Annyeonghaseyo South Korea!

Reminiscing the good old times of my getaway to South Korea...

It has been a great experience for myself travelling alone to visit my brother's family who resides there since last December as well as to enjoy another place in my wish lists.

I departed from Kuala Lumpur with the low cost airline, Air Asia, which truly makes everyone's dream of flying came true. It was a long journey which took around 6 hours to reach Gimpo International Airport in Busan, a well-known city in the south coast of the South Korea.

I truly enjoyed every moment ever since my brother picked me up from the airport till the time he sent me back. If I were to write about the whole things, I am sure it is going to be 3 pages long so to make it short I will only touch on things that were memorable and I guess pictures will explain more than I do.

WINDY HILL

The journey from Okpo to Sinseondae where the windmill was located took us around 1 hour but since I was so impressed with the eye catching view of the beautiful beaches and the hills throughout the journey, the time flies….

The mesmerizing view did not end just along the way, but the best was when I stepped on the stairs to hike up to the Windy Hill. The weather was getting cooler up there and I started to wrap myself tight with my thick jacket.

JAGALCHI MARKET

This was the place that we went into without purpose. Like what are you going to buy in the fresh market cos you know eating out was always a pleasure!

One best thing about Korea was the internet connection can be reached everywhere and I even got the wifi connected here in Jagalchi Market!

I have the chance of trying the eel which was one of the famous dishes there. I was reluctant at first, but since the temptation could be seen from the next table, there was nothing to resist!

KING CRAB

If you ever have the chance of visiting Busan, specifically Geoje Island, make sure that you keep yourself prepared with sufficient Korean Won for this! The taste was totally different from the common crab and I was deeply immersed with the great taste despite of the expensive price. Well, nothing expensive will disappoint you anyways. The best time to come here for this is during the winter season as the supply of the crab will be easier to get and thus the price will be slightly cheaper.

GAMCHEON CULTURAL VILLAGE

I knew about this village through a very famous K-show in Malaysia, Running Man. I was amazed with their powerful stamina of running through all the narrow street while hiking up the stairs. It was a clean place, surrounded with well-mannered Korean people, plenty of good food – Korea is a well worth country for a visit!

SEAFOOD

Among all, I think food has dominated the stories as I love to share about good food. This is another seafood restaurant that I have been when I was on my way back to the airport. The fresh seafood served makes me drooling whenever I have thought on it. It was the Korean culture to serve lots of side dishes that make you eat till you drop!

The journey has been real good. Thank you my brother for having me, thank you Air Asia for the affordable ticket price and of course South Korea for giving me the best experience of travelling to a great country! Till then, I hope to be there again with my loved one soon.

(IZIR, AMIR, SYAHRUL)

ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE – TRANSITING SUEZ CANAL

ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE – TRANSITING SUEZ CANAL

 

                    To get the best sailing experience you definitely have to see something extraordinary and that’s what we had while Transiting Suez Canal on a VLCC (Very large crude carrier).

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean sea and the Red sea It was 104 NM and the channel was 24 M deep 205 M wide. The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez canal authority of Egypt. We were a fully loaded VLCC so we couldn’t enter the channel first so we had to discharge at AIN SUKHNA and then received the permission to enter the channel the next morning.  The whole transit was done by pilotage. The pilot boarded and we entered the channel and then we picked up the Suez crew along with their boats using our cranes and placed it on our deck. There were plenty of souvenirs which they brought it for sale, and it was all displayed in the smoking room. Its compulsory for any ship which are transiting through the Suez canal to carry the Suez crew along with them. This transit took 14 hrs in which there were interchanges of pilots along the course.

                The ship was carefully navigated by very experienced pilots and were assisted by the master, duty officers and we cadets. From the time we entered the canal till we exited the canal we had a lot of awesome memories which we can carry out entire life. All along the canal there were deserted roads , monuments, shops , houses, tall buildings , vegetation’s.  

                We navigated under the bridges. There were gates in the canal which were opened once in a while and vehicles can cross the canal.

 Ship transiting underside bridge

One vessel right ahead SIR!!! 

A monument of peace

 

This is the best experience that only seafarers can ever get. So, proud to be a SEAFARER.

