Yep, I'm still attending classes at Fit For 2, though usually just the yoga or pilates class.  The target was to hit two classes a week, but I seem to be averaging on one a week.  Very bad...

So I made it yoga class yesterday although I would much rather have continued sleeping, but I felt bad having registered myself for class only to cancel at the last minute.  Coming to year end, the classes have been quite empty lately, so I felt even worse if I were to skip class.  Yesterday's class was a full class, though.  There were lots of new faces along with the usual suspects.  We were all mostly at about the same stage of pregnancy - around the thirty something week mark.

The other reason I was reluctant to skip yoga was because I recall reading that it could be helpful for carpal tunnel syndrome and it seemed mine was worsening somewhat...  Last night when I got up to use the bathroom, I could barely close my left hand into a fist.

Anyway, yoga was far more tiring yesterday than I remembered.  Instead of improving my balance, I felt that it was getting worse, especially those sideways positions which I forget what they are called.  We would start with the "warrior pose" then straighten the front leg, leaning forwards to rest one hand on the shin while the other is stretched up towards the ceiling.  This used to be fairly easy for me, but now I find myself wobbling at the legs trying to keep myself from keeling over.  I'm attributing it to the expanding belly that's throwing me off balance.

My thighs are feeling weaker as well, although I can't be sure if it's because of the additional weight I'm carrying or if my muscles are wasting away from insufficient use.  I am pretty positive that Melissa was going easy on us yesterday with the squat position because I'm sure we didn't sit into it as long as we normally do on other days.  It could also be because of all the new faces that were joining us and she didn't want to overstrain them on their first day at yoga.

By the time class was over, I think I was ready to drive home and go to sleep.  I can't remember ever being so exhausted from a class that when I pulled the car up outside my house, I had to rest for a bit before I could muster the energy to get out of the car and into the house. 

According to Debbie's instructions, this is bad.  I shouldn't feel tired after exercise but more energised.  Although the strange thing is that I didn't think that this class was as hard as last week's class and yet I felt more tired coming out of it.  Perhaps I haven't been resting enough these past few days...

Well, I'll be attending the pilates class this Friday so let's see how that one goes...  If I get tired after pilates, I'll know for sure that something is wrong because pilates is usually much more relaxing.

Below is an entry I wrote the day I red pointed my first 7A.  It was a route called "Pear", so dubbed because the route setter claimed the first ascent after eating a pear.  The only pity is that I never took any photos, so all I have is a written account by me on what it felt like.  Pear is located in the area called "Shieldtox" at Nyamuk, Batu Caves. 

As I read through what I wrote, I can still feel the ecstasy of that day.  The only two routes I wrote about in the my entry below that I never completed were Foreign Investment (7B) and November 61 (6C).  November 61 because I never went back to Whitewall again since red pointing Pear.  Foreign Investment because I was fading out of the rock climbing scene by the time I had deemed myself worthy to attempt such a route.

Saturday 21 February 2004

Today, I red-pointed "Pear".  The day started out as any normal ordinary weekend day.  I felt excited about going out to climb because I'd been thinking about "Pear" non-stop throughout the whole week.

When we arrived at Nyamuk, Super Mei, Lil' Mei and Leong were already there.  Sim and I warmed up on "Bangsar Babes Backdrop" and then I felt ready to try "Pear".  I felt good all the way up to the start of the crux, I felt good to go, but I ruined it when I hesitated after getting the upside-down smiley.  I suddenly thought of back tracking and repositioning my feet, then when my foot slipped, I lost my head and asked Sim for tight rope.  I tried again two more times after hanging, but I knew the effort wasn't there.  I wasn't really trying, so I asked Sim to dirt me.

I had pretty much written off the thought of the red-point today because it seemed clear that my mind wasn't ready.  I ended up trying "Le Futur" with Leong.  I struggled on that route – my right third and fourth finger were hurting.  That was also one of the reasons, I wasn't confident to do "Pear" today – but I think I was just making excuses for myself.  I found "Le Futur" pumpy, but I think my confidence was shot when my right hand wasn't feeling strong.

Struggle, struggle, pant, pant… and finally made it up after a good bit of hanging and some tight rope from Leong.  Felt really disappointed with that.  I'm going to come back and work that route.  It's definitely a good route to work on my endurance on.

By that time, I was convinced that I would have to hold "Pear" for another day when Adi rocked up.  Actually, it probably started from Leong's pep-talk about the fear of falling.  I was describing what I was saying to myself when I was attempting the lead and he said that I was thinking too hard about falling that's why I can't climb.  I need to forget about falling and just climb.

When Adi arrived, he asked me to belay him on "Stigmata" – the 7B project he's been working on.  He took a whipper two moves from the anchor – I think it hurt emotionally more than it did physically.  I thought he was in pain at first.  When I lowered him off, he encouraged me to try "Pear" again.

I ummed and ahhed and made excuses about my right hand, but he was persistent in his encouragement.  We taped up my two fingers and I went up.  He belayed me.  I fell after clipping in the crux clip because I couldn't find my "L-shaped" hold.  Strange that this hold has always been clear as daylight to me when I was on top rope and suddenly when I needed it most it disappeared from sight.  I hung and then went up the rest of the way.  I chalked the hold on the way down and rested for a bit again.

