Tarara

Sports.

zmk1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 01:04:31 +0000

I have beena Sports’ fan all my life.

As a youngster I made representative teams in Rugby & Table-Tennis, I switched to Rugby-League and was chosen in a trial that ultimately could have had me named in the Junior Kiws squad when I was eighteen years old, but I ripped a hamstring so severley the week before the trial that the back of my leg went BLACK.

That was basically it for my competitive sports career, but I still maintain interest in most sports.

I am particularily impressed with Roger Federer whom today claimed the US Open Tennis Title.

That was his tenth grand-slam final in a row, having won eight of them, only losing the two on Clay Courts to Nadal. That means that ws his twelfth Grand-Slam title overall, only two shy now of Samprs’ overall record.

He is a phenomonen. And I take great joy in watching him play.

Hail the “Fed-Express”.

On Island time.

zmk1 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:50:54 +0000

Click to enlarge.

A few pics form my weekend away on Waiheke Island.

Colckwise from top left, Low Tide, Mike Morgan – Artist, Ita “Molly” Malone, at a Bar in Onetangi.

It was really was great to get out of Auckland for that weekend.

Waiheke, although more cosmopolitan than it used to be, still retains some of what “olde worlde” New Zealand used to be like. The people are so friendly its almost scary. Long may it remain that way.

I met a wonderufl Irish lady named Ita. Everyone calls her “Molly” possibly being a reference to the mysterious urban legend and Irish Heroine “Molly Malone”whom the song “Cockels and Mussels” was based.

Molly owns the Irish Pub on Waiheke called ”Malones”. It is a great little pub where locals and townies alike meet, drink, play pool, and genrerally have a great time.

Mike Morgan, with resplendent ZZ Top Beard, whom I met when Molly took me to lunch in Onetangi on the Saturday, is a real character.

Mike is a artist of international repute, but more than that, he is a damn funny bloke.

I am going to back to Waiheke soon. It is reassuring to know we Aucklanders have paradise just a short ferry ride across the Hauraki Gulf, we we can relax, unwind, and leave the hectic city life behind, if only for a short time.

zmk1 — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:53:52 +0000

Wonderful Waiheke.

zmk1 — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:58:57 +0000

Had a blast at Waiheke.

Have not met so many characters for a long time!

I basically spent the whole weekend laughing my tits off.

Amazing how easily I made friends as was accepted like a local.

No “big city-itis” over there on Waiheke.

Pics and report coming soon.

I wonder if……….

zmk1 — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:26:00 +0000

I wrote this last night.

It’s a reflective poem, yes it’s a bit corny, a bit simple, I won’t threaten the great poets of our time….. but awwww c’mon, “don’t break my balls” (as the Sopranos’ would say), allow me a little lattitude while I get over a certain person.

I wonder if

As I strode to the “Fiddler” Pub that night,

the last thing expected was to meet someone

who could open the door to my heart bright

But the following weekend,

events conspired to shut that door tight

I wonder if,

i just wonder if

I’d let her be,

let her see her friend back,

to her home country

and

instead of pouring whisky down my throat,

with tortured delight,

I wonder if,

i just wonder if,

i’d stayed home, and read a book by the firelight,

cell phone out of reach, out of sight

But now she’s gone,

…………… gave her a fright

I wonder if,

i just wonder if,

We ‘d be together,

in each other arms,

tonight.

________________________

Waiheke awaits. Few hours of work to put in, them I am off across the water.

Smile. Weekend Break.

zmk1 — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 20:21:08 +0000

Almost everyday as I walk to work after getting the bus, I pass a particular pretty woman.

What is unusual about her is that she smiles at me EVERY time we walk past each other.

Most people on their way to work have a glum funeral looking face on them, that is what is so unusual about this woman I guess. Today she almost came to a halt, nodded, and then broached an even bigger smile than usual, and let out a little “hello”, which I returned.

Weird. But nice.

It is a pleasant way to start the day I must say.

————————————-

Think I will get out of Auckland for the weekend.

Tutukaka perhaps. It’s been a strange last couple weeks for me and I think I need a change of scenery, if only for a weekend.

———————————

The Intercity Bus does not stop at Tutukaka.

Ferry to Waiheke Island then. A no less beautiful place to unwind.

It is not the tourist season, so hopefully it will be reasonably quiet.

the weather forecast for the weekend looks pretty darned good, so I’ve booked myself a room in a quiet bushclad lodge, about a 5 minute taxi ride from main part of town and a short walk to the beach.

I looking forward to this weekend, for sure.

Can not believe how reasonably priced it is. Must be due to off season.

