chromazoe

How rich are you?

2008-07-17T18:33:00.005+08:00

I got this forwarded in my email. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's an interesting exercise. Try it. You might actually be richer than you think. So count your blessings.

Crtl+Alt+Del

2008-07-14T20:55:00.002+08:00

U.S.A.

2008-07-10T21:26:00.006+08:00

This mighty nation evokes all sorts of feelings... I both like it and dislike it... a love-hate relationship.

I seem to have a lot of links with the US of A. My mom and dad both did their graduate studies there. My sister did her degree there. My two brothers are studying there now. I went to school there for two years when I was 11 and 12, when my whole family moved over to join my late dad who was in seminary there. I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance, their version of the Rukunegara.

Why I like the USA

1. It's the land of the free... except in the airports.

2. It's probably the only country in the world where a citizen born of a foreign (Kenyan) father and local (American) mother, and growing up in another country (Indonesia) with a stepfather, can run for presidency. Yup, Obama, you have my vote.

3. The nation was founded on fundamental principles of liberty and justice. Whether or not the Constitution was based on Christian values is now being debated, but I'd say yes, it is. The founding fathers separated church from state, but they wisely did not separate God from state (see this).

4. It's where I learned the English (or American) language properly. I was taught pretty technical linguistic stuff even in elementary school. I read the dictionary for fun. I also lost most of my Mandarin there. Pity.

5. You don't have to fill in your "race" in official forms. Within two generations, most immigrants are effectively assimilated Americans regardless of their origin. Oh well, to some people this is a problem.

6. Innovation flourishes in the climate of freedom and openness. Americans have given us the Internet, Facebook, Google, Intel, Windows, etc. Oh wait, you have to pay for Intel and Windows.

7. They develop technology that changes the world... thanks partly to the thousands of other nationalities that conduct research in American universities and labs.

8. They are so patriotic.

Why I dislike the USA

1. They are the biggest debtors in the universe, yet live the most lavish lifestyle. The world economic system is overly dependent on this one nation. When they go down, everyone goes down. The US owes China trillions of dollars. It's mind-boggling.

2. George W. Bush... Many Americans think the universe revolves around them. They go round picking fights on other hapless nations.

3. Too many guns everywhere. But to their credit, it's still a relatively peaceful country even with all the guns. I can't imagine the chaos if guns were available over here.

4. Racism still exists albeit not officially nor overtly. African Americans got their right to vote only about 50 years ago. The legacy of slavery still haunts Americans.

5. The US is the biggest energy and resource consumer on the planet. It's obscene how much Americans use and throw away. Unfortunately the rest of the developing world aspires to attain that same standard of living. It's impossible. There's not enough resources on this planet to sustain the American dream for everyone. The European or Japanese model of development would be more sustainable.

6. Freedom is being stretched to its limits. With such freedom there is bound to exist both the good and the bad. Fundamental core values are being challenged. The definition of family and marriage is under siege by liberalists. But of course, there are Americans who are defending their core values and traditions.

7. They are overly reliant on technology. And remember, lots of that technology came from the military. You may not agree with military spending, but it's part of our technological and economic system. Everyone who uses GPS must thank the US Department of Defense for their satellites.

8. They are so patriotic.

The USA is paradoxical. So perhaps I shouldn't judge on the basis of "like vs dislike", for we all fall short at one point or another. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. But I still believe in absolute principles and standards. On this note, I think the fundamentals of the USA are solid, but the implementation is getting shaky.

I must qualify myself by stating that I am commenting as an outsider, and I'm not an "expert" on American affairs. I must also say that I personally know some very friendly Americans. It's such a diverse nation that you are bound to find very nice as well as nasty people. But overall, they're nice. :)

This post was supposed to come out on the 4th of July... belated happy birthday to Uncle Sam. God bless America.

does not, but was

2008-07-04T18:09:00.005+08:00

I found the following statement in today's Malaysiakini report:

However, the lawyer’s office clarified that "Arulampalam does not represent Balasubramaniam, but was just his representative."

OK, I'm not so good at the Legalese language, but this one left me befuddled... A does not represent B but was just his representative... ??? Perhaps they mean that A is not the official legal counsel/representative, but just a stand-in representative. Or it was another misquotation by the press.

Maybe they'll clarify tomorrow. Or maybe they'll issue another statutory declaration. Commissioners of oaths must be making good money these days.

Gajah vs pelanduk

2008-07-01T18:07:00.004+08:00

There is a Malay saying that goes something like "gajah sama gajah bertempur, pelanduk mati di tengah" which, translated, means "when elephants fight, the mousedeer that is caught in the middle gets killed."

The way I see it, the present unfolding drama that is gripping the nation is a four-cornered fight between four big elephants:

1. PM/SIL
2. PM wannabe #1/Najib
3. PM wannabe #2/Anwar
4. PM wannabe #4/Ex-PM/Mahathir

And, ladies and gentlemen, we are the mousedeer.

But mousedeer are known to be smart, as portrayed in Malay folklore. Even Parameswara was impressed.

So, still got hope la. :)

*I refer to pelanduk and kancil both as mousedeer, though some people might argue that the two are not the same.

Sipadan Mabul

2008-06-07T20:48:00.006+08:00

Sipadan Water Village, which is ironically on Mabul Island

Dusk

Sipadan Island

More pictures:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

p/s I'm not a lawyer, but I think Malaysia won Sipadan from Indonesia for pretty much the same reasons that Malaysia lost Pedra Branca to Singapore.

Oceans will part...

2008-06-07T20:43:00.003+08:00

Up up and away

2008-06-04T22:37:00.005+08:00

I was amazed at the long queues of cars radiating from every petrol station that I passed by this evening. Obviously the drivers were rushing to fill up their tanks while the petrol price still remained at RM1.92 per litre. In true Malaysian fashion, the news/rumours of the price increase of petrol was spread via email and sms since early afternoon. It later transpired that the PM had made an announcement in the evening that the petrol price would increase to RM2.70 at midnight. That's a 40% jump.