Adi gave "Stigmata" another shot, but he missed a hold halfway up just as Patrick rocked up.  We sat and chatted for a while, I ate some bread, and then my inspiration encouraged me to go again.  I went up and this time I made it.  Once I got passed the pimple and was holding the good side pull, I knew I was home, but perhaps I was over-confident, because I did the last section slightly differently.  I still made it, but I know I made it harder for myself than it really needed be.  When I touched that jug above the stalagtite, I knew I'd made it.  I wanted to scream for joy but I didn't want to accidentally fall off two steps away from my moment of success.

At the anchor, I couldn't stop the delight resounding in my head.  I gave the wall my customary kiss before being lowered off.

After that, Adi nailed "Stigmata".  To be honest, he had it from the start.  I'm not even sure why he didn't make it the first time.

Patrick said that now he had more stuff to write at rockclimbing.com.  He seems convinced that I am the first Malaysian female ascent on a 7, but I'm sure it is either Super Mei or Kak Lily.  Whatever the case, it's the first one done in a helmet.

They keep asking what I'm going to climb now, but I haven't decided.  I keep thinking it should be "Stupid with Manners" but they were suggesting "Chess" and "Foreign Investment" and stuff like that.  Patrick keeps saying that the next 7 will come more quickly.  I guess I have plenty of routes to work on:

-         "Le Futur"

-         "Stupid with Manners"

-         "Rules of Attraction"

-         "November 61"

Then I might think about trying "Chess" or "Foreign Investment".

I've been reading "The Mind Gym" and I think it's been a great help to my climbing.  There are particular chapters that reinforce that I've been doing the right things to achieve my goals.  There are also some chapters that seem to be written about me – like "Permission to Win" –I feel like I've been the beginner climber for such a long time that I'm suddenly over conscious of the attention and I'm not sure whether I should be succeeding.

As much I enjoy the attention, I find I'm also feeling pressured by it.  I keep saying I don't want to be any different from before, but I have to acknowledge the fact that I'm not the same person anymore.  Yet at the same time, I need to hold on to the roots that I started from to remind myself where I came from.  I cannot take for granted the effort it took to get here.  It's the dedication, determination, desire and most of all, the discipline that will keep me on track for that 7C I keep dreaming about.

"Pear" for me was like how the second pitch of "Monsoon" used to be for me.  I was so scared to lead that at one point and now it's so easy.  One day, I'm going to come back and climb "Pear" and I'm going to feel the same thing I do now about "Monsoon".

I've only ever climbed at Red Rock twice.  Quite early in our outdoor climbing experience (October 2002), Thin Man, Fearless Leader and Mutant Man made their first trip to scout the area.  I wasn't able to follow because I was back in Australia for my annual pilgrimage.  They took loads of photos and promised me we would climb there again when I got back and we did.

Even without photos and trip reports, I still remember my first visit there.  I could climb all of one route which was the easiest route there (Return of the Spotted Owl, 6A), besides the natural pro routes.  Despite it being the easiest route, I still had to cheat getting up the start because I didn't have the arm power to get over the overhang.

Getting There:

You can find a description on how to get there on Rock Climbing - Red Rock which also includes a description of the area and route selection.  There's more information on Red Rock at The Rock Pod - Red Rock, which provides a short description about the area and the routes available.

There was a recent post on Rock Climbing that mentioned the access to White Wall and Red Rock was blocked off, although not much detail was mentioned.  It has been a very long time since I climbed there so I don't really know what the conditions are like.  All I remember was that there was a pond nearby which attracted a lot of mosquitoes, making insect repellants a handy addition to your gear.

The following descriptions were another one of those gems of information I saved back when I was studying the area. 

Below is a topo I saved from the same site that I retrieved the above information from.  There are ten routes in total, two of which require natural pro.

The routes are described from left to right and are numbered consistent with the topo:-

1) Blood brothers, 6b+
Yuen-Li, Kenny, Richard, 10 Sep 95

2) Tomodachi, 6b
Asada, Yuen-Li, Khairul, Kenny, 15 Aug 95

3) Return of the Spotted owl, (splits half way) 6a both left and right
Yuen-Li, Phillip Sigmund 15 Jul 95

4) Owl Face, 5+ (natural pro. to stalagtite)

5) Sweet child of mine, 6b/6b+
Yuen-Li, Kenny, Shafiee, Nov 95

6) Nacho cheese, 7b
Kioshi Yoshida, May 96

7) Yen's route. 6b+/6c
Yen, Kenny, Khairul, Jun 95

8) Cool Ranch, 7a
Kioshi Yoshida, May 96

9) The first temptation, 6b
Yuen-Li, Kenny, 1 Jan 96

10) Atlantis 5+/6a (natural pro)

Nomad Adventure also has a very brief description about Red Rock: Nomad Adventure - Red Rock.

Going through my old journals on rock climbing, I found these jokes on rock climbing.  Quite amusing to read them again (although it should be noted that they are probably funnier if you are a rock climber).

TOP 10 REASONS CLIMBING IS BETTER THAN SEX...

