not far from life

I signed a lease on an apartment in central Tel Aviv yesterday. Bought a table, four chairs, a...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:46:40 +0300

I signed a lease on an apartment in central Tel Aviv yesterday. Bought a table, four chairs, a simple computer desk+drawers set and a fridge. I move in on the 20th, which leaves me very little time to buy everything else, pack and get organized. Exciting!

Storm in a Teacup

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 23:00:08 +0300

Work has been exhausting lately. Late night maintenance, an angry boss (not angry with me, but we all suffer the ricochets), and change - a lot of change - that I’m not sure yet if it’s good or bad. Keeping my calm, looking at things in perspective is getting progressively harder.

So I’ve decided to learn to meditate. I already kinda use my long runs for it, but at this moment in life I need some meditation.

I’m also thinking of venting at one of the many, many, many notebooks that I have.

And I want to learn to use chopsticks. That has nothing to do with anything, but in keeping with the “putting things in perspective” approach, I thought that it would be appropriate.

This Week's Training Plan

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:44:53 +0300

Sunday - Rest

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - 30 min run

Wednesday - 30 min run (+late night at work)

Thursday - rest/gym/abs workout

Friday - 45 min run

Saturday - 60 min run

Things might move around a bit, but that’s the general plan.

Training

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:29:58 +0300

Wednesday’s run was super hot and humid, as usual, but somehow what started as an easy 30 minutes run turned into a quest to break my 4K PR. Done: 29:01 minutes. Awesome! Particularly when you take the heat into account.

Went to the gym on Thursday.

20 minutes of stationary bike
3x15 full squats on a Bosu ball
2x super set - 10 seated leg curls and 10 lying leg curls
3x15 calf drops (first set regular, second set with middle pause, third set with 2 second hold on top)
2x10 back extensions
45 crunches (15 with legs at 90 degree angle, 15 with straight legs, 15 crisscross)
10 minutes on rowing machine
5 minutes of glorious stretching

My legs are unhappy now, but I have a 45 minute run today and I don’t plan on giving up on it without trying.

This Week's Training Plan

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:08:37 +0300

A little late to post this but here’s the plan:
Sunday - 30min run
Wednesday - 30min run
Friday - 45 min run
Saturday - 60 min run

My Sunday run was super tough as it was 27 degrees Celsius with 50% humidity outside. I had to fight for breath for most of the run. I used to think that running in the rain was hardcore, but now I believe that running in 50% humidity is much more badass.
Blargh summer.

Uniball Signo RT 0.7 Needlepoint Tip

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:55:26 +0300

The review:

The pen body:

The needlepoint tip:

Bottom line: this is a great pen, even if you prefer fine tipped pens. The tip is on the fine side and it’s a great writer - smooth, doesn’t skip or blot, and has dark dependable ink. Totally worth the buy.

Birthday Card

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:55:38 +0300

My dad celebrated his birthday last week. Here’s the card I made him. It’s made of scraps of paper cut and pasted into a collage, and various stamps and stickers applied for a vintage look.

Outside:

Inside (minus the greeting):

University Filofax

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 19:48:46 +0300

As a followup to this post, I thought I’d post a recent sample of how I use my A5 Ochre Malden University Filofax:

The Projects tab is where I keep my projects filed. As you can see from this example each project has its own page, a required outcome and a list of next actions to do until the required outcome is reached. I oftentimes add more actions as I go as I think of new steps on the way to the required outcome, and I usually don’t map the entire set of next actions required to reach my goal right when I first plan my project.

There’s a check box next to each item that I black out when it’s complete, or half black out if I’m working on it or cross out if it’s cancelled. This is just an easier way for me to see what still needs to be done, as checkmarks tend to disappear between all the other lines on the page.

I don’t always brainstorm, but when I do I find that Patrick Ng’s Chronodex is useful to structure my mind mapping and make it more productive. Different colours also help me group similar ideas together.

Finally the relevant actions get copied into the Daily Business A5 Filofax diary, with home life mundanities and my daily workout added to them. What must be done that day is marked, with either a star or highlighter (different notations for university work, home chores, and workouts, as it helps me decide what’s the priority at any given moment).

That’s it. Hope this was helpful and interesting.

Tel Aviv White Night 5k Race!

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:35:32 +0300

As part of Thursday night’s “White Night” celebrations in Tel Aviv (this time underwritten by protests agains the way City Hall handled the protests a few days ago) the Brooks concept store in the Yarkon Park held a night race. This was the fifth year that the race (a 5k and a half marathon) has been held and this year the organizers were caught off guard as instead of the normal few hundred people that enroll to it, they got 2,000!

