Don't TOUCH the mantas... whilst you're at it DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!

On my recent trip to layang-layang we had the pleasure of seeing mantas. Such beautiful and graceful creatures that are truly breathtaking to watch and appreciate. But yes many people take to chasing them or disturbing them on cleaning stations. If they are curious and comfortable they will come towards you... imagine a stranger chasing you down the road trying to take a picture of you or touch you! So being curious I decided to read a little bit more about them and share it with you, if you are interested.

Extracted from Dive-The-World.com

Distinguishing Features

Mantas can grow to 6.7m wide, weigh up to 1,400kg, and are the largest of all rays. The Spanish word for blanket is 'manta' and aptly describes the unique spherical body shape of this animal.

Also known as "devil ray" with graceful pectoral 'wings', manta rays are easily recognised by their paddle-like cephalic lobes projecting forward from the front of the head (actually extensions of the pectoral fins, supported by radial cartilages), and a very broad, rectangular terminal mouth.

Mantas vary in colour from black, grey-blue, to red-brown on the upper surface of their cartilage body, sometimes with white shoulder patches and blotches, and almost pure white on the lower surface of their pectoral fins and body disc. Their body patterns show individual variation and helps identify individuals.

There are also regional differences in manta ray colour patterns. For example, specimens from the eastern Pacific often feature dusky to mostly black undersurfaces, while those from the western Pacific are typically snow white underneath.

Although it's difficult not to recognise an adult manta ray, juveniles are similar to mobula rays (of which there are 9 species) that grow to 3 metres and share paddle-shaped cephalic lobes and gracefully curved pectoral wings. Mantas are now thought to be a single species, and mobulas are most readily distinguished by the position of the mouth - mobulas have sub-terminal mouths (located underneath the head, similar to many sharks), whilst mantas have terminal mouths (located at the front of the head).

Behaviour

A manta ray is capable of rapid speed and juveniles sometimes leap well clear of the water, landing with a loud slap, sometimes performing 2 or 3 of these jumps in succession. The act seems to be playing or social behaviour - the great, crashing splash of their re-entries can often be heard from miles away. Getting rid of parasites may also play a role, much like breeching whales.

Manta rays frequently visit reef-side "cleaning stations" to let cleaner wrasse remove small parasites from skin and gill cavities, sometimes several lining up to wait their turn.

Seemingly inquisitive, manta rays may sometimes approach and even solicit attention from divers, apparently enjoying the tactile stimulation provided by human contact as well as the bubbles from scuba units. In areas frequented by divers, however, they often become very wary and cease to approach.

When approached rapidly or grasped, they roll onto their backs, dive, or swim away rapidly, righting themselves only when some distance away. Entering the water carefully so as to not scare manta rays away will greatly increase the enjoyment of your encounter and protect them from injury. Hovering and staying still will eventually allow the manta ray to approach you. It's best to position yourself a long the bottom or near a cleaning station to observe them close up.

Touching a manta ray, even if they present their bellies for a rub, will remove some of the mucus that protects them against marine infections. Stay within their vision and let them decide if they want to approach you. Although some manta rays seem to enjoy the bubbles from the SCUBA unit on their bellies, avoid exhaling bubbles into their face, as it may scare them off.

Flash photography and video doesn't seem to bother the manta ray, but do not disturb them if they are engage in feeding, cleaning or mating. Direct eye contact is considered a friendly connection, which they also seem to enjoy. Remember to never ride a manta ray, event though it may appear as if they present themselves for a ride.

Reproduction

The manta ray is ovoviviparous with a usual litter size of 2 - each pup wrapped in a thin-shell that hatches inside the mother, later to be born alive. Birth occurs in relatively shallow water, where the young remain for several years before expanding their range further offshore. Like sharks and other rays, mantas are fertilized internally. The fertilized eggs develop inside a mother manta's body for an unknown length of time that may exceed 12 months.

So those that dive please help conserve the beauty for generations to come.

Peace, Love and Respect,
Jenn

Reply to : Sabah may be the first state to ban shark hunting (Press Statement : The Star, Sunday May 8, 2011)

Dear Datuk Masidi,

As a Malaysian, a diver and a person who has seen first hand horrifc shark finning in Mabul I applaud your efforts and those of the Sabah state government and anyone who is working towards the conservation of our marine life.

Conservation is everyone’s business be it government, private sector, communities and individuals but the initiative must start from somewhere.

Malaysia has world-class dive sites which are frequented by visitors far and wide. Fishing villagers and communities need to be taught and given alternative means of making a living other than by the exploitation of the marine life and coral reefs. They need to learn that protecting the environment can also be good for business and they can cultivate the benefits of a healthy ecosystem.

