Blog : The Yukon, Paris, Vietnam and beyond...
03-11-2017
, 04:12 PM
There are 3 meals a day, despite the last one in the evening being quite frugal. The food is vegetarian, yet very diversified, tasty and obviously healthy. You are actually not allowed to fast ; I witnessed a new meditator past out in the meditation hall after fasting for 4 days 
They strive to maintain a balance in between concerted effort (gong at 4am, 10h of mediation daily, 10 days of complete silence, monastic conditions) and comfortable dispositions for a layman (walking area, abundance of food with frequent desserts, a teacher to talk to when in doubt etc.). So even if it might appear to be quite monastic at times, the purpose of this 10 day course is to introduce a simple meditation technique.
Anyhow, I wouldn't worry about the living conditions (quite comfortable), but moreso about the gravity of the inner journey : we have a lot of shyt inside of us
They strive to maintain a balance in between concerted effort (gong at 4am, 10h of mediation daily, 10 days of complete silence, monastic conditions) and comfortable dispositions for a layman (walking area, abundance of food with frequent desserts, a teacher to talk to when in doubt etc.). So even if it might appear to be quite monastic at times, the purpose of this 10 day course is to introduce a simple meditation technique.
Anyhow, I wouldn't worry about the living conditions (quite comfortable), but moreso about the gravity of the inner journey : we have a lot of shyt inside of us
03-14-2017
, 08:49 AM
Quote:
With regards to mind-altering substances & meditation, someone once made the following analogy to me:
Psychedelics are like being shot out of a cannon to the top of the mountain--you get there very quickly and easily, but you can't stay there for very long. Meditation, on the other hand, is a long, slow, strenuous climb to the summit, but once know the route, each climb get's progressively easier, and you can stay and enjoy the view for a much longer time. Sound about right?
With regards to mind-altering substances & meditation, someone once made the following analogy to me:
Psychedelics are like being shot out of a cannon to the top of the mountain--you get there very quickly and easily, but you can't stay there for very long. Meditation, on the other hand, is a long, slow, strenuous climb to the summit, but once know the route, each climb get's progressively easier, and you can stay and enjoy the view for a much longer time. Sound about right?
Just watched an inspiring video on youtube pertaining to vipassana retreats and ayahuasca journeys (courtesy of rickyt88 that linked it in his PG & C : http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...-100k-1625893/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuZ-CINx1pA&t=5s
03-27-2017
, 04:51 AM
A Look Inside
1 last month in Vietnam before heading back to Montreal for 2 weeks then Dawson for some time. With the skies being grey outside and all, I thought it was the perfect timing to sit back, stop the flow of time and examine, you know, life and stuff (punctuated by pics of Vietnam)
Writing : This was meant to be prioritized coming into this winter and while I am totally fine with the turn of events, my volume has nonetheless taken a hit If initially my target was 2 years to complete a solid draft of my novel, I have since extended this (unrealistic) prognostic to 5 years 
Let's be honest here folks : while the process of writing can be satisfying, it remains a tedious task, highly onerous with negligible short term rewards and the pay, well, sucks if existent at all In all likelihood poker will remain the core of my income for the feasible future, so straying TOO far away from my bread and butter was never going to be the best of ideas.
Vietnam has some great French restaurant, albeit overpriced as far as value goes when compared to the much cheaper-yet-still-delicious local dishes
A local teenager fished out this little monster late in the evening when we were hanging out at the beach This little jelly-fish-of-a-beast is worth just under 25$ when sold to the local restaurants
Da Pokerz : OHHHH, how one year to another changes things drastically
If the beginning of 2016 saw me downswinging like never before (think 450k hands), 2017 has put me in the midst of my biggest upswing ever Think north of 90$/h, a number that is most likely unsustainable, despite me having moved up in stakes... (but here is to hoping it is not too far north of expectations...). Nevertheless, I do find myself with a very solid winrate in a day and age where the online ecosystem is rapidly deteriorating 
Of course, I have doubled down on the studying, my concentration is impressive and my mental balance has reached a nice equilibrium 
This said, I have been putting in the least volume ever (barely 20h/week when coupled with the meditation retreats), I am now thinking in terms of the end game (saving 300k in the next few years in order to semi-retire) and oftentimes find myself exhausted after grinding a mere 2h online
Yeah folks, I am getting old 
Nevertheless, it is quite the luxury to commence thinking about retirement in my 40s (of course, 300k + a paid house equates to much more for a rustic meditator that takes joy into the simple aspects of life then it would for, you know, normal people ).
Meditation : As previously mentioned, my 20 day retreat was absolutely splendid, yet I find myself with more shiit inside myself that I originally suspected. You know, many of us look around, contemplate the world and come to the conclusion that "the world is a bad place". Well, if everyone could look inside themselves and truly observe the crap that inhabits them, the trashy state of the world would suddenly all make sense Conclusion : there is still so much work to be done, but am contenting myself with a slow, steady walk on the this lifelong path that is my journey
Health : Losing 8kgs this winter has put me on the write track, which was quite necessary, given that your margin of error becomes more limited the older you get Really looking forward to hitting the tennis court 2-3 times/week when I get back to Dawson
Upcoming are posts about the third part to the Eastern Sunrise followed by a synopsis of the 5.3k Party Millions held @ The Playground in Montreal
Run good all
1 last month in Vietnam before heading back to Montreal for 2 weeks then Dawson for some time. With the skies being grey outside and all, I thought it was the perfect timing to sit back, stop the flow of time and examine, you know, life and stuff (punctuated by pics of Vietnam)
Writing : This was meant to be prioritized coming into this winter and while I am totally fine with the turn of events, my volume has nonetheless taken a hit
If initially my target was 2 years to complete a solid draft of my novel, I have since extended this (unrealistic) prognostic to 5 years Let's be honest here folks : while the process of writing can be satisfying, it remains a tedious task, highly onerous with negligible short term rewards and the pay, well, sucks if existent at all
In all likelihood poker will remain the core of my income for the feasible future, so straying TOO far away from my bread and butter was never going to be the best of ideas.
Vietnam has some great French restaurant, albeit overpriced as far as value goes when compared to the much cheaper-yet-still-delicious local dishes
A local teenager fished out this little monster late in the evening when we were hanging out at the beach
This little jelly-fish-of-a-beast is worth just under 25$ when sold to the local restaurants Da Pokerz : OHHHH, how one year to another changes things drastically
If the beginning of 2016 saw me downswinging like never before (think 450k hands), 2017 has put me in the midst of my biggest upswing ever Think north of 90$/h, a number that is most likely unsustainable, despite me having moved up in stakes... (but here is to hoping it is not too far north of expectations...). Nevertheless, I do find myself with a very solid winrate in a day and age where the online ecosystem is rapidly deteriorating Of course, I have doubled down on the studying, my concentration is impressive and my mental balance has reached a nice equilibrium This said, I have been putting in the least volume ever (barely 20h/week when coupled with the meditation retreats), I am now thinking in terms of the end game (saving 300k in the next few years in order to semi-retire) and oftentimes find myself exhausted after grinding a mere 2h online
Yeah folks, I am getting old Nevertheless, it is quite the luxury to commence thinking about retirement in my 40s (of course, 300k + a paid house equates to much more for a rustic meditator that takes joy into the simple aspects of life then it would for, you know, normal people ).
Meditation : As previously mentioned, my 20 day retreat was absolutely splendid, yet I find myself with more shiit inside myself that I originally suspected. You know, many of us look around, contemplate the world and come to the conclusion that "the world is a bad place". Well, if everyone could look inside themselves and truly observe the crap that inhabits them, the trashy state of the world would suddenly all make sense
Conclusion : there is still so much work to be done, but am contenting myself with a slow, steady walk on the this lifelong path that is my journey 
Health : Losing 8kgs this winter has put me on the write track, which was quite necessary, given that your margin of error becomes more limited the older you get
Really looking forward to hitting the tennis court 2-3 times/week when I get back to Dawson Upcoming are posts about the third part to the Eastern Sunrise followed by a synopsis of the 5.3k Party Millions held @ The Playground in Montreal
Run good all
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 03-27-2017 at 05:17 AM.
04-26-2017
, 06:09 PM
The Eastern Sunrise, Part 3
Perhaps the biggest distinction in between SEA and the West, lies not deep down inside (where similar intrinsic qualities are enrooted regardless of the ethnical background), but much closer to the surface, one might say...
The Asian Facade : What images pop into your head when I say an Asian man? Do you think of a smart, polite and introvert fellow, capable of cracking any computer code... What about an Asian woman? Do you picture an adorable and feminine woman who's compassion knows no boundaries... Whether these (western) stereotype hold true or not, is beside the point ; what matters is that an inherent set of social conventions governs the way in which most individuals chose to (socially) present themselves.
For those of yous that have spent time in Latin America, you probably have come to accept that Gringos (or any non-Spanish foreigner, for that matter) are not exactly put on a pedestal (this dynamic does change if you pick up Spanish though...), while the opposite can be said in SEA. Well, in appearance, at least...
Back in Canada, we pride ourselves in being welcoming, friendly, polite which, when put into perspective, is not always a genuine sentiment, but one that bares more importance than our personal intake ; you see, the general harmony transcends our personal opinions until - of course - all hell breaks loose
The same can be said about SEA, me thinks, yet, beyond this polite and oh-so-Asian-public-persona, lies a world of tension, of confrontation... What happens when this bubble bursts? What happens in the alleyways, inside the Asian homes, beyond the walls of identity... What happens when tension is unleashed and the facade falls...
When I first set foot in Asia 2 decades ago, I came with the preconception that Asians were happier than us Westerners (and that perhaps the East transcended the West in many aspects...). My time over here has shown me that there is an underlying tension, oftentimes on the brink of explosion (especially in countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines...).
I like to joke around, when speaking of the differences of tourism in Latin America as opposed to SEA, that the latinos directly mock you in their mother tongue (which I understand), blatantly calling you a (dirty) gringo in your face, their disdain transpiring through their body language ; on the other hand, Asians will happily greet you, say "hi, how are you", maintain a semblance of civility while slowly muttering in their mother tongue "what an ******* he is".
This will be a 4 part post after all. To polish it off, a few pics of Danang, as seen from the 23rd floor of a rooftop restaurant :
Run good all
Perhaps the biggest distinction in between SEA and the West, lies not deep down inside (where similar intrinsic qualities are enrooted regardless of the ethnical background), but much closer to the surface, one might say...
The Asian Facade : What images pop into your head when I say an Asian man? Do you think of a smart, polite and introvert fellow, capable of cracking any computer code... What about an Asian woman? Do you picture an adorable and feminine woman who's compassion knows no boundaries... Whether these (western) stereotype hold true or not, is beside the point ; what matters is that an inherent set of social conventions governs the way in which most individuals chose to (socially) present themselves.
For those of yous that have spent time in Latin America, you probably have come to accept that Gringos (or any non-Spanish foreigner, for that matter) are not exactly put on a pedestal
(this dynamic does change if you pick up Spanish though...), while the opposite can be said in SEA. Well, in appearance, at least...Back in Canada, we pride ourselves in being welcoming, friendly, polite which, when put into perspective, is not always a genuine sentiment, but one that bares more importance than our personal intake ; you see, the general harmony transcends our personal opinions until - of course - all hell breaks loose
The same can be said about SEA, me thinks, yet, beyond this polite and oh-so-Asian-public-persona, lies a world of tension, of confrontation... What happens when this bubble bursts? What happens in the alleyways, inside the Asian homes, beyond the walls of identity... What happens when tension is unleashed and the facade falls...
When I first set foot in Asia 2 decades ago, I came with the preconception that Asians were happier than us Westerners (and that perhaps the East transcended the West in many aspects...). My time over here has shown me that there is an underlying tension, oftentimes on the brink of explosion (especially in countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines...).
I like to joke around, when speaking of the differences of tourism in Latin America as opposed to SEA, that the latinos directly mock you in their mother tongue (which I understand), blatantly calling you a (dirty) gringo in your face, their disdain transpiring through their body language ; on the other hand, Asians will happily greet you, say "hi, how are you", maintain a semblance of civility while slowly muttering in their mother tongue "what an ******* he is
".This will be a 4 part post after all. To polish it off, a few pics of Danang, as seen from the 23rd floor of a rooftop restaurant :
Run good all
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 04-26-2017 at 06:23 PM.
05-02-2017
, 09:54 PM
The Eastern Sunrise, Part 4
Soooooo, are we going to be done yet with these Eastern Sunrise posts
Social Conventions : Many of us, Westerners, initially come here seeking a mind-opening journey in our early 20s, a way to fill the void that the Death of God has left us with in the West
note : well, perhaps (much, much) less so in SEA (and in these-here forums) then in more spiritually-inclined destinations like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal or Myanmmar, for instance...
The West meets the East phenomena creates this interesting dynamic where the former seeks to fill its existential emptiness, while the latter envies the material security offered by first world countries. Again, this dichotomy is less present in SEA, where stuff like women, beaches, warm weather, partying, value for your $$$ largely outweighs any spiritual quest (you sure as hell will not find the same travellers in the Philippines than you will in India, for instance) Nonetheless, the Death of God - sorta speak - has given the Western Society the right to say "f*** you" to religion, institutions or even family values - #LandOfTheFree -, a social phenomena that is much less prevalent in SEA, where a simplicity of life and conservative values are still in full display.
Following this frame of mind, it is pretty rare that you encounter people that stray too far away from the imposed social conventions in SEA, people like my gf that after messing around with Catholicism and Protestantism, stuck her middle finger up to Christianity Or my tattoo artist, the lovely Kun, who has her body covered in rebellious tattooed-ink, happily indulges in smoking da herb - #LightItUpYo -, a criminal act that, if caught, can easily nail you 15 years in prison (she also listens to tunes that are not your usual club cheesy shyt that Asian women listen to ).
I remember when I first arrived in India back in 2003 and it felt as if I just opened a time warp into France's 19th century society... (or at least from what I gathered from all dem classic French books I read). There was a clear distinction in between social classes ranging from the upper Brahmans to the lonely pariahs 
A disparity that also transpired through their respective social customs (the act of eating and touching/physical contact), demeanor (the pride with which some Brahmans hold themselves vs the poor "untouchables") or in their general behavior (think of Asian whales splashing the monies around at the poker tables #BecauseTheyCan).
Resilience : Before putting an end to these SEAsian posts, I feel that one cannot but mention the character with which locals go on with their daily lives over here. Think pushing through the omniscient heat, the financial burdens, the intrusive government (Vietnam)… Yeah, these guys were never, EVER going to lose the American war in the 60-70s ; with this resilience though, comes a general underlined tension spread throughout the country…
Suffering : I will never forget that afternoon when that Filipino man got his neck fatally ripped out of a jeepney in Bohol… I will never forget that story of that Filipino mother, in Argo Cebu, who jumped to her death with her daughter because she was unable to provide… I will never forget the incommensurable agony of that homeless pariah Indian woman when she was shrieking in the streets of Kolkata in absolute distress… I will never forget the heavy sadness in my gf’s eyes when I said goodbye, putting an end to our 3 years relationship… And **** the entitled expats here that are oblivious to the omniscient suffering of the locals here.
#IWillNeverForget
Which brings up the question, is there more suffering in the East then in the West? I think that Maslow was on to something when he established a minimal financial security cushion as one of his layers on the happiness echelon thingy of his… Also, Maslow is a ****ing idiot.
