Post Holiday Blues

A short trip away from the office was definitely what I needed - bliss!

We went to Tioman Island during the last weekend in June and man, it was a long drive from KL.

We got our nitrogen fix after a year away from the sea. (We dive only once a year. Sad but true!) Visibility was bad and I can safely summarise that the dives were mostly disappointing.

Through the hazy waters, I can see why Tioman boasts a beauty of corals. If only the waters were clearer, argh!

We spotted a hawksbill turtle at one of the dive sites. And I also finally spotted my first ever cuttlefish! It was mesmerising to see it change colour to camouflage into its surroundings as it swam by. Love!

I was looking forward to see dolphins in the evenings as our boat took us back to the shore but I wasn't lucky enough to catch sight of them. *Sigh*

Anyway, if only scuba diving wasn't such an expensive hobby (for some of us!) that YB and I would love to go diving at least twice a year.

Can you believe it's already mid-July?

I'm telling myself that I'll need to lose 4kg by September ... it's not going to be easy!

And yes, I think it'll help to improve my speed to be 4kg lighter! ;D

We Saw a Whale Shark!

Yes, I do know that this post is a quarter of a year late, but it is only now that I manage to find the time to go through the pictures and arrange my thoughts a bit more clearly.

 Of course, with my poor memory, I may tend to forget bits and pieces of it.

But oh, this must be how it felt like three years ago when I hadn't started this running habit - more time to do other things! And probably get fat in the process, with all this sitting around, slouching over the laptop...

Oh and if sometimes you happen to read a blog post that sounds jumbled up and incoherent, that's probably because I was nodding off while trying to write! I've been so lethargic these days that I crash onto the bed by 10pm.

As you know, we finally found the time after the wedding to pursue our Advanced Open Water licence last September.

14th - 18th September 2011.

Wednesday afternoon – Leech and Ch’ng picked us up and we headed to Bukit Tinggi for lunch with GK. Lunch was OK, I suppose, I can't find the food pictures anymore.

Next, Ch’ng got into GK’s car and proceeded to lead the way towards Kemaman. With a walkie-talkie in each car, we could communicate and make silly remarks, laughing at each other and that kept us awake throughout the journey.

I insisted we dropped by Chukai for coffee/tea at Hai Peng coffeeshop, despite the idea being vetoed by Ch’ng. He wanted us to save space for dinner but come on, I rarely come by this part of Malaysia so it’s considered a must for me to drop by.

Shortly after, we somehow reached our dinner destination very early. Oops. I was still a bit stuffed but unfortunately, it was time for our early dinner before we headed off to Awana Kijal to spend the night. 

Thursday - We woke up before 6am to head off to arrive at Kuala Merang jetty to wait for our ferry.

We thought we could grab breakfast along the way but unfortunately, much to GK's annoyance, we were running late. In the end we had to eat at one of the stalls near the jetty. Not great, I’m afraid.

 At the Kuala Merang Jetty.

 

YB says I look like a mad person in the top right picture but I love it!

It took us about an hour to arrive at Redang Island. We were so excited! Blue skies and the clear blue seas and wind in your face … aaaah, it smelled like a holiday.

We stayed at Ayu Mayang Resort which was simple enough to cater for our needs. At least the water heater works and there’s air conditioning. ;)

After lunch we went for our first dive. The first one always gives YB and I the jitters, because clearly we weren’t water babies and it takes us a while to ‘warm up’ to the whole diving thing. Once we got comfortable underwater, it was lovely to enjoy the view and wave at the fishies. OK, I’m not sure who else waves at the fishies, but sometimes I do that. I mean, they’re staring at me as if to say hello, it would be rude not to acknowledge their presence, no? ;D

The things we do after lunch.
YB is very diligent at filling up his log book while mine is half filled.

Fast forward, we were knackered after dinner but we had to stay up to surprise YB for his birthday the next day (16^th). Our instructor said there was a briefing at 9pm so we made our way to the chalet he was staying at (Coral Redang).

[Pictures from the surprise party are here.]

