King’s Park Gallery Opens To Showcase The Development of A New Entertainment Hub and Central Business District in Genting Highlands

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GENTING HIGHLANDS, 22 July, 2023 –

The much anticipated opening of King’s Park Gallery is finally opened today in Genting Highlands. 

In his welcoming speech, Mr Sean Chen, Executive Vice President of King’s Park said the development, a RM10 billion gross development value project, would be poised to the new central business district and integrated entertainment hub in Genting Highlands. The development will benefit greatly from the influx of investment and development opportunities in the central area of the Genting region. Genting Highlands is projected to receive 53 million visitors by 2026 with a catchment area of over 700,000 people within a 5-kilometre radius.

Leveraging on the already high tourist arrivals at Genting Highlands, King’s Park Genting Highlands is a mega development in partnership with Yuk Tung Group and the Association for the Promotion of Higher Education in Malaysia (APHEM). The development spans over 61-hectares of freehold land, comprising an integrated entertainment hub that includes a unique blend of commercial and recreational offerings.

Sean added, ‘This grand project will be segmented by phases. The first phase involves the provision of commercial shops that will provide our distinguished guests with a cinematic retail experience. We have spared no expense into injecting a unique sense of charm in each of these shops.’

King’s Park development rife with potential, and this project would be a beacon for foreign investment to create a dynamic ecosystem of opportunities. The potential for growth and success within this Central Business District is boundless, and King’s Park extend a warm invitation to global investors to be part of this remarkable venture. 

As the project progresses, King’s Park anticipates a multitude of businesses, residents, and tourists to be drawn to this thriving hub, cementing its status as the pulsating heart of an active and exciting region. King’s Park hopes not to build just a development, but a thriving community that embraces progress, innovation, and endless possibilities.

In addition, this development lies a commitment in creating a significant number of employment opportunities for the local community and beyond. By involving the local workforce in various aspects of the project, from construction to ongoing operations, we can foster economic empowerment and uplift livelihoods.

The King’s Park commercial centre features a 2,000m stretch of cutting-edge pedestrian street shops. The 12 blocks that will house a total of 360 shops are masterfully designed and based on colonial and vintage architecture. Each retail block unit is held under a freehold strata title and has its own identity and façade design. The size of each unit averages 7m by 23m. Most ground floor units will have exceptionally high ceilings measuring 6.5m, with an option to include a mezzanine floor. The highlight of some of these shops are alfresco terraces plus duo entrances to allow free flow and easy access for visitors.

What distinguishes King’s Park from the rest of the retail shops available in Genting Highlands is that it is an integrated entertainment hub. There will be a significant presence of internationally acclaimed brands, with new experiences to be introduced into the development which are not yet available in Malaysia. There will be many outdoor activities such as eco-sports, mountain biking trails and attractions including theme parks, and, the world’s largest terrarium at more than 600m in length.

To emphasize the magnitude of the integrated entertainment hub project, there will be approximately 18,680 sq m of ‘Truly Asia Cultural Streets’. The ‘Truly Asia Cultural Streets’ at King’s Park will allow patrons and visitors to experience the metropolitan charms of famed and acclaimed streets such as Seoul’s Myeongdong, Osaka’s Ebisubashi-Suji, and Bangkok’s Khao San Road, where neon lights and signages play an important part in its exciting aesthetic. This cultural labyrinth is designed to encapsulate the spirit of Asia, showing off its diversity and energy.

With Muslim communities forming over 65% of Malaysia’s population, King’s Park proposes to include an international retail halal hub and a halal luxury boutique hotel. This will attract local and overseas Muslim tourists and will promote diversity and inclusivity, tapping into the rapidly growing market for halal-friendly travel and dining options. With so much to offer, a day trip to King’s Park would not be sufficient. For those who wants to stay longer, King’s Park raises the bar by offering various five-star hotels, including the luxury Swissôtel Genting Highlands which is scheduled to open in 2028.

The Swissôtel Genting Highlands in Malaysia is set to be a posh retreat with a backdrop of beautiful natural surroundings. The 300-room property is a cornerstone of this extraordinary development, offering unmatched hospitality, contemporary conference facilities, and a spectacular grand ballroom for unforgettable events. The elegant and comfortable rooms, all-day dining options, executive lounges, and bars will offer the ideal locations for guests to create memorable experiences. The property will furthermore offer a heated swimming pool, sundeck, fitness center, spa, scenic jogging tracks, and a kids’ club. The hotel’s 30-story building will provide uninterrupted views of the stunning mountains and the Genting Highlands summit, located just a 15-minute drive away. Guests will be able to venture beyond the Swissôtel Genting Highlands to discover a sanctuary of sophisticated living, with 44,515 square meters of exquisite villas and bungalows, as well as 96,000 square meters of stylish residences and serviced apartments, perfect for discerning urbanites, all of which will be located in the enchanting world of Crowne Estate Malaysia – an elegant retreat nestled amidst breathtaking natural beauty. This development at King’s Park Genting Highlandsis a captivating and impressive 156,419 square-meter project with a remarkable Gross Development Value of over RM3 billion.

The first phase of commercial and retail shops is scheduled to open in 2026. Neighbours include luxurious residence developments, Awana Golf Resort and Genting Highlands Premium Outlets. Like its neighbours, King’s Park enjoys cool weather of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius throughout the year and is surrounded by a 130-million-year-old jungle rich with flora and fauna, waterfalls, and fresh air.

For more information, please visit www.kingspark.com.my or call +601162216168.

Volunteerism: Ghost Net Busting in Pulau Undan, Taman Laut Melaka

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Pulau Undan, located in Melaka, Malaysia, is a remarkable marine park known for its rich biodiversity and stunning coral gardens. However, like many other marine ecosystems around the world, it faces numerous challenges such as pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. To address these issues and conserve its marine life, Jabatan Perikanan Melaka has invited us, a group of individual scuba diver volunteers to remove ghost nets and promote coral propagation in the area.

