The cock crows heralding a new day
Life is stirring as God's creatures awaken
Awakened from their peaceful slumber
To scatter forth in search of sustenance
The dawn sky is turning pink over the horizon
Yet still, man sleeps
Sleeping the sleep of the dead
Uncaring of the beauty of life's awakening
Midday, midday be the time
When God's creatures seek His Bounty
Birds soaring high in the sky
While the lizards sun on the stones below
The bees are buzzing from flower to flower
Man too buzzes from place to place
In the city or the countryside
Eking out a living by whatever means possible
Trucks and cars moving about the land
Ships in the ocean and planes in the sky
The sounds of horns, drilling and pounding
Blaring across the land
Noise loud enough to wake any sleeping soul
Yet still, man sleeps
Sleeping the sleep of the dead
Unmindful of the effects of his activities
Wasteland stood where lush forests used to reign
Oil slicks cover what once were clear blue waters
Grey smog dims the bright sunshine
Sea, air, land, is there none untouched?
The sun is setting, dusk settling over the earth
Birds coming home to roost
Their outlines clearly marked by the sun
As it lights up the horizon with hues of pink and violet
So too man arrives home after a long day's work
Sitting back in his lounge chair,
Turning on the television,
As he savours the food before him
Yet for all that motion, he is sleeping
Undisturbed in his slumber
Blind to the flight of time
Another day is gone, another night has arrived
When oh when will he be awakened
The day will come when his awakening will be too late
The day of rude awakening
The day when none can help himself, much less his family and friends
Awaken, oh sleeper
Arise, oh slumberer
Awaken! Arise! For the day of reckoning is near
In the darkness of the night when all the creatures slumber
Awaken and arise, to meet your Creator.
Friday, 28 March 2008
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Some photos from the dive, part 1
Here are some of the photos from the dive. The underwater photos are not mine since I don't have an underwater camera.
A nudisbranch, I think, taken by our divemaster, Jeff.
A nudisbranch, I think, taken by our divemaster, Jeff.
My brother, Zikri, with all his personal diving gear.
Front centre: One of our instructors, Jimmy. Behind him are all the NS boys and my brother who are taking their open water license.
Cute frontal view...are those lips?
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Near Drowning Experience
"Say that I am mortal, as you are. It has been revealed to me that your Lord is one God. Let all those who hope to meet their Lord, do what is right, and worship only him."-Qu'ran, Al-Kahf, Chapter 18:110
It came to me how mortal I am on the recent trip to Tioman. Went there this Friday and just came back Sunday afternoon. I was supposed to do my open water certification there, but really while things on the first day were going on well, things got out of hand the second day. Before going on to the second day, let me just describe a bit on the first day.
We arrived at about 8 plus am and had to wait till the afternoon for the first dive. So, given that I hadn't had any sleep the past night, I had a rest first while the others went snorkling. Maybe I should have gone with them to build up my open water confidence but I don't think I was really worried about depth so much.
Anyway, we went for our first dive in Marine Park to explore the wrecks. Rigging up on a rocking boat is very different from the pool dive experience and similarly doing the jump from the boat. Given I hate heights, had to overcome my fear of jumping. However, once in the calm water, I was fine and we went down by line descent to about 60 feet. The visibility wasn't that great, maybe around 5 to 10 m and there were a lot of "dust" being kicked around as we learn to find our bouyancy control. We didn't see much of the sea creatures but there were schools of small fishes and some bigger (and more colourful) fishes around the wrecks. Besides I managed to go very close to the wrecks and see what were developing on wrecks.
Our second dive was a night dive. That was challenging...we were diving at Renggis and we were supposed to do a free descent. However, the current was strong and we were swept away. In fact, two of our party, Ivy and Chee Weng, got lost and it was quite scary since we had only the lights to guide us. But at last we got together and managed to descend. At night, visibility is poor and you can't see much of the colours on the corals as you would during the day. We did see lots of sea urchins and a few barracudas plus some other smaller fishes and sea cucumbers. Night diving is definitely more challenging as I keep mistaking someone else as my buddy and bouyancy control is not as easy (well for me anyway).
