NUS CLIMBING TEAM

Miraculous Elixir for Fingers!

2012-02-05T10:46:00.001+08:00

Hi guys, this is slightly random and a lengthy post ahead. For those who are starting to feel pain in their joints, I would like to introduce the miraculous elixir.................

ZHENG GU SHUI! (available at any Chinese medical shop)

Although my fingers are very screwed, I am still able to push hard with it the past few years. You could follow my personal regime after every climbing session:

1) Bathe in cold water; Cools down overall body temp to reduce frequency of blood flow to forearms and fingers which would slow down inflammation.

2) Apply lots of ZGS on the fingers experiencing pain. Adriel applies it and bandages his fingers to keep it in. But if you're bandaging it, don't bandage for >20hrs because ZGS is a dehydrant and your skin will flake off. After applying, don't wash your hands for at least 1 - 2hrs otherwise it'll be wasted.

3) 1000mg Fish Oil - Helps with anti inflammation

4) I learnt this from Crimp Maestro Winfred: Ice with bowl / tupperware with 7 ice cubes. Soak hand in it continuously for about 2 - 3min. It should be numb but not biting pain. Change hand. Repeat 2 -3 sets.

5) Before sleeping, apply ZGS again. And don't rub your eyes in the middle of your sleep!

6) Massage fingers regularly with thumb on the top of the swollen joint, and massage down towards top side of palm. You want to bring blood away from the fingers which is carrying the waste materials.

7) Next part depends on what's wrong with your fingers:
i) Inflammation - Spam Fish Oil, Ice treatment. ZGS good but optional
ii) Weird dull pain in joints - Just spam ZGS. At least twice a day. And do the massage

Healthy fingers are the most important when breaking boundaries in late game! Aaron Tan, Winfred, Dennis, Hazlee, Ron, Haroz are examples of people who have perfectly healthy fingers. So there's a strong correlation seen here!

Five Things

2012-01-20T22:28:00.009+08:00

Hi, this is Si Hui! (unfortunately i'm the one on the right, the one on the left is my friend Jocelyne who is also a climber (: )

Couldn't really find any photos of myself individually, so this is the best I could get I guess!?

this is me in my PGP room. Yes, CUI haha I don't take individual photos!

I'm generally not a very interesting person so, well. And it took me ages to blog this because I thought it wasn't important (which is right! right?).

Anyway, here's the 5 things..

1) I have a twin sister.

Nope, she's not in NUS. Yup, she used to climb too haha. Nope, we don't take photos together so there isn't really any comparison about whether or not we look alike haha. But here's one of when we were small, when we looked more alike.

upon closer inspection: nah, we don't look alike at all hahaha.

wait... this one looks quite alike???

as can be seen from this photo, our parents used to dress us in either exactly the same clothes or clothes differentiated solely by colour. Confuse all the relatives hahaha!

2) Like Juanmin, I started climbing in Secondary school purely by accident as well. ODAC was my first choice, but back then I was kind of dumb and thought that ODAC was a misspelling of Oratorical And Debate Society and I didn't realise until I joined it.

But it was fun nevertheless! :D I loved my time in ODAC.

If you haven't really talked to me yet, maybe you haven't realised... I'm not the brightest spark around. I get distracted reaaaaaaallyyyyyyy easily. It makes studying a very huge chore sometimes. Or rather, most of the time :/ It's also probably the reason why I can't remember routes even after they've been pointed out twice, oops.

4) I don't really like to eat meat.
It's not about being environmentally friendly or kind to animals, its just that I like stuff like veggies and rice and noodles better? It's like I'll order chicken rice, eat all the rice and leave the chicken haha :D I still eat meat though, because it makes me full faster and occasionally it seems quite nice haha. I eat seafood avidly and rather regularly though!

5) I acted in a play recently, for charity. I had to wear a purple wig and devil horns because I was playing one of Hell's minions. It was An Experience? Eventually it was quite fun but I don't think we raised much for charity oops hehe.

That aside, I highly doubt I'll ever do it again, cause I can't act for nuts hahaha. I like watching better!! I want to watch A Midsummer Night's Dream next but I think it's right smack in the middle of all our final exams. boo. ):

okay now I am done with my very boring 5 things :D

p.s. sorry about the photo sizes :/ I have no idea how to regulate them.

next..... uhhh.... who else? wenshu?

Shirt Designs so far

2011-12-19T22:23:00.000+08:00

HI EVERYONE!

The following are the current shirt designs (thanks to aaron tan who drew them) that we're thinking of printing, do give us your honest feedback and suggestions on how we can improve them. Also, it'll be great if you guys can come up with a cool slogan that encapsulates the spirit of our climbing team. :)

1.

Let me/aaron tan know if you have any ideas for the shirts or a cool slogan to contribute please! Thanks alot and in the meantime share your opinions on the designs!

Five things about Paul

2011-11-07T10:43:00.010+08:00

Hello. I don't blog so I'm not really sure what to write. But here goes.

1. SA
I've been in St Andrews for my whole schooling life (not including now of course). Yup that's right. The whole way from kindergarten thru to JC. Weird right. Normally people would want a change in environment and all. But I guess I'm not really a true Saint cuz I didn't play rugby. Haha.
Oh here's something interesting: my secondary school principal was my aunt.

