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

Chocolates!!!

I was bored while having to wait for my flight. Cadbury chocolate arranged in a systemic manner caught my attention. The varieties showed, and I took pictures.

They didn't have the one that I liked most though, I love the "Old Jamaican's Rum 'n' Raisins" the best!!!

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

Open Season Dive, 2008

It has finally come to the time where the waters in Kuching are suitable for diving!!!

30 March 2008, Sunday.

I was up before the day broke into light. Grandpa sent me over to CS's place, and I was kicking myself behind because I had forgotten that it was the darkest hour and Grandpa was having problems with his vision at night. But he got on safely in his little Honda City. I was relieved.

CS came to let me into his place, all the while grumbling about the early hour to depart. It was, by means of the PADI students who could not do their Open Water Examination the year before, arranged that early so they could satisfy their urge to be submerged. I agreed with him half-heartedly, knowing full well that one hour could make a big difference in outing time, or none at all.

We reached the Sematan jetty a little past 8.30a.m., loaded our tanks and equipments, and was out towards the Talang-Talang islands just before 9.00 a.m. It was a sunny morning, and we were on Adi's new boat. Gotta love it for the space and speed. Though none the faster than a speedboat, it was faster than his previous little boat.

We did our first dive out beside Talang Besar. Ed had ten students to go that day, and I was the assistant that was assigned to be in the water with him. The students were divided up into three groups, all doing different levels of skills, since some of them had done part of it the year before. For two hours, I was in the water with strong currents, fly-away students, and a visibility of 2 to 3 metres.

I did four dives in that two hours, with no surface intervals in between. I knew that that was not ideal, but I had seen Ed doing it before. I wanted to try myself out, so I had asked earlier to follow him in all his dives. He had agreed to it, and that was what I did.

Little did I know that my body was worn out after that four dives. After a surface interval of forty minutes, at my fifth dive, I started to feel the sense of vomitting while herding the students towards Ed.

After that, I asked if Ed had still wanted me in the water, and he said he could handle it on his own, and asked me to abandon dive. I gladly took his advice, and climbed out of the water.

It took me only a while to disassemble my gear, throw them all into my basket, and crawl pathetically onto the tanks lined at the front. There, I lay like a kicked-in-the-belly kitten.

Kim was laughing at me good naturedly about how I was knocked out after five dives.

I was not strong enough yet, but I did my best. That was my best on that day, and I knew, that I would be stronger than that after that Sunday.

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.

UNIMAS Snorkelling Session (16 Sep 2007)

I hardly blog nowadays. I could say that I was busy, but in actual fact, not so busy that I had no time to blog. It was just that I was very occupied for a while with other aspects in my life, and when I finally got home, I was just too tired to turn on my PC and start blogging.

But here it is:

Sept 16, 2007

Edward was having some UNIMAS students coming over to Talang-Talang islands for snorkelling session. I went to help out. Most of the students that came were really young, I guessed less than twenty years in age. Both races of Chinese and Indians were there, and like our society, they tend to stick to the group that share their common appearances.

There were not too many divers this week. Just five of them, including one Kenny Sia, a famous local blogger. He came with Lawrence and his wife, both of whom I had not met before. Peggy was friendly, and she was easy to talk to. Lawrence had an underwater camera, but it suffered a leakage on his first dive.

The bunch of UNIMAS students, most of them were girls. Some of them were not very comfortable in the water, and tend to freeze while I took them in turn to snorkel around the area. One such girl told Edward that there were not many fishes, and Edward took her down diving in a coral patch just beside Talang Besar. Girl was stunned by the variety of fishes and their traffic down there. Ed was pretty smug after that.

Clare, David and I climbed to the roof of Adi's boat to boat jump. I just had my snacks and was feeling rather full and lazy. But Clare insisted on going up, so I went with her, with David following. When we jumped, I had a hard time burping myself.

I notice that whenever I was asked to do things that I did not really want to, yet was harmless doing it, I tend to complain like an old lady. I would keep on rambling until the task was finally done. I am just such an old "Lor-sor" (i.e. Someone who talks and reminds people about things endlessly).

The water was clear, thankfully. Visibility was about 5 to 7 metres. But I wonder for how long it would stay like this before the rainy season set in and brought the silt up from the bottom. The climate this year was very unusual. It had been raining really hard during the dry season. No one really knows what to expect for the end of the year.

Sibu

So, I had been up and into the town of Sibu. It was not all that bad. I mean, I did get to see my friend, the one from KL, and see another friend, that one was from Kuching, and finally, I got to make myself a new friend.

