Crossing The Threshold and Celebrating Life

One weekend in October 2011, we celebrated a double-birthday with a difference. It was our younger son, Daryl's 21st, coinciding with grandma's 80th on exactly the same date, the 21st of October. An auspicious double celebration indeed.

For Daryl, it was crossing the threshold into adulthood. After graduating from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Communications & Media, he has since enlisted into the Army, while Yihan, his girlfriend is furthering her studies at the local University.

For us, his parents, we're happy to have given him a happy, stable home to spend his childhood, and in his adolescence, the space to cultivate meaningful relationships with people outside the family. Given his gregarious personality & multiple talents, we believe that he will follow his passion & fulfill his ambition in Life. Time for us to sit back & give him emotional support and financial aid as needed for his higher education.

For Grandma (Theresa's mother), it's a significant milestone to have come this far & be able to see Daryl grow up into a man. In the evening of her Life, she has accepted the wisdom of Velveteen Rabbit, celebrating Life & grateful for what she has. For us in Asia, we try & have parents & grandparents close by & in this respect, Dominic (Theresa's brother) is truly a filial son, attending to most of her needs. Blessed is he.

Chamonix - Mount Blanc in the French Alps

Chamonix was everything I imagined, and more. We wanted to hike the trails in autumn, hoping to see a snow-capped mountain or two. They were all there plus living glaciers, in glorious sunshine and then in our last 2 days, we had freezing rain which magically turned into snow !

We did 2 major hikes; first a high valley hike from the Plan d'Aiguille to the Montenvers Hotel, overlooking the Mer de Glace on Day 2, having seen it the easy way on the previous day by cogwheel train.

On Day 3, we drove leisurely over to nearby Annecy Lake, then on Day 4, we blew our last sunshiny morning on an arduous (and somewhat dangerous) hike to Lac Blanc (main picture). I wanted to spend more time up in this heavenly place but the cloud system had begun to move in. So we beat a careful retreat down to the Col des Montets mountain pass, where our rental car was parked by the roadside.

Day 5 was all rain & allowed us to rest & recuperate. When we saw the thermometer dip towards zero Celcius, we decided to re-visit the Col des Montets & saw our first snow flurry, yay. That night, we had a cosy Michelin-starred dinner right in our hotel (the Best Western Le Morgane). On our last day checking out, we had one last foray up the mountain pass & were rewarded with the first real snowfall of autumn !

Paris in the Autumn 2011

24 years ago, while in London for business, we decided to spend a quick weekend in Paris. Even with fickle weather & a little point-&-shoot camera, it still made a romantic first impression, leaving us wanting for more. Thus it was a natural choice for my wife when she developed travellers' itch soon after we successfully settled our elder son in Melbourne earlier this year. I quickly made plans & envisaged us spending a week of romance in Paris plus another week exploring the French Alps.

In line with my philosophy of travelling light, I took the opportunity to buy a new pancake lens for my Panasonic G camera system, the 14mm F2.5. It turned out to be a great wide-angle lens for lowlight indoor shots as well as a compact prime lens for landscape photography while on the move hiking the mountain trails.

This time round, the weather was fabulous. Autumn was showing in the changing leaves & the cool crisp air made walking a joy. We didn't miss the crowds of summer & were thrilled to have blue skies every day in Paris!

Each day was filled with sensuous sculptures & exquisite paintings inhabiting magnificent palaces & grandiose museums. Of course there was the compulsory Eiffel Tower climb & we even cruised the River Seine in the glow of the evening light.

The Dance Of Life Comes Full Circle

Here's an amazing assembly of our dance classmates with their newborn babies, all within a span of the past one year. Imagine the joy of dancing giving forth to new life !

Over 2 years ago, when we had newly joined Teacher Jennifer & George's ballroom dancing, I blogged about the Wu Li or Joie de Vivre observed in the couples on the dancefloor. As they practise their moves to perfection, there must be some kind of magic in dance that gets the mojo going.

And wouldn't it be interesting if the next generation of babies grow up to be musically inclined, swaying rhythmically in time to catchy tunes, anything & everything from samba to swing waltz ! I guess only time will tell ...

Reunion and a Season to Enjoy

Last weekend was a great way to reunite with many of our classmates from the medical class of 1981. It's an incredible feeling to be in the lovely banquet hall of Rasa Sentosa Resort, amongst friends you remember from 30 years back.