10. CHOICE OF NOVICE OR EXPERT ROUTES
9. A CLIMB CAN LAST ALL DAY
8. GUIDEBOOKS TELL YOU HOW MANY VISITORS HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE YOU
7. CAN PICK THE LENGTH AND DIAMETER OF YOUR ROPE
6. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE BACKING YOU UP IN CASE YOU FALL OFF
5. YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR PROTECTION BEHIND FOR THE NEXT GUY
4. LOTS OF TIGHT CRACKS
3. IT'S NOT CONSIDERED KINKY TO WEAR A HARNESS
2. THE ONLY RUBBER YOU WEAR IS ON YOUR FEET
1. THERE ARE STILL ROCKS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN TOUCHED

The Rockrats eventually stopped climbing at Whitewall because we had to bypass a swamp and a rubbish dump that was rapidly turning into a quagmire as the days went by.  From what I understand, there has been a new path created to Whitewall which connects it to Damai.  When facing Damai wall, just walk left behind the house and look for a trail of old tyres.  Follow it to the end and it should take you to Whitewall bypassing the bog pit and rubbish dump (if it's still there).

The following is a description of how to get to Whitewall that I found on the net a long time back.  It's another one of those little gems I collected which I can no longer track back to its original website (if it still exists).

How to get to Whitewall:

As for the Volley Ball Site, only continue straight along to the end of Jalan Taman Industri Bolton where this road sweeps around leftwards to join another road. Turn right and continue to just before this road ends and follow the muddy track on the right hand side which leads to the kampung. The crag is obvious on the left at this point. Continue through the kampung for a short distance until opposite the crag. Parking is limited. There is more parking space by the football field at the other end of the kampung, near Red Rocks. Walk towards the crag, crossing a stream and follow the trail, at first diagonally left up the hillside to the foot of the crag (10 minutes walk from the football field).

An alternative approach route can be made along Jalan Sungai Tua.

There is also a pretty good description on how to get to Whitewall on Rockclimbing - Whitewall.

It's usually preferable to climb Whitewall in the afternoon after the sun falls behind the wall.  Since the Rockrats were mostly late risers, this was never really a big problem for us.  Most of the routes are bolted and a 60m rope should see you through them all.

These are the route descriptions from the site I saved a long time back: 

You probably won't be able to read the numbers on the picture or the route names so here they are in the order listed on the topo (the route names and grades are numbered below):

13, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The routes are described from left to right (the ones without numbers are not shown on the topo above):-

13. Aimless, 4 (starts at a slab below an overhang, can be continued using natural pro as for Rainbow connection)
J Chin, S Brown, 30 Jan 00 (probably climbed earlier by someone on natural pro)

1. Rainbow connection, 5+ (the climb can be continued to another anchor at the top, using natural pro - 6a)
Yuen Li, Kyoshi, 1997

2. Diana in memory, 6c
Nassa, 1997

3. First July special, 6b
Akmal, 1997

4. Opium war, 6a
Yuen Li, July 97

5. Kick a cloud, 6b, 6b
Kyoshi, Yuen Li, 1997

6. Kavadi, 7a
Nassa, 1997

7. Chili padi, 7a, 7a?
Kyoshi, 1997

8. November 61, 6c+ (a continuation of Fake meat, 6b, Yuen Li, Bill, Lizanne, 1997)
Kyoshi, Akmal, 1997

9. Classic route, 6b
Kyoshi, 1997

10. Kyoshi's delight, 6b
Kyoshi, 1997

The last two routes can be continued at about 6a+, using natural pro. To an in-situ top anchor, Kyoshi 1997 ?

11. Name of a woman, 6a+
Along, 1997

12. Enter the dragon, 6b (natural protection to in-situ top anchor)
Kyoshi, 1996 ?

A natural pro. route called "Three men and a toilet" has been climbed to the right of the big ledge at about 6a+ (loose rock).

There are some better route descriptions on Rockpod - Whitewall and Rockclimbing - Whitewall.  According to Rockclimbing, there are actually 18 routes available at Whitewall, although I kind of wonder where all these additional routes are located since I never saw them when I was climbing the area.  I'm guessing some of them are natural pro.

There is also a short description on Whitewall on Nomad Adventure - Whitewall.

The Rockrats spent quite a bit of time at the crag called "Whitewall".  This was another one of those places we climbed where we were more interested in the climbing rather than posing for the camera.  I suspect that some of the other Rockrats may have more photos from this location, but this is the only one I have:

It's a shot of Le Grunt attempting a route called "Fake Meat", graded 6B.  It's the first section of a traversing 6C+ route called "November 61".

I also located an old trip report to Whitewall accompanying the photograph above:

White wall presented quite a challenge for some of our veteran climbers on Sunday.  Arriving at Damai after a "light" breakfast (yes, it was truly a light breakfast!  Not "all you can eat dim sum" breakfast!) we wasted little time in getting to the wall.  Holdbreaker decided to "warm up" on "Fake Meat" - the first section of “November 61” - a 6C climb.  According to Thin Man, "Fake Meat" was rated 6A.  Unfortunately, Thin Man, the route descriptions disagree with you, as they have rated it a 6B...

"Fake Meat" was a physically challenging climb that brought screams of pain and howls of frustration, especially from Lelek Le Grunt - our most consistently noisy climber.  Well done on completing the lead to the anchor.  That was one very awkward clip-in at the second bolt – it was scary just to observe, I can only imagine what it felt like to be up there.  Soon to follow up was Small Person – our up and rising climbing star (it’s about high time you graduated to leading, my dear, because you’ve out-grown the kindergarten of top-ropes).

