You can take the boy out of Wales...

University was supposed to do it, but it didn't. So I had to leave the country for it to become clear. Whatever it is I'm going to get out of life, whatever I intend on doing, it's gonna be at home.

Now I'm not admitting defeat just yet, this isn't me signing out of Prague and tourism, quite the contrary, it has just become clear that right here, right now, I think where I want to be is in Britain in some way shape or form.

My time in Prague has been the time of my life, I love it, I want to come back, I want a holiday home here, I want to take it behind the bikesheds and get it pregnant but as for me permanently living abroad for an extended period of time, I think I'll leave that up to my brother.

I'm not done just yet, I do have the rest of the summer, but with me going home just around the corner (a little over a week), I'll be doing some soul searching and maybe... book a holiday.

My time at home is something I'm really looking forward to especially with the prospect of seeing some university friends. I'll be in Wales for a few days also with some real food cooked by real people, not Philippines pretending to be chinese, I want a proper chinese cooked by Polish people.

But really that was the point of this adventure really wasn't it? To find a little bit of myself, well guess where I was hiding - Prague apparently.

I've found it, I've got it, it's here in my pocket and I'm going to make the most of it, whether its now or in September, at least now I know what it is.

Over and out

Let's talk basketball

A lot of people may get bored by this post so if you do just click off it, I have one or two other posts you can read but those of you who know me at all understand that I am a big fan of NBA basketball so right now is a particularly favourite time of year for me.

PLAYOFF BASKETBALL!!!

The playoffs are a time where the basketball giants collide, there's no bollocks of the Lakers vs Wizards or 76ers vs Pacers. These are real teams playing every night playing for the championship.

Gotta start out with talking about my favourite team - Spurs

San Antonio are in a good position: 3-1 up against conference rivals the Dallas Mavericks, so I'm loving that, especially as a 7th seed this is a good thing. The team has struggled all year with new players and several injuries but it has all come together at the right time to make a big push, because they're 'star' player Tim Duncan, he's not the physical specimen he used to be so this could be one of the final (albeit a longshot) attempts for a championship for the big fundamental.

The favourites - Cavs

Who else could it be? For the second year running they have won the regular season with the most wins and with a healthy squad of all 15 players they should breeze through the playoffs and into the finals, the only problem being the potential upenders...

Upenders - Magic

Orlando destroyed the odds last year when they upended Cleveland en route to the finals and they reloaded this year swapping one slightly passed it all-star for a slightly more past it (but slightly hungrier) all-star in Vince Carter. Btw I still love Vince I think he has a lot to offer and they have proved it by running up to the 2nd best record in the NBA.

Other potential winners - Lakers

You can never count out Kobe. Even though there will always be the 'Jordan is better' slogan hanging over him he is the only player that I have seen that truly has the killer instinct in him that even comes close to his Airness. The problem right now is Kobe's body is falling apart just a Morris Minor going down a cobble-stone street. He only has three fingers on his shooting hand, has knee and back problems and it seems that the rest of his team only want to play when Kobe is playing well, so they'll be interesting in the final rounds but should be in the Western Conference Championship (with Spurs).

The Darkhorse - Spurs

This may be me getting a little bias excitement but I truly believe everything has come at the right time for the boys in San Antonio. When you compare the other teams in the West; Suns and Blazers are gonna beat each other up for 7 games, Denver is on the brink of being forced out by a frankly weaker Utah Jazz, and even though I really want to root for OKC I think I do have to reluctantly agree with many critics that say that they can fight but not upset the Lakers... yet. Which could leave the Spurs in the Conference finals with the Lakers which I think would be more of a chess game between the two legendary coaches rather than all out talent. So we might see San Antonio in the NBA Finals one final year, whether they'll beat Cleveland (or if anyone can) is another conversation but I'm not counting them out just yet.

Maybe there'll be an update next week, we can see how my predictions are turning out

PEACE

Thoughts for the day

Skateboards!

Skatboards seem to be the cool thing for teenagers between 12 and 16 right now in Prague. Has anyone else noticed the number of people you see with a skateboard around this age? And it's not as if you even see them riding said boards, they're holding them.

