Marco_ukmus BB Progress Log

[ottomun6]

Actually, since Marco is taking some down time. I'm really wondering how your mum is handling the "gay" issue.
Is she still working her way through it?
And how is her general health? does she look better for the big trip?

When you said that she asked you about being gay, I was floored. But I guess you have to expect that when you haven't brought any "estrogenized" people home.
I came out not that long ago to my family (go figure, -I live out of state, and I was WAAAAAAY past the dreaded 30 year old marriage deadline!!) I never got to tell my mother due to alzheimers. But I'm sure she probably knew before fading away from us. Like the guys say "mothers just know".

[Corwin]

I share the worries/questions/observations about Marco's journey. I would remind the gentle reader that Marco came to this group, whether consciously or unconsciously, to help him through some of the issues in his life. At some point Marco will "take down time" or outgrow the need to be active here. It is all part of his growing process. It is totally natural and expected. I'm sure we all wish him the best and hope that he finds the time to update us on his life.

[glammaman2000]

along with your MUM;you now have whatever other # of concerned parents,adoring offspring,&suck-slave wannabees.Nuts,huh?

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi all,

Sorry for being somewhat distant from the site of late. I have had a lot on my mind and have been rather busy what with only 3 ish weeks before i leave for my vacation. To be honest with you all, i guess my motivation, although usually seemlessly high, has somewhat taken a battering of late due to on going flu/cold like virural thing. Even now, even though all its bascially gone, I still dont feel 100%, and my weight is not great right now, just dont feel very happy at all. You know how it is, you just want to keep achieving, keep growing, and after such a successful year, it just feels as though im lossing it a little. Still, on a good note, i guess I have lost some fat, and am back at the gym.

Post Responses

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

Here in NY,I know that cool,wet weather is an invitation to a cold.Is it that way in England;or do you adapt if it's more or less constant?

Yeah, its ht esame here. Soon as the winter begins, everyone starts getting colds... This years cold/flu thing has hit me really hard. its not just me, but a lot of other have had it with some having had it for 9 weeks plus. so i hope this is not indicative of future colds which will last longer and longer.

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

if you want to make money modeling;you have to put your foot down at some point.They'll try,"It's good exposure",FOREVER!Can't wait to see the pix

Yeah I realize this. This is the only photo shoot i recon i will do for free. This one is just to get my face out there so to speak.

Originally Posted by ottomun6

Hmmm, after the magazine covers, I'm thinking Marco should start slow...maybe just have a morning muscle talk show then ramp it up into detective-action series (all the bad guys will have to be huge buffed monsters too, of course )

LOL! yeah right ;0) Mind you, if this photo shoot does prove a success and other companies/mags come forward and ask who i am then it could well lead to other things... who knows... Thats why i took this oppotunity and did it anyway, to see if it would lead to other things.

Originally Posted by gymboy

My only regret--Marc and I didn't have time to schedule a work out together. I'm sure we would have pushed each other to some great muscle growth.

We'll definetly sort that out next time we meet, most likely me in the USA. Its a shame we could not have sorted it out that Sunday, but i had a very hectic day.

Originally Posted by gymboy

I'm looking forward to catching up with Marc again the next time I get to London, or when he visits the U.S. He's a great person on his way to being a great bodybuilder!

Thanks Gymboy! We will definetly catch again :0) You do have a great pair of arms there ;0)

Originally Posted by CanadianGordon

So... Marco, do we get any picture updates soon?

At the moment, I am not feeling my best, guess im a bit low because of the recent illness and loosing some size. So, I will take some photos at some point, most likely again next year. However, I will sort out those phase 6 photos before i leave. I recon I need some time off, just to clear my head, relax the body and then start up again next year hopefully for another 30lbs.

Originally Posted by mmfan

Hey Marco, long time lurker, first time poster. This whole saga is like a great soap opera, and each day I tune in to see what's happened next. I guess I'm 50/50 envious/horrified by your story (steroids, clubbing with strange men, explotative photoshoots) - I know I should be concerned for your safety/mental health, but goddamnit it's kinda hot.

Hehe, so thats why so many people read this thread ;0) lol Well, i am very happy that so many of you like the experiences that i am sharing with you. Yes I agree that the whole thing is somewhat like a roller coster, but its an amazing ride so far, and even though it sounds like i maybe putting myself at great risk in so many different ways, i can asure you all, that i am very much in control.
I think its very safe to assume that as my physique develops, the intensity of the ride will increase on so many different levels. Ironically, even though im not as big as i was a month or so ago when i was ont he roids, I am still getting a lot of attension. For instance, I was went to the only gay pub in my home town with an old gay friend i had not seen for ages, and whilst we were in there, one guy came over to him and asked "how do you know that muscle guy?", and when i was at the bar, two guys were stairing at me for ages. Another guy wanted to feel my muscles... its just crazy what happens. Then of course theres Trade and DTPM that i went to this weekend just gone. I'll talk more about that in a moment... To be honest, I can't wait until im back on the roids, and more to the point, i can't wait until my entire system is back to 100% normal. And above all, I can't wait to start growing again, even naturally as i was before. So, next year, maybe i'll just continue to work naturally, provided my body starts growing as it did before. If it does, then i wont roid for quite some time, if it does not, i guess i'll start another cycle.

Originally Posted by mmfan

I hope you never feel that online gay men like me have used you for our own gratification. I know it may look sometimes like I'm gleefully watching your descent into a depraved and glamorous world of hardbodies and nightclubs, but actually you're really helping me to work through some of my own shit.

Well, this is the thing, I guess, having spoken to/communicated with quite a few of you guys, I am aware that some of you have/do wank over my experiences, and even have printouts of my photos, which I dare say is kinda a ego boost ;0) At the same time, I also have been told that a lot of you have found this thread and my experiences not only to be educational, motivational and inspirational, but also helping some of you realize the full impact of what muscle does to people, and how others react to it. I also realize that many of you here on this site are just here for the fantasy part rather than actually wanting to achieve it yourself, all of which is fine and i hope that all of you, whether or not you want to actually be muscle bound in real life or just here for the shared expereiences of others, gain something form my experiences. Becoming muscle bound impacts literally everything, espically if you are/were a shy guy like i was a year ago. I am basically a completely different person now. If nothing else, my confidence to push myself and meet people and push myself career wise and not be scared to ask for what i want in life has been more than worth the trials and tribulations in getting this far. Of course, I will continue to share my experiences with you guys for years to come, until such time as i believe i have achieved enough, i.e. reached at least a decent body builder look. So i recon another 2-3 years. Of course, my postings may at times not be as fluid and free flowing/regualar as they have been in the past, but this thread and this story of my life will continue, so no need to worry guys :0)

Originally Posted by Ottomun6

Actually, since Marco is taking some down time. I'm really wondering how your mum is handling the "gay" issue. Is she still working her way through it?
And how is her general health? does she look better for the big trip?

Thats an interesting question... I dont really know how she handling it, i guess she's doing ok... she seems ok about it. But one never knows, sometimes people hide their true feelings so as not to hurt the other person. Although, i feel in the long run this is a silly thing and hence one should always be honest with the other people, so people know exactly where they stand.

As for her health, yeah she is fine. Still has pain near and around her bladder and hence she recons its another stone. Obviously our medical insurance for the trip have excluded this particular problem as it is a known issue with her, so if there is any problems with this whilst we are on holiday, we have huge problems since we wont be insured, of course, anything else and we are covered... still, i am confident there will be no issues. She has a few more tests before we leave so we will know for sure what the problem is with in the next few weeks.

Originally Posted by Ottomun6

When you said that she asked you about being gay, I was floored. But I guess you have to expect that when you haven't brought any "estrogenized" people home.

Well, myabe, then again, given my past, and that i was delaying everything since i had wayyy too much going on, I guess one could argue that it was perfectly acceptable not to get invloved with an such relationships, irrespective of gender. who knows... we are all different...

Originally Posted by Ottomun6

I came out not that long ago to my family (go figure, -I live out of state, and I was WAAAAAAY past the dreaded 30 year old marriage deadline!!) I never got to tell my mother due to alzheimers. But I'm sure she probably knew before fading away from us. Like the guys say "mothers just know".

I am sure she did know, or at least, like mine, suspected.

