This morning I woke up feeling really happy with lots of gratitude, even though I also felt the pain and swelling everywhere…

The Raleigh Challenge 2012 is my first ultra. When I first received the flyer of this race, I thought it would be an ideal distance for a first ultra, 78K. It turns out that distance is not an indication of the level of difficulty. As one of the runners put it quite well yesterday, “I can’t even begin to describe what this race is about…”

The mountain ranges of the Wilson Trail are paced in such a way that one has to deal with the toughest challenge at the most exhausted and weakest moment.

I got a lot out of joining this race. I started training from almost zero in July to finishing a race after 8 weeks and saw improvement of my physical ability and mental strength. The race also compressed a lot of interesting experience in some 20 odd hours. 

 

There were two weakest moments when I almost cracked. We were done with about two-third of the distance but by then it was already past 2 am and I was completely exhausted. The remaining distance to be covered was the Pat Sin Leng. At that point, sitting in the park, I really felt that I had no energy left, and to have to handle one of the toughest mountain trails in Hong Kong was almost unthinkable. But looking at my teammates, thinking about their encouragement and support over the past months, I couldn't get myself round to say withdraw.

 

As I was making my way up Cloudy Hill, I started to remember how Sam took me to do a first hike there two months ago. Up till the time of the race, I still was not able to piece all the different sections of the competition trail together. I went up the stairs and started to realize how everything finally came together at that point of time and it was a perfect moment of completion. 

There were also iconic moments. It was 6 am when we arrived at the entrance of the Pat Sin Leng country park, along with a few dozens of runners. By then everyone had been running for almost 20 hours and were almost dead. Everyone just laid flat on the ground, motionless and it was almost complete silence. It felt like the scene of a disaster movie where everyone had died. By 6:45 am, the runners were up one by one like zombies, dragging their heavy bodies up Pat Sin Leng.  

It still amazes me as to how I managed to have this wonderful mix of team members. I am so grateful to my teammates. Each one offered me something unique, and helped me improve my physical ability and the mental preparation for handling the race.

Thanks Sam for friendship, care, support and expertise and for taking me through this journey in the past few months, helping me with training, preparation and crisis management. I still think that it was an act of God that you decided to join our team, purely to test your patience in waiting and sleep deprivation. But I really appreciate and enjoyed every moment of it!

Thanks Bo for being a great and caring training buddy, helping me improve physically and my mental strength. Also thx for your patience in waiting and for helping me with details (coz I am very weak on details). Again, your fitness levels belong to a different league, but then I guess you didn’t know how slow I was when you first signed up.

Thanks Yellow for exploring the Wilson and other trails with me earlier on, and for going through the toughest stage of this race with me when I almost cracked. I will always remember the two of us limping through the Pat Sin Leng and the last 8K together, supporting each other.  

The encouragement and support of all three of you was what got me going and the experience wouldn’t have been awesome without you. I have also really enjoyed the interesting conversations during the past few months of training. I owe you all a lifetime of good cooking!

As much as it is a monster, there is something fascinating about the Raleigh. Someday, I might want to be back to do a night race or to attempt under 22 hrs.

I feel as if my new life as an ultra junkie has just begun. 

If I have to describe this movie in a few words - I would say "rich texture and intense flavours", the words I would use to describe food or wine. Rich texture because it feels like the weaving of fabrics. Using food as a backbone, the stories are divided into three segments -  breakfast, lunch and dinner. A number of the characters cross from one story to another, some even play the role of linking up all stories. Intense, because of the cinematography. The shots were very close and dynamic and there were some heavy emotions expressed through some of the characters.


The film explores the human relationships behind the 18 meals. There is some discussion on the food itself, but much less than I expected. The narrative at the opening sets out the theme clearly - that food not only opens the appetite, but opens our souls.

When I was small, my dad used to say that good food brings the family together. I was certainly brought up to understand the value of good food and the importance of family values, but probably those values were separately registered in my system rather than integrated. Good food has always been a matter of family obligation and practical necessity ever since I was small. As I grew up, graduated from college and moved away from my family, it ceased to be a matter of obligation. I realized that I had a choice, on what to enjoy, when to enjoy it, how to enjoy it and with whom to enjoy it etc.. It then became a matter of personal enjoyment and passion, and above all, the obsession with quality. The concept of family does not exist in this equation.

My parents' ageing eventually brought me back to cooking more at home, and I began to have a deeper understanding of the relationship between food and family. Cooking becomes a labour of love and compensates for the inadequacies of verbal communication. But something has changed over the years. Whilst my dad enjoys my cooking, he doesn't care much about the food anymore.

For me, there is no doubt that food is a life-long passion, a major sensory indulgence, and a powerful tool allowing me to express love and artistic creativity. Modern society is a lot more complex now. Whether it is fate or luck, having a family is not a must for the younger generations. Yet, good food has not lost its appeal, because its importance has elevated to binding and enhancing all kinds of human relationships.



