Maydays

Forest Park, Portland


A very busy month...

I had to turn the work volume up to 11 in order to stay on top of everything while I was in Portland, but  I was able to spend some quality time with two Dead Runner friends. Chris (mountain/rock climber) and I walked (in the Hawthorne District and Forest Park), gawked (at a movie set in Portland) and talked (about anything and everything). He is good company. Nangel and I put a big tick against the Hippie Chick half marathon, which had been on our calendars for many months. Nangel had been injured, so it was great for her to get her groove back. I improved on my Vancouver time, which had been an improvement on my Rotorua time, so I was happy with that ... as a starting point for the next few months of racing. It was my fourth half marathon in four weeks in four countries. Nangel and her husband Mark took me to their favourite frozen yoghurt place after making us a steak dinner.

I spent a night just over the Washington State border in Pasco, where my cousin Karen lives. Her mother, Joyce, my mother's oldest sister, moved to the States after the Second World War as a war bride. We were lucky to be able to get to know Joyce and Karen, and brother David, when they spent a year in Oz in the late 1960s. I also met Karen's daughter Jennifer (my second cousin) and third cousins Walker, Brynn and Paige. I'm glad I was close by and could spend some time with family there. On the Greyhound bus back to Portland (via Seattle) a newly released inmate of some nearby correctional center, carrying a cardboard box marked with that day's date as his release date, looked uncomfortable in all-new duds.

I spent another night at Venice Beach Suites in LA before heading back East. I recognise people on the boardwalk now... Dinner was a repeat of last time: the Andy Warhol salad at a nearby restaurant!

It's so wonderful to be back in New York. I've been saying to friends that I feel like everyone has squished up to make room for me. I don't feel like a visitor. I'm definitely not a tourist. Whenever I come back, I feel that I'm coming home. Being able to stay in Fran and Renee's apartment on Central Park each time (except in January/February, when they were here from Switzerland) really adds to that feeling of homecoming.

After unpacking and getting up to scratch with work over the first weekend (May 19–20) I started straight back into the 5.30 am runs with all or some of Maria, Sarah, Heather and Joe. Sung has been injured since her marathon. I haven't caught up with the rest of the crew yet: Lissy, John, Steven, Natalie... Joanne is doing the Utah marathon in a couple of weeks and I did part of her last long run with her in pouring rain on Saturday morning. Marie headed out today to South Africa to run the Comrades ultramarathon next weekend. We had a chatty brunch at "3 Guys" on Sunday.

Dead Runner friend Mike (we met at the Dead Runners Society World Conference in Texas in February) had invited me to speak with him at a careers day at a preparatory high school in Brooklyn last week, organised by a NYC Dead, English teacher/drama coach, Michael. I think I got more out of the morning than the kids did. I enjoyed meeting Michael, as well as Selena, who works in media relations, and Joe, a photographer. He had spent the previous evening filming Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Death of a Salesman".

Michael's wife Mary, and friend Susan, are also Dead Runners. Susan and I have caught up a few times in the past week, including seeing the Prada and Schiaparelli exhibition at the Met on Sunday, and running on the trails in Central Park on Monday (Memorial Day) with Maria. I saw places in the park I hadn't seen in four years of running there. The waterfall shown here is in the North Woods, not far from my apartment!

Waterfall, North Woods, Central Park

Michael and Mary are serious runners (marathons and ultras). Last night they cooked a barbecue up on their roof in Harlem and I heard about Mary's experience of running the Leadville 100-mile trail race last year, with Michael among her support crew.

I've been feasting on films over the past ten days: "Polisse" (a French drama about the Child Protection Unit); "First Position" (a documentary about kids from all over the world competing in a ballet competition for scholarships, positions and prizes); "Oslo, August 31st" (about a young heroin addict who is in treatment but relapses); "Elles" (Juliette Binoche as a journalist doing a story on young prostitutes); "The Kid With a Bike"; and "Never Stand Still" (documentary about "Jacob's Pillow", a place in Massachusetts set up as a showcase for modern dance). My film-going pal Lisa is still away in Woodstock, in upstate New York...

I went to a celebration on Saturday morning for friends having an anniversary. I spent some time talking with Liz, a psychotherapist. Always good to see my friend Daniel, whom I met last August. Four guys sang a couple of songs, including "My Girl", in perfect harmonies. What a treat!

