Tea, Cake and Science of Hearing

Finally, a link between my marathon fundraising, the research it propels and understanding the hidden deficiencies of hearing loss!



I spent Thanksgiving evening at the UCL Ear Institute on an informative session organised by Deafness Research UK, about hearing deficiencies and their fundraising in securing radical improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of deafness and other hearing impairments over Tea, Cake and other refreshments.

Followers of this blog so far will know that I raised funds for Deafness Research UK whilst training for the Virgin London Marathon earlier this year, and have since returned to volunteer on a weekly basis in the last month.

My interest in the charity stemmed from being a sufferer of sensorineural hearing loss, a deficiency I largely denied throughout my childhood and only brought to my attention again more than 5 years ago during my PADI Open water diver medicals, which involved a hearing assessment.

I cannot hear high frequencies as well as the average person, and do struggle hearing in noisy environments. Although I don't live with a hearing aid, there has been times I have been told it is a worthwhile investment. I didn't understand the ways of the deaf, and never thought about it much until I saw a few ladies on the train into london, speaking in hushed tones, louder laughes and big gestures - it wasn't charades they were playing!

I nodded many times during this evening when presenters (such as the Chief Executive, Individual Giving Assistant) brought up common issues such as pretending to understand something when they didn't, a preference for restaurants and bars with carpet, requests to turn up the volume of the tv, processing a sound by lip reading rather than hearing it, and when in fact, every hearing disorder is different.

We got a taster of the Bionic Ear Show - which is a fun and interactive initiative roadshow the charity conducts in schools and workplaces free of charge to bring awareness to this delicate instruments of ours that sticks out on both sides of our heads. Sound clips of what people can hear with NHS sponsored hearing aids at different levels, really made me realise how lucky I am to have the hearing levels that I have got. Some people who have lost enough 'hairs' inside their cochlea - to them, they can't even make out the sound of trumpets. It will all sound like hushed drums!

The evening concluded with a final presentation by UCL scientist Sally Dawson of how the funds from the charity has allowed her team to get started on research examining the genetic effects of adult onset hearing loss. The link for me was that funding was often non-existent for specialised areas such as hearing, and in order to get research to a level where it would be supported by larger medical funding bodies such as Wellcome Trust, this is where funds for Deafness Research UK comes in. (and indeed, having visited the grand premises of Wellcome Trust, vs DRUK's offices, I am aware of the scale)

Over refreshments, I got to speak to more of the charity's staff and also seeing supporters purchase some of the Christmas cards to help raise more funds - this is something that I helped with over the last month - click link here for the online shop.

It is good seeing the results of hard work - and I wish the Best for Deafness Research UK and hope it can bring greater awareness to all about the importance of hearing as it has to me.

I now appreciate the ability to enjoy music as much as I can - and under circumstances, bringing my earplugs along to lower the possible damage it can cost. Because, once it's gone, it's not going to be ever as perfect as natural hearing.

The drums in a Jazz set - Duc des Lombards, Paris

Tax, Coffee, and all that Jazz...

Much of my past fortnight has been spent in attending CA CPE sessions,  jumping out of my comfort zone into the 'essentials' of accounting knowledge such as Topical Tax tips,coffee and meetings with people about future opportunities, attending assessment centres on all sorts of psychometric tests and presentations, exploring how various organisations work and playing a part to its potential success...

In short, a bit too busy to blog although there's much to give in bite size servings if I had stopped! My brain has been stretched to the limit and so has my body too...coming down with a cold! :(

In spite of all this, I did manage to catch a few performances at the London Jazz Festival this year and dragging a few friends along. Particularly enjoyed the Barbican Freestage on Sat 12th November with Samuel Jon Samuelsson's Big Band, which was followed by the amazing McCoy Tyner Trio - with tenor saxophonist Chris Potter.. and vocalist Jose James...a concert at the Barbican that lasted til 10:30 pm!

My last taste of the Festival was a Sunday afternoon at 606 club near Imperial Wharf , a once-neglected part to the west of Kings Road in Chelsea. Pressed the buzzer and I was led to the basement and over a rather hearty lamb rump and starters to accompany a quintet featuring Barnaby Dickinson (trombone), Mark Fletcher (drums), Graham Harvey(piano), Nigel Hitchcock (alto sax) and Lawrence (bass) - my friend and I explored what it's all about.

Maybe they've never played together, some of the music freshly off the printer in the morning,however, it was most enjoyable, the drums set the scene, and off they went , following a form, and then improvising , and coming back together again towards the end. a most entertaining sunday afternoon!

So how do they get there?

I'd like to quote from LJF's festival's venue newspaper from an article by Edward Randell:

" How do you move beyond learning scales to being able to express yourself emotionally through music? [says Parlato:] "Sometimes its a matter of stepping away from the music for a second and doing a little soul-searching and kind of figuring out who you are and what you want, what your triggers are, how you communicate and how you react."


"Music, is a conversation which is give and take, it's listening to sound and space".


[Adam Wilson agrees:] " To make that conversation occur, one of the first things you've got to do is have confidence. You can't be scared to speak to somebody, you have to be able to say your name, and say who you are and explain what you want to do and what you're all about. And you have to be able to say this in music....


So I tell kids not to have any fears. I even ask them, ' say your name to me- no, I can't hear you. Say it again, much stronger, support it.' And that's the kind of thing that you have to do when you're playing music."

and stronger, I say, not necessarily just louder.  I think about the Topical Tax tips lecture, the Musician who was disallowed his losses by being a teacher after being a performer with a reasonable income in the previous year as well as all those tax evasion cases knocked back due to businesses operating without an intention to profit? Why? In the artistic world, is it easy to be commercial and also communicate well? Definitely! But there are so many fish in the pond...one just needs to work harder.