So as you can imagine the organization was kind of sketchy - advance collection of race packages wasn’t available until Wednesday night (and notice of the option to collect your race package in advance was sent only on late Wednesday afternoon); there weren’t enough t-shirts of the most popular sizes (Large, Medium and Small), so many participants were stuck (like me) with XL and XXL shirts; there weren’t enough toilets so people queued for 30 minutes to relieve themselves before the race; they didn’t stagger the race start, so we had to walk for the first minute, and then, as there was a narrow bridge about 300 meters from the starting point, we had to walk again until we passed the bridge and started spreading out; there was no chip timing; there was great music and a great DJ, but the speakers were placed so as to deafen the runners as we passed them; there weren’t enough photographers, so many people didn’t get their photo taken during the race or at the finishing line; the promised food at the end of the race turned out to be nothing more than a popsicle - not something that’s very helpful after a race.

This was the first race that I’ve participated in where the organization was so poor. This even though they took $25 from every 5k attendee and more from every half marathon one (for early enrollment). I was disappointed as the t-shirt that I got was neither a Brooks t-shirt nor anywhere near my size, and there was no proper medal (just a key chain without the date or name of the race).

BUT - the atmosphere was great, the course was perfect (almost 100% flat), and my leg didn’t hurt, so I had a lot of fun running AND I SMASHED MY PR!!!

My last 5k (run in the sand and summer heat) race time was 43 minutes, and my fastest training 5k was 38:31 (yes, I’m slow. I started 6 months ago from scratch. I’ll get there). I finished this race in 37 minutes! Felt pretty great after that, even though I was hot and tired. What a great feeling to look at the clock once I crossed the finishing line.

Pre race (you can’t see the cool number that I had - 313):

Crossing the finishing line:

Post race me (after dumping half a bottle of water on myself):

More pictures afte the read more as this is getting to be a long post.

Great atmosphere before the race:

There was a good DJ there and a few people danced a bit before the race started.

Can you guess what I’m so surprised about?

Here’s the answer - the queue to the loo (just part of it - it wound through the entire parking lot):

I arrived early enough to rush to the nearby shopping mall and use their toilet facilities. :)

The starting line:

First round of running:

I ended up having a good time despite all the letdowns in the race organization, etc. The course was excellent and the atmosphere and people were great. Will I run this race again next year? I’m not sure. But I am glad that I ran it this year. It was great confidence boost as I gear up for my next race - Tel Aviv’s 10K Nike Night Run in October.

The racing season in Israel is just about over. There’s only one major race left - a race up the stairs of the Azrieli tower building - and a few local minor ones. Everything starts back up again in September-October, when the intense July-August heat breaks.

I tried to run on Sunday, as I missed my Saturday long run (ran into friends at the exhibition I...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:57:05 +0300

I tried to run on Sunday, as I missed my Saturday long run (ran into friends at the exhibition I went to see, and went out for a prolonged coffee with them).

After 1km I stopped. The pain in my right leg was scaring me, and it got worse once I started running uphill. Decided to let my leg rest until the race on Thursday.

I really want to race on Thursday. I love the feeling of a race, and I need the “flying” feeling of running again - I’ve had a frustrating week at work, and have to pull a double shift tomorrow.

So I am hoping that my leg will heal up some by then.

I miss running.

Animal Sketches

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:59:52 +0300

Went to the local zoo in my town with my drawing course and had a wonderful 3 hour session sketching the animals.

Here are a few choice samples from the day:

First attempt to draw the capuchin monkeys (they kept moving):

Second attempt to draw the monkeys:

5k run today with my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 shoes. They felt weird at first, but I gradually...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:44:35 +0300

5k run today with my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 shoes. They felt weird at first, but I gradually got used to them. The idea is to rotate between them and my beloved Nike Structure 15s (that have a tad over 300km on them) until it is time to retire my Nikes. This is so I can get more milage out of each shoe.
My ankle felt better. Slightly achey during the first 200 meters or so but then much better.
Ran with the new Nike Running free app. It’s awesome and will now officially replace all my other running apps. That’s what I always wanted - to run with just one app tracking my distance, pace, calories, etc. I started running with 4 apps on at the same time, then pared them down to two, and now finally down to one. The new Nike+ site is also great. Not so sure how long the Fuel thing will hold, but the site itself looks solid and is fun and easy to work with.
The semester ended and it’s time to get back to work on my thesis and papers (now that there are no classes to attend).
Went to a concert today and sketched some of the musicians while listening to them play. On the way to the concert two guys, just released from custody (the concert venue was next to a court), asked to use my cellphone to make a call. The request seemed odd and they were peculiarly insistent, but I firmly refused and slowly edged away. Was relieved when they moved on, especially since I noticed that although they passed several other pedestrians (couples, two guys on a bike, and old lady and her chaperon) they didn’t ask to use their phone. A little scary.

I ran 4k yesterday, and my right ankle hurt for the first 0.5km or so. Today I planned on running...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:19:23 +0300

I ran 4k yesterday, and my right ankle hurt for the first 0.5km or so.

Today I planned on running another 4k.

After 2k of of my right ankle aching I stopped running. I just felt that pushing it any further would make it snap. It literally felt like it couldn’t support my weight any longer, no matter how hard I tried to distract my mind from it.