We may have changed in outward appearances but there was a slideshow of old photographs to bring back warm recollections of the Spring of our lives. We should feel so lucky to have had 3 decades of life's experiences since then.

Theresa & I especially feel lucky to have shared the journey thus far. So much so that we decided to sing Jason Mraz's duet of the same title, as part of the night's lively entertainment. The next morning, those of us who stayed overnight availed ourselves of a leisurely breakfast while the weather stayed fair for us to play a casual game of table-tennis outdoors.

As we enter the Autumn of our lives, we must remember to go easy on ourselves and to protect our skin from too much sun. Learn to delight in congenial company & to take our time to enjoy Life's journey. After all, there's no point in rushing, when we already know the destination :-)

Wildlife From Koalas To Pangolins

Now that we are back in safe & boring Singapore, we have started doing our regular Sunday hikes in MacRitchie again. Lo & Behold, a few weekends ago, I was surprised by a rare adult Pangolin crossing my path along the Treetop Walk, just after the turnoff to MacRitchie Nature Trail.

Even though you see a shaky, handheld pix taken at iso1000 in the early dawn-light, it is still better than nothing ! The conservationists amongst us are fond of using "cute" animals like the Pangolin & the Koala to promote their cause, neglecting to mention the less glamourous critters that go extinct every year in our fast-diminishing forests & jungles. But we really need to remember to balance our need for fossil fuel & human habitation against the fragile intertwined fates of every living thing on Earth. Sustainability is the new buzzword.

Sea, Sky and the Great Outdoors

After settling Calvin in, we decided to drive from Melbourne to Sydney, to visit Theresa's relatives living in a nice northern suburb called Chatswood. And in sync with our love of the great outdoors, we chose to "take the scenic route". Over a span of 12 days, we drove the Great Alpine Road, then up the Sapphire Coast towards Sydney, turning inland into the fabled Blue Mountains before staying the last 3 days at The Rocks, right in downtown Sydney. How best can we describe all that we saw adequately? In pictures of course, pictures that paint the wide-open skies, the startlingly blue seas, the beaches, forests, rocks and flora. There were seagulls aplenty but knowing that Australia has all manner of poisonous snakes, spiders & the great white shark, we avoided activities like bushwhacking & body-surfing ! However, Theresa, imbued with the Kinabalu spirit, simply had to add the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb to her climbing experiences.

Comfort In The Company OF Friends

In a strange, far-away land like Australia, there's a sense of comfort & security when you leave your first-born to study there in the company of good friends. My childhood friend, Alan Francis and his wife, Jenny certainly made Calvin feel "at home" in Melbourne @February this year. They took us walking around Williamstown, hiking the nearby Truganina Wetlands & eating in the Vietnamese enclave of Footscray.

When we drove off on our Great Alpine Road adventure, we knew that Calvin had found his second home.

RMIT & Architecture in Australia

About six years ago, our first-born son Calvin created his own blog & spoke of becoming a famous architect one day. How wonderful, now that he has embarked on that path at Melbourne's RMIT downtown campus.

If one strolls through the city, one can't help but be inspired by its vibrant, living-breathing architecture. It's buildings & landscapes are a blend of old & new, ever-changing & life-enhancing. The roads are tree-lined & cyclist-friendly, giving you the sense that the original city-planners always wanted Melbourne to be "human".

Being right in the middle of the city, the tutors at RMIT ensure that their students have no ivory-tower delusions. Thus early in his course, Calvin has been exploring the cityscape & getting involved in hands-on projects. As far as we can tell, he's loving it !

How Do You Keep The Music Playing ?

Last night, my wife was invited by her vocal coach, Erick Guansing to sing a duet with him as part of his Students Concert at the Esplanade. The song by Michel Legrand, was "How do you keep the music playing?" and what's awesome was that she dedicated it to yours truly, me :-)

Coincidentally, our 27th wedding anniversary was a fortnight ago. So how does one keep going, when change is inevitable? I guess we continue to discover fun, new activities in music & beyond. Like dancing, hiking, watching movies & other "couple" things to "make it better as it grows", as in the song.

In her dedication, she touched my heart when she acknowledged my love & support for her over the years :-) Likewise, I am happy when she encourages me to indulge in my current favourite hobby of photography. The Panasonic G series have been wonderfully lightweight for adventure shots on our hikes while my Nikon D90 turned out great shots in the dim light of the auditorium.

