Scuba diving, Ultimate Frisbee, Biking, Ski, Golf and Makan for All

Kaleebso 2007 Details

2007-03-26T17:11:00.000+08:00

Hi all, here's the broadcast on the Kaleebso trip. Before i begin, some of you may have wondered what happen to Kaleebso earlier on this year in Jarak Waters, here are some links where you can read about it :- http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/15/nation/16888252&sec=nation http://jelas.info/2007/02/16/my-dad-terrorised-by-law-enforcement-at-sea/ OK now for the program : This is an extended trip, in fact i don't think we have ever managed such a long LOB trip before. Night 1(27th Apr ): 0800: meet at some place to board the bus (this year i try to get the super nice bus - i nominate Kum as the Bus steward to serve wet tissues) (dinner order is still chicken rice, if required) 1200 : Reach the mother ship and drink Kopi and listen to khaylee recite the usual stuff. Day 1 (28th Apr) : (tioman) Dive #1, Dive #2, Dive #3 (i want to suggest night dive but i think all the wussies sure would not go given mary's fabulous cooking) Day 2 (29th Apr): (Tioman /Aur and in between) Estimate to do 3 dives and 1 night dive. Highlights inculde : (Annual Tulai UF Championship) (Annual Malang wetsuitless dive) Day 3 (30th Apr) : (Aur and some small island like rawa) Estimate 3 dives (Possible some scuba tryouts for the non divers) Day 4 (1st May): Return trip 2 dives (can substitue with gorging ourselves to death with mary's teochew porridge. Catch return bus and reach singapore in evening. Dive Site selection: 1) as usual the decision depends on Khaylee but i feel we should revisit some of the old places like rainer's , roger's wreck, 2) most of us would have experience rocking in the boat the whole night to see the stupid big garupa at kuantan wreck so i thot we give it a mis this time instead (unless someone violently objects) Dive Planning/Certifications 1) there will be me and toddy leading the dives but from past experience - you guys really don;t need us! nevertheless.....we will be there to hold you D-rings should you bloody need ! hehe! 2) I assuming all of us are minimally ADV trained.....if you are not....let me know so i can do a adv course on board(additional charges applies) ..... Creature Comfort 1) you guys know the drill - BYO (towels, sun block, frisbee, bcd/regs) boat will only provide weights and tanks (so let me know if you need rentals) 2) DVD Issue - Last year was painful because i had to entertain the angry crowd with my recital of a passage on Cleo's Sex Page in hokkien when the heart transplant operation by me and kim han on the 2 DVD players failed..... Therefore i will bring along a portable dvd player just in case 3) beers and alcohol - the usual rules applies. However, if you guys want....i suggest we get 1 crate up the boat and only drink it on the last night.....i can arrange with khaylee to make it so.... 4) Food - the usual mary stuff....don;t expect too much....like real...it gonna be good cos i added supplements to the PARSAR marketing money.....but still no sharks fin/abalone/lobster/buddha jump over the ship ok! Others 1) insurance - please ensure you have coverage that inculde diving 2) Call mindef notification at : http://www.ns.gov.sg/ 3) Change ringgit : almost no need but 50 rm should be enough 4) Passport updates : at lease 3 months till expiry 5) special request : please let me know in advance. okie dookie.... will update on the rest of the items as we come nearer ! FATA

Good bye blogspot...

2007-01-05T19:27:00.000+08:00

Blogging by Clubnarc has been going on so much stronger that nobody even bother to visit http://www.clubnarc.com anymore. There are several reasons. The main one being that we have multiple crappers in our blogs while only the Skum is maintaining the actual website. And so, it was over a nice cold beer on a wet December evening that an idea surfaced - "Why not make http://www.clubnarc.com the official Clubnarc blog site?" It is thus with great pleasure that we present the new Clubnarc blogs!

Ivan had a chin

2006-12-10T23:46:00.000+08:00

Was rumaging through the archive photos.... this one was taken in 2004 for emily's farewell party.....before Ivan got married and had ryan...... notice Ivan's chin... (this photo is posted as an encouragment to my dear brudder to get him to sign up for 70.3) FATA

what u missed...

2006-12-04T22:17:00.000+08:00

guyz who didn't go for lunch after race missed this...heh..=P the legendary pea's once-in-a-looong time-cow-jump-over-the-moon-pigs fly-yummy brownies.

One Great Race

2006-12-04T09:37:00.000+08:00

Its was a cool morning when the race started, although the skies threaten to rain a little it managed to hold up while 30000 runners were dispatched on the highly anticipated race..... Congrats to the gang for crossing the finish line Full Marathon Bryan Tan Claris Half Marathon Todd Joo Bryan Lim Wei Shan Cameron Ross Lwee 10 Km Fata Dixie Ben Shuyee Daryl Shue Sum Kudos to all. Now that this year's event is over.... What's next? right now the preliminary planning is 1) Kaleebso Dive during first of May holiday 2) Japan Ski Trip 3) Bintan Tri Race 4) Osim Singapore Tri 5) Diving Manado Sep Maybe for now....meeting up for a beer to cool down the muscles could be in order FATA

Alcohol lovers take note!

2006-11-22T12:26:00.000+08:00

Take a look at this formula and memorise it. It just might save you from regrets the next day. Researchers have discovered that there is indeed a relationship between the amount of drinks you've had and the attractiveness of a person you're looking at. This is known as the 'beer goggle' effect. Of course, they've also discovered that there are other variables too. This formula takes into account not only the amount of alcohol you've had, but also the environment in which you're consuming the alcohol.

An = number of units of alcohol consumed

S = smokiness of the room (graded from 0-10, where 0 clear air; 10 extremely smoky)

L = luminance of 'person of interest' (candelas per square metre; typically 1 pitch black; 150 as seen in normal room lighting)

Vo = Snellen visual acuity (6/6 normal; 6/12 just meets driving standard)

d = distance from 'person of interest' (metres; 0.5 to 3 metres) less than 1 - You're okay. What you see is what you get. 1 to 50 - Ugly people starts to look unoffensive. 50 to 100 - Ugly people starts to look attractive. above 100 - Ugly people starts to look like super models. Here's my tip on how to use this formula - Constantly calculate your value. Once it hits 50, don't hit on anyone. Of course, if your score is above 100, you might as well just resign to fate, because I don't think you'll have the ability to work out the formula.

Whaleshark? yeah yeah!

2006-11-19T14:34:00.000+08:00

Forget manado for now... Whaleshark snorkelling anyone? Whalesharks!!

The Great Dancing Toad

2006-11-03T18:14:00.000+08:00

Eat more fish... they won't last 50 years.

2006-11-03T12:25:00.000+08:00

According to this study reported on the BBC web site, there won't be any fish (or at least much of it) left in about 50 years. Well, I've just got one thing to say. If we can't conserve them, then I think we should start eating more fish! Bring out the '老鼠斑' and sharks... heh heh...

NTU Lecturer Survey Form...

2006-10-28T11:27:00.000+08:00

In case you guys have not seen this, eat your heart out... a lighter side to Lecturer Survey in NTU. I guess this is really one of the better NTU lecturers.

Kaleebso 2007

2006-10-11T10:05:00.000+08:00

Ok Kaleebso 2007 will likely be held on 1st may 2007 weekend. As 1st may falls on tuesday, i am thinking of doing sat/sun/monday/tues diving. tentative program is 1) meet sat morning and travel into malaysia, travel in day time....maybe go eat jb bak kut teh. 2) board kaleebso in sat afternoon. and travel out to dive. 3) return to kunatan tuesday. we have some extra days so we can do further places like aur .... hopefully we still remember how to dive aur...:) ok RSVP to FATA FATA

Facelift for Clubnarc blogs...

2006-10-10T18:25:00.000+08:00

In line with the recent changes made to the main website by our resident Kum, the blog's look and feel has also been modified. Please keep your comments coming in.

National Museum Excursion

2006-10-02T12:27:00.000+08:00

What happens when you've just had an abdominally splitting lunch? Go for a walk. Which, was what we did yesterday, at the re-newed National Museum with only 2 exhibits. The Cartier thingy... which we never got to see 'cos of the very long queue and the Biennale thingy... uh... The renovation works are a masterpiece, blending the new and the old. Truly a work of art.

dive... eat... shit...

2006-09-20T18:02:00.000+08:00

I Love IMF Yesterday me and wife decided to park car at her office and walk to suntec....to see if we could catch a glimpse of any protesters (Yah i Suah Ku...but how many singaporean had actually witness a civil protest?) So we park our car at capitol building and followed the beautiful IMF flowers (the type that suddenly sprung up just before IMF) all the way to fortess SUNTEC. It is really surreal when you juxtapose beautiful 4 milliion smiles with tonnes of police metal barricades, concrete barriers and blinking polices lights.... But anyway i discovered the fringe benefits of IMF 1) to get to dine in a resturant where the staff to Customer ratio is 3 to 1....due to lack of customers... 2) you get to waltz thru suntec mall cos there are hardly anyone there.... 3) when you walk into carrefour...you see the sample aunty (those who fry chicken nuggets and then cut them into micro pieces) yawning and giving you a whole piece of their samples... 4) Checking out of Carrefour is a breeze...there are actually cashiers cutting nails... 5) Ben and Jerry boss was so glad i visited that he gave me yet another dicount.... I love IMF..... FATA

It Could be the Pea!

