Motivation

Let me make you palms and fingers sweat a bit.Chris Sharma on the Arch Es Pontas, his deep-water solo arch project in Mallorca
Edu Marin on La Rambla 9a+
Sharma on La Rambla
Sharma on Forbidden Fruit, featured in Dosage 3 "The Ozarks"

Sharma on dunnowhatchacallit

MOUSE WET ALREADY?

in the gym....

hello HAC, BRAIN and not forgetting our favourite potato.

i am in the gym surfing the TSUNAMI with "jenjeng" right now. and we are quite bored.. or rather i am quite bored.

i noticed something in common among the three of you guys... you guys are slopey... and alittle loaded with chalk... I have been friendly to you guys... so be friendly to me during boulder ok? =)

oh... i almost forgot about mr crimp. are you going to be present for boulderactive? i certainly hope you do! cos BRAIN has been quite hostile to me these few months during training!

ok. r we going to hang small chilli padi around the competition area this time round? and who's our DJ? DJ KIAT or DJ Kelly ClARKKKKson?

the gym is actually quite conducive for sleeping. ok. tts all... bye...

oh.. JenJeng says hello.... bye...

boulder is coming!

Hello all, my first entry to this blog in 2007 hehe... i hope everyone is looking forward to "BOULDERACTIVE" like i always do. I won't be joining this year but still, will play a part by being a helper & cheer team for you guys. (*if my shoulder can recover, i will be a route setter too keke....)

Competitions, i'm always looking forward to it. I enjoy the 3 or 4 minutes that i have, to plan & complete my route if possible. For that 4 minutes, that wall is only mine.. hehe.... Too stress, too much expectations, sometimes too slack can led to under performance.

While it's a competition, treat it like a normal climb. What's your own standard you should know very well, don't get too stress that will cause you to fumble at your route. And don't be too slack! haha...coz still, it's afterall a competition. What's more, it's boulderactive - proudly organised by NUS.

I have confidence in all of you to win as much glory as we did last year & the many years before. Most important, enjoy the event, enjoy your climbs. enjoy just hanging around PS... enjoy shifting the heavy mattress that we have in the gym.. JUST enjoy BOULDERACTIVE!... =)

For non-nus climbing team blog visitors. Presenting the team of 06/07!

Unfortunately Van and Kum couldnt join us for the photo (sorrie dude, couldnt photoshop in). Our dear team ladies are featured next (note the worrying number wearing FBT).

Next up the "hansom" men of Team NUS Climbing.

And... the finale... the "spirits" that haunt our gym... gotta ward them off... maybe they are the cause of the injury spats...

hey friendly friends. happy saturday. look!
cuteness. (i want one.)

It pays to drive safely

Since blog's dead, I shall just recount about my happening Friday. After testing out my software for my project, I headed over to Vivo to meet person B and coy. Spent a grand total of $7 cab fare and 10mins in Vivo. We then headed for supper. On the way home, on ecp, we met with an accident.

This is what happens a pile up occurs.



This is not person B's car. (Her driving confirm way better, if not, i'll be long dead) This was the fourth car in the collision. A Mercedes C200 Kompressor. Sianzzz. Wonder how high his premiums will go. The lucky thing is that no one was seriously injured, except some bumps on the head. So drive carefully ppl, esp at night, and the boulderactive lorry drivers!

Here's my all-time favourite artist. I think this is his best MTV ever. Totally love it.

Pig + Dice = Pice

(About the size of a optical mouse)

Selling this ornamental cute little pig at $5, negotiable. Interested parties, pls contact me at wsczx83@yahoo.com.sg





Thanks!

tradition?

Because we have taken so much from the NUS Gym, and what we take we must return, here's Eli and mine(early) graduation gift!

Arriving in July when i get back..haha

Hoping to see more cheap tiles in Font.

random

everyone is getting stronger. i can see marked improvement on nearly everyone, except maybe the sick and the injured. so inspiring. it must be the power of Boulderactive. Defend the turf, team!

and lately, the climbing videos are leaving everyone in awe. fingernail crimps, mad slopers and soaring dynos. jiasheng says "be realistic, don't just watch, must climb at your level". i think emulating some of the interesting moves is a good method to expose yourself to different climbing skills. from there, maybe you can discover what your body is capable and incapable of. but of course, be realistic...fingernail crimps? wtf.

gong xi fa cai everyone. fa cai, not fa fu2(grow fat).

