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Pottery Sales in December
| I'm posting this link to the CADaily list, because it includes some studio sales that are accessible to most of the people on this site so far. (not me, alas.) dw |
Pitchblack 12hr MTB race report
The Pitchblack 12hr MTB race is a new event put on by Tailwind Promotions at Old Hidden Vale (out Grandchester way).
I entered the solo singlespeed category on my newly front suspended new Ti 29er.I set the bike up with an easy 32/20 gearing after learning my lesson at the DelXC 6hr (yep another one without a race report). Other setup items of note was a burly Ardent front tyre (@ 26psi), ergon grips with integrated bar ends (good for catching trees) & a bontrager seat post with random rotating seat clamp system. My goals for this event was to ride for at least 10 of the 12 hours and stop for no longer than 30 minutes at a time, other lesser goals were to minimise wardrobe changes and keep on top of nutrition and hydration. The race started at 7pm Saturday night just as the light was all but faded and finished a 7am, as you'd expect a 12hr race would. It was a mass start with 35 solo riders, 15 teams of 2 or more all heading off at once, I got away toward the front and my original plan was to go steady and not be concerned if other riders got past, its a long race and you don't win it in the first lap. I have this plan at most longer races and I never stick to the plan, so why bother this time. So I stuck to the wheel of the rider in front and passed at any opportunity, heart rate be damned :-) Toward the end of the first lap I realised I'd studied the track map but had no idea of how long each lap was nor what time I was expecting to do a lap in, consequently I didn't know how many laps I was going to do. When I crossed the line & saw that I had done a 32 minute lap I thought, hmm I could be up for 20 laps tonight, heck, thats a lot of laps. Lucky I was setting my stops by time rather than laps. Anyway back to the race, in the first lap at the bottom of rockbottom, a rocky downhill section I just kissed a tree with my right bar end, in the second lap I did it again, better make note not to do that again I thought. In my 3rd lap I'd started to pass back some of the first lap hares & I think lapping a few of the slower riders, I was feeling super good, the bike was working well, birds were singing, stars were shining etc etc, well you can see where this is going I bet. Anyway with my mind elsewhere the don't forget to miss that tree alarm was muted and as luck would have it, the tree was still there but only this time I was going faster than previous and that's all she wrote, tree meet bar end, bye bye rider. Off I went for a spot of dirt surfing on my left knee, hip and hand, just the ticket for a great Saturday night out. I quickly jumped back up & got back to the bike, nothing looked bent so I jumped back on. A few corners later my knee was yelling at me and my left pinkie didn't want to hold onto the bars much, I raised my hand into the helmet light and made a quick guess that while it wasn't broken it wasn't looking quite the right shape, ewww. No point stopping so I just kept on pedalling, another lap down, don't think I'll stop at the pit tent this lap just incase I don't like the look of what I see. If that is blood running down my leg then surely the OHV dust will dry it up nice & quick. A few laps later the knee & finger gave up hurting and only once per lap as I passed the angry sapling I actually remembered about it, cool. A few laps later I settled into a happy groove and was totally enjoying my night out, then my seat decided to rock back a few degrees, then a few degrees more. No problem I thought, only half a lap to go and I'll stop in for a break and fit it up. By the time I got around to my pit tent I'd gotten used to the seat and decided I was feeling way too good to pull in, so I didn't. I just grabbed another jam & cream cheese sandwich from the stack and peddled on. My plan of stopping every 3hrs for as long as I needed to eat, change batteries and regroup was based on previous races and as it turned out had no relevance with tonight's race, I was feeling great, heaps of leg power (its all relative) when I needed to get the singlespeed up the climbs and good recovery in between. The seat angle was far from optimal but thankfully one of the things about singlespeeding, especially on a course with a few hills is you don't spend a lot of time suspended by the seat, even when you are seated you are usually pushing hard enough through the pedals to provide some lift up from the seat.Somewhere around 3:30hrs I stopped to change a fading helmet battery but that was it until about the 6:30hr mark (10 laps / 110km). I used this stop to change both batteries, fix the seat, lube the chain, eat a good feed of 2 minute noodles (my favourite race food) and refil my 6 empty water bottles and 4 empty gatorade bottles. All up this stop had me off the bike for about 30 minutes, a bit longer than I'd hoped. When I got back on the bike, I'd cooled down and didn't feel as good as before, on the up side at least the lights were brighter and the seat was feeling right, for the first quarter of the lap .. damn it. I stopped twice to adjust and tighten it down, second time I really really tightened the seat bolt. Previous I was worried about over doing it and breaking the bolt, if that happened it would have probably been the end of my race, but by now I'd had enough & let it have it. Lucky nothing snapped & the seat stayed put. Okay lets get back to pedalling. Next lap in my noodles weren't sitting so well and I'd started