HITTING THE ROAD

Yours truly shall be on the road again from 27th September.

Shall be shooting off to Bolehland, stopping by KLIA briefly to whacko the nasi before continuing the flight to my kampong in Kedah.

There, I shall blissfully snore through silent nights under starry skies...

And wake up to singing birds...

Will certainly make my pilgrimage to Mee Abu and Nasi Lemak Haji Ali in Alor Star...

Yeeeeiii... deeelicous!

Plus, not forgetting to attack the divine durians...

Then, it is time to skooobaaa at Pulau Tioman...

Can't wait to hit the blue ocean...

Shall be there for four nights, and planning to do at least ten dives...

Then, it is back to KayEl to catch up with my pals...

Will be back in Samurailand on 11th September...

Heheheeee...

PS: Probably no blog post from 27th August to 11th September...

JELLYFISH AT THE PERHENTIANS

Never saw so many jellyfishes in my dives before.

Some of their tentacles were amazingly and frighteningly long...

Surely not a pretty sight if they got you under their skin...

I made sure I was at a safe distance as I grabbed this shot...

SIDE DISH OR MAIN COURSE?

Spent a couple of days in Vancouver (and Victoria).

The last time I was at Vancouver, it was our honeymoon and the World Expo was in town.

So it was really nice to revisit the place... except that this time, I was traveling alone.

That place impresses me as it did almost 20 years ago.

In 1986, we home-stayed with a family who migrated from East Europe.

I sometimes still wonder if I should have listened to our hosts who suggested that we migrate to Canada immediately at that time.

I recall bursting out then, laughing heartily at their kind proposition.

Fast-forward twenty years... (Ok, ok, nineteen...)

Perhaps I am being a bit superficial here but I could sense that the folks there are enjoying living among themselves in that beautiful city.

The Asians there seem to be full members of the society, contributing and working for the nation as equal partners, quite unlike you-know-which-nation I am referring to.

I watched a parliament debate on television, where an Asian-looking Health Minister gave an immaculate speech in perfect English.

And nobody screamed out the word 'racist' while he was delivering...

And, the city folks are friendly for sure.

Once I got into a bus to Simon Fraser University without having the exact change for the fare.

The lady bus driver made an announcement for assistance from passengers who could help me.

I had a five-dollar note and this South Indian looking guy came up front and gave me three two-dollar coins and smiled.

Yeeeii... can you imagine this happening in Bolehland?

Meanwhile, I was quite surprised at the number of homeless people on the east side of the city.

They scavenged the rubbish bins looking for empty cans while dragging their possessions on (stolen?) supermarket carts.

I am now back at my office, reading about Terrence Gomez telling us that his problem in Universiti Malaya was not race-related.

He reasons that he knows 'a number of well-qualified Malay lecturers in UM, many of them among our most dedicated staff, who have not been promoted or given senior academic positions because they have been vocal critics of university management or government policies'.

Certainly can't fight with the fact that there are among our more enlightened Malay brothers and sisters who have a clear conscience so as to fight the injustice.

Let's just say that we wish there are more of these folks around...

Until that time comes, these righteous folks are just 'side-dishes'...

With regards to the 'main-course', I would like to know since when was Malaysian affairs not conducted on race-related premises.

Would be most delighted if someone can enlighten me on this...

Also, while we are at it, any chances of us seeing the top position of Malaysia Airlines go to the candidate (whether brown, black, or yellow) with the best credentials?

Heheheheheeee...

Not race-related?

Let's see...

BOATS AT BAY

Just returned from a week's trip to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The weather was cool and marvelous, with temperatures oscillating between the low to mid twenties, very much unlike the fiery high thirties we now have in Japan.

Spent some time touring the Oak Bay area of Victoria by bicycle...

The Oak Bay area is a 'most attractive residential community' with 'stately waterfront mansions that hug the rugged shorelines'...

The shot above was taken in the late afternoon...

The waters, so tranquil...

I sat on a bench, enjoying the moments...

..hearing only the gentle waves and the occasional seagulls calling...

NUDIBRANCH ON PINK CORALS

Another mouthful of a name... Nembrotha lineolata Bergh... duh!

Identified by its cream colored body filled with numerous, narrow brown lines and faint red and purple marking on the gills and rhinophores...

Meat-eater... feeds on tunicates and other microscopic, fleshy stuff...

Size was about three centimeters.