Airborei, Manta Ridge, Raja Ampat April 2011

We dived at Manta Ridge and the Mantas came on cue. Beautiful majestic creatures. Calm your heart, stay still, and they will come to you, wondering in amazement at us just as we are of them. Do not chase after them, it will only cause them to flee. Follow them only at a respectful distance but the second you speed up, they will sense the chase and move away. I was a little disappointed with some of the dive team who chased after the mantas and practically jammed their big cameras with their massive strobes into their eyes; being experienced divers they should have known better. I choose the melancholic soundtrack (a Mongolian song, Hodoo by Urna) to reflect the sheer grace and magnificence of the Manta - and the sad realization that their days are numbered as the number of fishing trawlers, drift nets increase. Will I see Manta Rays 40 years from now? Or will they be a distant memory like the lyrics of a long forgotten song?

The Call of the Kings: Raja Ampat

I went scuba diving in Raja Ampat for a week on the dive boat Sea Safari 8, a fine ship with a good crew. Raja Ampat is located on the western end of Papua New Guinea, known as West Papua, Indonesia. I particularly loved the dives at Misool Islands, Boo, and at Airborei, Manta Ridge where we saw the majestic winged creatures. The area was filled with such amazing natural pristine beauty. There were underwater caverns the size of cathedrals. Sunlight streamed down from some gaps in the limestone bathing the caverns in a blue surreal glow. We even saw dolphins but they were shy and kept their distance.

I love diving here - it was so beautiful and pristine. I'd say its better than the dive at Komodo. The visibility however was not so good, perhaps caused by the storms in the area. I think June/July might be clearer.

Our Indonesian / West Papua dive guides were fantastic and brought us to all the right locations.

I love the sea here. It gave me great pleasure and joy to sit on the bridge or the crow's nest and gaze at the magnificent salt water wilderness. I could imagine myself an ancient mariner sailing across unchartered waters and seeing dolphins, whales, and all manner of amazing sea creatures frolicking in the waters. Now I see mainly the massive clouds sitting past the horizon - making it seem that our sea was a thin slender table - measurable. Sail past that point and you'll fall over the side.

I was using a brand new camera for this trip, the Olympus XZ-1.

Photo Album 2011-05-02

Manado trip May 2011

My first dive trip of the year, not counting my abalone free dive daytrips, was to Manado.

Apparently at Manado, in the waters of the Celebes Sea, you get to see

1. Sperm Whales - 40 were spotted at one time.

2. Orcas. Yes, killer whales, who take a fancy for the Whales or Dolphins

3. Dolphins. A Singaporean photographer has a sweet shot of one doing a jump against a Rainbow background.

3. Friendly Whale Sharks.

A story is told of two divers who were busy snapping photos of nudibranches and other small creatures when they suddenly noticed it was becoming decidedly overcast. They assumed it was clouds blocking the sun. When they surfaced, the ecstatic boat crew were asking how many spectacular photos did they take of the Whale Shark that was loitering over them, enjoying their air-bubbles.

The big stuff is found in between the waters of Bunaken and Manado. I spent a whole week at Manado, I didn't see anything big. I did see many interesting small creatures though. I refuse to call them "critters" - it sounds so provincial. Many of them were very cute - I was quite amused to see a furry seaweed covered crab that looked like a teddy bear. Photos don't it justice.

Unfortunately it rained half the time that I was there. And the damn smokers polluted the air non-stop with their cigarette smoke. Next time, I'm going to bring a cover mask. If the Indonesian divers weren't smoking, they were coughing their TB infected lungs out. Covering your mouth when you cough is considered bad form in Indonesia: they may be poor, but they share their germs. I find their generosity in this regard overwhelming.

Thankfully, I got my own room at the resort. La Racasse. Its a pretty good place. We each had our own ensuite which came with a 24 hour cable TV channel. I found myself shamelessly watching war documentaries on the History Channel until 11am. Eventually my guilty conscious found me out - so I headed out to the lounge room to enjoy the sea breeze, gaze at the surf, try and spot the Loch Ness monster or Flipper or Willy the Killer Whale etc.. and to mingle with the other guests. 

But I found that my lungs and Indonesian cigarette smoke are not compatible. So I retreated back to my air con room to watch more war and architecture documentaries.

.... Damn it, my gay neighbor upstairs is humping his cat again or bouncing a big ball on the ground. The fucker causes so much irritation, I wonder whether its a gay thing...

Back to topic - To be honest, I didn't enjoy the Manado trip a lot. The highlight was the trip to the Lehbeh Straits - which took over a total of 5 hours of driving there and back. We got to see an electric looking clam. Plenty of small critters again. 

I guess I don't enjoy muck diving as much as I enjoy wall diving or seeing colorful coral.

The whole process of searching through silt, brown sand, abandoned trash, plastic bottles, plastic bags for a couple of amazing looking tiny creatures is - fascinating! Don't get me wrong. Its quite the experience. But to do that day in, day out gets old very fast.