What I don't understand is why people would go through all the hassle just to save a few bucks. I mean, it looked like some of those drivers would have to wait at least half an hour before they could even enter the petrol station. My tank was 90% full so I didn't bother to top up the last 10% just to save a few Ringgit.

I figured that even if I filled up a tankful of petrol, I would save about RM30, and just for this one time only. From tomorrow onwards every full tank of petrol would cost me at least RM100. It would be a slightly different story if I were a truck driver with a 200 litre tank. But still, I would save only this one time.

I really don't mind paying market prices for petrol. Let it be RM4.00 per litre. If it's market price, it could go up, and it could go down. What I have a problem with is paying an artificially inflated price for my car, just because the entire auto industry in Malaysia is subsidizing Proton. I don't have any personal vendetta against Proton but I do have objections to our gomen's policies.

In Thailand the petrol is more expensive, but the cars are relatively cheaper. That means that consumers have a real choice of vehicle ownership and usage. It's good, because people can afford to buy a car and not feel bad if they don't use it everyday. Lower cost of ownership, higher cost of operation. That's OK, because then it encourages the use of public transport during weekday commuter rush hours, but still leaves the car owner the choice to drive during off-peak hours.

In Malaysia cars are ridiculously expensive, and public transport is inadequate, so the car owner feels compelled to maximize the utility of their car. In the past, the subsidized petrol offset the high price of car ownership. High cost of ownership, low cost of operation. But now with the fuel subsidies being gradually lifted, we are hit on both sides. High cost of ownership, and high cost of operation. It sucks. Here I am paying RM80,000 for a Toyota Vios when it should only cost RM60,000. And now the petrol price is going up to match market rates. On top of that, the public transport is still unsatisfactory.

My bottomline is: If the government wants to remove the petrol subsidies, it should also remove the Proton and local auto industry subsidies. If the government wants to help the lower income group, it should tax the expensive cars and subsidize the public transport, motorbikes and small cars regardless of the make or model, i.e. not only Proton.

I blame Dr Mahathir for much of this mess. Firstly, his grandiose vision of industrialization has led us up this dead end road called Proton. Secondly, his handpicked successor seems to be unable or unwilling to tackle the root problems of the economy. And don't forget that it was under Dr M and Dr Ling Liong Sik that KL's Light Rail Transit system was established -- a system consisting of three different companies operating totally different and mutually incompatible hardware, separate ticketing and train stations that do not integrate. So you can see now why we're stuck, since these disparate LRT systems are literally cast in concrete.

The Malaysian economy is riddled with systemic inefficiencies. Many of these stem from abuses and misuses of the NEP. Which means that overcoming our handicaps will be doubly or triply difficult. Not impossible, just more difficult. Don't we all love challenges? We also take heart in the fact that there is no perfect economic system on Earth, since we humans are inherently imperfect. Since I am part of the problem, I should then be part of the solution. Forget about saving a few Ringgit worth of petrol tonight. Look at the bigger picture.

Tagged again

2008-06-03T00:14:00.010+08:00

Aduh, aku dah kena tag lagi. This time by Charis.

I'm a *ahem* nice guy, so I shall play along. :)

1. What time do you usually wake up?

Depends on what time I go to sleep and for what purpose I have to wake up. It can be any time between 4:45AM and 11:30AM. Usually around 8.

2. What’s the first thing you do?

Hit the snooze button, unless there's a gorgeous sunrise photo opportunity.

3. Breakfast?

My breakfast tends to coincide with lunch.

4. Do you go to work/school?

I try to...

5. Do you like it?

Yes, sort of, more or less.

6. If you stay at home, what do you do all day?

Review my photos, view other people's photos, nap, mop the floor, sort my credit card statements, try to read, think about washing the car, stare at guppies in the basin, play a CD, etc.

7. When’s lunch and what are you eating?

Any one-hour block between 12PM and 2PM. I eat anything as long as it is not an endangered species.

8. What time do you get home from work/school?

Between 6:30PM and 8:30PM depending on atmospheric precipitation conditions and road traffic.

9. What do you do?

I help people comply with environmental legislation and not destroy the Earth.

10. Dinner: When and what?

Why so many questions about food? I'm not a fussy eater. I just eat. Any time between 6PM and 12AM.

11. What do you do to unwind?

Reply tags on my blog.
I used to climb some mountains. Now I climb hills.
Jump into the sea.
Listen to music.
Play the piano, although that might stress out people around me.
Sleep/nap.
Read other people's blogs.
Read/browse through books.
Review photos.
Take photos.
Wander around.

12. What's your favourite part of the day?

Sunset. And sunrise when I happen to get up early.

13. Who's your favourite person(s) to interact with?

You.

14. When's bedtime?

Usually later than I would like it to be. A good indication is after I brush my teeth.

15. Who's bedtime with?

Er, my pillow?

Sermons for my soul

2008-06-02T18:48:00.007+08:00

This verse has been darting in and out of my mind over the past months...

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil. 1:21

The meaning has only recently been sinking in really deep, despite the fact that I've heard it repeated countless times over the years. Maybe it's because I wasn't really fully alive, and I wasn't 100% switched on to life. My body was here, but I was stuck somewhere else. But that's another story for another day. :)

The key to unlocking my heart, mind and soul to this verse was when I heard Stuart Briscoe speak at PJEFC one evening in April.

Stuart said that this verse is talking about is a win-win situation in life. What Stuart said somehow rang a bell in me. No matter what happens, I will only stand to gain since my life is lived in and for Christ. If I live, I live for Christ. If I die, I go to be with Christ. Now, what a positive dilemma, isn't it?

Contrast that with the oft quoted dilemma by Shakespeare's Hamlet, "To be or not to be, that is the Question."

Stuart explained that what Shakespeare was referring to was the despair and hopelessness of someone who didn't want to continue living because life was dreadful, and yet couldn't bear to kill himself because he didn't know where he would end up on that one-way journey to the next life. He wanted to escape this life, yet could not bear the risk of the unknown. What a sad state of affairs.