Ghost nets, often lost or abandoned fishing nets, pose a significant threat to marine life. These nets continue to trap and kill marine animals, including fish, turtles, and dolphins, long after they have been discarded. Understanding the urgency to address this issue, the marine park conservation program at Pulau Undan has initiated a volunteer-led effort to remove these deadly nets from the surrounding waters.

Empty can make most noise, won’t you agree with that? Well, many people are like that. They talk a lot when it comes to conservation works, but when asked to contribute their time, efforts and energy, most of them shy away from getting their hands dirty.

I’ve seen plenty of those all talks and no action, but my teammates are not like that. They have that charismatic quiet strength in them. They’re definitely all action and not much talk and walk their talks with the CAN DO attitude.

Underwater clean up work is never an easy task. Even more so if the dive site is a low vis site. Some certain sites in Pulau Undan where most ghost net lies are exactly that-not for petty divers. Extensive dive plans are usually made to ensure the safety of the divers and it takes a lot of guts to do this kind of conservation work. The method and dive plans used for ghost net removals in limited vis sites is totally different from sites that offer crystal clear view.

@elliecleffairy

If there’s somethin’ strange in the neighborhood Who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! There’s somethin’ weird and it don’t look good Who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! If there’s ghost net strangling corals under the sea, who you’re gonna call? GHOSTNET BUSTERS! 😂😂😂😂 Yep. My alter ego Auntie Cleaner is back in Pulau Undan at Taman Laut Melaka again this month. As usual, we were assigned to do underwater clean up again and here’s what my superhero teammates hauled up. More than 200kg worth of ghost nets! This time around I was also given the opportunity to visit and study the new fish homes and coral table over there where we learn to do some coral propagation stuff after our clean up works were done. Admittedly, my knowledge in that department is abit lacking and I’ve learned quite a few things during this volunteering trip, particularly in fish and coral identification study. I am grateful that things went smoothly this time in comparison to the previous round where it was quite nasty terms of undercurrent and visibility and we managed to complete the task given without a hitch. I like working with this bunch of buddies. They’re the best teammates ever and they always keep my moral up. They’re no nonsense type of people, and they always gets the job done quietly. Thank you everyone for diving safe and the job well done. Thank you for taking care of me throughout the entire trip and thank you Jabatan Perikanan Melaka for inviting us. Your trust in our ability is most appreciated. Pictures credit to photographer extraordinaire Abang Syam Cino . #iamssi #wearessi #ssimermaid #underwatercleanup #dofmelaka #wearessi #iamssi #realdiving #ssiambassador blueoceansprogram, #ssiblueoceans #marineecology @blueoceansprogram

♬ Trip – Axero

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Here’s a tribute video to my teammates, the volunteer divers for the Marine Park Conservation program by Jabatan Perikanan Melaka (DOF Melaka).

I claim no credit for the footage of the videos. Footage was mostly contributed by Azmir Khalid Syam Cino and Abang Rocky.

Equipped with cutting tools and specialized equipment, the Ghost Net team carefully navigate the reefs and search for any entangled nets. These nets are then cut loose and carefully brought to the surface, ensuring that no further damage is caused to the fragile coral reefs or the marine lives dwelling there. This isn’t an easy job at all, considering that Pulau Undan is famous for its low visibility and rough currents. Any lesser divers would give up abort the dive within minutes of entering these challenging sites.

Here’s what my teammates managed to bring up this time around.

More than 200kg worth of ghost nets.

Can you imagine what sort of damage that these have made and would have still been making should these still remain at depth in Pulau Undan? I’m glad we managed to remove this to prevent anymore damages in the area.

However, the conservation efforts go beyond just removing ghost nets. Recognizing the vital role that coral reefs play in maintaining the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem, our team also actively participates in coral propagation initiatives where we work alongside local experts to identify healthy coral colonies and carefully collect fragments for propagation.

I had the opportunity to visit the coral propagation table for a little while at Pulau Undan after the ghost net removal was done, and discovered that coral propagation works demanded totally different skill sets in comparison to removing ghost nets. It requires a lot of meticulous patience and fine motor skills apart from needing to be mindful of the marine creatures that might be curious about you while you’re working. This field of underwater clean up and conservation definitely requires a lot of knowledge and classroom efforts. You need to study, study, study and do more studies before you even consider doing this.

On another note, I saw lotsa coral fragments scattered around; which is not at the coral table area during inspection and I’m not sure what causes such a terrible mess. I guess this site needs more observation and extra care from us. Logically, that’s not supposed to happen, but hey…the underwater world can be unpredictable, so there is that.

That said, I’m glad that me and my buddies managed to complete the task given with ease. During this dive, we were supposed to remove dead coral fragments and quickly replace it with new ones, after which, clean ups in the surrounding area; eg: remove rubbish and ghost net pieces are resumed.

I have to say, the ‘riding the wave skills’ that I learned during mermaiding really comes in handy while doing clean up work over here at this particular site. As it’s really shallow dives, divers can be easily affected by the rolling waves.I would have felt this site particularly difficult should I have not learned this skill before.

I’ve learned a lot from this single dive and am hoping to develop more skills through this from now onwards.

@elliecleffairy

Volunteering for Marine Park Conservation Program by DOF Melaka. Dive site: Pulau Undan, Melaka. Task assigned: Coral propagation and cleaning up coral table. I claim no credit to the video. Footages were taken by underwater photographer extraordinaire @syamcino #marineecology #ssiblueoceans #blueoceansprogram #ssiambassador #realdiving #iamssi #wearessi #wearessi #underwatercleanup

♬ Mood On – Vin Music

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Video footage materials were taken by underwater photographer extraordinaire Syam Cino and I claim no rights whatsoever to it. Video is strictly for personal documentary purposes only.

