Seafarer-the unique species!

Hey guys!! its my first post after a long time. hope you like this one. this post is dedicated to the millions of seafarers worldwide who fight the perils of the sea evry coming day. Its their 'never say die' attitude that keeps them going and helps them to come out of the worst of situations.

It was a warm evening and our ship was swiftly transiting the gulf of aden. Everything was normal until we got a distress call from a chemical tanker just behind us.

They were being attacked by the dreaded pirates!!!! The voices turned into cries. We could hear people crying for help over the vhf. The cries continued for sometime and then there was a creepy silence. After a while we heard a nearby US warship responding to their call. But it was too late, the pirates had already boarded the ship.......The ship was hijacked!!

Piracy is jus one of the problems being faced by seafarers worldwide. Gone are the days when merchant navy was looked upon as a profession with a difference. There was a time when seafarers where known for the three w's, i.e wealth, wine and women. But thats history now. The tight schedules, strict pollution norms and crimes against seafarers have only added to their woes.

When we work on the ship, we are totally cut-off from the outside world. emails or phone calls being the only link with the extenal world and our families. Its a tough life out there. Not to mention the forces of nature, there are times when people on board dont sleep for days due to bad weather! And to make matters worse, even during our leave we are made to do courses, give exams and udergo upgrdations.

My aim is not to discourage people from joining this field, rather i would suggest you get the stars out of your eyes and face the truth before you join this profession.

sometimes, when i think of all this, i wonder what is that one thing that seperates out the seamen from the rest of human race. what is that thing that makes them so different from others and then one day a thought struck me.

when god created man, he must have created men, women and then he must have created the third one ---the seamen!

The three angels!

It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon. My neice jus came running in the hall and she said "switch on the tv". It was time for her favourite cartoon "chotta bheem". I switched on the t.v and she asked me to watch it with her. to which i hesitantly obliged. She started telling me the names of all the characters and I was really surprised to see her knowledge about her favourite cartoon character. It turned out to be quite and interesting episode and i ended up watching it til the end!

I feel most of us love children. And I would say am very fortunate to be blessed wit the gifts of two neices and a nephew in my life. I always cherish the moments i spent with them coz them tend to take me in a different world altogether. Down that memory lane when I too was a kid like them playful, and naughty unaware of the competition and challenges I would face as i grow up. A child always brings happiness in a family and m sure a sweet smile from a child can brighten up your worst of days! They say "every new child born is a sign that god still loves the world". Its been a pleasure to watch them grow infront of my very own eyes. The first look, the first step n first word all these priceless memories which i would never want to forget.

As we grow up, the child within us starts dying and we forget to appreciate the wonderful things in life. There are more regrets then dreams and fear takes the place of hope. No doubt, childhood is the best time of our lives. As we grow up, the child within us gets subdued and we feel

ashamed to bring it out. Remember guys, it is not always a sign of immaturity to laugh over a joke, to get wet in the rain, to sing even if you u don't have the best of voice, to fight for chocolates and to watch cartoons once in a while.

This post is dedicated to the three sweet little angels in my life nicole, dayle and daniel who not only brought joy and happiness in my life but also helped in rejuvenating the child inside me. love u lots muahhhhhhhhhh!!

TIDE OF DESPAIR

HAPPINESS IN YOU I FOUND,

LIFE WITOUT SORROWS AND SADNESS

YOU MADE MY LIFE SO PRETTY

BEFORE YOU EVERYTHING LOOKED SO EMPTY!

YOU NEVER ACCEPTED ME

THOUGH I LOVED YOU TRULY

I STILL DON’T KNOW MY FAULT

AND YET YOU TREAT ME RUDELY.

I ASKED YOUR LOVE FROM ALMIGHTY

BUT DISSAPOINTED I WAS AGAIN

IN THIS BATTLE OF LOVE

ONLY DEFEAT IS WHAT I GAINED!

STANDING ON THIS COAST OF LIFE

WATCHING EACH WAVE OF SORROW WITH LOVE

ASKING GOD IN A PRAYER:

WHY HE MADE MY LIFE A TIDE OF DESPAIR;

KNEELING BEFORE THE ALTAR

TO ALMIGHTY GOD I PRAY

IF MY LOVE FOR YOU IS TRUE

TO MAKE YOU MINE ATLEAST SOMEDAY!

happy valentine's day 2 all my readers, if you are already a casualty of d cupid, well! hav a gud time with ur valentine n if ur not then better luck next time!