Anyway, everyone was so relieved to sing the birthday song, posed for pictures and finish up their slice of cake, (which was pretty good!!) before quickly running off to bed. I don’t know about you, but diving can be quite tiring! It must be the sea water …

At Coral Redang Island Resort.

People bring their own stash of beer. YB lazing in the hammock while waiting for our next dive.

Friday – Everyone greeted YB with a happy birthday greeting. It was a deep dive that morning at Big Mount.

As we descended slowly and got used to our surroundings, we saw a huge shadow on our right. YB and I both swam towards it, wondering what it was. As we inched nearer, we saw the silhouette of the whale shark.

YB gripped my arm and we both looked at each other. Excitement shone in our eyes as we nodded at each other, giving each other the thumbs’ up sign.

I could swear there were tears in my eyes, but who’s to know? ;D

We started gesturing to our fellow divers. Pretty lamely, I must say.

I mean, what on earth is the underwater sign for a whale shark?? When I saw Leech hovering slightly beneath me, I waved frantically at him and he gestured, “What?”

I frantically pointed at the direction of the whale shark and swam towards it, hoping he would follow me.

It was honestly a sight to behold. It was like, woahhhh.

I didn’t dare got near it but I was still near enough to see the spots on its body. YB, Ch’ng and everyone else swam as close as they could to touch it gently, while the photographers kept their distance in order to capture snapshots of it.

YB swimming alongside.

  A-m-a-z-i-n-g.

We swam it for a while, going wherever it was going. It was almost 10 minutes, I think.

And then, GK tapped it a bit too hard on its tail and the whale shark shot off.

Everyone glared at him as best as they could through their masks. I’m sure someone waved a fist at him, too.

Thereafter, our instructor took YB and I down to the seabed to continue with our deep dive – basically doing Maths underwater. I took a little longer just because I wanted to double check my answer. Ha!

As we ascended and got onto the boat, Ivan & GK were first, followed by YB and I, then Leech. We told our boat driver excitedly, “WHALE SHARK!!! WHALE SHARK!!!”

You see, when we arrived at the island, there was word around that a whale shark had been spotted recently and since then, every dive group was on the lookout for it. So we considered ourselves one of the LUCKIEST people to have witnessed such a beautiful gentle creature.

Our boat driver was excited, too. He insisted that Ivan showed him the pictures, to the extent that he forgot to help other divers up into the boat.

He immediately called up his friend on his phone to tell them, “Yoh, whale shark spotted here at Big Mount!”

IT WAS AWESOME, I cannot tell you just how awesome it is but YEAH!!!

I was just relieved that my mask didn’t fog up as much as it did the day before.

Everyone thanked YB for his birthday wish, i.e. seeing the whale shark. We were grateful for being a part of that special moment. Hehe.

 

 Food's not that great, you can tell. But sometimes if you're lucky, one or two dishes could be good.

Chilling out at the neighbouring resort.

Saturday – We had to do a wreck dive which turned out pretty disastrous in a funny way. The visibility was so bad that we couldn’t see beyond 3 metres. I spent too long studying a dead fish under a log and when I looked up, YB was gone. The only person left was Leech. Everyone else were at the wrecks.

 
I gestured to Leech to go left, as I recalled the instructor saying that the wrecks were on the left as you descend along the rope.

 

But men being men, they don’t take directions from women well. You know that, right?

 

He insisted we go right. I shook my head and gestured left, but he INSISTED that it was right.

 

Fine. I shrugged and followed him, knowing that we were definitely going the wrong way.

 

The water was so sandy that you really wouldn’t know where you’re going. The wrecks were on a sandy bed, devoid of corals or anything else. 

 

We spent 30 minutes trying to find our way towards the wreck but we were clearly off the track. I kept smiling to myself, because I wanted to laugh. Leech was doing his kick cycle to see if he could retrace his steps but I could tell we were definitely way off track.

 

Eventually we ascended to the surface.
We saw our boat far far far away. We also saw YB on the other far side. Our instructor was already on the boat.