Coral propagation involves the process of growing new corals from these collected fragments and we have to attach these fragments to artificial structures called coral nurseries, providing them with a suitable environment to grow and thrive. Once these new corals reach a sufficient size, they are transplanted back into the natural reef, helping to restore and enhance the overall health and diversity of the marine park.

In all honesty, it’s not an easy job protecting the marine life at Pulau Undan. Our efforts hopefully will not only contribute to the preservation of a fragile ecosystem but also raise awareness about the negative impact of human activities on marine environments.

Here, I would like to thank all my teammates for a job well done. I hope that our volunteering efforts will make a substantial impact on the health and sustainability of our oceans. I really hope that our collective actions will one day transform Pulau Undan into a model marine park where corals are thriving, and marine species can flourish undisturbed.

Disclaimer:  We were invited by DOF Melaka and we were not representing or associated with any profit/non-profit organization or any non-governmental bodies during this program. We are individual volunteers and are self-funded. We were not paid to do the conservation work, and received nothing in compensation for our efforts.

This entry was posted in Diving.

BBQ Lamb Kemensah KL New Menu Review: Steamboat&Grill Buffet

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I recently had the pleasure of trying out the new BBQ Lamb Kemensah KL seafood steamboat and grill buffet with my family and friend, and I must say I was thoroughly impressed.

Located nearby the Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur, this restaurant offers a unique riverside dining experience that combines the best of both steamboat and grill feasts.



Firstly, the ambience of the restaurant is all close to nature and inviting , with a spacious layout that allows for comfortable dining.

The wide array of fresh seafood on display immediately caught my attention as soon as I entered. From succulent prawns and crabs to a variety of fish and shellfish, the selection was truly impressive. The BBQ lamb and beef, in particular, was a highlight of the buffet, as I hadn’t seen it offered at many other places.



Once seated, the friendly staff promptly asked us for the choice of broth that we would like to go with the steamboat. They had 3 types of broth; chicken soup, curry and Tom Yam. After I made the selection, we were immediately served us a pot of flavourful Tom Yam broth for the steamboat. The broth was rich in aroma and tasted delicious even before any ingredients were added.

We were then given a wide range of fresh vegetables, meats, and condiments to add to our steamboat. The DIY aspect of the meal allowed us to customize our own dishes according to our preferences, which added to the overall enjoyment of the experience.



Sides of carbs and finger food like nuggets, chicken wings and pasta is also available for your enjoyment. Also spotted in the buffet is a variety of dimsum selection.

As we waited for our steamboat to heat up, we also had the option of grilling some of the seafood and meats on the tabletop grill. This added a fun interactive element to the meal, as we got to grill our own food to perfection.

The seafood itself was of excellent quality, with a superb freshness that was evident in every bite. The prawns were plump and juicy, while the crabs were meaty and full of flavor. The fish was tender and flaky, and the shellfish had a delightful briny taste. The beef was an absolute delight, perfectly marinated and cooked to perfection, it was a true highlight of the buffet.

To complement the steamboat and grill, the restaurant also offered a variety of dipping sauces and condiments. From tangy chili sauces to fragrant soy sauce, these condiments enhanced the flavors of the dishes even further.

Apart from the variety of items for the steamboat and grill, fresh fruit platters, ice cream and desserts were also offered. A must try at the dessert area is the Ais Kacang.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the reasonable price of the buffet. The buffet only costs RM35 per pax. Considering the quality and variety of the seafood and meat options, the price was a steal and provided great value for money.



Overall, I had a fantastic dining experience at the BBQ Lamb Kemensah KL seafood steamboat and grill buffet with my family and friend. The fresh seafood, delicious BBQ lamb, and interactive grilling experience made for an unforgettable meal. I highly recommend this restaurant to seafood and grill enthusiasts looking for an indulgent and satisfying culinary experience with relaxing ambiance in Kuala Lumpur.

Here’s the pricing for your reference:

Adults: RM35/pax
Students and pregnant ladies: RM30/pax.
Children 5-12 yo and senior citizens RM25/pax

For more information on BBQ Lamb Kemensah, please refer to the details below:

Address:
BBQ Lamb KL Kemensah Jalan Taman Zooview, Kampung Kemensah, 68000 Ampang, Selangor

For reservation or enquiries, you may whatapps or call: 012-211 4100

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/YxpwHeR9j6p

Volunteerism: Conservation Work& Ghost Net Removal at Taman Laut Melaka

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My buddies and I were invited for a conservation program by Jabatan Perikanan Melaka (DOF Melaka) last month and it is finally scuba diving day again after a month taking a break from doing any underwater clean up work due to the fasting month of Ramadan. It’s really nice to be back doing underwater clean up, I must say. This is my fifth time volunteering as an underwater cleaner at this dive site. There were other teams involved in their program, one is ghost net removal while another one is the coral propagation works. The mission for me and buddies after one month of hiatus;  removing the ghost nets at Pulau Undan in Taman Laut Melaka. I wouldn’t be talking about other teams in this posting as I was not involved in their work in any way, and it wouldn’t do justice to write things that I did not experience myself. I mean, I shouldn’t take credit for the things that I did not do now, should I?

So here’s sharing the bits of things that me and my buddies did during the program; removing ghost nets.

Here’s my buddies Adam and Farid with the ghost net that we managed to cut off and bring up to the surface during our first dive.

Nasty piece of ghost net, isn’t it?

This particular piece is not easy to remove and bring up. Unlike mermaiding where everything is so chillaxing and beautiful, removing ghost nets is extremely unglamorous. Out of 5 times I’ve done ghost nets at Pulau Undan, Melaka, there were no pictures or videos of me or my buddies doing work underwater. Why? Cuz if I’m leading the team or if I’m coordinating the team, I always place a ban on cameras whenever we’re executing our missions. If you’re diving with me while doing clean up work, photography is a strict no. Divers who are photographers hate my gut, I kid you not. 😂

Why do we ban cameras? Unlike doing clean up works in an aquarium-like environment, diving in a low vis-high current environment to do clean up works is actually terrible. Even more so if we’re in ghost nets areas where we face the risks of being entangled in the nets. To date, the best vis my team got is usually just 1m max. That’s on good days. On bad days, we’re practically…well…you know, groping around to find ghost nets to bring up.

