#YOLO2020

Life can be messy

Life can be like this photo in downtown Kathmandu - full of entanglements and you don’t know where things begin and how they will end. The solution? Focus on the light and not the wires. #YOLO2020

Finding your base camp in life

“Finding Your Base Camp in Life” is a collection of 100 stories written over a one year period of reflection and were never meant to be published. But since I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease this year, I decided to publish these stories in dedication to the #YOLO2020 team. Although I won’t be able to reach the summits anymore, I have found my base camp in life. I hope that this book will encourage you to write your own stories as you journey through life’s peaks and

The journey begins

#YOLO2020 team 1 will start their EBC trek on 21 April and team 2 on 29 April 2020. Train hard and jiayou! “We're the bridge across forever, arching above the sea, adventuring for our pleasure, living mysteries for the fun of it, choosing disasters triumphs challenges impossible odds, testing ourselves over and again, learning love and love and love!” Richard Bach, The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story Make a #YOLO2020 pledge here https://www.giving.sg/caregivers-allia

Pigs can fly

"Pigs can fly" is an English idiom that's used to show skepticism or cynicism, that there is no chance of something from ever happening. In the Year of the Earth Pig, we choose to believe that pigs can fly, because once you believe, there is a chance of the impossible happening. Happy Lunar New Year! #YOLO2020

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones

<photo: 3 guides and porters taking a break from their jobs along the EBC route> For many of us, to go on the EBC trek represents an opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to tick the list before we kick the bucket, and a time to seek the meaning of life. The majesty of the Himalayan mountains are breathtaking, and to see the sun rise over the highest mountain on Earth will make you question your purpose. But for the EBC guides and porters, the mountains are their jobs and thei

Mind Over Matter -33c & 100km/h winds

Greetings from camp 2 (4200m)! We found 3G in middle of nowhere....😉 Pray for us. Forecast 100km winds at summit😰 #YOLO2020

Disconnect to connect

The mountain is calling and we must go. Team #YOLO2020 is now headed for the first of three base camps where we will undertake our final acclimatisation routine. We will spend New Year’s Eve at base camp 3 and weather permitting will push for the summit in the early hours of 1 Jan 2019. We will not have any connection for the next 9 days but we hope that our expedition will inspire you to connect with someone by pledging to make a difference. Disconnect to connect! We take t

Nothing is given. Everything is earned.

The Marpha apple strudel was delicious! Burp! Marpha indeed is the apple capital of Nepal. Then it’s down to serious business as Team #YOLO2020 plans for the base camps before the summit attempt. Tomorrow we set off from Marpha for camp 1 at 3900m and will plan to acclimatise for 2 nights there. Then we push on to camp 2 at 4500m and the final camp 3 will likely be at 5100m depending on snow conditions. https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Thapa-Peak/forecasts/6000 The w

The best view comes after the hardest climb

The wind was blowing harshly when the #YOLO2020 team arrived at Marpha. The town was very quiet because it’s off-season, and with storm clouds looming in the background, everything was looking desolate. Then we chanced upon a Buddhist monastery with a prophetic sign at the entrance. Life is one big staircase - the best view comes after the hardest climb. Help someone climb their staircase by pledging to make a difference by 2020. #YOLO2020

The apple of my eye

The #YOLO2020 Christmas and New Year journey continues today to Marpha, the apple capital of Nepal. 🍎🍎🍎 After Marpha, it will be in tents at 3 consecutive base camps before the summit attempt on 1 Jan 2019. The phrase “apple of my eye“ refers to something or someone that one cherishes above all others. Pledge to make a difference for the apple of your eye - https://www.yolo2020.com/supporters

So this is Christmas ...

The #YOLO2020 team summitted Poon Hill on Christmas Day, and were surprised by the Sherpas with a Christmas cake after dinner. You can surprise someone by making a pledge to make a difference - https://www.yolo2020.com/supporters “So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear one The old and the young A very Merry Christmas And a happy new year Let's hope it's a good o

Only when it’s dark enough can you see the stars

For centuries, stars and patterns of stars known as constellations have been relied upon for navigation. Amongst the millions of stars in the dark of night, the North Star stands out in guiding travellers because of its brightness in the night sky. Journeys are undertaken under the brightest of days, and in the darkest of nights. It’s only when it’s the darkest and you are facing your biggest challenges, then you can see your true North Star. What’s your North Star? #YOLO2

Don’t do it like me. Do it like you.

Every journey is unique, each having its own ups and downs, trials and tribulations, danger and laughter. As we end 2018, the #YOLO2020 team is making a journey to the Himalayas today. They will be spending a time of solitude in sub-zero temperatures, reflecting on how #YOLO2020 can make a difference. Follow their journey as they spend a quiet Christmas Eve in the mountains. Encourage their winter summit attempt at Dhampus Peak on New Year’s Day by making a #YOLO2020 pledge t

Our flag, our purpose

The flag is a sacred item that holds great significance. The colors used in a flag represent values and what the flag-bearers believe in. White signifies purity and innocence - it represents our purpose of inspiring people and organisations to make a difference in someone’s life by 2020. Red traditionally signifies hardiness and valor - it represents our values of resilience and belief in mental health awareness. Flags need the wind to flutter and wave, and people to raise i

International Mountain Day (11 Dec)

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/mountain-day/ “People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of 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 gol

Quote of the Day

“We have a saying in Tibet: If a problem can be solved there is no use worrying about it. If it can't be solved, worrying will do no good.” - Heinrich Harrer, Seven Years in Tibet #YOLO2020

Doing things that matter

<Photo: Chapter 14 from “The art of the good life” by Rolf Dobelli> Sturgeon’s Law, named after science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon, states that 90% of everything that we do is crap. What’s your 10%? #YOLO2020

Caregivers - the Guides in our Journeys

https://www.cal.org.sg/caring-for-caregivers Journeys are about reaching a destination, getting there safely and on schedule. But getting lost, being late or even reaching a wrong destination is all part of journeys. And we all need guides in our journeys in life. #YOLO2020

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It’s December already and that time of the year when we go on holidays and make merry. It’s also time to think about your resolutions for the new year. What’s on your list - Exercise more? Learn a new skill or hobby? Travel more? How about a resolution to make a difference in someone's life? #YOLO2020 https://www.yolo2020.com/supporters

What is your Everest?

Making a difference in someone’s life can be like climbing Mount Everest. It’s tough and it takes a long time. But it starts with a single step. Begin your journey and pledge to make a difference in someone’s life by 2020. #YOLO2020