to get a headache, you know the type, the ones you get after a big night on the bottle. I upped my fluid intake and completed that lap and the next but it wasn't enough to get rid of the ache so I stopped in and popped a few ibuprofens, I figured if they don't fix my headache they might just help my knee that was also starting to complain. Somewhere in the next few laps the headache subsided, probably thanks to the pills & fluids but maybe also because I realised my helmet was hurting two spots on my forehead. A quick adjustment and it was like monkey magic getting his headband removed... pure bliss. At this stage I began to realise that I was probably going to make it through the night with only 1 real stop, that gave me a huge boost of confidence and energy. It didn't seem to effect my lap times but I was starting to enjoy the ride again and couldn't wait for the sun to peak out, when it finally did rise it was quite a thrill. At the start of my 15th lap, around about 5am I removed my lights and set off to soak up the final two hours of the race. I didn't know where I was placed but began to entertain thoughts of an overall podium position, figuring I'd only been passed on the track by team riders & Andy Fellows (aka world 24hr champ) I couldn't have been far off. I didn't really know how many laps I'd done either as my hear rate monitor/lap counter was on the blink. Not much I could do about it but ride, that is what I came for so that is what I did. I crossed the line to complete my 17th lap with 20 minutes to go and was told I was in first place ... WTF I thought, no way! The I realised they were talking about in my age group (& singlespeed too as it turns out I guess). I'd never really considered where I was in the age group category & was only really concerned about overall & singlespeed categories, so it took me a while to digest that. Nobody could tell me where I was sitting overall so rather than finish up there I decided to put in a final lap to make it 18 laps in total. I finished that lap at the 12:22hr mark having clocked up 198km.By far and away my most successful outing on a mountain bike and once I learned that I was first in singlespeed and third overall I was stoked, even if I was too tired to show it on the outside :-) Thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed it. I haven't proof read it so apologies if there is some unintended oddness in there.Thanks to Tailwind for putting on another great event at the challenging and rewarding OHV facility. The Merida 24hr will be held on the same track mid 2010, I can't wait for that, I'll have to work on some harder goals this time. BTW I did the whole race without a wardrobe change, another goal smashed :-)Karingal 4hr race report
Back date your mind a few weekends for this one.
I late entered the Karingal 4hr held on the 15th November. Big thanks to the BSMC for kindly accepting my entry a day after the second cutoff date.The main purpose of this race was to test out the new saddle (Fizik Gobi) and test out myself on a shorter race format. The plan was pretty simple, go hard & see how long I could hold on for. The solo men got to go first & I was a few rows back from the start when the hooter sounded. The usual mad scramble ensued and even though I thought I was pushing I was getting smashed up the first climb (mental note: do more hill repeats... hard!!). Things settled down once we entered the single track, and at this point I was glad I'd done a pre race sighting lap as there were plenty of places it looked like you could pass but most of them ended in deep ruts or tree stumps. Two laps down & feeling so so I was passing a few of the first lap sprinters, into my third lap just over and hour into the race & whammmo, I was drained. At first I couldn't work it out, then realised that climbing Nebo the day before might not have been the best prep for a smashfest race, plus it was a stinking hot dusty day. After I talked myself out of pulling out of the race I plugged on. I reset my goals after watching a few singlespeed guys fly by, my new aim was to not get out of the front middle ring to test out the concept of running a 1x9 setup on a hilly(ish) course. At one stage I stopped for about 10 minutes to talk to Dan about the previous 24hr race (the one without a race report) and his experiences running it singlespeedly, good fun, I nearly forgot to get back to the race. Not much else happened really after that, so without drawing it out too much, I ended up doing 8 laps and finished 9th in solo men but well outside of the top 10 overall when including the women, 40+ & singlespeeders. A bit blah really, but probably a bit better result than I felt I deserved. Thanks to http://bsmc.asn.au/ for the event, always good to see a well run event. Thanks to Tailwind Promotions for the timing & the Karingal Scouts for the tracks & works vege burger (bread with lettuce & egg).
Sponsoring a Chamber Music Concert for NGO Light of Life Trust - Bombay
(download)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: pranoti surve <pranoti@lolt.in>
Date: 2009/11/25
Subject: Sangat 2009 : Light of Life Trust
From: pranoti surve <pranoti@lolt.in>
Date: 2009/11/25
Subject: Sangat 2009 : Light of Life Trust
Dear Chandni,
This is following our correspondence.
Warmest Seasons greeting from all of us at the Light of Life Trust!
We take this opportunity to inform you that the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation will be presenting the first concert of their Sangat Series 2009 in support of Light of Life Trust. This chamber music concert of the 18th December at the NCPA will be a fund raiser for the Light of Life Trust.