The story went like this.

It was finally Saturday morning, and I was all packed to go to the airport. It was silly of me, though not unfortunate, to think that my flight leaves one hour before the actual time, and arrived at the airport two hours earlier. I rushed to the check-in counter thinking that I was late, yet was absently wondering to myself why were there not more people checking in.

It was only when I went down to the lobby for a cup of coffee and some breakfast, that it hit me. My flight was not until an hour and a half later!!!

I took my time having my sandwiches, and reading the free "Eastern Times". They had it at the AirAsia check-in counter in the Kuching International Airport. Nothing very prominent or outstanding for the day. After a while, I got bored reading it.

I roamed around the area for some time, and took some effort to find the Mandarine fish in the tropical aquarium set in the departure hall. I could not see it. Morning was not their time of daily outing.

I was walking down the corridor towards my boarding gate when a girl seated to my left lifted her arm and waved enthusiatically at me. I looked at her and registered a familiar face, yet recognition failed me. She had a big smile, and a girlie character. I sat down beside her, out of politeness, and started talking.

The wonder of small talks, is that it allows you time to search through your mind the net of people connections, finding that one key name or identity, yet not offend the very person that you are having a animated converstation with, as though you know her from the very first minute your eyes are set on her. Ah, the art of communication, it never fails to save relationships!

Anyway, We were talking, and she found out that I was alone on my trip to Sibu, with no car to take me into town. This kind little lady offered me a ride down to town with her father. I was absolutely blessed!!! Why, thank you very much!!!

So, down into town I went with her family, in her wonderful white Toyota. It took her parents some effort to find the place where I was supposed to stay for the night. But we finally found it. And her father was absolutely kind and helpful, even reminded me to call them if I ever needed anything. Thank you, again. :)

The teacher of my friends came to the door and let me in. I looked at her and raised my eye brows. Teacher in her teacher's outfit. It took a little getting use to.

We sat around for a while, and she took me out for lunch at one of those kopitiam in the town centre. We ordered, and talked about life and people back home. It was nice, sometimes, to be able to just talk, a little deeper, a little more quietly.

We went for a hair wash later on. It was her favorite way of passing time. Oh, no, to her, hair washing was not a pass time for her. It was a neccessity. It was a part of life itself.

We were bewildered though, for that particular saloon that we went to, had their customers laid down for a hair wash. Imagine that.

The girls that did our hair talked to us, and asked us where we were from. I said that we came from the jungle. Teacher started to shake her head when I started my story. I told those girls the very details of my home origin, and Teacher would just sigh with a laugh and shake her head. Later on that evening, Teacher would tell me that I was really fooling people around. I retorted, asking her whether there was one word of a lie that I told those girls. Teacher was silent for a moment, and finally said no. I did not lie to those girls. I was just merely having some fun of our own with them. Harmless little fun.

That evening, we had dinner at a restaurant near the bus terminal. It was good, but the meal was too large for just two. We did not complain. Teacher was happy eating. I was just being careful not to overeat and had myself a stomachache later.

On our way back, my other friend, this one from KL, whom I came all the way down to meet, had finally called. She wanted me to come to her hotel to spend the night with her. And I was glad later that I did not, for I had to share a single bed with her, and a room with two other women.

Furthermore, it was late, and Teacher was tired. I could not possibly ask her to send me back into town just to meet her. That would just be too unfair and inappropriate.

I mean, respect me a little. I had come all this way, and you had not spare a single minute for me, nor the effort to arrange for the meeting, even accused me of not making the effort to meet up. What do you expect? Me to be your on-call friend and come to you only when you please?

So, We got back, showered and changed, and sat lazily in front of the TV. Teaher was sleepy. So, I asked her to go to bed.

We went to bed. I slept on the floor in a sleeping bag. I could not sleep the whole night. I listened to the dogs howled thrice in the night. The third time they howled, I knew that it was morning.

I spent only an hour an a half with my other friend the next day. Then, I asked Teacher to send me to the airport. So, there, my Sibu trip ended.

But it was not a lost. I spent quality time with a quality friend. I met another friend on my way back, and I totally allowed myself to relax during this whole trip. I mean, since I was there, might as well make it into a holiday!!

I was happy. Things may not alway work in your favour, but learn the art of turning the stakes around and make things work towards your advantage. Be open, and be smart. Life is beautiful.

In the end, I gained more than I thought I would lose.

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...