who is being hailed as the new Kelly Slater!

Should you be an avid surfer, and have never been. I suggest that you take a road trip and check the event out. It’s a phenomenal spectacle. And if you’re feeling up to the challenge try catching a wave amongst the Pro’s, if ever you thought you were hot stuff, like I used to… you might be in for one humbling experience.

Restaurant Hopping is the New Pub Crawling

Normally, one tends to sleep in or nurse a serious hangover, as is accustomed facing the aftermath of a crazy, Friday night. But not me. My mate Ernst and I became tired of wasting away Saturday mornings and began a ritualistic Saturday morning coffee at a new coffee spot each week to get the weekend started, from there, a few more people joined and a few more, and yet a few more...it has grown to such an extent that it is now its own entity and is called the Saturday Morning Cape Town Coffee Club. Saturday morning coffee has become so important to me that I often even forfeit a night out on the town just so I can be fresh and ready for the morning.

This morning I had a particularly early start to the day, as I was assigned the task of picking up some stunt pads for Paul and Action Dan from the Linex Yamaha in Roeland Street...and here I thought they only sold motorcycles.

Paul and Action Dan, by the way have every, boys dream job. Being involved in the production of stunts for motion pictures, they get to travel, blow stuff up, throw themselves off of high buildings, and generally do crazy things that every person wishes they could do...for a living. The first time I met Dan he approached me randomly in the gym and asked if I wanted to be in a movie, he said the name of the movie was Tunnel Rats...I dunno about you? But at first, it sounded like it could have been a dodgy porn film. If there was a strange, blonde, good-looking, British dude asking if you wanted to be in a movie involving "Tunnels", what would you think?

He said he was desperately looking for Vietnamese looking characters for a movie based on the Vietnam War. And being oriental, I guess I fit the bill. As he explained, what it was all about; I thought I'd take a chance, take down his number and give him a call. I mean what did I have to lose?...Actually don't answer that! I sussed Tunnel Rats out on IMDB and the rest as they say is history. Action Dan and Paul, whom I also met on set, have since become good mates.

After picking up the pads, I had a hectic day of running around and catching up with people. It started at Saturday coffee, where two of my best friends Tracy and Natalie, whom I've not seen since my move back to Cape Town decided to join coffee club for the first time.

Tracy and Natalie, are both from Port Elizabeth (PE), a place I called home for 10 years. Tracy was a few years ahead of me in high school, and Natalie I met randomly on a plane ride from Cape Town to PE, I helped her with her bags as we boarded, and turned out she was a year ahead of me at the Junior school I went to, but I had just missed her as I started there the year she left. Small world huh? And so, on the plane ride home, we just clicked.

Next, I was off to Gourmet Burger, or the GB as I'd like to call it, to meet an old mate and ex-colleague from Korbitec, Afzal. GB has some of the best burgers in town, served any way you like, with some inventive combinations to choose from, it's also Halaal in case you ever need to entertain some Muslim mates. As far as I know there are now three GBs, the original one is situated on the side street next to Cavendish Square, one on Long Street and a new one which has just opened in Cavendish Square. Since there was no chance of me sitting in a mall after spending a year of running around servicing every Clicks store, in every mall across the country, we opted for the side street original.

We reminisced the glory days at Korbitec, and as we finished up our burgers realized there were no desserts on the menu. I guess when they say they focus on burgers, they weren't kidding. It's odd not to have dessert on the menu but focus is good and we couldn't complain since they do, do their burgers well! It also gave us a chance to cruise around for a dessert spot. We ended up at the Milky Lane, I've not been to a Milky Lane in years! And ordered a Chocolate Brownie Sundae, man it's sweet!...quite literally and figuratively!

Coming down from my sugar high, and getting ready for two birthday parties this evening I doubt my day could get any better...good food...good friends...who could ask for more?

Down but Not Out

Procrastinating for over a year and a half, after setting up my Blogspot; I finally decided it was a good time to be proactive, start my blog and freshen up on my literrr...littry...ahhh screw it, writing skills. With such a long time passing, I've since forgotten my "User Name" and "Password", as one does when one procrastinates; and with my new found Carpe Diem attitude, I decided to seize the day and figured that the Facebook Notes application would be a good a place as any to write my first entry and be the temporary home for my needless rantings.

I started my first day of work at a software development company called DVT yesterday. It was a rather strange experience after having worked for Reflex Nutrition South Africa. It was strange because at Reflex, being one of the directors, I was my own boss and never really had to report to anyone. Even stranger was the fact that the two industries are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum. Sports Nutrition has no significant similarities to software. One industry is saturated with binary cowboys while the other protein, obsessed he-men.

So different, sudden and unexpected - perhaps due to the distraction of showing a pretty, cool Canadian, named Katrina around Cape Town - this change came, that I had a mild panic attack on the eve of starting my new job. It suddenly dawned on me that I was 25 years old, single, and not nearly as financially set as I was hoping to be. My ambition to beat the rat race seemed to distance itself further from actualization (is that even a word?).

Luckily, I have a background in IT otherwise I think I would have fallen to pieces, as computers, I have found, instills fear in the hearts of even the most hardened veterans. I've seen top business persons cry, because of work lost due to not knowing how to work their software correctly.

In such times of tribulation I look up to my hero, John Rambo for inspiration. My friend Bryan and I are such big fans, that he especially flew up from Port Elizabeth last week so we could witness the greatest theatrical experience of all time ever, together...okay so he was up for a family do, but none-the-less the timing was perfect.

Pigeonholed with all the odds against him, being 60 years old, sun beaten and weathered, Rambo single handedly disbanded the Burmese opposition. And as I watched one quote in particular stood out amongst the gore and death "Live for nothing, or die for something!"

So as I sit and contemplate on the way forward with my cup of Starbucks Pike Place Special Reserve coffee - A blend that can only be found at the Original Starbucks in Seattle's Pike Place market, courtesy of Ernesto; and with manna from old Sly, I feel a supernatural assurance about my future.