Jasper Mono

Being 30

2007-10-15T09:48:00.000Z

Last Thursday I turned 30. I've had a smashing time, and I've still got more people with whom to wring out any further celebrations!

The weekend before my birthday JP and I went shopping in Milton Keynes. MK is a fantastic place to shop because it has all the shops under one roof - and it's a very big roof at that! I purchased a Jeff Banks shirt and Next jumper for a funky smart/casual combination. I wanted a suit-jacket also, and found one that I liked and he said for me to get the whole suit - so I did!

Thursday morning, JP woke we up with a CD sized present and a card. He told me he knew how much I liked live music, so he got me a Chas'n'Dave CD. As he had thought about it, which is a trait that I don't often see when it comes to presents, I thanked him, put it on and sang along to Rabbit. I even told my friends, gratefully, that he had thought about this year's present.

At the meal at Pizza Express that night there was a big present .. a Wii! I was fooled, totally! And a Wii is the last thing I expected -and I was amazed that I was so excited about it - and still am!

On the weekend JP and I went to my parents. It was a nice relaxing time, and we celebrated my and my sister's birthday on Saturday too.

Regarding sorting out a posh restaurant to go to (old post) I didn't get my arse into gear in time. But we have booked the next available Saturday table at Petrus .. In January! I am seriously looking forward to it!

Home Improvements

2007-09-18T08:01:00.000Z

Actually, Home run improvoments!

Route

Old stats:
Duration: 40.15
Distance: 6.9km / 4.2miles
Speed: 10.3kph / 6.4mph
Pace: 5.51 (per km) / 9.22 (per mile)

Today's stats:
Duration: 38.02
Distance: 6.9km / 4.2miles
Speed: 10.9kph / 6.8mph
Pace: 5.31 (per km) / 8.82 (per mile)

I don't expect to beat my work pace as this run is really difficult, especially the run up Desborough Road! But, I'm not far off! And, there was a straight where I didn't push myself, so who knows!

Same run, much better time!!!

2007-09-13T13:02:00.000Z

I really pushed myself at the start of my run, and towards the end felt I was flagging. When I got to the final straight I looked at my watch and was very surprised at the time - i knew I was going to beat my best time!

I actually beat it by over 2 minutes!

time:29.29
distance: 5.6km / 3.48
speed: 11.4kph / 7.1mph
pace: 5.15 (per km) / 8.27 (per mile)

I crashed through the 9 minute mile!

Same run, better time...

2007-09-11T14:08:00.000Z

Just!

Time: 31.34
Distance: 5.6km / 3.48miles
Speed: 10.7kph / 6.65mph
Pace: 5.37 (per km) / 9.01 (per mile)

Pretty happy with the result! I'd love to break the 9 minute mile!

Exercising Again!

2007-09-07T13:03:00.000Z

After my Imodium post (potentially a bad taste blog entry, sorry!) I was under the weather for a further two weeks with a temperamental stomach which prevented me from eating much or doing much. (Waiting for the Ahhhhhs!)

Well, I'M BACK! I have been to the gym twice this week - once cardio, once weights - and I feel I'm getting back to the fitness level I was a few weeks ago!

Today, I was late leaving home and got caught up in the school run. If I had gone to the gym I wouldn't have got to work until 11:30ish - not good! So I decided to go for a run at lunchtime. Here are the statistics:
Duration: 31:49
Dist: 5.6km / 3.5 miles
Speed: 10.6kph / 6.6mph
Pace: 5:39 (Km) / 9:05 (Miles)

The route itself can be found here:
http://www.sanoodi.com/route/redrunner/87225/3-5-mile-run-around-chalfont-st-peter-and-chalfont-heights/

I felt really good, and met up with other runners at the end. I felt part of the team, comparing notes and routes we took. I have yet to run with them because they run much faster than I currently do - maybe one day I'll use them to up my pace occasionally!

I'll do the 4 mile home route again early next week, I think I can beat my current pace despite the gradients being more steep!

Wasting my life away!

2007-09-07T13:00:00.000Z

I can't believe how addicted I have become to FaceBook! I have enough on my plate without wasting the night away contacting old and current friends .. honestly! But, it is amazing which friends from the past keep popping up! It is far easier to find and contact people using FaceBook than any other social utility I have tried.

This whole nation has become nostalgic!

Must.. get.. on.. with.. life........

Imodium rocks!

2007-08-13T13:31:00.000Z

This weekend JP and I were to go to my parents because it was their 40th wedding anniversary.

I had always avoided Imodium because I didn't like the idea of being bunged up - would I be harbouring germs that would otherwise be ejected from my body? So, tentatively I took imodium, and amazingly it did what it said on the packet - it stopped my squits! And, I felt really good too, meaning I spent the whole weekend eating rich food, chocolate and puddings! I still have had no consequences of doing so, either! (YET!)

Imodium rocks!

