This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project by Silent_One @ littlebro, an IT graduate who blogs at ~ d a r k n e s s ~. Unlike other ordinary young man, he mutters about the turbulence and downs (no ups) in life, while searching for his long lost soul. He hides himself in the huge city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and hopes that no one can recognize him except for his friends.

Beaches. Oceans. Marine life.

These are all wonderful creations of Mother Earth which is inherited for generations. But, try asking yourself, how much do you know, or simply understand about these entities and their significance towards our life?

Well, to tell you the fact, I’m no “walking-National-Geographic” who can tell you every single detail you want to know about these amazing creations, but if you don’t mind spending some of your time reading an article from a guy who loves beaches and oceans like you do, then read on.

Photo credit: littlebro.

I am a city guy; one who is brought up in a city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and inhale more hazardous gases than precious oxygen needed by the body. When I was little, I had never seen a beach, nor hear the soothing sound of the ocean waves. Until I was accepted to pursue my tertiary education in a public university in faraway, east coast, Terengganu. The first, yes, the first ever tagline that caught my eye in the offer letter was the phrase “University by the beach”.

“University by the beach”.

Wow, that’s a catchy line.

So, I thought, what the heck, just get my degree and get out of that village-like place. Besides, what in the world is a city boy like me, studying so long in a so-called “university by the beach”? So, there I went, studying for 3 years at the university, and from there, I’ve learnt so much new things I needed to learn in life. One of the major ones is….

Love our beaches.

Yes, you read it right. Not Malaysia’s, not Terengganu’s, not mine, not yours, but our beaches. Why our beaches, and not others? Because the beaches are there for us to preserve its beauty and maintain its cleanliess.

When I first stepped into the students’ hostel, which is coincidentally next to a beach known as the Tok Jembal beach, I was like… “Oh yeah! I can go bathing at the beach everyday!” What’s more, there is this story which goes around the Chinese community of my university that there will be some “blue shiny dust” known as lan yien lei (”blue tears” in Mandarin), which you will see late at night when you search around the wet sand close to the sea. Actually, the “blue shiny dust” thing turns up to be some blue-green plankton, a marine organism. Well, this joy didn’t last long, as we tend to have something known as “repetition leads to boredom”. After around 1-2 months of non-stop “beach visiting”, I got bored with beaches and thought it was better to stay in the hostel and get more sleep.

I was so wrong.

There is just so much of the beach that I missed. The beach is not just a place for you to go have your nice “beach bath” or play with sea water like children. Instead, it is a place to relieve your mind from all the tense and pressure you’ve accumulated in a long day, in my case at that time, a long day of lecture. I know, this statement that “visiting beaches can release tension” has been spread around for ages, but trust me, you won’t believe it until you try it yourself. It works in just 6 simple steps.

1. Go to the beach.
2. Face the ocean.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Take a deep breath.
5. Exhale.
6. Loosen.

Going to the beach is definitely something nice, as you can play lots of activities at the beach. From beach soccer, to dating with your “other half”, to having an event with a bunch of friends, having a beach orientation, and others. Basically, you name it, you’ll get it.

But still, I notice most beaches around the area of my university tend to be quite dirty, unlike those nice, crystal clear, sea water you’ll see in islands such as Pulau Perhentian or Pulau Lang Tengah. You can see the muddy sea waters, rubbish thrown everywhere, tissue papers hidden in between bushes, empty mineral water bottles around, children slippers thrown aside, etc. What were these people thinking? Are they thinking that the beach is simply another rubbish dump where they can simply litter, and expect other people to collect your litter just because “I am a tax-payer”? I’ve once seen an elderly man, around his 60’s, littering in front of his grandchildren. What kind of example is he portraying to his grandchildren?

Photo credit: littlebro.

However, there are still people who respect the environment and preserve the cleanliness of beaches. I, for one, will not burn the whole ship down just because of one rotten crew member. As a beach fan myself, I sincerely hope that we can preserve and restore our beaches to how it was granted to us in the first place. Thumbs up to all “Clean our beaches” campaigns, and to responsible people who don’t litter everywhere.

You will make sure that our younger generations will have the chance to see real beaches and oceans in the future, and not those fake, lousy graphic, animated stuffs you’ll see in museums.

Gosh, I miss Terengganu. I miss the beaches, or should I say, our beaches. I really, really miss them. If only I can turn back time…

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!