Redang Pics 2

As requested, here are a few more Redang pics along with short little commentaries (shortened lest it might bore some of you busy people) ;-)

This is a shot of our dive company descending. For newbie divers, this part of the dive is the most nerve-wrecking as we have to constantly pace our descent and deal with a host of other problems like our breathing and equalizing our internal pressure with the outside pressure.

These two pictures (above and below) are another two kinds of nudibranches typically found in these waters. These belong to the Phyllididae family.

Eileen (our divemaster) joked that the reason a lot of u/w photographers love to look for nudibranches is that they are rather easy to shoot - they practically just sit there immobile. Hmmmm..... never thought about it that way. Very true in a way.

See that cute little thing that looks like a bubble? That's actually a jellyfish egg. Someone commented that it looked like a small blown up condom .... hehehe

This little critter almost bit my finger. It's a hermit crab which has 'hijacked' a shell for protection. Just in case you can't make it out, its eyes are the two black dots in the right half of the pic. Cute or not?

Headache!!! Hehehe. This pic was taken near the ship wreck off the coast near the Berjaya Redang Resort. It's a small boat and the only thing we could recognise on it were the toilet bowls (not in pic). And the diver in this shot was actually trying to clear his mask, not complaining of migraine.

Remember the "Nemo" pic? Well here is another type of clownfish - it has a different pattern on its body and the orange part is more intense to suit the strong, almost reddish hue sported by the anemone.

Ah.... as we approach the end of out dive (and holiday), Kevin took this 'artistic' shot.... He said it would be suitable as a pc monitor wallpaper. What do you think?

Redang 2006: A Photoblog

I love Redang. There's just something magical about this island that draws me there year after year. True, the natural wonders that had made her famous has been exhausted almost irreversibly by the ever increasing multitudes of tourists that make to her shores annually. However, conservationist efforts are underway to protect whatever's left of the rich and diverse marine life and I believe that in time, Redang will regain its former luster as an underwater paradise.

As for me, I go there at least once a year usually to chill out and also to hone my underwater photography skills. I've been scuba-diving for almost five years now and picked up u/w photography almost by accident - a friend had given me the underwater casing for my digital camera as a birthday present. Ever since then, I've been happily snapping away pictures of corals, sharks, anemones etc whenever I go diving.

Here are a few of them that I have just photoshopped.... Enjoy!


First up, this is the prerequisite "Nemo" picture. Anemones and their bodyguards, the anemone fish are staple inhabitants of tropical coral reefs. Lest you think these cute little fishes are all orange, they actually come in various colours and patterns - from the famous "Nemo" orange to purple, red and even black, depending on the colour of their 'house', the anemone.
This is a staghorn coral, so named due to a resemblance in its shape to stag horns. It is a type of hard coral and is actually made up of millions of tiny individual corals within the pores of the hard calcineous exoskeleton. Its brownish hue is due to the algae that reside within the tiny corals themselves and they all live in a symbiotic harmony that has lasted for millions of years.


Ok, this is a funny one. It's the first time I've ever seen anything like it in all my years of diving. It looks like a type of worm with lots of wriggly appendages that seem to be in motion all the time but never going anywhere. What caught my eye was its distinct blue colour which actually makes it stand out so much - an oddity in this camouflage-crazy marine environment.

According to our divemasters, Eileen and Ping Ping, it's jellyfish season now! Sharon, one of the members in our diving company was actually stung by one while diving and didn't even realise it till we got out of the water and saw the scars on her ankle. I think someone offered to pee on her feet.... eeewwww!

Later, Jan Sher, the uber-dive instructor and fellow u/w photography enthusiast, managed to catch hold of one and we found a hitchhiker on board - this semi-transparent shrimp which was also performing some housecleaning for its gracious host.

Don't squirm. This metre-long creature is actually a Chinese delicacy - the sea cucumber. Ok, maybe not this particular species. The sea cucumber actually performs a very important task in the grand scheme of things - it sucks up the seabed of debris, dead animals and plants (sort of like a marine vacuum cleaner) - and keeps the seabed clean and healthy.

This is a giant clam with its mouth semi closed. Approach it noisily and it will immediately shut its mouth tight. Don't bother looking for pearls in its belly unless you fancy losing a finger or two.

One thing I love about the scuba diving experience is the weightlessness effect - you almost feel like you're flying down there. Belly flops and "crouching tiger"-like stunts are performed with the greatest of ease. Here we see Kevin thinking that he is Superman. Or should that be Aquaman?