Some Geeky Chill Out

While everybody is blogging about training and climbing harder, your favorite slacker is here to provide some geeky comic relief:

 
hello all! here are two photos of my brother tt i finally got from him. yup hes doing fine and having fun, and i asked him to set up a photo blog or blog here but he says hes been too busy(read:lazy). my mum says his looks fatter lol.anw the place looks so pretty i love the semi snow covered trees..i'm jealous.... 

It's been a long time :)

Hurlo,

Haha...it's been ages since i last visited this blog n as usual there were many interesting blogs n comments especially from our PENANG climber :) Lols...penang sure ROX man!!! Anyway comp is comin! Yeah...n cheers...but do keep urself safe n dun get urself into any shit...Erm, i mean injuries... Like the o'man always say, "Prevention is better than cure".

Before signing off, there's 1 thing to note...everyone is getting STRONGER!!! so so STRONG!!! i need to be STRONGER too!!! Man, it's really inspiring to watch everyone climbing so hard all of the time...so must really get myself into the mood n plz motivate me if u see me slacking in one corner...

~CHEERIOS~

flash-pump.
i experienced the worst of it during yesterday's training. an over-zealous warmup can actually lead to this climber's enemy. so people, warmup is warmup, not burnup. don't have to warmup till you're all hot and bothered, then jump onto the wall. you'll just end up falling like flies. like me.
and come to think of it, from yesterday's session, the conditioning and physical training has helped a lot in my bouldering. i feel stronger, and doing crimps more open-handed-ly. maybe it's the 2-week abstinence from bad crimps which led to the finger joints being less painful. so i cannot emphasise more, all you people out there with existing injuries, don't whack like a madman. control your urges. we rest so that we can travel a longer distance (direct translation from "xiu1 xi2 shi4 wei4 le4 zhou3 gen4 chang2 de4 lu1").
more routes more routes.
less injuries less injuries.

anyway apart from training more endurance and power-endurance, what other ways are there to reduce chances of flash-pump (apart from a good warmup)?

Wa Lau Eh! Support Sing or Thai?

Of Balls and Heads

Mondays come and go. Usually i'm totally tired after training. But today was different due to Dosage Vol. 1 (courtesy of PengYang). Other Vols are comin along, jus pray that these won't give me sleepless nights.
The vidz came at a right time, when i feel numbing pain in my fingers and laziness in my mind. Its inspiring though i have watched part of it before.
Today's training was ok (with surprise guest trainee), but can sense a little weariness in the team and coach too. Hope i'm wrong. Its definitely boring to see people training week after week, I rather climb (personal opinion). But I can also sense a build-up of urgency as comp season approaches.
Reached the gym to see Mr. Subway already tough on the wall. Really impressed with how some of the guys are doing - John is strong, Liu Li is setting some insane yet creative routes, Edwin's flashing most of the routes, PengYang tryin to whack the routes and Caleb settin his conditional route out of nowhere. Thanks ppl. Think Mr Subway also tryin his best, so i feel we should't keep harping on him. So is everyone. C'mon.....

Boulderactive

It's coming soon ... the biggest Bouldering competition of the year. It's also the most satisfactory one for us to get into the finals/win - more so than Pumpfest and Rockmaster cos it's organised by us, us, us!!

The crowd cheering, the electric atmosphere, the power of the routes, beauty of movement... the countdown has begun and can you feel it? Just thinking about it makes my skin tingle, and I wish I could be there to compete and cheer you guys on.

Just want to say a few words -
Don't be shy about your desires and hopes. Admit to yourself that you want to win and that makes your ambition feel that little bit more real and achievable. Remember that you must be determined and confident else you will never get anywhere. Also, the prize money is good but that short flush of victory (whatever your aim may be) priceless and you'll remember it for years ahead..

Aim high!! I'm sure the Novice and Intermediate guys/gals have a good chance of sweeping like we did the men's last year. For the open men, I hope someone manages a final! Zhengxin it's your time to shine in open!

Fatigue

Today's training highlight was 3 sets of pull ups (30%, 50%, 30%), 10% of weights. It jus these, and i was feeling like I did 3 sets of PT. My body aches and I feel so tired. My mind's worse, totally turned off.

