Recycled Life

A documentary about the Guatemala City Garbage Dump is a hopeful for the Academy Awards, which will be announced on the evening of Feb 25 (LA time).

The Sydney Morning Herald published a review of the documentary (Recycled Life), which can be read here.

Recycled Life is a documental directed and produced by Leslie Iwerks and Mike Glad, being their first nomination for the Academy Awards. This film is about how generations of Guatemalan families live and making a living out of the toxic dump located in Guatemalan City. The documentary was filmed during four years and completed in 2006.

Jewels of Spanish Cinema

From March 1 to March 11, ACMI is presenting a festival that aims to bring Australian audiences to the best of Spanish cinema. Among the many films selected for this festival is one that was previously presented by SBS. The Railroad All-Stars is a documentary produced in 2005. It is about a group of prostitutes from Guatemala earning two dollars per service. These women dream of being treated with dignity and of ending the violence they endure. In order to draw attention to their everyday problems, they get together to form a football team, train for weeks and sign up for a local championship from which they are expelled for being prostitutes. This expulsion generates strong controversy in Guatemala, with support and rejection suddenly transforming their lives. This is their story. A compassionate, riveting, underdog tale narrated with generosity of spirit and real heart. A story of determination in the face of prejudice.

Running

Unfortunately, no running this week-end.

A mongrel of a drive to get to Princess Park

Runs since last post:

Mon – 19 Feb – Brighton-Elwood-Brighton – 6kms

Tues – 20 Feb – Albert Park Lake (10kms; 2 laps)

Weds – 21 Feb – Princess Park (6 kms; 2 laps)

This month: 100 kms

I am usually pretty flexible and balanced person but when certain things annoy sooo much they have to be said. It is really stupid to report that it took me 40 mins to drive from Londsdale St to Princess Park today. I originally planned to do about 12 kms but I was so frustrated that instead I did 6 kms but I run f-a-s-t. The good thing is that I felt so good after I finished my run.

I went there because I have to be around that part of town later on. I thought that going to The Tan would take me a long time – I should have known better to stick with what I know too well. I started my race slow which didd not last for too long because of my frustration I just got into the zone so quickly that I run fast for 5 kms and then I slowed down the last kilometre as the runners for the Sunset Series were taking positions.

Just as I finished doing my stretches I saw the runner of the Sunset Series going past – it was indeed an spectable seeing the runners going past – oh boy! The leader was going fast – he was on a mission – hope he lasted the distance.

I am happy to note that I have already run 100 kms this month (compared to the 81kms in January) ...

Handling running a bit better!

Runs since last post:

Sat 10 Feb – Coast Path (Brighton-Black Rock-Brighton) – 13 kms

Mon 12 Feb Princes Hill Park – 3 kms

Tues 13 Feb – The Tan – 9 Kms

Thu 15 Feb –The Tan – 9 kms

Fri 16 Feb– Elwood-Brighton-Elwood (x2) – 12kms

This month: 78 kms (yippee!)

Whilst it seems there has been progress in running since early January, this is because I have made a number of changes to daily activities which are not going to last for too long. It seems that the routine for the year is about to start in earnest – so the beauty of running 4-5 pw is gone now.

For the past six weeks I have managed to accommodate extra running sessions to my usual schedule of things but the real thing starts next week. From now on I am back to my usual work / life routine so fitting in extra runs is going to be a challenge.

Last Saturday’s run was done unexpectedly because I made changes to my original plan. Whereas Monday’s run was done to help my friend Vic get into running. This is a challenge for him (just injured and trying to complete his doctoral dissertation amongst many other responsibilities) but his determination should outlast any obstacle. Tuesday’s run was done with my pal David who is trying to build up his distance. On Thursday I ran with my neighbour Kate, who started running last November. Kate has so much stamina and a determination to succeed – I shall not be surprised if she is a starter to the Melbourne Half Marathon this year or the year after. She will indeed be there for a few of the fun runs in coming months.

Today’s run was completed in two separate lots. I ran on my own Elwood-Brighton-Elwood. Then I did it with Gaby, who is one of my marathon buddies. Just before we completed our run, Gaby and I sprinted for about 400 metres, then we got into the water and swan briefly. Ah!!! What a marvellous experience. All of this before we started the day.