2. Anyway, it was in JC that I started climbing. But my interest really took off after going to the US at the end of J1. Here's why:

My addition to one of the many 'postcard' views of Yosemite valley. El capitan & Half dome.

After reading about the historic ascends made by all the big names, it's really inspiring when you see the magnificent rock faces for yourself. Well actually, Yosemite itself is already inspiring even if you weren't into climbing. That was what actually made me go back there.

The Royal arches, north dome, the Washington Column.

I'm no Ansel Adams so please pardon the bad photos. I was using a point and shoot cam.

Sentinel Rock

When I was near Yosemite falls, I remembing seeing 2 guys walking with lots of quickdraws. It was weird because it was winter (0-2degC)! I didn't think anyone would climb in that temperature.

Yosemite is one place everyone should visit at least once! :)

After Yosemite, I visited an aunt in Arizona.

Pinnacle Peak Park

Sports and trad climbing here. Anyone interested? Got free accom. Haha

3. Food
I love gourmet food. To me, it's one of the finer pleasures in life. But it's too expensive to eat out, so I just look forward to the weekends when my cousins cook (sometimes my sis too). Like just last night I had oxtail stew *slurp* :) Occasionally, we have a rich dessert - like my cousin's wife made an almond dacquoise (a kind of french cake) for his birthday. But I don't really have any pictures so I shall not elaborate.

Instead, since we're going to HK I thought it would be appropriate to whet your appetite with some food I had there.

This is from Butao Ramen. The chef, Ikuta Satoshi, is from Fukuoka so he serves the Tonkotsu style. Only 200 bowls a day. I'm not so much of a connoisseur on Japanese food, but I know enough to know that it is really good stuff.

It has been featured in the media many times like nytimes, etc... Here's the cnn one: http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/eat/hong-kong-hottest-hole-wall-ramen-shop-974723

I think I queued for 45min. Haha

This is from Tim Ho Wan. It's a one Michelin starred restaurant. Apparently, it's the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. And I won't be surprise. The dim sum here is priced similarly to any mid range restaurant here. Like $1.50 - $2.50 a plate?
Anyway, look at that char siew! The texture is just right. Also, notice how their bao is more of a cake consistency.

4. Ok so enough about food. Now say hello to Kate :)

She's a Shetland sheepdog.

*I love my bone*

5. Music

"Music is one of the most beautiful treasures of our life. It is the language of our soul, our heart. It is our spiritual nourishment."

Mariss Jansons

(It's said more eloquently in German but posting it in German would defeat the purpose since not everyone undersetands.)

In my iPod you'll find many genres of music. I've got music ranging from OneRepublic & Toni Braxton to John Coltrane & Ella Fitzgerald. I've also have everything from Beethoven to Rodgers & Hammerstein.

I play the piano too albeit very poorly. So normally I just leave it to the people who are more proficient to provide the music.

Alright, I think I've written enough(too much? haha). Hope it was an interesting read for ya'll.

Now, over to Si Hui.

The long-awaited 5 things

2011-10-23T20:38:00.001+08:00

Hi everyone! Sorry this came rather delayed but I was kinda caught up with work. But better late than never right. :) Okay in case people don't know who I am:

Alright for the 5 things I've picked things that I don't think people in the climbing team know about me yet, except maybe Si Hui but she doesn't count cos I see her every school day. Here goes:

1. I started climbing by accident.

I started climbing in secondary school with my school's ODAC but ODAC was certainly not my first choice. Photographic Society was my first choice but they rejected me so I ended up in ODAC, but I believe that's all part of fate, because I've never looked back ever since. I was never really under a climbing club till I came into NUS so initially I was afraid that training will kill the fun of climbing, but I've been proven severely wrong. NUS climbing has made me love climbing more and that's why I've been sulky for a few weeks now following my injury. :(

2. I need a lot of sleep.

I'm not too sure why too, but I cannot really function properly if I don't get enough sleep. Which is why I don't know how I'm going to survive working right after I graduate (or how I'll survive in Med school, for that matter), but I guess only time will tell. That's why during camps when activities end I'll probably be the first to head to sleep, and I'll always miss out on the HTHT's through the night. :/ But I'd rather do that than be grumpy/grouchy in the mornings. Which also leads me to add that I am NOT a morning person. So if you see me at 8am in the morning and I don't wave to you, I apologise in advance!

3. I consider myself to be a jack of many trades (yes, and master of none).

You could blame my mum for this, because since young she signed me up for countless things. I've dabbled in these things before: ballet, piano, swimming (I'm a certified lifeguard!)...I can do most sports (except tennis, I can't seem to get it) and am trying to get more involved in things like dance, music and theatre, which brings me to...

4. I enjoy literature and the arts.

Hi gwen, that makes the 2 of us. Although I don't read very much, when I do I really enjoy myself because there are a lot of techniques that go into writing a good poem/novel/play. Good novels are those that do not have a fixed interpretation, with words that evoke different feelings for different people, much like boulder routes I must say. I haven't got the opportunity to do much in the area of the arts since secondary school though, so I'm hoping to take classes in music and dance, and hopefully get to be involved in a school theatre production. Fingers crossed I'll find the time!

Finally,
5. I love going on service trips.

I've been to Cambodia 3 times now, all of which were for service. I feel that these trips help me to stay grounded as a person and they also give me an opportunity to relax and recharge before returning to hectic, crazy Singapore. I've done things from teaching English lessons to building a village house from scratch to painting a school mural in Cambodia. It's really very fun, and I intend to keep doing these trips even after I start working. :) I'll let pictures speak for themselves!

