Hammerhead's World

Here I am............a year later!

2009-07-13T13:34:00.012Z

Waaahh! How time flies! A year has flown by since I have a blog entry. I am sure all of you have given up clicking on this blog. My usual excuse...........too busy lor...

Anyway, the following is a summary of the last 12 months:

We had a house extension; starting from the last week of July and ending the week before Christmas. The following are some pictures of the work that went on.

So after lots of dust and the builders getting in the way of our daily life, the following is the result:

I have to say that though it was a fairly hectic time for us, it hasn't been too bad. Having said that, we were without a kitchen for almost 5 months. We had to do most of our cooking on the BBQ stove, which I had positioned in front of our daughter's Wendy House in the garden. The microwave was also in use a lot. I almost burned the house down one night, when I came home late and tried to cook a jacket potato in the microwave. I had programmed it for too long, and the potato had turned into charcoal and caught fire in the microwave.

While all this work was going on, I had nipped back to Malaysia for a quick trip for my 25 year reunion with my school friends. In fact for me, it was actually a 30 years reunion, as I had left home just after my primary school years. It was very good to catch up with old friends; some of whom I have not met for 30 years! While I was there, I also managed to squeeze in a dive trip to Pulau Tenggol. Yep! All in one week. Hope you enjoy the following shot. Took me all of 22 snaps to get the 2 clown fish together.

In October, I made my usual trip to the US for my annual conference. This time, it was in Orlando. Again, managed to squeeze in a trip to the coast for a swim with the manatees. Amazing creatures!

Two weeks after I got back from the States, I took a a group of divers to the northern Red Sea for a liveaboard. It was supposed to be 10 of us in total. Unfortunately, due to the collapse of XL Airways, the dates were changed slightly, and only 4 of us could make it out there in the end. It was great diving all the wrecks in this part of the Red Sea. However, I have to say that the sea life was quite sparse on tnis occassion, compared to my first trip there. I think this must be due to the fact that this part of the Red Sea has been over-dived over the years. Perhaps, the best thing would be to shut off this part of the Red Sea to tourism for a few years for it to regenerate.

Over Christmas and New Year, we were just settling into our new house extension, and taking it easy. Not for long though. In February, we went to St. Lucia for 2 weeks to attend a wedding of a friend. It was sooooooooooo expensive. At least, I managed to do 10 dives while we were out there. This time I managed to use my Nikon dSLR for my u/w pics. Some of the results are posted below........errr, for some reason, not able to upload the photos to blogger at the moment. Will do them later.

So, there you go. My last 12 months in brief............see you guys in another 12 months' time...maybe...

Life is Funny sometimes...

2008-07-01T18:21:00.002Z

This weekend just gone is just one of life's funny coincidences, for example. Originally, was supposed to go down to London for a gathering with some folks from my school. Been planning for the last 3 months, but last minute everyone, except Hedeghog decided to "fly kite" and not wanting to come. So, we decided to defer it to another time.

However, much to my surprise, I received an email on Thursday evening from the sister of one of my former classmate, to say that another ex-classmate of mine from my Bukit Mertajam days is in London for a couple of weeks and was I able to to meet up over the weekend. Why was it a surprise, you might ask? Well, for a start,I did not know that my friend's sister was living in London for the last 8 years. Secondly, I was even more surprised that she had managed to get my email. As it turned out, she also knew my cousin from their law school days in London. So, she wrote to her on the chance that my cousin might know my email address. As luck has it, my cousin whom I have never corresponded via email before( as far as I can recall) did have my address!

So, there I was making my way to London after all and catching up with my friend Bull, whom I must have not seen for the last 10 year or so. It was a great weekend catching up on the news from all these years. So, if my other group of friends have not backed out in the last minute, I might not have been able to reminisce about old times with Bull. What do you think? Doesn't life have its funny twists and turns? Ok...PP, you are forgiven....hehehe!

So busy...so busy..

2008-06-13T01:00:00.003Z

Wah...........so, so busy lately. Sorry , haven't posted for so long. Today, in particular was a long marathon. Can you imagine sitting in a room from 9am till 6 pm examining medical students for OSCE........almost non-stop.....72 students in all! Glad to say, I passed them all, although one came very close to crashing. My first time being an official examiner. In the morning, I think I was just as nervous as the candidates. I hate exams!!! Vowed I would never take any more exams, once I passed my last professional exams. Hmmmm! Does this qualify as sado-machism??

On a lighter note, I have finally taken up dSLR photography. Been learning how to use it in the last few months. Quite a steep learning curve. Being mong cha-cha, I plumbed for the Nikon D300. When it arrived, I was like....errr, what do I do with this monster? Apart from turning it on, I did not have any clue what to do next. Auto focus..sounds easy, but how do I switch to that mode; white balancing...oh dear, I am getting a whiteout in my cerebral cortex; spot metering...oh shit, now I know I am in trouble! Mind you, it was a struggle trying to attach the Sigma 18-200mm lens that came with it. And, and.....is that a speck of dust on the lens....wipe the lens, easy; that should take care of it.....hell no! It's still there! %%$^%**! Air what? An air brush?......never heard of it. Sigh, guess its another trip into Jessops.

As you might have guessed, my main interest with all these is to do with underwater photography. Currently, reading a book called "The Underwater Photographer" by Martin Edge. Really excellent book. Learnt as much about u/w photography as dSLR photography from it. Getting very excited now. I have finally sorted out all my kit for u/w photography. My 60mm macro and 12-24mm Nikon lenses will be arriving in the morning. In the last month, I have spent a small fortune acquiring all the stuff. Sea & Sea MDXD300 housing, ports, strobes etc etc...........have all put a dent in my bank a/c. For the first time in my life I have been frozen out of my credit card, as I have reached the limit! Unbelievable!!. Sigh....more private practice I guess! Hello...yes....the toilet needs cleaning?.....ok, I'll be there straightaway!

Red Sea trip update. Yahoo! I have filled 13 (oh dear, unlucky number) places on my boat. Can't wait to get out there. Still 7 places left folks, if any of you fancy a week of inclusive diving, sun, sea and .........errr sex? No, you got to provide your own. Charging points available for your batteries, though. Hehe! For your dive torch!!!........you perverts!

Anyway.........signing off now, for a another period of hibernation.........maybe???

Easter Holidays

2008-03-30T21:55:00.004Z

We are currently in the midst of our Easter Holidays. Quite fortunate in that while we are enjoying the sunshine here in Costa del Sol, it is rather cold and snowing back in the UK, where we live. We flew from Manchester Airport to Malaga last Saturday. It is hard to believe that the flight only took 2.5 hours, and it is a completely different world here. Booked our holidays entire thru the internet and am pleasantly surprised to find our self-catering apartment here to be a really nice place. The resort that we are staying in is called Sol Andalusi Resort and Spa. It is situated just outside Alhaurin de la Torre, which is just about 15 minutes drive from Malaga International Airport. The resort is not the typical beachy type. In fact, it is in the midst of a few mountains.

So far, we have visited Torremolinos, Benalmandena, Nerja and Marbella. Two places of note is the Cuevo de Nerja, which is a large cave system about a hour north of Malaga; and also the Crocodile Park at Torremolinos. The park boast of the largest crocodile in the whole of European zoos. It was caught in the Zambezi River about 7 years ago and has a harem of 5 female crocs to satisfy its appetite!! We have been meaning to visit Granada as well. However, it is about 1.5 hours drive from where we are and we have been getting up too late each day to make the journey. What is surprising too, is that fact that I am feeling very relaxed when driving on the opposite side of the road to that which I am familiar with. Perhaps, it is to do with the automatic gear stick. It has not been as cheap a trip this time round, as the £Sterling is only worth Euro 1.36

So far, I have managed to do a day's of diving in Gibraltar. I have been doing some reading about underwater photography and am a little bit pleased with some improvement in my technique so far. Hopefully, it will show some significant improvement soon.

Early Diver Training

2008-03-17T01:13:00.003Z

When we were down at the London Dive Show, I managed to buy a mask and snorkel which just fitted Elly's face nicely. Thot I am going to start training her to be a diver from now....hehe, she is only 4 1/2 years old.

So, yesterday, I put the snorkel in her mouth and pinched her nostrils shut and ask her to practice breathing through her mouth. She did well, and so after a couple of minutes, I fitted the snorkel to the mask and put the whole thing on. Again, after about 5 minutes of practice, I'd reckon that she was ready for the pool. So, off we went to our club pool. There was initial reluctance to put her face in the water, but after a few minutes of coaching, she was off on her own snorkelling away. To enhance the experience, I taught her some scuba diving hand signals e,g . ok, problems and up and down signs. I would then swim underwater and signal to her at the surface.

Ok, I have to say it. I am so proud of her, and yeah..........definitely a budding diver in the making!

