an introduction to eat, sleep, dive

Day 3 - The Andaman Sea (Similan Islands)

Our boat had continued the journey to the Similan Islands as we slept. In the morning when we woke, we found that the previous night's blank landscape of endless black sea had changed into one of a green tropical island surrounded by calm waters lapping at the rocky edges of where land met the sea.

After washing up and then having a few slices of toast with some Milo ('pre-breakfast' sustenance), we had our first dive briefing.


East of Eden...our first dive of the trip!


Team KL + Aussie Kyle...almost all suited up and ready to jump in!


Logging our first dive after breakfast. Very enthusiastic bunch we were as you can see!


Miko playing the good responsible teacher.


Our daily schedule was pretty much wake up, dive #1, breakfast, break, dive #2, lunch, break, dive #3, afternoon tea, break, dive #4, dinner, break for the rest of the day. Pretty much 'eat, sleep, dive' as you can see. Haha =)

While most of our time was spent at sea, there were occasions whereby we made short excursions to shore on our rubber dinghy.


This was our first island excursion...Similan Island #4 if I recall correctly. No resorts. Uninhabited by man. Absolute beauty.


Here we see three homo sapiens subjects displaying their natural instincts when returned to their original habitat.


As a child, Tarzan had always fascinated me.


Our dive liveaboard, the Manta Queen II. If you look carefully, you can actually spot two of our fellow divers (Lawrence and Jacob from Austria) jumping from the top deck of our boat into the water.


Day 4 - The Andaman Sea (Similan Islands, Koh Tachai)


Sunrise at approximately 6.30 am.


[Picture from Kyle] At the Boulder City dive site, we had our first encounter with medium-sized pelagics during the trip. A solitary leopard shark resting (sleeping?) on the sea bed.


[Picture from Kyle] Surface shot of one half of Team KL and Aussie Kyle after diving Boulder City.


Inspired by the guile of the Austrians, we decided to take 'the leap' this morning as well. This was when we discovered that jumping off the top deck is definitely not for the faint-hearted! Here, Yao is poised for a painful (ouch!) landing.


[Picture from Kyle] Second dive of the day was at Elephant Head Rock. Lots of massive underwater boulder formations which made for interesting 'swim-throughs'. A tiger cowrie is pictured here.


[Picture from Kyle] Easily the strangest-looking thing we encountered throughout the whole trip. A frogfish! Also sighted at Elephant Head Rock. Quite cute me thinks.


[Picture from Kyle] Lionfish @ Elephant Head Rock.


[Picture from Kyle] Yao and I.


Island stopover at another one of the Similan Islands.


Yao and I explored the massive rock formations by the beach while Angie and HT chilled down at the water's edge. We caught some pretty amazing views from the top.


This thumbnail of a picture doesn't do enough justice to its beauty. I'll probably post a larger one somewhere, sometime.


Another spectacular sunset while journeying north to Koh Tachai for our 2nd night dive.


We were due to travel to Richelieu Rock the following day, which is easily the most famous dive site this part of the Andaman because of the high frequency of spotting whale sharks there this time of the year. After dinner that night however, our divemasters got wind that quite a large number of liveaboards were heading towards Richelieu Rock as well and so we changed our plans a little to travel immediately from Koh Tachai to Richelieu Rock after dinner, have an early night and then be up and ready for a sunrise dive by 6.30 am the next morning.

And so we obediently went to bed early that night. With anticipation running high, I actually dreamt we saw whale sharks =p

two days of 'filler' activities

Last week's trip to Thailand sure was good fun while it lasted. I think enjoyed it so much that I reckon it ranks among the top 5 trips that I've ever had! Quite a lofty accolade that.

Despite the inconvenience of lugging my chunky DSLR around, I persevered and therefore managed to chronicle most of our journies over the 7 days and 6 nights that we were there. It helped that Angie also brought a camera for the trip so that I was able to at least feature in some of the photos! And a BIG PLUS for us were the underwater pictures that we conveniently *ahem* copied off our fellow dive groupie, Kyle the Aussie from Brisbane, after he had paid THB3000 to rent the camera for 3 days. Generous fellow he was ;)


Day 1 - Phuket


[Photo from Angie] Thailand welcomes Team KL (as we came to be known as on our boat later)! All smiles as we touch down...probably smiles of relief because we came SO close to missing the flight!!


Promthep Cape - the southernmost point of Phuket. A really popular location to catch the sunset. Lots of tourists and locals.


