Christmas 2011 and New Year 2012!

It's raining heavily out there now, and the floor is swaying. Wait, what do I mean by swaying? Yes, I am on a rig again, during this holiday season. The wave is around 2m high and the wind has reached 30 knot while I am here.

So it has been a quiet Christmas for me this year, and I am expecting the "peaceful" New Year 2012 on the rig as well. I am not the only one, there were around 100 others who are having the same fate as me. It is the first time for me and it is definitely a special experience for me.

Surrounded by seawater, and the nearest structure to us is hundreds of miles away. Nothing can be seen except water and the sky around us. The operation is 24 hours continuous, a minute loss is thousands of dollars lost. No one is to lose focus even during this season of joy.

We had small celebrations on the rig. They organized raffles on the rig and the session was divided into two to accommodate the two shifts workers. My colleague won an Ipad and another one won an Ipod, I regretted for not buying the tickets. But then, I never win any prizes during any lucky draws or raffles, so maybe it was a wise decision for not wasting the money. LOL.....

Our team was excited and joyous over our teammates' "harvest" for a while, then we were back to work again. Everyone was happy, but at the same time missing home, especially the three of my colleagues that have kids at home and all of them are from Canada or the States, where the Christmas celebration is highly prioritized.

Nevertheless, work is still work and since they can show high level of dedication, I should be as well. Even though I didn't get to celebrate the season with my friends and family, but I thank God for the day He sent His son to give us the ultimate hope! Let us not forget the real reason behind all the celebrations!

Before I sign off for today, let me sincerely wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2012! Time to get back to work! :D

Australia Trip

As I was having dinner with my colleagues the other day, one of them asked if we have been to Australia before as the rig we were on was an Australian rig. Out of three, only one had been to Australia before, and I am one of the two.

I really wish to go to Australia one day as it is one of the closest overseas country to my country. A lot of my friends have been studying there and I really regret not going there when they were still there. And since now I am having so much days off after the job on the rigs, I should really plan my trip there. Nevertheless, according to my colleague the accommodation there can be quite cheap if we plan our journey earlier.

After searching through the internet, I found this special accommodation arrangement around the Trinity Beach. From the website, it is located just a short drive north of Cairns City. What really attracted me was it is surrounded with relaxed village like atmosphere and it offers stunning views over the Pacific Ocean and rainforest clad mountain views. Besides, they have freshly decorated airconditioned studio rooms. That sounds like a perfect vacation plan for me! I have to go and book my tickets already! Join me if you want!

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol Movie Review

Finally, the one week introduction training is over! It was fruitful and the same time tiring plus exhausting. As one of the sessions mentioned, fatigue could due to extensive training! hehe....So in order to cure my mental fatigue, I went for the movie "Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol" 

It is an action movie directed by Brad Bird, starring Tom Cruise, Anil Kapoor, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton. Interesting combination eh? 

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The story is about a group of agents trying to accomplish their mission while the whole agency was being disavowed.

I find the whole story a bit predictable, and the impossibility level of the mission was not that high I suppose. Even though the effects are impressive, but then we couldn't really see much of different gadgets being used. So for a gadget "geek" like me, I was a bit disappointed. hahaa...

Nevertheless, the scene on Burj Khalifa, so far the tallest building in the world, was quite amazing, especially when the sand storm was approaching. For the rest of the scenes, I think I will let you all to find out in the cinema. :D

Food for thought
I suppose a lot of things are not as what they seem to be. Sometimes there are things which we couldn't have guessed unless we are the main characters involved. :) Don't judge a book by its cover. hehe...

Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots! Another movie after so long! This time I went for the animation show. Well, some show about some cat. haha....

If you watch Shrek and Shrek 2, you will be very familiar with this cat. Yes, it is the cat with impossible-to-reject-eyes. LOL.

This time, the show is about Puss(the cat) trying to redeem his name in his hometown after being tricked by his best friend Humpty Dumpty. Along the process, he fell for his best friend's trick once again and went to the castle above the clouds and stole the golden goose who gave birth to golden eggs.

He managed to brought the golden goose back to his hometown, and brought wealth to his people. But a great disaster (The Terror) followed because of the golden goose. The Terror has the potential to destroy the hometown. What would The Terror be and did Puss manage to save his hometown in the end?

Well, that's for you to find out. :) Overall, the movie is very nice, and very hilarious. Worth to go for a good laugh. :)

Food for thought
One's innocence will be proven in the end no matter what happen along the way. Everyone deserves forgiveness and a second chance. :)

Russia

Russia has always been the mysterious country to most of the Asian countries. The impression that we always have towards the country is the country is forever covered by snow and it is always very cold. Plus, the language is incomprehensible. We always thought it is impossible to understand the language what more to say about speaking the language.

But then, with the help of technology nowadays, it is possible for someone to learn about any language he or she wants, including Russian language. One of the effective ways is to listen to the Russian language podcast and also to watch some Russian movies or TV shows available.

So, who says it is impossible to learn another language? Besides, who wants to join me for trip to Russia in the future?

Edinburgh

A lot of people probably are bored by my Scotland posts now...but let me assure you, this is going to be my last post on my Scotland Trip! hehe...

The last city visited before we headed back to Aberdeen, Edinburgh!

the street lead up to the Edinburgh castle...full of souvenirs shops...ahhaha

from the top of the hill...

Edinburgh Castle

some structure seen from the castle..

Inside the Edinburgh Castle, quite huge compound though...

coming down...back to the city...

well...time to go...good bye Edinburgh! Goodbye Scotland! :D

Scotland Seaside

Along the east side of Scotland, they have very beautiful seaside. We really enjoyed the view and sceneries as we drove along the coastal road...

posing...no swimwear ooopppss.

seagull...right over my head! lol...

interesting structure, i heard it was used for transporting water from one place to one place in ancient times...

more beach areas...

Moray Coast Trail! Where i found the human rock! lol...

this is beautiful...and windy as well. very cold in fact. :)

ooppppsss....spotted by coast guards! hahaha...better run! LOL...

Lochness

Lochness! The famous place where they found monster in the lake! Finally I had the chance to witness it, not the monster of course. LOL.

I find this a bit special? haha...kinda lame though, but maybe that's the way they forecast the weather. hahaha...

we spot the monster! i mean the statue...ahhahaha...

great view, awesome!

very peaceful indeed...

owh, another one by the lake side...ahhaha...

who's that handsome boy?

some very nice views....too peaceful that we didn't want to leave for our next destination. hahaha..

"quek quek"...time to go! 

Fort William Scotland

Another "expired" post on the Scotland trip. haha...

During the weekend, we drove all the way to Fort William to witness the beauty of another part of Scotland. True enough, it was breathtakingly beautiful! 

I like this...haha...

Salmon! very tasty, they are famous for good salmon no? 

we stayed in Nevis Bank Inn, one of the small hotel near the seaside. It was tourist season so the room was a bit overpriced. This costed around 60 pound for a family suite, one king size double bed and a sofa bed like the picture above. :)

Typical Scottish breakfast, bacon, sausages and black muffin! hehe...

Nevis Bank Inn from outside. quite a cozy small place. :)

special place nearby Fort William city. Notice the way they build the houses?

note the rock shapes

the river bank view...

journey continues....