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.

New Zealand 2009 / 2010 Lake Tekapo & Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu

We started off our 3-week dream vacation in the South Island, landing in Christchurch after a comfortable direct flight from Changi Airport. Though it was summertime in the southern hemisphere, the air was cool & crisp as we loaded our baggage into a Ford rental car that sunny morning.

After an easy afternoon drive through the Canterbury Plains, Lake Tekapo was exactly as we had remembered from past visits with its startlingly turquoise & tranquil waters. The beautiful alpine flowering lupins made for a perfect foreground & we made hay while the sun shone as can be seen in all our pictures !

A week later, we were in Queenstown, by Lake Wakatipu. Although this was a much more "touristy" place, we found it as pretty as when we last visited. Whenever the sun came out, the lakeshore was crowded with locals & tourists alike but it was just as picturesque as in the postcards.

Since our guided hikes' itinerary with Ultimate Hikes New Zealand started in Queenstown, it was just the place to get pre-hike essentials like fleece thermals & insect repellent.

A Coming Of Age

Last month was a good excuse to gather the village together on Calvin's 21st birthday. The pictures over the years tell us that Life is all about Change & Life Events. Our big boy is now a grown man !

Daryl has also grown up ... literally.

Grandmas will fondly remember their growing up years as they took turns to help us babysit the boys. Grandpas also had their fun being the family chauffeur to & from school & music lessons. Kindly uncles were recruited from time to time & now there are 2 young nephews & a niece for us to dote on. That's why an old African proverb says that it takes a village to raise a child.