1 year ago (30/12/2005)

I still remember that day....those memories are still so fresh in my mind. It was evening....bout 6pm....the rain just stopped bout 10 minutes before. Its on this day...that I hurt my "darling" so badly...that she has not manage to fully recover till now. Eventhough she look and feel better now......I can still sense that she has not recover from some of the hurts which happen on that particular day.


The picture above shows my "darling" after I have hurted her.

I still remember the details. I was going about 90km/h on the bike lane in Kesas...it was very very wet. When I reach an intermediate left corner just before the toll plaza, as usual I brake, down shift, blip the trottle n control the clutch while maintaining my lean angle. Suddenly my rear tyre goes into a spin n slided to the edge of the road, into the grass. I lost traction immediately on both wheels, feel off my "darling" (with my "darling" on top of me) n slided bout 10 meters on the grass.

Then something on the grass (maybe a lump of soil) caught the rear tyre n flip the bike to the other side. I was thrown onto the air for bout 2 meters n landed on some small flower trees. Poor tree...1 got uprooted n another one totally flatten.

It was really a very bad experience for me. This is the 1st time I crached my "darling" since I bought it. I manage to repair it fully.....but till today it never felt the same anymore.

I'll never make the same mistakes again.....this is my promise to my "darling".

bye bye 2006......ello 2007

Aihhhzzzz.....so fast kena say bye bye to 2006 d. Bit sad to say bye bye to 2006....coz its a kinda nice year for me. 1st of all...I work 1/2 a year (exactly from 1st Jan till 30th June) and lepak at home for the next 1/2...from 1st July till 31st Dec. Not something I am proud of.....but it feels kinda strange.

The next best thing is I took up SCUBA Diving......never regreted this action. It was FUN FUN FUN all the way....even though it cost a lot of money. In total did 7 dive trips this year....n graduated from ND (Non-Diver) to RD (Rescue Diver).

Now wondering what 2007 will be to me. Now yet set resolution...hehehehe

SUDOKU

Some people were wondering whether how I pass my time sitting at home for the past few months. Well....for the 1st 3 months...I was bz with diving. Then I spend my time a lot on reading.....n recently (bout 1 month ago)....hooked on SUDOKU pulak...hehehehe

All these thanks to my sifu Beckz for introducing me to SUDOKU...hehehehehe

Actually I kinda wonder....how such a simple (I mean the design, not the puzzle) game can be so addictive. It really enhances ur ability to rationalize. Some of the puzzle is so difficult that u actually have to plan the moves few steps ahead in order to get the answer.

For those who haven't discover the world of Sudoku....come come....ah Siew boleh get u addicted to it...hehehehe

U can try some Sudoku puzzles at www.websudoku.com

Blood donation

I must admit.....I do not donate money..., not to beggers, monks or anyone. The only thing I donate is blood coz I believe that the blood really will go towards saving ones life.

Yest I went to donate blood in a hospital. This is the 1st time I donate in hospital......all the other times is done in shopping malls, colleges, offices and temples. I decided to do it in the hospital this time becoz I just wanna see how different the environment compared to in complexes n temples.

1st thing I notice....its not easy to find the blood bank. The hospital has just renovated its facilities....hence the location of the blood bank has been moved. After asking few hospital staffs and walk a distance.....finally found the blood bank.

2nd thing I notice....the chair is damm comfy. Usually in complexes/temples, u just get to lie down on those "katil lipat"....but in the hospital, they have these damm comfy chair. Then notice they have a digital device to weight the blood u r donating. That device also tracks the time u take to donate the blood....cool.

Overall....donated 450ml of blood in 4 mins 36 secs. Was kinda happy as my blood pressure still low, means still healthy...hehehehe. Also happy coz I manage to complete one of my 2006 resolution...which is to donate blood 4 times in 2006....yahoooooo. Will try to donate 4 times again in 2007.

Badminton.....my passion......

Was bit sad when I saw my racquet bag gathering dust on top of my table. I lost count of how many weeks, perhaps months since I last played badminton. Few years ago...or merely up to 6 months ago....badminton is my no 1 passion in sports. I play the game regularly 3 times a week....sometimes up to 5 times.

After realizing I have not touched my racquets for such a long time, I rang up my god-sis (Odett) and ask her for a game at her condo last Sat (09/12/2006) nite. The plan is to just gauge myself on how much my level has dropped over the period of time. During my training days...the drill we did was torturing...but the reward is satisfying. The speed and accuracy we gained clearly differs us from the rest of the group. These are the aspects I aimed to gauge myself.

As usual....start the game with some basic strokes. Found out my lobs are not as accurate as it used to be. Shotting lobs are way toooooo strong....some even went out bout 1 feet from the base line. Smashing timing was all out......and those smash that connects....the power and accuracy is not there anymore. Drop shots is still sharp....but the accuracy is not so good anymore. Defence is horrible......seems like the hand n mind coordination is almost totally out. However luckily....footwork is still ok. Still manage to run, jump n turn around the court easily.

