Another lockdown… another commute

[panama hat]

No way am I morbidly obese or even just normally obese... this has made me even more determined to sort it out.

Yea, you're just 'big-boned' . . .

[Edmond]

That's what the Filipina said. Har har.


Even has that little BJ stool kept under his desk.

[Headworx]

Even has that little BJ stool kept under his desk.

I wasn't going to comment but yeah, that's exactly the same sort of stool they use to have at The Pump Station. Telling 'ya, the crack of dawn isn't safe when Mendip's on the loose

[Edmond]

The Pump Station.

Ohhh, I've got to renew my passport in Bangkok for the fifth time this year.


He's fooling no one.

[PAG]

That's what the Filipina said. Har har.


Even has that little BJ stool kept under his desk.

[katie23]

Hey guys, may I remind you that the Filipina stewardess is an OFW (overseas Filipino worker). OFWs are the PH's number 1 export - they keep the PH economy alive with their remittances (especially during these corona times). She probably sends $$ to her kid/ family monthly.

But, I know this is all banter, so ok, carry on.

@mendip - next time you see her, tell her "Salamat" (thank you) and "Maganda ka" (you're beautiful). You can thank me later.

Btw I don't think you're obese (based on the pics), just a lil overweight. BMI is a height/weight thing, right? If you're 6 feet, then 107 kg isn't too bad (but losing weight is a good thing).

Cheers to all!

[Headworx]

^Yes KT it's all just fun, not sure how much of the subliminal and double-meaning stuff Mendip posts you pick up on but he's clearly got a fantastic sense of humour. He might have a black eye too if BLD or I send him some Tagalog words and phrases to try out on Miss Butuan

[bsnub]

Hey guys, may I remind you that the Filipina stewardess is an OFW (overseas Filipino worker). OFWs are the PH's number 1 export - they keep the PH economy alive with their remittances (especially during these corona times). She probably sends $$ to her kid/ family monthly.

Lovely women, I would bet katie. I am sure that they are doing a hard job and sadly have to take a lot of abuse.

I would bet that our good lad Mendy is not one of those. He is a kind soul.

[Mendip]

^^^ Thank you Katie, finally some sensible input to the thread!

I'll start with 'Salamat' and take it from there, however one certainly is very 'Maganda ka' but it's the start of a long trip and I don't want things to get awkward.

Yes you're correct... I'm not 'morbidly obese'... I just have a large frame and carry a few extra pounds, soon to be lost. You understand but no-one else seems to get it. Green owed.


And for everyone else... that's not a 'blow job' stool under my work desk, it's a bloody foot rest.


A big shout out to OhOh and HNZ for asking sensible, pertinent questions. Greens also owed or sent.

I answered OhOh's question, and now HNZ's.

I ran across a video about this sort of rock called itacolumite. Strange stuff. Do you run across this stuff during your geological surveys?

I must admit that I'd never heard of itacolumite before and had to Google it. No, we never come cross that stuff and to be honest I rarely actually get my hands on any rocks these days... it's all digital data.

Oh yes, I like to see more pics inside the ship.

No problem Snubby.

This is the ship's laundry. I don't know why it's always called the 'ships laundry' but it is, and 'boat's laundry' just doesn't sound right.

I put my net bag of dirty clothes in a basket in the laundry before the start of shift and when I return to my cabin 12 hours later the bag of freshly laundered and folded clothes will be waiting for me.



A small note of interest maybe... if you notice how the laundry room narrows with distance from where I was standing.... that's because it's located right at the bow of the boat. Every bit of space is used in a boat.

There's two baskets in the laundry, one if you want your clothes washed at 60 degrees and the other if you want a 40 degrees wash. I always go for 40 degrees as my clothes are tight enough as it is, although to be fair after 7 months in Isaan there's a strong case for putting my underwear through a boil wash. We only have a cold wash at home and it just doesn't do the job... it's good to get a proper wash and finally get some of those stains out.

This was my bag deposited before the start of last shift. Amongst other clothing, this bag contained the boxers and socks that I wore for 35 hours straight while travelling over from Bangkok. I really hope that the Filipina stewardesses are well paid because without being too graphic, we all know how difficult it is to clean yourself in an airplane toilet.

[ootai]

Hey Mendip I don't know if you keep up to date with your mother country's rules regarding Co-vid but I just read where the UK will be putting Thailand on the Red list as of Monday.
So maybe you got out just in time.

As for not "understanding" about whether you are obese or not it is not a subjective opinion it is objective.
So your BMI is 104/3.3489 = 31.05 I have used 1.83m as your height and 104kg as your weight (your picture showed 107kg but you did say you were wearing "heavy" clothes.

So according to the BMI charts you are not morbidly obese just obese so hope that makes you feel better.

