Who are these people?

Running

There has been no more running since last Tuesday. I decided to let my legs rest a bit longer so to minimise any post-run pain. Although I enjoyed my run last Tuesday there was a bit of pain in the subsequent days to the run... so, a rest is more than necessary.


Who are these people?

The Australian Weekend edition had the following lyrics which I found interesting:

Who are these people that keep telling us lies
And who did these people get control of our lives
And who'll stop the violence cause it's out of control?
Make em stop

Who are these people that destroy everything
And sell off the future for whatever it brings
And what kind of leaders can't admit
when they're wrong?
Make em stop

by Burk Bacharach and Tonio K.

More about Bacharach:
http://www.retrosellers.com/features127.htm

http://www.thepeaches.com/music/bacharach/

Running and today's oppressing weather conditions

At 6.30pm this evening, I parked my car in my usual spot (past Government House Drive) in The Tan and I saw Wombat Combat running so furiously... After all, not much has changed around there.

I got changed in a matter of seconds, removing jacket, tie, shirt and pants. Running gear, I started to walk to warm up (not that I needed it - 35 degrees, oppressing weather conditions) and then I started to run.

My running buddy wisely pulled out in the early afternoon. I only decided to run after I left office just 6pm and felt that the run would happen as scheduled.
As I was saying I started to run slowly, being conscious of the shin splint in my left leg, I did not want to do anything silly. I went pass the Pillars and then I enjoyed the section that I call "The Calm before the Storm" because it is just before the Anderson St hill. O boy the hill today was so difficult under the extreme heat... but I persisted, enjoying going down and then continuing along Domain Rd and going past the Shrine. After a month of not running one loses fitness and drive, but one thing for sure, I truly enjoyed running again today. Whilst I was running I realised how much things have changed for me. To start with, now I have an idea what the discipline of running is all about and have the ability to persist rather than quit at the first discomfort.

I completed the first lap and continued to run just enough to say, I have run 5 kilometres today. Gosh.. pace/time, who gives a dumm! I just went out to enjoy myself, which I did.

I walked for a bit and then I stretched for ten minutes. Had my left leg on ice for a while this evening.

That's all folks!

Just knew he was Guatemalan...

Running
I have forgotten to say that Gabi and I were talking on Monday night about our running prospects for 2007. We are both committed to train for another marathon, certainly the MM in October has been pencilled in. We will see if there is another earlier on to aim for… He has not run since the Melbourne Marathon but he is considering starting to train again before Christmas.

As for Alexis, he is over the moon he was the one in the main picture of El Sindicato’s story in Tuesday’s Epicure (The Age). He has ruled out going for another marathon in the foreseeable future.

I just knew he was Guatemalan
As simple as that… In a city of 3.5 million I saw him and I recognised a Chapin. My intuition told me that. We have arranged to meet for coffee / have a drink on the weekend and then we will organise the dinner.

G.S., If you can send us some pepian and mole… that would be very much appreciated… No es pena pedir favores entre chapines, lejos de la Patria… (In solidarity, Chapines away from the loved homeland support each other).

Call from the USA
Meeting Neco reminded me of the following:
Years and years ago something spooky happened to me. One Saturday afternoon, I received at home a phone call from the USA asking me whether I was so and so. No, I am afraid you were given the wrong telephone number, I responded. On the other line, "a telephone operator told me this was the correct number", she said. Let me have a have look if I can find the person you are after in the telephone directory, I responded.
I searched in the directory and could not find the name of the person she was after. Obviously she was rather upset because she wanted to get in touch urgently with the person she was looking for. She told me she had already paid the operator for the search and for the phone call. I promised her I would continue to search.

Later on the following week, I happened to be at Brandon shopping centre (somewhere in Springvale Road) during a lunch hour and I went into a computer shop. I ended up talking to one of the shop assistants because I was looking for a computer component. He gave me his business card and I was about to put into the pocket of my jacquet when I had a quick glance at the card. The surname rang the bell. I asked this young man whether the name of his father was the same of the one the lady was after. He replied yes. Then I told him what happened the Saturday before. I encouraged him to tell his father about the phone call I received five days earlier.

Melbourne Storm
I neither follow nor understand rugby but one cannot avoid the fact that the Melbourne Storm finished at the top of the 2006 NRL competition and then lost the grand final against the Brisbane Broncos in Sydney. It was a rare occasion for Sydneysiders to support a Melbourne team in a sporting event of this magnitude. I suppose it is what you would call solidarity. (Needles to say we were happy for Sydney to win the 2005 AFL Grand Final).

The point now is that the 2007 draw has been released. The competition starts in mid March 2006. Hopefully they will keep the momentum going.

In the meantime, Melbourne Victory continues at the top of the football (okay soccer!) A-League.

Hey dude, I have missed running

Okay, I will say it: Even though I have a full on life, I miss running.