A TEARFUL TALE

As I walked a busy road

This sorrowful sight I saw

A tender boy with open palms

Begging desperately for some alms

Giving him a coin I asked about him

I am nothing; nothing for this world he said

There’s nobody to worry about me

And nobody to see if I am fed and clad

I am somebody’s “leftover” they say

Doomed in a gutter to die

And today asking for alms

On this road I lie

I sleep on a dirty footpath

Sometimes dogs and drunkards share my place

Far from those fortunate people

Who spend their nights on cozy linen and lace.

He then looked at the sky and sighed

Looking very weak and pale

I just tried to console him

As his tears testified the tearful tale

Titanic-the world remembers.

Titanic was an engineering marvel. People firmly believed that its unsinkable, until it sank during its maiden voyage in 1912. The titanic incident gave a wake up call to the shipping fraternity. And what followed was a series of investigations, analysis and regulations which also include the SOLAS( safety of life at sea). This is a regulation that sets guidelines for the construction of a ship. thereby, ensuring that we don't have another titanic. Recently, i got an opportunity to visit the Southampton Maritime museum in Southampton. Here the Titanic has been immortalized in the form of pictures and artifacts. This post is dedicated to the Titanic. Here are some pictures that take u back into the Titanic era and give u an insight of the greatness and hype associated with it!

The Titanic was conceived in 1907 and met with disaster in 1912

It was the beginning of the twentieth century, a time of optimism and progress. The transatlantic transport of passengers, cargo, and mail was brisk and competitive. In the spirit of this competition, managing director of the White Star Line, J. Bruce Ismay, engaged the Belfast shipbuilding company of Harland & Wolff to build three leviathans that would become the largest moving objects created by man. The three Royal Mail Ships were to be called Olympic, Titanic, and Gigantic. (Not to tempt fate, later the Gigantic's name would be changed to Britannic.) The ships were to be virtually identical in size and structure, but Titanic was to be the true shining star.

Titanic’s keel was laid on March 22, 1909. For the next twenty-six months, Harland & Wolff’s shipyard workers labored nine hours a day, six days a week, to construct her massive hull (98/0001.A1). The White Star flagships would have both reciprocating steam engines, the norm for the period, and a turbine engine to power the center of three propellers. Moreover, a double-plated bottom and a sophisticated system of watertight compartments provided the utmost in security.

On May 31, 1911, her superstructure completed, Titanic slipped gracefully into the River Lagan launched on twenty-two tons of tallow, train oil, and soap, and was towed to the fitting out basin. It was now time for the three thousand carpenters, engineers, electricians, plumbers, painters, master mechanics, and interior designers to fit the Titanic with the latest in marine technology and the most sumptuous fixtures and furniture. Finally, on April 2, 1912 she was ready. Certified seaworthy, Harland & Wolff handed her over to the White Star Line and the Royal Mail Triple-Screw Steamer Titanic departed for her place in history.

BLues of the "men in blue"

The idea tri nation cup has jus ended with sri lanka as the deserving winners. it was yet another humilating defeat for the men in blue. And this has come at a time when our national sport is in doldrums and is wandering like an orphaned child. oh!!! for those of u who thought that cricket was our national sport well it is not. It is Hockey. Cricket is a craze in India and it has resulted in neglecting and deprioritizing the other sports which include hockey. The BCCI boasts to be one of the richest cricket boards in the world, no wonder even the top politicians are fighting to get a chunk of it! over the years cricket has turned out to be a bussiness rather then a sport. the cricketers are being treated as demi-gods. They are minting money like anything and speeding around in their ferraris n audis, a loss or win is of least importance to them. I am a ardent fan of sports n follow all sports ranging from F1 to tennis. I am not against cricket but i feel it is overrated in our country. These people are only interested in the money involved and have no love for the game. If that was not the case then we wouldnt have had so many t20 matches at the cost of test cricket. Test cricket which is considered to be the supertlative form of this sports is slowly dying. Thanks to so many T20 tournaments which include d ipls n d champion leagues etc.

