17 April 2008
15 April 2008
Diving with Bubbles @ Perhentian Island
The recent weekend was an amazing one. Saturday, Sunday & Monday were spent at Perhentian Island with my favourie people. And with them around, it's always a blast!
To add to the excitement, Robert, Grace and Jo finally visited the spectacular underwater world. They're now fully qualified PADI Open Water Divers. Congratulations guys! Pity Soon Yean & I didn't get to dive with them, but I'm sure our next trip will be even better.
Soon Yean, Pei Yin & I are now qualified PADI Rescue Divers. Though, I think I speak for all of us when I say that knowing what to do is one thing... actually doing it is another. My confidence in handling an diving emergency isn't strong. I think I could do with a bit more practice before actually helping out in any rescue effort. Fortunately, diving accidents are rare and can usually be avoided.
I think the best thing that came out of doing the PADI Rescue Diver course is that I now have a greater awareness on the do's and don'ts, the consequences of not following those do's and don'ts as well as how to handle an emergency resulting from not keeping to those do's and don'ts. That in itself is a huge improvement to my previous ignorance.
We did 5 leisure dives this trip. Apart from the slight discomfort in my ears from not being able equalize properly on the first dive, and my mask fogging up on the first and last dive, everything was real fun. I especially enjoyed the final dive which was a night dive. Our initial worries of not getting to see much was nothing. We saw so many amazing nocturnal creatures come alive during that dive. It was just a matter of knowing where to look, and a bit of luck. Pictures will come once Pei Yin & Soon Yean upload what they captured.
On the fourth dive, I made a last minute descent to retrieve a compass one of the other divers dropped as they climbed back onto the boat. During the search, I caught a glimpse of a gorgeous sea snake. This was my first ever first-hand encounter with a sea snake underwater so understandably, I couldn't recognise which species. And because I was down there with another objective - to find the lost compass, I didn't think to pay attention to the snakes features and check later. The worst thing was that I couldn't even find the compass which was lost to the sea. I kept the search short since I went down alone... didn't want the others to get worried. Turns out, the compass wasn't even working anyway. Go figure!
Apart from the long drive home, all in all it was a good trip. Great dives, great meals, great sights, great weather, great company. What more can I ask for?!
To add to the excitement, Robert, Grace and Jo finally visited the spectacular underwater world. They're now fully qualified PADI Open Water Divers. Congratulations guys! Pity Soon Yean & I didn't get to dive with them, but I'm sure our next trip will be even better.
Soon Yean, Pei Yin & I are now qualified PADI Rescue Divers. Though, I think I speak for all of us when I say that knowing what to do is one thing... actually doing it is another. My confidence in handling an diving emergency isn't strong. I think I could do with a bit more practice before actually helping out in any rescue effort. Fortunately, diving accidents are rare and can usually be avoided.
I think the best thing that came out of doing the PADI Rescue Diver course is that I now have a greater awareness on the do's and don'ts, the consequences of not following those do's and don'ts as well as how to handle an emergency resulting from not keeping to those do's and don'ts. That in itself is a huge improvement to my previous ignorance.
We did 5 leisure dives this trip. Apart from the slight discomfort in my ears from not being able equalize properly on the first dive, and my mask fogging up on the first and last dive, everything was real fun. I especially enjoyed the final dive which was a night dive. Our initial worries of not getting to see much was nothing. We saw so many amazing nocturnal creatures come alive during that dive. It was just a matter of knowing where to look, and a bit of luck. Pictures will come once Pei Yin & Soon Yean upload what they captured.
On the fourth dive, I made a last minute descent to retrieve a compass one of the other divers dropped as they climbed back onto the boat. During the search, I caught a glimpse of a gorgeous sea snake. This was my first ever first-hand encounter with a sea snake underwater so understandably, I couldn't recognise which species. And because I was down there with another objective - to find the lost compass, I didn't think to pay attention to the snakes features and check later. The worst thing was that I couldn't even find the compass which was lost to the sea. I kept the search short since I went down alone... didn't want the others to get worried. Turns out, the compass wasn't even working anyway. Go figure!
Apart from the long drive home, all in all it was a good trip. Great dives, great meals, great sights, great weather, great company. What more can I ask for?!