Combat Girl attempted a lead on “Opium War” and nearly pissed her pants twice – once at the crux and once on the overhang.  After putting my belayer to sleep (thanks Thin Man for your patience), I finally made it to the anchor perplexed as to why I made such a fuss because it was not such a difficult climb after all…

Fearless Leader arrived not long after to lead up "Classic Route" with minimal draw-pulling and bolt-stepping (sorry Fearless – you have a reputation to upkeep).  Even though it was Thin Man who nearly attempted a solo on “November 61”, our illustrious Fearless Leader’s reputation preceded him causing Lelek to think it was Lai who forgot to tie-in.

Congratulations to Thin Man, who completed his first 6C on lead – “November 61”.  The route was cleaned by Fearless Leader, spurred by the onset of rain into making some amazing dyno moves.  These have got to be some of the most fantastically uncoordinated dyno moves I have ever seen…

Combat Girl out-smarted our Fearless Leader with a modified version of using draws on the wall.  Why pull on them when you can clip your harness to the wall and have a relaxing hands-free rest?

Holdbreaker decided to compete with Lelek for the title of “most vociferous climber” while on “Classic Route” and almost took the cake.  Lelek followed soon after – sending the route in record time with the thought of a hot chic waiting for him at the anchor (well, the sound of thunder helped a little).

Mutant Man brought the rain with him, but luckily, he also arrived in time to help us pack up the gear…

Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure from the RockRats!

I received this article from a friend through email and I found it pretty inspiring.  I guess I identify with it because that was me in rock climbing - zero talent, just loads of persistence, practice and a lot of heart. 

I achieved more in rock climbing than I have ever done in any sport because I gave it everything I had.  When I look at what I've achieved in rock climbing and compare it back to when I was in school, I can hardly recognise myself.  Back in school, I was usually the last kid to get picked for the team.  Back then, it would take me 30 minutes to run 3km - compare that against my best half marathon time of 2 hours, 5 minutes!

I found this article to be a rather apt reminder of what we can achieve if we really put our heart and soul into something we desire.

What it Takes to be Great

Research now shows that the lack of natural talent is irrelevant to great success. The secret? Painful and demanding practice and hard work

By Geoffrey Colvin, senior editor-at-large

October 19 2006: 3:14 PM EDT 

(Fortune Magazine) -- What makes Tiger Woods great? What made Berkshire Hathaway (Charts) Chairman Warren Buffett the world's premier investor? We think we know: Each was a natural who came into the world with a gift for doing exactly what he ended up doing. As Buffett told Fortune not long ago, he was "wired at birth to aevallocate capital." It's a one-in-a-million thing. You've got it - or you don't.

Well, folks, it's not so simple. For one thing, you do not possess a natural gift for a certain job, because targeted natural gifts don't exist. (Sorry, Warren .) You are not a born CEO or investor or chess grandmaster. You will achieve greatness only through an enormous amount of hard work over many years. And not just any hard work, but work of a particular type that's demanding and painful.

Buffett, for instance, is famed for his discipline and the hours he spends studying financial statements of potential investment targets. The good news is that your lack of a natural gift is irrelevant - talent has little or nothing to do with greatness. You can make yourself into any number of things, and you can even make yourself great.

Scientific experts are producing remarkably consistent findings across a wide array of fields. Understand that talent doesn't mean intelligence, motivation or personality traits. It's an innate ability to do some specific activity especially well. British-based researchers Michael J. Howe, Jane W. Davidson and John A. Sluboda conclude in an extensive study, "The evidence we have surveyed ... does not support the [notion that] excelling is a consequence of possessing innate gifts."

To see how the researchers could reach such a conclusion, consider the problem they were trying to solve. In virtually every field of endeavor, most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly and then stop developing completely. Yet a few do improve for years and even decades, and go on to greatness.

The irresistible question - the "fundamental challenge" for researchers in this field, says the most prominent of them, professor K. Anders Ericsson of Florida State University - is, Why? How are certain people able to go on improving? The answers begin with consistent observations about great performers in many fields.

Scientists worldwide have conducted scores of studies since the 1993 publication of a landmark paper by Ericsson and two colleagues, many focusing on sports, music and chess, in which performance is relatively easy to measure and plot over time. But plenty of additional studies have also examined other fields, including business.

No substitute for hard work

The first major conclusion is that nobody is great without work. It's nice to believe that if you find the field where you're naturally gifted, you'll be great from day one, but it doesn't happen. There's no evidence of high-level performance without experience or practice.

Reinforcing that no-free-lunch finding is vast evidence that even the most accomplished people need around ten years of hard work before becoming world-class, a pattern so well established researchers call it the ten-year rule.

What about Bobby Fischer, who became a chess grandmaster at 16? Turns out the rule holds: He'd had nine years of intensive study. And as John Horn of the University of Southern California and Hiromi Masunaga of California State University observe, "The ten-year rule represents a very rough estimate, and most researchers regard it as a minimum, not an average." In many fields (music, literature) elite performers need 20 or 30 years' experience before hitting their zenith.

So greatness isn't handed to anyone; it requires a lot of hard work. Yet that isn't enough, since many people work hard for decades without approaching greatness or even getting significantly better. What's missing?