Adequate financing, proper management systems and support need to be given to the villagers so that they are ensured of jobs and income to provide for their families. They should be trained to support the tourism industry rather than make their living via illegal activities. Although heads and expertise can come from abroad but all staffing should be locals who are trained to either enforce the regulations (i.e. no sharking hunting, fish bombing, commercial fishing), become guides, boatsmen, run dive operations, operators of home stays or hotels and eventually the community will be able to sustain themselves.

After all the ones reaping the riches of such illegal activities such as shark fining are not those catching the sharks themselves but those that fund such operations.

We cannot blame those that are only trying to make a living. Change cannot happen overnight. Mindsets and socio-economic conditions take time to change but we need to start now before we come to the point of no return for our marine life.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Thompson






ORIGINAL PRESS REPORT -
Sunday May 8, 2011

SABAH MAY BE THE FIRST STATE TO BAN SHARK HUNTING
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
vmugu@thestar.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is likely to be the first state to ban shark hunting for their fins in a bid to protect the marine creature.

The state government is now studying the legal aspects of the proposed ban which would require amendments to the State Wildlife Protection Ordinance with the aim of introducing it by the end of the year.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the situation was becoming critical for this marine creature as only 20% of its original population was still left in the country.

“From my last briefing, there are only four areas in Sabah where sharks can be spotted.

“If we don't do something about it, the population may disappear from our waters completely,” Masidi said yesterday.

Masidi said he was told by experts that the sharks no longer existed in peninsular Malaysia waters.

He said the state attorney-general was now studying the matter.

He added that the state government was working with non-governmental groups to educate the public on the need to protect sharks from “disappearing” entirely.

“We understand the sensitivities involved as it is a must for some people to serve shark fin soup during weddings. But what we are trying to do is to educate the people to skip the dish for conservation's sake,” he said, adding that it would also get Malaysia Airports Berhad to bar retailers from selling shark fins in airports in the state.

The state government, he added, had also taken shark fin soup off the menu of its official functions.

Band Aid (Tips Pt.1)

Over the last two months I have been attending a whole slew of Band auditions and competitions just to get a feel of what is happening on the ground.

I like going or being a part of events such as these as it allows the bands to see their weaknesses and strength. It also serves as a guide to seeing how they fair against other bands and how to cope with performance pressure, which is very different from a practice studio or a small venue.

Malaysia has a lot of musical talent but they need guidance and polish so that they can shine. So many have the ability but it isn’t just about that. It’s the whole package – looks, musicianship, performance and stage presence, communication, handling fans, talking to press, etc.

Going to these things always ends up enlightening me too. There are a whole bunch of things to write about. Here are just my two cents worth of observations :

1) Respecting each other

A band is a group of people, all with different characters, hopes, likes and dislikes. So the first thing you need to do is RESPECT and understand each other. There is, however, no excuse for not coming on time, not turning up at all and not practicing your parts. Discipline is a BIG part of success.

2) Open to Criticism.

The Band (or Artistes) themselves need an open mind so they can always learn and improve. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Sometimes people say hurtful things and some times the truth hurts. So you need to be able to take it all in stride and use it positively.

 
3) Practice for perfection.

You need to play your songs over and over again so that you don’t even need to think how to play it. It becomes second nature or auto pilot so that you can concentrate on other things – the way you look, the way you stand, the way you communicate with the audience.

4) Perform to excel.

You need to perform then only can they improve their musicianship, playing together, pitching and communication with the audience. Practice IS important but performing on a live stage with an audience is very different. So we need performing venues and a touring circuit (Yes, government I’m talking to you… this is totally another subject which I can rant on)

5) When you think you’re doing enough, do some more.

Performance is about giving 200 percent, passionately. Fake movements and reactions really show, that’s why when you do something you have to commit. Practice in front of a mirror that’s the only way you can see how you look. If you see Aerosmith, Queen, Deep Purple, Earth, Wind and Fire they all perform with passion moving the audience with their playing ability and their passionate performance. You give 200% and the audience will feel 100% anything less and you will get a lukewarm response.
 

6) Buy a tuner, AND USE IT.

.

Most bands still do not own a tuner you cannot tune your guitars without a tuner. I have seen so many bands suffer the consequence of playing out of tune. For the audience, what more if the audience is professional, it is excruciating.

  7) Dress for success.

It doesn’t need to be fancy clothes or outlandish but it does need to suit the concept. Yes outlandish if you’re playing glam rock but not if you’re going to do a killer ballad. Even a small amount of accessories can make blue jeans and a white tee look good.

