Northern Lights

I had always wanted to view the aurora but it doesn't seem possible . It's too far , it's too cold ... Things became more possible since my colleague Tony went to Lapland in 2012 and saw the aurora and posted in Facebook . My Singapore colleague also went in march 2012 and saw it too.  Finally after much planning,  shopping and eagerness , Kasey and I set off for the Artic on 27 February 2013.

 Night no 1 of hunt ... Glass igloo

We weren't sure how a aurora looks like and spent the whole night in the glass igloo staring at the sky .As there weren't many stars that night , we knew its low chance of spotting it. By 11 pm we were dozing off in and attempt to keep awake , Kasey and I start putting on our winter clothes on,  as a faith that aurora will turn up . However by midnight,  nothing came . We only saw green mist a few stars ... At 1 10 am, we finally saw 2 stripes of light across the sky and confirmed to ourselves that's the aurora. In addition we also saw a shooting star flying across the lights before they disappeared . Sometime around 3 am I thought I saw some bright green spot behind some trees.

 

 

Night 2 Ice Hotel. Clear bright day with a bit of snow in the evening  (-5C in the Ice Room, -30C outside)

There were a lot of activities at the Ice Hotel . Exhibits of the ice rooms, walking by the river , briefing on how to sleep in the Ice room ... We settled down to wait for the light after our early dinner . It was a cold night and there a was even a bit of snow in the evening ,which got us worried as snow would mean low chance of light sightings. We spent our time walking from the viewing gallery and to the warm dressing room . The viewing gallery was pretty empty as the night was still young . It was cold and windy outside the warm dressing room , around - 20 degrees . I checked from Facebook there is 40%chance of aurora that night and was determined to catch it . By 10 pm Kasey and I had walked back and forth the viewing gallery and dressing room about 3 times . We know we looked a bit silly walking back and forth and even once went to our ice room to warm ourselves but being a ice room it's -5 , not much of a help . At 10 pm while at the dressing room , I checked on the live web there is a display if aurora over at Abisko about 100km away . I showed Kasey and we hurried to dress warmly again and went to the viewing gallery . There was only one other viewer with a professional camera and only a green mist in the sky . I went over to chat with him on his camera , how it looks etc etc . To our surprise the light green mist over the hills is the aurora and it looks a sparking green arch with orange flames at the side from the camera lens. Hmm so what's on camera is so much more spectacular  then the naked eye I think the guy was feeling very cold ( he's been there for one hour) and wanted some peace from me and decided to rest up a bit first and he walked away with his camera.

Kasey and I waited alone in the gallery and 5 minutes later , the sky showed up a a bigger green mist and grew bigger and bigger and higher . The wind blew and the mist twirled round and round . It was from the left of sky to the right side of sky . It went from light green to green . Kasey and I clapped our hands , hi five each other and shouted yeah !!  The green mist then folded like a dove/ wing   ,  then exploded in the air and straight lines of green fireworks  fell from the sky to the ground . This went on for 10 minutes . Our newly made UK friend rushed  up to the gallery in time to catch the tail end of the display . We shouted to him hurry up, quick,  quick . Another couple who had already gone to bed at the Ice room rushed up in their thermal also caught the end of the aurora. Though I ran down to try to catch the camera guy, unfortunately I couldn't find him. 

The 2nd display of the spectacular aurora came back 15 min later and the same few of us saw another magnificent display of Mother Nature a second time that night .

 

 

 

 

 

 

( note that the photo is taken from web for the same night, same location, from another photographer)

 

Night  no 3  .  Abisko. Bright day and clear night 

We stayed in Abisko mountain lodge on day 3 to 5  of our hunt and they provided activists and one of them is snow shoeing. We climbed up the mountain behind the lodge in our snow shoes . I got used to walking in the snow in our snow shoe after a whole and in fact became quite warm during the climb . We stopped and rested and saw some green mist and arch but nothing intense . The walking group and guide expected some burst of lights throughout the walk but none came . We had a few stop rests , had some hot pear juices , warmed ourselves over the fire that Klas,  the guide built and listened to his myths of the aurora ...... By 11.30 pm we made our way back to the lodge a bit disappointed there is no light but happy with walking in the snow in the night 

 

Night no 4. Abisko  Snowy day, bright night 

We met some Singaporean in our stay at Absiko and had dinner with them on night 4 . After our main course a lady from the Abisko sky station came in and stared at the window . We asked if there is anything and she answered yes . Kasey and I wore our down jacket and rushed out of the dinning room and there is it , a bright green arch across the dark sky. Some later stage the arch became green mist and after a whole it's a arch again. On the far right of the sky we saw a very bright green big spot . Aurora.  We stayed on but eventually the arch disappeared into the cold night and we didn't see any aurora that evening. 