First time in Siem Reap in June this year. The kids were so fascinated with pipe cleaners! :)

All from my trip in 08, where we built a village house and gave out handmade soap

The mural my team and I painted in 07

Okay by now you guys should know enough about me. You will have to know more by interacting with me because words don't really mean everything. :) See you guys around and always have fun climbing!!

PAUL, I hope you have your 5 things ready!

6 mins of entertainment by Quest Crew

2011-10-12T14:44:00.002+08:00

They're the guys who choreographed LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem...

5 things about tan

2011-10-10T18:54:00.000+08:00

1) i didnt used to always have such a nice hairstyle.

but i appeared in the famous anime Naruto as rock lee.. oh the springtime of youth! T.T

my life motto: we're only young once, climb hard now work harder next time :)

2) i call jensen seah boss and not ah pa not just becuz i dont have a vertical taco but becuz he IS my boss.. i'm one of climbasia's bangla boys.

i have been working in climbasia since JC 1 and thru my army days... yes i was moonlighting but it paid better than army, who can blame me?

3) i used to coach the vjc climbing team back when i was lobo-ing after ORD.

i think i look as young as them! the secret of staying young is through hanging out with xiao mei meis :)

4)i hate insects

[ no image inserted ]

5)this fact will affect the way u look at me. so i'm not gonna tell u. but here's a clue: its gotta do with my family background ;)

next up.... juan min i choose you!

solar light bulb!

2011-10-06T07:59:00.001+08:00

5 things about gwen

2011-10-05T02:17:00.011+08:00

Hey guys! I know I took really long to write this, but its because, um haha I didn't even know the address of the blog, and I do not understand google/yahoo groups. You laugh now, but my lack of computer skills ensures that I never get addicted to the computer.

SO, here goes! (this feels like a college application essay)

1. I have one double eyelid and one single eyelid.

Yes, I know its very spastic. As you can see in this picture, I have to be extremely meticulous when I draw eyeliner because one eyelid is double and the other is not. My eyes look normal here right???

BUT!! This is NOT a sign of a birth defect! Its merely the last stage of puberty that hasn't occurred yet. According to my mum (whose eyes used to be like mine) the other double eyelid only appeared when she was 20?

2. As embarrassing as this is, I have a lot of unglam pictures. So many in fact that my friend Kristal decided to create a collage and upload it on Facebook.

For your viewing pleasure:

Actually, I'm so used to having unglam pictures that it doesn't bother me much anymore! It's called embracing your inner Demon Child. As you can see, the wink face repeats itself frequently.

I blame this on the F.R.I.E.N.D.S series, because my best friends and I would impersonate Joey saying "How you doin' ?" followed by the wink. Hence, the bad habit.

Still doesn't explain why I have so many unglam pictures though.

3. I used to have normal colored hair

However, just before school started, I felt that since I was only 18, I should take advantage of my youth and do something unexpected to my hair before I turn the dreaded 19years old. But, as we all know, what happens in reality usually doesn't meet our expectations.

Expectations:

Reality:

It's fine though, Jesus loves me regardless of my hair color.

4. I think I may have OCD. or at least, a very mild case of it.

When I was young, I used to group EVERYTHING into groups of five, and I had a huge obsession with the number 5. No, 5 isn't the name of my childhood crush, it's a number that I was worryingly obsessed with. Actually, just thinking about it now makes me worry that this obsession is going to start all over again.

Also, im a clean freak with a capital C. My friends came over to my room in Sheares Hall the other day, and when they left, I ended up cleaning my table, floor and changing my bedsheets.

This doesn't mean that I don't want you to stay over anymore Ash <3

5. I intend to major in Literature and go on to become a journalist because social convention dictates that I have to find a proper job. Alternatively, I would't mind having a rich (old men may not apply) husband to support me while I while my life away writing and reading. Ultimately, I hope to finish writing my first novel by the age of 25! (for personal satisfaction, not monetary gains)

For the next blog post,

I CHOOSE YOU AARON TAN!

5 things about Shiyu

2011-10-04T00:45:00.018+08:00

Hello people! Sorry for taking soooo long to blog, WHY NOONE REMIND ME!!?? HAHAHA.

Some pics:

Me 5 years old

Me 10 years old

Me 15 years old

Hahaha ok just kidding. Those biceps damn gross la. Here are some pictures from my JC days :)

Me and my classmates. We always get into trouble one haha.My cross country team

I was botak because my cross country team thought that shaving our heads will make us look pro, but end up epic fail, we lost also hahahah.

1. im not gay

Okay, first thing first, this might seem surprising for some but truth is.... I AM NOT GAY AND I DON'T SWORDFIGHT CAN! I’m a straight man who had gone through my national service one hor!

Seriously how can something like this be deemed as gay by anyone?

HAHAHAH (sry han)! Anyway for those who didn’t know, Joel and me were bunkmates in army :D So we stayed in the same bunk for like 1 year plus, during which, I repeat, THERE WERE NO SWORDFIGHTS.