A bridge too far

I got lost this morning running along Portland's Willamette River after I crossed back to the east side by a bridge too far north. The city is divided east and west by the river, and north and south by Burnside Street, which is where my hotel is located.

Yesterday morning I did a walkabout in the Hawthorne district and the bottom reaches of (I think) Laurelhurst Park with local Dead Runner Chris. It's a nice, laid-back neighbourhood.

There are lots of tulips and other bulbs in flower, and the weather is mild and gorgeous. I think I'm seeing Portland, Oregon at its best.

Another weekend, another half marathon...

The BMO Vancouver half marathon this morning felt as slow as my recent halfs in Bali and Rotorua, but in fact I shaved 12 minutes off my times for those races. I'm still off my game, but I'm hopeful I'll get my mojo back over the next couple of months.

In any case, Vancouver turned on a fabulous event on an absolutely gorgeous day. The new courses for the half and full are very scenic, with views across the city and harbour to the snow peaks, and a long section through Stanley Park. It's a lovely city. Dead Runner friend Rita will also be pleased to have achieved her goal of a Boston qualifying time. I caught up with Rita and her husband George (I met them both in Austin, TX in February) and another long-time Dead, Vancouverite Vida, yesterday for a coffee.

Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver

My other goal while in Vancouver was to spend time with pal of 25+ years, Sarah. We started our long weekend on Thursday night at a fundraiser for Bard on the Beach, which Sarah's brother Christopher started here many years ago. It was really nice to see Sarah's mum Joy again. I spent a Christmas with Joy, Sarah and Joy's sister Darkie in Devon, in England, in 1989.

On Friday evening Sarah and I saw the award-winning Canadian film "Monsieur Lazhar", and yesterday we caught two films from the Vancouver DOXA Documentary Film Festival: "Mostar Round-Trip" (Israel) and "Scarlet Road" (Australia). I've seen some really good films over the past fortnight in Rotorua, Auckland and Vancouver, and I have 10 weeks of film-going in New York to look forward to...

Today after the race we collected Dora from the Rex Dog Hotel and Spa and drove up to where Sarah lives in a village on a fiord north of the city. Lunch outside in the sun, followed by gelato and time to read a chapter of Lionel Shriver's "The Post-Birthday World", which I found in a secondhand bookstore in Rotorua.

It's been a perfect few days.

I broke the journey from Auckland with an overnight stay at Venice Beach Suites in LA (my second time there).

My room was the one on the left above the blue awning.

Rotorua redux

My dad lives in Rotorua. It's two years since I was last there, when two friends from Oz and I ran the Rotorua marathon. This time I ran the half (second half of the full marathon course, which follows the shores of Lake Rotorua); it was #6 for the year.

My times in the halfs in KL, Bali and Rotorua have been consistently slow. I should be running sub-2 hrs (Austin, TX in February was 2:00:05) and I want to get back down around 1:54 this year.

Rotorua marathon and half marathon course

My father is a kayaker/adventurer whose current plan is to paddle 1000 km on local lakes before his birthday in late June. He has done this sort of thing before. Now that my visit is over, he can focus on ticking off some klicks.

Kayaking/tramping friends of Dad's put on a lovely dinner on Saturday. Good to see Joan and John, Bob, Blanche, Brenda...

I saw my dear friend Rob from my year at school here way back when we were 13 going on 14. We usually manage to get together when I'm in Rotorua. After catching up on family news with Rob and her husband Rod, and seeing kids and grandkids, Rob and I went to a French film together, "The Women on the Sixth Floor". A very charming film, which we both enjoyed.

I also saw a New Zealand film, "The Most Fun You Can Have Dying" and, the same evening, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" with Dad and friend Blanche. It seems like months since I've seen any good films, so this was a real treat.

On Monday I came up to Auckland, where I saw "We Need to Talk About Kevin". I was lucky to find a documentary film festival happening, based around the art gallery and a cinema in Newmarket. Yesterday I saw "Shakespeare High" (USA) and "The Flat" (Israel), and today my friend Sal and I saw "Epilogue" (Belgium). Sal and I met in Santiago in December, where she was visiting her daughter.

Yesterday we went for a walk on Takapuna Beach, on Auckland's North Shore, at sunset, then had a Thai meal. Lots to talk about with that gal!

Takapuna Beach, Auckland

Tonight I'm flying back to the US and Canada.

