Tuesday, May 02, 2006
PULAU DAYANG (10) 28 APR 06 - 01 MAY 06
This will be another perfect opportunity to getaway from Singapore! I looked forward to the 4 days and 3 nights escapades that I will spend over at the Island Resort. After this trip, It will be another three (3) weeks before I can visit Dayang. I have make a resolution that I will try to visit the island at least twice a month Smile! I departed ≈ 4pm from home this week, a change from the early trip up to Mersing which means I will reached the jetty around 9.30pm ±. ♠Vynx, my driver cum porter, companion and mentor came to fetch me. Next stop! Lot 1 for early dinner and some last minute shopping as he needs to buy some grocery. We cross the Malaysian custom at 6.30pm. During the car journey towards the custom, he showed me the pictures that he took with his camera on our last trip. Wah! So chio! ... Unlike most previous trips where I accompanied him by chatting away on the car journey, I slept on this one. We waited at the usual place next to the jetty. While waiting for the rest of the dive groups to arrive, I played Super Princess Peach and managed to clear Stage 4, haha! We finally make our way for Dayang the next morning just before 1am + four (4) hours boat ride = 5am reached Dayang. Guess what! ... my menses came just as I was heading for this trip. knn! I had the opportunity to have a good heart to heart talk with ♠Vynx while on the way to Dayang and was surprise to learnt from his personal perspectives about some issues close to our hearts nodz. Anyway, I had ordered my an underwater casing for my Canon Ixus 65 (the cost ≥ SGD300.00) and it will only arrive after this trip. Sob :(
MERSING, JOHOR:
PULAU DAYANG JETTY:
Staying in Dayang Island is another world with its charms, rustic accomodation, tranquil surrounding, beautiful white beaches, plenty of greenery, enchanting sunset, lots of sites for diving (amatuer to experience) and shallow waters for snorkelling. Dayang Island Resort possessed a back to basic feel and is ideal for me to just unwind and just chill out. This week, I will share with you the natural view of Dayang Island through my eyes. I spend a large bulk of my time doing people watching during this trip. I have also capture the essence of the sun, the sea and the sand ...
MY TYPICAL DAY IN DAYANG:
I have a lot of fun just watching the people over the weekendscratch head. About 100 ± Germans' made their way from the Singapore community spend their long weekend at Dayang. They are a group of fun loving people and made Dayang Rock! over the weekend. Together with the rest of the divers, they engaged in fun and games as well as cheering their teams on during the Saturday game between Chelsea and Manchester United (over ASTRO channel). Well, no dive for me this week for obvious reasons ... However, I did snorkelled and did my weekly duty of feeding the fishes at the jetty, continued to write my journal and of course, played my DS! I managed to complete Stage 6, a great feat for me!! Instructors and regulars alike are already giving me names ... Ya Kun Roti Gal, The Writer and the Game Gal etc. Looks like I am already making a name for myself. This trip I left my equipment at Dayang Island Resort as ♠Vynx felt that since I come to the island so often, I must as well leave the equipment there, as the chore of lugging the equipment up and down did not make sense at all!
MERSING, JOHOR:
Today there was a huge jam on the way back to Singapore. I reached home around 10.30pm ± after taking my dinner at IMM with ♠Vynx. Hey, the food sucks!! BTW, I have reached level 7 of Super Princess Peach. Tomorrow I have to wake up early to make a trip to Mediacorp to submit an application for my mummy for her beauty pageant. The finals is on 7th May 06 (Sunday). After that I will be heading to office to clear all the outstanding emails and make appointments for the rest of the weekwinkz.
Objectives:
Confucius: By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
I have recognise that journaling is one of the best reflection tools. I make use of my weekly visit to Dayang to have personal time to do my journaling without distraction (by phone calls as they are no reception from any TELCO one (1) hour beyond Mersing). Although it is ideal to allow for a ten to fifteen minute period every day to journal; preferably at the end of the day or during/after a debrief, I find that journaling away from work or home is more effective for me. Regardless of the time allotted, I write whatever comes to mind, and to not worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Journaling entails a commitment to confidentiality, that nobody will ever have to share what I have written unless I want to. Journaling methods include free writing, writing letters and guided imagery. The many benefits to reflection including creating a sense of accomplishment, improving service, closure, and personal and team development. All this is recorded in my "Precious Moments" Book.
Francis Bacon: We think according to nature. We speak according to rules. We act according to custom.