A thought propped up by a plunger of coffee - one that awakens for the journey ahead in the darker and colder days that is to come.

Autumn Racing and medal bling tally for 2011

A Passion to Perform, in work and in my personal life, my medal tally for 2011, half of them, were Personal Bests , over 3 distances:
Half Marathon (Race your pace Dorney Lake), Marathon (Virgin London Marathon) and 10k (Capital Runners Bushy Park)

Been home for almost a month now, and I still recall AMSTERDAM Half -MARATHON weekend (14th - 16th October) being a rather lethargic one. Fresh off the plane from Houston on the morning of 14th October, we had only a few hours to be reacquainted with our home, and the cold weather, and then off again to Amsterdam.
A city visited many times, we were not too keen on the sightseeing. Friday night, a walk in the wrong direction in the cold, but keen to find some Indonesian food (but not keen enough to over-do and upset our stomachs) we feasted on Rijsttafel, and got basic provisions, and slept like babies in our spacious room. Saturday was spent bib-collecting, having a big indonesian lunch, playing 'hide-and-seek' with our other friends in town and trying to settle in early for the big day. I still remember the lady from the Chinese restaurant saying 'we support you'! But we couldn't sleep well at all that night...jet lag was affecting us more than probably our european counterparts (many travelling running teams from Italy, UK joining this race and staying in our hotel).

Sunday morning was windy with blue skies. Perfect weather but unprepared were we, no garbage bags, minimal warm clothing for the start. However, the start was spectacular. In the Olympic stadium, well rugged up, I waved to Seng and Cath as they set off on their 42.195kms..

then caught up with our other spectators, Leon and Serena. We didn't venture too far hoping to catch them quickly, saw Seng, and then waited for too long and no sign of Cath. Checked the iphone App (Roaming)...she's sped off way ahead! A cold day, poor transport links to other spectator points, I gave up on my spectating 'grand plan', took the train back to the hotel, relaxed and got going again for the 13:30pm Half Marathon start.

Serena and I met, got to the start line - we separated , leaning across to the other side, hoping to see our marathon friends come in...but no such luck. Off I went as the gun goes...slowish to start...at least it warmed up. The course itself was not the most exciting, but the crowds made up for it. and where were the pacers? I just knew that I couldnt stop, except for water, AA drink (after activity drink), sponge, and to take a gel. No walking though, but I couldn't pick up my legs and bolt. The best part of the run was the last 3kms through Vondelpark (all downhill? and not disillusioned like Hyde Park , or Bois du Bologne), and with the last kilometre...I saw people bolting, the 2 guys with 2:00 balloons also rushing ahead of me, but I cannot find my central governor (he has gone misisng). I just maintained my pace, said hello to Cath (all dressed now) and Leon, and race into the Stadium!
So glad it was over..2:05:31. Consolation for being the fastest time in an autumn half marathon, which has been for the last few years slower than the winter ones, when I was building up for a full. Oh well.

A few weeks later, and how else to celebrate the milestone, my birthday by entering the Capital Runners BUSHY PARK 10k  (the original intention was to enter another runbritain half marathon to improve my handicap and earn an extra badge on the site, but proximity precedes irrationalism - I'm glad!). Another cold morning, a reminder of the february windy long run where I took the bus to Hampton and ran home (3 hours +).
A paid race and hence, less daunting than the Bushy Park 5k Parkrun saturday (apparently 200 people + at the start), the set-up did feel like parkrun, well it was in a Park! A long wait...giving up my bag at the last minute, to start off at 10am along the paved path. I had a few 'friends' along with me all the way - a Mr Run-Walk, who walked even at 1km, but always seem to catch up, a Miss Pink, who would lift her legs high and run and catch up..and also the lone deer with lovely horns, spectating within close quarters, with other herds of deers spectating far away.
The trickiest part of the race was running through fallen leaves on soft ground. My focus was not to twist anything! Like the summer morning training, I tried hard not to get a stitch. 2 laps of the same, with marshals smiling at me as I approach the lake...the last few kilometres, and the final kilometre...faster than I thought, and did we cut corners? I wouldn't have thought but not too sure...the clock says 54:55. A PB, and knowing that I could do it, when my 10k split at amsterdam was around 55 mins and way too fast for the first half.

It wasn't a easy run, but I'm glad to hang up paid racing for the year (next goal, Parkrun) - and to celebrate with a lovely foodie lunch cooked by Petra
- worth the effort to walk across Bushy Park, my spring training ground, my summer biking playground and the first I've seen it in autumnal glory, with falling leaves. 


"Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall"

On birthday's eve

As I stand and watch the fireworks in front of my eyes,
with a heavily pregnant friend of mine
In the crowds, bonfires and smoke surrounding
I realised what it's all about.

Thirty something years ago
My own mother was in the hospital ward
Pushing, waiting for the moment her first born comes into the world.

The start of a lifetime of opportunities and fun experiences,
The dawn of new hope
Worrying if she would cope

Yes, celebrations, year upon year upon year.
Big, small, cakes, candles, the crowd comes and goes.
Some stay, and always will.
Not the ones because of what you have/don't have,
Not the ones because of where you live and whether they have better places to be seen at.
But the ones who brought you here, those truly grateful that you came into their world. Those precious few.

It's not about the presents -
Be it to brag a bag from Tiffany's or a star from Michelin
It's about presence - advancing another year with learnings from experiences past.
A new year for yourself, to advance and learn.
Of nuturing treasured relationships, less of those that slash and burn.

Deterioration being the inevitable criterion
Do we hasten its pace, or stop the race?
To enjoy at one's own pace
In real, nature or in virtual space.

Happy Birthday,
We age and reflect in time this time every year, but it's really just another day. ;)







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