But overall both dives were fun and exciting. It was on the second day that things went awry. We went off in the morning to Magician Rock. The water was very choppy and current was really fast. I jumped out of the boat and immediately got swept away from the boat. The waves made me quite seasick and a little panicky. So I aborted my dive while the rest went down. Unluckily for me, the water was really very clear and there were lots to see down there.
Anyway, we moved on to Labas and after about 30 minutes surface time for the others, we went for another dive. This time, I managed to go down (again free descent) and it was worth it. Went to about 60 feet max and saw really lots of interesting stuff. Once, our dive instructor caught hold of one turtle who was curious enough to swim close to us and we got to touch it. I managed to spot a sting ray on the sea bed and pointed it to my buddy, Beverley. We also saw a couple of dogfishes, clown fishes and really a range of hard and soft corals. Saw a giant clam too with fishes swimming in and out of it. Then our instructor took us through the little "holes" of the rock formations and we spotted a blue spotted sting ray. Just as we emerged, we were confronted by a school of fishes (in Malay, they are called Kerisi...not sure the English name).
So I was enjoying the view while keeping an eye on my gauge. Saw that it was below 1000 and indicated to my buddy and diving instructor. The instructor told me that I had at least about 20 minutes of air and we were close to the surface since we were decompressing. But a few minutes later, I felt myself rising above the rest and tried to signal to Beverley. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach her or the others. When I tried to take a breather to swim to her, I found myself out of air. Since I was about two metres from the surface, I made a choice to go up to surface. Wrong choice coz I panicked on the surface since I couldn't see anyone and the boat was far away. I totally forgot my training to ditch the weightbelt and do bobbing. By the time Beverley, Ivy and Chee Weng arrived on the surface, I was in full blown panic mode. I was gasping for air as I can't seem to stay afloat and drank in quite a bit of sea water. I really thought I might die then.
Thank god for them as they managed to pull me to the lifebuoy that the boatmen casted out. This incident taught me a few things in diving:
1. Always check your gauge/equipment; make sure that it is not faulty.
2. Have your buddy nearby because you never know when such emergency cases can arise.
3. Don't panic; before diving in and even while diving, ensure you rehearse the safety procedure and follow it.
Can't emphasise more on safety...make sure your equipment is well maintained. My gauge was faulty as it didn't go below 500 when the tank was empty.
Anyway, once I got back on land, I went to pray; really God was merciful and saved my life through Chee Weng and Beverley. We had a good long rest and then went out for an afternoon dive. I was resolved to get back in the water to concur my fears but as fate would have it, the moment I was about to dive, I heard a leak in my bc. Told my instructor but he reassured me that the leak was little and I shouldn't have much problem with it. So, taking his word, I jumped down into the water. Upon my emergence, there was a loud bang and hissing behind me. The pressure gauge hose burst. I can't tell you the fear that drove into me. Already I had nearly drowned earlier because of the gauge and now with the burst hose and bc leak, it really overwhelmed me. So I stayed on board while the rest went down.
So all in all, I only did three dives in total. I still want to dive but this time, I think I'll make sure that the equipment is good and a good buddy is with me. Hopefully, my future sister-in-law might want to learn; if so, I wouldn't mind taking it with her.
That's it for now.
Peace,
Sid
It came to me how mortal I am on the recent trip to Tioman. Went there this Friday and just came back Sunday afternoon. I was supposed to do my open water certification there, but really while things on the first day were going on well, things got out of hand the second day. Before going on to the second day, let me just describe a bit on the first day.
We arrived at about 8 plus am and had to wait till the afternoon for the first dive. So, given that I hadn't had any sleep the past night, I had a rest first while the others went snorkling. Maybe I should have gone with them to build up my open water confidence but I don't think I was really worried about depth so much.
