Your favourite pastimes/hobbies/sports?
 

Hi guys, hope your all well today:)

Most of you know what I enjoy (I'll fill the rest in shortly) but I want to know what you all enjoy doing when your not working; what you do to wind down, what gives you a buzz, any sport you play - you know the score. Give reasons for why you enjoy it so much and what you get from it.

Well heres what I enjoy the most:

1. Cycling

I have been a cyclist for most of my life now, and have been "serious" for about 11 years. I am fanatic about it. Nothing else gives me the sense of freedom that riding my bike/s down a country road, with the smell of rapeseed and the sound of a Yellowhammer or Skylark singing. And the sound of my tyres whirring. It makes me so happy and I regularly am hyperactive even after a long ride when I should by rights be knackered (like today, I did 86 miles, but feel full of energy still). And seeing other cyclists on the roads and saying hello to them, like Mini drivers do and motorcyclists do. I can ride as far or as little as I like - no boundaries.
To me, it's the most beautiful sport in the world and I will ride until I die:):):)

2. Climbing

Been doing this for a couple of years now after joining a local club in York. Like cycling, I can do it all year round. The buzz from this is the inherent risk involved, especially when I solo the odd route (no ropes or protection) which is what I am doing tomorrow with a good friend. Yeah, it sounds macho, but I'm not about that. Climbers have a very blase approach to injury and death - I'd rather die climbing or cycling than from a debilitating disease, because I would die doing something I love. And I aint broken any bones in my life, but I will......

3. Walking

Again, been walking in the hills and mountains of England/Scotland for about 4 years, so quite new to this too. Nice sense of freedom, wonderful views and sense of achievement. And very humbling in places of outstanding beauty.

4. Reading

Have had a keen interest in books since I was about 5 years old and to be honest, I have learnt more from books than I ever did at school e.g my English and grammar have improved massively. I read fantasy/fiction, ancient greek history, travel, biography (currently reading "It's not about the bike" by Lance Armstrong - which is the most inspiring book I have ever read), military and anything PC related/technical stuff. It's nice to just sit with a book and a nice cup of tea or glass of wine, in silence and become engrossed in the text. Chills me out.

5. Gaming

Have done very little of late tbh. My true love is Unreal Tournament and always will be, 2k4 stresses me out as it is inconsistent, especially regarding damage and I have been known to throw my mouse across the room in anger!!
Need to get back into AG'ing, but I find I get stuck to easily and give up:(
Enjoy RPG's very much as they take you away to far off lands.

And last but by no means least - HANGING OUT HERE!!!!

I love it here, and I am so glad I stumbled across it and stayed. I have never met a group of more genuine and nice bunch of people on any forum any where. Discussion is intelligent, amusing and touching. Everybody here is fantastic and I love you all:):):)

I didn't include the obvious things like being with Sarah or going out with friends, as of course I love those things too.

So come on, tell us what you love (apart from me, Trep);):D;)

1. Floorball

The best sports I've ever seen. It's still mainly only played in Finland and Sweden, but other countries have been catching on quite quickly in the past few years. Even in USA some college guys know this sport nowadays. I've been a goalie for 11 years now, currently in the 3rd division.

2. Football

King football, need I say more. I play in the 6th division, currently we are leading the division when only few games are left in the season, this hasn't happened in 8 years... :)
I'm quite a poor player, but sometimes I have good days and everything goes the way I dream it would.

3. Gaming

This has been my fun hobby for over 15 years now, lots of games and lots of different machines. I don't see any reasons to stop gaming ever. Favourite game of all time on PC is Stunts, favourite game on the old trusty Amiga was Turrican II. :)

4. Reading

This is one of my favourite late night activities, it's always nice to read a good book before I go to bed. Though lately I haven't had time to read books for some reason... I mostly enjoy "light" literature, like Masters of Doom.

Could you explain Floorball, Kolz? I have never heard of it :crazy:

Besides gaming, most of you know what I love doing.

http://www.acekayaks.com/pictures/aerial_loop.jpg

Gaming - the obvious one, this is what lead me to these forums in the first place :D
I have a pretty general taste in games, although my heart belongs to the adventure genre, closely followed by rpgs.
When I am totally into a game it rules my life, much to the chagrin of my friends :crazy:
Favourite games - GK series, Broken Sword, TLJ, Deus Ex, Final Fantasy (8), Grim Fandango


Reading - my favourite pastime from a very early age. When I was young I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as my mum was a single working parent. My grandparents had this huge wooden bookcase in the living room which contained old copies of all the classics - I probably went through all those books during my early years and that instilled in me a passion for all literary works.
My reading tastes changed many times as I grew up, but I think Horror/Sc-Fi/Fantasy are my favourite genres at the moment :D

