Drama and the Enduring Human Spirit- Yuzuru and Nathan

Before the 2014 Cup of China figure ice skating competition, Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu had a hard collision with fellow skater during the warm up. Yet even physically challenged, he continued to compete, falling, falling, falling and performing exemplary well to eventually win gold.

It was hurting every time he fell. It was hurting when he completed his performance. It was piercing painful when he won. With determination, discipline, he stood up, setbacks and defeats were overcome. Underneath the slim frame, playfulness and soft face are grace, stamina, balance and incredible mental and physical power.

American ice skate Nathan Chen performed excellently well, almost to perfection in the 2018 Free Skate US Nationals qualifying round. Yet in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he too fell but continued to perform his best although did not earn his country an expected medal. An Olympic medal may be elusive to Chen now. Only 18 years ago, this game changer figure skater will eventually still game change.

Receiving a heroes' welcome in Sendai, Japan. Grabbed from The Japan Times

Such is the drama in life. And the youths are showing us how, inspiring us with their enduring human spirit.

Yuzuru Hanyu interpreting Phantom of the Opera at the 2014 Cup of China

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49WXMahukJ8&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT1bCZWpnIs&feature=youtu.be

Yuzuru Hanyu's high scoring short program performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xExaNU9KpPU
https://viuly.io/video/-yuzuru-hanyu-sp-2018-201944

Hanyu FS 2018
https://viuly.io/video/-yuzuru-hanyu-fs-win-2018-204350

Hanyu 2017 WBC Season's Best
https://youtu.be/vV52YzH9LY8

Nathan Chen perfect execution at the 2018 US Free Skate US Nationals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pc8I573_n0&feature=youtu.be

Nathan Chen short program performance (with falls) at the 2018 Winter Olympic PyeongChang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYAxqxMuMcg&feature=youtu.be

Nathan Chen's high scoring long program performance at the 2018 Winter Olympic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8cipo5buk0

Who is Nathan Chen? Link to the article printed in The New York Times “Why Nathan Chen Shuns Sequins Going into the Olympics, Chen looked like the United States’ best shot at a gold medal in figure skating. His long program is built on the story of a Chinese defector.”

Nathan Chen and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

Perfection from the young Winter Olympic Figure Skaters

I first saw by chance Yuzuru Hanyu, 23 years old figure skater from Japan live on ESPN TV5 competing in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Watching his performance, I was glued forming these thoughts in my mind. “Form, structure, movement, balance dramatically presented as a result of discipline, determination, perfection and alignment of all elements while performing. A visual delight in a highly competitive sports. His passion for perfection and excellence inspires!”

Even with setbacks, he recovered and moved on to an amazing victory winning Gold in the combined short and long program. He suffered from an ankle injury months before, almost fell twice in the long program but eventually earned the Gold for the combined event.

New York Times in an article written about his phenomenal writes: "But he displayed sufficient stamina, jumping ability, elastic spins and ethereal grace to win a second consecutive gold medal, becoming the first men’s repeat champion since Dick Button of the United States in 1948 and 1952.

Hanyu, 23, also prevailed with cunning strategy. He placed two of his four quadruple jumps and all of his combination jumps in the second half of his performance, receiving bonus points given to skaters at a point when their legs begin to tire in a four and a half minute routine"

This passion for perfection was not exclusive to Yuzuru nor to his nation. Similarly, I was a witness too to the fall and recovery of 18 year old Chinese American skater Nathan Chen. He fell in the short program costing him important points and went on to enjoy and thrill the judges in the long program earning for him the top score. But not enough to win a medal for U.S.A. this 2018. Soon, he will earn the top spot.

The youth have started to rule the world, breaking records, earning recognition. Their brand of discipline marked with fun and eagerness, strong determination and aspiration, recovery from setbacks and their drive for pushing themselves to the limit and for perfection set them apart from the mortals. Specifically for Yuzuru, he demonstrated to us how the Japanese youth core values molded him such as “thinking of others, doing your best, not giving up, respecting your elders, knowing your role, and working in a group.”