(Photos from Abisko guest )

 

Night 5 - Abisko  . Bright Clear Day, Windy Snow at night

It was a bright clear day on day 5 but by dinner time , the clear sky has turned to windy snowy conditions . We stayed up to 10 pm at the warm guest house sitting room but wasn't too positive that the weather would change to bright and clear . We went back to our cabin at 10 30'pm . We sighted some green mist from our cabin but were not too sure if that's the aurora until the next morning when another guest confirmed it was.

 

This is by far one of my most existing trip . I was anxious and nervous that I could not catch the aurora . After all we did spent a lot of money on this trip and we have hopes . 2nd night was the best auora display over  the last few years as confirmed by photographers on the web . Even though we didn't catch another spectacular display again,  I'm contented that we have seen the best.

I also discovered that what we see on the naked eye is so much less intense that that from the camera . There is too much hype in what's on the camera . All in all its a fantastic trip what's next for me?  (Polar bear hunt, Alaska).

 

 

I fell down

My colleagues call me Mrs Bean . I'm always knocking something , tripping and falling down.

We have a drawer in the workplace and i had to resort to placing child safety corners . I had tore my shirt, knocked my legs twice against a particular drawer. This is what i call injury upon injury ( blue black on top of a blue black Note a blue black is a bruise)

I just went to Eastern Europe in April . We went to places like Prague, Salzburg ,Vienna, Budapest, Poland, Berlin, Dubai . We experienced Spring, Summer , Winter in 16 days !

One sunny day in Budapest (Day 4), we visited the town hall, the quaint village and some tourist attractions. After much fun and photo taking, we returned to the bus and on to our next destination. Kasey and i crossed the road ( NOte, we walked, not run and i wasn't playing around with my phone or camera) and all of a sudden, i felt myself falling forward. I pride myself as someone with a good sense of balance, due to the various sports activities that i participated and on many occasions, able to fall correctly, ie breaking the fall with hands or knees but this time, the force of the fall is just too strong, i couldn't break the fall ! IT's just URGH and i fell ! Luckily, ny hands were fast enough blocked the fall slightly . But i knocked my forehead against the curb of the road. i reckon Kasey , who was next to me witnessed the whole incident and heard the loud bump . i actually fell 90 degrees and was flat on the road, with the face down the road, my forehead on the curb. i guess i tripped over a uneven part of the road, you know, the roads and path in Europe are mostly cobbled

Of course, you can imagine the commotion later, "Janice Fell! "Where ?? "'How's your head"?" "Any dizzyness ? Any vomit ? "Can you rememeber your name ?"Any blackout ? ""Can you count how many fingers"" "Someone get the Ice ""No ice !! HOW ?""get something from the fridge in the bus !!"
Okay, no ice, so someone got a cold can of beer from the bus fridge and placed against my forehead , to prevent more bruises . i held it againt my forehead for the next couple of hours. @Tony Goh took a pixcture of me and the beer, so could you please send to me ?
 I had a pretty quiet day after that fall. While the rest of the gang went shopping , i had a bit of rest at the cafe.

My head felt sore and my skin over the forehead stretched the next couple of days and i the first day i looked like the 福禄寿. For those who dont' know pls goggle this :P

On day 3 after the fall , at Krakow , Poland, after a nice day in the snow at the town hall, we went to a cafe for some coffee and hot drinks when Kasey suddenly said ""Hey, what happened to your nose !!!??? .. Ít's all swollen !!!! i flipped my mirror and yes, indeed, my nose swelled and the eyes are now stretched wide. The area around the top of the nose felt soft . oh dear, what happened was, due to the blood flow and gravity, the bruise has moved down from the forehead to the bridge of nose and then to the eyes ! i wanted to see a doctor but was told this is normal , ( from a experienced person with a naughty childhood, apparently he has fallen and fought many times in his teens and he's a expert and bruises and such).