After the game.....all those involve (Odett, Stanley, Ben, Beckz, Isiah and me) went for supper together. I felt kinda sad that my level of badminton has declined so badly. I made a point to myself that I will pick up badminton again regularly and brush back up my skills. There is no way I am going to let my skills in my no 1 most passionate sport to drop again.

Gambate

Being a "Sceptic"

According to wikipedia, definition of sceptic/scepticism:

In ordinary usage, skepticism or scepticism (Greek: skeptomai, to look about, to consider; see also spelling differences) refers to
an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object, the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain, or
the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism that is characteristic of skeptics (Merriam–Webster).

In philosophy, skepticism refers more specifically to any one of several propositions. These include propositions about the limitations of knowledge, a method of obtaining knowledge through systematic doubt and continual testing, the arbitrariness, relativity, or subjectivity of moral values, a method of intellectual caution and suspended judgment, a lack of confidence in positive motives for human conduct or positive outcomes for human enterprises, that is, cynicism and pessimism (Keeton, 1962).

In classical philosophy, skepticism refers to the teachings and the traits of the Skeptikoi, a school of philosophers of whom it was said that they "asserted nothing but only opined" (Liddell and Scott). In this sense, philosophical skepticism, or pyrrhonism, is the philosophical position that one should avoid the postulation of final truths. Turned on itself, skepticism would deny that it is infallibly certain that skepticism is the only basic perspective.

In religion, skepticism refers to "doubt concerning basic religious principles (as immortality, providence, and revelation)" (Merriam–Webster).

The word skepticism can characterize a position on a single claim, but in scholastic circles more frequently describes a lasting mindset and an approach to accepting or rejecting new information. Individuals who proclaim to have a skeptical outlook are frequently called skeptics, often without regard to whether it is philosophical skepticism or empirical skepticism that they profess.

A sceptic always thinks on logical manners, believe in science and there is always a way to explain something scientifically. In certain ways....this type of thinking helps the society...such as when effective traditional medicine has been explained and researched using science, hence mass produced of the medicine to cure deseases all over the world is possible.

However...when the sceptic side of a person clashes with his/her spiritual side.....the effect can be worst than any words can explained. Imagine two of yourself battling each other to gain the sensible conscious of you looking at certain things. The result can go either way.....all depends on the support and sacrifice a person willing to commit/receive.

Another one of my favourite song

Open Arms by Journey

Lying beside you, here in the dark
Feeling your heart beat with mine
Softly you whisper, youre so sincere
How could our live be so blind
We sailed on together
We drifted apart
And here you are by my side

(chorus)
So now I come to you, with open arms
Nothing to hide, believe what I say
So here I am with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms

Living without you, living alone
This empty house seems so cold
Wanting to hold you, wanting you near
How much I wanted you home

But now that you've come back
Turned night into day
I need you to stay.

(chorus)

One of my favourite song

Masterpiece by Atlantic Starr

A simple touch of your hand,
And everything is right.
The gentle way you look at me,
When we kiss goodnight.
You've given me the freedom no other love has known
And now I thank you girl , thank you girl

The countless ways you've touched my heart
Is more than I can say
The beauty that you've shown to me
takes my breath away
A picture perfect painting, that's what our love is
And yes I need you so, and now I know

Chorus:
ooooh
I've found a masterpiece in you
a work of art it's true
And I treasure you my love
ooooh
I've found a masterpiece in you
a work of art it's true
And I treasure you

Sometimes I wonder what I'd be
Had I not found you
A lost and lonely soul this world
could show me nothing new

But now my life's a canvas
painted with your love
And it will always be
And now I see

The two of us together
Through time will never part
This fairy tale we sharing
is real inside our hearts
let it be forever
never let it end
this promise I do make
Heaven is ours to take

Repeat chorus
When I'm lost and insecure
you build me up and make me sure
that everything will turn out right
My love

Repeat chorus
(This fairy tale we're sharing
is real inside our hearts
Let it be forever
never let it end)

Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 3) - FINAL EPISODE

Final eposide of my SCUBA diving epilogue for the year 2006. For this post...I wanna scrible down the most wonderful trip I had....which include the most toughest and FUN course for me by far.

Brace yourself for the most adventourous and FUN dive trip I have ever did. Welcome onboard....smiles and laughter is mandatory while reading.

Merdeka Eve Nite 2006:
The plan is 'bertolak' from KL bout 1am...early Merdeka morning. Since from 6pm till 1am got nothing todo....so I 'ajak' one of the Mat Salleh (David Beasley....yeah...its him again) to go rock climb 1st in 1 Utama. This is because the other Mat Salleh (Greg Hoyle...this is geng 'baru') which we are gonna 'tumpang' his car, stays only bout 10 minutes away from 1 Utama.