But we don't have to despair. Just think about it. What is the worst that could happen to you? Even if you dropped dead tonight?

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (read Phil 1:20-26 for context)

Life is worth living, because there is something worth dying for.

Woohoo! I'm famous!

2008-06-02T18:23:00.004+08:00

Yeah, right.

Well, you can check this out. It's the NST feature of my recent Reef Check survey at Tioman. There are some factual errors in the article, like, I am mis-identified as Richard Tan in the photo. But it's OK. :)

The Big C

2008-05-15T19:40:00.002+08:00

There is one thing many Malaysian politicians lack: Credibility.

Too many of our politicians have told outright lies or stuck their foot in their mouth one time too many, to the point that I don't know who's telling the truth anymore.

Like the boy who cried wolf, we don't believe them anymore. The only reason they are in leadership is because of their position, not their character. We follow their lead because we have to, not because we want to.

It's a sad situation when you can't trust a person's word, because there's nothing left in the relationship but the shell.

Which is why the ninth commandment says, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour."

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah

2008-05-13T17:59:00.003+08:00

Something very significant happened in KL on this day 39 years ago... that changed the course of history.

What really happened? Who was involved? When? Where? How? Why?

Time heals, but only if we treat the injury properly.

What we need is truth, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Question is, Who will make the first move?

Yangon or bust

2008-05-12T23:59:00.003+08:00

The Myanmar/Burmese military junta is getting on my nerves. Firstly, I think they are a bunch of idiots. Secondly, they will go down in history as complicit murderers of their own people if they don't get their act together and start allowing the international aid to reach the stricken victims of Cyclone Nargis.

I'm not sure how to pray for the situation. Should I pray for a change of heart among the paranoid ruling generals? Or should I pray for a change of heart of President George Bush so that he will order a covert operation against the junta? Send in a couple of squadrons of special forces to take out the junta, reopen the airport and ports, and deploy a massive airdrop of supplies to the isolated villages. Piece of cake for the mighty U.S. of A.... if only they wanted to. They did it in Iraq -- liberty and justice for oil. They can do it in Myanmar too -- liberty and justice for all.

I think I'll just pray for the first scenario.

Kingdom matters

2008-05-11T18:29:00.004+08:00

Jesus did not preach about religion. He did not preach about becoming a Christian. He preached about entering the Kingdom of God.

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 5:1-12

KL Sux

2008-05-06T22:40:00.003+08:00

Specifically, I am referring to the KL traffic. I am increasingly convinced that the KL road traffic system was designed by a bunch of chimpanzees at Zoo Negara during their free time. And the road signages and arrow paintings were done by a bunch of pre-schoolers with big white brushes and UHU glue.

This evening I took 50 minutes to drive from Hotel Maya on Jalan Ampang to Kar Long restaurant on Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, which is just off Jalan Pudu -- a total journey of 5 km. That's an average speed of 6 km/h, slower than walking. Jalan Imbi was at a standstill for minutes on end. I didn't manage to find out why.

On top of that, the road signs were exasperating. The new "road signs" that have been put up tell me everything except what I want to know. They keep pointing me to other roads which are many many turns away, e.g. every other sign points to Jalan Tun Razak or Jalan Bukit Bintang, but there's no sign telling me exactly what road I am on, or the name of the road at the junction I am approaching. I keep wondering, am I on Jalan Kia Peng, or Jalan P. Ramlee? I see a sign that points ahead to Jalan Imbi, but when I arrive at the junction of Jalan Imbi itself, there is no sign confirming that it is what it is. Have mercy on me, I am still new to this mish-mash of one way streets in KL.

Why can't we just do it like the Americans, and signpost EVERY intersection with big bold signs telling me the name of the road immediately in front and left and right of me. They should mount the signs on the traffic light posts, and not tuck the signs somewhere in a shady corner. How do they expect motorists to see the microscopic signs while negotiating traffic and avoiding other manic drivers.

I think seasoned KL folks just memorize the turns without referring to road names. Ask any KL dude for directions, and he'll most probably say turn left, turn right, go straight straight straight, turn right at Shell, then turn left at the mamak. No mention whatsoever of proper road names. So what's the purpose of road signs then? They are just put up by advertisement companies who sell the ad space on the reverse side of the road signs.

The other thing that nearly killed me was arrows on the road. They are all painted at the point of no return, i.e. by the time I see the arrow, it is too late to change lanes. And for goodness' sake, why do they keep painting straight arrows on turning lanes?! If it is a turn-only lane, then the turning arrow should be painted 200m before the junction, to give motorists time to change to the correct lane. But that still wouldn't solve the problem of queue cutters.

In the end the thing that saved me was the Rimman UBD Street Directory that I was flipping through while stuck in gridlock, coz I made a wrong turn no thanks to the street signs, but quickly regained my bearings after consulting the Street Directory. I made an accidental "detour" down Jalan Kia Peng, then righted myself at Stonor and Conlay before rejoining Raja Chulan and turning right to Imbi.

I was also praying that God would teach me true patience. Notice I said "true" patience. It's easy to be patient when one is not tested. I did let a total of eight cars cut in ahead of me at various junctions, but I also almost got rammed sideways by a taxi driver who didn't believe in braking early although I was already halfway across the lane. He did flash his headlights at me, like, that would help to prevent a crash??? Well, there was one nice guy in a brand new S Series who waved at me and let me merge ahead of him along Jalan Raja Chulan. It's good to know there are still some nice people left in the world. :)

But anyway the food was very good, and it was a treat by my uncle's friend from Singapore. So, for now, I am appeased. :P

Sunday musings...

2008-05-04T23:48:00.007+08:00

The Word of God to me today (as shared by Jon):

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9.

Amen.

* * * * *

On another note... I have been repeatedly reminded of my new official status as "uncle". Yes, my brother and sister-in-law became proud first-time parents on May 1. Oh, the beauty of life. :)

I've also been pondering over my own epic recollection of my Reef Check experience in the previous post. While I really appreciate the beauty and wonder of God's creation of the natural world, I still remember one incident when a wise guy challenged my concept of "appreciating God's creation". I was talking about going to Taman Negara to enjoy God's creatures, when he pointed to himself and declared, "I am God's creature too."

