Archive for March, 2009

Our volunteer project Dulwich OnView had its first birthday in January this year. To celebrate that milestone and also to thank the editorial team for all our efforts in making the online magazine what it is today, the senior management team at the Dulwich Picture Gallery threw a special private view party for us. In their generosity, they opened the whole of this world-class art gallery for just 20 — 30 of us volunteers! It was an amazing privilege to have this beautiful space to ourselves and to be taken on a private guided tour of the Veronese exhibition by the curator, Xavier Salomon.

Dulwich OnView is an online magazine set up using blog technology on the free hosting site WordPress.com. Its aim is to celebrate people and culture in the Dulwich area — taking in not only Dulwich Village/East Dulwich but also the wider South East London areas of Peckham, Forest Hill, Camberwell and beyond. But the topics covered could also have a global angle if there is an artist or musician or theme that has an international flavour but also a connection to Dulwich or South-East London. The editorial team is made up of writers, photographers, illustrators, journalists and other professionals all offering their time for free.

At the party, the Director of the Gallery Ian Dejardin talked about how he has been introduced to the fast moving world of social media and online communication technology through the Dulwich OnView Blog. While the Gallery has been innovating with its own new website, the evolution of Dulwich OnView in parallel to the communication activities of the Gallery has helped it reach out to a wider audience - by bringing the Gallery to people who have a general interest in arts and culture in the South London area but who may not have the Gallery specifically within their radar. He felt that while the Gallery is a central part of the local community in the real world, Dulwich OnView has also been helping it build and establish an eclectic community online.

I was struck that Lily Harriss, the Director of Development , referred to us volunteers as “patrons” of the Gallery. We normally think of patrons of the arts as rich and powerful people who donate millions in funding to galleries and museums. Dulwich Picture Gallery has many patrons like that whom it often invites to selective private views to thank and honour them. This was the first time as far as I was aware that the senior management team had invited volunteers to a private view of this kind — putting us on the same footing as the rich and powerful. I suppose it is true that as a volunteer, while we may not be rich and powerful donors in terms of money, we are also “patrons” of the Gallery because we are giving a very precious resource to it: our time. I really love that generosity of spirit in Lily, Ian and Xavier for making that connection!

The other team but was also honoured at the party was the GalleryFilm team, volunteers who run the monthly Film Society for the Friends of the Dulwich Picture Gallery. These screenings take place at the Gallery and occasionally, they have opened the main exhibition area so that you can have your very own private view of the current exhibition included in the film ticket. The team is led by film expert Paul Youngbluth and is a great way to socialise with local people while enjoying a good movie.

Standing around that evening, chatting about Sickert, Italian art and, of all things, Twitter, I felt very chuffed that the two volunteer projects that I’ve been involved with at the have been such roaring successes. I was one of the founder members of GalleryFilm as well as being the spark behind Dulwich OnView and it’s been great to have been part of two very talented teams of lovely people. When I first moved down to Dulwich from central London, I didn’t know anyone in the area and, like anyone moving to a new place, wondered if I would ever get to know anyone locally. As it has turned out, through the Friends of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, I have made a WHOLE LOAD of new friends!

If you are interested in getting involved with Dulwich OnView or GalleryFilm as a volunteer — or in any of the other many activities of the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery - the easiest way to find out more is to contact the editors at Dulwich OnView who will be able to tell you more about the blog or forward your e-mail to Paul or the relevant person at the Friends. The email address is dulwichonview[at]googlemail.com (substitute @ for [at]).

Photo: Hanging of the Veronese altarpiece at Dulwich Picture Gallery - from the Dulwich OnView flickr.com site (with permission)

Well, there’s nothing like writing it down and putting it out there to make something happen. I recently blogged about taking up running again, using Podrunner Intervals, a podcast that plays music at alternating slow and fast beats to help you with interval training. Within a day of my posting that up, my friend and blogging massage therapist, Melanie, dropped me a comment inviting me to join her for her second London Marathon in April 2010. My response was: Are you crazy!? But, still, I was chuffed to have her encouragement for my baby steps in running — especially as she is a superfit athlete.

