This has been an incredibly boring last couple of days.
First there was this HAPPENINGS, iner-college festivities hosted by Goa College of Engineering. Might I add we went on the last day coz of the made-famous-over-the-years ROCK SHOW!
Guess what... defying all logic, the rock show starts as early as 2130hrs and then the cops come and shut shop at 2230hrs!!!!! Man is that wow or what! In the meantime we (me and some batchmates from engineering) end up at a hotel for a late nite session of drinks, food and smokes (funny part is though I never smoke, I'm quite confident that i'm a passive smoker by now). Put up at a friends place for the night and left next morning for home.
Carnival's been happening in Goa recently. Today, it was in Vasco. Funny... was so bored at the thought of going... went late evening when the floats had almost passed by. That's when I was told that they'd brought down LIVE BRAZILIAN DANCERS! Left me wondering whether it was possible to bring DEAD ones as well. The way people were harping on LIVE dancers... forget it. The band playing music... even more forgettable. We (me along with a small crowd of juniors from the sea training institute) pleaded with them for some good ol' rock stuff... even some dance music would do. Unfortunately we had a crowd behind us with an insatiable apetite for konkani music at that time. Not much we could dance on. Turned and walked.
One good aspect was meeting all ol' batchmates for HAPPENINGS. Met some after 2 years! and of course... the previous evening was spent catching up on ol' times with a good ol' pal. That was refreshing. Maybe it wasnt such a lousy couple of days after all huh???
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
42 hits and 100 page views???
well... just over 5 days of setting up the tracker.. taken 42 hits on the site so far and just hit 100 page views... more of a surprise to me than anyone else... but who cares... YAAAAAAAYYY!!!
More regulations?
I'm yet to step out to sea... only next month or so... and already MORE regulations seem to be making their way in.
IMO introduces tougher rules on dumping waste at sea
Not enough that we have MARPOL AND SOLAS, which by the way are IMPORTANT regulations..., another regulation comes in to list out what can be dumped into the sea. Thoe older one specified what couldn't be dumped and hence ANYTHING not on that list could go overboard in mid-sea. Now it seems ONLY that which is on the list is permitted overboard in mid-sea. Lets see if this makes it tougher for us on the ship or if life will go on as usual.
What I do know is that the formation of all these rules makes the marine industry one of the MOST highly regulated industries in the world. I mean... where else would u have regulations put in place to monitor oil concentrations to the "ppm"???
Man... this should be fun.
IMO introduces tougher rules on dumping waste at sea
Not enough that we have MARPOL AND SOLAS, which by the way are IMPORTANT regulations..., another regulation comes in to list out what can be dumped into the sea. Thoe older one specified what couldn't be dumped and hence ANYTHING not on that list could go overboard in mid-sea. Now it seems ONLY that which is on the list is permitted overboard in mid-sea. Lets see if this makes it tougher for us on the ship or if life will go on as usual.
What I do know is that the formation of all these rules makes the marine industry one of the MOST highly regulated industries in the world. I mean... where else would u have regulations put in place to monitor oil concentrations to the "ppm"???
Man... this should be fun.
Are we like a pencil???
Read this somewhere.... just cant place it where...
The pencil company had a conference with the pencil before they boxed it up.
They said, "Pencil, before we send you out into the world, you need to know a few things.
Here are some rules to live by:
1. Always write on the surface that is provided for you.
2. You will be sharpened, but this is necessary for optimal performance.
3. You will make mistakes, but you have an eraser. Use it!
4. Always remember, it's what you have on the inside that is most valuable.
Kinda reminds us of what we can do with ourselves ... or does it?
The pencil company had a conference with the pencil before they boxed it up.
They said, "Pencil, before we send you out into the world, you need to know a few things.
Here are some rules to live by:
1. Always write on the surface that is provided for you.
2. You will be sharpened, but this is necessary for optimal performance.
3. You will make mistakes, but you have an eraser. Use it!
4. Always remember, it's what you have on the inside that is most valuable.
Kinda reminds us of what we can do with ourselves ... or does it?