More outdoor exercise means more weights

2007-08-07T10:11:00.000Z

Recent good weather has meant I have been doing more outside exercise such as running and walking. Therefore I have been doing fewer cardio- sessions at the gym, doing weights instead.

I've been really enjoying doing them and stretching my strength abilities a little bit (not too much!). I'm also pleased that I have been finding the 20 minute run on the treadmill fairly easy. Perhaps I should up the times a bit - but that will take my sessions to over an hour!

After my recent 4 mile run, I'm looking forward to my next opportunity on Thursday morning! I want to run a similar time, perhaps a little faster as I will have a go at sprinting on the long straights!

It's a shame I can't afford personal training sessions because I'd love to know how I am doing and what I can do to do it better.

I've already asked my parents for money on my birthday towards 4 sessions on the Power Plate at my gym. People say it's a good workout and really beneficial. I hope so!

I keep bouncing between 73Kg and 74Kg on the scales. I really want to get me to the stage where I am consistently below 73Kg. I'm still aiming for 66Kg, a total of 13Kg lost (about 2 stone). One day...

Camping in Pembrokeshire

2007-08-07T09:54:00.000Z

JP and I went to Pembrokeshire with a couple of friends, Stevie and Mike. It took us 5 and a half hours to get to Newport, Pembrokeshire from Slough Train Station (where we picked up Stevie and Mike).

The Campsite was basic but very friendly! The old farmer welcomed us and at least once a day goes round each tent on his motor vehicle to see that everything is okay. He even provides a bring-your-own-food barbecue every night! Friendly old chap, he was disappointed when we didn't make it to the barbecue - he twaddled along in the dark to our tents and kept trying to get us to go, but we were too tired and hid in our tents.

The farmer advised us on a potential walk from Moylegrove back to Newport. I had seen some information stating that the coastal path was about 7 miles from Moylegrove to Newport.

The walk is beautiful, with spectacular views, beautiful flowers and wildlife, horses roaming free, just so much to take in! If you enjoy walking and like challenging walks then this is definately the walk for you! I really want to do it again one day!

2 hours into the journey, and not even half way according to the map, we ran out of water and we were all getting parched! It was such a hot day! JP spotted a natural spring on his map and we continued on hoping that we would find it. We found it! The water was really, really fresh and clear and we filled our bottles with water and continued on!

Amazingly, we saw a 22o halo around the sun! A dark circle around the sun and a rainbow around the outside. I didn't take a photograph because I didn't want to point my camera directly at the sun. Apparently, they aren't uncommon, so look out for them!

We got back to Newport Sands beach and spotted a sign warning that the walk we had just done was a difficult walk with a 6 mile stretch with no access to amenities or drinking water!

A superb weekend where we met very friendly people everywhere! JP and I definitely want to explore more of the Pembrokeshire coastline!

Photos can be seen: http://jasper.photoblog.co.uk/c1341470.html

New road surface likely give motorists more miles per gallon (MPG)

2007-08-02T12:03:00.000Z

Commented on the RAC Foundation blog:
http://racfoundation.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/new-road-surface-likely-give-motorists-more-miles-per-gallon-mpg/

4 miles!

2007-08-02T10:23:00.000Z

Today I reached a new level in my running. As you may gather from the title of this blog entry, I ran more than 4 miles! And amazingly, I felt I had energy to do more, but I don't want to push myself too far too quickly!

I found parts of the route quite difficult, especially running up Desborough Avenue in rush hour and all the fumes! This time I paced myself up that hill and made sure I ran properly, instead of the sloppy run I can sometimes find myself doing.

Stats:
Run length: 6.9Km / 4.3 miles
Time: 40 minutes 15 seconds
Average speed: 10.3 Km/h / 6.4 mph
Pace: 5 minutes 51 seconds per Km / 9 minutes 22 seconds per mile

My route can be seen following this link: http://www.sanoodi.com/route/redrunner/69341/4-mile-run-round-deeds-grove-desborough-and-cressex/

I feel ready to stretch myself to a 10K run, so I will look on Runner Diary (http://www.runningdiary.co.uk/) for a good one in my locality within the next couple of months!

My friend Paul has pointed me to the Runners World website (http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/) which apparently has lots of advice for runners. Time to do some studying as well as running!

How exciting!

Running again!

2007-07-23T13:47:00.000Z

Well, I haven't been for an outside run since before my holiday to France. After supporting some friends at the Wycombe Half Marathon last week I decided this had to change! It wasn't until Saturday that I put this into action and I ran my standard 3 mile course near where I live in 28 minutes! I even sprinted in the last quarter of a mile!

The area where I live is very, VERY hilly, and my standard 3 mile run has a mile long hill and has a delta of 200 meters. It's hard work, and slows me down. I wonder how much faster I would be on a flat course? I will try in a few weeks!