We can’t afford to be distracted even for 1 second. Just about anything can happen in 1 second in these sites that we usually work on. Pretty sad, you know. There are times I wish I could show off how wonderful all the buddies I’ve worked with and how efficiently they have done their part, but no… it’s not possible. At least not without compromising on the safety aspect of our mission. Even if we had a dedicated photographer to follow us around, the photographer too would be at risk of getting trapped in ghost nets while videoing us and stuff. So definitely a no no.

This round we only managed to bring these up during our first dive. And a few more ghost nets are not in the picture cuz by the time we managed to bring em up, we were already too exhausted to even think straight, what more thought of taking pics.

That said, it was a particularly extreme dive in comparison to our previous dives over here this round. Super high surface and underwater current. I was assuming a safety diver role during that dive and I must say it was not really fun.
Thankfully my team is trained to handle situations like this well, or SAR mission would have been in order if they’re less competent divers. 🤧.

These are my dive buddies…my teammates during our conservation work at Taman Laut Melaka organized by DOF Melaka. We were part of the ghost net removal team. They’re the sort of people who quietly get the job done without asking for credits. I know some people questioned the ghost net team’s efficiency and competency in getting the job done, but they don’t know any better and I never once doubted their skills, not even for a moment. The group pic are the dudes I dive with during the program:

Cikgu Fariz
Abang Syam Cino
Abang Rocky
Adam Lau
Mohd Farid

So here I am, saying thank you for being great team players. Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you for being such great buddies. Without all of you, I wouldn’t be able to dive safely in such a challenging site and I wouldn’t be able to complete the tasks assigned to me with ease. I am grateful for my team. They’re the best I could ask for. Thank you team, for being such team players. Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you for taking care of me. And thank you for being safe.

Disclaimer: We were invited by DOF Melaka and we were not representing or associated with any profit/non-profit organization or any non-governmental bodies during this program. We are individual volunteers and are self-funded. We were not paid to do the conservation work, and received nothing in compensation for our efforts.

Akimia Monster Condition Facial Mask Review

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It’s never easy being a scuba diver. Even more so if you’re not exactly the recreational type and is passionate about conservation work and making the ocean and environment a better and safer place. Not everyone understands the stuff that you do and some would even question your sanity for even volunteering. The worst part is that sometimes, your efforts are not appreciated and instead you are criticized for all the things you’ve been doing. I’m the sort of person who will always take a step back and evaluate on whether my time, efforts and yes, even money is worth investing again in the future when it comes to volunteerism, cuz sometimes all I get in return is just some stupidly bad sunburns.😂

Let’s face it. I don’t have a sugar daddy funding me for all the things that I’d like to do. And I have no talent to get myself one either. My limit is as deep as my pocket. Which isn’t exactly deep at all, at least for now. My time, efforts and money is not free, so regardless of passion, the personal gratification and return of investment comes first.

The only thing that kept me going most of the time is because of my awesome buddies, especially the non-judgemental ones who are generous with encouragement and support, especially from the mermaid side of my buddies. Skin badly damaged, and sunburned? Scuba divers usually don’t really care that much, they’re the ‘sunburned, don’t care type’, but merbuddies and mersisters? They’ll start fussing and pampering me like crazy.

And here’s using a facial mask that I got from a mermaid gathering to sooth my stupidly sunburned skin after my most recent conservation work- Akimia Monster Condition mask. The mask comes in a real cute monster packaging where the mask and the fluids are in two separated compartments and you would need to tear off the middle part of the packaging for the mask to absorb the fluid to enable usage. I’m not sure why they designed it this way but I supposed it’s to keep the mask fresh prior to usage, I guess?

Anyway, if you ever got this, make sure the mask sheets are properly soaked up before you put it into your face. And do feel free to use those excess fluids on your neck, your hands or even your legs if you want. There is ample of it after the mask sheets fully absorb the fluids in the packaging.

It’s a really cool moisturizing mask, I kid you not. It soothes the skin and gives your skin the boink-boink effect in a jiffy and it makes me a happier gal. After a few usage, my sunburns were visibly lessened. 🥰😍😍😍

I would highly recommend this Akimia Master condition mask to those who suffer from bad sunburns or those who have particularly dry skin.

Interested in getting your hands on this mask? Well, then, hop over to their page here: https://www.facebook.com/Akimia.Malaysia

The Gatherings of Divers at MIDE 2023

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It’s a happy day for me, because I’ve finally earned this SSI pro t-shirt after so many months of training. This shirt is awarded to SSI dive pro candidates upon successful completion of their course.

Coincidentally the annual Malaysia International Dive Expo happens to be ongoing and so the first thing I did after receiving my t-shirt upon completion of my training was head over to the dive expo with my instructors.

The crowd was massive at MIDE 2023.Organised by AsiaEvents Exsic Sdn Bhd, MIDE is an annual event aimed at growing and strengthening the Malaysian dive community and businesses. It remains the most well attended event in Malaysia, and well-reputed for its trademark resilience and wide variety of top dive gear suppliers and international diving packages. Under ordinary circumstances, I would avoid crowded events like this. I have never gone to any dive expo since I became a certified diver, but this year I made an exception, because I’d like to join in the fun and meet people from the diving industry.

This is my instructor Suhaimi Salleh of KAIA Underwater Academy. I call him Abang Mie. I started off as an Open Water Diver with just 12 logged dives when I started taking scuba specialties with him. In a blink of an eye, I found myself already taking SSI Diver Stress and Rescue and after that, SSI Dive Guide course. This is because I really enjoyed learning with him. He’s really a nice guy. Never stingy with his knowledge and takes really good care of his students.

