Sunday, December 2, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Date: 19th December 2012
Weight: 110kg
Goal Achieved: 996/1000 KM (16km Swim, 775km cycle, 205km run)


Raining and feeling sick, didn't went out for a run for quite some time until my marathon day. Did some cycling to condition myself which proves to be inadequate.

Race day i can feel i'm full of stamina but my leg muscles couldn't carry me further then 20k. a bit of stretching every few km helps prolongs my legs to 30km then its was a painful last 12km with cramps all acting up and i have to sit down a few times to stretch for at least 5min to loosen the muscles. 

Next year's marathon training will start early; once i recovered, will start planning a general plan i can easily slot into my long working hour. Main focus will be condition the core muscles and strengthening the leg muscle. Endurance and stamina should be fine if i continue cycling at my average pace of 27-28km/h and maybe to push it up to 30km/h for at least 40km.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Quarter Life Crisis

When life starts to get monotonous, i start to wonder what is our purpose in life. Doing the same routine over and over again, what is my purpose in life?

Past year was full of ups and downs.

Had a great thing going on running a small place i could call my own, till its time to move on.

Getting stuck in negative thoughts but i have to put up a strong front so people around me wouldn't be affected by the negativity.

Cooking shows on TV always fascinates me. From Martin Yan's, if Yan can cook so can you till Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, i grew up being passionate about food. As i started to be exposed to more when i enter the industry, seeing the other side of the glamorous, it really got me thinking...

Sometimes i wish there was a reset button in life (am i the only one?), one press and we could start all over again making better decisions based on educated guess.

When i was younger in my school days, read a book on "Who moved my cheese?" Being comfortable in life who would like changes? Then also in secondary school we were introduced the concept of the rat race. A never ending race in life to nowhere.

Somehow i felt something was missing, but can't pin point what is it.

Took some time off to collect my thoughts, sort things out in life. Decided that i should reset it.

.
.
.

In April this year, i made some plans and started to empty out my bank account, every last penny i saved over the year! I thought starting from Zero will be like a reset in life, starting everything afresh.

Took up Scuba Diving, something i wanted to do for years but always postpone with excuses in life and work. Went for Open water and Advance Open Water 3 months apart and planning for next dive in Phuket with my buddies next year.

Found a job in somewhere more casual and different from what i used to do. Learning American cuisine from an American chef.

Do a stagiaire on my off days at a friend's japanese sushi bar learning the art of Japanese cuisine.

Got back to running and did a triathlon after stopping for a year. Signed up for a marathon after stopping for 2 years.

Finally got the courage to ask the girl out and regretted never did so earlier. Bought my first bouquet of rose for her, taking her out for a meal that probably no one at our age could afford and would willing to spend on, and never regret a single moment spending with her and to finally hold her hands.

Tailor a suit for my one and only Sister's wedding next year. Its the time in life where everyone seems to grow up already.

Pick up pipe smoking from a dear friend, learning the meaning of slowing down in life when everything starts to get too fast too furious again.

.
.
.

Spending time underwater and training runs gives me so much time alone to reflect in life.

Finally found the thing i lost along the way when i try to grow up too fast...

I lost...

Focus.

Instead of thinking why am i doing this over and over again, i should be thinking how to improve what i do everyday and why am i doing this in the first place.

My happiness comes from the satisfaction i get when people i serve are happy. I love cooking for people knowing that they could have gone to other place and chose to dine with us, creating a memory for them in a chapter in their lives.



"To do what i want to do the best i can and leave no regrets"

That should be my motto in life right now.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Date: 9th November 2012
Weight: 110kg
Goal Achieved: 647/1000 KM (15km Swim, 495km cycle, 137km run)

Fell sick and some toe injury slowed me down but will push hard to achieve the 1000km.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Date: 29th October 2012
Weight: 111kg
Goal Achieved: 567/1000 KM (15km Swim, 435km cycle, 117km run)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Date: 17th October 2012
Weight: 111kg
Goal Achieved: 532/1000 KM (15km Swim, 415km cycle, 102km run)

Took some time to recover from the triathlon and now i feel great again! Looking at the distance im covering im way behind schedule but judging by the distance of each discipline, im actually training quite evenly. 