A few days later, another friend, Sue, also learned about my new found fitness addiction from my blog and invited me to join her for a 5K fun run at the end of April. Sue is a homoeopath who lives round the corner from me and we are very close to Dulwich Park, where the fun run will be taking place. Since I go for my baby runs in that park every week, I had no any excuse not to sign up for the fun run. But the clincher was that Sue and I agreed to reward ourselves after the event by going for a slap up meal — how could I refuse that incentive! I have now sent off my cheque and application form…

Part of the thrill of starting a new hobby is to go shopping. I headed to London City Runner in my lunch hour and got myself a new pair of running shoes (Saucony) with stability support for my flat feet and weak ankles. I’ve also got some running shorts and a running T-shirt, both made of what they call “performance material” — silky, smooth to the touch: presumably to reduce the wind drag on my speedy pace of a mile in 20 minutes (yes, that’s called “walking pace”)… so while I huff and puff round the Park, regardless of my feeble performance, I look REALLY GOOD!

I have to confess that this new hobby has been inspired in the most part by my love of social media. While surfing the net the other week, I came across a number of podcasts and blogs about running and triathlons. Specifically, I typed in the word “Zen” into iTunes, thinking that I might like to listen to some podcasts about meditation and relaxation. One of the shows that came up was Zen and the Art of the Triathlon, a fantastic podcast by a triathlete called Brett living in Texas. It’s a really free-form show with him talking about training, cycling, swimming, testing out different kinds a gear. He has a very laid-back manner and a lovely energy that for some reason I find very inspiring. After listening to a couple of shows, I just wanted to get out there and run! (I would also love to swim and cycle but organising that in London is a bit more tricky than popping on my running shoes and trundling down to the park. But we’ll see… ) In addition to Brett, there is a huge community of running/ triathlete podcasters and bloggers out there and I’ve been getting a lot of tips and inspiration from many of them — if you want to check them out, just type in “running” or “triathlon” in iTunes or Google Blog Search.

What is interesting is that I have tried running off and on over the past few years but it has never really bitten and gotten hold of me in the same way as it has recently. I put that down definitely to finding the online community of runners/ triathletes. I’d always thought of myself as a non-sporty, literary type — not at all like those sporty, super athletes that think nothing of running across the desert or swimming the Channel. But listening to their podcasts about the pain that they experience in their training or the exhaustion that they have to fight through or about times when they just have to give up - as well as their enjoyment of the landscape that they are cycling or running through - has let me see them as ordinary people who have built up their stamina and skills over time and experience. It all seems less intimidating and more like something that even I could do!

So no sitting meditation or relaxation. Instead, I’m finding Zen in physical activity. Who knows where this will lead me. Watch this space…

Photo: thanks to klbw from flickr.com (CCL)

One thing I love about London is the chance connections you can make with fascinating and dynamic people living in or passing through this huge metropolis. Anisa Telwar is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur with a global business specialising in cosmetic brushes, providing innovative product design and sourcing from Asia. Beginning as a manufacturer’s representative and then in 2003 capitalizing on her brush design expertise, this she opened her own brush factory in northern China, Anisa Cosmetic Applicators (Tianjin) to offer a fully integrated operation for her international business. I met Anisa at a friend’s birthday party and I loved her dynamic energy and lively sense of fun - and, given her cross-cultural background, I had to invite her to write for Fusion View, of course!

Anisa writes:

“Where are you from?” has probably been the most frequently asked question for me from the time I can remember.

I was raised in Nashville TN. My father was from Afghanistan and my mother’s decent is Russian yet she was raised in Turkey. So we were a mixed lot when it came to noting our nationality. When I was growing up in Nashville, no-one had a clue to what I was - usually they guessed by whatever country was in the news that week. When I was younger it was more of the Middle Eastern fare yet now I get Spanish, Italian, Greek, Asian.

I have so many people come up to me in airports asking me for help in their native tongue and all I can say is ‘no Espanola’.

No one really knows what I am from my features or skin tone or accent. It used to be a big cause of contention for me and yet now I love it.
I am a Global citizen. I feel I literally belong anywhere now.

Yet, I was born in New York, raised in the south and now reside in Atlanta GA. This is where my office is, my home, my dogs, my friends.

