Time and Space

...to think, that is.

I was reading one of my regular blogs this morning and the latest post struck a very big chord with me. It's a post on Gone To The Dogs called Take time to think.
I went on to read the article mentioned in "Take time to think", and it made me smile as well as grimace. Smile because I recognised the truth of it and grimace because I recognised myself ignoring the reality of it in my life.

If you too are suffering from overwork, burnout or a creative block, I completely sympathise. In this our busiest time of the working year, it is hard (actually impossible) not to overwork as our deadlines are very tight. Naturally this isn't a great state from which to make good business, or life decisions. For instance, buying a new blender should not require three days of discussion and multiple shopping/browsing trips and still have no final purchase decision - or blender !

As the world's worst know-it-all-and-do-it-not, there is a great degree of irony in reading these articles reminding me of things already learned from my library of books on the creative process. The bugger of it, please excuse the Middle English, is that taking time is actually possible even in the busiest of work or life times. Just this past week I made a pact with myself that I would wrest back control of my life from my "wants/desires/greedies" and reinstate a mental governing committee comprised of "needs/best for/sensibles".

For me this means different things in different areas of my life, including following my trainer Cris's dietary advice and his personal diet plan: SELAP ™, or it's serious and spiritual big brother SELAPFGS ™.
Want to know a bit more about the diet thing? Personally I think I've graduated to the upspec'ed version.
Stop
Eating
Like
A
Pig

and

Stop
Eating
Like
A
Pig
For
God's
Sake.

Anyway, this is pretty much about creating a margin in life. It's hard to do that sort of stuff when you submissively allow your wants/desires/greedies to decide what to eat, how to spend your time and how to react to life's little bumps and bruises.

Also part of my pact was to slow down mentally and allow my brain to take a breather, I cannot possibly cram all those things into a single day and writing a big list will not change that reality. Take things and break them into smaller pieces, allowing some space between jobs or (gasp) housework. The amazing thing about trying on this new mental attitude is that I feel calmer and more in control. I don't feel overwhelmed by my "must do" lists.

This is the beginning of the process that will give me time and space to actually be creative - both in my life and in my work. It also means that I might actually catch up on things that have slipped by the wayside through the "possum in the headlights" state that overwork generates. So, if I haven't emailed you in a while, expect to see something personal soon !

After the beginning there comes the maintenance. That is usually the downfall. Do really well for a week, then cave in to those old habits. I'll let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Sione's Wedding

This was our DVD of choice last night.

I had wanted to see Sione's Wedding at the cinema, but somehow managed to completely miss it. So, finally we took the trip to the video store and rented the DVD last night.

A great piece of local cinema, this is a story about four Samoan guys who get out of control at each and every wedding they attend. Finally the community and the minister have enough and the boys find themselves banned from Sione's wedding. The only way they can attend is to find themselves girlfriends - not just dates. This leads us into their collective and individual lives.

Albert works in insurance and is timid around women, he is played by the wonderful Oscar Kightley who is also one of the writers.
Michael, who is a bicycle courier and a ladies man, is played by the gorgeous Robbie Magasiva.
Sefa, the only one of the four with a girlfriend - the long-suffering Leilani, is played by Shimpal Leilisi.
Stanley, is a chat-line addict who harbours fantasies of his phone girlfriend 'Latifah', and is played by Iaheto Ah Hi.

The entire supporting cast are terrific, especially Madeleine Sami, Teuila Blakely and David Fane. Many are regulars on the small screen here in New Zealand.

This is no big budget movie, and doesn't breach any barriers in the traditional romance/comedy theme, but it is still entertaining. While it is not likely to become Whale Rider Mark II, it is still a good homegrown story and will raise more than a few laughs. Just wait until you meet Derek and his crew in the parking lot !

If you like the Naked Samoans or bro'Town you will enjoy this little slice of New Zealand life. This definitely gets a *highly recommended* from me.

My rating: 3 out of 5

O is for Outlaw

Another Kinsey Millhone story from Sue Grafton. She's fast coming up to the end of the Alphabet series, and in this story Kinsey reveals to the reader her first husband in all his glory. Actually, not so glorious and more drunken really.