T'was Music That Brought Us Together

If one has ever struggled to master a musical instrument & watched the movie "Amadeus", one will identify instantly with the character, Salieri, court composer to the Emperor of Austria. Mozart was his gifted rival whose God-given talents trumped hardwork & perseverance everytime.

And so I remember now, as a young boy, it was music that brought me & a bunch of little mozarts together under the baton of the late Mr Goh Soon Tioe, famous violinist & impresario. Last Friday night, his daughter, Vivien gathered former students & alumni together for a reunion after 40 years. It was good to hear everyone share happy memories of us playing as an orchestra on the verandah of Mr Goh's house.

Though I was a musical disappointment to Mr Goh (no talent, lazy to practise), he had the wisdom to let Vivien take me under her wings (in a little studio at the bottom of the stairs). Thus was I able to fiddle some tunes, decent enough to duet with & court my wife, Theresa(an accomplished pianist) in our final year of Med School. T'was music that brought us together indeed.

Venturing Forth, Down Under

3 years ago, Theresa & I toured Queensland after my Skin Cancer Workshop. This month, we brought along our 2 sons to see a bit more of this vast southern landmass called Australia. It was supposed to be Springtime in the southern hemisphere but the locals told us that you may get 4 seasons & more in a day !

Thus we chased clouds & golden sunsets, enjoyed sunshiny days, and endured drenching rain while hiking. Calvin even got his wish to touch snow on Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. After a wet & cold winter, we understood why Australians simply love going outdoors to enjoy the sun.

Too much sun exposure however gives you sunburn, especially with pale skin. Which is why, from what dermatologists have observed, there's so much skin cancer in the land down under.

This trip was primarily meant for Calvin, our older son to compare 3 different schools of architecture in Melbourne, Adelaide & Tasmania. Ultimately, he felt most enthusiastic about RMIT in Melbourne which has a world-renown academic programme, right in the heart of the city.

Daryl, who is 2 years younger, came along to enjoy the outdoor scenery & to immerse in the vibrant spirit & warm Australian culture found in the city. And what a great experience we had; 4 days in Launceston & Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, followed by 2 days each in Melbourne & Adelaide, with 3 days spent on the Great Ocean Road between these two wonderfully planned cities.

Friendship on the Trail

When friends come visiting from overseas, we enjoy showing them the greener, wilder side of Singapore. Even though we now have a new theme park in Sentosa, casino-resorts & giant malls along Orchard Road, it's the solitude & back-to-Nature feel that we prefer to share by hiking on our favourite MacRitchie trail.

Sajit & Andrew (pictured above) are my long-lost schoolmates from St Joseph's Institution, who have happily re-connected with me through recent class reunions. Shoo & Sian (at left, with Theresa) are friends from almost 20 years ago when they graciously shared a delicious home-cooked meal with us in Boston while we were all living abroad.

Sajit, who now lives in California, has his own favourite trails back home. Shoo & Sian have their fabulous walks back in Canada. We had so much fun on the MacRitchie trail that we promised to visit them sometime soon in their neck of the woods.

Together, On Top Of Mt Kinabalu

Unstoppable, that's how I'd describe Theresa, my wife of 26 years. Now 2 years after her first successful attempt climbing Mt Kinabalu for charity (see earlier postings in 2008 & the related blog http://ididkinabalu2008.blogspot.com ), she decided to climb the mountain again, to make it a family event. Slowed down by a left knee injury sustained last year, she was determined to make it happen & it was a case of mind over matter !

As for myself, my greatest foe was AMS or acute mountain sickness. Luckily, I anticipated this by fortifying myself with Ginkgo Biloba (Tanakan brand) supplements. It worked ! I only experienced headache, nausea & a tingly numbness of the cheeks on the mountain.

The wonderful feeling of having all of us together on the summit buoyed up our spirits. Later, on the way down, the thought of a nice hot shower & a warm bed awaiting us in Kinabalu Park kept us going as we hiked through periodic afternoon rain showers.

Subsequently, we spent 2 nights recuperating in a rustic lodge at the Kinabalu Park HQ. It had a real fireplace which we kindled at night. In the daytime, we could sit on the verandah porch, sipping hot tea with an awesome view of the majestic Mt Kinabalu.

We enjoyed bonding with our sons during & after the climb, sharing with them everything from mundane housechores to their future aspirations. After unwinding, we planned a 2 nights' stay at the 5-star Magellan Sutera Resort overlooking the South China Sea. One evening there, we saw a most spectacular sunset from our room balcony, after which we boarded a free shuttle bus into town to feast on the freshest seafood at Twin-Sky Seafood Restaurant.