Today, I went to the gym still a little stiff from my run on Saturday. But as soon as I had warmed up and stretched the workout became easy - I barely noticed my 19 minute run on the treadmill! (2 minutes walk at 6.5km/h, then 10 minutes run at 10.5km/h, then 6 minutes run at 11.5km/h, and a 1 minute sprint at 12.5km/h followed by a 1 minute cool-down)

Next year I WILL run in the Wycombe Half Marathon!

Weight success

2007-07-10T08:58:00.001Z

The double meaning of the title for this blog is intentional!

This week I weighed in at 73KG, which is almost precisely, but not exactly 11 stone 7 pounds. Which means I have succeeded in losing 1 stone in weight since I started at the gym!

This morning I was 73.5KG (11 stone 8 pounds) which is still good, especially as I have noticed some muscles appearing in my arms after 10 weeks of twice a week training with weights (the other meaning of the title!)

It's a good feeling when all that hard work is visibly paying off!

Visit to Buxton

2007-07-10T08:44:00.000Z

So, JP decided we should go camping to Buxton, less than 30 miles from Sheffield where there were floods the weekend before! I was really apprehensive and really, really, really didn't want to go.

But, JP soldiered on and purchased a 6 man tent (to my specifications.. I actually meant us to get the 4 man, 2 bedroom tent but gave JP the wrong Argos number. After he had dragged the 18KG tent across Slough we decided not to change it, even though its specifications said it was 5 meters in length and £170! For 2 people!?!?)

We left at 5am Saturday morning, and as we travelled up norf, the rain rained harder and I was getting more and more pissed off! We arrived at the campsite and it was still raining. We had to put up a new tent we had never put up before in this weather!

You know what? I love modern tents! The tent turned out to be a big version of a dome tent with 2 dome-ish bedrooms. We had the outer tent up with in 15 minutes, and we were able to erect the bedrooms from the dryness of inside!

In all we had a fantastic weekend because we had prepared with suitable clothes - JP in head to toe waterproofs, whereas I believe one should wear shorts in this weather because they dry more quickly!

We did plenty of walking around the country side to see Solomon's Tower and Thor's Cave, and we were mightily impressed with Buxton itself! It is a roman town with a similar feel to it as Bath (It's a spa town after all!). There was a market with very fresh food. I purchased some local vegetables and Shropshire blue cheese for the pasta I was to cook that night. A complete success!

We're certainly going back again! I hate it when JP is right..!

Photos at: http://jasper.photoblog.co.uk/c1321001.html

The e-mail from David

2007-06-25T09:42:00.000Z

I have decided to post a subsequent e-mail from David regarding my last post...

The pacherenc was super, it is usually slightly sweet by the way. The madiran must rest a week or so after its journey, it is five years old, just about ready to drink but old wine doesn't like any kind of journey - even from wine merchant to your home. I used to tell people to let any good bottle rest for as long as had been travelling.

I have done some research with my books, Lembeye was never in my memory but I see it as 'vinously important'. It may be a three bar, two baker shops 'bled' (Arabic word used in French slang - meaning a small village of no account) but it is also the postal address of two very large and prestigious producers of madiran and pacherenc du vic-bilh (wine producers here always produce the two wines, one red the other white) Next looking at my books I see that one is Chateau de Peyros - and that name I do remember, because long ago I did set out to get their madiran sold to wine merchants here and so we (self and my senior partner in a French wine agency - which sells on behalf of French 'principals', shipments to the UK Wine Trade) 'shew' the wine to trade buyers at the London Wine Trade Fair in 1990.

The USP of madiran ('unique selling proposition' in case you are not familair with adspeak?) is that the principal grape variety used is called 'tannat' , an appropriate name since it makes the wine tannic in its youth. SW France/Gascony being the only place in France (therefore the World) where tannat is grown. Except extraordinarily - Uruguay! Yes, because of French emigrants in the 19th century. We didn't learn this until the mid 1990s. (all of this information is true and correct, totally useless though unless you are - and I know that you are - addicted to fine wine) Chateau de Peyros then had about 150 ha and their madiran was pricey (all madiran is and deservedly so) Ch.Peyros compares favourably to fine claret (but with its own gascon style)

The other, much bigger operator with a Lembeye address is at Crouseilles ( a co-op with maybe 400 members, high standards and by now maybe 4-5000ha.) It was their pacherenc du vic-bilh we drank, it was about four years old, and at 13% and just the right bit of (natural) sweetness. Now - what an unusual name for a wine, it doesn't sound French at all? Well it isn't 'langue d'oil' , the classic French of the North and above all the Loire Valley. It is a (gascon) dialect form of 'langue d'oc' which itself evolved from 'dog' latin and has hard terminal consonants. Let's dissect. Vic-bilh - ' Vic' is a place name, of a small mountainous region. 'Bilh' simply means 'vieux' in this old dialect. Pacherenc is the name of the principal grape variety, which is now called 'arruffiac' or 'ruffiac' (also once known as 'peau de chien'!) Originally this might have been the only grape to have been used, and it was also the first wine grape ever to have been planted as single vines, each with its own stake (like a standard rose tree) For going back 400/500 year all vines grew 'a la foulee' - all over the place just like wild blackberries . Nowadays pach /vic-bilh will have other cépages - gros manseng, peit manseng, sauvignon, semillon. We should pass from technical stuff...

