38/M Seaman's log and fishing for wall-texting penpals in 38M Seaman's log and fishing for wall-texting penpals

1. It’s official… seagulls are assholes! Here we are, the only ship in a 50 miles radius. Weather is nice, calm blue sea, and these dicks keep flying to us to shit! And guess who will have to clean the windshields? Moi!
   And we have 28 windshields, what assholes! I am signing off ship in 5 weeks and this is what I get. Again, assholes!

2. Halfway through to Taiwan, received email: Capt, turn back to singapore, eco speed, 1 engine. So luckily and sadly I dont get to see typhoon landfall-ing in Taiwan in a day or two. I know, adrenaline junkie.. But we get so little action these days. Lol.

3. Rank wise, above me would be 2ndOfficer, ChiefO, Captain. This is the first time all 3 are filipinos. So naturally half of the time I have no clue what’s they are talking about.
   Unfortunately my lazy, well not hardworking 2O, guy 11 years younger than me, 8 years as 2O so no plan to go up d rank, is making use of dis fact to arrow jobs at me. I am already avoiding much time being on watch with him ‘cause I would end up doing his work.
   Yesterday: tagalog (filipino language). 2O came up, tagalog tagalog hospital tagalog tagalog.... Capt went down and… ‘capt said u clean the hospital ok, toilet also’.
   WTF. Hospital is his responsbility and I did clean together with previous 2O. So I cleaned.
   Job is easy but it’s annoying when people taichi jobs around.
   I scarr my mind with his image, swearing vengeance! Seaman’s revenge is best served when I become captain to my previous 2O… in 10 years. Lol.

Whoops, guess seagulls ain’t the only assholes at sea.

1. My company has a wide range of ships. Salary wise from high to low: gas carrier, tanker, offshore (im currently on), … bulk carrier.
   I am going back for a 7-month school in oct, then back to ship, up to 6 months to be a 3O, sail min 12 months then go back for another school session. Timeline wise hoping next november I can give myself a birthday present becoming an officer at sea. Lol.
   Im making usd 500 a month, and as 3O, on bulkies getting 3400, tanker and gas carrier up to 5k a month. Offshore only giving max 2500.
   I am too old to keep changing ship’s type so hopefully next ship would be my last type. Man, I want some of that tanker/gas carrier money. Lol.

I have done 12 months onboard, next year, 18 months at sea with real work. I guess less time to play video games. I have been playing grim dawn on laptop (diablo like) and man what an escape from eye-rolling situations onboard. Just 5 more weeks to go!

1. After my last seaman’s log, 3 people pm me to become penpals. I am pleasantly surprised. Before, reeking of desperation, lol, whenever I get fast internet I would hit on reddit penpals left and right. Now as I am getting older (haa!) I think logging/fishing is the way to go. Penpals ain’t some moby dick that I should go capt ahab on! So if u are reading this, come.. And stay for awhile. Lol.

2. Capt told me the PS4 game COD I got requires internet to even start playing. For a moment there I was thinking to offer my battlefield 4 copy in exchange for COD. Nobody knows I brought a monitor and PS4. I set it up in my suitcase, put it at d foot on my bed, then pack everything up just before weekly cabin inspection.
   We were arriving to L Chabang, Thailand last month and to my horror they asked to put serial no off all gadgets we bring in our crew effects declaration.
   And capt started putting in all serial no of his watches, sunglasses, bluetooth speaker and of course I had to type it in.
   Luckily it was much ado about nothing, nobody came to inspect our belongings.
   Once before, we arrived at US port, coast guard random checking and went to my cabin, saw my PS4 set up and just asked what I was playing, I said Last of Us, awesome game! he said. That’s the only game that made me slept only 1h over night to finish. Then, I was a cleaner at that time so pretty no brain job. Can’t do it this time around, sigh.