Climb Kinabalu 2010

Six months ago, my wife conceived of a family vacation with a BIG difference - climbing Mt Kinabalu again, this time with our 2 grown-up sons. I decided to arrange everything through the people who knew Kinabalu best - Sutera Sanctuary Lodges of Sabah.

As we wanted to have a bit of luxury for the family, we booked private rooms all the way. The extra personal space & ensuite bathrooms were truly "luxurious" to have in the Laban Rata Resthouse, at 11,000 ft above sea level, just before the final 2 km climb up to the summit(13,435 ft) at 3am.

This was going to be the second attempt by our younger son, Daryl. He had gone as far as the Panar Laban Rockface in October last year with 3 buddies when they were beaten back by extreme cold & driving rain at 4am.

Luckily they were shadowed by a wonderful mountain guide, Anddy Maz who ensured their safe passage. Naturally we made a special request for him & my wife credits her second successful attempt to his unwavering support.

We were extremely proud of our 2 sons, who exhibited perseverance & passion for the task at hand. They learnt invaluable lessons that can never be imparted in a classroom. In fact, they were more concerned for mum & dad's safety during the whole expedition, rather than the other way around!

We hope that they will continue this family tradition that we have started and sincerely believe that families who play together, stay together.

Milford Track, Fiordland National Park

There's something magical about this "Land Of The Long White Cloud" or "Aotearoa" in Maori. More than a quarter of a century ago, we honeymooned on a whirlwind bus tour of New Zealand & since then, we keep going back for more magic & romance ! 14 years ago, we revisited with 2 boys in the backseat & loved it. This time, we decided to return & celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary over the new year. Sweet memories.

It was Theresa's idea to do it the kiwi-way.

"Let's go tramping (hiking) on the Milford Track," she said. Better yet, we signed up for the Classic - Milford plus the Routeburn Track, back-to-back.

Nearly 100 km over 8 days.

Now that we've done it, I can truthfully say that it was a couple's retreat with a happy ending. We survived & came away fitter in mind & body. With amazing pictures, taken with my new Panasonic GH1, to show for posterity.

Routeburn Track, Mt Aspiring National Park

What a strange place, this land of huge waterfalls, deep valleys & soaring peaks. We were totally unprepared for Routeburn in really wet weather ! The first day saw us fording gushing waterfalls & hiking inundated trails in steady rain. Thankfully, at the end of every day, we could look forward to hot showers, cooked meals & drying rooms !

Sometimes we city folk need to explore the great outdoors in all its different moods. It recaptures that sense of adventure that's so hard to find in Singapore. Learning to read the weather & terrain, relying on one's 5 senses, this is truly communing with Nature. Feeling spiritual & alive. At one with the universe !

Tongariro National Park, North Island NZ

The North Island has its own charm & grandeur. Instead of doing the usual tourist attractions of geothermal sulphur pots & hotsprings in Rotorua, we took our time exploring the Tongariro Nat Park by basing ourselves 80 km south of Rotorua by Lake Taupo & also spending 3 nights at the historic (Bayview) Chateau Tongariro.

Compared to the Volcanoes Nat Park of Hawaii, the sacred trio of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe & Ruapehu are volcanoes with violent eruptions in recent history, inspiring a deep sense of respect & awe. In fact, Ruapehu's last major eruption occurred in September 1995. As the weather was fickle, we opted to do half day tramps around the Chateau instead of the full day Tongariro Crossing. We also made the car-ride up to the upper slopes of Mt Ruapehu to see Mead's Wall, made famous in the movie trilogy, Lord Of The Rings.

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park

While in this part of South Island, we decided to indulge ourselves by staying at the iconic Hermitage Hotel. We upgraded to a high-floor room with a lovely picture-postcard window looking out onto "The Cloud Piercer" or Aoraki Mt Cook. Morning & night, we dined at the Panaroma Restaurant with the same mountain view. It was truly inspiring.

As a prelude to the 8-day Classic Walk in Fiordland & Mt Aspiring National Parks, we did easy 1 to 2-hour hikes in the Hooker Valley & up to the Tasman Glacier overlook. Because the weather was cloudy with sunny breaks & rain in the afternoons, we always started our hikes early in the morning after a hearty buffet breakfast & ended the day with a cosy romantic dinner.