On one of the dives, the Divemaster, instead of searching for creatures, was busy hunting for his dinner. which was a small yellow pattern conch shellfish. I even helped his quest, thinking I would share some of the bounty for dinner later. No chance, the bugger jumped off the boat and swam to shore with his catch. It was nonetheless an impressive feat given the stormy water conditions. I did find an impressive helmet size conch shell. It was so smooth, shiny and pretty. I wanted to keep it but there was a living creature inside, so I planted it back. Not sure how long that will stay there though given the tremendous amount of overfishing here.

We managed one day's diving at Bunaken but the rainy stormy weather kept most of the diving to the shallow waters at Manado. Shallow water I think is really shitty. Most of the city waste goes straight into the sea. I saw this woman defecating in a river, then later saw the same river leading to our dive site. Woopee.

Maybe it was the unremitting cigarette smoke, or just the muck diving conditions - or a combination of both that made me feel rather sick towards the end of the trip. I was glad to be back home.

The best time to go to Manado is May/June I went in March. 

(Update: On second thought, I think I was a little too critical. I guess the wet weather, constant drizzle, made me a little grumpy.

It really was pretty good. I mean, I dived at Lembeh Straits!!! The ride to the dive site is really beautiful and a foretaste of the wonder that lay beneath. However, the floor is still a brown sandy depressing morass. 

I guess I just found out that I'm a blue water diver at heart. :D

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Dictatorship

What is it with the Left and their love for murderous dictators?
I can understand it if a person who holds Conservative views shares sympathy for a benevolent dictator or even a ruthless one. But the Left, why? The Left meaning people who are supposed to love human rights, human freedom, fair justice, worker's rights, etc..
All the communist revolutions - starting with the French Revolution (through Russian, Chinese Revolutions) ended in utter failure. Instead of freedom, the citizens received a government much worse than the old regime, the exact opposite of what the revolutionaries fought for (but I guess that's why its called a Revolution - meaning it circles back 360 degrees)
The French Revolution created The Terror, Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Russian Revolution beget Stalin and the brutal Soviet regime.
The Chinese Revolution made Mao, one of the worse rulers of China whose reign resulted in the death of over 50 million Chinese people and the destruction of uncountable numbers precious artifacts.
And whenever the Left get into power - all sorts of stupid cranky ideas get entertained - hello "Great Leap Forward" and the "Cultural Revolution". And these people are supposed to be intellectuals for crying out loud.
Anyway here are some articles about the Left and their support for Gaddaffi who supports freedom of speech, religious tolerance, worker's rights, equal distribution of wealth... oh wait, no, the guy is a megalomanic who surrounds himself with a bodyguard of 40 virgins, cuthroats, child killing terrorists, and has amassed a fortune for his family at the terrible expense of his people. Who would want to be a friend to him?
 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/dictators-useful-idiots-happy-to-take-his-money/story-e6frg6zo-1226010964238
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/left-wingers-change-their-tune-on-gaddafis-regime/story-fn59niix-1226010981876

Black Swan

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Mystery & Suspense

In short: I loved it. Its a flawless film. I watched it tonight, and wow, I thought it was one of the best films I have ever watched.

Natalie Portman's performance was mesmerizing. Her acting was superlative. She played the role of the sheltered, insecure, fragile, but highly skilled ballerina to harrowing perfection.

The other actors Barbara Hersey, Vincent Cassel, and Mila Kunis also give exceptional performances.

The story, pacing, direction was also brilliant. Darren Aronofsky, the director and script writers should win an Academy award for their work.



But wow, I love how they brought the film to that ultimate climax - that Dance of the Black Swan - I was riveted. I don't wish to give the story away - but Portman had spell-binding screen presence. Did anyone else notice the shadow of the black wings in the background?? Wow!!! I want to watch it again!!! That was good!



Hmmm... ok, what I didn't particularly like was the handheld camera effect at the initial part of the film. I guessed it helped conjure up the tension - that feeling of being stalked. ... But to be honest, I totally forgot about it midway when they switched to more orthodox filming approaches.



Other things- ok - so its got a few adult themes. I suppose the use of drugs will result in this film being cut or banned in Singapore. But it wasn't gratuitous.

The King's Speech (Collin Firth) 2010

Lionel Logue: [as King George "Berty" is lighting up a cigarette] "Don't do that in here".

Prince Albert (later King George VI): Why not?

Logue: Sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.

Albert: My physicians tell me it helps to relax the throat.

Logue: They're idiots.

Albert: They've been knighted.

Logue: Makes it official then.

*****

With such witty and wonderful dialogue, how could I not like this film?

The story is about the then Prince Albert (or rather His Highness Prince Albert of York, "Albert Frederick Arthur George" , otherwise known as Bertie to family) second in line to the throne of Great Britain (when it was Great) and his painful stammer which is a source of acute embarrassment to himself (as well as his family and nation).

Medical knowledge and their treatment of stammering was not so good back then. The doctors even advised him that smoking cigarettes would help ease his stammering. The other treatments prescribed by the medical establishment prove equally as ineffectual and embarrassing.