Adios South-East Asia, love you much
Before departing, a few pics attesting to the at times disheartening daily struggle of these parts... We were strolling down the beach, my gf and I, when the intriguing agglomeration of a few locals pulling on a rope got the best of my curiosity.
Not sure how long these folks had been going at it, but we watched attentively as the fishermen pulled meters upon meters upon meters upon... of the net.
Needless to say, but after 90 minutes of watching them laboriously pulling on that damn net, I expected a better catch then the following...
I must admit, I felt crushed and completely disheartened by the frugal result.
#ToughTimesInSEA
Peace
Soooooo, are we going to be done yet with these Eastern Sunrise posts
Social Conventions : Many of us, Westerners, initially come here seeking a mind-opening journey in our early 20s, a way to fill the void that the Death of God has left us with in the West
note : well, perhaps (much, much) less so in SEA (and in these-here forums) then in more spiritually-inclined destinations like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal or Myanmmar, for instance...
The West meets the East phenomena creates this interesting dynamic where the former seeks to fill its existential emptiness, while the latter envies the material security offered by first world countries. Again, this dichotomy is less present in SEA, where stuff like women, beaches, warm weather, partying, value for your $$$ largely outweighs any spiritual quest
(you sure as hell will not find the same travellers in the Philippines than you will in India, for instance) Nonetheless, the Death of God - sorta speak - has given the Western Society the right to say "f*** you" to religion, institutions or even family values - #LandOfTheFree -, a social phenomena that is much less prevalent in SEA, where a simplicity of life and conservative values are still in full display.Following this frame of mind, it is pretty rare that you encounter people that stray too far away from the imposed social conventions in SEA, people like my gf that after messing around with Catholicism and Protestantism, stuck her middle finger up to Christianity
Or my tattoo artist, the lovely Kun, who has her body covered in rebellious tattooed-ink, happily indulges in smoking da herb - #LightItUpYo -, a criminal act that, if caught, can easily nail you 15 years in prison (she also listens to tunes that are not your usual club cheesy shyt that Asian women listen to ).I remember when I first arrived in India back in 2003 and it felt as if I just opened a time warp into France's 19th century society... (or at least from what I gathered from all dem classic French books I read
). There was a clear distinction in between social classes ranging from the upper Brahmans to the lonely pariahs A disparity that also transpired through their respective social customs (the act of eating and touching/physical contact), demeanor (the pride with which some Brahmans hold themselves vs the poor "untouchables") or in their general behavior (think of Asian whales splashing the monies around at the poker tables #BecauseTheyCan).Resilience : Before putting an end to these SEAsian posts, I feel that one cannot but mention the character with which locals go on with their daily lives over here. Think pushing through the omniscient heat, the financial burdens, the intrusive government (Vietnam)… Yeah, these guys were never, EVER going to lose the American war in the 60-70s ; with this resilience though, comes a general underlined tension spread throughout the country…
Suffering : I will never forget that afternoon when that Filipino man got his neck fatally ripped out of a jeepney in Bohol… I will never forget that story of that Filipino mother, in Argo Cebu, who jumped to her death with her daughter because she was unable to provide… I will never forget the incommensurable agony of that homeless pariah Indian woman when she was shrieking in the streets of Kolkata in absolute distress… I will never forget the heavy sadness in my gf’s eyes when I said goodbye, putting an end to our 3 years relationship… And **** the entitled expats here that are oblivious to the omniscient suffering of the locals here.
#IWillNeverForget
Which brings up the question, is there more suffering in the East then in the West? I think that Maslow was on to something when he established a minimal financial security cushion as one of his layers on the happiness echelon thingy of his… Also, Maslow is a ****ing idiot.
Adios South-East Asia, love you much
Spoiler:
Before departing, a few pics attesting to the at times disheartening daily struggle of these parts... We were strolling down the beach, my gf and I, when the intriguing agglomeration of a few locals pulling on a rope got the best of my curiosity.
Not sure how long these folks had been going at it, but we watched attentively as the fishermen pulled meters upon meters upon meters upon... of the net.
Needless to say, but after 90 minutes of watching them laboriously pulling on that damn net, I expected a better catch then the following...
I must admit, I felt crushed and completely disheartened by the frugal result.
#ToughTimesInSEA
Peace
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 05-02-2017 at 10:12 PM.
05-27-2017
, 07:44 AM
Hey folks, a brief update. Am in Dawson for the summer - once again - and in the midst of a 50k challenge which will be updated daily in my PGC :
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...onths-1665329/
As far as this thread goes, outside of the Party Millions post (coming soon...), I will most likely put it on hiatus for most of the summer... But since we are 80/20 on going to Eastern Europe next winter for the WSOPE, expect some new material/pics in the near future, ladies and gents
.
Peace
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...onths-1665329/
As far as this thread goes, outside of the Party Millions post (coming soon...), I will most likely put it on hiatus for most of the summer... But since we are 80/20 on going to Eastern Europe next winter for the WSOPE, expect some new material/pics in the near future, ladies and gents
Spoiler:
Peace
06-15-2017
, 07:54 AM
Through the Infinitesimal Prism
It was never about the nice car, the expensive gf, the flashy clothes, the suburban house...
It turned out to be a comfy trailer
It was never about success, about conquering every women in the world, about puffing up the ego...
Grinding Quarters
It was certainly not about the Mcdonalds and Walmarts of the world, or the access to instant gratifying - yet ephemeral - pleasures...
The bed is actually comfy as frack, home of the best sleep I had in years/decades
It was not about making a name for oneself, leaving a glamorous trace, a bestseller story or even a heritage...
It comes with a bath, fridge, heater/A.C., water, power, 2 wifi signals, kitchen etc. I was promised a satellite tv, but have yet to see it...
It was about being one with nature, losing oneself, transcending...
Winter Plans : Well, it is appearing more and more as I will be spending a few months in Eastern Europe this winter, most notably in Czech Republic (where the WSOPE will be held) to then travel around some, probably by train and renting a vehicle, doing some meditation retreats, and going with the flow, really. I think I will also hop over to the US of A for a couple of months, visiting the folks in Florida and then checking out Nola
That's it for now folks. Peace Out Yo
It was never about the nice car, the expensive gf, the flashy clothes, the suburban house...
It turned out to be a comfy trailer
It was never about success, about conquering every women in the world, about puffing up the ego...
Grinding Quarters
It was certainly not about the Mcdonalds and Walmarts of the world, or the access to instant gratifying - yet ephemeral - pleasures...
The bed is actually comfy as frack, home of the best sleep I had in years/decades
It was not about making a name for oneself, leaving a glamorous trace, a bestseller story or even a heritage...
It comes with a bath, fridge, heater/A.C., water, power, 2 wifi signals, kitchen etc. I was promised a satellite tv, but have yet to see it...
It was about being one with nature, losing oneself, transcending...
Winter Plans : Well, it is appearing more and more as I will be spending a few months in Eastern Europe this winter, most notably in Czech Republic (where the WSOPE will be held) to then travel around some, probably by train and renting a vehicle, doing some meditation retreats, and going with the flow, really. I think I will also hop over to the US of A for a couple of months, visiting the folks in Florida and then checking out Nola
That's it for now folks. Peace Out Yo
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 06-15-2017 at 08:13 AM.
06-17-2017
, 10:59 PM
Great reading as always, you can count one buyer for your eventual book Hopefully WSOPE at Rozvadov will be success, but end of October - start of November is not best time for tourist in Central Europe, with some luck end of October can be not awful but November is worst in all year, no sun, dark, rain and too early for snow.
Hopefully WSOPE at Rozvadov will be success, but end of October - start of November is not best time for tourist in Central Europe, with some luck end of October can be not awful but November is worst in all year, no sun, dark, rain and too early for snow.
