Thousands Of Glass Fishes a.k.a. IKAN BILIS

The schools of glass fish are amazing. The way they move together and create a passage way for a diver when you slowly swim closer to them.

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Peacock Mantis Shrimp

This shrimp is called the peacock mantis shrimp because of its colors. They can fold themselves up making them look like a peacock. They are very colorful. These fellas have shades of browns to bright striking colors on them however divers should be very careful when taking pictures of them. Their powerful claws are used as their defense. The shrimps claws are so powerful that they can crack an aquarium glass with a single strike. So divers becareful of your cameras.

The speed of their strike is equivalent to a 22 caliber bullet so you won't see those claws coming at you. While I was taking pictures with my camera at the time, I never knew all these things. I went so close to these guys to get close up shots. I got good shots but unfortunately I lost my camera on my last day of diving.

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Sunset From Donald Duck Bay

Words can't describe how beautiful the sunset was from the beach. The best part is all the tourist already left the island so it was just ATSY & myself. The whole beach was ours. At night it was pretty damn dark though but we were prepared with our power pack dive torches.

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Hermit Crab

I spotted this little fella walking around on the beach. He was making his way back into the water but he had a long way.

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Donald Duck Bay

As you can see the water is crystal clear. Visibility during our dives are mostly 20-30 metres. Occationally we had 40 metres vis which is freakin wicked!

Look at the picture with ATSY's feet. I shit you not the sand is just like powder. I have been to loads of beaches & I can honestly tell you the sand's texture on Donald Duck Bay is the finest I've ever felt. The beach is so well taken care of even though tourist come here on a daily basis for day trips. I'll be back!

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Climbing?

I was very tempted to climb that huge rock behind me but I didn't have my climbing shoes. Dammit! Well I also didn't want to hurt myself coz we're quite far away from Khao Lak. The other picture is me enjoying some sun on the beach before getting back onto the boat for more diving.

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Beginning & The End

So these are some of the very few pictures taken at the beginning & at the end of our amazing trip to the Similan Islands. Top left is ATSY with her pancakes with thick chocolate sauce, an orange & a RED CHILLI as her candle =)

We would have bought her a cake if I had told our Dive guides earlier but this was pretty funny. After our dives on our first day we had dinner & then a perfect celebration.

Top right was just before our first dive at the Similan Islands. This dive site is called Anita's Reef which is a perfect dive site for a check dive. All geared up & good to go.

Bottom left is ATSY with the whole bunch of divers & on the bottom right is our group picture just before leaving the boat. It was a memorable trip especially being my first Live Aboard. Oh and the group with us in this group picture are different people from the first 3 nights because we took a 6 day trip. So we didn't have time to take a group picture with the first group coz we had rush off the boat. We stayed one night at Donald Duck Bay while they go pick up the next group.

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Bowling

ATSY & I were having a friendly best of 3 game of Bowling. It was a close game. Its our first time bowling together coz we had some time to pass before heading for drinks with some friends. This was at 1 Utama shopping mall. I must say we had a good time.

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15th TIME GRAND SLAM TENNIS CHAMPION & LEGEND ROGER FEDERER & MYSELF :D

I still can't believe I managed to meet the man himself Roger Federer. Currently world number 2 in the rankings, he was down in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2008 for an exhibition tournament with US players James Blake, Borg & John McEnroe. Federer beat Blake in case you all are wondering. Federer's a cool guy. He thanked the 5 of us who were waiting to meet him for all our support for him after taking pictures & signing autographs. He's freaking tall as well. I think he is 6 feet 2 inches. I'm like 5' 7. As you can see in the picture Federer had to bring his head lower for me to get a shot with him.

After meeting Blake on the courts I went for lunch & headed back to Mandarin Oriental hoping to meet Federer. I didn't think I was gonna be this lucky. I have to thank these 2 kids who told me to wait for a short while because he was having lunch somewhere in the hotel. These kids were waiting since morning till like 3pm for Federer to show up.

