... Ok, so it took two attempts when most normal people need only try once... but who cares now? I finally completed my Open Water certification, I made two subsequent dives without hanging on to my instructor's apron strings and now, I can't wait to do more.
My qualifying dive with my instructor was a very eventful one. Apart from the fact that I still had to overcome the demon of removing and replacing my mask with my eyes wide shut, I also had an innate tendency to breathe through my nose (a very bad combination, I assure you). It took a while to psyche myself up because this time, Han (my friendly slave driver) took me down to 18m... there was no escape and no entertaining the thought of surfacing "in case of an emergency". Seriously tho, Han knows how to work people's motivations and inhibitions while never losing their trust in him and I do recommend him to anyone who is thinking of taking up diving instruction.
Anyway, so I composed and psyched myself up and used a lot more air than I really should have but I did it in the end. Off came the mask and I fumbled to get back on again since I couldn't see what the hell I was doing, cleared the mask and coughed out half a breathful of sea water and that was it. Done... he shook my hand, offered me congratulations and that literally, was it. 5 minutes was all it took... in other words, I was a mere 5 minutes short of being certified the last time around...!
So, the rest of the time was spent on what Han calls jalan-jalan. And the extraordinary events were just beginning. Now, please keep in mind that this was my 4th real dive. The first two were in confined water where there were nothing more than schools of ikan bilis to look at. I was new to the underwater world and looking like a total klutz, no different from a child learning to walk, my concentration was merely to keep up with Han and to not touch the bottom. And aside from ikan bilis and a lot of sandy bottoms, I had no idea what wealth of creatures there were around me.
We were about 10 minutes into the jalan when Han stopped to look at something at the sandy bottom. He took out his dive knife and probed among the sea grass at something that looked like a chip of wood... and then he got excited. He looked around him and there were literally hundreds of them. He kept pointing at them, playing with them, attempting to make them 'dance' in the water and in spite of being under 18m of water, he looked like a little boy in a candy shop and I really had no idea why he was so thrilled since these wood chips were all over the sea floor. After a while, I thought it might be because these little wood chips were all bonking one another... it was wood chip mating season and perhaps Han liked watching marine creature porn.... I shrugged.
It wasn't until we surfaced that he threw off his mask and squealed, "Ju, this is your lucky day!" and I thought, "yeah, lucky that I didn't drown in 18m of water without my mask on..." He explained that those little bonking brown wood chips were actually nudibranches.
"Ooooh, ok... I've heard of those and now I know what they look like" but he went on to say that although he had seen that particular nudibranch in Indonesian waters before, he has never ever seen it anywhere on Perhentian Island. In other words, it was a rare nudi to be spotted where we were.
So ok, great. But the occasion was to get even more auspicious. At a dive briefing after getting back on land and one cold shower later, Han plonks a voluminous encyclopedia of nudibranches on the table and opens it to a page full of brown looking wood chip-like nudibranches. "It's got your name". That's all he said. I looked at where his finger was pointed and there it was... a picture of the same brown chip-like creature which we had seen just an hour before and the name below it: Juliana Sea Hare (Aplysia Juliana). "It's your lucky day," Han said again in affirmation.
I got home and told the world about this via Facebook and was quite amazed at how many people were envious that I had seen not just A sea hare, but hundreds of bonking ones. Some said that they had never had an opportunity to ever spot a sea hare and some said they had only the benefit of rare sightings of one at a time.
It was now becoming clear that something which almost completely passed me by as a non-event was indeed to be the high point of my trip. And I think it's realizing that it isn't about actually getting my certification that was the achievement but that it merely allows me to now stand on the threshold of many such great sightings and personal discoveries that still lie ahead. And I will never be as blind and assuming again in my new under water world.
I now burst with anticipation and almost cannot wait for my next dive.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008
To Moderate, or To Be Moderate? Therein Lies the Rub...
Back in March, there was a uproar on a mailing list that I am subscribed to, one that was for the benefit of the old girls' alumni of Assunta Secondary School, my old alma mater. It was generally to do with freedom of expression on the mailing list that was related to Malaysian politics. Remember... it was March in Malaysia, when we were on the verge of a landmark General Elections.