An unfortunate event occured todae at the gym. Not too sure abt the details. But it ended up in the hosp (again). Seems like the fengshui in the gym not very good, esp in the 2nd sem. Watch it, ppl, i think NF is rite abt the Curse of the Injuries of the NUS climbing gym. I'll be devastated if i'm injured again rite now. Really pray hard that all of us are kept safe.

Gtg back to my tut. Adrain's Bullet Train Guide's a really nice read. Hope i can implement it into my training program too.

(T-seven weeks, i think, can't wait for the eXcitement)

The Bullet Train Guide to be Heavy

NUS climbers are always worrying about their weights. I mean, what's the deal man..just eat climb and dun worry so much lah. And there is this recent flurry of BMI thingy and to our amazement, there are climbers who have BMI below 18! This is super thin and super unhealthy, as testified by a Health Promotion Board Officer who replied to Jups mail. Thus being the always helpful guy, I hereby (humbly) present:

Adrian's The Bullet Train Guide to be Heavy

Introduction
You might ask, Adrian you are not fat, how to write a guide? That is true, but I am heavy. Notice the subtle difference between fat and heavy. Fat means bloated, like a puffer fish and your lumps bounce during walking. Lumps on the stomach or legs that is, we do not mind good lumps. Heavy means you can have a normal body, only that you have this thing called weight and an acceptable BMI. And being heavy prevents stretch marks, being fat fast means having stretch marks all over ur body. Not good if you wanna wear little cloth.

One: Old Chang Kee
Go across the street during training and buy some old chang kee products! They are cheaper than outside, and it tastes good! usually the food will be sold out at 9pm, thus go slightly earlier, like during water break. for extra challenge, buy everything on the shelf man, and treat the team so everyone can accompany you during your get heavy campaign.

Two: Eat den sleep
After training, fast fast go home, bath and eat dinner! Must be completed in sequence, cos you need to wait for your hair to dry. Then after eat dinner, your hair is dried already and now, fast fast go sleep! This is the super orgasmic way to get heavy man..you will feel super happy. This is especially good for those muggers who rarely have a good night sleep, you will feel super accomplished!

Three: Footlong sub
Subway's sandwiches got the footlong one. Instead of going old chang kee to buy food, you can go subway which is just beside OCK. Buy the footlong sandwich but do not get the meal! Remember your student card for discount..this is much more worth it than buying the normal 6-inch sub. For extra oomph, go for subs like meatball, turkey, chicken teriyaki. You will defeat the purpose if you buy stuff like veggie delight. -.- totally a turn off. Subway is healthy too thus you will not feel guilty. Try to finish the footlong sub, you can eat it thru out training (outside of the gym) and remember not to 'f***ing throw your food waste in the gym' hahahaha.

Four: Running and swimming is wrong
Why burn off money? You see, food is bought using money, and by running or swimming, you are burning off the food, thus burning off money. But you need to be fit while getting heavy, thus continue to eat and climb. Just climb. Correct de, you can firm up the arms and thighs that was fattened. Imagine those firm arms and hot legs like Mei Fen's. They can be yours too! Still no firm legs? Rally all the engineers in the team, we have like 584 engineers here. Big team hor? Anyway get their timetables and escort each one of us up the Engineering Slope. Inclined at an angle of 30 degrees, escorting everyone of us up for a week can give you those Mei Fen's Legs! They can be yours too!

Five: Ice cream hurhur
Ice cream during training, ice cream tub while studying, ice cream for breakfast, ice cream on bus..eat it wherever you go! If you're rich, go buy Ben and Jerry's. If not..just a local brand will do. Remember to bring some to the gym to share so we can share your guilt. If you start to uh-wekkk (vomit), oh man..you have just hit the sweet spot. Ignore the puke and ice cream foaming at your mouth and continue eating! Spartan training yo. After sometime, it will be totally normal to foam and eat ice cream at the same time, ie the l33t ice cream eater haha.

Conclusion
You will surely have a lot of fun eating behind coach's back during training. It is like satisfying your curiousity. Satisfaction will be attained especially for step two. Once you attained satisfaction, continue step two but in a higher intensity, like sleep longer! Remember to share your food hor. Being underweight has its consequences and really, the.threat.is.real.

GEK1025

Today during the lecture, we were gg thru Chinese landscape painting. And i can't help but think abt Yang Shuo. Esp so after Liu Li showed me those crazy photos on his ever high-tech and high resolution camera-phone. Here's why:





Forces of nature and humans, pls let this trip be a reality!