I have been really busy in recent days that I hardly had any spare time to firm up some other stuff which I consider important. The inevitability is therefore delaying things.

Whilst I am beginning to prepare mentally for one easy run next week, I will do so at an easy and relaxed pace. I will build up proressively.

Federalism
The ruling of the High Court in favour of the Commonwealth's case brings a new dimension to federalism. States power is further eroded. Nothing new here, really. States power have been eroding over the past twenty years or more.

In this age and era, it appears that the rule of the province, state or regional authority is diminished for the national rule. After all, we are part of a global and universal market! Yuk!

I wonder how long it will take for the first bold move from Canberra to take power away from the States. Certainly health and education are two key areas - further privatisation are likely to follow in years to come.

Finally... It goes beyond me why there is no national uniformity in educational standards here in Australia...

Another bloody draw for the Socceroos
Why do the socceroos cannot play a match and not concede a goal...? Again today against Ghana, another defence blunder against a weak opposition. Socceroos drew 1-1, playing in London. For Christ's sake stop making silly mistakes!

Read the story in The Age .

Unbelievable sightings
Monday night having a hot chocolate at Cafe Nova (in Brunswick St, Fitzroy) with members of 'El Sindicato', I spotted a Guatemalan from the distance. I did not know this fellow but I simply said "Hey chapin!" when he went past the cafe. He quickly turned around to see who said that ... It turns out he's been living in Melbourne for a year and only knows one other Guatemalan. Last time I sighted a Guatemalan in Melbourne was many many many years ago.

His name is Ernesto, an anthropologist, plays the guitar and sings. We agreed to meet very soon to share some "chistes" (jokes in Spanish) and eat beans, tortillas, mole, pepian and have a few rums (Ron Zacapa).

I am back... moving on

Running
I am considering a return to running next week with one of my weekly runners. The idea is to go for an easy run and a catch up. Mark and I have run together in the past and the idea is to start building progressively.

The pain in my right leg seems to have gone and I am beginning to start feeling a bit more at ease. For the past few weeks I have tried to reduce any unnecessary pressure or stress to the legs.

I shall indeed build distance progressively and I will follow good and sound advice from those with experience.

Life
Since the Melbourne Cup week-end I have been rather busy and unable to submit a blog report. I lost a three pager document I had about my trip – it was accidentally deleted by a regular user to my laptop! You can imagine my frustration when I was told about this little incident…
My weekend adventure all of a sudden turned to be a story about deinosuchus!

I am in a transitional period after making a number of changes to my activities in recent weeks. The results should start paying off in coming weeks. Hopefully running will be enhanced from such changes.

Ortega and Bush
The success story of Daniel Ortega winning the presidential election in Nicaragua and the change of fortune for George W Bush in the USA are good material for a modern political fable.

Epicure
Today's edition of The Age had a story about "El Sindicato" - it's all about men doing cooking for life!

Research plan
Yes...! I got a research plan plus have outline for more than one project! Need to borrow two or three people's lives to do everything!

Removing the sleeping dinosaur

Running - It's a long gone phenomenon but I am going to apply the acquired discipline [framework] used to prepare for running the Melbourne Marathon, in what follows for me right now.

Twenty four, twenty, fifteen, ten or just five years makes no much difference, really. It's the journey and the destination that matters. There are several stops and starts but they are all part of the same journey. So what is the point if it takes another year or two, the intersection is the same, the point of convergence is just there.

Life
Life evolves in ways that one cannot predict. No need to take hostages or feel like a mercenary anymore. As the popular song says.."la vida sigue igual", life goes on.

Finally I am about to undertake a project that have long lasted to do ... write about life and past experiences! Before that happens, scoping of what follows it's necessary. It's the same approach required to prepare for a marathon. The execution is important so is the planning. Time, energy, inspiration and focus are words that come to my mind right now.

There are a few subject matters that interest me. For example, writing a story based on the capture of Noriega, former President of Panama, by the USA in 1989 is one that interest me so much. I lived in Panama for a year prior to my arrival in Australia and it is a country I feel connected to. I have kept for all of those years newspaper clippings how these events unfolded. [Noriega was seeking refuge in the Vatican mission in Panama City when USA troops supported by thousands of troops flew over the mission to capture Noriega and took him to Miami to face charges of complicity with money laundering and drug trafficking.] Another story is the years of student activism in Guatemala during the years of conflict, particularly at the peak of the repression in the 1980s.

One of my favourite writers, Augusto Monterroso, wrote this eloquent and powerful short story:

The dinosaur


When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there.


story accessible on Things magazine

Ps
Augusto has gone to sleep and he is not waking up again, but I am about to remove that dinosaur that has remained idle for a long long long time.

Melbourne Cup
Australia stops for a horse race on Tuesday... It's a long week-end. So much to be consumed so little to gain. My core efforts will be to progress a research/essay plan overlooking the tranquility of the landscape that I treasure the most.
Let's see what evolves in coming days...