A Father's Heart

2008-03-13T01:22:00.002Z

The above video was sent to me by madkdr. I do not recognise the YouTube username. However, it is such a beautiful video that I feel that I have to share it here.

Growing up in the Christian faith, the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God in obedience to Him is a very familiar one. However, I now realise that as often as I heard this story, my understanding and response to it had always been an intellectual one. Lately, I have been pondering that if God were to take my own daughter Elly away or that if He had asked me to give her up for His own purpose; would I have been able to accept it? Is it within me to have an Abrahamic response? At this point in time, I am not sure that I could. I believe that this video has finally given me an emotional connection with Abraham, from a father's point of view. Amazing! All these ages apart, and I have finally captured a glimpse of his anguish. Words cannot describe it appropriately. Perhaps, those of you who are parents would know how I feel.

I hope you enjoy the video and song as much I did. Thank you madkdr. Whoever you are!

London International Dive Show

2008-03-10T01:58:00.004Z

Decided at the last minute to take a trip down to London for the dive show. Last went to one in NEC, Birmingham about 5 years ago. How time flies! Anyway, I wanted to look at some underwater photographic equipments. So, I thought this would be a good opportunity as all the top trade names would be there. My wife , daughter. and myself caught the 7am train down to Kings Cross. Journey was pleasant enough and it only took us 2.5 hours to get there.

At Kings Cross underground station, we queued for quite a long time to buy our tube tickets for the day. Was quite surprised as usually, it was no effort at all. Anyhow the plan was to take the Southbound Northern Line to London Bridge, and then change to Jubilee Line. This will take us to Canning Town, where we would change to the Dockland Light Rail for a quick 2 stop hop to ExCel London for the show. This was not to be as there was engineering work on Jubilee Line. We had to get off at Canary Wharf tube staion and then had to walk to the DLR station which was about 5 minutes away. From there, we had to take the train to Westferry, where we had to change to another train to get to ExCel. A bit convoluted, but we got there in the end.

The show was not as big as I had anticipated. In fact, judging from the discussions by the divers on Yorkshire Divers forum, it was a disappointment. Anyhow, I got to do what I went down for. Spoke at length to a lady at the Cameras Underwater stand about my requirements. Got it sorted out, but...............its going to cost me!!! The camera housing and accessories will cost me about £2k and for the type of photography that I wanted to do, I have to shell out another £1k more or less to buy a couple of lens. Uuurrgh! I am broke again.....

The journey back............well that's another story!

I Am Broke

2008-02-01T03:32:00.000Z

Waaaah! I feel so poor today. Big brother aka Inland Revenue demanded a pound of flesh from me. I begged and pleaded with my accountant to make it less painful to no avail. Yep...he confirmed Big Brother wants my blood. So, reluctantly I had finally paid up at the last minute. Next torture.......July!

Chinese Fever

2008-01-02T18:14:00.004Z

What is Chinese Fever? Well, this is a very personal illness that I suffer from time to time. It usually last a few days when it comes. You see, having lived overseas in the Western world for over 20 years (24 to be exact), I sometimes forget my origins in the hustle and bustle of every day life. I used to be able to speak and write passable Mandarin. However, slowly but surely it gets eroded over the years. So, sometimes I have to admit that I am a "banana"; a term that means that one is yellow on the outside (meaning having the outward appearance of a Chinese), but white on the inside; i.e only able to speak English and not Mandarin. Having said all these, from time to time, when I slow down from my hectic pace, I get nostalgic and "feel Chinese", crave for Chinese music, feel homesick and all that jazz! So thanks to Lychee, a girl from my alumni forum, who started a thread on Beautiful Songs, I am able to listen to some of my old favourites and reminice. Below is just one of my many favourites. Do enjoy and Happy New Year for 2008 folks!.

Lanzarote - The Yellow Submarine

2007-12-31T16:46:00.001Z

Took my little girl to sit in The Yellow Submarine. Quite impressive. We were down to about 24m. Do enjoy the Yellow Submarine video below by the Beatles.

Lanzarote 2 - The Volcanoes

2007-12-30T22:28:00.000Z

A Fire demonstration. Just to show that the rocks are still hot. A small hole was dug, and the chap just pressed some dry twigs against the wall of the hole, an they caught fire!

Volcanic Crater

The Bedouin Experience - We had a camel ride when we were at the Timanfaya National Park. Lots of fun. Was raining quite a bit.

It is a must to do the Vocanic experience tour if you ever visited Lanzarote. It is a protected area and tourists are not allowed to drive into it. The only way there is through tour coaches. This is to protect the volcanic area and essential for conservation. Of course, it makes financial sense too. The last eruption at Timanfaya took place in 1730 and did not end till 1736. The lava structures are still very well preserved even after 300 years.Impressive or what?

Lanzarote

2007-12-27T00:44:00.000Z

Decided to take my family to Lanzarote for a week of sun, and of course diving. I am trying to post a few video clips of my trip below. But, I can't believe it takes such a long time even for a 1 minute clip to upload. OK, so this posting will take me a few days to do it. Aaarrgh! Spent ages uploading the video clip. But doesn't seem to display it on the blog. Any ideas, anyone? Used to be so easy to do it.

Yes!! Persistence does pay off. I think there is a corruption in the video upload for Blogger. Had to display the video code manually. Anyway, this is one of my favourite fish. It is even better to see them when they are mating. They move as ONE! Beautiful to watch this marine porn!!Haha!

The following video is taken at Los Hevideros, Playa Blanca. It shows the waves hitting into the lava caves formations. More on this later.

Red Sea Liveaboard

2007-12-07T00:45:00.001Z

I am chartering a Liveaboard diving trip to the Red Sea next November. The boat can take 20 people. It has 10 twin rooms. All en-suite. Cost is £995, all inclusive. So far, probably have about 6 people who have said that they wanted to go. So if any of you wants to have a great week of diving, or even lazing at sea, please let me know.

Update.
I have now filled the boat with 10 divers.

Where am I ?

2007-11-15T22:23:00.000Z

Ok..ok, here I go again. I am at a conference again these 2 days. What can I say? It's just that the end of the year is usually my "conference season". They all come together all at once. This time though, it's nearer home. I brought my mum and mum-in-law with me, so that they can do some sightseeing while i attend the conference in the day. Tonight they turn on the Christmas lights in city. So, we hit the town and took some pics. Any ideas where we are?

San Francisco E-Motions

2007-10-18T14:47:00.000Z

Filmed this when cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge. This was at about 11:30am, so I'd guess its's not peak traffic.

Home stretch towards Sausalito, just after the Golden Gate Bridge. The ride was about 10 miles long. Well worth it. Notice the screeching sound in the background? That was me applying the brakes with one hand to slow down, while holding the camera filming with the other hand. We were going downhill, and it was raining too!

Glimpses of SF

2007-10-17T23:43:00.000Z

Just for Ms. Kambing

2007-10-17T07:24:00.001Z

This is to prove to everyone that I am actually at a conference, ok? Did I mention that next year it is in Orlando? Hahaha!

Cycle and Sail Tour

2007-10-17T06:33:00.000Z

Although Monday's tour was long, it was fairly laid back. So, for a change today, I went for a cycle and sail tour. We started cycling from Fisherman's Wharf towards the Golden Gate bridge. Along the way, I saw some wild herons feeding in a little pond. Also as we stopped just under the bridge to take a rest, we saw some dolphins swimming by. Quite amazing! There were a few stretches where we had to cycled uphill. I have to admit I was puffing and panting a bit along the way. As we were crossing the bridge, I saw a batch of pelicans flying just under the bridge. This place just doesn't stop amazing me. Too bad I did not get a chance to get my camera ready. Was cycling at the time.

Along the ride, we could also take pictures of the bridge from so many various angles. I was taking so many shots that an unsuspecting passerby would easily mistaken me for an architecture student. The final stretch into Sausalito was the easiest as it was all the way downhill. Have taken some video shots, but would upload them when I get back home, as the wifi in my hotel room can't cope with this. Had lunch in Sausalito and then caught the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf.

I think, of all the tours that I took this time, this has to be the best. Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of my conference. Will be heading to Seattle for a couple of days before heading back to UK.

Monterey, Carmel & the 17-mile Drive

2007-10-17T05:52:00.000Z

Well, another good day touring around this area. It was a long day. Left San Francisco at 7am and only got back just before 6pm. Too tired to update on Monday, because after I got back, went to sit the cable car in the city. A just had to do thing in SF.

Anyway, the drive south to Monterey was by the Pacific Ocean coast. Absolutely amazing views. We stopped along the way at a town, and I had deep fried artichoke for the first time in my life. The name escaped me at the moment, but it was the place where Norma Jean / Marilyn Monroe was crowned the first Artichoke Queen. It is a very agicultural area and other than artichoke, they grow lots of pumpkin, cauliflower, brussel sprouts etc.. Also tried dried chilli mango for the first time. Absolutely tasty. I think it would go very nice with a nice piece of steak.