Drawing - As a child I would draw anything and always had a pencil nearby. I absolutely love to draw as it allows me to express my true self :crazy:
I am currently working on my portfolio in the hope of realising my dream of becoming a book illustrator :D


Martial Arts - I first took Tae Kwon Do lessons at the age of 10 because I used to get bullied a lot as I was a rather portly child.
Those first few lessons were amazing, and led me into what has been a lifelong obsession. Over the past 20 years I have studied many martial arts including Karate, Kung Fu, Ju Jitsu and Kickboxing.
I also competed in and won a few tournaments, most notably the UK championships for my Karate style in 1992.
I don't state these facts to brag about them - I just wanted to explain in depth one of my favourite pastimes :D

http://www.floorball.org/ :)

It's an indoor sport, like ice hockey but without the skates and helmets etc.
There's the same amount of players in the rink as in ice hockey, 5 players + goalie.

The rink is about 40 meters long and 20 meters wide. The game is basicly very much like ice hockey, but tackles are not allowed. In a non-official match you don't even need rink, you just need the sticks, two goals and a ball. That's why the game is so widely popular in Finland and Sweden.

The ball is hollow, and it has 26 holes in it if I remember correctly.
http://www.sp.se/km/en/tech_ser/kmp/...arhu_05_01.jpg

Here's a pic of a player from the Swedish national team in full gear.
http://www.sp.se/km/en/tech_ser/kmp/...tchphoto_2.jpg

Here's a pic of a warm up session before a match from our last season.
http://koti.mbnet.fi/jukobox/images/.../alkulampo.jpg

And here's me without my Indian colored helmet. The pic is now obsolete, no more long hair. ;)
http://mbnet.fi/jukobox/images/joukkue/thu_kolzig.jpg


EDIT: Oh yeah, wikipedia gives a good explanation, and if you want to see this sport in action, check the video

The mountains are my favorite place to be, so two of my favorite things to do are hiking and skiing.

Right now I only go hiking, but I'd like to start doing mountaineering in the future. Hiking is something I like to do for fun, to see places out of the city, and to find a quiet and empty site to rest at. I prefer staying above the tree line because then you can see the landscape much better and see the rugged nature of the mountains.

http://students.washington.edu/mtwall/yukla.jpg

I'm normally a quiet and peaceful person, and skiing gives me an outlet to let loose. I get restless if I don't do something physical for too long. I ski for thrills, to scare myself and to have fun at the same time.

http://students.washington.edu/mtwall/scenic_skier.jpg

What level rapids do go through?

Depends on what kind of mood i'm in. But i've been on everything from 1 to 5, and the 5 I only did once. I'd like to do it again though. Most of the time I do 3's or 4's.

Gaming: My number one hobby is gaming. I've been playing video games from a very young age, and buying my first computer has really made it a big part of my life. I've never thought about joining a forum to discuss games before, but when I was looking for adventure games, and couldn't find any new ones that were exciting, I just ended up here and the rest is history.
Soccer: I Love it. I play at least 2 times a week. I used to watch it much more, but sadly we don't have much soccer here in the US :( I remember when I was young, I was such a dork for stats, I could recall where each world cup took place, who won it, what was the score, and who was the top scorer, and what is Pele's full Brazilian name :)
Basketball: Since I moved to the US, and I had tons of American friends, I started getting interested in basketball. I play it occasionally (though I suck at it), and I watch a lot of NBA in the stadium and on TV.
Reading: I read a lot, with a wide variety of topics, from politics to fiction novels, to comics.

Most of my hobbies are just hapless attempts at the main mediums.

Reading: Nothing beats a good book.
Writing: Nothing beats a bad book.
Music: Listening, playing, writing, recording.
Drawing: Mainly black ink stuff.
Film: Making them and, to a much lesser extent, watching them.
Animation: Watching the classics and attempting my own – I never get passed a few frames, though; it's incredibly frustrating.
Games: Playing them. Though I've also attempted making one – to no great success or enjoyment.
Coffee: Sugarless, of course.

Football (soccer): Well, I've been playing since I was quite young, but sadly I curently don't play in a team ;( I however go to the field every day, and I will join some team once I get the chance... Hopefully my skills haven't rusted too much ;)

Magic: the Gathering: Well, this is the best card game there is. They don't host tournaments here, so I play mostly with my friends, once or twice a week.

Reading: Well, when I have the time, I try to have a book that I'm reading.

Drawing: What can I say, I like to draw...