The story begins with Kinsey receiving a telephone message from a lock-up scavenger who has acquired some belongings with her name on them. Her curiosity is piqued and she meets, pays for and then rifles through a box of memories which link her back to her first husband - Mickey Magruder.

Like the proverbial cat - curiosity continues to get Kinsey, and she cannot help looking for her first husband and trying to correct what she sees as an error in her behaviour towards him in the past. Here enters a lot of information about her history, her husband and it seems to me to add a lot of psychological flesh to her character.

The personal history and the current story are well woven together. It never feels like you are reading two stories. My only complaint is that I felt one or two aspects of Mickey's character were unnecessarily overly reinforced. Other than that, I would say that this Letter in the series is one of the best that I have read so far.

Not a strain to read. A good, well-crafted whodunnit.
out of 5

Gastronomy: Dessert and Comfort Food

I have added two of my favourite recipes to the Gastronomy section today.
They are:

• Lemon and Ginger Cheesecake


• Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Take a short click to the Gastronomy page, and try them out.

Also, John has suggested that I issue a challenge:

"Try them, rate them, comment on them."
And I have to agree with him. (Darn it all! ;))

You don't have to be a vegetarian to try any of my recipes. Honestly.
They stand on their own two feet (so to speak).

If my meat-loving husband eats and enjoys each of these recipes, it's a reasonable bet that you won't be too disappointed.

Passing Trucks

I don't know about trucks (lorries) where you are, but here in NZ they take advantage of their sidings to make some extra money as mobile billboards.

On the way home tonight I spotted a truck parked at the lights with an absolutely superb siding, that I just have to share.

If you think you're too small to be effective, you've never been in bed with a mosquito.

This was an advert courtesy of the Body Shop. And never a truer word has been written !

Dogs and Slides

It has been very quiet here at my blog over the past week or two. And there are a couple of reasons for that.

• Older dogs


• Work

Meet Duke...



And this is him after facial surgery to remove a fatty lump...



It is fair to say that he has been an unhappy chappy throughout the process. Not that he is a stranger to surgery, but usually that is carried out somewhere around knee level for him. And although he is getting the hang of the Elizabethan collar that aims to stop him from ripping his bandages off, he finally managed to destroy that against a doorframe at work this week. The next day he set about the removal process for his bandage, leaving him looking sullen (refer photograph above) after a growling from me.

I'm not really convinced that the stray cotton wadding and peeled green bandaging is going to be a trend for next year's sick animals, but I'll give him points for creativity.
Yes, he did eventually create such an interesting headdress that we succumbed and removed the whole thing. And, other than the usual post-operative fluid build-up to deal with (don't get in the way of a dog shaking his head at the highpoint of fluid build-up...it only ends in splattered yuckiness), he is progressing nicely.

On the work front, we are at the start of our busy time with the biggest job we currently do. It is an MES. Not in the commercial marine safety business? Okay. It is a Marine Evacuation System. Meet one of the four slides...



To gain some perspective, it is 25 metres long and I am around 5 foot 6 tall. I took this photograph from one end with my hands a few inches above my head. If you can't quite picture that, take a look at the photograph of a deployed slide, platform and 50 person liferaft so you can see what we are dealing with.



If you are intrigued by this photograph, you can visit Viking's website and take a look at a small piece of video footage showing the deployment of an MES. I would only recommend this to those with broadband though.

Things will continue to be a bit slow on the blogging front for the next little while, as there isn't any real spare time for fun stuff at the moment. I promise not to totally abandon you but you may have to put up with more work oriented entries however. :roll:

My Itch: Global Poverty

Are you sitting comfortably?
Are you enjoying your surf around the interweb today?
Are you having a nice cup of tea and chocolate biscuit while you read your blogs of choice?
Good, I'm glad you have a comfy seat, can afford your internet access, and are enjoying your food and drink. Now, at the risk of putting you off your chocolate biscuit, please take a look at some statistics with me...