On another note, its the 1st day of Feb. 2 more months. Like what a hardworking climber always says: "Train hard train safe."

Exchange Wat?

It'll be the 3rd wk of training 2dae. And there's already injuries here and there. I'm badly injured too, with a large blood-filled blister (which had healed). Take care people and recover fast. (X-training helps, I guess.)

We had about three school exchanges till now for this sem. And I look forward to every one of them. Its a chance to climb at a different place, to see how other climbers are training or their style, and to learn from others. I think this is like climbing with British pro climbers, but at a level lower, i guess.

But somehow, during exchanges, we tend to keep to ourselves (myself included). It just feels weird to interact with others. Somehow the objective of exchange is lost. So here, let me humbly suggest some not-so good ideas.

• Ice-breakers. Usually we jus get changed and start climbing asap. How abt gettin the coach and captains / committee to self-intro. This will aid future c0-op.
• Divide into groups (maybe by category) to increase interaction.
• Go through the normal training routine, rather than jus free climb. This allows ppl to exchange training pointers; and let them see how other team trains.
• Pre event route setting. (done last yr)
• End with free & easy climb.

Point to note: we're a big group and tend to intimidate and occupy large areas wherever we go. Thus we appear obnoxious. (me included)

Just my humble opinions. Its easy to say, but hard to execute.

Comments or ideas, anyone?

Tuesday

Just finished reading Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.

My canoeing coach braved the rain to cycle to my home just so that he can pass me the book. So I believe it has to be something influential and powerful enough to make someone want to share it with me.

And the book made me ask myself questions over and over again. It's not just once.
It may help in your pursuit of happiness.
Either that, or just head down to the gym.

Chang Mai - Crazy Horse Buttress

Chang Mai vs Krabi. Seems like there has been some talk going around abt "Why Not Krabi?". To appease the masses, here're some reasons of why the former is as good, or better than the latter.

1. Chang Mai has lots of long nice exposed climbing that takes you into a fantastic view of the area

2. Like Krabi, not as many mozzies as Batu Caves

3. Cooler weather up north

4. Places for bouldering too!

5. Save you from the dangers of the monsoon and the threat of rain in Krabi

6. Prevent you from being extorted by the pirates of Krabi

7. Try something new! Take the path less trodden! Dont keep trying things that pple will just say "seen it, tried it, finished it"!

8. Coz many of the seniors have been to Krabi =] And Clara too. Frankly I havent been to Chang Mai but I think I will be great!

To entice you peepz further, here are some more pics from Chang Mai http://www.thailandclimbing.com/

Pork??

no offence to the other races in the climbing team...

Food Journey

Now heres something bit different, a food journey that happened on last tuesday, heres some photos for ya'll to drool over (hopefully)...enjoy!

Bak Chor Mee..gone.. Nonya Dumpling! Quite good with the chilli powder





P.S.: Jensen, next time u shld eat less before training..don't waste it by letting it out..

Just stopping by to say that...

Just stopping by to say that...
actually I wanted to climb endurance routes today but it rained so i stayed in.
actually I wanted to climb a bit today but my fingers are still aching from Kiat's training.
actually I wanted to go Tampin but I got 5 mid-terms plus a paper assignment immediately after the hols.

ps, who knows what is the best gift to give to your ex-classmate who is turning 21? she's throwing a birthday party and i no idea on wat to get for her..thanks!

The ReVenGe of the InJurieS

To all NUS climbers... An Urgent Health Notice. Pls take note... The Curse of the Injuries of the NUS climbing gym is BACK. For all the people that had escaped unscathed last academic year, you would probably only have a vague impression of that dark period. To refresh your memory, think of sprained ankles (notably Adrian's amazing leap of faith during RockMaster qualifiers). IT's BACK. But this time it has morph into WRIST pain. There's a raising number of climbers suffering from it - Liu Li, Edwin, Jansen, me n whoever else. It can also transfigure into the form of pulled finger tendons. Would advise caution to all climbers to stay well aware of this plague.

Ok seriously. You seriously do not want to be afflicted by injury or sorts. Do a Google on 'climbing injuries' and you'll find thousand n 1 articles on it - cause, prevention, maintenance. Find some time to read up ya? Climb Well n Climb Safe people! Meanwhile, might need to change the feng-shui or something again... or burn some joss sticks...

