Me Underwater

I believe that many people who know me know that I love diving. Well, that could be an understatement. Diving has become a part of my life, something that I do whenever I had the chance, even if it is in the pool.

Wanna see how I looked like underwater?

Ta-da~~~!!!

Guess which one is me?

I came across this old picture while browsing through my archives. This was taken during my trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in December, 2006. I had a great time there. I guess every experience is unique, and this trip especially, since it was the first time that I really did some hard-core diving, to the extend that I was looking more like a worn-out rag than a diving diva at the end of the trip. :P

That was a trip that I was supposed to blog a long time ago. But given the magnitude of it, the greediness in me to try to put everything into my blog, the whole thing got so huge that I finally gave up the whole project.

Well, not really. I decided that if the pictures did not go in my blog, at least they would be displayed to the public to view, at least for my friends, in Facebook. For those who are interested, you can find me in Facebook using my full name. :)

Or, to a lesser extent, in my Friendster's photo album.

For those who had waited for my blog on this trip, please forgive me. I apologize for the delay of nearly two years. :P I hope it could still bring back some good memories of wonderful times back then. It was really a fun time. :)

I was in Miri

I was in Miri city the week after the Merdeka day (Independence day of Malaysia) to do my first round of calls after joining my new company. It was a week of new exploration and also a time to meet up with my mate from Kuching, who had moved to Miri a while ago.

My Area Supervisor came down with me to show me the ropes and the ins and outs of the place. I was glad that he could make it this trip with me. If not, I was afraid that I would have wasted so much time just trying to figure out who to see and where to go in a very limited period of time.

My Area Supervisor noting down in a map all the important people to see.

Besides my work, I guess the next fruitful event during this trip would be to meet up with my good friend, Cindy, from Kuching.

Cindy has moved to Miri since the middle of last year after having decided that she would come and work for an oil and gas company as an accountant. And, being a true accountant, she is very good with figures.

We had spent many nights with other friends in karaokes and happy hours in pubs before she moved here. Since she left us, the gang soon dissipated and continued on with our own lifes. None of us was really sure whether this was due to her leaving, or us having our own ways to go in life. I guess both played a part.

My first night in Miri Cindy came and pick me up in her new silver Citra. I was surprise to see her in her new car. I had known that she was looking for a car back in December last year, but it failed to register in my mind that she could have bought a car months ago.

Cindy and I went to Halo cafe for dinner. I did not even know that there was one in Miri. Frankly speaking, I was both surprised and not. Surprised because I never thought that Halo would actually thought about investing in a city like Miri and not Kuching. Not surprised because I had always thought of Miri for being more productive in terms of singing cultures and bands.

I ordered spaghetti and Cindy ordered something that looked like nachos, but not entirely a nacho. I was quite doubtful about the food, and hesitated in putting them into my mouth.

Cindy with the spaghetti from Halo cafe, Miri.

There was a stage where young people, mostly students, would come by and sing for the night. There is a romantic notion to the idea of singing in one of the cafes like Halo. It is something that a student would think of doing to be romantic while earning some bucks for the semester.

That night, three boys performed on stage. They looked like they were in their late teens. One of them can actually sing very well. The guitarist seemed to like to echo whatever his other mates had just said. It was rather amusing to listen to them talk.

Cindy and I started to send in our dedications after dinner. It was fun seeing them trying to fish out the lyrics for some of the songs that we had asked for, and others they had to cover with other similar songs, since none of them knew how to sing it. I liked the voice of the percussionist. I thought that he had a better voice.

Cindy and I talked about our friends back home, and how each of us had fared since our departures. She is doing pretty well now, and I am simply glad and happy for her.

Monks in Coffee Bean

This was in the Kuching International Airport, when I was sitting idly waiting to board my flight. MAS was delaying my flight, and I was rewarded with another two hours of boredom.

I saw two monks walking in my direction and into Coffee Bean.

They have clean and well-shaved head, and spoke Mandarin in an accent which indicated that they were not local.