We were not disappointed =) It was cute that the crowd actually applauded as the upper curvature of the orange sphere dipped below the horizon.


We had dinner at Patong Beach. It was loud, crowded, commercialised, tacky...I wasn't too fond of the place.


We spent our first night in Phuket Backpackers - a very nice budget place downtown. Clean and pleasantly very comfortable, although a little far from the beaches.


Day 2 - Phuket / Khao Lak / The Andaman Sea and beyond


The common area in Phuket Backpackers. The only time we got to check our email/Facebook in Thailand.


We spent the day walking around Phuket town aimlessly. In doing so, I took some random shots.


[Photo from Angie] Tuk tuk!


Engaging in more 'filler' activities at the local coffee junction. How much longer 'til we jump into the water???


After an hour and a half drive from Phuket town, it is approximately 6.30 in the evening and we are in the quiet coastal town of Khao Lak, standing at the doorstep of Khao Lak Scuba Adventures. Oh, the anticipation!


After settling some preliminaries, we are finally on the boat! Tom, one of the 4 divemasters on board, gives us the opening brief.


Fireworks are let off at the bow and we are off cruising the Andaman Sea headed west. First stop - the Similan Islands!


Tomorrow is a brand new day.

Tomorrow we dive.

a warm 'sawadee khrap' from Phuket

Karn-bin-thai-ta-na-lard-sod!
(think it means "near the Thai Airways office, and near the market")

I've probably said this so many times over the last 2 days that coupled together with my *ahem* exotic Thai looks, I think I could easily pass off as a local. Haha. Well, HT tells me that adopting a more nasal-sounding speech adds to my authenticity.

We've been here in Phuket for almost a day now and it's been a really relaxing holiday so far. After we checked into our accommodation at Phuket Backpackers, we raced to Promthep Cape to catch a most spectacular sunset. It's basically the southern-most tip of Phuket.

We then got our driver to take us to Patong Beach where we had some Thai food for dinner. Walked around Patong Beach a bit checking out the MANY shops lining the roadsides. Didn't buy anything though. Was contemplating a Thai massage but the places looked a tad dodgy. I don't think any of us were looking for 'boom boom'...just a simple good ol' Thai massage without the 'frills' =pWell, then it was back to the hostel to crash for the night.

We took things slow and easy this morning as well. Basically just ended up walking around Old Phuket Town, exploring a local market, having and extended brunch at a local coffee shop, and then chilling back at the hostel. Basically, all 'filler' activities before we head to Khao Lak and then to the Similan Islands later today.

A second lunch (and maybe a third!) looks to be on the cards after this =) Then, I think we'll probably just chill out at a coffee junction down the road while waiting for our driver to come.

anticipation

5 minutes into the fifteenth of March two thousand and eight. At long last, the day has come!

I'm pretty much all packed and this time, I WILL NOT forget my passport!! =D

10 percent

The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index plunged upon opening today, and continued its free fall until the index was down 10%, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker that resulted in the halt of trading for an hour. It was the KLCI's biggest single-day drop in recent years.

A knee-jerk reaction? A politically-motivated action? An opportunity to pick up cheap stocks?

I'd be very cautious if I were you.

8 March 2008

A historic day in Malaysian history.

Barisan Nasional suffers its worst loss ever and loses 2/3 majority in Parliament for the first time in its history.

Veteran BN ministers are ousted from their strongholds by relative Opposition newbies.

The Opposition coalition wrests control of 5 states including Selangor, Penang, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan. Kuala Lumpur falls to the hands of the Opposition as well.

A wave of change could be on the way.

Today, I feel proud to be a Malaysian.

in Hong Kong

I had a pretty packed schedule in HK with scheduled meetings with colleagues at our HK office, as well as with other investment bankers. Nevertheless, I still managed to have some fun with my camera.

The times we were free, I dumped my colleagues and ran out to the streets to take in the sights and sounds. I reckon I must have looked pretty tourist-y toting my Crumpler messenger bag and with DSLR slung around my neck.

But who cares.

Like every aspiring photographer, I was after only one thing - the perfect shot.



I have always loved taking pictures from the plane as the I enjoy the surprises that new perspectives bring to common things.



Awesome-ness.



Tsui Wah char chan teng. Apparently a favourite supper haunt for HK celebrities. We didn't see any. Or at least none that we recognised.



Yung Kee is a must-go gastronomical destination in HK. The roast goose here is to die for! !



The Mid-Levels Central Escalator - the longest escalator system in the world. Takes pedestrians up and down the hilly streets of Hong Kong.