2. BASKETBALL!!

Well climbing isn’t the only sport that i like. The next best alternative to it for me is basketball!!! I used to play it ALOT (almost every day) until i came into NUS, where the limited amount of free time i am entitled to have forced me to choose between climbing and basketball (i chose climbing :D). Basketball for me goes a long way back to my primary school days and had been an integral part of my life all the way through army. My CJC’s basketball court was as much as a home as the NUS climbing gym is to me now haha, i would always be seen around in school, in a darker-shade-of-blue uniform (soaked in sweat) and with a basketball stuck to my hips, think i play more than the basketball team people hahhaha. So anyone here who plays too? Can play together some time!!:)

3. CONSISTENCY

JC1 Mid Year Exam

JC2 Common Test

JC2 Mid Year Exam

JC2 Prelims

I know my results are lousy la, but you can’t deny I’m consistent right hahahah! It's a miracle i got into NUS, damn happy they accepted me, or else i might be part of the organising team for vertigo already hahahaha.

4. SIX

New Zealand more than 10 years ago, im the guy on the left.

I have 3 siblings, so including my parents and me, my family totals up to 6! I have two older sisters and an older brother, which makes me the youngest member in my family :) I’m proud to say that 3 out 4 of us are/were NUS students hahaha. One sister have graduated, while my brother (winfred’s dhs classmate :D) is a year 3 computer engineering student.

5. LITTLE INDIA

Yeaahhhh i stay in heart of Little India and here’s a shot of my street: (kope from google image one)

Quite a nice place to stay, very convenient and all, just that weekends always got alot of people, then it is almost impossible to draw money from dbs atms also. Occasionally also can hear people fighting downstairs one haha.

Anyway if anyone going climb at CA must jio mee ah! I’m just one stop away : )

Next gwen!!

5 interests of Jac

2011-09-15T00:16:00.001+08:00

Hi guys! Please address me as Jac because that would be lovely.

Since we're going to be so involved in climbing, I will not share any climbing-related things.

Here goes:

1. I have an interest in interior design. When people go clubbing, I prefer going to see showflats/residential properties. I love viewing exquisite interior decor and soaking in the atmosphere the designer attempts to create for showflats and get excited seeing old run down houses because of all the ideas in my head that could turn the place into a beautiful sight. I have personally done up my previous and current home. I really relish in the satisfaction derived from seeing cement and bricks to a beautifully furnished home! I developed this interest when I was in my tween years and have shifted house 6 times.. and still counting. Every shift means a new opportunity for me to design again which I am really looking forward to.

2. I love other sports which are too expensive to do on a consistent basis. One of them is jet-skiing, which I fell in love with after a Phuket trip in 2008. The adrenaline of flying up and plunging down into the huge waves drives me crazy. Another is go-karting. Singapore's facility is too expensive.

I went to JB for karting sessions that were half the price as compared to SG. And have been wanting to go again. The need for speed and the feeling of being so close to the gravel keeps me on the edge.

3. I have a cat called "Sushi". She loves me the most in the family(or so I would like to believe) because she only chooses to sleep with me in between my legs(weird position to be in) at very rare times on my bed. She responds to me very energetically and looks at me with her big watery eyes. Whenever I eat, she'll be ON the dining table pretending to be the one of the dishes (or sometimes she tries to paw them so she can eat them too). Whenever I study, she'll be sleeping on my books and files just to accompany me.

During my A levels

And whenever I read the newspapers, she will be trying to sit on top of it all right in front of my face(honestly I don't know what her intentions are) but I will still try and flip the pages and she will not budge at all.

Fat lazy ass looking away pretending nothing happened

Her favourite sleeping spot is everywhere in the house with no permanent spot. Sometimes she climbs to the top of the fridge for warmth, sometimes she hides herself under my covers, sometimes she sleeps on my bag which I place on the table, and other times when the Cupboard Opportunities come, she'll dive into the shelves and plop there comfortably. She has since learnt to open the cabinets in the house to sleep with the bowls and plates. When she was a kitten at 3 months, I used to sing her lullabies till she fell asleep in my arms.

Sushi at 6 months old

She has been sleeping her life away(3/4 of the time) for 3 years and still counting. Yes, i love my cat so much that she's the most elaborated point i have here.

4. I enjoy fine dining a lot. A lot, a lot. I'm most generous when it comes to spending on food. It's one of my dreams to dine at the celebrity restaurants at MBS. But I haven't reached the level to spend $500 on a degustation meal(those damn liao lui and small portions) and it won't be anytime soon either. Many girls' dreams are to buy that diamond ring (over-generalisation), but my dream when I earn my first real perm job pay cheque is to go for a satisfyingly good meal. I enjoy ice and dessert wine too but it's too expensive to indulge in it whenever i want.

This is a toe stall

5. I loved skating. Notice loved. Because the skating scene has since changed. I used to skate with the NUS Skating Club people when I was still a xiao mei mei (secondary school days). Then, I was actively involved in SGSkaters as well, which has closed down long time back. All the people around me were much older, so I was always very well taken care of. I used to be very good at slaloming that I was invited to join the national team when they started a girls freestyle slalom team. I could have pioneered the girls slalom scene in Singapore cos there were very very little female slalomers. Imagine all the potential when I was merely 13/14 years old. HAHAHA.

This video was done 5 years back in 2006:

The move is called "crazy", which I think it's the best description for the devotion I had for slaloming. I've lost all the skills already. So don't ask me to perform tricks with the very old and stiff joints because they have not been used.

After reading all that, you'd have to do minimal homework to find out more about me. But that doesn't mean I'm not interesting anymore. I still am... hahahaha.