Originally Posted by Corwin

I share the worries/questions/observations about Marco's journey. I would remind the gentle reader that Marco came to this group, whether consciously or unconsciously, to help him through some of the issues in his life. At some point Marco will "take down time" or outgrow the need to be active here. It is all part of his growing process. It is totally natural and expected. I'm sure we all wish him the best and hope that he finds the time to update us on his life.

Indeed, I guess one day i will call it a day, but this story, like i say, is still very much alive and growing as i do. I am sure the story will have more and more intensity as time goes on, and as i grow. And I will continue to share it with you until such time as i deem my self at least at some decent level, so that there is a full story from thin to body builder build logged on the internet for all to read and enjoy. Of course, one should expect, like all of us here, there will of course be times when i wont be so active with the site and then again, times when i am very active and you all have to be on your toes to keep up with the fast pase of post on this thread. It all depends on how i feel and what happens to me in the journey. Obviously, you guys all know, or at least if you have read in between the lines of my posts and experiences, will of crouse have realized that there is much much more to the experiences that i let on. Of course, im not talking sex, but the intensity of the experiences, especially recently, is very very hard to describe in words unless you actually exerience yourself.

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

So,Marco,... along with your MUM;you now have whatever other # of concerned parents,adoring offspring,&suck-slave wannabees.Nuts,huh?

Hehe, Like i've said before, the amount of support I get form you guys, whether your an active public poster or a private lurker is something that i think baffles us all. The level of support and concern for each others well fair, despite having never met each other, is simply undescribable.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your posts :0)

This Weekends Events...
This week i went to Trade since it was having its 15th birthday. The crowd was great, lots of muscled guys and body builders. However the venue, turnmills, was rubbish I thought. The facilities were not great, the usual caos at the toilets and getting through from one room to the next. Still, it was great apart from the fact it started at 5am sunday morning. Anyway, I did something a little bit mad... I actually was dancing on the podium in the soft house room for like hours... guess, my confidence has grown even more... hehe. So natrually lots of people were staring and looking. One guy said I was even a great dancer, but i dont think i am, just dance in time to the beat of the musci, thats it, having been a drummer for years, its really easy to feel the beat. Anyway, met up with a lot of people i knew from other clubs and was introduced to a load more... One guy who i had met before, about my height, not that big, but muscled with a goaty, about mid-late thrities i thnk, steve i think is his name, asked if i would sign his copy of QX when it came out, lol, i was like, of course, although, it's not like im famious or anything lol, though it did feel good. hehe. Mr P was unable to make it unfortunately. although i did enjoy the evening, with all the check me out stares and comments made by others, it was like something was missing from the scene, since when im with Mr P we just have such a good time. Of course Mr J, Mr M and Mr A were there with young Mr A and Mr E, all great guys. Anyway, so after that I left about 12pm Sunday afternoon, then went back for a kip. I was so tired, and my legs were simply dead. my ears were ringing from all the loud music, and i was so sweaty and smelly from all the cigarette smoke. Turn mills, did not have a very good ventilation system, it was soooo hot in there. Anyway, after a good 6-7+ hours sleep, I got up, got ready and left with Mr P to DTPM. Once we had picked up Tall Mr P and dragged him away from his wonderful parrets, we arrrived at DTPM. Being that it was halloween, there were quite a few people that were in costume. Mr P had lended me a very tight t-shirt, kinda like a underarmor one, it was white and showed me off quite well i think. Obviously I was wearing me usual tight jeans. The evening did not start all that well for me since i was unbelievably tired, and was not really thinking straight. Still, after about 1am I was starting to feel better and actually had a fantastic night with the guys. It was funny actually, at one point in the evening I saw Mr P chatting to these two straight guys, these two were apparently in total awe of Mr P's body, well, he is f'ing huge! I dont think they had been to DTPM before because one of them made some comment about not wanting to take his shirt off because he felt ashamed seeing that all these gay guys had much better bodies than he had. They were nice guys though, clearly had a fair few to drink hehe. Although, i did feel somewhat insulted when one of them asked, "do you workout?", does my body honestly not look like I have been working out... I dunno. Actually, I was somehwat pissed of anyway on that note since the taxi driver whom took us back from Trade said i had an "average" body. I dont think my body is anywhere near average, still, i guess he could not tell given that i was all covered up, though it really makes me wanna work really hard in the gym now. Average indeed!!!!! Clearly most people dont think i have an "average" body. I guess it hit home even more since, at the moment im kinda not feeling great about myself anyway, since i have lost weight and thus a little size having come off the roids. Anyway, so, we dacned in the striahgt room and me on the podium again with the lazers going and then back in the main room. Met up with this well known DJ, we'll call him Mr A. I had met him serval times before - a really nice guy, mind you, still yet to hear his music, though im sure its very good. He said apparently im like a ray of sunshine when im there... hehe, and he said he wanted to take some pics of me, I dunno, having met these guys s like the best thing thats happened to me in a long time. Never had so much fun. Still i realize this must be kept in moderation. Still, I was introduced to some more guys, and made a few more contacts with guys whom share the same desire and interests as i do. DTPM had clearly made some effort that night to decorate the place, put colour filters on the lights in the hall ways and even have some guy being pulled from side to side in the foyer area when we came in, which incidently goes to Mr P's gym.

Coming Up
I texted the rep from the mag the other day since i had not heard anything from him sinc ethe shoot, and apparently they are still looking over the photos from the shoot, but the mag comes out on the 16th just before the big sleep over event which starts on the 18th through to the 21st. I wont be going to the event since i need to save up for the holiday, however, I think i will squeeze in one last clubbing session with Mr P et al before I leave on the 20th, obviously, after the mag comes out.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Marc

[CanadianGordon]

Marco, I know it sucks to be refered to as "average" but to the casual observer nowadays, "average" is "athletic/built". One of the downsides of this day and age. Average used to be a fairly normal looking person. With an okay body, but not built. Nowadays... It means you've got a better than normal body.

Just my two cents. Don't be discouraged dude. And enjoy the time away.

[UKBeefy]

Well sounds as ever that you are enjoying life Marco. When you are on holiday do search out some gyms to keep training in. If I remember there was a good gym in Sydney called City Gym I think and also went to a gym in Melbourne that was good too.

I think alot of people just have no idea what to say in the situation you mention. Straight guys in particular often seem to start a conversation with a very low key remark eg "do u workout?" rather than being more direct and saying "great arms" or "looking good" as that obviously can sound like a come on. It also depends what you are wearing - in your case if you were well covered up people may miss your shape as you are so defined and youthful looking. Alot of people think a big guy like a bouncer/doorman sized is the sort of thing they thing as big even if that person may be more beefy than a bodybuilder shape.

[Corwin]

Originally Posted by Marco_ukmus

I am aware that some of you have/do wank over my experiences

So, what you're saying is that you think we're all wankers! I'm shocked! Shocked I say!

(note to the terminally confused -- I'm being silly here)

[glammaman2000]

...when people would say,"Do you work out?"I just realised that that's how people who don't work out start a conversation with somebody that obviuosly DOES!I'd bet money that Ronnie Coleman gets the same question!

[musclewannabe]

hey marco!!! just wanted to finally post on your thread and tell you that you have been an inspiration to me....being exactly the same height you are it really got me geared to know and see that another short guy has enough drive to get freaky . i don't know why though...lol..but just watch out though...one day i might pass you....

take care man..have a great trip if you haven't gone yet...and continue to grow...you got compitition now...lol

yours truly

nate

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi Guys!

Ok, its been a weee while since i have updated you on, well, anything. Been exceptionally busy recently what with work, gym and of course, finalizing the remander of the arrangements for the holiday. To all those that have send messages - I am slowly working through that at the moment so don't panic, you will receive a reply in due course.

Post Responses

Originally Posted by UKBeefy

Straight guys in particular often seem to start a conversation with a very low key remark eg "do u workout?" rather than being more direct and saying "great arms" or "looking good" as that obviously can sound like a come on.

Yeah i know, One should not get pissed off about these things. Like you say, people often just say a rather rediculious "do you work out" when they can clearly see that you do in order to start the conversation off, just, if it is so dame obvious then why not say something else, but i see your logic.

Originally Posted by musclewannabe

hey marco!!! just wanted to finally post on your thread and tell you that you have been an inspiration to me....being exactly the same height you are it really got me geared to know and see that another short guy has enough drive to get freaky . i don't know why though...lol..

Hey im glad i've inspired you mate, keep pumping hard and you will achieve your goals. You just need to keep at it.