Because I am a fan of Roger Federer, I originally woke up in the morning to go KLCC for the official meet and greet session with the tennis great. After 45 minutes lining up with my mom, we were so close to the front when the dumb bouncers decided to open the barriers to everyone. Fans obviously rushed to the front and kept pushing until the cops had no choice but to say no more autographs with the star. In the end everyone didn't get any chance to meet him because of this incident. That's when I decided to head to Mandarin Oriental Hotel to meet him because I had some inside information that he was gonna be there having lunch after KLCC's session.

So for those of you who rushed to the front without waiting in line, too bad you didn't get to meet him or even get his autograph!

Added note : Now that ROGER FEDERER has just made HISTORY today the 7th of June, 2009 by Winning the FRENCH OPEN, EQUALLING Pete Sampras with 14 GRAND SLAM TITLES, WINNING ALL FOUR of the GRAND SLAMS, I feel truly honored to have been able to take a picture with him.

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US Tennis Player James Blake With Myself & Mom

My mom & I were very fortunate to be On Court with the number 10th in the world tennis player James Blake while he was having his practice session before the exhibition tournament. They ( Roger Federer, James Blake, John McEnroe & Borg ) were staying at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel where we managed to get a picture taken. I felt damn short though standing next to Blake.

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I'd like to let everyone know that this is not becoming purely a blog about marine life and diving. I'm just updating some old stuff now so be patient.
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Nudibranch Mating

I'm very lucky to have seen these nudi's mating. It was my first time seeing them mate. I am still trying to figure out if there's a forth nudi mating. There are three for sure. I'll get back to you guys in a bit. These guys are awesome. Their colors really stand out in pictures. Another one of my favorite shots. I am quite happy with my underwater photography so far judging by these few pictures. There's gonna be more diving to come for me so look out for more wicked pictures.

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Clown Fish & Its Anemone

I have to say I love this shot the most. I had to wait for a few minutes for this shot and few minutes underwater is a long time. It was afterall worth the wait.
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Can You SPOT The Hermit Crab?

This is one of my best shots so far. The hermit crab.

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Backside Of A Juvenile Box Fish

Women love em. These fellas are actually really cute but only when they are juveniles. When they grow up, their not that cute. However there are other species of box fish that are quite nice to look at even when they are adults. All of them have this way of swimming which makes them quite distinctive & easy to spot. Why are they called a box fish? They obviously look like a box from all angles!
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Thorny Sea Horse

I like this picture. Since they don't move much it was pretty easy to get a nice shot of this fella.

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Nudibranch

They are sea also known as sea slugs but very colorful. More to come.
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Frog Fish

This is a transparent frog fish which I saw at a dive site called Holy Sand in Redang Island. Pinkish in color makes this fella stand out. There are loads of colorful frog fish which I have yet to see. Can't wait!
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Star Puffer From Below

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Baby Scorpion Fish

These fellas are another type of ugly looking fishes. Scorpionfish are the type of fish which ambush their prey using their camouflage. They are somewhat like the Stonefish because you really have to look out for these guys while diving. Can be colorful fellas but ugly.

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Ugly Looking Stone Fish

Can you see his face? I really don't know what to say but they are really ugly. You will not find one pretty looking stone fish in the ocean as far as I know.

They have needle-like dorsal-fin spines on them as their defense mechanism. These highly camouflaged stone fishes makes them extremely dangerous to other fish as well as divers because its so difficult to spot them underwater. They look so much like a rock which is why they are called stone fishes.

How dangerous are they to divers? Extremely! Their dorsal-fin spines have toxic venom which can be fatal to humans.

I never really go to near them to take pictures. There's a reason why people should not touch anything while diving or snorkelling for their own safety.

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The Titan Triggerfish

All divers watchout for these guys coz they are extremely defensive especially mating season. These fellas have a cone shaped territory hence divers are told not to swim over them during mating season. What they do is they will ramp into any diver that comes through their zone & will take a bite with their large front teeth. I heard they can bite through a divers fins or even break a divers mask. Other than that, they are usually harmless & often swim by divers. They are actually quite colorful fishes and have a distinctive way of swimming which I find quite funny. The titans are one of the largest of its kind.