We stopped by the Fisherman's Wharf at Monterey for about half an hour. There were lots of sea lions around. Apparently, they hang around a lot because the fishermen would throw some leftovers from their catch to them. You could hear them barking very loudly. Soon after that, we drove through the 17-mile drive. It's a playground for the rich and famous. There are quite a few of mansions in this area too. All of them came with a price tag of a few million dollars. We also drove by the home of Clint Eastwood's ex-wife. One of the owners here is so rich that he installed a heating system into a stretch of sandy beach so that his guest would not feel so cold when they are walking around! Stopped by the famous Pebble Beach Golf Club, where Bing Crosby used to play.

The drive ends with Carmel. We spend a couple of hours here for our lunch and also a walk around the place. This as you know is the place where Clint Eastwood was the former mayor. He still lives in the area. Unfortunatey, we did not see him! I was quite surprised to discover that things are not expensive at all here. My lunch only cost me about $12. I supposed if I compare everything with "rip-off" Britain, everything is cheap here.

All in all,a very enjoyable day, and one highly to be recommended.

Sunday Brunch on the Bay

2007-10-15T03:13:00.000Z

Another brilliant day. Boarded the coach at the Moscone Centre North and headed to the pier where Hornblower California docks. That was the boat that took us for the cruise round the bay. The day started of foggy, but towards the end, the sun was out. Funny though, the fog did not fully lift. The buffet was good, which was accompanied by unlimited champagne. Only had one glass though, as I'm not used to drinking alcohol in the day time. We sailed round the Rock / Alcatraz. Managed also to take some snaps of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. In case, you think this is all fun, I managed to fit some lectures as well into my fun pack day.

Ah well! Got to go to bed early tonight as tomorrow is the Monterey and Carmel tour. Yeehaa!

Miss D.C.

2007-10-14T07:34:00.000Z

Please don't tell my wife! I have indeed left (or am leaving) my heart in San Francisco. You see, I have met the new woman in my life. Judging by the look of her, she had even turned bright red when she first met me. The attraction must be mutual. Her eyes were wide and even her toes had curled up with pleasure. I am absolutely consumed with desire that I had even been taking pictures of her as I undressed her slowly. A bit of a voyeur,you see. Storing the images away for future viewings. Oh! Her legs are so long as well and sexy...and there seemed to be so many of them. I must be hallucinating. Hmmm! It was a pleasure sucking her toes. And that's only the beginning. When my tongue ran over her warm and luscious body, her insides were so soft and juicy. It was an hour of unaldulterated pleasure. Devouring her can only be described as divine pleasure! There was only one problem...

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I said honey," For such a beautiful lady like yourself, why has your parents given you such a funny name like Dungeness Crab? Is this a popular name in San Francisco?"

(Dei......wake up you all, didn't you read earlier that this blog is only rated PG?!!)

San Francisco

2007-10-13T04:01:00.000Z

Arrived in San Francisco today. Travelled with KLM via Amsterdam to San Francisco. Got the standard "terrorist treatment" from the Homeland Security officer as usual. What this means is that I was again dragged into a small room for some detailed questioning like writing down my parents' name, dates of birth and address. Anyway, I have to say that they are a lot friendlier here than in Orlando. Took a cab from the airport to my hotel in downtown (Air Travel Hotel) which cost me USD51.00. It's a lot cheaper than the conference hotels (which were fully booked anyway), but the standard is not bad. There's free WiFi here.

After a short rest, I hopped over by foot to San Francisco Hilton, which is only about 5 minutes from here to register for my ASA Conference. With that out of the way, I walked to the Chinatown for some sightseeing and food. I had some Japanese food tonight. I have to say that it is the best Jaqpanese food that I had ever eaten. I ordered a Caterpillar Roll and also a bowl of Nabe Udon noodles. The restaurant is called Sushi Rock and their motto is " What we can't rock, we roll.." The bill came up to about $22, which is only about £11. What a bargain! While I was eating my dinner, I thought that perhaps, I am living in the wrong country, or at least the wrong city. On the way back, a busker was playing "Yuet Liang Tai Piau Wor De Sin" - The moon represents my heart (in mandarin).

First impression of San Francisco?............I like it! But perhaps because it has such a strong Chinese flavour to the place.

Summer Recess is Over - Part 2

2007-10-05T13:53:00.000Z

Ok...ok, I am really neglecting my blog. Sorry about that folks. So, to quickly summarise the summer (haha!)and a bit of autumn, the following are what we have been up to in brief:

May
Two of my aunties (one from Vancouver and the other from Malaysia) were visiting with me. They were touring on their own for most of the time. However, they also managed to stay a few days with us between their mini trips during the months. We managed to bring them for a flying visit to the Lake District for a very short visit. Also managed to visit Lancaster and caught with some very good friends of mine, Jayne and Andy and their beautiful daughter Josephine. We also made a nostalgic visit to our former house. Kept making wrong turns as I had forgotten my way - duh! Hey! It has been 6 years since we left OK?

June
Went for conferences in Cambridge and Monk Fryston, Yorkshire.

Went down to the Canadian Embassy in London to get my visitor's visa. A pain in the neck...but what to do? I am still loyally hanging on to my Malaysia passsport. So, every now and then have to jump thru' some hoops. But what the heck...I don't understand why Malaysians also have to apply for visa to go to Canada. Aren't we suppose to be members of the Commonwealth? Mahathir Mohammed was right on the spot when he said that the "Commonwealth is where the wealth is not common".

July

My wife and daughter went to visit my aunt in Vancouver. I joined them in the third week. Had a great time. Managed to go up to Whistler Mountain. Absolutely amazing views. Will definitely have to go back there for the skiing in the future. Canada is such a huge country. I think that to really visit the country properly, one would have to get a mobile home and tour it for a couple of months at least. Another highlight was getting to meet so many of my relatives there. I can't believe that I had not met the majority of them before in my life!

August

Elected Vice Chairman of my department. Err! Guess, I'd better start behaving myself.

September

Went back to Lancaster for the christening of my goddaughter, Josephine. Thanks for asking me to be her godfather Jayne and Andy. It's such an honour!

Went for conferences in Blackpool and Manchester.

Oh yes! How can I forget! My little girl starts school this month. She looks all grown up in her uniform.

October
Going for an international conference in the place that is famous for the song ...."I left my heart in ___________ (fill in the blanks)" Yesssssssssssssss!!

Summer Recess is Over - Part 1

2007-09-17T19:08:00.000Z

Hi folks! I'm back. I hope all of you had a great summer. It has been a very busy summer for me, and hence, my prolonged absence from my own blog. The first autumn leaves in my garden are starting to turn golden brown and also gently falling to the ground. So, as we are preparing to start off another new season, I thought perhaps I should bring you all up to date what we have been through in the summer. However, before that, I would like to reflect on the song that we sang in church yesterday:

"Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God."

For those of you who are Christians, you would know where I am coming from. In all the hustle and bustle of our lives, it is important sometimes to stay still and meditate on God and His Greatness.

Well, the highlight of my summer is to see how my little girl has grown. In the last couple of months, she has grown incredibly close to me. From the moment she opens her eyes in the morning, till the time she sleeps at night, she would want to spend her every awake moments with me; that is if I am at home and not working. She would only allow me to wash and dress her, make her milk for her and feed her etc..etc.. As many nights of the week as possible, I would try to get home early so that I can put her to bed and also read to her. Currently, we are going through the The Complete Winnie the Pooh series together. She took me by surprise yesterday. At the end of our reading, she put her hands together and spontaneous said a prayer out loud by herself. It went something like this:

"Dear God,
Thank you for today. Please don't let papa and I have bad dreams tonight....(She
paused and turned to me and asked," Are you working tomorrow? To which, I answered, "Yes". She then continued...)Please bring papa home early tomorrow, because I want to hug and kiss him".

It turned out that she had been taught how to pray at Sunday School that morning. It warms my heart that not only is she growing physically; she is also maturing mentally. Just to illustrate, the following conversation took place just a couple of weeks ago:

She was trying to find some of her favourite clothes to wear, but could fine none as they were all being washed.

Me: "Why don't you ask mummy to buy some more clothes for you the next time you go out shopping with her?"

Elly: "But, what if we spend all your money?"

Me: "Don't you worry Elly, papa will just go out to work and earn more"

Elly: "But I don't want you to go out to work. I want you to stay at home with me everyday. It's OK papa, I won't spend your money."

Me : ....speechless...

Elly: "Make sure you don't give mummy too much money to spend."

Me: Hahaha!