More than 1 billion people live on less than US$1 a day.
852 million people suffer from chronic hunger or malnutrition.
A child dies every 3 seconds because of AIDS or extreme poverty.
More than 1 billion people do not have access to clean water.
104 million children do not go to school because of poverty.
Every day, 29,000 children under the age of 5 die from largely preventable diseases

Still eating that biscuit? Or are those your tonsils that I see flapping at the back of your gaping mouth?

Yup, sitting in my nice warm home with my evening cup of tea, it is a little daunting to read those numbers, no matter how many times I re-read this while doing my editing.

What's the plan to address these horrendous statistics you may be asking ? (Hopefully you asked yourself that !)
Well, there is one.
And, funnily enough it is under the auspices of the United Nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you...

The Millenium Development Goals

There are eight goals, with a date of 2015 for accomplishing them.

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.


2. Achieve universal primary education.


3. Promote gender equality and empower women.


4. Reduce child mortality.


5. Improve maternal health.


6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.


7. Ensure environmental sustainability.


8. Develop a global partnership for development

Each of these goals has a bit more detail attached to them, so I would recommend you visit the UN site here, and read more on the Millenium Summit and the Development Goals.

If I am preaching to the converted, and you are worldly wise about the MDGs, then may I suggest that you take a moment to review the progress report for 2005 (pdf).

If you are new to the concept of chronic global poverty rather than tsunamis or famines in Africa, or are not old enough to be in the Band Aid generation, then I would recommend that you take a wander through the 1,670,000 results from a Google search on "Global Poverty". Or shortcut that by visiting the UN Millenium Project. There is more than enough here to start your journey of enlightenment off.

Now, one final thing before you go link-jumping.
There is a small number that you should know about.
It is, drumroll please...

0.7%

Told you it was small. But like my 5 foot 2 inch tall mother has always said... "good things come in little packages."
This is a commitment to the world's developing countries to reserve 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) to redistribute as "Official Development Assistance".

Want to see how your country is doing on meeting this promise?
Take a look at the list or the graph. Are you proud of what you see, or are you going to be asking awkward questions of your politicians?

Enrich your day, follow Marcus Aurelius' example and

• do good


• be useful

I'd suggest asking questions on behalf of those who can't, or at very least educating yourself on the daily reality for a billion or so of your fellow man.

That chocolate biscuit should taste really good now. ;)

Meditations: An Introduction

I am currently reading, and will probably be slowly doing so for some time, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.

For those who aren't familiar with this particular Roman emperor here is a brief description from the dust jacket of my edition of Meditations.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
(AD 121-180) embodied in his person that deeply cherished, ideal figure of antiquity, the philosopher-king. His Meditations are not only one of the most important expressions of the Stoic philosophy of his time but also an enduring guide to living a good and just life. Written in moments snatched from military campaigns and the rigours of politics, they reveal a mind of exceptional clarity and originality, and a spirit attuned to both the particulars of human destiny and the vast patterns that underlie it.

I wanted to introduce it to my blog because I am finding that reading my way through the Books provokes me to think about Marcus' worldview and how much of it still applies to life in our time.

Book I reads as a dedication to all those who had shaped Marcus' life, opinions and actions. It is like a rollcall of the characteristics that are important to him, and those from whom he learned them. And while reading it, I was struck by the thought that I haven't actually openly acknowledged my guiding principles for a very long time or openly recognised other people's influence in and over my life.

It also occurs to me that many of the principles Marcus valued are no longer openly taught or transmitted in our society. At least, they are not manifesting amongst the younger people I have had contact with over the past few years. Take a look through the following list and see what you think.
Were any or all of these principles taught to you?
Are you seeing them being taught or modelled around you today?
Are they still valued and valuable? Do we still need them?
I'd like to hear what you think.

• to have an even temper


• modesty


• to keep from doing evil and from dwelling on evil thoughts


• to be slow to listen to slander


• to put up with plain speaking


• to read books accurately


• not to be satisfied with superficial thinking about things


• graciousness


• to avoid fault-finding


• love of family, love of truth, love of justice


• to do good


• to be useful


• mastery of self


• to be generous, forgiving, void of deceit


• love of work and perseverance

:idea: Postscript: for those with a philological leaning, the term principle has its roots in the Latin: Princeps meaning leader, emperor.

