Open Waters!

Let me first start with my diving pool sessions. Guess who was there taking her diving course too....Carrie Chong! Haha i know..not exactly a big star nor a super hot babe...but hey she's not bad! The pool sessions were kinda fun too, but i have to admit, the first few minutes underwater for me wasn't too comfortable. I probably wasn't used to breathing in and out through my mouth. We learnt all our necessary drills there in the pool and after 2 sessions, its off to the actual sea for our dive!

It has been quite an amazing and wet weekend. I was away at Pulua Aur, Malaysia diving! Went there to get my open waters diving license. It has been a tremendous experience and there's so much to talk about.

Set off on Friday evening where we met up at Novena Square. From there, our mini bus picked us and off we went..straight to Mersing where we spent the night in some motel. The following morning, we took a 2 hours speed boat ride to our destination. Upon arrival, we had lunch and after that, we were off for our first dive in the sea. We went down around 11 metres for our first dive. What a sight it was looking at all the marine life just in front of me. It was first hand discovery channel! It was a really nice feeling...sometimes it just feel like you're flying in the water with everything else under you. But after getting back on the boat after the first dive, all of us all felt nauseous and uneasy...it was a really bad feeling. But we learnt from our lesson and took sea sick pills on subsequent dives..lol


Getting ready to go in!


All set to go!


Pauline, Lydia, Weijian, Myself, Richard and Johnathan!


Myself, Lydia, Weijian, Richard and Johnathan!


The group of us again


Richard and I


The long walk up to our rooms


Our rooms were near the top


A closer look


How our beds look like


At our balcony


Another shot at the balcony


Getting ready for our dive


Its beautiful


The water is super clear

I saw christmas tree worms, cushion stars, sea cucumbers, a beautiful cuttlefish, giant clams, a giant trigger fish, a school of barracuda, an eel and also an aggressive nemo fish lol. Although aggressive, the clown fish aka nemo was nevertheless cute, we spent quite some time playing with it haha. Here are some pictures taken with Lydia's camera on her last dive at Aur..thought it'll be nice to share some pictures here! Check them out! Really beautiful!


A starfish


A picture of a fake clown fish in the sea anemone


A cuttlefish! Its one of the more beautiful creatures i saw during my trip


This is call a nudibranch..some sea slug


Another nudibranch


A clown fish aka Nemo!


A sea cucumber


A feather star


Another feather star

There's so much to say but i'm just too lazy. And i'm feeling pain all over my body because i'm sun burnt! I hope i don't peel.

Oh and one more thing to mention. Had our 28th Armour Anniversary celebration last friday too at Bukit Batok's Civil Service Club. They had bowling, pool, lan game blah blah but i played nothing. It was a super boring anniversary. How quickly time flies, i can still remember blogging about last anniversary at Punngol Marina. Cherish time guys...cherish!

Relax once again!

Haven been blogging for awhile now. Had been really busy with work, with school and with life. It has been such a busy 2 weeks that i can't really remember what i did lol. Don't really like to talk about my work here, you know lah, how stingy and strict my company is with this kind of things. So i shall continue with what i did outside camp.

Had dinner with my mum and sis again last sunday. This time, we had steak at Outback Steakhouse. It wasn't my first time dining there, i had a meal there before years ago, can't remember too much about last time, but i didn't think much of the food then. This outing didn't change my opinion although the steak wasn't bad, it wasn't fantastic either.


Me and my T-Bone Steak


Sis and her T-Bone Steak


A closer look


Mum and her dessert


The bread that came before the main course


Mum and Sis



Had a small farewell and thank you party for Jit Hwee and Jieming on Friday at Darren's Condo. It wasn't so much of the food that day, (it wasn't fantastic anyway, it was catered from a store at my camp's canteen) but rather the fun, drinking, and letting loose that night. Had my fair share of laughter and talking cock, it was nice seeing the other side of some of my guys sometimes.


Outgoing Jit Hwee Incoming Xiaoqing!

It was exam day for me again yesterday. I had to take a marketing paper this time. I didn't had much time to prepare for the paper. I took just the weekend before to read through the text and last friday to go through in details and memorise some details. I was pretty screwed when i saw the question paper yesterday, the details in my head blanked out the moment i tried to answer the questions. No matter how long i put my head down on the desk and think, nothing came back to me. I had no choice but to smoke my way through most of the paper, i just hope that i don't fail this time! Lol.