Lan Kwai Fong. Entertainment hub of the city. A smörgåsbord of people and cultures. I certainly could get used to hanging out here!



Took the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui just to snap a picture of this already world-famous view of Hong Kong Island. Electric!



The lobby of the place I call Home in Hong Kong, which I sadly hardly spent much time in.


Sweet dreams. Another new day beckons.

2008.01.09 Trip to Hong Kong

drama at the airport

What a day. The one thing that I had thought would NEVER happen to me...HAPPENED today!

I FORGOT TO BRING MY PASSPORT TO THE AIRPORT!

And to think that I had nonchalantly walked up to the check-in counter even, before an unsettling cloud of doom settled over me as I watched my colleague flip out his passport. It was almost surreal.

Thankfully, Cathay Pacific still had seats on their 1.35 pm flight to HK. Still, I first had to run around the airport to re-schedule my flight, then take a taxi all the way back to USJ to get my passport, and then head back to the airport to catch the next flight. And now I blog while waiting for my flight. I need a breather man.

On the bright side, my sticky situation was a chance for me to celebrate the wonders of technology once again! As no one will be picking me up upon arrival in HK later, I went online, checked out my alternatives to get from Chek Lap Kok to the city, ran through the schedule and route of the Airport Express train, then went to Google Maps to check out where my hotel is located. So assuming all goes well, I should be at my doorstep at the Ritz-Carlton at about 5.30 pm.

And now, with all that done, I shall go check my Facebook account =)

lo hon ko

Despite being on leave today, I had a pretty full schedule that kept me occupied the whole day from morning ‘til night. So yeah, it was pretty much a work day for me after all.

Project M is coming along fine. We had some minor hiccups today and a spanner or two thrown in the works, but I think we’re still on track. It’s been great fun working with the boys too and we’ve had some good times pulling out silly ones and laughing through the sawing, cutting, painting and tying. Thanks so much, guys. I’m really looking forward to seeing to fruits of our labour! =)

As a treat to ourselves, we caught a movie in the evening together with Keith. Scooted down to Mid Valley to watch I Am Legend. Won’t spoil it for anyone but my thoughts about the movie are – same old premise, but great acting. I mean c’mon…it’s Will Smith! Should you be expecting anything less from the man these days?

Dinner conversations followed through on a thought that I’ve had of late. Of late, I feel like I’ve been peeling out the drier outer layers of an onion to discover the fresher layers inside. I’m uncovering treasures hidden around familiar places. In short, it’s been pretty cool.

So to you AND to you: We’ll do dinner or drinks again one of these days okay?? =)

refreshing irony

Woooohooooo!!!

I survived Youth Camp 2007! Three crazy, hectic days of fun and learning!

Despite the crazy schedule, it’s ironic that camps like these keep me sane, especially during this extremely busy period that I’ve been going through. It was refreshing to get away from my responsibilities at work and elsewhere, to just enjoy to weekend with the youth and have my batteries “re-charged” somewhat. Haha.

Sure. I’m beat. I’m tired. But deep inside me, I have been refreshed to get myself going again. Reflections on Philippians 3 came up pretty often through the sessions, sharing, as well as the camp song, and it was good to be reminded to be reminded of “forgetting what lies behind”, “fixing our eyes on the prize”, “counting all things but loss for the sake of knowing Christ” etc.

Great stuff.

But more than that, I am so glad to see God moving among our youth that I thought I just had to get all this out of me before going to bed. Joel rightly pointed out a thought that had been lingering in my mind during this camp, that it is so humbling to see God at work in the lives of the younger youth in building them up to be useful servants for Him; That lives are being transformed before our very eyes!

I was so encouraged in seeing dorm sharings being initiated by the youth themselves despite the weariness of a long day. I was so glad to see so many of the younger ones stepping up to the challenge of organising such a wonderful camp this year in the absence of the “old guard”. There were minor glitches here and there, no doubt. But boy, did you guys make the camp rock!

And the closing sharing was just marvellous. I don’t think I can recall a time during any youth camp when we had so many youth willingly coming up to share something that they had learnt or experienced over the last few days, whether light-hearted or serious. And yes, again, the younger ones had good representation.

So YFers, if you read this, I just want to let you know that two passages from the Bible came to mind as I was typing this: the words of Moses to Joshua just before Joshua was to take on the reins of leadership in leading the people of Israel across the Jordan and into the Promised Land, and Paul’s encouragement to Timothy –

“Be strong and courageous.”
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Here’s a big pat on the back because you all deserve it =)

*****

Some pictures...