In the past week I've probably seen 20-30 people with skateboards, a total of 3 have been riding them and those people were over the age of 25 easily. This says to me that the skateboard is less of a hobby for the majority of these teenagers and more-so a fashion accessory.

I rode skateboards when I was younger, as did a lot of my friends and when I was out with it, I hated being off it. Granted being in Prague with cobblestones everywhere doesn't make you really wanna ride that much but the people you see with them, don't look to be the kind of people that would regularly work up a sweat skating (fat). Also their boards look in pretty decent condition, like they've hardly been ridden. I personally used to go through skateboards every couple of months, they cost a fortune I know but through the amount I used them (and the amount I failed to land any trick I attempted) they'd usually end up pretty battered pretty quickly.

You know what else is interesting? Paloma in Spanish means pidgeon. You know that actress/singer Paloma Faith? Her name means pidgeon religion. I wonder what she fills out on her census form?

That will be all...

Monkey Writing pt.2

Wake up silly rabbit. Wait don't get out of bed too fast though there may be a problem with the light fixtures. Good Ok we're back on track. All these distractions are getting the better of us, if we moved this in to the dining room we can get back to business.

Are we going to go through with the plan then? I believe so but previously Harold has found problems with this particular method of getting back.

Why? whats caused such a lack of confidence? Well everybody keeps on getting stabbed in the neck with pencils.

AAaahhhh godamnit you and your lack of imagination.

It was at this point that I stood up and stabbed him in the neck with a pencil.

The end

Show me the light

Even when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel you know it's there, but if you can't actually see it at this point in the tunnel is it worth plowing on. Because it is there, you know it is, it's just the possibility of turning around or maybe escaping through a sewage tunnel might be an easier route. Especially if said tunnel has become increasingly frustrating and potentially not worth the bother - for this metaphor, lets just say there are a lot of other cars going through the same tunnel in rush hour.

The thing is, is there are other options open and even though the ultimate goal was to reach the end of the tunnel it's not as if there's any particular reward for reaching it (maybe the opportunity to earn a little more money) but when there are other things to see, people to do etc etc. it's like... really? The shortcut is there, it is an option.

Travel Writing: Corfu

The CD's didn't play music, or hold data, and I certainly didn't pay to put my images on them in TESCO. The silver discs look tacky when you see them at home, where they rid birds from play areas and farms. Here, however they look in place, and mirror the mirror image of the sun sparkling off the sea in the distance, as they dangle from the balcony ceiling.

Here, you overlook the long concave beach that is Agios Stefanos. Unlike its namesake on the opposite, most Easterly point of Corfu, this town is busy, but never feels saturated.

The long walk toward the valley town meanders past houses similar to the one at its peak. These houses have been turned into simple apartments that provide enough privacy for the tenants, whether you're there for a few days or several months.

The town offers what we would consider pubs rather than clubs. Nonetheless, dancing is encouraged, your own freeform or an opportunity to become part of the entertainment with traditional Greek dancers. Dancers, of whom seemed to please the majority of female traveller, for some odd reason unbeknownst to myself.

Back at the CD's, the view of the beach offers an inviting change of scene - as opposed to sitting privately, poolside in your peaceful villa, watching the birds as they feel comfortable enough to sit with you at the water's edge, and take a drink - the sea, sand and serene views of miniature islands a few hundred metres off-shore, cause even the most imaginative travel writers to fall back on mundane, mediocre metaphors... or alliteration as the case may be.

The path directly from the apartment opens up onto a part of the beach more peaceful and relaxed than that of further down. Although slightly more populated, this busier part of the beach has more opportunities for the tourists. The beach bar sat next to the beach volleyball court is twenty yards from the beach ice-cream van that nearly hides the beach sign offering some fun for the more ambitious fun lovers.

I met an older gentleman in the pub/club the previous night. He made me an offer. Unfortunately he was not interested paying a million pounds for my wife but instead offered a boat ride for the equivalent of about 20 pounds. No ordinary boat ride, this involved sitting on a rubber ring that was tied to the back of said boat as he hurtled around the quay.

