Category: Daily Whatevers

It’s time for the government to review its petrol-subsidy policy. Instead of the government forking out money to help the rakyat, the oil companies should do this out of their fat coffers.

Hmm…hate to bring your celebration spirits down. Malaysia will only be 42 years old next month. Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating the 48th anniversary of the independence of Malaya.

I’ll spend this day thinking of my friends, my squadmates, who are still patrolling the skies: Gabriel Buja Joel (my squadmate, ex-air force helicopter pilot, rescuer of British SAS at Mt Kinabalu, Hornbill Skyways pilot who died in a crash in Sarawak last year), Lt Hamir Fizar (my squadmate, died in PC-7 crash during a Light Attack Squadron exercise in the east coast in 1990), LtM Thulasiram a/l Subramaniam (my squadmate, very good friend of mine, died in the first fatal PC-7 crash in September 1989), Mohd Jamil Abdul Aziz (my squadmate, ex-air force transport pilot, passed away early this year while in employment with Air Asia), Sjn Ali Ahmad a.k.a Ali Boon (he helped me a lot in my preparation for the North Pole expedition, died in 2000, trying to help his student in distress while freefalling at Terendak/Sg Udang camp), Mej Kamarul (my former instructor who died in an Augusta helicopter crash on 31st December 1993), Mej Kamaruddin (my neighbour at the Officers Quarters in Alor Setar..I rescued him in a plane crash in 1994..he died in another plane crash with his student in 1995), and Mej Tan Boon Eap (cool guy, good pilot, devout Buddhist…died of lung cancer in 1996).

Of course we shouldn’t also forget the 6,000 over policemen, military personnel and civilians murdered by the communists during the first emergency (1948-1960)…and those murdered by them after that right up till 1989.

We shouldn’t also forget the unsung heroes of the Malaysian Security Forces..the ones who died in Somalia, Bosnia Herzegovina; and former members of the Home Guards and the Special Constabulary.

Remember, being free now does not mean being free forever. Always remember history, learn its lessons, and be prepared.

SELAMAT MENGHAYATI ERTI KEMERDEKAAN (Happy digesting the meaning of Independence).

Here I am at the Starbucks Coffee at Alamanda, Putrajaya, just after a meeting at the Ministry. And this is the first time I am using my TMNet Hotspot account (the other being Airzed which I use a lot).

If anyone watched NatGeo last night, I think it was called Primal Fear or something, about these two guys who swam with the Great White Sharks, that was interesting. It shows how such a “beast” can interact well with human beings.

Let it be known that about 100 million sharks end up at the bottom of the sea without fins, to die of drowning, because some people want to make US$240 million a year. Great Hammerheads, Whale Sharks, Great Whites, are among the sharks already on the endangered species list.

Without them, the marine environmental equilibrium will be greatly affected…and when they’re gone, we won’t have any fish left.

Think.

This is sooooo boring. Some people are away over on the east coast doing long weekend dives. And I am stuck here in the Klang Valley breathing lead….and Indonesian firewood. 12 days to hit the water.

About five minutes ago, my colleague, Muaazam, asked me if I would like to have early lunch with him. I said it’s only 11.40am..but if he insists, then we’d go down and come back at 2.00pm. How productive. I’ve been yawning non-stop…my mind working overtime thinking of certain strategies for the company (yeah, right!).

I hope I can get away from going with the Ministry’s Sec Gen to Langkawi on 10th and 11th September. Why?? I wanna go to Tioman for some diving. I feel trapped on dry land, slowly turning into one of Darwin’s apes. I need to breathe compressed air underwater.

October, just before fasting month begins, I hope to dive the Repulse. For you non-history buffs, or for those whom have forgotten history, Repulse was a British battlecruiser that, along with the battleship Prince of Wales, were sunk by Japanese bombers in December of 1941. The Repulse now lies on its portside, 57 meters underwater, 47-48 nautical miles northeast of Tioman.

I’m gonna have to carry twin tanks for this dive.

Don’t stop me!