A typical triathlon consist of 

1.5km swim
40km cycle
10km run

im not too far off from the ratio. 

However Standard charted marathon is coming up so i have to boost my running mileage. Its not going to be easy with so much extra work coming up when my colleagues starts to clear their annual leave before the festive seasons. 

Never give up. 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

What is my golf ball, pebble, sand?

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was
Full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full..

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car..

The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put
The sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Cold Storage Singapore Triathlon 2012

It was motivational! 

Date: 2nd September 2012
Weight: 111kg
Goal Achieved: 501/1000 KM (14km Swim, 405km cycle, 82km run)

Monday, September 10, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Started cycling and some jogging again. IPPT was a wake up call for my fitness...

Date: 28th September 2012
Weight: 112kg
Goal Achieved: 415/1000 KM (13km Swim, 330km cycle, 72km run)

Thursday, September 6, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Havent been exercising because i was so tired. On my off days i would just sleep for 12-14h and still feel tired after that. 

Today went for my first IPT session for this window, it was an IPPT test. Epic failure... A wake up call... 

I have to do what i have to do, squeezing in time in my day for exercise. 

Date: 7th September 2012
Weight: 114kg
Goal Achieved: 201/1000 KM (13km Swim, 120km cycle, 68km run)

Saturday, August 11, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

New outlet opened and the pace is picking up way way too fast. Working 72h a week but only get paid 66h because company policy stating 1h break everyday. Break? LMAO, i see almost everyone working their arse some times we eat our crappy lunch while still cooking on the line or doing prep because its all day dining. Imagine one bite of the lunch and coordinating food to be fired while doing some minor prep at the station.

Im sure everyone will get burn out soon, i start to see some people losing it from time to time hahaha... But its great seeing the effort you put into it actually helps build the place up from scratch. So who cares? If the company wanna skim on any chances to save money while oppressing its workers, soon there will be no more loyalty to company.

There is actually things for me to learn here (the negative stuff that i should not do in the future).

Next week another 3 day brunch, due to public holiday... god bless everyone in the industry... 

Date: 12th August 2012
Weight: 115kg
Goal Achieved: 195/1000 KM (13km Swim, 120km cycle, 62km run)

Friday, August 3, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

New Outlet finally open! Busy as hell as the kitchen is only run with bare minimal manpower. Working opening to closing everyday... Tired, worn out, jaded... No time and energy to exercise, i'm going to grow fat...
 
If overtime continue like this, i could possibly earn my diving trip earlier then expected :)

Date: 31th July 2012
Weight: 116kg
Goal Achieved: 186/1000 KM (12km Swim, 120km cycle, 54km run)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Unbelievable....

I dunno i should laugh or be angry.... Few weeks ago i ask my parents to help me pay for the car insurance... They refused, citing so many reasons (bullshits..)

today i came home after an intense day at work, they were sitting in the living room watching TV and they ask me to taste the new tea leaves they bought... SGD$8000 for 450g.

FML...

Monday, July 16, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Date: 17th July 2012
Weight: 116kg
Goal Achieved: 181/1000 KM (11km Swim, 120km cycle, 50km run)

Friday, July 13, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

More swim during split shift and running after work. But missed a night run for a meeting up with buddies for steamboat and missing an afternoon swim for a dim sum lunch... 

And my bro just bought some instant noodles from japan which taste really like ramen u eat in japanese ramen restaurant. Japanese food technology is so advance... they even have dehydrated char siu! Lets hope my bro don't buy anymore back, i can't resist them!


Date: 13th July 2012 (Friday the 13th!)
Weight: 116kg
Goal Achieved: 165/1000 KM (8km Swim, 110km cycle, 47km run)

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Tired after work but still manage to do a 3km run with some core exercise... I am Machine!

Date: 11th July 2012
Weight: 116kg
Goal Achieved: 155/1000 KM (6km Swim, 110km cycle, 39km run)

Monday, July 9, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Signed up for Standard Charted Singapore Marathon... Im so dead if im not training more...

Date: 9th July 2012
Weight: 116kg
Goal Achieved: 152/1000 KM (6km Swim, 110km cycle, 36km run)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

A little intense work schedule this week due to some schedule adjustment... After working 12h straight, i only manage to run 2km and 10km cycle... 