8) Fitness matters.

Working out gives you the stamina to stand on stage and play your instrument or sing. Try standing on stage for 60 – 90 minutes carrying a bass/guitar or drumming consistently non stop. After a while if you get tired you will start making mistakes. The fitter U are the more alert you will be.

     

      9) Play as a team but still have star players.
      As a band you have to realize that it is a team effort. Unfortunately it is normal that the singer or one of the musicians (normally the guitarist, don’t ask me why) is more recognized or covered than most. The others will have fans but normally they are people who play the instrument. This is something that you have to live with. If you don’t believe me look at The Police, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, etc. And if you    can’t accept it become a singer (or guitarist).

10) Choice of repertoire.
Choosing what songs to play and how you deliver them is something you have to learn to do. A show is playing with mass emotions. Driving the crowd, making them feel, leaving them wanting more. You need to plan your set and then practice it as it so you get the feel. And don’t ever make the mistake of not playing a hit song just because you’re fed-up because your fans will never tire of the song. Or if you’re participating in a competition you need a song that will grab attention (strong melody, tight playing, passionate) after all you only have minutes to impress.

Bands are a challenge but if you manage to stay and grow together it is definitely a rewarding experience. And to watch a band at work, like a well oiled performance machine, is always an exhilarating experience.

P/S : To all the metal bands I've been watching bravo to you cause you have the most heart and soul for the material you're playing. Not saying that you have to scream or jump around to be good you just have to believe and really feel your material.

Peace, Love and Respect.

Technology is an amazing thing

I just learnt how to blog via mobile. Future foward..All hail the smartphone :p

Peace, Love, Respect

Life is what you make of it, but the gift of life is NOT in your hands

Sometimes when we watch TV there are situations that we relate to. Well watching “Grey’s Anatomy” hit home for me the other day.

When you’re young you believe you’re invincible, able to achieve anything and everything. You set personal goals. I want to own a Ferrari by the age of 30, I want my dream house, travel round the world…. what ever the aspirations you can achieve them with hard work and perseverance. After all life is what you make of it.

But through life there are many experiences. Some up and some down but you move on cause these are lessons meant to mold you. Some meant to make you stronger, some to make you wiser. In my life I have been through many of these life lessons but none more trying and more moving than that of the consequences behind the birth of my second child, Nadiah.

Six and a half months into my pregnancy I suffered heavy bleeding. The blood was so heavy it was like I had been shot. The gynecologist than told me I had a low-lying placenta which was causing the bleeding and I would have to go through bed rest. Every time I would get up I would suffer bleeding and eventually the doctor, fearing a premature delivery, suggested that I go to KL General Hospital as they have the best facilities for premature babies. If I did not deliver there, and the baby had complications, it would be a lot harder to get in.

I endure approximately three weeks in the hospital until one night I felt contractions, they put me in observation, where I started to bleed heavily and then told me they had to perform a Caesarian Section to deliver the baby. The baby would be born at just a little over 7 months. Definitely premature, no guarantees as to what would happen. So in this story it is NOT my life that I was fearful for, it was the life of my child of which I had absolutely NO control over. I could do nothing but pray for her safety.

Nadiah was successfully delivered and was placed in an incubator in Pediatric ICU. Once I could walk I went downstairs to see this little child born at just 1 kg. All around her where babies with different problems, all fighting for their lives. It was a scary thought to what could happen. This is where you are helpless, no amount of money or anything that is tangible can help you, only faith and hope.

One night I went down by myself to take a look at her only to find a bunch of doctors and nurses around a baby that had turned blue, trying to revive it. I looked on in horror. One of the nurses turned around and said, “Ma’am, you baby is over there”. They had moved her without telling me. God only knows the relief that I felt but I would never forget the scene.

This story has a happy ending. Nadiah survived her ordeal and is now a bright, intelligent, beautiful 16 year old. But it taught me an important lesson. Life is NOT in our hands and that it IS a gift and NOT a given right. I was lucky that I had this experience it has taught me to give thanks to GOD everyday for the gift of Life.

“Each day’s a gift and not a given right” – If Today Was Your Last Day (Nickelback)

Peace, Love and Respect

Effort, Focus and Success

I just finished the Gatsby Styling Dance Malaysian Finals. The dancers are college students that win a chance to represent Malaysia at the Grand Finals in Japan this February.