Start II

"Is Adrian here yet?"

Those are the typical lines said during trainings. Thus hereby I present, Why Adrian Seems to be Late for Trainings.

1. Actually it is the rain. Rain prohibits movements and everything slows down. Training starts at 6.30pm, and I make my move to the PGP bus stop at 5.30pm. Due to the rain, I close my room windows and take my umbrella and walk to bus stop. Walk slowly now as rain makes floor slippery. Reach PGP foyer at 6pm. Rain gets heavier and I walk slower. I missed the bus and had to wait for the next one at 6.40pm. There was traffic jam aso..so when I reach the gym, it was 7pm plus de.
2. Raining makes waking up more unbearable.
3. Tutorial registration..my tutorials registered via IVLE and all my faculty mates are kiasus! My tutorial registration starts at 7pm, and by 7.10pm, my prefered slot is full already. Thus I aso kiasu and hog my computer my clicking refresh refresh refresh. Outsiders may think I am some sick gamer but NO. I am actually trying to keep up to some nerds nia.
   
4. No bus to climbasia. If you miss the bus to harborfront, u must wait 10 more mins. When you reach the mrt station, you must wait another 6 mins. Thus you will be late for 16 mins.
5. I forgot my ezlink card, as I am an engineer. So must go back and take.
6. I forgot my climbasia card too..
7. My faculty mate called me to ask me about lab -.-

Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Nyam nyam nyam chi-fei wo men muahaha.

Start

This week marks the start of official trainings. Quite glad to see most people back for training, except for some lost and late sheeps. This blog had be seeing its lull of posts; i hope those bloggers out there can post more exciting stuff (eg star blogger like hadrianus who stays at block 3.floor 8.room d). Guys training on monday was tough, at least to me. My back muscles ache terribly today. We did max pull-ups, which saw all the guys and one lone gal pulling to new highs. I went beyond 20 for my very 1st time. We then had three sets of push-ups, dips, leg-raises, tension conditioning, and more pull-ups. If OJW was there, I’ll feel more motivated, not that the people there were not.

Headed back to gym for max hangs. Then the end of training. The juniors are confirm much stronger now and I applaud that. But please get even more stronger (technique, strength, power, endurance), so Liu Li can improve and push to new frontiers. Man, alvin’s blog is so crowded with cool climbing pics that I drool over my laptop as I admire each of them. Then there is the castle hill trip by Ben, Suz, RH and Coy. When it is gonna be me? – the gym rat.

Here’s some pics of Climberland – the gym where Alvin and I climbed in HongKong. Its cosy and you pay by placing your money in this metal box. Good for cheapskates.















(Weimin, its time you post some pictures of beautiful ladies from your side!)

greetings

Hi guys! Now that it's a new semester, holidays are over and results are out, I hope everyone's ready to start the new semester with a better idea of time management! i.e. How to fit school work into climbing life :) I'm really looking forward to see everyone grow into better and more experienced climbers when i get back. Especially hope the juniors can surpass the older climbers like me, zx, ks, weimin soon. For my batch, I feel that we improved due to helping each other and also friendly competition..whatever works for you!

Anyway if you're interested, you can read my blog here. I write about my travels and also a lot about climbing. Currently, I am climbing about 3-4x a week and I think I will buy the 45pound /month unlimited climbing pass at the local bouldering gym here. You can imagine how much that stings after climbing free in NUS for so long.

The climbers here are good. There are 2 guys on the British National squad and they are really REALLY strong. Climbing with them is tough but very enlightening. Other than them, there are LOADS of other climbers stronger than me so I think I can really improve here. Climbing in NUS has made me strong enough that I can climb decently with these guys and not make a fool out of myself. I owe a lot to the NUS gym(always my second home) and all the seniors/dinos who have taught me so much over these 2.5 years.

Thanks!!

Read this article on the Straits Times Life! yesterday(Thurs). Decided to share.

It's written by Ben Hecht(1894-1964), an American journalist, playwright and screenwriter. It's an excerpt from his column titled Testament of a Reporter found in The Penguin Books of Columnists.


I saw (the boxer) Jack Dempsey knock out of the ring in Atlantic City and come back to win.

I saw Chris Happerty of the Association Press (AP) climb an icy telegraph pole in the Dayton flood, tap out his last message: “Dayton, Ohio – AP everywhere”, and slide unconscious to the earth.

