Sunday, April 27, 2008

A shittier week I've never seen...

Here's the roll-call...
  1. Monday: Tenant called, the living room couch has finally given way due to old age, the springs sticking out like an impaler's spear.
  2. Tuesday: The girlfriend chewed me up for making last-minute changes in dinner plans.
  3. Wednesday: Two weeks' leave of absence from climbing to recuperate from my near-death experience, and the result is a thoroughly dismal performance at the wall.
  4. Thursday: My Broadband modem died on me (probably a lightning surge).
  5. Friday: My bed collapsed (poor build quality, coupled with my penchant for rolling about in my sleep).
  6. Saturday: I backed my car out of my driveway and straight into a 4WD parked on the side (it was late at night, and the bloody thing was black), and my bumper now needs a new coat of paint.
  7. Sunday: My dog chewed up my driver's license (dropped it on the lawn the night before, and Trixie hasn't quite outgrown her teething stage and her inexplicable taste for plastic yet).

Anyone care to up the ante?

Sunday, April 13, 2008

A near brush with Death

It is one thing to read or hear about the inherent dangers of extreme sports such as rock-climbing. It is quite another thing to personally experience it yourself, and yet be lucky enough to escape – not only with your life, but also with your limbs relatively intact.

I had such an experience over the recent weekend, during what should have been just another regular outdoor excursion to Batu Caves“Damai Wall”. While attempting to clip-in at the third bolt of a 6a route, my lack of jurisprudence in selecting a secure foothold caused my left foot to suddenly slip without warning. My belayer suffered severe rope-burn, and I free-fell 5-6 metres to the ground.

Upon hitting the ground with a thud, the first thing I instinctively did was to stand up. I guess it was my mind telling me to do confirm that yes, I was still alive.

By God’s grace, I was spared the very real possibilities of broken limbs, concussion or paralysis. The ground underfoot was grass on soft wet ground. I also miraculously landed on my most well-endowed and least damageable part of my body – my big fat ass. Of course, some degree of collateral damage was to be expected – I suffered lacerations on my left knee and right ankle, and I believe I may have baldy bruised my right ankle.

One of the veteran climbers on-site whom I recounted the event to, told me that I was, to date, the third casualty of that particular route. The first casualty slipped off the fourth bolt and crashed to the ground, but also escaped unscathed. The second casualty was the result of an overly-short rope length (he used a 50m rope on a route that was over 25m in height*), causing him to plummet 10 metres to the ground, and landing him in hospital.

Some degree of reflection on increased safety awareness, be it during rock-climbing or daily activities in general, is called for here. But it is also a time for some degree of reflection on Life, to be thankful to God that I was spared the loss of it, and to appreciate all that it has to offer.

* The theoretical minimum required rope length is twice the height of the route. An additional 5m as a minimum is required for tie-in purposes.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Urban life? I crave the simple life

This week marks my second business trip to Norway (the first was with my previous company of employment). Norway ranks among the richest and most developed countries in the world, and was voted the Best Country To Live In for five (5) straight years.

One thing I have come to realise while being here for just a few days, is that a society's high degree of maturity does not necessarily equate to a high degree of urbanisation and development. Norway is at the forefront of a multitude of echnologies, ranging from biomedical to industrial technology.

Here I am in Mo I Rana, one of Northern Norway's industrial hubs. And yet, the residents - numbering just under 30,000 - lead a simple and straightforward life, free from the trappings of high-strung urban development so characteristic of Asian cities and industrialised regions.

Families still live in cosy cottages along the hillsides - not in high-rise, densely-populated condominiums. Weekends are spent taking the children to picnics, hikes in the forest, or even ski-ing - not to crowded and air-conditioned shopping malls, theme parks and arcades. Children complete their education, settle down with their high-school sweethearts and start their little families early - not get caught up with the paper-chasing, and the complicated, stressful and multi-geographical career paths that inevitably lead to multiple-failed relationships and settling down late, if even at all.

Asian urban life makes for a complicated life. I certainly do crave for the kind of simple yet developed lifestyle that the Norwegians here enjoy, while retaining the good parts of Asian culture. Regretfully, such a perfect balance does not yet exist in Asia, at least to the best of my knowledge. Where I come from, a comfortable life still requires the trappings of the paper-chase and high-strung corporate life. And all at the expense of a simple and happy life.