Yuzuru and Nathan inspire us. They deliver the message to the elder generations that there are no shortcuts to life. It starts with a desire, transformed into a dream, working on it as a recreation, a a career, a passion and eventually an obsession to push one self to the limits, not giving up. Then they game change.

Some quotes from Yuzuru Hanyu.

“I believe failure is the stepping stone for success. You won’t realize some problems unless you fail.”

"I want to push the sport. I want to push myself!”

“I want to be number 1!”

Articles written about them:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/sports/olympics/figure-skating-yuzuru-hanyu.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/nathan-chen-becomes-first-skater-in-history-to-hit-six-quads-in-competition/2018/02/16/613a1b66-1309-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html?utm_term=.4934c33e59eb

______________________________

Article on World and Olympic Records

https://sportymags.wordpress.com/2018/03/07/yuzuru-hanyu-a-look-at-the-difference-between-world-and-olympic-records/

What is the Difference between a World and Olympic Record?

• An Olympic Record is the best performance of any athlete or team in the history of Olympic competition in that sport and event.  The letters “OR” stands for Olympic Record which is a record that can be achieved only at the Olympic games.
• A World Record is the best recorded performance at a sanctioned event anywhere internationally.  The letters “WR” denote a World Record.  In figure skating, the international event must be sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU).
• Therefore, a World Record can be the same or better than an Olympic Record, but an Olympic record cannot be better than a World Record.
• **If a World Record is beaten at the Olympic Games then both the OR and WR will change to that new score.

So what happened at this Olympics (2018)?  Unfortunately, most tv channels did not properly show WR and OR designations on the screen like they normally do during Olympic events.  This is too bad since it is such a remarkable achievement that should be highlighted for the athlete!

Mens Short Program: 

• Yuzu’s score of 101.45 from Sochi 2014 was the current Olympic Record for the mens short program.  In 2018 Pyeongchang, Shoma broke Yuzu’s Olympic record with a score of 103.25 during the team event.  Shoma’s record held until the following week when the mens singles event started.
• Since Yuzu skated first in the last group, his score of 111.68 broke Shoma’s new Olympic Record and the Olympic Record was back in Yuzu’s hands!!
• OR: Yuzu continues to be the Olympic Record holder with a score of 111.68 for the mens short program.   
• WR: Yuzu’s World Record of 112.72 (2017 ACI) still stands as the current World Record for a mens short program.

Mens Free Program:

• We tend to be focused on “World Records” and surprisingly enough, there was not much fanfare when Yuzu actually broke the “Olympic Record” in 2014 Sochi.  Yuzu’s score of 178.64 beat out Patrick Chan score of 178.10 for the new Olympic Record in the mens free program.  This achievement was not a new World Record at the time, and was overshadowed by Yuzu winning the Gold Medal as well.  Yuzu’s Sochi free program score of 178.64 beat the 2010 Olympic record set by Evan Lysacek of 167.37.
• Flash forward to 2018 and Patrick Chan actually broke Yuzu’s free program Olympic Record during the team event with a score of 179.75!!
• About a week later, based on the order of skate in the free program (Nathan, Boyang, Yuzu, Javi, Shoma), Nathan broke Patricks’ newly set Olympic Record of 179.75 with a score of 215.08.   None of the final group of skaters scored higher than that.
• OR: Nathan holds the Olympic Record for the mens free program with a score of 215.08.
• WR: Yuzu’s score of 223.20 (2017 Worlds) is still the current World Record score for a mens free skate.

Mens Total Score:

• From 2014 Sochi, Yuzu broke the previous 2010 Olympic Record for Mens Total Score (held by Even Lysacek with 257.67) with a total combined score of 280.09.
• In 2018 Pyeongchang, again, due to skate order, Yuzu’s Olympic Record of 280.09 was beaten first by Nathan Chen with a total score of 297.35.  Nathan’s new Olympic record was subsequently broken again by Boyang Jin with a total combined score of 297.77!!
• Yuzu skated 4th in the final group and broke Boyang’s new Olympic Record with a new combined score of 317.85, and the Gold medal was his.
• OR: Yuzu remains the Olympic Record holder for Total Score in the mens figure skating event with a score of 317.85.  
• WR: Yuzu’s score of 330.43 (2015 GPF) still stands as the current World Record.