Will take my running shoes too, my CD walkman, and my camera.

Peace.

Hitting the roads. Binge drinking.

zmk1 — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:36:15 +0000

Live with passion, I said yesterday.

Well, something I do have a passion for is exercise, specifically running, and running long distances.

Which is something of a paradox, as I have also been known to drink from dawn to dusk, and smoke like a chimney.

I got home last night and ran 8 kilometers. That was my first decent run in a while and I duly started to feel the pain at abut the 5 kilometer mark. But I kept at it and felt real good at the end of it. Even my old knee injury behaved itself.

I cant wait to build my mileage up again and start running through the beautiful Waitakere Ranges again in the weekends.

I am determined to keep away from late night bars, as it destroys your will to get your arse into gear and hit the roads. People who do not have a problem with “binge drinking” just can’t understand the concept of why you can’t stop after 3 or 4 drinks get in a cab and go home.

Likewise, some people can’t understand why anyone would want to run ridiculously long distances.

Well, perhaps I can’t either. But I know this: One is more healthier than the other and doesn’t leave your pounding with that “freight train running through your head” feeling in the morning. The only thing I will miss is the social contact. But are the people you socialise with in bars the type of people you would want to hang out with anyway? I can think of only one person (one woman: read “Hands Open”) that I have ever met lately in late night piss-up bars that I would want to spend any significant time with.

One thing I have my parents to thank for is a fantastic constitution. I know if I stick at it (exercise) I can totally reshape myself physically in a matter of weeks. Someone like me should probably be in hospital now with the amount of boozing I have done over the years, and I beleive is only due to good genetics from my parents that I haven’t. Some aren’t so lucky.

Anyway, I am leaving all that boozing bullshit behind me.

Onto my goal.

My goal to exceed my old mark of 35Km non-stop by the end of the year. I know I can do it. Takes a bit of discipline, but once I set my mind to something I’m hard to stop.

Once I do this, I might allow myself a quiet beer or two with my best mate. Something tells me if I conquer the roads, I can conquer the binge boozing problem. If I can sit down with my mate and have a quiet one or two, and leave it at that – then I will know I have conquered that ugly beast.

Until then, its OJ.

Why I live passionately (excuse me for a little philosophical diatribe here).

zmk1 — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:20:40 +0000

The older I get the less I rely on reason.

What!?

Yes, the less I rely on reason, and reasoning.

Of course, the older you get the wiser you are supposed to be, the more you are supposed to reason before you take action.

Perhaps my dislike of reason is that it can lead to a dispassionate life, and perhaps my dislike of reason is also due to reading much of the writings of such existentialist heroes of like of Albert Camus and John Paul Satre.

Nevertheless, I continue.Camus’ Sisyphus, is an excellent example of an existentialist hero. he does not allow reason to dictate the course of his life. He relies very much on passions in determining his actions and judges others not on how rational they are but rather on how passionate they are. Furthermore he very much enjoys the concrete, physical side of life taking pleasure in sunshine, water and the physical objects he finds around him. Finally he, through his own volition, takes control of his life and makes himself superior to his fate so that although he is condemned to eternal punishment he is still happy.

I am often remember a quote from round the world sailor, Webb Chiles, “Llive passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway”.

I guess what I am trying to say here is don’t be afraid of something just because your reasoning tells you it might not be safe. I am sure Ghandi or Mother Teresa would not have become who they were if they had allowed reason and rationality to rule their lives. They had a passion, they had a dream…they lived it. They persued it. So too Martin Luther King, Remember his famous…”I have a Dream”, and it ended up getting him killed.

These are of course extreme examples.

And don’t use lack of reason as an excuse to do bad things. You will end up in jail, and rightly so. Anyone can take a negative connotation from any argument for a way to live, wether be it philosphical, religous or any such other such movement. Like your Jihad Terrorist for example, or Republican President (no I am not a George Bush fan as I am neither an Moslem Radaical fan – both are nuts).

There is a paradox here of course, becasue if you allow passion to rule your life, then you are going to make mistakes. Someone whom reasons that they won’t drive a car because they could die in an accident is never going to get so much as a dent are they! A man whom reasons that he will never persue a woman due to his fear of being rejected, will never end up at the altar will he! Better to have lived and loved and lost love, than just have just lived. But I digress.

So yes, you will make mistakes. Be a man though, and acknowledge them.

Wonder not why you are where. You are here and thats that. Enjoy the ride, wherever it may take you.

Hands Open.

zmk1 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 06:12:34 +0000

Sometimes when you meet someone of the opposite sex, you don’t know what the heck hit you.