This cute little bugger is a nudibranch which is essentially a type of sea slug. They come in a variety of colours and patterns and I am utterly fascinated by the designs on their bodies. We found this fella perched on the railing of a small wreck off the Berjaya Redang Resort. It measured only 1 1/2 inches long and was quite easy to spot due to its colourful body display.

And this is another nudibranch that's orange in colour. Its of a different species than the one above and we found this hanging in the shadowy wall of a coral mound.

Lest you think there are no fish left in Redang, here's a beautiful but deadly fish. It's called a Lionfish due to the distinct reddish stripes on its body. It also possesses stinging appendages on its fins which can immobalise would -be predators and prey. But so cute, right?

This is Kevin, his wife Adele and our divemaster on duty, Eileen floating merrily during our 3-minute stop at a depth of 15 feet to make sure we get rid of all the extra nitrogen from our body before we surface.

Redang isn't all sand and beach. This rocky outcrop tucked away at a corner of Pasir Panjang strikes a beautiful contrast to the white sandy beach next to it and forms a lovely bookend to a picture-perfect tropical paradise.

Ah... imagine sitting on one of these deck chairs at dusk, sipping an ice-cold glass of lemon tea, as you gaze lazily at the sun setting over a pallette of yellow and orange hues above the emerald waters..... Heavenly!

I don't and I like it the way it is, thank you.

I hate weddings. Well, not exactly everything about weddings. I mean, the "I do, you do" part is charming and I always get a kick out of what i call the 'champagne cork-flicking stunt'. It's the wedding banquet I don't particularly love.

Why, you ask? Well, consider this. I'm a 35 y/o single man who is (and I don't mean to sound conceited here) considered a very eligible bachelor. Yet, year after year, I have seen many of my friends and my juniors step up to the altar as I dutifully clap my hands from the sideline when the bride sashays past. So, sometime during the wedding banquet, well meaning relatives, friends and church members will inevitably pop the question : When is it going to be your turn?

I have gone from lying about me being shy to lying about my (nonexistant) girlfriend not being able to make it to lying about having just broken up the week before to just plain staring at these people with my 'death stare'. I mean, come on people! Do you really care about my marital wellbeing or are you, as I suspect, just trying to get a laugh at my expense? It's not funny any more after the guy hits 30, believe me. At least not to the poor guy.

Just the other day, I had to atttend one of these dreaded events that was thrown by one of my church home-fellowship members for his son. As expected, halfway through, someone sitting at my table decided that it was time to grill me about the dreaded state of my singlehood. And to make matters worse, my parents happened to be sitting at the same table as I was. As annoyed as I was when the question came up, I could sense that their uneasiness was even more intense. It was as if their hearts had been stabbed with a thousand arrows and they didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I felt sorry that I had been responsible for making them look like failures in this respect. And because we were all seated in the "church members" table, I couldn't be as cynical or sarcastic as I wanted to be. So I had to play along for fuck's sake and hope that they would drop the subject before long.

"Oh, erm.... she's in KL" and ended that with a loaded look at my mom, who at a moment's cue, backed it up with her own story about how my 'girlfriend' couldn't make it 'this time'.

"Yeah lor.... aiyah, she said her boss needed her to do a presentation....."

Sigh. I just condemmned my mom to hell... again.

I hate weddings.

Holiday pics: Prague Cityscape

Prague is an old soul. Strolling through the charming city streets, one gets the feeling of being let into a nostalgic music club, where the resident band only plays music from a bygone era while the patrons lounge in their comfortable wicker chairs sipping iced tea as they watched the world go by.

I am constantly reminded of Prague's communist past everywhere I turn and yet, it's new capitalistic heart beats loudly and proudly as it becomes the new centre of economic growth in Central Europe. Even in the middle of winter, there is a hive of activity everywhere I turn, and tourists seem to be lapping it all up, albeit in subdued numbers due to the fact that Europe is facing its harshest winter in 50 years .

KFC, Pizza Hut and MacDonald's have already made their mark here, it won't be long before Prague sees the likes of Wendy's, Burger King and TGIF. Which is something of a welcome change I guess since local cuisine is rather unimaginative and erm.. bland. Having said that, the city boasts some really good Italian and Tex-mex restaurants. And the pastas were better than the ones I tasted in Rome. I kid you not!