06-18-2017
, 06:39 AM
I certainly did
Yeah, perhaps it is not the best season to go visit that part of the world, but the WSOPE is the perfect opportunity to do so, I will also do a meditation retreat (don't know which country yet), and when I get fed up of with the grey skies/****ty weather, I will just hop on a plane to Florida/Nola (or Latin America?). Anyhow, looking forward to this new experience
Thx for reading/compliments
Spoiler:
Quote:
Great reading as always, you can count one buyer for your eventual book Hopefully WSOPE at Rozvadov will be success, but end of October - start of November is not best time for tourist in Central Europe, with some luck end of October can be not awful but November is worst in all year, no sun, dark, rain and too early for snow.
Hopefully WSOPE at Rozvadov will be success, but end of October - start of November is not best time for tourist in Central Europe, with some luck end of October can be not awful but November is worst in all year, no sun, dark, rain and too early for snow.
Thx for reading/compliments
07-04-2017
, 09:52 PM
Those darn ****ers @ Photobucket went right ahead - without any pre-warning of any kind - and confiscated all blog pics, redeemable @ a ****ing ludicrous 400$/year price tag 
At least I had backed up all my posts (with pics) on my mac, but darn, that makes this blog quite less appealing for a newcomer (I could always start a new thread, edit some of my old posts and re-post the pics, but doing so would be quite time consuming... I will think about it come winter...).
Anyhow, purchased this little baby yesterday
which I plan on using in an upcoming trip to Kluane
Post on this trip coming soon(ish)
Run good all
At least I had backed up all my posts (with pics) on my mac, but darn, that makes this blog quite less appealing for a newcomer (I could always start a new thread, edit some of my old posts and re-post the pics, but doing so would be quite time consuming... I will think about it come winter...).Anyhow, purchased this little baby yesterday
which I plan on using in an upcoming trip to Kluane
Post on this trip coming soon(ish)
Run good all
07-05-2017
, 09:11 PM
Confused by this part. what do you mean, "confiscated"? I looked and can see pictures both on photobucket and in my little travel thread?
Although getting off photobucket would probably be a good idea anyway, it's pretty crappy.
Thank you.
07-05-2017
, 10:10 PM
Are you paying or do you have a free account with Photobucket? It is not a US vs Canada customer thingy, as Pureaggression has also lost access to his blog pics...If you look at my blog here or my PGCs, all my pics have been replaced by the Symbol + warning : "Please update your account to enable third party hosting", which comes at a 400$ yearly cost
, all of which feels like a hacker's ransomware, tbh...
07-06-2017
, 09:02 PM
Quote:
Now you have me confused Are you paying or do you have a free account with Photobucket? It is not a US vs Canada customer thingy, as Pureaggression has also lost access to his blog pics...
If you look at my blog here or my PGCs, all my pics have been replaced by the Symbol + warning : "Please update your account to enable third party hosting", which comes at a 400$ yearly cost , all of which feels like a hacker's ransomware, tbh...
Are you paying or do you have a free account with Photobucket? It is not a US vs Canada customer thingy, as Pureaggression has also lost access to his blog pics...If you look at my blog here or my PGCs, all my pics have been replaced by the Symbol + warning : "Please update your account to enable third party hosting", which comes at a 400$ yearly cost
, all of which feels like a hacker's ransomware, tbh...
I have a free account at Photobucket. Maybe time to move on.
I see in their new terms of service the bit about the free account not allowing image linking or 3rd party hosting. I'm only using 72% of my allocation of 2GB, maybe that keeps me under their radar?
But yeah, $400/year just to host photos is pretty ridiculous. Even the $100/year plan seems pretty steep. Costs them almost nothing in maintenance to serve them, just enough disk for the plans.
So, imgur then?
07-07-2017
, 04:29 AM
Really no clue as to why your pics have not been affected... (my storage is pretty low as well, fwiw...). Perhaps it is just a variance thing... Happy that I spent a few hours copy-pasting all my blog posts though last winter And yeah, I had to switch to Imgur in my 50k PGC challenge (which has seen all my pics vanish as well ).
And yeah, I had to switch to Imgur in my 50k PGC challenge (which has seen all my pics vanish as well ).
07-18-2017
, 12:36 AM
Party Millions, North America
Like always when I come to this part of the world on my bi-annual-couple-of-weeks-stint, I am crashing at my folk's place, located 30 minutes on the north shore of Montreal (Laval). Except this time around, it is 9pm on Friday evening and I am winding myself up for the Party Millions - a tournament I am sure to bink - , but perhaps watching the Raptors take a spanking vs Lebron's Cavaliers is not the best way to get one's engine in fine tune, right 
...
I quit the game when Toronto falls behind by 15 points - why oh why do I choose sports teams that will forever let me down... perhaps it is a French curse... -, jump in the van and sprint down the late evening deserted highways... In less then 40 minutes I find myself on the south shore and park my van at the far end of the lot, just by a stationed RV for what would be (hopefully) 6 days :
Home to a player friendly room - high rake not withstanding
I put my name down on the list, get called for the 5-5 game 1h later, sit down, stretch my legs, and 1-2-3 : let the mama-fracking grind begin, ladies and gents In the wee hours of the morning when we get down to 6 handed, the game rapidly becomes a mandatory straddle 5-5-10 affair, thus enabling the 2 spots/gambool-gambool players to pop it up to 5-5-10-20-40 twice a round At 5:30 in the morning, most of the chips (and a few bills) are sitting in front of me, thus covering half of my tourney buy-in and finally get to retreat to my van for a few hours of snoozing.
The morning - along with some cold twilight spells that rocks me awake on numerous occasions - comes breezing by ; I sit up, meditate for an hour, shake off the fatigue and show up to my table a couple of hands late - Phil Hellmuth style, yo. At first glance, things are not looking promising. Ipods, shades, backpacks populate the table The absence of limping and the high frequency of 3bets makes me want to flip over the table, as I rapidly realize that half the players are pros while the other half is definitely not clueless.
#PokerIn2017
Level 1 : Despite the lack of clear spots at this table, I go to work early, opening up my range to try to take advantage of the high-buy-in jitters (and the early antes) that can force into submission certain type of players in the early stages. I rapidly get the opportunity to test the limits of an amateur when the following hand occurs 20 minutes into the event.
I get dealt Q
J
in the Hijack and open to 3bbs ; button calls as does the BB.
Flop (10.5bbs)
K
J10
Decent flop, but one that I want to include in my checking range ; the button thinks otherwise when he fires 6bbs ; BB folds while I make the call.
Turn (22.5bbs)
KJ10 5
I check and observe villain who looks somewhat uncomfortable, yet still fires an 11bbs bet ; I call.