09 April 2008
08 April 2008
Speaking
This post is dedicated to my new ambition, which is to become a motivational speaker and one day speak on an massive stage in front of an international crowd, and have them leave a little wiser than when they arrived. Allow me to share how this came about.
It was a darrrrk and storrrmy night... in a land far far away... (just kidding).
Seriously, after taking 2 weeks off to hunt for a clue on a potential career for myself, I went through some really great books and audio tapes which taught me how to identify something good for myself. I discovered that I have a passion for talking.
I remember in kindergarten, I was so chatty the teacher put sellotape across my mouth to keep me quiet. And as a I looked through the remarks in my student report cards from my younger days, one comment which consistently appeared was that I was an "outspoken child". That passion for talking has grown quite a bit. Now I don't just want to talk... I want to talk on stage!
I'm not saying that I'm always eager to get up on stage and talk to a huge crowd of people I don't know. Truth be told, I do get the jitters whenever I have to speak to people through a microphone. I get stage fright too, like many other people out there.
My first time ever on stage was a complete disaster - 11 years of age, taking part in a storytelling contest back in primary school. My preparation was good and I knew my story relatively well. Unfortunately, once up there, I barely got past the introduction when my brain froze. Not only did I not know what to say next, I was so nervous I forgot what I had already said. I stood there on stage in front of a hall of 500-600 other students and teachers for what seemed like an eternity. It was a nightmare.
When I finally came to my senses, I was just so embarrassed and eager to run off stage that I just pieced together a rough ending to my story, anything which came off the top of my head, a sentence at a time. LOL! barely an introduction and then a pathetic dash for the ending. My story had a head and 2 feet... no body - like M&M's mascot. Suffice to say, I didn't win anything in that competition.
For most people, an experience like that would have been enough to turn a little fear into an all-out phobia. Strange that I somehow managed to find myself on stage again in secondary school, and pulling off a half decent job this time.
Today, whenever I'm put to the task of public speaking on stage, I generally brush off the nervousness within the first 2 minutes of being up there. So I believe I'm off to a good start already.
Now it's just a matter of gaining more skills and refining them. And of course to work on a plan which will ultimately qualify me to have people willing to pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles just to attend one of my talks.
Then the question arises... "Are people going to pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles just to listen to me talk nonsense?" Of course not. I'll need to have something good to share with them. And thus I'm setting off on my quest for personal development in hope that I will realize my ambition before I'm old and grey.
It's a big ambition, but a good one nonetheless. I'm excited!
It was a darrrrk and storrrmy night... in a land far far away... (just kidding).
Seriously, after taking 2 weeks off to hunt for a clue on a potential career for myself, I went through some really great books and audio tapes which taught me how to identify something good for myself. I discovered that I have a passion for talking.
I remember in kindergarten, I was so chatty the teacher put sellotape across my mouth to keep me quiet. And as a I looked through the remarks in my student report cards from my younger days, one comment which consistently appeared was that I was an "outspoken child". That passion for talking has grown quite a bit. Now I don't just want to talk... I want to talk on stage!
I'm not saying that I'm always eager to get up on stage and talk to a huge crowd of people I don't know. Truth be told, I do get the jitters whenever I have to speak to people through a microphone. I get stage fright too, like many other people out there.
My first time ever on stage was a complete disaster - 11 years of age, taking part in a storytelling contest back in primary school. My preparation was good and I knew my story relatively well. Unfortunately, once up there, I barely got past the introduction when my brain froze. Not only did I not know what to say next, I was so nervous I forgot what I had already said. I stood there on stage in front of a hall of 500-600 other students and teachers for what seemed like an eternity. It was a nightmare.
When I finally came to my senses, I was just so embarrassed and eager to run off stage that I just pieced together a rough ending to my story, anything which came off the top of my head, a sentence at a time. LOL! barely an introduction and then a pathetic dash for the ending. My story had a head and 2 feet... no body - like M&M's mascot. Suffice to say, I didn't win anything in that competition.
For most people, an experience like that would have been enough to turn a little fear into an all-out phobia. Strange that I somehow managed to find myself on stage again in secondary school, and pulling off a half decent job this time.