I heard Hugo Haase stand up in the first National German Assembly at Weimar and proclaim: “I am a German who believes the might of guns will only win for us an ignoble place in the human family. If this is treason, kill me.” They killed him on the Reichstag steps in Berlin.

I saw Lou Gehrig bat out his last homer with his spine in a knot.

I saw Jesus Maria Lopez, before the firing squad in Chihuahua in 1928, smoke his last cigarette, grin at the leveled rifles, and say: “Your bullets, my friends, will have no effect on the thoughts in my humble head. They will continue in other humble heads.”

I saw Ben Welch, blind as a bat, come prancing out on the Palace Theatre stage and crack jokes that convulsed his audience.

I saw George Gershwin writing his last tunes for the Goldwyn Follies with a brain tumour driving an ice pick through his skull.

I saw a survivor of the Titanic, a servant girl from Galway, who told me how her friends in the steerage had died. Unable to find places in the lifeboats, they had crowded into the forbidden but now deserted precincts of the first-cabin saloon, taken possession of the elegant piano, and played and sung Irish tunes as the ship went down, themselves with it.

I saw an American Expeditionary Force soldier on the hospital cot, with both legs off and a fake jaw riveted to where his face had been, move his mouth stiffly and squeak like a mama doll: “We won.”

I’ve seen these and many things like them.

Along with the endless saga of misfortune that hits the eye of the reporter, he gets to see the queer stamina of little people in big troubles.

He is given a privileged look at the undaunted moments that are the soul of human history.

He sees a lot of disaster and wreckage, but if he keeps his eyes open, he usually gets a look at the flag of man still flapping away above some corner of the shambles.

I’ve seen this flag a hundred times where it never belonged. I’ve seen it come out of the many big and little hells in the hearts of people and straighten up in victory.

Missin'

"When you miss something, you'll know it."

Yeah, that's what I've been told as well. I guess it's brought to you by the same people who insist that "you'll know it when you're in love," and "you'll just know it."

Well, I know it, alright. I know that I'm missing something.

This evening, it rained just as I left the office. The nostalgic dampness in the laden evening air gelled my weary steps. She was beckoning. She had been so patiently waiting for me.

She was my old lover, my once true love; and I found myself thinking of her through the hazy train windows. Ah those times we spent in the comfort of one another; those nights we shared in quiet and in blatant disregard. Perhaps most importantly, the times she gracefullly showed myself to me in ways I couldn't ignore. Her elegant rigidity defeated my contrived agility each time I tried to conquer her.

Whenever things got messy, we'd clear the air, and throw out the trash. Whenever our lives got crowded, she always gave me room for a breather, away from her cozy embrace but never far from her presence. Whenever we had a chance to stand out on the public scene, she'd be there to give us all that she had.

Oh, what true love.

I miss the NUS climbing gym. I've spent some of the best and worst times of my life with that gym and with those silent fibreglass sentinals. They have taught me more than I could have learnt. And yet, they would never ask for me to give anything -- but to return to the one true place for climbing.

Give me a reason not to love climbing, and I'll just introduce you to my great lover.

She still completes me.



JKLM

Kl pics

Here's some pics from kl for your viewing pleasure. Sorry if the pictures are all over the place. Can't be helped lah. I'm too lazy and untalented to work it out.

Jups is like some cliffhanger super hero huh. Check out all that gear sia. How you say... action packet, if you know what I mean.








Special thanks to Clara for her photo taking skills because mine suck.

Must put my big face inside right?





Disclaimer: Pictures have been photoshopped to remove mosquito bites and pimples. Thats why everyone so "hansem". You think you really so hamsen meh?

New YeaR 2007

No witty comments,

No humurous quotes,

No hot YouTube videos.

This is about the New Year and the Year that is passing. On the same line as Jensen on this, that this is a time when thoughts surface and questions form, when reflection probes and uncertainty scares. Consciously or otherwise. How has the Year been for you? Or from a wider perspective, how has the Year changed your life? How have you changed? The list seems endless.

Something more relevant to the blog, a question that Zhengxin once asked, why do we climb? For the juniors, maybe it's a little early to ponder but i feel that somewhere down the line, it's inevitable that it will appear. Why do we devote so much time and energy into this activity? The passion? The nature? Or simply because there isn't anything else to do? A simple question but one that can mould one's drive to climb or make one feel that it's probably time to call it quits.

