The passion
In fall 2005, I started rock climbing in the BU gym because Boston winters are long and depressing. Quickly, I fell in love with this rich sport, which can be done indoors or outdoors in all seasons with or without a partner. Best of all, one can always try out different ways to climb the same face. Personal style and creativity are highly encouraged during climbing.
My obsession with mountains, rocks, and thin air maxed out when I was extremely frustrated with research between 2006 and 2007. Rock climbing was the only way out for me physically and mentally due to its extreme challenges. Day and night, I danced on the rocks fiercely to express my anger and existence.
My taste
As time goes by, I gradually mature into a peaceful warrior who seeks for perfect harmony with the mother nature. Riding on the wings of gravity, I feel the flow of a climb and become part of its rhythm. In reflection of this switched mindset, my climbing style has changed from hard dynamic to soft static movements. To me, rock climbing is a free-style soft martial art, and a master is always calm and graceful.
Among all the climbing disciplines such as traditional climbing, sport climbing, and bouldering, I like bouldering best because of its purest form. Also, it often calls for an aesthetically pleasing combination of ultimate power and skill. I'm almost a pure boulderer now, and I set routes for the BU and the MIT bouldering wall once a while. I aslo served as a judge in the MIT 2010 bouldering competition.
Life transformation
Rock climbing has fundamentally changed every parts of me. Climbing fellows taught me how to manage fear and frustration during crises and failures, and inspired me to dream and do the impossibles. I am pretty much a newborn risk-taker who believes that everything can be achieved if one wants a goal badly enough.
Namaste
I tried many different things to become a better climber. For example, I practiced Hatha and Vinyasa yoga for a year to improve static flexibility and to explore new dimensions in my body. Although yoga turned out improving nothing, from Paul Grilley I learned a great deal about anatomical differences across individuals. In other words, one's insurmountables may be others' easy climbs, especially when a difficult route probes a particular aspect of human physical limits.
Life is subtle
I also studied exercise physiology and sport psychology, taking up systematic training like an athlete. It's really interesting to see how one can engineer a body in a scientifically precise manner. One thing worth noting is that high-end climbers are quite knowledgeable and aware of what's going on inside and outside their bodies. Such deep awareness of subtleties appear to be crucial for refining skills up to their levels.
Edible food-like substances
One unexpected twist in my life was the belief in vegetarianism. At the outset, I just wanted to increase the strength/weight ratio for climbing through healty diets. After reading tons of nutrition books, I was finally convinced that mindfully-designed well-balanced vegetarian diets are not only healthily delicious but also make world-renowned beasts such as Chris Sharma and Brendan Brazier.
Additionally, I was shocked to learn the ugly truths about the current food industry, and recalled my conscience and compassion for all living beings on the planet. Moreover, after conversion to a dairy vegetarian for two years, indian food ruthlessly steals my heart due to its myriads of spices. Regrettably, I'm not a strict vegetarian any more because most available vegetarian options in the local area are nutritionally imbalanced and I don't have time to cook by myself.