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July 31 PassionA few newly certified divers dropped by today, just to chat, and also so we could feed off each others' enthusiasm - I LOVE talking with new divers because everything is so exciting for them, and they have so many questions, and they are so keen. Sometimes people who have been diving for a while get a little jaded, and little things don't excite them anymore. I have in excess of 1500 dives under my belt, and I STILL get excited. Maybe I'm just a big kid.
 The thing that keeps it fresh and exciting for me is this simple fact - I'm still learning!!
Some of my friends and mentors in the dive industry have been diving for more than 20 years, and collectively, they have probably done more than 100,000 dives. Does that mean they have seen all there is to see? Maybe. Maybe not.
But that's not the point, is it? The thing is, it's that one 'perfect dive' that we're after (and I have made so many 'perfect dives'!), a thirst to understand more about marine life, a longing to learn about fish behavior and characteristics, a yearning to be accepted and to be allowed to get within the personal boundaries of a marine creature.
The point is that we make the diving fresh and real and exciting for ourselves - whether you've had 15 dives or 150 dives or 1500 dives or 15,000 dives.
New divers ask me all the time - how can I become a better diver? How do you know so much? And the answer is simple - keep on diving!
Everytime you dive, you learn something new - you observe something different - and all the added experience and know-how that you gain will make you a better, more knowledgeable, diver.
Anytime you need a dive buddy, come ask me, okay??
July 30 On The Road To DomesticityYou know what I've found out about myself in the last couple of weeks? I really enjoy cooking! Oh-kay, you can stop laughing now ...
I know this messes somewhat with my Diva personality - but what the heck - LOTS of things have been going on in my life the past one and a half months that have made me take a step back and re-evaluate the things that are most important, and that mean the most, to me. I have had to re-adjust some priorities - have had to face some issues within myself and work through them - have had to change some external circumstances to reflect the shift of gears on the inside. I'm sorry if that sounds all new-agey and airy-fairy ... just take it as I write it lar!
Being an extremely black and white person - I think I have discovered some grey areas - and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. If nothing else, it has brought about some balance in my previously diva-feminist-bitch views. Heh.
For one, I love cooking! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, as I am a foodie through and through - I love food, I love the presentation of food - but more than that, I love the creativity and the thought that goes into cooking. By saying this, I am assuming, of course, that all cooks - and I'm thinking mostly of my mother and my late grandfather here - put a lot of love into what they do. I assume all chefs do, simply because cooking - like art - is a mainly creative passion - and you cannot do something creative without loving what you do.
Otherwise, it would be a bit like teaching diving, without being passionate about marine life and the ocean environment - it just doesn't work that way, does it?!
However, I am not even remotely domesticated yet - I still detest ironing (there's nothing creative about getting a couple of wrinkles and creases off the clothes you will end up wrinkling and creasing anyway!) - and I doubt I will ever like it.
But I've discovered that the kitchen is now my second most favorite part of the home - second only to my bedroom, which - of course - is my sanctuary. There is just something about standing there with a whole lot of raw ingredients and turning it into something hopefully good - and the reaction from Mel and my dad are all the rewards I need.
I find that kitchen time is MY time - and it allows me a lot of opportunities to reflect and to meditate and to ponder. Which I not only enjoy tremendously, but also find extremely satisfying and inspiring.
Now if only I can get past the fact that I have to clean up after. I still don't like cleaning up!
Healthy Eating HabitsDo you know what I've had today?
2 treat size Picnic bars (all the way from Australia, thanks, Chris and Kim!!)
4 cups of coffee (at last count)
1 bowl of Tom Yam Maggie Mee
3 bites of leftover pasta from last night
1 Magnum almond ice-cream
1 slice of chocolate swiss roll
My god - carbs, caffeine and calories - the three dreaded C's ... like I really needed them!
Where is Norman when you need him?!
July 29 Amazing ...See this awesome critter??
THIS is a dragon shrimp - and I bet there are less than 5% of you guys reading my blog who have seen this.
THIS was spotted at the end of a sunset dive on the house reef at Sipadan Water Village just recently.
THIS is where I'll be in October with my trusty camera.
THIS is what I SO hope to see and capture!
(Photo Credits: Nathaniel Weiss. Divemaster-who-found-the-shrimp Credits: Bobby ... you rock!!)
Mother-Daughter DateTook Mel to watch The Dark Knight - it was an awesome movie, we really enjoyed it!
It wasn't so much the usual good versus evil, white versus black theme - although being a superhero movie, there was certainly some of that - but it also delved into human nature's capacity for both pure versus tainted within ourselves - and how decisions that we make are sometimes greatly influenced by events and circumstances, despite how good our original intentions or hopes may sometimes be. That's about all I can say without giving away the storyline too much!
Plus knowing that I was watching Heath Ledger's final performance was pretty powerful too - he did a stunning job as the Joker.