2006-09-12T17:45:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered why all the exercise and we still same size? Perhaps it is all Pea's fault. Heh heh...

Good Old Days

2006-09-11T12:44:00.000+08:00

Lately, some of us are lamenting that we have not been diving enough and the Good Old Days seems gone for good. I happen bump across this photo taken in 2002....on a trip to tioman....notice kum's hand?.....ah i miss the good old days..... FATA

FATA's new shades

2006-09-10T23:26:00.000+08:00

10092006085-FATA@IsCreamery, originally uploaded by toadjuice.

Sentosa Swim, Run

2006-09-10T22:42:00.000+08:00

We are back in training. Last week, biking Pengerang. This week, swim and run at Sentosa. Here are the sequence of events for the day. Meet at Tanjong Beach, then swim followed by a run. (No pictures were taken, cos wet wet and kiam kiam lah.) This was followed by a smoothie, taking a tram ride to the car and relaking by the car. Bak Kut Teh at Tiong Bahru, and then ice-creams at Island Creamery. Thanks to the storm, we sat there for 2 hours eating ice-cream. ... all the nourishments required to power us through the coming week. Heh heh...

Crocodile Hunter kilt by 'Hum Hee' hee hee hee...

2006-09-04T15:12:00.000+08:00

It is a sad day for the producers of the "Crocodile Hunter". Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, has died after being struck by a stingray barb in Queensland. Mr Irwin, 44 died after the stingray barb went through his chest while he was shooting a documentary off Port Douglas. He died doing what he loved. =-=-= Meanwhile, somewhere in the Great Barrier Reef, Ray, a long time resident stingray of the area is receiving a bravery award from his community. "Most of us are getting really traumatised by Steve's harrasment and we do not really know how to go about getting those restraining orders that these humans invented." said Lacorst, the crocodile who travelled from Darwin to attend the ceremony. "My cousin is still swimming in a Hong Kong aquarium, no thanks to him." "My wife still has problems laying eggs after an encounter with him in the Antartic." said Linus the penguin. "My son is still in therapy after being startled. He thinks he's vegetarian and refuses to hunt for fish." commented Harper the seal. Most of the aminals that attended the ceremony wanted to thank Ray personally. They all felt that they needed some form of closure to the end of a traumatic era. "Actually, I thought he scared the shit out of me, but it was my barb that came out instead." remarked Ray. - World Animal Press

Pengerang again!

2006-09-04T12:01:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Allan for complaining that the NUS Triathlon was not shiok enough, we've gotten all our nuah powers together to pull off another Pengerang "Chee Chiong Fun" trip. We seem to be packing more bikes into the boat everytime we go. This time round, we had a total of 10 + 1 resident DM, Mr Cheang who joined us an hour later. The ride was good. I was told our heart rates were averaging around 150 bpm while maintaing an average speed of about 28kph. (Thanks, Cameron.) This took us to 40km in about 1hr 30mins... As my water supply depleted, I executed a water bottle change with Allan which was quickly nullified when my bottle was launched off the bike by a pot-hole. We still managed the distance and made it back to the coffee shop. Somewhere in between this, Mr Cheang arrived and got lost trying to find us. Fortunately, he managed to find the chee chiong fun place. A well thought off plan from FATA and fantastic initiatives from the 'chee chiong fun' party meant that we had 'ta pow' chee chiong fun even though the stall we closed by the time we arrived. 2 packets of CCF, several cans of 100 plus and 17km later, we were on the bum boat. Of course, our trips seldom end without food. It was Tekong Seafood this time round. Menu for the day: 1) Mussels stir fried in chilli. 2) Sambal ur... potato leaf hor? 3) Dough stick fritters... ur you tiao? 4) Steamed 'Ngor Hee'* tail with garlic and chye por. 5) Lots of juices. Another good trip to an otherwise nuah Sunday! * There was a short debate on what "Ngor Hee" is. So here is what I have gathered after a night of research: "Ngor Hee" is a Hokkian / Teochew name for the Eleutheronema tetradactylum. It's common English name is the Threadfin Salmon. In cantonese, this fish is known as "Ma Yau". Locally, Malays know this fish as the Ikan Kurau. Otaks made using this particular fish is very 'slurrrrrp' sedap!

Pea Wee...

2006-09-01T09:46:00.000+08:00

30082006038-PeaWee,
originally uploaded by toadjuice.

Pea, ur... I dunno what to say... heh heh...

dive... eat... shit...

2006-08-29T13:58:00.000+08:00

Dong Dong Cheang? The reason for Toad's entry about our closet political activist bro is : Google : "Cheang Kum Hon" (note : inculde the inverted commas) then click on the first search result.... FATA

Our resident writer.

2006-08-26T13:28:00.000+08:00

He always introduces himself as Cheang, this never fails to trigger a "Huh? What's that?" respond. He's someone who is a little hard to understand. Somehow, when he talks, you wonder if it is in English. But he's a fantastic guy, and we all love him. I always wondered why he carries a book around. He never seems to be reading it anyway. But I guess he does finish the book that he brings around. I mean, if he can write like that, I'm sure he can read. I am impressed.

Clubnarc Tri-ed!

2006-08-16T17:32:00.000+08:00

Clubnarc tri-ed Congrats to all the first time triathlete for the completion of the NUS Triathlon last Sunday. Chee Han, Bryan Lim, Bryan Tan, Irene became triathletes whilst overcoming terrible race organisation, unfavourable water and road conditions....but then again...isn't overcoming adversity and completing the race is what being a triathlete is all about? Already, many of the Tri-ed people are looking forward to the next race (New balance corp tri or Standard Charter or Singapore 70.3) Which ever it is.....it's time to move on....and start training..... FATA . From a triathlete... In the story "alice in wonderland..... "I could tell you my adventures - beginning from this morning,"said Alice a little timidly, "but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then" It is here where we find the parallel between Alice in Wonderland and Triathletes in Triathlonland. We are not the people we were yesterday - the day before we became triathletes. Glancing into the eyes of anyone crossing a finish line, we often witness a significant emotional experience. And many triathletes have pursued the sport as a result of an experience of sudden and clear, life changing resolve. Around the world, training on Dr. Seuss - looking machines in gyms, pacing ourselves on big treadmills and following a black line underwater, we continue the process of changing our minds and bodies dramatically.

Clubnarc? Hmm... ClubGrub!

2006-08-15T16:21:00.000+08:00

Be it a poor dive, a tough riding trip or a bad triathlon, we will never fail to find good food. We pride ourselves for our ability to enjoy good food inspite of bad experiences. As such, I suggest we call ourselves ClubBlub or perhaprs ever ClubGrub?

singapore ironman 70.3

2006-08-14T21:41:00.000+08:00

clubnarc average joes! here's your HIM dream - 2 sept 2007..... In 2007, the Singapore Ironman 70.3 will take place and serve as another international qualifying event for the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3. The event will be managed by Graeme Hannan and Nick Munting of X-Tri Australia and Hivelocity, a local sporting events organizer and well-known name on the local triathlon scene. The inaugural event is scheduled for September 2, 2007 and will become one of 20 events in the Ironman 70.3 Series. "We're proud to bring Ironman 70.3 to Asia and especially to such an impressive location here in Singapore. We look forward to developing this event over the coming years and are keen to shape the Singapore Ironman 70.3 into one of the sport's signature events in Asia," says Hannan. Singapore, a historic country and city, is one of the major cross roads of the world; a major airline hub, a thriving and well appointed city and host to many international sporting events. The Singapore Ironman 70.3 course will be exciting. The bike and run course will take athletes past the city's landmarks as well as the Singapore CBD. The event has support from a variety of local organizations such as the Singapore Sports Council and the Singapore Tourism Board. The Singapore Ironman 70.3 will consist of a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike and a 21 km run. Seventy-five qualifying spots to the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida will be up for grabs. Additionally, professional athletes will compete for a $25,000 (USD) prize purse. The event's first year is expected to draw more than 750 athletes from around the globe from locations such as Singapore, the Pacific Basin and Asia. For further event information and to enter the Singapore Ironman 70.3 event, please log onto www.ironman703singapore.com.

Think we kena copied.

2006-08-10T14:04:00.000+08:00

I think somebody out there is trying to spoof Clubnarc. Well, I guess it is a compliment to Clubnarc eh? Hmmm...

Batam 6 Bridges... We did it!