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
FINALLY THE UNDERDOGS WIN!
Bangladesh trounce Sri Lanka by 4 wickets! man was that a welcome scoreline.
These guys seem to be getting better and better. Might be taking ages to do it.. but nevertheless... their coming around. They now have wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and... hold your breath! Australia!
Team No. 10 beat Team Numero Uno for their previous win... that was another AMAZING match!
Nice one guys... at least now people wont call you the whipping boys of cricket (at least not for now)
These guys seem to be getting better and better. Might be taking ages to do it.. but nevertheless... their coming around. They now have wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and... hold your breath! Australia!
Team No. 10 beat Team Numero Uno for their previous win... that was another AMAZING match!
Nice one guys... at least now people wont call you the whipping boys of cricket (at least not for now)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Whatever can go wrong... WILL go wrong
Man! Murphy's Laws are something I've been dying to read ever since I was mid-way thru' coll. Got some in a mail...... FAB ones!
Murphy's Military Laws
Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.
No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.
Friendly fire ain't.
The most dangerous thing in the combat zone is an officer with a map.
The problem with taking the easy way out is that the enemy has already mined it.
The buddy system is essential to your survival; it gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at.
The further you are in advance of your own positions, the more likely your artillery will shoot short.
Incoming fire has the right of way.
If your advance is going well, you are walking into an ambush.
The quartermaster has only two sizes, too large and too small.
If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap.
The only time suppressive fire works is when it is used on abandoned positions.
The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
There is nothing more satisfying that having someone take a shot at you, and miss.
Don't be conspicuous. In the combat zone, it draws fire. Out of the combat zone, it draws sergeants.
If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
Murphy's Love Laws
All the good ones are taken.
If the person isn't taken, there's a reason. (corr. to 1)
The nicer someone is, the farther away (s)he is from you.
Brains x Beauty x Availability = Constant.
The amount of love someone feels for you is inversely proportional to how much you love them.
Money can't buy love, but it sure gets you a great bargaining position.
The best things in the world are free --- and worth every penny of it.
Every kind action has a not-so-kind reaction.
Nice guys(girls) finish last.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Availability is a function of time. The minute you get interested is the minute they find someone else.
Murphy's Military Laws
Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.
No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.
Friendly fire ain't.
The most dangerous thing in the combat zone is an officer with a map.
The problem with taking the easy way out is that the enemy has already mined it.
The buddy system is essential to your survival; it gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at.
The further you are in advance of your own positions, the more likely your artillery will shoot short.
Incoming fire has the right of way.
If your advance is going well, you are walking into an ambush.
The quartermaster has only two sizes, too large and too small.
If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap.
The only time suppressive fire works is when it is used on abandoned positions.
The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
There is nothing more satisfying that having someone take a shot at you, and miss.
Don't be conspicuous. In the combat zone, it draws fire. Out of the combat zone, it draws sergeants.
If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
Murphy's Love Laws
All the good ones are taken.
If the person isn't taken, there's a reason. (corr. to 1)
The nicer someone is, the farther away (s)he is from you.
Brains x Beauty x Availability = Constant.
The amount of love someone feels for you is inversely proportional to how much you love them.
Money can't buy love, but it sure gets you a great bargaining position.
The best things in the world are free --- and worth every penny of it.
Every kind action has a not-so-kind reaction.
Nice guys(girls) finish last.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Availability is a function of time. The minute you get interested is the minute they find someone else.
SPUR OF THE MOMENT...
When I was about to board my bus for mumbai 2 weeks ago... I had this street urchin come up to me asking me if I wanted to buy a bottle of water from him.. or maybe some chips (he had an assortment of packets with him). Interestingly EVERYTHING was priced at Rs. 15, right from the bottle of mineral water which was Rs. 12 and the chips which was Rs. 13 if I remember right. I queried him on it. He said that he had to do it considering that all the street urchins had to pay Rs. 40 as 'hafta' to the cops walking around the area. I asked him "Rs. 40 per day?" and he said "Rs. 40 for 3 hours in the evening that the buses halt to take passengers."(!!!)
