Achilles Tang

How about we start with selective closing down of some memberships first?

I just had a great idea! CLOSE DOWN SRC!!!!

I heard from TTboy that he had to help his friend carry one of this along for a dive trip. He was screaming blue murder all the way.... that thing is very very heavy... esp the batteries!

OP, Not a nice thing to say. Bad robot!

Beautiful fish. RIP. My condolences.

SG Reefing is set up by Coralreef, a reefer here who had his own plans to setup a web magazine revolving around travel or something of that kind a few years ago. He then set up a reefing subforum under mediazoneasia.com as part of his content. I remember him asking me for advice then. A recent revamp of the Mediazoneasia site was done, with everything dropped except the reefing subforum. There was a change in domain name and the site suddenly took on a look and feel similar to SG Reef. If there is a reason why the name and the format/categories are so similar, I guess they say imitation is the best form of flattery. Other than that, there is no link between the SG Reef Club and SGReefing.com. Except that place is now known as the place for 'disgruntled' reefers who have problems fitting into SRC, the idea reinforced by a mod there and MDP in his RAG forum. disgruntled adj : in a state of sulky dissatisfaction I believe the Mods and Admin over there has already stated what they DO NOT want to be compared with 'The Other Side'. However, that is yet to be seen as it has become a platform of attack on quite a few occasions, including before the revamp. Hopefully, we can co-exist side by side peacefully in our very small local marine community. Hope that clears your doubts.

How is Phuket now after the disaster? I have friends thinking to go but they say there's still a stench around.

that's a new one!

Actually, on hindsight, I'm always in constant danger of falling off into their trap of loosing my cool and making a fool of myself everytime these people start their nonsense. Perhaps some will find me too argumentative or aggressive but it's just me. I will fight for something that is important to me... esp my reputation and hard work for SRC. The day you see me just sit down and let someone walk all over me is the day I completely 'bo chup' and die. Till then, SRC will occupy my time and be in my priorities and as much as some people cannot face this fact: it's a privately owned forum but one with a very public service and one that is publicly populated & shared because you decided with your own choice to be here. SRC is about YOU, a community. For those who are offended at my style of confrontation, I apologize. I just hope that when the time comes for the people of SRC to speak up against such ugly people, they will.

True, I believe there are quite a few spies amongst our ranks with hidden agendas. Strangely, I told a few reefers/sponsors about the Anthony Calfo thing early this year. I guess it leaked out to the wrong ears.

Perhaps out of most of the local public eye, I have been fighting this battle alone (for most part) on behalf of SRC. I am accused of sabotage, self-interests (commercial) and denying Singapore reefers a chance to hear a quality seminar by 'world-renowned' speakers aka my attackers. I have also been backstabbed by a few disgruntled local reefers who vocalize support for the attackers. When I disputed them, I am accused of starting 'politics'. I have been transparent in my explanations and have sought to clear the air and even tried to see if SRC could really work with people like them as a compromise. Sadly, I cannot feel comfortable enough to work with people who cannot stop laying abuse and hurtful accusations and will not retract back their words even as they sought us to be their partners. If you can spare the time and the pain to read through this ridiculous drama, I also appreciate if all of you can voice out how you interpret and feel about all this. Remember, this is about YOU as much as its about my management of SRC. If I have been a let-down by going against the common interests of Singapore reefers, please vocalise your thoughts. If my pains to get Anthony Calfo to speak to SRC is considered sabotage by the other party just because my plans were made earlier and not done in tandem with theirs, please explain to me why so. SRC is about the local community and our name has been dragged through the mud by MDP as you all have been implicated of living in fear and tyranny of the mods and myself who supposedly run SRC like running a prison camp. I have not asked a favour of the local community before (except during the Save Nemo campaign, Aquarama promotional activities, Tsunami fund-raising) and would like you guys to speak your mind, truthfully, about how you view the following main points: 1. Are you guys in this Reef Club against your will and made to suffer under the unreasonable rules and bad treatment as accused of by MDP? 2. Are we all obligated to comply with MDP's demands in agreeing to support his seminar (planned later than ours) WITH him refusing to disclose his agenda, topic, credentials? And already KNOWING how he views us locals as people who are out to wreck his products and spoil his market and that he fully intends to 'stir the pot' in due time? 3. Do you feel that our Anthony Calfo seminar should be cancelled if it cannot be merged with the MDP seminar as what he is trying to force us to do? 4. Are all the accusations that MDP and company made about SRC any less truthful, accurate and undeniable? I'm certainly not the most perfect man around but I think most of you guys know how much passion, stress and work I have put in to SRC and in the local reefing scene to be fairly accused of self-interest and bad intentions. I hope not to be the only lone voice speaking out for SRC. This is not about politics, this is about speaking up for YOURSELVES. Let's hear the people speak. Yours sincerely Achilles Tang

They probably observed humans walking and decided to mimic us!

Are you guys then all up for true 'heavy-handedness', where mods will simply cut you off for misbehaviour, considering that all reefers who sign up in SRC forum are SUBJECTED to the terms and conditions of use and the Code of Conduct? When I had more time, I could enforce the rules. Lately, or rather, for the longest time, I have rather lax and that may have opened the way for a few reefers to 'misbehave'.

To be honest, how often will a reefer be always selling things? Oh wait... this is Singapore... quite often right? I need more feedback before we can implement a rating system. (It's possible).

Air valve you mean? Of course! If not, how do you get air bubbles to be formed? AT

Just buy pvc pipe of the right size and type to 'extend' the current pipes inside the skimmer! It's so simple!

Precisely why the League of Justice is needed... we have already Superman.... is Batman volunteering to vanquish evil and uphold justice and peace?

Hmmm.... since both parties have come out and 'show hand', it may be a case of miscomm and bad timing (happens to many of us). We should not get involved anymore since there is clarification by both sides on the issue. I think we can leave them both in peace.... The thread will now be closed. Thank you all for constructive comments given.

Deepblue, You just said it like it is, bro! Shows that SRC works. Well, if they can't take the good with the bad, it's sadness and shows a lack of 'Bei yeow zho lang'. As much as we so-called run this forum with heavy-handedness, we still get people who regularly flout the rules and behave badly. I honestly think we have become too soft in this aspect, to allow such abuses to carry on. (I haven't said 'Tick Tock!' in a long time already!) Marineman, What do you propose we do? Allow the abuse to carry on to other people by keeping quiet about bad transactions/experiences? Are we doing a public disservice by doing so? How many people will get burnt before the bad guys get stopped? Or should we bring up awareness that people will not hesitate to reveal your attempts to deceive/cheat others and thus prevent such episodes from being repeated to your fellow hobbyists? The Code of Conduct applies to everyday life and should not be any different from virtual conversations. Sadly, people can hide behind a nick here. Therefore there is a certain amount of abuse that can occur here. Try cheating someone outside and pray that you don't meet that guy and his friends eating at the same coffee shop! Hope to hear more feedback on this...

34? We're the same age? Welcome to the old folk's club!

Thanks guys... anymore volunteers? We'll assemble a team once we have enough helpers...

Hahahaha... nice photoshop skills... Want to see a whaleshark in my tank?

Ok guys... show's over. Let the two of them settle the issue without anyone else adding in their salt and pepper. AT

Try writing in to the airline and ask for a deferred flight. Perhaps they will do it out of good will.

A little late lah... I posted this up already! Damn farnie!