Was quite determined to get things right today. Sarah din follow me on the dive so i could really concentrate on my diving. Tried to being my cam down but it was a bit foggy so i didn't in case it was leaking. To sum up the 3 dives, it was really good. Had no problems and felt good, learnt a lot of things and best of all, managed to swim in a school of baracuda! Did not have any headaches as i kept very hydrated and kept breathing. Overall the diving felt really good. Came back, was not tired or feeling bad.
Draft entry.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Manado - Day 2
Ok the day of intensive diving. Din really get much sleep the night before as mentioned earlier. 1st dive started out a bit shaky with me and Sarah both having problems equalizing our ears. Eventually was able to go down but was hurting. The dive masters were taking good care of us esp. Sarah so it was good. We had our own dedicated divemaster with us. 2nd dive had relatively less problems going down but it was still a bit wierd. I kept getting headaches coming up coz of lack of water and breath holding la etc. Saw a huge sleeping turtle which was nice. Always got up having a bad headache and having to sleep it off. On the 3rd dive, i was not actually feeling good with headache etc. but still decided to go down to settle things. Was quite bad, felt bad underwater and when i got up headache was really splitting. Slept all the way back to shore...got back on land and went to sleep. Woke up for dinner feeling a bit better...spent the night playing pool etc.
This is just a quick update, will edit it more later.
This is just a quick update, will edit it more later.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Manado - Day 1
The plane ride there was in a very very small plane (A319). There was no in flight entertainment worth mentioning. Good point was that the plane was quite empty so we managed to change seats to this really nice place where i could stretch my legs and recline all the way.
Upon reaching Manado, we passed immigration quite quickly. Was suprised and happy to see that the resort had sent people to standy for us even at the baggage collection area. The airport is really small with only 1 baggage carousel. After that, we din even have to push our own trolley and were immediately escorted to our waiting vehicles.
There were 2 vehicles but we just immediately went onboard the nearest van. This was a mistake as the aircon was really hot and we were stuck in terrible traffic for around 45mins. The traffic conditions are similar to phillippines or thailand...very congested and disorder. Interestingly they had traffic lights with counters (for green also). Another interesting thing is that their cars are all of good make - Chervolet and Ford cabs! Generally a lot fo Toyotas and Mitsubishis.
The town is as what you would expect...something like Johor but interestingly, there were a lot of churches. Manado has a dominantly christian population which is very interesting considering where we actually are.
Upon reaching the resort, i was very happy to find that there was a security gate and guards. The resort is very nice and cosy. Has only a few bungalows and very nice staff. They were very organized and immediately served us drinks as we signed in. There was also a small buffet of noodles, fried rice and chicken wings. Our luggage was then carried away and placed in our rooms automatically. We only have to put our diving gear outside the door for it to be automatically brought to the boat for us.
The room is nice, a bit better than a chalet...toilet has hot water, works well, proper fittings etc. we even have cable tv in the room. the plugs have a specially modified singapore one for our standard 3 pin. Chey, wasted all my money on travel adaptors. I think the room is great. We have our own balcony overlooking the sunset/sunrise. It is clearly the best bungalow in the resort, have to thank eric for that! Internet connection is WIFI throughout the resort but is terribly slow.
To give you a good idea of the place, here is a blog on the net i was using. Pretty much like what he described already though he was wrong on several small things. You can see the info here.
We prepared for the 1st dive which was mainly an assessment dive for the people to gauge who they have to look after during the rest of the trip. We just dove around the 'house reef' outside the resort. Already it was fantastic...there were SO MANY critters around...we saw fish we've never even seen in pictures, there were rays, crabs, eels etc. Oh there are A LOT of blue ring octopuses here...even has been said to have killer whales. The dive was really great though my new mask was giving me some problems, mainly cause im not used to it. Ears also a bit problematic coz of the mask problem. Have some ideas i'll try on Day 2, hopefully it will be ok. Diving is all automatic as well, no need to carry your heavy gear into the water as they will help u in and out...the best way to do it.
After the dive, i was exhausted, having only slept an hour the day before. Took a nap before dinner. Dinner was surpsingly good (to me). Will leave Sarah to do the food commentary. After dinner, the owner of the resort (a french guy), came to talk to us. There was also a supposedly reknowned underwater photographer there 'William' something. Our bro-in-law and the owner really hit it off and were talking for hours...apparently the owner is also an engineer in the oil business. I played pool while Sarah chatted with the ladies, was nice and relaxed.