Originally Posted by musclewannabe

but just watch out though...one day i might pass you....

We'll see

Photo Shoot

Right, I can now reveal some details about the photo shoot. Over and above what you know already, the shoot was for a Pride Reunion event called "It's a massive sleep over" - staring Grace jones. The magazine that the shoot was for was QX International which is a well known and well read Gay magazine reporting on up coming events in the gay scene as well as a ton of other info. The magazine was due to make its debut tomorrow, however, unfortunately, as you'll see from the link above, the event has been "postponed" until 2006 due to bad pre-event ticket sales, hence, QX will no longer be printing me on the front cover, which is a huge shame since i was hoping to use this shoot as my debut into the world of modeling, ah well. Thankfully, I already have another shoot lined up for something else, so hopefully that might get me started.

Anyway, so, anyway, knowing you guys would wanna see what would have been used on the front cover, i thought i'd post it here for you... arn't i good to you

Anyway, there where a lot of shots taken but here is the >> one [1] << i think they would have used since it has a kinda "come to bed with me" type cheeky look. Bascially, like i said before, the class of milk and pillow resemble the sleep over part. The picture of grace jones is there because she is the main star.

The other one is this >> one [2] <<, but arguably does not help advertise the event so well since it has less of a "come to bed with me" type look, and more of me just having fun.

Also, both pics are available in poster size should you want them, Pic 1 Poster, Pic 2 Poster.

Well, you guys will have to let me know which one you prefer.

General Update

Things are going very well. I am now back up to full speed with the gym. One thing that has surprised me is that i have retained most of my strength from the recent cycle, which is excellent news. At the moment, I am almost at the end of phase 6 (the last phase before i set off on my big adventure). And at the moment I am actually getting very defined and the muscles are starting to look a lot better and bulgyer than they did before, So, i'll do one final photo shoot next week pending time so that you guys can see my current state before i set off. I can't believe I set off next saturday!!! it came around soooo fast. Still, im basically set to go now So as off Saturday next week, im afraid its going to be pretty much radio slience from me - as it were, until early next year. Obviously, soon as i come back, in around the first week of jan, possibly second, i'll have another blood test to find out if everything has returned to normal. On that note, I am feeling VRY motivated on all fronts and thinking clearly again, as well as, not feeling so tired, which were some of the symptoms described some posts back, so hopefully thats a good sure sign that things are sure doing very well. Obviously, i will set a more realistic goal for next year like to gain another 20-25lbs which would bring me up to 175-180lbs (based on current weight), which, at a height of 5'6, should look somewhat more impressive than my current state. Anyway, gives us all something to look forward to Also, I will be launching, most likely, the marcomus website, so that should be interesting

Take care all,

And keep growing!!!!!!

Marc

[hulkmuscle]

Poster size?!? Where are the wallet-size and the 3-D hologram versions?

Seriously, very nice photos, Marco. Glad to hear you're back in the swing o' things.

[glammaman2000]

...the reason the cover did not appear is because Grace Jones is so"o'vuh"while you are a RISING STAR but"Pride reunion"faces the wrath of your LEGIONS of world-wide fans which will INSTANTLY stop purchasing all of the...uh...ok,so it's not much of a threat.Both pics are cute,but I like the one with a big grin!Glad to hear workouts are going well.Have a GREAT time on your trip!Kisses to your Mum!g.

[Corwin]

What does your Mum think of the pictures?

(you already know what we wankers think )

[Aikuchi]

Great images of you!
Though I have to say I prefer the one with you smiling less.(come hither one)

I'm not nitpicking but I feel the pictures could have been better taken. I know there's gonna be some photomanip in the end of course, but a good picture requires little to none and sets a better foundation as an image. My Ex is an amatuer photography of several years exp. and I try to pick up some pointers from him.

Sample (so I'm not just shitting you guys )

On a DigiCamera (manip for clarity and grain)
Black and White

Photo my Ex took of a friend (DIgital EOS Canon 3000)
Black Blonde

I do believe that from what i've seen from more casual personal shots of youself, there so much more than can be done with you as a model (sigh) --

Oh well

You always look great anyways in any pictures (drool~~~~~)

[CanadianGordon]

Well will keep an eye out for you Marco. You're a good guy and can't wait to see what's in store!

[Marco_ukmus]

Hey there guys,

My god, its one week today before i leave!!!! and so much to do before then!

Post Responses

Originally Posted by Corwin

What does your Mum think of the pictures?

Yeah, i did show her, her words, or word rather was "great!" in an exceptionally sarcastic / Whatever type tone. My work colleagues loved it, thought it was sooo funny and keep threatening to add it to the december calendar hehe, obviously they are only joking. Still, next year there will be some more shoots so hopefully I will make my debut soon

Originally Posted by CanadianGordon

can't wait to see what's in store!

Nor can i. This first year of body building has been an eye opener on soo many levels. This year I have gained a 30lbs, learnt so much info about exercises, dieting, supplements, and various things about the body, I have met so many great people that share the same desires and goals that i have, and experienced some mind blowing things like muscle worship and clubbing outtings. However, I think its safe to say that i have set my expectations of growth somewhat too high. If you remember some pages back, i said i wanted to be 175/180 before i left for holiday, well, although i peaked at 160lbs during the cycle, I am now 150, which is still fantastic given i was 130lbs when i started. I have learnt though through people like Mr P, that one should actually learn to relax somewaht and not get soo caught up with the figures and use the mirror more, rather than what the scale reports. Next year I will be taking a more relaxed approach to the entire thing. This does not mean i won't be giving it my all in the gym, just means i wont get so caught up with the figures and accept that some times the body will grow lots, then sometimes, not much at all. If i rememebr back to when i was exercising in the first 6 months or so, when i consistently grew, I was taking a more relaxed aproach then, and grew very well indeed, so maybe i need to get rid of the stress and maybe i'll grow faster. Obviously, I'll roid again next year, although probably after 2 months or so after coming back from the vacation. With one years experience behind me, next year I should have a decent level of growth. I'm gowing to set next years goal to be 20/25lbs for the year. That would get me up to 170/175 by the end of the year and thus i will consentrate on getting to 200lbs (the ultamate goal) for year three (2007). Anyway, what ever happens, I'll still be f'ing huge by 26/27 . Obviously, if i gain more than the allocated 20/25lbs a year, then that fantastic, but one thing i have learnt this year is to set more realistic goals and just be happy with the way things are going. Stress has been proven to cause stunted growth and can cause the lowing of the immune system, so all of us should try to just take life as it comes and not get so worried about things, otherwise, we not only might be stunting our muscle growth goals, but also affecting our own well-being.

End of Post
Anyway, so i guess with statements like above (conclusions etc), I am starting to wind down this thread until next year. Ok well I thought i'd show you one pic of what i look like currently from phase 6 (the final phase this year). Bear in mind i have been doing a lot of cardio in a bid to rip up a bit for the holiday, so here is one pic >>>> Click Here <<<<. Please let me know what you think, and if you see or think there is any changes.

Ok, more to come...

For now though, take care!

Marc

[Corwin]

Your bis are looking bigger.

[UKBeefy]

Mark.

A very honest and mature posting. I know I for one was suggesting u take things at a more sensible pace and relax a little - I think you will still surprise yourself in the end.

Have a great holiday...

Brian

[ottomun6]

Hey Marco! nice pics!! It would be great if you ended up as the new milk
commercial spokeman.
Sounds like next year should work a lot smoother for you and your goals. Being in good healthy shape can only help you in the long run.
I hope and wish you (and your mum) a safe and happy vacation. HAVE A GREAT TIME!!

[glammaman2000]

New pic is GREAT!You have long muscle bellies;so arms look good now,huge potential for later!Lats are fine!Posing is much better(elbows 1/2inch closer to camera.It'll make a difference!)Beautiful serratus.A genetic gift.Rib-cage could be bigger.I reccommend triangle chins.PM me if you want to know how to do DB pullovers PROPERLY(takes a while to explain).Don't expect Mum to be too enthusiastic about your"new"life just now.You're moving into an area(gay/bodybuilder/international sex symbol/model)where she feels she can't help you.Can't be your mom.As time goes on,she'll realize that some things(relationships,cost/benefit ratios,etc.)aren't so different.HAVE A GREAT TRIP!g.

[glammaman2000]

Skin on arms seems a bit irritated.Toothmarks?Not surprised.

