The Post Travelling-Blues

I'm fortunate enough to have travelled around the globe.

I mean that in a literal sense too - I have completed a lap of the planet travelling east through Asia, Oceania (or is it Australasia?), the US and back home. That's a serious source of pride for me, particularly having crossed the international dateline between Fiji and Los Angeles and thus experiencing the same Sunday twice. When I arrived at LAX, I had no idea what meal I was supposed to eat. When I got home back to the UK, I was lucky enough to be jetlag free too, despite the confusion of an extra day and not being entirely sure what meal to eat and when!

I'm not bragging here - those of you that have been on a journey of your own know that it's one of the most liberating and rewarding experiences you can have; and when you've been once, you'll only want to find the next opportunity to jump on a plane and go exploring somewhere. This can lead to see serious post-travelling blues.

I've been back in the UK for a long while now after my six months of backpacking, but that doesn't stop the cravings! My travels were the time of my life so I have many memories I like to escape into if I feel myself falling a little too much into the same old routines.

[There's an alien species in the Mass Effect series who can perfectly recall any memory they have, right down to smells, textures and other sensations. Several ladies tell me these guys are also really sexy, maybe it's that voice but they're essentially just big green lizard people. Google 'Thane' from Mass Effect and get back to me on this.
Of course, perfect memory obviously has its downside and dangers, but I so wish I could indulge myself in the remembered experiences I had through the places I've been and the people I'd met!]

Today I've found that for the few short seconds I've had to myself, I'm pulling up memories of the beautiful beaches in southern Thailand, trekking the mean streets of Hanoi, or the long and lazy boat ride through the mesmerising Ha Long Bay.

Occasionally, these memories jump to the forefront of my mind - usually it's a particular food or the smell of summer rain that pulls me right back, but for today it's been a very deliberate mental escape process into past pleasures. I can honestly say I met some of my favourite people on earth on my walkabout, and certain songs or a particular image absolutely serve as reminders of all the brilliant people I met.

What I'm essentially getting at here is that I feel it's time to get going somewhere again. If only to some tropical beach for a week to chill out. Fellow travellers, you know just how brilliant it feels when your only wardrobe concerns are boardies, flips flops (thongs to our Aussie cousins) a t-shirt and some sunscreen!
As a snowboard instructor and general busy body at an indoor snowslope, I  spend a lot of my life in full on winter gear: snowboard boots, sallopettes, a hoodie and jacket, gloves or mitts; the lot. So to strut about wearing as little as humanly possible is an intense relief for me!

That feeling of relief is synonymous with the sheer freedom you get from travelling if you ask me. You go where you want, when you want. Like this particular corner of the world you've found? Why not spend two weeks there? Not feeling the vibe? So jump on the next bus, boat, plane or train and get out the hell outta dodge!

I'm sure this isn't something exclusive to me, but I often find myself staring at a world map and looking for little routes across intriguing parts of the planet. One I'm particularly enamoured with at the minute is flying to Florida (maybe starting in Tampa then dropping into Miami) and gently curving down through the Bahamas, perhaps dropping by Havana, seeing Jamaica and maybe Haiti. Moving on, I'd be making my way down through the Dominican Republic, saying hi to Puerto Rico, Antigua, the Grenadines and St Lucia, Barbados and finishing up in Trinidad and Tobago. A luxurious bit of island hopping through the gorgeous Caribbean Sea.

I have no idea how feasible (or expensive) that trip would be, and upon reviewing it just now, I'm inclined to suggest that as a honeymoon venture. You know, a romantic trip with that fiancé I totally have and will totally be marrying at some point.
I do however feel utterly privileged to be part of a generation for whom travelling around to world is so easily accessible.

As we reach the end of August, we're now  approaching my favourite season - winter. It's coming. Despite having travelled through the tropics at the height of summer, I'm all about the winter chill at heart. As nice as it is to be wearing very little, the sun is also a brutal killer (especially of pasty ginger kids like myself) and let's face it - if it's too hot, you can't get anymore naked than naked. It can be a real challenge to simply get moving in serious heat and humidity. But if you're feeling too cold it's a hell of a lot easier to warm up than it is to cool off in the summer heat.

I'm getting all excited now about the opportunities to shred on my snowboard in some beautiful alpine scenery. The season is about to kick into gear, the snowboard and ski shops are starting to bring in the early drips of their new stock which always starts to excite me.

I am in serious need of a holiday after a strenuous summer - so methinks it's time to book up a trip to some snowy hills somewhere in the northern hemisphere.