Will eventually put up pictures. Hopefully i can keep updating this like that. Im actually waiting for breakfast to start 7:30 and have been awake since 4:30am (can't sleep). Today is a LONG day of 3 dives at Bunaken Island. Btw, sunrise is at 5am and its dark by 6pm here.
Upon reaching Manado, we passed immigration quite quickly. Was suprised and happy to see that the resort had sent people to standy for us even at the baggage collection area. The airport is really small with only 1 baggage carousel. After that, we din even have to push our own trolley and were immediately escorted to our waiting vehicles.
There were 2 vehicles but we just immediately went onboard the nearest van. This was a mistake as the aircon was really hot and we were stuck in terrible traffic for around 45mins. The traffic conditions are similar to phillippines or thailand...very congested and disorder. Interestingly they had traffic lights with counters (for green also). Another interesting thing is that their cars are all of good make - Chervolet and Ford cabs! Generally a lot fo Toyotas and Mitsubishis.
The town is as what you would expect...something like Johor but interestingly, there were a lot of churches. Manado has a dominantly christian population which is very interesting considering where we actually are.
Upon reaching the resort, i was very happy to find that there was a security gate and guards. The resort is very nice and cosy. Has only a few bungalows and very nice staff. They were very organized and immediately served us drinks as we signed in. There was also a small buffet of noodles, fried rice and chicken wings. Our luggage was then carried away and placed in our rooms automatically. We only have to put our diving gear outside the door for it to be automatically brought to the boat for us.
The room is nice, a bit better than a chalet...toilet has hot water, works well, proper fittings etc. we even have cable tv in the room. the plugs have a specially modified singapore one for our standard 3 pin. Chey, wasted all my money on travel adaptors. I think the room is great. We have our own balcony overlooking the sunset/sunrise. It is clearly the best bungalow in the resort, have to thank eric for that! Internet connection is WIFI throughout the resort but is terribly slow.
To give you a good idea of the place, here is a blog on the net i was using. Pretty much like what he described already though he was wrong on several small things. You can see the info here.
We prepared for the 1st dive which was mainly an assessment dive for the people to gauge who they have to look after during the rest of the trip. We just dove around the 'house reef' outside the resort. Already it was fantastic...there were SO MANY critters around...we saw fish we've never even seen in pictures, there were rays, crabs, eels etc. Oh there are A LOT of blue ring octopuses here...even has been said to have killer whales. The dive was really great though my new mask was giving me some problems, mainly cause im not used to it. Ears also a bit problematic coz of the mask problem. Have some ideas i'll try on Day 2, hopefully it will be ok. Diving is all automatic as well, no need to carry your heavy gear into the water as they will help u in and out...the best way to do it.
After the dive, i was exhausted, having only slept an hour the day before. Took a nap before dinner. Dinner was surpsingly good (to me). Will leave Sarah to do the food commentary. After dinner, the owner of the resort (a french guy), came to talk to us. There was also a supposedly reknowned underwater photographer there 'William' something. Our bro-in-law and the owner really hit it off and were talking for hours...apparently the owner is also an engineer in the oil business. I played pool while Sarah chatted with the ladies, was nice and relaxed.
Will eventually put up pictures. Hopefully i can keep updating this like that. Im actually waiting for breakfast to start 7:30 and have been awake since 4:30am (can't sleep). Today is a LONG day of 3 dives at Bunaken Island. Btw, sunrise is at 5am and its dark by 6pm here.
Monday, June 15, 2009
New Toy: Madcatz SF4 Special Edition Arcade Stick
Finally after months of waiting for this stick i finally got it! Was really undecided whether to get this one or its 'double the price' brother the Tournament Edition one. In the end, I opted to get this one and mod the buttons. From the numerous reviews i've read online, that kinda makes it pretty similar already (for my needs).
So i found this nice guy online who sold me 6 Sanwa Dark Hai buttons and very carefully went to pry open my brand new joystick. Note that I have NOT done this before and it was scary to try to mod something brand new and so expensive.
However the good build of the arcade stick, the good tutorials online all made it a breeze. Even a super first timer noob like me could swap all 6 buttons out in about 30mins. After that the controller really felt very good and responsive. Truthfully not THAT much different from the previous buttons but i guess psychologically it felt tons better ;) More importantly, i saved a ton of money doing it this way and its like a 100 times better than my Joytron Singibigi.