Practice makes perfect

The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to what the researchers call "deliberate practice." It's activity that's explicitly intended to improve performance, that reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results and involves high levels of repetition.

For example: Simply hitting a bucket of balls is not deliberate practice, which is why most golfers don't get better. Hitting an eight-iron 300 times with a goal of leaving the ball within 20 feet of the pin 80 percent of the time, continually observing results and making appropriate adjustments, and doing that for hours every day - that's deliberate practice.

Consistency is crucial. As Ericsson notes, "Elite performers in many diverse domains have been found to practice, on the average, roughly the same amount every day, including weekends."

Evidence crosses a remarkable range of fields. In a study of 20-year-old violinists by Ericsson and colleagues, the best group (judged by conservatory teachers) averaged 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over their lives; the next-best averaged 7,500 hours; and the next, 5,000. It's the same story in surgery, insurance sales, and virtually every sport. More deliberate practice equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance.

The skeptics

Not all researchers are totally onboard with the myth-of-talent hypothesis, though their objections go to its edges rather than its center. For one thing, there are the intangibles. Two athletes might work equally hard, but what explains the ability of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to perform at a higher level in the last two minutes of a game?

Researchers also note, for example, child prodigies who could speak, read or play music at an unusually early age. But on investigation those cases generally include highly involved parents. And many prodigies do not go on to greatness in their early field, while great performers include many who showed no special early aptitude.

Certainly some important traits are partly inherited, such as physical size and particular measures of intelligence, but those influence what a person doesn't do more than what he does; a five-footer will never be an NFL lineman, and a seven-footer will never be an Olympic gymnast. Even those restrictions are less severe than you'd expect: Ericsson notes, "Some international chess masters have IQs in the 90s." The more research that's done, the more solid the deliberate-practice model becomes.

Real-world examples

Many great athletes are legendary for the brutal discipline of their practice routines. In basketball, Michael Jordan practiced intensely beyond the already punishing team practices. (Had Jordan possessed some mammoth natural gift specifically for basketball, it seems unlikely he'd have been cut from his high school team.)

In football, all-time-great receiver Jerry Rice - passed up by 15 teams because they considered him too slow - practiced so hard that other players would get sick trying to keep up.

Tiger Woods is a textbook example of what the research shows. Because his father introduced him to golf at an extremely early age - 18 months - and encouraged him to practice intensively, Woods had racked up at least 15 years of practice by the time he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, at age 18. Also in line with the findings, he has never stopped trying to improve, devoting many hours a day to conditioning and practice, even remaking his swing twice because that's what it took to get even better.

The business side

The evidence, scientific as well as anecdotal, seems overwhelmingly in favor of deliberate practice as the source of great performance. Just one problem: How do you practice business? Many elements of business, in fact, are directly practicable. Presenting, negotiating, delivering evaluations, deciphering financial statements - you can practice them all.

Still, they aren't the essence of great managerial performance. That requires making judgments and decisions with imperfect information in an uncertain environment, interacting with people, seeking information - can you practice those things too? You can, though not in the way you would practice a Chopin etude.

Instead, it's all about how you do what you're already doing - you create the practice in your work, which requires a few critical changes. The first is going at any task with a new goal: Instead of merely trying to get it done, you aim to get better at it.

Report writing involves finding information, analyzing it and presenting it - each an improvable skill. Chairing a board meeting requires understanding the company's strategy in the deepest way, forming a coherent view of coming market changes and setting a tone for the discussion. Anything that anyone does at work, from the most basic task to the most exalted, is an improvable skill.

Adopting a new mindset

Armed with that mindset, people go at a job in a new way. Research shows they process information more deeply and retain it longer. They want more information on what they're doing and seek other perspectives. They adopt a longer-term point of view. In the activity itself, the mindset persists. You aren't just doing the job, you're explicitly trying to get better at it in the larger sense.

Again, research shows that this difference in mental approach is vital. For example, when amateur singers take a singing lesson, they experience it as fun, a release of tension. But for professional singers, it's the opposite: They increase their concentration and focus on improving their performance during the lesson. Same activity, different mindset.

Feedback is crucial, and getting it should be no problem in business. Yet most people don't seek it; they just wait for it, half hoping it won't come. Without it, as Goldman Sachs leadership-developm ent chief Steve Kerr says, "it's as if you're bowling through a curtain that comes down to knee level. If you don't know how successful you are, two things happen: One, you don't get any better, and two, you stop caring." In some companies, like General Electric, frequent feedback is part of the culture. If you aren't lucky enough to get that, seek it out.

Be the ball

Through the whole process, one of your goals is to build what the researchers call "mental models of your business" - pictures of how the elements fit together and influence one another. The more you work on it, the larger your mental models will become and the better your performance will grow.

Andy Grove could keep a model of a whole world-changing technology industry in his head and adapt Intel (Charts) as needed. Bill Gates, Microsoft's (Charts) founder, had the same knack: He could see at the dawn of the PC that his goal of a computer on every desk was realistic and would create an unimaginably large market. John D. Rockefeller, too, saw ahead when the world-changing new industry was oil. Napoleon was perhaps the greatest ever. He could not only hold all the elements of a vast battle in his mind but, more important, could also respond quickly when they shifted in unexpected ways.

That's a lot to focus on for the benefits of deliberate practice - and worthless without one more requirement: Do it regularly, not sporadically.

