Restoring Friendships

How many people have had a falling out with a best friend that they have know for more than 5 years, that they have found it so hard to go back and face them to say “I’m Sorry!” There is nothing more that you want than to have your best friend back by your side talking and listening to you again. What is holding you back though from making this move forward? The chances are that your friend is probably doing the same thing as you, stalling for the other to make the first move. Now I do understand that in some cases pride is an issue, but geez, get over it. If you really want your friend back them you are going to have to harden up and face up to them. Life has proven to be too short to play waiting games. Holding grudges against someone only holds you back and creates a burden on your shoulders. Forgiving and apologizing is far easier than holding grudges. So can you actually imagine how the rest of your life would be like if your best friend wasn’t there with you? I know I couldn’t. If you don’t like the look of what you see then maybe it’s time you stopped what you are doing and made a phone call...

NZ Winters = Snowboarding

For someone who doesn’t particularly like the cold weather I have decided to make the most of a New Zealand Winter this year. I usually try and spend time overseas around this time, either in Australia or Fiji where the climate is a lot pleasantly warmer. This year I am at Uni in Auckland and have gone to the extreme to travel to the South Island every 2nd/3rd weekend to go Snowboarding at Mt Hutt Ski Field. Mt Hutt would be amongst one of the top NZ Ski fields to go to. With the high rate of clear days, great packed snow, freshly groomed trails and terrains daily and the views from the top are just breath taking. Snowboarding has been a great investment of my time and money, I can now safely say that I have found a hobby that will keep me busy for at least 6 months of the year in NZ anyway, the other 6 – maybe head overseas... we’ll see!

Living the Care-Free way of Life :-)

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you didn’t have any stress present? How would that affect your feelings and emotions towards something? I have a really good mate who has recently just informed me of the way he is living his life now. He takes each day as it comes, not rushing through to get things done, living carefree on the edge but in a way that he doesn’t let people get to him and the little things that usually bug most people, don’t affect him one bit. He has no regrets so nothing is holding him back from reaching his full potential. His life now consists of travelling around the world working in exotic countries in great jobs while getting the chance to meet new people, make friends and see some amazing sights in each country. He is happy and content with the way he is living now. This friendship has inspired me to live more carefree on the edge and to start to not let the little niggles in life get to me. Hopefully this will limit the amount of stress which occurs each day and also aid in being at peace with decisions that you make.

PRESSURE...

Aahh!!! How many people have high standards which they have to live up to and maintain in order to please everyone around them? Pressures from family, friends, partners, work and in some cases from what you bring on yourself? Pressure to achieve good grades, the best of the best and no less, and that failing isn’t acceptable. Some would say that this is a cause of ‘Perfectionism’ and in a way I agree with this. I also agree that extreme pressure is also a cause of teenage suicide and can cause personal issues in people such as, disappointment, low self-esteem and poor/loss of social interaction. I don’t really have any answers as to why some people let pressure run their lives. But not all pressures are bad. Some are actually need to help us through our daily lives. We need pressure behind us to aid us to complete tasks by deadlines in a timely manner, to assist us with timekeeping and to give us that little bit of an extra kick when we need to get something started. We need to recognise the good pressures from the bad pressures in our lives and start to take control of these.

Bridge Simulator Practical’s

After 6 months of theory exams and assessments we have now finally moved onto some real interesting stuff at Uni. The next 12 weeks will be jam-packed full of practical assessments on ship handling, navigation, emergency control and communication with other people in a simulated bridge environment. We will all be examined on our ability to take charge when in command, to listen and speak up if needed, to navigate in dense traffic situations where emergency situations will occur, to berth and undock a ship in various types of ships, to moor and bring the vessel to anchor and our ability to be a part of an effective bridge management team. The next 12 weeks will be challenging, that I do know for sure. This will be a time where personalities will start to come out and will clash with others in the classroom. Conflict will occur and disagreements will be present for sure. Like the tutor says; “It’s better to have a dispute on the bridge in the simulator which results in the ship running aground than for it to happen in real life on a ship”

A change in Career? What's holding me back...

I am now two thirds of the way through my career, all up it’s about a total of 9 years to get your Masters ticket and then move up the ranks to become a Captain. Two thirds doesn’t seem like that much, but when you think about it I have been doing all this for 6 years now. That’s 6 years straight from when I left High School. I am now 23 years old. Am I too old to maybe consider a change of career? Maybe take a break from working on ships to dive into other dreams that I have? Am I too old to start something new? Too old to go back and start a new career through University? So many questions and thoughts are flowing through my head when I think about this. Questions of what if’s, of doubt, of maybes and so on...

I am still young and have my entire life ahead of me. I want to become a commercial chef one day and own my own restaurant. I want to travel the world and visit the 7 Wonders of the World in a 6 months O.E. with my partner. I want to get married and have my own family one day. Visit Antarctica before the earth heats up and so much more. I have my whole life ahead of me. A whole life of dreams, plans, options and choices. What’s holding me back though you ask, it’s the question of can I do it or am I too old? I guess the only way that I am going to find out is by believing in myself, taking the step and just doing it, with no looking back. Ships are always going to be here for me to work on. The other stuff will only be experienced and found out when I take that step.

