I am Racing for Life

I am so not the sporty type, but I thought a 5k run/walk/skip/hop/roll/whatever may be good for my body because it's exercise and my soul because it will give me something to work towards. I think the Race for Life is a fun way to get involved in the movement to fight cancer and who better to do it than my cancer clinical trials sort!

I clicked "Submit" on my entry form for the race and it dawned on me. This is the first time in my life I have committed to some sort of sporting activity and it is scary! I don't know how it will all go, but I am going to give it my best shot. I will put up training updates so you can 'virtually' countdown to the race, huffing and puffing with me.

Here's my page on the Race for Life 2008 website. Dig deep and see if you can spare me a buck or two and I'll see you there!

Tagged I Am

Chakli, my new blogger friend, has tagged me to match (more or less) some of my older posts to five categories. So here goes.

Family: What I know to be family, has changed so much in the last couple of years. I married and got a fantastic new immediate and extended family, but I also lost someone precious. I miss you Papa.

Friend: This is also something that has changed drastically since I moved here. I miss having a girlfriend. The wonderful women I knew when back home still remain and we do keep in touch. But it doesn't come anywhere near the luxury of being able to drop by unannounced at a ridiculous hour, chat or do simply nothing for hours on end, and go on crazy eating or spending expeditions.

Yourself: I, believe it or not, am a very private person (I can see Dot and Nodot rolling in the aisles here!). So here's an insight into my sordid real self.

Your Love: Now, I have to confess I have two loves - Dot and travel. Somewhere, sometime, I must've done enough good and accumulated enough good karma to be blessed with Dot. And since I've met him, we've done much travelling and it's been so amazing. I love airports, love buses, love the idea of going somewhere, the planning, the anticipation, love it! Dot, on the other hand, 'hates' it. He ends up having to travel a lot and I get to tag along. I guess it's what keeps us together! But often, because he knows I love it so much, he does something wonderful like this.

Anything You Like: I am always on the lookout for a good deal. It makes me happy like nothing else. Overpricing grocery to make it seem like a better product is something that bothers me and something I try and fight. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm the one trying out a cheaper or 'own brand' alternative before making up my mind about what I like.

So there you go. That's my tag done. Thanks ever so much Chakli. It was great fun to do!

I am supposed to pass on the good karma and I am going to tag the Elfin Goddess, Ms Cute Pants and the Zen Denizen. Have fun chaps!

Fare Trade

There was much rolling of eyes between Dot and me, when our local church announced a "Fairtrade fortnight". What does that mean, you ask? I'm not sure I quite know what it is myself. Fairtrade (yes, it is a brand) and ethical shopping are the latest fads doing the rounds.

It is all the rage to have the picture of a black person (who is generally quite well and happy looking, but with tatty clothes) with Fairtrade branding emblazoned across. The implicit message: Buy our products. Save the world. Especially this poor black man/woman/child. Pay more than you would to assuage your guilt about having more money than this black person.

Fairtrade is being pushed more as a brand and less as a concept, with everybody and his mate rushing to claim a slice of the pie. There are several aspects to trading fairly, and I know and understand only a few of them. Yet the policy seems to be 'lets charge more for average-ish quality and do a little group hug, snug in the feeling that we've faced up to poverty and done something about it', with the Fairtrade lot laughing all the way to the bank.

It'd be interesting to see a Fairtrade product that's superior in quality and actually priced lower than the "unfair" (for want of a better word) ones. It'd be interesting to see how many of the middlemen and importer profits can be cut, so that I, the consumer, am not the only one contributing to the the better prices for the producers, and to ensure that the prices the producers eventually get are indeed better.

Christchurch College on a foggy Oxford morning

Bus Wisdom

Girl in conversation with a friend, on my bus, this morning: "I measure success not by where people are in life, but by how far they've come from where they started."

I am wont to look at 'successful' people my age, where they are in life and what they do, and feel terrible about where I am and what I do. It's always, "what did I do wrong; what did I not do." What this girl said on the bus this morning grabbed me by the collar and slapped me in the face. It really isn't about where you are, but how about far you've come. And yes, there are some things I would do differently if I could do them again, but the moments have passed.

I hate the frizz in my hair. I hate the fact that I love food so much. I would've liked to be an investment banker or anything that pays me shedloads of money. I regret not fully learning to play the piano. I am short on patience and perseverance. I made choices and decisions, some educated, others completely random, on a wing and a prayer. Given everything that could have and has gone wrong, I am here and happy. Yes, simply happy and content.

Don't worry. I haven't OD'ed on the positivity pills. I can be a very naggy (sic) grumpy old (the big three oh looms on the horizon) woman when I like. The truth remains: I have a lot to be grateful for, and, most importantly, I have come a long way.

If you believe, they put a man on the moon...