Well,these moments with my child mean the world to me. I will cherish them for years to come. It has indeed been a memorable summer. Will write more about it later.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2007-07-21T14:49:00.000Z

So, my wife and daughter had rejected my offer of a couple of weeks caravan holiday in the UK. Can't blame them as there is a flood warning again this weekend. Indeed, some areas in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire are already flooded.

So, they finally flew off to Vancouver earlier today. Latest report from my aunt (hello...Tua Kor!) from Vancouver is that the weather there is absolutely fab....about 39 degrees Celcius! Wow! That is hot. So, I told my little girl,"you'd better not bring the British floods there". So, how come I haven't gone with them, you might ask. Well, I can't afford to take 3 weeks off work. Also, this was initially part of a secret plan for me to indulge in my underwater passion for a week in the Red Sea, while they are away. Anyhow, guilt got the greater of me and I will be flying out to join them for the last week there. Sigh! Life is so much easier without conscience.

So, I asked my little girl if she would miss her papa, as she would not be seeing him for TWO WHOLE WEEK. She said, "No" ( and I was like...huh?),.........."because you are in my heart" ( everyone say aaaaaahh!). With answers like these from a four year old, how can I ever say no to any of her future requests? Hmmmmm! My wallet is hurting already........

Blog Rating

2007-07-18T21:49:00.000Z

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

OK....it's official! This blog is clean! No filth, obscenities, nudity (sorry gals, I'm keeping my kit on..), gambling, human trafficking, wife-beating, free cannabis...etc..etc...

But, if you want to go on reading this blog..........please get your mummies and daddies to sit beside you, .....it's PARENTAL GUIDANCE only, ok?

Foundation of My Hope

2007-07-16T00:03:00.000Z

Another song that I came across recently that describes so aptly the foundation of my faith:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When tears are stilled, when strivings ceased
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fulness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose again,
And as he stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am his and he is mine-
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
There is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand.
Till he returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

(Keith Getty & Stuart Townend; 2001 Thankyou Music)

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In today's modern age of technology and information, the gospel truth may seemed old fashioned or out of time. We are proud in our own ability and almost everything is at our finger tips, or rather at the mouse's click. If you need a holiday, a flight, a hotel or even food shopping,....just google it. If you need to know about any piece of trivia info, just look up wikipedia. Google Earth has even allowed us to zoom in to an area of interest. Nothing is impossible. Interestingly, I found out today that the meaning of the name of Lucifer means "I will". The fall of Lucifer, God's most beautiful angel was his pride. He thought he could be like God. Has our pride in our own "intelligence" caused us to reject the Deity of Christ? We may not think that we are God, but is it now fashionable to say that Christ was just a man? Are we not as guilty as Lucifer?

And yet, we have never needed Christ more. We are wealthier ( and not necessarily healthier), and better off in virtually every area of our life; and yet society is further than ever from God. As for me, the words of another song sums it up, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand".

Trickiest Task

2007-07-15T00:44:00.000Z

Once a week, it is my turn to get my daughter ready in the morning and send her to the nursery school. I usually get her up at 7am, and give myself an hour to do everything before we head out the door. After I get her to the school, I would then have to head off to work. As any parent (usually mum) can testify, this is probably the most hectic time of the day. Add to that, the pressure of getting to work on time; this can turn the hour into an absolutely manic time.

So, how do I do it? First of all, I would get her up and plump her straight in front of the TV. Bad habit I know, but this is my way of expediting things. Then I would proceed to make her the milk (she takes a special milk formulation), and also give her a bowl of rice krispies. While she is having her breakfast, I would dash upstairs to wash myself and get ready. After that, I would proceed to give her a body wipe and change her. Yep..right in front of the telly. Then, I would get her to brush her teeth in the downstairs toilet. After that, I would try my best to tie her hair. I find that this is the trickiest part of the morning. It would take me multiple attempts before I get it right. First of all, I would have to comb her hair. Then I have to divide her hair in the center on the back, as I want to tie it into 2 equal pony tails. So, symmetry is very important. I would then proceed to tie one pony tail at a time. This is made all the more harder every time she moves her head. She just can't stop wriggling about. So, with one eye on the clock,this can sometimes be a frustrating task. However, perseverance usually trimphs and wah lah...the result as you can see on the photo above. Not bad, huh?

MeMe

2007-07-11T21:53:00.000Z

Oh...oh...PreciousPearl from the Kingdom of Goats tagged me for this meme! Sorry it took so long to comply, but here goes:

FANTASTIC FOUR

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Helped my mum in direct selling..vitamins, Amway, light bulbs etc..err, I was the driver
2. Kitchen help in Chinese takeaway in Ireland...learnt how to peel prawn with 2 stroke / peel technique
3. Gassing people ( for free)
4. Gassing people (for money...hehe)

Four places I have lived:
1. Sitiawan, Perak, Malaysia
2. Big Mountain Leg (you can translate it to either Mandarin or Hokkien), Malaysia..haha, anyone know this place, please write it in the comment box.
3. Haverfordwest, Wales.
4. The Red Rose County (where is it?), UK

Four Places I have been on vacation:
1. I have swam (three times) where Moses walked.
2. Vienna
3. Prague
4. City where Sears Tower is located.

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Char Koay Teow
2. Curry Noodles
3. Nasi Lemak
4. Rice...yes, even if its just with soya sauce!

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. 50 metre u/w with The Rondo Wreck, off Oban, Scotland
2. 30 metre u/w with my "cousins" in Layang-layang, Malaysia
3. Drifting u/w in Nusa Penida, Bali
4. Peering thru' St. Pauls Cave in Ras Mohammed, Egypt.

Other species to tag:
1. Fiery Dragon
2. Talented MusicMan

Britain Under Siege

2007-06-26T01:09:00.000Z

I have finally got home. 12 hours since I started my journey from King's Cross station in London to my home up in the North of England. It was chaos everywhere. There was hardly any train leaving Kings Cross. The management was totally not in control. Information was changing by the minutes, and even by the seconds.

After queuing for about 4 hours to take the only train out of Kings Cross, it was full just as I was nearing the front. Damn! So, I hot footed over to Euston Station, and just managed to catch a train up to Manchester. Mind you, it was no where near my home. But I'd reckon it was nearer than London. I would think about it when I arrive there. However, on the train, there was a bit of a good news for me. The conductor announced that there would be a train from Manchester to my city. I couldn't believe my ears, so I went to search him out and asked him. He looked at me with contempt and said," Didn't I just announced that "stupid" (.. I could see him judging me through his eyes)?" So, satisfied , I settled in the journey.

At Manchester Picadilly, I scanned the schedule board impatiently as we were told that the connection would be within a few minutes. Bugger! That was almost impossible to do. The reason for that was because the board switches from alphabetical order (for destination) to chronological order every 2 seconds. Who was the smart alec that designed this? I had travelled from this station before, but this did not ever occur to me. I suppose I was never in a hurry before and can peruse at my leisure. Never mind, finally an announcement came that a train was departing to Huddersfield. Again, no where near my home, but I reasoned that it was nearer than Manchester. So, I hopped on the train. There was a train scheduled to York about half an hour later, which was nearer my home. But should I take the chance? What if it was cancelled? I decided to stay the train as this one was moving. The other one would probably turned out to be an empty promise.

At Huddersfield, we were told that that was the end of the journey and we had to disembark. However, as soon as I got off, there was a whole crowd of people rushing on to the train. So, without asking I hopped back on the train. "Where are we going?" I asked the person next to me. "Oh, the train is going to Leeds first, then to Bradford and onto York", he said. Great, I thought. That is just where I wanted to go. I was feeling suitably pleased with myself as I had managed to get myself a 1st. Class seat. You see, during times of emergency, all the seats are declassified and they become standard seats. Unfortunately, that sense of well-being did not last long. After about 5 minutes, the conductor's voice came over the tannoy," Ladies and gentlemen, I want to apologise for what I am going to say next". He repeated that again. Hmmm! That sounded ominous. "Can all passengers please leave the train now?" Oh dear, not again. Ah well! Might as well go and take a pee while I had the chance. As I was making my way towards the gents on the other side of the platform, suddenly everyone was rushing on to the train that I had got off twice already!! Oh what the heck! Here we go again. I did a U turn and managed to squeeze myself into the carriage again. "Where are we going this time", I asked. Leeds, came the reply. Ok, that is better than getting stuck in Huddersfield I suppose, and I know Leeds well. Also, there will probably be more chance of getting an onward connection from Leeds than Huddersfield. I was more or less resigned to the fact that I may have to put up a night at Leeds. As we pulled into the station, the announcement came that we will be continuing our journey to York. Hurrah!! There was a loud cheer in the train. We finally arrived in York station at about 21:30. From there, I managed to catch a cab home.