So you can probably guess that after my final Oral exam in mid November there will be a lot of thinking and decisions to be made. Fingers crossed I make the right choices with no regrets.

Advice to future students looking at a career in the Maritime Industry...

The only advice for future students from my own experience is learn how to your Excel Spreadsheets before even attempting Naval Architecture!!! This has been my only struggle so far during the academic side of my career. The mathematics involved with working our formulas and functions. Not my strong point and I know that now.

Life living on board a ship. What is it actually like for a woman?

I can answer this question from two perspectives. Life for a woman working on a deep sea trading ship and life as a woman working for Inter Islander on the Ferries. Both perspectives are from my own personal views.
Woman bring a unique touch into the maritime industry. I haven’t worked with only a couple of women in my sea career so from what I have been told woman bring a variety of competence to their job, pay a lot of attention to the finest details and they are highly reliable officers. The presence of even just one woman on board on a ship has proven to have an influence on the behaviour of the other 17 male crew members. Enthusiasm for their job is just one of the many keys to enjoyment.

There will come a day when woman will be accepted into the maritime industry on the same level as males, as shown in the increase in woman seafarers, this is looking promising for the near future.

When this world eliminates all gender discrimination and all associated hurdles, we will hopefully be able to see more of woman employed and promoted in the maritime industry. On deep sea voyages you get a lot of time to yourself to think about your life and things that you want to do in the future. Have the opportunity to watch sun rises and sun sets every day from your workplace and even from your cabin window. On coastal voyages you are surrounded by glorious coastline and sea life and not to mention opportunities to go ashore and sight see. Working on the Inter Islander Ferries you work full time for 7 days and then get 7 days off afterwards. Talk about a great deal, equal time on time off. The ships cruise the glorious Queen Charlotte sounds and at the end of your week on board you can choose whether you get off the ship in Wellington or Picton to travel the south island.

Pursuing Your Dreams...

I remember back when I was in High school and even back in primary school, thinking to myself how do people decide who they want to be in life. I mean does a 12 year old kid just wake up one morning and say: I want to be an astronaught and fly into space one day... or even be the youngest person to climb to the top of Mt Everest... Can these just be only Dreams or become reality as well? What about a 15 year old girl who makes a decision that she wants to be a Captain of a ship... These all just sound like dreams right? Wrong! These dreams and decisions that you make can become your life. If this is what you want to do then just go for it! What have you got to lose...?


“Life is not about spending your entire time trying to reach your dreams and goals. Life is about living your dreams out every day until you reach your goal in life. Your whole life is a dream of planning and living, so do all you can do today to enjoy the journey for every track you end up travelling on."


"If you have Dreams and Goals and are passionate about reaching them then for what it’s worth don’t let anything or anyone stop you from achieving them. You will reach them if you set your heart to it!"

Worst experience of any Seafarer

I was tossing up between two choices: One - If suddenly we were in the middle of the ocean on a ship and were completely out of range of all communications. No cell phone, no email, no facebook! And then a disastrous emergency situation occurred! Or the second one being the ship sinking in the middle of the ocean at night and everyone having to evacuate in life rafts... A slow and cold painful death!


But when I actually took a moment to think what would be the worst nightmare for me personally would be, it would have to be to receive bad news from back home while I am away in the middle of the ocean. So helpless! News of a death or sickness of a loved one, a relationship break up, something along those lines. You are so far away from home and land that there is literally nothing that you can do about it. Not a nice experience if you ask me. Thank God I haven’t had an experience like this.

Winter weather is coming...

June 2010. We are now half way through the year (currently in Winter here in New Zealand and geez are we feeling it) We all know the winter season is a time for wet, cold and miserable weather, right? Have you ever noticed why many seafarers don’t complain about being home during the winter time? On land when a cold Southerly wind can be quite startling, for seafarers, they know that whatever wind you are experiencing on land you can expect at least 4 times colder and stronger out at sea.

The Happy and Successful Life

Is it at all possible? The majority of this world would definitely say No, while a small 1% would say Yes and spend hours telling you how to go about this.
So ask yourself this question? Have you ever been in a place where you are so over the moon and extremely happy with everything in your life? You have the perfect family, best loving partner, worlds best paying job, a degree, great fun friends to socialise with, endless streams of money pouring in weekly, a live-in house maid, a flash car, fast boat and could not ask for anything more? Life would sound perfect don’t you think? But is that for everyone? From my personal point of view a Happy and Successful Life varies with everyone. For some people money means everything, and for others just having a roof over your head and great fun friends around you is enough. Your status in this world is entirely up to you, what you want and where you want to go in this life. Happiness can only be determined from within each individual. Success comes from achievements and reaching personal goals.
So the next time you drive past a Mercedes Benz on the motorway, don’t envy the drivers life and image of pockets full of money. Turn to you at your own life, what you have that make YOU Happy!