We established the Light of Life Trust in 2002 as a nonprofit organization to realize the untapped potential of India’s rural children and empower them. We believe that no child should be forced to drop out of school as the kind of start they get will determine their foundations for the future.
Anando – an initiative launched to give disadvantaged children access to education and relevant activities leading to holistic development, reaches out to over 2000 children today.
Jagruti – the second initiative through a community approach aims to empower different target groups – children, women in need & senior citizens in one campus to mutually enrich each other’s lives in a joyful and harmonious setting. A medical diagnostic centre has also been envisaged as an integral part of this project.
Christmas is round the corner bringing with it a desire to share love and joy with everyone around us. We at the Light of Life Trust wish to take this precious gift of sharing and caring to our wards in the remote villages of Maharashtra.
Your sponsorship for the concert or an advertisement in our souvenir will go a long way in making a qualitative difference in the lives of many needy and deserving individuals of the cause. Details of the programme and sponsorship are attached for your perusal.
This event can be a good social occasion for an international delegation or network associates. In that case we can work out an arrangement depending on the number of guests you would like to host. The donor invites are available for contributions or Rs. 2500 and Rs. 1500 respectively.
In case you would like to be in touch, I will be available on +91 98701 89868.
We are confident of you joining hands with us in our endeavor to empower the rural underprivileged communities.
Warm regards,
Pranoti Surve
Leadership Programme for School Principal and Leaders, Dec 4-5, Bombay
Excerpts from another mail on this:
The program contents are:
ü Understanding Self
o Social identity
o Mental Models & Emotional Intelligence
ü Developing and articulating a “vision” for improving student outcomes (academic as well as non-academic performance)
ü Leading Others
o Providing and Receiving feedback, Appraisals
o Motivation
ü Competencies of an effective school leader
ü Key leadership challenges faced- a discussion and exchange of effective organisational practices
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Deepa Agarwal <deepaagarwal06@gmail.com>
Date: 2009/11/25Hello Chandni, Trust this mail finds you well. We had interacted in the month of September, regarding the Leadership program for School Principals. We were pleasantly surprised when the program was over-subscribed! Due to the overwhelming response and the interest shown by school leaders in attending this program, we are conducting an additional one on Dec 4-5, 2009. Will appreciate it if you can put it up on your blog. Will be happy if we can reach out to a larger audience, as we are keen that it benefit the target group. Do let me know. I can call you as well. Regards,
Deepa Agarwal
From: Deepa Agarwal <deepaagarwal06@gmail.com>
Date: 2009/11/25Hello Chandni, Trust this mail finds you well. We had interacted in the month of September, regarding the Leadership program for School Principals. We were pleasantly surprised when the program was over-subscribed! Due to the overwhelming response and the interest shown by school leaders in attending this program, we are conducting an additional one on Dec 4-5, 2009. Will appreciate it if you can put it up on your blog. Will be happy if we can reach out to a larger audience, as we are keen that it benefit the target group. Do let me know. I can call you as well. Regards,
Deepa Agarwal
On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 5:46 PM, Chandni Parekh wrote:
For details, check http://psychologynews.posterous.com/leadership-programme-for-school-principal-and Excerpts:
Based on research carried out to understand the Leadership challenges of School principals, we at the Center for Social and Organisational Leadership (C SOL), TISS have developed a Leadership development program for School principals and school leaders. The objective of the program are to enhance school effectiveness and leadership qualities as well as to introduce a corporate perspective. Program Contents:
· Competencies of an effective school leader
· Developing and articulating a "vision" for improving student outcomes (academic as well as non-academic performance)
· Creating and sustaining a competitive school
· Personal targets for development (Understanding self leadership style, problem solving and decision-making, Conflict management styles, team management,
· Elements of leadership development (Emotional Intelligence, Providing and Receiving feedback)
· Discussion on key leadership challenges faced as well as effective organisational practices
· Development guide to support continuous improvement
My photos in the local paper - Village News
Some of the photos I blogged about last week from the JDRF fund raiser were in our local paper this week: the Village News (http://village-southwest-news.com/)!
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Garage Sale for 26/11 Victims - Bombay
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Hello!
Rishita Shah
RpH - Balancing Reputations
M - 09820682859
I invite you to come show your support for the victims of the 26/11 tragedy, with a Charity Garage Sale held at HQs - Mumbai's 1st all-day pub.
The event is being held from 12pm - 7pm, at HQ's - above Cafe Royal, with all proceeds from the sale of volunteered items going to the victims of 26/11.On Display we have - Clothes, Shoes, Bags, Accessories, books and a lot more! Date: Thursday, 26th November 2009Venue: Headquarters, ColabaTime: 12:00pm to 7:00pm
We would greatly appreciate your attendance.