Blogs of Note: First Inspirations

As I am so new to the whole blogosphere thing and keeping a blog of my own, I've spent a bit of time recently reading other people's blogs.
My goal: get some fresh ideas, investigate blog styles, and see what works for me as a reader.

As a rule I don't immediately add every blog that sounds interesting to my Newsfox Feedreader. I bookmark them, read through their back entries from blog-start to current. That way I get a feel for the way the blog has developed and grown, and it gives me a good idea if I am going to be able to relate as a "regular" reader. If I can't get past a couple of entries, I'm out of there.

What I have discovered: there is a huge range of choice (no surprise there!), and there is great diversity in quality.

I have browsed my way through poorly written, visually overwhelming, gaudy and just plain exclusionary blogs. They were consigned to the delete button.

Then there are those that have made it to Newsfox.
There haven't been many, I have to say. And I am beginning to see a pattern.

Visually the blogs are clean, normally minimalist, and not full of flashing advertisements. Don't get me wrong, I understand that if you are paying for server space then you need to make some money to meet the costs, just don't poke me in the face - I'm here for your content, not your revenue building.

Writing style is pretty distinctive too. If the blog has a purpose, then the tone is usually friendly and informative; or sometimes passionate when in rant mode, but never truly obnoxious. If the blog is primarily about personal experiences or opinions, then they tend to be direct, are often quirky and display a hint of self-and-others-mockery.

And content, even those writing on personal experience, tends to the creative. This includes technologically, artistically and literally creative.
And before you say "writing a blog is a creative action", I would suggest that while you may be technically correct, in actuality some of the blogs I have bumped into over the past couple of months are simply places to gossip or to spew forth vitriol in lieu of seeking counselling.

I have enjoyed reading these blogs and it occurred to me that they deserve more note than simply being added to my sidebar Blogroll. In the first few months of writing this blog I have gained valuable ideas and inspiration from reading each of them, so I thought it was overdue to give them a little bit of proper recognition. So here they are.

On the technologically and literally creative front I would recommend that you visit Lorelle on WordPress and browse through her work. I have found it to be a good source of thought-provocation and useful tips on both Blogging and WordPress. The visuals have been through a recent revamp after the WordPress announcement about upgrading to Custom CSS, as Lorelle is undoubtedly testing it out for future articles.

Still on technology, especially things Mac and Internet but with gadgets and photography thrown in for good measure, I would also recommend visiting Bioneural.net. I like to keep up with the photography articles and images as I find it's good for boosting my creative inspiration and also the Internet articles gives me an easy-to-understand window into what I might be able to do one day. Also the person to thank for my migration to WordPress.

In the personal observations and experience category, I can recommend a blog that has a relatively short history (a couple of months) that I have greatly enjoyed because of the sense of humour and observations. You may be surprised to note, with my minimalist tendencies, that this blog is called Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things, but the title says it all really. :)

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Postscript: I am currently making my way through another few blogs that are meeting my criteria for a creative, informative and inspirational read. They will no doubt be added to both the Blogroll and a Blogs of Note entry shortly. I am open to new reading recommendations - just leave a note for me.

Running Mutiny

Today was test day.

The 2km test.

Run and/or walk as fast as possible for this distance. On the basis of my Coopers Test I was expecting to see a 12 minute plus time. Little did I know that Cris would take initial control of the speed buttons.

After an appropriate warm-up of cycling, flat running and stretching it was back on to the treadmill for the test.
So what does my beloved :evil: trainer do?
He sets the speed setting to 13+.
I mean to say !
I'm lucky if I can run short intervals at that speed, let alone a whole 2km.

After politely suggesting that he was joking, (between gasping breaths), I toughed it out as long as I could before an argument erupted between my legs, stomach and lungs as to which of them was actually suffering the most from this ridiculous speed.