The waitress serving their customers.

They ordered in English spoken in words and phrases, and their voices were loud and clear. It made me smile, for only those with a bright and open heart would speak with voices like that.

The monk with a white cap was tall and humble. The short monk was a female (forgive me for not knowing how to address a female monk). She was the bold one. :) I knew that from the manner of their speech.

What Is New In LCCT, Kuala Lumpur?

In LCCT, KL, you get to...

Rest and Relax...

In the new Plaza Premium Lounge

with the welcome and services of a star VIP

At a charge of RM80.00 for three hours per pax.

Hey, you get free food and internet services in there. They even provide you with massage chairs.

Oh, and I think you can get a discount of RM 20.00, if your flight was scheduled at less than three hours away.

Money Changer in LCCT, Kuala Lumpur

Friends and I were wondering the other day if they had any money changers in the LCCT (Low Cost Cargo Terminal) for Air Asia in Kuala Lumpur.

Apparently, they do, under the operation of Hong Leong bank.

Money Changer in the LCCT, Kuala Lumpur

Where I Went Today

I went to that blue building today!!!

Manta! Manta!

Manta Ray Near Talang Besar, Sematan, Sarawak, Borneo.

13 April 2008, Sunday

We saw a pair of manta rays, otherwise known as the devil rays, in Talang Besar!!!

It was near the end of the trip out, and I just got out of my third and last dive. Disassembling my gear, Mui Ling was laughing and dripping with water when she told me that she and CS had just saw a Manta while snorkeling out there.

I jumped at that moment, grabbed my mask and fins and jumped into the water swimming towards the patch of water that they pointed me.

Never was I so eager to see another sea creature as I did a Manta.

It took a few rounds of snorkeling before Edward finally spotted the Manta. I was about to give up looking for the Manta, and had actually started thinking that the Manta might have been scared off by the snorkellers. I was already at the side of the boat when ML asked me if I had seen it. I said no. Then she said to me that the group had just found it!!!!

I clambered out of the water, ML knew that I had no snorkel on, and passed me her mask and snorkel. Almost cursing, I flopped to the other side of the boat and jumped into the water. ML and Kim were both laughing at me.

I finned as hard as I could out there, and when I reached them, they told me that the Manta had gone. But I did not give up, no way was I to give up since I was this close to see the Manta!!!

And then, I saw it. As magnificent as I had always imagined it. A graceful, gliding Manta.

I could not help but felt the rush of happiness running through my veins. I dared not blink for one moment, afraid that at the next moment, it would be lost from my sight again.

And then, I saw them. Two of them!!! One bigger than the other, gliding towards each other at an angle. I was so happy that my heart could burst right there and then.

Following the smaller Manta, I saw it glide slowly towards a school of fish, and swooped in for food. It moved so fast, that for one second it was only a blur.

Slowly, it moved away, gliding as gracefully as nature had made it, and disappeared into the depth.

I have never been so happy to see another sea creature in my life. I just hope that my friend would be able to be there to see it too.

Derailment at Padas River, Borneo

There was an incident of train derailment in Sabah, Borneo. Two people were killed and 39 injured after the locomotive came off the tracks and plunged into the Padas river.

Photos by the New Straits Times Press

It happened at 3.15p.m. today, and for three hours, rescue divers from the fire department tried to salvage the wreckage for any survivors.

The train operates daily, taking villagers and produces down from the inland of Padas River to the town of Beaufort, and sends white-water-rafters up to their entry point in the upstream.

Outlook of the derailed locomotive in Sabah, Borneo.

A section of the locomotive

The Padas River

The railway runs alongside the river bank.

The train at the end of the railway, near the upstream of the Padas river

Another view of the railway and the river

To think that I was rafting down that very river, and taking the very train more than a year ago.

You can read more about the news here.

Pictures are grabbed from the following sites:

1. Borneo Trekker
2. Matt Wegener

Pom Pom Island: The Group

9 guys + 4 gals = 13 in a group

This is us!!!