3. 1800h, a knock on the door, yawning, I woke up, ‘capt calls u… BBQ is ready’. For once a knock on the door does not mean more job :)

4. Having an IMAX moment, no moon outside, only countless stars covering the night sky. When i’m captain, I think I will get a nice chair to sit outside when nights so temptingly beautiful like now. Outside sailing the last time I saw such wonder was in 2010, solo hiking to everest base camp. Above 4000m, just the black mass of solid rock interspersing millions of stars, with hot cocoa on one hand, life cannot be more ‘enough’ than these little moments.
   I dread going back home, people crowd, traffic, studying, well I am looking forward to the studying, 3 more studying to go for the next 5-6 years, gotta get it done with as fast as possible. Depending how many times pass/fail it could be up to a year til I sail again, at least I can look forward to 18 months at sea for my next respite from the world.

5. Now I understand blogging. Talking to yourself, putting thoughts into words and let the internet world sees it. I am talking to the seas, putting my words out there and with luck somebody out there will connect with me.
   In a moment of eternal tunnel vision, if this very moment is what the next 30 years is all about and I am fine with it, does it mean I have found my place in life? Not a bad place to be, not bad at all :)

6. Day 3 of heavy weather, like living and working in a rocking chair to roller coaster environment 24/7. I love it! This beats calm wind and flat seas. I figure as long as I am not yet captain and in charge of the vessel and lives.. Rough sea is fine. Bright side: 4 more days to fast internet off singapore. Yay!

7. Day 4 of heavy weather. 3 days to fast internet lol. A moment of morning beauty: made sandwich of spam, scrambled egg, shrimp paste n cheese, staring out of the bridge, took a few bites, ship’s bow went down hard to the sea, huge spray hit the windshield… and rainbow for a brief second. Life is good.

Last night was a weird one, I got proposed.. teachnically, lol. Recently got in contact with a girl from d past. Met her 5 years ago, got close through backpacking together, fell out of touch for a few years. Last year met her at a train station before I ship out.
Via email the message. Long story shorter: she’s singapore, went to bali to set up wetsuit business, got into it with married bali guy 1, bali guy cheated her r/ship and business wise.
Then she moved on to bali guy 2, who’s also married. Yeah, she is.. different.
So she msg me ‘I want u to be honest w me, do u still wanna marry me?’ She asked this once years ago in a nondescript bus plowing through Laos. I was divorced, no kids and no longer want that kind of attachment. So it’s eye-brow raising nonetheless.

She so want to move to bali and set up business there that she’s hoping we get married, she become indonesian and can run her own business.

‘I dont love u, I just wanna move to bali legally, im crazy, LOL’

Thankfully no one matters besides shipping for me, at least til I become captain. So I said no. Besides, d paperwork to convert citizenship is hell, and I am planning to become singapore for awesome passport (travelling purposes).

So dont give up on ‘not love’, lol. Somehow it can find u anywhere even right here in d middle of d ocean.

1. 30hours to fas internet! Yesterday shit got real for a little bit. 1700h: was watching kingsman golden circle, not bad, alarm rang, PA spoke: 2nd engineer needs oxygen in engine room, emergency, emergency!!
   Funny how your mind works at times like that: I rushed out of bed, went to pee.. Lol, still thinking should I go down wearing this or put on my coverall? In the end just t-shirt and short.
   Ran down to hospital, portable oxygen locked inside, officer came down to open, I took the stretcher and AED (defibrillator) and went down.
   Luckily not life threatening, a combination of engine area heat, dehydration, he staggered to air con engine room, called up to officer on watch and promptly semi blacked out.
   Another life saved, another report not to be written. Lol. A good nap up call.

Hei hei.

If u dont mind 38M/seaman, singapore.

Please pardon d short forms as im typing dis on a blackberry phone.

I spend 9-10 months a year at sea so i have the mind space, time and willingness to read and wall text anyone anywhere about anything. Lol.

And since im gonna be onboard til im 70… penpals please :)

So do let me know via pm or francispenpals et gmail.