Twinning with my SSI Marine Ecology and SSI Dive Guide instructor. I call her Kak Syahnaz. She’s the best instructor you can ask for if you’re the manja type of student and cannot take harsh scolding. She’s a very nice teacher. She’s strict while teaching but never to the point that makes you feel like crying if you can’t do something well. She always motivate me and assures me when I was doing my SSI Dive Guide training.

Hates massive crowds but I went to MIDE regardless, this year. Because my family is there. All of these people are my martial family; my Laoshi, my bro, my Shi Jie and also my Shi Mu. They were toiling at Scuba Dobedo Divers’ booth.

I spent most of my time with them during the lockdown era learning Qigong and Taichi with them via Google Meet. I haven’t been seeing my bro Spiros Kyriazatis for a very, very long time since he went back to his home country. Miss him lots and promised him I’ll drop by in MIDE to visit him and Laoshi, and so I did.

The last time the 3 of us had a picture together was back in 2021, during my first fun dive after my open water certification at Empangan Semenyih, during our surface interval. I was only at my 11th dive and I was such a big baby and both my Laoshi and my bro had to take extra care of me. They must be really glad now that these days they don’t have to babysit me anymore whenever it comes to diving.😂

I’m really happy that we had a chance to take a picture together again this time.

My Laoshi and my bro are both dive pros from PADI. I on the other hand decided to pursue my diving career with SSI after my AOW, but no matter how high I’ve reach, or no matter how deep I’ve dive, they will always be the people I love and care about. They will always be my family.

The first person whom I personally shared my happiness with when I earned my SSI dive pro t-shirt is Tom Chan , my Qigong and Taichi Laoshi. Why? Because he is not only just my Laoshi, but he’s also like a father to me. He gave me lotsa care and love, and supported me in everything that I wanted to achieve. And Laoshi quietly taught me stuff to help me ease my journey. I have benefited alot from his knowledge and kindness. When I said I wanna go dive pro, he encouraged me. When I said I wanna be a mermaid, he helped me pick my first tail. When I told him I wanna take up freediving, he quietly taught me wellness Qigong so that it will be helpful in my breath holding. He didn’t say he was helping me, but I noticed, of course.

Like I said, I hate crowds, seriously, cuz the energy buzz is so high and it gets me feeling dizzy and disoriented, so I usually avoid going to expos where there are so many people gathering. But this year I made an exception mainly because I wanted to see him. Apart from sharing with him my good news, I also want to see him give talks. He’s one of the speakers at MIDE.

My Laoshi, Tom Chan is an in-house PADI Course Director at Scuba Dobedo Divers . He was one of the speakers in MIDE 2023. One of the reasons why I went to MIDE was to see him on stage. He gave talks on the Razor Sidemount system and why you should go sidemounting. I think Laoshi looks really sharp here. I usually see Laoshi in different settings, usually in our Qigong and Taichi class. Instead of holding a mic for a talk, he’d be using headphones while wielding Chinese weapons like sword, sabre, spear, Guandao and stick. Laoshi always wears white outfit during our practice session. He almost never wears black for our classes.

I don’t know if I will ever go tech-rec or tech in diving. I don’t know if I will ever be a sidemount diver. But if I ever decides to, I won’t pick anyone else to do sidemounting with. I’ll definitely choose to learn from Laoshi. He’s the best teacher ever. For now, I’ll just continue to be his naughty Energizer Bunny Taichi student. 😂

Maybe one day in the future, I’ll snap a picture of Laoshi on a totally different stage; say…Martial Arts tournament. Let’s keep a finger crossed on that. I’m rooting for that. Or maybe…it can be the other way around. Me on stage, performing and Laoshi can be my photographer.🤭😂😂

Apart from listening to my Laoshi’s talk, I also took the opportunity to go for dive gear shopping and of course, meet friends from the diving industry. It’s really rare to meet so many dive buddies at the same time and this is the perfect opportunity to meet and visit each other. Here’s sharing with you the people whom I’ve met and managed to catch up with during the MIDE 2023.

Yours truly with her PADI side of the family, attending a talk by Tom Chan . Yep. We’re my Laoshi’s pom pom boys and girls.
Picture courtesy of the Akuana Malaysia hot dude, Ken Chang, first from the left.

On my right side is Swen Becht . He’s my PADI freediving instructor. Although I decided to pursue a scuba diving career with SSI, I decided to go with PADI for my freediving. Why? I could have chosen an SSI instructor too for my freediving, but I didn’t. Many people asked me why. Well, here’s why; this is because I choose the instructor, not the agency. My freediving instructor is an eye-candy, isn’t he? Yep. He is. No doubt he has a lot of fangirls trailing after him. But that’s not the reason why I decided to learn freediving from him. I decided to learn from him after I met him for the first time at Bandar Saujana Putra Lake. I was at the lake doing my weekly underwater clean up, and he happened to bring his students and I saw how he handled his students during class. I saw how he takes really good care of his students back then. Saw how he gave clear instructions while assuring his students during the training session and I liked how steady and soothing his energy is. It’s almost similar to my Laoshi and I thought, yes, this is the guy I wanted to learn freediving from one day. And to cut the long story short, I did ended up signing up freediving course with him.

Fast forward today, I’m confident that I’ll be learning a great deal about freediving from him. He’s a real good mentor as well. Really warm and easy to talk to and makes freediving really fun to learn. He always gives me assurance whenever I feel not confident about something. I’m definitely looking forward to our next freediving session soon.

On another note, Swen is the only instructor that I did not try to get him to try scuba diving or try mermaiding. This is because he’s also a scuba diver and he can also dive and swim with a monofin. No doubt he will make a good merman if he wants. It’ll be no fun to tease him like the rest of my teachers. 😂😂😂😂

Stay away, ladies. Swen is happily married and is a doting father to a really cute baby. You don’t stand a chance. So yea…don’t even think of trying to flirt with him.😂

Say hi to my friend, SSI Instructor Trainer around; Kevin Ling Hua Wei from. Wanna learn scuba diving? Go find him. Wanna learn freediving? Yep…he can teach you too. And yes…even if you wanna learn how to be a mermaid…or a merman, you can find him too. He can teach you those too. 🤭🤭🤭

Surrounded by hot SSI dudes. Two from the left are Vincent Lai and Ricky Koh. They’re SSI Area Managers. Their job scopes are to support SSI dive centres in administration/marketing and all the hard office stuff. Not easy stuff. It involves a lot of PR skills. Not for the faint hearted and definitely not for introverts.