Pom Pom Island: The Introduction

Last August, I was very lucky to join the "expedition" group to explore the reefs of Pom Pom Island. Pom Pom is near the Sipadan island. From Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, it took only forty minutes of boat ride to reach the island.

Pom Pom is an island undergoing the process of being developed into a holiday resort. The owner of the resort, Mr. Peter Tiong, bought 30 acres of land on the island for such development.

The resort is still under construction, and Peter gave us a good price to put up in his luxurious resort, with minimal facilities. Though minimal, we had all that we needed to survive, even hot showers at night (but only at night).

Pom Pom island is absolutely beautiful. A haven for all who seeks the tranquility and serenity of mother nature. White sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, smooth like a mirror, and the soft quietness of the island land habitat. This is absolutely the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, to have a moment of peace.

We came here to dive, to explore the reefs all around the island, and we were all in for some "surprises". We did not initially have thought of such situations to be.

The view from the chalet that we spent our nights in. We were having a blissful time as a nature seeker.

There will be more updates of my Pom Pom trip in my following posts. For now, this is only an introduction of what mother nature has kindly and generously offered us. Please stay tuned for more. :)

All pictures in this post are contributed by Monsieur L. Longeau, who takes the most wonderful pictures I have seen. Thank you.

Diving in a Cave

A few of us went diving in a cave somewhere in the area of Bau, Kuching the day before. Yes, we dived in a cave. A high-ceilinged cave, with a small body of water from the entrance halfway into the cave. This was no cave diving in the normal perception.

It was raining heavily in the morning before we went up to the cave in four vehicles. Some were worried about the weather, some were worried about the darkness underwater, some were worried about the cold water, but mostly, at least for me, I was more worried about the mountain rush of flood that was known to sweep people away.

The rain stopped when we reached the cave, which was situated off road, some distance away into the bushes. There was a trail for a single car to pass through, which was both rocky and muddy. Trees and underbushes had overgrown over the track, hitting the windscreen everytime we passed. I drove my Pajero as slow as I could, while CS and Angel chatted. Angel was all bubbly with excitement. It had been a while since I last saw her this elated.

We parked in a small clearing just outside the cave. Then, we changed and got our gears ready. I was a little slow and unorganized. It had been two months since I last dived. You get a little rusty after a while.

The cave was a lime-stoned cave, with high-rising walls that reached about eight metres in height. The walls were rough and red, with different rock formation. When light was shine upon them, it glittered with gold colours. It was once a gold mine.

The water was right at the entrance. When disturbed, the sediments at the bottom would muddied it. The sediment particles were red, like the walls. They were not exactly mud, nor sand, or even silt. I would just call them red sendiments for the time being.

With our fins and torch in hand, we wadded into the cold water. David was our guide, and he brought us in. Everyone was rather disorganised in the first place. It was dark, and the visibility rather bad. Everybody tried to stick together, which in the end caused us all to bump together, like a school of big fish.

The water was swallow, 4 to 5 metres deep at most. Thus, it was important that we keep ourselves buoyant and not disturbed the sediment bed. Lights were shining everywhere from torches and camera flashes (we brought underwater cameras). There was nothing much on the bottom except for rocks and sediments and a few near transparent fishes. These fishes were so small and thin, that it made you think of those who were never fed enough. The fishes were non-responsive when the lights were shone on them. They were either not used to having to run from danger, or they were just too starved tired to give you a damn.

It was not long before we came to the end of the water body in the cave. From the shore up it was another long passageway deep into the darkness. We could still see light from where we entered the water. There was a bend halfway down the cave, but it was not so steep that it blocked out the light.

The few of us took a few pictures at the end of the water body before we submerged again and dived our way back. We were getting colder by the minute. At one point, my light went out. It was not just mine. A few of us suffered the same fate underwater. The light would come again when we surfaced, and off a little while later underwater. We were guessing that it was the cold that turned the lights off.

This was not exactly cave diving. But it was really a unique experience, and a good introduction if one was interested in cave diving. I won't mind trying another cave dive, but not this cave anymore.