Resepi Perencah Ikan Bakar Echo

Resepi Perencah Ikan Bakar Echo

            Resepi ikan bakar nie kadang-kadang sedap kadang-kadang boleh jadi tak sedap. Ini semua anda yang tentukan. Bergantung kepada bakat yang terpendam di dalam diri anda sendiri la yer. Bak kata pepatah, Kemana tumpahnya kuah kalau tak ke nasi.. :-).. Selamat mencubaa!!

Bahan-bahan yang diperlukan. ( Untuk 3 ke 4 ekor ikan yg sederhana Besar)

1- Ikan ( bergantung kepada taste korang lah)

2-Bawang Besar ( 2 - 3 biji)

3-Bawang Putih (1 biji )

4-Bawang Kecil ( 10 biji)

5-Lengkuas ( 1 inci)

6-halia ( 1 inci)

7-Gula Merah ( 4 sudu besar- nk manis boleh tambah lagi-disyorkan tambah lah )

8-Kunyit Hidup ( 1 ke 2 inci)

9-Garam ( 2 sudu Kecil)

10- Madu ( 1 sudu Besar)

11- Cabai Melaka ( 6-7 biji-nak pedas boleh tambah segenggam ;-)

12-Limau Nipis ( 3-4 biji)

13- Air Asam Jawa
14-Kicap Pekat Manis
15- Cili serbuk ( satu sudu Besar)

Ini Hasilnya

Cara-Caranya adalah.......

1- Basuh dan siang ikan terlebih dahulu..( gunakan air asam jawa dan limau nipis untuk hilangkan bau dan hanyir ikan)
2- Potong bawang besar,bawang putih,bawang kecil, lengkuas, halia, kunyit dan cili melaka dan masukkan kedalam mesin pengisar dan kisar bahan2 tersebut sehingga halus. Jangan lupa msokkan sedikit garam.
3-Panaskan kuali beserta sedikit minyak masak.
4-Seterusnya, setelah kuali panas, masukkan bahan2 yang telah dikisar tadi dan tumis selama 5 hingga 7 minit. Masukkan juga cili serbuk semasa menumis.
5- Masukkan gula merah, sedikit garam, gula dan kicap pekat manis kedalam bahan2 tersebut. Masak perencah sehingga pekat dan padamkan api.
6-Perap dan gaulkan ikan dengan perencah (jangan guna semua-simpan sedikit untuk jadikan kuah semasa ikan sudah dipanggang)-(duration 15-30 minit)

photo from- bp.blogspot

7- Bakar ikan yang sudah diperap tersebut sehingga masak.
8-Tuangkan lebihan perencah keatas ikan bakar dan hias untuk nampak lebih menyelerakan dan Ikan Bakar Echo anda sudah siap!

 Photo from eats.my

9-Additional Info- Perencah ikan bakar ini juga boleh digunakan utk membakar ayam dan hasilnya adalah

photo from- nytimes.com

menakjubkan! Selamat Mencuba Chef sekalian..Life Is Short Make It Great.. See you when I see you...

BY,
Izir-Syahrul-Amir

MALAYSIAN FAVORITE BREAKFAST

Malaysia is a multiracial country with peoples of different races living together. This not only provides the chance of living in harmony and integrated but also sharing the customs and living styles among the people. When talking about the customs it is not only into the traditional rituals or dressing but also the mouth watering foods.

When talking about the foods there are few delicacies that stand out to be Malaysian’s favourite for breakfast. Among them are Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak, Chee cheong Fun, Thosai and so on.

To begin, roti canai  is a type of Indian -influenced flatbread made from flour plain flour, water and sometime with condensed milk and  entire mixture is kneaded thoroughly, flattened, oiled and folded repeatedly. It is then allowed to proof and rise, and the process is repeated. The final round of preparation consists of flattening the dough ball, coating it with oil and then cooking on a flat iron wok with a lot of oil. The ideal roti is flat, fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside.

Roti Canai with chicken gravy and sambal as additional taste maker

Nasi lemak is a Malay dish fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and "pandan" leaf commonly found in Malaysia, here it is considered the national dish.Traditionally, nasi lemak is served with various side dishes, including fresh cucumber slices, small fried anchiovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, hardboiled egg, and hot spicy sauce. As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak may also be served with an additional protein dish such as fried chicken, cuttlefish sambal. Traditionally most of these side dishes are spicy in nature.