In all fairness to my screaming body parts, they did pretty well. I was a reasonable way through the 2kms before they stopped complaining and started to indicate a full-scale mutiny. At this point I took control of the speed buttons. I think this was much to the disgust of the :evil: one.
But other than a slight sigh and a comment along the lines of "see how you feel in a bit and see if you can go faster", I was left in charge of the buttons.
Woo hoo - Victory!

So, I reduced speed to stop the threatened mutiny. But I'm so easy to intimidate, that with the :evil: one looking at the onscreen display I only had the courage to drop into the 12 range. Oh, that's right...
that's what I pay him for... intimidation, 'push past your limits', no surrender.

The problem with this was, the mutiny was only put on hold. In fairly short time all screaming body parts realised that I was just offering up a small concession - perhaps an extra ration of rum, or a bit of extra shore leave after the hard work was done. They knew better. After the test would come the pretzel session (stretching), and that would almost be as bad as the test.

In the end the lungs won the hotly contested title of "King of the Mutineers".
It looks suspiciously like I might be slightly asthmatic, and the feeling of not getting a full hit of oxygen with each breath is just a little off-putting while running at full tilt. This resulted in three more speed adjustments until at the end of 2km I was running at 10+ speed.

Apparently my lungs feel that they missed their true vocation - that of a traffic policeman. At certain speeds they kick in and insist that I am going over the legal limit, thank you very much.

This could prove to be a bit of a problem on my way to running sub-30 minute 5 kilometres. But we will persevere, mutineers, lung police and all.

And for the record, my 2km test time was 10m 52s.

Not too shabby, despite all the complaining, whining and general mutineering.
For those who like to know these things, that means my :evil: one ensured that this sorry excuse for a runner pushed her mutinous body through 2 kilometres at 5:26 per kilometre pace. A full 1 and a bit minutes less than her usual pedestrian speed!

And for the record, being turned into a human pretzel still hurts. Only today I was able to touch my left toe with my right hand (over the top of my head - side on, not straight on) , instead of my right toe with my left hand. (Remember, this is sitting on the floor with legs splayed apart!)
And I really need a snappy remark to throw out to the audience that is half-unbelieving, half-impressed by the fact that the only sounds out of my mouth while doing this feat go along the lines of:- "ow...ow...ouch...aaargh....aaaaargh".
Am willing to take any suggestions.

Ji dong ji xia (The Iceman Cometh)

The Iceman Cometh was last night's DVD movie of choice.

Yes, another Hong Kong martial arts feature. This time from the late 1980s, the heyday of Jackie Chan, Samo Hung and Yuen Biao in Hong Kong action films. In this case it is Yuen Biao's turn to star, along with the wickedly good Yuen Wah. The female member of the trio is a very young Maggie Cheung.

The plot is simple - two brothers (the "we grew up in a monastery together" type of brotherhood) become enemies. One is the Chief Royal Guard to the last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, while the other turns rapist and murderer.
Enter a little magic - the "Buddhist Wheel of Life" and the Black Buddha statue - and we step into a bit of time-travelling.

The newly 20th Centuried Ming Dynasty warriors adapt to their environment in predictably different ways. The Chief Royal Guard - Fong Sau-Ching (Yuen Biao) - finds help, and eventually love in the hooker Polla (Maggie Cheung).
Meanwhile, Fung San (Yuen Wah) finds connections in the criminal underworld. A vicious and nasty personality like Fung San cannot stay hidden forever, and his method of dispatching his victims brings him to the attention of Fong Sau-Ching who sets out to bring him to justice.

The martial arts stunts and action sequences are all you would expect and like to see in a movie like this. Yuen Wah did a great job of the choreography. It is crisp, fast and in places quite a homage to the skills of the artists.
Bear in mind that this film is over 15 years old and the styles, techniques and filming options have changed a great deal since then. Don't expect to see a Hollywood Jackie Chan film. Expect to see its precursor.

Yuen Wah has a great line in the "Mwah hah haaaaaa" department. :evil:
Slightly overdone to be taken seriously, but seriously bordering on the psychotic.

