Checking One, Two, Three...

I am just checking this feature I discoverd in my blog settings. To post a blog from an email? sweet...that means, no more wasting of money. Since internet onboard is extremely expensive.

Flying my Mind Back to the Past

The good thing of working night shift is that you get the chance to see wonderful sunrises, that normally you wont see. I've seen such a variety of colors that mixed up with the clouds and the waves of the sea, just makes an exceptional view that can relaxe yourself in such a way that you get to forget your reality. The other day, as we were approching our destiny in the Mexican riviera, I went to the highest open area floor at 6:20 am and it still was dark and foggy, despite the fact that I couldnt see more than 20 feets away from where I was standing, I definetely could smell land. This brought to my attention something I did read ages ago when I was still a child. Christopher Columbus and his crew when arriving to the land to be discovered could smell it even before seeing it. I know, this sounds childish but I just felt like I was living that moment again. Then bip bip bip bip, that little annoying thing called pager was ringing......back to reality, someone trying to reach me. At least I had 20 wonderful minutes alone just thinking to myself and admiring the perfect world created by the all powerful Creator.

Wet and Wild

Yesterday there was crew party onboard. It started around 11:00 pm. I've been to quite some crew party, and normal. Just hanging out with my pals, and eating. Now, every crew party (once a month) has a specific theme, like for example, 70's outfits, or craziest hats, or taste of nations where everyone puts on their attires from their countries and so on. I must admit, they are very creative with the themes. Now, for your better understanding of how things works on here, when there is a crew party the crew dinning room remains close and they have dinner served at the same place where they held the party. This time, the theme of the party was "Wet and Wild" lol, yes. It was on open deck where there is one of the main pools of the ship. So when I entered my first reaction was to move aside instantly cuz a bunch of water was thrown my way by who knows who. I was starving, hadnt had dinner. So I couldnt get food where the crew is supposed to get food. The party consisted in soaking everyone around who was dry. It sounds fun, but I work night shift, and there is nothing funny on being wet when you are with your uniform. Solution? went to one of the guest restaurants and got some good food.

Not Easy

Puff....stress is something becoming so familiar nowadays around here. To much pressure from the bosses. A lot of taka taka (hard time term, in who knows what language). We've even got a new manager assistant from another ship to help here until we pass public health. Now, this guy, is the kind of person that dont care a bit about what others think about his decisions. He's came on sunday, and right away, he started making changes that are affecting everyone. Just one day was enough to make one of my guys to resign. And this is sad. This guy had been working for the company for 11 years, and he is an excellent worker, and I can not believe that he hadnt being given promotion yet. He told me, Josh, I have had enough, I dont need this anymore! Puff...that was a huge hit to me. Sometimes I wonder why lazy people who dont know to much are in good positions and even get promotions, and people who really deserves promotion because of their hard effort, never get it. Life seems to be unfair. However I know that everything happens for a reason that we might never know, but God. Its not easy even to understand. Sometimes I dont even want to ever understand and just give myself peace of mind by complaining about how unfair life can be to somes. May God help me.

>000<

I think I am starting to excercise myself again for the thousand time. It happens that everytime I set myself for it, I got all excited. The previous day to the first day, I am very much willing to be succesful, the first day, I do ok, lot of running, and weight lifts, second day, still ok, though kind of sore from the first tough day, then the third day, I am kind of getting lazy, and I start thinking about continuing my program and then I dont go next day, promising myself that I'd go next day, and so on. Thats pretty much my story. But I am getting fat (bombolon -- fat term in philippines) so I set my mind again to start working out. Lets see how long it takes until I give up, hope its not to soon. Ship life can be dangerous, specially if you work during the night. In my case, I keep eating all night long to keep myself awaken and then after finishing my shift I go sleep till next day. Puff....! Something must be done.

USPH failure

Last week was one of those really dark moments that someone can have. We were expecting USPH (u.s. public health) which is the one who check that everything related to healthy conditions are ok. The thing is that we failed and everything now is a mess. We were not supposed to fail cuz we were well prepared, however that was our fate. I felt so so bad, that I was just about to resign, not that it was my fault, but as a person responsible of it, I felt extremely sad, disappointed and depressed. I called home at 3:00 am from the middle of the sea, and talked to dad and mom, it was such a good thing, I felt better, confortable. One thing I did realize there was how blessed I am, to have both my parents support in prayers and whatever way. They were very supportive and they told me, that they were praying and whatever decision I take there was no problem. Anyway, I did consider it again, and I am staying on the ship, I wont give up so easily, at least not with Jesus help.

On the Road Again

Travel photography evokes all sorts of images, from the 19th century vistas in fading albumen prints to satellite images made miles above our planet. The aim of most travel work is to share a sense of place, a feeling of "being there" that only the camera can capture. It can mean a sense of adventure, of the survey photos made in the days of exploration of the American West, or simply trophy shots of totems like the Eiffel Tower, which say, "I was there". And some would say that any shot made outside your front door constitutes a travel picture, with some notable teachers, such as Ruth Bernhardt, creating assignments for students to discover images not more than 50 ft from the steps to their house. However yo define it, and whatever images it evokes for you, travel is a way to "skin the eyes", to look with fresh vision upon the world. A photographic traveler is open to the world and all its beauty, something that we should all aspire to every day of our lives. It is to maintain the eyes of a traveler that all photographers should aspire. For many photographers, a journey early in life made with a camera sets them on a career path. In discovering how photography alters their experience they discover their passion for its art and craft. They see how it brings them into places they would not have ventured, makes them explore less traveled roads, and creates encounters with people they might never have otherwise met. It engages them in seeing and considering how to render and express their personal vision that no studio, no amount of academic study can provide. Travel and photography are inextricably bound. The pictures we capture on the road are more than just memories, they are the record of how we saw the world in a certain time at a certain place in our lives.

...Editor´s note of Shutterbug magazine.

Yayy

Uhmm... when everything seems to be ok. and you are getting everything under control, you get out of the blue 7 brand new people that comes to the ship. It is nothing funny to train them how to do their job. One, two, even three, is ok. You can train them and have peace of mind and even hava some spare time for yourself, but 7....what was the company thinking of? Me....running like a beheaded chicken, from one place to another, making sure they are not destroying something...lol. My sincere respect to those elementary school teachers. How could you possible control all of them at the same time, without going nuts and not loosing your temper and still have a huge smile on your corrugated face? Lol. Simply Impossible. On the very good news I finally got the book I was so seeking for a looooong loooong time. It happened in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I was looking for this christian book that talks about how to understand the Islam in order to be able to witness those who believe in it and be efficient. Finally got it, and now I am studying it. Its got a lot of truths that you know, but you didnt know....lol. A paradox, but it is so interesting. I am so willing to talk to my friends from India, and Asiatics countries about Jesus Christ. Also I bought this cd from Guardian "I will never say good bye" ....yes, yes, I know, it is an old disc, but before I didnt have the money to buy it, and I had to pirate it from the net, now I am being legal and I bought it. I love all the songs from that cd. It is in spanish, and actually is a compilation of the best songs from the moment of Guardian. Sweet!