RSVP: Rishita - 09820682859
RSVP: Rishita - 09820682859
--
Thanks & Regards,Rishita Shah
RpH - Balancing Reputations
M - 09820682859
Poetry Theatre Performance by Kids in Chennai
From "Sajani Ganapathy Murugan" <sajanigm@gmail.com> Nov 22, 2009 Hi Chandni, This story is set in Chennai. Between 2005 Oct and March 2006, a series of poetry theatre workshops were implemented in a local Chennai school. The school prides itself on its reputation for fair-mindedness and honesty to their cause, to educate and enable young girls to grow into balanced, committed and successful women, happy to do whatever they choose to do, to their best of their ability. Rightly so, as their motto says, Age Quo D'Agis, do well all that you do. About 35 students from standards 3, 4 and 5 chose to attend the workshops and as we explored the world of poetry and verse, an honest interaction began to transpire, between all present. As the children learnt about poetry and how it often helps in creative expression, they began to see how sometimes poetry can help to say things differently. The poetry theatre workshop was planned to have a beginning, middle and an end. So having begun with the poetry it was time to take it forward. All communication is a combination of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking and therefore if the Poetry Theatre Workshop had a focus, it was to enable effective communication and present the possibilities of creative expression. Having done some listening and writing, it was time to start reading. The selected reading material was a book called The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, written in 1944 and published, I think, later that year. The book, written originally in French is a classic and most children love it, while some adults have been known to claim that the book is a bad attempt at fantasy or that it's too abstract. The children each got a copy of their own at a ridiculously discounted rate, thanks to a sensitive Indian edition publisher in New Delhi. While bookstores like Landmark had to be hounded for information on how the publisher could be contacted. The book was read together as a group with each child doing independent reading at home, at their own pace and fuelled by their own interest. The opportunities for communication were endless, the children brought their own perspective to the story that was much closer to the truth than many adults would like to acknowledge. It was altogether an enriching experience for everyone involved. This story has now reached its' middle, just like the Poetry Theatre Workshops had. It was now time for an effective ending, one that reflected all the work that is a Poetry Theatre Workshop. A script was written by the writer conducting the workshop and needless to say the script was inspired by the children, their reactions to the story, their perspective, some changes that they suggested to characters to make it more relevant to their context and quite naturally, the script was a play in verse. Poetry Theatre. The plan was to rehearse the script and present a performance to the rest of the school and their parents. But academics has a a way of taking over almost everything else, including sport, at a school level in a city. It's all about the tests and the marks and the study hours and keeping the children busy. So no more time could be made available for rehearsals and the project was scrapped without much further ado and no warning whatsoever. It is four years now and the children have grown, some of them will be teenagers soon and they still remember the script they began to rehearse. Since then the writer has tried many ruses to get the school to revive the project, but no such luck. Driven by the need to follow through on a commitment made to 35 children, the writer is adamant about having these 35 children be part of the first performance of the script they inspired. A script that would never have been, had they not been a part of it. The beginning of the story had the children that contributed to the script and the middle was the script itself. The end of the Poetry Theatre Workshop was when it would include the entire school, giving all students the choice to be a part of an aspect of theatre that they have an aptitude of interest in. To make it possible for these 35 children to be involved, the rehearsals and performance have to be in Chennai. Besides, the school may not provide their space, time or initiative and so there is a need to find a space for a Theatre Lab. Not to mention a sponsor. This summer an attempt was made to garner corporate sponsorship and found not many cared enough to commit. We did find a corporate player (to date we have not named names) in the education segment, who promised us the earth, moon and stars, made a note of our budget and promised to call us in two days. The President, Corporate Communication of a brand that's targetting children and young people was interested and committed to us. But in two days he was avoiding phone calls, mails, and text messages. So with that went the brand's chance to brand the lab as a project that can be implemented anywhere, would document the work in terms of a video cd and a published manual with instructions and tips to teachers and adults anywhere, to replicate the process. Besides the chance of turning the idea into an annual event for Children's Theatre in Chennai. The plan is once again in motion for the summer of 2010... Through the summer, children between 8 and 16 will work with musicians, dancers and artists, while young people between 17 and 21 will have the choice of working with sound and lighting experts, production professionals and the director to create a production that will be a community effort. The theme of the story is conservation, friendship, separation anxiety and emotional growth. The sets will be made entirely from recycled material. Is there any chance you may be able to help this project by finding it a sponsor who sees the opportunity in a project like this. It will certainly provide mileage, spread brand awareness, convert purchasers of the future and have an open into the homes of their target audience. But above all it needs to be a sponsor that does care enough about children to see that somewhere along the line, as a society and a community, we have sent sent out a message to 35 children that it's okay to quit and give up when things get complicated. This project needs all the help it can get and will be happy to say thank you with a stellar performance that will make the community proud. Love and Peace, Always, Sajani PS. People who'd like to know more about the project, feel free to mail me with your queries and feedback. Thanks again! Sajani |