For me the arts are amazing. Whether I deal with music, dance, art, fashion, acting or anything that deals with the creative industry it always opens your eyes and teaches you something. Sometimes when I sit back and observe what is happening around me I catch a glimpse of something that I always knew and understood but actually seeing the life lesson happen right before your eyes just cements the fact and drives it home.

The kids that participated in the dance competition had one goal and that was to win. No one enters a competition to lose. In their warm up, preparation and rehearsal I watched how each of the eleven teams handled themselves. They each had to prepared 2 x 3 minute dance routines.

As they sat and waited for rehearsal some of the teams still had not completely figured out their choreography, others sat cooly talking among themselves and one of them was sat listening intently to music and obviously running the routine through his head, every once in a while doing intricate hand movements.

During rehearsals on stage I watched them go through their routines. Some just walked through preferring to keep their best moves for later (somehow we Asians love to do the hiding-the-best-for-last thing), some fumbled their way through and one powered his whole routine intimidating and impressing his audience.

After that it was the wait for the show. Backstage some were doing warm-ups, some were still touching up their routines and one after warm-up sat still listening intently going through his dance routine in his mind, oblivious to anything around him, staring straight ahead doing the same hand routines.

Well it was pretty obvious who won. Jackson Chua (the ONE person in my story) had every intention to win this competition. He came prepared with routines that had obviously been rehearsed a few hundred (if not thousand) times. Hand movement and facial impressions perfected to an art. Impeccable timing. His drive and focus were predominant throughout. Some of the others tried their best but I guess their best wasn’t good enough.

We all have different expectations and “best levels”. But if you go through life saying, “ok, that’s good enough” or “nevermind it’s ok” you won’t win, you won’t achieve your highest potential. Just ok is never enough. Your success is determined by how much effort you put in, how focused you are and how much YOU want it.

Like I’ve always appreciated that creative talent is God-given. You can try to sing, dance, draw all you want but if you don’t have it ,YOU DON’T HAVE IT. You can’t buy it, you can learn it to a certain extent and you definitely cannot force it. The arts are about feeling things around you, small observations magnified, then taking all this and being delivering it so that the audience feels it, believes it, relates to it. So it has to be perfection or no one will understand what you are trying to impart whether it be dancing, playing music, singing, acting, drawing, writing or anything else that communicates.

That is why when you watch a dancer with conviction, a passionate singer, a television program that moves you, a painting that takes you breath away you know that these are people who have taken the effort to practice, focused on what they have to do and successfully reached out and touched you.

God gives you the talent, what you do with it is up to you. You can put in the effort and hone the talent or don’t do anything and waste it. Magic happens when you make it.

Peace, Love and Respect

Tired and Tested

Today I was at the International Symposium of the Malaysian Music Industry 2010. When I hear officials talk I feel like walking out, a feeling of despair overcomes me and I feel like some of us are fighting a losing battle. Everyone wants to proclaim they are the hero but they are just throwing problems which we have faced for years, and we know exist, back at us. Excuse me, we understand the problems, have offered the solutions, now PLEASE GO AND EXECUTE THE SOLUTIONS!! They aren’t on the ground, sleeves rolled up, they are sitting in ivory towers and listening to what people perceive are problems or personal frustrations and then coming to almighty conclusions… yeah, I’m TIRED and tested. Like Dato’ Aziz Bakar said there are some of us that are tired (jaded even) and feel like giving up but we don’t, we soldier on because it’s something we believe in, something our whole lives depend upon.

Ahmad Izham Omar changed my day. Here stood a person with very much the same beliefs as mine and the gumption to do it… make the difference. It’s when I meet people that share the same affinity for the business, fight the same battles and have aspirations going forward that reassures me that we have a chance (The only other thing that keeps me going is the talent singers, composers, that continues to emerge in our industry).

First and foremost if you’re thinking of doing something, do something different. You have to dare instead of trying to emulate someone else in your market. How many Raihan’s or Siti Nurhaliza’s can we have. You want to do Nasyid do it a different way. You want to do pop think out of the box. It’s always easy for people to shoot you down but hey, you never know until you try. The biggest inventions and success stories came from pipe dreams and fierce determination.

Secondly you need a concept, a sound that is you. Yes, the sound changes, evolves, matures with you and your listeners but you don’t try to capture 10 different markets and lose all. I’m talking about the albums with 10 producers, 5 different genres just so that you can enter every category there is on an award show or target every radio station that we have. You need to understand what is you, what is your strength and then just go for it. The Artistes that have had the best impact have stayed true to their sound…. M. Nasir, Sheila Majid, Sharifah Aini, Jamal Abdillah, Faizal Tahir, Yuna and Aizat.

