Semporna (8-12 July, 2007)

Semporna is the town where I took my diving license with Scuba Junkie. This small town is some drive away from Tawau Airport in East Malaysia, Sabah. We took boat rides out to the different dive sites daily from this town.

An inn built on stilts.
View from a cafe we hanged out every day after diving.


THE Iced Mango Sago we loved so much.
It was deliciously cooling and refreshing!


The small town of Semporna is lined with rows of shophouses.


Children, who we suspected were going to do some "serious business" on the rocks. They went down with plastic bags, which we thought would be used to contain pebbles. But when they started stripping their pants, we wondered about the real intention.

A child on the street.


A fishmonger and his stall.

*More updates to come*

Diving @ Sipadan (8-12 July, 2007)

Sipadan is one of the top dive sites in the world. Second to the Great Barrier Reef, it is located at Borneo and reputable for the BIG (macro) stuffs - sharks, huge fishies, turtles and etc. I saw for myself why divers go back to this dive site over and over again.

The dive site charms divers with not only its collection of colourful tropical fishes, corals and other lives under water, but also the talcum white sand and the azure clear water. The water is clear right up to the shore, with finds of big fishes just metres away from the beach! Wade in and duck your head in the cool water, and you will surprise yourself with beautiful fishes right before your eyes such as Garoupa, Nurse Shark and even turtles.

As a matter of fact, I became a PADI certified diver on this very island. People said it would set a very high standard for me. Oh boy! How true it was. No where else that I have been to so far could be compared to this very much raved about dive site. It indeed stays true to its reputation.

Please allow me to clarify too that this site is only one of the two sites I dived at in Borneo. The whole dive trip left me a deep impression of the wonders of diving at Borneo, and definitely memorable.

Once, is not enough.

Friendly Green Sea Turtles were everywhere!

Not shy to strangers and cameras, they swam up close to us

and peered at our cameras, curiously.

Tornado of Jacks.

Nothing beats swimming amongst them

and being circled by them.

Diving with a school of Moorish Idols.

A school of Moorish Idols.

The renowned wall of Barracudas at the Barracuda point.

It was amazing holding on to a rock, fighting the current and

watching them slowly moved past us from 30m away.

A white tip shark. Not a rare sight at all!

And... Fear not. They do not eat human beings.

A Shrimp.

Difficult to spot as Shrimps often hide among the corals.

On top of that, they are actually many times smaller

than what you are looking at now.

Puffy a.k.a. Puffer Fish.

A Hermit Crab in hand. Such a puny creature!

Diving = my second nature

My DD and Me

Some of my favourite photos of us.
For the benefit of my readers, DD refers to Darling Derrick.

Simply blissful enjoying each other's company.

Our dive kiss - who said salt and sweet won't taste good together?
I say it's electrifying.


The first picture taken as a couple.


On the sky ride, at Sentosa.


All smiles at Gotham Penthouse.


The first spark at Mambo, Zouk.


Dining at one of the street hawkers in Semporna,
where I became a diver and dived at Sipadan.

Time Lapse

Sometimes, there's simply no way to hold on to the hands of the clock. They just keep ticking by, moving on. Watching the seconds ticked by, I realised it has been weeks since I last blogged. It's now time to revive it.

I have been kept happily occupied throughout this hiatus. Due to limited time, this blog would be a brief update, without some really juicy images. But, I promise I would include more pictures in my next blogs. Hopefully, in the not-too-far future.

Let's see.

I have been highly favoured, truly blessed and deeply loved. Many beaufiful things happened to me during this lapse. I encountered amazing experiences with my mighty creator's most wonderful creations.

HE sent me one of his most amazing works. A creation I never expected I would fall in love with. But when I finally gave in to my feelings of falling in love with him, I know we would be together in every sense of the word. For he is God-sent, to make my life a better, more joyous, loving and wonderful place to dwell in.

He brought joy to not just my life, but also my family's. He is my DD and I thank our Father Lord for him. Since he is so special, you will definitely see more of him.

My diving dream finally materialised. The world I longed to see did not disappoint me. It is filled with colourful creations of God.

I love the feeling of being immersed in the water, the taste of the salty sea water and feeling the coolness of the water on my skin. I enjoy breathing through the regulator, listening to my breathing, watching the sea creatures swim by, or sometimes just corals, hovering to watch some sea creatures and being propelled by my very nice Twin Jet fins. It's a whole new world to explore. And I am determined to dive the world.