And yet now my boyfriend lives in London.

(Fun Fact: I made my first International trip to Turkey when I was 17. I am a million miler under Delta airlines and I am only 42. 1% of this airline’s clientele travels this much. And I feel I still have so more many places to still go)

When I met Yang–May, I felt comfortable with her immediately. Her energy was also of someone who understands diversity and multicultural aspects and it was not weird to her that I was American at a British birthday party for someone I did not know, with my British boyfriend.

I told her about my business in USA that I am growing more intentionally in Europe ( mainly due to the boyfriend status : ) ) Also, I told her about my ties to Asia. I built my own factory in 2003 and have been traveling since 93’ to Korea, China, Hong Kong. And that I was about to embark to my first adventure in Malaysia this year.

It is so normal to me to be going somewhere or to be in a place that is considered foreign. It is the way I have learned to grow and challenge myself and expand my life and mind.

I feel I am constantly creating by this use of travel.

Creating and being creative to me is all about the energy in my world. I have been very creative when it has come to creating money and abundance in my life. Travel to me is new energy and that energy is the same as that creates a painting, music or a meal. Travel assists me in creating new pathways in my mind. It opens it all up to see things newly and openly and to be flexible. This flexibility I feel is what has created my happiness. I am able to be adaptable and willing to bend more than if I stayed put.