They may not be from TESCO but the CD's do hold images of some sort. These images represent the family that own the house you stayed at, and their home downstairs. They are of the Greek Dancers, or being dragged along the water by a tugboat that looks like it can't reach 5 knots, let alone leave you shaking when you get off. These images are of Corfu, Greece and they will most definitely come up when scrolling through that ever-growing list, of where you'll want to retire.

Travel Writing: Dubai

Yes, no. White, black. Ying, Yang.

Most places often provide a middle ground; a maybe, a grey, a Yong perhaps? Cities, countries and the world as a whole has places that it can call ‘not so bad’. Dubai is unique, in so many ways.

On one hand Dubai is the most wonderful area, one combining natural beauty with genius man-made creations. These structures would make God regret not hiring the architects himself. The sand dunes are like the ocean. When looking out over these white powdered waves there is a sense of nothingness, until you turn around and find that the size of the mall in front of you equals that of entire cities. The detail 100 feet up the side of the building is the same detail that is just above the beautiful doorframe you enter. At night each bit of detail is lit up and amazingly seems even more inviting. Inside, you have a maze of attractions and if you’re tired of shopping you can step out of Dolce & Gabana, turn left and walk through an aquarium, or once you’ve stopped for a coffee, rent some blades and head out onto the ice rink. The big, bold and exciting can all be offered in one massive, completely air-conditioned set of walls.

You were waiting for it, so here’s the other hand. Anyone with a sense of culture will have read about Dubai being the modern country. But what is so unwritten about is its sense of half a job done. The buildings that are complete are the only thing that is complete. Throughout an entire day the building sites will have at most 3 or 4 visitors that appear to be builders. The people that aren’t Sheikhs are sitting outside with their dogs on the street or scraping by, running local shops.

A lot of this may be due to the world’s recession. There seems to be a constant source of trucks running through towns and cities, heading somewhere with a lot of building materials but where they end up, it’s not known. The evidence of development is thin.

It will be interesting to see what the country looks like in 5 years time, in 50 I have a feeling it will look like a modern America, but for the moment it’s either good or bad, and slowly but surely it’s working on the ugly, trying to find that middle ground.

Travel Writing: Prague

The Golden City, city in black and gold, the hundred-spire city. For a place to have this many nicknames you know it has to be good. Prague may not be as epic as Sydney but it’s real, it may not have the future of Tokyo but it holds so much in it’s past, and it may not be as respected as London but it’s beauty excels.

In many ways this city is a well-kept secret, but still it attracts thousands of tourists a day, so how has this juxtaposition become what it is?

Prague has a history that very few cities can compete with. America craves history so much because there is such a lack of it in the States, and while the British history is long and exciting, it gets flashed about due the glory that has come from it.

The history of this Bohemian land is on show everywhere you go in Prague. From Charles Bridge to giant babies climbing up a television tower, the city is a never-ending fountain of knowledge, not flashy but interesting.

A perfect example of history in the making is St Vitas’ cathedral. The cathedral is the central masterpiece of Prague Castle and building it took nearly 600 years to be completed. In 1344 the architects had a gothic architectural building in mind but as time went on, architecture itself changed and when it was finished in 1929, topped off with a renaissance style roof on the top of the tallest tower.

Old Town Square is always a buzz of excitement. Throughout the day there are constant presentations, market stalls, social occasions taking place and at night it reinvents itself. The churches and beautiful decorative buildings are lit up, the restaurants come alive and the beer starts flowing.

Beer in the Czech Republic is something else, to brew it you have to pass several laws and guidelines until it can be sold, so even the cheapest beer is still better than the expensive ones elsewhere. The country cousins of the Czech people always seem to be promoting their flavour of the month as well. Borcak is a Moravian wine with a sweet taste that has the essence of a punch or a cocktail but the character of a zinfadel.

The Orloj is what everyone goes to see on Old Town Square. An astronomical clock that tells you more than just what time it is. While the Orloj is only the world’s third oldest astronomical clock, it is the oldest still working machine and the level of care and thought put in to this clock (from 1410) is truly… astronomical.