After playing some games, i realize that having such a good controller does not mean you're going to win more matches etc, its still mostly about skill.
So i found this nice guy online who sold me 6 Sanwa Dark Hai buttons and very carefully went to pry open my brand new joystick. Note that I have NOT done this before and it was scary to try to mod something brand new and so expensive.
However the good build of the arcade stick, the good tutorials online all made it a breeze. Even a super first timer noob like me could swap all 6 buttons out in about 30mins. After that the controller really felt very good and responsive. Truthfully not THAT much different from the previous buttons but i guess psychologically it felt tons better ;) More importantly, i saved a ton of money doing it this way and its like a 100 times better than my Joytron Singibigi.
After playing some games, i realize that having such a good controller does not mean you're going to win more matches etc, its still mostly about skill.
Homeplugs not for me
Recently bought a pair of homeplugs for my dad as well as to try the technology.
This is the Aztech 105e 85mbps one.
In my home I'm gettng an average of 70-85mbps on my 100mbps plan (depending on time) from my router (either direct connection or wireless N). When i tried the homeplug in my living room, the results were only 8mbps! Pretty much similar throughout all rooms in my house except in the kitchen where it dropped to 5mbps.
When i plugged the other homeplug in the same powerbrick as the first one (literally side by side), the speed jumped to about 20mbps (still quite sad...). Probably need to tweak the connections by directly connecting to the wall instead of using powerbricks. Explains why the newer models offer the AC through function where you can plug something on it. Not sure how much that would change the connection but am not confident it will make that much a jump anyway so im sticking with what i have - an ugly wire running from my room to my living room.
On the good side, it was really really easy to install, just plug one into the router and the other to a PC and you're done.
Hope i'll get a chance to try the 200mbps versions with more direct connections and see what happens.
This is the Aztech 105e 85mbps one.
In my home I'm gettng an average of 70-85mbps on my 100mbps plan (depending on time) from my router (either direct connection or wireless N). When i tried the homeplug in my living room, the results were only 8mbps! Pretty much similar throughout all rooms in my house except in the kitchen where it dropped to 5mbps.
When i plugged the other homeplug in the same powerbrick as the first one (literally side by side), the speed jumped to about 20mbps (still quite sad...). Probably need to tweak the connections by directly connecting to the wall instead of using powerbricks. Explains why the newer models offer the AC through function where you can plug something on it. Not sure how much that would change the connection but am not confident it will make that much a jump anyway so im sticking with what i have - an ugly wire running from my room to my living room.
On the good side, it was really really easy to install, just plug one into the router and the other to a PC and you're done.
Hope i'll get a chance to try the 200mbps versions with more direct connections and see what happens.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Dangers of GPS
If you read my previous posts, you'll already know that i've bought a GPS some time ago. While using the GPS is really great and useful as expect, it was really more dangerous than i expected it to be.
Within 3 months of having the GPS, i've gotten into 2 car accidents! This is really strange as i've been driving for 13 years with NO accidents (with the exception of 1 person banging me). As i have always been proud of my driving, it really made me reflective.
After thinking long and hard about this i realized that while the GPS does not distract you during critical moments while you are driving, it completely ruins your 'sense surround' of the road situation. This sets up the accident rather than being the immediate cause of it. For instance, even when completely stopped at a traffic light, you refer to your GPS, you are NOT paying attention to a bike, car, pedestrian that could be doing weird stuff around you. Later when you move off, you are almost completely oblivious...
Anyway now i have removed the GPS from my windscreen and put it on handbrake area instead. Now on, will only use it with SOUND mode or assistance from someone.
This probably is related to using mobile phones while driving too...now i'll be doubly cautious of that.
Take heed people!!!
New Toy: Uni
Got a new addition to our family, we call her 'Uni'.
After long months of research into netbooks, i finally went to get one. Her technical name is Asus 1008HA "Seashell". Won't bore you with technical geeky details but basically shes the prettiest though not the most powerful and feature packed of the netbook lineups.
Now she follows me to work everyday, fitting snugly in my briefcase. Already having a notebook at home, some may wonder why i need another netbook for? Simple, its even MORE convenient...shes so small that she can sit on my stomach (which isn't very small) when im on the bed and i can watch my shows etc.
Already got to show her off to some clients heh.
Heres a vid if u care:
She's really awesome!
