Starting to be Alive

This blog will be coming alive again..... very soon!!!! So watch out!!!

The Dive....and moving on

Like I mentioned in the last post, scuba diving was really the highlight of the trip for me and the gang. It was really a glimpse into the life of a mermaid, not that they exist, but if they did at least I can say that I enjoyed the 1/2 hour experience of being a merman. Here's more pictures of our diving expedition before we move to the next activity.

Instructor teaching us how to breath like Darth Vader

Getting set to go into the water. I was really expecting us to backward flip into the water like what we watch on discovery channel, but alas because we were bunch of first timers, we had to suit up in the water.

where's Nemo??

We sure did feel like successful PADI certified divers after the 1/2 hour experience.

Activity 3: Surfing

Next highlight of the trip had to be surfing. In all my previous trips to Bali, I never did try out surfing. Heck, even in my 2 years staying in Brisbane, 45 minutes away from the best waves in the world, Surfers Paradise I never ever tried surfing. So this time I thought I should try it out.

The only motivation I had during surf lessons was that if Hock could stand so can I and that was what motivated Yuen and Valarie as well. Surfing is not easy thing to do, the hardest part is actually not standing on the board, it is actually swimming out and finding a wave to catch and finding the correct time to stand. A lot of body action is required and now I understand how those surfer dudes can have a "surfer body".

Learning to surf is one thing but there was another lesson I learned too. That is to always no matter what.. put sun block. You see, I was so excited and all that I forgot all about the sunblock. I hurriedly suit up

Only to come back from 3 hours in the sun having two contrasting body shade.

Lesson very well learned.

It's alive again

Wow!! This sure has been the longest silence ever. 4 1/2 months of no activity here, I wonder do anybody still bother to come visit this blog. It's so dead that even the chat box has died a "natural death". I really wonder who are the 5 people who still checks this blog faithfully. Whoever you are, thank you for being faithful.. your patience has finally paid off.

Anyway, I thought what best to start this blog again then to talk about my long awaited, long deserving holiday. It happened just before Chinese New Year, Yuen Wei, Valarie, Rachael and myself decided in early March 2007 that we would board a plane

Heading towards the beautiful Island of Bali. There was actually 5 of us in the group originally, but Hock had to ffk last minute and left me babysitting 3 girls. But still it was great company as it was the 3 girls that took good care of me.

Anyway, here's the deal.. my dad hooked us up to stay with his friend's friend who had a house in Bali. So we weren't sure how to house would look like and all I remembered of Bali, majority of houses weren't that big, so we all geared ourselves up with sleeping begs only to find that we weren't staying in a house but a huge 3 storey bungalow where I had a king size bed to myself

And the girls had a huge super king size bed to roll around in

you can see it fits 3 comfortably

Well thanks to Val over rolling around where she did her kung fu stunts on Yuen and Rachael, the two girls kicked her to a mattress the next night. And all these luxury cost us only RM50 split by 4 (in love gift to our new found friend aunty mei chen) for 5 nights. What blessings. Our host aunty Mei Chen was great, came to pick us up in the airport and arranged our transport for the duration of our trip, ensuring we get the best price possible.

So what do you do in Bali? You have fun on the beach. And how do you have fun on the beach? You do water sports on the beach and what better place to do all these than in Nusa Dua beach.

First activity: Para gliding

All I can remember from my para gliding experience was that my privates hurt real bad after that. Not because I landed I landed on them but because my body weight was literally supported by it.

Look closely at the harness, look what it is cupping on... but before I go on.... so they gear me for the para glide in lighting speed and hooked my on to the chutes and before I could even say "terlalu ketat?" the man in the cap just shouted "LARI!!!" and I could hear the sound of a roaring speed boat firing up and by the next second I was......

now look at the chute and look at what's supporting my whole weight to the chute? you got it right, the harness and now look where the harness is hook to? you got that right... no wonder I felt like my voice was a higher pitch after I landed.

Second Activity: Scuba Diving

This has got to be the highlight of the holiday, to be able to be under the water for 1/2 hour 600m below sea level. The briefing before the the actual dive made scuba diving seem like a piece of cake. All we had to remember was how to breath through Darth Vader's oxygen tank and how to pop your ears when you feel the pressure. Seriously, all of us thought it was a walk in the park until we all went in the water.

Me as the only man on the trip had to be the first one to go into the water to set an example that scuba diving is nothing but a walk in the park. Truth be told now... once the guide brought me to the 1st 100 meters I already panic because I kept breathing from my nose instead of my mouth and the pressure on the ear was so great...I was so scared until I literally pee pee... poor Rachael, she was next to me when that happened. Anyway, once getting over the initial panic and fear... the feeling was surreal...

high 5!!

It was really a surreal feeling to be able to swim with the fishes and feeding them

Now I understand why people are so crazy about scuba diving. The waters in Bali was a bit murky so now i really want to get my PADI and go to Redang, Tioman and even The Great Barrier Reef to dive... can't imagine how the feeling will be like there

Do watch out... more Bali updates coming...!!! Yes this blog is alive again!!!

ever experiece?

Have you ever experience this before? You thought you were good at something only to realize later on that you are actually bad at it? Well I am going through that right now and it's not a good experience.

i am craving for....

I've just been having this big craving for Ribena lately. I don't know why, everywhere I walk, there's just that smell of Ribena that surrounds me. Every thought that runs through my head is interrupted with a picture of the Ribena squeeze squeeze packet. It's become an "in-between" drink for me now. At least it takes my addiction for Coke

like a tiger..

By the way, I just submitted in for an audition to model for Tiger Beer. I figured that Tiger needed to reach out to its female consumers because there are a rather large segment of drinkers. I am sure those female consumers don't want to see one of those sexy bikini clad girls on the poster. So I sent in my profile picture in to Tiger for their consideration together with the attached letter.

To whom it may concern in Tiger

Hi, My name is Tan Eng Meng, but my friends call me Ah Meng but I guess you can call me Marko. Why am I am Marko and not just Mark you may ask? Because people look up to me that's why they add the "ko" to the Mark and that's why I am Marko.

Because people look up to me, I think your female consumers will also. This is the reason why I am writing to you. Because I feel you are loosing your female "audience". The ladies don't want to see Jessica Alba drinking a Tiger, they want to see a Tiger drinking a Tiger and I think I am your Tiger!!

If you think the above picture is not Tiger enough. I am sure this picure below is more Tiger than you can imagine.

I hope you will consider me modeling for Tiger in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Marko the Tiger

p.s. I still have shots of me in my Tiger underwear.