Rock Climbing: My Climb

Previously, I talked about the people and the place of rock climbing. Now, this is the real action!

I did three climbs that day. We all did three. We would get ourselves mounted to the rope at the harness, and start climbing.

The first two climbs were for us to get a feel of what rock climbing was. The wall that we climbed was refered to as the "Baby Wall". It therefore had a lot of holes and cracks for us to get a firm grip for support.

The third climb was just inches away from the "Baby Wall", yet it was a much harder climb. The nearer you were to the top, the less cracks or holes there were for you to grip. It would then require more skills and strength to climb it.

This was me getting a feel of sitting on a harness.

Learn to trust the rope, they said.

When I was ready, I started my climb.

Concentration and focus were both very important to get you up there.

This was me halfway through my climb, and looking down at the world below.

Eunice was my belayer when I was climbing.

I had reached the top of the "Baby Wall". Yeah!!!

Now this was me during the much harder climb. I was then one third the distance away from the top.

During that climb, I was too exhausted at some point to continue my climb. Therefore, I sat in my harness and took a breathing break.

Malcolm was my belayer then, and he had to wait patiently for me to gain my strength back. Poor guy...

Me trying to get a good right foot support, while wiping myself with my sleeve.

Now, I had to wedged myself in between the rocks, for there was no more holes or jutted edges for gripping.

Me moving out of the hanging rocks, and trying to move up.

Almost at the top, but still a few inches away...

This was me after the climb. Kim said that I looked like a kid monkey.
What do you guys think?

Rock Climbing: The Coaches and The Gears

Rock Climbing is considered as an extreme sports. With extreme sports, you will need to be extremely cautious while you are at it. Therefore, one must always have in mind that the priority is SAFETY!!! For you will always want to walk back on your own two legs in one piece.

The two coaches, Malcolm and Eunice, taught us all about the uses of ropes, belaying devices, knots, and ways of climbing.

Eunice and Malcolm, with Bailey at the back.

They are helping Bailey to dismount after his climb.

(Sorry, guys, this is the best pic that I could find for the two coaches)

First of all, you will need a good pair of climbing shoes.

One good pair of climbing shoes will provide you with a good grip on the rocks.

Ropes are a must.
They said that climbers did not worship the rocks, but the ropes!!!
Then, there is the Gri Gri, which is a belaying device that allows the Belayer to hold onto the leader while he/she is climbing.
Finally, there is the climb harness, which is worn around the waist and thighs of the climbers.
This is so that if the climber falls, the ropes and all devices attached will prevent the climber to fall to his doom.

This was Eunice and Malcolm preparing our climbs.

Malcolm demonstrating the ways to climb the wall.
Trust me, guys, this was no one easy wall to climb.

Malcolm supporting himself with his two opened legs.
There were no cracks or holes for him to support his legs.

Malcolm reaching the top.

Malcolm hanging and talking to us from the top (of the world).

Malcolm, getting ready to come down.

These were us, all watching in awe...

Rock Climbing: Lesson I

Teresa organised a rock climbing lesson for some of us divers the other day, and the lesson was on 17 December 2006, Sunday. There were only six of us, which was pretty much sufficient for a session, given that only one person could climb at any one time.

The climb took place at the Batman Wall, which was about 100m away from the Fairy Cave of Bau. It was named Batman Wall by some Aussies some time ago because during then, this place housed a lot of bats.

We each did three climbs that day, and was coached by two very wonderful coaches, Malcolm and Eunice. They will be in my next post.

For now, I would like to introduce to you, my lovely team mates!!!

A Tat, Bailey, Me and Ah Hii

Bailey and Ah Hii were both very kind to offer me a ride up to the caves.

Thanks so much, Guys!!! You Both Rock!!!

This is Teresa, the leader of the pack!!!

She is one of the coolest girl I have ever met.

Our group photo
Back, from Left: Bailey, Ah Hii & Malcolm
Front, from left: A Tat, Teresa, Karen, Me & Eunice