After the exam, I decided that it was time to get back into shape. I asked Wayniest and Bernerd out to the country club for a jog and swim. After the 5.4km jog and the 500m swim, it felt really rewarding. It didn't help that it has been a tradition of ours to always eat something good after a good workout. This time, we had dinner at the Shore Restaurant in The Yacht Club just off the CC, the same place i had dinner the other time for my company's retreat.


A nice photo for memory

Went for my diving theory test today. Wayniest ex-CSM is our diving instructor. He's quite a figure, someone who exudes confidence speaking in english yet also someone who can communicate well with the hokkien peng, impressive yeah, i should learn a little from him lol. Anyway we all passed our theory test with flying colours, it wasn't too difficult. Next will be the pool session this coming tuesday before the actual dive at Pulau Aur this coming Saturday. Looking so much forward to the actual event, i've been longing to learn diving for sometime now. Unlike Little Mermaid who yearns to have legs like us, stay up all day in the sun and being part of our world, i want to go down into the water and visit their world! I believe that there can be so much to see, looking forward to blogging about my future diving experiences here!

I feel so free and relax now that exams, exercises and most stuff are over. I shall sit back, relax and enjoy my off tomorrow.

Unexpected long weekend that i didn't enjoy

I know i just mentioned that i wouldn't be eating good food for some time now but my sis, mum and kok bin tempted me again on Vesak Day by asking me to eat out again. This time my sis suggested going to Conduroy Cafe at 6th Ave as recommended by her friend. The cafe turned out to be a really nice place. Although not big, it was well designed giving the place a very cosy homely feeling. There were also many couples dining there that day, good choice i must say, it does have a romantic ambience. That place actually gave me an idea on how i should design my future home next time! Lol.




Some bread with cheese and onion


Kok Bin and I had Tenderloin steak


My sis's Rib Eye Steak


My mum had some fish


Chocolate Mousse cake


You must try this cake made up of 3 types of chocolate


What the place looked like


Sis and Kok bin

I then had an unexpected long weekend from Vesak Day till today. But i didn't plan not to go to work on Friday. I haven been feeling well since Vesak day, i even puked out the chocolate cake i ate earlier while bathing. But i didn't think much of it and thought a few panadol might just do the trick. But then i woke up in the middle of Thursday night at around 2.30am feeling all feverish and dizzy. My world was literally spinning around, my mind couldn't think straight, it was a scary feeling, i felt as if my brain was going to be fried and i was going to lose my mind! I then staggered around my room trying to look for a thermometer to measure my temperature but i couldn't find a single one!

In the end i had no choice but to wake my sis and my mum up hoping that they have a thermometer but they don't. By this time, i was already losing my mind, i really didn't know what my brain was controlling although i know what was happening. The next thing i know, my mum and my aunt were taking turns to sponge me trying to cool me down. But it didn't really help, my world was still spinning and i really needed a doctor. My sis and mum then drove me to NUH A&E. I was already feeling slightly better by the time i reached there. I was then escorted to their fever tent where i laid there for awhile before the doctor came, asked a few questions, gave me 3 days MC and discharged me haha.

The rest of the weekend was then spent pretty much sleeping and resting. But i did find time to meet Sham for Shrek 3. Despite the not so good comments about the show, i went into the cinema looking forward to enjoying myself. The show turned out to be ok to me although a little short. I enjoy this show a little more than others because i understand the time and effort taken to make the movie, it really amazes me. I would encourage you to watch the show really, there are quite a few scenes that will tickle you. The scene of the frog king dying is the funniest, come to think of it again, i'm smiling again lol.

Sungei Buloh

Got stung by a bee for the first time in my life yesterday. I was doing my stretching and warm up before the morning run when something flew into my hair. Instinctively, i used my hand and tried to brush it away. Before i knew it, i felt a sharp pain on my left hand's forefinger and when i took a closer look, a small sting was inbedded into my skin. It was super painful but i just carried on with warming up. And the culprit who stung me flew away before i could even take a look at it. After leaving that sting on me, he's going to die anything. Serve it right for attacking me. Lol.

Had my unit's cohesion at Sungei Buloh yesterday. It was super boring, there's really nothing much to see. I was looking forward to seeing some crocodiles, rare birds or something but all i could see there was plenty of monitor lizards, terrapins, herons and some squirrels. I even saw a dog walking across the water at one point. This is only my second time there, it must have been at least 15 years since the last time i went there. Anyway, like i said, there's nothing to see there. Perhaps because its the birds migatory season now. Don't go during the weekends because you will have to pay $1 then.


