The weekend

Another weekend passes by...

Went down to Tioman with the Marine Monkees which is always good for a laugh. The Tioman ferry ride was like hell thanks to extremely choppy water and a bunch of foreignors who did not want the aircon on in an enclosed ferry! So therefore - Enclosed ferry + No Aircon = Stuffy = No Oxygen = Nausea. So four of us sat outside and nursed out nausea for the last 30 minutes of the ride. Lucily no one fed the fish...

If Malaysia wants to put themselves on the Tourist Map they damn well have to do something about they conservation. Firstly Tioman was so badly shrouded with haze we couldn't even see it from a distance. Then there is SO much construction going on that there hasn't been a day when the visability underwater has been good in three months!! Last year during early October I went diving and the visibility was gorgeous. Imagine being able to see underwater for 25-30 metres and yes the marine life is a sight to behold. The marine life is still (so far) abundant in Tioman but you can't see further than 5 - 7 metres which is sad.

But all said and done I had a good weekend diving... yes a BAD day diving is still better than a good day at work!

Congratulations Chelsea on a job well done for winning the season opening Charity Shield... looking forward to the new season.

Peace, Love and Respect,
Jenn

Blood on their hands......

I've had the ultimate diving year .... I've seen sharks, whale sharks, manta rays, pygmy seahorses and a whole host of other things.... it's been truly amazing, breathtaking, awesome, humbling!! I've also made some very good friends along the way.... What a great 2008!

At the same time I've also seen and heard things that have troubled me deeply....

Trouble #1 - The Mabul Oceanarium

I CANNOT, as hard as I try, see why this project is needed... "Malaysia Boleh"... As a result of this COMMERCIAL venture ocean and land life alike will be affected. The island already suffers from an inadequate waste management system.

We are talking about an area that is located near our World famous dive site, Sipadan, yet we want to screw it up. Sabah and our Federal Government should be thinking in the long term. The project will require tonnes of construction material that will be brought in by barges and this in turn will destroy the island's marine life and degrade the corals off nearby Sipadan.

Most of the tourist going to the island are divers who already experience the rich underwater life available in Mabul and other islands around it.... we DO NOT need an oceanarium, we just need to figure out how to preserve and conserve its' natural beauty.

NO! to Mabul's oceanarium and resort - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/152265?m=454a9415

Trouble #2 - Shark Finning

On our latest trip to Mabul I watched in horror as a boat brought in a number of sharks and as each one was winced up the kids were busy working at fining them (See attached pictures). I had watched a documentary before and hated it but watching it live was even more heart wrenching and upsetting. I felt nauseated...

In commercial outfits they fin the sharks and then throw them back into the sea. That is like taking a human being, cutting off their arms and legs and throwing them into the sea alive...NO chance of survival and a slow death. This place we saw has boats going back and forth throughout the day bringing in sharks for slaughter.

I want to see those sharks ALIVE in the water!!! Not DEAD and in soup...

An estimated 200 million sharks are killed worldwide a year – 500,000 every day – and most of these are killed in an indescribably cruel fashion. This is a dramatic overexploitation of shark populations and a form of tampering with the largest ecosystem of the world that can never be undone – with far-reaching and dramatic consequences for our children and our children’s children. - Sharkproject.orgStop Shark Finning in Malaysia - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=17023942317 http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/ http://www.sharkwater.com/education.htmhttp://www.seashepherd.org/

The Main Problem - The problem with our country is apathy towards issues, everything is nevermind (tidak apa)... we NEED to EDUCATE people on things that matter. It starts with you and me... not wait for someone else to do it!!

We need to educate the local people to protect the environment and reap the benefits of doing so. Starting with the rampant throwing of rubbish to making money from illegal fishing activities (dynamite fishing, etc.) and shark fining. I have seen first hand all of the above and it bothers me that no one is doing anything. Do I blame someone for doing what is making them a living NO... I blame authorities for NOT educating them. If they are taught some kind of skill or trade that is legal and puts food on the table we solve both problems...

What can we do....

* Be less apathetic and DO positive things towards conservation... together we CAN make a difference

* Support all petitions and movements to stop the Oceanarium.

* Stop eating shark fin anything and make sure you tell people why... When the buying stops the killing will too.