I was of the view that the list was really a high-school alumni mailing list and its content and contributions should remain apolitical and religiously neutral simply because of the thousands of alumni members are have eventually embraced diverse political views and is, of course, multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious. To share ideas, thoughts and prayers with each other is one thing. But when it starts to border on advocacy where some are more vocal in imposing their views than others, it becomes more sensitive. Especially in the realm of politics and religion.
I have my politcal views and my stand on religion and both are things that I am comfortable with. But I feel no need to impose it on others. I will 'share' my views if they are sought, but I don't feel it my place to tell others that the way I lead my life and the things that I believe in are the right ways for others to follow. Hence, I am understandbly irked when someone does the same to me. You know... do unto others etc...
And then there is the paradox; while the 'leader figures' in the alumni opine that there should be freedom in expression of (their) thought, they are also of the opinion that the list should be moderated. And it is. Hence, there are some self-appointed arch-angels who will vet through all messages before the mere mortals get to read it.
That was in March. And it hasn't changed. Just this last week, the subject was broached again and I felt it necessary to make a comment. Here it is, in reply to someone else on the list with a similar view:
Ju-Lee,
I will have to agree with you on this. I've said this before on this list back in March (and I think we also both said the exact same thing even back then) that this is an alumni mailing list and not a political one. But back then, that line of reasoning faded into the sunset when it was argued with this is a place to 'share ideas', 'free country, free speech', etc.
I continued that discussion offline with some other friends and here is one of the most interesting thoughts that emerged; the members of this list are ex-Assuntarians. Of these past pupils, some of the illustrious daughters have have found themselves in political limelight. Among them are Nurul Izzah who is an MP under the PKR banner and another is Wanita MIC Chief, P. Komala Devi, the BN candidate of Kapar parliamentary seat back in the March 8th elections. Nurul Izzah needs no introduction. And for the benefit of those who can't recall, Komala was feted in the same breath alongside Sister Enda and Datin Seri Jeanne when they all received awards from the Sultan of Selangor back in December.
Here's a hypothetical scenario: imagine it is the month of March 2008. Malaysia is preparing for a general election that would eventually sweep the nation off its feet. Supposing this was a free forum to say what we want to say without fear of reprisals and censure, it would thus be completely allowable for Nurul Izzah and Komala to wage their election campaign battles on this very mailing list, if it had so suited their strategy. And I imagine that as the campaign got more lively, many would have opinions of their own to post, as many vocal Assuntarians would, and there would have likely been an unprecedented number of daily posts with the number going up and up until the excitement died down. I can certainly imagine the moderators' job would have become a full-time task!
This imaginary scenario would have been possible, but would it have been right? I asked the same question back in March, and up til today, I still don't know the answer. My quandry is that I am FOR the argument of freedom to express oneself on ANY list. And yet, I am also AGAINST the notion that the free speech on a secondary school alumni mailing list should include political and/or religious advocacy. The toughest part of this is where to draw the lines. Have it moderated? It sounds like a monumental responsibility, preferably for someone with a neutral head screwed on tightly:
Word Definition: Moderation (noun) - the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.
On Wikipedia, a more comprehensive and contextual explanation of the term include (among others): A moderator may remove unsuitable contributions from a website forum or IRC channel they represent, in accordance with their moderation system.
Interestingly, in that same Wiki entry, there was also a depiction of moderation in an ancient Greek social context: Moderation is also a principle of life. In ancient Greece, the temple of Apollo at Delphi bore the inscription Meden Agan - 'Nothing in excess'. Doing something "in moderation" means not doing it excessively. For instance, someone who moderates their food consumption tries to eat all food groups, but limits their intake of those that may cause deleterious effects to harmless levels. Similarly in Christianity, moderationism is the position that drinking alcoholic beverages temperately is permissible, though drunkenness is forbidden. Moderation is a characteristic of the Swedish national psyche, more specifically described by the Swedish synonym lagom.
So, should there be moderation if one is to support the idea of freedom of expression and non-censorship of thoughts and ideas? It's a paradox, isn't it?