Next up, Shiyu please!

2011-09-14T20:45:00.010+08:00

Hi everyone! limzy here... and just in case you all happened to be wondering, limzy is not my english name cause i have none. Its a rather incomplete but a more nickname-ish? form of my full name Lim Zheng Yang which i happened to discover accidentally in sec 2 and like. lol

And yea... i chose this picture because the colours and lighting make it very rich, vibrant and lively! Also no...im not the world's greatest boss by the way xD

I like to travel around the world, having tossed other matters aside, to just immerse in a new environment and look, listen, feel, which i find to be extremely exciting and refreshing. Every single detail in a wholly new setting just gives place a different perspective, a new flavour. I would say that i am fortunate enough to be able to travel to a different place on the globe each year, though i do not have the interest in taking photographs, and here are some pictures of my paris trip in Dec 2009.

Let these pictures convey what most words would fail to do so!

I must apologize for the poor lighting on this one...and the weather then was cloudy.

In the future, i would like the travel more often if possible and explore the great unknown!

Aside from travelling, I am one who also loves to seek out the good food wherever, whenever cause i believe savouring the taste of good food is one of the best moments in life. It gives you the satisfaction like no other ;)

This beancurd is really delicious!

Food aside, something closer to home, i started learning how to climb when i was a JC1 student together with a bunch of people who were really passionate and friendly. Years on, this is still worth reminiscing, the batch of TJCCC 06/07! with some missing members and our teacher in charge...lol

Another random experience which i found to be exhilarating would be cable ski; cruising on the water with the wind running through your hair is simply an outta this world kinda experience for me...lol

Credits to weicheng for the picture, and this was prolly my first time on the kneeboard i think...lol

Moving on, its time to get on the bandwagon with a newfound family of climbers, and i'm looking forward to a more eventful year ahead with more exciting possibilities and a nostalgic quote in mind: "Passion creates Possibilities".

Signing off,
limzy

Next in line: Jacinda!

ASHLEY(:

2011-09-13T00:49:00.004+08:00

hello everybody((:

Ashley here! Just wanna say I'm damn excited that camp's coming soon.

So five ashley facts:

1) I'm a climber (hahahah. the thing is, whenever i do self-intro and I'm supposed to say one thing interesting about me - that's what I always say.. darn.) So. I'm a climber. And I've been climbing since 2009 at Temasek JC. The team there was the whole motivation for me to get out of bed each morning and drag myself to school. I loved our energy, spirit and bond and I really hope we'll develop these as we spend more time in NUSclimb. (picture above shows ME on the TJ baby roof at ClimbOn 2010)

2) I love to write. Hence the length of my posts (which could be a boon or bane depending on how much you like to read. Anyhow, point 2 is kinda a disclaimer. I'm not trying to sell myself or anyth, justsoyouknow! hhaha, if you don't believe me, ask the girls who watch me write my incredibly long training log entries..!) Uhm, I have my own blog...but due to the phenomenon known as UNI LIFE, i have little time for anything "extra". Like blogging. Oh well.

3) I bought my dad a DSLR (that's so old Nikon has stopped productions) but ended up using it more than he. HAHA. So yes, I like taking pretty pictures and editing them so they become prettier. See my fb albums! :D for your convenience, I've uploaded some here (:

4) The photos above bring me to my next point: I travel annually 'cos my mom's a Singapore Airlines staff which means we get free air tix. The pictures above are from our recent trip to Japan, this January, just before the earthquake =( and we went to Hokkaido and Tokyo - beautiful beautiful country. I really had a great time snapping. (:

5) Lastly.... UHM. I'll just type random snippets of me (heh, am I going against the 5-thingies-rule?) So yes, I stay in KE7 hall, only prob for this year though. Reason: I wanna experience hall life. I don't really get much out of the "convenience" factor cos i stay at Tanjong Pagar. Namely, the pinnacle@duxton! whee! If you haven't been to the sky bridge on the 50th, ASK ME for an access card (or just pay $5) cos the view is AMAZING from there. sunset, sunrise, twilight. And one more reason : there's a friggin boulder structure. ((see pic above) Though it's all the same tiles, sometimes i go there to show off. (haha, no. i meant train my finger strength). Uhm, what else? I'm in FASS. And i am hoping to major in PSYCH. possibly minor in English too:D

Yay. I think i've done enough ink-dropping and page-filling.

Next up: LIMZY:D

HELLO EVERYONE

2011-09-08T17:18:00.002+08:00

hi everyone this is haopei here(: sorry for the delay in posting..hahaaa. i din know how to write a blog so was ask for help in doing so..HAHHAHAA!!
ok lets share 5 things about me but i dun really have much to share.. i hope is interesting for you(:(:

1. first, im a poly student like chloe..hahaha.. i think that the only one i know that came from poly in NUS now..haha.. and i must say i really enjoy my poly life as it the most enjoyable time(:(:

2. im actually very noob in computer stuff which is why i dun even know how to write a blog..hahahaha..

3. my fav colour is green especially lime green this can be seen by the amt of things i have in green(:

4. i like to run after i got into army but haven got the time to run regularly after school start..too busy in studying(:

last. my past time other than climbing is watching movie and till now i have watched 20plus movie this year and still counting!!(:

thats all from me..
ashley its your turn now!!(:(:

2011-08-30T11:15:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone. This is Valerie and here are 5 not-so-interesting things about myself so please bear with me.

