My Bond Weekend

For my dad's 60th birthday, i thought he should be treated like James Bond. Without the dazzling suits, flashy cars and sexy girls. Instead i put him in a not-so sexy harness, crown him with a helmet. The only Bond association really, is achieving greater heights. Literally. 

Hear him scream.

                          

The Gorge Adventure (CHF 135) from the Alpin Center is a dynamic Fixed Rope Route that challenged me but didn't break a sweat. I didn't break a sweat because the Zermatt altitude plus the air among the gorges (Furi 1865m - Zermatt 1620m) was cool despite being summer. While i don't have a fear of heights, i found it challenging in the beginning because i was fearful of falling off! The adventure starts off with navigating cliff faces while attached to steel cables. However, it was no easy feat. 

Navigating the cliff faces was the hardest. After i got over the initial fear, it was a breeze. Because of our small group, we took time to admire the imposing rock formations and the floods of water running underneath. 

                           

The highlights of the traverse are three abseiling passages, three flying foxes (of which the longest is 80 metres), and a pendulum swing (video above). It takes some balls to jump, a lethal injection of adrenaline.

The pendulum swing.

Flying across gaps.

Having visited Zermatt from above, it was a really nice experience seeing it from a different angle. 

Zermatt Matterhorn in Spring (May).

We stayed dry with the Gorge Adventure but it was a wild wild wet adventure canyoning in Mt Blanc. I had never tried canyoning before and it was SO MUCH FUN. I got to know about it because a friend did this as a Bachelor's Party idea. 

We did our adventure with OXO and the guide (forgot his name) was fantastic and handsome too. He even did a twirl and skip (show-off!) as he came down one of those waterfalls, a pity i didn't catch it on camera.

Not knowing what to expect of canyoning, we were instructed to get changed on the road.

Dry suits were provided to keep us a little warmer.

All geared up!

There are various levels of canyoning. As it was my first time and my dad is 60, i went for the 2 hour journey with maximum abseil heights of 25m.

My dad was such a trooper. The youngest was 8, it was a great family activity as well as couple bonding.

Photo bombed by the 8 year old sliding off.

Consisting of abseils, sliding off rock surfaces and jumping off cliffs, it was pretty damn exhilarating. Just what an adrenaline junkie need!

Even though it was summer, the water was cold enough to give a brain freeze but thankfully, i only start feeling it nearing the end of the journey.

She looks like she's feeling his head for fever.

For 60 euros, canyoning is definitely a must-try for the gutsy when in Mt Blanc. It is a popular activity during summer so it won't be as pleasant when the area is congested. We were lucky because we managed to be the first group so we were always ahead of the crowd. Observing the other groups waiting, i reckon our guide from OXO was the best! He was the only one with alot of flair in executing many of our slides and jumps. Just watch the video below, in the last frame, we slide down the rock surface LIKE A STAR.

Buy and Sell anything for $5

It's a Friday night again and i'm home trawling the internet. I don't know how i can get distracted from doing nothing really, but i did.

I landed on http://fiverr.com and discovered a website that houses freelancers around the world to do mini tasks (aka gigs) starting from $5. Whether it is putting together a power-point, a little photoshop help, convey a message over video, get a customised game or anything imaginable, you have people on Fiverr to do it.

How i landed on Fiverr was because of the gig to be drawn as a Simpson character. How freakin' cool is that!! I'm a closet geek with a Simpson clock hanging on my bedroom wall. The price publicized was misleading though. It's actually $20 for the first character and $5 for the second (in same picture) onward.

I immediately kicked myself, wondering why have i not thought of such an ingenious business idea that is reaping its fruits since starting up in 2010. Today, with technology yet banking on an insight that is aged-old; human networks, millionaires are getting younger and younger. The global trend of freelancing, the ability to collaborate regardless of geographical location has made Fiverr a success with media coverage from the Forbes to The Wall Street Journal.

I may have missed that boat, but i could still potentially be a millionaire from sitting behind a computer or a camera. Just by offering a gig on Fiverr, I may never need to get out of my pyjamas or i can even work in my undies! $5 per gig don't seem alot, but hey in my first job as a marketing exec, with the 9 hours or more that i was clocking Mon to Fri, i calculated my hourly rate was only $8! According to Fiverr, every 6 seconds is an order for a gig placed. Even the Simpsons seller paused his gig because he made enough! Fine, i assumed but there's the testimonial of Chris Hardy who quit his job to to what he loved...singing and earning more than $17,000 from doing gigs on Fiverr.