Two on the right, Farid and Echa. Farid is my regular lake dive buddy and is also a dive buddy for underwater clean up volunteering works. Without him, conservation works would be really really dull.

A photo with buddies and the legends of the diving industry.

This is Nurul Zuraini. She’s one of the instructors whom I’ve had the privilege to learn from when I was an open water candidate for SDI. Well, she’s not exactly my instructor, but she’s one of the instructors that I keep bugging back then. I remember that I just finished off my confined water training and she was conducting a swimming class. Being typical Ellie, I shamelessly crashed into her swimming class in the pool with her students and begged her to teach me too. 😂

She’s also one of the people who gave me valuable advice when it comes to choosing my dive gear when I was still new in scuba diving.

It’s really nice to see her again after all these years. She once told me that one day I too will become a dive pro if I train hard enough. And true to her words…I did. 😃

Say hello to ZY Lim , Lee Kang Ee and Karen Choong . ZY needs no further introduction as you guys are probably already familiar with him by now as he’s my mer-buddy. Kang Ee is a scuba instructor+ merman while Karen is an SSI Mermaid Instructor at my mermaid school, Onshore Mermaid. I’m more used to seeing them all wet and in action at the pool, so it takes a little while for me to get used to their dry, on land looks. 😂

The lovely lady beside me is Amy Cheng . She’s a SSI Mermaid Instructor Trainer. She trains both mermaids and mermaid instructor candidates, which made her my principal at my mermaid school, Onshore Mermaid. Without her warmth and hospitality that drawn me to sign up for SSI Mermaid course last year, I wouldn’t be a certified SSI Mermaid today. Love ya, Teacher Amy. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on me at the pool and help me improve my mermaiding skills. 😘😍

This is En. Nawar. He’s the big guy in Jabatan Perikanan Melaka and is a conservation expert. Programs that he organizes usually cover the newly gazetted Taman Laut Melaka and consist of ghost net removals and coral propagation works. There are lotsa things I wanna share about ghost net removal, but I’ll leave it for the next postings for now.

Here’s my dive and gossip buddy David Tang . The last time I met him was during Grandpa Chan’s funeral. I’m so happy to be able to finally catch up with him in a non-sombre and a happy, high energy event.

On show at MIDE 2023 were the latest and greatest in scuba-diving related products and services, new lines including sailing expeditions and various watersports, but I was there more for the awesome people in the diving industry. MIDE 2023 was a great platform to catch up with inspiring and like-minded people who share the same interest and passion efficiently in a short period of time. I hope I’ll be able to do this again soon. Perhaps, in a different environment setting.


Onshore Mermaid Outing for Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ Movie

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“I don’t know when
I don’t know how
But I know something’s starting right now
Watch and you’ll see
Some day I’ll be
Part of your world”

Familiar with this song lyrics? I bet most of you are familiar with it. It’s part of the lyrics for the classic Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ movie’s original soundtrack. I grew up watching The Little Mermaid repeatedly. It’s one of the childhood movies that actually cultivates my love and fascination for the ocean. Growing up, my love for the ocean grows more and more. When I became a mother; I even named my son Adrian, after the beautiful Adriatic sea. In some ways, it’s because of this movie that I became a certified scuba diver, a real life mermaid, and hopefully soon, a certified freediver as well. I used to wish I could explore the sea like Ariel, and my wish did come true, to some extent.

But I’m not talking about my sea adventures and misadventures in this post. That will be in my next postings. What I’d like to share with you today is my mermaid school’s excursion to the cinema to watch the new live action version of ‘The Little Mermaid’

The movie outing was jointly organized by Onshore Mermaid and Mermaid Queen Swimming&Scuba Club at GSC Premier Hall in The Starling Mall, Petaling Jaya. Onshore Mermaid and Mermaid Queen Swimming and Scuba Club are both SSI certified mermaid centres and they offers mermaid and ecology courses of all levels to those who are interested in taking up mermaiding seriously.

So, what’s so special about this movie outing? It’s just another movie night out, right? Wrong. It’s a movie night out for us real life merfolks. Yep. We wore our pretty tails while watching Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’.

The media will have you believe that we’re just another group of crazy cosplayers or The Little Mermaid’s fanboys and fangirls who’s insane enough to watch the movies with our legs confined in a mermaid tail, but no, darling. We’re not just another typical ‘The Little Mermaid’s’ cosplaying fan. We’re real life mermaids. We swim and dive in the pools and in the ocean in our monofins and tails. We’re the real deal, darling.

As mermaids and merman, we are ocean ambassadors. Most of us mermaids and mermen works closely with organizations that are doing marine conservation works. Mermaiding is not just something we do to pass time. Some of us are serious volunteers in underwater clean up works while some others work closely with young children to cultivate awareness on how important it is to not pollute our oceans in a fun way.

Yours truly, for example is an ocean ambassador. She does regular underwater clean up and participates in plenty of ghost net removals programs, in line with SSI’s Blue Oceans initiative. SSI Blue Oceans movement supports the conservation and sustainable use of aquatic environments, including oceans, season, coasts, and waterways and their magnificent diversity of plants and animal species.

In organizing the movie night, both SSI mermaid centres hoped not only to offer a night of fun and special bonding moments for their students, but also to spread awareness on how important it is to keep our ocean safe and clean for a better and a more sustainable future.

For more information on the SSI Blue Oceans movement, head over to http://divessi.com or create a free user profile at MySSI app and get immediate access to SSI free trial programs. You may download the MySSI apps HERE.