Prague is also a relatively safe place. There are of course the stories that someone you know, knows someone who heard that their friend might have had something stolen. And it’s probably true, there are a lot of pick-pockets in the area, but there is never an essence of danger here. As long as you have your wits about you then there shouldn’t be any problems.

Realistically Prague will never be on the top of anyone’s list as a ‘must-see’ city but for every single person I’ve met that may have just ‘passed through’ or had a spare weekend free, all of them say the same thing. “I can’t believe we never went before”.

Has someone been drinking?

Yes, yes I have. Godamnit yesterday hurt. It may have been the most drunk I have ever been since I got to Prague.

So my first day off in possibly a month started at about 11.41 when I got message from my dear friend Ruth who text me;

'Want to see if the pedalos are open today, could be fun?'

I got up and wiped the sleep out of my eyes, and struggled to reply;

'Yes'

I left it until my alarm went off at 12.00 then proceeded to the fridge where I opened up the milk that technically went out of date the day before but it still smells ok now, so I opened and chugged, eugh, I really should have thrown it out yesterday. So I put the top back on and put it back in the fridge, hoping it won't get much worse tomorrow.

I then did the usual showering, finding the cleanest clothes etc and made my way to the waterfront, of course stopping by the potraviny on the way. Ruth and I bought some homeless wine, some bread and cheese, and jumped on the pedlo because quite frankly there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about on boats.

We spent about an hour messing about talking about love, life and chastity.

After stepping off, onto solid land, it was only then we realised how drunk the homeless wine had made us while we were rocking along the river that we felt it was important we get an ice-cream and finish off the second bottle of homeless wine. To do this however we needed to call in some reinforcements. We met our third tricycle wheel at her house and Katka grabbed a beer as well so we could head down to the waterfront and all drink and continue the chat that Ruth and I had begun earlier.

After a few too many we decided that wasn't enough and joined Janin (Jana and Justin) up at Letna, Mark was there to which is always a pleasure. We continued beering and chatting for a further two hours until it became abundantly clear to everyone at the table that Ruth and I had been drinking for six hours and hadn't really eaten anything.

We moseyed on down to Katka's who at this point had managed to rustle up something to eat.

After a few more beers at Katka's it was time to go get drunk...

BAR CRAWL!

I would like to write about the next few hours, but the majority of it is a blur. I remember playing foosball and losing a lot, but then I won and retired on top. I remember... dancing? at one point... and that's about it.

Twas a good day/night

Cau for now

The Next Step

So making decisions and taking steps are hard we know this. You've got the four major decisions as an adult that take place at the end of school/university, jobs, and at the start of marriage or kids.

However life is full of those little ones that annoy you along the way. The average life of a 21 year old is rather complicated - at that point in life where you are between studying and a job, or travelling and settling down. There are plenty of opportunities to do whatever whenever, especially in todays economic climate the right decision is important to make. Taking a year out to (according to the tax man) work for free doesn't make the student loans company happy, or Natwest for that matter, yet shouldn't I be focusing on the fun things in life now rather than when I have people relying on me to provide for them?

It is my confession that this totally scares the crap out of me, in several months time this decision will have to be made again, just as it had to be made last year. That decision involved me making a major change in my life, personally I think then it was the right decision and while people may have got hurt in the process, myself included it is not a regrettable decision. By the end of this summer however, this may not be the confession of a tour guide, perhaps it will be the confession of a teacher, a student (again), a husband, a father (Ok maybe not that soon but you know what I mean). Decisions have to be made to factor in everything in life that has to be addressed.

Then of course is that 5th major decision that no one really enjoys admitting.

That L word.

In the past, people I am close to have made the wrong decisions about following that special someone, to the other side of the world, a different university, a new city and some of them have been mistakes, some of them however have not.

This provides an interesting conversation as to exactly what one would do when put in that situation, I guess I'll find out at some point but for now procrastination is the key. Decisions will be made, later.

Cau for now

It's that