I bought a bottle of water from him and got into my bus. What he said kept nagging me for some weird reason. Got off the bus, called the urchin over, gave him Rs. 40 and told him today's 'hafta' was on me. The last image I had was of him looking at me as if I was crazy and waving bye vigorously as the bus pulled away...
I bought a bottle of water from him and got into my bus. What he said kept nagging me for some weird reason. Got off the bus, called the urchin over, gave him Rs. 40 and told him today's 'hafta' was on me. The last image I had was of him looking at me as if I was crazy and waving bye vigorously as the bus pulled away...
Desperately awaiting boarding call
Well well... even though I cleared my U.S. visa interview on the 15th of february and the american behind the counter told me they were sending the visa to the office... I still had worries that it had to reach the office. AND IT HAS! I GOT MY C1/D visa for the next 5 years!!!
And to think my interview took less than a minute... 5 queries... that's all... no name.. no parents names... just :
Why do you want to join the merchant navy?
Do you have any sailing experience?
What are your qualifications?
Where did you do your B.E. mechanical and can I see the degree certificate?
How many generators are there on a ship?
Do you have ANY sailing experience? (question was repeated by him)
And that was all it took to get the VISA!!!
SHIP LIFE! HERE I COME!
Oh yeah... can't board ship this month... boarding next month. If I was to board this month with the 3rd engineer... I would be boarding in Karachi, Pakistan. Looks like I'm boarding next month... might be with the Chief Engineer but I have no idea where.
P.S. Ship is GIOVANNI DELLA GATTA. Italian Flag. Gearless Bulk Carrier. 1987 built ship. Port of registration: Torre Del Greco.
And to think my interview took less than a minute... 5 queries... that's all... no name.. no parents names... just :
Why do you want to join the merchant navy?
Do you have any sailing experience?
What are your qualifications?
Where did you do your B.E. mechanical and can I see the degree certificate?
How many generators are there on a ship?
Do you have ANY sailing experience? (question was repeated by him)
And that was all it took to get the VISA!!!
SHIP LIFE! HERE I COME!
Oh yeah... can't board ship this month... boarding next month. If I was to board this month with the 3rd engineer... I would be boarding in Karachi, Pakistan. Looks like I'm boarding next month... might be with the Chief Engineer but I have no idea where.
P.S. Ship is GIOVANNI DELLA GATTA. Italian Flag. Gearless Bulk Carrier. 1987 built ship. Port of registration: Torre Del Greco.
BOOKS!!!
Was wondering about my ever-expanding mini library... each time i've been making a trip to mumbai, i've made it a point to buy at least a couple of books before I get back to Goa. Last time I got the whole set of Dan Brown. Prior to that was Arundhati Roy's "God of Small Things". This time I picked up Vikram Seth's "The Collected Poems". I had read a portion of the book earlier when I had picked it from a friend. One particular verse stuck in my mind for some unknown reason. Maybe it was how I felt that time... maybe it was nothing at all... it just remained in my mind.
Arion & The Dolphin (A Libretto)
Scene 8 (last verse)
Alone am I, and sad that you are dead,
That you are dead, not I-
That you were kind to me and that led you to die.
When all is done and said-
When all is said and done,
You were my friend, the only one.
Looking forward to picking up "A Suitable Boy" and "Two Lives" sometime soon. Or maybe after I get back from my sailing... in about 9-10 months.
Another book I picked up this time was "Anne Frank". I've read it before... but it's one book you cant get enough of. The maturity with which she's written it never ceases to amaze.
Looking around now... the collection's growing but I gotta store them properly when I leave for the ship. Already requested mom not to let anyone borrow the books whilst i'm away. Some people just don't know to handle books... dog ears... split covers... you name the damage... they do it to your book.
Oh yeah... made a different choice of book this time from mumbai... "Right To Information". Gives a proper explanation of the Act, Rules, Notifications and State Rules. Nice one. Gives you quite some perspective as to what you have a right to know from any public authority.