[UKBeefy]

There's a new guy started training at my gym and the only way I can describe him is how I expect MarK to look within say 2 years. It really is uncanny the resemblance. The guy has a fantastic slightly unreal body...very smooth skin, tight and yet a kind of fullness to each bodypart. The guy could easily be a model - he looks sort of accidentally muscular and very fresh faced. I think Mark should meet him.
Sorry no pics available, just believe me.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hey All!

Post Responses

Originally Posted by Corwin

Your bis are looking bigger.

Thank you. Yeah i think they have indeed grown a bit. Starting to put a lot more effort into the arms these days since torso seems to be getting a head.

Originally Posted by UKBeefy

I think you will still surprise yourself in the end.

yeah i hope so. I will still continue to roid, just with the added knowledge and guidance from my new found friends in london, I think I have every chance of succeeding to my size goals. Just need to be more respectful of the process, in that of how long it takes to build decent muscle bulk.

Originally Posted by ottomun6

I hope and wish you (and your mum) a safe and happy vacation. HAVE A GREAT TIME!!.

Thanks mate! yep im sure we will have a fantastic time once we set off. Must say, at the moment what with still so much to do, it is somewhat stressful, but i know once we start going it will be fine and i can relax.

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

New pic is GREAT!You have long muscle bellies;so arms look good now,huge potential for later!Lats are fine!Posing is much better(elbows 1/2inch closer to camera.It'll make a difference!)Beautiful serratus.A genetic gift.Rib-cage could be bigger.

Thanks Glammaman! Still working on the lats though, want those bigger, wanna exsadurate the 'V' shape and waist to shoulder ratio even more. Yeah, i think my posing is getting better, seem to be getting more practice durring muscle worship sessions these days
Nothing much i can do about the size of the rib cage, mind you maybe HGH will influence that, who knows. Next years cycle is still very much in the air.

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

Don't expect Mum to be too enthusiastic about your"new"life just now.You're moving into an area(gay/bodybuilder/international sex symbol/model)where she feels she can't help you.Can't be your mom.As time goes on,she'll realize that some things(relationships,cost/benefit ratios,etc.)aren't so different.HAVE A GREAT TRIP!g.

Hell, i'm still trying to take it all in, let alone her, and she does not know the half of it. Anyway, I am exceptionally thankful for having experienced everything i have in the last 6 months. The wild clubbing sessions and more recently, my first after party have all been nothing short of simply amazing. But, i know there is still much to learn and much to experience, so next year the adventure continues, not only with regards to building more muscle, but more importantly, the experiences and the changes in my life that are happening as a result of it. The holiday for me is like a large pit stop in my life to have some time out and reflect, think and plan whats next. Obviously, next year, i am likely to move out form my parents house, or more rather, my mothers, and will have to find another job since my contract ends. So where i will end up, who knows. Its because of this that it is very likely that i will ahve to find another gym and therefore, will hopefully take this oppotunity to find a good gym buddy and work hard to gain the next 20-25+ lbs of muscle. So, there will be a lot more to report next year, this story has really only just begun.

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

Skin on arms seems a bit irritated.Toothmarks?Not surprised.

Lol, dame, you noticed , actually, its some rash that has recently just appeared, have no idea why. Thankfully it has almost gone now, must have been just one of those things. Still, with all the touching and playing around in the clubs and what not, who knows...
Talking of skin, I am hopeing to come back next year, well, for new years eve, with a decent sun tan and with completely clear skin with no spots. So we'll have to see.

Originally Posted by UKBeefy

There's a new guy started training at my gym and the only way I can describe him is how I expect MarK to look within say 2 years. It really is uncanny the resemblance. The guy has a fantastic slightly unreal body...very smooth skin, tight and yet a kind of fullness to each bodypart. The guy could easily be a model - he looks sort of accidentally muscular and very fresh faced. I think Mark should meet him.
Sorry no pics available, just believe me.

Humm, sounds interesting. I might have to do another gym session with you some time next yeah and check him out
Shame you could not get a pic.

Good Bye & Farewell
Well, I guess this is it. Obviously i dont leave until Saturday, but with some small send off parties and what not to attend to, i wont be around much on the computer much longer to answer emails and messages. Thankfully, all of you should now have recieved replies to an messages you have sent, so at least im up to date.

I would just like to thank all of you for your support this year, and hope that you'll continue to find my journey of interest for quite some time to come. Now that im much more knowledgable in the field of gorwing muscle, there will be a lot more to come next year, and hopefulyl, much more size to my frame.

Anyway, i bid you all Merry Christmas and Happy New year in advance!

Take care y'all! and keep growing!

Marc

[CanadianGordon]

Looking forward to getting new updates when you're back.

Have a good time!

[Marco_ukmus]

Hey all,

Thought i'd try and update all of you as i go around the world. Also it means i have a log of what i have done and a central place for all of you to read up on what i've been up to and the aventures i have been having.

I am going to publish the sydney diary for now even though obviously we have already finished with Singapore. This is because i am still writing the singapore adventure diary up since a lot happened, and i had to write the sydney lot now whilst its fresh in my mind.

Sydney
Thurs 1 Dec - Arrived in Sydney / Pubbing

We arrived in Sydney about 6am and got a taxi from the airport to our hotel (Four Points by Sheraton). The taxi was quite expensive i thought at nearly 50 dollars, still, compared with what i expect L.A. taxi prices to be like, im sure its not bad. The hotel was actually very nice. Thankfully we were able to check in straight away rather than waiting for until the usual time of 12:30pm etc. After a few hours sleep to catch up from the jet lag (8 hour flight), we decided to check ou the hotel and then head out to explore some of the surrounding area. The hotel had a gym although had the usual running machines and rowing machine, but no free weights which was rather disapointing, still, at least it had a gym. We got some lunch from a cafe in a rather old vitorian shopping centre which must have housed the largest christmas tree i have ever seen. Still, we did not do much that day since both of us were very tired, so we returned to the hotel and booked a tour for the following day before heading back to our room to catch some sleep.

On the way to the hotel that day, the taxi driver pointed out that one of the areas we were travelling through was the "gay" area of the city, which was interesting since now i did not have to ask anyone. Since I went clubbing in singapore, I have now decided that i will attempt to go clubbing in each country i visit, just to see what the "scene" is like there so i can compare. So, i decided to head out to oxford street (the gay area) and after checking up and down the street a few times for a decent place to hang out I finally stopped at a nice pub/club that was playing my kind of clubbing music (house). I was wearing nothing majorly speacle since i was not planning on going out for a "gay" night that night, but anyhow, i was wearing my tight jeans and a biege polar neck teashirt. As i past the doorman, he said, "you do realise this is a gay club", I said yes and past him. Was actually good to know i look really straight lol. Anyway, the crowd was pretty good, I brought a stella from the bar (7 dollars) and proceeded to walk around the pub. Got the usual check-me-out stares and smiles. After awhile, a guy approached me and introduced himself. Lee was his name, about my height, 34, not muscled but a nice guy all the same. Lee was originally from Manchester (UK) but moved to New Zealand some ten years ago. So anyway, we chatted for ages. Lee was very into muslce guys, so he told me he spotted me quite some time back as i was walking through. Anyway, so being the nastey teasy person i am, i decided to do some flexing for him as he touched my muscles. Was so funny. Kinda reminded me of what i get up to back home with the guys in london, only this was a lot less erotic. still, as this kinda muscle worship session carried on, a lesbian started getting involved too. She was a really nice lady but could not help but feel my shoulders and pecs... so there i am, standing, in a pub/club in sydney, flexing away with no one i know, with two people, a guy and girl feeling me all over at the same time... hehe, just love it!!. Ironically one of the bar men whom served me earlier that night came over, apparantly a photographer, he said he would like to take some photos of me, but said i would have to lean up a bit first - cheaky sod... still, I know i do need to lean up a bit to get those abs showing well, but hey, im on holiday. Still, I told him i had done some modelling before etc. Anyway, at this point Lee was like begging me to come back to his place, and i was like, nah, i really need to be getting back to my hotel since I did not want my mother worrying again, it was like 2am ish now. So after some relentess begging from Lee, I thought, ok, but only for 10 mins, and it would only be a quick muscle worship session and no more. So went back to his place where he was able to see me in all my glory (shirt off only ;0). I could see he was really enjoying himself as i flexed for him and he felt and kissed my muscles. lol. Anyway, so after literally 10 mins, I siad thats it im off. He was so not my type. Lee was going back to NZ tomorrow, hence his urgency to do things. Still, he told me of a good place to visit in NZ, some place called K-street where there is a gay scene (auckland), so, when i'm there around christmas, i am going to check that out. Since this was thursday, I planned to go to a real club tomorrow (friday) thus, I decided to investigate where to go. He mentioned one place "The arch" were apparently a lot of muscle guys go and take their shirts off etc, which sounds like my kinda place hehe. Anyway, I finally got back to the hotel and slept.