Heathcote Wine Region

Last Saturday I was around the Heathcote wine region and I had a fabulous time visiting wineries and having a good chat with people there. Worth noting the superb wines at Heathcote Winery – had great pleasure tasting shiraz which is not my favourite grape (pinot and tempranillo, thank you!). I parted with a case of the cleanskin Shiraz 2005 which is a genuine bargain for $110 (members). Had lunch at Shelmerdine (Merindoc Vineyard) which is about 20 kms away from Heathcote. My favourite Shelmerdine wine is the 2004 Cab Sauv. In both cases I only bothered to taste red wines. I must say that from my previous experience there are other wineries worth visiting. I would add Melvine Estate to the list if you happen to be around the area.

Manuscript

In recent weeks I have been gathering material about Guatemala, my homeland. This week I stumble a procedural manual to assist in anthropological forensic excavations – this is a manual published by the Ministry of State Affairs in Guatemala. This is a very interesting document, which contains enough legal, anthropological, government speak jargon, et. al. As you might know Guatemala had a civil war that lasted 36 years and, in the final years of the conflict there were more than 600 massacres. In total there are 50,000 cases of disappearances – one of those disappearances is that of my brother (who at the age of 22 was taken by armed men).

Lunch of the week

Thursday I had lunch with a great buddy, who has been an inspiration for me, at the Deanery Winery Reserve, which is one of my fav places in Melbourne’s CBD. I tasted a great risotto (lamb kibbeh on preserved lemon, with mint and pea and watercress salad). At the Deanery, it is worth checking the wine list, which is phenomenally diverse. Give it a go if you haven’t yet.

St Kilda Festival

In a nutshell, it was fabulous! I got badly sun burnt last Sunday, even though I was under the shelter near the water all Sunday afternoon drinking beer. Again I had #1 clippers earlier on and my head got burnt too! Silly me.

Writing ahead of running this weekend - Man Gone Down

No running today… Had a busy day at the office, including finalising proposal for a research project to be undertaken from next March to October.

Last Sunday whilst children selected DVDs at the video store I chose one (usually I had no chance to select one). Invariably I had no idea what films to watch because I generally don’t have time to do so, but this time I selected an Italian film, Besieged, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, director of the Last Emperor. Until this evening I watched the film.

This film is about a struggling medical student studying in Rome, whilst working as a housekeeper in a villa for a young pianist-composer. Her employer falls in lover with her and he proposes to her but she rejects his offer, because she is already married to another man. She reveals that her current husband is a prisoner in an African prison.

I would not reveal the rest of the film or the plot, but this serves to me as a preamble to my first weekend for which I am able to dedicate most of the time to my research task exercise. Early tomorrow I am heading out of town with no fixed itinerary but equipped with notebooks, pens and the laptop for a weekend of writing. This is the first occasion I had since my venture to Penola last November. For most of the week I have been pondering themes and an order to my manuscript, following the research plan I developed then.

Because I am such a superb procrastinator early this evening I ventured into one bookshop in the CBD looking for a book which I had just read the review in The New York Times. The review of the book resonated with me – Man Gone Down. The book was written by Michael Thomas and it is his first novel and the theme is about his experience in growing up and his sense of identity. Fortunately the book was not available… honestly one does not need to read all books that resonate in order to work on your own.

It is time to move beyond the talking into the action and this weekend this is exactly what I envisage I will do. Hopefully I shall manage to fit in one running session.

I had lunch today with a person who I respect and with whom I had worked in a research project I led in recent years. He told me he is also going through same process and he is expecting to have a manuscript ready within the next three years. Inspirational. I was given details of the story and it is simply amazing how many people there are out there who are working on a manuscript as we speak.

Twelve kilometres today

Running

Today: 12 kms – The Tan

This month: 36 kms

I ran twelve wonderful kilometres today at The Tan, approximately 58 minutes. I felt sooooo good! I am very happy. I made sure there were three laps plus the extra bit to ensure the total were 12kms.

Work has been so hectic in recent days.

Tonight I put together a project brief that shall result in a nice research grant!!! Hurray! Isnt that nice when someone else wishes to give you money to look into policy considerations for the short and medium term and how it may impact in the economy!???? Say no more.

Finally... making running progress!

Running

Today: 8 kms – The Tan

Yesterday: 3.4kms – Princes Park

This month: 24 kms

Continuing with the usual Tuesday run around The Tan. I completed two relatively easy laps and finished with a strong 300mts sprint, followed by a lengthy stretch. My running partner had some difficulty but overall had a good run and plenty of time to catch up with gossip. I am encouraging him to enrol in one of the forthcoming fun runs or a triathlon.

Yesterday I completed another easy run in Princess Park. I met Victor, a member of El Sindicato, after work. We did one lap as a way to get him started – he has not been a runner and is now determined to make his way and possibly prepare for the Melbourne Marathon.