Why?

For most people, work is hard enough without pushing even harder. Those extra steps are so difficult and painful they almost never get done. That's the way it must be. If great performance were easy, it wouldn't be rare. Which leads to possibly the deepest question about greatness. While experts understand an enormous amount about the behavior that produces great performance, they understand very little about where that behavior comes from.

The authors of one study conclude, "We still do not know which factors encourage individuals to engage in deliberate practice." Or as University of Michigan business school professor Noel Tichy puts it after 30 years of working with managers, "Some people are much more motivated than others, and that's the existential question I cannot answer - why."

The critical reality is that we are not hostage to some naturally granted level of talent. We can make ourselves what we will.

Strangely, that idea is not popular. People hate abandoning the notion that they would coast to fame and riches if they found their talent. But that view is tragically constraining, because when they hit life's inevitable bumps in the road, they conclude that they just aren't gifted and give up.

Maybe we can't expect most people to achieve greatness. It's just too demanding. But the striking, liberating news is that greatness isn't reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone.

The most updated information on the routes at Nyamuk can be located at Rock Climbing - Nyamuk.  However, I do have some older stuff that I picked up along the way which no longer seems to have a home on the web so I'm giving it this little space.  If you find it useful, I'm glad.  Some of the following used to be available on Rock Climbing, but for some reason, somebody saw fit to delete it... 

There have been more new developments to Nyamuk since I saved the following information, so the link above will be required to supplement this information.

A picture speaks a thousand words, so here's my map on how to get there:

Alternatively, there are some written directions on how to find Nyamuk wall at:

The Rock Pod - Nyamuk (route information on this site is obsolete, though)

Rock Climbing - Nyamuk

The book "Climb Malaysia" also has a good section of Nyamuk, although the route information will be a little out of date by now...

There are now quite a number of sections in Nyamuk, so I find the following diagram helpful for identifying where each section is located.

The followign are the old route descriptions from Rock Climbing - Nyamuk.  I saved these quite some time back, so I'm pretty certain there ought to be some new routes added to this list since then.

ANOPHELES

17 m high freestanding boulder at the left side of the crag. Nice for instructing purposes. Range of difficulty 5.8 - 5.10d.

1.      Merdekar-Crash 5.10a, 6 bolts, 17m, start at the big stalactite that marks the centre of the overhanging side of Anopheles. Nice and pumpy. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Oct 7 2003)

2.      Project 6 bolts, right of Merdekar-Crash. (Dec 8 2003)

3.      Lariam 5.9, 6 bolts, 17 m, left of "Adreanachrome", nice left traverse and superb holds to the top. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

4.      Adrenachrome 5.9, natural pro, 17m, nice left leaning crack that leads through the slab of Anopheles. The crack offers all kind of sizes. Ideal to learn how to use natural protection. (Nov 23 2003)

5.      Fansidar 5.8, 5 bolts, 15 m, on the slab right of "Adrenachrome", good beginner route. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

6.      Ticks and Tape 5.9, 4 bolts, 14m, right of Fansidar, starts right of the block, just a bit lower than the neighbouring routes. Crux is obviously the start, if you help yourself with the tree, the route is much easier. (Nov 23 2003)

SHIELDTOX

Most of the single pitch routes are 30 m long and offer vertical to slightly overhanging climbing. Range of difficulty: 5.9 - 5.12c.

1.      Orange Juice 5.7, 4 bolts, 14 m, a good beginner route that follows the walkable ramp at the left hand side of Shieldtox. A step up on a stalactite leads to a huge ledge and the anchor. FA: P. Andrey (Sep 23 2003)

2.      Oxymoron 5.11b, 10 bolts, 29 m, great route with technical crux after juggy traverse. This route is a prolongation of Two Pints, actually the most left route at Shieldtox and Nyamuk. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3.      Le Futur 5.11a, 10 bolts, 30m, leading though the reddish rock at the very left of Shieldtox. Definitely one of the best 6c's in the country! Maybe a bit tricky at the start, but then good holds all the way with an exceptional finish on first class rock. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

4.      Station to Station 5.10c, bolted, This is a funny traverse starting with "Two Pints" and traversing all the way to the top of "Voltaren". The second pitch follows the huge ledge to the right and then again traversing all the way to a belay on top of "Osmosis". From here it is planned to traverse another 3 pitches, but this has not been climbed yet. FA: : P. Andrey, J. Peet (Nov 23 2003)

5.      Two Pints 5.8, 4 bolts, Direct start to "Orange Juice". This start is also used for "Le Futur ...". Two Pints was the incentive Shannon would have received if he would have on sighted "Diaper Jaya". Unfortunately he did not, so he only got a glass of Orange Juice. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

6.      Stigmata 5.12c, 11 bolts, 30 m, very small crimps and balancy at crux, pumpy ending. FA: Kevin Tan (Dec 28 2003)

7.      Love at first bite 5.12c, 11 bolts, 32 m, excellent route with a dead point boulder move that marks the crux half way up the route. After the crux very nice and sustained climbing. One of the best routes in Nyamuk. FA: Philip Lim (Dec 7 2003)