By the way, I do feel quite belonged under the sea (for those who are sniggering, I know why). And I yearn to keep going back to that world beneath. Since this is also special to me, I would be writing more on diving too. Of course, diving is even more special to me because it was the beginning to my walk of love with MY DD.

I am not relaxing anymore, but found a job. A job in an industry that I always wanted a foot in. Things are going well so far. I am definitely enjoying the challenges, my job scope and environment.

Heeding the Lord's calling, I am also serving in my church in the Children Ministry. After starting off with the P3 & P4, I decided to have a go at the nursery. They are the Lord's such endearing creations! I have fallen in love with them. And I look forward to seeing these children every Sunday.

In order to build a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father, DD and I have also started our bible study class. Definitely challenging, but insightful.

So, my dear readers, as you can see, so much have gone on in my life during this time lapse. However, I am happy and enjoying my life. I give the credit to my first priority in life, my Father in Heaven. He has blessed me abundantly. Amen!

Life is Funny Sometimes...

Life is really funny sometimes.
Certain things just happened when you least expected.

For example, finding out your ex got married.
Not through the horse's mouth but his wife's friendster.
And his wife, whom I do not know added me to her friendster.
How peculiar.
As a matter of fact, my ex and I had not contacted for eons.

Of course, many other things that happened added on to my thought of... Life is really funny sometimes.

However no complaint.
At least, life's good so far.
And I am happy.

Tagged

This is what you are supposed to do. Cut and paste if you decide to participate in the tagging game. Each player of this game starts off by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

After you do that, leave them each a comment letting them know you tagged them and to read your blog.

1. I find inspiration while showering.
2. I love to pull my bro's leg hair. Actually, I simply love bullying him.
3. I love hugs... A LOT (with anyone and everyone).
4. I don't like such games, but I still play along.
5. I find thrills in taking lifts with views outside.
6. I am a non-conformist.

Tagged by: Dearie Suz
People whom are tagged:

1) Shi Qi
2) Melissa
3) Felicia

The wedding

The wedding that I anticipated finally took place. Just to clarify, it was Joleen's wedding.

The preparation started the night before and the poor Teochew bride had to wake up at 4am for the makeup etc. I don't think any other dialect group's bride needs such an early rise. Naturally, the maids-of-honour too had to be ready early. In fact, we did not sleep at all the night before. So, the rest of the day was to me, tiring and very long.

If anything, I don't think I would ever want a traditional Chinese wedding for myself.

In fact, I think weddings are extravagant and for ceremonial's sake. A cosy and intimate celebration with the registration of the marriage should be sufficient. Afterall, a marriage is between the two people who will live together for the rest of their lives.

Anyway, here's sharing some of the photos taken. And yes, I am a little of a rebel against traditions.

Sharing her bliss and happiness with her.Family photo? No... these are just all the cousins, who are like flesh and blood brothers and sisters to one another.


The proudest people of all, Joleen's mum and brother.


Joleen's godparents and god-sister, i.e., my parents and me!


Joleen, at the happiest moment of her life.


The hand bouquet that was handmade by the "sisters".


Each rose on the wrist bands for the maids-of-honour was delicately and skillfully hand sewn on, in the wee hours of the night.

My Bestie

A friendship that cannot be measured by the number of years and amount of tears, smiles, hugs and joy shared. A friendship that only has eternity.

Risk

Risk is the factor that many people dare not take the plunge in life. They worry about what lies ahead and dare not step out of their boundaries or comfort zones. It is natural because in life, losing is always more painful than gaining. But, as the saying goes, "No pain, no gain!"

I've been deeply inspired by the following quote.

"The main thing is to always know that nothing in life is too hard. You never know until you give it a go." - Mark Inglis

Mark Inglis is the first double amputee to summit Mount Everest. I had the honour to meet him when he came to promote the show "Everest: Beyond the Limit" by Discovery Channel in Singapore while I was helping out at the event.

I hope that I can also put aside fears and risks and pursue my dreams. Will told me today that he remembered I had the characters of doing whatever I wanted. I wonder where all the courage went to. I think too much these days.

But, I shall keep remembering Mark Inglis' words and be fearless.

