Chicken-in-a-biscuit, Potato Chips & French Fries (Mustagh Ata 1)

Dear wonderful friends in sunny land(s),

In my last instalment, we signed off from the small town of Tashkorgan to begin our climb of mighty Mustagh Ata (7,564m). It's now 10days later, and nope, we're not done with our task yet.

The climb consists of 5 sections - Basecamp BC (4,400m), Camp1 (5,500m), Camp2 (6,200m), Camp3 (6,900m) and Summit (7,564m). What we've been doing for the past 10 days was going up and down from BC -> C1, back down, BC -> C1 stay overnight, down. BC -> C1 -> C2 stay overnight, down. Imagine the mountain as a canvas and you're painting. Every swoosh of the paintbrush paints a longer stroke than before. You get the picture. Except that each upward swoosh took an average of 7-9h, and each downward ~3-6h, depending on where we started. We were relatively lucky, with good weather & schedule on track.

That was how we spent our last 10 days. Acclimatizing. In between every swoosh, we get a 1-day break/ rest at basecamp. We've now completed our 'homework' of reaching C2 and staying a night, beforedescending to BC. We are now having a 2-day break before our summit attempt on 17th July. That's when we will go from BC -> C1(night) -> C2(night) -> C3(night) -> Summit -> and rapid descent hopefully to BC. That should take us abt 3-4 days non-break. Breathe!

All that swooshing sounds easy. But it's totally taxing. Basecamp is higher than the highest Mt. Kinabalu in SE Asia. We've now gone to C1 at 5,500m three times. That is like scaling Siguniang's Peak 3 times within 1 week. And C2 at 6,200m is like Island Peak of Nepal. When we next reach C3 at 6,900m, we would have covered Mt Aconcagua in Argentina. And we aren't even at the summit yet! Set in that context, it is all at once motivating and daunting.

Basecamp is a rather luxurious affair, the best I've witnessed. At least the logistics and tents look impressive. The guy who set it up was a recent basecamp manager at Everest, hence the semblance of orderliness. We each had a tent to ourselves at BC - the need for personal space & privacy during rest time was vital. There was just a simple problem - the food was horrible.

Food is an art to any true-blooded Sporean. In the mountains, we need it to replenish and repair. Our resting heartrates at Basecamp averaged 80-100. That was almost double our sea-level of 48-50ish. Just sitting around doing nothing, the basal metabolic rates have increased. On each swooshing of 7-9hr, we typically consumed 1pkt Gu-gel, some Oreos, vacuum-packed sausage &/ or chocs. In relative comparison, we take abt 3-4 gels per marathon. That was how much abuse our bodies were getting.

At Basecamp, food-oh-glorious was reduced to beneath functionality. There were tonnes of carbo, but nothing nutritious that allowed for recovery of loss muscles, strength etc. Vegetables were always cooked with mutton (!!), and after a week we were totally sick of the meat, despite it not reeking of mutton odour.

High altitude does funny tweaking to one's tastebuds. We started fantasizing of everything salty. Like chicken-in-a-biscuit, potato chips, french fries... We tried boiling YaKun style eggs, but alas, boiled water was not hot enough at Basecamp to cook it even after 15min of soaking. Then we tried asking our Cook to fry eggs sunny-side up - they turned up drenched in oil with cooked yolks. Sigh. Which was why we'd rather take this 4h journey each way from Basecamp out to this small town, to recuperate, wash-up before we head back tomorrow in preparation for summit.

Climbing is a lonely affair. I'm typically way behind (1-2hr) my team mates. It is fair that we do not expect our friends to wait in the cold. I think it's partly because I lack the reserves (aka fats) to keep up with all that swooshings, and also, weaker. But my years of running in silence has trained me to self-entertain without the use of iPods or devices. I am ace at self-talk, self-indulgence, conjuring up countless poems, songs and prayers just to get me through those taxing 7-9hrs of swooshings. I'm usually not a religious person, neither am I physically strong nor mental. But I've lost count of how many prayers I've mouthed in the last few days, to every almighty there could be, for good weather, for strength and resilience, to get through it.

I met a friend I knew from last year's ice-climbing. A guy I quite admire, for his raw passion in climbing, without the need for accolades. It was sheer luck/ fate that we were to meet again at Mustagh this season. He shared with me about the zen of climbing, or doing whatever we did, to enjoy the activity. I found it quite inspirational. It is like running in that 'state/zone'. I'm happy to keep his words with me, to focus on enjoying the process and not get stressed by summitting. As long as I've reached my greatest altitude to my best effort, I'm good with that result. Sunburnt face and all. Yes, zen.