Today, whenever I'm put to the task of public speaking on stage, I generally brush off the nervousness within the first 2 minutes of being up there. So I believe I'm off to a good start already.
Now it's just a matter of gaining more skills and refining them. And of course to work on a plan which will ultimately qualify me to have people willing to pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles just to attend one of my talks.
Then the question arises... "Are people going to pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles just to listen to me talk nonsense?" Of course not. I'll need to have something good to share with them. And thus I'm setting off on my quest for personal development in hope that I will realize my ambition before I'm old and grey.
It's a big ambition, but a good one nonetheless. I'm excited!
03 April 2008
Lost In Life
Through my younger days, the topic of ambition always came up. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was the common question. I really had no clue, but I forced myself to think... lawyer, doctor, fireman, pilot, accountant... you know, the common professions. Not that it was really my ambition, but I went with whatever came to mind to "appease the gods" or in my case, my parents and kindergarten teachers.
10 years later as I finished high school and applied for college, and university after that, I still had barely a clue. Thus my lack of enthusiasm through the years. After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree of Arts majoring in accounting & finance, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with myself.
Picture that... 25 years of living life without direction. Unbelievable, but true.
I've spent the past 2-3 weeks focusing on soul searching. I have finally decided on a greater goal in life... my ambition. Read more about it in my next post.
10 years later as I finished high school and applied for college, and university after that, I still had barely a clue. Thus my lack of enthusiasm through the years. After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree of Arts majoring in accounting & finance, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with myself.
Picture that... 25 years of living life without direction. Unbelievable, but true.
I've spent the past 2-3 weeks focusing on soul searching. I have finally decided on a greater goal in life... my ambition. Read more about it in my next post.
01 April 2008
Reminiscing
I've been cleaning my room over the past couple of days. Not that it's really that messy, but I just haven't been entirely focused. Today as I went through more of the older stuff which I previously had stored away in a huge box under my table, I came across my year books from secondary school and Taylor's College.
It was nice to look through the pictures and articles of activities in the days past. I remember many faces, but few names. There were also faces which weren't familiar at all. Some classmate I was huh? In case by chance any of them are looking up old classmates, here's the list of where I've been.
1987-1988: Tadika Eu Ee SS2
1989: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 1C
1990: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 2C
1991: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 3C
1992: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 4C
1993: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 5C
1994: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 6C
1995: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - Peralihan 5 (P5)
1996: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 1 Hormat (1H)
1997: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 2 Damai (2D)
1998: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 3 Adil (3A)
1999: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 4 Ehsan (4E)
2000: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 5 Ehsan (5E)
2001: Taylors College SJ South Australian Matriculation (SAM) - Legal Studies 2 (L2)
2002: Help Institute Diploma In Business Studies (DipBus)
2003-2006: Help Institute BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance (BAAF)
After looking through the year books, I moved on to looking at some of the old greeting cards and letters I had received through post. Trust me, I'm not much of a sentimental guy. I don't usually keep gifts, notes, letters, cards or other souvenirs given to me. I do appreciate it, I just don't keep it.
So I was going through some of the stuff which I kept and I noticed one thing they mostly had in common - postage stamps. I've been keeping these cards and letters mainly because they were posted to me. Meaning even though we had the convenience of email, the sender actually felt that I was worth the trouble of putting their thoughts into writing, finding an envelop, affixing a stamp and mailing it off. I guess that made a difference to me, and why I kept them.
Su Ling, Shona, Yin Tse, Charity, Huey Lim, Cherie, Jane. Thank you for thinking that I was worth a postage stamp or two.
Once, I even received a handsome tie together with one of the cards in my mailbox. Thanks Shonz!
I haven't been in touch with most of these people though I'd much like to. I will continue to hang on to these souvenirs of the past.
It was nice to look through the pictures and articles of activities in the days past. I remember many faces, but few names. There were also faces which weren't familiar at all. Some classmate I was huh? In case by chance any of them are looking up old classmates, here's the list of where I've been.
