Sgclimb.com / Edged

Top climbers Caroline Ciavaldini & James Pearson have been travelling around Southeast Asia for a month now and tell us why its so great where we’re from!

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=66638

This really is a shameless self plug at my most recent venture but I hope to still say something of value while I’m at it.

I resolved to work really at my degree and career planning this year, it being my penultimate year at university. I shifted climbing to 3rd priority, after studies and internship applications. I arranged for a nice long climbing trip to El Chorro, Spain after my exams in January as a reward and a much needed break. I was so unbelievably psyched to get back on rock and do some climbing. I pushed too hard too quickly, and on the 4th climbing day my old shoulder injury came back to haunt me. It was a week off minimum and even after that no real prospect of trying anything hard. Needless to say, it was pretty grim. Nevertheless, it was also a moment of light as that was when I discovered that I had indeed learned some lessons over the past 6 years of climbing. Restless from climbing being my primary hobby, concern about my holistic personal development and the realisation that one day climbing alone would not satisfy me, a few years I started making some inroads to developing other hobbies that didn’t intrude into climbing time. I began to read again, surfed around non-climbing website and ensured that I always made time to hang out with non-climber friends. 6 months ago, I took the plunge and bought a dslr. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my climbing life!

Everyday when my friends went off to climb, instead of being really grumpy, I focused my energies instead on my new interest in photography. It was a different and refreshing way of engaging with climbing and connecting with the landscape. So all in all it was a good holiday (though maybe would be better if I had crushed an 8a instead )

…which brings me to my shameless self plug. This is the product of my climbing-turned-photography holiday: http://owlonachair.wordpress.com/

A little preview:

I would love for you to visit and give me all the comments and criticisms you have to offer.

Many thanks

How can we resolve this age old debate?

I haven’t really been thinking of this question, but then I came across these 2 videos and couldn’t resist the brilliant juxtaposition.

A Desert Life from Austin Siadak on Vimeo.

We see the question everyday. Its the choice between spending time doing internship applications and training really hard. Or maybe reading the Business Times rather than watch climbing videos. It’s not really about the money though. Its a question of opportunity, because money can buy tons of opportunity. And the contradiction comes from the physical constraints of time and space. Time can only be spent either earning money or climbing. Even with some disciplined time management juggling these 2 activities, but what happens when other commitments/interests/responsibilities come your way? Space poses a bigger contradiction. Climbing often occurs in remote places, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. What’s more? Even if not remote, it will always be far far away from our lion city. Perhaps its time to think about migration as an elegant solution, a city or town maybe an hour’s drive from the world class rock. Barcelona, California, Paris… What then of language or family or friends or home?

Now that we’ve established that there’s no easy answer, we’ve come to the best part of the game. Its yet another… difficult decision! It’s one of those games where you have to make your own decision, and you’ll never know whether you truly made the ‘right’ choice until the end.

I think that if there is a correct answer, it can only be to play the game. It is to engage with the question and search for our very own answers, accepting responsibility for the consequences of whatever silly choices we might make, and embracing them as best, most exciting and fulfilling part of the process.

So… What’s your take?

OK!
DYNO is late!
Gravical is coming.
Tonde and Florian is here!
Greater Heights is representing Teknik in SEA.
Climbnival is confirmed for February 18.
FFME route-setter course next week.
Have to strip holds at Onsight, AND wash it.
Apply for SPPP funding for National Youth training in Krabi next June.
Source for designs for Onsight expansion.
Design new programs for Onsight.
Order new series of holds from Teknik.
Order more holds from China.
Plan coaching program for 2012.
Train successor.
Build the climbing community.
Source for funding for SCA activites.
Find title sponsor for SCA Bouldering League.
Plan climbers networking session.
Ask SMF for their plans for NSSCC 2012, their selection criteria for WYC 2012.
Do accounts for SCA and GH.
Write constitution for new society.
Engage NUS climbing Alumni.
Keep Sgclimb updated.
Put up new posts on EDGED.
Engage and empower Onsight staff.
Look for Ah Fook.
Tidy up Onsight.
Do SCA Climbing calendar 2012.
Climb.
Take over the world.

… but what about my friends and family?

Writing used to be an outlet for me; and since I stopped, I feel like I’m bursting at the seams.
I can’t climb as much as I would like, or go out with friends, and even worse; not be able to spend time with family and love ones.

I am SCA, I am Greater Heights, I am Onsight, I am a coach, I am a route-setter…

But i have forgotten that I am also a son, a brother, a friend, a father to my cats, and most importantly a partner to my patient, supportive and understanding wife. I am grateful they didn’t forget.

I keep thinking there will be an end to all these, and I keep repeating the date 2014. But who will I be by then? Be it success or failure, will I be able to let it go?

I’ll know in 2014.

In the meanwhile, this is what it feels like…

An great debut by our athletes bringing home 1 silver and 7 bronzes.

Silver

Jay Koh Zher Yeow – Men’s Boulder

Bronze

Adriel Choo Weng Kit – Men’s Speed Record & Men’s Speed Track

Muhammad Faizeen, Muhd Zaki Ramli, Adriel Choo Weng Kit – Men’s Speed Relay

Chung Sue Ann – Women’s Boulder

Judith Sim Ming Xin – Women’s Speed Record & Women’s Speed Track

Zhang Bin Bin, Judith Sim Ming Xin, Janice Ng Li  - Women’s Speed Relay

Source: http://seag2011.com/