Here Comes The Sun
Feliz Ano Novo Caras
I hope you are all having a great start to 2019
So far, for me, it has been, very happy and positive, thanks for asking.
It all started on December 31st, I'd been invited, through a mutual friend to a party in a swanky apartment overlooking Copacabana beach, the scene of the greatest new years party in the world or so they claim.
As we got ready, we drank a few beers whilst Jose was switching several shirts to decide which is his favourite white one. Luckily I had no such problem as I only have 1 that is both smart and white. Well it was.
We met the others across the hall and left to head to Copacabana amidst a sea of white, all excited with booze in hand. I should explain that for new years they all wear white and it's such a great idea, what a sight it is. As we got closer and closer the streets became more dense with party-goers and louder with volume before we reached the beach where people had begun to gather. I was very happy that our party was a good half a mile to the right, so we could wander along the seafront, taking it all in.
I've not really enjoyed many new years I will confess but I was becoming excited for this one. As we arrived, the party was in full swing and many people were already gathering on the balcony. The guy who had previously lived in my apartment before I, was a Frenchman who is now living in an absolute bachelor pad. Spacious, modern and minimalist with white walls and black furniture/tops (I think). Filled with beautiful people from all over the world dressed in smart white shirts and light dresses.
It was very cool.
I got speaking to a few even cooler people; a Canadian acrobat, who travels the world but still misses that time at home and the Latin America marketing manager for Apple who lives in a similar apartment in Mexico City. The best person I met though was one of the barmen who was hired for the event because he had such a fun loving attitude, it was incredibly infectious, he's dressed below in black, because as I later found out, he's evil. As midnight was drawing nearer he brought us some tequila shots that would be the beginning of the end.
A photo was here; it wasn’t in the backup.
But not at the time. With a few minutes to go to 2019, I found the group I arrived with and celebrated the new year with them on our own lil' side balcony. Onlookers from balconies, boats and the beach all cheered and hugged as the fireworks began to rise and light up the sky. I'm also not such a big firework guy but these were amazing, fireworks within fireworks, contrasting colours, red hearts and yellow stars amidst circles of explosions, all occurring for a good 30 minutes or more. Sorry Andrew, but you've been knocked off the top spot.
Shortly after they had ended, so did my bottle of wine, so I headed to my guy, who I at least thought was my guy, to get me a cuba libre, but instead got me something much meaner (stronger). The fact that one of my last clear memories was how strong the drink was is description enough. I'd been poisoned. After that it gets a bit blurry but I have a few memories of just trying to contain myself and calm myself down. I'm told I had a wee 10 minute nap and I remember being sat in a very plush chair chilling myself out. I'm also told we left at 3 but I can't see how we spent that much time there.
Oh well, it's New Years Eve.
We finished the new year by heading to the beach to enjoy the rest of the night. I spent the first while on a mission to eat chicken hearts, no I'm not kidding, they are dank (damn good), although that mission failed. I settled for a hot dog and began to feel a bit better. Physically. For some reason and for the love of me I can't figure out, I was feeling pretty angry and as I went for a dip in the sea, I thrashed around like a shark who'd lost his prey, maybe I was really peeved about the chicken hearts. Or maybe cause I'd got too drunk at the fancy party. I don't know, but I actually don't care, which is nice. As I walked back, I buttoned up my shirt and to let a bit more anger out, I pulled it apart and destroyed all the buttons. I've done this a few times, once after I got off the bus 1 stop too far. If I don't succeed then I button up the survivors and do it again.
This will be why you always see me in open shirts. Just kidding, I just really like the look, luckily.
I awoke the next morning, fairly fresh and without any worries, despite the drunkenness and anger of the night before and this has carried on throughout the year. I've been just being and enjoying myself. I've spent a lot of it reading my new book in coffee shops. I've began reading 'as melhores 100 historias da mitologia' or the 100 best stories of mythology and its been amazing.
I love the short chapters, I love the intertwining stories and I love the humanistic feelings of the gods. Tales which involve the darker emotions as well as the lighter ones. I had brief lapses of focus of which my mind would go to imaginative stories or plans of exploring Rome and Greece in the future.