Just so you don't feel too put out my BMI is 28.7 so I am just a fat bastard according to the charts.

Judging by what you have posted lately it seems you are living a life of luxury with your laundry getting done, your room and office getting cleaned, your meals getting cooked and then to top it all off you are getting paid.

I know you have good intentions but under those circumstance I predict you may even reach the magic 117kg which would get you to the morbidly obese level, good luck.

[Saint Willy]

Jaysus, Mary and Jospeh. Sometimes. Just sometimes you can throw those kecks out!

[Edmond]

he's clearly got a fantastic sense of humour.

I just have a large frame and carry a few extra pounds

See. He could do stand-up.

[OhOh]

Originally Posted by Mendip
I just have a large frame and carry a few extra pounds



More likely one of these:

[Stumpy]

Looks like you got all you need there Mendy. Bachelor life.

As for your weight and BMI, Pfffft. Live life. Enjoy what you like just have a daily activity to sustain your weight and cardio. It should compliment your life. You know during this trip I caught up with a bunch of friends and colleagues while here . Its amazing in general how miserable they are in the sense they are all wrapped up in things like you mentioned above, BMI, They drink these regular colon cleansing concoctions, super controlled diets of which they hate the food and I ask them "what for, why do what you hate or do not enjoy?". I still struggle to understand why some people, as they get older, give up much of what they like to eat and do and torture themselves because it might add a few years on the back end of their lives....This is when you should be on the gas doing all you can because the life clock is spinning fast.

[Looper]

Great pics Mendip. Fascinating stuff. Looks quite comfy single digs. Covid has its silver linings.

Lovely women, I would bet katie. I am sure that they are doing a hard job and sadly have to take a lot of abuse.

And for everyone else... that's not a 'blow job' stool under my work desk

Beautiful pic of the big day JP. Would have been worth the massive trip trouble to see your mum too.

Thanks you guys. It was a special moment and as ootai said, had I opted out, I would have carried a huge regret. So the pain and stress was absolutely worth it. Once in a lifetime.

Looks like the groom has borrowed his dad's shoes for the big occasion!

That is where these pixie-leg fashion trousers let you down.

If he had a regular pair of bloke's strides on then the loose hem would cover the shoes and disguise the evidence

Although he has got one of these covered:-

Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue

[Edmond]

Thanks you guys. It was a special moment and as ootai said, had I opted out, I would have carried a huge regret. So the pain and stress was absolutely worth it. Once in a lifetime.



What is such a contrast is I am seeing my Mom who was diagnosed with stage 3 Pancreatic cancer. 3 months ago. So I have been balancing my time between both with very different emotions....

Missed this pic/post the first time.

Big congrats J. Lovely pic and family time.

[Joe 90]

Cool pic JP, proud dad moment!


What's the food like on your vessel Mendip?

[Buckaroo Banzai]

A small note of interest maybe... if you notice how the laundry room narrows with distance from where I was standing.... that's because it's located right at the bow of the boat. Every bit of space is used in a boat.

They put the laundry room at the bow of the ship so that they would not need to agitate the laundry as much during rough seas. LOL

[David48atTD]

They put the laundry room at the bow of the ship so that they would not need to agitate the laundry as much during rough seas. LOL

When camping we used to put the washing in a barrel in the back of the car or better, in the trailer ... clothes washing done when reached the new destination

[katie23]

What's the food like on your vessel Mendip?

Yup, mendip - how's the food? Food pics are appreciated.

Btw, are the kitchen staff also Filipino? Or other?

More words for you:

Magandang umaga = good/ beautiful morning

Magandang hapon = good afternoon

Magandang gabi = good evening

And if you want some giggles:

Maganda ka pa sa umaga = you're more beautiful than the morning!

(pronounce with all short vowel sounds = no long vowel sounds in Filipino/ Tagalog)

You can thank me later.

[Saint Willy]

Maganda ka pa sa umaga = you're more beautiful than the morning!

I got a feeling that’s the last thing he needs on a long voyage!

[dirk diggler]

Bugger, bought you were about my age…

Funny, I never thought that

No way am I morbidly obese or even just normally obese... this has made me even more determined to sort it out.

Of course you're not, accidental can of worms there, I get that every time they pull the Thai BMI chart on me too.

That's a messy desk Dirk!

Makeshift desk in my tool cabin. There is an abundance of company men on this job, at least 8. I guess they have them all out here learning during the quieter times. I've had to explain the intricate details of my tools so many times now I've become somewhat of a specialist myself! Anyway, the bastards have infiltrated the 3rd Party office/cabin, so no 3rd parties want to be in there.

Here is my desk and I even have my own port hole (yes, they're not called windows on boats Dirk!).