Hobbies and Interests

Do you have a personal hobby? Maybe an interest that occupies most of your spare time? Well I do now. Recently I have taken up a winter sport/hobby. Snowboarding! One of the high adrenaline filled extreme sports ever! The buzz you get from Snowboarding up in high mountains, all covered in snow, is breathe taking. The speeds you pick up on the slopes, quick reactions and responses then the social side of the sport afterwards... Words can’t describe how I feel now. Finding something, a hobby that interests me so much that I would skip a dinner date to go and do.
Hobbies bring Happiness and Fulfilment, Happiness and Fulfilment bring balance to your life.

Encouraging Young Women To Follow Their Dreams...

We all have things that we want to achieve in life, goals, plans and ambitions. Then we have those dreams inside of us which we want to do but only ever dream of doing. They sit in the bottom of our hearts and we think about them all the time but nothing gets stirs them into actions. What is stopping you from doing something that you have dreamed of doing for years? Is it your confidence in yourself, to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new or...? My word for young woman today (and also young men) is to follow what dreams you have deep inside your heart. If you dream that you can do something and fully believe in yourself then take that next step. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS! If you want to be a pilot head in that direction, if it’s caring for children follow that passion. If you want to be a ship’s Captain then join the merchant navy and start sailing towards reaching that dream goal! You can do anything if you just believe in yourself.

Babies, Babies and more Babies...

Guess what we have just inherited - 11 Babies. Not real children but real enough for us to call them our babies. A few days ago we had 11 Baby chickens born, 11 small cute, little, coloured fuzzy babies. Grey, White, Brown, Black and multi-coloured mixtures. From 31 chickens we now have 42 chickens on our farm as well as 4 paradise ducks. Our farm is just growing day by day. Now that is one part of going to sea which I miss. I miss our farm and all our animals, it’s just one of those sacrifices which we have to make. It’s hard. Maybe one day I will find a job (short stints away at sea) where I can work on a ship as well as also living on a farm at the same time. So with 11 more babies joining our family now we are going to be quite busy parents for the next couple of months now. I wonder what ever did happen to the light brown mother chicken that disappeared about 4 weeks ago - We will just have to wait and see...

Questions, Questions and more Questions???

Have you ever thought about how many questions we actually ask everyday? Well I have. The other day I thought that I would count how many times I ask a question within 24 hours, or when I was awake (6am-11pm) and you wouldn’t believe how many questions I actually asked without even realising at first that they were questions. 238 questions!!! Now I know it has been proven that women talk more than men and definitely have a lot more to ask but 238, you have to be joking. I then observed a male friend over 6 hours and he only asked a total of 25 questions when I was with him. Wow! Look at the difference! I spent ages thinking about this and came to the conclusion that we don’t learn if we don’t ask questions, we won’t know unless we ask and how on earth do we know when to find something if we don’t ask for directions? Questions are what get us forward in life, finding new ways of doing things to add a bit of spice to life.

“Jealousy” is just a wasted Emotion

Out of all the emotions we can choose to experience in the world most of us choose Jealousy at least once in our life. What good do we get from this though? We have the choice whether we want to be happy or sad. So why do we waste a part of our life being jealous of someone else when we know that we can never get that time back! I mean what do you actually get from looking at someone else and wanting what they have? You don’t get any personal satisfaction or good vibes from this, the only thing you do gain is feeling bad about yourself. There will always be someone out there that can do things better than you like; run faster, speak more confidently, bake tastier cookies and so on... There is nothing good you can gain from being jealous! So why not stop wanting to be like someone else and start living your life, the life that you are good at and only you can live!

Experiencing weather for ducks :-(

Well the coffee didn’t last too long in the cup. One roll and she was all gone. I was soaked through to the skin, shirt, pants, socks and all. You’re probably wondering what on earth I am talking about and what just happened? I am on the ship at the moment and the weather has just taken a turn for the worst. The ship is rolling side to side like an un-mounted washing machine so placing your coffee cup down even for the slightest second it will end up all down your front. We as Deck Officers are used to this sort of weather and we are trained to work in these conditions and even worse. It’s the passengers though who we feel sorry for. They board the passenger ferry full of excitement expecting a fantastic calm crossing with the chance of seeing dolphins in the Sounds, but little do they know what awaits them outside the heads.
Wind against tide, swell against tide, basically everything was against us. The winds had turned to become a blowing gale from the south, heavy rain was now horizontal, seas were up to 7 metres in height and a temperature which couldn’t be read on the thermometer. Passengers resume the foetal position, faces buried in their laps. Children screaming, teenagers vomiting, the stench created a domino effect from one end of the ship to the other. All those who came on hungry and enjoyed a lovely lunch were now re-seeing all that they ate. The time eventually comes 3 and a ½ hours later when we arrive at the other side I have never seen such relief in peoples faces before when we have reached out destination.

Preparing for rough weather at sea

(From experience)
1.) Batten down your cabin, lock all the drawers and latch all the doors back.
2.) Place desk chair upside down and laptop underneath the desk.
3.) Cameras, glasses, empty coffee cup and plunger – all to be stowed in a drawer.
4.) Use non-skid mats in the desk top and place a towel over all loose items which can roll or slide around.
5.) Place toothbrush away from the soap dish.
6.) Life jackets come in handy to propping your mattress up on a slight angle towards the wall (like a cot)
7.) Anything which creaks, place a piece of folded up paper in the crack.
8.) Last but not least turn on some soft music to drown out the sound of waves crashing against the hull and the pounding of the ships bow into the swell.

