Off to trek in the Annapura trails in Nepal

nepal

Early this morning I sent my wife and two trekking friends to the Changi airport.Together with nine others they flew off to Kathmandu.

She had been packing for close to a week and even then last night she was at it past midnight, and this morning she was again at it before we went off at 6.20am.

Are women different from men in the way and the amount they pack? Or is it just that my wife would be in the scenic and cool mountains for many many days? When I went two years ago it was for a less than a week. This time they would be trekking about ten days.

How many days would it be before the fun and sense of wonder evaporates, and the drudgery and hardship and longing for ease and laksa kick in?

For me it was the connect with the Creator, and the good company of friends that sublimated the hardship, sacrifices and weariness.

A great incentive was to become toned, healthier, and to have achieved it while enjoying a holiday.

As I waved goodbye to them I felt a tinge of longing to be with them. Nostalgia descended as I viewed slides of two years ago.

Have a look, and consider planning a different kind of vacation one day.


Jewels of Nepal from Blogpastor on Vimeo.

Share this:

Read More →

Blogpastor plagiarized

Never before has my stuff been plagiarized. When I read the latest post of Stillhaventfound, I felt that he has stolen the essence of what I have in my heart and put it in his own blog post. I have no proof, but he photocopied what was hidden inside my hazy neurons, so you’ll have to read it HERE and judge for yourself. Doesn’t it sound like me?  🙂

Share this:

Read More →

How I became an Arsenal fan

arsenal badgeI have been an Arsenal fan for ten years now. But it was not so before. When I was in Swiss Cottage Secondary School, I was a Derby County fan and then a Nottingham Forest fan. I liked manager Brian Clough and followed wherever he went except for his Leeds blip.  He brought the best out of his teams on a tight budget and that could only mean he was a genius.

Arsene Wenger  joined Arsenal in 1996 (when Arsenal was known as “boring Arsenal, 1-nil to Arsenal”) and was of a similar stature though of opposite temperament from Clough. He is more professorial, understated, detached, left-brained and philosophical.  Like Clough, he pieced together teams on a reasonable budget but got arsene wengerthem to play together like a premier orchestra. He transformed boring Arsenal into exciting Arsenal. That converted me into a fan. This is the only British team that plays with a Brazilian attacking flair. They are entertaining, and I hate it so it when they play against leg-kicking, anti-football teams. Yesterday, Arsene Wenger became the longest serving manager in Arsenal’s history and I hope he continues with the club till death do them part. This is unrealistic. Succession would be a real problem. They have to find someone with the same philosophy of football. It could be someone from the “Invincibles” team like  Henri Thierry. Or Tony Adams. As long as the baton exchange takes place without incident. I really wish Arsenal well in the post-Arsene era.

I am perhaps more a follower of managers. I sometimes ask myself, “Would I continue as a fan of Arsenal, if Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s heart and soul moved on? What if the players  and style of play changed, and it was no longer recognizable?” I probably would not remain a fan. Many fans are admirably or masochistically loyal to their clubs even when the club has been relegated numerous levels. I don’t think I can endure that kind of humiliation and pain. This makes me a fair-weather and happy fan! 🙂

Share this:

Read More →