Vessel.

the Filipina stewardesses gives it a good wipe down every day.

Good girl (regardless of nationality).

Btw I don't think you're obese (based on the pics), just a lil overweight. BMI is a height/weight thing, right? If you're 6 feet, then 107 kg isn't too bad (but losing weight is a good thing).

Ouch Katie, deep to the core. The BMI chart is already relevant of height to weight...

... It just think's we're all skinny Thais.

Or so I thought:

BMI calculator | Check your BMI - NHS

BMI Calculator | Bangkok Hospital

UK has me at 26.8 and suggests I'm overweight and should lose 4.3kg... and so does Thailand.

[katie23]

@dirk - sorry, no harm intended. The problem with BMI is that it doesn't differentiate from muscle weight or fat weight. A man who is muscular (or big boned, ahem) can be classified as overweight/ obese because of his muscle mass. I think Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) would be classed as overweight, given the BMI standards.

I think it's more accurate to consider the body fat percentage, but then you'd need calipers or tape measure for that.

Btw I'm not fat shaming anyone, but I encourage keeping a healthy weight, especially if one has genetic issues (which I have).

[Saint Willy]

Funny, I never thought that



Of course you're not, accidental can of worms there, I get that every time they pull the Thai BMI chart on me too.



Makeshift desk in my tool cabin. There is an abundance of company men on this job, at least 8. I guess they have them all out here learning during the quieter times. I've had to explain the intricate details of my tools so many times now I've become somewhat of a specialist myself! Anyway, the bastards have infiltrated the 3rd Party office/cabin, so no 3rd parties want to be in there.



Vessel.



Good girl (regardless of nationality).



Ouch Katie, deep to the core. The BMI chart is already relevant of height to weight...

... It just think's we're all skinny Thais.

Or so I thought:

BMI calculator | Check your BMI - NHS

BMI Calculator | Bangkok Hospital

UK has me at 26.8 and suggests I'm overweight and should lose 4.3kg... and so does Thailand.

Im not sharing my BMI, but it suggests I need to lose 5.3kgs

[Mendip]

Anyway... let's move on from BMI... I don't want to turn this into yet another failed weight loss thread!

I think we can all agree that BMI doesn't reflect your true body type.

What's the food like on your vessel Mendip?

Yup, mendip - how's the food? Food pics are appreciated.

Btw, are the kitchen staff also Filipino? Or other?

More words for you:

Magandang umaga = good/ beautiful morning

Magandang hapon = good afternoon

Magandang gabi = good evening

And if you want some giggles:

Maganda ka pa sa umaga = you're more beautiful than the morning!

Slow down Katie, I haven't tried out 'Salamat' yet. I think if I try out 'Maganda ka pa sa umaga' on my favourite stewardess this may end up being a very short trip. I need the work.

The food is always pretty awful on Norwegian vessels, but luckily we have a Filipino night cook as part of the galley staff... this is a boat Katie and you have to get more nautical.

There is a meal every 6 hours to cover all shifts and on this boat each meal is very much geared up to the day shift, ie. a breakfast, lunch and dinner at 6am, midday and 6pm. The midnight meal is usually a rehash of parts of the dayshift meals.

All Norwegian boats do a fry up for the 6am meal despite work carrying on 24 hours a day, and Randy (our Filipino night cook) has no choice but to make this (as instructed). As I'm on a midnight to midday shift, the 6am meal is my main one and I don't really want a fry-up. Randy also puts together Asian soups and stuff, mainly for his Filipino colleagues but I generally go for that. Not only are Norwegian style fry-ups awful but I don't want to get into that habit if this is going to be such a long trip.

I also get my fellow dayshift geos to plate up the evening meal (6pm) if it's half decent so that I can microwave it later. There should be no difference between day shift and night shift food, and there isn't on larger construction vessels, but on these smaller ROV/survey/inspection vessels there always is, especially in Norway.

So breakfast for me is usually a re-heated midnight meal (if it was nice) or a re-heated evening meal if one of my colleagues remembered to put a plate aside. I've told them anything with fish, lamb or peas should be plated up for me.

In addition to the breakfast fry-up there is always a salad bar and they also put out some cold fish and meat cuts. With some soup this can be OK. I'll try and get some food pics but there's a fine line between posting interesting content and having the piss ripped out of me for photographing my food.

Some cold cuts from yesterday's breakfast... but tbh I took this pic more to show Heidrun's old concrete hull and the myriad of risers ( vertical white pipes). Each riser has ascended from the seabed 350m below where it had connected to one of the many flowlines from the many satellite production wells in the field. Some degree of processing occurs on the platform before the product returns to the seabed via an export riser and is then pumped ashore via export pipelines.