Every now and then something, or more often someone, comes along and gives me a jolt, reshapes my thinking about what's possible, what I'm doing and what I could do. This time it's come in the shape of Luca (answer phone message, 'Hey Mark, is Luca! You remember? The crazy Italian guy.')

Luca arrived on my doorstep a couple of months ago with Tom off an overnight bus from Malaysia and grabbed a shower and a bit of sleep at my place. He said something about picking up a yacht from Malaysia and sailing from Thailand down to Singapore in a few months time, and that he'd give me a call then. Sure enough, last weekend I got that answer phone message. The yacht was moored in Malaysia but he was in Singapore for a couple of days shopping for equipment, so of course I offered for him and his friends to stay. Over dinner on Monday night I got the full story.

Lucio, Luca's friend and now the captain, had been crewing on a yacht for five years after studying engineering at a Ferrari school no less. Between them they had always held the dream of buying a boat and sailing the world together and last December it started becoming a reality. Lucio left his home of five years and camped with Luca while they finally made their decision on the boat- a 33', steel-hulled yacht that hadn't been sailed for 6 years and looked like a wreck. They paid about €10k for it, sailed it to Phuket, Thailand, and put it in dry-dock for a few months while they totally restored the hull and began work on the inside. The trip from Thailand to Singapore was the first leg of a journey that's going to take them to Alaska, via Hong Kong and Japan, and then onto…

This is cool. This is really cool. I stayed on board last night and fell in love. She's called 'Snake' ('On the Road' reference) and looks solid and ready for anything. They have on board enough toys to stay entertained for years- dvds, books, fishing equipment, laptop, stereo, kite surfing stuff and even a paraglider. And the best thing is that on board you are almost totally self-sufficient, with solar panels for electricity, awnings to collect rainwater and sails to take you wherever you could wish to go. A bit of diesel for the engine, rice to go with your fish and charcoal for the barbeque and you're good to go. You can stay offshore, out of marinas, for months at a time- total freedom. There's something so peaceful and safe about being on the water with everything you could need with you- I'm enchanted.

We were invited to another Italian couple's boat for dinner (red wine and spaghetti of course). This guy had been living on boats for 21 years and had had his own one for 12, just cruising the world- unbelievable. Every tale was another fascinating book, every character larger than life.

So it's left me wondering what I'm doing not living on a boat and sailing around the world. I'm sure it's not easy but it just seems to be me. Would I really be missed, or miss, five years of 'normal life'? Or at least one? Maybe I'm too young to be doing all this serious work I feel I should be right now anyway?

Ok, this is a dream. I can't really sail, don't have a boat or means to buy one, don't have a clue how to navigate or a million-and-one other things (which I probably know so little about I don't even know that I don't know them yet) and I have a job to do. But it has been a good jolt, and if you never have a dream you can never have a dream come true, right? So, who's in?

Other weirdness going on is that I'm starting to tire of this Singapore life. I feel I need a change of scene and I can't wait for next Friday when I fly off to Bali for a long weekend surfing. As soon as I'm back though I'm into real strangeness- I've signed up for a 10-day meditation course/retreat here in Singapore. I'm feeling apprehensive and excited about it just writing this. It's going to be perhaps the most hardcore thing I've ever done, but maybe I'm just building 10 days of sitting on my backside up a bit much? I feel about it the same as you would before travelling somewhere new and undiscovered. You're pretty sure it's going to be good but at the same time you're quite happy where you are thank-you-very-much and so why take a chance? Why explore change? My answer is that I'm a curious bugger and like experiences and a challenge- and this will be both. I'll surrender my mobile on the door, promise not to communicate for the duration (talking, writing, gesturing), get up at 4am each morning and meditate for up to two hours at a time between staying in a tent. Ooo eck- I must be nuts. Luckily I've heard all good things about the experience but I'm as concerned as you probably are that I'll come back as a raving hippy New Age freak. Sorry in advance if I do ;-)

But I am curious to see if there is something beyond sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. I won't be disappointed if there's not- they've always served me well. Having said that they are starting to wear a bit thin these days.

I'll let you know, maybe telepathically? Who knows?

Ps- The Malaysia pics are actually up now!

Summary:

• May become a sailor
• Or a hippy