That got me thinking... yea, people are God's creation too. In fact, humans are the crown of creation. We are infinitely more valuable than tigers and turtles. So, yes, while I enjoy coral reefs and montane forests, I need to remind myself that people are more important. Having said that, the reason we protect and conserve our environment is for our own sake, and for our neighbour's sake. It's for the health and well-being of humanity, because we are inextricably interconnected with the natural world around us. And we're responsible as stewards of God's creation. It's for us to use, but not abuse.

Reef Check!

2008-04-24T20:52:00.059+08:00

Day Zero, Wednesday night

With latent excitement, my buddy Colin and I made our way down to Mersing late in the night on Wednesday last week. Our goal was the Embassy Hotel.

Earlier that evening, I had arrived late at Colin's abode in Puchong to pick him up for the southward journey. Apologies to the ever-punctual Colin. I had a quick dinner before we launched off in my Silverado, hitting the North-South Highway with a vengeance. We made a quick pitstop at Ayer Keroh rest area to refuel the car and offload some wastewater from our system. Before we knew it, we had crossed the border into Johor.

A hop and a skip, and we reached the exit to Kluang. Beep beep went the Touch N' Go box at the toll plaza. It was raining, but rainwater stoppeth no man from his tireless journey, more so when his car is shod with Goodyear tyres. My wipers were a bit streaky, said Colin. Yeah, it's time to change them. We made a wrong turn in Kluang town, but soon regained our bearings and returned to the right path. The town seemed eerily quiet, but it was midnight after all.

I like driving at night. It's the cool wind of night, mixed with the mystery of the dark, that beckons me onward along the road to our destination. The road from Kluang to Mersing cuts through rural plantations and scattered villages. At midnight, it's pitch black where no street lights illuminate. The heavy rain clouds cut off all moonlight. I flick on the high beams and fog lights, and tear down Federal Route 50, heading due east to Mersing.

I overtook about five cars and one wild boar on the 100km journey from Kluang to Mersing. Otherwise, it was just me, Colin and the swooshing of the wind. Our nocturnal flight glided on the twisty country road through oil palm plantations and lowland rainforest as each bend and turn of the tarmac unfolded in the swath of light ahead of me. There was absolutely no traffic on the road, so I took the liberty to drive on the opposite lane of the road because my side was overly bumpy due to some bad resurfacing job. Anticipating the corners as they emerged from the darkness, the yellow-and-black chevron signs helpfully pointed in the direction I should travel. I went a bit too fast around some bends, but the Silverado's road-handling and the Goodyear rubber did not disappoint. Did I say I like to drive on lonely country roads at night?

We arrived at Mersing at 1.30AM. After a quick "tour" of the town, we find our rest stop for the night -- the Embassy Hotel. We quickly "check-in" with the guy at the door and find our way to our room. Not bad, for 55 bucks a room a night. We're soon in dreamland, a quick recharge for the wake-up call at 6AM. And I don't even wake up this early on a working day...

Day One, Thursday

I'm not a morning person, so Colin is up first. The buzz of his shaver reminds me that I need to shave too... whatever little I have to shave in the first place. I shower, to wake me up. Then we're off! Where to, you ask? Where else but to the jetty to catch our ferry! We made a wrong turn but soon realized that the jetty was on the other side of the river mouth. Guys have such a great sense of direction. :P The parking lot is right beside the jetty. We unload and look for the ticket counter where our prebooked ticket awaits us. Then we wait. Breakfast takes the form of orange cupcakes that my mom lovingly baked the day before. Thank God for moms. Otherwise, there was absolutely no one serving breakfast near the jetty.

I bump into Daniel, who works with Reef Check. Oh wait, did I mention where we were going? Pardon the long-windedness. We were in Mersing to catch the first ferry to Pulau Tioman! And why were we going to Tioman? To participate in a Reef Check survey.

The gates open to usher us passengers on board the ferry Bluewater 8. She's a nice boat. Capacity 122 passengers. We were greeted by the super chilled air in the cabin. The air-conditioning was blowing a full blast, and misting up all the windows. I couldn't take the cold, and promptly clambered back on the docks to take some photos of the morning sun on the sleepy riverine scene.

The captain soon gunned the ferry's twin engines and we were off skimming across the blue. By then the sun had risen a fair bit, and we climbed up to the upper deck to soak in the view and the soothing morning sun rays. The Jalur Gemilang fluttered regally on the mast as the big boat took on a pretty quick pace. Click click click went the camera. I still have some problems getting the horizon level in my pictures, but I was more engrossed by the saturated blues that the pictures were promising.

The jagged peaks of Tioman loomed larger and larger against the bright, rising ball of celestial fire in the eastern sky. I soaked in the UV radiation, while admiring the rock-solid mass rising from the South China Sea. Tioman attracts rock climbers too, and offers many challenging climbing routes for adventurous souls who dare defy gravity. Me? I was there to go the opposite direction. Underwater.

After dropping off passengers at Kampung Genting and Paya, we soon arrived at Kampung Tekek, our base for the following three days. The smell of sea spray invigorated my mildly phlegmy sinuses, which were recovering from a flu attack. Nothing like seawater to kill the germs! The last time I was at Tioman was in April 2006, so it was good to be back on familiar ground, although I must say the face of Kampung Tekek has changed since the beach nourishment and river works were recently completed. It looks pretty good. Time will tell whether the sand stays where it is supposed to stay. But I didn't have time to linger around as the van was waiting to take us to the Swiss Cottage chalets.

Our cottage sounds exotic but it's actually just like your average seaside wooden chalet. No frills but comfortable. Anyway, I wasn't there to pamper myself. I was there to dive and dive. And dive we did! We dumped our stuff in the rooms, changed into trunks and boardshorts and by 10AM we were reporting at the dive centre with all our gear.