No folks. We did not come under attack from the terrorists again. It was a couple of days of heavy rain that had flooded a large part of the country. However, all this goes to show that Britain is not well equipped to cope with natural disasters, even though it was only minor. There was no contingency planning at all. There was also no offer of alternative transport for the passengers.

On reflection, it was almost like a religious experience. One roughly knows where one is going, although one may not know when or where one will end up. To a certain extent, it was like a leap of faith stepping into trains. Oh yes, a certain measure of prayer was also involved. Hmm! I am going to avoid going to London again, if I can help it. The last time, it was the London bombing.............!! Need I say more!

Old Man Whale

2007-06-24T01:46:00.000Z

19th-century weapon found in whale

By ERIN CONROY, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 12, 6:24 PM ET

BOSTON - A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt — more than a century ago.
ADVERTISEMENT

Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3 1/2-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old.

"No other finding has been this precise," said John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Calculating a whale's age can be difficult, and is usually gauged by amino acids in the eye lenses. It's rare to find one that has lived more than a century, but experts say the oldest were close to 200 years old.

The bomb lance fragment, lodged a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time, Bockstoce said.

It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890. The small metal cylinder was filled with explosives fitted with a time-delay fuse so it would explode seconds after it was shot into the whale. The bomb lance was meant to kill the whale immediately and prevent it from escaping.

The device exploded and probably injured the whale, Bockstoce said.

"It probably hurt the whale, or annoyed him, but it hit him in a non-lethal place," he said. "He couldn't have been that bothered if he lived for another 100 years."

The whale harkens back to far different era. If 130 years old, it would have been born in 1877, the year Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn in as president, when federal Reconstruction troops withdrew from the South and when Thomas Edison unveiled his newest invention, the phonograph.

The 49-foot male whale died when it was shot with a similar projectile last month, and the older device was found buried beneath its blubber as hunters carved it with a chain saw for harvesting.

"It's unusual to find old things like that in whales, and I knew immediately that it was quite old by its shape," said Craig George, a wildlife biologist for the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, who was called down to the site soon after it was found.

The revelation led George to return to a similar piece found in a whale hunted near St. Lawrence Island in 1980, which he sent to Bockstoce to compare.

"We didn't make anything of it at the time, and no one had any idea about their lifespan, or speculated that a bowhead could be that old," George said.

Bockstoce said he was impressed by notches carved into the head of the arrow used in the 19th century hunt, a traditional way for the Alaskan hunters to indicate ownership of the whale.

Whaling has always been a prominent source of food for Alaskans, and is monitored by the
International Whaling Commission. A hunting quota for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission was recently renewed, allowing 255 whales to be harvested by 10 Alaskan villages over five years.

After it is analyzed, the fragment will be displayed at the Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska.
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Wow! What an old whale! Too bad, it did not survive this second attack. The ocean never ceases to amaze me. Ever since I began scuba diving in 1996, my respect for the marine environment has increased year on year. I learn something new all the time. But isn't it sad that we humans are destroying it more and more? Why is our appetite so voracious? Why can't we leave these beautiful animals alone? Do we have to eat these wonders of the world? Can our conscience not control our gastronomic urges? Why do the Alaskans and for that matter, the Japanese and Scandinavians have to hunt and eat whales?

Ever since I started diving, I had also stopped eating shark's fin. And....I don't miss it at all. At Chinese wedding dinners, this dish is usually served. I would now sit out this course. My family used to say,..........eat lah, this shark fin is fake anyway. Not the real stuff. My response is that it is a matter of principle for me, and more importantly, a matter of survival for the sharks. The harvesting of the fins is cruel. The sharks are still alive when their fins are hacked off. They are then thrown back into the sea to die a slow and painful death. So whether the fins are real or fake, folks need to be educated about this. So, I will say it one more time, "STOP EATING SHARK FIN" and "STOP HUNTING THE WHALES".

Educating Myself

2007-06-21T22:37:00.000Z

After months of hard work, I decided to go for holiday again..sorry no, I mean go for a conference. Always a good excuse to get away from work. I will be attending the Spring Meeting of the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists (ACTA) tomorrow in Cambridge. In fact, I am already here. I am staying at The Moller Centre this evening. It is fairly cheap by UK standard. £67 per night B&B. Conference price. Normal price is only £10 extra. Good size and clean room. But, the best thing is that the WiFi is free....wahahaha...! Another advantage is that the meetings are held here and also at Churchill College next door. So, no need to rush.

I like Cambridge. One of my favourite cities in UK. Lots of things going on and it is always a pleasure to walk through university grounds. There is a river running through it and punting is a favourite past time here, especially during the summer. Last year, I took the opportunity of this conference to turn it into a caravan holiday. Took my family here as well. The caravan park is only 3 miles from the city centre and there is a park and ride nearby. There is a good Thai restaurant and also a Tapas resturant in town. Can't remember the names though.

Anyway, the highlight for this year's conference is Davy Cheng from Canada. A very prominent Chinese anaesthetist from Canada. Hahaha....Chinese boleh!! Ok lah, got to go to sleep now. Signing off...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Shoot First....Don't Tok-Tok

2007-06-14T23:00:00.000Z

Divers Stranded When Tourist Boat Flees After Gunfire
Earlier this week, 2 tourists were enjoying some diving from the boat of Loh Khoy Lee. According to Lee, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency officers signalled to him, requesting radio communication. However, Lee's radio was damaged so he couldn't respond. Then, the unthinkable happened: the Enforcement Officers fired shots on Lee's boat, causing him to flee the area -- and leave the divers!
Lee said about one hour later he and his crew returned to the spot and collected the bewildered divers.

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Ai yo yo! Is it safe to dive in Malaysian waters? I think from now on I have to carry a SMB (surface marker buoy) which says "Please don't shoot, I'm a Malaysian Diver" On second thoughts, maybe not. They might use it as target practice.

It's a pity the article did not say exactly where this incident took place. I suppose to a certain extent, I can understand why the officers opened fire. I found out some time ago that the waters around Malaysia are infested with pirates. Remember the Abu Sayaff pirates aka Muslim freedom fighters from the Phillipines that kidnapped the divers from Sipadan Island? Well, I was at the very same spot only 12 months before. Could have been me.

Forget the SMB. Perhaps I should carry a harpoon to protect myself!

Caravanning Season

2007-06-13T23:32:00.000Z

Ok, this is now the caravanning season. In fact, it started about 2 months ago. In actual fact one can usually go caravanning throughout the year in the UK. However, fair weather caravanners like myself usually parked up the caravan from late October or early November till about the middle of March. This is because it gets rather cold and I am also trying to avoid doing it in the snow or frost. During the winter months, I usually try to escape to warmer climates mid-winter, so that winter itself feels slightly shorter.

Well, I started caravanning about 3 years ago. I knew absolutely nought about this leisure (and sometimes stressful) activity before I started. However, the great thing about being in UK is that one can usually get the information readily. So, armed with a bit of reading, I headed down to a caravan dealer locally to buy myself one. I only knew that the weight of the caravan has to be about 85% of the weight of my car. After asking the dealer loads of questions, I decided to buy a 5-berth Lunar caravan. I liked the interior, because the fabric is light blue in colour and it makes the inside brighter. I was feeling a bit nervous when it came to the time for picking it up, as I have never towed anything in my life. However, after about 20 minutes of instruction from the dealer towing it round the block, I was let loose onto the unsuspecting public!!

Towing it was actually the easiest thing to do. As long as you give yourself a wide berth (haha) when turning, it is not too bad. The hardest part is however, when you try to park it up at the caravan site. That is not easy to do. It was ok when I took the course, and I got it right all the time. But left to my own devices.......... aaaargh!!! the gear box seemed to chew itself up, and I still can't do it properly. So, I invested in a remote control. Now I just drive up to the pitch, unhitch the caravan from the car, and ease it into place with my remote. Except the time when my leisure battery went flat, and I had to enrol the other caravanners on site to give me a push. Wah...that was embarrasing man!

Anyhow, our first trip this year will be in the middle of June. Also, there is a trip planned in late July. But there is also a competing interest as a trip to Vancouver is also on the horizon. Now, that places my wife between a rock and a hard place. Three weeks in Vancouver or a weekend caravanning? Will let you know what she chooses later. Have a great summer, everyone.

A Psalm for the Living

2007-06-03T23:14:00.000Z

Just want to share a song that we sang at church today. The words are as following:

The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want.
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.

And I will trust in You alone.
And I will trust in You alone.
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.

He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.

And though I walk in the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
For You are with me, and Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.