After long months of research into netbooks, i finally went to get one. Her technical name is Asus 1008HA "Seashell". Won't bore you with technical geeky details but basically shes the prettiest though not the most powerful and feature packed of the netbook lineups.
Now she follows me to work everyday, fitting snugly in my briefcase. Already having a notebook at home, some may wonder why i need another netbook for? Simple, its even MORE convenient...shes so small that she can sit on my stomach (which isn't very small) when im on the bed and i can watch my shows etc.
Already got to show her off to some clients heh.
Heres a vid if u care:
She's really awesome!
Does a crab die when bitten by a mosquito on its eyes?
Heard this from a few older generation sources already. They mentioned that if a mosquito bites a crab on it's eyes, the crab will die. How true is this? I've tried searching on the internet for this but was unable to find anything.
Posted this on Yahoo Answers already.
Anyone know pls comment, thanks!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Infrastructure Upgrade
This long weekend was very fruitful. Did quite a lot of 'geeky updates':
Ultimate Broadband:
Finally bit the bullet and upgraded my setup to 100MBPS. Had to upgrade my notebook wireless to 802.11N to get the super fast speeds as well. Realized my room PC needs a new Ethernet card too as it can only get half the speed. No upgrades required with the PS3. Took a lot more configuring than expected (almost the whole weekend). Needed to get a new modem too to handle the speed.
Hubstation
Don't know why i have never done it before but i finally upgraded my set top box to the hubstation one...had lots of fun immediately fast forwarding past commercials etc. May even get one more for my room.
Universal Remote
Finally bought the Logitech Harmony 525 controller. Initially wanted it but it cost too much. Now the price was slashed into half so went to get it. Didn't realize it was so powerful and needed so much effort to set up. In fact im not even properly set up yet. Very high learning curve but fun.
Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2
Very fun game, much bigger and better than i imagined when i bought it. Was actually going to get my new madcatz controller this weekend but coz of this game, i think i can take my time.
Ultimate Broadband:
Finally bit the bullet and upgraded my setup to 100MBPS. Had to upgrade my notebook wireless to 802.11N to get the super fast speeds as well. Realized my room PC needs a new Ethernet card too as it can only get half the speed. No upgrades required with the PS3. Took a lot more configuring than expected (almost the whole weekend). Needed to get a new modem too to handle the speed.
Hubstation
Don't know why i have never done it before but i finally upgraded my set top box to the hubstation one...had lots of fun immediately fast forwarding past commercials etc. May even get one more for my room.
Universal Remote
Finally bought the Logitech Harmony 525 controller. Initially wanted it but it cost too much. Now the price was slashed into half so went to get it. Didn't realize it was so powerful and needed so much effort to set up. In fact im not even properly set up yet. Very high learning curve but fun.
Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2
Very fun game, much bigger and better than i imagined when i bought it. Was actually going to get my new madcatz controller this weekend but coz of this game, i think i can take my time.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Fun things to do in a Shopping Mall
Here are some fun ideas to do in a mall if you find yourself bored:
- Dart suspiciously around the store humming the mission impossible theme song.
- Hide in a clothing rack and yell, "Pick me! Pick me!"
- Go into a fitting room and loudly complain why they don't have toilet paper.
- Take boxes of condoms and randomly put them into people's trolleys when they are not looking.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Nice Ice Cream Cafe - Pluck
Ok i don't really think i have a fantastic sense of taste but one thing is for sure is that i have eaten lots of ice cream...chocolate to be exact. Anyway, based on an online referral, i found this place near my office that sells super nice ice cream (tried chocolate only)! Wanted to try their baileys but it was out of stock. The ice cream also quite resonable at $3 for a scoop. Anyway the people are really friendly there and its a kinda relaxed atmosphere...will definitely be h eading htere more often.
Anyway here are some pics of the place.
Menu
Outside Shot
Sigh this place is going to be responsible for more KGs of weight...
You can visit their website for more details here.
Anyway here are some pics of the place.
Menu
Outside Shot
Sigh this place is going to be responsible for more KGs of weight...
You can visit their website for more details here.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Quick Life Update
Its been quite some time since I've updated my doings. So here it is in no particular order what I'm busy with now:
1. Car - still getting used to the new car. Made some really silly mistakes with it like leaving it on and walking away etc. But so far, really happy with it.
2. Cooking - getting more intrigued by cooking perhaps coz i watched Yakitake Japan. Will try to cook the nonya dish Buah Keluak soon.
