Brrrr...

At least one Singaporean women will be heading south in 2010.

Two Singaporeans, Sophia Pang and Lina Goh, have been shortlisted to be part of an all-female expedition to the South Pole. They are part of a the 16 shortlisted women from eight different Commonwealth countries to take off in the Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition. Eventually, only 8 women will be selected.

If selected for the trip, these 8 women, one each, from Singapore, Cyprus, India, Ghana, Brunei Darussalam, New Zealand, Jamaica and the United Kingdom would ski more than 800 km in well-below-zero temperatures and celebrate New Year's Day 2010 at the South Pole.

The thought of being there chills me.

I have never been good at handling low temperature. Just as well, I am born and bred in the tropics. I try to imagine how it will be like putting myself in the Antarctica. Even though I do have some natural insulation (i.e. fats), I think I will freeze in a jiffy.


Antarctica is the coldest place on earth. The lowest temperature ever recorded on earth and Antarctica was −89.2 °C. The warmest you can get in summer is only at 15 °C. No wonder there are no permanent residents there other than a few thousand people who are manning the research stations.


Without any doubt, the Antarctica is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The colorful glow from the southern light is as ghostly as it is enchanting and the white snowy landscape is as deadly as it is pure. Mother Earth has reserved these beautiful sights for the privileged few who can endure the sub-zero temperature. I supposed those are some of the lures for the explorers.


I wish Sophia and Lina all the best. For me, I will just be contented watching the Emperor Penguins at the Jurong BirdPark.