It doesn’t happen too often lately, becasue, frankly you have had enough of women for a while (or so you think) and because you are happy (or are you) in your own space with no one to answer to.

But when it hits you it swamps your mind with confusion.

You have emotions you thought you would not have.

You don’t think straight.

Whats going on here? It’s not like this is the first time you have woken up with a woman and wondered how the f__k that happened and who is this lying beside me?!

Then you peek over, and sigh, hmmmmmmmmmm she is,………she is……….she is kind of nice, isn’t she.

You don’t say much because you are a bit stunned that you are feeling something different. You don’t make the usual excuse that other’s have told you use in this situation, which goes something like “uh, had fun last night, but got dayshift now, so gotta run” as you bolt out the door with your jeans halfway down your legs, baring your arse to the neighbours.

No – you don’t do any of that, becasue you don’t want to. You actually want to stay with her. You talk a bit. “Ah, a woman with brains” you think to yourself. Oh she is sweet, very sweet.

You feel…….. weird.

You spend the best part of the weekend together, and you think she digs you (your friend even comments on it to you privately) but your women reading skills have been thrown off by this perky little pom.

The weekend ends, your tired, confused and whats worse, your already missing her after 5 minutes. Sheesh, man! Get a grip, you tell yourself. This is not like you! Tough guy.

You end up making a complete f__k-up of the whole thing the following weekend.

You think your doing the right thing telling her about some other bird trying to hit on you at some dive of a party, a party you don’t even want to be at (but your looking after a mate). You tell the other bird to get lost. You grab your mate and get the hell out of there.

But then you get horribly pissed at some bar …….and you completey stuff things up.

And, then, later on when she ignores you, you realise all of a sudden that she is probably happy doing her own thing and probably wasn’t looking for anything more anyway.

And neither was I….or was I?

Or was she, but your drunken foolishesness put the “willies’ up her?

Confusion again.

It hurts, it twists your insides.

Especially when you convince yourself she is tottering around doing her own thing, with you being the last thing on her mind. You convince yourself you were just a bit on the night and thats it. Nothing wrong with that. You have done that with women before, so what is good for the gooose……………..

All you can do is with “open your hands” and try to tell her you f__ked, up and are sorry.

But when it dawns on you will never get the chance to mutter those words to her again, let alone see her again…well, it hurts like hell but you have to take it, take it like a Man.

And you will learn from it.

Nostalgic sounds.

zmk1 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:49:37 +0000

I was in Real Groovy records the other day, and came across a CD single re-issue of a song by ALPHAVILLE titled “Forever Young”.

I have the vinyl copy of the whole album of the same name, but have not listened to it for years. My old turntable is kind of, stuffed, in a word, anyway.

Now I need to buy the whole Album of the same name again in CD format, because after listening to “Forever Young” the single, over the weekend it reminded what a bloody great band these Germans were.

That is not something you can say about a lot of bands from the 1980′s, as a lot of them were crappy waffle. I’d say THE CURE’S album “Boys Don’t Cry was THE classic 80′s Album when it came to gothicy “post punk”, new wave type music, but this Album by ALPHAVILLE is not far behind. Forever Young (the single) is a hauntingly beautiful, if somewhat sad song, that brought back a whole lot of memories for me. I can’t wait to locate the whole Album again to enjoy.

Oh and by the way, the greatest album ever is THE CLASH’s “LONDON CALLING”, altogether different music from the likes of ALPHAVILLE….but a discussion on THE CLASH can wait for another day. For those whom have never heard this song, the lyrics are below.

You can also listen to it for free on YOU TUBE. Just type in: Alphaville – Forever Young

“Let’s dance in style, lets dance for a while Heaven can wait we’re only watching the skies

Hoping for the best but expecting the worst Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

Let us die young or let us live forever We don’t have the power but we never say never

Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip The music’s for the sad men

Can you imagine when this race is won Turn our golden faces into the sun

Praising our leaders we’re getting in tune The music’s played by the mad men

Forever young, I want to be forever young Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever Forever young, I want to be forever young Do you really want to live forever? Forever young

Some are like water, some are like the heat

Some are a melody and some are the beat

Sooner or later they all will be gone Why don’t they stay young

It’s so hard to get old without a cause I don’t want to perish like a fading horse

Youth’s like diamonds in the sun And diamonds are forever

So many adventures couldn’t happen today So many songs we forgot to play

So many dreams swinging out of the blue We let them come true

Forever young, I want to be forever young Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever Forever young, I want to be forever young Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever Forever young, I want to be forever young Do you really want to live forever”?