Read what Mel had to say about the movie. Note: I am not responsible for her warped sense of humor! But please feel free to comment on her blog, I'm sure it will thrill her.
July 27 Gratified!Look what I got ... !!
See the funky artwork on the CD?!
Me happy!
Anyways - if you want the album and have been scouring the stores for it unsuccessfully like I have - then just come see me with your laptops, and you can rip the music off me.
 Instant GratificationIf ANYONE knows where I can get the new Jason Mraz album 'We Sing We Dance We Steal Things' - please let me know!! I have been to three music shops, and they only have his old album ... !! I'm desperate to get my hands on this album!
xoxo July 25 This Makes Me SmileThis song has such a fun beat, and such a cheery, funky tune that everytime it plays on the radio, it starts my feet tapping, and that makes me smile.
Hope it makes you smile too!
July 24 Love Is ...I had a dream last night.
In my dream, there were huge crowds everywhere - it was a kind of fun fair, with game stalls and food stalls and rides - everywhere you turned, there were crowds and crowds of people - queueing up for rides, walking around, waiting to purchase food, sitting down and eating. And I was running around trying to find some ingredients to cook something - and I apparently could not get all the ingredients in one place - so I was going from stall to stall, running up and down, in and amongst the crowd, trying to get what I needed. And I got the sense that people were impatient, as well as a sense of my inability to please them - I remember a rising feeling of panic and things being out of control - but most of all, I remember just an overwhelming sense of chaotic despair.
And then a couch appeared, right in the middle of everything (hey, it was a dream!), and someone was sitting in it - and he patted the seat next to him, and smiled at me. So I sat down next to him, and he put his arms around me - and I leant back into him with the top of my head against the bottom of his chin - and the noise and chaos melted away. And we were sitting there in this companionable silence - not doing anything, not talking - just sitting - and this sense of peace enveloped me.
The symbolism of this dream is not lost on me!
First there is the literal, more obvious, meaning - the cooking and rushing around thing ... heh.
But there is also a second, more figurative, interpretation - that love is a sanctuary against the chaos, and hustle and bustle of the world - that love is, or should be, a place of peace, tranquility, freedom, deep joy - not happiness, but joy - and whether this love comes from another person, or God, or within yourself - is irrelevant. The point is, it's there.
Obviously I am going through an introspective, soul-searching phase right now, but I am not at liberty to say much more at this point.
And yes - the person in my dream had a face. But no, I can't say who it is either. At least not yet.
But folks - I wish all of you Love!
The Prince and the PrincelingThese are two of my absolute favorite photos that I have received thus far because it just shows the sweet and gentle nature of the Prince - and his absolute devotion to his new sibling.
I love my nephews with a fierceness you cannot even begin to imagine! Family is everything !!
July 23 Pat Me On The BackThe Princeling and his mom are home from the hospital, so I guess my mom is now busy with the reason she's there in the first place, and that is to nurture, nurture, nurture. She is a treasure, my mom is - probably the most sacrificial person I know in this lifetime.
Speaking of nurturing, I must admit that - contrary to popular belief - I have been pretty nurturing myself!
I have been getting up at 5:30am every morning for the last two weeks (even though it feels longer than that) - to make a PROPER breakfast for Mel and my dad, AS WELL AS to prepare lunch for her to take to school, as "I would rather die of starvation than eat the school food, mooooooom ..... " As dramatic as she is, and as undomesticated as I am, I can't possibly let my daughter starve to death, now can I?
Let me just make it clear now - even when my mom is in town, my alarm goes off at 5:30am. But there is a tremendous difference between waking up at 5:30am and actually getting out of bed at that time. When I say I 'wake up at 5:30 every morning' - what I mean is that my alarm goes off, and I snuggle further down my sheets and lie in bed for another good 20 minutes or so. This is my quiet time before I start my day - to think good thoughts and happy thoughts and to count my blessings so that I start my day on the right foot. At least I try, but usually it's more of me drifting in and out of semi-consciousness until I can hear the prayers from the mosque - that's my signal to actually get out of bed.
But - and I'm proud of this, so accolades are most welcome - I have actually been COOKING at 5:30-ish in the mornings - slicing and dicing and grilling and frying ... !! A regular Naked Chef, minus the crinkly eyes and endearing lisp!
While that still doesn't make me even one tenth as perfect as my Saint Mom - it's a start, ain't it??!
July 21 ContentmentSpent a couple of hours at MPH and Borders today, just browsing, which was really nice. Saw a few books I want to get - sometime soon lah, I'm still reading those I have now, and am no where close to finishing any of them!
And now I'm sitting here, by the poolside, with my take away Starbucks Venti Latte - not even Grande, but Venti (so greedy!) - listening to Alanis Morisette, in her full teenage angst glory (!) - and just having some ME time.
Which I am SO enjoying. July 19 Torn T-shirtDad approached me with a t-shirt in his hands yesterday evening.