Barb, our Australian instructor, briefed us on the procedures at the Tioman Dive Centre. Where to put stuff, where to get stuff, where to get new tanks, where to put used tanks, etc. There's a system, and life is easier when everyone follows it. OK.

We're soon gearing up for the checkout dive, which will also be our buoyancy skills training dive. Oh boy, was I looking forward to it. You see, I hadn't dived in the whole of 2007. In fact, my most recent dive was in September 2006. Colin said that was too long ago. I was kinda wondering if I still had the touch. It was good to know that I geared up the tank without any problem. No regulator on the wrong side. Didn't forget to connect the BC inflator. It was all coming back to me...

Then, the walk down to the beach and into the water. Ah, the feeling of comfort as the seawater slowly seeped through my boots. A few steps forward into the knee-deep water, and I sit down to slip on my fins that had been lying dry for more than one and a half years. As I lean back the water engulfs me and I realize I'm floating. I start the long surface swim out to the point of descent in about 5m of water. My other buddies Colin, Azahar, Richard and Thiagu are ahead of me. We regroup at the descent line and Barb gives us some last instructions before the OK and descent. And down we go, with the hiss of the air as it escapes from our BCs.

Underwater, we swim towards a sandy patch where we will do our exercises. Along the way we spot a juvenile Napoleon wrasse. Wow! I hope it grows up big and strong, and not end up on someone's dinner plate. Buoyancy is a critical skill for the Reef Check survey, as we need to stay off the coral reefs to avoid damaging it, while needing to go in close when necessary for a closer look. I was worried that I would not be able to perform the horizontal hover, coz in the past my legs tended to sink whenever I tried to hover horizontally. Well, I managed to do it this time. Yay. Maybe it was the practice, or maybe it was the weight distribution. We also had to practice swimming through a hula hoop without touching it. Whaddaya know, I managed to get every part of me and my gear through, except for my fins, which were arching too far upwards and caught the top of the hoop as I glided through. I thought my fins were always sinking, but now they were too high?! I think I was overextending them upwards. But the most interesting skill we learned was the head-down hover, where we hovered in an upside down position, head down and fins pointing up. It was weird at first, but I got the hang of it. We gotta really exhale to get our torso down and legs up. But it's cool. We were told we need to do head-down hover once a while during the survey in order to examine something deep in a crevice on the seabed, without touching anything around us. Barb made us simulate the maneuver by making us go head-down to copy onto our slates some text from a little card she placed on the sand.

Lunch was scrumptious, but I was careful to restrain myself from eating too much, lest it all came out during the dive later... a la my previous puke dive experience. So, anyway, after lunch, we proceed to have some lecture on reef fish and invertebrates. Our mission is to do a survey, so we need to first be trained to identify the various indicator species. There are nine fish groups and eight invertebrates we must be able to identify. So we were flashed pictures of groupers, snappers, parrotfish, humphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasses, moray eels, barramundi cod, sweetlips and butterflyfish. I kept mixing up the wrasses and parrotfish, and sweetlips and snappers. We also had to know which species were not included in our survey.

After the theory, we embarked for the real thing. We went out for our fish and invertebrate identification training dive. Our dive site was Pulau Renggis, which is a tiny rocky outcrop just about 200m off the shore of Tioman. We hopped back on to our dive boat, geared up and back-rolled into the warm, inviting waters. Oooh, the training dives were fantastic! Barb would point to a particular fish and we had to indicate to her what category it belonged to. We indicated by hand signals or pointing to a picture of that fish on a laminated picture card that we brought along. Besides identifying the nine categories of fish that were in the Reef Check survey list, we also saw other interesting creatures. There were two reef cuttlefish hanging around the corals, a mean-looking giant grouper (1m long), pufferfish, schools of sleek barracudas and trevallies, and some really friendly and curious batfish. We saw some nudibranchs too. Renggis is a really nice dive site. Very nearby but in good condition, with lots of live corals and teeming with fish.

We came back for a debriefing and to flip through the fish ID books, and to de-nitrogenate our blood before our third and final dive of the day, which was the fish and invertebrate identification test. This was pretty cool. Barb went out ahead of us to place laminated picture cards of various fish and invertebrates along a tape laid on the shallow seabed at the house reef right in front of the dive centre. Each card was numbered and had a picture of a fish or invert. After she had placed the cards, we went down to sit for our test. We were required to swim along the tape and write down on our slate the corresponding number of each picture that matched the name printed on our slate. It was my first ever underwater written test. :) I must say it's easier doing in seated in a classroom, but it's much more fun underwater. The idea was to simulate the actual survey, when we would have to identify fish and inverts while following the transect line and maintaining neutral buoyancy in shallow water (<8m).

Day Two, Friday

As dawn broke, we were soon up and about. Of course, Colin was out of bed before me. Breakfast consisted of toast and jam. Ultra basic stuff. I quickly gobbled it down with some orange juice.

No time to linger over breakfast. The dive centre beckoned, and we had work to do! I could hear the clanging of metal as the staff rolled out freshly filled tanks of life-giving air. And the telltale hiss of air as divers tested their regulators and BC inflators after gearing up the tanks. It's music to the ears. Hahaha.

Today Colin and I were going to learn about substrates, i.e. the stuff on the seabed. Reef Check has classified substrates into ten categories, namely hard coral (HC), soft coral (SC), rock (RC), recently killed coral (RKC), sand (SD), silt (SI), rubble (RB), nutrient indicator algae (NIA), sponge (SP) and others (OT). We had to remember what belonged to which category, and how to recognize each substrate. First we had a lecture and powerpoint show with pictures of each substrate. But the thing about looking at slides is that we can't see movement. Testing the movement of each substrate is the most helpful method of identifying it. Hard coral doesn't move when we waft the water, but we can observe the coral polyps retracting into their hard skeleton. So that helps to identify hard corals which look like soft corals or anemones when the polyps are extended. Soft corals and sponges both move when we swish the water with our hands, but sponges have the distinctive holes and patterns while soft corals have polyps. And then we had to differentiate between soft corals and anemones (classified as "Others"). Usually anemones will have anemonefish residing in them, while soft coral don't.