The bus journey was pretty uneventful, so we entertained ourselves.


Walk like an Egyptian.


I don't know that they were doing. Praying over their food??


Pass the ball. No hands!


New game...Landmine.


2007. All of us.












And finally, one of my favourite camp shots...


I simply call this one "Rejoice"

tick tock

In His time
In His time
He makes all things beautiful
In His time
Lord, please show me every day
As You’re teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say
In Your time

Be still my heart.
Patience.
All will be beautiful
In His time.

caught up

After three consecutive late nights at work, I decided that enough was enough. I left the office at 7.00 p.m. yesterday (relatively early by CF industry standards!) and went straight home. It rained throughout my journey. Not surprisingly therefore, traffic was heavy, but with the pitter patter of the rain outside, it gave me time to just sit back, relax, and think.

Popo wasn’t at home so I got some yong tau foo that mum had brought for me last weekend, and made it into a soup dish with some noodles. Cut up about a dozen pink jambu air and I had a pretty decent dinner going. With that, I just chilled out the whole night watching Chef at Home and Chef at Large. How nice was it to just sit back and do nothing! I certainly could get used to this!

Read Isaiah 6 before going to bed and was caught up with the message of God’s holiness. Meditated on verse 3 and was trying to imagine the seraphs flying around the throne of God whispering to one another, “Holy!”, “Holy is the Lord God Almighty!” and for the first time, I understood (or at least I thought I had a better inkling of) how they felt! They really must have been so caught up with an understanding of God’s holiness that all they could do was to repeat all over again “Holy! Holy! Holy!”. Almost like how we double up our praises when we talk about something that we really love. “That was fantabulous! Super friggin’ good!” Okay, maybe not exactly the best of examples but you get the point. No? Come and see me then on a lesson on theology.

I took half a day off today just to recuperate further and get some more rest. Woke up at 10.00 a.m. (what bliss!) and had breakfast. Watched the financial updates on Bloomberg TV and was glad that the market went up again, as my investments. Also managed to get my packing done for youth camp. And now with time on my hands, I blog.

I will have a few more hours of work later before I call it quits for the weekend. I’ve got a get-together to attend tonight that’s organised by one of the legal firms that we work with. I’m looking forward to some good company, food and wine. A deserving treat after a long, hard week.

The weekend beckons. I’m diving in!

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings; With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.

And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Amen.

feeling a little blue on a Monday night

Dad, mum and the rest of the family went home today and I’m missing them already. A duality of emotions always strikes me whenever they make these short visits. On one hand, I’m glad for the time that we get to spend with one another. However, the time is often too short and is quickly divided up like a pie amongst others also clamouring to catch up with them. Call me selfish, but I sometimes do wish I had the pie all to myself.

On a lighter note, the Chongs are planning a trip to Sipadan next year and God-willing, I’m going to have a few fellow divers in the family by then! It was amusing seeing Unc Robert all excited talking about diving over breakfast this morning. Said he would probably be getting his licence with the kids early next year. Jack is also planning to get his soon and I’m gonna push Poh Nee to get hers soon as well. And I’m wondering if Victor will be back around then. It would be sooo cool to dive with family!

Anyway, it’s 10.30 p.m. right now and I really should be in bed resting. My head is throbbing and I am feeling that all-too-familiar ache in my body. Not a good sign. Not good at all. With so much to do these days, I’m praying that the Lord will sustain my body before letting me crash gracefully after the Christmas rush.

My thoughts these days are still on getting the manger up and on building that door structure. The wood for the manger arrived last week. Looks good. I’m looking forward to putting everything together with the boys sometime this week or next. The door on the other hand is still in a state of flux. Apparently, my salvaged door frame will be making its way to church this week, but I still have not gotten a definitely confirmation. With the deadline looming closer, I could very well worry, but I’m choosing not to. At least not yet. I’m going to have to find some time over the next few days to think through my ideas a little deeper. I’m also still looking for that next elusive free slot that I can take a day off from work.

Work…ah, yes. Speaking of THAT that wouldn’t let me go. I’ve got another independent advice letter to rush out by tomorrow. Spent the whole day today building up my arsenal of weapons to tackle this particularly tricky letter for a new client in Sarawak. Tomorrow I put my thoughts down on electronic paper. Pray my thoughts flow smoothly.

Speaking about praying, I think it’s time for me to meet my Maker. We’ve been having a rocky relationship of late, but I’m hoping to do something about it.