Wobbly jelly legs...

Love the feeling :)

Date: 6th July 2012
Weight: 117kg
Goal Achieved: 106/1000 KM (6km Swim, 70km cycle, 30km run)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Allergies and Food Restrictions....

Im so shocked by my work place's service staff knowledge in the food business. Today i am dumbfounded by their stupidity again arguing with me Mayonnaise is a dairy product. Why? because its white in colour?

I ha

ve to make it clear once and for all...




Mayonnaise = Egg yolk + Oil + salt and pepper + a dash of mustard + (Optional Dash of sherry vinegar)




I know you guys are not chefs but still, know the product you are selling. Its basic sales!




.

.

.




During lunch break, heard someone complaining why this particular vegetarian customer is so troublesome... Everything also cannot eat. Milk and cheese not meat also cannot eat, eggs cannot eat, everything cannot eat why come to a restaurant?




I was pretty pissed off by the last comment.




Customers pay good money for restaurant food because they want to have something different, something special, not anything they can cook or eat often.




Vegetarian food can be very challenging. If you walk into any restaurant ask for a vegetarian option 9/10 will give you a pasta, most probably tomato base. This is actually a good way to judge a chef's creativity and knowledge.




And to my horror, some staff don't even know the basic categories of vegetarians and the difference of vegans.




Vegans - Does not eat anything of animal origin.




Ovo Vegetarian - Eat Eggs but no dairy

Lacto Vegetarian - Consume dairy products but no eggs

Ovo Lacto Vegetarian - Consume egg and dairy

Fruitarianism - fruits, nuts and seeds that does not kill the plan





Pescatarian - includes fish only (they are called semi vegetarians)






Buddhist Vegetarian - Does not eat anything of animal origins and also exclude plants in the onion and garlic family or taste/smell like it, common one in western cuisine will be leeks and chives.






Working in kitchen for years and i met only 2 customers who are Jain vegetarianism. Jain vegetarianism basically are similar to Buddhist Vegetarian and Fruitarianism. Nothing that kills the plant and nothing below ground.














On a side note...


Sometimes i wonder... Why would vegetarian want to eat something resembles meat?





A friend of mine blogged something about a vegetarian Sashimi... i was thinking, how can sashimi be vegetarian, can it be even called sashimi?






There are even mock meat made from gluten....

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

First day back at work after the diving trip, feeling amazing, like a machine. I am rejuvenated like never before! Tonnes of mise en place but i plan it in such a good flow that i actually finished my task and did other people's task! 

During split shift, i went for a swim, the water was really cold after the morning rain. Felt fantastic and the cold water had a reminiscence of the deep dive i had, i went all the way to swim 2km instead of my usual 1km. 

Went back to work and push on, even finish the mise en place for tomorrow's prep work. After work feeling awesome, i stop by the track for a 4km run! 

Reached home completely exhausted yet satisfied :) 

Date: 3rd July 2012
Weight: 117kg
Goal Achieved: 94/1000 KM (6km Swim, 60km cycle, 28km run)

Monday, July 2, 2012

Birthday! Diving at Dayang!

Usually i'll be working on my birthday and there will not be any celebrations. This year however, i made it a point to take a break on my birthday. In fact i took 6 days off! 2 off days and 4 unpaid leave to go diving.

I did not take much photo this trip so i'll just steal some from my new facebook friends :)


 Dayang still looks pretty much how i remembered it. Old, rustic, peaceful...

 Excited Divers :)

 Nice looking rock eh? i'm gonna bring a proper shoes to scale the rocks next time when my buddies are doing their AOWC i'll join them for leisure dive :)

When god shines light upon mankind, it looks something like that...


Me and my dive buddy turt saying good bye to the island...


On the boat, had a nice chat with my dive instructor and we did our dive log. Then i saw something blue in my instructor's dive log folder and i borrow and took a look....




Unbelievable... He is certified in so many specialization dives! no wonder he is such a good instructor.



It was really a great experience to take up Advance Open Water! Experienced instructor with tonnes of specialization, experienced diver roommates sharing stories, Sun, Sand, Sea, beer and compressed air... This is how i like my weekend to be like!