Amidst that, and more administrative jobs I decided to use some Christmas money to enjoy a round of golf whilst I am here, so I went to the Olympic golf course to satisfy my need.
I had been exchanging messages claiming I had forgotten my handicap certificate and asking about shoes but they are so low on business it seems they said it was no problem and my basketball shoes would suffice, which is a shame actually because my flip flops would match my shorts and polo shirt perfectly.
It wasn't ridiculously expensive considering, even to rent clubs, until I got there and discovered they did not have lake balls I could buy and I had to buy balls at 3 for £10. Knowing my average of lost balls per hole, this could be a massive problem. I departed with a brave 6 for 18 and headed out into the 30 degrees heat with 3 bottles of water alone. When I say alone, I mean alone, there was 1 other group I saw all day and they were on the 9th as I was on the 1st.
To say I was rusty was an understatement, having no tee certainly didn't help as I began with a pea roller followed by another, straight into the small bushes. Luckily the roughage was fairly dry and scarce. However I did not find that ball. I did find the ball I pwned into the bush on the next shot though and even found another. Finishing with a strong short game and a 2-putt salvaged a score of 10. Still a successful hole though as I left with the same amount of balls I began with.
It took a few more holes and a makeshift tee to shake off the rust, including one failed and one successful trip over a lake, before I got myself a par. I ended up with a few pars, 2 on par 3s, which I must say were very kind, and one par 4. My irons game was strong, a part that usually fails me and in reverse, my drive was wayward, a part which normally saves me.
The beaches here are incredible and the sand so soft, so I thought I'd spend a lot of time in the bunkers too. The next hole including 4 shots out of 2 bunkers , including a bunker to bunker and a cloud of sand evolving into a cloud of rage. Although as they were not my clubs, there was no hitting the floor, no linging and no putter volleys. Instead just clouding the head and forgetting the sand wedge as I begrudgingly raked the bunker and trudged off to the next tee.
I finished the front 9 strong and came out with a 54 but was running low on balls. with a quick break to replenish fluids and balls, now costing the same as the round, I was back out for the back 9. My first shot flew into the lake, and looked like a sign of things to come, but actually finished that hole well in what we call a doobs par (par without the wayward shot/drop). As I cleaned up a capybara popped out of the bushes to say hello and trundled off covered in mud to wash himself in the lake. He clearly did not see the sign saying there were alligators living there. Unfortunately I did not see any of those but the capybara was very cool, huauge.
Neither did I see any snakes that were supposedly around, the next hole was spent largely in the rough, and at £3.33 a ball there was no way I was letting them fuckers scare me, the alligators can keep the balls, but not them. It's a shame I didn't have my camera as I did also see some beautiful birds and the cutest owls who had nested in a bunker. They came and poked their heads out watching disapprovingly as I shot the ball out of their lawn, but they had the last laugh as I missed an easy putt.
I began to tire and make silly mistakes and get a bit in my own head but in what was a beautiful moment as I stepped up to the next tee, driver in hand, I audibly yet playfully told myself to shut-up mid swing as I powered through and hit the sweetest drive I may have ever hit. I fucking pinged it, probably a good 300 yards and in that my head went silent and I was incredibly peaceful. Even better the groundskeeper turned up with my sand wedge, and when I asked if he'd seen my drive he said he had. He must get the impression I am a pro. But at that moment I felt what John Mayer describes below and it carried through all the way into the 19th where I enjoyed a beer before heading home.
So this year overall has been incredibly peaceful and clear and I hope this will continue the whole year. I've found wisdom in the strangest places and am beginning to be. I've made most of the steps in the visa process and will think about my next step in February, enjoying the next month as pre-carnaval starts today, with a street party around the lagoon and my parents will be visiting in 3 weeks. Skies are becoming blue, the sun is heating up and I'm starting to come back, perfectly in time for the start of proceedings as the atmosphere warms up to the crescendo that will be carnaval.
I hope you are all having great years as well and this year brings everything you want, and if not, something better.