Wish us luck for the next week! :)

Safra MF Ultra Run

Inaugural Safra MF-Ultra. 7hrs for us to complete as many rounds as possible. I'm writing this as a post-blog entry, even after 2 years of the event, the memories of the run are still as fresh. A random google search brought up a friend's chatroom posting of the results. That run was the first ever ultra that I did, and it remains one of the highlights of my running career (if that was ever a career to speak of....). I was amazed that I managed to clock 5 rounds, quite consistently. Still amazed today, especially when I struggle to power up 1-2 sets up the slopes! The 5loops MF-Ultra paved the way for more ultras to come - MRUltra and Sundown84. 2007 was an amazing running year for me. A special year in my heart. :)

Ladies Category
1 Yong Lai Chee 6 loops Total Time taken:6:11:59
2 Tan Sok Hwa 5 loops 5:33:22
3 Helen Cheah Soot Fong 5loops 5:39:42
4 Jancy Yap 5loops 5:40:41
5 Sim Phei Sunn 5loops 5:46:37

Men Category
1 Teng Teck Hou 6loops Total Time taken :5:32:09
2 How Choon Kiat 6 loops 5:56:28
3 Chow Tack Sing 6 loops 6:28:02
4 Tan Bak Hooi 5 loops 4:20:59
5 Sum Yew Wah Anthony 5loops 5:06:2

Team
1 Team 1 7 loops 6:22:34
2 Team 4 7 loops 6:43:53
3 Team 6 6loops

Muffins Spill

Muffins Spill

Muffins muffins on the spill
Reek of chocolates one too many
Peeping over my waistline seams
Hide and seek they seem to play
Light and fluffy pinchables
One more kg they taunt all day
Yet resistance is naught
For my sweet tooth beckons

Two Special Individuals; One Remarkable Journey

This wedding poem is dedicated to two good running friends, Ong & Jaime.

Two Special Individuals; One Remarkable Journey

Two delightful faces at the racing start
Hand-in-hand you cross the mat
May you be blessed with the energy to last it all
And the endurance to sustain through

This special couple, I wish you both
A lifetime of happy celebrations and strong recoveries
To love each other through joy and pain
And have little angels just like you

Through terrain change and spectator cheers
May your hearts sync, as two become one
Your journey of a hundred years
On this 4th November it begins

To our golden pair, we celebrate
Your courage, love and commitment
To start and end, together across the lines
Two special individuals, One remarkable journey

Congratulations!

A Little Birthday Reflection

A little birthday reflection

I first saw a lean tanned guy
Trying hard to address a crowd
As he tried to project his voice
Each time he spoke
A hand coolly perched on his back
The other gesticulating away
His body weight slightly on one foot
His face slightly turned

I soon learned he was the trainer
Whose training plans I eagerly await
Every Monday before 830am
My Inbox I would check
One week it was late
Repeated refreshing brought nil mails
What relief as it finally beeped
With the awaited plan at 10am

Many speed and distance runs
Across interesting routes and mixed terrains
Through unknown roads and linkages
Hidden estates we bashed through
Cantebury Portsdown discovered
Brings much respite to the runs
Easing the pounding monotony
And hard panting breaths

On this twenty-ninth of September
As you turn two past thirty years
I wish you many more happy returns
As you attain many better PBs
Amongst the greatest one we can never beat
Your choice of significant other
As you continue your journey with her
Have a happy birthday, Ong

Domestic Therapy

My mum's away for a couple of days. She goes on these free cruise trips a few times a year, courtesy of my cousin's gaming prowess. When mum's away, that means DIY-everything. Read: recycle more of everything. So I have tried out domestic therapy for a few days. Some people claim that household chores can be uplifting and almost detoxifying for the spirit. I reckoned only my arms were uplifted from the packing and my hands throughly detoxed (aka disinfected) from the cleaning.