Why do i climb. One picture sums it up. One of my fav.


In words. It's about the Moment - that Moment when time feels like it's standing still, when nothing else seems to matter - that Moment of beauty, of nature and of climbing - that Moment shared with friends

Just a little poignant moment =]

(watch the movie "The Beach"; might give an idea if you have no idea what i'm talking about here) Happy New Year and a wonderful 2007 ahead!

xmas

I was wondering who else had no programs for xmas evening and found out that actually quite a few ppl!

So we decided to meet and have a short climb in nus from 6-9, then dinner at holland V. Some of us had zhi char which was only so-so and the rest had western food.






Then everyone went home (wtf!) and the 4 remaining survivors of xmas climbers outing 06 went for some drinks at Wala's...




l-r: alv, eli, jiasheng, weixiang
Jiasheng and weixiang are our non-NUS climbers who actually climb more often in nus then most nus climbers!





Merrrry xmasssss

Take A Look

I'm sure everyone has seen some disappointments and unlikely successes in their lives this year. As the end of 2006 draws near, it is inevitable to think about the year that has passed.

But I say let's not be trapped by the shackles of 2006.

Tell us your wishes (doesn't have to be resolutions) for the new year, say, 3 of them.

I'll start.

1. Learn to climb with grace and control.
2. Stay cheerful in the face of adversity ( like flunking exams)
3. Get to know all you people in the team more, in depth.

I don't like to shoot arrows at unsuspecting people, so I'm not going to tag anyone. If you visit the team blog, just spend a few minutes posting.

warmest wishes to YOU!

hey guys n gers~

juz wanna wish everyone a velli MERRY XMAS n happi holidaying~! =)



kellY

KL trip 2006!

Oosh! Greetings to all muahaha merry christmas and happy new year hor. I Adrian Looi, the golden boy of christmas will share my humble experience with the NUS team in KL 18th Dec - 23rd Dec.

Testing the limits
I tested limits this time. Pushing the boundaries will make you improve. I felt I need to know how difficult things are for me to chart the waters.

After testing limits, I realized that Sandra and Mei Fen fiercer this year than last year! This year they gave me no chance to talk or to perform my up-the-cup-motion. When I opened my mouth, they immediately "shuddup adrian" "stop it adrian" "dammit adrian" "yucks adrian." The morale of the story is not to test Sandra's and Meifen's patience..Meifen is extra hot this year too. Might it be due to the short shorts that she was wearing? Looking forward to training yay.

Of course I tested the limits of my climbs too. I tried a 7A+, stupidly thinking that it cannot be too tough as I went quite high in Camp 5's 7A route. My arrogance was rewarded with an early fall. I even resorted to hang-dogging to try the remainder of the 7A+ route in Nanyang wall but kanasai. The footholds are slippery like shit and the handholds were sloper based, with the option of crimping. But at least I know how I should proceed with my climbs now, compared to the past where I have no inkling of how much work to put in for my Tidal Dum project (actually I do have an idea of how much work to put in for Tidal Dum, but I need to convince myself lah).

Curse of the Golden Flower
This is one solid movie hahahahahahahha. I love the expression of the whole team after the movie ended. All 20 plus of them just stared at the screen while the tune of Jay Chou goes on. Super steam haha.

Food
Hmm KL food pales in comparison to the legendary Penang food. See all penang-kias so hensem, thanks to the food. The food in KL expensive too but I guess I enjoyed the company, not the food. The food in Ipoh is better than KL food too, as they are of the same quality but Ipoh's food is much much cheaper. I came from Penang, then Ipoh then finally joined the team in KL, thus I can tell how much the food quality differs.

It is scary that some people can eat a lot. Hoho you know who you are..chi-fei-ni-bah (eat until u fat bah). Nyam nyam nyam I is the fatty monster do you recognise me I eating so much till I put on 100 kg nyam nyam nyam.

Future plans
I want to go back Nanyang wall as that was my first time there. I got a project there le. I wish to expand my climbing moves variation as I felt that I am becoming stagnant in my climbing moves..new moves can make you attack a problem with more creativity and more seh-ness.

Also, the team that went to KL this year was different from the team that went last year..the girls this year wear shorter shorts wuahaha and they are more fierce. The girls of my batch have changed hurhur. Want to know how much more the girls of NUS team will change next KL trip? Stay tune to the 2007 KL trip report from golden boy!

i teared

Entreprises Walls

drool.