This morning I found out that some of the people who work in the same building where I work are also runners and would be interested in having a group session. It feels like the running fever is continuing to spread.

I would be very happy for the Sunday morning when I will be able to run 20 kms again... I miss that lasting sense of satisfaction and fulfilment, cruising through the Coastal Path. Ay Caramba!

Annual leave deferred

Bugger! Bugger! Bugger! My scheduled annual leave and impeding venture to the South Australian wineries had to be postponed due to the volume of work I have right at present… I am working on a couple of projects, which cannot be left unattended right now. In this trip I was planning to progress my manuscript and the onerous task of painting and poetry.

Go Melbourne Victory!

Running

Today: 6 kms

This month: 11 kms

Gaby and I ran six kilometres today, from Sandringham to Black Rock. It was a very pleasant run. Weather overcast and there were plenty of people around to make the run even more interesting. Gaby has not been running since the MM, so we took things easy and had time to talk about life, friends and other banalities. Before we completed the run Arie rang (yes, one of us carried a mobile) and we ended having breakfast at one of the cafes in Sandi.

Friday, 1 Feb - 5 kms - Brighton-Elwood

At six o’clock Friday morning I was out of the door and had a very pleasant run from North Road to Glenhuntly Road and back again. For this run, I combined running in the sand and speed work. Everything worked fine and there was not soreness or pain.

Soccer

What a sweet victory for Melbourne Victory who will now host the soccer final in Telstra Dome in two weeks’ time (against the winner of Adelaide and Newcastle. The winning goal was scored in extra time; 90 seconds before the final whistle. Melbourne Victory 2 Adelaide 1.

Joe Cinque’s Consolation

Running

Today: 8 kms

This week: 21 kms

I have not run early in the morning for many, many many weeks and today I was out before 6am. I run from home to my regular beach route (North Rd, Brighton to Glenhuntly Rd, Elwood and back again). A very pleasant run, I must say.

And, a I stretched very well. Very obedient boy.

Helen Garner: Joe Cinque’s Consolation

Yesterday evening I finished Helen Garner’s book titled “Joe Cinque’s Consolation”. This is a book that narrates the story of a university Law student who not only talks about murdering her devoted boyfriend but she actually carries out her plan in bizarre circumstances; albeit to say she is now out and has completed a postgraduate qualification.

This is the first time I have fully read one of the works written by Garner, who is a well-known Australian writer. She has been known to controversy, particularly because of her book “The First Stone”, which is an account of a sexual harassment scandal at Ormond College, one of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne.

The book was recommended to me by a good friend who is a Melbourne-based editor and who is writing a book about the death of someone in her family. At the start I was reluctant to read Garner’s book but my friend persuaded me – for very good reasons. Garner’s ability to put herself as one of the protagonists in the book is impressive. She seems to muster a sense of righteousness, which is not quite my sense of evenness. It took me about ten pages to get into the story, which struck me as a chronicle of a foretold murder. Indeed, the girl had had spoken at length to friends of her intentions to kill her boyfriend. She had also organised a number of farewell dinner parties where she was expected to execute her plans.

In fact the key points of the story are outlined in the initial pages of the book, but Garner had the ability to distil ample details of the court trail and the aftermath of Joe’s family. It is indeed the sense of grief and loss that makes Garner’s book a good read. Indeed I found the book remarkable in that sense, mainly because in recent months I have mentally reconstructed the weeks subsequent to the kidnapping of my brother amidst the uprooting that occurred in Guatemala in the early 1980s.

Garner’ book is not a thriller or a psychological mystery (as pompously described by an Australian media outlet). This is a book that reconstructs the death of a man who had no time to react to the plans of his girlfriend and a chronicle of the pain and despair of a family of migrants that feel powerless that justice cannot be served for an innocent victim.

As I was reading the last forty pages of the book I was listening to Natalie Dessay (Airs d’operas francais) sing Gaetano Donizetti “Acte II from La fille du régiment" (The Daughter of the Regiment). The following verse struck me:

C'en est donc fait
et mon sort va changer,
Et personne en ce lieu ne vient me protéger!

So, it’s done, and my life is about to change,

And there’s no one here to help me!

This is exactly how Joe Cinque may have felt in his final weeks of his life. His girlfriend killer had been planning his death for weeks. His death occurred after a dinner party at their house. The book starts with the transcript of the emergency call made by the killer herself to the ambulance. Indeed very powerful start to the book.