If you need inspiration on what you can hawk for $5, here're some examples. Give some lip service?

Or be a human signage?

Got a ready-made document that dishes out travel tips? No harm uploading it and see if anyone bites.

If you've got the looks, you can flaunt it. 

RinChan, an Asian American takes photos and videos for you in her cosplay Maid costume. She even has an anime voice too! Don't get the website wrong. The website does not have gigs for adult content. There is inherent creativity no the website. With artists, designers, writers and college students all looking to make a quick buck. Those who have no professional skills, they still try with what little talent they have. And you never know, your silliest antic can make you a top seller. 

Watch out for FunnyMad. He may just very well be the next millionaire in a jungle! I would buy FunnyMad's customised video to inject humour in a work presentation without needing to get myself dirtied by jumping into a river. It's only $5! Peanuts to make my boss laugh!

Every seller's profile is neat and sleekly presented. The community knows how to make their gigs sell. With help from Fiverr's blog, sellers know to upload engaging videos, pictures and sample work. Most also fill up detailed bios about their real profession, the country they are from etc. You feel rest assured if you are giving a gig to someone with graphic design as a day job. 

Fiverr is not just about selling, but about buying too. FunnyMad, Simpsons were some i would consider purchasing just for fun. Of all that i've browsed, the one with the most reviews was this one. 

While i don't understand why would businesses buy this gig from Philippines, i can't help but be fixated by watching him solve the Rubix cube in 25 seconds over and over again.

 Buyers' reviews were very helpful in determining the credibility of the seller but i wonder if some sellers set up multiple accounts to sing their own praises. After all, you can buy product testimonials for $5. If businesses are buying fake testimonials, lest individuals.

 It's a tad disturbing to see someone with an abundance of pills,

 and a very bored office lady,

 and someone who plays with food.

Could make a cool food blog banner.

But i'll give it to them. For $5, they'll save me an hour of idiocrisy.

Oh, and don't forget to check this one out. A bizarre horny unicorn video for $5.

Review: La Caléche in Chamonix

I don't normally write food reviews because i hate to hold up eating for a foodporn photo-shoot but La Caleche in Chamonix is worth a mention.

Chamonix (prounced as Char-mo-nee) is my favourite French town at the borders of Switzerland because of Mt Blanc, an abundance of physical activities to do and a vibrant town that doesn't shut promptly at 6pm.

The exterior of Le Caléche at 18, Rue D Paccard 74400 Chamonix was unsuspecting. It doesn't do a good job enough to attract tourists in but i hit jackpot.

This is going to be a very poor food/restaurant review because i can't remember anymore what the dishes were called, how much they cost and how they tasted. The pictures also don't do much justice because we were basking in the warm orange glow lighting the ambience.  I guess you'll have to trust my word, otherwise it's my attempt at retaining memory of the address if i ever do visit again.

From the outside, it looked like it would not hold more than 50 diners but as we should know never to judge a book by its cover, La Caléche actually holds 350 with 3 floors. It would be foolish to sit outside by the sidewalk as most Caucasians love to do.

Inside it was almost like a museum filled with old items and stuffed animals. 

After placing my order, i walked all 3 floors just admiring the interior at every nook and cranny. Watch out for the waiters hustling around though as it can get very busy.

Even the long walkway to the bathroom wasn't spared.

Remembering the menu is tricky but i believe we went for the set menu that was something like 26 euros each.

Tomato quiche, love it but pretty filling and we're only at appetizers.

Thought we would be squeamish with the duck cappaccio but we liked it!

The cheese filled ravioli  as a main was just so-so

A surprise (that turned delight) that scallop risotto meant large scallops and a mouthful of risotto

Red wine stewed beef

This post will stop abruptly with a closing line. A truly authentic Savoyarde experience with its delicious food and unique ambience that reflect the regions farming and skiing origins, this makes La Caléche a must-go. Reservations (0450559468) are recommended.