8.      Chess 5.11d, 10 bolts, 30 m of exposed climbing left of "Diaper Jaya". The route is marked by the prominent roof that awaits the challenger after 20 m of nice, but dicey climbing. This roof leads to a perfect hand crack. Where the crack ends the crux starts (just before the anchor)The route was named after "Chess", our cute and stubborn black and white rabbit who jumped off the balcony and said good by to this world while I was climbing the route. FA. P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

9.      Don't Underbreak Me 5.9, 10 bolts, 2 threads, 31 m, follows Diaper Jaya for 6 bolts, then heads left up thru the reddish crumbly looking rock onto the ledge and spacey to the anchor. Fa: P. Andrey (Dec 28 2003)

10. Lau Beh 5.11c, 12 bolts, 31 m, extension of Diaper Jaya. instead of heading right to the anchor you tackle the overhang on top of the route. Fa P. Andrey (Jan 17 2004

11. Diaper Jaya 5.10b, 9 bolts, 29 m, nice line following the black dihedral left of "Bowel Movement" (sharing the same anchor)FA: P. Andrey, J. Peet (Dec 28 2003)

12. Bowel Movement 5.10a, 8 bolts, 28 m, beautiful 6a route left of "Pear", leading through reddish rock on constantly good holds. First of a series of easy routes that were bolted with the aim to offer a new climbing area to the KL climbing community. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Dec 28 2003)

13. Pear 5.12a, 8 bolts, 27 m, straight forward on crimps leading through the black rock right of "Bowel Movement". FA: Aswadi Noor (Nov 23 2003)

14. In Guns we trust 5.9, 10 bolts, 30 m, nice route that leads into the prominent flake in the centre of Shieldtox. Crux at the end when you are forced to leave the cosy environment of the inside of the flake. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

15. Bangsar Babes Backdrop 5.10b, 10 bolts, 30 m, this exceptional route runs along the left side of the prominent root that leaads to the big ledge above the right part of Shieldtox. Technical slab-climbing for most of the route, however the finish is overhanging on big squared holds. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

16. Voltaren 5.10a, 10 bolts, 28 m, right exit variation of "Bangsar Babes" leading on top of the big ledge. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

17. Kamchatka 5.10b, 8 bolts, 25 m, start left of "Shiok Sendiri", similar outfit, but a little bit easier than Shiok. The rapell anchor was placed low in order to keep the difficulties moderate. FA: Fa, P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

18. Shiok Sendiri 5.10b, 8 bolts, 27 m, superb route starting next to the big tree located in front of the central slab of Shieldtox. Steep start, followed by a slab that leads to a vertical section and overhanging finish. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

19. Hot Tempered Freaking Glue Gun 5.10d, 10 bolts, 30m, shares start with Shiok Sendiri, then heads right up the slab to a bulge where the crux is waiting. Then follows a jugfest that makes you smile. FA: Akmal Noor and Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

20. Prophylaxis 5.12c, 11 bolts, 32 m, right of " Hot Tempered Freaking Glue Gun", after technical start easy cruising to a powerful move that tests your flexibility. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

DENGUE

This is the playground for hard movers: Long and technical challenging routes on slightly overhanging bombastic rock. Range of difficulty: 5.12a - 5.13c.

1.      Foreign Investment 5.12a, 12 bolts, 32 meters, first third of easy cruising leading to a technical crux followed by good holds that test your stamina.FA: P. Andrey (Sep 18 2003)

2.      Osmosis 5.12d, 14 bolts, 37 metres long by about 6 metres overhanging. nice stamina climb with technical crux. Pumpy stalactite marks the first third of the route, then crimps that lead to another stalactite. Pumpy again at the end. FA:Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3.      Project (Dec 1 2003)

4.      The Pledge 5.13b, 8 bolts, 25 m, slightly overhanging technical climb an crimps. most beautiful climb in Malaysia. FA: Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

5.      IMM (Integrated Mosquito Management) 5.13c, 15 bolts, Extension of "The Pledge". Another 17 meters of steep and pumpy climbing, partly on stalactites.FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

FUMAKILLA

With nearly 100 m highest sector of Nyamuk, though most of the routes are single pitch. Range of difficulty: 5.8 - 5.12b.

1.      Moral Moron 5.12b, 6 bolts, Nice line left of "Monkeyland", onto the ledge where the difficulties begin: powerful moves at bolt 2 and 3, then up the stalactite to a smooth section that needs commitment. The rest is good holds on stalactites. FA: Adi Noor (Nov 23 2003)

2.      Monkey Land 5.12a, 6 bolts, 17 m, crux that requires finger power and commitment. FA: Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3.      Two Drops 5.10c, 5 bolts, 16 m, route right of "Monkey Land". Mantle on a ledge, a stalactite/dihedral to go for and a nice crack at its end. Scary enough to let go two drops on the way up. FA: Jeremy Peet (Nov 23 2003)

4.      My Favourite Things 5.10d, 5 bolts, 16 m, right of "Two Drops", nice challenging halfway up the route. FA: Yves Gosselin, Andy Rylance (Nov 23 2003)

5.      Alam Flora 5.10c, 3 bolts, 12 m, nice little route right of "My Favourite Things", one tricky move, plenty of jugs at the end. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

6.      Jalan Sehala 5.9, 4 bolts, 12 m, left of the big vine tree leading up on big steps through the embracing branches. FA.P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

7.      Ilias 5.10c, 4 bolts, 12 m, start shared with "Training Day", going left into the obvious crack. Funky layback move or technical, but much easier solution. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