Fri 2 Dec - Blue Mountains Tour / FeatherDale wildlife Park / NightShift Club (Oxford Street)

Today we got up had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It was quite nice, a full buffet with hot and cold food, cearal etc. Was very expensive i thought ($55 per person), still, not like we are staying here very long and its nice and close. After having breakfast we boarded the coach outside the hotel and set off on the days excursion. On our travels around singapore, so many people we met (mainly mid aged english people) mentioned that the blue mountains was a great place to visit. Only, we had no idea how far it was from the main town area of sydney. It took us like an hour as i recall to get from darling harbour via coach to the blue mountains. The tour guide was really good. Very informative. I told us of all the road works that are happening around sydney and why a tunnel is now named "cross" tunnel. Apparently it has something to do with everytone being forced to use the tunnel since they closed a lot of the other roads and hence they all now have to pay a toll fee. They also recently built a ventaltion shaft for the tunnel and what should have been a simple shaft ended up tunning into a 10 meter hole due to all the rain they have had recently, and hence they had to fill it with concrete since part of a house had collapst down the hole... You can tell that a lot of citazens are somewhat pissed off about this. And the city has a lot of silly one way systems and apparently they wanna introduce a congension charge zone like london to try and combat the enormous traffic problems. Anyway, appart from more recent news, he also took us back in time explaining how sydney was formed, how the exploring Mr cook and imagrants formed the beginning of what is now sydney. And of course, how sydney got its name (lord Sydney). Anyway, we eventually arrived at the blue mountains where we decided to go on this very steep rail way which used to be used for mining. It goes down at 53 degrees at times hence the seating is at a strange angle. Once down into the valley where the three sisters looked down (the large rock formations named after a folk tail), we took a 30 minute walk around the many walk ways to a large waterfall and back past some mining entrances. We then took the gondala back to the visitors centre we we had lunch. The area was simply amazing, mountains all around us and the rain forest was fantastic. Apparently, past the mountains the land soon goes barren as it turns into flat desert land until it gets to the west coast. Apparently there is a train that runs from sydney to the west coast that only drops 1 foot in all its distance and is in the gines book of records for being teh single longest rain track in the world. After having lunch we departed and dropped off at a few photo oppotunity stops before stopping off for a few hours at the FeatherDale wildlife Park. Here we managed to check out and stroke chawla bears and kangerroos as well as checking out various other animals and insects such as the crocadile, tasmanian devil, dangerous snakes and spides and a very large number of birds and parrots. We managed to get a lot of great photos today which i will show you guys soon once i upload them. It was great to be able to get so close to the animals and take some photos of us man handling them ;0)

Ok, so we returned that evening back tot eh hotel around about 6:30pm. Had a meal at the hotel and chatted about everything we had done so far and wanted to do in the coming weeks and days. As my mother headed off to bed i decided to go out tonight on the tiles (as it were) and check out the muscle scene in sydney for a laugh. Put on my tight jeans, white muscle vest and set off to oxford street. I started at the same pub as last night (cant remember the name - will ahve to find out) where they were holding some money raising event, so instead of being free it was $5 entry. Still went in any way and stayed there while. Did the usual walk around before someone decided to intorduce themselves. Met two guys, andrios (i think), orginally from Iran, came over a long time ago, and is now a hair dresser, and another guy, (forgoten his name) a student studying his MSc. I hanged out with those guys for awhile and watched the drag queens on stage perform (terrible!!!) well, one of them was quite good, one of them was so butt ugly though, almost had to turn the other way lol. Anyway, so asked Andrios what club he recommened for me to attend. He siad the Arch was good although espenisve to get in, although he said he prefers "the midnight shift club" which was a little further back up the road. He mentioned that a lot of muscle guys go there although it was generally an older crowd, still, since he mentioned all the guys take their shirts off and it was cheaper to get in and closer, i thought, what the hell, and headed to the "midnight shift". Was $15 to get in. Inside it looked like a proper club rather than a bar come club. Had the usual low lit lighting, well kitted out, very stylish, not that big though, but a really great dance floor and lazer show. Also there was a stage were apparently a show would be perforded later on in the early hours of the morning. Anyway, so got a drink and walked around a bit. Soon got my first bit of attension but was a no hoper. Infact, serval bloody no hopers came over that evening, guess we all have them, just have to weed through them. Still eventually met up with a young nice couple, not muscled but cool guys. Seemd to know a lot of people there including the one of the drag queens on stage and the guy whom creates all the shows. Kinda hanged around with those guys for quite awhile. It was like 2am posibly 3am before the dance floor was crowded and the usual house music was playing. The usual signal had been fired for everyone to strip down and take ther shirts off. I decided to take my nice designer white shirt that Mr P had kindly given me (no longer fits his growing self), and stripped down to my tight muscle vest where i danced awhile and then on the podium. I know, know, a bit of a show off some times ;0) Anyway, so that was cool, got a LOT of looks and check me out stairs. I recon i must have been the only guy dancing to the music in time, still was great vibe going now what with the lazers and what not. It was obvious that a lot of guys here were on "things". If anyone askes your name more than twice, talks exssessivly / talks rubbish, its a sure sign. Here in Sydney they operate a strict no 'g' policy. Whilst i was in the toilets serveral times that evening waiting for a cubical, a seceruity guard would come over and check the cubicals to check to see how many people were in each one and ask the people waiting how long have the people been in there. Of course, everyone just says not long even if its not true. I alwasy thought 3 pound odd for an 'e' tablet was expensive, which is like $7AUS, but here its like $35 per pill!!!! I checked with a few guys and apparently this is the average price here... not that i would take any, but i was curious never-the-less. Anyway, after getting off the podium, i decided to rotate and move round the crowd a bit, the usual check out what else is out there. There were a lot of very defined bodies and some built bodies, but nothing in the way of large body builder types, well, that was until i was dancing to one side and this guy, tall, wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans, very built body builder type, in his forties saw me. He was dancing with a tall lady, i confess, although she looked very feminate, i am not sure if she was actually a female. Still, this guy kept looking over as i was dancing. we are not talking once, or twice, or even three times here, we are talking like in to double figures... clearly interested... hehe, still i gave him a nod as he looked over and he smiled. Anyway, I moved round a bit, and as i was walking through to the bar about to leave the dance floor, this guy, very muscle and built, 34 years old, looked me up and down and moved around me, so i thought i'd say hi ;0) he'd been working out of something like 12 years, think hes completely natural, very very nice body. Good looking chap too. we decided to hit the dance floor and have the usual on the dance floor muscle worship touchy feely session... was really erotic getting loads of attension from hot guys. By this time of course i had my shirt off. As we moved around, I saw the large guy again. My other recently made friend (forgotten his name) had to head off, it must have been like 5:30am by now. Still, I met another ausi whom knew the large guy in the black t-shirt and thus introduced me to him. David was his name, actually from London, think he said he was 45 as i recall. This guy was the largest guy in the club that night, and of course a lot taller than me. I dunno what it is, but most the guys i seem to attract or know are like 5'11 upwards, maybe these guys just love have a short ass guy to play with, like a dominance thing. Still as long as they are muscled guys thats ok with me. David intoduced me to simone, I assume this is the lady, which incidentally was very sexy. Ironically, she went to the same university as me (also english). David is a really really nice guy, no attitude problems. Quite a lot of muscled guys i have met have attitude problems or somewhat of a lack of personality or are only interested in one thing... sex. But, I only surround myself with genuine people, people i can trust and wont abuse friendship. This guy definetly seemed very genuine and apparently does go to DTPM. Apparently he will be at DTPM next sunday (11th). Of course, I ended up have a good dance floor feel up with him too. To me, its like so erotic being touched and touching other guys muscles. We also talked about cycles and other body building info. Hes actually looking for a new hard core gym, I suggested Muscle works in london since I know it would be ideal for him since so many other body builders go there. Anyway, so we exchanged numbers before I had to head off. I said I was only going to stay out until 4am, it was now like 6am :0S when i got back to the hotel, mother dear had been up waiting for me... opps... she so worries too much. Still, since it was like now 6:30am, mum wanted to get out there and see more of sydney since it was our last day here, so i had no sleep at all!!!!

