Bambi's Birthday Dinner Party

Hey all, these are some of the pictures I took during Bambi's birthday dinner party on the 27th...check them out!!

Talk about ironic: Here is Richard Biddle, a New Zealander living and working in Malaysia and Bambi, a Malaysian living and working in New Zeland. They were classmates in NZ. They were also bandmates. On the pic below, that's Clare (i think) with Richard.

That's Bam with her Aunty Lilian, whom provided the recipe for really good pandan chiffon cake, which Bambi baked for the diner party...she told me that people in NZ called it 'the green cake', much to her disapproval.

The B-gang members (ask Bam what it's all about in detail...but basically, it's

an antecedent high-school, socially-oriented, non-profit unofficial organization which was conceived spontaneously out of friendship and camaradarie back in 1991...thereabouts ) :

Dayan Selvarajah, Bambi and me. We missJay Win, Jay Kim, Mark Lee and Syamel, the other members of the B-gang. Jay Win's in New Zeland (not to far away from Bambi's place), married with kids. Jay Kim 's in the UK (he was also in New Zealand and is gone to UK for a while to advance his professional qualifications) and I lost touch with Syamel long ago...Those days were great guys and gals. Never would have enjoyed school life without you all around.

Willie (Dayan's significant other) and Bambi

Divers' corner:
Lim Boon Wei, Bambi (discovery diver) and Eric Lee. We missed Kim and Adeline who were with us at Tioman on the 14th to 15th October. You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my postings under the title 'Tioman Rendezvous'

More divers:
Asther Lau, our beloved diving instructor flanked by Eric Lee on the left and Mike Dolan on the right.

'Empat Sekawan':
Eric Lee, Yee Boon (my buddy in the water), Francis Tan (my other buddy in the water) and me. All divers...

Bambi's parents with Bambi and Uncle Ting's (I think...not very good with names) family

Bambi's contemporaries and ex-class/schoolmates:
Group pic: Azlan, Lee Meng, Bok Seong, Bambi, Adrian Tan, Cameron, Haris and Patrick Lim
Single pic: Luke

Last but not least, you guys need to check this out (below)...courtesy of yours trully...*he he he*...

Hey Bam...sorry... just had to do it...

I simply had to take a macro shot of Miss Lee ala 17 from her yearbook and wal -la...instant spoof.... yup yup, that was our Bambi when she was 17...interesting isn't it...*grin*...love those glasses, Bam.

Janice & Raymond

October 20th.

The conjugational celebrations or celebrations of conjugation of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Chia...Janice & Raymond. A happy couple who had their wedding dinner at the Sheraton Subang.

Mum and I were late for the function...Bad traffic and all that..

Made it just in time for dinner though...

I never enjoyed going to wedding dinners at all...thought the melodrama was nauseating and the routine to much for me to stomach...but nowadays, I really don't mind. Somehow, every dinner I've been, I'd meet someone I know or someone whom I've not kept in touch for a while...for that reason, the surprise which comes about makes the evening worth it.

For example, here's Dayan Selvarajah and his other half, Willie (seated). Dayan was my classmate back in 91-92...so long ago...I was lingering in the reception area taking a shot of scotch when I heard a familiar voice over the speakers...then it dawned upon me that Bambi had told me that Dayan was MC at a wedding dinner...I was pleasantly surprise when I found out it was Raymond & Jan's dinner...

The happy couple...

Here's mum with some of her friends


Dayan saying hello to mum again after about 10 years...

The 'Yum Seng' session on stage...

Tioman Rendezvouz (Part 2) - Discovery Scuba!!!

Well, after returning from our dives at Pulau Ceh Beh and Malang Rock, it was time for the newbies to take their first breath underwater... Uncle Chong, Kenny and of course, Bambi...after a quick bite of course... *he he he*...

Man, these were waterbabies if I ever saw any...really natural!! ... and in no time, they were taking to the environment after a quick briefing from Asther Lau...

All went well, except for Uncle Chong's near- panic moment at the surface and Bambi's troubling left ear which she could't really get to adjust to the water pressure...well Bam, practice, practice, practice... in any event, we couldn't go deeper than 2 to 3 meters...

Yee Boon and I assisted to make our discover scuba candidates get used to their new surroundings...check out the pics... Yee Boon was a natural leader... Uncle Chong on one side and Kenny on another, all clasping arms with each other...way to go buddy!! I suspect YB will eventually make a good DM (divemaster)...




At the end of the exercise, all that remained were triumphant faces and looks of accomplishment...just check out Kenny's and Bam's smiles... *grin* ... Yes!!! We did it !

After that, YB and I decided to go on a 'fun dive' since we had a whole lot of air left in our scuba tanks...we didn't go very deep though...but the dive was not regrettable...YB was lucky enough to spot this huge puffer fish... I was just trailing behind our rambunctious friend when he suddenly went 'uh uh uh'...the YB grunts to tell ya he's seen something...*ha ha ha*... plus, I got this real cool shot of a juvenile stingray gliding across the sea bed ...all in all, a fruitful dive...


After we returned to shore, Francis' group of leisure divers..Mike Dolan, Adeline, Kim, Lim and Eric came back by speedboat not too long after...whilst we were doing a shore, they were at Pulau Soyak, a tiny little island near the northern village of Kg. Salang in P. Tioman...Soyak boats 2 wrecks and many, many macro life... currents are usually strong on the north-east side of the island...

Soon, we were preparing to go fill up our straving tummies after a long day in the water...but that's another story...

Tioman Rendezvouz - 14th to 15th October (Part 1)

(Left to rite: Mike Dolan, Adeline, Francis and Bambi Lee)

Wow...what a fantastic weekend! I just got home from Tioman, having before that, chatting with Bambi's parents and showing the family all the cool shots I got on my digital compact.