So here we are....one banana chinese and a mat salleh climbing wall in 1 Utama prior to the trip. Another reason for this also becoz we wanna tire ourself kaw kaw so can sleep on the journey later. Greg told me that he can do the driving from KL to Merang Jetty (700+ kms bout 7 hours...trust me its torturing) eventhough I told him that it will be torturing. Since he insist....well I then better tired myself now via rock climbing n sleep later. Summo his car damm comfy....Honda Accord V6 3.0 VTEC leh...full leather interior.

Early Merdeka Day 2006:
Go pick up Richard aka The Instructor from his house bout 12am sharp. Then we went to a 'mamak' stall near his house to wait for another 3 fellow divers.

Ones 7 of us are ready....we left KL in 2 cars. Next stop in in a rest area along Karak Highway where we will rendevouz with 7 more fellow divers. In total...will be 14 divers (3 gals, 11 guys) in 4 cars....1 Accord, 1 Vios, 1 Kelisa, 1 Wira.....so no need guess which one is fastest ler..hehehehe.

Reached Gambang Rest Area around 4.30am for fuel. This is the bout 1/2 way into the journey and also the end of the highway. After this we will be using the trunk roads to reach Merang Jetty. Greg felt tired so I took over the drive. Wah...so excited....1st time drive Honda Accord V6 3.0 VTEC leh....summo got EBD, ABS, TCS,....macam macam lagi. Furthermore it just started to rain....yahoooo...get to test car in rain.

Along the journey...it rained heavily. Really nice to drive the car......damm powerful, responsive and stable. Kept on forgetting that I am attacking sharp corners on the trunk road at 90km/h.....best best...low understeer and the car just turn in according to driver's need. Sometimes can feel the TCS kicks in also.

Merdeka Day Morning 2006:
Reached Merang jetty bout 7.40am.....then found out that the 7.30am boat din wait for us...damm. Kena wait for the 9.30am boat now...aiyoh....double damm. Take the 2 hours slack time to read on my PADI Rescue Diver manual....got tough exam wan ah.

Yew Hong last minute baca buku.

Finally got up the boat....and as usual....it is my favourite place to catch a nap. I dunno y lah...the boat shakes like nobody's business but still its a nice place to nap for me.

Sleeping in boat.

Lastly reached the island...yahooooo...my 6th trip there in 3 months. Seeing the cool 'signboard' again is the proof I am here again.

Cool signboard.

1st dive is the famous "Checkout Dive". As usual...this dive is a torture for me...coz my eyes are tired after hours of concentrating on the road. Usually in checkout dive, we brush up a little on our basics diving skills such as mask removal and regulator 2nd stage recovery. This time, the Rescue Divers (Odett, Yew Hong, David and me) have to do something special...which is to take a deep breath, remove our SCUBA gear underwater (bout 12 metres deep), swim close to the sea bottom for 5 kick cycles, make a u-turn and wear back the SCUBA unit. Quite frightening actually but everyone did it perfectly.

The most FUN part of this whole trip is the Rescue Diver course. We had some confined water session....in which case that we laugh our hearts out 70% of the time....act as victim for 20% and last 10% is rescue our victim. Our instructor put us on an incentive, that who acts as the best victim will receive a gift at the end of the training. With this incentive for grab..... we try every possible ways to out do each other in becoming the victim. Listed below are some ways used by the 4 of us:

Odett:
Shout "HELPPPPPPPPP" at the top of her voice to get attention from people in the resort...kekekeke....till some of them really stand up n tengok tengok what happen.

David:
Swam towards Yew Hong n grab him when David was being the panic victim. Yew Hong was caught by suprise and couldn't even sink and kick in time to get away from David. Was very funny when we saw it....really laughing until stomach pain while threading water.

Yew Hong:
Release all the air from his BCD and pretend to struggle at the water surface while shouting for help. Really drank a lot of salt water while doing this. No wonder he won the best victim award.

Me:
Always have my BCD almost empty....hence still can sink a little and make my rescuer have a very tough time rescuing me from underwater...hahahahaha

Overall....we are really enjoying ourself soooooooo much that we din even realize we got sunburn on our faces, neck n head while threading water in the hot sun.

Other times of the trip:
Performing the rescue scenarios is one of the requirements in order to be certified as a Rescue Diver. For me....I find this the toughest part of the whole journey. Everyone have to do 4 scenarios.

One of my scenario involve saving a panic cum unresponsive diver in open sea....bout 200 metres away from the beach. During the rescue, I had to remove gears, thread water, do rescue breath and lastly tow the diver back to shore in a limited amount of time. After reaching the shore.....gotta carry the diver up the beach and perform CPR also.....damm tiring.

Yew Hong (left) carrying David back to shore. This is a very tiring activity.


Yew Hong (left) doing CPR to David.


