Harry & friends and Aur

Diving at Aur last weekend was fun! Despite having to help out with the OWC, battle a real wicked current at Kador, almost got my thumb dislocated by a panicky student and flooded my dive light before night dive, I still find the trip pleasant & enjoyable 

I think its because I dun need to tie the buoy (*evil laugh*) for the training dives, got a mobile strobe for my night dive and I met my favourite Harry and his friends (Johnny and a vain little cuttlefish)!

Oh yea... Alex tried to throw me off the boat but I managed to swing from one side of the rope to the other side and back onto the boat again!  Mathiaz carried me and jump off the boat so i reali got wet this time. *sharks*

Ooo.. i miss my Harry. can't wait to be back there to see him

PESS at Dayang

Diving last weekend was FUN! In fact it havn't been more fun than that.  I get to dive with the PESS peeps. The feeling is so cosy We were in luck too to see cuttlefish, bumpheads, porcupine fish, puffers, star gazer, turtles, barracuda, shrimps, stingray, moray eel and lotsa nudi! I havn't seen so much stuff over a weekend like this.

We kungfu fight in the water too. William and Mark tried to take off my fins and escape. Alex came to my rescue. He held onto Mark's fins even when Mark flood his mask. Mark actually thought Alex would help him bully me but nah.... Alex is MY buddy and bro in PESS. We are one family  Family always help one another.

The dive at Rayners Rock scared the owc a fair bit. Instead of seeing the nice coral garden and resident bumphead parrot fish, they encountered diving in Hantu-like conditions - dark, poor viz. My bad for not aborting the dive right from the start. So for 5 minutes or so the divers were lost in the waters. Thank God for bringing all of them back up safely  or I would have felt worse.

Surface intervals were cool. William and Mark celebrated my 100th dive for me. I was so touched by the gesture - chocolate cake 'imported' from the mainland, and, the beer snorkelling experience.

Never felt more blessed diving. Can't wait to do it again with the PESS family

Aur (Jun '07)

What's up with the titan triggerfish at Dayang / Aur these days?! I got chased by the same fish twice at the same dive site (Rayners Rock) yesterday. Gosh it was scary 'cos I din wana have to fight it at all. 

Titans at Dayang are usually ok even if you go close to them. But this week they seem extra grumpy  No good... 'cos they are not approachable at all and they are very territorial.

At Crocodile Rock, I would have headed straight into a Titan nest if Alvin had not alerted me with his 'duckie-horn'. The Titan at Crocodile Rock was even bigger than the previous one at Rayners Rock. Amusingly, just after I avoided it, Dominic went right into it and all of us got to see the whole scene of Dominic vs Titan. The scene was so entertaining it as if the fight between the two had been choreographed.

Apart from the excited from meeting Titans, the last two dives at Aur were pretty fun (Thank God for the littlest fun on the last day of the dive!). I found these things and they are enough to give me the thrills

Growing up

I called my other (the older of the two younger) brother out for dinner together yesterday. Its been about 15 years since we went out with each other alone so I felt a deep sense of accomplishment having done that (Good job, Minna ).

Many things have changed since the last time we went out. In those days, he was shorter than I was; we used to go on dutch or he'd borrow money from me; we usually end up bickering over something.... but yesterday he was a LOT taller than me (a friend that we ran into even thought that I was the younger sibling); we didn't go on dutch, I just treated him; and we didn't bicker.. not anymore  !

(Bro had 7 slices of pizza. Minna had 2 slices. 1 slice left sitting on the pan.)

Bro: Can you take the last slice?

Minna: (Thought twice) ... ok...

(Sawed off the tip of the pizza and chewed then past the remaining piece on bro's plate..)

Minna: Nah... you finish it. I'm full.

Bro: Huh?! You ate so little! Burp.. I'm full too...

Minna: Okiez.. half! (Minna cuts pizza slice into half and took one half of it.. )

Had it been 15 years ago... the scene would have been us fighting for more pizza slices each.

And one more thing was different from back then -  he is going to get married already! Yea, so our converation was *ah hem* about more grown-up stuff such as his future plans, considerations of a career... no more kiddo talk.

I called my kindergarten teacher cum our ex-tutor after our dinner. I wanted to ask her out for coffee because we were very near where she is staying. Bro was surprised and added that he wana invite her to his wedding. Anywayz, the first time I tried calling her mobile, the call failed. 15mins later I tried calling her mobile again. This time there was a ringtone and she answered. What she told me next was shocking.

Miss Tay: Hi! I have been wanting to catch up with you too! Aww.. but I'm going out in about 30 mins. Still, you can come over to my place if you want... 

Minna: but ur going out really soon. umm...

Miss Tay: Aiya but next week I'll be really busy with my operation. (Minna was puzzled.) Doctors found a growth in me. A small one. So small that it must have been overlooked by doctors. Thank God it was discovered very early. Hope that there's just one of it and not anymore. Guess we just have to trust that God is in control....

Minna: Is it cancerous?

Miss Tay: (Reluctantly) Yes.. (sounding more scared now) hopefully it hasn't spread. Got to have it removed early That's why got to trust God. Pray for me ok?

I smsed both my bros to ask them to pray together after my conversation with Miss Tay. The older of the younger bro replied and we're gona visit Miss Tay after her op next week. His 1st remark was 'Huh? Why so sudden?'

Well. Indeed. Things can happen just this suddenly. My ride home was accompanied by a feeling of death, fear and loneliness I've never felt before. I felt the remorse and fear that I will wake up each morning learning that another person who is related to me has gone before I have loved or spent time with him / her enough.   

When we were kids and teenagers, all we see is friends having birthday parties and family vacations. Now as young adults, we witness friend's marriages  as well as friend's divorce  illness and death of relatives, friends...  

Is this what growing up is like? If so then I really wish to stop growing right here....

25 May '07

I bought this book today. It cost me a bomb - $75. But I find it so cool (well it has to be right since it cost me 75 bucks ) Its the easiest book to read / study ever 'cos its all pictures! I've havn't felt so excited about a book in a long time  Now I feel so studious.. so scholarly.. intellectual ('cos I jus invested in a book  which I think i'm gona really study...)

Anywayz... I went shopping at Oceanic today and had a chat with the course director for Naui. He's a real friendly old man. So sweet and so cute. After chatting with him at the shop, I started thinking on my way home what I'd do if I were a Tai-Tai. Can you guess? a) Be a good mother and wife at home, b) Do a PhD, c) Play tennis, swim, skate and run everyday, or, d) Be a dolphin trainer at Sentosa? Ans: D.  Yah I so wana be a dolphin trainer if I'm a Tai-tai cos the job is so fun! You get to play with dolphins and feed or be with the other creatures in the Underwater World. But the trainers are paid peanuts. You can't actually survive on what the Underwater World pays you so you realli need to be rich like a tai-tai if u wana take up that job.

Oh and I had a dream about Zam this morning....

It was scary...

No I don't wana tok abt it anymore *scream*

Now I should go to bed. Just chatted with Ian on msn for sooooo long. Tired.

Nitez!