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This song is based on Psalm 23. Of the 150 Psalms, this is probably the most popular, or at least the most recognisable one. However, the reason for this is because it is the Psalm that is most often read during Christian funerals. I think the reason for this is because of verse 4 which says "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For You are with me......". It is a great reassurance and comfort to the relatives of the deceased that at the threshold where one passes from life to death, that God is there leading him or her through. Indeed, it was a great comfort to me personally, as my own dad passed away not too long ago. It was good to know that he was not alone in that journey through the valley of the shadow of death. I still miss him greatly.

So, why do I call it a "Psalm for the Living", when it has such a strong association with death? This is because it speaks to my inner being directly. It calms me in all the turmoils that I had gone through. It rises above material and physical needs. It gives me hope for the future. And because of this, I believe that life is for living. I try not to let fear hold me back from the things that I would like to do. His goodness indeed restores my soul. The chorus sums up my feeling best. Yes, I will only trust in Him. He has shown His mercy to me time and again, and I have enjoyed His goodness. And when the time comes for me, it will indeed be a homecoming. Maranatha!!

Coral Fish

2007-06-01T23:51:00.000Z

Coral reef fish make their way home

Coral reef fish hatchlings dispersed by ocean currents are able to make their way back to their home reefs again to spawn.

This finding is based on a study conducted by scientists from Australia, France, and the US, led by Dr Geoff Jones and Dr Glenn Almany of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.

For the study, which took place in a marine protected area in Papua New Guinea, scientists tested a new method to trace fish from birth to spawning and detect the percentage of fish hatched on one reef that return there to spawn.

The techniques used in this study can reveal the extent to which fish populations on separate reefs are isolated breeding populations, or connected by fish movements.

Following two fish species, the clownfish (Amphiprion percula) and the vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus), the scientists found that young of both species returned to their home reef about 60 percent of the time - a surprising result for fish larvae that had dispersed from a small reef habitat into a large area.

"If we understand how fish larvae disperse, it will enable better design of marine protected areas, and this will help in the rebuilding of threatened fish populations,” said Almany.

The two species in the study have different reproductive styles. Butterflyfish release eggs and sperm into the water, and the larvae drift and swim freely for more than a month before finding a home reef. In contrast, clownfish spawn eggs that are attached to the reef for a week before the larvae hatch and disperse in oceanic waters for 10 to 14 days. The larval clownfish must then find a reef, and a suitable anemone, that will be home for the remainder of its life.

Currents inevitably carry both species away from the parental reef (larval fish cannot swim well), but this study confirms that the majority of both species appear to find their way home after completing the oceanic larval phase.

But how do you tag fish larvae? Well, the process involves injecting minute quantities of harmless stable barium isotopes into the breeding female fish of both species. “The isotopes are passed to the offspring and incorporated into the ear bones - or otoliths - of the developing embryos,” said Thorrold, “thereby labeling the hatchlings at birth with the isotopes as permanent traceable tags.”

Two months after injecting females, the scientists returned and captured newly settled fish at the same reef to determine how many had returned to their home reef and how many had migrated from other nearby reefs.

Reef fish conservation programs utilizing marine protected areas are based on assumptions about how many fish migrate in from other areas and how many return to home areas to spawn. At a time of increasing pressures on coral reef ecosystems, this study provides an important piece for planning the optimum size of coral reef-protected areas and breeding populations.

“Just as importantly,” said Almany of their results, “40 percent of the juveniles came from other reefs that are at least ten kilometers (five miles) away, which indicates significant exchange between populations separated by open sea. This shows how marine protected areas can contribute to maintaining fish populations outside no-fishing zones.”

The successful test of this method in the field offers scientists a new way to evaluate the effectiveness of management models and practices based on direct information. Thorrold is continuing this work, using the maternal labeling technique to evaluate the degree of connectivity in other fish populations, including endangered Nassau grouper in the Caribbean.
Adapted from press release by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

X-Ray International Dive Magazine
@ 2004-2007

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Isn't this just so amazing? I have always suspected that they are clever. The clown fish is one of my favourites when I go diving. On each dive in the Red Sea, one can always see clown fish in their anemones constantly throughout the dive. They seemed to be everywhere. Interestingly, I did not seem to see as many when I dived in Layang-layang. They are also very territorial and guide their own patch / anemone jealously. One of the things that I like to do is to swim quite closely to them with my face forward. They will get very excited and darts around the anemone. Quite often, they will try to attack me by charging at my mask. Usually, there will only be a pair of clown fish per anemone. However, at times you can see more than one pair. I read somewhere that the dominant pair are the bigger ones. The others are usually much smaller. This is because the dominant pair are always bullying the smaller ones, and thereby preventing them from feeding themselves. However, if the dominant pair dies off, the smaller fish will grow in size in a matter of days, and takes over the anemone. Bravo! The film "Finding Nemo" has certainly popularise the clown fish. Unfortunately, it has led people to taken corals and catching the clown fish for their own aquarium at home. This practice is to be discouraged as it leads to the destruction of what is already a very delicate marine environment.

Anyway, just thought that I let you folks know that these tiny creatures have "brains" and should be respected.Hurrah!

A May Day Walk

2007-05-09T11:19:00.000Z

We had 2 families staying with us during the first May Bank Holiday weekend. When everyone had left, we decided to have a quiet afternoon just by ourselves. So we took a walk up the hill which is very close to our house. We are very lucky to be able to live in a rural village setting, and yet is only literally a minute from the motorway. The pictures just tell their own story.

A view of our residential estate.

View of the River.

The Lone Ranger.

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers

Spring...A new beginning

Free Range Chicken. A rare sight here.

Dead bird.

Trees. A picture of reassurance.

Airstrip at the top of the hill.

Plane taking off.

Country church building

Friendly Horse

More Views

Tenerife

2007-05-07T13:35:00.000Z

For a change, I thought that I would plan our family trip in November 2006 via the internet, instead of booking it through our usual travel agents. It was going to be for 2 weeks. I was hoping to dive as well during this time, and that requires military planning. I was expecting it to be easy as it was out of season. Booking the tickets was straightforward. I got us some cheap tickets with British Airways from Manchester to Sur Reina Airport in the South of Tenerife. The good thing about this was that I could also check in online and choose our seats in advance. However, trying to book the accommodation was another story. I was surprised to find out that most of the self-catering apartments were fully booked. Eventually, I managed to book an apartment at the Royal Palm Resort in Los Cristianos. This town is only about 10 minutes from the airport, which was very convenient. A taxi ride from the airport only cost 15-20 Euros.

Our apartment was on the 2nd Floor, facing the swimming pool. This was great as we could go back and forth as we like throughout the day. It was also a spacious 2 bedroom apartment with all mod cons. As soon as we arrived, I had to sort out 2 essentials for for the couple of weeks that we were going to be there. First of all, I had to get a car rental, and more importantly I had to get my DIVING sorted out. Yay!! Well, getting a car rental was a bit of a struggle. For those of you who have visited Spain or any of the Canary Islands before, you would know that the afternoon period is no time to do business. This is because the Spanish folks luuurrvve their siestas. Tried as I did, I could not find a car rental agency opened. All had signs saying that they would open at 6 or 7 pm. Hrrrmmph!! Aah! Never mind, I turned my attention to finding a dive shop instead.

Before I left the UK, I had printed out some contact dive shops. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring them along. Luckily, there was an internet cafe nearby, where I could look them up again. I managed to contact Dive Tenerife, who is owned by husband and wife team, Pete and Debbie. They are based at Las Galletas, which is about 15 minutes drive from Los Cristianos. They picked me up the next morning, as I was their only guest for the week, they jokingly said that I would be getting a 5 Star service. Indeed it was like that during my time with them. I did 9 dives with them in total.. In addition, I managed to do my Nitrox course with Pete. Proud to say that I got 100% in my assessment at the end.

View of the swimming pool from our balcony.

View at the seafront at Las Galletas, after our first dive of that day. We had to abandon further diving that day, due to the storm that was brewing up.

A couple shots of the friendly turtle, that was trying to get food from us.

Atlantic Stingray. An adult can span 2 metres in size, just like this one. These shots were taken at La Cuchos, which means "the puppies". This is because they were quite a few baby stingrays at this dive site; which is actually a small boat wreck on a sandy bottom at about 22 metres.

A beautiful anemone. Most of the dives were rock formation. The corals cannot be compared to the ones in Red Sea of course. That's why I was very please to get a shot of this.

Fire worm. I was warned not to touch this as the sting is very painful. Forewarned is forearmed.

Memorial to Jacques Costeau. It was great to see this memorial the the "Father of Scuba Diving"- the inventor of the aqualung.

Nitrox or Enriched Air Diving. I am now qualified to dive with up to 40% oxygen. Pete was an excellent instructor.

Mount Teide. The tallest mountain in Tenerife. Still an active volcanic mountain, but has not blown up in 50 years; or was it 150 years?? The views from the mountain range is just breathtaking.