Two books which I am desperate to get my hands on... "Catcher in the Rye" and "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Arion & The Dolphin (A Libretto)
Scene 8 (last verse)
Alone am I, and sad that you are dead,
That you are dead, not I-
That you were kind to me and that led you to die.
When all is done and said-
When all is said and done,
You were my friend, the only one.
Looking forward to picking up "A Suitable Boy" and "Two Lives" sometime soon. Or maybe after I get back from my sailing... in about 9-10 months.
Another book I picked up this time was "Anne Frank". I've read it before... but it's one book you cant get enough of. The maturity with which she's written it never ceases to amaze.
Looking around now... the collection's growing but I gotta store them properly when I leave for the ship. Already requested mom not to let anyone borrow the books whilst i'm away. Some people just don't know to handle books... dog ears... split covers... you name the damage... they do it to your book.
Oh yeah... made a different choice of book this time from mumbai... "Right To Information". Gives a proper explanation of the Act, Rules, Notifications and State Rules. Nice one. Gives you quite some perspective as to what you have a right to know from any public authority.
Two books which I am desperate to get my hands on... "Catcher in the Rye" and "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Monday, February 20, 2006
WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE IN MUMBAI???
Well, lets see... made my trip to mumbai over a weekend and the day I reached there I went to meet a very close pal. It was nice though I could only meet her for about an hour and half. I somehow like going to the mall in Malad... what was the name... yeah! Inorbit. Seem to enjoy my time there. Getting back to CST was a horrific time. Weekend breezes by with walks around CST and I must say there are quite a few nice musuems out there. For one there is the Reserve Bank of India Monetary Musuem (which I must add was inaugurated by the President of Indiain Nov. 2004!) and then there is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Musuem of Western India). Beautiful places...
Unfortunately in the Shivaji musuem.. which I must add has amazing artifacts.. there's one section just on paintings from the Sir Ratan Tata Collection. Most were in good condition and those I must add were framed with glass over them. The condition of some of the paintings horrified me. One painting "Landscape" by Jaques Grimmer from the Flemish School had the parchment literally billowing within the frame as the fan was facing it. I wonder if it will live through the year. Another one, "Portrait of Bresford Hope" by Sir Thomas Lawrence from the British School, had repairs done to the black portion which I might add were so damn apparent and the repair work itself was beginning to come off.
An interesting artifact on display in the musuem was the "Phurbu: Sacred Dagger". It was surmounted by a 3-headed Hayagriva. It was from Tibet and the blade had 3 sides. It seems the dagger was used by sorcerers for stabbing the demons of air(?). The 3 sides of the blade signify the 3 virtues - charity, chastity and patience which are capable of destroying the 3 vices - hatred, sloth and lust.
A small painting in another section which was an "Illustration to Annarushataka of Amaruk", Rajasthani, Malwa, 1680 A.D. had a nice section in sanskrit. Can't type in sanskrit out here... if you can.. I don't know how. The translation was also provided:
Where frowning betrays anger;
where silence is the only punishment;
where stolen smiles are only submission;
where the covert glances are only requirement;
behold in that love distress has found place.
Thou rollst at my feet,
but the anger of a naughty maiden like me does not abate.
Another thing I used to do when taking walks about CST was to drop in for a movie if there was a show about to start. What the heck mate... anyway I'm walking about alone... might as well check out a movie. Saw "Fun with Dick and Jane" and "Holiday". The former is a Jim Carrey movie with the by-now-typical-Jim-Carrey-slap-stick-humour. Didn't like it. The latter comes very close to being a remake of "Dirty Dancing" which gave Patrick Swayze his huge hit. I guess the fact that it isn't a conventional hindi movie story-line makes a good excuse to watch it. Except for the fact that there is no climax... the storyline is barely visible... all that interspersed with some nice dancing and OK songs.