Next up should be some leisure dive then... maybe Nitrox and Wreck Dive! Meanwhile my dive buddy, Turt, will stay dry a few months before i take another short break :)


I'm probably a little behind in my 1000km project so i'm gonna work double hard this month to hope i meet at least 24% of the target :)

Monday, June 25, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

2km interval training after work, im 86... 

Date: 26th June 2012
Weight: 117kg
Goal Achieved: 88/1000 KM (4km Swim, 60km cycle, 24km run)

Sunday, June 24, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

It was 11 straight days of work that makes me knocked out on my off day on saturday. I woke up at 7 thinking wow, its finally time for me to go swim or cycle... then i realized... ITS 7PM! OMG... i was knocked out for 17h... My off day practically just gone in my sleep. 

Had a great celebration on the night of the 23rd. Some gift from my friend/mentor who taught me how to live life :)

Chocolates...



Cigars...

Whiskey, Cognac, Chinese rice liquor... This is the life!

POOR JAMES... didn't get to join us for a night of fun, laughter, peace and joy... :p

Back to work on the 24th and it was amazing. Fully recharged, i work like a machine! Prep and service all the way non stop action and also during packing down and cleaning up station i was so fast, i helped the garde manager too! 

Now i know how well rested felt like at work :)

After work, i drove straight to the stadium and ran 10 rounds! some core exercise. Feeling Foking Awesome!

Reached home to a network disaster. No worries, 24h Mustafa to the rescue! Bought a Linksys E3200 Router and a cheapo prolink 5 port switch. Also a surge protector. Less then 2h, out shopping and setting up the network and now im blogging while my parents can stop bothering me about it (they are catching some korean drama streaming... LOL!)






Date: 25th June 2012
Weight: 117kg
Goal Achieved: 86/1000 KM (4km Swim, 60km cycle, 22km run)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Had a quick 1km swim and chop chop went back to my car for a quick nap. Not possible to survive on only...


4h of bad sleep! Its days like this i need 12-14h sleep on my off day... 

After work, on my way home, driving by this running track again, my vibram in my passenger seat...


To run or not to run? Lets do it :) 4k quick run followed by a set of core exercises. I mean, i was really tired today so another 4km should not be much of a difference. Good thing to have a pair of running shoes in my car :) 

My eyes are heavy, good night... 

Date: 20th June 2012
Weight: 118kg
Goal Achieved: 82/1000 KM (4km Swim, 60km cycle, 18km run)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Once Payment is Made, Fate is Sealed...


I'm so excited now after being out for more then a year, my comeback race is a Triathlon :) Let the training kick up one gear! All hell break lose!

Friday, June 15, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

A colleague of mine need to go hospital to visit his mum. So i gotta cover more timing with a split shift. 

Few weeks back when i was trying to visit my dad in TTSH, its not really suitable for people in my line... The visiting hours are my busy hour and they have real strict control who and how many goes up for a visit. But hey, luckily they are pretty helpful and helped pass my dad some cut fruits i brought for him. Bad thing, strictly no visiting on non visiting hours.

I have no problem covering shift because to me family is important and i actually got the time to go for a nice afternoon swim and i get to work 2 exciting service today :)

Colleague are family, colleague's family are family. 

Date: 16th June 2012
Weight: 118kg
Goal Achieved: 77/1000 KM (3km Swim, 60km cycle, 14km run)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project


OMG.... I really did prepared a set of running gear in my car and i was here...


Really dark and silent, the MOE CCA HQ track on my way home. Oh i realized it free parking at night! Wanted to do 5 sets of interval training but after 2 sets im gone.... so i decided to wrap it up with some jogging to cool down and some core exercise.

Date: 14th June 2012
Weight: 119kg
Goal Achieved: 76/1000 KM (2km Swim, 60km cycle, 14km run)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Went for a 1km swim yesterday, and met up with my buddies at Safra Mount Faber for a run. Intended route was maybe up Mount Faber but was later changed to Keppel bay. Then unexpectedly we explored into a new route connecting keppel bay with labrador park. around 6km route back to safra Mount Faber.