Me (left) doing CPR to Odett


Odett tried many times to carry me up during training but fail. Really susah for her...and also torture for me, kena eat sand each time.

Many of us lose weight while goin through the rescue training. Yew Hong lost almost 4kgs on the trip....that is an average of 1 kg per day...wa lau eh...what a good way to slim down eh.

On this trip also....I got to lead dive for a few times. The 1st was leading Yew Hong in a deep dive at Karang Nibong Laut. There are many baby jelly fish and planktons at shallow water, some of them is very cute. Visibility of the dive is not very good (ard 7 metres) due to termocline and some mild current stirring up bottom sediments. However we manage to spot many nurse sharks among the rocks at the dive site. Also while descending, we saw a very very tiny (bout 2 inch long) Titan Trigger Fish on the buoy line.......soooooooo cute.

The 2nd lead dive I made was to Batu Banyak Keras. This time Odett and me lead 4 (Ginn, Stanley, Greg and Beckz) AOWD students. I took the Lead and Odett take the back as the Sweeper. We did a few rounds at the dive site...which consist mainly of 3 small boulders and some giant sea fans. It is quite a nice dive site with variety of fishes. During the safety stop, I challenge Beckz on some buoyancy control...hehehehe....now she know what is called "Buoyancy Control"....hehehehehe.

Divers "lepaking" at the cafe during surface interval (SI).

Last day nite:
As usual.....the last nite for the trip is our Graduation Nite. Overall 8 divers passed as Advance Open Water Diver (AOWD) and 4 passed as Rescue Divers (RD). On this nite also....we vote who is the best "victim" in the rescue training exercise...and Yew Hong got the prize.

Voting for the "best victim award".


Overall 8 divers (Greg, Stanley, Ginn, Beckz, William, Josh, Sim and Eddie) passed as AOWD. This pic shows Greg (right) receiving his scroll from Richard.


4 divers (Yew Hong, David, Odett and me) graduated as Rescue Divers. This pic shows me graduating.

Final day:
This is always the sad day for the trip. We are leaving the island after such a wonderful and FUN 4d3n trip. As usual...we will take many many photos....as we would like to remember this trip forever.

Before the trip....we were full of anxiety and expectation. Now after all our expectations are answered.....we will always look back to the pictures to bring back those old memories....those FUN we share and those happy moments we went through.

The 4 gentlemen (from left: William, Eddie, Sim and Josh) with the pretty rose Beckz (in middle) posing for a shot.


Wah....this picture very "gaya" ah.


Dive sites in Pulau Lang Tengah.


The whole group.
Back row from left: Stanley, Odett, William, Siew (me), Yew Hong, Sim, Josh, Eddie, Richard (instructor), Beckz, Greg, David and Ginn.
Front: Eric.

Finally....this is the end of all the diving stories I had for 2006. The most memorable and most 'precious' trip (among all the 7 trips I made in 2006) is this one....which will forever has a long lasting effect in my mind...and also in my heart. You will always never know what the future (3 months is enuf) holds for u.

Throughout all the dive trips.....I have countered my fear of drowning, has more confidence at sea, learn to react to situations and lastly enjoy every single moment I go underwater. I realize the need to conserve the wonderful nature of the underwater aquatic life. Hence as a diver, I always remind people to take caution while diving/snorkling so that we will not harm the balance of the aquatic world.

Not to forget all the friends I have made doing diving together. Now the dive season is closed in the east coast of Msia...hence we don't see each other much. However when the season opens back next year.....brace urself...I AM GOING BACK TO SEA.......

yahoooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..........THE END.............

.......Define an 'angel'.......

According to wikipedia.....

Angel:
An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. In scripture, they typically act as messengers, as held by the three prominent monotheistic faiths, Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

To me....I kinda like the definition of angel based on the character played by David Boreanaz in the TV series Angel is the best.

In the show, he playes a vampire (Angel) which has his souled returned to him as a punishment for all the sins he did. After getting his soul back, Angel have emotions and feelings hence could no longer do all the sin he did as a vampire. Instead he choose to banish demons and help those he love.

The definition of 'Angel' here is a person who has sinned a lot in his past....but have now felt remorse and regret his actions. He can never hide his past....while try to make ammends for all the sins he had committed.

....You'll never know what you'll get....

I remember a famous quote from the movie Forest Gump....which is "Life is like a box of chocolates, u will never know what you will get". Basically it means that you can never 100% expect what to get in life.

Hence lets take a review of the average 'life' step by step:

1) We start by being taught in schools to be good citizens...and spend most of our childhood studying.

2) We study hard and lastly rewarded with out diplomas and degrees, which are our passport to the 'so call better' working world.

3) We join the list of unemployed grads....until we got a job. And via strict interviews....we join the working world.

4)We perform our job deligently....until we felt so exhausted to do anything more for the day. However we are rewarded every end of the month in the form of 'pay'.

