Awards Ceremony of the Strongest

October 13 2007. The Strongest Team meets for their first annual awards ceremony in the Cottingham Pub called Callgate.

Some people arrive with very smart dresses ,and we watch the football game between England and Stonia. Will has brought a big box with trophies and honorary mentions.

I am on the search for curiosities around the place too, and find this which I believe is a weighting scale...I am not sure how this can be used, but it will not be me who tries it!


OK, it is time for the formalities, and Will introduces the proceedings of the night.




We have a very nice time, relaxing, departing and drinking (but hold on, we manage to leave the place walking). I am very happy to have played for the Strongest in the last year, and have received awards of the Top Scorer of the Season and Goal of the Season. It has been a very good experience, and we have all learned to play better.

A tale of two cities: London, Hull

"Elementary my dear Watson", Sherlock Holmes would say. During my visit to London in September I decided to stop by Baker Street Underground Station, and visited the shop of the Sherlock Holmes museum. At the exit of the station you see the detective standing there, trying to tell his story about London.

Well, he did not help me much to guess what I could also be doing in London during my visit. Or perhaps for him the fun is only playing violin, smoking dope and solving difficult crimes. So I decided to go where my 'gut' feelings too me. And guess what...


Mu 'gut' (or rather stomach) feelings took me to Tito's, a Peruvian restaurant located near London Bridge station. Cecilia had suggested trying "seco de cordero" (something like roasted lamb shanks). It was fantastic. The combination with Cusqueña beer (only one, it was mid day!) proved excellent. The 'frijoles' (beans) were mashed, something that you do not see often. Simply delicious!

But, was Sherlock Holmes right? Are we doomed to only have certain kind of fun in one place? Was there any fun left in this story?


Well, the fun was not over yet, but he second part of this story is the story of Hull and what you can do here (again it is me willing to tell you that Hull is not as bad as people think). Cecilia and I went to Chiquito's (Tex Mex restaurant) - Hull Branch. I had discovered Mexican Paella (Pi-ella), a rare combination of the Spanish paella but this time with chili, more chili and salad. It was nice, the only thing was that Calamari was not there. I was a bit upset.


So what did I do to get this upsetting off my chest?

The Kingston Communications Stadium provides a nice background, and this time it was Hull against Chelsea. The blues had decided to pay us a visit at a match of the Carling Cup. It was a time to remember mostly for the Chelsea fans (4-0 Chelsea). However, Hull still rocks as a football team and new transfers (the former Nigerian international J.J.Okocha) have contributed to keep this team in the Coca Cola Championship (better known as the second division of English football).

The story was not over. More fun? On my way home, a nice encounter with my former systems thinking students...

Gloria and Darlan are still in the city, looking for further career prospects. In the mean time they are gaining experience in customer service and they are indeed very friendly as the picture testifies. They were taken by surprise when I decided to take this picture though. Poor Darlan (almost invisible in the picture); she wanted to hide but we managed to keep her in!

The story concludes with a question and a possible answer. Which city would you enjoy most? My answer is, it depends on you, make the best of where you and I live.

And if you are looking for other answers, I leave you with my good friend John Hopper who enjoys riding his bike around and training. He can answer any question you have on cyclism and financial management. He really enjoys this stuff!

A tourist guide to Hull: Eye, Tapas, Rugby, and a satisfied customer

Many people wonder about what to find in Hull.

Well, I can tell you that you can find a fantastic eye hospital. Cecilia had a terigium removed and although it was painful, she received the best attention I have ever seen in a hospital in the UK. She was given a bed to rest, looked after (I was looked after too) by nice nurses who continuously came to see how the post-surgery period was going. The day after the surgery we asked about how to reduce the pain, we were given an appointment to go and see a doctor who provided a prescription and better pain killers. The last weeks we have seen another doctor to check on the progress of the eye. All in time, appropriate for the situation.

Not only the Eye hospital can meet the 'eye' when you go to Hull. Down Princess Avenue, my friend Tim and I found a nice bar where they sell Spanish tapas. We enjoyed two rounds and although you cannot really compare with the original tapas, these ones did the job on a Saturday afternoon.

That same Saturday, while we sat in the bar, we saw some rugby fans getting ready for the rugby league match between Hull F.C and Huddersfield Tigers. We ended up going to the match and enjoyed it very much. For me it was a new experience to see a sport I have never played, and could appreciate why it is so exciting in this country. It is very dynamic at every minute, and you do not get bored. The experience gave me a lesson about how groups can manage to succeed by allowing each individual to do the best they can according to the circumstances. I might talk about that in a future seminar!

Well, the last bit was too academic was not it? Anyway the game is really exciting, there are a lot of families attending it and the atmosphere is friendly.

And last but not least, people living here end up saying "it is not too bad". Here is one of them, our dear friend Miguel, just before leaving Hull...Does not he look happy?

We wish you all the best Miguel, it has been 5 years and still counting, you have become a true friend, good luck with your trips to Swansea, NY and China. Take care and avoid any extreme in...many things.