Well, enough of classroom theory. The best learning happens out there in the field, or sea, in this case. We were off to Pirate Reef for our substrates identification training dive. Like we did with the fish and inverts, Barb would point out to various substrates and tell us what they were. And we would go, "Oooh, Aahhhh, I seeee" in our underwater sign language. It was really helpful to see for ourselves what the pictures had been trying to tell us. I learned that sponges were much more prevalent than I had previously realized. Many of the sponges I used to mistake for soft corals. I also learned that some soft corals look like hard corals but they are actually soft, e.g. zoonanthids. And I also learned to differentiate different types of algae. Wow. It was information overload. But I'll never look at a reef the same way again.

I noticed that Pirate Reef had a large patch of coral rubble. Pirate Reef sits atop an underwater mound that rises up more than 20m from the seabed, and the top of the mound is only a few metres deep. I later found out that a few years ago, a barge had run aground on the top of the reef, probably during low tide, and shaved off one whole patch of corals. A bit like what happened at Sipadan two years ago.

We had the privilege of riding on a yacht to our dive site! The yacht Chinook 1 is a marketing tool of the Crocs company. Crocs is supposedly in talks with Reef Check to sponsor or collaborate on some reef conservation work, so they were there to do some brand promo. The Crocs representative, Grant, from Singapore flew in to join us on the yacht. Grant is American but he's been living in Singapore for the past four years. Anyway, the yacht is a beauty. Sleek in white, and generously equipped with all the basics and luxuries of a seagoing vessel. She had GPS, digital nautical charts, auto-navigator, windspeed gauge, depth gauge, and motorized winches for the main sail. In the below-deck cabin there was a fully equipped kitchen with oven and microwave, bunks for about six people, radio, computer workstation and a nice little toilet and bathroom. But we spent all our time on the deck, except for occasional forays to the toilet. OK, enough about the boat.

We went back for lunch, and then prepared for the substrate identification test, which was like the fish identification test. Barb would point to a substrate and we would have to identify it by pointing to the correct picture on our card. Again we went to Renggis, also aboard the Chinook 1. Crocs was really spoiling us.

The substrate ID test was great. Barb gave us 40 "questions". I learned the hard way that one should not waft a seemingly soft coral too closely. You see, Barb pointed to a patch of polyps swaying in the water. From far, it looked like soft coral or even anemone, but upon closer inspection it looked suspiciously like the polyps of a hard coral. The definitive test is to swish or waft the water with my hand and see the reaction of the polyps. So I wafted the water... and the polyps retracted a bit... so I wafted a bit closer and closer... I could see some coral skeleton underneath... so I wafted just a little closer... ZAP!!! I felt a sharp pain shoot through my hand. Stupid! I had just scraped my middle and fourth fingers on the sharp coral. Ouwwwccchhhhh!!! It left six clean cuts across my fingertips, like the last time I accidentally cut my fingers on my razor blade. Slowly the blood oozed out into thin wisps in the water. Underwater, blood is brownish in colour as the red spectrum of visible light is filtered out by the water. Oh man, my fingers were stinging like mad for the next 20 minutes. I had to continue the test in pain. But it slowly subsided, and by the end of the dive it was pretty much OK. Lessons learned: (1) If it cuts, it's definitely hard coral. Stupid. (2) Do not waft a hard coral too closely or you'll get a nice cut on your finger. The next day during the survey dive I inspected another similar hard coral and I discovered that the coral skeleton took the form of sharp-edged ridges, like a multiple razors. No wonder it went straight through the skin, leaving multiple parallel cuts. Oh yea, we also saw a stonefish along the way, although it wasn't the focus of our attention.

Back on terra firma, later that afternoon, we sat for the final exam, which consisted of 50 fish questions, 50 invertebrates and 100 substrates. The passing mark was 80%, failing which we would not be certified to conduct the Reef Check survey. I was apprehensive about the fish test, because I was still getting snappers and wrasses and groupers and sweetlips mixed up. But thanks to some last minute revision on fish ID, and mentally running through the previous training slides ("past year questions") I managed to pass with 46/50! Hallelujah. And I even impressed myself with the invertebrates test by scoring full marks. Haha. OK, I admit, it's much easier to identify sea cucumbers and sea urchins. But it was the substrates test that really drained me in the end... we had to identify 100 pictures of soft corals and hard corals and rocks and sand and sponges and other deceptive stuff. We were allowed to ask questions like "Will it move if I waft it?" or "Does is wobble?" or "Does it retract or contract?". Instructor Barb did not make life easier for us. She only answered specific questions, but as we went along, we got the hang of what questions to ask. At some points we even got down to counting the number of tentacles on the coral polyps, because soft corals have 8 tentacles, while hard corals have 6 or multiples of 6. Our test ended at close to 8PM. Well, I passed with 86/100 correct. What a major confidence booster! I'm now a certified Eco Diver.

Dinner that night was delicious. But the restaurant served us a juvenile grouper, just like the ones we saw during our dives. The menu was pre-ordered by our resort management. We just showed up at mealtimes. But I felt a bit bad eating the grouper, though it was very delicious. But it was just a kid, with a whole life ahead of it. If we keep on harvesting juvenile groupers there will be no more next generation to reproduce. As it is, there are hardly any more adult groupers on the reefs, which explains why we didn't see any big groupers (>30cm long) on our dives, except for the solitary giant grouper at Renggis. Reef Check's criteria is to count only groupers >30cm because this indicates whether there has been overfishing of a reef. If all the big groupers are gone, then the population cannot reproduce itself. And the fishermen will start going after the smaller groupers until there are none left. So I have decided not to order grouper anymore. Farmed tilapia and siakap is OK, but not grouper caught from the wild. And definitely not Napoleon wrasse @ humphead wrasse, which is severely endangered due to to overfishing to supply swank seafood restaurants in places like Hong Kong where it fetches 300 Ringgit per kg. I'm just gonna order catfish next time.

