A Fishy encounter.....

I am back in Boleh land for the moment.
And while I have those moments I am out also tasting much of the food that Malaysia so proudly displays.

Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. (Isaiah 22:13)

Here lies a nice plate of a local favourite... Ikan Bakar (BBQ fish).
The fish in question is a Stingray (pari).
Looks good and smells good too....except for the surrounding environments which not too pleasant for the eye. Its typical Malaysia...who cares.

Closed my eyes and placed a piece in my mouth.
Let the tongue do the tasting and not your mind...
hmmmm....its simply delicious.

Well this is just another of my fishy encounters...

Crossbreed for FREE

Here she is.....all by herself having a mouth watering bone.

Isn't she cute?....certainly mischievous too as most pups are. She is all up for grabs to anyone who are strickly dog lovers. Totally free.

She came thru a friend a few weeks ago and is looking for home that will take her. She is probably 3 to 4 months old and a crossbreed. Said to be crossed between a German Shepherd and Labrador which makes her very special. Looks to grow smart and tough.

Any takers out there. Please drop me a line here on the website..

Back from the Past......:)

It’s been quite a sometime since my last posting…many many moons ago. Many seasons have passed….couple of months.

Yah...where was I and what was I doing?

Certainly I didn’t croak. Its timing you know. The man upstairs wasn’t ready to receive me yet. hahahha Yeah say that again... I was indeed around and still on a job too working my butt out on some platform somewhere along the handles of the mighty Atlantic.

Amidst all my travel and work I ventured for my damsel in shiny armor too (its usual a prince in shiny armor they say?) but then I landed with a Macbook and Ipod. Certainly did not miss out on the acquaintance but sadly nothing much has progress. …it doesn’t come easy these days. …El Nino effect I guess. Nevertheless.. the search is on…:)

Home Sweet Home

Wow...finally I got my feet on dry land in my pink of health. The feeling is so great especially after all the hard work.

It was 45 mins ride on a chopper to Richards Bay in South Africa for a night stay. This country is certainly pretty huge and beautiful too. Then another day at Durban and finally took off home bound across the Indian Ocean. It was a long flight of 13 hours to Hongkong and finally to boleh land.

What can say...good to be home catchin up with family and friends for 3 weeks or so. Then I should be back again on my next assignment for another rendezous across the amazing planet of ours.

Keeping you posted.

Moving Forward

The sun rises and the sun sets and hurries back to where it rises…. (Eccl 1:5)

It’s another day in paradise in the mighty blue seas, all against a changing backdrop of the sky expanse and canopy, a handiwork of the Master’s hand so wondrously displayed.

We are moving at maximum speed heading down the Mozambique Channel towards the tip of Africa. A couple of days or more, a week and soon we will be setting our foot on land to delight of many hearts. Amidst all the hard work, the good times and the bad times plus the silent passing time, perseverance has done its work…..ever moving forward keeping locked-on to the target.

……in the southern seas

Across the Horizon

It’s been more than 7 weeks since I’ve seen land. Onboard this titanic size vessel on the turbulent high seas across Asia has indeed been a much trying experience. Certainly my eyes have got tried with the plain sea and the confined space living. No birds in sight too. Hmm…where have they all gone? Maybe they just avoided my peering looks.

Another 2 weeks or so to go, and I’m sure to have my feet on solid ground. Just can’t wait to get back to the luxury of the flora and fauna, the bustling markets and the shopping malls as well as the much ever-ending buzz of the human species. Interesting…isn’t it?

Here’s a snapshot of sunset evening across the horizon in the southern hemisphere.

“Crossing the Line” Ceremony

What line is there to cross that would demand a ceremony?

You would probably think it’s something to do with sports and games. But in the sea, is there such a line? Haa.hha… Strangely I did find out onboard the Akpo FPSO vessel as we sailed across the Indian Ocean expanse.

Rituals and traditions have certainly got the better of mankind even in the mighty seas as I had discovered. One of the most famous of all rituals in practice was the “Crossing the Line” ceremony which is widely observed on most sea faring vessels. Here is a brief info on this practice.
The “line” in question actually refers to the nautical reference for the Equator, and, for the common seamen, crossing this invisible boundary from north to south marks the point at which everything becomes strange and backwards. Seasons are reversed, the sun starts traveling on the northern edge of the sky, and they lose their ever-present night guide, the Northern Star. This Crossing the Line is therefore seen as an occasion worthy of celebration by the vessel’s crew. It is a time where the rules of authority and ownership are suspended altogether under a ruling authority of Neptune (referring to the Roman God of the oceans).

The ceremony is quite simple. On that day the vessel crosses the Line (equator), all crew are summoned to main deck to appear before a kind of court presided over by Neptune and his entourage, all played by senior seamen onboard. The character playing “Neptune” is often the most seasoned. His costume consists of all of the traditional accoutrements, including beard, net, and trident. Usually he is accompanied by his “wife,” a comic and/or somewhat humiliating role, depending on who it is assigned to. There are also an assortment of guards, a jester, and other members of a royal court. A proclamation is then read which goes to say that Neptune has received word that some new seamen (onboard) are crossing his royal boundary without permission, and he demands retribution. What follows is a series of humiliating and disgusting “punishments” for the new comers. These could include shaving your hair, smearing your face and head with all kinds of nasty refuse. Once they are thru these messy trials successfully, they are officially pronounced fit to freely navigate the seas and have attained the right to inflict the same on future new comers.
It was quite amusing to see this ritual in practice in these modern days though it was done on much a lighter scale onboard our vessel and was later followed by sumptuous dinner.