The end is nigh!!

Right, so I'm finally into my last day onboard, effectively :D. See, you don't count the day I'm getting off, and today's almost over anyway :P. Reminds me of end of first sem in college when my next door freshie neighbour and I used to count the days left to the end of sem :). The really great bit is that I'm on the first chopper out! The not so great bit is that I'll have to wait till the last chopper arrives on Barrow Island for the fixed wing back to Perth. Barrow Is. being the most barren, dry, hot piece of earth I've ever laid eyes on :(. Richie of course maintains he'd rather sit in the desert than stay longer on the ship, he isn't on the first chopper ;).
It takes time to sink in, but this has really been a very very long trip :-<. Now that it's drawing to an end, the urge to just let go is getting stronger and stronger :). I really wonder how the Filipino crew-members manage to pull 6-month-long trips!

I've been leading a rather insular life this trip... You know it's insular when people who bother to read your blog know more about your life than most of your relatives, almost all your friends and even a majority of the people you live and work with everyday /:). Worst thing is, I'm beginning to get comfortable with this :O.

Anyway, the prospect of the ship-to-shore chopper safety video tomorrow morning has driven all of that way back into the background :).

Currently: mildly worried but mostly trying not too look too excited :D
Listening to: Avril Lavigne - My happy ending

White-water

There was much ado over cyclones and other such turbulent sea conditions when I was about to board the ship in mid April. But for the better part of the trip since then, we've had not perfect, but reasonable weather. Since about midday yesterday all that's changed, and now for over 24 hours we have shut down for bad weather. Looks like the heavens have taken offence at my declaration to a friend that weather-wise the trip had turned out to be an anti-climax :).

It was pretty amazing watching the sea today. The waves were coming up from the stern, and these insanely huge swells were literally lifting up the back end of the ship some 4-5 metres. And as they passed on forward, the ship fell back onto the water with a gigantic splash! The gunners had washed the gun-deck in vain yesterday, the sea was doing their work for them all over again :P.Since the afternoon however, things have calmed down, though only slightly. I'm hoping of course, that it's nice and sunny by Thursday! Can't imagine crew-change getting delayed!!

Currently: jobless :D
Listening to: The Beatles - A hard day's night :P

Of pasta and microwaves

:D nevermind the title.

Despite having dismissed Interpreter of Maladies as a bit of a letdown, I am now thankful that I chose to read till the last story. Rather liked the completely ordinary and understated tone of it.

Okay, maybe a slight concession to the header :). Made myself a proper dinner for the first time this trip. Hence realized how invaluable a microwave is to those completely ignorant (and a little scared) of cooking, like me. Reading The Last and Final Continent (the last story) made me wonder why I've never taken to the milk and cereal routine though....

Feeling: sleepy
Listening to: Enigma - Return to innocence

Past clicks!

Came across this link today. Strongly suggest people go to the 5 album pages on the left! Has some truly awesome pics of Calcutta in 1945-46. On the one hand I was struck by a rush of nostalgia, and then a fellow ex-Kolkata friend reminded me how much of the city today looks like a brushed-up, colour version of the pictures. And I wonder, is this 60 years' worth of advancement? Or have we carried attachment-to-the-past to a point beyond reason? But instead of hating my city, I feel sorry for it. Imagine lugging an ever-growing, ever increasingly demanding population through six decades and having very little to show by way of kindness returned.

--

That dark deceptively calm looking water hid at least 2 whales that were barely a hundred metres or so from the ship :(. They were there for all of 20 minutes, then I got to the bridge, and they promptly disappeared!

The other, rather substantially more nasty thing that happened to me today was a full blown attack of 'Hot English Mustard'! The tiniest smatterring in my sandwich, and I had the most horrid sensation ever inflicted upon me by any kind of food!! The closest I can come to comprehending the symptoms is that it felt like I was being throttled, being forced to sneeze and being scalped, all at the same time :-&. And all this because I was too lazy to go get the regular mustard from the fridge :-<.

Well, there's still some good news, now it's just 6 more days and a wake-up :D.

Feeling: terrorized... by food /:)
Listening to: The Waifs - Highway one

Hmmm

I wish I was invisible. For no particular reason. No specific motive or preceeding train of thought. If this wish is granted though, I wonder if I'll be able to see myself... I also wish this was actually going somewhere. It isn't.For the last 4 hours I've had this impossibly persistent headache which has suddenly disappeared. And now I'm desperately trying to figure out exactly what I did to make it go away (for future reference :D), but can't :(. Rather annoying, this. Anyway, surprisingly in keeping with my hopes, this stint at the back-deck is over after a mere 3 days \:D/. Even more surprisingly, it now looks like I will actually spend some time at the office in Perth! I have never been this pleased at not being given a visa promptly :P.

Feeling: drained
Listening to: Radiohead - Stop whispering