I never thought I will be able to do this sport. When I was in Seoul for a Christmas Holiday, I made it a point that I will experience how it feels like skiing. We signed up with an agency that a fellow Singaporean I met in Kyung Hee University referred to us. We paid about US$80 for a two-hour beginner lesson which includes a full-day use of the ski and ski shoes. It was actually quite expensive but the four of us really wanted to have a try. From the city, we took a chartered bus and we are on our way to Jisan Ski Park.
Carrying the ski while you are on your ski shoes was just painful. it's heavy and the roads are slippery so you have to walk slowly. I think it took us about 30 minutes just to cross a 500 meter distance. Looking at the ski slope, it was very majestic. It was my first time to actually see snow-covered mountains and seeing so many people skiing. They made it look so easy but when we started the lesson, that is when I found out that skiing is the toughest sport out there ever.
The temperature was -15 C when we were having our lesson but damn I was sweating. I was sweating a lot. In the beginning, whenever I slip, it was so tough to get yourself up but later on I got the hang of it and managed to move from one point to another. Eventually we were moving up about half a meter high on a slope. Once you stand on a slope, you will slide right away so you have to be very alert. And always be on a ready position.
I think I will do this again and also try bob-sledding. But I don't think I will be doing this skiing always.
I have been dreaming of seeing snow and experiencing winter
so when I finally had the chance to make this dream come true, I was definitely
uber excited and could not wait for that big day. My friend Calice and I, we
are both teachers had the whole month of December for school holidays and as
early as August, we have been planning what we can do. We did not really expect
that we will be travelling just the two of us but who cares, Calice and I were
quite okay and got along well during the 13-day trip to Seoul. Our main
objective in the trip was to attend the Fun Korean Lesson Trip (FKLT) Program.
It is a week-long program of learning the language, culture, people and their
way of living in Korea. Well it was quite an interesting thing to do especially
my interest with different languages of the world. Although its difficult be
become a linguist but trying to learn some of the basic words and not to
mention the Hangul characters (Korea’s National writing system)
I am gonna write this as if I just got out of rope holding on to my life as I jumped off that 50 meter high crane to do my first ever bungy jump. it's just a big and crazy "WAAAAAAAH". When I was a kid I remember visiting Subic Bay, Olongapo, in the Philippines with the whole family and I already heard of this bungy jump activity that they have there. Of course I was like 10 or 11 during that time so doing it is still a no no and no one would actually pay for it so I could jump.
I was already enticed to do that jump although it was scary by merely looking at it. The crane going up with this square cage carrying you and once it reaches its designated height, you only have 3 choices. You jump. You let someone push you. Or you go back down which is probably the most embarrassing thing to do since you were so brave to go up, the only way you should go down is by jumping off. Well you are not gonna die anyway. Unless the unlucky faith of that rope snapping off right when it's your turn is just the unluckiest timing of all.
Later on I heard that the bungy jumping in Subic has closed down. Did somebody die? I never really found out but I guess it closed down at the same time that Subic Bay was crumbling down when the Americans left. When I started working I heard about the Macau Tower doing that bungy jump as well. I had a friend who visited Macau and encouraged me to go to Macau but not jumping off the Macau Tower. The trip never materialized and I can not remember why. I guess I was not really prepared back then.
Come 2012, after five years of working in Singapore, my colleagues Jen and Calice planned a trip to Phuket, Thailand for the three of us. and this was it. I finally got to do this bungy jumping things. It was morning of our 2nd to the last day, December 2012, when we went to this bungy jumping area. I was dead scared but I was ready. The owner is a guy from New Zealand, who was not really friendly, accommodating and was very discreet in answering my questions, I did not like him to make it short but then, he is not the one bringing me up, he just owns the place so I just paid him and talked to the guys who will actually prepare me for the jump. I paid like USD 50 for that 50 meter jump.
The video is a bit long so you may want to forward it. Upon reaching the top, I really thought I could not do it. The guide actually offered if he can push me instead but I said no and then just dropped myself away. IT. WAS. F*CKING. CRAZY. It's crazy and I would do it again.
Java, Indonesia, the most populated island in the world, is also home to two of the most enchanting temples in the world. Considered to be the most massive complex during that time, Borobudur, a Buddhist Temple, and Prambanan, a Hindu Temple, are Unesco World Heritage Sites that will truly mesmerize you once you enter its premises. No other words can be use to describe these to wonderful and magical places. Just browse on the pictures below and you will entirely be mesmerized.