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Marine Life

The star puffer is the one above. Its a very common fish and can be seen most of the time. Lizard fishes on the bottom left seem to be all over Redang Island. For some reason I always see them in pairs. They always look like they are high on something. And finally the razor fishes. I have no idea why they swim up and downwards as seen in the picture. Their heads are pointed downwards but their eyes are looking straight. Weird!!!

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Ocean, Beauty, Bubbles, Scuba Tanks & A Couple

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At The Surface

This was a pretty good dive. Vis was not bad. Calm seas allowed me to get this great shot before getting onto the boat.

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Underwater Scene At Redang Island

I like my Jellyfish picture. Having some quiet time and enjoying the underwater scenery besides hearing my own bubbles. This was a relaxing dive.

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More Corals

Bottom left of the picture is the feather star they call it. Very nice and colorful but it can stick to ur wetsuit if you make direct contact with it. Squat Lobsters can be found chilling in between these feather stars. On the right of the feather star is the sea whip. One of the ways to see where the current is coming from is by observing things like this sea whip if there's any around you while diving. As you can see the current is obviously coming from the right hence the sea whip leaning to the left.

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Coral Reefs At Redang Island

These are the various types of corals reefs at Redang Island which I was very fortunate to see while diving in September 2008. The Gorgonian Seafan is on the top left & Colors of the sea sponge actually appear when there's enough sunlight which makes it an awesome underwater garden.

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Diver's Log Book Folder

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Scubapro

I am slowly upgrading all my equipment to Scubapro. I mean their motto says it all.. "Deep down you want the best".
But then again everyone has their own taste in equipment. Comfort is most important rather than style but in the real world of diving, its all about vanity! My choice now is of cause Scubapro!
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Suunto Stinger

There are various types of dive computers in the market these days but I'm sure you Divers already know that. For those of you who don't know, this is one of them. Its packed with solutions enabling safe and responsible decisions underwater. The depth, time and decompression measurement, and the ceiling/floor feature assure that you know exactly how much time you have spend in the depths, how deep you are, when you have to surface and how fast you can do it. This way you can maximize the diving performance without jeopardizing your safety.The extensive memory and logbook functions enable you to keep track of your past dives and through them you can monitor your progress and plan your training accordingly.

One important thing though is that a dive computer is always used to assist a diver. Its always best to have a gauge as backup. Gadget freak that I am but its worth it.
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Back to Blogging..

I am finally starting to blog again after months of disappearance. I figured that this helps me pass time before I go to bed every night. Got lots to post up so I'm gonna get to it right now.

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I Got Punk'd By My Long Time Family Friend.. Coincidentally!

We'll today was an interesting day for me. Myself and ATSY were walking to Lot 10 shopping mall from Pavilion to look for some crocs. There's like a small road passing through between Lot 10 and Planet Hollywood restaurant. As we approched the small road, we saw a large crowd looking at this guy lying on the zebra crossing and the girl asking for help. Just so happen I knew the girl. She happens to be my long time family friend. She somehow spotted me and shouted out my name freakin loud asking me for help. Not knowing that there was a hidden camera at one corner & knowing she's my friend I obviously helped her straight away.

While I was trying to help the guy up, he felt very light all of a sudden & at that moment I knew something was not right. Then my friend looked at me with a smile* and ask me to look at the camera! I got Punk'd big time. Still can't believe I fell for it in front of such a large crowd. I must say though she's a really good actor. This whole punk'd thing is for Astro Ria. Guess I'm gonna be on tv.

Since she's my neighbour, I'm gonna get her back real soon =P Argh!
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Another Diving Trip to RedangKalong

Just 3 weeks ago I got my Advance & ATSY got her Open Water license & we're off to the island again.. excited! This coming trip will officially be ATSY's first leisure dive trip after completing her Open Water. So proud of her. It feels great to have someone you care about a lot that shares the same interest =P

We'll be going to Redangkalong on the 24th - 28th September, 2008 for some leisure dives before the season closes. Since we're both comfortable with our instructors Sharon, A.B. & Tim Lee from Diver's Den, we have organized this trip with them again.