At the end of the day, Yuzu still holds 5 out of 6 of the combined Olympic and World Records!  This is NOT a small feat in today’s competitive environment!  One thing to note though, is that the previous 2014 Olympic records were not just beat by fractions of points, they were beat significantly from the 2014 games.  This is due to a combination of changes both to the scoring system and the quad explosion.

With the upcoming change in the scoring system next season, it’s hard to guess what will happen to these records.  My personal wish is that they stand for all time.  I don’t want to see these records broken simply because judges have a broader range of GOE bonus points to hand out like candy.  What will one less jumping pass for the men do to the potential scores they can achieve?  What will the shorter free program length do to the men.  Even if the world records are broken (presumably by Yuzu himself), how can you compare one record to another when someone changes the rules to the game???

A Tribute to my Friend Ernie T

Ernie is never home.

Ernie is a fine chap. That is why I hit it well with him since our acquaintances at J Walter Thompson in the late 80's.

He is jolly and whimsical but a deep sense of conviction and faith. Jolly as in playful like Peter Pan. Conviction for what he believes is morally right. Deep faith for his belief in God, his religiosity and subscription to Christian principles.

He has a bag full of tricks. The tricks are funny but not rib tickling. Because his jokes are studied, lines memorized but nevertheless still funny.

Ernie has an interest for the classical in music and in the opera. Vienna interests him for the rich heritage. He owns a mini sound system and a car stereo so he can play his soothing world sound.

He loves going out; out of Metro Manila and out of his house. Once we went to La Union on a weekend to oversee a project just to have a change of pace. Once from a night out we went home late and bumped his Mitsubishi Mirage head on with a cab just as we were reaching his homestretch at Project 4. Just to test how it was to be frivolous I guessed.

As he moved out of J Walter Thompson and eventually out of the Philippines, Ernie was never home. Weekends I find myself checking at his home window to find out if he was around. He wasn't at the basketball court, he wasn't at his bedroom. Most of the time his schedule was booked. Calls to him phone would generate a reply, "He is somewhere else."

On his two important milestones, he wasn't home. On the eve of his wedding, he was in Baguio while we and his J Walter Thompson friends were still in Manila. On his death, we were early at the Sanctuario and couldn't wait for him. He still wasn't home.

The one surprise I got from Ernie was his immediate reply to my email sent forwarded to Canada. Not in the form of a letter but in a call. To say he was home to face his test.

Right now, Ernie now feels the most at home from among all of us. And it is in the home where one is most secure and in bliss. That I'm sure is where he is.

Chito Razon 11 May 2000

Connected but Uncommitted

Thrice they connected but did not commit, twice by chance, final one deliberate. Unforgettable experiences are best kept intact in the memory to perpetually mystify them. Celeste, the graphic artist and Jesse, the rock star vet med doctor are two complex persons not comfortable with settlement. When you pin them down, the ecstatic feeling of the memory slowly gets shattered. "Baka ganito tayo talaga. Never to stay. Maybe we just came to make each other happy." Their continual separation is painful yet it is what makes them human. Yet it is in others that we find happiness "when skies are gray." from the song "You are my sunshine." And the other won't know, "how much you love them."

Sensitive actors, a sober and mature Carlo Aquino and Bella Padilla essayed their roles in #meetmeinsaintgallen a well-crafted creation of writer director Irene Villamor too well, I felt for them.

Clothing and Equipment for a 14°C Trek

Only now did I have the chance to write about my expedition to the Cordilleras after Christmas for 4 days.

It was an alpine climb (almost) in the highest points in Luzon participated by 29 trekkers mainly from our club, the PAL Mountaineering Club. Climb covered 3 mountains-Mt. Panatoan (2,422 m ASL), Mt. Pulag (2,922 m ASL), and Mt. Babadak (2,589 m ASL). To reach the jump-off point, we took a 6-hour bus ride to Baguio and another 6-hour jeepney ride in the mountainous roads of Benguet. I headed 1 group of 10 members, most of them professionals. Average temperature was 14°C, manageable if not for the intermittent rains and gusty winds.

