Mantis Shrimp

Another set of photos from Ayu :

(Peacock Mantis Shrimp)

Mantis shrimp or stomatopods are marine crustaceans, the members of the order Stomatopoda. They are neither shrimp nor mantids, but receive their name purely from the physical resemblance to both the terrestrial praying mantis and the shrimp.

(Peacock Mantis Shrimp)

(From Wikipedia)

~ These aggressive and typically solitary sea creatures spend most of their time hiding in rock formations or burrowing intricate passageways in the sea-bed.

~ Around 400 species of mantis shrimp have currently been described worldwide; all living species are in the suborder Unipeltata. They are commonly separated into two distinct groups determined by the manner of claws they possess:

~ The Eyes : The midband region of the mantis shrimps eye is made up of six rows of specialized ommatidia. Four rows carry 16 differing sorts of photoreceptor pigments, 12 for colour sensitivity, others for colour filtering.

~ Their eyes (both mounted on mobile stalks and constantly moving about independently of each other) are similarly variably coloured, and are considered to be the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom.

~ Mantis shrimp are long-lived and exhibit complex behaviour, such as ritualised fighting.

Many of d lovely photos found in the net,
...SubhanAllah سبحان الله
(Glory be to Allah)....

......

......

Deep down : Frogfish

From Ayu's diving trip at Lembeh in Sulawesi recently
(thanks Ayu for sharing the photos) :

(Hairy Frogfish)

(Frogfish)

(Clown Frogfish)

Simple facts taken from Wikipedia :

Frogfishes, family Antennariidae, are a type of anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes. They are known as anglerfishes in Australia, where 'frogfish' refers to a different type of fish. Frogfishes are found in almost all tropical and subtropical oceans and seas around the world, the primary exception being the Mediterranean Sea.

~ Their habitat lies for the most part between the 20-degree isotherms, in areas where the surface level water usually has a temperature of 20 C (68 F) or more.

~ Frogfish have a stocky appearance, atypical of fish. Ranging from 2.5-38cm (1-15 inches) long, their plump, high-backed, non-streamlined body is scaleless and bare, often covered with bumpy, bifurcated spinules.

~ The unusual appearance of the frogfish is designed to conceal it from predators and sometimes to mimic a potential meal to its prey.

~ Frogfish generally do not move very much, preferring to lie on the sea floor and wait for prey to approach. Once the prey is spotted, they can approach slowly using their pectoral and pelvic fins to walk along the floor.

~ In open water, frogfish can swim with strokes of the tail fin.

~ Frogfish eat crustaceans, other fish, and even each other.





Interesting website :

http://www.frogfish.ch/species-arten/all-frogfish-species.html

We tour de Langkawi

It was a trip over d long weekend of 30th Jan to 1st Feb. 2010, with my good friends ~ Chom n her mum, Rois n Nieza, kak Pah n me...


On arrival :

~Apartment @ Plaza Langkawi~

Views from d apartment :

Dataran Lang @ Eagle Square

Kota Mahsuri

Mahsuri
(http://www.neosentuhan.com.my/langkawi/support/le001.htm)

The best known legend of Langkawi is of Mahsuri, a pretty maiden who lived during the reign of Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah the Second who ruled Kedah between 1762 and 1800. She died under tragic circumstances for a crime she did not commit. She died a victim of a conspiracy plotted against her out of jealousy by Mahura, her very own mother-in-law for her magnetic personality.

Mahsuri was accused of committing adultery with Deramang, a young troubadour who she befriended and was sentenced to death.

As proof of her innocence, some people say, white blood was seen gushing out of her wound during execution at Padang Hangus. Others maintain there was the sudden appearance of white mist that enveloped the spot where she was executed, which it was believed was a sign of mourning of her innocence.

Mahsuri is best remembered for her curse on Langkawi which was uttered before she died. She had said, "For this act of injustice Langkawi shall not prosper for seven generations to come."

Myth, legend or fantasy? History tells us that within a few years of Mahsuri's death, Langkawi was devasted by the Siamese and Datuk Seri Kerma Jaya and his entire family were killed. Rice fields and granaries were completely set on fire.

To this day, grains that appear to be burnt rice grains are still to be found at Padang Matsirat.

However, many believe the curse is now over with the numerous development projects undertaken on the island.

@ Perdana Quay

Nearby, where "The Loaf" (bakery owned by Tun Dr. M) was located :

[for those cheese cakes... i'll brave myself to go to the Pavillion in KL!.. :-)]

(mmmm...yummy....)

The Isle of Langkawi has changed quite a bit since I last went there with my mum and family. So it was a good idea to hire the Serena for the 6 of us...and with our very capable Nieza (@ driver @ tour guide...hehe..), we had a very good time touring the island.

(it was Nieza who got the thumbs up from us...esp. from Chom's mum!)

One of d highlights for me was eating the "roti canai" at the stall under the tree near our apartment...i really luvvvvv it when we had it upon arrival on d first morning, that i said i wanted to have 2 d next morning!haha..luckily by the next day, i had d craving for only 1 n 1/2...hehehe...

and i had it again for breakfast on the last morning!

[i didnt want to finish this! :-) ]

Of course another highlight was shopping at the Haji Ismail's shops!...hehehe

(one of the many branches that they have all over Pekan Kuah)

Saying goodbye to Langkawi...till next time, insyaAllah...

[Note : The 15th edition of Le Tour De Langkawi 2010 (LTDL) will be held on the 1st to 7th March 2010 ~ http://www.ltdl.com.my/ ]

:-)

Mini addition - pt 2

Update :

Did a second exercise after i got back from d office, but this time for 20 minutes and complete with wearing this "track" suit (it really made me sweat, even b4 i did the stepping!) :

I really really hope to do this regularly,

...for a fitter n healthier me.

:-)

Mini addition at home.

Bought this mini-stepper yesterday...and tried it out this morning for 10 mins..

..after about 285 steps..the calories burned?

a mere 39!

:-)))

Calories Burned in 1 Hour of Exercise
(http://www.calorie-counter.net/calories-exercise.htm)


Here is a short approximate guide to the number of calories burned by certain exercises/activities.

Sleeping - 60 calories
Eating - 85 calories
Sitting - 85 calories
Standing - 100 calories
Driving - 110 calories
Computer Work - 130 calories
Office Work - 140 calories
Housework (moderate) - 160 calories
Golf (with trolley) - 180 calories
Gardening (light) - 250 calories
Walking, (3 mph) - 280 calories
Ping-Pong - 290 calories
Tennis - 400 calories
Roller-blading - 400 calories
Gardening (strenuous) calories
Ice-Skating - 420 calories
Aerobics - 450 calories
Cycling (moderate) - 450 calories
Jogging (5 mph) - 500 calories
Swimming (vigorous) - 500 calories
Step Aerobics - 550 calories
Cycling (vigorous) - 600 calories
Walking (vigorous) - 600 calories
Skipping with rope - 700 calories
Running - 700 calories

*******

its okay, have to start somewhere,

...and slowwwwwly...

:-)