Tuesday, May 27, 2008
On the 12th of April, I went for an overseas deployment. The exercise lasted 3 weeks and I shall not reveal the location of the country I got deployed to as I might get into trouble for that..
I had dredded the sailing for some months and the time finally arrived. I remember meeting Darling before leaving for my ship. I remember so vividly those moments.. I kissed her goodbye and boarded the cab. I saw the sadness and tears on her face, and my heart sank. As the cab moved further, I fought an impulse to ask the driver to stop, run to her, hug her tightly and tell her that its ok and that I'll be back. It would be the last time I saw her for the next 3 weeks..
However, before I left, she gave me special things to accompany me for the 3 weeks. They included 21 small letters (1 for each day), 4 postcards, a special letter and a packet of my favorite gummy coke sweets!! The 21 small letters; each had a special happy memory pertaining to our relationship written on it. The postcards were pictures of her, my family, good friends and myself, and had very nice notes written on the back. As for the letter, she told me to open it when I am extremely stressed. I did, and it was one of the most wonderful things I ever read! When I read it, I felt as if she sent the letter to me on that day itself although it was written a week ago!! It helped me eliminate my stress on several occasions during the sailing and kept me going.
Whenever I told someone I was deployed to country x, they would go "Hey, thats great! Its a paid overseas trip!!" Well, sailing as a ship crew on a military ship isn't exactly a leisure cruise and an overseas deployment is not an overseas tour. Sailing is extremely taxing, theres tons of work to be done and you get very little sleep. Only a few hours per day, and at odd hours too. Due to the rough seas and confined spaces, we can't eat or drink much. The sea state is measured on a scale of 0 to 10, and an example of state 10 is like what you see in the movie "A Perfect Storm". My ship, being a small vessel tends to be badly affected by the sea state. When the sea state gets to anything more than 3, unconditioned sailors and even some old sea dogs start to vomit! You vomit whatever you eat the first or second time. The next comes your green digestive juice, and finally blood! Trust me, vomiting your guts out and continuing to work isn't exactly fun. I got used to the sea state during this sailing due to its prolonged period, but there is this uncomfortable feeling that you can't shake off or get used to mainly due to the stale air within the ship.
So we set sail, and although I hate sailing, I saw some interesting sights. The sky looks great from the ocean, especially the sunrise and sunset. Then there were the ocean creatures. I saw several flying fish jump out of the sea as my ship sailed near them. They reminded me of running in a field and sparrows flying away. Then there was this huge sea gul, its wingspan was as wide as me straightening out my arms!!! My ship crew also told me about a huge blue fish the size of 5 humans, I didn't get to see it as I was the helmsman at that point. Then came this pigeon with a tag on its leg. According to a Master Sergeant, country X had pigeon races, in which pigeons were tagged, brought to the sea and released. The pigeon which reached land first was the winner, and his owner would win a huge cash prize. This particular one apparently got lost, and was lucky to come across my ship. So we continued to sail and my morale went lower and lower. The lack of sleep was getting to me, and the workload didn't seem to end. I read the letters which darling gave me, and it helped boost my morale. Finally, after a gruelling 5 days at sea with sea states ranging from 3 to 5, we had reached our destination.
I was completely exhausted, and was looking foward to getting a good rest. However, I was on duty on the first day itself! One thing great about reaching land was handphone reception! I called Darling the first chance I got and felt so happy and relieved to hear her voice. We berthed in the harbor for 4 days and sailed for a 3 day exercise. On the first day however, the sea state got so bad that we returned to harbor within hours of leaving! I remember being in the forcstle (frontmost part of the ship) when the sea state first hit. To make matters worst, I was right at the front, the area where Leonardo DiCarpio and Kate Winslet did their pose on the Titanic. It was scary to see the ship rising so high and hitting the sea so hard, and I could have been flung off anytime. From where I was, I could have been hit by the ship, or worst still pulled under and shredded by the propellers!! I held on tightly for dear life, and slowly made my way to safety. Once back in the compartments, it was chaotic! People started getting sick and throwing up. Boy was I glad when the announcement was made over the PA system that we were returning to harbor!
We went for the exercise the next day, and came back to harbor for 4 more days before returning to Singapore. I finally got the chance to go to the town near the harbor. Much to my disappointment, there wasn't much to be done. Things there were similar to what you find in Singapore, and branded goods were slightly more expensive. Accessories like shoes and wallets were an exception; High in quality but cheap. I bought a pair of couple shirts for Darling and myself, and a watch for her! I wanted to get her something nice from the day I left, and finally came across this wonderful watch, perfect for her in every way! Otherwise, I didn't buy much. I dredded my time there, and spent most of it in cybercafes. I didn't like the food there, and was rapidly getting out of shape due to the stress, lack of training and food suitable for a bodybuilder! I tried to train and did hundreds of push ups and chin ups, but I guess it didn't work. I had nothing in mind other than returning home and running into Darlings arms! She kept me company online and via phone calls, and finally the day to return home arrived!
As happy as I was to leave for home, I had to endure another 5 consecutive days of sailing. Everyones morales were high, and mother nature seemed to be on our side. There was a sea state 3, but it was in the same direction as the ships heading. This somewhat sped up our journey, resulting to us reaching Singapore one day earlier. On the trip back, I was persuaded to be a "Dee Jay" and broadcast song dedications for the ship crew. It was fun, and I was given the moniker, DJ Hercules by an officer who also did Dee Jay-ing. This, together with the remainder of letters which Darling gave me kept me going strong. Also, I saved up the coke sweets Dear gave me to gobble on the journey back, and it sure helped! My morale was so high knowing that I was going to be home in a matter of days!
Finally, we reached Tuas Naval Base. My morale went sky high when I saw base, and even higher as I secured the berthing ropes! I called Dear and told her that I'm back. She sounded so happy! It took me a few more hours to get all my work on the ship done before leaving. I got home and there was Darling, waiting for me with open arms!! She looked skinny, but her cute eyes told a story. I went straight to her and did what I wanted to do so badly 3 weeks ago. I hugged her tightly, and it felt so good! I had returned home!
Ships safe today, Sergeant Danie is on duty!!
How the Sunset looks from the ocean
Dear and I in the couple shirts! She looking sweet and pretty, and me sunburnt!!
into part of the universe...
6:42 AM