Not one to do things by halves

Kuching roundup
Two 5.30 am runs with Min last week; laksa breakfast with Mas and Jun to hear about Jun's involvement in World Kindness Day; dinner with Emily; and a farewell dinner with the Damai Run crew (the Wees, Shein and Peter, Ivy and Swee, and their boys Nick and Keiren) and Belinda (Eng Hooi was in Sibu with the athletics team he coaches). We're planning to go to Myanmar for the water festival next year, as Shein is Burmese.

Bali half marathon: #4 for 2012
The Wees and I have decided that if anyone asks why I'm introduced as "family", when they are Malaysian Chinese and I'm Caucasian, we'll just explain that I'm adopted...

This weekend Min, Sam, Sara and Sean Wee and I ran our second race outside of Sarawak. (The first was a half marathon and 10K in Kuala Lumpur last month.) We flew together to Bali last Friday, and were met at the airport by Gede, whom JB and I got to know when I was last in Bali in December 2010. We picked up our race packs in Sanur before heading for the hills and Ubud.

Gede

Sam, typically, chose a special place for us to stay that does good in the world. I've never met anyone who is as unselfconsciously kind and good as she is. Plus she has a wicked sense of humour :-)) Suly Resort and Spa, on the outskirts of Ubud, is associated with a school for disadvantaged kids/hospitality training centre and a meditation retreat. It worked for us for our four nights' stay.

My room (top left); Min and Sam's (top right) 

Gede didn't bat an eyelid when we asked him to pick us up at 3.30 am on Sunday to drive to the start of the half marathon near Gianyar. He has been great company for all of us during our stay. He, too, shares his good fortune with those who are less fortunate.

The start of the half marathon was well-timed at 5.30, as it was damned hot by 7 am. The best part of the course was the small villages we ran through, where the roadsides were lined with young kids dressed in traditional costumes or crisp school uniforms, waving flags or noise-makers, and cheering us through the corridors of outstretched hands. Sometimes there was a gamelan orchestra playing in a roadside temple, or a barong dancer. It was really uplifting and I had tears in my eyes a couple of times.

We Wees

The half marathon course shared some of the marathon course, so that we were twice lapped by the front runners, all Kenyans. The third marathon runner snatched my water bottle from my right hand as he ran past me, which some boys sitting by the roadside thought was hilarious. There weren't any water stations for a long distance in the middle of the course and he obviously was feeling the need to get some fluids. I had time to duck into a warung and buy a replacement, which was a luxury the elite athletes didn't have!

We all finished around our expected times, though Min was really pleased to do his best time so far in a half.

Yesterday afternoon we caught up with Cat Wheeler, whose book has been reissued as "Bali Daze". It's a terrific read. She autographed the Wees' copy, and they got to meet the animals she writes about.

At Batubulan we watched a kecak and fire dance performance. Love the chanting by mostly old guys from the village; very hypnotic, which is why it culminates in one guy walking through and squatting in a pyre of burning coconut husks and emerging unscathed apart from blackened and smoking feet.

Dinner afterwards at an open food market where Sam doled out extra servings for the kids hanging around and wanting money handouts.

We ate at Clear on Jl Hanoman, Cafe Wayan on Monkey Forest Road, Cafe Havana on Dewi Sita (where Karma and the other staff do fabulous salsa dancing) as well as some places Gede knew of that do local specialties.

After a farewell breakfast this morning I've been tidying up some work loose ends before I fly tonight to New Zealand via Brisbane. The Wees and I are meeting next in Italy, in September, for the Bologne half marathon!

Way to go...

The street where I live when in Kuching. It hasn't changed much.

There has been both very good and very bad news in recent weeks. My friend Sue Falkingham, whom I've known since the late 1980s when we both lived in Hong Kong and who moved on to Portugal, Belize and just recently Guatemala, died suddenly of a heart attack last month. I visited her in Corozal, in Belize, in November. We had some funny adventures over the years and I'm pleased that I now have some very recent memories of her to add to the old ones.

I can't share the really good news just yet, but it involves a big arts-related project that I proposed and which has been given the thumbs-up. I'm very excited about it!