Physical v's Mental Strength

Most people under estimate the significance of mental strength when it comes to working on a ship out at sea. Whether someone is away for one week, six weeks or three months, it takes a lot of mental strength to adapt to the change in lifestyle as well as being able to cope with the emotional side of missing loved ones back home. Physical strength comes with the job. You are kept fit by being active while working on board 24/7 as well as by using the ship gym equipment. Mental strength on the other hand takes a lot more to build up. Most people say that this comes with age and develops over time. As you grow older you learn to cope with life’s issues and the curve ball’s, which it throws at you a lot more than when you were younger. So far for me my biggest hurdle has been having the ability to adapt to a change in lifestyle every seven days. One week I’ll be with my friends and family at home, working on the farm, feeding the animals, cooking dinners, shopping and sending time with friends socialising in town. Then the next week I’ll be working 12-16 hour days on a ship at the other end of the country. And I have to be honest it does get really hard at times! As time is passing by I am taking one day at a time and learning techniques on how to manage my life when change occurs. It’s not easy all the time, but that’s just Life! We have to accept what it throws at us and find the inner strength to pull through it.

CURSE THE DELETE BUTTON!!!

I spent 4 and ½ hours in my cabin this afternoon writing for my blogpage after a very eventful week at work on the ship. The moment when I clicked ‘save’ and then went to pull my USB memory stick out of my computer – It deleted my file! I was so upset and angry! Curse the computer!!! I spent the next hour trying to find it and sadly it wasn’t anywhere to be found on my laptop. It was all gone. Now what to do? I could cry and sulk but that wouldn’t bring back my writing or I could do the opposite. And that’s what I did. I made myself a nice hot cup of hot chocolate and then tucked myself away in my cabin for the next 3 hours re-writing everything plus more which I had just lost moments ago. It was hard and it took a lot of patience and time where I could have been doing something else. But the relief came when I completed all my write ups again just before I was about to turn off my light and go to sleep.

Cruising Around The Islands

(My point of view as a passenger)
My partner and I went on a cruise ship holiday over Christmas last year. We cruised to the islands of New Caledonia and Vanuatu in the South Pacific and had a blast. This was the first time for me that I was on a ship and didn’t have to work. It felt really wired to be honest until I wrote a letter to the ship Captain asking if we could meet him personally and have a tour of the bridge. My void was filled. That was the highlight of my trip. The rest of the cruise was therefore spent relaxing, sleeping in till midday, going ashore and sight seeing the villages on the islands, taking photos and snorkelling around the reefs. The evenings consisted of dinners together in the Regency Dining Restaurant followed by entertainment from the cruise staff. Evening quizzes, champagne golf, dance show productions, stand up comedy acts, talent quests and so much more. For us, each night included a visit to the casino followed by an appearance at the social scene centre – Shooting Stars Bar. Cruise ship holidays are supposed to be a relaxing time away, a time not to think about work or jobs which need doing and are lastly stress-free for a fortnight of fun. My partner and I are now planning our next cruise already it’s looking promising for a cruise to Alaska, Canada and the Panama Canal. Oh it’s exciting!

Living A Fulfilled Life

I am not perfect! I’ve made mistake and bad decisions so far but nothing has stopped me from getting to where I want to go in life. I’ve lost loved ones, cried my heart out at funerals, showed compassion in hospitals and moved around houses so many times, even gone from ship to ship, country to country and family to family growing up. I’ve made some awesome long lasting friends for life and one who has also become my partner now. I have best friends throughout the world and quite possibly a bed in every country (my friends are awesome!) I bought a house when I was 21, learnt about the tenancy tribunal and the workings of insurance claims early on. I rote off my first car then bought a bargain. I’ve raised a family (baby chickens and ducklings) which is still growing today. Travelled to numerous countries and have some pretty remarkable holidays away. I acknowledge and accept that my life wont always be easy and pleasant, things are bound to change and pop up when I least expect them to.
Challenges, obstacles, difficulties and budgeting… Smiling and laughing and relaxing having fun. That’s what my life is all about. Living every area to the max and enjoying everyday as if it were the last. Soaking up experiences and storing memories to hold onto. All this is done with the personal satisfaction that I am happy with my life. Love has been the greatest thing of all as it has filled that little empty space inside of me. Now I don’t walk alone in my life.

Change Occurs Over Time

Oh how my life has changed so much over the last 8 years. I used to be known as the sporty girl who would never stop. Every where you looked you would see Megan either working, running, studying, teaching, painting, helping someone out or busy working away at a task. I was unstoppable. My body would function on 3 hours sleep a night (max) and that was all that I needed to get up early again at 0500 to start a full on day. Exercising everyday and running when I could. Sit ups and press ups each night before bed. My routine became my life. The long day would then switch into a long night full up with studies till the early hours of the morning again. This was the kind of lifestyle which I lived for 5 years straight. Adrenaline kept me going, the studies kept me awake and my passion and love for my job and career kept me happy. Over time things did begin to change. My body requires more and more sleep now as I get older so therefore sleep has become a big part of my life. I just love my sleep ins now, not having to wake up to alarm clocks everyday, oh its so nice. I now have what you would call Balance in my life. Balance consisting of work, sleep, fun, friends and family time, relationship and love time and most important of all ME time. Looking back now so much has changed. None of the changes though have been ones with regrets as all have played their part in making me who I am today. Change can be a beautiful thing and it can be exciting as well as fulfilling, all you have to do is be willing to play your part…

Seeing and Comparing...