Sat 3 Dec - Shopping / Maritime Musium

We had breakfast before heading out to do some shopping and look around sydney. I could not hardly eat a thing since i was so tired. My digestion system was momentaraly screwed. We did some shopping. I have been looking for some decent tappered t-shirts for ages. In singapore due to the cheapness of the place i thought i'd be able to strike a bargin like what i found in china town, but singaporians are not into muscle like we are so they have no need for them. Most builds are thin and un-worked out in singapore. Anyway, even here, after shopping the other day in the old victorian shopping centre, I still could not find any. I have a lot of good t-shirts at home, some of which i brought with me, like the animal ones. The only problem is they are not tappered and have a really good fit on me aroudn teh shoulders and chest and then seriously baggy around the waist, so anyway, even her it seemed really hard to find any tappered t-shirts. In this mall, which was situated opersit the hotel where we were staying across the harbour, we eventually found this designer australian shop selling tappered shirts. Having looked round the rest of this very large mall, it appeared to be the only one, and since Raffles had ruined my green animal t-shirt and the rest of my clothes now stink, i decided to buy some. So i have some really great fitting designer t-shirts now which show off my 'V' shape more. They were about $45 per shirt, which is like 20 pounds each. so since they are designer I thought it was worth buying a few. I also manged to buy a gift for someone dear to my heart that has helped find my true self recently, just hope the bloody thing fits since im sure this particular person has grown somewhat since I last saw him ;0) Anyway, the only other thing im after now is a decnet pair of beach shorts that show off my ass... I think i might find that in NZ or failing that, L.A.

Anyway, after doing some shopping, we checked out the maratime musium. Where we looked round two authentic battle ships, a war ship and a submarine. Was $24 each to look round all the ships. it was actually very interesting although i dare say my brain was not really taking anything in at this moment due to the lack of sleep. Still, headed back to the hotel after having spent a few hours there, and got some shut eye to catch up on some sleep. Anyway, woke up about 3 hours ago, got a burger king meal, or should i say hungry jacks, and here i am typing to you lot.

End of Post

Ok, well, i hope you are all well enjoying the run up to christmas. no doubt your all actually beginning to panic what with having to buy all those gifts... hehe. Well, like i say, i'll post the singapore diary soon once i have finished. And yes, even in singapore i went clubbing and had interesting adventures, still, nothing compared with the sydney adventure so far as muscle worship etc goes. Still, it will be interesting seeing how clubbing in NZ and L.A. compare. BTW ALL, does anyone know of a safe decent muscle club with house music etc to go in L.A. around the hollywood hotel area? please let me know!! :0)

Take care all, thanks for reading and tune in soon for more updates!

Keep growing!

Marc ;0)
p.S. now im going to go to bed. tomorrow we fly to Auckland!

[joel24242]

Hey Marco,
I'm glad you had such a good time in Sydney. It's always cool reading a vistor's perspective on a place that you've lived in. From the sounds of things that pub that you first visted would most likely have been Stonewall. You made a good choice going to midnight shift as their laser show is always great. Arq (im pretty sure is what you were referring to as Arch) is pretty similiar but yeah tends to be more expensive. Always plenty to see though.

Hope the rest of your trip is just as fantastic if not even more so.
Safe Travels,
Joel.

[Corwin]

We miss you too Marc. Have fun and take care.

[glammaman2000]

....or what?We also took a side-trip to the Blue Mountains when we were there.Same lovely zoo&inn.But there's so much more to see,just in Darling Harbour!Oh,well....Happy to see you're spreading muscle-joy&being appreciated internationally!Thanks for taking the time to post!Say"Hi!"to Mum!g.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi All,

Originally Posted by joel24242

From the sounds of things that pub that you first visted would most likely have been Stonewall

Yep, checked it last night. took one last walk up oxford street. it was indeed the stonewall pub.

Originally Posted by Corwin

We miss you too Marc. Have fun and take care.

Thanks Corwin :0)

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

....or what?We also took a side-trip to the Blue Mountains when we were there.Same lovely zoo&inn.But there's so much more to see,just in Darling Harbour!Oh,well....Happy to see you're spreading muscle-joy&being appreciated internationally!

Yep, there sure is a lot to see in darling harbour. We did see quite a bit :0)

Anyway, take care all,

Marc

[atomicmuscle]

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2...micboy11kb.jpg

[UKBeefy]

So impressive as ever Atomic...Marco will be so keen to make that real.

[atomicmuscle]

Thanks UKBeefy ...BTW the your screen name fits perfectly!

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi all,

Thank Atomic for your morph, excellent work mate , will reach something like that next year but definetly will superceed it The photo was quite good although had some weird rash thing on arms, which is gone now thankfully. Currently im just enjoying the holiday but trying to workout where ever i am. Actually ironincally, i have actually managed to increase the weights being used on a few excercises so actually making progress whilst on holiday :0)

Well, arrived in Christchurch about 5 days ago. Did not do too much there, went up the gondally, was going to go to a gay pub/club (ministry) but felt too nackered. Anyway, so after recovering from the jet lag, we moved through authors pass which is a train line, very famous, runs from christchurch to greymouth on the south island NZ. Then hired a car, looked at some shanty town mining place, since greymouth is a mining town, then today moved from there to Fox Glacier. Tomorrow we are going to take a heli ride over both the franz Joseph glacier and fox glacier as well as Mt Cook. After that the plan is to head to Queenstown, do some jet boating and what not, go see Milford sound a famous fiord and then fly internally from Queenstown to Wellington where i will have my b'day, soon to be 25... getting old. Anyway, thats the plan so far. Will report as i go. Still need to update you guys on the mad adventures in singapore (amazing place). Kinda missing my workout regieme big time at the moment, and really missing seeing my mates in london. I plan to go clubbing in Wellington where there is apparently a scene. Keep thinking about how i wish to progress body building wise next year. My urge for growth i think is getting stronger... and what with attomic muscle posting morphs... I just have to superceed it

Well, take care guys :0) and stay tuned, theres a lot more to come.

Keep Growing...

Marc

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi all,

Hope you are all well and enjoying christmas... BTW, Atomic, that phorph is f'ing great! (yeah, looked at it a few times i confess), will have some more pics to add to marcomus soon.

Anyway, thought its about time i get down in writting where i am on this jounrey. We are currently in Napier situated right-hand side of the north island up from Wellington. We decided to move from wellington today to here to check out this art deco sity. Frankly, theres nothing here so will be good to move on tomorrow to Rotura (how ever that is spelt - its a thermal area center north island).

The Journey continues...

Heres another update from where i left you on the last report...
Sunday 4th Dec - Arrived in NZ Christchurch from Sydney

Well, having used up all our time in sydney and having met so many great people and seen some fantastic sites, it was time to move on. I was actually very gutted as it were to be moving on as, like singapore, could have easily spent a lot more time looking around there, and what with having met David (hope you dont mind me mentioning your first name) and some other nice people in Sydney, so wish i had stayed for longer. David had actually invited me to the "Arq", another club up oxford street, but I was feeling like a zomby what with having left nightshift the day before and what with the flight today so decided to decline, but seriously regret it since so many people said the "arq" was a great club, a good muscle crowd with good vibe, ah well, never mind.

Today we left for our next portion of the journey - New Zealand. The flight from Sydney to New Zealand took about 3 hours. We arrived in the mid afternoon and booked into our hotel Lamiter - Christchurch (South Island). Christchurch is a nice place although there really is not that much to do there. Its very english looking. Apparently their universitybuildings here were based on the building plans from the Cambridge University back in the UK. Anyway, did not do much that evening since we were feeling tired and what not from the flights, thus decided to have a meal at the hotel before heading to bed. I was actually a bit miffed that day having arrived at the hotel only to discover that there advertised gym facilities were unavailable due to building work. Still, it turned out as just as well since there was a proper gym literally 5 min walk away. As i have been touring around various countries, even though i have made provisions to have a gym close to me or within each hotel so that i dont loose any of my hard worked muscle, hotel gyms in general, at least, so far, never seem to have a good full range of equipment. Of course, they all have the usual cardio stuff, and i guess thats what 99% of people want to do if they are going to do any exercise at all on holiday, but generally dont seem to cater for the fitness fanatic/body builder.

