Hubby and Wifey's Blog

Hi!!! everyone…..

My name is Lyka Joy Arcilla, 16 yrs old, a senior student of LNHS.
To those who don’t know me yet, I will just mention some of the adjectives that will best describe me. I am very kind humble and respectful lady who is always very serious with whatever I say or do.
I hate liars and also hate deceivers who play with feelings and think it's all fun.
I am a very straight forward lady who does things very well and always very straight. I believe in treating others as I like to be treated, with kindness, courtesy, consideration, honesty, respect, etc. I do not judge others, that is up to God and I am not prejudice unless it comes to someone’s negative (bad) character and lack of respect, courtesy, kindness, honesty, etc. I view others through their eyes, the windows to their soul (heart) not through their physical features or attributes. Actions speak louder than words with me.

It is my pleasure to be the Bloggers muse for December. Thank you to all who voted for me. It is an honor to be chosen.

Everybody starts with first time… First time to walk, run, cry, and love. All of us experienced this phenomenon in our lives. It is hard to be a first timer… My captain told me that first time is the worst time in your life and I believe him. There is a saying that you will remember and it will put in your mind when you are in a trash of first time experience. No one is perfect and we must just charge it to experience.
July 24, 2008, this is the date when I became a 3rd officer onboard the ship. Life is different from rating to officer. Before when I was a rating I just obey order and I don’t command others. I just obey and obey and obey. The triple “O” which the PMMA graduates stick to there mind at all times. As a 3rd officer aboard the ship, this is the beginning of a new life for me. New rules and new atmosphere for the rest of my contract here in MT Ruby Express. Things are different for me because before when I was a rating I do all the hard jobs on deck and I always do it without assistance. For now when I’m working here aboard the ship I have the right to ask for assistance from ratings. I just tell them what they will do and that’s it I’m done with my order from them. I feel not complete for that attitude… I prefer to do it by my self and not to pass it from other but things change for me as an officer. It makes my jobs easier when the ratings assist me on my jobs on port and at sea and that is part of our job. There are some jobs that I don’t ask for assistance and that will be paper works and my daily jobs on life saving equipment and fire fighting equipment. My captain told me that being an officer is not an easy job but it takes a discipline to practice your leadership and responsibility to command the crew. I believe him and it’s hard to ask or to give order from the crew because I was a senior cadet before then I was promoted as 3rd officer. They look at me as a cadet even I’m already a 3rd officer. They want to command me and they want that they will be in charge of me. I don’t listen to them and the consequence for that is they will be mad at me and tell me that “naging opisyal ka lang yumabang ka na!”.
Sometimes I ignore them and follow what I want because I know that I am right. Still they want to be in charge to all of my duties and responsibilities. I fight back and I always told them that incase of misunderstanding and an accident the one who will blame is “me” not you. They will be mad at me when I tell them that word. I just thinking if they want to command they must take board exam so that they can command their own responsibility. There responsibility is different form me and I strive hard and give all my effort and life to become officer aboard the ship. My 2nd officer told me that its part of life 3rd mate. They know you as senior cadet before and they command you before, now things are different. You are now in charge of them and you will command them. They just don’t believe that you are now an officer to command them. Sometimes they apply the experience onboard the ship. Yup… they have more experience than you are but they don’t have a license but for you 3rd mate you are still new in this kind of life but your already have a license and you already use it in just a short time basis. You cannot blame them but you must feel them that you are now the boss not them. Even they will be angry on you, you’re still the officer aboard the ship.
I do what 2nd officer told me and I fight and apply all the right things that I know its right. Time passed and some of the rating accept me as there officer because I apply to them that I deserve to be respected not to be laughed and ignored. This is the struggle of my first time to be an officer aboard the ship.

People in the Philippines are suffering from Rice shortage. They don’t know how this rice shortage hit the Philippines. People pay for there rice per kilos so how come that the supply is short? Many different kind of rice are harvested or imported to the Philippines. From America, Vietnam etc we have our own land to plant rice but they buy from other country. Some seller of the rice in the Philippines increased the price of their rice and they said that it’s rice shortage so we will increase the price. Is that the solution for the rice shortage?? To increase the price of the rice?. Pangaabuso ang tawag dun diba?
I’m here now onboard ruby express June 5, 2008 we are lucky here because we don’t experience rice shortage unlike in the Philippines. The owner of the ship supplies us enough food to ease our hunger everyday. We eat 3 times a day plus meriyenda and midnight snack when you are hungry before you go to bed.
We are at anchor in I anchorage in Point Tupper Canada waiting for the order to load cargo and we will bring the cargo to Miami Florida (port everglades). If the Philippines experienced the rice shortage, here in the ship we experienced it too. As I said before the owner gives us enough food supply but the problem is our old man here in the ship. He is not a Filipino but a foreigner and he doesn't eat rice. Asian eats rice and that is the staple food of the Asian and you cannot remove it from there dinning tables. Our chief cook already told our old man that his supplies are not good enough to last in Florida. From Canada to Florida we can sail it for 4 days by 14.5 knots. Our speed will reduce if there is a bad weather on our way so it’s not sure if we will make it a 4 days going to Florida. Our chief cook told to captain that if the port will allow some crew to go ashore they will buy some rice to supply us till Florida. Our captain doesn’t agree to the chief cook plan. He told chief cook that if we get some provision here in Canada the charge in supply boats are much more expensive than the rice. He doesn’t agree to buy a rice supply in wallmart and all he want is to get provision (rice provision) in Florida. Our rice supplies are not enough for 26 crew onboard the ship. In breakfast they will not serve rice but they will serve bread. Filipino get there strength to the rice and the work of the ratings aboard the ship are very hard. In lunch and dinner they will serve rice but it’s limited. If you are late in lunch and dinner time you cannot eat rice because it’s not enough for the 26 crew onboard the ship.
For now we are just in silence on what’s happening to the ship. This entire problem was the old man's fault. He must decide for his crew and not force them for what he only wants. He is lucky that he doesn’t eat rice but if he eats rice and our supply is short. For sure 100% even the charge of supply boat is much more expensive than the rice he will get and buy rice here in Canada.