SINGAPORE - One might think that reaching the summit is the ultimate goal for Khoo Swee Chiow whenever he scales a mountain. Not anymore, says the veteran mountain climber.

"It's more important to come back alive," he says.

As part of Singapore's first expedition to Mount Everest, Khoo Swee Chiow was one of the only two who made it to the summit on May 25, 1998. Since then, he has quit his job in the IT industry to become a full-time adventurer, and has completed the Adventurers Grand Slam which requires challengers to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and all of the highest summits in the seven continents.

However, life now is not about outdoing others and completing remarkable feats, Khoo says. The 52-year-old sees life in a different light now, after having overcome various setbacks. On the last episode of The Newsmaker, Singapore's very own first adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow speaks about the lessons he has learnt in life.

About The Newsmaker:

The Newsmaker （封面人物） is one of 10 SPH-produced short form digital video series as part of a pilot Public Service Broadcast initiative. In this 13-part series, people who have made news headlines in the past share with the host Fred Lai (Content Producer, Chinese Media Group Digital) how the news events changed their lives and how they have been coping since then. All episodes come with English subtitles.

This series is also available on the zaobao.sg website and mobile app.