Day Three, Saturday

The eventful day dawned. On this day, I would get seasick, conduct my Reef Check surveys and dive the 100th dive of my life. As usual, Crocs hosted us on board their yacht. We walked over from the dive centre to the new Tioman marina. It costs RM80 per day to park your boat here. Clearly, it's for yacht owners with extra cash.

The wind was gusting that morning, and kicking up the waves. It was great for sailing, and our captain Francis soon hoisted the sail to begin our journey to Pulau Tulai, about 11km northwest of the marina. The spinnaker (large triangular sail at the bow of the boat) was also unfurled for extra speed. We picked up speed and were soon riding the waves, with the yacht leaning hard against the wind. Needless to say, the pitching and rolling soon induced a certain amount of uneasiness. I had weathered similar rough conditions at sea before, and I thought I would be OK. Oh boy, was I wrong. By the time we got to Pulau Tulai an hour later, I was feeling seasick. Not terribly sick, but still a bit wonky. And I still thought I had it under control. Colin was smart. Before we left he downed a Novomin motion sickness pill. Remind me next time. Anyway, we transferred from the yacht to our dive boat where our gear was. And there on board the rocky dive boat I finally could take it no more. I excused myself to the stern of the boat and let out whatever remnants of breakfast that would be kind enough to volunteer as fish food. There wasn't much to vomit, since I had only two slices of toast that had probably already left the stomach and entered the intestines. But I felt so much better after wrenching out the oily, gooey, gastric juices. I think the oil was from the butter on the toast. Yea, avoid oily and greasy food when diving.

I felt good enough to dive! Yay. My mission was to conduct the substrate survey with Barb at this dive site called Batu Malang. Basically what happens is this: One diver would drop a plumb line (a sinker or lead weight tied to a string) every 0.5m along the 100m transect line and the other diver would record on a slate the type of substrate that the sinker lands on. Of course we drop it gently so as not to damage whatever it lands on. Buoyancy skills are crucial here as we have to hover in a horizontal position closely over the reef throughout the survey, without even our fins touching anything. Barb and I took turns to drop the plumb line and record the substrate. We switched roles every 20m along the transect. I started off doing the identification and recording, as Barb wanted to show me how to drop the plumb line in a consistent way. It was not too difficult to identify the substrates, as the plumb line fell mostly on hard coral (HC), which is a good sign. There was not much dead coral. However, Colin, who was doing the fish survey, recorded very few fish, which is not a good sign. This was a case of a reef in good condition, but with very few noteworthy fish. Why?

Oh yea, this was also my 100th dive! Woohoo! I wasn't in much of a celebratory mood though, with my head still woozy from the seasickness. After the dive, we moved straight to the next dive site at Kador. We decided to proceed to do the survey and have lunch after that. Good idea, coz I was in no shape to eat anything.

This time I did the fish survey with Richard, while Colin did the substrate survey with Barb, and Thiagu and Azahar did the invertebrates. Barb went down first to lay the 100m transect tape. After she released the buoy to indicate "OK", I was first in the water, since the fish surveyor goes first. This is to avoid the other divers scaring away the fish. Immediately after jumping in my stomach started to wrench again. Arrgghhh. There was nothing left to puke but gastric juices and mucus. Eewwww. I must have vomited about six times while I was doing the surface swim to the descent line. But I felt much better after letting it out. Gargle with seawater, insert regulator into mouth and down we went for the final dive.

It was a shallow dive, not more than 8m. Average depth was about 6m. The fish count was dismal like at Batu Malang. I spotted zero groupers larger than 30cm. The most numerous fish in the survey list that I spotted was the butterflyfish. There was a bit of a surge halfway through the survey, which pulled the transect tape left and right. That would make the substrate survey more challenging as the plumb line and transect tape would be swaying around. But for fish, I just had to remain a quiet as possible and go slow. Still, there were very few fish. Maybe it's the wrong season? After completing the fish survey I hung around while waiting for the rest to finish. I went back to check out the nasty crown of thorns (COT) starfish that I had earlier seen "walking" right under the transect tape. It's the meanest creature on the coral reef. It eats corals, and its thorny spines deliver excruciating pain to any soul who has the misfortune of getting poked by it. It even looks mean. I keep a respectful distance from the COT.

Back on board the yacht, we chilled out for the return journey. The others took out their packed lunches and started to chow down. I was still in no mood to eat, so I went around snapping pictures. We "sailed" back with engine power, as the wind had died down by then. About 15 minutes from the marina, I finally determined that I was sound enough to eat lunch. A sudden wave of hunger engulfed me, as I inhaled the aroma of the fried rice, fried chicken and fried egg. Notice a pattern here? But it's irrelevant anyway. I ate up every last grain of rice and stripped the bones bare. Good food, good scenery. A good way to end the trip.

Back at the marina, we disembarked for the last time and said our thank you's. We took a photo for the record, and then walked back to Tioman Dive Centre. There we had the joy of washing and rinsing our gear. Oh joy. Better get rid of the salt before the salt wrecks our equipment. We also wanted to hang up everything to dry so that it would be easier to pack for the return trip. It's no fun lugging wet and heavy and stinky equipment. Then we sat down to update our dive logs and upload the survey data into the databases. Nowadays with laptop computers and Internet access, we can crunch the numbers right at the beach. The results showed that the reef had not changed significantly since the last survey last September. But the fish counts were highly variable, depending on the season and even the time of day.

Richard, Azahar and Thiagu (and wife) had to hurry to catch the 4PM ferry. Colin and I stayed another night. Later that evening after dinner (no grouper served, though there were unidentified fried fish fillets), we strolled over to the cargo jetty at the marina to chill out with a drink in hand. There were some folks fishing. But isn't this a marine park?!? They had caught some cuttlefish which were laid pitifully on the concrete pavement of the jetty. How graceful and beautiful they swim underwater... how forlorn and deathly they look on the dry pavement... how delicious they taste on the dinner plate. It's a matter of perspective, no? :) Well, there's definitely enough in this world for every man's need, but not every man's greed.