Perhaps the most captivating landmark here is the Charles Bridge. I hear it's extremely crwoded with tourists in summer, which makes me think that perhaps braving the extreme in the dead of winter here may not be that bad an idea after all. There are a few artists here putting up their very own mini gallery while Eastern European migrants approach the tourists if they would like to buy gold watches or really authentic Czech artifacts - whatever that means.

Gothic and Christian statues line the bridge and provides wonderful photo ops - there's even one (St. John of Nepamuk statue) where if you rub your hands on it, you will get good luck and you shall return to Prague. In fact, it's so popular with luck seekers that there is a spot where it's been rubbed till it shines a bright golden yellow.








I ventured up an old clock tower that afforded me some very charming vistas of Prague skyline. You can see a melange of architecture, from Baroque cathedrals to Gothic spirals, and modern mid-rise office buildings juxtaposed with the pre-war train station.

Even the public transportation system is a study of contrasts. On the one hand, there is modern underground that spans the entire city. It's almost always full and is also used by tourists to get around the main sights. The older locals however prefer the Russian built tram system that criss-crosses the city streets and to my horror, does not stop for anyone that gets in its way.

The Czechs are a very artistic bunch of people and also posses a rather peculiar sense of humour. I guess they take pride in the fact that Mozart once called Prague home and Franz Kafka, arguably the nation's most revered author resided here almost all his life. Statues of Kafka are everywhere, although the likeness is subjective. There are busts of the author that are, quite frankly, rather frightening as well as amusing tribute sculptures too.


This year the Czech republic is having a year-long Mozart celebration in conjuction with his 250th birthday. The highlight of this musical extravaganza is a music festival which sadly only kicks off in spring. Sigh.

Did you know that it can get too cold to snow? Well, it was news to me as i had fully expected to see snow fall from the sky since it was so far below 0ºC. Well, according to Michael, it'll only snow if the temperature is between 5ºC and -5ºC. And since it hasn't gone above -10ºC all week, there wouldn't be any snow. Say what??? So, sadly, this poor "katak bawah tempurung" didn't get to see any snow (although ice from melted snow was everywhere onthe sidewalks and streets from the previous week's blizzard)... until the final day, that is. It finally 'warmed' up to about -4ºC and lo and behold! SNOW!!!! Strangely enough, Michael commented that I didn't seem as excited as some of his other Malaysian friends were when they first saw snow. (You know who you are! hehehe). Ah... my mission in Europe is complete.

All in all, it's been a wonderful fortnight in Europe and I'm happy to end it on a high note here in Prague with some of my dearest friends , Chris, Terry and Michael. I shall be back again for sure, but maybe the next time, it'll be in the spring. Or autumm. Definitely not winter.

Holiday pics: Prague Old Town Square

Every town in Europe, be it big or small must have at least one town square. This is where people of all ages, gender and creed gather for trade, leisure and entertainment. Prague is no exception to this rule. While the city has many public squares all over town, the most popular and famous has got to be the Old Town Square or Staromestske Namesti.

Dating back to the late 12th century, the Old Town Square started it's life as the central marketplace for Prague. Over the next few centuries, many buildings of Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic styles were erected around the market. At the centre of the Old Town Square is the Jan Hus statue, erected on the 6th July 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of the reformer’s death. Jan Hus was a local war hero whose beliefs led his supporters to start the Hussite Wars in the 14th - 15th century.

Another highlight of the square is the Astronomical Clock. Perched on top of the Old Town Hall Tower, this big mechanical clock dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. The highlight of this beautiful construction is the hourly procession of the Twelve Apostles; every hour on the hour, a small trap door opens and Christ marches out ahead of his disciples, while the skeleton of death tolls the bell to a defiant statue of a Turk. I bet there aren't that many Turkish tourists who'd like that. Hehehehe

Strolling in this huge square soon took its toll on our feet, so Chris and I decided to rest our legs in this nice al fresco restaurant. It wasn't too crowded because it's winter and nobody in their right mind would go out strolling in -10ºC weather. Nobody except us... and some Japanese tourists. Ahhh..... nothing like sipping chilled Czech beer in the freezing outdoors.....

Perhaps the most imposing building in all of the square is this building, the Church of our Lady before Tyn. Dominating one side of the Square, this powerful looking, Gothic church with a baroque interior can be seen from all over Prague. The church was founded in 1385 during the tumultuous period when the ‘heretic’ Hussites were slaughtered by the ruling Roman Catholics. The Catholic Jesuits then made the church their own by recasting the bell and replacing the Hussites symbolic chalice with a ten-foot figure of Mary nailed between the towers. One interesting thing about the two spires is that they are not symmetrical. This is characteristic of the gothic architecture of the time, which tried to represent both masculine and feminine sides of the world.