Forgetting what lies behind
Setting our eyes on the prize
Always keeping our eyes on our Lord Jesus

Lord for the years

Lord, for the years Your love has kept and guided
Urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way
Sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today

Lord, for that Word, the Word of life which fires us
Speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze
Teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us
Lord of the Word, receive Your people’s praise

Lord, for our land in this our generation
Spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care
For young and old, for commonwealth and nation
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer

Lord, for our world where men disown and doubt You
Loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain
Hungry and helpless, lost indeed without You
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign

Lord for ourselves; in living power remake us
Self on the cross, and Christ upon the throne
Past put behind us, for the future take us
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone


Hours after the last notes of “Lord For The Years” rung through the sanctuary of Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall this evening, its words still play on loud and clear in my ears. Indeed, many agreed that it was a very apt closing congregational hymn for the dedication service of our new church building.

For me, apart from being totally bowled over hearing tonight’s 500+ strong congregation sing this rousing anthem in celebration and remembrance of the Lord’s goodness to us as a church, and also in re-dedication of our lives to him, it also caused me to think again about God’s goodness and faithfulness in my own personal life, and how too I really ought to re-dedicate my life to Him.

The Lord indeed has been so good and has provided in ways that have amazed me, especially this year. Unfortunately upon reflection, on my part, I realised that I certainly haven’t done enough justice in being thankful to Him for His bountiful provision.

Today’s church dedication service somehow brought that back into perspective, and I am thankful that it did. The Lord’s love has indeed kept and guided us all these years, cheering and inspiring us all along the way to do great things for Him. And here we stand today, as the church of Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall some 48 years on, with so much to look forward to as we move ahead into the future.

Today, here I stand, exactly 6 years today since I passed through the waters of baptism, being reminded of God’s abounding goodness. I’m actually smiling to myself typing this =)

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

chilling at Chiling

What started out initially as an exciting plan to go white water rafting over the Hari Raya weekend fizzled out due to lack of interest and also the ever-so-important cost factor. Nevertheless, with my mind already geared up for a solid outdoor workout, having already done Bukit Tabur again on Saturday, I managed to round up several like-minded accomplices who were keen on re-visiting the Sungai Chiling falls again.

The last time I had been there was close to a decade ago. And with the advent of the Internet, it was obvious that it was probably no longer going to be as idyllic as I had remembered it to be. And so I had to keep my expectations low, not really knowing what to expect of our trip.

The first big difference that I noticed was the presence of a dam in the vicinity of Kuala Kubu Baru. Well, I definitely don't remember seeing this monstrosity of a structure there the last time.


The man-made lake caused by the dam. The pebbles on the ground were just too inviting.


Same ol' Chiling or not, the trip provided yet another opportunity for me to have some fun with darling Miss Nikon. Conditions were challenging though as the journey to the waterfall required us to hike through sometimes thick foliage, and also make several river crossings. One slight mistake could prove to be fatal...and expensive.

Still, it was a good experience and I managed to snap some shots that I was satisfied with. Here are some random ones.



A bustling community of (ouch!) red ants.


Follow the leader.


The start of the trail towards the waterfall.


First river crossing.


Entering a bamboo forest.


Catching a glimpse of the river.


And we're finally there!


Macho pose before taking the plunge.


The Sungai Chiling 2007 gang: Shobana, Nick, Hans, me, Aleena, Shern Yau and Beng Weng.

'Til the next time!

2007.10.15 Sungai Chiling waterfall

three times and counting...

Date: Saturday, 13 October 2007
Venue: Bukit Tabur, Melawati Ridge
Participants: Nick, Hans, Aleena, Wei Lin, Shobana, me + my trusty Nikon D80


One of the main draws of Bukit Tabur is clearly the scenery.


Powder blue skies.


Forget your manicured nails.


My favourite "Lord Of The Rings" stretch. Expect elves to prance out from behind the trees.


Silently waiting to unfurl.


I bled for 4 hours plus!! Me no likey leeches.

More...

2007.10.13 Bukit Tabur again

preaching the Word

It's a wrap!!!

And WOWWWWW! What an experience!!!

I don't know how I managed to pull through so smoothly today, but somehow it was almost a "Zen"-like experience on stage this morning! If you prayed for me, it must have worked, so thanx a bunch!!

To God be the glory!

time

So quickly and September has flown past us. Only three more months to go before we welcome a brand new year!!

Yikes! Where did all that time go??

Speaking about time, I'm counting down the days.

Six more to go. Yes, only six more days.