The stars twinkled, the breeze gently whispered, softly the moon glowed, bright shone the lights from houses across the bay... and I forgot to bring the camera... oh well.

Day Four, Sunday

Same breakfast, again. We packed up, said our farewells, and were soon on our way home. At the jetty, I shot some final frames before the 10AM ferry arrives. The morning sun was rising to its zenith, and the sky was deep blue.

As you can see, I am getting worn out telling this story. Our return journey was pleasant, retracing the same route we took on the outbound journey. Colin and I had a good chat about stuff. You know, stuff. Yea, like, stuff. :)

The return journey took slightly longer as there was more traffic in the daytime. More lorries. But we got home safe and sound. It was good spending a few days doing what God first told Adam and Eve to do, i.e. take care of His creation. We counted the fish and creepy crawlies and corals. And had a pretty good time at it.

More pictures here:
Day 1 & 2 ; Day 3 & 4

Tagged

2008-04-22T20:35:00.007+08:00

I got tagged by Kat...

Real name: Lee Hwok Lok
Nickname: Lok, Loki, Loky, Lokkie, Coca-Cola, Warlord, Warlock, Hot Dog, Hot Rod, Hard Rock, Leng Chai (that's what people at the coffeeshop call me)
Married: No
Male/Female: Male
High school: SMSJ (best school in the universe, until I left)
College: UPM
Short or long hair: Short to medium long
Are u a healthy freak: Yes. I am healthy, and I'm a bit of a freak
Height: 177cm
Do u have a crush on someone?: Like, right now? Hmmm... no
Do u like yourself: Yea, I suppose.
Piercings: Through my heart
Righty of lefty: Righty

First....

Surgery: Wisdom teeth extraction when I was 21, or was it 22?
Piercing: Shot through the heart by a cute girl
Person u see in the morning: My mom or sister, or anonymous driver in the next car on the road
Award: I won some prize in Standard 3 or 4... can't remember what
Sport u join: Riding my tricycle around the living room
Pet: I think it was a snail or millipede in the backyard. I put it in my mouth.
Vacation: Pangkor Island. I was about 3 months old. Can't remember much of it though.
Concert: Some Christmas concert at Bannockburn School, Illinois. I played the bass clarinet.
First crush: My American classmate in Grade 6 and 7. She had the cutest dimples.

Currently...

Eating: Nothing
Drinking: Nothing
I’m about to: Go home as soon as traffic on Jalan Ampang clears

Your future...

Want kids: Yes. It's good to personally experience the joy and pain I brought to my parents.
Want to get married: Yes. I don't have "the gift".
Careers in mind: World's best husband, father, son, friend, brother, co-worker ;P

Which is better?

Lips or eyes?: Both. Stupid question.
Hugs or kisses: Hug, then kiss. Stupid question.
Shorter or taller?: Just nice
Romantic or spontaneous: Romantic with a streak of spontaneity
Sensitive or loud: Sensitive, but not hypersensitive
Troublemaker or hesitant?: Neither

Have u ever....
Kissed a stranger?: No
Drank bubbles: No
Lost glasses/contacts: I broke a few pairs of glasses in my younger days but never lost any
Ran away from home: No, I walked. Duh.
Liked someone younger: Yes
Liked someone older: Yes... her name is Meg Ryan ;)
Broke someone's heart: Yes
Been arrested: No. I'm a good boy.
Cried when someone died: Yes, I'm human
Liked a friend: Yes

Do u believe in...

Yourself?: Yea
Miracles: Yes
Heaven: Yes
Santa Claus: No
Magic: Yes, depends on what type
Angels: Yes

Answer truthfully..
Is there someone you want to be with right now?: Yes

Do u believe in God?: Yes, my statement of faith is summarized in the Apostle's Creed

Tag ppl:
Go ahead...

Amazing

2008-04-04T18:28:00.003+08:00

The cheering by the audience does get a bit annoying. Just ignore it.

Easter baby

2008-04-02T19:03:00.004+08:00

This year's Easter came and went without much traditional fanfare for me. It's because I was away in Hanoi that weekend. I think this was first Easter in which I did not go to church. Well, OK, maybe not the first.

You see, I spent my first ever Easter in hospital. I was born on a Saturday, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. So Easter does have some special meaning for me. It's about birth and new life in the midst of death and gloom. The cross ends with the empty tomb.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes sense to me. It means my sins are forgiven when I believe in Jesus, not because I deserve to be forgiven, but because God so loves me. It means salvation is not something I earn, but receive graciously from God. It's not "rational", but requires faith. It's free but it's not cheap. It cost the life and blood of Jesus, the Son of God. And it will "cost" me a lifetime of surrender and submission to God who saves me.

It's good to be an Easter baby. :)

Hanoi-Halong

2008-03-31T23:32:00.011+08:00

Treasure Islands

Dire straits

Schooner

Ripples

Onward

Finally, some colour

Oryza sativa

Zig

Zag

At rest

Arkitekcher

Twin Towers

Streetwise

Que sera sera

Flurry

Scoot

Toyota is king, especially in black

Sundown

Metamorphosis

2008-03-31T21:31:00.001+08:00

(meta·mor·pho·sis) (met”ə-mor´fə-sis) [meta- + morphosis] Change of shape or structure, particularly a transition from one developmental stage to another, as from larva to adult form.

I wanna be a butterfly.

Jalan AMpang

2008-03-29T13:48:00.011+08:00

Don't you just love Jalan Ampang... when it's not jammed with traffic... which is almost never.

Here are some views seen through the glass wall of my office. It looks pretty, until you have to drive through it. Or it rains.

Landmark

Jam

Movin'

Public transport

Countercurrent

Cityscape
If you zoom in, you can see the reflection of the Twin Towers on the car.

Family stroll
Top speed: 5 km/h (about the same as driving)

In between

HelloMoto

Still movement