I was safely equipped for this type of weather. I brought the Columbia Outer Shell and the inner fleece jacket for use in the camp site and in the trail when it doesn't rain, the white thermal uppers and lowers which I used as my sleeping clothes and the Thinsulate gloves. I wore a Nike Dri-Fit long sleeve t-shirt for 4 days in the trail. When the temperature dropped and the rains poured, I put over as an overlay a breathable TNF Parka Jacket. I needed to recycle trekking clothes as I didn’t want to run out of dry outfits at the campsite. A Thorlo socks was all that I used for the duration of the expedition. All fabrics are breathable, quick drying and water and wind resistant (except for the socks and the thermals).

For sleeping, I set up a TNF Starlight, which provided a warm and dry shelter. Supplementing my energy requirements during the trek was a third of the mixed trail food pack from the U.S. It really provided instant fuel preventing temperature drops and fatigue.

We trekked for 4 hours on the first day, 9 hours on the 2nd day, 5 hours on the 3rd day and 4 hours on the last day.

It was a most fulfilling week, a good summary of all the climbs for the year. I did not experience any fatigue or shortness of breath. Our 9 meals were well planned, slept an average of 7 hours in the camp, would knock off at 9 and wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning. I only felt tired when I boarded the bus in Baguio to go back to Manila dawn of 31st December to reach Manila before New Year. After breakfast in the house at 7 AM with members of the family, I was soundly and deeply asleep for the next 6 hours, enough recharge to meet the 1999 New Year.

During the solitary moments in the trail when the temperature was dropping, I said some prayers, both for myself and for all of you that I committed to do so in my Christmas cards. I said thanks for the good health, the good fortune, the strong family support and the company of friends. I also asked the sacred mountain to clarify my personal and professional directions for the coming years. The Cordillera mountain is powerful enough to grant me that.

Happy 1999

The Outdoors in a New Light

When you escape to the outdoors and you relish the experience, you wish the moment can linger a little more. Photography comes in to capture the light.

That's the message I picked up viewing about a hundred of slides presented by PALMC president and workshop lecturer Banny Hermanos at the MFPI Creative Outdoors Photography Workshop held last 3 April 2004 at the PAL Learning Center in Padre Faura.

Taken by no less than the lecturer himself who by education is an architect, the slides dramatize graphically the module of the workshop: the basics on the principles of photography and creative effective compositions.

Banny pointed out the principles using his works in finding the center of interest; recognizing the graphic elements of design as line, shape, form, pattern, texture and color and using the visual elements of balance, proportion, scale, content, rhythm and repetition. In words, they seem overwhelming, in pictures, they are breathtaking.

On behalf of the handful of participants who showed up for the free show, we can only be grateful. Seeing the slides of Banny is already in itself a treat. When in time we ourselves can create better compositions from the techniques shared, we will appreciate creating the light even more.

 Chito 6 April 2004

Stepping out of the Banny Hermanos’ module of “The Outdoors in a New Light, I can’t help but appreciate the works of Mr. Ed Songco featured in his offbeat website http://eds1979.dk3.com . Ed’s works exemplify the principle shared with us on a strong center of interest.  See how he anchors his composition with a strong visual element in Capones, Akiki and Flowers.

Ed states with humility “kindly lower your expectations; photography is not my profession, I just want to capture some moments, and keep them in my collection.”

View the album and judge for yourself. All of them will end up being your favorites.

Thanks Ferdz (another graphic designer) for sharing his album with us. Ferdz is also another skillful visual and web artist. His works at http://www.ironwulf.net/ speak for himself.

-Chito

18 June 2004

Ma-High-High

Ma-High-High: PAL Climb ba? O Palmolive Climb. May Commonwealth pa at La Mesa!

PAL MC climb. PAL not for Philippine Air Line but for PALmolive. The biggest delegation of this spontaneous climb comes from Colgate-Palmolive composed of Joshua, Jojoy, Juno, Herman, Wing and Mayan.