“Desserts are like mistresses. They are bad for you. So if you are having one,
you might as well have two.”
 - Chef Alain Ducasse

“I prefer to regard a dessert as I would imagine the perfect woman: subtle, a little bittersweet, not blowsy and extrovert. Delicately made up, not highly rouged. Holding back, not exposing everything and, of course, with a flavor that lasts.”
- Graham Kerr

"When I walk into my kitchen today, I am not alone. Whether we know it or not, none of us is. We bring fathers and mothers and kitchen tables, and every meal we have ever eaten. Food is never just food. It's also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be." 
- Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, 2009

 

 

One can learn a lot about compassion and wisdom through crisis.

Saw this on the news the other day. Some tourists from mainland China were asked what they thought about the ferry collision tragedy off the Lamma waters. They thought that the whole incident, whether the people who helped, the attitude of the government all showed a very human touch.

I consider it a very fortunate thing living in Hong Kong. When disaster happens, rescue is available within a very short time. The government is quick to react and provide relief to those injured or families of victims. People are generally kind and helpful to one another.

I remember it was May 2008 when I heard from the news about a cyclone in Myanmar. But since there was not much transparency, I could only imagine the impact. I later got calls from my local colleagues who heard by word of mouth that the delta area was almost like living hell. In a few days, it was clear that almost 130,000 people had died overnight and tens of thousands of corpses were floating along rivers.

By the time I arrived in Myanmar a few weeks later,  I was shocked by the extent of damage done by the cyclone, but strangely I couldn't feel as much grief in the people. There were probably many reasons explaining this. In a developed city, if there is a major natural disaster, the rescue efforts would stir up people's compassion and emotions. In the delta, huts were built with the most primitive branches and leaves. A cyclone with a magnitude higher than a typhoon no. 10 would mean that people were literally blown away and disappear. No drama with rescue efforts then, not to mention that the government didn't even care about rescue or collecting the dead bodies in the rivers. There were many monks who tried to collect the dead bodies were arrested and put in jail. So basically no rescue, no grief, no drama, but mostly fear.

But from interacting with local people, I was able to share their grief. However, the grief was only minor, I learnt so much from their compassion and wisdom. There were days when I couldn't find a guest house to accept me. The disaster zone was a restricted area and foreigners were not supposed to be there. Military and police check points were everywhere and people were generally terrified. Whenever I showed my passport at a guesthouse, I was fearfully and politely turned down. A Catholic church kindly took me on, as they were generally off the radar. I was talking to a Catholic sister who was the only survivor in her convent. She saw everyone blown away that night but she was able to hold onto the power generator and saved her life. I could feel a lot of sadness but I was very touched to see that she had devoted all her energy to restoring the convent and the orphanage.

Another day I took a long 5 hour boat ride to one of the islands. We helped this village to rebuild houses and fishing boats. The island was beautiful, peaceful and quiet. But it was also probably because 900 were swept away by the cyclone and died. I met a young man about 18 years old. He was one of the carpenters who helped us to build fishing boats so that villagers could return to normal life. He told me that he was the only survivor in a family of 8. Even though he felt very sad, he channeled his energy to building fishing boats to help fellow villagers to make a living. His family used to own a piece of land which was a few thousand square feet but he felt he didn't need it anymore. He donated it to a family of 6 which had survived the cyclone and he was contented to living in a small wooden house. He said life and death was only part of karma and he was able to find peace.

I will always remember the time when I was working there. In a place where there is literally no electricity, running water, life comes down to the very basics. Enjoy working when the sun comes out, take a shower when there is rain, and families just sit around a burning candle every night for an hour sharing love and happiness and that's the only entertainment one can have. That was my major lesson on contentment.

  

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." - Oprah Winfrey.

Let's see if I can come up with my own menu of celebration....


1. Be a child
 
2. Watch "the world is just awesome" on YouTube over and over again

3. Help others and make others happy

4. Be loving, kind and caring

5. Nurture family relationship and friendships

6. Go hiking and enjoy the freshness of the trees and plants

7. Buy all sorts of lovely flowers and bring them home

8. Photography

9. Cook a hearty meal

10. Yoga, meditation and prayer

11. Music

12. Read

13.Watch "When Harry Met Sally" over and over again

14. Enjoy every moment

15. Have a cup of tea



This is not a long list, but by now I am so grateful since I am doing the things that make me very happy all the time. I'm so glad that the things that make me happy are just small and simple things.

The beauty and the little secrets of life are all about being simple and being human.

The Peanuts characters have been my buddies ever since I learnt to drink with my mug, and the mug is still with me. In fact the mug means so much to me that I stopped using it 20 years ago for fear of breaking it.