Everywhere you look you are always going to see someone more beautiful than you are. Someone who’s hair is more perfect and body is more toned than yours. How do you know this though? By gosh she could be thinking the same thing about you! What brings on these thoughts? Surely if you like who you are as a person and wouldn’t change anything about your appearance then what others look like should have no impact on your life. Surely these thoughts can’t be coming from the innocent chick walking past you! These feelings of insecurity and self hate come when you are not happy with whom you are in yourself, feelings created by you. So the only way which you will be able to address the need to compare yourself to someone else is to first start to look in the mirror and identify your beautiful features. This will be hard at first and will take a bit of time, but I honestly can tell you that the more you think about how gorgeous you are the more confident you will become as a woman. Your beauty will radiate to all around you and you won’t feel the need to compare yourself to anyone else anymore.

Picture Moments In Vanuatu!!!

Determining when is the right time to assess things in your life?

Highs and lows are all part of life, just the same as good and bad times occur when we least expect it. This is one part of nature that we can not control. We can not plan to live a plato way of life and not experience any movement from this line, it just doesn’t work like that! I was once told by a really good friend of mine, who was also a Captain of a medical ship I worked on, that we live in a cycle of ups and downs and highs and lows. Some people have steep gradients while others seem to have a levelled out wobbly line. I asked him to explain to me how do we level out some of our highs and lows in our lives, as in bring the highs down and lows up? The best time to work on the times when we are low (down, sad and depressed) is not when we are low but when we are on a high. That way we are able to see a way out of it. It kind of makes some sense right? Say you are depressed, when you get into a deep well you can not see how you can manage to get out and back up again. It’s when you are on a high that you are able to look at how to bring yourself out of the low for if there is a next time. Me personally I wrote it down in my journal and re-read it when I needed to in the future. Good times keep us happy, bad times strengthen us as a person to grow up and take on what life has next to throw at us. So next time you find yourself in a bit of a downward spiral which you are unsure how to deal with, (if you can) wait till you are on your way back up and then take a big look at where you were and you’ll be surprised at how you can see the whole situation differently…

Leading by example...

An inspiring Captain back in the year 2002 once told me:

“You must work as though there is always someone watching everything that you do! You never know who maybe learning from the little things done in your life…”

I worked on a medical ship in Fiji in 2007 where there were a lot of children on board. On this particular voyage in June/July there was a young 7 year old Australian girl called Zakaiya. She was such a gorgeous young girl, so full of life and happiness (we didn’t know at the time that she came from an abusive background and was now being raised by a solo parent who was home schooled when they found time) From the day we joined the ship together in Lautoka, Fiji, Zakaiya took a liking to me. Everywhere I went she would follow, everything I did she would copy, she ate what I ate, wore her hair the same as mine, sat down when I sat down and basically mimicked everything I did. At first I though that this would get a bit annoying until I realised what this Captain once told me. I started to give Zakaiya the time that she needed with being so young. I taught her how to write her name and start to read some small easy reading picture books. She was so excited that she could write: "Mummy I Love You!" and by golly her mum was defininatley excited. Zakaiya was learning from me. I would be working on the bridge doing chart corrections and she would ask to come and sit next to me and promised not to talk or distract me, she was so caring and considerate at only 7 years old. We still keep in touch today. She is now growing up to be a very bright, cheerful and confident young girl which other girsl are admiring and starting to look up to :-) So it just goes to show you that some ofthe little things that you do in your life that you think may not be that significant at all, can actually have a huge impact on someone elses life around you...

<3 Maintaing your Relationships - both with your Love and your Girlfriends <3

A write up from 2009 which was a big part of my life was this one on "Maintaing your relationships both with your Love and your girls!" Recently I have come to that point in my life where I have realised how much it means for a woman to have her girlfriends by her side.
When in a relationship it is so easy to focus all your time and energy on your partner. It sounds draining though, and what about time apart to spend with your own friends? Like a guy needs to have his space and time alone to spend with his guy mates - watching rugby and socialising etc… Likewise a woman also needs to have time to herself where she can go out and spend time with her girlfriends.
Woman love talking – that’s a proven fact! Men are the opposite though. When a woman gets home from work all she wants to do is talk about her day with her partner but a guy when he gets home from work wants to sit down on the couch and relax for the next half an hour or so with no talking. This is just one of the many differences of both men and woman. A woman she needs to have her girlfriends in her life in a different way that man has their mates. For me, I need to have the support and friendships of my girls to fill that little space in my heart. The kind of friendships where you know you can sit down with your girls, be yourself, not be judged or hit on if you were talking with guys and talk about absolutely anything and everything knowing that they will listen and give feedback in return. I love my girls and the friendships that we have together. They are a big part of my life and I am so very thankful that I have some good true girl friends who I can turn too no matter what time of day or night it is! My New Years resolution is to continue to maintain my girl friendships forever!!! :-)

The morning of the Hot Air Balloon visit.