Nasi Lemak with additioanl fried chicken for extra mouth watering

Chee cheong Fun is a Chinese delicacies famous for breakfast made from rice flour and water,poured into flat pan and steamed to produce square rice sheets..The rice sheets rolled and stuffed with tofu with fish paste together with soya bean sauce,chili paste or curry gravy. Chee cheong Fun can be cooked in HALAL when to be served for our Muslim friends and this can be get in the few shops.

Halal Chee Cheong Fun

Thosai, a common breakfast dish rich in carbohydrates, and contains no sugar or saturated fats. A mixture of rice and ulundu that has been soaked in water is ground finely to form a batter. After an overnight fermentation, batter is mixed with water to get the desired thickness. The batter is then poured onto a flat wok and spread out evenly to form a pancake alike. A thosai is served hot, either folded in half or rolled. It is also served usually with dhal curry, chicken gravy or fish curry and not forgotten the chutney (spicy blended coconut paste).

Thosai with varities of chutney and chicken gravy

References :

https://www.google.com.my/imghp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_cuisine

C.Meegandran

VR.Arvin Prasath

Ng ChanG Ren

OUR BUCKETLIST: 10 THINGS WE WANNA DO BEFORE WE GROW OLD

"BUCKETLIST" defines as number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.

1. SKYDIVING IN DUBAI

2. WATCHING AURORA PHENOMENON IN NORWAY 

3. UNDERWATER DIVING 

4. EXPERIENCING FUN AT BRAZIL CARNIVAL

5. PARTYING IN IBIZA

6. HONEYMOON IN MALDIVES

7. CHECK IN HOTEL KAKSLAUTENNEN IN FINLAND

8. SPEND A NIGHT IN UNDERWATER HOTEL DUBAI

9. BUNGEE JUMPING IN NEW ZEALAND

10. SKY GLIDING 

PREPARED BY:

SHANNON JOHN LOJINGON

KAVIN BHUSAN DEV

GENEVA MORGA HUFANCIA 

   3 Days of Death

It was nice sunny day. I was sailing on MT EAGLE TACOMA,my first ship. We were coming to USA from Nederland. We were at middle of the Atlantic while the nearest land was England about 900 NM away. At about 1200 hrs we received a weather forecast that we were heading towards a deadly storm which was having a wind speed upto 130 NM and waves height rising upto 10-15 metres.My captain wanted to avoid the situation and asked Engineer to provide full thrust of the engine.Suddenly at about 1500 hrs we had a black out.One of the purifier of our main engine was damaged. The engineers started the other purifier and kept the engine running because we wanted to go away from the storm.After about an hour at 1600 hrs the 2nd purifier also damaged and we had a black out.The whole ship was in deadly darkness. We could not even able to see our own hands.Meanwhile The storm hitted us straight a way.It was very scary. The main deck of the ship was like a play ground of deadly waves.Our engineers were trying out to solve the problem but unfortunately the failed.With the aid of emergency generator we were able to provide some lights for the accommodation,but we knew that with oil we had in the generator we could run it about 36 hours.We didn't know what was gonna happened after then.Because we couldn’t go out to refill the generator. In addition the back door of our Steering gear room was broken being pushed by the heavy swell.It was fully flooded,The stability of our ship also lost. We  drained out the water using the wilden pump but we had to use the reserved main engines starting air to run the wilden pump.So after this we didn’t have the air also to start the engine.After one and a half day the emergency generator stopped because of insufficient fuel. We were that time in total darkness and hopeless too. We were drifting with the storm.Some of us might thought it was our last days. We didn’t had the power to cook anything.We were taking dry food and were starving. We tried to communicate with shore but nobody could save us in that stormy weather except Allah. We had to do something special to save our life. It was about 72 hours we were in this deadly situation. After a long discussion and trials of so many things the engineers was able to start the engine.But They could only provide a speed of 5 knots per hour. We headed towards England as it was the closest land.After 6 days we could see the land and started believing that we will survive. Truely to say I myself did’t think that we were going to survive. It was my first ship and the worst experience I’ve already achieved. I’m not scared of the sea anymore but I wish nobody will go through the same situation.

