Thursday 19th May 2011 - Day 94 - Fighting Multiple Sclerosis [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Hi Friends,

Well, another day is coming to an end, and thankfully we sailed from Sembawang yesterday for the sea component of our Mariner Skills Evaluation (essentially an assessment of our ability to go to sea safely) and it appears that we are indeed a safe ship.  For my department, our assessor seemed quite happy with what he saw of us, which is always a good thing, and quite gratifying given that much of the work was done by myself and my friend Freya before the rest (of this half) of our department returned to Singapore.  There were a few things picked up that I'd missed, but not enough to complain about, so Happy is Howie!

Sadly we're not a cool ship.  There has been an issue with our airconditioning to part of the ship, which has meant that the people living in the messes in the aft (back) half of the ship are dealing with almost uninhabitable heat when we sleep.  I'd take a guess that it's not getting below 27 degrees celcius during the night, and we're having to sleep in that heat.

Thankfully the command of the ship are looking at moving as many of us around as they can to give us cooler accommodation.  Even more importantly, if they can't, it's only 15 days til we return home and get to indulge in the joys of an Aussie winter :)

Meanwhile, I received an email from my friend Casey back home, who is participating in the 2011 MS Walk and Fun Run, which inspired me to register myself, so (shameless promotion.....) if you have a couple of dollars spare, feel free to donate online (and securely) at http://register.mswalk.org.au/2011-MS-Walk-and-Fun-Run-Sydney/Howie (where you'll need to click on the donate button).

I think it will be a fun walk, and raising money for a good cause is always worthwhile.  Hopefully I'll raise $250, which is a reasonable amount I think, and if not, I'm certain that each and every dollar can have some affect on helping people living with MS.

OK, I think I've prattled on enough for one afternoon.  I hope that everything is going well for you all.  Take  care Friends :)