No running until Friday - here’s hoping that a couple of days of rest will make the difference.

Worried.

This week's training program

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:32:58 +0300

Monday - 4k

Tuesday - 4k

Thursday - gym or 5k

Friday - 5k or rest (depends on Thursday)

Saturday - 8k

This will be the plan unless I find a 10k training program that will work for me.

Next week —-> 5k race

Looking ahead

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:53:07 +0300

My legs are very very sore from the last few days of exercise, but they’ll get over it.

I’m 1kg away from my first weight goal - 62kg (also known as a normal BMI)

My second weight goal is 59kg (also known as a normal fat percentile - 31%)

My final weight goal is 56kg (also known as 26% fat percentile, giving me some wiggle room for the years ahead)

My starting weight was 87kg. It took me a year to get here. I’m not planning on giving up any time soon.

I have yet to find a 10k training program that I like. I may have to cobble one together myself…

Caran D'ache Grand Canyon and Edison Nouveau Premiere Cappuccino

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:02:39 +0300

Double review today: Caran d’Ache’s Grany Canyon fountain pen ink and Edison Nouveau Premiere Fine nib fountain pen.

Both pen and ink were bought from Goulet Pens (a great online shop for fountain pens, ink, paper and suchlike goodies).

Grand Canyon ink is part of Caran d’Ache’s extremely expensive Colours of the Earth series. I already have Saffron (which is an amazing ink and is totally worth the exorbitant amounts that Caran D’ache is asking for it, and yes, it’s worth buying even if you hate orange. The shading will knock your socks off), a sample of Blue Sky (bland ink with good flow. Not planning on buying a bottle), a sample of Caribbean Sea (haven’t tried it yet but I’m looking forward to), and Carbon (also haven’t tried yet). I really want to try the Storm and Amazon inks to see if they’re worth buying, as the colours look stunning.

As these inks are so expensive I highly recommend that you buy a sample to try out before spending good $$$ on an entire bottle. I bought this ink at a sale price and so I just risked it - which I kind of wish that I didn’t.

Photo of the ink and stunning bottle from Goulet Pens site:

The colour in the photo is true to real life.

I was expecting the same amount of shading with this ink as with Saffron, but I was sorely disappointed. This should not have come as such a surprise since this ink is much darker than Saffron and darker inks tend to shade less.

The flow is great, the bottle is great (not so great if you have pens with large nibs) but the colour is disappointing. It’s the least interesting brown I’ve ever seen - a true brown, with no yellows, greens (thank goodness), reds or gold. It’s just brown - bland, flat brown with a tiny amount of shading. I much prefer Waterman’s Havana (now called Absolute Brown), which is a fantastic brown with a ton of shading and a tendency towards a rich dark red.

The ink shows through and bleeds through cheap paper, and spreads somewhat as well. It’s not water resistant or waterproof.

The ink review:

Final say: not worth the price. If you like browns and find it on sale then buy it, but otherwise it’s not worth it.

The Edison Nouveau pen was created by the Edison Pen Company exclusively for Goulet Pens. The Cappuccino is an extremely beautiful pen that everyone in the office coveted on sight. No photos can do it justice.

The pen is brown with swirls of lighter brown, gold, white and red - some of them opaque and some transparent. It changes colour as the light falls on it and as you tilt it around.

The nib is a steel nib, fine (European fine, not Japanese fine) - quite large and good looking. It’s smooth, but not Sailor pen smooth, and you still have feedback from the paper that you’re using. The nib leans towards the wet side of the spectrum, but not enough to limit you in your ink choices. It came with a converter that was very easy to fill all the way through and with a handsome box. Well worth $150 dollars.

Weekly Summary

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:15:46 +0300

Total km: 20.5
Longest run (ever): 7.5 km
Number of runs: 4 (4k, 4k, 5k, 7.5k)
Number of gym sessions: 1
Weight: 63kg (lowest yet)
Good week despite the temptation of a BBQ and a restaurant that believes that everything that they serve must be smothered with butter.
Tomorrow: a well deserved rest day for my shredded legs.

Crane in the Sea

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:54:43 +0300

Taken in Tel Aviv port right after my 4k race

Filofax Tabs

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:59:42 +0300

For the first time ever I’ve taken the time to customise one of my Filofaxes.

My A5 university Ochre Malden Filofax’s new tabs (made from sticky tabs cut to size, glued on the current tabs and hand-labled):

When I have more time then I’ll post my entire setup for this gorgeous Filo.

Records

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:34:18 +0300

Just back from a 5k run.

My legs were sore from yesterday’s gym session.

It was hot outside.

I did not want to run.

I did it anyway.

It didn’t hurt at all during the run. It did ache somewhat afterwards.

And I broke my 5k record (with a not amazingly fast 38’11”).

I have never been happier post-run in my life. Totally worth it.