So from fact to fantasy. In one of my books I read of Dumas, who wrote about (invented?) the most famous gascon ever. The author complains however that he did not ever write of D'Artagnan drinking pacherenc. He goes on to write that D'Artagnan lived in the Chateau d'Arricau, near Lembeye But wasn't D'Artagnan a fictional hero? Ans. Not for me. He really lived. Finally the same author reckons that whenever one drinks pacherenc one will hear the tinkling of rapiers 'le tintement des rapieres'. I heard no such thing, did you? I just revelled in the envelope of flavour.

I could go on endlessly , but won't.

David

P.S. Today would D'Artaganan be a fly-half. Gascony and all of SW France is rugby country.

Really knowing about wine

2007-06-25T09:23:00.000Z

I recently stayed in a place in the south of France, a tiny village with 4 bakeries and three bars - typically French! Now, J and I made friends with a lady, an ex-pat who sadly lost her husband several years ago, who has built on the work she and her husband did and now has a thriving business.

One day she was talking about her husband and told us he used to work for the BBC ordering and preparing food for the TV programmes. Suddenly a connection was made in my head! David, who I have blogged about before, an old man who goes to Japanese class with me, used to work for the BBC ordering wine for the TV programmes! I asked her if she remembered David and she did! Especially that David didn't get on with her husband (which clinched it with me because that sounds so like David to take a dislike to someone for seemingly no reason!)

After some interesting conversation about her husband's work and David she disappeared out of the room and returned with a bottle of "WHITE" wine and offered it as a gift to take back to David! I enjoy wine, and in my experience anyone who knows a little about wine will say that red wine is the best and they never touch white!

So, I visited David a few days ago and offered him my bottle of red Madiran wine that I had saved for him. He was pretty pleased and said thank you. I expected no more. Then I went into the story about the lady I had met in France and produced the bottle from a (french) bag a little reluctantly...

His face brightened immediately and he announced to me, barely looking at the label "Ah! A bottle of Pacherenc!". This took me by surprise and he immediately went into anecdotes about the wines of the region, the history of the wine, and stories of his travels to the area! We opened the bottle and really enjoyed it together. Apparently, the wine can vary and this one was fairly sweet (but imo dry at the same time) and a deep yellow in colour.

I'm not sure if it is the connection that I made and the anecdotes, or whether on its own it is a marvelous wine. I have never celebrated a white wine so much as that day!

The two lessons I have learnt here are: never judge a wine by its label and wine connoisseurs enjoy good white wines as well as red wines.

Gym progress

2007-06-05T08:27:00.000Z

Since returning from France, on working days I have been getting up at least an hour earlier every morning at about 6.00am and heading straight to the gym. This means I also get into work between 8.30 and 9.00am, which is well before most of my colleagues get in!

I am really determined to get rid of my spare tyres that I have been carrying around with me since my teens. Today I weighed in at just over 74Kg (11 stone 9). Clothes are fitting me better again, and I feel the benefits in everyday life!

Since France I have done no running outside of the gym. I don't consider this too bad as I am going to the gym more and I am building up my fitness, but as the weather is improving it is ideal to go running!

The weights regime that Anna, my trainer, has set me is getting easier, so today I fulfilled my requirements, then did an extra set on most machines at the next weight setting. That is after two weeks! I guess it's going to be a fine balance - I want to feel the benefits, but I don't want to give myself a hernia!

Do I take life too seriously?

2007-06-04T17:09:00.000Z

I enjoy life, and I love doing and experiencing things that make my life seem better. For example, travelling, buying things, eating and making good food, meeting people, learning new things.

I hate it when things don't happen, or fail to occur in the way that I expected (unless what happens outclasses what I expected).

The thing that stresses me out most of all is work. I work with people who don't really care about what they do. Their lapsidasical approach frustrates me because I want the result from my project to be the best. (If you are reading this and wondering if I am talking about you, then it probably isn't you! Reason: The people who I am talking about are fully aware of my feelings toward them! Ask me in person if you want to be sure!)

But should I care? Should I take a step back and think to myself "Does it really matter?"? If I am living to work it should really matter, but I know that when it comes down to it I am working to live - that is, to make my life better for now and the future.

So, why do I lie awake at night running made up conversations through my head about things that I would want to say to these people? Why do I let it get me down? Why do I feel like everyone else gets recognition for the work they do, and I get left behind doing the same old?

To be honest, I want to make big changes in my life - job, where I live, hobbies, fashion, blah, blah - but there are certain things holding me back. Mostly financial, and I know these will be dealt with within the next 3 years.

Ahhh.. suddenly I feel happier thinking about a target - 2010 should be a good year!