ONE. I have looked into the largest telescope in Singapore (17" aperture) and saw Saturn and two of its largest moons, clusters of stars and various constellations. It was an out-of-this-world experience and it's difficult to explain with words. So, I shall leave it to your imagination.

(FYI, the telescope is sitting on the roof of one of the science blocks in NUS. It is really huge.)

TWO. I do not have a Facebook account and don't plan to get one in the near future. Yeah, I admit it, I have no life. :)

THREE. My favourite food is rice. I can't live a day without eating rice.

FOUR. Besides climbing, I am into tennis. Actually, more like I am into watching tennis on the television. Wimbledon is my favourite grand slam of the year.

FIVE (finally!). As some of you may already know, I have a big family. People always wow over this when I tell them. It's no fun if I can't see your reactions... so I'll keep you in suspense and let you guess.

Yup, that's all about me, short and concise. :)

Next up, Haopei, it's your turn.

Introductions...

2011-08-27T23:33:00.015+08:00

5 (interesting) things about myself:

1. Yellow

My favourite colour. Notice how it is vibrant and cheerful and reminds you of all the happy things in the world, or the sun (at least according to numerous online sources of what yellow symbolises). Very practical indeed for someone like me. You would do well to be careful not to be swallowed into my chasm of darkness, or melancholy pits, so they say.

2. MINI

I love the Mini Cooper, and will have it one day (full stop)
(It will probably be yellow.)

There's a reason why they put those 2 together.

On the subject of cars,

3. Class 3

It took me 7 private lessons before my T.P. to earn me my driver's license. Quite impressive I must say. Consider me volunteering my services as "Lorry Bitch" to the Club.

Wheeeeeeeeee!

4. Baby Taylor/Taylor Baby

I play the guitar a bit, and I own a Baby Taylor. It's a beginner's/low end guitar in the guitar world but plays relatively well. Not very impressive, as with my level of proficiency, but it's relatively affordable, and I love it. As a word of caution, the following picture may be deemed disturbing:

WAZZZAAAAAP!!! (Phan I beat you to it.)

In case you are wondering, this happened when I found out that I didn't have a guitar strap, and went to take the strap from one of my brother's ROCKBAND guitar consoles, and was ecstatic by the perfect fit on my Baby.

In case you were wondering again, yes I took the screen shot with my foot on the mouse on the table because my web cam doesn't have a timer function.

Please don't ostracise me.

5. BAILEYS™

Every man/woman needs his/her alcohol sometimes, and probably has his/her private stash hidden away too. I like BAILEYS™ the best because of its smooth creamy taste. Besides, there are so many ways to enjoy it, like being dribbled over ice cream for dessert, or just on OTR if you prefer. And it only sells for about s$30 per bottle (1l) at the duty free shop in the airport, so my dad usually stocks up. Cheers to life (at least while you're drunk).

Delectable.

That about sums it up for now.

If I may, Valerie please.

Climbing Club Tryouts

2011-08-11T22:59:00.004+08:00

A couple of people said they didn't get the email, so here are the details for the tryouts!

We're looking for passionate members to take the Club forward in the years to come, and we'll be holding trials and interviews on the following 3 dates:

Friday 12 August from 6pm - 8pm
Saturday 13 August from 10am - 12pm
Tuesday 16 August from 6pm - 8pm

For those who are interested in joining the Varsity Climbing Team, this is an opportunity to come show us what you've got! For those who feel that the hustle and bustle of competitions is not your kinda thing, but still find yourself equally passionate about climbing, come down as well! At the end of the day, don't worry too much about what level of skill you're at, this is just for us to get to know you better.

For those who simply want a short primer to climbing, the Club is offering Level 1 Courses on weekends. This is an official certification for all climbers looking to do lead climbing in Singapore. It is also mandatory for safety purposes. It will be a one day course conducted by certified instructor. The dates are as follows:

13th, 20th, 27th of August, from 10am to 5pm
Venue: Climbing Gym
Price: $45 for all NUS staff and students
Interested parties feel free to contact Desmond at 98342513 or email nusclimb@gmail.com

For all Intermediate Women's category climbers, you're requested to turn up for trials on Friday only. If you cannot make it, please email Randall at uturncity@gmail.com.

What are the trials for?

If you take a peek at our gym, you'll see that we are currently having a little bit of a space problem. As such, we wanna make sure the limited resources we have are best made use of. We're committed to take you out, to train you, to show you why we fell in love with this sport, only if you're committed to coming down as well!

We'll be looking at an intake of about 20 - 30 members this year. Do come down!

I'm interested in competitive climbing, how do I get into the team?

For climbers of all levels, this is the first cut. Subsequently, we'll be holding a series of mock competitions sometime in October before we decide on the final IVP list. So yes, if you want to make the competitive team, please come down for trials.

BA 2011

2011-06-21T16:39:00.006+08:00

Hey I wrote about my experience taking photos for Boulderactive. Those interested can have a read!

http://wcstudios.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/163/

The Zanskar Odyssey - Crypto Childs drama drama boulder seires

2011-06-09T14:37:00.002+08:00

Mini Market Survey

2011-06-01T22:26:00.004+08:00

hey guys! Don't know if you all have heard of Kinesio Taping before. It's a way of taping (using specialised tape) that helps alleviate pain while providing better range of motion than the conventional rigid tape.