The results that are created assist with a vision, imagination and desire. I have used my business to work on myself by trusting and growing those around me so that I can have this life I currently lead and to find out what is next for me.

~~~

More info:

Video: http://www.atlantawomanmag.com/video/ and click on “Anisa Telwar”

Website: www.anisa.com

Following on from a trip to Amsterdam where we overindulged on the eating front, I have reinvigorated my exercise regime in earnest. I usually go to the gym 2 — 3 times a week but with the weather in London being so gorgeous now that spring is here, I have also added some easy jogging to give my work out some variety and also to enjoy some fresh air. My local park is now open a little bit later in the evenings so I have about an hour after work to get out there amongst the spring blossoms and daffodils.

I’ve never previously followed any proper training regime for running so I don’t really know what I am doing most of the time. I used to work on the principle that provided I’m moving at some kind of pace that gets me hot and sweaty, I must be doing alright. But, obviously, there are techniques and strategies to make the most of running and to do it properly without over-exertion or injuries. So I decided to see what tools I could find online.

I came across an interval training podcast on iTunes called Podrunner Intervals which I have been trying out. The idea behind interval training is that you walk for a bit and then you jog for a bit to build up stamina and strength. Then as you improve, you jog a bit and then run for a bit. The aim of the podcasts is to take you from couch potato to 10 km over a period of weeks and months. The concept is very simple: it plays suitably slow music for the walking bit and much faster music for the jogging bit, calibrated to the relevant beats per minute so you can achieve the optimum heart rate the given interval.

I have been thoroughly enjoying using this podcast as a training tool. My problem with running is that I usually get bored so having the different music for the different phases has helped stimulate me as I trundle along. And because it takes you through the different levels in a gently phased way, I have not utterly exhausted myself in the first few days and feel that I am slowly improving. So, yay for Podrunner Intervalsl!

I am currently on the second level and I think that I should be able to reach 5K in about four weeks time, fingers crossed. I will let you know when I get to that milestone (kilometre stone?) so you can celebrate with me!

Photo: thanks to EricNixon from flickr.com (CCL)

I’ve revitalised the Fusion View podcast with some new theme music and a fresh energy.

This episode, I talk about gardening and hammering snails to death.

Also, join me - and the global community - in Earth Hour, coming up 8.30pm local time (wherever you are in the world) Saturday 28 March 2009.

You can listen to the podcast using the grey podcast-player at the end of this post…

…Or, in the main player below, where you can also check out other Fusion View podcasts:

You can also receive this and future Fusion View Podcasts free via iTunes - click on the lavender logo alongside.

Listen Now:

 In the Garden and Earth Hour: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (534)

When I go on holiday, eating good food is part of the experience. A few weeks ago, I was in Amsterdam, and although the Dutch are not well known for their world-class cuisine, I found the food at a delight. Dutch cuisine is usually associated in the global imagination with pancakes and large, red balls Edam cheese. But these days, what the Dutch are very good at is what might be called “modern European” cuisine. Their style is understated, but tasty, and everything is beautifully presented.

Take for example, the chicken and chips that I ordered at a local brasserie near our hotel on the Herengracht canal. The brasserie was nothing fancy — it seemed to be a local hangout for young professionals and had a cosy, friendly and comfortable ambience. I wanted something simple and I thought that chicken and chips, while not very exciting, would do the trick for me that evening. When you order chicken and chips in the UK, it usually comes as a chicken quarter — probably the wings and an extra bit on the end — that has been oven roasted, with a pile of chips on the side. At this brasserie, the chicken arrived delicately carved into manageable pieces and had a delicious buttery, herby flavour. The chips were crunchy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside. A whole dish was beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious.

It was not just this particular brasserie that presented us with an ordinary m eal that felt like a special treat. In most of the restaurants that we ate in, we would come away full, happy and satisfied. I have been to The Netherlands a number of times and that seems to hold true in most restaurants. It seems, in my experience, that it is much more difficult to happen upon a good restaurant in London or the UK by chance - you really have to go out of your way to research the guidebooks or to get recommendations from friends in order to have any halfway decent meal at a reasonable price here. So I’ve always been especially delighted whenever I’ve visited The Netherlands as I know that most the time, whichever restaurant we might pick randomly, we would be sure to end up with a good meal.

On this visit, we didn’t manage to go to an Indonesian restaurant, unfortunately. I am always keen to have at least one Indonesian meal, while in the Netherlands — I have always liked is rijsttafel, a meal for one that which comes with an array of different Asian specialties served in a delicate little bowls around a plate of rice. The multiple dishes is clearly derived from the Asian way of dining, where each person has their own bowl or plate of rice, and then everyone tucks into a range of different dishes such as chicken curry, stirfried pork as well as seafood, beef and vegetables dishes. In the Western way of eating each person has their one meal on their own plate - no sharing. However, in Asia, everything is shared, and the dishes are consequently much larger than the delicate little samples making up rijsttafel!

I was particularly tickled a few years ago, when I was in Delft with my family. The Indonesian restaurant that we loved had a dish that reminded usof a dish that has been passed down through the generations from my father’s mother’s side. It was called babi kichap. Babi means pork.Kichap means soy sauce and is the word that became ketchup in the West, meaning a condiment — and eventually coming to mean specifically, tomato ketchup. The characteristic of babi kichap is that the source is very dark — as dark as black coffee — due to the soy sauce. I don’t seem to have found it anywhere else in Europe apart from the Netherlands. I had always thought of this as a family recipe so we were all delighted to see it served in a restaurant!

Staying with the Oriental theme, I was really taken by a fast food noodle joint in the Leidseplein area. It was called Wok to Walk. The idea is that you choose a base of egg noodles, vermicelli or rice etc and then make a selection from a list of different meats and vegetables. The final step is then to choose the kind of sauce that you want e.g. peanut sauce,, oyster sauce soy sauce etc. They fry it up for you there and then and you can either have it as a takeout (the “walk” part) or you can eat it in. It was amazingly fast and quite delicious. It reminded me of Asian street food and caucused all but with a modern European twist.

There is one Dutch speciality that I tried once a while ago in Delft which was really more of an endurance test than a joy. Raw herring. It may be so some people’s taste - and it clearly is loved by the Dutch - but not to mine. We bought it fresh from a market stall, served in the little pot and garnished with a huge helping of raw onions. As it was a local speciality, I resolved to try it so I took a deep breath and popped it into my mouth. It tasted of the sea, seaweed and the mud at the bottom of an estuary and the texture was cold and slimy. It was horrible! Bleah….

So no raw herring on this last trip to Amsterdam, I’m glad to say. With all the other delicious meals, we came back from Amsterdam very chubby . I am now facing a very rigourous gym regime for the next few weeks to make up for all that overindulgence. Wish me luck!

Photos:

amsterdam by macropoulos (CCL)
babi kecap by zoyachubby from flickr.com (CCL)
maiden with raw herring by riceuriian from flickr.com (CCL)