Last week I was woken numerous times before the alarm clock was supposed to go off. First by the dog scratching against the bedroom door. So I yelled at him once, twice and third time he was out outside. The I eventually fell straight back to sleep. The second time I was woken by rustling, this time it was the baby chickens scratching in the bushes outside the open bedroom window. Grhh!!! Eventually I fell straight back to sleep again. Moments later (third time now) I was woken back up again but this time it was an unusual sort of noise, not one I have ever heard before.
It would come in short bursts and sounded like someone saying ‘Whoosh!’ in a very deep but loud voice. I continue to lay in the bed for a couple more minutes trying to work out what it was. The noise then started to get louder and louder until it got to the stage where I sat up to take a look out the window.
Wow! To my amaze I was actually lost for words! There was a hot air balloon flying directly over our house. I swear if I stood on the roof of the house and jumped up into the air I would have been able to touch the bottom of the basket of the balloon. It was amazing I tell you! The ‘Whoosh!’ noise which I was hearing more frequently was the flame being used to lift the balloon higher and higher into the sky. It was so low. I have never seen a hot air balloon so up close and personal like this before. It glided along on the morning breeze over the roof of our house and up over the hills at the back of the farm. What a way to wake up in the morning…

Vanuatu Islands - The Land Of Beauty!!!

In December 2009 my Partner and I flew to Australia to join the Sun Princess Cruise ship for a 12 night South Pacific voyage. The ship departed Sydney and headed North Eastward up towards the islands of Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Well the islands which we went to were pretty amazing to say the least. Our favourite would have been Wala Island in Vanuatu. Here are some of the photos of the beautiful island which we visited...

New Years Resolutions for 2010

I have spoken with many of my friends over the last few weeks about their New Years Resolutions, basically trying to find out the background as to why people set them in the first place. 40% of the people I asked say that they like to keep their New Years Resolutions private and to themselves, 50% like to share them with everyone around them because this gives them strength to achieve them and then 10% didn’t believe in setting NYR. Well I am in the 50%, I like to share my NYR with the people around me and then celebrate when I achieve them.
So far for 2010 I have set 8 NYR in place which I hope to achieve:
1.) Take an hour a day for “ME” time (time to think and reflect)
2.) Gain my Chief Mates FG ticket at the Maritime School and top the class.
3.) Look after my health and fitness and maintain a healthy fit weight all year.
4.) Be more committed to sticking to my word and plans with friends.
5.) Save enough money for our next holiday away on a Cruise Ship (Alaska)
6.) Become a more patient and tolerant person.
7.) Continue to maintain my friendships with my girls!!!
Well that about sums up my New Years Resolutions set for 2010 already, as you know I will be adding to the list every now and then throughout the year.
“Everything is achievable if you set your mind and heart to it!”

Cruise Ship Cruise Over Christmas

Copy and Paste the link below into your web browser to read a write up of our Cruise Ship Cruise over Christmas 2009...

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=581810142#/notes/megan-stewart/cruise-ship-cruise-over-christmas-of-2009-sun-princess/395740800316

Round Up Of 2009 :-)

Well we can now finally stop and look back at a brilliant year which has passed. For me 2009 bought many new experiences and personal achievements. 2009 started off with ringing in the New Year on the Rail ferries in Wellington and then after a Cruise holiday on a Cruise ship we watched the New Year round up to an end on the beautiful Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia. There were many highlights of 2009 for me:
1) Working on a ship in Australia, 2) Learning beginners French, 3) Taking up surfing as a summer sport, 4) Expanding my family (baby chickens), 5) Road trip around the South Island, 6) Reconnecting with past childhood friends, 7) Cruise holiday with partner over Christmas and New Years, 8) Travelled the Islands in the South Pacific and so many more which I am sure I will be including in my book one day. So overall 2009 was a fantastic year for me. With many achievements gained, new experiences tried, challenged faced, fears overcome and goals accomplished what a new year we have to look forward to ahead of us! Wowhee...

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2008

2008 – Travelling on Tankers overseas

Where do I start when I am asked to talk about Tankers. Do I talk about the ships themselves, the type of people who work on them, the places you get to see of the highs and lows of working in a small confined space for such a small period of time? I don’t know so ill just write about the first thing that comes to my mind… During my time working on the Coastal Tankers I studies Psychology by correspondence.
We worked around the coast of New Zealand, both the north and south islands. Then mid year we headed over to Botany Bay in Australia for a cargo discharge while on our way to Singapore for a dry dock. Crossing the equator for the first time in my life was a pretty neat experience, I was lucky enough to be on the 4-8 watch both on the trip up and trip back to NZ. So of course the best part of my day on the deep sea voyages were definitely getting to see every sun rise and sun set while I was on watch!