Some benefits:
Reduces pain
Allows better lymphatic drainage
Elastic (so allows better range of motion)
taping can be modified for different injuries
if applied correctly, may last up to 3-5days per application (yes you can bathe with it on)

I've tried it on my wrist (tendonitis) recently and feel that it helps, less pain and better ROM than conventional rigid taping. I'm not sure whether it's a placebo effect though, so if you guys are interested to try it out, let me know. Each roll of tape costs $25 (but it is a relatively large roll, and lasts longer than rigid tape). I've read some of the basics on this type of taping so I may be able to tape for you if you need to learn the basics. If you are looking to immobilize your joint however, i still recommend rigid taping. but for tendonitis and muscular injuries, i find this tape works well. If there's enough interest I can try to ask for better price on the tape.

Some links for you to read if you're interested:
SpiderTech
KT Tape

Alex Puccio and various other world cup climbers use it too!

Disclaimer: I'm recommending this tape as a stop-gap measure when your injury is mild, or you are recovering and coming back to climbing. It's not meant to be a cure so please don't push too hard if you are injured! Tape is not a substitute for strengthening exercises, icing/massage and a good physiotherapist. (:

2011-05-22T09:30:00.001+08:00

hello!
haha take a look at this:
http://www.ascendanceproject.com/

they climb and dance at the same time.

9b Chaxi Raxi nuff said

2011-05-21T20:09:00.000+08:00

BD athlete Adam Ondra making the first ascent of Chaxi Raxi (9b) at Oliana, Spain from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

see guys lead climbing is just long term bouldering =D

world cup bouldering

2011-05-15T02:29:00.003+08:00

ehh, i realize it's now 2:30am in Singapore, but if anyone gets a chance to read this now, they're doing live telecast of the world cup bouldering at http://ifsc.tv/

they're past the qualifiers now (and i only just got to know about it) and they'll have their finals later on i think. so plenty of climbing action still to come!

k

For the over-psyched... (Yes Jiawei, I'm talking to you)

2011-05-12T10:39:00.000+08:00

Overuse injuries - a neglected responsibility
By Gordon Turner - Chartered Physiotherapist

Gordon Turner is the Manager of Glenmore Lodge Sports Medicine Centre, located within the Scottish National Sports Centre at Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore.

An injury at any time of year can be one of your worst nightmares. You may have a treasured trip to the Alps planned or may be looking forward to your first 7a route. Whatever your aspirations, an injury can be devastating, both physically and psychologically.
There are hazards in most aspects of climbing and we have a responsibility to take appropriate precautions to minimise risk of injury from these hazards. If you are unlucky enough to be injured then you must accept the setback as best possible. However if your injury is due to poor preparation or neglect, then I believe you have disregarded an important responsibility. Training is becoming more common within the climbing fraternity. If you do train regularly (for whatever purpose), it is worth noting that a high incidence of soft tissue injury occurs during training. You should also acknowledge that correct training is paramount to preventing injury. The subject of training is being addressed more widely now, with symposiums, articles and books covering the relevant details. I urge you to consider your training regime carefully and decide if it is safe and specific to your needs.
An area of increasing concern is overuse injuries. These types of injuries include tendonitis, bursitis, compartment syndrome and stress fractures. it is a misconception that these injuries restrict themselves to elite athletes. Indeed they are increasingly common amongst climbers. It can take a long time to recover, from what is all too often an avoidable injury. it can be much harder to treat and manage a long standing overuse injury, than to address the problem at an early stage - preferably before it shows itself. It is your responsibility to minimise risks . Remember, overuse injuries are avoidable , provided some basic precautions are followed. An overuse injury occurs when structures or body systems cannot withstand or adapt to repetitive forces. It is this repetitive microtrauma and repeated exposure of the tissue to low magnitude forces, which results in injury at a microscopic level.

It is essential to understand that basic physiological changes take place during all soft tissue injuries. Healing can be artificially divided into three stages - reaction, regeneration and remodelling. Every injury will pass through these stages in some proportion. Time scales will vary, but each stage can be influenced - for the better or the worse - by your actions. Overuse injuries follow a “pain cycle”. Unless this “cycle” is broken, chronic problems will occur.

Pain Cycle of Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries can be broadly divided into 4 grades:

Type 1 = Pain after activity only.
Type 2 = Pain during activity, not restricting performance.
Type 3 = Pain during activity, restricting performance.
Type 4 = Unremitting pain.

Their causes, amongst others, may include mechanical imbalances; a history of previous injury; psychosocial factors, equipment, footwear or growth factors. A common joint affected in climbers is the shoulder. For example, mechanical imbalances are an alteration of structure and function, which manifests itself in a variety of combinations of muscle tightness or weakness and poor alignment of body segments. An alteration of muscle length due to poor training regime, poor posture or anatomical factors may alter the joint function - both neurologically and mechanically. This is commonly known as muscle imbalance.

The assessment of sports injuries is a complex task, requiring a professional approach. Diagnosis and the progressions of rehabilitation should be left to a sports medicine chartered physiotherapist or sports medicine doctor. Early, appropriate intervention is important and the majority of overuse injuries respond well to conservative rehabilitation and management. Delayed or inappropriate management of overuse injuries, can have a detrimental effect on your recovery time and future performance.

Many climbers are aware of the principles of acute soft tissue management, but few are aware of what to do if an overuse injury does rear its ugly head. A few basic principles are outlined below and it is worth following this advice in the early stages of an overuse injury.