River (44.5bbs)
KJ10 5 7
I check again, hoping to get to showdown, but villain picks up some chips, only 18bbs of them, to be exact, and appears clearly antsy when he pushes them to the middle. My second pair is never good and who wants a second tier hand when we can go for world dominance, right Given that I am positive that our friend will never commit 40% of his stack so early with a 2 pair sorta hand, I pop it up to 58bbs ; Bombaclat yo Villain goes solidly into the tank for 1 minute,
It is never a pleasant thing to lose 40% of your stack this early, but I rapidly shrug it off, carry on
Level 5 : Chips have been exchanged, players have busted and thankfully their vacated seats have been filled up by some tight-passif OMC types ; one of which I decide to attack when I find myself in the Hijack
I look down at Q4 ; not a terribly endearing hand, by all means, or one that I will propose to, go to bed with and spend the rest of my living days with, but because the BB is the biggest spot at the table, I take what life has given to me, and open it to 2.5bbs. The button stares at me for a few seconds, before 3betting to 8bbs. It gets folded to me, I take about 20 seconds to realize that villain probably saw my range for what it is - about 40% of hands - and is attacking with blockers or ATC, me thinks, so I repop it to 21bbs, committing a big chunk of my stack in the process (about 20%) only to see villain pump-fake-muck-his-hand, look at me, pump-fake again, stare me down, pump-fake-angle-the-shyt-out-of-me-again to desperately get a reaction out of me ; the dealer finally intervenes after 30 seconds or so, and says
- "you can't do that, that hand is dead" and grabs the cards. I instantly clammer angrily :
- "Come on buddy, have a little bit of class, you can’t do shyt like that” and flip over my beautiful, luscious and sparkling Q4 which snap-puts villain on tilt
#GottaLuvDisGameYo
Level 9 : The evening is dragging on, I am slowly chipping up, find myself just over the average mark, am enjoying the conversations, the banter, the atmosphere and all, but find myself nonetheless eager to rack up the chips for the evening and go play some cash games... Given that the blinds will go back 2 rounds tomorrow (we finish the day at 20-40k blinds, but reverse to 10-20k for the start of Day 2), I will find myself with a very solid 50bbs Yet plans of easing my way to Day 2 come to a halt when the drooler on my right opens for 3bbs and I look down at the beautiful AA Factor in that villain is quite the maniac and just shoved A9o for 20bbs recently (and managed to crack QQ ), I am ****ing luving life yo I take my time in sizing up my 3bet, only to have villain snap-shove it when it gets back to him 
; I snap-call, turn over the AA and now have to dodge a little teensy-tiny q as villain shows 2 ladies
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, I definitely want to play at the Playground again some time soon
As far as my winter plans goes, the tentative-yet-fairly-defined-plan at this point, are, once our 50k challenge is completed in October, to go to :
- DeepStack Tournaments in Calgary, Alberta (ME is 1.3k, with always some great cash games).
- A 10 day meditation retreat in MonteBello, Quebec
- A week with the folks in Montreal
- A week @ Kings Casino in Czech Republic for the WSOPE, where I plan on playing the PLO 08 event, Big One for One Drop and the Main.
- 6 weeks of travelling in Europe along with the Unibet Open in Bucharest.
- A 20 day meditation retreat in Israel (with some travelling there).
- 1 month in Florida to visit the folks/grind the Hard Rock 5-10, 2-5 games.
- New Orleans for a week or so.
- And then perhaps a few weeks down in Latin America…
Which means we will have a lot of upcoming material/pics/stories for this thread
Run good all
Like always when I come to this part of the world on my bi-annual-couple-of-weeks-stint, I am crashing at my folk's place, located 30 minutes on the north shore of Montreal (Laval). Except this time around, it is 9pm on Friday evening and I am winding myself up for the Party Millions - a tournament I am sure to bink
- , but perhaps watching the Raptors take a spanking vs Lebron's Cavaliers is not the best way to get one's engine in fine tune, right ...I quit the game when Toronto falls behind by 15 points - why oh why do I choose sports teams that will forever let me down
... perhaps it is a French curse... -, jump in the van and sprint down the late evening deserted highways... In less then 40 minutes I find myself on the south shore and park my van at the far end of the lot, just by a stationed RV for what would be (hopefully) 6 days :Home to a player friendly room - high rake not withstanding
I put my name down on the list, get called for the 5-5 game 1h later, sit down, stretch my legs, and 1-2-3 : let the mama-fracking grind begin, ladies and gents
In the wee hours of the morning when we get down to 6 handed, the game rapidly becomes a mandatory straddle 5-5-10 affair, thus enabling the 2 spots/gambool-gambool players to pop it up to 5-5-10-20-40 twice a round At 5:30 in the morning, most of the chips (and a few bills) are sitting in front of me, thus covering half of my tourney buy-in and finally get to retreat to my van for a few hours of snoozing.The morning - along with some cold twilight spells that rocks me awake on numerous occasions - comes breezing by ; I sit up, meditate for an hour, shake off the fatigue and show up to my table a couple of hands late - Phil Hellmuth style, yo
. At first glance, things are not looking promising. Ipods, shades, backpacks populate the table The absence of limping and the high frequency of 3bets makes me want to flip over the table, as I rapidly realize that half the players are pros while the other half is definitely not clueless.#PokerIn2017
Level 1 : Despite the lack of clear spots at this table, I go to work early, opening up my range to try to take advantage of the high-buy-in jitters (and the early antes) that can force into submission certain type of players in the early stages. I rapidly get the opportunity to test the limits of an amateur when the following hand occurs 20 minutes into the event.
I get dealt Q
J in the Hijack and open to 3bbs ; button calls as does the BB.Flop (10.5bbs)
K
J10Decent flop, but one that I want to include in my checking range ; the button thinks otherwise when he fires 6bbs ; BB folds while I make the call.
Turn (22.5bbs)
K
J10 5I check and observe villain who looks somewhat uncomfortable, yet still fires an 11bbs bet ; I call.
River (44.5bbs)
K
J10 5 7I check again, hoping to get to showdown, but villain picks up some chips, only 18bbs of them, to be exact, and appears clearly antsy when he pushes them to the middle. My second pair is never good and who wants a second tier hand when we can go for world dominance, right
Given that I am positive that our friend will never commit 40% of his stack so early with a 2 pair sorta hand, I pop it up to 58bbs ; Bombaclat yo Villain goes solidly into the tank for 1 minute, Spoiler:
Spoiler:
It is never a pleasant thing to lose 40% of your stack this early, but I rapidly shrug it off, carry on
Spoiler:
Level 5 : Chips have been exchanged, players have busted and thankfully their vacated seats have been filled up by some tight-passif OMC types ; one of which I decide to attack when I find myself in the Hijack
I look down at Q
4 ; not a terribly endearing hand, by all means, or one that I will propose to, go to bed with and spend the rest of my living days with, but because the BB is the biggest spot at the table, I take what life has given to me, and open it to 2.5bbs. The button stares at me for a few seconds, before 3betting to 8bbs. It gets folded to me, I take about 20 seconds to realize that villain probably saw my range for what it is - about 40% of hands - and is attacking with blockers or ATC, me thinks, so I repop it to 21bbs, committing a big chunk of my stack in the process (about 20%) only to see villain pump-fake-muck-his-hand, look at me, pump-fake again, stare me down, pump-fake-angle-the-shyt-out-of-me-again to desperately get a reaction out of me ; the dealer finally intervenes after 30 seconds or so, and says - "you can't do that, that hand is dead" and grabs the cards. I instantly clammer angrily :
- "Come on buddy, have a little bit of class, you can’t do shyt like that” and flip over my beautiful, luscious and sparkling Q
4 which snap-puts villain on tilt #GottaLuvDisGameYo
Level 9 : The evening is dragging on, I am slowly chipping up, find myself just over the average mark, am enjoying the conversations, the banter, the atmosphere and all, but find myself nonetheless eager to rack up the chips for the evening and go play some cash games... Given that the blinds will go back 2 rounds tomorrow (we finish the day at 20-40k blinds, but reverse to 10-20k for the start of Day 2), I will find myself with a very solid 50bbs
Yet plans of easing my way to Day 2 come to a halt when the drooler on my right opens for 3bbs and I look down at the beautiful AA Factor in that villain is quite the maniac and just shoved A9o for 20bbs recently (and managed to crack QQ ), I am ****ing luving life yo I take my time in sizing up my 3bet, only to have villain snap-shove it when it gets back to him ; I snap-call, turn over the AA and now have to dodge a little teensy-tiny q as villain shows 2 ladies Spoiler:
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, I definitely want to play at the Playground again some time soon
As far as my winter plans goes, the tentative-yet-fairly-defined-plan at this point, are, once our 50k challenge is completed in October, to go to :
- DeepStack Tournaments in Calgary, Alberta (ME is 1.3k, with always some great cash games).
- A 10 day meditation retreat in MonteBello, Quebec
- A week with the folks in Montreal
- A week @ Kings Casino in Czech Republic for the WSOPE, where I plan on playing the PLO 08 event, Big One for One Drop and the Main.
- 6 weeks of travelling in Europe along with the Unibet Open in Bucharest.
- A 20 day meditation retreat in Israel (with some travelling there).
