Whoa! I am not blogging about our climbing trip to Ipoh, I'm gonna leave that to the people that actually climbed anything worth mentioning :)) This is the link to the photos that Marian took. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 26
Ipoh pics!!!
Whoa! I am not blogging about our climbing trip to Ipoh, I'm gonna leave that to the people that actually climbed anything worth mentioning :)) This is the link to the photos that Marian took. Enjoy!
Monday, February 25
Tuesday, February 19
Noisy climber
Today I realised that I can be a noisy climber, but thankfully still not as loud as Yixiang (oops). Was the gym very quiet after I left?
Downgrading
This article is by Ricardo Belchior and i koped it from his blog.
We cannot all be better by what we do. Some take the shortest path… The Downgrade!
They are not bad persons is just their way of fitting the climbing community. Sitting around a climbers’ table they lack subjects others might want to comment, so in order to gain a place among the greatests they push the grades down! If necessary they’ll do it to all the routes they’ve done (or try) except their hardest climb (climb that they will swear on their mother’s grave that’s the hardest route of that grade).
For me the downgrader has a similar status to the worst football player I had in high school! This guy knew that he didn’t play football so he distinguished himself by his karate football style. No one wanted him playing on the other side (you can guess why). The downgrader is of the same character, every body knows who he is and why he downgrades, but it’s just better to have him on our side than to have every climb we do downgraded.
Even for the other climbers it is not easy to escape from the downgrading style! Imagine that at your best you have done two 6b’s and your friend, who is clearly not as strong as you, has just done one of those 6b’s! Three choices come up: Find a harder route, give up climbing because life isn’t fair, or downgrade it!
Find a harder route
You probably have to try/train harder and find a 6b+ that suits you, and then, with some luck, you will have to ask that friend to belay you (who will clearly want you to fall and preferably in the ground so that he could do that route before you). Moreover, you will be considered an equally skilled climber during the trying period. After that, you will enjoy a different climbing status from your friend until: a “6b+ or more” climber downgrades your 6b+ or, even worst, your friend catches you again. As you can see this is clearly not an option!
Give up climbing
Don’t show your face in the crag or the climbing gym and avoid the regular sport climbing vacations (go alternative like traditional climbing, etc. in unknown places). Keep training hard at home and then, 2 years latter, appear in the crag/gym saying you have done nothing for 2 years! Every one will say you are special and if you trained you would be among the greatests.
Downgrade
I which life would be so simple! Imagine that you can decide who is climbing better, every time some does a route with a higher grade you can decide if that is really harder or not! After earring a very enthusiastic report of the ascent you’ll say: Yeah, it’s an excellent route but it’s no more than 6b. Which is equivalent to: amazing route with a continuous pinch for the right hand and excellent footholds for both feet…, yeah but no more than my building’s stairs! Or putted in another way: it’s just sad that it isn’t even considered climbing!
I have to say that my first feeling is to agree with him. Of course this doesn't mean that there are no over graded routes. What do you think?
Must include a quote from Wittgenstein.
"What we cannot speak about, we must pass over in silence."
Any his blog is quite interesting. Plenty of nice pics. Check it out.
We cannot all be better by what we do. Some take the shortest path… The Downgrade!
They are not bad persons is just their way of fitting the climbing community. Sitting around a climbers’ table they lack subjects others might want to comment, so in order to gain a place among the greatests they push the grades down! If necessary they’ll do it to all the routes they’ve done (or try) except their hardest climb (climb that they will swear on their mother’s grave that’s the hardest route of that grade).
For me the downgrader has a similar status to the worst football player I had in high school! This guy knew that he didn’t play football so he distinguished himself by his karate football style. No one wanted him playing on the other side (you can guess why). The downgrader is of the same character, every body knows who he is and why he downgrades, but it’s just better to have him on our side than to have every climb we do downgraded.
Even for the other climbers it is not easy to escape from the downgrading style! Imagine that at your best you have done two 6b’s and your friend, who is clearly not as strong as you, has just done one of those 6b’s! Three choices come up: Find a harder route, give up climbing because life isn’t fair, or downgrade it!
Find a harder route
You probably have to try/train harder and find a 6b+ that suits you, and then, with some luck, you will have to ask that friend to belay you (who will clearly want you to fall and preferably in the ground so that he could do that route before you). Moreover, you will be considered an equally skilled climber during the trying period. After that, you will enjoy a different climbing status from your friend until: a “6b+ or more” climber downgrades your 6b+ or, even worst, your friend catches you again. As you can see this is clearly not an option!
