More Diving

It's only been a week since we got back from diving. And here we're already almost done planning our next dive trip - Merdeka weekend at Redang. It's going to be super duper crowded at Pasir Panjang, but I think we'll have a blast if there's a beach party to count down to Merdeka.

To-do list before next trip:
- Tusa Passage due for service.
- Atomic Aquatics B2 due for annual check.
- Suunto Mosquito 3 bars battery left and quite unstable - buy battery replacement just in case.
- Lubricate wheels and zips for bag.
- Clean & lubricate torchlight o-rings.
- Buy motion sickness pills.
- Buy metal rod.
- Check new Atomic subframe ARC mask for fogging, bring extra toothpaste if necessary.

And slightly over a month after Merdeka dive, we're off to dive at Mabul, Kapalai & Sipadan! Can't wait can't wait!

Salang @ Tioman - 1-3 May 2009

This trip was a long wait since my last dive in August last year. The trip to Tioman was for 4 Open Water Diver students and 3 Advanced Open Water Diver students to get certified... and also 3 leisure divers to get themselves wet. :) I logged dive# 29-33 over the weekend.

It was quite a bargain as we managed to squeeze 10 people into 2 rooms, each person only paying about RM66 for the 2 nights. There was also the RM70 return ferry transfer from Tanjung Gemuk. Normally ferries to Tioman depart from Mersing. But the holiday rush prompted some operators to have additional ferry services go between Tg Gemuk - Tioman.

We dived with Fisherman Dive Centre, located right next to Salang Indah Resort. Leisure divers paid RM80/dive, assuming we had our own equipment. It was RM90/dive inclusive of full set of rental equipment.

The staff at Fisherman were generally friendly towards us. Affian, their resident divemaster was very accommodating and helpful. But I heard from the students that their instructors were very strict and fierce with them in the water. I guess they take their work quite seriously. No fault there.

Overall, diving was good. The poor visibility on most dives didn't deter us much even though Soon Yean and I lost the group twice on the same dive. I even got lost on my own on one of the dives. Training as well as instinct led me to search underwater for a minute and then surface to see if maybe my buddy or divemaster surfaced to look for me. They didn't. I also couldn't spot their bubble trail so I swam back to the boat where the boatman suggested that instead of wasting the rest of the dive, I should dive near the boat for another 20mins or so.

That was a fair recommendation so I went down again solo, keeping to the shallower reefs and circling the boat. Diving alone is very leisurely. There was no need to rush just to keep up with the group so I could actually just take my time to scour the reef for interesting marine life. It was there which I spotted a small yellow eel swimming between some staghorn coral, a blue spotted ray, and some other stuff we'd usually miss while trying to keep with a large group. I see why some people prefer diving in small groups, or with just their buddy.

I know I promised pictures but I forgot to bring my camera with me to Tioman. Waiting for Soon Yean to touch up the pictures we took underwater, then I'll post some here.

Atomic Aquatics

I just bought myself a brand-spanking-new mask & snorkel from Atomic Aquatics. I'm not exactly sure why though. For kicks I guess... I don't know.

Upon arriving home and going through my gear, I realize that I've actually got quite a number of items from Atomic Aquatics.

When I first started diving, right down to my first pool session, I've been diving with the Red/Black Subframe mask. An awesome mask from every aspect, except that it fogs up quite easily when I neglect to apply antifog.

At the very same time, I also invested in a pair of Atomic Aquatics Splitfins, red in color of course. Very hefty investment, but worth every sen paid because the performace is nothing short of impressive.

When I finally saved up enough to get myself a regulator, reading various reviews around just naturally pointed me to the brand of choice for my regulator. Choosing between their titanium (T2) and brass (B2) versions was difficult but in the end I settled for the more economical one - the B2.

At the same time, the local Atomic Aquatics dealer was throwing a promotion for the regulator, offering a hefty discount on it. If that wasn't already enough of a reason to make the purchase, they even threw in the safe seconds (SS1) unit as part of the package. What a bargain I tell you!

Today, I came home with what I'd like to think of as an upgrade. Their Subframe mask with Anti Reflective Coating (ARC)...

Paired with their SV1 snorkel.

My snorkel is actually clear & black in color, but I couldn't find a picture available online.

Got admit, it didn't come cheap even after a generous discount from my regular dive centre.

All in all, Atomic Aquatics has lined up a very nice range diving equipment. They look good and perform well beyond expectations. Though their pricing is almost always higher, the premium quality you get from these guys just makes it all worth while.

Any Updates?

Just got a comment asking for updates. Didn't realize there are still people coming here. I'm sorry if you've been coming back time and time again hoping that an update will miraculously appear. It was never my intention to disappoint.

