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!

Dive No. 28

My 2nd dive of 2008 Merdeka day at Paku Kecil, Redang. I haven't logged dives online for a long time, but this one I just have to. Jellyfish!

It wasn't till 10 minutes into the dive when I came across the first jellyfish. I admired it a little and swam along. Soon after, a few more started showing up around the reef. Had to push my dive guide down a little because he was about to put his head right into the tentacles of a jellyfish floating right above him. *phew*

Before even realizing it, we were surrounded by jellyfish. Forget many... it was an entire armada. Apparently it's jellyfish season over there... mainly because of the lack of underwater currents. Can't say I wasn't warned, but I only had time for 2 dives and I really didn't want to waste the opportunity.

For the record, the field of jellyfish in Pixar's Finding Nemo wasn't accurately represented. After watching the cartoon, I thought that jelly fish all swam in one direction, with their heads upright... kind of like mushrooms. Well, the jellyfish armada I had the misfortune of swimming through seemed to be heading in multiple directions, with tentacles stringing all over the place.

Suffice to say, it was impossible to pay attention to anything other than avoiding jellyfish. I was beginning to think that it would take a miracle to complete the dive without either of us being stung.

I guess I was blessed with a miracle afterall. Although it wasn't much of a dive and I didn't get to truly enjoy the dive, this was certainly one dive to remember!

Looking Good

As my boss so bluntly puts it, I'm being a fa-hai right now. In the office but doing other stuff like updating my blog while doing work.

Have you surfed Facebook or Friendster much lately? I'm linked up with so many friends it's hard to keep track even with the use of these two sites. Many of these people are from my past, back in high school, primary school, some even date back to when we were toddling - family friends I mean. Don't keep in touch all that much anymore.

Sometimes I get random updates through the two F-sites, and I must say it's quite interesting to see how people change... at least on the outside. Honestly, I have no clue how most of these people have grown inside since I was last 'connected' with them. But judging from the looks of some of the photos uploaded, people do change.

I still remember some of these people looking all nerdy and shit, in their uniforms back in the day. Look at them now. The guys have grown... looking smart and sleek. The gals, some of them can make any man's jaw drop... hot as hell. The funny thing is I don't remember these people looking like that back then.

Haha... change - inevitable!