Monday 5th December

Well, did not do much in Christchurch today. The weather in christchurch is usually tea shirt weather around this time of year but not like really really hot, but recently, the south island as it would appear has been heating up a bit. Still, Today we just walked around the many shops in Christchurch and did a we bit of window shopping. Now, just for the record, im not the type of guy that is able to window shop for very long, im the type that knows what they want and goes in and just gets that item. However, being that im with mother dear, kinda have to go along with agonising window shopping. Mind you, gives me time to text message people :0).

Tuesday 6th December

Today, we continued our tour around Christchurch. Went ont he famous tram and stopped off at the arts centre in the university campus, as well as going on a tour for a local fudge factory whom apparently got their recipies from devon here in the UK. Christchurch sure is a very pretty area although, appart from shopping and visiting the odd museum, thats really about all you have here. Did notice that there was a gay club here called Ministry that i did plan to visit this evening but decided not to after feeling really tired and still ironically recovering from the adventures in sydney. Anyway, did some more shopping etc, or rather, walking around following mother dear texting as she window shopped... find it soooooooo boring. Anyway, the reason why we decided to spend a fair few days here in Christchurch to begin with in New Zealand, was to give ourselves time to completely recover from jet lag since the events in both singapore and syndey were at a very constant pace with basically no time to rest. Anyway, that night I did manage to take advantage of the gym across the road. Was a very good gym, managed to use my student card, which incidentally is out of date since im no longer a student, but hey, it has not expired yet since for some reason, the university i did my masteres at always add 4 years to your card on the expiry date, and my MSc was only a one year top up since i had already gained an under graduate degree else where. Anyway, gym had good equipment, very well kitted out, thus managed to blast shoulders and biceps as if i was back home.


Wednesday 7th December

This was our last day of bit stop recovery before starting our real adventures in New Zealand. We went up the Gondola today and I blasted triceps and chest in the evening. Last time i was in New Zealand, which incidentally, was about three years ago, I went up the gondola with some mates of mine. Was a very clear day and you could see right down into the, what once was, the basin of a very large volcano. Today however, the fog from the mountains decided not to lift, so we had no chance of seeing anything once up there, however, since we had brought a combo for the tram and gondola the day before, we decided to go anyway. Ironically when we got up there, nothing had changed at all. The shop, resturant, mini musium, everything was the same. but still, its good to show mum around some of the places i went to last time.

Thursday 8th December - Moved from Christchurch to Greymouth

Typically, having gone up the gondola the day before when it was fogy, today, just had to be a nice clear sunny day. Another bit of bad luck was the transport from Christchurch to Greymouth; I wanted to take mother on a famous train jouney through authors pass which runs from christchurch located on the right-hand side of the south island through mountains stright through to greymouth on the west coast. However, what with murphies law, they just had to be running maintanance work on the track when we wanted to go. Still, we were still able to travel, only we be travelling by train to authors pass where we would then board a coach greymouth bound from there. Last time i took this journey I stupidly left my camera in the lugage hold thus did not take any pics of the amazing scenery trhough the mountains on the train. This time, being somewhat more organised, i manged to take a lot of footage, both pics and movies. Was amazing to experience this journey again. Mother was in total awe. She also agreed that as pretty as Christchurch was, we had spent more than enough time there since even she was now bored of window shopping, and trust me, my mother does take a fair bit before she's bored of that... lol. Anyway, we eventually arrived in greymouth around 12:30pm as i recall, set off at 8:30am. This train incidentally only runs twice a day so one does have to get up early for it. Thankfully New Zealand has lots of free mini bus shuttle services to get you from you back packers accommodation or hotel to various places like the train station. All in all, the trip over was actually awesome. Even though we did not travel all the way trhough via train, I actually managed to see some amazing scenery via the coach which obviously i would not have seen otherwise, so maybe its just as well. Anyway, once there, we hired a car from Hertz and I drove us to our hotel appartment where we checked in etc. Since we were only staying one night in greymouth we decided to head striahgt out and investigate some places to goto. Thankfully, even though i did have my trusty lonely planet guide to NZ with me, a cleaner that i got chatting to in the Lamiter hotel (christchurch), barbra was her name, gave me a few points of places to visit. We decided to head off to a near by mining shanty town. Greymouth, like many towns in the south island are there due to mining activity back in the old days durring the gold rush era. The shanty town was of course a replica town from the past, an open air musium where all the staff are dressed in costume. The musium was actually very interesting since they had a church, fire station, post office, school, workshops, jail, train station, bank, hospital tp mention just a few, with real props and items from the past with lots of info and pics detailing the life as it once was in that era. Very Very interesting. I actually for some reason am one of those guys whom is facinated with mines and mining, guess i always wonder whats down a dark hole and into the un-known, of course this goes along side dangerous sports like bungy jumping and some weird fasination about war and WW2. And yes, im the type that like war films... Saving private ryan, band of brothers etc... just find these things very fasinating. Anyway, back to the update, so having had a good look around the town, had a nice meal in the cafe and saw our first kiwis walking around, we then boarded the train bound for the mining area. Actually, the kiwis are quite large birds. Ironically, we were sitting in the cafe and this big grey cat just watched as one kiwi decided to walk around the cafe. Obviously the cat could not be bothered to get off his ass, still, being that the kiwis have a very long peak, perhaps there is good reason there lol. Oh, and the kiwi makes a weird kinda sound, kinda like a screaming child and looks like a cross between a chicken and, well, something else. Anyway, so we set off on this really old steam train. Once at the end of the track we got an oppotunity to get out and have a look at the engine and ask questions. Apparently the train had been imported from scottand, obviously the UK has had a huge influence over here. And the weird periodic sound whilst stationary was infact some persurised braking system in operation - I never knew they had such braking system back in those days, mind you, i dont know anything about steam trains and the steam age. After inspecting the train we reboarded and got off at the gold panning mine area where we got an oppotunity to gold pan. Now, neither mother dear nor i have ever done this before and i did nieavly think it was, well, piss easy, so to speak, but no, its actually very teadious and much harder than one would think. Obviously that actually theroy of what one has to do is really simple, that is, keep the gold flakes int he pan and get the sand and dirt out of it, but its a lot harder than one would imagine. Still, we eventually manged to clear the rubbish out the way revealing some small flakes of gold. Anyway, naturally this panning thing was rigged, however, gold is still found all the time in various rivers and places around NZ, like skippers canyon near queens town. Anyway, that evening we had a nice meal in the hotel.

Friday 9th Dec - Drove from Greymouth to Fox glacier.

Today we decided to get out of greymouth and move to fox glacier. The journey took MUCH longer than expected via car, 3-4 hours as i recall, although we did make a fair few stops along the way. One of the crazy things one can experience whilst driving in NZ south island is the one way bridges and one way rail bridges. Basically, in NZ they drive on the left like we do in the UK, but, out in the countryside, i assume only to save money on such roads that dont have much traffic on a tipical basis, they have the usual two way roads but only have one way bridges across rivers etc. However, to make things even more interesting if having to deal with sharing a single road across a river was not enough, also there are train one way bridges where not only do traffic have to share a one way bridge from both directions, but also trains do ont he same bit of space as well... Its actually really funny, since obviously there is a give way system but what the hell happens when a train is coming and your on the bridge and its coming at full speed is anyones guess lol. Though, thankfully, we never experienced such a situation. Since the journey was so long, i did try to get mother dear to drive, but even though New Zealanders drive on the same side of the road as us here in the uk and have basically the same road rules, she did not fancy the idea at all and thus left it all to me lol. Still, I do like driving i guess but not when i start to get really tired, which im sure is the same for everyone. Anyway, we eventually arrived in fox glacier have negociated some very steep windy roads up and down and around mountains cliff sides and got there in the mid afternoon as i recall. Last time i was in this area of NZ i did one of the glacier climing tours, but since i with mother dear whom, lets just say, is not as adgle as she used to be, we decided to do it a different way, fly over them. That night mother was not feeling her best so decided to stay back in the room whilst i ate out. We did however early take a brief walk around a near by lake for the evening which was quite nice. Sometimes its nice just to be amoung nature where its quite and one can just take your time and reflect on what ones experienced so far.

Saturday 10th Dec - Fox Glacier Helicopter ride.