Give up climbing
Don’t show your face in the crag or the climbing gym and avoid the regular sport climbing vacations (go alternative like traditional climbing, etc. in unknown places). Keep training hard at home and then, 2 years latter, appear in the crag/gym saying you have done nothing for 2 years! Every one will say you are special and if you trained you would be among the greatests.
Downgrade
I which life would be so simple! Imagine that you can decide who is climbing better, every time some does a route with a higher grade you can decide if that is really harder or not! After earring a very enthusiastic report of the ascent you’ll say: Yeah, it’s an excellent route but it’s no more than 6b. Which is equivalent to: amazing route with a continuous pinch for the right hand and excellent footholds for both feet…, yeah but no more than my building’s stairs! Or putted in another way: it’s just sad that it isn’t even considered climbing!
I have to say that my first feeling is to agree with him. Of course this doesn't mean that there are no over graded routes. What do you think?
Must include a quote from Wittgenstein.
"What we cannot speak about, we must pass over in silence."
Any his blog is quite interesting. Plenty of nice pics. Check it out.
Ipoh trip
The numbers are out..10 people are going for the Ipoh climbing trip! 11 if John-megatron comes too. I'm really psyched and excited to be out natural climbing again. Hoping for some good sends this trip (although doubtful) since we've just been bouldering and power training this year.
It's strange. I've always thought of myself as a Boulder-er but recently been quite motivated to sport climb. It's the long battle against gravity and the mind games u got to play which makes each send so much tougher but more precious.
Hope more NUS climbers can start putting on a harness too.
It's strange. I've always thought of myself as a Boulder-er but recently been quite motivated to sport climb. It's the long battle against gravity and the mind games u got to play which makes each send so much tougher but more precious.
Hope more NUS climbers can start putting on a harness too.
Sunday, February 17
6am
One fine day, Zhaoxiu, Doris, Kenneth, HengHong, Junxian, Regina and Eileen decided to sign up as NUS Biathlon volunteers. Kind Kenneth offered to let us stay over at his place the night before the event as we were to report at 6am on Sunday.
So we met at 1130pm to play mahjong till we got hungry..
Kind Kenneth drove us to a nearby PRATA shop!
Note the time we left the shop -->
Arrived at East Coast Park at 615am (we were tired but the NUM shirts kept us happy!)
Doris, Kenneth and Junxian were looking after participant's belongings (also the place where the participants changed into their swimming costumes! Lucky boys!)
Zhaoxiu and I were GIVING OUT EVENT SHIRTS :D
After the event but before the clearing up, already 10times tanner
THESE leftovers event tees motivated us to help clear up the area
Had to shift these heavy mats into the tent ten miles away and pick up litter under the scorching sun, another 10times tanner
I thought we were supposed to look exhausted?
So we met at 1130pm to play mahjong till we got hungry..
Kind Kenneth drove us to a nearby PRATA shop!
Note the time we left the shop -->
Arrived at East Coast Park at 615am (we were tired but the NUM shirts kept us happy!)
Doris, Kenneth and Junxian were looking after participant's belongings (also the place where the participants changed into their swimming costumes! Lucky boys!)
Zhaoxiu and I were GIVING OUT EVENT SHIRTS :D
After the event but before the clearing up, already 10times tanner
THESE leftovers event tees motivated us to help clear up the area
Had to shift these heavy mats into the tent ten miles away and pick up litter under the scorching sun, another 10times tanner
I thought we were supposed to look exhausted?
This is the saddest part. We took our packed lunch without checking if spoons were provided. Click on the picture to see where our spoons came from. Oh! And we had lunch only at 1.30pm? Our stomachs were growling from 6am to 1.30pm.
All in all, it was the most enjoyable volunteering event all of us have ever participated in. Esp when we were thieves (smuggling countless event tees) and beggars (eating with makeshift spoons, very sad). The team should participate in more of such events!
All in all, it was the most enjoyable volunteering event all of us have ever participated in. Esp when we were thieves (smuggling countless event tees) and beggars (eating with makeshift spoons, very sad). The team should participate in more of such events!
PS: Don't blame us if the 7 of us don't perform during PT tmr, we only had 2hours of sleep.
Saturday, February 16
=)
ahh.. hello every1..
juz felt that its time i posted something else other than the 5 things about me.. haha..
yup..
heres one of the many random stuff that me and bertrand have been laughing about during trainings.. heh..
forgive me if its not funny enuff ( or if uve seen it b4 alr ) .. yup =)
p.s. moral of the story ... cold water treatment makes a difference in ure training.. haha..