(Rial,Muntasir,Jainul,Yousuf)

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD MARRY A SEAFARER

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD MARRY A SEAFARER

1. A seafarer is very responsible

 A seafarer is trained to take care of cargo and ships which cost millions of dollars. Most importantly, they have to take care of the lives of people onboard. They will always keep safety in mind. So, going out with them is definitely safe.

2. A seafarer is romantic

A seafarer mostly is away from home up to 8 months so they don't get to show their love often so the desire to see and meet you keeps on getting accumulated with time. This will make them shower you with love and be romantic when they finally get to be with you.

3. A seafarer is fun to be with

You will never get bored with a seafarer as they have so many interesting things to tell based on their experience onboard and countries that they visit. Besides that, they are adventurous, funny and sometimes naughty. They are always looking out for something new cause its in their nature.

4. A seafarer has good knowledge

Only the best man and women can go to sea and to be the best you need good knowledge. So, you can be proud to have a smart partner.

5. A seafarer is strong

Working onboard is not a piece of cake. It requires lots of physical work and this make them strong. So, your seafarer can handle all the heavy duties in your house. Best of all, a seafarer always have good body due to their demanding physical work.

6. A seafarer can handle anything

A seafarer often have to work at odd times with less sleep or during bad weather and this require strong mentally to handle all the stress. They also are trained to handle any emergencies at any time or anywhere. So, you can always count on your seafarer to handle anything you want them too.

7. A seafarer is rich

A seafarer are paid high salary for the their hard work and sacrifices so he can buy you all those expensive vacations and gifts. A seafarer partner can definitely support you financially.

8. A seafarer have long holidays

Most people have less holidays but a seafarer can have up to 4 months of holiday straight and you can have them all to yourself for that period of time.

9. You get to visit the world as well!

Seafarers are allowed to bring their spouses onboard so you can see your man working as well as visit other countries for free.

10. The love will always be there between you and your seafarer.

It is not easy to be the partner of a seafarer and all seafarer knows that. However, if you can handle it then your man will definitely appreciate you. They say the more we miss the more we love. Those long distance relationship is going to boost up the love for both of you.

Shannon John Lojingon

Kavin Busan Dev

Geneva Morga Hufancia

Young women navigator

'I find the great thing,in this world is not so much where we stand , as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven , we must sail some times with the wind and sometimes against it . but we must sail and not drift , nor lie at anchor' - Oliver Wendell Holmes 

For the 2nd year of our course we need to complete the total of 12 months of sea time . We gained a lot of experiences during our shipboard training. I know you wonder what we faced during our shipboard training right?? you got my point right?? we got a lot of knowledge from the officers such as passage planning, cargo handling, manoeuvring the ship, chart corrections  and etc. 

CADET : CALL ANYTIME DO EVERYTHING ^_^ 

from this phrase we can expect what cadets do on board . Of  course we did not get enough rest . Working for 12 hours and rest for 12 hours . But by having the chance to watch dolphins passes by, watch the sunrise and sunset,glimmering star at night,seeing seas like a piece of glass let the tiredness overcome . Some more we had to face the rough seas which we never experienced on land, especially at the end of the year. 

However we are grateful that we had the chance to experience those good and bad days onboard. We feel lucky to be among the minority of the lady seafarers, and actually survived the life onboard for 12 months!

fara manouvering

nabila on the bridge

kema assists the SWL test of the ship's crane

nice view of the sun set





Posted by : Akmar, Faraain and Nabila

Good Visibility In A Friday Morning

Morning Guys!!

It was our white uniform to wear during a friday.Attending the colors(assembly) is compulsory for all cadets in Alam.you know what every single day we have to attend this kind of assembly in order to make RO yusop bin jantan happy.haha.otherwise he will keep tortoring and shouting like a tarzan in the morning. So moral of the stories LIFE IS SHORT MAKING GREAT.