- 1 month in Florida to visit the folks/grind the Hard Rock 5-10, 2-5 games.
- New Orleans for a week or so.
- And then perhaps a few weeks down in Latin America…
Which means we will have a lot of upcoming material/pics/stories for this thread
Run good all
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 07-18-2017 at 01:03 AM.
08-25-2017
, 09:17 AM
Winter, Alas Winter
With winter's grip rapidly clawing upon us, one can only turn his attention towards his imminent travel plans to flee the frosty grasp of the white claws... And since nothing of importance is holding me back - am single, still relatively young, and have a solid bankroll and all the time in the world -, numerous and various will be my destinations this winter
If I did put away my backpack a couple of years back in favour of a suitcase - was tired of being singled out at the Canadian customs -, my nomadic nature has yet to see any slowing down, yo Of course, I do not pitch a tent by the side of a ditch anymore or hitchhike thousands upon thousand of kms, yet I still will nonetheless indulge in various cultures this winter, visiting countries I never fathom I would (Israel), increase my linguistic skills (Spanish in Argentina, perhaps...), go back to my roots (sorta of in N-Orleans) and visit a part of the world that has long intrigued me (the ex-Yugoslavian countries). It should go a little something like this :
Calgary : After we are done crushing our 50k Dawson challenge (is there some of yous still not following http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...onths-1665329/), we will be going down in Calgary to bink the 500k DeepStacks (2k buy-in) and grind the 5-10 for 5 days.
Ottawa : Will do a 10 day retreat in Monte-Bello, halfway in between Ottawa and Montreal.
Montreal : Not sure on how long we will be staying there, as I have yet to book my flights for Europe (and perhaps there is a series at the Playground...), but it should be in the neighbourhood of 2 weeks.
Europe : About 5 weeks to visit probably Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Romania and Hungary (Unibet Open in Romania).
Israel : 6 weeks, 4 of them dedicated to deep meditation and 2 to seeing the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, Nazareth and not sure what else just yet...
Florida : 1 month to spend time with the folks and grind the HardRock 5-10 and 2-5 40h/week.
New Orleans : About 2 weeks, I gather, to soak in some culture, music, food and play at the Harrahs.
Argentina : Not sure about the exact destination, but South America sounds about right (spent a lot of time in Central America and Mexico in the past), to take it easy, study some Spanish in order to be close to fluent (have a very solid base already) and just chill.
Ok friends, before departing, a few pictures to lighten up the wall-of-text this post has been
Run good all
With winter's grip rapidly clawing upon us, one can only turn his attention towards his imminent travel plans to flee the frosty grasp of the white claws... And since nothing of importance is holding me back - am single, still relatively young, and have a solid bankroll and all the time in the world -, numerous and various will be my destinations this winter
If I did put away my backpack a couple of years back in favour of a suitcase - was tired of being singled out at the Canadian customs
-, my nomadic nature has yet to see any slowing down, yo Of course, I do not pitch a tent by the side of a ditch anymore or hitchhike thousands upon thousand of kms, yet I still will nonetheless indulge in various cultures this winter, visiting countries I never fathom I would (Israel), increase my linguistic skills (Spanish in Argentina, perhaps...), go back to my roots (sorta of in N-Orleans) and visit a part of the world that has long intrigued me (the ex-Yugoslavian countries). It should go a little something like this :Calgary : After we are done crushing our 50k Dawson challenge (is there some of yous still not following
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...onths-1665329/), we will be going down in Calgary to bink the 500k DeepStacks (2k buy-in) and grind the 5-10 for 5 days.Ottawa : Will do a 10 day retreat in Monte-Bello, halfway in between Ottawa and Montreal.
Montreal : Not sure on how long we will be staying there, as I have yet to book my flights for Europe (and perhaps there is a series at the Playground...), but it should be in the neighbourhood of 2 weeks.
Europe : About 5 weeks to visit probably Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Romania and Hungary (Unibet Open in Romania).
Israel : 6 weeks, 4 of them dedicated to deep meditation and 2 to seeing the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, Nazareth and not sure what else just yet...
Florida : 1 month to spend time with the folks and grind the HardRock 5-10 and 2-5 40h/week.
New Orleans : About 2 weeks, I gather, to soak in some culture, music, food and play at the Harrahs.
Argentina : Not sure about the exact destination, but South America sounds about right (spent a lot of time in Central America and Mexico in the past), to take it easy, study some Spanish in order to be close to fluent (have a very solid base already) and just chill.
Ok friends, before departing, a few pictures to lighten up the wall-of-text this post has been
Run good all
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 08-25-2017 at 09:22 AM.
09-08-2017
, 05:40 PM
09-26-2017
, 08:46 AM
A Preview (or the Art of Dissecting it All)
Before leaving Dawson behind us for yet another year - for the 17th time, to be precise -, a (somewhat) detailed list of goals for this winter :
Cyber Security : I was not much of a geek growing up - more of an intellectual grunge/hippie/stoner -, yet spending hours weekly on my computer for the past few years - way to keep me nailed to the screen, online pokerz -, has opened up some new fields of interests for yours truly. One of them being an obsession about the latest cyber security attacks, malware in the wild, hacks etc., most of which I learn about through the form of articles, blogs and podcasts. But why stop there when more avenues are offered to us : I intend on spending a significant amount of time on the darknet and see for myself from direct experience what all those black hats are up to.
# I****ingHateUnethicalHackers
Writing : Not much of a secret here for anyone who has been following my threads, but I will pursue my novel, even if the progress of the latter would suggest that never in 1001 years would a fracking turtle be envious of my pace . It matters little though, as the simple act of sitting in a cafe makes me pretty happy (as long as I don't start comparing my (absent) hourly with my online poker one... I also intend on entering a few writing contests and see if I can't bink one, yo
Pokerz : I Got 3 tournament series planned for now (WPTs in Calgary, Montreal and Unibet Open in Romania) and some 5-10 live grind lined up (in Florida, N-O and during tournament events), yet online will remain my main game (perhaps at a 75/25 clip). I don't really have a precise figure, but 10k/month sounds about right, yet I won't hold myself tooooo accountable if I fail to reach this number, as the grind will be rendered secondary this winter.
Meditation : 6 weeks planned (2 in Monte Bello, 4 in Israel) thus far, which should constitute the big chunks of my extensive time spent with my eyes closed.
Health : It is pretty difficult to maintain a tennis schedule on the road, yet I will pursue my diet (eat relatively well and lose 10 lbs in 7 months), running as well as stuff like snorkelling and Bball in Florida.
As far as this blog goes, it should be fairly active - perhaps updated on a weekly basis... -, given that I will be visiting roughly 10 new cities/countries this winter, which will obviously contribute dearly to some blogging material, yo
Yup, things seem to be going in the right direction indeed I definitely plan on visiting the Dead Sea along with Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth for starters, but have yet to really look into that part of the trip yet... Yeah man, will message you when I get to Florida Hank Peace.
And now, for a few pics :
Run good all
Before leaving Dawson behind us for yet another year - for the 17th time, to be precise
-, a (somewhat) detailed list of goals for this winter :Cyber Security : I was not much of a geek
growing up - more of an intellectual grunge/hippie/stoner -, yet spending hours weekly on my computer for the past few years - way to keep me nailed to the screen, online pokerz -, has opened up some new fields of interests for yours truly. One of them being an obsession about the latest cyber security attacks, malware in the wild, hacks etc., most of which I learn about through the form of articles, blogs and podcasts. But why stop there when more avenues are offered to us : I intend on spending a significant amount of time on the darknet and see for myself from direct experience what all those black hats are up to.# I****ingHateUnethicalHackers
Writing : Not much of a secret here for anyone who has been following my threads, but I will pursue my novel, even if the progress of the latter would suggest that never in 1001 years would a fracking turtle be envious of my pace
. It matters little though, as the simple act of sitting in a cafe makes me pretty happy (as long as I don't start comparing my (absent) hourly with my online poker one... I also intend on entering a few writing contests and see if I can't bink one, yo Pokerz : I Got 3 tournament series planned for now (WPTs in Calgary, Montreal and Unibet Open in Romania) and some 5-10 live grind lined up (in Florida, N-O and during tournament events), yet online will remain my main game (perhaps at a 75/25 clip). I don't really have a precise figure, but 10k/month sounds about right, yet I won't hold myself tooooo accountable if I fail to reach this number, as the grind will be rendered secondary this winter.