* Take pictures and report any incidents of shark fining to activist groups that can help towards legislation..

Message to the government - Don't wait until it's too late we need to do something NOW!! When we all don't do anything about important issues we ALL have BLOOD ON OUR HANDS!!

Originally posted on FAcebook Notes on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 9:53pm

The One Where You Learn About Diving, Education and Life

I'm running for Minister of Tourism... in the space of 2.5 months I have been to Perhentian, Tioman, Redang and Sipadan. Does Malaysia have a loyalty card where I can collect frequent visitor miles.... THEY SHOULD!

In my diving I have learnt something (ok ok so those who read my notes are slapping their forehead and going .... oh God... Jen learnt AGAIN!!!). Hey they're MY NOTES I WRITE WHAT I WANT!! :)

This is what I've learnt :
a) How to appreciate God, Nature and My Life
b) Patience (Good things come to those who wait)
c) The importance of friendship and watching out for them (the buddy system)

d) MALAYSIANS (I love them because I'm one) are lousy at conservation
e) MALAYSIANS (I still love them) have a tidak apa attitude
f) Our education system is CRAP!!
g) LIFE IS TOO SHORT

a) How to appreciate God, Nature and My Life.... When you dive you get to see some of the most beautiful things EVER... both above and underwater.. The best dive sites are beautiful Islands (located right in our backyard here in MALAYSIA). If you live here and you don't dive you're missing out BIG TIME. Foreigners come from far and wide just to dive here... It is here I give thanks that I am ALIVE.



b) Watching underwater photographers at work has shown me how patience pays off. They can wait motionless in one spot for minutes waiting for the subject to strike a pose but when you see their results you understand why they wait..... Good things come.

c) In diving you not only look out for yourself but for your buddy and others. That is a responsibility that all divers take. If you don't one day it could be you in trouble... And then out of water you have a special bond of friendship because you have experience things that some people may never do or see in their lifetime.... Friendship means looking out for each other!

d), e) f) Malaysian are badly educated in all things other than academic (and even that one wonders) we need to understand life is more than 13 A1s. It's about understanding, appreciation and conservation. We are taught nothing of this in school and we expect our future generation to care!!! Throwing rubbish outside, cigarette butts, plastic bags... adults and kids do it alike.... with not a second thought. Our government doesn't give a damn either... dustbins nowhere in sight in public places.... who cares that plastic bags kill, who cares that cigarette butts are non biodegradable.... I can't even begin to start the story and there is NO end in sight... but you know what I mean.....

But all of us can make a difference. Yes, unfortunately leadership IS by example... monkey see monkey do.... You throw tissue out the window, your kids throw tissue out the window..... you teach everyone that it's ok to touch and remove things from the sea, everyone says I saw someone else do it why can't I... When someone bought shells cheaply from a stall and in jest was told, "When The Buying Stops The Killing Will Stop Too"..... the truth hits home. It's true when there is demand there will forever be supply.... Sharks Fin, Tiger Bones, Bear's Paws, Ivory, Shells.....the list is endless.

Apathy is a Malaysian's standard reaction, "Aiya.. it's oklah, nevermind I can't do much anyway.."

Yeah diving made me think of all of this.... LIFE IS TOO SHORT.... we need to do what we can do in our lifetime. Understand, Appreciate and Conserve for others that come after us.... The future is in ALL out hands now it's just a matter of whether we CARE ENOUGH.

Originally posted on Facebook Notes on Friday, July 4, 2008 at 12:51am

Face to Face....

I've often wondered why I like to do adventurous things since I was young...



Then it occurred to me that I'm an adrenalin junkie... even my job pumps adrenalin but apart from pumping adrenalin over time I have come to realize something more important that living life on the edge is also a humbling experience.



When you skydive every time you touch the ground after jumping you understand that there is someone greater than you....

When you see the beauty of the underwater world (which is not our natural environment) you understand that we have a maker that is all mighty....

When you sit on the beach and see a sunset or the stars in a cloudless night sky it takes your breath away and you give thanks for the gift of life......



These experiences teach me how small I am and I am humbled every time I am faced with the Greatness of God....




Originally posted on Facebook Notes on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 2:41am