Apparently YB decided to look for me when he couldn’t spot me at the wrecks. Ch’ng saw our instructors signaling to each other that 3 people were missing, so one of them headed out to look for these 3 people.

But because visibility was SO bad, he got lost, too!

 
We all had a good laugh, really. Leech was worried that I’d freak out and panic but if I panicked, I think I would have resurfaced immediately!

 
Finally, we could all drink ourselves silly that night. But YB and I ended up playing some telematch games on the beach with a group of snorkelers. I’m sure there’s an embarrassing photo of me somewhere … let me check with PL.

One of the few things we saw: blue spotted stingray, nudibranch and a green turtle.

On the last night, our dive instructors organised a lucky draw among their divers/snorkelers as well as a prize giving ceremony for the winners of the telematch games.

My lucky draw got me a TUSA tshirt! Ch'ng was jealous. =P

Sunday – oh bugger it was a week before our River Jungle Marathon so I made myself get out of bed early to go for a run. YB was already up early, taking pictures of the sunrise. PL and I had arranged to run that morning but she didn’t wait for me and by the time I arrived, she was doing her 2nd lap.

We found out on the boat the other day that we both took part in running events. ;)

The ferry on the way back was packed with people.

By the time we arrived in the evening, we met up with Des and Mae for dinner to regale them with our stories, especially our encounter with the whale shark.

We had text them the same afternoon we saw the whale shark, urging them to join us immediately.

~
YB and I can’t wait to go diving again but looking at our calendar, goodness knows how we’ll be able to fit in a quick weekend trip. I really hope we can because my buoyancy is still a bloody problem for me!

AOW - Sorted!

(written yesterday)

WE DID IT!
We finally got our Advanced Open Water licence, just to allow us to dive down to a maximum depth of 40m. *all smiles*

I must say it was a tiring holiday and we definitely need another holiday to recover from this one.

My head is still woozy and I feel as if my brains are rocking to and fro, as if its still on board the speed boat. Oww.

Just like a hangover.

For our five Adventure dives, we did the following:
Underwater Navigation, Deep Dive, Drift Dive, Night Dive and Wreck Dive.

To tell you the honest truth, I didn't enjoy the night dive. The light from the torchlight was limited and not widely angled (can't complain much about a rented torch, ya?), and my mask kept fogging, which was pretty annoying. I kept bumping into the rocks, and then there was a part where I became to buoyant and floated up.

I was stuck. I couldn't descend anymore. I waved my torch from left to right several times (that is the distress signal, by the way) but no one saw me! They were busy watching a squid approaching a fish for noms. Sheesh.

It was a very uneventful dive for me. I struggled with my ever so foggy mask and buoyancy in the dark. Sure I saw a flounder, some crabs, puffer fishes, a sleeping parrot fish ... hmmm, that's about it, I guess.

On the last evening at Redang, we took park in a some beach games with another group of people which consisted of a large number of snorkelers and only 3 divers.

Divided into 3 teams of 6, YB and I joined 4 others to form a team. We won both games!

Every evening, the beach is filled with people and the house reef with snorkelers. We sat by the beach and watched the people, while 2 of our friends went snorkeling.

We witnessed a girl trying to force her toy poodle into the water. She tugged her dog's leash but the dog resisted. She carried the dog into the water and the dog struggled out of her arms, wanting to get her feet back onto the shore.

We were blessed with clear sunny skies, did you know? We heard that it was always raining in KL during the evenings.

I wouldn't mind another holiday, you know.

Diving was pretty good.
Food was OK.
The company was great. ;)

The Choppy Seas Were Not For Me

No wonder they say it's no big a deal to dive in KK.

On Sunday, we went with Beach Bums the dive operator situated at the marina jetty of Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort. We managed to clock two dives.

The sea was choppy after a night of rain, and I had my doubts about the visibility. I wanted to turn back and have my feet safely on land when we were on the boat, but sigh, there was no turning back.

My first dive was a bad one, as my mask kept fogging. It was so annoying and throughout the dive, I was just worrying about every single thing - clearly I wasn't really comfortable. I didn't see much, save for a lobster hiding in its little cave, touched a small puffed up puffer fish. That was at Edgell Patches.