Our journey began on the 13th. Asther had left on the 12th nite with the first group, consisting of Kim, Lim and Eric Lee. Yee Boon and I were dying to get out of the office to make the trip. Francis, Mike Dolan and Adeline was waiting for us, plus, we had to attend a firm dinner...what I call "face showing exercise". Over that, I had to pick Bam up and meet up with the the 2nd group by 8.30pm. YB on the other hand need to pick up his fellow Alor Setarians, Kenny Chong and his dad, Uncle Chong. After a quick bite at Mcdonalds Centrepoint, Mike and I had to meet YB who had left and on route to Ayer Itam, the exit from the PLUS Highway to Mersing, a once quitge fishing village, the point of departure to Tioman Island.

After Ayer Itam, the fun started...two way radios!!! YUP....ALL THE CARS had one and we exchanging jokes one after another... We were all in stiches...I made a wager with Francis that we'd make it from AI to Mersing in 1 1/2 hours...he on the other hand said in 1 hour 15... the stakes...ROTI CANAI for everyone at Tioman the next morning...I WON, but we have yet to have our Roti Canai... *he he*...well anyway, we all reached Mersing about 12.40am on the 14th and crashed for a few hours at the Embassy Hotel...while YB and I proceeded to the nearest mamak to have supper...*grin*...at 2.00am!...naturally...

(Uncle Chong, Kenny and Yee Boon)

Left pic, Yee Boon and Francis exchanging notes and doing some male boding and on the right, Yee Boon as Hawkman

We reached Kg. Tekek in Tioman at around 9 nish the next morning. Diving started about 10.30...checked in at Barbura Beach Resort and headed to sign on for the dive at Tioman Reef Divers, managed and operated by Reeno Chiew and his wife, Akimi...

Bambi and Kim having a light moment...

Upon leaving for our first dive...we left Bam ath TRD with Uncle Chong and Kenny to make their snokelling trip to Pulau Renggis, just a little further down from the resort...accesible by speedboat...that is...it was Bambi's first snorkelling trip...and from what we heard from her after that, we suspect that she was born to do this...

First destination...Ceh Beh island, a small but wonderful diving spot at Pulau Ceh Beh... excellent dive...hardly any current and superb visibility...this dive was really good...lots of pellagic and macro life...my camera's shutters were never idle...YB was amongst one of my favourite underwater camera subjects... not at my own accord, of course...our friend felt like a primadonna all of a sudden... *ha ha*.

In midwater, YB Tan gestured (picture above) for me to activate the video mode on my camera...for a moment there, I could have sworn the said, " there's a sea snail attached to my crack behind"... *ha ha*. Incidentally, we did make some underwater videos...eat your heart out NGC!!

Yee Boon

YB with the Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish

YB and Kim doing some fishing...and judging from the prospects...I guess divers should just stick to diving

After a great dive at Ceh Beh, we sped off to Malang Rock... on route, we met up with Reeno Chiew of TRD (Tioman Reef Divers) to get out fresh supply of compressed air...then, we took like a 30 minute or so surface interval to 'de-gas' after the first dive. In the interim, sandwiches were provided and YB decided to do some fishing with a diving mask...not quick enuff buddy!!! Not even with Kim attracting the multitudes of damsel fishes and parrot fishes...*he he*

Jellyfish

Clown anemone fish

Diving ended at about 2pm and we headed to shore...

During the next instalment of this posting: Bambi Lee, Uncle Chong and Kenny's first DISCOVER SCUBA experience!! (Part 2 of the 'Tioman Rendezvous')

Coming soon....

Air of Discontent - October 9th

Source; check out the StarOnline to keep yourself updated on the worsening haze situation shrouding our nation.

STATE

AREA

TIME 1 1.00 am

TIME 5.00 pm

SELANGOR	Gombak	127*	128*
	Pelabuhan Kelang	131*	121*
	Petaling Jaya	139*	132*
	Country Heights, Kajang	158*	145*
	Shah Alam	145*	140*
	Kuala Selangor	181*	165*
W.PERSEKUTUAN	Kuala Lumpur	159*	155*
	Putrajaya	171*	156*
	Labuan	49*	51*

I tell you, the air pollution index is getting worse by the day. UNHEALTHY. These were the latest readings taken from the Department of Environment as of yesterday.

I thought I noticed the sky getting gloomier in the morning. Driving the Court and back seemed like driving to Genting Highlands, minus the cold air and mist. My plea to the Indonesia government; "please do something about the fires and have your neighbours' welfare in mind"...

At this rate, I have to find my misplaced industrial mask with activated charcoal filters to stave of a lung infection or other respitory doldrums.

Asther posted a picture of the scenery (click here) from her apartment, which is self-explanatory. Certainly not a prety sight...*gasp*...must have air!!!

Hey ya know what?...Life's too good when you have friends around

I've been blessed by many good friends in my life... most of which are here, in Malaysia, but I have some friends all the way in the Maldives, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong... I don't know what motivated me,these wee hours in the morning, but something compelled and moved me to post this blog... a collage of a mere representation of my mates, compadres, buddies, partners...in whatever words ...all decribed as "my friends"... an ode to all of you...

Gone are the days where I harbour a morbid desire to see the demise of mankind...for, even if all our trials and tribulations, one thing will remain steadfast and constant...we'll always have each other...whether we be far or near, it doesn't take a moment's notice to relate and to enjoy our mutual company...something that I could always count on...

For as the sun will surely rise as it will sure set, I have but my friends to get me going for the next day...thank you God for my friends...now, I can sleep in peace, knowing that I will never live a desolate life without friends and You.