Meditation : 6 weeks planned (2 in Monte Bello, 4 in Israel) thus far, which should constitute the big chunks of my extensive time spent with my eyes closed.
Health : It is pretty difficult to maintain a tennis schedule on the road, yet I will pursue my diet (eat relatively well and lose 10 lbs in 7 months), running as well as stuff like snorkelling and Bball in Florida.
As far as this blog goes, it should be fairly active - perhaps updated on a weekly basis... -, given that I will be visiting roughly 10 new cities/countries this winter, which will obviously contribute dearly to some blogging material, yo
Quote:
Dude just catching up with your blog and can see the fruits of your poker & meditation efforts are guiding you on a serious travel itinerary, happy and jealous simultaneously!
I can just see you meditating whilst floating in the Dead Sea sun shining down as you bob in the brine.
Hit me up when your in the Tampa area, shalom.
I can just see you meditating whilst floating in the Dead Sea sun shining down as you bob in the brine.
Hit me up when your in the Tampa area, shalom.
I definitely plan on visiting the Dead Sea along with Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth for starters, but have yet to really look into that part of the trip yet... Yeah man, will message you when I get to Florida Hank Peace.And now, for a few pics :
Run good all
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 09-26-2017 at 08:55 AM.
10-31-2017
, 06:29 PM
Eastern Europe Plans
Well, I have not put in a ton of thinking into the upcoming European adventure of mine, outside of randomnly purchasing a 1 way flight to Frankfurt, wanting to see the old Yugoslavian countries, going to a UO MTT event in Romania and reserving a vipassana 1 month retreat in Israel. But anyhow, upon the latest (somewhat) revised (very) tentative plans of yours truly, it should look something like this :
Train from Frankfurt-Sarajevo-Belgrade-Budapest then flight to Tel Aviv
I have not yet booked anything beyond Israel, as I am still not sure if I will go to SEA, Florida or South-America afterwards... If anyone has suggestions/wants to meet up along the way, hit me up with PM or post ITT.
Peace
Well, I have not put in a ton of thinking into the upcoming European adventure of mine, outside of randomnly purchasing a 1 way flight to Frankfurt, wanting to see the old Yugoslavian countries, going to a UO MTT event in Romania and reserving a vipassana 1 month retreat in Israel. But anyhow, upon the latest (somewhat) revised (very) tentative plans of yours truly, it should look something like this :
Train from Frankfurt-Sarajevo-Belgrade-Budapest then flight to Tel Aviv
I have not yet booked anything beyond Israel, as I am still not sure if I will go to SEA, Florida or South-America afterwards... If anyone has suggestions/wants to meet up along the way, hit me up with PM or post ITT.
Peace
11-16-2017
, 04:34 PM
Da Old Continent
Just landed in Frankfurt. Am tired. Stinky. And not in the country I want to be in.
Back in Whitehorse, Yukon, they offer a direct flight from Frankfurt, catering to the numerous Germain tourists who come for the outdoors ; so anyhow, I randomly booked a flight online one evening - probably at 4-5am or something - and my sleepy brain instinctively selected the more familiar Frankfurt destination, thinking that the train system had more flexible/multiple routes than it actually does …. Anyhow, the plan is to head out to Croatia tomorrow. Not sure if I will go to Zagreb or Split and if it will be by plane or train... What I am also undecided upon, is what fraction the grind will occupy in my overall schedule proportionally to travelling in the next 6 weeks... And let's not even get into stuff like studying, shall we
Part of me - probably that 40 year old arse facet - wants to find a nice little town, settle down for a week or so, grind, meditate, write, drink coffee, go for walks, eat out, watch movies/basketball/Mr. Robot and thus establish a mellow routine like I have a tendency to do so... Another voice is telling me, "no man, take advantage of your time here, roam around, hop on a train, explore a few towns... cities...". This latter voice is more juvenile, full of energy, exuberant, outgoing. The former is middle-aged, centred and - yes, I must admit - perhaps more fatigued…. If I were to quit poker for the rest of 2017, it would still end up being a solid year results-wise, even if I do want to add an extra 10k or so to that amount before 2018 rolls in…. Also want to write 1-2 chapters of my novel. And, of course, enjoy my time here. We will see, I guess, we will see…
I think I will fly to Zagreb then eventually take the train down the coast…. Yup, that sounds like good time/sight seeing management.
A few notes :
- Darn it feels good to cross immigration and get a stamp in a breeze, accompanied by a smile and without a single question
- I have accumulated too many electronics along the way…. Stuff like 2 laptops, a monitor, an iphone, ipod, crypto hardware wallet, bluetooth speaker, endless wires/connectors all occupy my suitcase/backpack. Am also attached to them
- It feels good to be back on the road. The freedom of movement/discovery/adventure. I won’t be tenting in a ditch anytime soon like the good ole days, yet that feeling of novelty upon the horizon, is always a dreamy/enticing one
- Not sure how I found myself eating in a Thai/Buddhist/reggae joint for my first meal here, but it seems quite fitting
- I don’t have any pics yet of the Old Continent, but will leave you all with some always enticing snapshots from the Yukon winter taken by some friends.
Dawson, as seen from 7th Avenue
Winter in Dawson City
Peace
Just landed in Frankfurt. Am tired. Stinky. And not in the country I want to be in.
Back in Whitehorse, Yukon, they offer a direct flight from Frankfurt, catering to the numerous Germain tourists who come for the outdoors ; so anyhow, I randomly booked a flight online one evening - probably at 4-5am or something
- and my sleepy brain instinctively selected the more familiar Frankfurt destination, thinking that the train system had more flexible/multiple routes than it actually does …. Anyhow, the plan is to head out to Croatia tomorrow. Not sure if I will go to Zagreb or Split and if it will be by plane or train... What I am also undecided upon, is what fraction the grind will occupy in my overall schedule proportionally to travelling in the next 6 weeks... And let's not even get into stuff like studying, shall we Part of me - probably that 40 year old arse facet
- wants to find a nice little town, settle down for a week or so, grind, meditate, write, drink coffee, go for walks, eat out, watch movies/basketball/Mr. Robot and thus establish a mellow routine like I have a tendency to do so... Another voice is telling me, "no man, take advantage of your time here, roam around, hop on a train, explore a few towns... cities...". This latter voice is more juvenile, full of energy, exuberant, outgoing. The former is middle-aged, centred and - yes, I must admit - perhaps more fatigued…. If I were to quit poker for the rest of 2017, it would still end up being a solid year results-wise, even if I do want to add an extra 10k or so to that amount before 2018 rolls in…. Also want to write 1-2 chapters of my novel. And, of course, enjoy my time here. We will see, I guess, we will see…I think I will fly to Zagreb then eventually take the train down the coast…. Yup, that sounds like good time/sight seeing management.
A few notes :
- Darn it feels good to cross immigration and get a stamp in a breeze, accompanied by a smile and without a single question
- I have accumulated too many electronics along the way…. Stuff like 2 laptops, a monitor, an iphone, ipod, crypto hardware wallet, bluetooth speaker, endless wires/connectors all occupy my suitcase/backpack. Am also attached to them
- It feels good to be back on the road. The freedom of movement/discovery/adventure. I won’t be tenting in a ditch anytime soon like the good ole days, yet that feeling of novelty upon the horizon, is always a dreamy/enticing one
- Not sure how I found myself eating in a Thai/Buddhist/reggae joint for my first meal here, but it seems quite fitting
- I don’t have any pics yet of the Old Continent, but will leave you all with some always enticing snapshots from the Yukon winter taken by some friends.