We took an hour's break on Sapi Island and lazed by the beach. It felt so much better to have the sand beneath your feet, I tell you.



Next stop was Clement's Reef, and this time, I enjoyed my dive so much better. I borrowed their mask, and would you believe it, it never fogged during my dive at all! Bugger.

We saw a small blue spotted stingray, a school of yellow fusiliers and all sorts of fishes which I can't seem to identify. =D

Overall, I think we both realized that we prefer our hikes and running anytime. Perhaps we're not meant to be water babies at all.

But I do think that comfort plays a main role here. The compressed air was horrible, it was too dry. I didn't like it the minute I breathed it. Ugh. I wanted to gag!

My finning was bad that I was secretly relieved my dive instructor wasn't there to witness my lack of skills!

Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll both snap out of it and will look forward to calm and clear blue seas again... I hope!


After a 2 hour nap at home, we finally dragged ourselves out of bed to prepare for dinner. We were celebrating our mum's birthday!



Poor birthday girl had to prepare her birthday dinner herself. Hehe.

We paired our steamboat dinner with a bottle of Monty's Semillion Chardonnay, which was very interesting. A sip of wine after each bite of different food would make your tastebuds dance a different tune. I found its taste after munching on prawns to be more merry than the rest. Oh, it was good with pork balls, too!

p.s. see, now i'm planning for our next dive in September. *cross fingers*

oh when again

can i go scuba diving??
seriously, WHEN?!

met up with the bunch last night as they wanted to show us their video and photos taken at Layang-Layang last week. ahhhh once again, i could not help but to feel fidgety in my seat, wishing i too was there to witness what they saw.

they are planning several trips for the rest of the year and i really cannot help but to be envious, with my future holiday plans still undetermined. argh! for example, let' say i'm off to Shanghai for a week, so it means that i can't possibly squeeze in another week of holidays in that same month.

tricky, tricky ...

of course, i finally realised that the bunch has the time and budget for their diving trips, and they also purely plan their holidays for the year to be diving trips (only) per se. and i guess we're not like that, because we want to do so many other things, like trek in Nepal, climb Mt Kinabalu again, etc ...

BUT, a part of me also wish i was part of their gang. *shrug*

i really can't wait til my next diving trip! *fidgets around impatiently in my head*




ooooh but i do want to go back to Siem Reap.
and other places, of course. ;)

Redang in a Nutshell

in the Sejahtera ferry to Redang Island ... packed like sardines, eh! economy class, what to do. =P

the first view of the island from the ferry as we arrived. i got nervous when i heard the sound of the waves crashing ... i had my doubts whether i'd be able to complete my OW course.

woke up early for a sunrise picture the next day.

still too early to be lounging around, hehe.

2 guys from my OW course joined us on an optional dive. it just looks like the guy behind is trying to sabotage the guy's oxygen or something. hehe.

hey hey, that's me! underwater!

filling in our log books upon completion of the course. whee!

the pool was unusually quiet that day.

saturday night is barbeque night! the prawns were great, yum yum. i had seconds!

another early morning at the beach, everyone else was snapping pictures of the sunrise.

sun rays.
footprints in the sand...

a typical view of the ferry drop off at the island. we had to wait for 40mins before we could get on.

Coral Redang Island Resort staff waiting with us for the ferry. =)

Christy and YB killed waiting time by making grasshoppers, literally from grass! =P

a Redang resident paid us a visit.

lunch at a chinese restaurant in kuala terengganu.

the archway to Kg. Cina (a.k.a Chinatown). but there's nothing much to see, don't be fooled. =P

our lunch for 7 pax - 5 pieces of tenggiri fish was the expensive dish.