Tenerife Zoo. We decided to visit the zoo. An excellent place for children. Actually, quite a range of animals there. There were also some shows throught the day, e.g the bird show and the feeding of the lions.

It was a great holiday. The logistics of getting there were very easy. It only took us about 4 to 5 hours to get there. We will definitely go back here again in the coming years.

Know your relatives....where's me mum??

2007-04-24T14:55:00.000Z

Where's me mum? Errrr.....your mum? My mind seemed to draw a blank, as I looked into the accusing eyes of the girl beside me.....

The flight from Gatwick Airport to Marsa Alam took about 6 hours. I had been to the Red Sea a couple of times before, but we had traditionally flown to Hurghada in the north. Flying to Marsa Alam meant that we did not have to sail for 30 hours down the coast of the Egyptian desert, to get to the south. That is a blessing in itself, as I am usually the "champion puker" of the dive group; the legacy of being a poor sailor. The marina was only a short drive from the airport. Pretty soon, we were boarding our dive boat. It was called Hurricane ( owned by Tony Backhurst Scuba), and was by far the most luxurious dive boat that I had ever been on. We sailed from Marsa Alam to Elphinstone. From there, we headed south to Daedalus Reef, Rocky Island and Zabargad. This was what they called the Deep South, and we were only about 50 km from the Sudanese Red Sea.

m.v. Hurricane. Very luxurious dive boat.

We had a big group on this trip. There were 22 divers altogether. As I had only joined the dive club, I did not know most of the members on the boat. Therefore, I approached the leader of the group, and briefed him about my diving experience. I had wanted him to pair me up with a suitable buddy. I was disappointed therefore when his response was, " Oh! We usually just dive in a group. Just feel free to tag along." I later discovered that the rest of the group had naturally paired up themselves up as they knew each other well. The next morning at dive briefing, I turned to a couple of guys nearest to me and asked if they mind me tagging along. One guy was tall and thin, while the other was huge and fat. "Sure, no problems", they replied. So, that was settled.

Tunas lining up.

During the first 2 days, I began to realise that my "buddies" seemed to disappear to the surface without letting me know, halfway into the dives. I thought that was strange, but did not question them about it, as I was still diving with the rest of the group; although I was practically diving alone. The other strange thing was that the divemaster who was suppose to lead the dive was always at about 50 metres depth or so. He was diving with a Buddy Inspiration and therefore could go deeper for longer. I did not mind diving "alone" as I was comfortable with my own diving. It was no big deal. I thought this would be the pattern for the rest of the week. However, after the dive briefing the next morning, the divemaster suddenly turned to me and asked me who was my buddy, and why was I diving alone over the last 2 days. I saw no point in telling him that the guys just buggered off and left me each time. So, I just pointed lamely in their directions.

Daedalus Lighthouse (Girls beware, the guards usually haven't seen women for 3 months....so a bit randy!!)

The first dive that day was to a depth of 30 metres. As we got into the Zodiac, I noticed that the tall thin chap was not getting into it. So, I turned to the fat bloke and asked him, " Where's Jason?". He replied " Oh! He is doing a specialty course today." So, I said, " So, who are you diving with today?" "You", he said. So, very cautiously, I said, " OK...so, we are going down to 30 metres as planned, right?" He replied, as if it was the most naturally thing in the world, " No, I can't get down there because I use a lot of air. I only want to dive to 15 metres." . I thought, "*&%$£*£% great!! Now, I have a fat arsed gas guzzler on my hands who is not going to follow the dive plan! My disaster alarm went off. " Luckily, another chap also said that he was not going to 30 metres and he would not mind diving with my buddy. I turned to the remaining 3 divers on the boat. There was a guy in his late forties / early fifties, a lady of similar age and a girl of about seventeen. So, I turned to the lady who was sitting next to me and agreed that she would buddy up with me. The four of us would be sticking to the dive brief.

As soon as we did a backward roll into the water, my buddy started to panic and hyperventilate. I thought, " Mamma mia, what now??" We were on the surface for about 10 minutes, while she tried to calm down. I peered into the water, and I could see the divemaster at the bottom signalling for us to get down. Eventually, my buddy agreed to descend, and so we all went down together. Unfortunately, she kept going and did not stop at 30 meters. I had to swim to her and pulled her up to the right depth. After I had made sure that she was alright, I looked around, and holy shit!! The other buddy pair had gone too deep as well. I signalled to my buddy to wait for me and went down to get the others up as well. Just when I thought that all was well, I looked around and realised that my buddy was missing. The divemaster was watching us from about 20 metres away. So, I signalled to him to ask him the whereabouts of my buddy. He pointed to the surface, and as I looked up, I could see that she was just beside the boat. She must have panicked again, and shot up to the top. He signalled that we should continued with the dive. Yet again, the divemasater went down deep to do his own thing. After about 30 minutes, the girl's air level was getting low, and so I decided to end the dive.

As soon as we broke the surface, she asked me " Where's me mum?" It took me a while before I realised that she was referring to my buddy. " "She has ummm......gone up",I replied. The fat bloke, who was already in the boat, immediately said, " You should have gone up with her". What a patronising prick!! He did not even bother to ascertain the facts. My response was that the divemaster had instructed us to dive on. From the point of the general diving rule where one has to "stay with his or her buddy", I would agree with him. However, there were a few factors that guided me that few seconds in deciding what to do. Firstly, my buddy was already up at the surface, and was being picked up. Secondly, in that situation, I also had the other 2 as my "buddies", whom I rapidly realised, were not very experience divers. Thirdly, as mentioned before; the divemaster had also instructed me to dive on. Finally, by the time that I get up to the surface, the boat cover would have moved on to pick up other divers as per the dive plan. This would have meant that I would be floating on the surface for a while before I get spotted again, and therefore increased the chance of me being swept away.

The joke of the day, however, was that when the fat guy and his buddy reached their own "15 metres dive plan", there was no reef to be seen, and they had to descend to 30 mteres!!! Ha ! Ha! Ha! Theirs was a very short dive indeed! Stupid arse!!

Oceanic White Tip Shark (4th. most dangerous shark?)

Lessons that I learnt from this are 1) Make sure that you have a good idea of your buddy's dive experience before a dive. Asked them direct questions if you have to. The fat bloke was a gas guzzler, and therefore all his dives were very short compared to the rest of the group. This explained why, they always disappeared so early. 2) It is unwise to switch to a new buddy minutes before you hit the water; because of Rule No. 1. I later found out that the 3 person that I dived with were husband, wife and daughter. What luck!!! Urrggggh! Head bang!! To the credit of father and daughter, they kept their cool and kept on diving. Could have turned ugly underwater. Also, I found out later that they had just done their Advance Open Water recently, and each had less than 30 dives under their belt. This was their first sea trip. 3) Diving in "buddy pairs" of more than 2 divers may not always be a good idea, especially if the sea condition is rough, or when things go wrong. I also did not know beforehand that my buddy also had a panic attack the day before and had to abort her dive; again at the surface.

One under my crotch...had to lift my legs apart for this shot.
Felt a bit vulnerable......phew!!

The most important thing is that you always have to be self- reliant, and that can only come with experience. I did not allow the above experience to spoil my trip. For the remainder days, I seek out more experienced divers in the group and had a smashing time.

More tunas

Rocky Island

Life is an uphill struggle......but, hey! Count me in!!

Breathless.....Gasping for More...Errr!

2007-04-17T15:28:00.000Z

If you think this is going to be a graphic description of some kind of sexual act........ perish your carnal thots!! Ha! Ha! ....suspen aje...

The sea was calm that morning at Pulau Redang. We head out in the dive boat in anticipation of another great dive. It was the first dive of the day. The divemaster had told us that it was going to be a deep dive, and that we were going down to 30 metres. No problem man!! Sap sap sui (in Cantonese)! I was used to doing deep dives. My deepest was down to 50 metres on the wreck ( name seemed to escape me at the moment...) near Oban in Scotland; where I was............never mind, that is another story.....!

My buddy for that dive was a Singaporean chap.. He was by now a French citizen from Nice. He was working for a computer company and was being seconded back to Singapore for a couple of years. We did our usual buddy checks, and was raring to go. As soon as the divemaster gave us the signal, we did our backward rolls from the boat and glided smoothly down toward the pre-determined depth. Plan the dive, and dive the plan!! That is one of PADI's mantras. The visibility was not as good as it had previously been. It was only about 15-20m. This must have been because of the storm overnight which had churned the sea up a little. Nevertheless, there were still plenty to see, and I was settling into the dive nicely. I turned to look, and my buddy was about 5 metres away from me looking under a rock.