"FUN REPUBLIC" in Andheri... another hangout in the pool room (also the permit room where ONLY beer and breezers are served!) Dev Saab! ol' buddy from IMS and in Mitsui O.S.K. Lines now... used to hang out with me over there. 125 bucks for 30 minutes of pool!!!!! INSANE! Come to GOA! 60 bucks an hour mate! (of pool!)
And of course the innumerable shops in CST selling you every piece of equipment you need to take on the ship. They know what I have to take before I even ask them! All they wanna know is if i'm deck-side or engine-side. BAH! I'm a Marine Engineering Officer!
Unfortunately in the Shivaji musuem.. which I must add has amazing artifacts.. there's one section just on paintings from the Sir Ratan Tata Collection. Most were in good condition and those I must add were framed with glass over them. The condition of some of the paintings horrified me. One painting "Landscape" by Jaques Grimmer from the Flemish School had the parchment literally billowing within the frame as the fan was facing it. I wonder if it will live through the year. Another one, "Portrait of Bresford Hope" by Sir Thomas Lawrence from the British School, had repairs done to the black portion which I might add were so damn apparent and the repair work itself was beginning to come off.
An interesting artifact on display in the musuem was the "Phurbu: Sacred Dagger". It was surmounted by a 3-headed Hayagriva. It was from Tibet and the blade had 3 sides. It seems the dagger was used by sorcerers for stabbing the demons of air(?). The 3 sides of the blade signify the 3 virtues - charity, chastity and patience which are capable of destroying the 3 vices - hatred, sloth and lust.
A small painting in another section which was an "Illustration to Annarushataka of Amaruk", Rajasthani, Malwa, 1680 A.D. had a nice section in sanskrit. Can't type in sanskrit out here... if you can.. I don't know how. The translation was also provided:
Where frowning betrays anger;
where silence is the only punishment;
where stolen smiles are only submission;
where the covert glances are only requirement;
behold in that love distress has found place.
Thou rollst at my feet,
but the anger of a naughty maiden like me does not abate.
Another thing I used to do when taking walks about CST was to drop in for a movie if there was a show about to start. What the heck mate... anyway I'm walking about alone... might as well check out a movie. Saw "Fun with Dick and Jane" and "Holiday". The former is a Jim Carrey movie with the by-now-typical-Jim-Carrey-slap-stick-humour. Didn't like it. The latter comes very close to being a remake of "Dirty Dancing" which gave Patrick Swayze his huge hit. I guess the fact that it isn't a conventional hindi movie story-line makes a good excuse to watch it. Except for the fact that there is no climax... the storyline is barely visible... all that interspersed with some nice dancing and OK songs.
"FUN REPUBLIC" in Andheri... another hangout in the pool room (also the permit room where ONLY beer and breezers are served!) Dev Saab! ol' buddy from IMS and in Mitsui O.S.K. Lines now... used to hang out with me over there. 125 bucks for 30 minutes of pool!!!!! INSANE! Come to GOA! 60 bucks an hour mate! (of pool!)
And of course the innumerable shops in CST selling you every piece of equipment you need to take on the ship. They know what I have to take before I even ask them! All they wanna know is if i'm deck-side or engine-side. BAH! I'm a Marine Engineering Officer!
Finally back from mumbai!
Man it's been ages since I last had a look at this site... in the words of Andy D'Sa... back from a long sabbatical.
A lot has happened... a lot is happening... and a lot will happen. Had been bugged to no end by some of my pals in mumbai to have a tracker put in on my blog... well TAA DAA! it's up and running! Though I must say I've already lost out on time and I doubt anyone ever comes here in the first place (other than the people to whom I tell about my blog... AND THEY DONT POST COMMENTS!!!)
Since my last post, I've had to make a trip to mumbai for close to 2 weeks, undergo briefings in the office, have details about my ship embedded in my head and then, 2 days before my U.S. visa interview wherein the American sitting behind the counter at the American Consulate in mumbai gets to decide whether I get the visa to step in his country or not, I get a contract with a different type of ship altogether just for the visa. Now how cool is that?
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