2006-07-24T12:18:00.000+08:00

Friday, 22nd July 2006, 17 individuals gathered at Harbour Front Centre, boarded a 8.30pm ferry and headed for the Indonesian island of Batam. The purpose of this trip was to cycle along the Barelang Highway and see how far we can go before the day is over. Of course, we do have a support crew who's sole purpose was a spa in the Holiday Inn. In true Clubnarc fashion, some were more prepared than others, some barely made it to Harbour Front. But whatever it was, it was mission accomplished for everyone. We arrived at the Holiday Inn at around 10pm (Singapore time). Most were famished, as we barely had enough time for dinner. Some had room service... other's (chaps from Room 3307) decided to be cheap and went to a corner coffee shop about 2 minutes walk from the hotel for some more affordable nourishment. Breakfast was at 6.30am (Batam time). Having loaded up on food and liquids, we were on our way at around 9.30am, plus or minus a couple of minutes. We had a large truck as support vehicle. Kudos to FATA for this arrangement. This gave us the flexibility to opt for a ride to the start of the first bridge. A group made it to the end of the Barelang Highway, but most made it to the 6th bridge before heading back. Of course, the support truck did come in handy providing us with a ride and water supply along the way. Total duration of the ride was about 6 hours with riders covering various distances from 70km to 150km. Whatever distances were covered, all riders ended the ride with one thing in common... strange tanlines and an aching ass. Post ride activities included soaking in the pool, a superb seafood dinner and of course a spa for some. Special thanks to Chee Han for helping make all this happen.

Aveage Joes - Triathletes?

2006-07-08T09:59:00.000+08:00

The Average Joe's First OD Race

Alas! we have crossed the finish line. It started out as a dare in 2004 during a makan session at Defu lane. The dare was to participate in a Sprint triathlon race...relay style. After 3 years of ah hoc trainings, clowning around in tanjong beach waters, biking along many places in singapore. We have made it.... On sunday 2nd July, Todd, Ben and Fata cross their very first finish line of an olympic distance triathlon. Todd Joo did it in a very decent time of 3:03hrs despite his self preservation theory.

Ben, father of one Jerry, the person with the least training hours put in, the rider of an antique Simoncini steel bike cross the line in 3:43 hrs

FATA, came in last at 3:46hrs to the cheers of all our supporters. In a way, it's been a journey of hope, faith and hardwork. The Average joes had to juggle between family, work, personal committments to make time to train. Our friends, wife and family has also been very supportive and understanding of us. So thank you to all who believed in us. You guys have made this race all the more meaningful and rewarding for all 3 of us.

And there were the people who almost made it.

Terence DNF (Did Not Finish) due to a bike breakdown. Bryan had to backout of the race last minute due to a nagging fever.

I believe this is the beginning of another potentially rewarding adventure for Clubnarc. As it is... chee Han, Ah boy, Bryan Lim, Shue Sum have already signed up for the next RACE (NUSS tri race in july)....

Till the Next Race (which is NUS TRI)....

Cheers

FATA

Kum's Wedding again... Group pict with the brudders

2006-06-21T12:06:00.000+08:00

By popular demand, here's another picture taken during Kum's wedding...

World Cup - How Japan lost the game.

2006-06-14T17:59:00.000+08:00

Here's an analysis of how Japan lost the game.

Penggerang Cycling - 1 Step Closer to 6 Six Bridges

2006-06-13T22:35:00.000+08:00

0600hr : Fata kena bombarded with a dozen SMS on the rainy morning and wether the trip is still on.....decision was made to proceed on since we have planned this for so long... 0730 : Most bikers started arriving, start final check on the bikes....ended up having to pump quite a few tire (damn shack!)...Bryan suggest a fine next time...for biker who arrive with a sub condition bike.....I fully support the idea...since i always provide the last minute lubes, pumps, CO2 etc...will be good business for me. 0830 : After mucking around for 1 hour, (going to take a crap, buy breaky, coffee, etc) we finally got ourselves onto the bumboat.....Kudos to the fellows who made it...Kums and Jesmine, Chee Han, Cameron, Sum, Daryl, Bryan, Selene, Todd Joo and Dixie. 0925hrs : Arrive at Tg Berlunkor to a beautiful weather, the sky was a little overcast by the temperature was cool and there is a nice breeze .... 0940hrs : After clearing the customs we finally set of for the trip.....YEAH! Initially eveyone biked togather in a line....and the view from behind the pack is spectacular....only wish i had brought my camera..after the first 3km...the pack started to fragment......with the attack pack consisting of Chee Han, Cameron, Daryl, Toad, Bryanand Dixie pushing forward and the Peloton struggling a little with the windy road...... 1100hrs - Peloton reached Sg Renggit.... Finally the leisure riders were heralded into the city of Sungei Rengit (Si Wan)(fourth bay) and brought to the chee cheong fun stall while Kums and Fata attempt to catch up with the main group. 1145hrs- after some hard peddling for 17 km....kam and fata met up with toad,daryl and dix returning and we all decided to race back to Sungei Rengit to catch the last chee cheong fun. 1230hrs- the party reach the stall in Sg Rengit....but the chee cheong fun is finishedd...according to Sum the Prawn flavoured ones are better than the char siew ones. Lunch was delicious bak kut teh with mee pok. 1245hrs - as we are tucking into our claypot bak kut teh, the fast guys arrive having completed 68 km...looking visibly hungry and tired.... 1345hrs - after lunch and coffee, the whole group starts the slow 17km back to Tg Belungkor......FATA attempted an attack after the first 3 km (thinking that everyone is exhuasted) to his surprise, chee han, cameron and dixie caught up and sped on ahead leaving fata and dixie behind...Chee Han and Cameron admitted later on the bumboat that the last 3km they were in pain already....HEE HEE! 1600hrs - arrive back at Changi! Another quality Trip by Clubnarc..... Next trip ..... 22 july - six bridges... FATA

New Shark discovered...

2006-06-12T11:03:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, while eating 'bak kut teh' and 'ter kah' at Sg Renggit, we were talking about how people who name new animals are getting less job security since not many new animals are found... Then suddenly a new shark gets discovered... well, I wonder who gets to name this new hammerhead shark... I just hope the fin hunters don't get to the sharks before the namers...

Triathalon

2006-06-09T23:52:00.000+08:00

Triathalon? a different kind of race. Watch this video to find out why.....

Penggerang Cycling this sunday

2006-06-08T12:34:00.000+08:00

Ok here's how we are gonna to do the Bike trip this weekend.. Pre ops - Meeting at Changi Point Ferry terminal 1) for those unintiated - its the new jetty next to the changi hawker center with the nice nasi lemak 2) we will meet at 7am in to morning at the carpark and leave for the bumboat at 730. 3) i will bring some lubes, tools and pump for some last minute tuning....so meet me at the carpark or call me the night before 4) Please bring your passport (in a waterproof/ziplok bag) - penggerrang is not in singapore 5) other things to bring : a) Passport b) Water - there are no 7 eleven on route to sungeo rengit c ) about 50 rm should be enough for breakfast d ) bike lights if you have e ) Helmet - this item is compulory (saves life) f ) Sun block g) extra change of clothes - can leave them in my car Boat ride to TG Belungkor 1) the cost per trip would be about 12 dollars so 2 way is 24. 2) please prepare about $30 for the boat trip in case we need to charter the return trip 3) thr trip is 45mins and not very rocky - like tioman wooden dive boats......sea sickenss is unlikely The Ride 1) As most of the route is quite remote , i suggest we cycle in 2 packs. 2) Pack #1 -Led by toad (for the faster cyclist/and those who needs to clock mileage for Osim tri) 3) Pack#2 - Led by FATA ( for the leisure biker averging 20-25kmh) 4) the route is as follows - i) Tg Belungkor - Sungei Rengit - about 18km - 30-45 mins - flat road ii) Sungei Rengit - Desaru - another 15-30km (depend on group) - 50 mins - flats with hills iii) Desaru tp - sungei rengit - 50mins - lunch and relax (will try to get the best chee cheong fun or bak kut teh!) iv) Sungei Rengit - tg Beluunkor - 50 mins - slow/leisure 5 ) Total time take plus lunch would be about 5hours and we should be place to singapore by 3pm (in time for uf) Tips and Tricks 1) Sunblock - please use them -the sun could get quite hot. 2) bike gloves and padded shorts (if possible) 3) Water - hydration (need i say more) 4) tires - For the mountain bikers - having a slim wheel helps...but if you don;t have them it's alrite too... 5) Sun glasses - this helps to protect the eyes. 6) Put your pass port, money and hp in a ziplok bag to water proof them. 7) i will bring a small supply of first aid, spare tubes and tools....so please let me know b4 sat if you need me to bring anythign else at all Ok thats all folks.....see you sunday 730am! FATA

Teddy bears at the wedding...

2006-06-07T15:53:00.000+08:00

These bears were put through several rigorous postions of which, may prove offensive if the pictures were posted. Our conclusion on the bears: Very versatile...

Kum Hon & Jesmine's Big Day

2006-06-06T11:29:00.000+08:00

Here's the Fata perspective of the wedding day... 1) Bak Cho mee not open. I convinced Dixie to wake up earlier to make it to Siglap to have a go at the Jalan Tua Kong Bak Cho Mee.....turns out both shops are close! so we ended up with mee siam and coffee at the killiney kopi thiam with shue sum and bryan.....Sad! 2) Tequila and Mentos We arrived at Chai Chee (Kum's house) at about 1005hrs (to the chargrin of TiKoon) about 5mins later that we suppose to. Before started the final coordination meeting, Kums passed around this small bottle of tequila for all of us to drink....and then he ritualistically shove one fruity mentos each into our mouth (hmm tequila and mentos.......) 3) Comms Check We were all issued with this cool looking Walkie Talkie....coupled with our tie, sunglasses and long sleeve shirt, we either looked like really cool secret agents or mecerdes cab drivers.... nevertheless the comical banter in the between the drivers using the comms did entertained the 'Ah Yi's quite a bit! 4) Attacking the fort........In sequences I - entourage arrives with horn blasting ii - sing the customary "moon represents our heart" downstairs at the void deck iii - Ate wasabi laced tuna Mayo sandwich iv - Ate raw bitter gourd - only person enjoying it is Todd v - Sang twinkle twinkle little star - got rejected by the sisters vi - Sang "close to you" acapella style vii- Transfer of Ang Bao viii - Enter house ix - Kum had to shout 'I love You' in many different languages x - Enter Room and Kiss Bride - Through all this ..... Our Chef De Mission(Mr Chee) actually hid himself at the corner of the lift lobby and "Siam".......! 4) Nid's Place's Buffet.....Sucks When I saw the big fellow from Nid's place setting up the buffet table I thought "Ho Sei Liao" as Nid's food at the restaurant is really good. Turns out the buffet was quite dismal....The olive fried rice was tasteless, the fried fish had more lumps than fish....The only thing nice was the keropok and lime juice! So Folks....Never order Nids' buffet. 5) Carls Junior, Bravasimmo and Mango Juice We checked into the hotel rooms at about 330pm....After setting up everything to start editing the videos, Dixie disappear to marina square for supplies...and boy what the stuff good.....We had chili cheese fries from Carl's Junior, Bravasimo Ice Cream and 3 big bottles of mango and Orange Juice....Kudos to the Dixie for her Producer Instinct...... 6) The Video Glitch Todd is a great believer of Murphy's Law. And Uncle Murph visited again! The video was running perfectly fine on his laptop during the rehearsal, but during the actual play no sound came out....So after a few seconds of panic....Decision was make to do the 2nd march in first and show the video later......Thank God the second run was perfect.....Kudos to Todd for holding his nerves! Then came the 2nd whammy....In the hurry to cut the video, I have carelessly typed in the title credit as jun 2005 instead of 2006.......and didn't;t realized till I saw it on screen with the other 380 guest in the room....Yet another embarssing FATA moment.... Somehow ... thru all these little imperfections, each of us brudders and Ah yi's who have got involved in helping out the Newly Weds would walk away with a piece of wonderfull memory....and the feeling of satisfaction what we have, in our small ways, played a part in the most wonderful day of Kums and Jesmine's life On the whole, I thought it was a perfect day for a perfect wedding. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Cheang FATA

Someone's Getting Hitched

2006-06-02T17:03:00.000+08:00

Finally.....Another Clubnarc Brudder is getting married. Come Monday 5th June 2005 Kumsternana will be married to the beautiful Jesmine. Can't actually remember what me and Ivan (the only 2 married in the group) told him during the Stag Nite.....guess we were all too drunk... but i am sure they are all good stuff.... Congrats Kum Hon and Jesmine on your wedding. "If life is nothing but a vessel of experience, may both your experiences hereon be filled with warm, affection and excitement. May you cherish your moments together like wine drops and savor every bit of it as you grow old and mellow...." Thanks for being the great person that you are, a true friend and an awesome dive buddy . FATA

Century Divers

2006-05-19T15:31:00.000+08:00

Kudos to Nicole and Alexia for completing thier 100th dive on board the Kaleebso Thanks for sharing this precious moments with the brudders of clubnarc! SO now who's next to hit 100, 200,300? .

2006-05-18T16:52:00.000+08:00

Interesting Design Based on the cute little Box Fish. Apprarent our friend the Boxfish is an highly efficient animal in the water.... to read more, click here.

The researchers also used the boxfish as a basis for the body of the concept car itself. The boxfish's skin consists of numerous hexagonal, bony plates that makes it very strong yet the fish itself is very light. The structure of the bionic car uses the principles of bone formation to allow for a very light weight with high rigidity. According to Daimler-Chrysler, if this design principle is used throughout the entire car, the weight can be reduced by a third and it won't lose any of its strength or crash safety.

Kaleebso 2006 aftermath

2006-05-15T16:15:00.000+08:00

Hope the guys from the kaleebso trip are as stoned as i am ...... this shows that we have done a great job in getting the most and best out of our of passion for scuba diving and nature Congrats to Nicole and Alexia for completing their Centuary dives with us. Same for Steven, who has finally broken his single digit dive log. Gratitute to MM Lim Meng Meng and SM Tan Kim Han who insisted that we follow the procedures and conduct check out dives. The annual TUF (Tulai Ultimate Frisbee) Championship was held on a different beach at tulai with the fabulous powder sand. Once again it was a close fight between the team with Chee Han and the team without. The 10 mins halfs were sufficient to kill us with exhaustion and this time round we have a group of spectators consisting of Lili, princess, pea and pekya who cheered us on from the cool water edge. Khaylee's fantabulous knowledge of the waters of tioman really made our planning much easier. Mary's cooking......heavanly! i think i am overloaded with crabs and prawns..... To the new people who joined us for the first time - thanks for having faith in us, hope we did not dissapoint you. To the old friends who cancel their oversea trips to come for this trip - it was nice to catch up with you guys all over again To the people who couldn;t make it to this trip : 'har har har' (just kidding) Me and Todd had a great time getting lost with you guys....I guess this is the reason clubnarc will exist for a while more..... until the next dive trip... thank you and see you at UF this sunday! Finally a quick recap. For those who still needs to log their dives Dive Sites: Day 1 Dive 1 : Berhala island (no to be confuse with tokong bahara) - check out dive Day 1 Dive 2 : Japanese Wreck Day 1 Dive 3 : Cargo Wreck at Berhala island Day 2 Dive 4 : Tiger Rock Day 2 Dive 5 : Chebeh Day 2 Dive 6 : Malang Rocks Day 2 Dive 7 : Tulai Beach Day 3 Dive 8 : Tokong Bahara cheers FATA

Something's fishy...

2006-05-15T10:44:00.000+08:00

I visited this site today and realised that there were advertisements posted selling OEM software. I know people of Clubnarc will not post ads. Cos advertisements are serious articles (they con you into buying things), while Clubnarc Blogs is purely for crapping purposes only. I suspect that blogger.com kena hacked. I have since removed the 2 articles. Please drop me a mail if there is a misunderstanding here.

something about this festive election season

2006-05-05T09:57:00.000+08:00

Extracted for the movie V...... something about overthrowing government in the olden days..... nowadays we just sue each other.... Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot, I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent to blow up the King and the Parliament. Three score barrels of powder below, Poor old England to overthrow: By God's providence he was catch'd With a dark lantern and burning match. Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring. Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King! Hip hip hoorah!

Biking Pengerang... via Changi Village

2006-05-01T23:12:00.000+08:00

It was a nice trip we did today. We took a bum boat from Changi Point to Pengerang. The jetty complex is new, however, the ticketing system is rather retro. The boatman takes your name down and once he has a full boat, he leaves. Payment is to the boatman when you are on the boat. $7 for the person and an extra $2 for the bicycle. The boat ride took slightly longer than an hour. Nothing that seasoned divers like us can't handle. It was super low tide when we arrived at the Pengerang Jetty, this needs to be noted for future trips otherwise, some simple manoeuvring might be required to load and unload the bikes. From Pengerang, it was about 17km to Sungei Rengit. Not wanting to break out momentum, we decided to pass Sg. Rengit by another 5km to clock up at least 20km. The terrain was pretty gradual with gentle ups and downs. No surprises. The head wind was not too pleasant though. Not very nice for mountain bikers... heh heh... The ride from Pengerang to Sg. Rengit, for me, was a trip down memory lane... along the way, you will have kids waving and shouting hello at the top their voice... this, have not changed for 5 years! Once our target distance was completed, we headed to the fabled 'chee chiong fun' stall. It was 12pm when we arrived. No more 'chee cchiong fun'. Note: 'Chee chiong fun' sells out by 11.30am. We ended up eating the wanton mee. It was another 17km from Sg Rengit back to Pengerang. This is where the adventure begins. Here's how you chop seat on the return boat. Go the the uncle sitting near the custom and pass him your passports. He will take his time to fill your name onto the boat manifest. He then give you a number. All this will take about an hour, depending on the queue. From here, it is about another hour of waiting before our boat arrives. Tips: Book the return trip with the boatman on the trip from Changi. This will guarantee minimal waiting time. Once you're on the boat, there is pretty much nothing to do for another hour or so. Good for catching up on the sleep that was deprived earlier on. For us cyclist, pigging out in Sg. Rengit might not be a good suggestion. It may spoil the ride from Sg. Rengit to Pengerang so, it is better to save the tummy for seafood in Changi Village, and we do know of a good place. ;P

dive... eat... shit...

2006-04-26T16:24:00.000+08:00

Updates from ADEX 2006 Well its another year and another ADEX. Not much has changed in the state of diving, dive travel or technology. I did my rounds on the first days and mingled with the trade fellows to fish some good deals etc but i realise most of the places on offer....we have been there and could do a better trip running it ourselves. Nevertheless....here's a general update: 1) Deep Secrets The underwater pictorial book by Danny Wang and Zul Ng is finally published! This book is a labour of love and passion as these 2 chaps travel all through asia to dive and capture all the beautiful underwater life. The book is beautifully done with a ton of pictures ranging from the interesting critters to majestic Manta Rays. Insert here and there in the book are quotes and articles the so painfully solicited from friends and fellow divers.....(look out for Pea's poem). I finally sat down on monday to look thru the book.....and i realised the how tedious must have been for Zul and Danny to get the process going. The entire book was set and design by the 2 of them without much professional help.....and the product looks and feel totally professional. There are some minor bumps here and there about the colour and the resolution of the prints but overall, it a good read (like having a great bottle of Pinot Noir - Nice and full of flavours) Also - Check out the book covers.....the inside of the cover contains many pictures of divers who have been friends with these 2 chaps.....really cool the see way we were 5 years ago.... Kudos again to Danny and Zul 2) Roach Reef http://www.etawau.com/Island/RoachReefs.htm Our good friend Jenny Lee met up with me and over lunch updated me on her latest endevour - Roach Reef Resort. During our last trip to SWV, i have heard of the fabled Roach Reef where at certian time of the year we can find up to 10 whale sharks congregeting around the reef. Jenny confirmed that this pheonomoeon occurs yearly around april to may! The resort is built on the reef itself (they did a bit of reclaimation to the reef) and has 12 rooms catering up to 20 divers at any one time. This man made island is even smaller that sipadan! Ok...if you are wondering where this place is...it's about 45 minutes south of sipadan! I am thinking of doing a check out trip there....maybe towards end of year or next mar! will keep everyone posted. 3) Lastly......the question on the existence of Clubnarc. I have been doing a lot of thinking and soul searching on weather to carry on this venture or we should call it a day. A few thoughts come naturally: i) Age - We are all not young anymore. nowadays we go on dive trips for the spas and food etc. doing 3 dives a day is tantamount to murder! iii) Family - Kums getting married, Ivan's got Ryan to look after, Meng, Todd and Han are both busy with personal life and careers. Business and Family life is also taking a lot out of me. iii) Time - this i a precious commodity that we have. All of us have to juggle time to fit one way or another and organising dive trips really take up a lot of time. On the other hand: i) Common Passion- i feel that Clubnarc represents a common passion we all share. A passion for the ocean, adventure and sports. While diving is taking a back seat for us now, i believe that the passion will be rekindled when we reached the next stage of our lifes where we could afford more time and money. ii) Relationship - Nothing beats meeting up with good friends, diving at the deep blue ocean and catching up with each other in the middle of nowhere out at the ocean. This kinda of experience is unique and the memories that it brings is priceless. iii) Clubnarc represents a model of diving which would not be easily recreated. iv)Through the years, we have made many connections with industry players who have supported us with good deals, advice and these intangible gains is hard to come by. My conculsion is.....clubnarc could take on a different form....one which allows the passion to continue, old friends to interact and diving to continue ... We could i) cut down out commitments to run trips (maybe do 2 to 3 a year), ii) organise trips which can cater to baby and non diving spouses (Trips with Spas, Nanny) and in the meantime...look forward us having more time (and hopefully more money) in the future. It would be a dream come through to organise a trip to galapagos to diving when we are all in our mid forties (and balding)..... So....for all you guys out there...don;t give up on us yet, before you know it we will be back choing roger's wreck in the middle of the night again. FATA

OSIM Singapore Triathlon 2006

2006-04-21T09:38:00.000+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, It is the time of the year again. The time to pretend to be fit and healthy. OSIM Singapore Triathlon 2006 is open for registration. Let's all sign up and have a healthy weekend on 1 & 2 July 2006.

dive... eat... shit...

2006-04-12T07:37:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends, I have just read and signed the online petition: "Remove all juvenile black tip reef sharks from Indochine (Wisma Atria)" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petitionservice, at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/blacktip/I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you mightagree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and considersigning yourself. Cheers Meng2

Something about Clubnarc.....

2006-03-22T19:28:00.000+08:00

Sustaining the Passion - Club Narc From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” Jacques Cousteau quotes (French Explorer, 1910-1997) How do I begin to explain this passion for diving? Why do I need to constantly breathe compressed air underwater? And the unrelenting desire to discover the beauty of the ocean? Perhaps if we delve a little into the history of ClubNarc, we may be able to find the answer. ClubNarc (Club Narcosis) was formed in 1998 by a bunch of young enterprising students from NTU (Nanyang University) who decided to do things our way. Back then, all the diving we know were done with dive operators which ran rigid schedules and dive programs to cater to big groups of divers of varying skill levels, experience and interests. We had decided after one of these trips that more could be done with our limited funds as students. Within days we got down and planned our very own dive trips to Tioman and Aur Island, Malaysia. The basis of ClubNarc’s existence is simple – A community of divers who share a common passion for the ocean. There are no memberships, no rules and no borders. We hope that through Scuba, we can present the ocean to our friends and family in a way to encourage the appreciation and the conservation of nature. In the beginning, we had endured many trying incidences doing our own DIY diving. Issues like missing transport, gear and even dive sites tested the gang’s patience and determination. To those of you who dived with us in Tioman, you would have had the uncomfortable feeling of hovering at 30m of cold water at night waiting for us DMs to find the famous Roger’s Wreck. These experiences soon became stories, which we would reminisce whenever we got together in Singapore. Through the years, ClubNarc has managed to stay true to its cause and we have moved on from diving Tioman and Aur to more exciting places like the underwater volcano of Mahengetang in Manado, Sipadan, Derawan and other many other exotic places. As we grow older, work and family commitments have restricted our time to go on frequent diving trips. Although we now run fewer trips, we have provided an avenue to keep our friends connected. Dive trips are organized mainly for the purpose of catching up with old friends and making new ones. Nothing beats spending a couple of days hanging out in the middle of the ocean with your close friends and loved ones, and doing the things we love the most – Diving. I guess at the end of the day, for the founders of ClubNarc, the joy in the venture has gone beyond that of satisfying the basic need to scuba dive. The need to breathe compressed air has been replaced by the reaffirmation of camaraderie and friendship, and the appreciation and interaction with marine life. I have always said - "The Ocean will present itself to those who wait patiently". In the meantime, while we wait, just dive! FATA ClubNarc ClubNarc brudders are : FATA, Kums, Ivan, Kim Han, Meng and Todd Joo.

Singapore Coast Guard boat collides with outrigger off Sentosa

2006-03-18T09:31:00.000+08:00

It was reported in The Straits Times on the 17th of March 2006 that a Singapore Police coast guard boat collided with an outrigger off Tanjong Beach, Sentosa late in the evening. The outrigger belonged to the Singpaore Paddle Club. One broke a couple of ribs several others were injured. Their members claim that 2 strobe lights with a 5km visibility were installed and that there was no way the patrol boat could have missed them. Y'know what? I really don't feel any sympathy for these people... They paddle indiscriminately around Sentosa, cutting into paths of Swimmers along the beach. Their outrigger missed me by a couple of centimeters when I was swimming there. Now you see why there's no sympathy? Their concern for safety to themselves and others is questionable. First of all, nobody even knew that they were supposed to be in the area. They did not have a valid permit, and this is after all, Singapore. Stobe lights with 5km visibility? Y'know what? I put strobe lights on my nets when I go fishing. They probably look like fishing nets. They should have their boats properly lighted up... y'know, those green and red ones that identify them as a sea vessel before they complain that they cannot be missed. Pretending to be fishing nets is hardly the way to go. They should count their blessings that it was not a tanker that went over them. Let this accident be a wake up call for these clowns. They should pay more attention to safety. Otherwise, stop paddling.

Cat killer gets 3 months jail. Stray cat feeders deserve punishment too!

2006-03-14T16:37:00.000+08:00

A 42 year old man was sent to the slammer for serially squeezing kittens till their eyes pop out. He sure deserves jail. This, however is still less cruel compared to clowns who feed strays and have the cheek to claim that they are cat lovers. Lets see what happens when you feed strays. All animals including cats have only one primary objective and that is to reproduce. Given the right conditions, ample food and a safe environment, they fornicate like mad and produce many many kittens. Now you will have many many kittens to feed, and when they grow up, there will be many many more cats screwing around, making more kittens. See where I'm getting at? Guess what happens when their population starts to interfere with our lives? Y'know, cat shit, cats' mating calls all these can really drive a person crazy. Well, some people choose to take matters into their own hands... (pun intended). Others will (in true Singpaorean fashion) complain lor... then the official cat collectors will come and roundup the cats and well, lets just say, put them to sleep. So you see, stray feeders are really the more cruel of the lot. This guy just kill kittens. Stray feeders encourage a kitty population boom and then let the animal control people send these cats to their little kitty holocaust. Besides being totally cruel, stray feeders are also an inconsiderate bunch of imbeciles. Most would not feed strays in their neighbourhood. I mean, cat shit, mating calls etc... nope, I'm sure they hate to be bothered by that. Stray feeders love cats. Preferably if the cats are in other people's estate... that way, there's no problem. Cat shit, mating calls, well, someone else on the receiving end will call the official cat killers, leaving the real perpertrator (read: stray cat feeders) totally guilt free.

Okay, now that the cat killer is in jail, lets punish the stray cat feeders!

If you love cats that much, adopt a stray. Otherwise, leave it alone!

In case you miss that article, here's the article...

"Neighbourhood patrol helped send cat killer to jail."

By Tanya Fong. The Straits Times, 11 Mar 2006.

Bedok residents started night patrol to nab man killing strays.

For five months, a group of Bedok residents took turns to patrol their neighbourhood over seven hours every evening. Their mission - to catch the man they suspected of torturing and killing the area's stray cats.

One of them, Miss Ngiam Mui Wah, 46, finally caught him in the middle of another attack and had enough evidence to make criminal charges stick. That ended David Hooi Yin Weng's reign of terror. The 42-year-old packer was this week jailed three months for animal abuse.

The first attack on the neighbourhood's strays began last June, when a retired school teacher, Madam Jeya, 58, saw a man pick up a kitten from a drain and throttle it.

Recalling her horror, she said: 'I saw him strangle it - he was pressing the cat's neck between his thumb and fingers. Its eyes were almost going to pop out, and it started to bleed from its nose and mouth.'

She rushed home and called the police, but he got away with that one. The episode gave her nightmares for weeks after that. She told her neighbour, fellow stray-cat feeder Miss Ngiam, about it. All at once, the bloodied bodies of kittens in the neighbourhood's void decks and drains started to make sense. A 'cat killer' was definitely on the loose.

They set up a neighbourhood patrol. Ten residents - backed up by young boys who often cycled in the area - came forward. Each team did a two-week shift from 6pm to about 1am.

Team member Sharifah Khamis, 40, also started taking a census of the neighbourhood's strays. If one cat or kitten went missing, patrol members were asked if they saw it.

The killings continued. Last October, a 58-year-old therapist who wanted to be known only as Mr Bakri stumbled upon an attack in progress in the void deck of Block 545. The man was strangling a kitten and kicking its mother away.

Mr Bakri said he shouted at the man, who challenged him in Hokkien to a fight and dared him to call the police. When he took out his mobile phone and began dialling, the man dropped the mangled kitten and fled. Mr Bakri chased after him, but lost him.

By this time, the patrol already knew the man's name and that he lived in Block 544 - but for months, the man continued with the attacks and managed to give the patrol the slip.

Then, Miss Ngiam got her break in November. Perhaps he was complacent that day - but he merely sauntered away still holding the animal, and challenged her to call the police.

She said: 'I was so angry. I knew if I let him walk away, another kitten would surely die.'

She called the police and led them to Hooi's 11th-floor flat. There, they saw all the evidence they needed - the six-week-old kitten, bleeding from the nose and its eyes bulging from their sockets. Hooi's neighbours then piped up to say that they had seen dead cats along the corridor outside his flat.

News of his three-month jail term gave a sense of relief to the residents, but they think the sentence is too light. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 12 months. Most who spoke declined to give their full names for fear that Hooi might seek revenge after serving time.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) attended to 708 complaints of animal abuse last year. Of these, fewer than five were cases that involved extreme cruelty resulting in police action.

SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss said: 'Many times, people hear about abuse cases and it just stops there. We commend the women who blew the whistle on the abuser in Bedok. Thanks to their vigilance and persistence, he was caught in the act.

'The SPCA depends on the public to follow their example and be willing to stand up and testify.'

tanya@sph.com.sg

Cabs in Singapore... How safe are we?

2006-03-02T11:32:00.000+08:00

Cabs queueing up at the panel beaters. Damage all at the front of the cabs, so confirm they go and langar people one... Signs that taxi drivers are horrible drivers? I hope there were no passengers when these accidents occured. The next time you flag for a cab, remember this picture.

Average Joe's Race #1 2006

2006-02-24T11:51:00.000+08:00

Nuss Bialthlon.....a wake up call for all 3 of us, Ben, Toad and Me..... Towards OD we go....

Sin Huat Seafood Gelyang Lorong 35

2006-02-22T16:06:00.000+08:00

dive... Eat... Shit... Duck or Crab? Recently me, dix and WS decided to go the geylang to makan and we decided to give the crab bee hoon at lorong 35 a try since it always look so good everytime we pass by on our way to the usual claypot place. There were 2 stalls in the coffee shop one seafood and one braised duck rice. After we have settled ourselves down, we decided to try both the duck and the crab bee hoon. I proceeded to place my order for the duck rice and subsequently walk over to the seafood stall. As i was placing my order for the crab, the following ensued (please imagine this in hokkien): FATA : one crab bee hoon Crab guy : anything else? FATA : no, we are having duck rice as well Crab guy : you having duck rice? FATA : Yes, is there a problem? Crab guy : you roder duck rice i cannot sell you! Fata: Why? (Crab Guys just walks away rudely) i was in shock for a minute.... Giving them the benefit of the doubt, i managed to convince dix and Ws and we should finish our duck rice first before proceeding to eat the crab bee hoon. So we promptly finish up our half portions of delicious duck, paid and shifted table. While i assume all is fine with this arrangement, the guy came out again (after a 15 mins wait)and looked at me..... Crab Guy : you want to order FATA : Yes Crab Guy : you ate duck rice already, i wouldn't sell you because you full already FATA (Perplexed and more fuming now) : but we are not full and we have shifted table. Crab guys walks away rudely again! As far i remember in the history of Singapore, there is only one time this rude practice was prevalent in Singapore, It was during the rivalry of food stalls at the People's Park Hawker Center. That debacle resulted in many gang clashes as well and fighting. The government had to step in with police to stop the nonsense and implement laws to prevent such things from happening again. Admitting, people would have commented that i tolerate the bad attitude of Ah-Hoon (Joo Chait Pepper Crab) too, i can understand why she screams and yell at customer to keep the queue in order, and thru the years, i have been able to get on her good side and obtain a table faster..... But this Sin Huat case is utterly nonsensical. I have no doubt from the various blogs i have read http://www.chubbyhubby.net/2005/12/fish-head-curry-and-crab-beehoon.html that the food is splendid at Sin Huat. But the sheer Nazi style of running the place is a big put off. The worst thing is....there is no avenue of redress.....Except to do one of the following: Plan 1. Activate a big group of people to fill up every table there...Eat only duck rice and sit there whole night. Plan 2. Order duck rice, then get an undercover guy to ta pau the crab. Once the crab is recieved, we eat it immediately in front of them... Plan 3. Start a campaign to expose this crabby attitute... So to all the foodie out there who loves crab and are thinking of trying the Sin Huat Seafood.....call me first....i have better place with better crab to recommend you. Cheer FATA

Jerry the Valentine Gift!

2006-02-18T00:04:00.000+08:00

Jerry arrived on the 14th of Feb 2006 at 12.09am. Funny happy feeling to be a parent... life is going to change.. but hopefully for the better... Both Mum and precious are doing fine..... He's such a cutie... each day is a learning process for Jerry and for us

dive... eat... shit...

2006-02-09T12:57:00.000+08:00

Good Day and Happy new year to one and all, Many of you guys would probably have experienced the fantastic trip we did yearly on board MV Kaleebso. Hope you guys are looking forward to another trip this year. Ok so here is the details for the trip. Date : 12 - 14 May 2006 (vesak day long weekend) - we depart 11 May (thu night) Period : 3d2n Where : Mv Kaleebso around Tioman No of vacancy : I did a charter, so there's a whole boat to fill and it's for 3d3n. Cost : This year there is an increase on the cost for the charter. Cost for transport (sin-endau): $S40 Cost of diving (3d3n): $490 Equipment rental: not included. Please let me know if you want to come for this as soon as possible as I have to collect deposit of $200 to pay Khaylee. Cheers FATA

10 Reasons why Wikipedia is better than Britannica.

2006-02-03T17:41:00.000+08:00

This free online encyclopedia is really cool. Yes, due to its open nature, you might need to double check your facts but you know what? If you spot an error in it, it gets rectified within days. An error on the Britannica can only be changed in the next print! Here are 9 other reasons:

You will never find Wikipedia in the Britannica.
You will never find Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam in the Britannica.
You will never find Annabel Chong in the Britannica.
You will never find Zhang Wuji in the Britannica.
You will never find Bubble Tea in the Britannica.
You wouldn't what in the world Kecap Manis is if you searched the Britannica.
You will never find Victoria Junior College in the Britannica.
You will never know where in the world is Bukit Bintang from the Britannica.
You will never know where Woodbridge Hospital is if you check the Britannica.

So the next time you need to research... pay www.wikipedia.org a visit...

Our Babies!!

2006-01-25T22:29:00.000+08:00

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 Butter is a Mom!!! Just a few pics of our babies and their proud mother.... Such cutie pies.... born on the 24th of Jan from 3am to 7am... quite an exciting ordeal... Mum and pups are doing fine... Anybody got any ideas for names???

Attention Divers: Whale puke = $$$$

2006-01-25T14:03:00.000+08:00

This has got to me the most bizarre bit of information I have ever come across; Whale 'vomit' sparks cash bonanza! 15kg of this shit... I mean, puke raked in about S$500k for the couple that found it. FATA, when is sperm whale season again?

Dive boat for sale...

2006-01-19T17:10:00.000+08:00

Wanna buy a dive boat? Came across this one for sale while researching (not skiving) on the net. Looks cool huh? 2 double beds and 2 single beds. Houses 6 people comfortable. Price is not too expensive... cheaper than a Mercedes Benz, so if you're considering buying a Merc, this boat might be a better choice.

Mock Terrorist Attack @ Serangoon Gardens

2006-01-14T12:24:00.000+08:00

A mock terror attack involving the 'detonation' of a bomb in a vehicle will take place at Serangoon Garden Circus on Sunday. And where in Serangoon Garden Circus? Chomp Chomp, naturally. With its fantastic air circulation design that allows exhaust from the stall to get sucked back into the food centre, eating there already gives you the experience of being gassed. Having a mock bomb attack next to it will truly bring out the flavour of Chomp Chomp. Kudos to whoever who decided on this place man! Roads will be closed tomorrow, Sunday 15th Januarry 2006 from 10am to 12pm. I'll be sitting at the 24 hours prata shop opposite Chomp Chomp to be entertained. I heard raw meat will be used for additional effects. Who know? Maybe I can pack a few pieces home for my next barbeque. Anyone interested in joining me?

think got chance in danny's photo book?

2006-01-12T23:44:00.000+08:00

The other place i saw this creature was at a aquarium shop at jalan kayu (coat about 10 bucks to own one)...still think it's better to see it wild.... FATA

Tea Break @ Tulamben

2006-01-12T15:57:00.000+08:00

Taking a typical tea break in Bali... Here's FATA sipping a nice hot cup of Balinese coffee off a Balinese table.

Nice little bugger

2006-01-12T09:27:00.000+08:00

Spent some quality time with this little friend from Bali at 8m of water.....Simply wonderful.

More nuahing... heh heh...

2006-01-11T13:11:00.000+08:00

In the previous post, you see Pea's point of view from her nuahing position... This is more nuahing...

dive dive..eat eat....nuahhhhhhhh

2006-01-11T10:22:00.000+08:00

2005 feels like a longer year? You might be right.

2005-12-27T12:04:00.000+08:00

If 2005 seems longer than usual, you could be not too far off. Year 2005 is gonna be longer than other years. It is going to be one second longer. The decision to add this extra second is decided by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. There's gonna be an extra second this year, so watch it when you do the countdown thingy this year.

National Kidney Foundation Saga, I'm not upset. We all shouldn't.

2005-12-23T18:07:00.000+08:00

This general public outcry is simply amusing. Demanding that heads should roll, that someone should be burnt on a stake, it's just hilarious. Here's why: You do not need KPMG to tell you that funds fron the NKF are not optimally utilised. Ur... health screenings for school kids? I thought the garmen is already doing this? Why go and kaypoh? I bet each kid kena take one card home to ask parents for donation. Public health screenings? I think go into the bus one time, kena donation also more expensive than health screening at a polyclinic already. Shouldn't a kidney foundation focus on kidney patients? So kaypoh for what? If never kena hantam, they would have gone to kaypoh on cancer patients well. Heng ah, cancer patients never kena con. Oh, oh, nevermind that. Ur, where they find the moolah to hold kidney charity show ah? The television company sponsor meh? Pooi! Get a few clowns who think that they are stars to act like monkeys, use eye-mo and make people call in. You think these clowns don't get paid? How much of the donation made went onto paying these monkeys? Call for donation also must pay the phone company 1-900 charges. People are suckers. They would still call. Yes, the same people who ignore blind baskers in the streets would suddenly develop a conscience and call. It's like suddenly feel guilty about not gding more for charity, so chin chye lah, call lor... Amazing what eye-mo can to to people. Over the past year, I probably contributed less than S$10 to the NKF. This S$10 is no choice one... boss hand out donation card, lan lan, must put money... in case never put, kena mark lah... Although the NKF are one of the the richest charitable organisation in Singapore (ur... besides the Community Chest of Singapore, which I will never contribute to as well), it is amazingly difficult to become a NKF beneficiary. So, every year, millions of people get suckered into donating while only thousands benefitted. Didn't anyone wonder? I did. That's why I never willingly donated. Hence, I'm more amused than upset... heh heh

To Katrina!

2005-12-02T13:43:00.000+08:00

Amidst natural calamities, it is indeed refreshing as well as inspiring to see how the indomitable human spirit always triumphs over adversity, by maintaining the ability to prioritise what's essential in life... Cheers!

Aussie drug guy's gonna hang on Friday...

2005-11-29T19:02:00.000+08:00

and the Aussies are still making a helluva noise about how inhumane it is to hang someone. This just doesn't make sense. I don't think they should interfere with the legal system of a sovereign state. Singapore is doing the world a very big favour. If you are an ordinary citizen of planet Earth, you'd appreciate by knowing that the world has one less drug trafficker. Other traffickers that have bought a ticket to Singapore are probably cancelling their tickets as I type... this is good news. The druglords should be happy too! This incompetent trafficker got caught. Hanging him will rid the trafficking gene pool off another incompetent courier and there by strengthening the drug trafficking gene pool. Survival of the fittest. The smart ones that got away will live to mate and produce more competent drug traffickers that are likely to escape in future. Seen Discovery Channel lately? Well, the same theory applies.

Want REAL news about Singapore? Read a foreign paper.

2005-11-28T16:34:00.000+08:00

It is always very difficult to get news about Singapore in the local media. This is especially true if the news is controversial. Take the hanging of convicted Aussie drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van for example. Did you know that our chief executioner was fired after the Aussie media went to town telling the whole world that this is the guy that is gonna hang the drug smuggler? (Heck! I didn't even know we had a chief executioner!)

From the gloomy wintery weather of Scotland to...

2005-11-22T17:31:00.000+08:00

I really don't know which is worse? Gloomy chilly weather of Scotland or the totally humid and wet weather here. Well the sights there were pretty interesting like the double rainbow you see here in the picture. On the other hand, at least I'm no longer freezing my ass off.

These Japs have an interesting way of "studying" wildlife.

2005-11-09T11:56:00.000+08:00

Yup, they kill them... it was about 500 annually... now, I think these "studies" are in really great demand, so they are going to "study" 500 more annually. Japan's whaling fleet sets sail By Richard Black Environment Correspondent, BBC News website A Japanese in the process of studying this whale burger. And here's a lame excuse delivered by the Japanese whale murderers during an interview with Australian Broadcasting Company, and the rebuttal by Cpt Paul Watson of Sea Sheperd, the guys behind the sinking of illegal fishing and whaling boats. Ah, my hero.

Dear Ah Beng, Can I use disabled toilet?

2005-11-08T13:31:00.000+08:00

This massive discussion among Singaporean bloggers on their right of use to toilets for the disable just goes to show how self-centered they are. Harlow! Paris is on fire! Bird flu coming liao! And what are we concerned about? We seemed more concerned about whether we get to use the business class crappers designed for the disabled. I think Chow Ah Beng, a regular contributor to TalkingCock.com have solved the problem for all you self-centered bloggers. Go read it, and start blogging about more important things like why the Gahmen is taking away our rights to smoking in the crapper? I'm sure there a a lot of people out there who have not taken a crap since this cigarette ban!

Boggle... online... yeah!

2005-11-07T17:16:00.000+08:00

This weekend, I learnt how to play Boggle online... (thanks to Shan) For two consecutive days, I can't seem to get above the top 10 from the bottom of the ranking... now fingers are cramped, eyes are crossed and I have a splitting headace... Lastnight, I discovered how to cheat while playing online Boggle. Now, I'm always on top of the ranking... it is now all about how fast I can cut an paste... Y'know what? It's really boring cutting and pasting so, I've given up on this darn game... heh heh... However, if anyone want's to challenge me... heh heh... then let's see how fast we can cut and paste!

Black Eye Pea

2005-11-05T12:13:00.000+08:00

Ok, so FATA simply just got to me with this Black Eye Pea thing... so here's a rendition of what Black Eye Pea might look like...

happier faces after the race!

2005-11-03T17:34:00.000+08:00

Princess' birthday dinner...

2005-11-02T15:17:00.000+08:00

Her Royal Highness Princess Alexia's belated birthday dinner at Blooie's last night...

We had Blooie's signature dish - the Beer Butt Chicken! A whole fresh chicken was marinated two nights before the dinner with Blooie's special seasoning and spices inside and out. On the day of the dinner, a full can of beer is GENTLY inserted up the chicken's butt and then the chicken is sat upright on its beer can on the BBQ. The result? Yummy peng-kang chicken!

Princess and us... and yummy ice cream cake from Island Creamery...

Beer butt chicken

Beer butt Todd...

Clubnarc Finishers of New Balance Corporate Tri 05

2005-10-31T13:03:00.000+08:00

The girls of Clubnarc... from left: Selene, Dixie and Weishan

Allan aka FATA Ben Todd

This time, it is the New Balance Corporate Triathlon 2005. The third one we've taken part in. Think we're starting to become triathlon junkies... heh heh... thanks to Terence Swee...

New Balance Corporate Tri 05 Best Picture...

2005-10-29T23:35:00.000+08:00

... and this year's best picture for the triathlon goes to Ben and Dixie! The rest all shack faces lah... Here we have Ben looking like he's posing while on the catwalk... sweeeet! And then there's Dixie posing for the camera!

Macdonalds' praised for happy cows.

2005-10-26T12:45:00.000+08:00

I must really take my hat off Macs for their publicity stunts... er campaigns! Besides trying to look really healthy by engaging healthy looking models (I bet the only thing they consume from Macs is Diet Coke), they are now trying to tell you that the cows they use in their burgers die happy. Yup, they are using happy cows, so the burgers must really taste yummy and yes, it's ethical too! Apparently, they use cows that are killed in a certain way where by they uh... die happy? Dying happy... uh I think only a dead drug junky can tell you how its done. Or I can imagine... "Here cow, have some 'grass'. Yeah breathe it in, smoke this joint. Getting high yet? Yeah? Ok, now DIE! DIE! DIE!" There, a happy cow that is DEAD. Personally, I think the only way to get a happy cow is to eat more chikin! PS: On a separate note, while some companies are trying to serve happy cows for dinner, others in Sweden are using them to replace diesel fuel their trains. I kid you not, trains there run on cows.

Think you can make donut bubbles? Try this!

2005-10-25T17:04:00.000+08:00

Dives are getting boring? Seen a shark seen 'em all? Manta... shmanta? Then you probably need something else to do for your next dive. Try to perfect this. Donut bubble within a donut bubble.

Swimmer drowns in New Balance Tri...

2005-10-23T21:13:00.000+08:00

Just got the message from Weishan. Yup, some guy drowned. Verified it on Channel New Asia and Teletext. Apparently, they only realised something was wrong after his relay team mates figured that his swim was taking a little too long. Hmm... could this be the guy Pea and I saw being stretchered into an ambulance? Anyway, while the organisers claim that ample safety precautions were taken with plenty of medic on kayaks, this accident makes me wonder if that is sufficient? Here are a few questions to ponder... Can these people handle every wave of about 100 people each? Wouldn't these safety personnel get tire after 9 waves? If this guy's body had not floated, I guess it would be much later before this accident was discovered...

Ladies! Toilet queue too long? Fear not! Here's P-Mate!

2005-10-19T17:47:00.000+08:00

Feeling a little unfair that the guys always pee faster than you? Get that icky feeling whenever you really need to go and the toilets are just too gross? Well all these problems can be solved if you get to pee standing up. It's clean, it's hygienic and best of all... you can pee with the guys (at the same urinal) if you want to! This is no mockery... it is true! Here's what P-Mate can do to change your life!

Beautiful Passage

2005-10-15T16:53:00.000+08:00

~ THE INVITATION ~ It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!” It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else fails away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. ~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer ~

These triathalon trainings are tiring....i'm pooped.!!!

2005-10-03T23:06:00.000+08:00

No safe roads with cabbies like this...

2005-09-26T18:57:00.000+08:00

It does not make sense using the car horn in such cases. Had I not been the cool driver that I am, I sure 'langa' and kena claim by taxi driver. Cabbies like this ought to be kept off the roads. Suka suka just swerve into my lane! And I must say this driver has no finese in swerving lor... see the angle, so untidy somemore... take picture also can tell how jialat the driving is. I hope someone from Comfort is reading this. I'm nice enough to enlarge the license plate too!

wet dreams........

2005-09-23T12:13:00.000+08:00

am i the only one? need a break need a break..... ~~pea~~

a pet

2005-09-22T00:57:00.000+08:00

If patience is a virtue... I must be feeling extra virtuous today.

2005-09-20T09:31:00.000+08:00

It's an 'Aunty' driver in this car and you won't believe what she was doing seconds before I took this picture. She was talking to an 'Uncle' driver (also a Merc) on the opposite side of the road. Fantastic! Bought the Merc and then cannot afford mobile phone or something lidat issit? I always thought that 'Oi! This one your grandfather road ah?!' can only be used in the narrow confines of staircases in primary schools or secondary schools... then we learn to be a bit more uh... considerate. Guess some people take a little longer to learn. Anyway she and the uncle chatted for a good couple of minutes... I think 2 red light cycles (the traffic light is at the end of the road). Everyone behind me was justifying their horns but not me. I took out my trusty 'ol Sony DSC P1 and enjoyed the show. Ah, patience is... letting others do the honking while you take the pictures for blog postings... If you recognise the car in the picture, please to the public a service by educating the driver. I could only find the time to either take this picture or to educate the driver... I love taking pictures.

Another way to make my world a better place...

2005-09-20T09:21:00.000+08:00

Quit washing drain covers at 8am when people are going to work! This stupid truck from Sembcorp just happily parked the oversized drain washer in the middle of the road. They took 10 minutes to get out of the way. (I had the time to take out my camera.. waddaya think?) Am I really that suay of are they starting to do maintenance during peak hours just to save on some overtime costs and to piss people off?

2005-09-20T09:16:00.000+08:00

Interestesting cloud formation outside my office.... looks like a storm cloud in the making.

If you're black, you're looting. If you're white, you found it.

2005-09-01T15:33:00.000+08:00

This is what happens when your race don't get representation in the press. See how they describe two people doing the same things? Associtate Press - Tuesday, August 30, 2005 A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) AFP - Tuesday, August 30, 2005 Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)

Lanai Cathedrals, Maui, Hawaii

2005-08-27T15:17:00.000+08:00

An awesome swim-through within "Lanai Cathedrals", formed by historic volcanic action. How's that for Confessions on Fridays :)

This Guy Won The Best Looking Guy in the World Title

2005-08-25T18:55:00.000+08:00

Anyone think they wanna/can challenge this? look abit like the friends guy tho' alot cuter la.. ;p

To Toady with more Love

2005-08-19T13:50:00.000+08:00

Sold at Yosemite Park Gift Shop.

To Toady with Love.....

2005-08-17T08:48:00.000+08:00

Another lazy Sunday, scouring Napa Valley for cheap wine tastings... Shameless we are not, at least not for now, yet we're missing our regular Toady :)

Orchard Road

2005-08-16T15:46:00.000+08:00

This is so Singaporean, to hit Orchard Road on a Sunday afternoon.

Down the memory lane

2005-08-16T15:43:00.000+08:00

Allan found an old email.

Patron Tequila

2005-08-13T17:18:00.000+08:00

Bryan trying to capture the beauty of Patron Tequila.

Tribute to Wong Ha Ling

2005-08-09T14:18:00.000+08:00

Great dive instructor Wong Ha Ling passed away from heart attack, 3 weeks ago in Malaysia. A resident instructor with Scuba Corner, Ha Ling is almost a permanent fixture at Altantis Bay Pulau Aur. Always smiling and good natured, he is considered a gem of an instructor in the diving circle. www.wonghaling.com