And i manage to squeeze in a quick 1km swim today. Feeling really pumped up after looking at this picture circulating on FB.

Maybe i should keep a set of runner gear in my car and stop by a running track on my way home for a HIIT session :) 

Date: 12th June 2012
Weight: 119kg
Goal Achieved: 72/1000 KM (2km Swim, 60km cycle, 10km run)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Well, manage to squeeze my last ounce of energy on a 30km cycling tonight. Was really tired after work and its all full steam ahead preparing for weekend brunch. 

I think i'm gonna "Cheat" by cycling more to clock more mileage.

Date: 8th June 2012
Weight: 120kg
Goal Achieved: 64/1000 KM (60km cycle, 4km run)

Monday, June 4, 2012

RE: 1000KM Project

Controlling my diet, getting myself motivated to run is tough. the past 2 year i had let loose myself and totally lack self discipline with regard to fatty food and alcohol.

Did a brick training today and felt fantastic! 

Re-watched 2 eps of Top Chef Canada while spinning and managed to drag my lazy ass out for a short 4km run. Cooling down with some core exercise :)


Date: 5th June 2012
Weight: 121kg
Goal Achieved: 34/1000 KM (30km cycle, 4km run)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The 1000KM Project

Past 2 year of my life or should i say no life have a great impact on my health and fitness. I used to be able to run 10km easily, used to be able to cycle 40km when i feel like it, used to weigh 96kg.

After starting work and totally immerse myself in my work, i slowly stop exercising regularly and begin to have a bad uncontrolled diet.

To further worsen the situation, i had an accident earlier this year that require many stitches and took me 2 month to heal and another 2 month to be able to jog again. Though now i still feel some pain while i jog.

I SHALL STOP PROCRASTINATING!

I have set a simple and achievable target for myself... To Swim, cycle and run a collective 1000km from 1st June 2012 till 31st December 2012.

I used to do 40km run a week and cycle up to 120km a week. 1000km seems too easy? Well, i have stop exercising for some time and my fitness dropped sharply. Past few weeks i have been conditioning myself with swimming during split shift and some short jogging after work.

With Army half marathon, osim triathlon and Stand Chart marathon in mind, i should be able to achieve the 1000km target.

Date: 31st May 2012
Weight: 122kg
Goal Achieved: 0/1000 KM





Some kick ass looking bikes :)

Well I love my Giant OCR2, it been thru so much with me. Served me well for 3 triathlons and countless of cycling at East coast park.

But its time i move onto something more professional :) The big boys toy!

I shall reward myself with a awesome Tri Bike if I did finish it :) But i probably can't afford one anyway :)

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Sous Vide cooking!

I heard about this product 2 years back... Manage to got hold onto some of this amazing product today.

Sous Vide cooking is getting common and can be even found in some coffeeshop stalls. But recently(past 1 or 2 year), one food supplier brought in something amazing to Singapore that brought sous vide cooking into a new level. 

Introducing... Cooking Sous Vide on a Plancha!


First of all i must state that im no guru in sous vide cooking (under a water bath) and certainly not in this kind of sous vide cooking (over plancha). I was told this sous vide bag could withstand higher temperature then normal. I love experimenting and today is the day i really learn something by this experiment.

In this experiment i used a nice piece of salmon fillet seasoned with fennel pollen, salt and pepper then into the bag with some beurre noisette. Placed the skin side down and flip over after a few min.


I was amazed by the look on the skin. Obviously there were some nice colouration! Maillard reaction still occur while a layer of plastic is over it! After some time, i flip it over again and OMG.


You have to see it to believe it. One thing about cooking in the bag this way, even though i vacuum it till 99.9% the 0.01% air expand upon heated and there will be some steaming reaction going on in the bag giving it a pretty even cooking throughout.


End result was pretty unbelievable! It has the texture and taste of a brown butter poach salmon, it has the nice flavour coming from the maillard reaction that formed somewhat a light crust. about a 200g portion took 7-8mins to achieve medium doneness. 

One of the best thing i felt that the moisture was 100% sealed in the bag and nothing was lost in the process of cooking. All the flavour from the seasoning and butter was "pushed" into the fish.

However due to the light steaming effect in the bag, i was unable to get a crispy skin. 