Type 1:
- Reduce your workload by 25%
- Ice massage the injured part after training
- Introduce a stretching programme
- Warm-up the area prior to climbing

Type 2:
- Reduce your workload by 50%
- Modify your training regime
- Ice massage after climbing
- Stretching programme
- Seek thorough sports medicine assessment

Type 3:
- Complete rest from activity - active rest
- All others as Type 2
- Judicious use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or injections

Type 4
- Exhaust all conservative methods of rehabilitation
- Seek expert opinion about surgical intervention

Finally it is essential that you think carefully about what may have caused this injury.

- Have you been following an intensive training schedule without appropriate rest days?
- Is your technique correct?
- Have you recently changed your footwear or equipment?
- Remember, there must be a reason for the injury - what is it? Once you discover this , you have addressed the crux of the problem and can take steps to correct it!

Look Who's Featured on TED in 2009

2011-05-10T00:08:00.001+08:00

Another Cool Video

2011-05-06T22:08:00.002+08:00

short film featuring Maja Vidmar.

NO NUMBERS from Jure Niedorfer on Vimeo.

btw the next boulder world cup is happening this weekend in Slovenia! look out for live streams so you can watch (: or just wait for therealudini's youtube highlight reel.

For people buying climbing shoes...

2011-05-05T02:49:00.000+08:00

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CLIMBING SHOES—A TUTORIAL BY FIVE TEN® ELITE ATHLETE STEPH DAVIS

Choosing the Right Shoe for the Right Job
Though there are many ways to climb, and lots of gear to use, the single most important piece of gear is always your climbing shoe. With so many types of climbing shoes, how do you pick the right one?
Most of us will end up having several pairs for several different uses, eventually. For myself, there are about 3 styles that I’ve found myself using for everything, over the years, with occasional experiments when a really snazzy new shoe comes out. Once you figure out what fits and works for you, you will have a good toolbox of 2-3 shoes that work perfectly, depending on what you want to climb..."
It can be summed up with a few simple rules about soft versus stiff shoes.
The softer the rock, the softer the shoe, and vice versa. Also, the steeper the rock, the softer the shoe, and vice versa. And to add one more element to the mix, the lighter and smaller you are, the softer the shoe, and vice versa. So a light, small-footed person climbing steep, soft rock would want the softest possible shoe. A heavy person climbing vertical, hard rock would want an extremely stiff shoe.
For example, if you are a light person climbing super steep sandstone, the Project is a great choice, and the Dragon if you are heavier. The Moccasym is also a great, soft shoe for sandstone, particularly cracks.
If you are a light person climbing technical limestone, you might choose the Anasazi LV (medium amount of stiffness), and if you are a heavy person on the same rock you could try the Anasazi lace-up (slightly stiffer) to get the same performance.
If you are a light person climbing on granite, one of the hardest type of rock, you would probably then go for the Lace-up. The heavier person would probably get better results with the Newton or Verde.
Although I used to wear ridiculously tight shoes, I find that they work better for me when they are wearable from the get-go. I tend to size all my shoes a half-size down from my hiking shoe size, unless it’s an all-day situation with less difficult climbing, in which case I go bigger, the same size as my hiking shoe.
Think about what kind of climbing you mostly do, and choose the shoe that you think will fit that. When it’s time for another pair, go for the shoe that fits another type of climbing, maybe for an upcoming trip. After a while, you’ll have found your real stand-bys for fit and performance, and if you’re like me, those will be your favorites for the rest of your life. I personally use Moccasyms and Anasazi Lvs for almost everything I climb, and can’t imagine being without them! I also really like the Anasazi Lace-ups, the Projects and the old Zlippers (I have a few cherished pairs) for certain other specific uses.
To a certain point, gear is gear, but you MUST have the right shoes."

Source: http://fiveten.com/community/blog/8820-choosing-the-right-climbing-shoesa-tutorial-by-five-tenr-elite-athlete-steph-davis#comments

Video!

2011-04-27T00:19:00.001+08:00

CWIF 2011: Highlights Film from The Climbing Works on Vimeo.

Nice wall, nice routes, nice holds and nice video editing. My opinion anyway.

The new TM's new look

2011-04-21T23:58:00.002+08:00

Interesting boulder comp

2011-04-17T15:20:00.001+08:00

For those who need more incentives to compete

2011 HEART OV ZTEEL • Highlights! from Jon Glassberg on Vimeo.

must learn from Natasha Barnes. if you're gonna fall off, at least grab some cash while doing it. :p

looking back

2011-04-14T23:28:00.007+08:00

i cant believe im saying this... but its the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for me!!! having gone through my most epic last girls training in nus, its really gonna make me miss the team lots. hope i'll have time to come back to climb with you guys again. but before im off, i thought it'll be nice to take a walk down memory lane, at least for the juniors! haha.

to let you guys know i'll never forget.....

ali baba - still looking the same! haha.

serene - hope ur ankle gets better!

lamb - dont study liao, come gym climb.

just for fun: limzy the great

presenting our new team manager:

janet - part of nus once! ;) haha.

chris. hahahaha.

ailin - may you grow to be like cass and terrorise ur juniors too. :)

our girls team manager:

yu don - arm fix back liao, can climb already. haha

yong cong

kaiyan

and mr ah beng aaron