Anyway, I'm off to Tioman to dive this weekend. Promise you some updates when I get back. Pictures will be included... cross my heart!

Quacking Ducks

Have you heard the Digi ad on radio lately? There's the sound of duck quacking, followed by 3 echoes of the quack.

If you're familiar with the Internet, you've probably received forwarded emails listing some strange "facts", like...
Pigs cannot look up towards the sky.
It is physically impossible to lick your elbow.

One of the statements I remember distinctly was that a duck's quack does not echo. As this wasn't the first time I was hearing such a claim, I thought it was true.

Getting back to the Digi, if a duck's quack does not echo, that would mean that Digi's advertising was politically incorrect? Right?

Wrong. It seems Digi's advertising arm is as good as ever. Apparently a duck's quack does produce an echo. Read here.

With that settled... back to work.

Unfit

Yesterday was my third and final session of PushMore's foundation course. The three 1hr-session course is aimed at beginners who are unfamiliar with the exercises which make up PushMore's Workout of the Day (WOD).

The first session covered simple body weight exercises which are commonly used for warming up... skipping, squats, pushups, pullups, stretches, situps, etc. Honestly, at my fitness level, their recommended warmup exhausts me already. And that's before I even start the WOD

During the second session, we practiced what we learnt during the first session and then went into more technical stuff, like working with dumbbells and kettlebells.

Yesterday's session we went through again everything we've learnt so far, and did some advanced kettlebell exercises. It was really insightful getting a lesson from Jonathan, who appeared on the front cover of December's issue of Men's Health Malaysia, and regularly contributes articles to the magazine.

All said and done, this experience has thought me one thing - I'm so unfit. The first session left me sore all around the chest, shoulders and back, mainly due to the pushups and pullups. The second session left me with sore thighs, due to the numerous squats & pushpresses we did. The third and final session leaves me with an extremely sore back... kettlebell swings, KB cleans, KB highpulls, KB snatch. I have now confirmed my long time suspicions of having an extremely weak lower back. Even bending over the sink to wash my face this morning was excruciating.

What an experience indeed. I'm so looking forward to continuing at PushMore. Everyone there is so friendly and it's quite a nice environment. The best part of all has got to be the WOD. Something new to look forward to everyday. Awesome!

Will probably begin my membership there when they reopen after the weeklong CNY break. In the mean time, will be doing their recommended warmup regularly. Also lacking terribly on the stamina part. Haih...

Back!

Did you miss me? LOL!

We all get caught up sometimes. But here's me saying I'm going to resume blogging, from time to time.

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

I haven't found the time or the inspiration to recap 2008 yet... but here's what I'm looking forward to in 2009, in no particular order.

1. I want to dive! Tentatively planned for Tioman in mid May and Sipadan from 7-11 Oct. Hopefully one more trip will find its way into 2009 too.

2. Pushmore! I'm just getting myself started at Pushmore. It's a lot of fun... and I seem to get a kick out of going home sore each time. Let's see what 1 year with Pushmore does to me. Will take a before and after photo for comparison at the end of 2009. Possibly some updates on performance from time to time as well.

3. Photography... more and more people I know seem to be going into photography. The interest is catching on. Truth be told, my knowledge on the subject is limited. I only know how to use point and shoot.... which I literally use as point and shoot. I'm determined to do some reading and practice with the point & shoot in manual mode, if it even has one. Maybe later on I'll move into DSLR. I find the Nikon D90 quite attractive. Will post pictures now and then.

4. My love life with Jo is as good as ever. Almost two years already. Though we have our ups and downs like everyone else, we get through it nonetheless. All in all things are good and I'm looking forward to yet another great year with her this 2009.

5. The company's performance was appaling during the 3rd quarter of 2008 and there wasn't much doubt that it was going to be the company's worst year ever. 4th quarter proved us wrong and business just boomed contrary to the economic situation. 2008 has turned into the company's best year ever. So proud of us! Look ahead, I like to think that we're on a roll and that we're heading for even greener pastures.

6. Making some personal changes. I'm in the habit of waking up at the last minute, taking a quick shower, getting dressed and zooming out of the house. I think this year I'm going to make a conscious effort to wake up earlier... say 7am-7.30am on a daily basis. If it's not a Pushmore day, I'll sit down with mom & dad to read the morning paper. I've always admired how they manage to do so morning after morning.

7. Personal finances. If you've known me for long, you'll know that I'm not one who's very good at managing personal finances. Quick to make money, but quicker to spend it. Tough. From what I gather, the lack of a financial goal is what's lacking. So for 2009, I'm committing to putting a financial plan together and working towards it. It'll be a pleasant change to see a 5 digit balance in my savings account by the end of the year.

So that's me officially kicking off 2009's resolutions. Wish me luck. I wish all of you the same. Cheers to 2009!