Anyway, we went for our first dive in Marine Park to explore the wrecks. Rigging up on a rocking boat is very different from the pool dive experience and similarly doing the jump from the boat. Given I hate heights, had to overcome my fear of jumping. However, once in the calm water, I was fine and we went down by line descent to about 60 feet. The visibility wasn't that great, maybe around 5 to 10 m and there were a lot of "dust" being kicked around as we learn to find our bouyancy control. We didn't see much of the sea creatures but there were schools of small fishes and some bigger (and more colourful) fishes around the wrecks. Besides I managed to go very close to the wrecks and see what were developing on wrecks.
Our second dive was a night dive. That was challenging...we were diving at Renggis and we were supposed to do a free descent. However, the current was strong and we were swept away. In fact, two of our party, Ivy and Chee Weng, got lost and it was quite scary since we had only the lights to guide us. But at last we got together and managed to descend. At night, visibility is poor and you can't see much of the colours on the corals as you would during the day. We did see lots of sea urchins and a few barracudas plus some other smaller fishes and sea cucumbers. Night diving is definitely more challenging as I keep mistaking someone else as my buddy and bouyancy control is not as easy (well for me anyway).
But overall both dives were fun and exciting. It was on the second day that things went awry. We went off in the morning to Magician Rock. The water was very choppy and current was really fast. I jumped out of the boat and immediately got swept away from the boat. The waves made me quite seasick and a little panicky. So I aborted my dive while the rest went down. Unluckily for me, the water was really very clear and there were lots to see down there.
Anyway, we moved on to Labas and after about 30 minutes surface time for the others, we went for another dive. This time, I managed to go down (again free descent) and it was worth it. Went to about 60 feet max and saw really lots of interesting stuff. Once, our dive instructor caught hold of one turtle who was curious enough to swim close to us and we got to touch it. I managed to spot a sting ray on the sea bed and pointed it to my buddy, Beverley. We also saw a couple of dogfishes, clown fishes and really a range of hard and soft corals. Saw a giant clam too with fishes swimming in and out of it. Then our instructor took us through the little "holes" of the rock formations and we spotted a blue spotted sting ray. Just as we emerged, we were confronted by a school of fishes (in Malay, they are called Kerisi...not sure the English name).
So I was enjoying the view while keeping an eye on my gauge. Saw that it was below 1000 and indicated to my buddy and diving instructor. The instructor told me that I had at least about 20 minutes of air and we were close to the surface since we were decompressing. But a few minutes later, I felt myself rising above the rest and tried to signal to Beverley. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach her or the others. When I tried to take a breather to swim to her, I found myself out of air. Since I was about two metres from the surface, I made a choice to go up to surface. Wrong choice coz I panicked on the surface since I couldn't see anyone and the boat was far away. I totally forgot my training to ditch the weightbelt and do bobbing. By the time Beverley, Ivy and Chee Weng arrived on the surface, I was in full blown panic mode. I was gasping for air as I can't seem to stay afloat and drank in quite a bit of sea water. I really thought I might die then.
Thank god for them as they managed to pull me to the lifebuoy that the boatmen casted out. This incident taught me a few things in diving:
1. Always check your gauge/equipment; make sure that it is not faulty.
2. Have your buddy nearby because you never know when such emergency cases can arise.
3. Don't panic; before diving in and even while diving, ensure you rehearse the safety procedure and follow it.
Can't emphasise more on safety...make sure your equipment is well maintained. My gauge was faulty as it didn't go below 500 when the tank was empty.
Anyway, once I got back on land, I went to pray; really God was merciful and saved my life through Chee Weng and Beverley. We had a good long rest and then went out for an afternoon dive. I was resolved to get back in the water to concur my fears but as fate would have it, the moment I was about to dive, I heard a leak in my bc. Told my instructor but he reassured me that the leak was little and I shouldn't have much problem with it. So, taking his word, I jumped down into the water. Upon my emergence, there was a loud bang and hissing behind me. The pressure gauge hose burst. I can't tell you the fear that drove into me. Already I had nearly drowned earlier because of the gauge and now with the burst hose and bc leak, it really overwhelmed me. So I stayed on board while the rest went down.