African Poem

This poem was nominated poem of 2005 for the best poem, written by an African kid!!!

When I born, I Black,
When I grow up, I Black,
When I go in Sun, I Black,
When I scared, I Black,
When I sick, I Black,
And when I die, I still black..
And you White fella,
When you born, you Pink,
When you grow up, you White,
When you go in Sun, you Red,
When you cold, you Blue,
When you scared, you Yellow,
When you sick, you Green,
And when you die, you Gray..
And you calling me Colored ??

Aly El Sahly

Eat. Sleep. Climb

This is long overdued and I have gotten my butt off the ground. So here goes, 5 things u didn’t know about Charles,

I used to be from Saint Joseph’s Instituition and I was a canoeist in Sji. Had a lot of fun canoeing. Capsizing our canoes on purpose to cool off. Discarding our paddles and using our hands as paddles to race instead. Proceeding to Golden Mile Hawker Centre for great food after trainings or going to Shaw Towers for Burger King and then catch a movie and “cool down” in the theatre at the same time.

After that I went to Pioneer Junior College. I was in Odac. One very interesting fact about my time in Odac was that we never ever went on any overseas trip before. I think all we did was sit in our room and crack lame jokes and laugh ourselves silly. My friend called us Idac, indoor activities club instead.

I like reading. It’s 1 of my favourite pastime. However that does not include my textbooks and readings. I read almost everything maybe the genre of books that I don’t read is romance. I read lesser now due to school but since it’s the holidays now I have plenty of time to read! I just finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Pretty intriguing story just like most Japanese plots would be. However there’s a lot of sex in it. Pretty ridiculous. But oh well, it’s still a good read. I would recommend Haruki Murakami to anyone who wants a good read.

I like doing sports. Play soccer occassionally. Enjoy most ball games too. Used to play pool very often in my jc days. Skate too and wish to pick up aggressive inline-skating. Climbing made me realized that all sports have a tendency to destroy your body. For example climbing - your fingers, soccer - your ankle and I believe aggressive inline will ruin your knees.

And I want to use fewer vulgarities. Very immoral. Swear so much during training and especially competitions. I believe I exclaimed F*** damn loudly during the mock com when I didn’t see a good hold in front of me. During Climaprix when I missed the miniscule foothold I think I shouted F*** so loudly then the chief route judge walked over and asked me to cool it. So embarrassing. So next time u hear me swear or exclaim an expletive give me a glare or ask me to shushh. I’ll try my best to keep it to a grunt of frustration or a sigh of resignation.

Now I tag Khadijah and Youjie!

Came across this pic at moonclimbing.com (check it out if u havent, lots of good pics, videos and info) and just reminded me of the little conversation we had on monos. This pic is dedicated to those whose finger has gain enlightenment.... mmmm....

Just in case u dont know too... this is a picture on Action Direct. N just in case u havent seen a video of the climb, i think u can get it from most of the seniors. Wicked stuff.

Introduce a place that I have never been before

Since it's been a very long time the blog hasn't been updated, I'm going to share something that has bothered me for the last whole semester! It's a famous climbing place that I have never been before, even though it's in china...

I don't know if you have heared Gui Lin province before, but there got the most beautiful rivers and mountains in china(桂林山水甲天下 hehe just some chinese i dun know how to translate). However, that's not the reason that makes me thinking this place all the time because i can hardly be attracted by bueatiful sceneries. So the strange thing is that almost all the climbers in china kept talking about this place for years in their blogs or msn spaces or lots of climbing webs...

This place is called "Yang Shuo" (阳朔), a very very small town surrounded by numerous rivers and cliffs. A perfect place to relax and climb (I imagine...). I heared there is a street called "西街", west street?? which is filled by bars (most r hosted by foreigners who dun want to leave there) and climb clubs...

Is it perfect? After Krabi, I really think that all a true climber (at least a true liuli)need is just good cliffs and good bars nearby which got cheap and nice cocktails hahaha...

Here is the website for one of the climing clubs in Yangshuo. http://www.xclimber.com/ Im currently planing to go there about the end of june next year. Just cant waite!!!

Hokkien in the house.

to supplement the hokkien stuff we have on this blog.
maybe we should make this our team language instead of thai.

nice! dedicated to all those of us still having exams