Together, we can protect our oceans.

Fun with Buddies at Scuba Dobedo Divers’ Grand Re-opening

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May is a really busy month for me. I had my SSI Mermaid and also my SSI Dive Guide evaluation training throughout the entire month, and I didn’t have much time for anything else. As of writing, it’s already almost the end of May, and I only got the time to sit down to put thoughts into writing now. There are many updates and experiences that I want to share, but let’s start with this one; fun with my scuba diver buddies at Scuba Dobedo Divers’ shop grand re-opening.

It happened back on the 4th of May. And any Star Wars fans would say that it was an auspicious date- cuz it resonates with the Star Wars quote; May the force be with you( May the fourth be with you). Get it? Yes? No? Well, it’s ok. I’ll stop babbling and here’s sharing with you the fun stuff we did at the new Scuba Dobedo Divers’new shop.

Plenty of fun and educational activities were prepared for us divers.

There was an abundance of good food and plenty of fun. We participated in games and I personally learned lotsa new stuff during the event.

Participated in the Akuana race where we learned how to assemble a backplate BCD from scratch as well.

My team may have lost, but we still won back some knowledge and oh…a t-shirt in the process.

Stayed til late for their movie night and had plenty of ‘uncensored’ fun…but let’s just leave the uncensored part for later.

This is one of the crazy things we did that night. There’s many more pictures from where this comes from, but those other pics and videos are blackmail material 🙈🙈🙈🙈😂😂😂😂

The new shop is conveniently located in Akasa Cheras Commercial Centre. It’s an upgrade to the new expansion that they’re having as a PADI 5 stars IDC centre. Scuba Dobedo Divers is now currently a one-stop centre for scuba diving, freediving, swimming and also mermaid courses. So, if you’re interested in any of these, do give them a holler.

For more information on the new Scuba Dobedo Divers shop, check their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/scuba.dobedo.divers

The Food Merchant Introduces All-New Little Farm and Kids Trolley to Promote an Egg-citing and Educational Shopping Experience

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In conjunction with Happy Easter Day, The Food Merchant gracefully welcomed the children of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Home of Peace Kuala Lumpur to its grocery at Pavilion Embassy. These children and teenagers, aged from six to nineteen years old were first introduced to and educated about Little Farm, which is the newest addition to the grocer.

Aeroponic farming is a method developed by
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which helps plants grow faster and larger indoors with less water required.

The introduction of Little Farm is in collaboration with The Vegetable Co., whose expertise is in growing fresh and pesticide-free, harvest-to-table vegetables, and RipeFresh, which promotes sustainable farming by building and operating intelligent aeroponics farms.

Wally is a modular Indoor Farming Unit Powered by Artificial Intelligence, using Smart Cameras that automatically create the optimal conditions for plant growth.

This new addition combines the expertise of two industry leaders in indoor agriculture to bring patrons of the grocer the freshest and most nutritious produce possible.

Leong Pei Khim, Chief Operating Officer of The Food Merchant said, “This is indeed the perfect collaboration for sustainable indoor farming. With our shared commitment to promoting sustainable farming practices, we are proud to offer our esteemed customers an eco-friendly and healthy option for their daily meals as we aim to provide safe, clean, and the most nutritious vegetables! Now, customers can conveniently get these fresh-packed from our chiller”.

In addition to this, The Food Merchant also introduced its fun-sized Kids Trolley as part of its latest addition for all of its grocery stores.

Following this introduction, the children were paired with the trolleys as part of an exciting Easter Egg Hunt where the attendees and children were able to redeem exciting prizes from the thrilling activity.

Justine Morais, Founder of Home of Peace, expressed, “We are thankful for this Easter Day gathering as it is indeed a special one for these children and myself. The girls are beaming with inspiration as they learn about the Little Farm”.

Up until this Sunday, 9th April, patrons can stand the chance to win FREE delicious chocolates. To win, customers will only need to visit any of The Food Merchant stores and seek a hidden Easter egg nearby the chiller (or anywhere that is near something fresh). Terms and conditions are applied for this giveaway.

The Food Merchant, the country’s 1st international premium grocer, has curated and sourced over 250 international brands in-store, so shoppers can get a taste of the world’s culture and authentic international cuisine as they traverse the aisles. Shoppers will enjoy dine-in selections from East Asian oceans to European vineyards simply by stepping into the grocer and experiencing authentic international food under one roof.
Website: https://thefoodmerchant.com.my
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefoodmerchant.my/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefoodmerchant.my/ (@thefoodmerchant.my)