So all in all, I only did three dives in total. I still want to dive but this time, I think I'll make sure that the equipment is good and a good buddy is with me. Hopefully, my future sister-in-law might want to learn; if so, I wouldn't mind taking it with her.
That's it for now.
Peace,
Sid
Saturday, 15 March 2008
Can't wait for the diving trip!
Okay, I'm really geared up for the open water diving trip. My coursemates managed to persuade me to do the advance open water courses with them. So, it seems that next Friday, we'll be doing our virgin dive before doing a night dive. Got to know from our instructor that we'll be doing boat dive, navigation dive, and deep dive courses too in order to qualify for the SSI advance open water license.
I got my booties, gloves, and torchlight from the Scuba Shop, along Beach Road. A bit pricey but excellent service. They really take the time to explain things to you and make recommendations. So, I didn't mind forking out the extra cash all that much. In return, I got a very comfortable and nicely fitting pair of booties and gloves. My brother says he might get the BC and regulator from the shop too.
Hmm, I've been reading on Tioman's dive sites. There are really a good range of dive sites for all sorts of diving. I wonder if we will get to visit the wreck sites for our deep diving course. I can't wait to see Allah's beautiful creations...a world of its own from all the documentaries I've seen. I went for a coral reef walk about two years back and it was amazing to see the various corals and other sea creatures. Even found a catfish, sea cucumber, several crabs and a pair of mating starfishes. Yet, my guide said that it would have been more beautiful had it been high tide and everything was submerged since all the polyps were open and a lot more sea creatures were about. So I'm definitely hoping to see a lot more during the dives.
Also, I'm praying that nothing will befall my coursemates and I this trip. May Allah protect all of us. Peace.
I got my booties, gloves, and torchlight from the Scuba Shop, along Beach Road. A bit pricey but excellent service. They really take the time to explain things to you and make recommendations. So, I didn't mind forking out the extra cash all that much. In return, I got a very comfortable and nicely fitting pair of booties and gloves. My brother says he might get the BC and regulator from the shop too.
Hmm, I've been reading on Tioman's dive sites. There are really a good range of dive sites for all sorts of diving. I wonder if we will get to visit the wreck sites for our deep diving course. I can't wait to see Allah's beautiful creations...a world of its own from all the documentaries I've seen. I went for a coral reef walk about two years back and it was amazing to see the various corals and other sea creatures. Even found a catfish, sea cucumber, several crabs and a pair of mating starfishes. Yet, my guide said that it would have been more beautiful had it been high tide and everything was submerged since all the polyps were open and a lot more sea creatures were about. So I'm definitely hoping to see a lot more during the dives.
Also, I'm praying that nothing will befall my coursemates and I this trip. May Allah protect all of us. Peace.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Last pool dive
Okay, last night I had my final pool lesson and next week it will be off to Tioman for the open waters. Having gone for three pool sessions, I finally managed to gain courage to take off my mask and put it back on. That was the challenge I had not been able to surmount the fear of really taking off the mask.
My instructor, Jimmy, is really very good and patient. I'm glad he will be going on the dive with us next week. Hmm...I've already got my mask and wetsuit, costing me about S$250 due to the prescription lens. Now, I've got to get gloves, booties, and torchlight which will probably cost me another S$100 easily. So diving is an expensive sport but it is quite exciting. Hope the open water dives would go well.
My instructor, Jimmy, is really very good and patient. I'm glad he will be going on the dive with us next week. Hmm...I've already got my mask and wetsuit, costing me about S$250 due to the prescription lens. Now, I've got to get gloves, booties, and torchlight which will probably cost me another S$100 easily. So diving is an expensive sport but it is quite exciting. Hope the open water dives would go well.
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