Welcome 2008!

Its the new year once again and time to set my new year's resolution. Hang on...wait a minute.. I have never (and I mean it, NEVER) had any new year's resolution all these years. Why bother when most of the time I do not even fulfill my own self promises. So be it then, yet another year to spend without any resolutions. Really? Hmmm I think turning over a new leaf would be great this year...hence... I shall make not resolutions but plans...

Looking back at 2007, I think I may have achieved the most.
Cash? tick (Not my first million but lets just say enough for me to spend).
Career? tick (Finally, for a while I do not need to sit for any exams).
Friendships? tick (got to know a whole lot of new friends).
Travels? tick (added a few countries to my travel log).
Health? tick (touch wood, have not been sick the whole year).
Family? tick (its been ever closer and more time spent).

Hmmmm..so that leaves me with possibly the most popular question of all, Love? Well, I don't seem to be able to tick this as yet. Hahaha... perhaps this year would enticed me into having a proper relationship. As in a possible 'leading towards happily ever after fairy tale Shrek like' friendship. Hmmmm.... it does gives me the creeps though. Maybe I am just not ready.

Anyways, moving on to this year, there are a few things in mind that I would like to accomplish. Firstly my own attitude in work (Only the higher being would know what I intend to change in myself). It would be soon that I set foot again on the native land of Sarawak, returning to my old hospital. Not for long though, as I do miss KL and would LOVE to transfer back if and when my application reaches KL. Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to work in the 'all too famously politically run' HKL but instead to somewhere near KL. Malacca sounds good. Even Seremban would do.

I plan to dive more this year if time and my wallet permits to practice on my passion for photography underwater and above water.

I would love to be more patient and ready to give in more easily this coming year. Perhaps Letting Go would be a good idea too.
Not going to complaint about too much work and too little pay. Not going to complaint about the 'nuts' of the government and its policies. Not to complaint is the best.

I definitely will be seeing the new year in a whole new perspective as I have a new pair of eyes! Yes I do mean a new pair of eyes. Not new glasses or some expensive frames. I literally mean new eyes as I have just spend a fortune on correcting my vision with laser. YES!! No need to scramble and look for those cumbersome spectacles anymore when I am on-call! Vanity? Sorry mate, never that but convenience YES! Looks to me like a 2008 6/6 vision!

There are just way too many things to write about what I intend to do for the new year. I think I shall leave it for the next several post since I do have 365 days to go still.

Cheers!

My camera equipments (above water)

(left to right: Nikon D200 with 60mm f2.8 macro lens, Sigma 15-30mm for my Canon EOS30 film, Quantaray lens, Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8, 18-70mm zoom kit lens, 105mm f2.8 VR macro, Canon 28-70mm kit lens, Canon EOS30, background Manfrotto tripod and picture taken with Nikon D70 with Tokina 10-17mm FE lens)

I loved my tokina fisheye zoom lens. In fact i used it so often i tend to neglect the rest of my lenses. Many would feel that the distorted angle makes the pictures weird but i find that it gives it a little more artistic look compared to the normal conventional straight angles.

Here, i took this picture when we (Ronnie, Pei See and Eric) were exploring Bali in a Suzuki Vitara. Notice how i was able to capture the whole interior of the car with my favourite lens?



Mom used to say that i looked like a 'wanna be' pro photographer and the truth still remains. I am still a 'wanna be' trying very hard to learn photography but like any other testosterone raging male, i love gadgets. From Macbooks, Ipods, IPhone, cameras, cars, watches,gadgets, gadgets, gadgets!

And the buying does not stop as i now need a proper dry cabinet to store my equipments.

(will also post my collection of underwater gears in the near future)

Diving with Mantas (Komodo) Part 6

This school of jacks (fishes approximately about 0.5 meters in length) greeted us as we descended next to liberty wreck. I had wanted to take a snap from below the school of fishes to capture a 'tornado' effect but before i knew it, they moved further and made it quite difficult for me to approach. Erm, another reason perhaps was because i wasn't skilled enough. Hehehe



During surface interval, I played with my camera in the resort's pool. I thought this shot may have been quite interesting. Camera held underwater and shot upwards towards the flower with the villa as the background. Too bad it had not capture Mount Agung at the same time.



The following two pictures are of nudibranches. Some kind of sea slugs if you were to ask me. Maybe one can perceived it as snails without the shell and painted with multiple colours. These are invaluable as subjects of photography on a muck dive. When i had started taking pictures of these with my point and shoot, i almost always took pictures from the rear until i was corrected by another fellow photographer. The best view should be frontal potrait. I took these with my 60mm Nikkor Macro about inches away from the subject.

Diving with Mantas (Komodo) Part 5

More pictures from my trip...


Ghost Pipefish. Elusive and uses its camouflage ability to evade any potential predators and photographers.


The entrance of a pub in Ubud.


A Moray Eel. Recent studies suggest that morays has an inner jaw used to further engulf their prey quite similar to those on ALIEN 'the movie'



'Bapak's' family on the day they prayed for the new year as well as their 'mobile' blessing. These are traditional Balinese attire.


Sunset view from live aboard 'Baruna'.


This little boy is at Kuta beach playing with a small little crab in his 'Tupperware' container but very willing to strike a smile and pose for my camera.

Diving with Mantas (Komodo) Part 4

After returning from Komodo I decided to travel to Tulamben, east of Bali to dive there as well since I had already paid for the flight. My sister was kind enough to help me amend the ticket (and I have yet to pay her back). The trip was about 2-3 hours through stretches of roads with handicrafts shops all the way. We took a detour to enjoy some fish satay famous I would say for not only the tasty food but more of the numerous flies around us. Not that the flies deterred us from the meal.


The Villa owned by an Australian which cost about USD20-30 per night. With your own private pool (something not foreign in Bali) and the sea view.



Balinese are known to pray the whole year round. When I was staying there, they were celebrating the 'motor vehicle's' new year. Yes they pray for their 'MOBIL' as well.