Oh and by the way, there was a point where I had received notices about Sister Enda's supposed political leanings on Facebook with invitations to join social advocacy groups but I see that Sister has now reverted to a neutral stand on the social network. I'm used to having Sister Enda's voice in my head (planted there at the tender age of 13) teaching virtues such as recognizing right from wrong and striving generally to be better human beings. That voice has never said how I should live out those virtues. Hence, to receive notices that Sister Enda is into social activism was rather disturbing.
Nuff said... bring on the mud...
I was of the view that the list was really a high-school alumni mailing list and its content and contributions should remain apolitical and religiously neutral simply because of the thousands of alumni members are have eventually embraced diverse political views and is, of course, multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious. To share ideas, thoughts and prayers with each other is one thing. But when it starts to border on advocacy where some are more vocal in imposing their views than others, it becomes more sensitive. Especially in the realm of politics and religion.
I have my politcal views and my stand on religion and both are things that I am comfortable with. But I feel no need to impose it on others. I will 'share' my views if they are sought, but I don't feel it my place to tell others that the way I lead my life and the things that I believe in are the right ways for others to follow. Hence, I am understandbly irked when someone does the same to me. You know... do unto others etc...
And then there is the paradox; while the 'leader figures' in the alumni opine that there should be freedom in expression of (their) thought, they are also of the opinion that the list should be moderated. And it is. Hence, there are some self-appointed arch-angels who will vet through all messages before the mere mortals get to read it.
That was in March. And it hasn't changed. Just this last week, the subject was broached again and I felt it necessary to make a comment. Here it is, in reply to someone else on the list with a similar view:
Ju-Lee,
I will have to agree with you on this. I've said this before on this list back in March (and I think we also both said the exact same thing even back then) that this is an alumni mailing list and not a political one. But back then, that line of reasoning faded into the sunset when it was argued with this is a place to 'share ideas', 'free country, free speech', etc.
I continued that discussion offline with some other friends and here is one of the most interesting thoughts that emerged; the members of this list are ex-Assuntarians. Of these past pupils, some of the illustrious daughters have have found themselves in political limelight. Among them are Nurul Izzah who is an MP under the PKR banner and another is Wanita MIC Chief, P. Komala Devi, the BN candidate of Kapar parliamentary seat back in the March 8th elections. Nurul Izzah needs no introduction. And for the benefit of those who can't recall, Komala was feted in the same breath alongside Sister Enda and Datin Seri Jeanne when they all received awards from the Sultan of Selangor back in December.
Here's a hypothetical scenario: imagine it is the month of March 2008. Malaysia is preparing for a general election that would eventually sweep the nation off its feet. Supposing this was a free forum to say what we want to say without fear of reprisals and censure, it would thus be completely allowable for Nurul Izzah and Komala to wage their election campaign battles on this very mailing list, if it had so suited their strategy. And I imagine that as the campaign got more lively, many would have opinions of their own to post, as many vocal Assuntarians would, and there would have likely been an unprecedented number of daily posts with the number going up and up until the excitement died down. I can certainly imagine the moderators' job would have become a full-time task!
This imaginary scenario would have been possible, but would it have been right? I asked the same question back in March, and up til today, I still don't know the answer. My quandry is that I am FOR the argument of freedom to express oneself on ANY list. And yet, I am also AGAINST the notion that the free speech on a secondary school alumni mailing list should include political and/or religious advocacy. The toughest part of this is where to draw the lines. Have it moderated? It sounds like a monumental responsibility, preferably for someone with a neutral head screwed on tightly:
Word Definition: Moderation (noun) - the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.
On Wikipedia, a more comprehensive and contextual explanation of the term include (among others): A moderator may remove unsuitable contributions from a website forum or IRC channel they represent, in accordance with their moderation system.
Interestingly, in that same Wiki entry, there was also a depiction of moderation in an ancient Greek social context: Moderation is also a principle of life. In ancient Greece, the temple of Apollo at Delphi bore the inscription Meden Agan - 'Nothing in excess'. Doing something "in moderation" means not doing it excessively. For instance, someone who moderates their food consumption tries to eat all food groups, but limits their intake of those that may cause deleterious effects to harmless levels. Similarly in Christianity, moderationism is the position that drinking alcoholic beverages temperately is permissible, though drunkenness is forbidden. Moderation is a characteristic of the Swedish national psyche, more specifically described by the Swedish synonym lagom.