The map


Some info


Its empty


Its still empty


The pond beside the cafe. There's lots of luohans there


Myself with Edmund and Pradeep


A group photo

After dinner, we had a small commanders dinner at the Mongolian BBQ buffet at Park Mall. They have quite a wide spread with sashimi, clayfish, prawns, dim sum, tepanyaki, some mongolian noodles and some other dishes. I didn't eat much though because i've intend to lose some weight! I shall start to eat less and exercise more. So there won't be nice pictures of food on my blog for some time now. The next photo you see of me will be lean and healthy! Lol.

At World's End

Started the weekend by meeting up with Eunice on friday. We had wanted to watch Midsummer night dreams but she couldn't make it in time for the show because of work so we decided to just meet for dinner. Such a pity because its the last show for the play tonight and i won't be able to catch it.

Anyway it was packed both on the streets and on the roads in town that night. I didn't know the reason until Eunice told me it was the start of the Great Singapore Sales. Anyway we decided to skip Orchard and we meet at Plaza Singapura instead. Dined at Ichiban but didn't have a good experience because the service was bad and the food only average, doubt i'll ever go back there again.

After dinner, we strolled around town for awhile before ending up at Balcony Bar. There we saw Freddy, Bucky and their friends. I ordered a mocktail Mango Tango there and fell in love with it. No beer or liquor for me in the future! Mango Tango it shall be!

Spent my saturday playing soccer. Weiquan invited me to play with his team which comprises quite a few marists that i know. I must say its quite a good team with a good balance in every position. We trashed the opponents 7-1 partly because the other team is lousy too.

After soccer, i met up with Henry at Vivo City for dinner before our movie. I got a shock when he told me that its his first time visiting Vivo City. It must have been opened for at least half a year now? We walked around Vivo looking for a good place to have dinner before he finally decided to eat at Long John Silvers lol.

Sham then met up with us halfway through dinner. We watched Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End at a price of $5 courtesy of Sham's sister. It was a long show..almost 3 hours to be exact..and i must say its only ok. I think its an overhyped show, wasn't a great Pirates of the Carribean's fan in the first place, I'll be more excited over Shrek 3.



After the movie, we decided we wanted to visit Cafe Del Maar at Sentosa. It replaces the old Sunset Bay where i was made to dance on the bar top 3 years ago at my 21st birthday. It is of course much nicer and bigger. A good place to celebrate a birthday, who's birthday is next guys?

Went out for dinner with Mum, Sis and Kok Bin today. This time we tried the Mushroom Pot at Kallang theatre. The restaurant has been there for some time now but somehow eating all mushroom didn't quite appeal back then, so our first visit there didn't happen till today. Its a buffet steamboat there, you cannot imagine how full i felt at the end of the meal. And i'm literally afraid of mushrooms now haha.




A steamboat full of mushrooms


Shitake mushroom with some spicy sauce


The best dish of all to me, some monkey head mushroom

A second car in the Lim family!

Met up with Bernerd last sat before the FA cup match. We had dinner at Shin Kushinya, the same jap restaurant at Vivo City i dined in with Sam and Puss some months ago. The good there is good, now i have some idea on what food to prepare for my next BBQ gathering!




Chawanmushi


Their steak


Salmon Don


Delicious BBQ food

As you all would have already known by now..Manchester United lost after a wonder strike from oily hair drogba. Had a soccer game myself last Sunday where we got to play at Jurong Stadium. It was kinda special playing there, since its so different from the usual secondary schools or club fields that we play at. I fought hard for the match but was unable to break my goal drought lol. Ended up getting injured myself after a "mudslide".


My poor thigh


My other thigh wasn't spared too

After soccer, i met up with Puss where we watched 28 weeks later. In case you didn't know beforehand like me, there is actually a part 1 to this show known as 28 days later. The show is about how this virus infect human and make them zombies that go around biting others. The show is scary because of the music and the many shock scenes, other than that its alright. But its really interesting how they film the show in Britain and made the country so empty and deserted. There was even one scene where they were at Wembley Stadium and the field was messy with long untrimmed grass. The show didn't end off nicely though..i can see a 28 months/years/decades/centuries/millennium later coming on soon lol.



Took off yesterday and today. Accompanied my sis the whole day today where she was to collect her 206 in the late afternoon. Had a short test drive of it from the Peugeot showroom to Kok Bin's house. It feels totally different from my car, the steering is hard and it is not as reactive. Didn't like the whole feel of it, but as long as sis is happy its ok!


Sis and I with her new car!


Kok Bin and Sis with her new car!


Me and my new car! I wish...


I fit in totally lol