This week is turbulent yet enlightening as I discovered something about myself. This difficult times has brought me back to Christianity. I ask for him to make me strong, a direction in life, my senses opened it's door and I felt it. I did some deep thinking as to how can I best managed the impression set to others as I always fail to understand why I am misunderstood. In addition, I realised that my thoughts and act could not be coordinated which affects how I express myself. Observations from a close friend of mine also suggested that I worked on my feminine side and learned to be more womanly ... but how? what's a woman and how to be feminine? I have the opportunity to meet an interesting couple whom had been happily married for 20 years. They shared with me some of their personal life experience and what a relationship mean to them and how they had complemented each other. I was impressed that though she is a independent career woman, she is able to play the role of a pillar to her other half as well as making time for her family. Is this what defines a "Singapore Women" of today? In the next three (3) months, I wanted to developed myself, career, relationship and family life! In essence, to create time for everything and everyone that comes into my path. These were the things I have reflected on this trip.
Snorkelling, Free Diving, Scuba Diving & Yoga:Yes! Through continuous practise, my breathhold (apenea) skills + ability to perform free dive has improved significantly. Minus the silly blocked ears, of course. Really! I was able to acheive these through diligent practise which results in increased in confidence level in areas such as skills (breathing, finning, body movements,etc) and being at "ONE" with nature below the sea level.
Rebecca, my vocal teacher for Miss Singapore Universe 2006 Pageant has impressed upon me that correct breathing is necessary to good speaking. She taught us about the support breathing ..."Ahhh...UUUUuuu...MMMMmmm...." (yogis should know this... hmmm). Yeah, I kind of forgot how it was like to BREATHE! Wow...this is amazing as I realised how Yoga can be applied in my daily life. Being able to breathe CORRECTLY, gives me a new lease of life! =) Fire! Passion!Lou Holtz: Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.♠Vnyx is my mentor in free diving. He showed me the techniques of taking in breath, the entry, the process and the exit... He shared that free diving is like 'meditation' underwater... yeah, I tried and can quickly relate to his teaching. It was surreal! =)As some of you may have known, I am an avid diver and a Certified Line Dance, Aerobics, Deep Water Workout & YogaFit Instructor. Pranayama are the yoga techniques for correct breathing. By learning to breathe properly, our energy levels will increase. Free Diving requires divers to reach great depths unassisted by any breathing apparatus. By applying the art of breathing from yoga combined with my passion for diving, I have learned to enjoy the aquatic sports in another level.
Through Visualisation and meditation techniques, it helped me to focus on how I feel in the water, and how I can achieved perfect buoyancy control and become part of the marine environment. I realised that I was automatically using yoga practices to improve my own dive skills and to enhance my enjoyment of the dive. I have come to imagine diving as a form of meditation and find myself enjoying the tranquil world under water, hovering effortlessly, mind, body and soul. Scuba Diving has allows me to meditate in a world where it's hard to find a minute's peace and quiet.I have noticed that there are a growing interest in other part of the world in the merging of Diving and Yoga. This new form is aka "Yoga Diving". Is there opportunities for me here? I have enjoyed scuba diving as a passion and teaching Yoga as an alternate income for the last seven (7) years. Having personally benefitted from Yoga, I was contemplating whether to discussed the possibilities of offering yoga lessons in Dayang Island Resort. If there are enough interest group, maybe I could turn this passion into a business for myself. At the sametime, I hope that yoga will become more and more widely accepted among scuba divers in the near futureCough!...
Alright, back to apenea... I have improved as I could stay down underwater longer! From the usual 30-40sec (staying still) to a full 1 min! When I fin underwater, I discovered that the timing, with exertion + energy, will shorten by about half. Ah...Which means, now I can fin actively + performing stunts underwater for an effective 30sec. I hope to hit two (2) minutes of breathhold. The difficulties that I encounter are:
Snorkelling Gears:
- Mask and snorkel
- Wetsuit
- Long booties
- Mares fins
- Scubapro Gloves
- BREAD TO FEED THE FISH!!!!!!! Wahaha!
Where I snorkel:
DAYANG MARINE LIFE AT JETTY:
Marine Life Sighted during snorkelling: Ok... sometimes I think it is wierd. I think diving allows me to spot and identify more sea creatures. But! I encountered bigger and more sea creatures up close and personal than the divers at 30 metres and below through snorkelling. Some of the varieties that I have chanced upon were:
10 Reasons why Diving is better than sex:
N.B. For all the highly motivated diver(s), any form of procreation while scuba diving is not recommended as the open water poses a safety and health issues to the girls. There are just too many bacteria in our waters! Visit Scuba Diving Sex for more information.
Diver's Joke:
Three instructors and their students are on board a dive boat in the middle of the ocean. There is a NAUI instructor, a PADI instructor, and an SSI instructor. Everything is going fine until the boat springs a leak and starts to sink. The SSI instructor says to his students, "Okay, we're in the middle of the ocean, so we might as well do our deep dive." The NAUI instructor says to his students, "Okay, we might as well do our navigation dive, so let's get our compasses out and swim towards shore." The PADI instructor says to his students, "Okay, for $25 extra you guys get to do a wreck dive!"
Dive Calender:
Diver's Link:
