Not to really grouse, but I'm so totally not looking forward to the next month. Or the 4 months after that. Yes, what an anti-climax. I love my friends at work to death though, they seriously are a fantastic bunch of people to work and to go out with. Some new vocabulary that have popped up:
1. Mommysexual: anyone who isn't attached but goes home to/is sent home by their mom, and wears only stuff their mom picks out, and has their dates chosen by their mom. Example, "No, he is not metrosexual - he's Mommysexual."
2. Everytectomy: laparotomy first, then decide which organ(s) to remove. i.e. KIV splenectomy KIV pancreatectomy KIV hepatectomy KIV cholecystectomy KIV bowel resection. And, by definition, an op that lasts from 8-10 hours.
3. Jackfruit: Women who think they are damn hot, but walk like a duck/like they have something between their legs, wear size negative bra cups, and are in desperate need for concealer.
4. Vampire: People who have visible veins, but no blood in them when you poke them.
Sad, sad night. Sleepy, sad, and alone, and having the most intense of cravings. Spending the night having a cup of hot milo and some butter crackers.
3rd major makeover since the beginning of this year! Pics to come soon ... oh dear. It just means that it's almost time to really start over again - i.e. get a bigger tank. =p
Just finished with HP, and oooh, it's a fine piece of work! Quite beyond my expectations, really. And the big fight was just magnificent.
Feeling a little off regarding today - call day, as you can tell. Already been chalking up quite a sleep debt, and this won't help at all. That, plus I don't know the other guy at all. Been feeling quite distant from my friends recently, and I apologise for that. Just felt like I needed a little quiet time for a while. I've been having so little of these pleasures in life, and now one more has been taken away. Can't help being down.
Started reading HP yesterday evening. Barely started the book when it seriously got disturbing - this is no longer a children's book.
We cooked dinner last night as well! Wasn't really in the mood to cook, so Yx was doing a large part of it in the end. Recipes to go up on the food blog soon - all of them were done using the oven, except for the gravy, so it's pretty easy. The tricky part was timing the cooking, since the oven wasn't able to hold everything at once.
Pork knuckles with home-made meatballs - must have been inspired by Brotzeit! (We hated the sauerkraut, so we didn't even bother with that)
Opened up some files that a friend of mine included in a data transfer, and found some seriously disturbing videos. Stuff that's been circulating around, that's been public boredom-fodder, that's been the centrepiece of our that's-grotesque-and-wrong-but-I-still-want-to-see-it-since-everyone's-talking-about-it culture.
Just seconds before, I was watching some of the world's most dedicated and amazing artists doing flips and spins on ice, via youtube. What a contrast.
You know what? We all need a lot more beauty in our lives. The world needs a lot more beauty, and it's actually not too hard to find. It's just how you see it, what you make of it.
Another one of those days. You just can't help but feel low, especially when you know of the endless possibilities that await you at the mall or wherever. Vaguely thinking about a second cuttlefish.
Been having a frightful time. Thanks to my friends, and some colleagues who have been concerned and tried to get me to share, but this is something I probably need to get through all alone. Feeling really upset and blue, and the call and everything isn't helping at all. Pray that I'll get through this unscathed.
Regarding work, a colleague had most wisely said to me yesterday - just treat it as a hobby. I've never thought about it that way, and then again, I'm usually obsessive about hobbies, so it might not be a good thing after all, lol. Shall spend free time today (if I do get any!!) drawing up blueprints for a new tank. Time for a treat.
It's my destiny. When I look at you, what I see Are changes to be made, Sushine cloaked in shade, A heart to shape and use And tenderness to bruise. You should see it in my eyes Behind my sweet words, insincerity and lies, The ugly creature wrapped in skin With fists, teeth, hatred and sin. But you guard your dreams, The wind in your hair and the world at your feet. And you dream your life away As I decay.
Hmm .. the cuttlefish is doing well so far, it has eaten its way down to 1 prawn left since the last time we bought 1/2 a kg for it! Messy, though - the prawns are rather too big for 1 meal, so there are uneaten bodyparts strewn all over the tank. Time to get more scavangers in the tank to clear up the mess.
Had "practice" last night - more like, I was sitting around chatting with people, while Yx was watching the performance practice and giving critique. Somehow, they have the strangest impressions of what I do and how I feel about it. How do you tell people when they ask about your job? Most can never understand, and even if they do, it's just the surface of it. I suppose this applies to most jobs.
Thinking so much of another island holiday again. This trip seemed to open up a whole new world of so many possibilities for R&R - I wouldn't even have considered such holidays in the past!
Wow, tired out so soon - barely been 2 days since I've gotten back, and the old fatigue and stress is already setting in. Totally dreaming about more snorkeling trips, but $$! Got my arm injured as well, feels like it's an impingement of the shoulder. OK, shall try to grab some rest today.
Back from my holiday, which felt like it was a really short-lived dream. Ever woke from sleep in the middle of a nice, warm dream, and wishing you could fall right back to sleep and into that same dream again? And for once, I didn't complain about not having internet access. =p
The bus trip was pretty disgusting, although it was bearable. First thing we did when we arrived was to just soak up the pretty room, unpack, and wonder what to do next. Eventually, we discovered a 5-hour snorkelling trip and signed up for it - best decision ever!
First sight that greeted us - swarms of ikan bilis (I think)
The room - not exactly "seaview", but close enough, and right next to the beach!
Inside the room
At 5pm, we were at the beach when we suddenly decided to buy our own snorkelling gear - once again, the perfect thing to do, as it turned out. About knee-deep into the sea, there were nice rainbow-coloured fishes and some striped damselfish that seriously looked like clownfish. It was getting dark, and the sea sloped off into an eerie, deep blue expanse, so we freaked out and headed back instead of venturing any further. Just spent the rest of the evening chilling at the beach. We seriously got hooked onto snorkelling that evening, and decided to spend the entire time there doing nothing but snorkelling! Haha .. not really, but it was seriously good fun.
We walked out of the resort to grab some tom yam for dinner - waited like almost half an hour before the food arrived, but my! It was seriously worth the wait.
Got up early the next morning to look for my watch - I lost it the previous day before dinner, probably at the swimming pool/jacuzzi. Was seriously upset - it wasn't an awfully expensive one, but still, it was a gift and I hate losing things that people give me. We eventually gave up the search and went off for the day-long snorkeling trip. For some mysterious reason, we hit off pretty well with the boss, Wasabi (yes, I know!) who arranged an almost-private trip. There were some 20 people in total, but Yx and I got to go in this small boat with only 4 people in it. Unfortunately, the sun was horrid that day - i.e. no sun at all, so the sea was choppy and before we even reached Renggis Island, Yx was totally soaked from spray. We were seriously blown away by the corals on the island! Seriously. I was so awed, inspired and humbled all at the same time, to see those magnificent table Acropora in their native habitat. What's more, we were so lucky!! Managed to see a sea turtle, muahahaha. Our guide tried to dive in to catch the guy, but obviously the turtle made a getaway - it had 4 fins, while the guide only had a pair. We spent almost 2 hours on that island, going deeper and deeper till it got scary, actually.
Before we went for the holiday, Yx and I travelled all the way to AMK to get this little camera pouch that is waterproof for 5 metres - it's called Dicapak, and at $70, it's a fraction of the cost of professional marine cases, and works well too! Only problem is, the plastic in front of the camera lens causes a lot of distortion, so my pics of the turtle didn't turn out well at all. =( We only managed to get the hang of it later on.
Next stop was the marine park, which was the part I enjoyed the least. Too deep to see the bottom, and tonnes - TONNES - of fish. We tried feeding them bread from our hands, but later decided otherwise as the silly things were actually attacking us.
Finally, we got to this tiny isle right off our hotel. You seriously wouldn't have suspected what lay beneath such a boring-looking island. It was yet another very scary experience - we swam round the entire island, and there was one part of it that was unprotected sea. Horribly strong currents, and I was barely able to swim - the currents just sort of got hold of us and pushed us around. And the part where it was calm, it was SWARMING with sea urchins. Not a good idea at all. We spotted these strange, bright-blue bulbs on the sea bed though, and later realised that those were the bases of sea anemones.
At the end of it, we still had a 30-minute snorkel trip that came with the hotel package. That, we traded off for a 1-hour bicycle rental, and cycled to Tekek village instead.
Hmmm ... was desperate for a better tan, so Yx managed to convince me to buy (and wear) a singlet. Seriously, it felt oddly naked to be in one. Saw some variegated tapioca, and ate roadside chendol!
On our way back, something amusing happened. I was just saying a minute ago that we should have rented a motorcycle instead of pushing our bikes up those steep slopes, when 2 caucasian guys zoomed past us on the hill, promptly lost power and started sliding backwards on the motorcycle! They too ended up pushing their (much heavier) bikes, but eventually managed to ride on it and zoom off again.
Once again, another beautiful sunset, with a yacht in the distance. To our horror, both Yx and I got tipsy on a single can of Heineken that evening - now I'm convinced that beer isn't good on empty stomachs!
For the last day, the sun came out in its full glory. We leapt into the water as soon as we were done with breakfast. We swam all the way out, about 40-50 metres from shore, and what greeted us was totally unimaginable - we never knew a reef like that existed so near to us!
The reef was STREWN with giant clams - about 8-10 per square metre at some places, both Tridacna crocea and T.maxima. We managed to dig a couple out from the rocks:
Yx with a nudibranch. Loads of sea cucumbers too, and some ugly starfish, but those were really too creepy to be picked up.
The house reef, just off the shore near our room
Staghorn-type Acropora, which were very popular with all sorts of fish which hid amongst the branches.
Pink table Acropora - this one was about the size of a dinner table.
Mystery of the hiding stars
I was all set for taking beautiful night-time shots of the sky, away from the light pollution. Froggy, tripod, everything. On day 1, the stars were strewn all over the skies, familiar constellations, and some totally new. But on the way back to the room to get my stuff out to shoot them, heck, every single damn one disappeared!! The EXACT same thing happened again on our second night. Was slightly pissed off. Did a 30-second exposure anyway, hoping to catch stray light - but no. It was just way too cloudy at night. Another time, perhaps!
Yx's honour roll
Yx was seriously at her best this time - she beat me umpteen times at spotting the most interesting stuff! Here's some of the prize-winning discoveries:
1. Shy-faced crab - how she managed to find one in the sand, I'll never know 2. Eel - as I was playing with the giant clams, she found a hole with an eel sticking out of it! Didn't manage to get any clear shots though, alas! 3. Blue encrusting Montipora - a brilliant sky blue 4. Spider conch!!
Pics of the crab and conch to come soon!
Will definitely love to be back there again. Wish that I had a time turner. Having a nasty case of the blues now.
Feeling extremely ill this morning - my body refuses to wake up even with coffee!
Changing a new set of people again today, and the only good thing right now is that I'll be working with some very nice colleagues. As I was telling Monty, there's precious little to look forward to anymore, everything just goes downhill from here.
Seriously hoping that the call will be great. Tired enough mentally as it is.
Gonna be on call tomorrow, sigh. In the meantime, here are more videos!
First up, the new cuttlefish choping on shrimp:
And also a belated video of the banded shark egg, if you look closely you can see the embryo swishing around inside. It was kinda brownish in colour when I took this vid, right now it's banded with black and white.
Hahaha .. uploaded my parents' dance videos on youtube! Here's one, of them practicing Bachata. They seriously should have danced closer together, like rubbing bodies. But it's kinda gross seeing your own parents doing stuff like that eh.
I was going to the tour agency yesterday, and figured that I may just as well spend 15 more minutes travelling to coral farm - and the trip did pay off! Bought more marine algae, and 2 huge cuttlefish. Unfortunately, while I was out trying to shop with Monty, one of them decided to ink inside its own baggie and died from suffocation =(
Went to the fish market to buy live shrimp this morning to feed the cuttle, it initially was frightened but has attacked and caught one, yay!
Feeder shrimp
The protein skimmer hard at work skimming the ink out
New cuttlefish with bright blue spots, chewing on the shrimp it has caught