Neither mother nor I have flown in a helicopter before, so we decided to see both the glaciers, fox glacier and franz goseph galicer as well as tasman and mount cook via the air. It was a totally amazing experience and highly reoccomended to any visitor visiting the south island. I got some fantastic footage of us flaying around and seeing the hard snow pushing down the mountain together with the comentary on what we were seeing made for an excellent informative experience. We also landed on the top of fox glacier for a brief photo experience before moving back down the mountain. It actually was not cold up on the top of the mountains next to the snow at all since it was a really clear day. The entire thing last 40 mins, simply a bargin compared what we'd pay back int he uk for such a heli ride and of course, we would never get such fantastic scenery as we have seen here in NZ. Having been dropped back off at the hotel it was time to venture off on our journey south to our next stop, queenstown.

The drive from fox glacier to queenstown took forever. Took much longer than expected sticking to the 100km speed limit of course :0) took about 5-6 hours!! was getting seriously tired so did have to take a fair few break stops, as well as, to top the small fiesta up with fuel too. Incidentally car hire here in NZ is quiet reasonable and is the best choice if oyu wanna have the freedom to come and go as you please. I would not hire a car in the USA in fear of being sued just in case a problem should occur since i know the USA is a huge sure culture (yep, seen way too many epesodes of judge judy lol), however anywhere else in the world, im more than happy to drive. Anyway, finally got there to queenstoen and checked in etc in a very nice mainstay hotel with a VERY enthusiastic front desk lady.

Sunday 11th Dec - Queenstown gondola, steam boat trip around lake.

Well being that this was a sunday, we decided to take things a little easy. Took mother up the gondola which looks down on the queenstown which is over looked by mountains on all sides, and decided to have a buffet meal for lunch whilst taking in the spectacular views. The meal was very nice actually, a buffet, but was very reasonably priced given what we had. Was really funny actually, since as we were having lunch, we watched this lady doing a, or should i say, attempting to do a swing bungy but clearly she was not sure about it since she took ages before she blucked up the courage to finally pull the release rope and start swinging. I did a real bungy here three years ago from the pipe line bridge in skippers canyon, and the key is just to do it the first time when the do the count down... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, bungy!... for if you dont, your brain starts to see logic and you dont do it lol. still, she did however do it in the end and infact went a second time. Our neighbouring tables where all standing up waiting for her to pull the dame cord lol. Met a nice polish and american couple, all joining in the wiat for this girl to get it going lol. After dinner, having taken some more shots with the camera of the surroundings views, we went back down and walked around the lake a bit before boarding a steam boat to some island where there was a farm. We did not get out but did enjoy the old steam boat and the views and journey around the lake. The steam ship actually had a big cut through the floor so one could se the steam engine working live, as well as, a musium and a nice cafe. On the way back they played christmas carols on the on board grand piano as the on board passengers sang along. I of course joined in to the embarrasment of mother dear, still, she loved the trip and thats the main thing. Did do something really bad that day, earlier i decided i wanted to get a really nice tan so wore my white vest thing, only, even though i thought it was not that sunny i actually ended up getting sun burt... doh! usually very carefull although i do wish to get some colour on me before i return. The main problem is i now have lines on me... doh! so will hope that a shirtless exporsure in the not so distant future (i.e. bay of islands), I will be able to fill int gaps lol.

Monday 12th December - Fly cruise fly - Mildford sound fiord.

One thing i had to take my mother on was a trip through the magical place known as milford sound situated on the west coast near the bottom of the south island. Its an amazing place because of how it was formed and what its like jurring the time when it rains, which incidentally is most of the time since milford sound is the third wetest place in NZ. When its raining here there are literally said to be 10,000 + water falls all the way around on the mountains - totally amazing. There are only two permanent water falls during dryer times. We decided to take a plane journey to and from queenstown to milford sound given that it would take us 5 hours either way via car along some very interesting windy roads. Via plane, a six seater, although seseptable to turbulance, took only 35mins either way and we were able to see some amazing scenery by air. Again, well worth the exspense. Took loads of footage. both video and pics. Once we got to mildford sound, we boarded a cruise ship that took us into the heart of milford sound right out to sea and back in again. Durring the journey we saw some dolphins and ceals. Apparently there are pengins around here but did not see any on this trip. Unfortuantely, this day was very clear and sunny so we did not see the magic of the thousands of water falls, still, i got to see it in a different light compared with last time. incidentally, last time i took the coach journey in which took bloody ages, so it was good to visit milford in a different way. After having a nice buffet meal ont he cruise, we took the plane back to queenstown where we did some shopping before heading back to the hotel. Also, just for those that dont know, NZ is made of two islands, the north which was formed completely by volcanic activity (apparently) and the south which used to be joined to austrlia many many millions of years ago. So the scenery as well as the weather is very different between the tow islands, and its one of the things i like about NZ - the shear diversity of land and weather.

End of post.

Ok, Have one more post for the south island before i update you where we are in the north, but running out of time here in the internet cafe to type it, so will have to update you some time soon in the next update. Obviously still gotta finish singapores update but we saw and did so much there, its goingt o take me awhile, but i will update you on that soon. Also, i managed to take some footage on my new camara of me working out in a hotel gym in queenstown since the gym was empty and i was the only guy using it, so since i failed to update you guys with that type of footage before now, and i know i promised, I now have some decent footage for you which i know you guys will like ... seeing my muscle flex etc... lol ;0)

anyway, take care all, and stay tuned. Will soon be back up to speed with the BB updates as we venture into my second year of BB'ing and growth!!! so more updates and more pics and footage on the way soon!!!

Keep growing y'all,

Marc

[UKBeefy]

Hey Mark.

Good to hear your travel log. I was in NZ 10 years ago and did almost a carbon copy of your trip partly under my own steam and partly on a Kiwi Experience bus tour...(look out for their funny little green buses). I remember alot of the places you mention and how generally devoid of people they were. Also how basic alot of the shops and food places were too. I'm surprised your mother found anything worth window shopping for. I remember sandwich shops that were out of the 1950s. All white bread and spam...

It is worth as u are doing investigating proper gyms nearby. The one thing I noticed is how in alot of cities good gyms are surprisingly in the downtown area (unlike in London where decent gyms are all in the suburbs). Best place for gyms was in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands...a place with hardly any population had about 3 gyms all of the hardcore variety and also in the main shops (such as they were) there were alot of bodybuilding themed t shirts...think the whole South Pacific male phyche is about being big and strong.

I found good ones in Sydney and Melbourne. Was a great feelign to be back in there shifting weight rather than lazing around and eating too much which we are prone to on holiday. I found that once I told my travelling companions that I was going to the gym regularly it was a good way for us to have a bit of "me time" - I went to the gym and they went to do other things they liked eg go to a spa/laze by the pool or shopping etc. When u are travelling with people you sometimes need an afternoon off to do your own thing as it stops u getting crabby with each other.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi All, Just a really quick note to say Merry Christmas to you all.

I am currently in Auckland - New Zealand and leave for California tomorrow. Will stay there for 4 days then head home for new years.

Merry Christmas all!

Marc

[Aikuchi]

You were in Sinfapore (Gack!) -
I live 3 hours away from the Island of Singapore!

-sigh-

[Corwin]

There is a long hush -- a silence as deep as the moonless night is dark. It starts as a whisper, then grows. It is demanding. Urgent. A lustful desire unfulfilled for far too long. Ultimately, it will not be denied.

Marco. Marco. Marco. Marco.

(know you're back soon -- hope you had an enjoyable trip)

[flexicon1]

Hopefully he's just resting.

This is the first time I've checked back in here since the sign-off back in November! I had no idea he was providing play-by-plays and such throughout his trip. I had a lot of catching up to do.

Anyway, if you make it back to the forums, kid, I look forward to the continuing sagas of growth and life-experience.

Over. And out.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hey All,

Thought i'd post a really quick update in here since i have not posted anything this year. I will elaborate more soon in a more formal update, but all i will say for now is that obviously i am still going strong with my body building and am currently exceptionally busy doing various things (will explain more later).

Anyway, since i did promise you guys a workout video I thought i'd post one.

http://www.marcomus.com/Media/Phases...olWOVDec05.wmv

This was filmed in New Zealand - Queenstown whilst on my very large holiday. It was filmed in december 2005 so obviously i have changed a bit since then, but obviously I will only post another video/pics once the current phase is up (more on that later).

Anyway, let me know what you think of the video.

for now take care all,

Marc