P.S: I always wonder, why someone need fake tan? In tropical country?
To get it even and orange? So?
The sun is out there!!
Just after I lost my tan from my March trip, I got another dose in my work, and another one on Saturday, 25th April. The annual Dive Expo was back, this time they combine with Boat Show in Marina Keppel Bay. Asian Dive Expo (Adex) was not held in Singapore last year, but year 2006.
Costing $10 for the admission fee, we could get half price with either any Dive Certification Cards, Dan Membership card, sailing card if we have, for all water related type of cards and some certain platinum2 credit cards. Leo had gone there a day before, he was kind enough to bring us there again, with another new diver from his ex office.
The exhibition itself only opened its door at 1 o’clock, which is a lazy mistake because we started our day early. Anyway, with the harsh hot weather nowadays, opening at one means bright sunny day on top of our head.
Adex itself was not fantastic, smaller than the previous one but quite compact. There are a lot of new equipment players in the market, especially for black flotation Bcd, but the main players like Dive Rite, Halcyon, Scubapro were there to stay. I surprised that I didn’t see many, or none? Mares product, just as the time when we were looking for the bag. Our equipment are either vintage, discontinued or broken. I still can’t believe that we are that old, well, it’s quite a fast moving industry I suppose. We no longer able to find our classic Travel and Venture Wing (new version of my Travel has so much less lifting power and new version of Venture is so much uglier, with big butt), our fins classic Twinjet and Longfin Apollo has changed to ugly colorful version or shorter version quite long ago. The regulators Apex has whatever XXX version, my Mosquito and hubby’s Atom dive computers are no longer in production. We are actually happy with the fact, it means we have more unique gears, kaka. Our one and only set sets worth every cents and still are.
Replacement stuffs that we were looking for were glove and bag. We had been shopping before the trip yet we still need these two. My gloves had become ‘sailing glove’ because my thumb, index and middle fingers are peeping out . Two knuckles each. Left and right.
Anyway, the dive exhibition was not so impressive, there were less participating operators, however, it seemed like there were more variety of stuff to sale. I also notice the number of participating Indonesian destination operators were almost dominating the exhibition. Bali, Menado, Komodo, even Thousand Island. We found Timor Leste also, the brand new country that got their independence from Indonesia, is also a diving destination near Alor, Komodo, with the highlight of Dugong. Dugooog!!!
Anyway, it was nice to talk to fellow Indonesians. The surprising thing was, we met our Dive Master in Komodo back then, Made from Bali. We were quite sure he wouldn’t recognize us, it had been three years and as a DM, he must have met hundreds of divers. Surprisingly, he greeted us first by name, waw, I think that’s very nice for him to remember us. We had a short chat and he might be the person we can look for in case we want to do budget diving in Easter part of Indonesia like Wakatobi and Rajah Empat. Dream destination but budget diving. That’s is what we always live for. Great!
I ended up buying a bloody expensive book, Nudibranch Ecycopedia from Neville Coleman, the guy who is great in underwater naturalist. Personally signed and it’s not in sale in common bookstores. We could find it from Song, the guy whom we dealt for underwater housing but I might as well buy it there, although it’s heavy, but I’m happy to own it. With that, I could identify the nudibranches that we saw, including the latest bizarre hairy one. If one day I found something that can’t be identified from this book, I suppose I can name it, maybe something like Chromodoris Ping. He he he.. Why not. ;p
We didn’t find the bag we want. It’s difficult because our criterias are: big but not bulky, cheap but good, have wheel but not heavy, slim but fit two sets. Nah.! The one that we have we got it for only 70 bucks, Nike brand, bought from someone who never used it. We tortured it for almost five years and still usable but the wheels are already a bit out of direction and almost fell off. I ended up buying Akona the frog glove on sale and a small cute whaleshark soft toy.
From the diving booths, we proceeded to outdoor boat show. The weather was killing, as weird as it is, this year we had our rainy season until February, but starting April, the weather is already more unbearable than usual June, it’s hoooot, with no wind or hot-air wind, the sun was like burning the skin by piercing it, it’s even unbearable to walk barefoot for very short distance when we stepped in the boats.
We visited and entered around eight maybe ten boats. Except for sale, the boats were rented for short excursion. Some boats can amazingly fit in three bedrooms and two bathroom, recreation room, kitchen, open deck or sundeck. We were all drooling there imagining if we owned the boat, where to do giant stride, how many people we can bring in, so on and so forth.
There was one catamaran, probably forty-five footer? I’m not familiar with the sizing, had a huge master bedroom with king size bed and separate toilet and shower. It also had open sundeck in front, sunken seating with fridge and mini bar to enjoy the sea and the sky with friends. Catamaran normally comes with net in front where you can lie down. Regardless, regardless. How nice it is to have one..ha…
The cost of these luxury bat surprass the cost of a flat anytime. Not only that, the real killing parts are the maintenance and the docking fees.
We went around until our head couldn’t take the heat, then we sat down and had a ‘tea’ break. We then met up with the rest in Tcc, although we actually only know Darien, Sharon and Sharon. One of the Sharon is the owner of Fisherman Dive Operator, it’s amazing that she still remember us, 2003 is six years ago… perhaps she remembers us from the trouble we gave her that time, for postponing our Open Water Class for one year.
Darien just come back from Sipadan, staying in Sea Venture oil rig in front of Mabul, the one we always looked at and dreamt to stay, imagining doing gigantic gargantuan height giant stride directly to the sea. Ha.. Although the giant giant stride might not be possible, just below Sea Venture we could find the resident pygmy sea horse, which amazingly, still there. Or maybe other generation of pygmy sea horse. Of course. Anyway, they saw whaleshark, wow...! Sea Venture is quite close to the shore and the water should be quite shallow. How fun it would be..We haven’t got a chance to see whaleshark while scuba diving, I’d love to. I’d love to. How I love to…!
Anyway, except from that weekend and the trip, the on and off tanning happen almost every weekend. Weekend before that, taking boat trip and ‘sun tanning’ in the deck during a voluntary work and week after, hunting land photographs with hubby and friends in the park.
It’s coincidentally full of outdoor related activities together with the madness of the unusual April’s sun.
So, what is my color now? I don’t know. Some say I’m just as fair. Damn.. They can’t see under my watch, and even so, that’s only a mere gradient from all gradients..
Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.
- Kin Hubbard
In Scotland, there is no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes.
- Billy Connelly
On cable TV they have a weather channel - 24 hours of weather. We had something like that where I grew up. We called it a window.
D- an Spencer
When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.
- Alice Hoffman
Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning.
- George Carlin
Folks, this is perfect weather for today's game. Not a breath of air.
- Curt Gowdy