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2007

2007 – Pacific Link in Fiji, 2MFG ticket

Well 2007 for me was full on with studies and exams because in November I was to sit my first foreign going ticket oral exam, talk about being nervous! Half way through the year I had quite a bit of leave owing to me so I decide to join the medical ship the Pacific Link again for a couple of voyages around the islands of Fiji. It was during this voyage that I visited one of my favourite islands in Fiji – Viwa Island. The island which touched my heart in more ways than one… The children, their view on life, the quality of life lived and loved by all on the island, schools, beaches and so much more that I could write on for days on end. After a well deserved time in Fiji we then sailed back to New Zealand on a direct Southerly course bound for Tauranga. Our mission was complete. We were welcomed into the berth by the mayor of the town and by many of the family of the crew and students on board. At the end of 2007 I distanced myself from a lot of people just to get myself ready and focused for the final exams. I stayed in a small apartment in town where I was able to study and sleep as I please with no distractions, and it all paid off in the end. I learnt throughout this year that the more time and study you put into learning something the more easier it becomes at remembering it when the time comes.

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2006

2006 – Working for Inter Islander Ferries

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2005

2005 – Aratere Dry Docking in Australia and Pacific Link in Fiji

This is where my sea career really took and upward lead. I made the transition from a small medical ship which works around the Fijian Island to now big foreign going ships. I will write about the Pacific Link in a separate note.
It was a fare bit scary at first, the transition but after 3 weeks on the Arahura (rail ferry) I was transferred to the other rail ferry the Aratere and sent to Australia for 9 weeks, why though - for a dry dock. The most interesting dry dock I have ever experienced. I was involved with many jobs and tasks that took me from the bottom of the double bottom ballast tanks, to the shaft space, heeling tanks, lifeboats and davits, bridge electrical room and then to the top of the mast on the monkey island – What an adventure to remember… voyaging from New Zealand to Australia and back was also a highlight for me. Seeing dolphins around the coastlands and whales in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was just amazing!

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2004

2004 – SONZ Cadetship

In January 2004 I joined the Youth Development Sailing Ship Spirit of New Zealand in Wellington as a cadet for a 13 month cadetship living on board. Wow what a year ahead of me … Sailing around New Zealand for an entire year on a sailing ship, seeing some amazing sights, meeting 1000’s of youth from all over the world who came on board for a voyage, made some friends for life and realised that this was the start to a wonderful sea career to come. The very first write up on my blog page mentions a little about how it all started. http://captain-megs.blogspot.com/2007/06/it-all-started-on-spirit-of-new-zealand.html I spent my 18th birthday on the Spirit of New Zealand which was one to remember. I learnt everything there was to know about paint, rope work, wire splices, rust killers, treating and preparing wood surfaces for varnishing, how to make blocks and rope ladders and so much more about the wind and sailing. I even got taught a little engineering which was different.

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2003

2003 – America’s Cup and Outward Bound

This was a bit of a mixed sort of year for me. 2003 started off with my best friend Nikki and I joining the Spirit of New Zealand as volunteer voyages for the Americas Cup corporate sailings in the Auckland Hauraki Gulf. What an awesome, amazing 9 weeks of our lives!!! Seeing the international racing up front and as close as we were was just phenomenal.
When the Americas Cup came to an end Nikki and I had to return back to High School to finish of our last year of compulsory education. Throughout the year I did a few short voyages on the sailing ship which included a buddy on a disabled voyage, a deck hand on a Leadership Development Voyage and numerous day sails.
The end of my school year was coming to an end. I had recently received confirmation that I had got the cadetship to work on the SONZ in 2004. The round up 2003 I did a 21 day Mind, Body and Soul course at Outward Bound in Anakiwa in New Zealand. It was a real tester for me and the other 11 students who were on the course (most of which we are still good friends today)
2003 was a jam packed year for me and 2004 was looking at being a lot of the same… Geewhiz!!!

Inspiring Moments Over The Last 8 Years... 2002

2002 – Japan Holiday then SONZ trainee voyage

The very first highlight which I can remember was my overseas holiday with my grandparents to Japan. It was the first country which I travelled to where English wasn’t the first language. I had been learning Japanese for the previous 3 years so that came in handy for me. Had the experience of seeing snow in Tokyo followed by the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms on the side streets. Japan was definitely and experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. The culture was fascinating and interesting to interact with.
Later on in August 2002 I joined the Youth Development Sailing Ship Spirit of New Zealand as a trainee. Not knowing anyone I boarded a sailing ship as nervous as ever and having no clue how to sail a ship or even if I had my sea legs. After the first few hours on board I was up the mast with three other trainees stowing the sails on the Topgallant mast in a blowing Gale force wind. From that day onward I fell in love with the sea and you couldn’t keep me down off the yards. Made some amazing friends of a lifetime and had such a blast that I didn’t want to leave and go back home to reality!

INSPIRING MOMENTS over the last 8 years...

In early 2010 I will be recalling the most memorable moments of my life over the last the last 8 years. Its going to be hard to pin point one exact time which I remember so clearly because there are so many. I will include a variety of photos as well.
2002 – Japan Holiday then SONZ trainee voyage,
2003 – America’s Cup and Outward Bound,
2004 – SONZ Cadetship,
2005 – Pacific Link in Fiji, Aratere Dry Docking in Australia,
2006 – Working for Inter Islander Ferries,
2007 – Pacific Link in Fiji, 2MFG ticket,
2008 – Travelling on Tankers overseas,
And that’s just the titles of each write up!