Even after spending so much money and giving the players the best of facilities the performance of team india has been very very inconsistent n sometimes pathetic. Apart from the world cup win in 1983 and the t20 world cup, there have been no remarkable performances by our team. I really pity those hordes of cricket fans who spend hours before the televisions hoping that their team will play to their potential, but it turns out to be such an anti-climax in the end!! Its obvious that will never stop supporting our team but lets not neglect our other sports. coz if this step brotherly treatmnent persists, the other sports will slowly but surely become extinct in india and will be left with only the inconsistent, undependable and unreliable MEN IN BLUE!

Go Goa!

Goa is considered to be one of the best tourist destinations. But over the years it has become famous for all wrong reasons. Recently, at the heathrow airport, i came across a pamphlet promoting tourism in goa. It read 'Go Goa...365 days holiday destination'. But below these words there was a picture of a female clad in a bikini riding a jet ski. offcourse, this makes the promotion more attractive. but wat are we projecting goa as? a tourist destination or a sex hub? Many tourists specially the domestic ones have got a bad picture of goa in their minds. they only think that goa is another thailand in india. the picture besides this text is also from one of the website promoting tourism. Offlate our hon'ble tourism minister announced that scantily clad females shall not be used in ad campaigns. It was very encouraging to read his comments in todays newspapers. Hope you keep up your word Mr. Minister! we goans have a rich culture and in no way support or encourage nudity. it is the need of the hour that the wrong image that has been projected everywhere is changed for good. n let people know goa for reason it is best known for "nature, culture n hospitality!"

MY DREAM

it appears so faint,

but i know it’s for real.

i climb everyday the rocky path

the flame of hope flickering in my heart.

i know i will get there

no matter if bruised and battered

i will make my own way

even if all hopes shattered.

hurdles seem never ending

moving forward a tough test

but it only fails to deter me

‘coz i always give my best.

the world thinks i’m insane

wish they only had my sight!

then would they know

even a dream can give sleepless night.

i know i cant wait

for what i lost i cant rue

i have to climb uphill

if my dream has to come true!

AAL IZ WELL

its been quite sometime since i watched a movie with my frens. but yesterday i gt dis oppurtunity n i was determined nt 2 miss it. it was the much talked abt movie "3 idiots". v finally managed 2 get d tickets on d second attempt. as expected the movie was running houseful. has 2 be afterall its a aamir khan movie! the movie began on a slow note, bt den it proved 2 b a real enterntainer. it kept the audience glued 2 their seat until d last moment. d comedy is really one of d best n quite sensible. so also the gadgets n machines shown in the movie are real n practical unlike the old hindi movies which showed machines n gizmos that would even overshadow einstien n newtons inventions:-)

abt the music, it failed to impress me, except for the song 'give me some sunshine'. really gud song with excellent lyrics. sung by suraj jagan n dialouge by sharman joshi. the producer vidhu vinod chopra has done a commendable job. so also all the actors were outstanding including boman irani(my all time favourite). i personally feel this movie is nt goin to cut much ground in our society where everyting is a race. bt it is definitely a very good movie and worth watching.

dogui bodmas??

hey guys, wishing u all a very happy new year. its bye bye 2009. a year that proved 2 b mixed bag, joys n sorrows, achievements , failures, recession n much more. bt i wud lik 2 highlight d incident dat tuk place jus at the fag end of d year. yes, its d controversial cd produced by calvert gonsalves. many of u lik me wud hav nt even known dat a cd lik dis existed if we hd not seen it in d headlines. and those of u who hav heard it wud definitely term it as a controversial one!

and as one wud expect there was a big hue n cry created 4rm all directions n also by people who didnt even know wat d cd contained! i dont intend to hurt the sentiments of anyone, bt i jus hav one question were d protests carried out in a correct manner? did we use the correct means 2 express our anger? stone pelting, torching of shops, damaging property is this the rite method? we hate rss n bajrang dal coz they resort to violence n r inhumane in their approach, den wat do we call dis? its our right to protest against wrong but is dis the way?

its a pity that we are adopting the same culture we hate the most. lets hope dat dis year brings prosperity and joy 2 our land of goa and things like dis never happen again. yesterday is history, tomoro is mystery, u have only 2day 2 live for make d most of it. all d best n cheeeers...