Next is the want and the need to compete, to do better. We are a complacent bunch of people. We have things too easy. So we reach a certain degree we pat ourselves on the back, lean back and rest on our laurels. NO! The pedal to the metal all the time, if not someone is going to overtake you, someone will do better than you. In a time where change and innovation happens on a daily basis you cannot afford to sit back. The business is evolving all the time whether it is technology, people, tastes, marketing concepts so we need to keep up, change, move, shake things up.

In the wings we have the complainers…. Not enough local composition, not enough airplay, blame outsiders, want protection, dictating wants and the list goes on. “It’s like doing the Malaysian Squash Open and not allowing outsiders to compete”… yup, that’s right… Nicole David is the BEST IN THE WORLD.. not the best in Malaysia. Protectionism and dictating are not ways to improve in the long run. If people aren’t playing your songs it’s because they aren’t good enough. If people don’t choose you to perform it’s because you aren’t good enough. Yes the truth hurts but then you take it and make yourself better not wallow in self pity and wonder why.

Essentially if something doesn’t work, change, listen to what people are saying on the ground. If you come against a brick wall you can choose to bang your head against it, climb over it or choose another path. There are more ways to skin a cat. The choice is yours.

On centrestage we have the stars in the business. People who have been through it all, been down, gone up and still want to do more. They have staying power because they are constantly changing, updating. When they know things are not going their way they know how to dig deep and reinvent themselves, over and over again. They know what people want or need, even when the people don’t realize it. Yes, once again Izham pictured it well through the eyes of Henry Ford the car maker, “If I asked people what they wanted, they would say faster horses” (Nobody would have imagined a car in those days).

I’m not an innovator but I’m damn good at spotting an innovator. I’m an executor and my job is to help the innovator realize the dream. This is something I get immense joy and self-satisfaction from in making dreams come true. I see the dream, I feel the dream and I (and a whole bunch of others) make it happen. It doesn’t matter that my seat is not on the front row, just knowing that I helped to make a difference no matter where I sit is enough.

Yes sometimes it’s not the TRIED and tested otherwise eventually you become TIRED and tested. In today’s world there are no boxes, no faster horses just wide open space and spaceships, bicycles, jets and just about anything you can imagine.

A Magic Carpet Ride

In our music business there are many unsung heroes. The most unsung in the process of music production is the arranger. Mostly because the general public has no clue as to the process of making music. Composers and Lyricist are the most recognized not to mention the Artiste who eventually sings the song.

The Composer draws the picture, the lyricist frames it but the arranger adds the colour and shading, bringing it to life. Yes it is a truly teamwork that makes the song. Firstly the melody is important and of course the lyricist tell a story in five minutes or less but arrangement is the hidden value that you cannot see but feel. It’s the factor that make the music give you the wonderous feeling or tears your heart out.

I am no musicians (unfortunately) but I have been around music long enough to understand it is a science that there is a psychology behind music making. Walt Disney has understood that in their movie making and they also have that same magic in their songs. Be it Colours of the Wind (Pocahontas), Go The Distance (Hercules), Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and Beast) or A Whole New World (Aladdin) the musical arrangement takes you on an emotional ride in just five minutes. You feel the struggle, the doubt, then the belief and finally the sense of euphoria.

This is the work of the arranger. Setting the pace of the song starting low in the verse, building up to a chorus, then taking you all the way with a bridge and climax and then finally pulling back your emotions leaving you feeling complete.

It is not only foreign song but local songs too. I have felt that emotion in songs arranged by Aubrey Suwito, Jenny Chin, Mac Chew and Ramli M.S. That hidden feeling that really shows how deep these people feel. They have truly given a part of themselves in the song. To have felt the song and understood how to impart that emotion musically, this is quite an amazing feat. How each and every instrument and sound plays a part in reaching out to us and draws us in emotionally.

The latest song to reach out and grab me is the song “Sejak Hadirmu”. The song is magical by nature maybe because I am such a spiritual person. On first impression the song (by Juwita Suwito) and the lyrics (by Habsah Hassan), both these people are special and have amazing God-given talents, seems to be a straight-out love song but I understood that this was a song giving praise to God and then the arrangement (by Aubrey Suwito) was what really captured my heart. It has that amazing emotional ride that can move you. It certainly moved me when I first heard it.

Music really reaches out and touches us whether we realize it or not, whether we want it to or not.

If you don’t believe me play a "Whole New World" and feel the euphoria… A New Fantastic Point of View…

Peace, Love and Respect,

Jenn

"Whole New World" (Composer : Alan Menken / Lyricist : Tim Rice)