Random Musings and Nicknacks

It was Friday evening, and our anniversary. I had just finished changing into my bike clothes, ready to get on the bike and head home from work, when Ling called.

She asked if I wanted to drive home with her, and I knew she heard the hesitation in my voice as I said yes – sure enough, she asked me why I hesitated, and did I want to ride home and meet her there? I told her there was a specific reason behind the hesitation, and I would tell her when she picked me up.

So a few minutes later, in my bike gear, I put the bike on the back of the car, got in, and told her the story.
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“Tell us about an experience, in school or out, that caused you to rethink or change your perspective. what impact has this had on you? (Maximum 100 words)”

In the wee hours of the morning, when I was young and had trouble sleeping, that was when the most deep thoughts came out. Often, they would be the acting out of scenarios in my head, generally with me being a superhero. But then I began into more philosophical thoughts, into the depths of the universe and the clutches of time. The feeling of insignificance dawned upon me, and how astronomically low my existence is. I began to wonder through the feelings of others, of other countries, of other lives, and realized even my own realm of living was small. I began to question whether death really was a terrible thing. And at the moment, at the realization that I was truly small, I was grateful.

And then, at that moment, I had become aware of my existence.

Describe your most significant leadership experience. Why do you consider this your most significant role?
Tim’s Response:

One of the greatest leadership roles I have ever undertaken was during my elementary school years. The opportunity arose when I was the age of twelve. During that time, I was participating in a daycare after school hours. This was the last summer that I would spend at the daycare, for I was moving to a different city for the next school year. The opportunity arose to improve my work experience when I applied to work at the daycare. The daycare gave me a position as part of the Junior Staff, where I managed kids aged 6-10. When I applied, I did not think about the important moments I would experience, but as I look back, that summer taught me a lot of lessons.

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I sat on the cold pavement of the sidewalk, staring up into the broad blue sky. The moon was dimly lit against the deep blue sky. Earlier that day, I had spontaneously decided to improve my skills in those skates, and ended up digging out a pair of rollerblades from the garage. Sitting down now, I realized how great an idea this was. The exercise, the atmosphere, the adrenaline. I was not the best when I started, but after a few weeks, I began watching videos. First it was learning how to stop. Then it was learning how to skate backwards. By the end of two weeks, I had already learned how to do crossovers and do lanes.

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The call came while I was on my way home. I pulled the bike to the side of the road, and answered it. It was my wife, Ling “They made a mess, this just isn’t going to work”, her voice sounded dead. I could guess what she was talking about – Our younger dog, Spirit, had been dealing with an upset tummy last night and had woken us up at 1 AM to run outside. After a whole day locked inside I was expecting a “gift” at the front door – but this was wrong, my wife sounded livid. “the dogs made a mess?” I confirmed – “yes”. I told her I would be home in 10 minutes and would help clean. She said OK and hung up.

Something was going on – when Spirit is sick she’s always good to make the mess on the tile at the front door – I can picture her standing there, whimpering, praying that somebody will open the door in time, until she just can’t hold on anymore. That kind of mess doesn’t lead to the voice I just heard.
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Photo credits go to Chris.

I discovered Moscato by accident. One hot day on the way back home, I heard a wine pairing expert on the CBC radio raving about Moscato, a fruity, frizzling type of wine. The name of the wine sounded so exotic and it immediately caught my attention. She proclaimed that Moscato is the missing link between wine and soft drink.

Moscato originated from Italy and is now available from many parts of the world. Its fruity taste and fizzing nature make it fun to drink in a hot summer day. As she continued, I already pictured myself zipping a glass of Moscato at my back patio… that evening I picked up a bottle of Australian Yellow Tail moscato on my way home – it didn’t disappoint me.

That weekend, we decided to pick up two Italian Moscatos from the BC Liquor store on 41st and Cambie. We had been saving them for hot summer day but the weather has not been cooperating for a couple of weeks now. It looks like the summer is almost over and the weather is getting cooler each day. Finally last night I gave up and opened one bottle. It was soooo delicious

I had a new personal best for Grouse Grind today: 53 minutes 45 seconds. After seeing Rachel, Padraig and Chris’ performance at yesterday’s climb, I was dreading. My time was getting worse: 57:50 and it’s almost 1 minute slower than the previous climb.

This morning I did some serious thinking and determined to improve my time at my next climb. After some online reading, I discovered that I had made a few rookie mistakes at yesterday’s climb, for example, I wore a pair of very heavy hiking boots. According to the advice given by the most experienced climbers, carrying any unnecessary weight is not recommended , sometimes even a water bottle should be avoided when climbing the Grind. If you can well hydrate yourself before and after the climb, you should be fine without a water bottle with you while climbing.

I came up with some strategies for today’s climbing. If I can’t beat them with my fitness, I should try to beat them with my strategy .

Here are my strategies:
- hydrate myself during the day
I built the hydration chair (see previous post). While I was working, I drank the water over my shoulder throughout the day, very practical and efficient!

- wear light shoes
I dumped my heavy boots and put on very light trail shoes

- carry less weight
I left the camelback in the car and even left my cell phone behind

- look ahead of my path
I looked up 5-10 steps away and chose direct/short path every step even this means a steeper climb.

By following these strategies, I cut 3 minutes off my time. Not bad at all!

To keep myself hydrated through out the day, I hang my camelback on the back of my chair. It’s so easy to drink the water from it – much better than the cup I have in the office

I need to get ready for the grouse grind climb again tonight.

I had worried that Tim might not be good with his money when he grew up. As he was little, every time we were in a restaurant, he always went to the most expensive dish on the menu. Chris subtly guided him to other less expensive items, but he would insist on his choice. So I had to be the bad cop to say No. At the time, one of his favourite choices was the lobster meal. He pested us for the Chinese style lobster dish – that would be a whole lobster on the plate. In spite of our effort and determination, he always managed to forget what he was told, so in the next resturant visit, the conversation would repeat again. Once in a while, we would let him get away with it and he got what he wanted. When the dish came to the table, he always demonstrated stronger appreciation on the meal. I didn’t know if the extra pleading beforehand helped his appetite or simply he had determined that the most delicious meal = the most expensive meal.

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After reading Chris’s recent post on ST. Marks Summit, I did a search on ourlog hoping there is a post fo the hike we did at Joffre Lakes. Unfortunately the result was not found. I was surprised that we didn’t record this event. Anyways, thinking about tonight’s hiking, I am excited now and look forward to the hike.

This morning I got the following recommendations for future hiking ideas:

Buntzen Lake, Greater Vancouver, BC

Sasamat Lake, Port Moody, Greater Vancouver, BC

Jug Island, Belcarra, Greater Vancouver, BC

Cypress lake, Coquitlam, Greater Vancouver, BC

These are trails very close to our home, proximately within an hour’s drive. They all have breath-taking views. The more I think about how accessible these mountains are, the more I appreciate the place we live and the pristine ecosystem we have. We have the most amazing views in our backyard and we just need to remember to explore it.