DOGMA OF BLACK LISTING

Entry log at May 24, 2015 Sunday

Internet connection in T-mobile wasn't helpful, it was definitely very slow and frustrating. worst part of this was that before I activate the sim card for internet connection, I had to call the telephone operator and give her some details about my phone and personal information. Seriously if I would compare the American service to the European one when it comes to internet connection, European internet connection is way much easier. Anyway based on the experienced I had , here is the step by step process in activating a T-mobile (internet) sim card I bought on walmart before my ship left in Charleston, South Carolina. By the way the sim card cost 30 U.S.D.

Step #1 Setup your phone

1.Insert your sim card into the back of the phone (duh !?)

2.Insert the battery and charge your phone (duh !!!!)

Step# 2 Get Ready For Activation  

Prepare to provide this information ,if an IVRS (answering machine) or telephone operator answers your call

ACTIVATION CODE (can be found on the paper attached on the sim card)

SIM Serial # (can be found on the plastic credit card size that holds the sim card)

Phone Serial # (number at the back of the phone, under the battery location)

Agent code (optional)

Area code (if unknown , just ask the operator )

Date of birth (just provide this info)

Security PIN 4digits (just provide any four digit number)

Step# 3, 4 and 5 . Just ask the operator on what to do to access the web

In other news

On last Saturday , Since being the assistant bond store manager. I had no choice but be present on the crew mess whenever there's a drinking session among the crew and attend to their liquor purchases. For the moment the news about these purchases was that Captain "Cobra" is interfering on bond store matters and said that I'm only allowed to sell "beck's"  brand beer to the crew , all other brands of beer are prohibited until further notice. Wine and smokes have no restrictions for the time being. So basically its was beck or no beer at all.

Crew wouldn't mind having a Beck's beer and seems to be suitable but the bad part was that this particular brand is a bit expensive compared to other brands of beer stored on the bond store like "ASTRA"  , San miguel or even Dutch beer. A case of becks beer cost at about 15.5 euro's on the menu and some of the crew refrain from ordering because of the price. So as a result most of the crew ended up ordering wine instead given that its way much cheaper (only 3 euro's per bottle on any brand)

During the drinking session that lasted up to 4am the following morning. I noticed that some of the folks here are still basically the same grunt sailors subconsciously afraid of authority and very critical even for people with minor mistakes, they even brought up on the topic of my recent fiasco in the gangway no thanks to 3rd mate german tan corales. Anyway I'm not bothered if it was brought up and just went along on their self-righteous lectures. Those hypocrites even warned me that I'd be send home if ever I get careless and manage to destroy the gangway. Frankly I'm not bothered at all and would even consider it a blessing that I get out of this job and start over something new, I'm not saying that I should be careless or lax on my job but what I'm saying is that I'm not afraid on NOT being a sailor anymore.

The thing here why people are so scared on making even the slightest mistakes was on the fact people will get sent back home and eventually lose their jobs and not even be rehired on other shipping companies. Their afraid of these so called reports that will come up on our shipping agencies. I guess this is one of the dark sides of being a sailor in the Philippines. "BLACK LISTING AND BACKGROUND CHECKS" , according to new international employment laws Blacklisting is already illegal and violates basic human rights (and workers' rights), sadly in the Philippines this is still in practice and as a matter of fact a normal part of employment for overseas Filipino workers

Another thing that was brought up on the drinking session that I didn’t like was my association with Captain Nick betts. I don’t deny that he's my sponsor and backer in getting a job in Career Ship management but apparently 3rd Mate German Corales simply can't get his fat mouth shut about this information, worse part is that he spreads this rumor here in Conti Agulhas. This info has already been around in Cape Tallin and unsurprisingly made its way here - no thanks to Mr. Blabber mouth. No matter how I start fresh , My past keeps catching up. Anyway I'm still lucky that this contract in NSB Conti ships just last six months and there's no guarantee that the folks I encountered here will be on the next ship - So basically that means that there's a possibility that I will start fresh again on my next ship.

In other news

By Monday May 25th. The summer heat of Texas area weather is simply unbearable and I had resort again on the same old tactics I knew (and use) to counter the hot climate problem. Through the years I had been so adapted on cold weather environments that I'm somewhat resistant to it by now, however despite my adaptability on cold weather , I have no effective tactics or methods in a hot weather environment and this becomes a problem for me especially in central American climates. Well I do still use the tactics like wetting my coveralls to keep myself cool but , it's not that effective and has a nasty side effect of temperature stress to the body.

For the moment there is nothing much that can be done about the weather and  according to rough speculation , this ship will still be on this environment for at least a month until Ecuador.

Again in other news.

Much to the dismay of crew , the anchorage position this ship is located is very much far away to get a clear internet signal. Obviously a lot of the crew are not very happy that most of their top up loads for the internet will go to waste because of this - and apparently the person to blame why this ship is put on this location was of course Mr. Captain Cobra. The crew says that he sabotages this because he's jealous that our internet connections are working while his is already gone.

Anyway it seems that much to the amusement of our "Cobra Captain" which loves people being miserable , he orders us to pull out and prepare the mooring ropes during late at noon , where the environment temperature is at the highest. Unsurprisingly we had a difficult time preparing those mooring ropes because of the hot weather, we had to finish the job as quick as possible - so that our heat exhaustion won't get any worse.

Good thing for me I had come prepared for the said work.