If you want an excellent modern view of Yuen Wah in action, you must try to get to see Kung Fu Hustle. It is hilarious, and a great showcase for the range that this veteran of Hong Kong action films is capable of.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5.
My advice: You probably have to be a fan of the genre to really enjoy this, or curious about the origins of Hollywood Blockbuster Kung Fu Action films. If you aren't - stick to Shanghai Knights.

Working from Home

We recently decided that I should try working from home for a week.
Partly this is to give me a quasi-holiday, partly to allow me to work on the strategic planning necessary for our business without daily work interuptions.

I can tell you that I was very hesitant about doing so. Not being in a formal workplace requires a certain degree of internal discipline to turn up and actually do the work each day.
And I was fighting with the idea that everyone else would view it as nothing but an excuse to avoid going to work like they have to.

In the end I went ahead with it, and here I am, sitting in front of my home computer. Newly furnished with broadband internet - a whopping 3.5 Mbps connection.
I know. Don't laugh. And most especially, don't brag about your 11 Mbps or 25 Mbps connections. It's already bad enough just knowing how primitive we are, no salt needs to be applied to the wound thank you !
And it doesn't help that we need to rob Fort Knox each month to pay for it either.

Still, five or so years after first reading about the concept, I am finally giving the idea of tele-commuting a try.

What I have liked so far:

• It is really nice not having to get up at 6am to make it to work for 8am.


• It is really nice not having to sit in traffic for 40 minutes each way.


• It is really nice to have freshly brewed coffee whenever you want it.


• It is really nice to not be interupted by the telephone all the time.


• It is really nice to not be interupted by people's questions all the time.


• It is really nice to have a peaceful environment in which to think about "big picture" stuff.

What I have learned so far:

• Discipline, discipline, discipline. That's what is required to do this well.


• It can be easy to get distracted by household jobs.


• It can be easy to take longer breaks, or be tempted out into the garden.


• It is necessary to have a good VPN setup and knowledge on using it well.


• It is necessary to have a well organised work plan, to keep focus.


• It is necessary to have a well organised and thought out workspace at home. (A desk for the computer isn't enough. What about writing space? Reading space? Lighting? Seating?)


• It could become lonely, without face-to-face people contact.

After my trial week, and the trials that the week brought, my assessment of the outcome is remarkably positive.

I will confess that I did not complete one of my tasks for the week - getting the planning to an all-but finished state - but I did manage to recharge my mental batteries, while still staying in touch with the day-to-day running of the business.
I learned about the usefulness of the new VPN, and about the current limitations of my setup. I learned a heap of things about "what not to do" when attempting to work from home. And I am looking forward to my next tele-commuting week, with more structure, better organisation, better office layout, and more pre-planning.

Hello Cyber-Age, I think I have finally arrived !

Hong Kong: Images and Final Impressions

Imagery

As I have stated elsewhere, I am a snapper of photographs for the most part.
But I really enjoy seeing good, well taken photographs. And I thought that as I haven't really got any great photographs of my own to share with you, that I would put together a few links to give you an idea about the visual appeal of Hong Kong.

• Fantastic night-time photographs of Hong Kong.


• Flickr Hong Kong Group. This contains literally thousands of really good and interesting photographs.


• TravellersPoint Hong Kong Photo Gallery.

Final Impressions

On our last day in Hong Kong we decided to stay close to the hotel, as we needed to leave for the airport around midday. The good fortune of having stayed in Tsim Sha Tsui was being within a short walking distance of several Museums. On our earlier walks we had seen the Museum of Art advertising an exhibition of Etruscan artifacts and Early 20th Century Guangdong Painting.
As we come from the ends of the earth and most interesting exhibitions pass us by, we thought that it would be a good way to spend a few hours before heading home.

It turned out that a couple of hours was barely enough to make our way around the exhibitions. In the end the Chinese Jade and Gold exhibition took most of our interest and our time. The beauty and craftsmanship of the items on display was phenomenal, and it made the Etruscan artifacts look chunky by comparison.