Named “Wet, Wild & Dirty Fun Climb.” Wet dahil obvious ba?  Pagbasa na, nadudumihan at nagiging wild! You know when people get wild, the water turns dirty!

Ito rin ang launching climb ng mga Commonwealth Climbers. What binds them together is their social history ng pagkatopak. We are not talking of Kuratong Baleleng.

But people like JV Duque. Regular fun trekker, once every 16 months ang regularity. Pero pag nagsosocials at umiinom, kailangan may flashlight sa puwit ang baso. Para hindi boring at showbiz ang dating. JV works for ABS CBN and is a Fine Arts grad. Sosyal na Commonwealther ito, side ng Don Antonio Heights.

Si Darwin Farin, ang climber na walang tigil sa katatawa. Sobrang siga magclimb. Naka-mojos lang. Kaya nang pauwi, parang spring ang tuhod para huwag madulas.  Madulas rin! Taga Batasan ng Commowealth.

Barry Barcelo, kunwari titser. Kunwari may long-distance relationship. Mahilig sa tutoring mas lalo na kung may distance na orig na ka relasyon. Sobrang tutor lalo na sa mga babaeng initiates. Address ni Barry? Parteng Bulacan ng Commonwealth.

Rina Tiangco. Ears and eyes mo mapapatrek din. Makwento at magaslaw. Mapapagod ka sa kasusunod sa kanya.  Hindi pa natin pinag-uusapan ang aerobics na may pasigaw-sigaw na ang 4, 3, 2, 1 repeat. Wala pang Jose Cuervo yan. Saan nakatira? Don Antonio Heights off Commonwealth Avenue.

Ang Elmer Cabotage. Hindi mo alam kung on or off ang relasyon, kung serious o nanloloko, kung titser ng prestigious school o head ng physical education department. Kung humble follower or arrogant dictator. Kung strong o emotionally unstable. Elmer, taga Commowealth din.  avorito siya. Favoritong pinagtratrabahong EL.

Chito, ang may akda. Accusation nila, matanda at isang Katipunero. Nababagay daw ako sa address kong Katipunan dahil 1898 ang birth certificate. Hindi bale na, kentennaryo naman.

Hard work itong trek. Mas lalo na sa mga detergents. Mantakin mong halos nilublob ni Joshua ang kalahati ng katawan niyang maputi at mabilbil sa putik na parang kalabaw na isinasawsaw.  Iba talaga ang nasa detergents company. Lahat tinetesting. Palmolive for the body, Optima for the hair, Ajax for the clothes and Colgate for the Adidas shoes. Kaya pala tuwing climb this year, may sumusilip na Colgate logo sa gilid ng group foto shots na parang nang climb din. Pati ground sheets Axion ang nakaprinta. Happy Birthday Joshua. Nawaý you’ll remain the same.  May even the dance steps remain to be the same.

Tawag ko rin dito ay La Mesa Climb. Tuwing pinaliligiran ang mesa sa pagluto at sa pagkain, akala mo aagawin sa kanila ng ibang campers. Napaka-close talaga ng bonding. Hanggang sa pagsubo, ayaw mag-siupo, sagana naman sa pagkain. Pagdating sa post climb, ganoon din, ayaw magsi-alisan sa mesa.

The emcees for the Majayjay socials were Roan and Art o Art and Roan (age ba o beauty?). July naman ang month na ito pero nauwi sa relationship ang usapan. Hindi naman kabilugan ng buwan pero nauwi sa hurting and pain ang dakdakan. Sa tindi siguro ng socials, napressure tuloy ang langit na palamigin ang mga nasa riverside sa pagbuhos ng pagkalakas-lakas na ulan.  Pati tent ni Darwin tinagusan. Ang Jansport ni Jojoy binaha. Coleman ni JV pinasukan ng mga dakdakan.  Jansport ni Barry, nilusob ng mga nagkakantahang mga dilag. In the meantime ano kaya ang nangyayari sa tent nina Rina at Joshua? At sa far away tent nina Herman at Art? Alam kong mabigyan ng masahe ni Enteng si Roan.