I'm catching up on this blog from Miri, in the far north of Sarawak where I'm visiting my friend Jennie. Jennie has as many pies in her life as she has fingers and toes. I don't think I've met anyone who has more interests and activities crammed into her weekly calendar. I met her in 2010 through her work with the Society of Sarawakians Writing in English (SOSWE). I spoke at a gathering here just a month after I had started my travels, and joined in a book-sharing event on Saturday afternoon with president Molly and other local writers. Yesterday afternoon I sat in on Jennie's practice session with the Miri Choir. It was fascinating to watch the director coaching out of the members the notes and modulations he was looking for. And they sounded beautiful. Some of them had sung at Jennie's daughter Cheryl's wedding last weekend.

Our run from Kuching to Damai Beach Resort (33 km) two weeks ago on Good Friday was a lot of fun. Seven of us started at the Civic Centre at 3.30 am. Min and I made it to the Santubong Bridge together, but the field spread out a bit after that. I was the first to reach the finish after Sam and the kids, who had run the last 10 km, which is hilly and hard going. We had a long breakfast at the resort with our support crew afterwards.

Our Good Friday run took us from town to the far side of Mt Santubong, shown here.

Tougher than that long run was my first-ever Pilates session with Sam and instructor Tatiana. I actually felt nauseous during it. It reminded me that I really need to work on strengthening my core area, right through to my lower back.

I've spent some social time with Emily, brother Darroll and Emily's friend Annie, who is a voracious reader. Lots to talk about with all three.

I've taken the opportunity while in Kuching to have a small medical procedure done. I'm very comfortable with the doctors at Normah Medical Centre after having been there for one thing or another during my last three visits to Sarawak. (My doctor said to the nurse when I walked in, "This isn't a new patient. This is an OLD patient." And gave me a big smile.) Sam went with me. I also visited her dentist, had one of Josephine's amazing three-hour facials (which is also a gab-fest), and had a hair treatment.

I'm not what I would call high maintenance, but it's reassuring to know that everything's in good working order. It's going to be an exciting year, and I want to be in shape to enjoy it.

Nice work if you can get it...

Some days I'm amazed by how lucky I am. Very early one morning last week there was nowhere on the planet I would rather have been than running in the dark through the quiet streets of Kuching with my mate Min, listening to Billie Holiday singing "Nice work if you can get it" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP6P4e5ggqs). We were a group of five runners (Eng Hooi, Steven and Alfred were the others) spread out over quite a distance. We converged on the waterfront right on 6 am for running drills with the regular group that meets there on Sunday mornings. (It was this group that I spotted and spoke with in January last year, and which has led to a wonderful friendship with two families.)

I'm really enjoying all our early runs. Instead of going to Brunei to run a half marathon next weekend, I'm staying in Kuching to do a special Good Friday 32 km group run to Damai Beach. This is the fourth year Eng Hooi, Min and others have attempted the distance, and I want to be a part of it this year. Min and Steven are training for their first marathons, Penang in November, so this will be a great run to complete this far out from Penang and just before the Wees and I head off to Bali for a half marathon.

One of the many pleasures of running with Min in the mornings is having breakfast afterwards with Sam and Sean and their house guest Kay. We eat at different places depending on whether we feel like popiah or laksa or noodles... I feel so happy sitting with them, still sweating after a good run. It's such a great start to the day...

In the past week or so, there have been dinners at The Junk (with the Wees and a whole bunch of architects) and at The Dyak (with the Wees, architects Ivy and Swee, and a visiting architecture professor from Singapore who is a friend of Min's). One of the items on display at The Dyak ("dyak" is the collective name for all the indigenous tribes of Sarawak) was an antique headhunter's sword, with holes (notches) indicating it had claimed the heads of 17 men and 5 women. The owner, Vernon, has many stories to share.

Today I spent the morning with Emily and some of her family, who were tidying up the graves of her grandmother and grandfather and sending them burnt paper offerings as part of the Ching Ming festival.

'Cosmetics' for the afterlife

Sending burnt paper offerings to Emily's grandmother, Ching Ming festival

It was fascinating to be in the cemeteries, where thousands of people were tending to their ancestors' graves. Food and rice wine are offered along with the paper money and other small items that are burnt, and many families set off fire-crackers.

It was a stunning morning, with a huge sky and cirrus clouds, without a trace of a breeze. By 4 pm, when I was back working at my desk at Batik, we'd had our regular daily thunderstorm.

I've scaled a mountain of work in the past few months and am now facing a manageable daily load — for the next week, at least. I've been self-employed as a freelance editor since 1986. Technology now means I can travel the world while I do it. It certainly is nice work if you can get it!