If you love museums and art galleries then I would suggest that you set aside a minimum of half a day, or better yet a whole day, to wander through the Museum of Art. It is a nice way to see a little snippet of the vast story that is Chinese culture, civilization and history.

After walking back to the hotel we left for Hong Kong airport around midday, with a taxi driver who spoke some english. He turned out to be willing to indulge himself as a bit of a tour guide on our drive and so we gleaned more information about the city we were leaving. I'd suggest you try your luck and ask your taxi driver questions - you might find yourself with a chatty local who is willing to share their knowledge, even through broken and heavily accented english.

As we went through the usual customs and boarding procedures for the start of our flight home, it was clear to me that I was hooked. Wild horses wouldn't keep me away. Hong Kong has become a repeat destination for me.
We saw only the very tiniest fraction of what the city has to offer, and as a taste-test it has convinced this traveller that she wants a bigger bite.

Look out Hong Kong - I'll be back!

Oh Waily Waily's Hong Kong Travel Series

From the very beginning:

• Hong Kong Trip - Prelude


• Good In-Flight Manners


• Hong Kong: Our Arrival


• Hong Kong: First Impressions


• Hong Kong: Quick Tips


• Hong Kong: Day One


• Hong Kong: Eating on Rice Sellers Street


• Hong Kong: Dried Seafood Street


• Hong Kong: Day Two


• Hong Kong: The Scent of Incense


• Hong Kong: Jade and Nuts


• Hong Kong: Flora and Fauna


• Hong Kong: The Highs and the Lows


• Hong Kong: Shopping Overkill

Fantasy Triptych - July Progress

Here we are at the end of July. A bit more progress has been made on the Castle, as you can see. The turrets should be finished this month, all going well.



While it isn't massive amounts, it is a start and I am hoping to keep it up in August as well. Check back on 1 September for the August update.

The Running Programme Begins

If you have taken time to visit my Running page you will see that I have listed a few goals, one of which is to run 5k under 30 minutes. Well this goal is now under pursuit. This past week Cris (my trainer) put together a cardio schedule for me to work on. Hopefully, all being well I will be running 5k under 30 minutes within two months, or probably be a physical wreck trying. ;)

This involves committing to 4 days of running a week at the gym, with another one or two days doing resistance with Cris.
Yes! Finally I am getting the hang of being a fitness fanatic.
Maybe.

Today we did a Cooper's Test, which involved running and/or walking on the flat for 12 minutes. At the end of which we took a look at how far I was able to go in the time. For the record I managed 2,040m. And that, apparently, for my age group is a good result.

For those with a mathematical brain, you would have worked out that this was 5:52 per km pace. Which means if I could have kept it up for a whole 3 more kilometres I would be at my goal already.
But here's the snag...

I was knackered when I finished. I even had fleeting moments of "turn the damn speed down, I'm going to die", but as anyone with a slightly competitive bone in their body knows - there was no way I was going to let a treadmill beat me.

And just to prove how anal retentive (or is it compulsive/obsessive?) I really am, I can tell you that the last time I ran that fast was 20 September 2001. It was also the only time I have logged a sub-30 minute 5k run, and only one other time (5 April 2001) have I run a 30 minute 5k.

So you can see that this is a promising speed over 2k, but not really a great boost considering I would have flopped down onto the floor straight afterwards had I not been given the 3 minute cool-down instructions from Cris. ie I had to keep running, albeit a lot slower, and then eventually walking, and finally stopping. Sometimes I hate my trainer. ;)

And to add insult to injury, during our stretching session after this, he suggested that I consider making the ability to do the splits a goal too.
I can barely walk properly after the stretching sessions as it is!

Whatever you do, don't agree to assisted stretching with a six foot, ex-national-class decathlete! Especially when he thinks that you really should be able to touch your toes, and not with the hand on the same side of your body as your foot!!

And if you really want to know where your hamstrings connect at the top end I can show you a stretch that will leave you in no doubt, and walking like you just got off a horse.

Ah, the young and the fit ! They don't know what's coming to them in middle age.

Maybe there's something to the idea of being a couch potato after all.