I look at him, look at the t-shirt.
"There's a tear in the sleeve," he goes. Smiles at me.
I look at the t-shirt, look at him.
I'm thinking, "So?"
He's looking at me expectantly. Then it dawns on me. I say, "You're not expecting me to mend it for you, are you? I can't even thread a needle."
Slowly but surely the realization hits him.
He overcompensates madly for his oversight, "No. NO! I'm not asking you to fix it! NO! Chuh! NO! Why would I ask you to fix it? NO!"
I raise my eyebrows and look at him.
"I was just ..... showing it to you," he lamely trails off.
Dad walks away. I call after him.
"I'm not like your wonder woman wife, you know!"
July 17 I'm in love!Here are some photos of my new baby nephew ...
Do these pictures make you go Awwwwwwwwwww or what??! I was wondering before how I would divide my love between the Prince (whom I adore with my whole heart) and his new sibling ... and now I realize that Love can never be divided ... only multiplied ... And my heart is about to BURST with love for the three kiddos in my life.
The Prince has a Sibling!I'm a Tai Yee again, to another lovely baby boy, born this morning at about 10am, Aussie time ... !!! Will post a picture of the little darling as soon as I can!! July 16 New RoutineThis has been my routine for the last two days, since mom left for Adelaide ...
5:15 am Wake up with a start when alarm rings, hit snooze button.
5:20 am Hit snooze button again.
5:25 am Throw alarm clock across the room.
5:45 am Search for alarm clock battery cover and batteries, and replace.
5:55 am Use the bathroom.
6:00 am Wake Mel up.
6:02 am Stumble into kitchen, turn on light, blink at the brightness, stare blankly into space.
6:10 am Pull open fridge door, stare blankly into fridge, take out cereal.
6:12 am Fill kettle, plug in kettle, turn on swtich, stare blankly at kettle.
6:20 am Scoop Milo into cup, spill half of it, curse, wipe away Milo, take out milk from fridge, spill half the milk, curse.
6:30 am Shit Shit Shit, running behind schedule.
6:31 am Rush into Mel's room, get her out of bed (we're obviously not morning people), help her change into school uniform.
6:38 am Collect dirty clothes from laundry basket and chuck into washing machine. Put washing detergent into fabric softener dispenser, and fabric softener into washing detergent dispenser. Forget to add bleach. Forget to press start.
6:50 am Nag Mel to hurry up.
6:55 am Try and locate car keys and house keys.
7:00 am Find them behind sofa. Unlock the door. Go out. Lock the door. Unlock the door again. Run in. Press start on the washing machine.
7:05 am Finally on the road.
7:45 am Arrive home from sending Mel to school.
7:50 am Wash breakfast stuff and clean the kitchen.
8:00 am Make the beds.
8:20 am Make myself a coffee (well-deserved), read the newspaper.
8:45 am Take a shower.
9:15 am Unlock door, go out, lock door, get to car, unlock car, get in, start the engine. Shit, forgot to hang out laundry.
10:00 am Get into the shop.
..........................................
Five hours from the time my alarm rings to the time I actually get to the dive shop is too long. July 14 Remember, and LAUGH!This blog entry is dedicated to Doreen, Albert, Shen, and the five Selayang uncles ....
During the day ...
At night - with a confused and dazed pigeon - a group of surprisingly caring and gentle old men - and a fly-by drop-off ...
Doesn't bird crap on the head signify good luck?? It must be true, because the next day was ...
(Pictures are copyrighted and used with permission, thanks Stickgal!)
July 12 World's Best MomI have the greatest mother in the whole world.
For the last three days, I have come home from work, and the house has been smelling great - like a restaurant kitchen - and there has also been more garbage to take out at the end of the day.
So unable to contain my curiosity anymore, I asked my mom last night, "What's going on, mom?" ...
She grinned at me, as if to say, "What took you so long to ask??!" ...
And then she beckoned me to follow, headed towards the kitchen, straight to the fridge ...
And she pulled open the freezer door, and this sight greeted me ...
My mother - who will be leaving for Australia in a few days because my sister's 2nd child is due, and who will be away for a month and a bit - has been slaving away in the kitchen for the last 3 days, cooking up a storm, and DEEP FREEZING food for us so that we will be well taken care of when it comes to dinner.
She put them in containers, enough for one meal for dad, Mel and me per container - and then even bothered to LABEL the containers.
Just look at this ...
I didn't even take photos of everything that was in there ... just what was within easy reach ...
So in a way that only mom can do - she is simultaneously taking care of two families, spanning thousands of kilometers apart - all at the same time.
Now tell me that doesn't deserve a Mother of the Year award!
July 10 Pining for the ocean ...I have uploaded some pictures from Bee Yong which she took before her camera went bust on her ...
For more of her pictures, please click HERE!
Thanks, Bee Yong! |
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