Si Mitch, ang most behaved climber. Walang imik, walang reklamo. Pagdating sa bus, hindi makapahinga ang tenga ni Wing sa tuloy-tuloy na kwento ni Mitch. Sa post climb, NonStopDisco Sa Cubao, NonStop din ang pagsasayaw ni Mitch na may cross-stitching pang mga kamay.  Napasubo tuloy ang mga magagandang pamangkin ni Roan.

Most Vocal si Wing.  Panay gamit ng vocal chords sa waterfalls,  may pop tulad ng “don’t go chasing waterfalls . . .” Broadway at Love Songs.  Sa post climb, rocker naman ang galaw ng mga dance movements.  Stretch left arm, stretch right arm, stretch left leg, stretch right leg hanggang nagpakita na ang sunrise.

Most Energetic si Roan. Hyper all the way para bang ito na ang una at huling climb niya.  Pati sa Question and Answer, nangunguna sa pagtanong hanggang sa siya ang tinanong. Natuto ang aming mga puso sa kanya. Thank you for hosting 3 parties: the climb and the post climb at ang party sa jeep.

Hall of Famer na si Barry sa Majayjay. Ito ang 9th climb niya, 9 times na rin siya naligaw. First timers sina Rina, Darwin, Mitch, Juno, Herman. First time silang maputikan. Two timers na sina JV at Mayan. Twice na silang nadulas. Pero mukhang first timers ang lahat sa pagkagat ng malalaking langgam. Aray!

Masaya itong climb. Lahat game. Sa sarap pa lang ng tubig ng talon, mapapahigh ka na. Dagdagan mo pa ang galak ng pagsasama ang mga pagkaing inihanda, ang lamig ng panahon, ang ginhawang dala ng malakas na ulan. Walang pikon, lahat parang nakawala. High talaga itong Majayjay.

Chito 25 July 1996

SANA MAULIT MULI

Ang kati ng kaat ng langgam

Ang itim ng pasa sa  tuhod

Ang hapdi ng tama ng poison ivy

Ang lalim ng hiwa ng dahon.

Imelda Falls

Mayan Slides

Joshua Sticks

Wing Slips

Herman Swims

Jojoy Jumps

Juno Preaches

Ang Sarap Sumama Sa PALmolive Climb

-Wing Torres

Majayjay Group. Pager Club. Gimmick Kids. Puyat People. Call them what you will. They’ve just your average PALMCers. They’re fond of night treks. They’re also fond of losing trails. They have more post-climbs than climbs. They haunt Megamall for jeans and movies. They raid Mondragon for those Nike sales. They hop from bar to bar, guzzling Miller, Blue Ice and Riunite. They go out on gimmicks that last up to 3 (and even 6 am). They call in sick the next day and go to work in the afternoon. Those who do manage to get up in the mornings fall down stairs and report for work in the afternoon. How did this motley crew get stuck with one another? There must have been magic in the hearts of Majayjay that bonded these disparate beings together.

-Mayan Gutierrez

Just been to Majayjay recently this year, 1998. Gone are the crawling through muds, the cutting through rice puddies and the exclusivity. The dirt road has been improved, a CR constructed at the campsite and a parking lot erected right near the stairs. Your 2-hour trek is now down to 5-minutes. The water is still gushing with force, very clear, very clean and cool.  The price of progress. You now camp right beside a mother and her kids who too have all the right to enjoy the falls. But let us keep them from going beyond the top. It might just be beyond them.

-July 1998

At the Roof of the World, in my mind

50 years after man stepped on the roof of the world, the impact it made to the world undoubtedly reveals Everest’s enormous power and energy. BBC featured their version of the 50th Anniversary, which I caught on BBC news last Sunday 1 June 2003 at 5 PM. True to a BBC production, it is well documented and thought provoking. Weeks earlier, National Geographic and Discovery Channel aired their own specials commemorating the first step on the roof of the world 50 years after 29 May 1953. National Geographic’s Surviving Everest chronicles the remarkable expedition back to Everest. Discovery Channels Civilization presents tensions caused by the first climb:

• It was the Swiss who first nearly reached the top with Tenzing as part of the expedition in 1952.
• Tenzing was more loyal to the Swiss than the British. But as the British were scheduled to climb in 1953, the Swiss permitted Tenzing to join.
• The Brits were driven to reach to the peak first because the mountain was in their territory. The Swiss wanted to beat them.
• 1953 was a British Expedition. But it was a New Zealander and a Sherpa who reached the summit.
• Tenzing was pressured on his nationality. Was he Nepali or Indian? He claimed he was born in Nepal, his heart in Nepal and lived in India.
• Did Edmund reach the summit? He has no proof to show he was there. Edmund photographed Tenzing at the top.
• Who stepped on the summit first? At first, it was Tenzing. When they descended, they declared they arrived at the summit together. In Tenzings autobiography, he confessed it was Edmund who reached it first. On some accounts, Tenzing was said to be pulling Edmund up with a rope.
• Tenzing claimed to be very happy to reach the peak and said a prayer in what they regarded as the sacred mountain. Edmund said they knocked the bastard off.
• Edmund was accorded knighthood by the Queen. Tenzing was awarded an honor.
• Lord John Hunt, the British expedition leader of the successful climb never made it to the top. It was he who decided to choose Edmund and Tenzing to assault to the peak.
• 50 years after, we still have to find out the truth about the first climb.

 Chito R. 3 June 2003

------------------------------------

The more I hear of the line "it was Hillary who planned it out as a mountaineer and Tenzing was just that, a guide, the more I am convinced that Tenzing really was the first mortal to step on Everest. Tenzing died lonely with sadness in his heart in India in 1986 as a result of poor health and a drinking problem. It must have been the remorse on the burden of truth. Sir Edmund had his share of misfortune. It was tragic to lose his wife and daughter in 1975 on the same range that made him a knight in 1975.

When I repeatedly deliberate on were the thoughts, "Edmund and Tenzing were different from each before Everest. They were very different after Everest. What was common with them were the ten minutes they were together at the roof of the world," the more I am intrigued, "what did the worlds highest mountain do to them?"

There are about 120 corpses lying in Everest. With every 5 climbers, 1 dies. It is said no one conquers it. They just survive it. Those who survived Everest have these to say.

Q: What words would you use to describe your feelings about Mount Everest?

A: Alive, humbling, unpredictable, exhilarating, empowering.

Q: What words would you use to describe your feelings about the Sherpa people?

A: Hardworking, joyous, loyal, thoughtful, my dearest friends.

-Liesl Clark writer/ producer/director on the filming of Dark Side of Everest

Lorraine: Explain to me a sherpa's approach to mountain climbing compare to how we see it from the west?

Jamling: The mountains have been there the whole time. Sherpa's see the mountain all the time but we never have interest to climb these mountains. It was only when the British and the foreign expeditions started to climb these mountains that the sherpa started to become involved in climbing because it is a way of living for them. And for most of the sherpas, climbing is the bread and butter, lots of them have lost their lives. We don't climb for pleasure at all. We believe most of the mountain is sacred to us. For example, Mount Everest, we called it ''Chomolungma'' which is mother god-ness of the world. And ''Miyolangsangma'' is the deity that resides on Everest so we pray to her all the time. We pray to many of the other mountains surrounding, you know in the Himalayas.

Lorraine: Jamling, would you ever consider stopping mountain climbing, getting a regular job somewhere?

Jamling: I don't think so; I mean I don't see myself sitting in office 9 to 5 at all. And I just enjoy being in the outdoors, climbing mountains. I have stopped climbing Everest but smaller mountains I still continue to climb. Just like being in mountains... it makes me feel so nice, it makes me feel really alive and it makes you feel how small we are in this world, how fresh we humans are. It's great feeling just being up in the mountains.

-CNN's Lorraine Hahn interviews Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing

I think the expeditionary experience of climbing Everest, of surviving it, has changed our lives. To push yourself to within a wisp of life itself and return to the world in the valleys below is to see life in its raw immediacy and in its essential components.