5) Time kept passing on....until we found our sweetheart. We made a vow of neverending happiness together....and via some passionate hugs n kisses...we were rewarded 9 months later with out own baby. **Darn...there goes the sleep**

6) We kept on persuing higher goals...till we are rich. We wanted to be perfect in everything we do...we want to be the best...and will always squeeze the extra time to succeed.

7) Suddenly 1 day 'they' told u that they can do without u. Ur hold world crumple before your eyes, you felt destroyed. Time still pass but this time it is more slower.

8) You realize all the while you have been living in a fog. You set high goals and while chasing them, you have neglated many wonderful things in life. Time now seems of no use to you already.....and finally ur time is up in this 'so called' wonderful ambitious life.

Upon this revelation.....an idea comes to mind on how to relive life. Life is not all about goals and dreams...it is also about all the other wonderful things which comes along. Hence I will :

1. I'll learn to take things easy.


2. I'll listen more to those around me.


3. I try to travel more.


4. I'll open my heart to LOVE.


5. I'll save more time to spend with my friends.


6. I'll sing whenever I feel like singing...example in the rain.


7. I'll try to achieve common goals with my LOVE one.


8. I'll join my friend's warmth.


9. I'll coorporate to make this world a better and safer place to live in.

I believe by doing so.....when my time finally catch up with me, I have no regret in this life. Like the saying..."Life is like a box of chocolates, u will never know what you will get"....hence appriciate and enjoy every moment of your life.

Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 2, stage 2)

Continue from "Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 2, stage 1)".........

July 2006 (Perhentian):

This is my 1st FUN dive after getting my AOWD. The trip was planned by me and initially many of my friends wanted to join.....however as the date comes closer...all also ffk me...haihzzz. Finally only me and my instructor decide to go for the FUN dive trip.

I have heard a lot of wonderful things regarding the dive sites in Perhentian Island. It is famous for its ship wrecks dive sites and also a favourite spot for back packing mat salleh to do dive. Basically you don't have to attached yourself to a "package" type trip, there are many resorts, dive centers and 'makan' places here.....so u can plan your trip according to your preference. There is even a school here. Its the perfect place for people who are on a tight budget and would like to have some dives while hanging out on the island.

For this trip..., me and my friend (the freelance instructor) decide to only do 4 FUN dives. Our 1st dive was initially planned at Vietnamese Wreck....which I heard b4 that is it a wonderful dive site. As the boat reaches the dive site.....the surface current was so strong that we have no way of fighting it. Even paddling hard, we are at a lost end against the current. Finally we abandon the dive....sadly.

Instead we change location to another dive site call Batu Nesan. As we just descent into the water....3 huge 1 metre long Bumphead Fish swam towards us. Actually I think we descented into the swimming path of the Bumpheads. If we would have went down bout 10 seconds later, we might actually sit on the Bumpheads too...hehehehe.


Big Bumphead Fish

The other 3 dive sites that we went were:

1)Shark point
Boring site.

2)Tokong Laut
Cun site. Seriously.......if you are an AOWD, you have to go dive here. The dive site is a big mountain shape boulder that rises from the ocean floor. The top of the boulder is exposed above water for about 3 metres. Surface current is usually mild. The current at the bottom can be harzardously strong....however it is FUN for doin drift diving.
You can also test ur diving control skill at this dive site by taking nice photos while in current. I manage to spot a Scorpion Fish while drift diving, quickly make a 90 degree turn, fight the current....and snap the pic.


Try to spot the Scorpion Fish...hehehe

3)Sugar Wreck
This site is a cargo ship which sank back in 2001. Its carrying supply of raw sugar when it sank, hence the wreck is call "Sugar Wreck". Current can be strong at surface, however ones at the bottom...the wreck can shield off the current. Many Lion Fish and Puffer Fish at this wreck.....not forgetting the number of sea durains also.


Lion Fish

Overall this trip is damm enjoying. Nice dive sites, get to eat barracuda fish curry (have to wait 1 hour to prepare), get to eat nice n cheap western food, get to see many tanned mat salleh lui and lastly....banyak bikini gal ahhhhh........slurrrpp.

Underwater pictures from this trip are available at the URL below:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=80t4j8i.81yvul3i&x=0&y=-r9s3m5

.......To be Continued in "Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 3)..........

*preview::: Episode 3 is the final episode of my 2006 SCUBA diving stories. It contains the best course I have ever took by far...which is the PADI Rescue Diver Course.

hujan hujan hujan

haaaiiihhhzzzzz.....also dunno why every evening must 'hujan' (rain) wan. Now also wanna hujan d, really freaky weather. 2pm looks like 8pm....look at the sky kenot see the sun also....all so dark. The dark clouds look like wanna drop down on my apartment also d...wa lau eh.

Every evening rain, kacau my plans to go jogging only. No wonder all those gyms blooming like mushrooms....coz not affected by weather....so all the leng luis n gay lous go there.