By Syahrul,izir and Amir

EXISTENCE
MD RIAL ENAM
I remember u When the clouds
drizzle tears...
I remember u When the sky turns
blue...
I remember u When the rising
sun sets fire,
And I'll, the moment I'll inhale
my last breathe ...
I remember u when the dusk
brings shadow and takes shelter
in the darkness of night.
I remember u whole the moments
of twilight, watching stars to rise
and set.
And when the horizon smiles with
birds chirping all around.
I open my dreaming eyes and look
for u.
I remember u when seasons
change color of the nature,
when the flowers bloom with
eternal happiness ..
I remember u when the river
becomes thirsty during ebb, and
when again surges until the bank
overflows...
I remember u always when I feel
myself, when I feel my existence
in the drama of this beautiful
theatre....
(Jainul , Muntasir, Rial , Yousuf )

MAFF - Modular Advance Fire Fighting
25/08/2014 - 28/08/2014
Akademi Laut Malaysia

During the final year of studies in Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM),all the senior cadets are required to complete the all modular courses to comply with Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers prior becoming a certified competent Officer or Engineer. Among all the Modular courses are Basic Safety Training, Basic Medical First Aid, Basic Fire Fighting, Advance Fire Fighting and more on.

Shannon Si Buaya with Arvin Si Biawak

We cadets from DNS14 Echo are not excepted, hence required to attend the modulars. The recent modular course attended by us was Modular Advance Fire Fighting which we had learnt so much compared to Basic Fire Fighting Course.(haha...we did leanr but forgot most of the things so please excuse us if anything wrongly mentioned here..lolx)

Modular Booklet

To begin with, it was 12 of us in the class plus 3 other Non- ALAM cadets, which make total of 15. First day of class started with refreshing the lesson learnt in Basic Fire Fighting followed by little introduction of Advance Fire Fighting by Mr.Shayid (cool instructor handling hot fire). This includes of Classes of Fires and Types of Fire Extinguisher used onboard. Not to forget,method of putting off fire were taught as well such as starvation,smothering and cooling..(not bad..these things still fresh in our mind)

The second day of the course was so interesting(so called) and tiring(dead tired) as well as this session was fully focused on practical method at the fire ground. Prior to the real action,we were briefed about the hazards and correct methods of fighting fire and rescuing casualties(weights up to 90kg...damnnn) from the designated smoke house. Donning of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus were briefed too and double checked by the instructors present.

Shannon says : Shoot the wateeeeerrrr!!

Before we get into the actions,we were divided according into respective group with specific duties. Among the duties were as Master, On Scene Commander,Medical Personnel and so on.The groups were Attack Party, Rescue Party, Medical Team which lead by the On Scene Commander under the order of Master.The Master was assisted by Messenger who take on the timing of all the event took place.
In the morning session we were had carried out mock fire fighting and rescuing casualties. Eventhough it was a mock session,yet it was tiring enough for all the cadets.

Among the senior cadets of DNS 014 Echo( baby face amir looking cuteand farah with her annoying face )

The afternoon session was started after the lunch(burrppp....) as the instructors prepared the real fire sme and casualties inside the smoke house.This session was more challenging compared to previous session as we deal with the real fire(OMG trust me it was really hot),smoke and heat. More time were required to rescue the casualties consist of 3 dummies with different weights, and the tense builds up as time moves on. Meanwhile the Boundary Cooling team were struggling to keep the fire hoses up straight all the time to making boundary cooling. At last the last casualty were found with the aid of the instructor as the cadet were unable to retrieve it. Once the last casualty found,all the cadets were felt relieved and headed for a quick drink(What a relieve!!!!)

Ignore shahrul transparent shirt pls,,, :P

Followed by that,all the cadets together cleaned all the SCBA equipments  and place them. Prior dismiss, we had fun playing in water jet spray and get wet by the instructor as a celebration for complete the practical part of Modular Advance Fire Fighting.

On the third day, classes were conducted by Capt Comm Imman Fiqrie on further information about and the final day were conducted by Capt. Goh followed by examination which all of us passed with flying colours.Yahooooooooooooooooooooo.............!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its time for photo shoot babes!!!!!

Overall,the Modular Advance Fire Fighting was so informatic and hope will be useful for us when serving onboard....Thats all for now,I do want to nag the reader further...Adios! ;)

Put off the fire but fire up your spirit!!!!

(Prepared by C.Meegandran - DNS 01537/ VR. Arvin Prasath - DNS 01530/ Ng Chan Ren @ Jason - DNS 01584)