Since we have 5 days at the island with 9 dives included, I think we can cover quite a few dive sites this trip. If the weather & visibility is good, I think we'll prolly add a couple more dives to that 9 dives that's already been scheduled for us so should be fun.

Ohh ohh.. this is the first time I'm gonna be on a plane with ATSY so I guess it makes this trip a lil more romantic =P
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My Scubapro Classic BCD

I've received many reviews from instructors and other divers that this Classic Plus is the best BCD ever made. Been around for more than 20 years and still very high in demand. But then again it also depends on every individual.

Its a perfect fit for me, its comfortable and can't wait to test it in 2 days time at Redang Island. Can't wait.

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My Dive Gears

There are various types of diving equipment bags available but I thought this was pretty simple and affordable. Very spacious I have to say and its enough for the necessary equipments. Oh.. and on top of my bag is my new Scubapro Classic BCD.

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A Diver's Bling

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Birthday Buoy & Gurl

It was a double celebration this time. I was celebrating with MW. This group picture was taken at Club Twenty One @ Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.

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Certified Advance & Open Water Scuba Divers

This picture was taken on the boat back to Merang Jetty. End of our vacation but we could not leave without having to take a picture with our instructor Sharon. She's a great instructor with loads of experience & very precise when explaining something to ya. So for those of you who wanna take your diving license, I'd recommend Sharon to ya. Just head to Diver's Den.

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Logging Our Diver's Log Book

This was after completing the Advance Open Water & Open Water courses. Our vacation bit actually started during this time because on the first day we were extremely tired from long journey. Second day of Diving was where the fun part really began for most of us I'd say. We had loads of fun nevertheless.

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Say SCUBA!

I must say that this is an awesome picture of all six of us considering that the camera was placed on da car trunk for this shot to be taken automatically. This is actually the beginning of our Dive trip at Merang Jetty headed towards Redang Kalong for our Advance & Open Water Courses.
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Full Stretch

Damn this was a difficult route.
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Tricky Ending

I fell once coz I lost my balance but got it on the 2nd attempt. Tricky I tell ya.

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Ending With Both Feet

Beginning of this route is actually Quite tricky!
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Just Me

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Easy Campus

To start of the friendly competition I did this easy campus route.

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My Birthday TODAY!

Its my Birthday so gotta post up something. I had dinner with da family last night & tonight gonna go for dinner with ATSY. Shopping for Scubapro gears too perhaps =P Simple Birthday this year. Nothing fancy. Might have a lil gathering on the weekend thats all. Will see how it goes.

Wanna take this opportunity to THANK all my friends who wished me Happy Birthday! Its a great feeling really!
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Technical Route

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08.08.2008.

Today is the day where every Chinese around the world FARTS with pride =P If you have not done your CYCLE of FARTS today, do it now before this day passes for good health & prosperity!

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Preparation For Summit's Final Rock Climbing Competition

Although I prefer to go have coffee, sleep in the boulder cave, chit chat before climbing, eat something or just go to C5 to shower, I've been training a lil for Summit's final Rock Climbing Competition this Sunday 10th of August, 2008 before they move to another location. Its the first indoor climbing gym in KL so there's gonna be loads of memories. I started rock climbing there & it has become my passion. Damn I'm gonna miss da place.

Hmm.. I think I'll do just fine in the competition. I just need to fully recover from my cough right now thats been goin on for the past 1 month.

I need to get a climbing medal. I need to get one.. seriously! Its the only thing I want right now because it would make my passion for climbing more meaningful. I gotta admit that I have been distracted by my new passion which is Scuba Diving. Scuba Diving remains second to my climbing so I'm pretty much focused right now for the competition this weekend. So far so good. I had a good climb today so will see how it goes. To be continued...
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