So, should there be moderation if one is to support the idea of freedom of expression and non-censorship of thoughts and ideas? It's a paradox, isn't it?
Oh and by the way, there was a point where I had received notices about Sister Enda's supposed political leanings on Facebook with invitations to join social advocacy groups but I see that Sister has now reverted to a neutral stand on the social network. I'm used to having Sister Enda's voice in my head (planted there at the tender age of 13) teaching virtues such as recognizing right from wrong and striving generally to be better human beings. That voice has never said how I should live out those virtues. Hence, to receive notices that Sister Enda is into social activism was rather disturbing.
Nuff said... bring on the mud...
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
How Interesting It Would Be...
... if we had a Prime Minister running the country from county jail...
It was just a funny thought that occurred to me today after reading all the sms alerts, news sites and blogs on the latest appalling state of Malaysian politics. Here are three pieces of news I digested today; (1) the Prime Minister and his Deputy have been accused of corruption by their own UMNO party members from the PJ branch and the accusation is being investigated by the ACA, (2) More said on RPK's site about the unfortunate posthumous celebrity that is Altantuya Shaariibuu and her clandestine links to the DPM and (3) Anwar Ibrahim will formally have sodomy charges brought against him.
Now, think about this...
The DPM is already in a precarious position for the numerous claims of his involvement in the Mongolian murder case. If he is proven to be involved, he could go to jail.
No surprise that Anwar will be brought to court and as a result, there is a real possibility that he could be thrown back into jail.
The Prime Minister is now also being dragged into the fray on accusations of corruption. Last I checked, corruption is a crime and as such, the PM could go to jail.
What I do not know for sure is whether the man or woman who is put in office as Prime Minister is allowed to run the country from behind bars (I do know, however, that it would be rather inconvenient to kiss babies through those bars).
But there you have it. A strange possibility that one, two or all three of them could be thrown in jail. And ALL of them have aspirations to run the country (in the PM's case, I think it remains on his post-honeymoon to-do list since I don't seem to see him actively running it now, imho).
As Alice said in Wonderland, 'curiouser and curiouser!'
It was just a funny thought that occurred to me today after reading all the sms alerts, news sites and blogs on the latest appalling state of Malaysian politics. Here are three pieces of news I digested today; (1) the Prime Minister and his Deputy have been accused of corruption by their own UMNO party members from the PJ branch and the accusation is being investigated by the ACA, (2) More said on RPK's site about the unfortunate posthumous celebrity that is Altantuya Shaariibuu and her clandestine links to the DPM and (3) Anwar Ibrahim will formally have sodomy charges brought against him.
Now, think about this...
The DPM is already in a precarious position for the numerous claims of his involvement in the Mongolian murder case. If he is proven to be involved, he could go to jail.
No surprise that Anwar will be brought to court and as a result, there is a real possibility that he could be thrown back into jail.
The Prime Minister is now also being dragged into the fray on accusations of corruption. Last I checked, corruption is a crime and as such, the PM could go to jail.
What I do not know for sure is whether the man or woman who is put in office as Prime Minister is allowed to run the country from behind bars (I do know, however, that it would be rather inconvenient to kiss babies through those bars).
But there you have it. A strange possibility that one, two or all three of them could be thrown in jail. And ALL of them have aspirations to run the country (in the PM's case, I think it remains on his post-honeymoon to-do list since I don't seem to see him actively running it now, imho).
As Alice said in Wonderland, 'curiouser and curiouser!'
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mission Unaccomplished... well, kinda...
I finally bit the bullet and did it... I went to Perhentian Island with the aim of securing a license as an Open Water Diver. But my nerves had other ideas. Literally.
The story starts about a year back, when I was diagnosed with Cervical Spondylosis:
Cervical spondylosis is a general term for age-related wear and tear affecting the joints in your neck. Also known as cervical osteoarthritis, this condition usually appears in men and women older than 40 and progresses with age. Although cervical spondylosis affects both sexes equally, men usually develop it at an earlier age than women do. -- MayoClinic.com
The result of my affliction are very confused nerves and an extremely knotted neck. Since the diagnosis, I have diligently strengthened the neck muscles with a morning ritual of neck stretches that relaxes me so much, I normally feel like crawling back into bed for a snooze. Hence, I had not given it a first thought, let alone a second, on how it would affect me on a dive adventure.
So, off I went to Perhentian (with mother in tow... a tale that I will leave for another day) and went through the first day with a breeze. On the second morning, it caught up with me. Although I didn't know it at the time, lugging 25kg worth of equipment strapped to my back would have a consequence that finally bear some painful results. Not sure of what I had done to trigger it, I had an excruciating pain shoot through my head like a bullet and if were indeed a bullet, I swear it would have gone through the roof of the head. This happened underwater and when I surfaced, I just about threw up everything except the tail ends of my intestines...
The symptoms were consistent with that of a migraine attack but the difference was that it did not last as long. I was ok after a chuck and a rest and continued again with another dive with no more problems for the rest of the day. Day 3 was a carbon copy of Day 2; it happened again in the morning and by evening I was good enough to continue with the best experience I have had yet with diving... I saw Nemo at home in a spot called Tukas Dalam and that was one modest mission accomplished.
Last day rolls around and I pass theory with flying colours. Time for the final dive and just TWO more skills to perform. We went out to Shark Point, I jumped off the boat first, gear and all. And while I waited for the rest, out of the clear blue sky, it happened again. And this time it was so bad that I knew I had to abort any further thought of diving for the rest of my last day on the island.
With two skills still incomplete, I am a certified Scuba Diver but not yet good enough to dive in Open Water. Now, I know what being caught in limbo means.
After consulting the doctor who first spotted my Spondylosis, my conclusion is that this blog entry is not yet ended. I shall have another one to write come September. But for now, I shall let Spondylosis rest in limbo.
The story starts about a year back, when I was diagnosed with Cervical Spondylosis:
Cervical spondylosis is a general term for age-related wear and tear affecting the joints in your neck. Also known as cervical osteoarthritis, this condition usually appears in men and women older than 40 and progresses with age. Although cervical spondylosis affects both sexes equally, men usually develop it at an earlier age than women do. -- MayoClinic.com
The result of my affliction are very confused nerves and an extremely knotted neck. Since the diagnosis, I have diligently strengthened the neck muscles with a morning ritual of neck stretches that relaxes me so much, I normally feel like crawling back into bed for a snooze. Hence, I had not given it a first thought, let alone a second, on how it would affect me on a dive adventure.
So, off I went to Perhentian (with mother in tow... a tale that I will leave for another day) and went through the first day with a breeze. On the second morning, it caught up with me. Although I didn't know it at the time, lugging 25kg worth of equipment strapped to my back would have a consequence that finally bear some painful results. Not sure of what I had done to trigger it, I had an excruciating pain shoot through my head like a bullet and if were indeed a bullet, I swear it would have gone through the roof of the head. This happened underwater and when I surfaced, I just about threw up everything except the tail ends of my intestines...
The symptoms were consistent with that of a migraine attack but the difference was that it did not last as long. I was ok after a chuck and a rest and continued again with another dive with no more problems for the rest of the day. Day 3 was a carbon copy of Day 2; it happened again in the morning and by evening I was good enough to continue with the best experience I have had yet with diving... I saw Nemo at home in a spot called Tukas Dalam and that was one modest mission accomplished.
Last day rolls around and I pass theory with flying colours. Time for the final dive and just TWO more skills to perform. We went out to Shark Point, I jumped off the boat first, gear and all. And while I waited for the rest, out of the clear blue sky, it happened again. And this time it was so bad that I knew I had to abort any further thought of diving for the rest of my last day on the island.
With two skills still incomplete, I am a certified Scuba Diver but not yet good enough to dive in Open Water. Now, I know what being caught in limbo means.
After consulting the doctor who first spotted my Spondylosis, my conclusion is that this blog entry is not yet ended. I shall have another one to write come September. But for now, I shall let Spondylosis rest in limbo.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Drilling the Molehill for Some Oil
Letter from my alter ego to the Editor of The Star, posted on 24th June 2008 but to date, remains unpublished:
It did get published! Here is the link until it gets removed. And am upset they didn't use my nama samaran!