1987-1988: Tadika Eu Ee SS2
1989: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 1C
1990: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 2C
1991: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 3C
1992: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 4C
1993: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 5C
1994: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 6C
1995: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - Peralihan 5 (P5)
1996: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 1 Hormat (1H)
1997: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 2 Damai (2D)
1998: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 3 Adil (3A)
1999: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 4 Ehsan (4E)
2000: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 5 Ehsan (5E)
2001: Taylors College SJ South Australian Matriculation (SAM) - Legal Studies 2 (L2)
2002: Help Institute Diploma In Business Studies (DipBus)
2003-2006: Help Institute BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance (BAAF)
After looking through the year books, I moved on to looking at some of the old greeting cards and letters I had received through post. Trust me, I'm not much of a sentimental guy. I don't usually keep gifts, notes, letters, cards or other souvenirs given to me. I do appreciate it, I just don't keep it.
So I was going through some of the stuff which I kept and I noticed one thing they mostly had in common - postage stamps. I've been keeping these cards and letters mainly because they were posted to me. Meaning even though we had the convenience of email, the sender actually felt that I was worth the trouble of putting their thoughts into writing, finding an envelop, affixing a stamp and mailing it off. I guess that made a difference to me, and why I kept them.
Su Ling, Shona, Yin Tse, Charity, Huey Lim, Cherie, Jane. Thank you for thinking that I was worth a postage stamp or two.
Once, I even received a handsome tie together with one of the cards in my mailbox. Thanks Shonz!
I haven't been in touch with most of these people though I'd much like to. I will continue to hang on to these souvenirs of the past.
31 March 2008
First Time Rock Climbing
Rock climbing has never been one of the things on my to do list. Though I've been invited to go with some friends time and time again, I just was never motivated enough. No one had infected me with enough excitement to want to give it a shot. Not till last Sunday.
While it was not on my list, it has been on Jo's list for a long time already. She just kept putting it off. When a good friend of hers invited her along for his weekly affair, she couldn't pass up the chance. She invited me along too. I understood the sport as an activity you do in pairs. So I figured I might as well go check it out in case she's ever in need of a buddy to go with her. Besides, I'm still living by the motto of trying anything once.
It cost us each RM38, including admission, gear rental and a basic course. We were taught the most basic things about climbing and belaying. Tying the knots to the harness was simple enough but we both had a bit of trouble with belaying. It's not that complicated but we're just not used to the motions. Time and practice will definitely help.
After some guidance from the instructor, we were left to handle ourselves. We got a bit bored of the easy routes and decided to move around a bit. As I gradually attempted tougher routes, my arms exponentially lost strength. And there I was thinking of working out at the gym before rock climbing. It's a jolly good thing I didn't.
3 hours later, I was so exhausted and sore all over I just wanted to go home, shower, eat and sleep. Yet I didn't leave the same person as when I got there. I had now accomplished something new, and was excited to return another day fresh to attempt the tougher routes once again... especially those I failed to finish.
If you don't mind climbing with a beginner, feel free to invite me the next time you go climbing.
While it was not on my list, it has been on Jo's list for a long time already. She just kept putting it off. When a good friend of hers invited her along for his weekly affair, she couldn't pass up the chance. She invited me along too. I understood the sport as an activity you do in pairs. So I figured I might as well go check it out in case she's ever in need of a buddy to go with her. Besides, I'm still living by the motto of trying anything once.
It cost us each RM38, including admission, gear rental and a basic course. We were taught the most basic things about climbing and belaying. Tying the knots to the harness was simple enough but we both had a bit of trouble with belaying. It's not that complicated but we're just not used to the motions. Time and practice will definitely help.
After some guidance from the instructor, we were left to handle ourselves. We got a bit bored of the easy routes and decided to move around a bit. As I gradually attempted tougher routes, my arms exponentially lost strength. And there I was thinking of working out at the gym before rock climbing. It's a jolly good thing I didn't.
3 hours later, I was so exhausted and sore all over I just wanted to go home, shower, eat and sleep. Yet I didn't leave the same person as when I got there. I had now accomplished something new, and was excited to return another day fresh to attempt the tougher routes once again... especially those I failed to finish.
If you don't mind climbing with a beginner, feel free to invite me the next time you go climbing.
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