What do climbing a mountain and writing a book have in common? They are both not easy. And its the not-so-easy things that I just love to do.

To jumpstart my journey in writing a second book, a follow up to my first self-published best-selling book The Tale of Juliet, I took on the challenge of climbing the Grouse Grind - a 2.9 kilometer trail up the face of Grouse Mountain which is the highest peak in Vancouver, Canada.

With an elevation of 2,800 feet and an approximate 30 slope, Grouse Grind is not for the average hiker. Apart from the rugged and steep terrain, hikers will need to face off with 2,830 stairs!

It will take an average of an hour and a half to reach the top, but for new hikers, two hours or more is recommended. It is a trail that requires physical and mental preparation.

On a cloudy Wednesday morning, I arrived at the site at 6:30AM with a friend. Usually there are more hikers during summer, but because of the light rain, we only saw a few hikers.

At the base of the summit, we took a moment to visualize our goal of writing and publishing the book. My friend happened to be a children’s book illustrator and she will do the illustrations for the book.

“Write the book, draw the illustrations, publish the book, launch the book,” this was our mantra as we took our steps.

The first few steps were a breeze, but after 10 minutes, the weight of climbing up the steep terrain was already getting on our legs. 30 minutes after, we were already panting and  catching our breaths.

And what we thought was already a long and painstaking achievement was only…

The rugged terrain was getting harder and harder as we move closer to the summit. The light drizzle turned into a shower, making the trail slippery and requiring more caution from those that step on it.

“Write the book, draw the illustrations, publish the book, launch the book.”

“Write the book, draw the illustrations, publish the book, launch the book.”

It was our mantra that kept us going,  plus the sheer beauty of the trees and the fog that embraces it.  As some hikers were giving up, we went ahead and pressed on.

We then reached the half-mark, and then the three quarters. These markings were like medals to our feat, cheering all hikers that the summit is within reach.

Our water and granola bars were done. We can hear the gondola from afar, it was like music to our ears! The bright light from the summit is already cheering us on, waiving hello to us.

We knew it’s only a few minutes and we can reward our tired legs with a wonderful rest.

As we reach the summit and saw the peak of the chalet, we felt like olympic champions. Oh we were shouting with joy! “Yes, we did it!”

1 hour and 30 minutes, that was our time. We didn’t finish it like the pros who complete the trail in less than 40 minutes. But we were so happy! The climb itself means nothing is impossible to achieve.

And so the journey to Grouse Mountain by climbing it has ended. But its end is only the beginning. It is the bell that heralds the journey to writing my second book. It is like the torch light that signals the start of a 3-month book project.

So  please stay tuned as I post more on the development of my second book!

Have you ever done a physical challenge to jumpstart another chapter in your life?

Marathon for a career change, skydiving to love again?

Share it with me!

After resting my tired body, off I went to the slopes again. Visibility was very poor, and it was snowing heavily. The day’s weather forecast was a mix of rain and sunshine with temperature of negative 10 degrees on top of the mountain. Not really the best time to snowboard.

In the back of my mind, I can see myself falling a hundred times  that I can feel the pain of it already. Why was I projecting negative energy when I know all the positive mantra tools? And so I tapped into the energy and hope I have left. Indeed, thoughts are powerful. My excitement rose up.

This is my second time going up on a chairlift, an aerial steel chair that lifts three to four persons from one terminal to another, up to a vertical rise of over 600 meters. My heavy snowboard dangles from my right foot which makes the ride quite uncomfortable. I was hoping that a snowboarder would join me on the way up, and to my surprise, there he was.

Oliver, a professional snowboarder from Berlin, Germany, has been practicing the sport for eight years. I’m surprised he didn’t mind joining me, after seeing my amateur moves earlier. Breaking the ice, I hit off the conversation by asking how he finds his stay and where he came from. Then I went straight to my favorite topic – snowboarding. Introducing myself as an author with a blog, I asked permission if I  can record our conversation and he willingly agreed. Carpe diem!

To avoid injuries while dismounting the chairlift, Oliver said one must always point the board on the direction of the hill or where the lift is going. The next step is to prepare your body to a standing position and put forward one leg, that which is not strapped to the snowboard, next to the bindings. Once you are about five inches to the ground, give yourself a little push off the chairlift and then slide forward. He said it is okay if I fall, just get up again.

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Some 20 years ago, skiing was considered the elitist sport and mountain resorts did not welcome the “nuisance” crazy sport called snowboarding. But that has all changed when adventurous men and women of the 80’s craving for an exhilarating downhill ride wanted more. By 1998 and due to its global popularity, snowboarding was officially welcomed into the Winter Olympics.

Getting On Board

Last week, I, along with my husband, youngest daughter, and some relatives checked in to North America’s #1 mountain resort, Whistler BlackComb for a 10-day winter vacation. We are fortunate members of Club Intrawest, a premier resort club in Canada with network of resorts located in Whistler, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Florida and Mexico. (I suggest you sit for a briefing to know more about Club Intrawest‘ privileges which are great for you and your family. And oh, you may want to mention my name so we can share a glass of my favorite pina colada as a referral token.)

I know how to ski, but snowboarding is a complete stranger to me. What I do know however, is that it was often considered more dangerous than skiing. Nevertheless, I mustered up the strength to learn something new – after all, that is typically Jhet. In my mind, I listed the reasons why I should get my feet on the board:

1. My goal is to learn a new sport. Not just to try, but to learn.
2. I see a lot of snowboarders jumping off the mountain and that looks like fun.
3. My two daughters are into snowboarding, so why shouldn’t I?
4. My family is with me and we are cheerleading each other, nothing beats a greater environment than that.

First things first, the gears. Snowboarding outfit and equipment are quite costly. A complete set which include the board, gloves, wrist protector, and boots for starters would cost anywhere from $600-1000++. So better take this new sports to heart. Once I invested on these, I knew I have to be committed. There are variety of shops up the resort to buy your gears from, you also have the option to rent while you are in Whistler.

My lessons were set the second day. I am both excited and apprehensive, already convinced that with fun comes bruises, and body aches. A friend wrote “snowboarding is difficult to learn but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never go back skiing again.” Avid skiers, on the other hand, say, “Skiing is better than snowboarding. If you want to get hurt, go snowboarding. Snowboarders are a nuisance in the mountain, it’s for the crazy people.”

That sounds pretty controversial doesn’t it? But up there, everyone was friendly and was willing to share the slopes whether on snowboard or ski. For me, it’s all about preference and what gives me more fun. Stick to whichever sport suits you. But hey, there’s no harm in learning both.

My instructor, Leif, a young Australian snowboarder, taught me the basics: how to ride the board, balance my body, and observe safety precautions. For beginners, hiring an instructor is highly recommended because statistics show that four to six per thousand persons get seriously injured each day. Don’t be scared, just watch your speed. Whistler happens to have the best variety of instructors from the world over – Australian, Japanese, Koreans, Canadians, French, German – pick yours.

After my snowboarding lecture and actual lessons on the snow, my body was already aching. The negative 24 degrees made it worst, my first time in 23 years living in Canada! I thought, why am I switching from ski to the board when I was able to do the green, the blue runs, and even the black diamond? These are the easiest, intermediate, and advanced level of difficulty of skiing, respectively.

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