~
what did i bring back with me from Redang? sandfly bites! ughhhhh. real bad. i hope i won't have permanent scars!

more more MORE

last day at redang, and it's my birthday today. =)

completed my OW yesterday and this morning we were given our temporary PADI card. thereafter, YB signed us up for a dive at 2pm at Mini Mount, one of the popular dive spots around Redang Island.

was a bit nervous in choppy waters, but fared much better than yesterday morning @ Mak Cantek - we actually got back up on the boat and headed elsewhere cos the current was too strong then. Mini Mount is near Mak Cantek, and it was still a bit choppy today.

we immediately descended along the rope, and gosh, you could feel the current!

the minute we arrived at the seabed, wahahaha i had trouble staying still and crashed into 2 OW buddies who decided to go for the dive as well. grr ... they were actually observing a turtle and then a scorpionfish. *frus*

i still need to learn how to 'brake' underwater. hehe.

spotted some nudibranches. damn YB for having me hooked on nudibranches!

and i've developed a habit of waving at the clownfishes peeping out from the anemone. ;)

okay, now i understand the addiction to scuba diving ... bring it on!!

woohoo!

(that's for want of a better title!)

watched How To Train Your Dragon last night and like everyone who recommended it, it was entertaining enough to keep you in your seat. =) the dragon, however, reminded me of Stitch in Lilo 'n' Stitch.

i noticed a family of four seated on my right, 1 boy and 1 girl. both probably around 4-6 years of age, and each with their on packet of crisps! but they were quiet during the movie, so at least they were well-behaved. although i wonder what are the odds of feeding your kids snacks for a midnight show. oh well ...

~
i'm absolutely knackered from the dive lesson this afternoon! what does 2.5 hours do to you is just amazing: hungry and tired. i napped while YB prepared dinner. i couldn't open my eyes just yet, when my alarm rang ... *groan* ... i guess i will be more exhausted tomorrow as i will run in the morning, and dive lesson in the afternoon ... goodness.

my buddy reminds me of how i was when i first did the OW course in KK, terrified. his eyes shifted around nervously, he hesitated when he was asked to repeat after the instructor. he was clearly unused to breathing through the mouth and regulator ... doing things with his right hand when he is left-handed, etc. =) ... with a patient instructor (yay! again, i am relieved), he is lucky to be given the time to practice and get it right.

the instructor says i am kicking wrong. *narrow eyes* i do try, ffs, honest! but he says i keep kicking with my knees when i should be using my THIGHS. fek, my thighs do feel tired now, ok!

~
k, i'm still tired.

March Miscellaneous

Snappies from my Open Water Course:

Day 1: in the classroom for theory lessons and video watching. i almost fell asleep. i am always sleepy!

Day 2: Pulau Sapi was our destination for the practical lessons. felt sad seeing my lonely tank and BCD when i sat on the boat while waiting for YB to complete the dives for the day. liked my pink mask!

Day 3: went snorkelling for the first time and enjoyed it. i even chuckled to myself when i was amused by the silly antics of the small fishes.

i will be back, Pulau Sapi, when i'm certified!!!

Fab Fri!

woohoo it's friday and for once, i'm just looking forward to the excitement for the coming weekend. *does a jig*

i think it also helps that work has been ok, not so bogged down, so yeah. that helps.

i just signed up for the NB Pacesetters 15k. *excited*

a colleague asked me to be a Pacesetter member, and YB said he's not interested. *stares at YB* so i'm contemplating whether i want to be one or not.

oh, and i'm attending my 1st diving lesson (confined dive) tomorrow bah. hence, the excitement. i'm going to have the instructor ALL TO MYSELF. HAH! what say you? i'm sure i'll be able to overcome my fear (and trauma?) soon and get certified.

i mean, i have been receiving a lot of encouragement from diver friends. i guess it helps that they didn't laugh at me for failing *sniff* but instead, told me to try again and i'll enjoy diving then?

so, YAY ME!

on crochet: ZOMG i really feel like a granny with arthritic hands. arggghhhh ... the pain in my joints are so annoying. it's due to gripping the cloth part mmkay. gahhh i should rub some ointment on them and see if they'll feel better. and zomg i never knew that one project could take up soooooo much time that i really doubt i'll finish up steph and joanne's surprise gifts in time. =(

bugger.

i can't believe it's april.
i shall publish my Wish List for my Birthday soon. *cackles*