Enter Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), the enigmatic speech therapist. The Prince's snobby but practical wife, played by the now matronly Helen Bonham-Carter, tracked him down and hired him to treat her husband.

The story then revolves around the developing relationship between Bertie and Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). We see them as the odd couple at the start. The proud Prince who is conscious of his social status and Logue, kind but abrasive and irreverent in that typical smartass Aussie manner.

Eventually, they did develop a warm and affectionate friendship. I guess in part because Logue realized that stammering was due in part to social and psychological pressures - and helped to address those issues in the Prince/ King's life. The other doctors treated the problem as purely a bio-mechanical problem which could be fixed by stuffing marbles down his throat or just yelling at the patient "to improve".

Both actors give great performances. Firth is brilliant as the aloof, initially reluctant, and distrustful aristocrat, while Rush plays the witty, flippant specialist who deeply admires his difficult client despite his arrogance.

I also absolutely adored the beautiful 1920 style architecture and the other marvelous set pieces. I was mesmerized by Logue's spartan art deco office, that imposing large fire place, the criss cross stained glass, the ornate bronze lights... the simple elegance of that room made me want to rush home and redo it. Bloody hell my room is a mess.

I felt that the film could have been improved on three parts.
. The film really needed to stress the unsuitability of Prince Edward to be King. Edward, Albert's older brother, was 1st in line to the throne. Albert became King George VI due to his brother, Edward, infamously abdicating to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorcee, which was prohibited at the time.



Of course, modern scruples would wish to paint Edward as the real hero - giving up his kingship for LOVE - that's the REAL STORY in today's society.



But in actual fact he was a playboy, a dilettante. He didn't give a damn about his role as king instead he just wanted to live the high life, and sleep with as many married women as he could grab. Even after he abdicated he was constantly badgering his brother for cash to fund his extravagant lifestyle. This was despite the fact that he was already considerably wealthy owning plenty of properties inherited from his father. In short he would have made a terrible king and its a very good thing that he stepped down.



It also wasn't just the Royal Family that was against the marriage. The Dominions - the representatives from Australia, New Zealand, for example, were scornful of the marriage and said they wouldn't approve of having an "adulterer" as their Head of State. Edward's response was (in effect) "So what? There weren't that many people in Australia anyhow."

Edward's lover - Wallis Simpson - also made a very poor candidate as Queen. She was the ultimate gold digger, swinging from husband to husband, lover to lover in search of a bigger purse. She was also a Nazi sympathizer; she was even reputed to have been sleeping with Ribbentrop, Nazi Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister. At a time of war, she traitorously leaked sensitive information about the Allied defenses to Nazi sympathizers and was practically happy when England was bombed by Germany. She was a pretentious upstart who sought the status and priviledge given to royalty without any of the responsibility. Wallis demanded that her staff refer to "Her Royal Highness", which she was not entitled to.



In short, she was a very unpleasant woman totally undeserving of the public affection then and now.



The couple also visited Nazi Germany several times and met with Hitler (without the approval of their Government). During the first year of WW2, Edward and Simpson stayed on in occupied France, apparently in the hope that England would collapse and that he would be appointed King by the Nazis.



The film made the mistake of telling this negative aspect of the couple in a small conversational scene- rather than showing it. For the sake of drama they could have had a scene where Albert finds the couple talking with the Ribbentrop - cumulating with Edward trying to persuade Albert to take a more pro-Nazi stance.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis,_Duchess_of_Windsor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom



Instead we are left with the negative (and false) impression (in the film) that Albert's wife, Elizabeth, was a snooty arrogant snob who despised Wallis for being a divorcee and an American. In reality Elizabeth never said a nasty word to Wallis as shown in the film.



2. The Handling of WW2 and the King's role in it. Whilst the film is about Albert's stammering problems, it is also about the importance of the King as a symbolic leader of Great Britain - hence the vital importance of the King's need to conquer his problem. The scene at the end when Edward, now King George VI, gives an impressive speech felt a bit too triumphant - the way he swaggers back like a rock star was so wrong. I felt that detracted from the seriousness of the situation. Their country was at war - and although the King had given a great war speech - it should have been tied in with the gravity of the event. They were at war. Millions of people were going to get maimed and killed.



I felt they should have had a cautionary moment at the end. Logue (et al) could have heartily congratulated the King, the King is happy, but then he pauses and says, "But its going to be a long war... I'm giving speeches while sending young men to their deaths." They both look very solemnly at each other. Then Logue says something about the importance of the King's speech to the nation and the people - and the fact that although Hitler was a powerful orator, the King represented something morally superior... and needed to articulate that.



3. Stylewise - this is just my personal opinion - I felt the handling of Prince Albert's stammering problems in public could have been done better. What was the point in the opening scene which spent 5+ minutes showing the BBC presenter, an incidental character in the story, preparing himself? They should have done more with the scenes where Albert is consciously stammering and there's total silence - just Albert and his acute embarrassment.