4 days of drought

I have not sent anything the past 4 days and i am definitely pretty discouraged right now. Ok given that i rested 2 of the 4 days and had to overcome the worst hangover of my life, but still i think i got into a pattern of failure which i need to get out of. Tomorrow's focus will be on rebuilding my confidence. I need to get into a send fest!

Words of Wisdom from Dave Graham

"......I'd say the best thing (about travelling) is losing the Western mentality that you must make money and have stuff to prove you've done something in life. That you must always need more, do more, get more, be more."

DUSK

What to do 2 weeks before a road trip

1) DO NOT GET INJURED!!!
2) Keep climbing
3) More rest days
4) Reduce intensity by 50%
5) Focus on the flow

Good luck everyone!

DUSK

Specific Training

Now that Krabi is just 5 weeks away, i am thinking of doing some hangboard and campusing to boost my maximum strength. Specifically i will be doing the following:
1) 3 finger hang - good for shallow pockets
2) 1 arm assisted chin-up (right arm) - because my right arm is significantly weaker than my left
3) 2 finger hang (left arm) - To train for Voodoo Doll

I have my qualms on (3). Doing a specific training to train for a specific hard route seems a bit too serious and seems to contradict with the spirit of the sport. Whatever, let's see how it goes.

DUSK

i just got to say it again.....damm funny

From Reaper,

When I was in high school, I met this beautiful lady named Susan. I was so sure she is the one for me. That year, after she came back from spring break, I found out she got Pregnant! And I thought to myself, "GOOD! Now i know she goes all the way....."

Paul is right!

http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Innovation/Fruit-could-be-key-to-natural-sports-recovery-products

I got an account in 8a.nu!!!

How to find me in 8a.nu
1) go to Updates - Search
2) search for C X M
3) WALA!!!!

Get the latest scoop of the routes i climb in MY, TH and beyond! If you value my opinion, climb all my recommended climbs! Please note that i only track routes that are 6c and above. Still can't warm up on a 6c yet.......

Why C X M? 2 Reasons:
1) To commemorate the climbing media website that started it all. May you rest in peace....
2) The initials of my first name is CM, put an X-TREME (or Microsoft X-Cel) in the middle and there you have it!

thought i wanna eat pear but in the end played chess

the title said it all. next stop Krabi (or Yangshuo?????)

Different trip, same goal

its time to return to the god forsaken crag and end a 3 years debt

Some photos from my California Trip (finally......)

You don't mess with the bus driver











J-Way Keeping it real at Castle rock CA













Bouldering at Indian Rock










Alcoholic










Old Chin would love this

Same hand same leg (shsl)

last week in camp 5, I noticed that the Iranian coach hardly pulls a 'same hand same leg' when he climbs. When he was showing us how to climb an 8b, he only did a shsl once and it was a static one. Though I admit that Shsl might be useful at times, are we overdoing it? Think about it the next time you are climbing.

Dusk

Mission Failed!

Yep, i couldn't redpoint Pear last Friday. I can state a thousand reasons why i couldn't do it but I prefer not to dwell over it and focus on what I can do to make it happen on my next trip. I am already plotting my revenge......

Anyway this trip has been pretty fruitful to me as i learnt many things about climbing from the Iranian Coach showing us how it is done to Paul's recovery tip. More of this to come....

DUSK

GOAL

** 15. Pear (7a)
--28m -- 7 bolts
--Adi Noor, Mar 2003

Climbing Vid

Found a video of me climbing. Thanks for the advice Ben!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2_s-0nQN0k


PS: So how do i embed the video on my blog?

Dusk

Success and Failure

I was watching The Apprentice Hollywood on TV last week and this former Olympian was booted out of the competition. Usually at the last part of the show, the booted contestant is given a chance to bitch about the whole thing. But the former Olympian was pretty cool about it. She said that she had won Bronze, Silver and Gold before in the Olympics and she learnt the most when she got Silver and Bronze. What she says really strikes me because very often you learn more about your weaknesses when you fail than when you succeed. Your failure will point to your weaknesses and your weaknesses should govern how you train. Make the connection today and feel the difference.

DUSK

Crimping

Ever notice that when you crimp a bad hold really hard, you can step almost anywhere and still be able to make the next move? You might think that it is a good idea because by not shifting your legs too much to make the next move, you are spending less time on that poor hold thus wasting less energy. But i disagree due to the following reasons:

1) By crimping the hold, you are not training your finger strength. You are also exposing yourself to injuries.

2) Technique wise, by using a weaker grip, you are forced to assume a more efficient body position in order to successfully execute the next move.

Dusk

CASTLE ROCK

Today me n JW travelled down south to Castle Rock to boulder. I consider this as my first bouldering trip ever. The weather was perfect and there were quite a few boulders lying around in the park. My only complains are the same things that bothered me in Ceuse: Flies and cracked lips.

The most important thing that i realise today is that i actually don't know how to climb. i was stumped by the micro footholds and i couldn't move effectively at all. I am glad i realize this as it really motivates me to hone my techniques. Basically, I NEED TO CLIMB MORE!!!

