as the bible says...God puts in place trials and tribulations in your life so that u can emerge so much a stronger person. how true is that when i received my posting onboard a patrol vessel. for ur info, there are missile corvettes(which have many deplyoments overseas), MCMVs( mine countermeasure vessels which have very posh and comfortable accomodation and a very slack sailing schedule) and Patrol Vessels. PVs are very commonly out at sea, probably every other day, and it sails for 2-3 days straight. and they are on high alert all of the time, which means even if your ship is at harbour u stay in. and living conditions are cramped, which means like 2-3 people share a bed. when one is on watch, the other sleeps in it.

the ship itself aint that bad. my ship's XO (2nd in command on the ship and in charge of manpower issues) is sexist. he saw me and exclaimed, how come yet another girl?

the day i reported to work, totally green and full of expectations, they said u have any constraints today? can u stay in and do harbour duty? and we are sailing tomoro and the day after. today is wednesday. with this, ill be home next on sat afternoon. but at least i get my birthday free. ive resorted to these little perks. oh, and ill be sailing on hari raya and chinese new year too.

my new year resolution is to be oh so optimistic. im trying, trust me, i am. but it aint easy and it aint gonna be. ill be very busy. if i get to come out and rest once in a week, away from the ship, its gonna be a miracle. but im gonna suck it up till june/july when i get to clear leave. meantime, everyone, no matter what comes your way, tough times don't last, tough men do. love u guys.