Dawson, as seen from 7th Avenue
Winter in Dawson City
Peace
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 11-16-2017 at 04:47 PM.
11-16-2017
, 04:36 PM
11-19-2017
, 11:08 AM
Lifetimes Ago
Mont Rolland, Quebec, 1995. Growing up as a teen in Montreal in the heart of the 90s and the grudge scene, is a blast. Think abundance of acid, mushrooms, herb, hashish and ecstasy Accessibility of pretty women, intense festivals and groovy body surfing. And all this for peanuts : 5$ acid hits, 8$ concerts (Beck, for instance), free and luscious French Canadian women
Our plans of staying in Montreal on this Friday evening take an unexpected turn (north) when we hear that Grimskunk (a punk-ska-reggae French band) will be performing in a random Dive bar for 7$ We jump in a car, fly up highway 15 - high as a kite, of course - manage to get there by 11pm but, alas, no sign of the band members Things are not looking promising when 1am rolls around, and still no sign of Grimskunk... So we step outside, light up another one (we don't want to overly provoke the local redneck regulars by smoking up inside ), only to see a car pullover and Grimskunk step out.
- "Hey guys, haha, we got pulled over doing 190km/h in Montreal, haha, and the cops took all our weed", says one of the band members, clearly as HIGH as we are.
- "No problem", says my buddy, "we can help you out.".
We happily hand out a few grams, and follow them inside.
20 minutes later, there is no more stepping outside to get high : following Grimskunk's example, we openly spark a few joints, completely oblivious to the local rednecks eyeing us, their obvious disdain, and even the fact that one of them has a gun on him, is freshly out of jail and is searching for 1 of my buddies over a woman issue... Nope, none of that matters. Freedom Yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Gn4kEOgww
Over time, that eternal search for a "juvenile high" - sorta speak -, has been replaced by a tranquil acceptance... Trying to settle into the moment now outweighs that desire to constantly push the boundaries back...
Split is located by the Adriatic Sea, nestled on the south tip of Croatia :
Still am not completely freed from that sticky jet lag, but am slowly instilling a semblance of daily routine into my schedule, with the grind occupying the heart of my activities (for now). I did find a cozy cafe this afternoon, scribbled a few (uninspired) lines, then explored some hidden corners of the old town :
A few shops tucked in the alleys of the Old Town
Green passageway to my little apartment
Extended my stay here by a couple of days, which I figure to be the best approach in easing my way into this timezone, this new meditating/writing/grinding/eating schedule, and just out of pure sedentary need Next up will be Mostar, an old town on the Bosnian side of the border. Will then have 10 days to make my way to Bucharast for the Unibet Open, stopping in Sarajevo, Belgrade and another destination(?) along the way.
Looks interesting, but will not roll back up north after hopping south of Croatia. I feel that I will be missing so much attractions/gems in this part of the world, given my limited time and my non-desire in spending an extensive amount of time moving around in buses/trains. Next time though. Definitely see myself coming back over here. And yeah, lets make a deep run in the UO friend
Peace
Mont Rolland, Quebec, 1995. Growing up as a teen in Montreal in the heart of the 90s and the grudge scene, is a blast. Think abundance of acid, mushrooms, herb, hashish and ecstasy
Accessibility of pretty women, intense festivals and groovy body surfing. And all this for peanuts : 5$ acid hits, 8$ concerts (Beck, for instance), free and luscious French Canadian women Our plans of staying in Montreal on this Friday evening take an unexpected turn (north) when we hear that Grimskunk (a punk-ska-reggae French band) will be performing in a random Dive bar for 7$
We jump in a car, fly up highway 15 - high as a kite, of course - manage to get there by 11pm but, alas, no sign of the band members Things are not looking promising when 1am rolls around, and still no sign of Grimskunk... So we step outside, light up another one (we don't want to overly provoke the local redneck regulars by smoking up inside ), only to see a car pullover and Grimskunk step out.- "Hey guys, haha, we got pulled over doing 190km/h in Montreal, haha, and the cops took all our weed", says one of the band members, clearly as HIGH as we are.
- "No problem", says my buddy, "we can help you out.".
We happily hand out a few grams, and follow them inside.
20 minutes later, there is no more stepping outside to get high : following Grimskunk's example, we openly spark a few joints, completely oblivious to the local rednecks eyeing us, their obvious disdain, and even the fact that one of them has a gun on him, is freshly out of jail and is searching for 1 of my buddies over a woman issue... Nope, none of that matters. Freedom Yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Gn4kEOgww
Over time, that eternal search for a "juvenile high" - sorta speak -, has been replaced by a tranquil acceptance... Trying to settle into the moment now outweighs that desire to constantly push the boundaries back...
Split is located by the Adriatic Sea, nestled on the south tip of Croatia :
Still am not completely freed from that sticky jet lag, but am slowly instilling a semblance of daily routine into my schedule, with the grind occupying the heart of my activities (for now). I did find a cozy cafe this afternoon, scribbled a few (uninspired) lines, then explored some hidden corners of the old town :
A few shops tucked in the alleys of the Old Town
Green passageway to my little apartment
Extended my stay here by a couple of days, which I figure to be the best approach in easing my way into this timezone, this new meditating/writing/grinding/eating schedule, and just out of pure sedentary need
Next up will be Mostar, an old town on the Bosnian side of the border. Will then have 10 days to make my way to Bucharast for the Unibet Open, stopping in Sarajevo, Belgrade and another destination(?) along the way.Peace
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 11-19-2017 at 11:33 AM.
11-23-2017
, 12:39 PM
Border (Enemy) Lines
Tijuana, Mexico, 2001. Unlike the pristine San Diego northern side of the border, the Mexican rising sun shines light upon dusty streets loitered with prostitutes, crooked cops and illicit activities... At the border, a wave of vehicles, lined up for hours of impatience... Stumbling down the streets, some alcoholic Gringos putting on a last fight with gravity, a battle they are alas bound to lose... In the heart of the city, this omniscient apocalyptic sentiment, a sinister feeling so intrinsic to border towns... Why oh why am I stuck a week here
The first time I was introduced to Bosnia, was through the lenses of Emir Kusturica, the notorious Serb director that exposed the trials and tribulations of the (ex) Yugoslavian realm :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KHnL12Q0r4
Of course, Kusturica has a knack for portraying a magical-realistic realm, a narrative not necessary reflective of today's society... What I can nonetheless assert, is that I did not expect such beauty :
Am slowly making a north-west ark towards Bucharast, but one thing is for sure - outside of the fact that I f**king love coffee - : I will be back. There is just too much beauty in this part of the world not to dwell longer.
Peace
Tijuana, Mexico, 2001. Unlike the pristine San Diego northern side of the border, the Mexican rising sun shines light upon dusty streets loitered with prostitutes, crooked cops and illicit activities... At the border, a wave of vehicles, lined up for hours of impatience... Stumbling down the streets, some alcoholic Gringos putting on a last fight with gravity, a battle they are alas bound to lose... In the heart of the city, this omniscient apocalyptic sentiment, a sinister feeling so intrinsic to border towns... Why oh why am I stuck a week here
The first time I was introduced to Bosnia, was through the lenses of Emir Kusturica, the notorious Serb director that exposed the trials and tribulations of the (ex) Yugoslavian realm :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KHnL12Q0r4
Of course, Kusturica has a knack for portraying a magical-realistic realm, a narrative not necessary reflective of today's society... What I can nonetheless assert, is that I did not expect such beauty :
Am slowly making a north-west ark towards Bucharast, but one thing is for sure - outside of the fact that I f**king love coffee
- : I will be back. There is just too much beauty in this part of the world not to dwell longer.Peace