In the next few days , my nose was swollen and my eyes , on top of the normal dark eye rings, has the blue black . i suddenly look like someone who was boxed and punched in the face.
I wore sunglasses everywhere the next few days and ok, the bruise subsided after a few days and i saw the doctor went i reached home and he certified that i dont need any x rays and i'm all ok..

hmm hmm, much happenings in my recent trips....

My first night trial - 12 km May 4, 2011

My first night trial - 12 km

A rundown of the night event

7.30 to 8 pm - gathered at the starting line, did some warming up . There are claps of thunder and the smell of rain is in the air

8pm – the gun was fired

1-3 km - it’s a easy jog, some gradual slopes but not so bad

3-5km – it’s getting tougher, the slopes are steeper and to my horror , I felt sleepy at this stretch , It’s all dark , with other runners and I wanted to give up and go to bed but I’m in the middle of nowhere , so I have to press on

6km -- mud slope, we have to climb up the slope using the ropes to pull us up

7-8 km – I’m the only runner in a 200 m stretch, the other runners are either in front or behind me. The volunteers are nowhere to be seen . It’s me and my headlamp and my nano.
I removed my earpiece and hear – puff puff ( me puffing) , crack crack ( my feet against the pebbles and rocks) , croak croak ( insects and frogs and toads and other animals !)

8 km – I see a FINNISH banner but where are the lights, where is everybody ? – oops , I think it’s a finishing line for another category - finished long ago . False hope L

8-12km – did some slow climb and slow jogs at this point. But slopes , slopes,, and the final 11 km , the steepest slope .

 

12 km--- FINISH !!!!!!! I made it, 1 hour 53 min

My next goal – 21km , Sundown run , 28 May . ( Hope to finish before sunrise)

My Northface Pants WOMEN'S PARAMOUNT VALLEY CONVERTIBLE PANT

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There's little telling what the next 40 years hold for us. However, there is one bedrock certainty: The North Face will maintain an unwavering commitment to pushing the limits of design, so that you can push your limits outdoors. Never Stop Exploring.

It is with this in mind i bought a pair of Northface pants -- it's a convertible pants, where i can unzip at the mid leg and convert it into a pair of shorts. It costed me SGD 100+ mind you. Winnie told me that i sounded so thrill after i bought this pair of pants, for my trip to Bhutan

Tiger's Nest Monastry-- a holy place .It's a climb of 20 000 steps up and down in the altitude of 3210 m . During the climb, i understood what devotion is. We wondered why there isn't a road leading to Tiger's nest but Tienzien explained that the climb is for the regilious , to be able to feel with the nature and surroundings and a pilgrimage for the devoted

Half way through the steep climb in the high altitude, i decided to apply my heating ointment for relieve of my leg muslces.I had to take care of my legs as i have a half marathon 2 days later, when i land in Singapore. i unzipped the pants at the mid leg, applied lotion , zipped back the pants
On the way down the awesome scenic place, Jamie shouted "Hey there is a hole in your pants " OMG , what happened !!??? it turned out that the zip at the mid leg was detached from the the head of the zip and it's stretched to 3/4 of the round of the pants and was hanging on by the other zipper head ! As this was a steep and narrow path, i couldn't stop to do anything. Throughout the mext 20 minutes , all the tourist who walked by me called out to me, one fella called out to me hey,"new fashion", Winnie called back, hey it's Amercian product. I added NORTH FACE ! Of course, Jamie didn't stop snapping photos and even video recorded the whole incident.

We reached our resting spot some 20 minutes later and Winnie helped me to fix the zipper. According to her, the catch of the zip is too shallow such that is not easily aligned. It is also very difficult to zip back – took her sometime to put them in place
I have already sent a feedback to Northface and am waiting for their response, let you guys know what's next.