The first afternoon, I merrily cleaned out my wardrobe. I should hold an auction, I might rake some profits from all the recycleable stuff. One small shelf led to another, and I turned the entire cupboard inside out. It was gratifying to free up an extra 50% space in the bulging cupboards, whose metal rods and doors threaten to spill their contents everyday. Being organized means sorting the clothes into 4 neat piles - the outing, the sports, the sleep-in, and the post-sports - never mind if they sound similar. I've a premonition the 4 neat piles would soon morph into 1 big mess, but then one can't keep worrying about the future can we? :) Laundry was up next. I'm thankful that I'm small-sized, so there's less cloth to wash. I'm such an inefficient washer, if my mum was away longer, Singapore would need lots more Newater. But hey, I'm quite good at scrubbing clothes fast. I managed to do my laundry today, before coming to work. Well, I was sort of late for work. But hey, someone has to do the laundry right?
And here comes my all-time favorite activity. Food. Maggi mee. Via microwave. I flooded the machine. It was a bowl, plus noodles, plus hot water. With a glass lid cover. It flooded the microwave tray. I then set the lid slightly ajar to let some steam out. It flooded more. Excellent. The 3-min fast to cook, fast to eat meal, became a 15min clean up session.

And there ends my attempts at domestic therapy. Clean sheets and clothes beckon. My mum is back today.

Blow-dryer Career

I think I can start a 2nd career as a blow-dryer. We went riding on Friday morning with my swanky new bike. Alas got caught in a torrential downpour. And since I didn't have any bike cleaning stuff at home, I could only wipe it and blow-dry with a hairdryer. I've no idea if I'll spoil any parts of the bike with the hot air.... But it was super cool seeing beads of water droplets scurrying out in all directions from underneath the nuts and bolts and all nooks and crannies. And you learn to press every part that's movable, every joint, and aim the hairdryer at it. Ha. And then suay suay, the next day, there was another downpour, and my precious in the balcony kenna a washing on its front. Again. Out comes the hairdryer. Repeat the whole cycle.

I'm getting quite adept with the hairdryer. Geez, I mean I use the thing on my head like twice a year. And now I'm fully utilizing it, twice 2 days in a roll on the bike. Oh man..... I'm dedicating that hairdryer to the precious. So I learnt I needed to buy cleaning solutions and cheem stuff that all the guys seem knowledgeable abt, but which are greek to women.... For which I had a hard time visualizing how to use them on the bike.

Today I rode to Tuas & Sentosa. By the time I got home it was 10pm. Time to groom the bike once more. With the correct tools this time. Thank goodness I had presence of mind to clean it in the corridor (uh, not a recommended place, but beats inside the house). Proudly, like what the shop owner demo, I aimed that degreaser spray straight at the cassettes & chain. The solvent smelt of orange citrus. My my, even bikes have perfume! Eau de-greaseur! Haha.... Must have done it right, cos black gooey stuff promptly sputtered out & dripped all over the place. It was both a sense of achievement, mixed with drats-i've-greased-the-corridor dread. Next to clean was the chain. 2x toothbrushes held bristles to bristles, and run the chain through them. Sounds simple. Wait til one of the brushes is from an SQ flight. Already cannot make it on my teeth, totally cannot make it on the chains. The brush broke!! After a couple of chain-spins, the bristles all became detached (think of an old broom that sheds 'hair' as you sweep), and the 1inch brush section split into two. And created more mess on the already dirty floor. Buy oral-B next time. The 2nd brush I used. It's tested even to withstand tough chains! So anyhow after that I had absolutely no idea if the chains were clean or not, they still left black marks on my fingers when I touched. But I know I've successfully ruined a nice clean bucket, cos it's now got a rim of grease where the dirty water level was. Plus 1x broken brush, 1x blackened Oral-B.

The precious temporarily (definition = my mum's tolerance) stays in the living room, away from the climate elements, until I get a giant groundsheet to cover it. Thought I'd lean the bike against something & put newspapers beneath the wheels to keep the floor clean. Um, I forgot about laws of friction. The papers kept sliding out against the floor, and the whole bike wouldn't lean upright. Darn. Forced to use the triangle stand. Wrestled with the thing for 7min before prying it open & attaching to bike. Sense of accomplishment #2. By which time it was 45min past, and in terrible need of a nice shower & food for myself. And haven't blow-dry yet!

I concluded that if each time I ride, I need 15min before the ride to pump tires, lubricate the chains, and 45min after to hose and clean the bike.... Whew! (I don't even take that long to clean up myself!)... The ride had better be much longer than 1hr to justify all that cleaning time!

PS
- who now understands why men suffers from obsessive polishing & waxing of cars, but not their bods....

(pps: i don't even clean my climbing gear as thoroughly.....)