After Castle Rock, on a last minute decision, we decided to head down to GILROY to do some serious shopping. We only reached GILROY at 6pm and we had only 3 hours to shop. GILROY IS HUGE!!! I was rushing from shop to shop eager to clock as much mileage as possible. In the end I bought quite a few items though i regretted not buying the Nike Sunglasses and the Timex watch. Anyway, lets see if i can head back there another day......

DUSK

Rampage

WOW! 3 posts in a row, i am on a run! I is trying my best to sleep as late as possible these few days as i am heading to the land of the free this Thursday! Hopefully this futile attempt to minimize jet-lag will allow me to clock some serious mileage over there. This is the first time i am traveling since i started this blog. So watch this space for more updates!

DUSK

Some photos from my CEUSE trip around 1 yr ago

The Pizza that i love and miss


Bibbendum. The route that i tried but couldn't complete


Super Mario. Almost too technical to be 6b

End of Periodization (2)

How time flies. Its been a while since i last updated this blog. Just ended my 2nd cycle last week. All in all i am pretty satisfied with my results as i accomplished most of my goals for this cycle. I also want to take this opportunity to share with everyone a few things that i have learnt this cycle. Hopefully my pointers will help your climbing as well.

1) Try your best to straighten and relax your arms when you are clipping. Climb higher if necessary.

2) In the situation when the handholds suck but you are stepping on a good foothold, it might make sense to sit in instead of centering your CG evenly between your arms

3) Listen to your body. Know when to stop climbing. Sometimes your mind might want to do more, but spare a thought for your body (only applies to climbers aged 29 and above).

So there you have it! Feel free to comment on my points above.

DUSK

End of Periodization

Today marks the end of my rehabilitation periodization. All in all, it has been a good cycle. My ring finger didnt give me much problems and I could feel my endurance coming back to me. My next periodization will start next week and i will start to do more bouldering, harder Power endurance routes and MORE lead climbing. Heres a breakdown of my plan, anyone want to train with me?

This week (rest week) - Light climbing, Boulder and Endurance
Week 2 - 3 - Medium climbing, 1 boulder, 1 endurance in gym, 1 outdoors
Week 4 - 6 - Heavy climbing, 1 boulder, 1 power endurance in gym, 1 outdoors


On a separate note, BBall this wednesday at 7pm, B there!

Dusk

Food Review: The Cliff

In the dark of the night, the air was clear. My bibi and me made our way up The Cliff. Walking up the 100 steps with an empty stomach, we were determined to eat in the famed restaurant. When we reached the restaurant, we encountered our first setback: No slippers and T-shirt allowed. I cannot believe that a restaurant beside the beach would not accept someone in slippers. That's just wrong...... Heh, anyway the restaurant manager decided to give us an "exception" and allowed us to dine in. The waitress even asked for my handphone number which is a first for me. Was she scared that we would run away? But if I was planning to run away, i wouldn't give her my real number right? Anyway, the bomb came when i opened the menu, my basic instinct was frantically searching for something mid-range but there was none. In the end to prevent ourselves from embarassing ourselves further and because we had no more appetite from all the walking, we decided to just order an appetizer and a main course. The bill still turns up to be more than 100 bucks......

Quality to price ratio: 2 out of 5 (dun get me wrong, the food is great and they even gave us a complimentary "cold dish". However the price is just too steep for the average middle income earners like me.)

DUSK

Bball Day

This week's bball day is THURSDAY!
Time: 7pm
Place: NUS
Be there!

DUSK

Review: Chocolate Butter Factory as per 8 June 2008

Well this is supposed to be a Thumper review because that was the initial plan. However, the expensive drinks and the crowd (or lack of) swayed us to the Factory. This was my first time there after getting many positive reviews about that place. Well, the reviews are right!!! Being a budget clubber, i appreciate that i could get in free with a (or an) UOB credit card. I also like the 1 for 1 before 12am which got all of us all happy and stuffs. You see, I am never the conservative drinker in such occasions and i had no intention of pacing myself. In the end, it was jugs and shots and loads of happy thoughts. I believe they play hip hop music all night long though i wasn't really paying much attention to it. I was gone before i hit the dancefloor. The only thing i remember was i walked a lot. I was just walking around and around and around......

Quality to Price Ratio - 4 out of 5

Dusk

3 reviews coming up!

stay tuned to this space for review on
1) THE CLIFF
2) SECRET GARDEN
3) CHOCOLATE BUTTER FACTORY (or BUTTER CHOCOLATE FACTORY???)

Today is basketball day! NUS, 7PM, B THERE!

Action!

Climbed for the first time today since my 1 month Sharma break. Felt like i haven't climbed in a year (not that i have rested for a year before). Anyway it was a pretty short session and i spent most of my time climbing easy endurance routes. Pretty okay start.

Dusk

Time for another run

Life has a way of beating you down time and time again and i always believe that the key to success is to bounce back (Smartly). So here i am after resting for 1 full month trying to bounce back again. To return to my previous high and better it. With the odds against me, i need a conservative yet effective plan to get things going. Wish me luck!

Visited Climber's lab yesterday. Looks pretty awesome with lots of colourful tiles. Might climb on it one day when my fingers get stronger.


Dusk