3. GPS - quite linked to the car, have bought myself the Garmin Nuvi 255W. More difficult than it seems to really get a handle on this coz there is more than meets the eye. Am trying to plug myself into the community of mappers.
4. Discus - yes the fish, have gotten slightly more interested in them but overall still not really there yet.
5. Shrimp Tank - currently doing more with the shrimp tank at home, have recently bought some yamotos to eat up the hair moss and am doing daily snail maintenance with them. their numbers have grown from 50 to about 100 now and exponentially increasing!
6. Business - this one is really all over the place. there are big plans to reform and take bold steps. Money is scarce coz of the crisis, companies are holding funds back. Trying to get a loan now from the govt as well as working out new sales strategies with a potential new partner. It could really swing anywhere. Besides that, there are a lot of political issues etc. One thing for sure is, things are going to get very interesting this year...
7. PS3 - loving it more...been playing Little Big Planet a lot...really good game. Recommend anyone with a PS3 and who likes arcade style game (ala Mario) to get it.
8. Home - Will being installing an electronic lock soon on our main door. Can't wait! It is in response to my main door being so hard to unlock all the time. Have to change the handle (happening later today) before i can install the lock. Have also managed to get the Papa San chair back finally...it was hard but had the help of my good friend and her van.
9. Diving - finally bought the full set of diving gear already. Last buy being the regulator. Though it was bought at a cheap price, its still very expensive. Now need to start diving again.
10. Health - bad...going downhill mainly coz of chinese new year...really need to try harder.
11. Travel - sigh, not diving but going Japan in a few weeks. since its winter, we have to take steps to protect against the cold. have already assembled like 70% of the winter wear we need. its free and easy so its pretty scary too...unfamiliar country that doesn't speak english. though not really an ideal time to travel due to work, intend to fully enjoy and relax.
12. Finances - been spending TOO much buying all kinds of toys etc. really x 10 have to cut down...furthermore there is the trip too thats gonna take up a lot of cash. good thing is that we have been saving on eating out...still...money no enough. should take things more carefully. the car taking up a lot of money.
1. Car - still getting used to the new car. Made some really silly mistakes with it like leaving it on and walking away etc. But so far, really happy with it.
2. Cooking - getting more intrigued by cooking perhaps coz i watched Yakitake Japan. Will try to cook the nonya dish Buah Keluak soon.
3. GPS - quite linked to the car, have bought myself the Garmin Nuvi 255W. More difficult than it seems to really get a handle on this coz there is more than meets the eye. Am trying to plug myself into the community of mappers.
4. Discus - yes the fish, have gotten slightly more interested in them but overall still not really there yet.
5. Shrimp Tank - currently doing more with the shrimp tank at home, have recently bought some yamotos to eat up the hair moss and am doing daily snail maintenance with them. their numbers have grown from 50 to about 100 now and exponentially increasing!
6. Business - this one is really all over the place. there are big plans to reform and take bold steps. Money is scarce coz of the crisis, companies are holding funds back. Trying to get a loan now from the govt as well as working out new sales strategies with a potential new partner. It could really swing anywhere. Besides that, there are a lot of political issues etc. One thing for sure is, things are going to get very interesting this year...
7. PS3 - loving it more...been playing Little Big Planet a lot...really good game. Recommend anyone with a PS3 and who likes arcade style game (ala Mario) to get it.
8. Home - Will being installing an electronic lock soon on our main door. Can't wait! It is in response to my main door being so hard to unlock all the time. Have to change the handle (happening later today) before i can install the lock. Have also managed to get the Papa San chair back finally...it was hard but had the help of my good friend and her van.
9. Diving - finally bought the full set of diving gear already. Last buy being the regulator. Though it was bought at a cheap price, its still very expensive. Now need to start diving again.
10. Health - bad...going downhill mainly coz of chinese new year...really need to try harder.
11. Travel - sigh, not diving but going Japan in a few weeks. since its winter, we have to take steps to protect against the cold. have already assembled like 70% of the winter wear we need. its free and easy so its pretty scary too...unfamiliar country that doesn't speak english. though not really an ideal time to travel due to work, intend to fully enjoy and relax.
12. Finances - been spending TOO much buying all kinds of toys etc. really x 10 have to cut down...furthermore there is the trip too thats gonna take up a lot of cash. good thing is that we have been saving on eating out...still...money no enough. should take things more carefully. the car taking up a lot of money.
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