I briefly saw Jo Cameron from The Apprentice series 2 (http://www.jocameron.co.uk/) this morning on TV and she said to write things down - and I feel far better and motivated after blogging this! I think she's great!

Driving holiday

2007-05-29T10:09:00.000Z

I have never been a good traveller, until I discovered my "Magic Travel Bands"!! These are wrist bands that have a knobbly bit that sticks into your wrist at special pressure points. I tried them for the first time last October. I was skeptical enough to purchase some tablets at the same time. I didn't need them at all, and I only really appreciated their benefit when I lost them just before the journey back and I was feeling ill despite/because of the travel sickness tablets!

So, J persuaded me that we should drive down to the south of France: 2 hours to Calais, 8 hours to Limogues (overnight stop) and 6 hours to the Vic Bilh region. Our destination was a little village almost directly between Tarbes and Pau. This time I took 3 pairs with me in case I lost or forgot any of them! I did my share of driving, and not once did I feel ill!

The journey down was interesting because we avoided the autoroutes, and still beat the time Tom Tom said we would take along autoroutes! We drove through lots of interesting little villages and saw parts of France you would not normally see if you flew directly to your destination.

Would I do it again? Probably, but I wouldn't rush to be first in the queue. I am normally a very active person and I found two days sitting in a car a very hard thing to do!

The holiday itself was superbly relaxing and pleasant, despite the weather which was unseasonably wet. I made several friends/acquaintances at some of the local bars, and we met up with some ex-pats (friends of friends who are now friends) and had meals with them!

I cooked more this time - the novelty of eating out every night soon wares off! But, as always, we sampled some typically fantastic french cuisine at the local restaurants and some further afield!

I got to speak lots of French to lots of French people and I really, really want to bottle down on learning it properly again!

I'm pretty relaxed from the holiday, and easing slowly into work... Ahhhhh

Planning my 30th

2007-05-03T15:36:00.000Z

I am stuck as to what to do for my 30th birthday. I don't want anything BIG like others have done for important dates, like hiring out a hall and people getting drunk (including me). But what else can you do that involves everyone?

So I think I'll do several smaller things with each group of people: My family, work mates, other friends, J, J's family, etc.

Starting off small, I've decided to plan a meal at a restaurant with J and some close friends. I want it to be something special. My friend Linda pointed me to a restaurant called Petrus with Marcus Wareing as Chef. They do a vegetarian taster menu, which I appreciate! So, I thought I'd list all the TV chefs I could find and narrow restaurants down from there. Guess what?! I listed 95 names! :-

Tom Aikens, Rachel Allen, Richard Allen, Ed Baines, Sat Baines, Mary Berry, Katie Bishop, Galton Blackiston, Raymond Blanc, Paul Bloxham, Heston Blumenthal, Martin Blunos, Frank Bordoni, Mark Broadbent, John Burton Race, Ross Burden, Michael Caines, Jean Christophe Novelli, Richard Corringan, Gion D’Acampo, Garrey Dawson, Clarissa Dickson Wright, Jill Dupleix, Anton Edelmann, Maria Elia, High Fearnley-Whittingstall, Keith Floyd, Richard Fox, Silvana Franco, Stuart Gillies, Peter Gordon, Bill Granger, Rose Gray (& Ruth Rogers), Dan Green, Sophie Grigson, Ainsley Harriott, Angela Hartnett, Mark Hix, Ken Hom, Ching-He Huang, Madhur Jaffrey, Charita Jonas (Momma Cherri), Annabel Karmel, Graham Kerr, Atul Kochhar, Kylie Kwong, Nancy Lam, Jeremy Lee, Rusty Lee, Prue Leith, Tom Lewis, Alastair Little, Giorgio Locatelli, Alex Mackay, Clodagh McKenna, Noel McMeel, Manju Malhi, Eadie Manson, James Martin, Paul Merrett, Michael Morre, Nick Nairn, Andrew Nutter, Ben O’Donoghue, Jamie Oliver, Merrilees Parker, Jennifer Patterson, Richard Phillips, Jo Pratt, Gordon Ramsay, Paul Rankin, Gary rhodes, Simon Rimmer, Mike Robinson, Ruth Rogers (& Rose Gray), Ollie Rowe, Silvena Rowe, Nigel Slater, Delia Smith, Rick Stein, Jun Tanaka, James Tanner, Matthew Tebbut, Tony Tobin, Cyrus Todiwala, Mitch Tonks, John Torode, Brian Turner, Phil Vickery, Marcus Wareing, Lesley Waters, Bryn Williams, Kevin Woodford, Anthony Worral Thompson, Aldo Zilli

I didn't realise how many TV chefs there are! I guess I have some time to filter through them! My favourites are Lesley Waters, Paul Rankin and Nick Nairn. But I have some doubt I'd be able to afford or book at one of their restaurants!

Where to go, oh where to go? I'll narrow my choices down and blog about them later!