Anyway....who I am to fight with mother nature. Got rain also good....wash all the dirt off the roads, clean the hazy air a bit and lastly clean the longkang also coz the water is moving.

Haihzzz....rain rain rain........

Especially dedicated to someone I care.....

You have proven to me today that via will and determination, you have accomplish something that is almost impossible for u to accomplish few weeks ago.

By that...I am very proud of u......

Weekly rock climb session in Summit USJ

Went on my usual weekly rock climb at Summit USJ yest (17/11/2006). This time I brought my camera along to shot some pics of my friends climbing. Got some cool pics with cool moves......see below:


Odett doing some stretching.


Me climbing.


"Grand Master" Wai Meng.


The Three Climbers. From left: Adrian, Yvoone and Wendy.


Wow....this is one cool move.

Overall its a nice climbing session.....full of FUN. More pictures are available in my online album at the link below:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=80t4j8i.5rg5xpjq&x=0&y=102vo9

Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 2, stage 1)

....continued from "Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 1)".......

In the previous blog (Episode 1), I came into realization that the dive season is finally over for 2006 (**sob sob**) in the east coast. Upon being hit by this reality....I decided to blog about my short but wonderful journey into the world of SCUBA diving. Below is the continuation of the wonderful journey.

Brace yourself for more "FUN"ny stories.....no tickets neccesary but laughers are mandatory....hehehehe

July 2006 (Lang Tengah):

The diving bug is again biting hard on me. It has been almost a month since my last FUN dive. Along the way was some intro to SCUBA session held in a pool in PJ, where I helped my instructor with photography as I am the only one with an underwater camera casing.

Eventhough I got to breath, hover and swim underwater......the 'feel' is just not there. There are no fishes (**ones got 2 dugongs...hehehe**), no corals, no crown of thorns and 'durians', no yellow box fish....and most 'potong stim' thing is that it all happen in a 8 feet pool. I know it at that time...I have to get back into the sea. The sea is calling me.....and I am going to answer.

I bought my gears (fins, booties, mask, snorkle and wetsuit) and signed up for the Advance Open Water Course (AOWD) with my freelance instructor friend. Course date is 1st week of July....yes....finally a cure to my FUN addiction.

Finally....the moment came. I have an Australian Mat Salleh by the name of David Beasley (my ex-colleague) as my buddy. David and I are both in the IT line, however I felt that he is more suitable in the circus line. He has many tricks under his sleeves such as juggling, balancing a crystal ball on his palm and balancing a stick with 2 other sticks. Its kinda hard to explain his tricks....you just have to see it by urself. He did amazed many of the resort guest with his tricks....n in return he got lots of beers...hehehehe


David (on right)

Back to diving.....well I am really looking forward towards it. Together in the trip are 6 OWD students and 2 fun divers. 4 out of 6 of the OWD students are gals....part of the reason I wanna join this trip....hehehehehe.

Since the course was done also in the same resort in Lang Tengah Island....there wasn't much to do there except:

1. see sunset every single evening.


2. sleep on the hammock enjoying the sea breeze everyday after lunch.


3. watch bikini gals running around on the white sandy beach....hehehe...life is GOOD.


4. lie down on the beach bench enjoying the starry starry sky at nite while listening to the sound of waves crashing on the shore.

Things we did underwater:

1. nite dive....yeahhhhh.


2. deep dive....double yeahhhhh.


3. took pic of a damm freaking big puffer fish during deep dive.


4. do kungfu, karate and kickboxing moves underwater without our fins....this is damm lots of fun.

Overall...its a damm satisfying dive trip. I learned a lot from this trip.....mainly in controlling my bouyancy further. By having good bouyancy control...now I can take more nicer picture:


a cute yellow box fish hiding among staghorn corals


a big puffer fish...like pillow

Finally....my reward for this trip is.......................


me in yellow shirt...I think is the same shirt when I got my OWD :P

............being certified as an Advance Open Water Diver....yahooooo

Also in this trip.....we get to watch the most emotional graduation night for the OWD students. I still have the video....damm emotional.

.......To be Continued in "Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 2, stage 2)".............

Nice advertisements

Remember those cool festives advertisement by Petronas...the most recent one is the Raju VS Raaju ad for Deepavali.

Well...you can watch them all at the URL below :

http://www.aleph-one.com.my/webcast/petronas_ads/index.htm#

My personal favourite is the one for Deepavali 2003, called "Boys In The Hood"....I still can remember the names...

"Muniandy Chinnadorai.....Muthusamy Kharuppiah"...hehehehe

Dive dive dive....yahooooo...diving is FUN (Episode 1)

I finally came to accept fact that the dive season in East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia is over for 2006. Eventhough the season kinda ended in end Sept 2006 (**more than a month ago**)....its really hard for me to let go......SCUBA Diving is just so damm bloody addictively FUN.