For me to receive hearty congratulations from Jamling Tenzing Norgay was the true finale. Our two families have been transformed by this mountain.

The mountain has given us a hard-won opportunity to rise above ourselves and to play the lottery of surviving the experience. Just as it has done for the Sherpa people who live around its lofty base. And veteran climber. Ang Norbu of Pangboche Village says that despite his frostbitten fingers, "the mountain is a jewel. It is a gift".

-Peter Hillary on climbing Everest for the National Geographic Documentary Sons of Everest 50 years (actually 49) before his father Edmund first reached the summit

The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is no use'. There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.

-George Leigh Mallory, 1922

Because it is there.

-George Mallory (1886-1924), answer to the question 'Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?'

I have climbed my mountain, but I must still live my life.

-Tenzing Norgay

Well, we knocked the bastard off!

-Edmund Hillary, on first climbing Mount Everest

Yimou’s Tribute to Young Women with Great Courage and Inner Strength

Walking through the movie "The Road Home" by Chinese director Zhang Yimou about a mountain village girls' developing relationship with a visiting teacher, it reminds you of extended stays in Mount Pulag in Decembers.

While the movie is on Asian woman with great courage and inner strength, the setting in "China's unbridled beauty, long plain, lush grasslands, young forest" combined with a simple story and uncomplicated lives bring out successfully these virtues we need these days.

Mountaineers, or even excursionists can be engrossly involved in The Road Home. Like the central character Zhao Di, we can relate. We manage to live simply with water, basic food, a focused goal, committed relationships. With the mountain as the base, we just walk and walk and walk. Courage and strength show up when we face obstacles, not giving up until we reach our goal. After every adventure, ultimately we trace back to the road home, our jump offs, homes and families.

Catch this award winning movie in your local theaters. I saw it at Megamall Preview Room 8 November 2000. Tochs.

Diana Ong's Review

Beautiful photography coupled with lilting music tell a simple and touching love story between a teacher and a bold village lass in The Road Home.

The movie starts in bleak black-and-white when narrator Luo Changyu is called home from the city for his father's funeral. Back at home in Sanhetun, a secluded Chinese village in the mountains, he's faced with a thorny problem. His mother wants men to carry his father's corpse back to the village on foot (a time-honoured tradition) so that his father's soul knows the road home.

But more importantly, his mother wants to take one last walk with his father on the road that has marked the beginning of their love. The problem is that all young and able-bodied men have long left the village for the glittering city life and there is no one to carry out the tradition.

Just when they may have to resort on dragging the corpse back on a tractor, Changyu recalls the old story of how his parents met. And at this point the movie explodes in warm, glorious colors in great contrast to the bleak, dull picture painted for us so far.

Flashback: it is 1958 and village beauty Zhao Di is smitten with the new lanky teacher who just came in from the city - Luo Yusheng. Nursing her secret passion, the young lass cleverly schedules her daily habits around Mr Luo's life. Her labours of love include taking the long route to the well near the school in order to hear him teach, and waylaying him on the mountain roads. Such dedicated efforts do not go unnoticed but just as Mr Luo seems to reciprocate, he is whisked away by the Chinese government.

Zhang Ziyi lends credibility to her role as the bold and obstinate Zhao Di who waits for her beloved to return in a raging snow-storm. Like in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ziyi defies social conventions to get what she wants and keeps her vulnerability intact at the same time. It's a graceful re-enactment of director Zhang Yimou's favourite film character - the Asian woman with great courage and inner strength (Ju Dou, The Story of Qiu Ju).

Director Zhang Yimou appears to have sidetracked somewhat from his earlier and more political works, The Road Home has political overtures but they resonate only faintly in the film. Instead, film art takes top priority as Zhang turns this simple love story into highly enjoyable cinematography. He takes us on a poignant and slow exploration of China's unbridled beauty - large plains, lush grasslands, young forests - and some of her antiquated trades - pottery-mending and sewing on looms.

This tour de force is as much a touching love story as a documentary on the old Chinese village life and both aspects are a joy to watch. If you are a Zhang Yimou or Zhang Ziyi fan, you will not be disappointed with The Road Home.