Fifteen minutes into the dive and what the ..........(fill in your own obscenities)....!!!!! My regulator was almost yanked out of my mouth!! I thought, " What the hell is happening??". I turned to discover that my buddy was trying to pull it from me. Chee sin!!! Instinctively, I pushed him away and quickly assessed the situation. His own regulator was missing from his mouth!! My diver training immediately kicked into motion, and I quickly reached for my alternate regulator and shoved it into his mouth and purged it for him. He was in a right state of panic and kept gesturing that he wanted to surface. I had to calm him down immediately. Whack! I hit him straight on the head. It did the trick and he jolted out of his panic. On examining his regulator, I found that his mouthpiece had fallen off. His alternate regulator however, was working fine. So, as he was fast depleting my own air supply, I quickly switch him back to his own alternate regulator. After a further few minutes of swimming around, I decide that it was time to get up. After signalling to the divemaster, I deployed my delayed surface marker buoy, to alert the boatman, and slowly ascend to the top with my buddy. He was indeed, very grateful that day.

Moral of the story is that, it is better to have you own kit when diving, and make sure that it has been serviced regularly. My buddy rented his from the dive shop. As it was nearing the end of the season that year, the equipments were also getting worn out.

Another PADI mantra, if you encounter problems....STOP....BREATHE....THINK......ACT........! Happy Diving!

Princess Elly

2007-04-15T00:53:00.000Z

Yeah…..I call my little girl Princess. Who doesn’t??? She loves that I call her that . In fact she loves everything about Princesses….Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White …etc. Oh yes, her favourite is Snow White; she even has a SW costume that she wears to her never ending ( and costly!!) friends’ 3 years old birthday parties. So, I ask her,

Papa : Do you know why you are called Princess?

Elly: Why, papa?

Papa: Because your papa is King………..Ha! Ha! Ha!

Sorry…I love my own crap jokes. Luckily, my little girl loves my jokes too. She has a wicked sense of humour, you see.

I could still remember the day she was born. On my part, there was no overwhelming rush of emotions that you always read about when some one is recounting their experience at childbirth. I always thought that that is such a stereotypical response, and probably as a result of reading too many mushy women’s magazines.Bor-rriinnng!!. Instead, I breathed a sigh of relief and a silent prayer of thanks that to the Almighty that my little girl had arrived safely. Yes, we knew the sex of our baby from the ultrasound scans during my wife’s pregnancy. I see no point in not knowing. It certainly makes the exercise of deciding her name and buying her clothes much easier.

So, Elly it is. I decided on that name when I was reading an article about a brilliant consultant neurologist in London who is also a great musician. And before you start thinking that that is also what I aspire for my little girl, let me just stop you right there. To me, it was just a nice sound to that name, and more importantly, it is also short and uncomplicated. It should make her life easy in later life when she has to fill in all the forms. When I’m asked what her name is, I always say that it is Elly with a “y”, and not an “ie”. This is because Ellie is the short form of Eleanor, and that would not do, as it sounded so dated, so Pride and Prejudice, if you know what I mean.

Having said all that, I would not blame you if you are beginning to think that I am a boring old fart with no feelings for anything romantic. Far from it; I have always felt a deep bond with my little girl right from the start. For example, during the first night when we brought her back, she would calm down immediately as I held her and sang to her, “Titis embun…berjatuhan, malam sepi….tak berteman…..”; (heck, where did that come from??)....the song just floated from deep within the recesses of my memories. I didn’t even remember learning this song…it must have just seeped into my being from all those years ago as I grew up in Malaysia. The tune just lulled her back to sleep. We seemed to be able to communicate from the very beginning. I knew and understand her every cry and grunt. ( Wah…boasting only ah..ha..ha) Quite often, I would tell my wife what the problem was.

There were also other special moments that we shared together. Just this morning, she wanted me to paint her finger and toenails for her. A few weeks ago, as I was helping her to the potty for a wee wee , she suddenly said, “ I love you, papa”. Words just can’t describe how I felt (ok…ok…there might have been a tear welling up, and the throat was tight like I was experiencing an anaphylactic attack.....damn, where's my Epipen!!!) There are also times when she would come to me with something that she knew her mummy would not approve of. She would whisper into my ears and then said its our secret ( or “sikriiiitt” as she would pronounced it). We are now into making deals and shaking our hands on it. Little girl’s honour……….and once she shook her hands on it, she would keep her side of the bargain. I would also always treasure her look as she waves to me from the window of our lounge as I reverse my car out of the driveway to work each day. It sustains me through a busy day at work. She also never ceases to amaze me. I would discover something new about her every single day when she was a baby. From the time she was 12 months old, she knew how to operate the TV, video and DVD player. Her favourite programmes were Andy Pandy, Max and Ruby, Angelina Ballerina, Snow White, Cinderella and of late Mulan and Pocahontas.

Elly, with her toes painted.

During our recent trip to Malaysia, she had learnt how to play the card game “Uno”, from her cousins, Angeline and Ben. In fact, she then taught me how to play it herself. Not bad considering that the game is meant for an age target of 7+ and she is only 3 and very soon 4 years of age. She has also demonstrated her competitiveness through this game. She would insist on winning each time and would cry if she lost. Not wanting to spoil her and yet at the same time not wanting to break her spirit, I would allow her to have her cry; and when she has finished crying, I would encouraged her to try harder to win by using her brains; without making it any easier for her. Turn your tears into your strength, I would say.

So my little princess, I thank God each day for the little miracle that you are. You would always be your papa’s Numero Uno ( pun intended). It is a joy to see you grow. And yeah….can’t wait till the day that I can take you diving!

Pilgrimage to Layang-layang

2007-04-09T17:06:00.000Z

When I was diving in Sipadan Island back in 1999, I had heard folks talking of the magic of diving in Layang-layang. One recurrent theme was that hammerheads were in abundance there. So much so that instead of spotting the sole member of this highly elusive shark, divers would frequently be treated to a "wallpaper of hammerheads" passing by during their dives. News like this had fired my imagination ever since. This was further reinforced when a very good friend and regular dive buddy of mine (Hi Stewart...hope you are well in Thailand), went to dive there a few years back and told me that the rumours were true.

It was therefore not if, but when I would make this trip myself. So, 2007 has to be it. The diving season and Chinese New Year period (when I would make my annual trip home to see my family in Malaysia) coincided nicely for the first time in years. This, with the increasing frequency of AirAsia flights(which only cost me a mere £65 return) to Kota Kinabalu(KK) from Kuala Lumpur made it possible. I had to stay overnight in KK, as the flight to Layang-layang was 7:30 the next morning. I stayed in Hotel Capital, which again cost me only about £15. However, to make it sweeter, there was a discount of about RM1000 from my dive package for Malaysian divers. Hurrah!!! Who says there is no benefit from holding a Malaysian passport??!

I checked in nice and early the next day at the new KK airport, which was very nice. They had to weigh all our bags as well as the divers. This seemed a bit odd, but the reason soon became clear. It was the tiniest aircraft that I had ever flew in. There were no doors and cargo and passengers had to be loaded from the back. It could only carry a maximum of 12 passengers. We were soon airborne, and after an hour , we were touching down on the single airstrip on the island.

The formalities were quickly and efficiently dealt with, and yessssssssssss.......!! Time to hit the water. The following are just a few of the shots that I took during the week.

Healthy looking starfish. This seemed to be in abundance, and most commonly spotted starfish here.

A nudibranch. Someone called it the "dinosaur".

Corals forming on an isolated branch.

Soft Corals.

Basket Coral.

Turtle taking a Rest.

"Flying" Eagle Ray- I wanna be free!!

Divers in the deep - waiting for the Hammerheads. Alas....we were to be disappointed.

Group Photo (Courtesy of Lawrence Dodds)

Sunset at Layang-layang.

It was a great week diving here. Unfortunately, I did not get to see the hammerheads. Looking on the bright side however, this means that I will have to make another trip back here soon. Yipeee!! One thing I've got to say is that the welcome here was second to none, and all the staff were very efficient. Safety was on the top agenda for all the divemasters and I certainly felt very safe diving with them. Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.........I can't wait to be back there!!!

I have arrived

2007-04-09T02:49:00.000Z

YeeHaa! I have finally arrived in the 21st century. This is the very first weblog that I have set up for myself. You guys might be curious why this blog has been christened as the "Hammerhead's World". Well, this is just one man's quest in search of his elusive cousins. I have only had a fleeting glimpse of this very beautiful creature in the Southern Red Sea in October 2005 at about 50-60meters depth. But could this just be a figment of my imagination??!! By the time I fumbled for my underwater digital camera , and powered it up, it had slipped into the blue abyss. Arrrrggghh!! Even my recent trip to Layang-layang (otherwise known as "Hammerhead Mecca") in the South China Seas in March 2007, was not blessed with a visit from my relatives. Sigh! Never mind. This brave soul dives on in the hope that his dreams will one day be fulfilled. In the meantime, please join me in my journeys, and I will try to make it exciting for you.