As we weaved through the smalled side streets surrounding the square, we chanced upon a "Sex Machines Museum". Ooh La La. This museum showcased all the various types of machines and gadgets used to make sex more convenient and pleasurable. There was even a small room which showed the one of earliest porn movies ever made. Sorry, I can't put up the pic of it as I might get censored, but rest assured it was really hilarious and exciting at the same time. Try think of Charlie Chaplin making out with Queen Latifah in black and white, and you'll get what I mean.

Holiday Pics: The Jewish Quarter

As is common in most major European cities, there is a sizeable Jewish community living in Prague and most of them can be found in the Jewish Quarter on the northwest part of town. Also knows as Josefov, the Prague Jewish Community has over one thousand years of history and this is the only Central European Jewish town-quarter that survived the holocaust.

We had to buy an admission ticket to enter the historical buildings and view the touristic sights and the ticket came with a yamulka which is a traditional head covering for men. We also had to wear proper / decent attire in order to get in. Well, I guess we won't have any problems in that department.

First up on the tour was the Old Jewish Cemetery. Founded in 1478, it is Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetery. People had to be buried on top of each other because of lack of space. There are about 12 layer and over 12,000 gravestones. 100,000 people are thought to have been buried here. Looking at the mess of tombstones, I am not surprised.

Then, we entered the Old New Synagogue. (There's an old old synagogue but that's been destroyed in the war.) Built around 1270, it is the oldest working synagogue in Europe and one of Prague's earliest Gothic buildings. On the eastern wall is the Holy Ark in which the Torah scrolls are kept, on the walls are Hebrew biblical abbreviations. We're not supposed to take pictures of just about anything inside, but what the heck.

Perhaps the most memorable place in this tour was the Pinkas Synagogue. Founded in 1479 by Rabbi Pinkas this synagogue was rebuilt many times over the centuries. Since after the WWII it has served as a memorial to all the 77,297 Jewish Czechoslovak victims of the Nazis. Their names are inscribed on the walls. There were also various torture devices as well as pictures of Nazi concentration camps on display. Now I can get a glimpse into the full horror that the European Jews went through during the holocaust. "Never again" indeed.

And this is IMHO the most beautiful building in all of Prague - the Spanish Synagague. Built in 1868 the Spanish synagogue was named after its striking Moorish interior. It houses an exhibition showing the life of the Jews in the Czech Republic from emancipation to the present day.

Holiday Pics: Welcome to Prague

It's soooo cold!!!!

Being a Malaysian, my version of cold weather is Genting Highlands where the average temperature is 23ºC plus some wind chill factor. So, when I arrived in Prague, I had no previous impression of what a subzero winter environment would be like. Imagine my horror when I stepped out of the nice 25ºC airport into the -8ºC outdoors. I mean, it was painful to even breathe!

I woke up the next morning in Terry's apartment, and because his place was climate controlled to maintain at a cosy 25ºC, I momentarily forgot that I was in the middle of one of the harshest winter in European history. Seeing the sun was already quite high in the sky, I opened the patio glass door and steeped out into the balcony - barefooted. OHMYGAWD! My memory came back and I think my balls shrunk back into its prenatal position.

Chris loved the weather more than me. In fact, he thrived in it. I really think that he was switched at birth and was meant to be living in Tibet or Sapporo, not Malaysia.

After puting on my winter wear, which consisted of a inner shirt, a jumper, a pair of long johns and a really thick coat which made me look like a lost Eskimo sumo wrestler, we ventured out into Prague city. First stop - Prague Castle.

Also known as Hradcany Castle, it was built around 850AD by the Premyslid Royal family and was the administrative site of Prague for almost a century. It was initially made up of an outer stone wall and inner timber houses but the timber buildings were gradually replaced by stone ones.

The oldest original stone church in Europe, the Basillica of St. George is said to contain the remains and relics of the royal family.

Another impressive building is the St Vitus Cathedral. It's huge and awe-inspiringly beautiful. It contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and is currently the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. This building is an excellent example of Gothic architechture and is the biggest and most important church in the country.

It was really a wonderful experience to be walking within the castle grounds without the throng of tourists who would otherwise fill the area to the brim during summer months. We even managed to take a shot of the palace guards on one of their rounds. They were very impressive and not easily distracted, as we took ouir photos, they didn't even look sideways or bat an eyelid. Talk about dedication!