Living in Memory... NO MORE

A lot of times, people try to recreate the past by living in memories.
Especially when they long for something they could not achieve.
Perhaps that's why many people tend to regret.
Regret what they should or shouldn't do.
So, I am living in memory.. no more.
Whatever I could or couldn't achieve, it doesn't matter.
What matters is the future.
So, just keep looking forward.
And, FUTURE... Here I come!

Sense of Loss

There are times when one gets a sense of loss.
Loss of something that would never return to the same as before.
In life, we all lose a little of something.
Time moves forward and can never be turned back.
I have this sense of loss.
A loss that has happened due to time.
But I can't explain what the loss is.
Neither can I explain the frustration I feel sometimes.
Just a sense of loss.

Meals with Love

Cooking is one of my favourite hobbies. Yes. It's a hobby of mine (it all started with my love to eat). I enjoy the whole process - preparing, cooking and cleaning. I always say that the kitchen would be my focus when I get a home. And, I have to be the Queen of the kitchen.

More than just preparing meals to fill tummies, cooking is an experiment for me. I like to replicate tastes or dishes I tried outside. I also experiment to improve or add new tastes to them. Most importantly, I love it when people enjoy what I prepare.

I believe in cooking with the heart. When I put my heart into cooking, it becomes a meal with love.

Today, I prepared a simple Chinese meal for Ling when she came to my place to prepare for her exam. Steam chicken wings with ginger and spring onions and stir-fry Baby Kai Lan with garlic with rice.












Ling: The worst that I ever tasted. HaHa.. NOT..a meal of love...

Search

As I search for myself, I think I should be "atas". To be niche and available to an exclusive cluster of people only. So, if I don't smile and talk to you, you know why - I am reaching out to a niche "market".

If that ever happens.

Happiness and bliss

I was enveloped in an ambience of bliss and happiness today.

We gathered at my grandmother's place to prepare for Joleen's wedding (20 May 2007) and everyone was basked in excitement.

I have the honour to be one of the bridesmaids. So, I am really anticipating (gosh.. need to diet...HA!).

It has been a while since my grandfather passed on that we have something joyous to celebrate! Of course, we celebrate in remembrance of him.

Joleen and I are close like sisters as well as best friends. We used to spend a large part of our childhood together singing, making clothes for our barbie dolls and so much more. Despite meeting up every week, we would send snail mails to each other. We often had stay overs and saw each other through significant changes in life.

I am really happy for her. Happy that she found a good husband and happy that she pursued her dream in music and is doing well.

Seeing the whole family in high-spirit and being happy for her is a good feeling.

This simple happiness is a bliss to me.

Gliding

In-line skating.. aka skating... aka roller blading is one of my favourite sports.

Gliding down the road, with the sea breeze on my face, I feel like I am in a world of my own. Moving forward, the wind sweeps my troubles away, leaving a trail of my worries behind me. Gliding fast, I only care about the road ahead and the scenary around me. Free and relaxing, my heart is the only voice I hear. This is how living should be. Just glide.

Gliding, I remembered the song "A whole new world" and sweet memories were conjured.Fishing... an excellent way to idle.


East Coast Park, my ideal skating ground.


My dear friends who accompanied me today and helped overcome my fears. Thanks!


My skates were happy to be used again!

Villa Bali

Villa Bali, also fondly known as "Little Bali" is a gem hidden amongst peering willowy trees in the heart of Alexandra. It reflects true Balinese style with rustic Balinese arches and structures, allowing you to sample Balinese lifestyle and culture. Serving delectable IndoChina cuisines, Villa Bali provides an idyllic atmosphere for dining and chilling out.


A satiating mix of Thai, Indonesian and Indian cuisines tantalised our tastebuds and definitely filled our tummies.

Studying with Yin Ling

Ganbatte girl! All the best for your exam! I am anticipating the yummy food and fun activities on our to-do-list.

My face was the canvas for Cass' makeup. This is her masterpiece.The doctor and nurses at this clinic were obviously Walt Disney's fans.


The chicken rice stall that was supposedly a favourite of Singapore Idol, Taufik Batisah. To me, the chicken was a little under-roasted and the rice a bit hard. Nevertheless, the companion made the food tasty and the lunch enjoyable.


"No dogs allowed" sign that Ling liked a lot and insisted I took, or else she would roll on the floor and create a scene. *Kidding*


My beloved Mac that kept me occupied while Ling mugged.


Our loyal companion. A true friend indeed! (Fillet O Fish)


Cass studying for her exam and I accompanying her (for four days). How good a friend am I! ^^