8.      Ulysse 5.10b, 4 bolts, 13 m, named after Marco’s newborn son. This route shares the start with "Training Day", but heads straight up. Technical climb on sharp holds. FA: Marco Beurret, Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

9.      Training Day 5.10d, bolted, 4 pitch route that leads thru the highest part of Nyamuk and skirts the prominent triangular roof that leaps over Fumakilla sector. Start at the stalactite next to the impressive vine-tree that marks the centre of Fumakilla. Total route length about 100m, pitches: 5c, 5b+, 6b, 5c. The crux pitch is a stunning dihedral of 30m length that asks for sophisticated stemming. FA: by Patrick Andrey and Jeremy Peet (Nov 23 2003)

10. First May Variant 5.7, bolted, 1 sling, Follows the second pitch of “Training Day”, then heads up and to the right to the anchor of "Labour Day". This route was climbed and crawled through on Natural Pro by Patrick and Yen while the wall was still covered with thick vines. It was used as a access route in order to bolt the routes at Fumakilla. (Nov 23 2003)

11. Labour Day 5.10b, 4 bolts, 15 m, this route starts on the ledge above the first pitch of training day. a bit hidden, this line is not climbed often, since not many people have had knowledge about its existence. Go for it, its a nice, however a bit committing climb. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

12. Training Rules 5.10a, 6 bolts, Combination of Training day and Rules of Attraction. Use the big ledge to cross over and enjoy the big jugs of RoA. FA: David Roderick (Nov 23 2003)

13. The Rules of Attraction 5.11a, 6 bolts, Route right of Training Day. Start at huge, but sharp holds, followed by the crux on crimps. The second part leads through reddish rock with excellent jugs. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

14. Stupid With Manners 5.11c, 6 bolts, Boulder start that requires weird balancing moves (Jan 18 2004

15. David et la Marseilleaise 5.11a, 5 bolts, Route right of "Stupid with manners". 16 m, powerful start on sharp stalactite. the rest is easy. FA: Marco Beurret (Nov 23 2003)

16. Dirk Diggler 5.9, 9 bolts, 27 m, left of "Fire Starter", shares the same start, then heads left to a bulge. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

17. Fire Starter 5.8, 8 bolts, 1 sling, 28 m, follows the crack/dihedral that divides Fumakilla. Layback at the 2nd bolt, easy for crack climbers, unusual for limestone FA: P. Andrey,J. Peet (Nov 23 2003)

18. Up in Smoke 5.9, 7 bolts, 2 slings, 26m, starts with "Fire Starter", heads left above the big block and up the stalactites. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

19. Because I Got High 5.10d, 5 bolts, Route to the far right of Fumakilla. 17 m, following the obvious dihedral through smooth rock to a finish with a nice surprise. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

RIDSECT

Sector at the right of Fumakilla. Can be reached directly from below (turn right at the bolder next to the last house and follow the trail slightly to the right) or you scramble down from the right hand side of Fumakilla. The left hand side of this sector offers climbing on stalactites of all sizes, the right hand side has smoother rock similar to White Wall. Range of difficulty: 5.10b - 5.10b.

1.      Daisy Chain 5.10b, 12 bolts, This route takes the furthest left lane of the rows of stalactites at the left hand side of "Ridsect". Good holds all the way. Watch out when lowering, this route is 32m long! FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Oct 17 2003)

2.      Tribute to Jimmy Pop 5.10b, 9 bolts, 2 threads, 32m, climb the row of stalactites right of Daisy Chain. Crux at the overhanging finish. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3.      Limited Liability 5.10b, 8 bolts, left of “800 Bucks Down the Hill”, the route follows the obvious crack. FA: P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

4.      800 Bucks Down the Hill 5.10b, 9 bolts, left of Otesanek, a crack leads to a comfortable ledge, from there steep up on good holds. FA: Mike Tee

5.      Otesanek 5.10c, 5 bolts, short route that starts left of the obvious stilt root at the right hand side of Ridsect. The route follows the dihedral. FA: P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

6.      The Legacy of Luna 5.10d, 9 bolts, 24m, route at the right hand side of Ridsect, start right of the tree/root of "Otesanek". Technical and a good test for your onsight capabilities FA: P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

LARVA

This is the huge boulder/rock that marks the entrance of Nyamuk. At the moment there are 3 short routes along the trail to "Fumakilla". Range of difficulty: 5.7 - 5.10c. (Dec 1 2003)

1.      Pulpit 5.7, 3 threads, 11 m, start at the stalactite left of "Stoning Lee". Check out the hollow stalactite that gave the name to this line.FA: Peet, Andrey (Oct 19 2003)

2.      Stoning Lee 5.10c, 3 bolts, 11m, taking the overhanging wall left of "Easy Root". Lee got hit by a stone when Jeremy went for the anchor. FA: J. Peet (Oct 19 2003)

3.      Easy Root 5.8, 1 bolt, 1 thread, 9m, this route is characterized by the root that leads the way and disapears through a tunnel at the very top. FA: J. Peet (Nov 23 2003)

The information on Damai is bountiful, so I'll leave you to explore the following webpages on your own...

Nomad Adventure - Damai

Rock Pod - Damai

Wira Adventure Consultant - Damai

Rock Climbing - Damai