Exercise balls

2007-04-30T11:12:00.000Z

I have often watched people at the gym performing silly looking moves on large inflated balls. How silly they look! I would never do that! *cough*

Well, my personal trainer, Anna, came bounding over to me saying I've got this for you! She handed me a handwritten sheet of paper with little stick-men demonstrating core exercise routines for the exercise ball.

Damn it! (I thought) I really didn't want to look silly! But, as she had obviously spent time on thinking these through I went through my cardio-only regime and got hold of one of the exercise balls.

YES! I probably looked silly! But, the exercises weren't easy, and it was often difficult to stay balanced. By the end of the exercises I was knackered and I really could feel their effect on my back and stomach - two areas that I need to focus on!

So, what have I learnt from this? Well, you sometimes have to look silly in order to get fit!

BTW, I weighed in at 74Kg (11 stone 9 pounds)!

Bunkai

2007-04-27T07:26:00.000Z

Last night at karate was an interesting exercise in bunkai, the interpretation of the moves in a kata. That is, when you do a kata you are normally by yourself, or in a group of people performing set moves in a sequence against invisible opponents.

In yesterdays session we covered Taikyoku Shodan and Heian Shodan katas in groups of two or three people, where one person would perform the kata and the others would take the part of the opponents and demonstrate what the kata actually means.

Now, it's an interpretation so you don't need to stick to the kata exactly. Something that looks like a block, e.g. an upward-rising block (Age Uki) could be interpreted as a strike under the chin.

After acting out the bunkai we returned to just performing the kata. Everyone in the hall, about 15 adults and 20 children, performed the kata together. I was able to imagine the opponents in front of me and what they were doing. It really made a difference! Instead of: Gedan Barai to Oi Zuki to Gedan Barai to Oi Zuki, etc it was GEDAN BARAI!!, OI ZUKI!! (I'm not sure if the difference comes across in text)

I hope that we do bunkai again for other katas. Watching my video of katas and bunkai isn't the same as physically performing it with others!

A good run!

2007-04-26T15:24:00.000Z

Today I went for a 3 mile run from work at lunch time. I was glad to find that last week's bad run was just a one-off. Admittedly, the hills around work aren't anywhere near the hills near home, so it's an easier run. I think the home run is good for building up stamina for normal(er) runs!

Today's stats are 3 miles in 27 minutes 40 seconds, which is an average of 6.7mph. I think that is just over 9 minute miles!

Tonight is karate night. I think I have just about got Heian Godan kata under my belt (pun intended), and I think purple-and-white belt basics are pretty similar to purple belt. The sparing is fairly easy too - but I couldn't remember any defending steps at all this morning! I should be up for grading if I attend as many lessons as I can over the next month or so!

Animosity at Japanese class

2007-04-25T10:18:00.000Z

Last night was the first Japanese class since the Easter break. There were four of us there, including Emiko my teacher. I really enjoy learning Japanese, and I want to learn more and more. I have learnt a lot this year, especially when I visited Japan. However, I haven't really concentrated on it recently because I got behind on the work I wanted to do quite early on in the year.

I'm looking forward to the summer break because I will be able to learn the subjects I want to learn in the time and order I want to learn them in. Then I'll be ready for the start of the new year in September!

Last night's lesson was fairly eventful because David, an old man to whom I give a lift to and from Japanese, had had a couple of glasses of wine before I picked him up. He was noticeably slurring his words and was mumbling most of the time. I was pretty sure he would be quiet in the class, or fall asleep, or something. I hoped at least!

When David takes a dislike to someone, he is normally a little vocal about it but never offensive. That is until last night when Bob, a Columbian who David constantly complains to me, corrected David (in a very friendly manner) instead of waiting for Emiko. David, with his Dutch courage, responded with "Shut up Bob! I'm getting totally pissed off with you! Emiko is the teacher, not you!" And, for the following 2 hours David was mumbling about "not being bothered to do anything and considering going home".

Bob obliged by not interacting with David at all for the rest of the night. He wasn't upset about it at all, but I could see that David was contorted with dislike for the man! In the car after the lesson, David referred to Bob as "A f*cking conceited c*nt", language I would not expect for a man in his seventies!

I was a bystander for most of this and I was able to learn lessons from it:

Don't let yourself get wound up about someone else because the other person will probably not care - Bob certainly didn't!
Reacting nastily will just cause the other person to respect you less, and make things worse for future interactions - I doubt Bob has very much respect at all for David!
You are only going to spoil things for yourself if you get upset about someone who has every right to be there too - David had a crap lesson. Bob and I just continued as normal.

If someone is upsetting you then dealing with it calmly, privately and directly with them. This should help you and the other person save face, e.g. "Bob, I don't really like it when you correct me. Will you let Emiko give me the answer first and if she doesn't know then you can help"

Doing weights at the gym

2007-04-25T10:06:00.000Z

For the last 6 months I have concentrated mostly on cardio-vasuclar exercises, on cycles, step machines and running. This week I had a session with Anna, one of the personal trainers, and once or twice a week I'm going to do weights (Plus a warm-up on the exercise bike and a run on the tread mill).

So, today was my first day, and I found it interesting how quickly my muscles became tired - i guess they get swamped with lactic acid.

At the end of the work out I felt like I hadn't done much, perhaps because I had cooled down from doing the run on the tread mill. I'll see how it goes over the next 6 weeks, I hope I notice a difference!

For my cardio routine I have dropped one of the step machines, and increased my run:

2 minutes 6.5kph
6 minutes 9.5kph
6 minutes 10.5kph
4 minutes 11.5kph

I did this run today and the last 4 minutes were the hardest, but I kept on telling myself that I would be extremely pleased with myself if I finish without slowing down. And I did finish without slowing down, and I was really, really pleased with myself!

Today I weighed 74.5Kg which is 11 stone 10 pounds.

A heavy night

2007-04-19T15:29:00.000Z

My friend Lee, whom I haven't seen in 10 years but we chat daily on a talker, came to visit lastnight. It was fab to see him and we had plenty to catch up on. (I guess topics of conversations are different on-line compared to IRL).

I introduced him to J and we soon headed to Pizza Express to grab a bite to eat. We all seemed to forget it was a work night, and several beers later we staggered into a taxi and home.

None of us really remember what happened after that but this morning there was evidence of munchies, further drinking (wine and whisky) and stinking, rotten hangovers from hell!

I saw Lee off at 8, and spent the next hour and a half trying to feel better and gave up and headed to work. What a useless morning! I couldn't concentrate on anything! So much so that I asked my manager if I could go home and get some sleep before working from home.

I feel like it was worth it, cos I had a fantasic night! But, as I still feel ill I have decided not to go to karate or do a run today. Instead I'll watch tv tonight and feel sorry for myself. Ahhh...

A hard easy run

2007-04-17T16:58:00.000Z

Today is my first run in a couple of weeks because of this silly lingering cough. I went out enthusiastically, but quickly found I lacked the energy to run my planned 3 miles. Forgetting to take my "magic stomach tablets" yesterday until 2 O'clock today, so I suffered indigestion and coughing a lot of the way round.

Hopefully I'll build my stamina up again over the next few weeks!

Going to the gym after ice skating

2007-04-16T11:24:00.000Z

I went ice skating on Saturday at Slough Skating Arena. Not a bad night at all, despite the average age of the skaters was 12, it being disco night and a badly fitting left boot, I was a little edgy at first, but after 10 or so minutes I was skating around quite happily!

Yesterday was pretty chilled. J and I went to Turville and had a pleasant meal with our friends Dave and Jane at the little pub there, called The Bull and Butcher. It was really, really busy especially as there was a bikers convention passing through - one of them said there were 50 bikes! The bar staff were magnificent, and most were happy to chat and drink for an hour before their food came out! I felt pretty good all day, not even a twinge from the badly fitting boots!

This morning I could hardly get up! I was stiff all over and hobbling around - almost as if I had a delayed reaction from the ice skating! So, I took some time stretching before exercising this morning. Even so, I found it really hard to maintain speed on the step machines!

Gym session completed, I have only stiff thighs if I sit down for too long! I'm sure they'll be ready for a run tomorrow!

Free vend

2007-04-16T10:29:00.000Z

So, I walked up to the vending machine at work pondering eating a Twix, when I noticed slot 67 was filled with Galaxy Caramels. Anyone who works at my company knows what this means...
I inserted my 50p, hovered over the Twix numbers but pressed 67 instead, retrieved my Caramel, pressed the coin return button and retrieved my change... 50p!

Now, I didn't need to put in my 50p - it would have vended the Caramel anyway.

Questions:

Does the fact the chocolate is free give me the right to take it?
Does putting the money in, giving the machine a chance to take the right amount, absolve me of any guilt?
Did it make the chocolate taste any worse?

Never mind.. I've eaten it now!

No run today :(

2007-04-12T17:41:00.000Z

7:30 this morning I had a bit of an upset stomach (I'll spare the detail) and as I felt absolutly fine I didn't think anything more of it and went to work.

11:50 today I was just about to get changed for my run and exactly the same happened again, but worse! Again, I didn't feel ill at all but thought better of it to go for a run just in case I got caught short!

So, very disappointed, I headed home and worked for the rest of the afternoon with no further 'problems'.

J's just got home and is making dinner, a vege-shepherds pie, but with quorn pieces because we've run out of quorn mince! I still feel absolutly fine, so I'm going to risk eating!

I should be able to spend more time at the Gym tomorrow cos J is away for the night!

Milan Pavan no. 3

2007-04-11T19:30:00.000Z

I have started relearning the third Milan Pavan which I think is the easiest of the six pieces. Easy enough for me to commit most of the piece including the tricky fingering to memory.

So, I got out my copy of Andrés Segovia playing the pavans and listened to Pavan no. 3. I wish that I could make such a simple piece of music sound so wonderful! He is technically superb and each he plays note is clean and resonates for just the right amount of time!

