Captivated By Life On Belait Seashores

By about 9.30am the morning had sprung to life with gorgeous weather that inspired me to go for a swim. It didn’t take me much deliberation to decide that the swimming pool was my immediate destination to check-in on Gowalla. Although I wasn’t pleased that the pool is closed for maintenance without notification, I was determined to enjoy a productive morning instead of a disappointing trip home.

Quick patrol. Reason as per @hpcbrunei recommendation, walk 30 mins after a meal :) @ Billionth Barrel gowal.la/c/4URdN—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) September 19, 2011

After a pit stop at Soi Heng coffee shop for my favourite fried Kway Teow I still refused to head home and spur of the moment decided I’m going to get some sun regardless. Other than the pesky sand-flies, the beach has never disappointed me and with my G11 in hand and a little bit of luck, I brought home some incredible moments.

Hundreds of tiny crabs running all over the beach front of Billionth Barrel Monument. #brunei—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) September 19, 2011

One of the many variety of FIDDLER CRABS that are popular on our beaches.

 [ Images above from May 2008 post: Beach Crabs They're No Hermits ]

I spotted not one but two washed up jellyfish carcass (the kind without tentacles) within a stone's throw and all this discovery occurred right at the Billionth Barrel Monument beach front. Bright spot is a reflection of the noon direct sunlight.

Incredible photo opportunity that would make National Geographic and Canon pretty proud. Can't wait to share the catch! #photography #macro—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) September 19, 2011

Around comes one crab, checks out the perimeter of the jellyfish to make sure it's safe to mount.

Typically, it's near impossible to photograph these hyper active creatures. The second you move a limb they disappear in a blink. The idea here is to stay perfectly still and let sand flies enjoy a blood feast while you have your equipment set to capture them once in view. I captured this with the PowerShot G11 with Neutral Density enabled to cut off the intense direct midday sun along with a -1 Exposure Compensation

Let's dig in—bon appétit! Though the entire crab isn't in focus in this photo, it's good enough to see that it's got small amount of jellyfish flesh on its smaller claw. I saw it feed several mouthfuls of "sushi" the entire time I kept still photographing this amazing piece.

Trying hard not to frighten the crab off with any abrupt movement, I slowly and carefully inched my thumb to activate slow sync flash and the camera metering turned the scene into what appears to be a night shot and resulted in some degree of vignetting.

[ Image below from December 2008 post: Horn-eyed crab foams at the mouth ]

Foaming process keep their gills moist and to balance the salt concentration within its body by excreting mucus to clear its airway. Another source thinks foaming at the mouth is a sign of stress.

Truly Nat-Geo Moments, esp Fiddler crab mounts beached jellyfish RT @janshim: Captivated By Life On Belait Seashores wp.me/p2aT2-3gX—
Anthony_Er (@anthony_er) September 19, 2011

A small step for @BeachBunch a giant leap for life on Belait seashores. Macro photography of crab eating jellyfish bit.ly/nXiJH4—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) September 19, 2011

Just posted: "Captivated By Life On Brunei Seashores – My Shot – National Geographic Magazine"( twitthis.com/8abs8l )—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) September 20, 2011

Possibly A Great Vantage Point For A Tourism-centric Mural

Residents in the Belait district especially those in Seria have in the past year or so seen how an empty land adjacent to the Oil & Gas Discovery Centre (OGDC) slowly morphed into what it is today. Out of town friends have heard about the development of a certain “state of the art 3D cinema” but nothing more. Having ventured as close to the finished attraction as possible including a peek at the 24 lane bowling alley, I know it’s a matter of time before the long awaited entertainment hub becomes a reality. Two movie theatres, Cinema 1 and 2, occupy the left and right side (the two white exterior walls). The first thing that struck me was those walls need a shot of art — like a mural.

“A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.” — Wikipedia

The much anticipated new yet-to-open movie theatre and bowling centre in Seria.

Click to view image below in full | © Jan Shim Photography

A close-up of the Box Office ticket sales counter minus the 3 units of LCD that's intended to go on those vertical mounts. The entrance to the 24 lane bowling centre is right behind the Box.

OVERCOMING ALL ODDS TO TRIUMPH IN ATHLETICS

As a child, Jewel was dealt an unfair hand. Growing up with asthma and allergies she had been unable to partake in any physically demanding activity that would trigger her condition. As parents, we were extremely cautious about activities she had been enrolled in by her class teachers. Even at times we kept quiet about our concerns, it was nerve wrecking to know what she’s up against on the day of her event. Simply put, asthma and migraine triggers are everywhere around you — visible or otherwise. It wasn’t until her first-ever 4 x 100m run back in May at the 2011 Chung Chung Middle School Sports Meet that gave us an opportunity to not only re-evaluate our fears but also to discover that she can run — fast! Fast track ahead two months (slight pun intended) and once again found herself on race track except this time it’s four times the distance at whatever break neck speed she can muster from her irregular and short training schedule.

The Brunei Times newspaper clipping of 26 July 2011

The calm before the storm — anxious moments as Jewel observes the flag.

“Of all races, the fierce competition between Amanda Koo of Chung Hua Middle School (KB) and Jewel Shim of Chung Ching Middle School primary section in the girls’ 400m event had the whole stadium on its feet” — Chua Guan Cheong | The Brunei Times

"Amanda Koo, winner of the Best Female Athlete in Sunday's Championship, was training behind Jewel Shim right from the beginning until the 350m mark ... "

" ... in an amazing final 50m dash, she overtook Shim at the finishing line, just piping the Chung Ching girl by a mere 0.16 of a second. Koo's timing was 1 min 23.04 secs, while Shim's timing was 1 min 23.20 secs."

Jewel's runner-up medal for her 400m event with another medal for third place in the team's 4 x 100m.

Jewel succumbed to breathing difficulties following the highly demanding 400m event. Thanks to the quick response medical team, a couple of Ventolin puffs and most of all the support of her team mates, she was back on her feet in no time. I nearly had her pulled from further competition but respected her wish to fulfill her commitment to her school.

Chung Ching Middle School's 4 x 100m runners waiting for their turn on the track.

Thank you Chua GC of The Brunei Times for this picture of Jewel receiving the baton.

Training behind Jewel is St Margaret School runner Denise C. with Jewel showing no signs of slowing down.

Passing the baton to team mate Haarnieqa for the final dash to win the team 3rd place in this event.

Bronze medal for the 4 x 100m event bringing a total of two personal medals to add to a growing collection of trophies from the children's academic accomplishments at school.

Jewel's bestest team mates in the 4x100m event. Nothing more satisfying than team-work WIN! When Jewel succumbed to breathing difficulties right after her 400m run, her 4x100 team mates stayed by her side the whole time she was receiving medical attention. When she recovered, they assured her "It's OK if we don't win" and that it's perfectly OK if she cannot run the 4x100. So adamant about not disappointing her friends and team that she refused to be sidelined and they went on to win a bronze!

Several shades darker after being baked at the 3rd Battalion, Lumut Camp! Congrats @jewelshim for finishing 2nd at the grueling 400m race!—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) July 24, 2011

@janshim thanks for sharing. Such inspiration!—
Flitty McKnickers (@FlittyMc) July 29, 2011