Looking back...it been quite a FUN, funny and damm enjoying moment I spend in diving. I am actually quite a new diver, having started only back in May 2006 (**yeah....not that long ago**).....however I kinda get addicted to it quite seriously as compared to my fellow OWD students. For the next few months (**all the way till Sept 06**)....it was only fun, fun, fun and nothing but fun.

To chronograph it....well....it kinda like something below:

May 2006:

Finally decided to take up SCUBA diving after being pestered non-stop day n night by my rock climbing buddy. His reason.....well he is a diver and not working at that time, so he wanted me to take up diving so I can go dive with him. Hmmmm.....sound like a reasonable reason to me.

Signed up for a course with a friend who happen to be a freelance instructor. Got the materials...., read them....., did the knowledge reviews....and finally studied hard for the exam. Prior to the course (**was doin it in Lang Tengah Island**), my damm free and persuasive rock climb buddy rang me up n told me he is off to Langkawi to study Aeronautics for a year. Hearing this...I was like...."Damm....you ask me to take up this diving thingy so we can go dive....now u tell me u r migrating to Langkawi for a year....shit". Anyway....no turning back then....money paid, book studied....and already commited to doing it.

Stepped on Lang Tengah Island for the very 1st time in my life....never been here but heard it was a nice place. Did my OWD (confined and open water skills) course here. Was really FUN, so many things happen:

1. sleep at the beach.
   
   
2. snorkling non-stop.



3. watch bikini gals with instructor whole day.



4. eat buffet food every single day.



5. see beautiful sunset every evening in such a short 4d3n trip.



6. drink MILO from morning till nite.



7. nearly drown while doin my 200 metres swim coz both leg crammed up while swimming. Tip: do not do any strainous leg activity b4 the swim.
   

Finally on 20/05/2006....it finally happen. What happen ???? read below :

English Version:
Today in history...., 20/05/2006......me (Siew Kum Weng) is a certified Open Water Diver....yahoooooooooooo


Malay Version:
Pada hari yang bersejarah ini, saya (Siew Kum Weng) mengishtiharkan bahawasanya saya telah ditabalkan lesen menyelam Open Water Diver pada 20/05/2006. Sekian, terima kasih.



I am the one in the yellow shirt...hehehehe

Eventhough my OWD experience might sound a little exaggerated (**I myself think it is**)....I bet all divers will never forget their experience when they took their OWD. The 1st feeling of breathing underwater, float motionlessly without the feel of grativy underwater......its just sooooo relaxing.


Back (left to right) :Danny, A'boy, Rho Wen, Ben, Me, Anne, Odett
Front (left to right) : Chin Yin, Richard (instructor), Choo

Well...that's it for May 2006.

June 2006:

Went for my 1st fun dive in early June. It was a really last minute thingy....but the diving bug is really biting me hard.

I even manage to get myself an underwater casing for an old camera I had. Since the camera was quite old and has stop production back in 2004....hence the underwater casing was quite cheap. It seems that the casing only fit this particular model of camera....so the shopowner was willing to give me quite a deal to just "dispose" of the old "rugi" investment....hehehehe...which is good news to me.

1st fun dive was nice....manage to brush up more on my bouyancy control. I found out that if you want to really seriously brush up in your bouyancy, take up underwater photography. In order to get a nice decent picture, you will have to get close to the object, hover, control ur breath (**bubbles scare fishes away**) and can turn around left and right smoothly and swift underwater.

However since this is my 1st fun dive and 1st time taking picture underwater....I feel I learned a lot from the trip. Some of the pics I took:


Filefish


Brain coral

Looking at the pictures.....well there are still plenty of rooms for improvements, espeically on the lighting and angle aspect. However as a 1st timer...it was quite satisfying I manage to snap them.

More photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=80t4j8i.1bve6a9e&x=0&y=ptezfv

Well...that's the end for June 2006.

......to be continued........

Rock Climb @ Genting (11/11/2006)

Went rock climb in Genting Highlands with few ex-colleagues. It is an event organised by my ex-company.....so I just tag along. The climb was fun as some of the routes are actually quite technical. There are also many spectators as the climbing wall is indoor, in First World Plaza Indoor Theme Park.

Below are some pictures from the climb :



Stanley (left) and Odett (right) doing wall traversing as warm up.


I (in blue shirt) also join Stanley and Odett doing wall traversing.


Me finish/clean one of the easy route.


Doing another of the easy routes.


Doing some stylish move while traversing...hehehe...good for practising agility.


Richard (in orange) belaying a climber. He is the 'sifu' among all of us.


Sifu Richard showing off his climbing skills.


Sifu Richard has succesfully finished/cleaned a route.


The "Grand Master of Rock Climbing"...Mr. Soo Wai Meng (in white) gettng ready to show his climbing skills.