Or maybe a visit to my buddy in Denver. Or my buddy in Calgary. Perhaps a week in Rome? Or a long weekend in the Canary Islands. Or some long walks through the Lake District? Or anywhere else for that matter!

Identity Crisis

Now assuming I can pull myself away from laughing about all the amazing Batfleck reactions on the internet, I I wanted to finally get another blog out after seeing Kick-Ass 2. 

As for my two cents on Affleck, I'd like to find that casting director and set them on fire, with this clip playing on a loop in the background:  

But I'm here to talk about Kick-Ass 2, and the general concepts and ideas in the larger superhero mythos. Not so much a review as a statement; this film is properly brilliant - emotive, exciting and resonant in all the right ways and I highly recommend it.

Kick-Ass 2 is an extremely aptly titled movie in that it is not only a kickass adventure, but also the second film in the franchise. I'd argue that this is one of those rare sequels that out-does the first installment on almost every level.

The basic premise is that Dave Lizewski's antics as real-world superhero Kick-Ass have inspired a few like-minded folk to don their hero costume in an attempt to make the world a better place. Inevitably, this leads to superhero team ups and the formation of the world's first band of super villains, whose goal is essentially to really screw things up for everyone but themselves. With a name like The Toxic Mega-Cunts, you know they're either completely mental, or completely pathetic. And, in a direct parallel to real world villainy, it's an excellent combination of both that make team evil seem grounded and convincing - for the most part, at least.  

The most controversial character from the first movie, Hit Girl - aka Mindy McCready, is back and struggling to lead a normal life after the slightly unconventional upbringing at the hands of her superhero father Big Daddy. This is the real core of the movie, the crisis of conflict that arises from being a crime fighting hero and that of leading a 'normal' life. 

I found this to be an excellent thinking point - Hit Girl struggles hugely with the idea of who the 'real' Mindy is. Is it the highschooler desperately searching for acceptance with the cool kids, or the violent, foul-mouthed costumed vigilante? 

In all our lives, we wear many masks and many faces - I can gaurantee that your relationships with your best friend, your boss and your significant other all vary drastically. Your online dating profile is your sales pitch, but it's not the same as your curriculum vitae. Likewise, how you chose to present yourself through the various layers of anonymity afforded to you online each offer a different opportunity to present yourself as a certain image. 

The idea of our true self is of course influenced by countless external factors, be it a particular role model or the opinions of our peers. Superheros provide a particularly interesting influence, with all the usual noble traits like fighting for justice and assisting those in need being the most overt characteristics that come to mind. Ben Parker's own "With great power comes great responsibility" is one of the most well known superhero mantras and it serves as a wise warning not just to arachnid-powered mutants, but to anyone in any position of responsibility. There's always a code, a duty or ideal that heroes need to uphold and that usually drives plenty of dilemmas for good-guy or gal in question. 

The obvious link here is that we're all heroes, and we all have to make decisions throughout our lives that can shape our character for better or worse. But the point is that we have a choice in who we wish ourselves to be. Me? I'm a taekwon-do practicing, snowboarding instructing, overly empathetic, passionate geek who absolutely struggles with the idea of which of those personas is my true self. The obvious answer is that it's all of them. Just because I do different things for different reasons or act differently with different people doesn't mean my 'core' self is lessened or corrupted in some way. Would I love to be a superhero? Damn right I would, but every time I put my taekwon-do gear on, I feel like one. It's just that this is something I get to do without all the wanton destruction, gross collateral damage and murdered parents (which is a bonus, as far as I'm concerned). But that's why we have comics, books, movies and videogames - so we can project ourselves onto an avatar of our choosing and imagine what it would be like the act out those fantasies without the real-life murdered parents and destroyed cities.

Kick-Ass 2 ends on the breakup of the super-groups because real world vigilantism is generally frowned upon and has drastic and server consequences. But the final message of the movie is that the heroes aren't always the guys in costumes. The superhero in everyone is the person who sacrifices themselves for the sake of others, whether it's to run after a mugger, or to give poor mal-adjusted Mindy her first kiss, the hero is the person who puts their goals and desires second for the benefit of others.

Unless you're Batman, in which case you have some seriously messed up revenge issues and should probably seek help in ways other than brutally punishing the criminals in your city. 

Heroes are wherever you find them. A perfectly timed shoulder to cry on, or a perfectly timed chainsaw through the neck of an alien invader. The person who swaps shifts with you at work so you can do whatever it is you wanted to do, or the friend who visits you in hospital - just make sure you don't become a bitter and twisted individual and end up like Kick-Ass 2's nemesis, The Motherfucker.