There is so much more to learn about this new age sous vide bag. 

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Rejuvenated, Reborn...

Its been awhile since i last blog, busy with work and have no life. Sometime i wonder why... Then what happens next? I left my work place, found a new job, and have time to take a break.

Most memorable thing i did was to fulfill my long time wish of learning scuba diving. i had 2 weeks before i start work so i email around to see which dive school can fit my timeframe.

Ended up in Gill Divers taking the PADI route, 2 nights of theory course which is pretty easy, a day in swimming pool for competency test and practicing of safety skill sets. All set to go for my weekend trip.


Day 1

Was really bored and finished packing just before 4pm on the day of departure.

Went down early to gills divers area and grab a bite before the long bus ride.

Reach gills just after 5pm and waited.

Before boarding the bus, the dive instructors asked us to have the final check on the dive equipments and we are set to go :)

The bus drove off and soon we reached Tuas checkpoint. On the bus the organizer collected a fee from each person (5RM for marine park fee and 5RM for Malaysia customs express clearing)

Passing thru the customs was a breeze and off we go for the freaking long ridetowards mersing. Had a pit stop after getting caught in a bad traffic jam for 1-2h.

We finally reached mersing jetty just before 11pm. It started raining heavily at some point that some people couldn't board the boat while I'm here in the boat typing these on my iphone notepad and waiting...

At 12am everyone finally boarded and off we go...

It wasn't the smoothest ride after the rain, but sleeping helps.

Finally reached Dayang island resort at 4am, checked into the resort was a breeze. Why? We are the only ones at Dayang! Hahaha..



Day 2

Rise and shine! No need alarm clock because cant really sleep well. Woke up and soon time for some breakfast!

View from the resort goes like this. Waking up to this every morning would be amazing...

Looks simple but when you are hungry anything goes.

Then it's some briefing then off to our first dive! Our instructor wanted to give us a chance to experience shore dive and boat dive so we actually started from land for the first dive.

It was kinda awesome like what u see in movie navy seal going for mission, gearing up and going into the sea.

Dive one and dive two is all about repeating what we did in the pool session. Was pretty awesome seeing the school of fishes swimming about while u do the skills required.

Then the third dive is all about water confidence and swimming around. The fishes are so pretty, it's unbelievable!

After 3 dives everyone was pretty much exhausted... Its actually very physically challenging with the heavy equipment and the finning to move about.

Alfresco Dinner without lights and with Beer :D

However I still manage to squeeze out a little energy for some beach volleyball :) then it was shower, beer and dinner! Chit chat with my fellow divers and had an awesome night without connecting to the Internet. A true get away!

Before heading to bed, we had a debriefing regarding today's dive and filled in our dive log 潜水记!

The amazing group with the world coolest Dad bringing his 12yo daughter and 14yo son to dive with him, Brit working in Singapore for a weekend holiday, Koreans who just landed a job in Singapore, Hong kong student with a strong british accent on school break, NDU (Naval diving unit) guy accompanying his GF to take open water course, My buddy Christ a Brit last few days in singapore before moving to Japan for work and of course me the Chef in between jobs :)

Great Instructor Douglas, Divemaster Thomas and Johnny. Funny guys hahaha...

Somehow I feels like I'm still underwater with current. Hope I don't get sea sick in bed! Hahhaa

Day 3

Woke up really early getting ready for our first dive at first light. Feeling really excited :)



Boat left, equipment rigged up, all set, ready to sink!

Dive 4 and 5 was the best dive ever! Huge ass pufferfish, stingrays, turtles, clown fish (nemo), school of barracudas, weird looking sea slugs and funky looking corals! A whole new world below!

Logging the last 2 dive in the morning. and yes, instructor got attacked by triggerfish hahaha...

Its time to say goodbye to Dayang Resort...

On our journey way back on the ferry, we saw some dolphins swimming by. What a bonus to end the trip :)

And looking at nothing but this is therapeutic.

And here we are, at the boring bus ride back to Singapore :)

Home sweet home

Got myself a new dive buddy at Mersing Jetty. Baby Turt will remind me that i should be back soon to visit his family and friends :)

Possible next dive site?