很快~!!
juz felt that its time i posted something else other than the 5 things about me.. haha..
yup..
heres one of the many random stuff that me and bertrand have been laughing about during trainings.. heh..
forgive me if its not funny enuff ( or if uve seen it b4 alr ) .. yup =)
p.s. moral of the story ... cold water treatment makes a difference in ure training.. haha..
很快~!!
Friday, February 15
CNY at the June___ house
Almost everybody..
Playing the pirated board game
Thankfully their dogs were less frisky this year
Playing the pirated board game
Thankfully their dogs were less frisky this year
Happy Valentine's Day
If Valentine's Day had its roots in declarations and celebrations of love, then today has been such a day for me.
I had the most enjoyable evening making friends, chatting, sharing music and most importantly, climbing.
Don't get me wrong, because when you come to love climbing as more than just a sport, it's almost as liberating as love can be. Imagine sharing a romantic partnership with someone who's got a heart as big as life itself.
I had a great time, and yes, I do love climbing and NUS's climbing culture.
What did you do today?
~Kiat
I had the most enjoyable evening making friends, chatting, sharing music and most importantly, climbing.
Don't get me wrong, because when you come to love climbing as more than just a sport, it's almost as liberating as love can be. Imagine sharing a romantic partnership with someone who's got a heart as big as life itself.
I had a great time, and yes, I do love climbing and NUS's climbing culture.
What did you do today?
~Kiat
Valentine's Day
One rose to anyone who is the first to comment and state corectly which band sang the song by the name of this blog title (and the band must be the band I'm thinking about)!
Anyway... presenting Nokia 2 megapixel pictures of Valentine's Day 2008 With The Climbers (or what's left of the Thursday people) in the climbing gym. Captions and comments of the following photos are on the top.
Sooo thursday's training day for IW and NM... and since it was a Valentine's Daaaaaaay, attached people were given the training off to go dine and wine well that's fine ! That would mean a grand total of 10 people and less (John left earlier) in the gym. It was mighty fine to climb in a rather empty gym and training didn't involve the tying of legs together either... so I suppose that was a good Valentine's Day gift!
The guys who were in the gym (kiat was somewhere else) and munching on chocolates which Clara put in the gym as a Vday gift and Kesheng's chocolates.
Anyway... presenting Nokia 2 megapixel pictures of Valentine's Day 2008 With The Climbers (or what's left of the Thursday people) in the climbing gym. Captions and comments of the following photos are on the top.
Sooo thursday's training day for IW and NM... and since it was a Valentine's Daaaaaaay, attached people were given the training off to go dine and wine well that's fine ! That would mean a grand total of 10 people and less (John left earlier) in the gym. It was mighty fine to climb in a rather empty gym and training didn't involve the tying of legs together either... so I suppose that was a good Valentine's Day gift!
The guys who were in the gym (kiat was somewhere else) and munching on chocolates which Clara put in the gym as a Vday gift and Kesheng's chocolates.
Some other climber helped us to take this pic. Rose among the thorns! 
Just in case you all cannot see the rose, I'll make it more obvious.
Clara's chocs and Kesheng's Ferrero Rocher! 
The Gym Stoners After Training
My Vday gifts to the girls if any had turned up.... flavoured straws and marshmellow hearts! I gave my hearts away to the guys (I'm actually a marshmellow monster with many hearts in my inanimate soft and fluffy body)
Ripping my heart
Tearing it apart (somemore so happy :'( )
Devouring it
"This heart tastes kinda funny"
Kesheng ROTFL at what seems like a ____ to him. I'll give another rose to anyone who guesses it correctly! Hint: Look at the pics and think like a Kesheng.
Kenneth bought the girls roses...which was left in a bottle and on the shelf beside the radio because the only girl who was in the gym turned into a marshmellow monster and ran away after the guys ate her hearts. If one looks carefully at bottom of the pic, one would notice a tape with the words "Please Take (One)".
Hope everyone had a good day (it doesn't need to be a Valentine's Day to be a good day)!
Oh just in case anyone wonders why is Valentine's Day called Valentine's Day... here's the Wiki link to it! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day
Thursday, February 14
Wednesday, February 13
Tuesday, February 12
I love this video
Zheng Xin didn't dare to jump off the top.
Krabi is beautiful.
Wanted to post some videos of us in this place, but its all of us on the rope ladder! Here's one wuss struggling:
Don't roll your eyes at this
This blog is getting boring! Its Chinese New Year and all I see are climbing videos and more climbing videos. Where is the 'qi4 fen4'?? So lets do something cool.