For sure, Jamie and Winnie aint'going to buy Northface products in the near future. It's a embarssing moment, but being a good natured person, i took it all in good stride and it became a funny situation instead

 

with the zips opened up

 

Tiger's nest

 

Demise and Eulogy of my socks Part 2

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I have plenty of socks. Most of them are for practical reasons for my jogs ( Nike dry fits), cheap ones ( $2 from Daiso), wool socks ( my overseas travel), gifts etc.

I do not think much of them, except that they are worned for these reasons above, however i have some good experience with them and i ""killed"4 of them and in the process provided good memories of my travels
i just came back from a nice trip from Bhutan. The weather was nice, people are frieindly, eager to please, religious and they are quite simple, naive, in my opinion . Some hotels are practical for tourists , some are rustic, with traditional facilities like a fireplace ( they called it Bacurry in Bhutan, not sure if i spelt correctly). Overall it was a nice experience there ..( more of trip later).

Anyways, we took a long car ride to Bumthang on the 3rd day . This place has a traditional Bacurry in all rooms. We need to put logs to the stove regularly to ensure we are kept warm throughout the night. Being a true bred Singapore city girl i have no experience with a fireplace . There is no need for a fireplace in Singapore anyways.

The staff showed me how to place the logs in the stove, explained to me that the stones on the stove is to regulate the heat of the stove , etc etc . In the middle of the night, i found my room too cold and knocked on Winnie and Jamie's room, asking for help. My dear jamie kindheartly went over to my room and helped me restart fire. ( note, another story coming up to this restarting of fire) She also explained that i can put my socks on top of the stones so they can dry quickly.. .. Time passed and too bad we failed to really start a good fire on the first night. Jamie spent a night in my room helping to strove the fire and to turn the socks regularly.

On the 2nd night, my room was too HOT !!!!! I had asked the staff to clean up the stove that morning, they had done a too good job :) Timidly, i knocked on Winnie and Jamie's room again and informed them my room is too hot ! Gamely Jamie went over to the room to check out the temperature, told me to open the bathroom door so the heat can spread to a bigger area.

I told her proudly that i too dried my socks on the stones and showed her ... Bloody hell, there is a hole in the sock (1) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! speechless !! I later heard from Jamie that when she told Winnie, Winnie laughed until she fell onto her bed.

I found another BBQ sock ( 1 a different socks) a couple of days later when i tried to wear them..

We told Tienzie our tour guide, i can see that he was trying to contain his giggles and he told us that this was the first time in his 5 years tour experience he came across BBQ socks. I will email to him the photos of the BBQ socks for his sourvenior, from Janice.

Lesson learnt... never bring a pair of expensive socks for travelling , you will never know what happens . After my April trip last year, i had taken to buying cheaper socks,, just in case.

Thanks for the good memories, socks.

Story of my Northface pants coming soon to facebook near you.

Demise and eulogy of my socks Part 1

 

I have plenty of socks.  Most of them are for practical reasons for my jogs ( Nike dry fits), cheap ones ( $2 from Daiso), wool socks ( my overseas travel), gifts etc.

I do not think much of them, except that they are worned for these reasons above, however i have some good experience with them and i ""killed"4 of them and in the process provided good memories of my travels.
One of the most memorable business trip i went to was in April 2010. I went to Germany for 2 weeks for some system testings , with the intention to extend to UK on a personal trip.  In middle March/April, there was this volanic eruption from Iceland, with the “ashes” spreading to most parts of Europe since . As a result , most of the flights were cancelled and i had to cancel my trip to UK too, changing my airticket to fly back to Singapore instead. However, on the day of flying back to Singapore, my flight was cancelled as well. SAP has been trying to find alternative ways for my colleagues and i to fly back to Singapore but it didn't look hopeful.  At 5pm that day, I decided to soak my soaks  and made a shopping trip to town.  i received a call from the tour agent that there is some flights back to Singapore that night and if i wanted to take it. OF COURSE !!!!!!!!!!

Took a cab, sped through the traffic, rushed up the hotel room, dumped my clothes to the luggage and WHAT AM DO with my soaked socks that's still wet ????????  frantically, i did the first thing that came to my mind. Dumped them to the dustbin.  ( have you seen amazing race ? it's just like that )

It's a pair of Nike Dry Fit and a normal black one.... Good bye to you. I have worn the Nike Dry Fit on all my jogs, marathons. You have served me well, my friends