"Grand Master" Wai Meng showing off his climbing skills. Wow....only need to use his right hand to climb.

For more photos, plese refer to this link:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=80t4j8i.c4wsjghi&x=0&y=1ks0y7

*Just click on the album, donot have to log in if you do not have an account.

Pop Quiz

Some general knowledge quiz :

1 - How do you measure :
a) How long is a metre ?
b) How long is a second ?
c) How to determine a temperature of 1 degree celcius ?
d) Velocity ?
e) Accelaration ?

2 - What is the largest :
a) fish in the ocean ?
b) currently documented living creature on earth ?
c) mammal on earth ?
d) mammal on land ?

3 - Who discovered :
a) Electricity ?
b) Telephony system ?
c) Combustion engine ?
d) Steam engine ?
e) Light bulb ?
f) Current solar system ?
g) X-ray ?
h) Barium ?

4 - What is the fastest :
a) Fish ?
b) Mammal ?
c) Reptile ?
d) Bird ?

5 - What is the :
a) 5 princips in Rukun Negara ?
b) Tallest mountain in Peninsula Malaysia (state the name and height) ?
c) Tallest peak in South East Asia (state the name, height and in which country) ?
d) Meaning of the 4 colours in the Malaysia Flag ?
e) Year the Portugese conquor Malacca ?
f) Year the Dutch took over from the Portugese to rule Malacca ?
g) Year Francis Light landed in Penang ?
h) Year Malaya got its independence ?
i) Year Malaysia is created ?
j) Year Singapore is separated from Malaysia ?

Well...that's all for now. Happy answering. Most important is....have FUN while answering :)

rain rain rain

haihzzzz....everyday rain rain rain. According to the definition in wikipedia:

Rain is a form of Precipitation (meteorology) precipitation, other forms of which include Snow, Sleet, Hail and Dew. Rain forms when separate drops of water fall to the earth's surface from clouds.

According to my definition:

Rain is the No 1 dillema of all motorcyclist.

These days it rains at nite...., start around 7 - 8 pm and finish around 12am. This is quite nice considering it creates an ideal environment to sleep.....cooling.

The worst time to rain is around 4 - 5 pm. It seems the weather has senses as it will sometimes purposely choose to rain only on weekdays during that time. The main effect will be massive flooding in many major roads in KL, which will lead to a massive gathering of cars and cars...which is properly called as 'traffic jam'.

I'm not against rain...but please lah don't rain every single day.....arghhhhh.

Nice show....one of my fav currently....

Being a **ahem** diver myself.....automatically I am interested in aquatic thingys, such as seeing fish in aquarium, checking out dive gears, checking out nice dive sites,.....etc.

One of my fav is also watching movies which has some diving elements in it such as Open Water and Into The Blue. Of all these movies, one that particularly attracts me is a japanese movie called Umizaru.

It revolves around the lifes of the Japanese Coast Guard's Rescue Diver Unit members. The movie is based on a popular japanese manga of the same title. The 1st movie titled Umizaru was released back in 2004. In this movie, it tells the tales of how the Rescue Divers are trained. It focuses on a particular character (the main actor) called Senzaiki Daisuke, acted by the "super duper handsome" japanese actor Ito Hideaki. The lead actress (Kato Ai) is also super duper pretty.

In 2005, the series was produced....called Umizaru Evolution. Its a 10 episode series acted by the same lead cast. This time the story focuses on the life of Senzaiki as a coast guard rescue diver.

In 2006, another movie is produced called Umizaru:Limit of Love......., no reviews about this movie yet as I have not even watch it myself.

Information on the movie are available on the URL below:
http://www.umizaru.jp/
http://j-fan.com/drama/drama.cgi?action=viewrev&season=Summer_2005&show=umizaru

I would recommend this movie....its nice.

Rock Climbing @ Summit (03/11/2006)

Went rock climbing as usual last Friday evening....but this time I decide to snap some pics of my 'members' climbing.



Sim climbing and Yvonne belaying. They are such a compatible couple...opps...I mean climbing couple/buddy....hehehehe


Yvonne's turn to climb.....easy does it.


Sim getting ready to climb...just doing some final check.


Sal (on right) teaching 1st timers how to use the safety equipments.


The main importance in rock climbing..., always put your weight on your legs and use your hand only for balance. Sim is demonstrating it in this picture.


Yvonne doing very well at climbing.


Sim even have time to smile for the camera...hehehehe


Wah...stylo....


Yew Hong attempting a 6C route....which is very difficult.


Yew Hong finish/clean the 6C route d....looks very easy for him.


This is how the proffesionals does it. In this pic, Sal is attempting a tough bouldering route.


Another pic of how the experts rock climb. Look at the technique, so stylish...not to mention the hair...hehehe

Well....those are all the pictures I manage to take. Din't have any pics of me....coz i am a bad climber...kekeke...so i think I leave the climbing to the rest.