Vote your favourite Hong bao! And give some credit to the people who painstakingly designed these red packets ( don't just throw them away after taking out the $$) .
This one's my favourite
Vote your favourite Hong bao! And give some credit to the people who painstakingly designed these red packets ( don't just throw them away after taking out the $$) .
This one's my favouriteDid anyone of you get the same one? HAPPY CNY!
Sunday, February 10
Amsterdam Prostitutes
I just recalled something really funny that John said during one of the training days when we were on the second floor of the gym. For the uninitiated, the second floor of the gym is where the campus rungs and finger boards are, and people usually peek in when they walk pass by. There are no windows but we have metal grills instead.
"I'd feel like an Amsterdam prostitute."
- John, during one of the campusing sessions
Saturday, February 9
le parkour
This is some crazy stuff! He's a trained gymnast as well
BTW the forest with lots of boulders and the sandy floor is actually Fontainebleau at Cul du Chien
Thursday, February 7
Posters!
Hello strong team nus climbers,
There's a poster sale going on in the university I'm attending in Canada right now. It'll last till Friday(i'm thirteen hours behind), so let me know if you guys want to get anything, and I'll get it for you.
Prices range between $20+ for a slightly bigger than A3 size one, to $50+ for a huge ass one. Photos here:
This is a small one. Lousy photo though, nothing to gauge the size by. Haha. It's about A3. About CAD$15
This is the HUGE one. Adrian you might like this :D I got this for CAD$35
And these two are normal sized ones. They're CAD$25 a piece.
Ok that's for from me. Happy CNY and all the best for boulderactive :)
Let me know asap if you want posters k! They've a crazy number of designs. Everything from art, to audrey hepburn, to scarface, to johnny depp, beckham .. simpsons .. etc etc. my msn's shaun the great @ gmail . com
oh and since i'm here, here's photo of the climbing gym here:
There's a poster sale going on in the university I'm attending in Canada right now. It'll last till Friday(i'm thirteen hours behind), so let me know if you guys want to get anything, and I'll get it for you.
Prices range between $20+ for a slightly bigger than A3 size one, to $50+ for a huge ass one. Photos here:
This is a small one. Lousy photo though, nothing to gauge the size by. Haha. It's about A3. About CAD$15
This is the HUGE one. Adrian you might like this :D I got this for CAD$35
And these two are normal sized ones. They're CAD$25 a piece.Ok that's for from me. Happy CNY and all the best for boulderactive :)
Let me know asap if you want posters k! They've a crazy number of designs. Everything from art, to audrey hepburn, to scarface, to johnny depp, beckham .. simpsons .. etc etc. my msn's shaun the great @ gmail . com
oh and since i'm here, here's photo of the climbing gym here:
Wednesday, February 6
Tuesday, February 5
Sunday, February 3
bouldermania08 NTU
NTU UMC organised this 2 day climbing competition some weeks ago. It was climbing carnival style and although it was closed to the NTU populance, NUS was fortunately invited and we all had some good fun there.
The wall at 'the spine'
Climb On style with 20 routes in total, 5 on each side of the wall. Got to commend UMC for having different routes on each day. The routes were generally easy as it was a competition meant for new climbers but luckily there were 2 harder routes meant for those with a little more experience.
Charles.
Is this zhaoxiu?
leon stoned
strong ntu climbers
felicia has a big ass, hehe :P
The route regina tried a 100 times, eventually succeeding
prize-giving...Jess is so happy to win a prize cos it's Teva sandals wow! The guy winners got coloumbia trekking shoes. Unfortunaltey nus ppl cannot win prize.
And finally...
The NTU girl whom Heng hong lost his heart too and whom he may never see again. How will this young and innocent story of true love end? Stay tuned for Bouldermania 09..
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..
..
The wall at 'the spine'
Climb On style with 20 routes in total, 5 on each side of the wall. Got to commend UMC for having different routes on each day. The routes were generally easy as it was a competition meant for new climbers but luckily there were 2 harder routes meant for those with a little more experience.
Charles.
Is this zhaoxiu?
leon stoned
strong ntu climbers
felicia has a big ass, hehe :P
The route regina tried a 100 times, eventually succeeding
prize-giving...Jess is so happy to win a prize cos it's Teva sandals wow! The guy winners got coloumbia trekking shoes. Unfortunaltey nus ppl cannot win prize.
And finally...
The NTU girl whom Heng hong lost his heart too and whom he may never see again. How will this young and innocent story of true love end? Stay tuned for Bouldermania 09..
..
..
..
