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!

Growing up in a predominantly Catholic country, the Philippines, Easter reminds me of what I always hear on Sunday mass, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A new beginning, a transformation. When I was a young girl, I saw men flagellating themselves, women sitting for hours to read the Passion of Christ using a chant-like tone, prosessions of adorned saintly figures. We were not allowed to eat pork during Lent, and worst to take a bath!

Filipino flagellants in the Philippines, a popular attraction during Holy Week

Raising my two daughters in Canada was a different story. Aside from a personal spiritual reflection, I would boil eggs for the famous Easter Egg Hunt. When I had extra time, (my kids were born 18 months apart and I was running two businesses) I would decorate and color the eggs and spread them around our two-storey home. After church service, we would go to a friend’s place for another hunting game. Oh it was so much fun watching kids’ faces filled with excitement!

Amidst all the traditions and varying views, I have always searched for the meaning of Easter, the wisdoms behind the tradition, and one that resonates with me.

Read the rest of this entry »

10-days of sitting for meditation, breathing in and out, no spoken word, no connection to the outside world. It was the hardest thing I went through and yet the best investment of my time and energy.

From British Columbia, Canada, I traveled to Northwest Vipassana Center, Dhamma Kuñja, Onalaska, Washington, USA. I heard about Vipassana Meditation after my diagnosis of cancer two years ago. At the time, I was owning and managing a business, doing speaking tours, and had a hurried household life. I thought there’s no way I can spare 10 days for this course.

Time quickly changed. A couple of years later after surgery, being cancer-free, surviving the scars of a broken relationship and going through the process of a deeper internal self-examination, a traveler I met during my South American trip mentioned this Vipassana course. On the quest of calming my mind, body and spirit, I immediately took action and enlisted my self online. After two months in the waiting list, I was informed that a registrant dropped off the last minute and I was in! As a saying goes “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques discovered by Gautama Buddha more than 2500 years ago. Vipassana means seeing things as they really are not how we would like it to be. It is a process of self-purification by self-observation, an ancient path of inner peace through inner wisdom through the power of connecting to our respiration.

As easy as this may sound, it is not. It is hard work and only an individual can make it or break it. Sounds weird? Vipassana allowed me to experience a state where my mind was at its highest lucidity and clarity. I would definitely recommend Vipassana meditation to anyone in the process of self-examination towards living a happy, peaceful, and harmonious lifestyle.

Many considers meditation as a spiritual practice, but it has enormous benefits to our physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Meditation Benefits for Physical Health:

• It lowers oxygen consumption and increases blood flow.
• It decreases muscle tension and relaxes the body.
• It decreases anxiety, pain, and accelerates healing.
• It enhances the immune system which aids in the body’s fight against cancer cells and viruses.
• It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.

Meditation Benefits for the Mind:

• It allows the mind to focus and have clarity.
• It improves mental strength and concentration.
• Overall, meditation strengthens the mind, it comes under control and is able to provide effective guidance to the physical body to effectively execute all its projects.

Meditation Benefits for the Spirit:

• Meditation helps build self confidence.
• It helps decrease and expel negative thoughts.
• It allows an individual to focus on one’s being and self-value.
• It helps resolve fears, anxieties and mental causes of stress.
• It helps an individual to gain a deeper understanding of one’s identity.

As Vipassana Teacher S.N Goenka shared, “Everyone seeks peace and harmony. From time to time we all experience agitation, irritation, disharmony. And when we suffer from these miseries, we don’t keep them to ourselves; we often distribute them to others as well. Unhappiness permeates the atmosphere around someone who is miserable, and those who come in contact with such person also become affected. Certainly this is not a skillful way to live.”

Words are no measure for the unique experience I had at Vipassana. It was extreme meditation, but one that brought me to a deeper peace, and understanding of myself and spirit.

One thing is clear, I highly recommend that you experience it too!

• For more details about the Vipassana Meditation, visit http://www.dhamma.org.
• Meditation Benefits Reference: http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/objectives.html