I will keep practicing!

I'm getting a little fed up of practicing on an awkward chair with arms, or the bulkhead above my stairs, or on the bed. I think I'll purchase a small stool which will enable me to practice with my footstool and attain a much better sitting position!

Back to the gym

2007-04-11T09:50:00.000Z

Easter weekend and this damned cough have both contributed to me not going to the gym regularly over the last 2 weeks. I have been a total of 4 times this month!

Today I completed my regime without pushing myself too hard:

Exercise bike - 10 minutes
Step machine - 10 minutes
Tread mill :
6.5km/h 2 minutes
9.5km/h 6 minutes
10.5km/h 6 minutes
11.5km/h 2 minutes
Side step machine - 10 minutes
Recline cycle - 10 minutes

I want to get my key reprogrammed soon because I want to increase the time I am running, and remove the side step machine. Although the side step machine is hard work and I can feel some benefit, no matter how hard (or not) I work it never goes above 100spm or 100 calories burned. I get no satisfaction from completing a work out on it. On top of that, I don't always get on it because it is a popular exercise with the ladies.

Today I weighed 75.5Kg (11 stone 13 pounds), which is superb considering the rich food (and chocolate) I ate over the Easter weekend! My target, incidently is 66Kg (10 stone 6 pounds).

I think I'll head out for a run tomorrow!

Guitarists are bad at sight reading

2007-04-10T08:48:00.000Z

I have played the classical guitar for about 19 years, though I haven't had formal training for the latter 11 years. Through out the whole of my personal and professional training I was taught to sight read, but I never did very well. In fact I panic when I see special notation that means I have to sight read beyond the first position!

I soon discovered that the majority of classical guitarists I encountered couldn't read music very well either, and I came to the conclusion that it must be too difficult. And, after all, guitarists don't need to sight read often because they aren't in orchestras.

I read a superb article, not so long ago, about guitarists being bad site readers - but I fail to find it using Google. Despite that, I have found many articles agreeing with my observation, including one which is an interview with John Williams (classical guitarist):
http://www.guitarteacher.com.au/johnwilliams.htm

So, why aren't we guitarists good sight readers? Well, I suggest that if you ask any guitarist where various notes are in first position they will be able to quickly find all variations A to G, and most sharpened/flattened notes too! Ask them to name all the notes on the 10th fret starting from 6th to 1st strings and you'll find most, including me, floundering and working out from 5th and 7th frets!

It's not that sight reading is any more difficult on the guitar than the piano, flute or violin, it's that we don't know our instrument! We are lazy! Imagine finding a carpenter (pro or hobbyist) of 19 years experience and they don't know what their tools are called or how they use them - I'd be aghast! So why, until now, am I not so shocked at my lack of knowledge of the guitar?

I have decided this is to change, and I am doing something about it! This is my plan:

Learn where all the E notes are on my guitar fret board up to the 14th fret
Picture each note on the staff, e.g. Open 6th string is in the space below the third ledger line below the stave
Practice finding these notes on the guitar at the same time imagining the notes on the stave
For each fret, starting from the open and 1st frets up to fret 14, search for all the E notes and picture their position on the stave
When confident, repeat with other notes, counting 3 notes up each time. Instead of learninrg A, B, C use E, A, D, G, C, F then E

So far I have worked on E and A and I will continue with the subsequent notes over the next few weeks. I will report back on any improvement!

A day in London

2007-04-09T21:06:00.000Z

As we had already had a really busy Easter weekend, J and I decided today would be a good day to visit London with our friend Nat! It was a pleasantly warm day, and we headed to Greenwich Park stopping off briefly at Wagamama near the Tower of London.

The Cutty Sark is almost totally dismantled during its refurbishment, a shame as I always love the site of the ship! The park was nicely peaceful with not too many people, and we indulged in an extremely large ice cream at the top of the hill!

Next, on a whim, we decided to head to the South Bank to see if we could get onto the London Eye - something J nor I have ever done before! Thankfully the queues were nowhere near the length of those we saw during the height of the tourist season so we went for it!

Moving so slowly and so high above London gives you time to recognise the various sites and puts everything into perspective. For example, how close Buckingham Palace is to Downing Street and the Thames, and Leicester and Trafalgar Squares. The houses of Parliament also look enormous compared with the view we get from ground level!

Finally to Lee Ho Fook Chinese restaurant in China Town - one of my favourite restaurants, enjoyed by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike! Apparently, the duck is superb and a must eat!

Home now, tired and a bit grimy... I think I'll have a bath!

New blog home

2007-04-08T21:22:00.000Z

So, I have moved my blog from my home-grown, hacked together, feature-less, but comfy system to this multi-featured, well established, one-size-fits-all blog system.

I'm not going to drag along any baggage from the old one, that is now archived off as a different part of my life! This new blog is me taking control of my interests, my health, my future, my life!