Dear Editor,
I think PDAM (Petrol Dealers' Association of Malaysia) is making a mountain out of a molehill. Frankly, my first reaction upon reading the SMS alert and then the full reports on The Star Online was “oh dear, another one jumping on the crude oil bandwagon.” Disclaimer: I do not work for a credit card company. Therefore, I stand to gain nothing commercially from supporting the continued use of credit cards at the petrol pump. I am, however, a reluctant credit card user because I use it sparingly except when it comes to filling up at a petrol kiosk.
I use my credit card exclusively at petrol stations because it allows me the convenience of filling up with the least amount of hassle. It saves me an additional trip to the ATM to withdraw cash for the transaction. Which truncates the added danger of losing greater amounts of money should I be mugged (because no one can be too careful in today’s society, can they?). A credit card transaction also makes it transparent and accountable on which all details are automatically recorded and printed. It also makes it easier to reference in case of a dispute. Now, in this day and age of wonderful technology, why would PDAM want to go back to the techno-stone age? For a couple of sen?
Let’s also not forget that credit cards encourage greater spending (which explains my reluctance as a user) at the pump and at the convenience stores that have become ubiquitous at stations. Doesn’t this translate to higher consumer spend at PDAM outlets? Not to mention the convenience of filling a full tank as opposed to being limited to the amount of cash that one has at that point in time. Credit cards now have a built in convenience of loyalty programmes which drives customers back to certain brands petrol only, ensuring repeated and continued patronage.
And it can’t be that just because petrol prices have gone up, that their profit margins are disproportionately affected? I might be wrong on this but I can’t imagine their margins being so absurdly illogical or they might as well just give up the business, right? After all, who can afford to live on fresh air and sunshine these days?
It doesn’t take a genius to conclude this; the propensity of a credit card user to spend more at any petrol station is higher than a cash-only user. And credit card companies are trying to find yet other ways to drive consumers to buy more petrol on plastic. I would imagine that among those who will benefit greatly from all these efforts are the retailers who sell the petrol to these hungry consumers. Surely, that additional 0.8 sen per liter that they must now bear is a small price to sacrifice?
My two-sen worth.
J Lo
It did get published! Here is the link until it gets removed. And am upset they didn't use my nama samaran!
Dear Editor,
I think PDAM (Petrol Dealers' Association of Malaysia) is making a mountain out of a molehill. Frankly, my first reaction upon reading the SMS alert and then the full reports on The Star Online was “oh dear, another one jumping on the crude oil bandwagon.” Disclaimer: I do not work for a credit card company. Therefore, I stand to gain nothing commercially from supporting the continued use of credit cards at the petrol pump. I am, however, a reluctant credit card user because I use it sparingly except when it comes to filling up at a petrol kiosk.
I use my credit card exclusively at petrol stations because it allows me the convenience of filling up with the least amount of hassle. It saves me an additional trip to the ATM to withdraw cash for the transaction. Which truncates the added danger of losing greater amounts of money should I be mugged (because no one can be too careful in today’s society, can they?). A credit card transaction also makes it transparent and accountable on which all details are automatically recorded and printed. It also makes it easier to reference in case of a dispute. Now, in this day and age of wonderful technology, why would PDAM want to go back to the techno-stone age? For a couple of sen?
Let’s also not forget that credit cards encourage greater spending (which explains my reluctance as a user) at the pump and at the convenience stores that have become ubiquitous at stations. Doesn’t this translate to higher consumer spend at PDAM outlets? Not to mention the convenience of filling a full tank as opposed to being limited to the amount of cash that one has at that point in time. Credit cards now have a built in convenience of loyalty programmes which drives customers back to certain brands petrol only, ensuring repeated and continued patronage.
And it can’t be that just because petrol prices have gone up, that their profit margins are disproportionately affected? I might be wrong on this but I can’t imagine their margins being so absurdly illogical or they might as well just give up the business, right? After all, who can afford to live on fresh air and sunshine these days?
It doesn’t take a genius to conclude this; the propensity of a credit card user to spend more at any petrol station is higher than a cash-only user. And credit card companies are trying to find yet other ways to drive consumers to buy more petrol on plastic. I would imagine that among those who will benefit greatly from all these efforts are the retailers who sell the petrol to these hungry consumers. Surely, that additional 0.8 sen per liter that they must now bear is a small price to sacrifice?
My two-sen worth.
J Lo
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