In his last years, Charles Schulz suffered from Parkinson's Disease. As a result, he experienced hand tremors that made his linework shaky. He admitted that the tremors sometimes were so bad that while working, he had to hold onto the side of his desk with one hand to steady himself. In addition, he had to reduce the strip from four panels to three to reduce the amount of drawing. Charles Schulz died in his sleep at home on February 12, 2000. The last original Peanuts strip was published the very next day. When I saw the newspaper headline with the characters all in black waving goodbye, it was as if I was saying the last goodbye to a dear old friend. A dear old friend who lived his one dream, one passion and one job to the day he died.

This is a quiz designed by him. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.

1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world.

2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name  the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.



Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:


1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?


The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the
most credentials, the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most

 

I decided to do more hiking training since I came back from Gobi. Since then, every weekly session I had hiking with friends was an interesting journey.

The past two weeks was really a training of mental strength. Last week it was Maclehose sections 3 and 4. This week it was the Pat Sin Leng. After I finished the two sections at Maclehose last week, I was wondering whether I really had what it takes to finish the whole 100 km. This week too, I had serious doubts (especially when I was climbing the ups and downs) whether I can even finish the Raleigh 78 km.

The name Pat Sin Leng means "Mountains of the "Eight Immortals", who are famous "xian", or transcedents/fairies in Chinese mythology. The eight peaks symbolize the eight peaks along the Pat Sin Leng mountain range, each named after a different Immortal.

The format of the hikes I went through these two weeks were quite similar, but there was a greater sense of achievement hiking Pat Sin Leng as you can look back and see the spectacular landscape or challenge that you have completed. 

An amazing thing happened when I was having a victory late lunch with my hiking buddies near the Plover Cover Reservoir. I suddenly felt that I could probably finish the Raleigh, albeit slowly. But whether I will get to do the competition really doesn't matter. Just going through one year's training with the greatest training buddies is already a rewarding journey in itself. The rest is a bonus. 

Today is a special day. I wrote a letter to a complete stranger but it was written with a lot of heart that I want to keep it.

Dear Mrs Kao,

Hope you are well.

I stumbled onto the website of your foundation while doing some research on the internet. I was never a sportswoman but this year after I came back as a volunteer from an international sports event called Gobi March organized by Racing the Planet, I decided that I want to join as competitor for 2013. This is a 250 km 7 days 6 nights self-supported ultra marathon across the Gobi Desert and there are about 200 athletes from all over the world. A good number of athletes run for charity and I am training hard and hopefully can be one of them. I was researching on the internet because I was thinking about my cause for running. Of all the good causes I can think of, Alzheimer’s is one which I feel most connected to.

My mother had Alzheimer’s in 1998 when she was 50. She was just an ordinary civil servant and was about to retire. Right after she started her post-retirement life, our family started noticing the deterioration of her cognitive abilities. Within a few months, we took her to the doctor but only to see her brain the size of a pork bun through the scan. A year after, she was pretty much functioning like a 5 year old child, except that she was on heavy dosages of medicine.

Back then I never really enjoyed hiking but my mother had always loved it. So I started hiking with her at the early onset of the disease. I was hoping that even though she could not manage anything intellectually, she could at least walk enough to stay healthy. Also, there was just me and her and mother nature. Nobody would judge her by her uncoordinated and unexplainable gestures and language. But even that luxury was gone soon. After my mom lost her mobility, so did my dad since he had to take care of her 24/7.

It has been 14 years since, but I have lot to thank God for. My father has learnt to be a patient, sensitive, caring (and even romantic) husband which he has never been. The disease has also strengthened my bond with my parents. In all honesty, we should feel very lucky since my mother is still physically well enough for day care and both my parents are government pensioners and so medically everything is taken care of.

But I understand that there are many carers who are burdened with tremendous physical, emotional and financial burden as a result of someone close suffering from this disease, or the patients themselves who are neglected because the families themselves are without adequate support. I understand that in some parts of the world, carers are given much more support whether medically, psychologically or even financially from the government. As Hong Kong’s population is ageing fast, a lot more work has to be done. I am so glad that you are the face and the voice for this cause, and the Hong Kong society desperately needs someone like you.

As for myself, I started working as a lawyer 14 years ago and then moved on to a WTO project doing trade capacity building with developing countries in the Asia Pacific region. After that contract, I joined a small charity foundation and spent time working in Burma on education, disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction projects. I am currently with one of the largest textile and apparel manufacturers in the world. I spend about 80% of my time on business and the rest on managing the group’s charity arm. I often travel to Xinjiang, Vietnam and Sri Lanka overseeing education projects. While working on Xinjiang projects, I have got in touch with Racing the Planet and knew about their competitions.

To me, joining this sports event is an inspiration reminding me to give the best of myself for others, and especially to devote this to my parents, to thank them for giving birth to me and for raising me to become a courageous and compassionate person. They both loved travelling before my mother had Alzheimer’s, and so I would like to think that I am carrying their hopes, dreams and aspirations with me as I walk the desert. Hopefully I will be fit enough by June next year and do some modest fundraising for your foundation. I will keep you informed of my progress.

In the meantime, if there is anything I can help on a volunteer basis, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please keep up with the good work and take care.