A Day at Sungei Wang Plaza

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It’s been awhile since I last went on my crazy Shophaholic mode in malls since COVID-19 pandemic strike. I used to hangout in malls from the time the malls opens it’s door to the time the mall closes. Yep. I was THAT fond of shopping.However, for some period of time, shopping in malls no longer have an appeal to me. To be honest, I was terribly traumatized by all the brainwashing stuff that happened during lockdown period-where they practically stuffed into your brain on how dangerous it is to be in the crowds and stuff and I had nasty anxiety and nervous breakdown whenever I’m in public. I only got better last year after my late MIL’s passing where I was slapped with the notion that; Covid or not Covid, you’ll die regardless, so why live in fear all the time? I shouldn’t let the fear-mongering gets to me and control my life. I started to heal from the global fear-mongering trauma and decided to slowly go out and be social again. I started doing outdoor stuff like practicing martial arts, going on scuba dives and mermaiding.Despite the fact that I was going out again, I still avoided malls and enclosed area. But I’ll be honest. As much as I’m now comfortable with online shopping, it’s not really as gratifying as physical shopping in the mall. When I shop in the mall, I get all the ASMR sensation; the sight, the touch, the smell, and it makes me feel so good.Speaking of feeling good, I’ve recently had a feel good experience at Sungei Wang Plaza.Can you believe it? I’m finally back with my Shophaholic Extraordinaire mode and spent the whole day shopping and having fun at Sungei Wang.The Raya deco is up and it’s really amazing. They’ve set up a kampung in the midst of a paddy field and it reminds me of my hometown in Kedah.Part of the Raya deco includes a traditional games section and provides interactive spot for shoppers to play traditional games like congkak, batu seremban and many more.I find this very heartwarming as occasionally I will spot some kids playing over there.It’s certainly nice to see the kids of this generation playing with each other instead of their phones.Raya deco aside. What did I do over there for the entire day? Well, I spent my day shopping for Raya makeover. First, I visited the Optical street at G-Level at Sungei Wang. This is where you can find loads of optical shops selling specs and eyewear stuff at a very competitive price.It’s high time for me to upgrade my spec’s power. I was spoiled for choices and it was quite hard to make decisions on which shop I should make my specs with. After browsing for awhile, I ended up at Nice Eyework at G-117.Nice Eyework is currently having a great promo of RM40 and RM65 for spec’s frame and lenses.It’s a very affordable price, if you ask me. This price is applicable to certain range of lense’s power, though. Those with the power of 600+ and more would require abit of a top-up. This is because the higher power you require, the more expensive the lenses are.Got my eyes checked, and discovered that my power has increased from 400&500 to 525&625. I’ve already expected an increase in power as my current specs is already giving me blur vision whenever I wear them, so there’s no surprise here. It sucks. I totally blamed the Covid lockdown and my emo-Kdrama binging on this. The increase of screen time has contributed to this.I had a blast trying on some on.After browsing for awhile, I settled with this one, and as promised in their banner ads, it’s ready for collection in just 40minutes.This costs me RM145. Still inexpensive as my lenses are an upgraded version and the specs came with a clip-on sunglass lenses. What do you think? I feel that this is a tad too big for my face but it’s pretty cool when I clipped on the sunglass lenses. Made me feel like a supermodel.Next stop is the MinNature Malaysia. If you want to go for a Cuti-cuti Malaysia but on a very tight budget and time restrictions this is exactly where you should head over to.MinNature Malaysia is a miniature gallery located in Sungei Wang. It features miniature models of famous Malaysian landmarks and buildings, diorama of lifestyle and iconic Malaysian food.This is where you can visit interesting touristy attractions in all states of Malaysia in just a a few hours.Some of the tourists attractions in Malaysia in miniature artworks.A showcasing of Malaysian food culture in tiny artworks.I have nothing but respect for those who made this. These artwork are really exquisite.Every artwork tells a very interesting story. So do take your time to read up the descriptions of each artwork when you’re there, okay?MinNature Malaysia is located at JUMPA@Sungei Wang, Level 1, and is opened from 10am-10pm. You may check their website here HERE for ticket pricing and stuff.After playing tourist at MinNature Malaysia, I hopped over to Watsons.They’re having this fantastic Rahsia Gaya Raya campaign where they’re offering price slashes up to 50% off, and if you’re a Watsons card member, you’re entitled to special member’s price and it’s stackable on top of those discounts.I spent about an hour browsing.Spotted some good deals in the Hair Colouring&Styling section, and grabbed some hair dyes and haircare products. My hair is in a sorry mess after all the scuba diving and frequent mermaiding that I’ve been doing for the past few months. The pool’s chlorine is not exactly the kindest on anyone’s hair, and that includes mine. I’m due for some hair care time at a salon. Sadly, with my hectic schedule these days, I no longer have time to sit in a hair salon to get myself a makeover.This would be the next best thing, I guess. I’ll just DIY my own haircut and treatments.For those who are prepping for upcoming Hari Raya, you might want to check out awesome Raya goodies and fabulous traditional clothes at Sungei Wang Plaza’s Mew Market located at the Main Entrance. This Raya Bazaar will be ongoing from 3 March till 1 May 2023, Concourse Floor where you can shop for traditional Raya clothing, Kuih Raya, Raya decoration, souvenirs and more.I wanted to buy some cookies, but it’s still early Ramadan as of the visit, and I wouldn’t wanna stock these up at home. You see, I lack self control. Raya cookies and tidbits and would have been long gone before Raya if I were to get them now, so I’d be making a revisit soon to get my hands on these.I haven’t been walking much since lockdown, and my feet were already showing signs of cramping by the time it’s time to end my shopping spree.Last stop is at Kekatoo Restaurant for breaking fast session with my media friends and lovely children from Pertubuhan Pembangunan Insan Darussalam Malaysia.As part of Sungei Wang Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance initiative, these children were invited for a day of shopping and fun in Sungei Wang before the buka puasa session at Kekatoo.During their visit, they had a blast shopping and participating in games and fun batik colouring workshops.Things have been so hectic for me where work, scuba diving and mermaiding is concerned that this is the first buka puasa invitation that I’ve accepted among many that was extended to me during Ramadan. I feel really bad, honestly. But it is as it is. I need to accept that my life is longer the same as before the pandemic. If anything, it’s really nice to finally be back on my crazy Shophaholic Extraordinaire mode. It really feels good to be able to spend a whole day in the mall again.
Sungei Wang Plaza is currently having a Hari Raya campaign. Come and celebrate varieties of interesting Raya performances such as Traditional Dances, Tradition Musical Instruments Performances such as Caklempong, Ghazal, Gamelan and Angklung, Suara Raya Kids Karaoke and Acoustic Raya Challenge, fashion shows which will bring delight and excitement your shopping experience from 31 March till 1 May 2023.You may also redeem limited edition collectible Raya Packet with a minimum spend of RM218 in a maximum TWO (2) receipts. And, with a minimum spend of RM418 in a maximum of TWO (2) receipts to redeem yourself an exclusive Sungei Wang Plaza Raya Cookies Set. Terms and conditions apply.For more information, visit Sungei Wang Plaza’s website at www.sungeiwang.com or check real-time updates on Sungei Wang’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sungeiwangplaza.

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