STICKING TO YOUR WORD!

In the Maritime Industry we are taught to be clear communicators. We have to prove what we say is actually what we do and also the visa versa.

“Say what you do, do what you say and prove it!”
This is something that they teach us at school when we are learning about International Safety Management. The same goes in everyday life.
“Let you ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No’ be no!”
Saying what you mean is just the beginning though, meaning what you say is the next step. When you say something stick to your word! No one likes someone who says that will do something for them and then never gets around to doing it, as well as that Trust in friendships can not be built up if there either person can not be relied on. The spoken word is one of the most powerful things in the world. It can make and break things in an instance. So next time when you are thinking of meeting up with someone or doing something for a friend to help them out, think about it first. Can you actually commit to saying ‘Yes, I’ll do that for them’ without getting their hopes up and then letting them down?

BARRIERS ARE LIKE GLASS DOORS

You can put them up and keep them up your while life but people will still be able to see through them to who you really are. No one is able to hide themselves and protect themselves their entire lives, it’s just not possible if you are involved with human contact every day. Barriers in life can be good thing to protect yourself from being hurt emotionally, but later on down the track you will need to reconsider if its worth keeping them up and building a relationship or friendship on the other side of the wall. It may hurt at first, letting them down, but trust me once a friendship or relationship is established with you both on the same side its such an amazing feeling! Just takes time and a whole lot of trust.

P.S. “I Love You!”

This is one of my most favourite movies of 2009. It explains a lot about my life and friendship relationships. I have written about Love before on my last blogpage but I felt the need recently to touch base again on the topic. Love is the best feeling you could ever imagine to have in the whole wide world. As well as it being the best ever it can also have the opposite effect on people. Love can hurt people as well, so much as a death, heartbreak, break up or something which effects the way our heart sees and feels love. Broken love can then lead down the track to cutting themselves off from ever stepping forward to experiencing it again.
A great favourite song of mine which I listened to for most of 2007 was by a band called ‘Super Chicks’ it some lyrics which I still so clearly remember today which is so relevant for what I am trying to write about.
“We live, we love, we forgive and never give up, because the days we are given are gifts from above, and today we remember to live and to love!”

WHEN THE TIMING’S RIGHT – WRITE!

I can’t believe its Wednesday now, sign off day and I am still writing. Normally I spend my Wednesdays packing and getting ready for hand over when we arrive back into port. Not this time though. I joined the ship last Wednesday and was writing non-stop for 5 days until I came to a stop when I got writes blank for 2 days. No matter how hard I tried to think about what to write I just couldn’t bring myself to it, it just wasn’t there. This morning I am actually supposed to be sleep because I am working the night shift but I have woken up only 3 hours after getting to bed and have a head full of words, stories and ideas which I want to write about. Lucky it’s a beautiful morning outside and I’m writing sitting with the best view in the world gazing back at me. Now getting back to writing…

WHO AM I?

We all come to that stage in our lives in one way or another. Some ask themselves this question more often than others and most are never able to fully answer this by themselves. They seek others opinions on them to help them to determine who they are in life. I believe that this is one of the most important things in life because it contributes to just about everything that we do. “Knowing who we are in ourselves!”
A lot of people think that if you talk about yourself and what you think of who you are then you’re pretty bug headed. Well it’s the opposite really in life. If you can describe yourself to someone confidently then it shows you have self-confidence in yourself and if you have this then happiness will be on your side forever. Loving yourself and being able to speak highly of who you are is the first step that you need to take before you can start to speak this of your partner or others.
For me I see and know myself as a strong, courageous, confident and beautiful young woman. If I am able to say this and acknowledge now, that what I know about myself is actually true then I am going to be a happy woman when I wake up each day, smiling and full of joy, with a lot of smiles and love to share with the people around me.

PASSING ON YOUR PASSION TO OTHERS

“There is nothing more spectacular than waking up in the morning and wanting to go to work. 13 steps away from your bed is your office and workplace surrounded by an ocean and wonderful sea life.”
Does this sound to good to be true? Most people can only dream of living a life like this, the lucky few that get to do this for a living, approximately 60% take it for granted. But not me! I consider myself blessed to be in this job. It is my dream and my passion and one which I want to share with the world.
A 60 year old guy recently came and visited me on the bridge of the ship, his eyes were the size of gold balls and mouth was open wider than the entrance to the Amazon River. He was amazed! Stunned and lost for words. 45 years spent working as a Steward on a ship and not once has he been able to visit the heart of the ship.
The words which he spoke to me are still pictured so vividly in my memory that I recall them whenever I am having a bad day at work.
“I wish I had decided to do something like this before I got too old, it was always my dream to drive ships but never got the opportunity to do so like there is available to young people today!” He now visits the bridge on a regular basis. I give him the opportunity to have a go at hand steering the ship and altering course. He just thinks it amazing. This has been my mission lately. To offer the opportunity to people to come and experience what I do for a living and actually step into my shoes for 5 minutes of a day. Now I have one visitor who comes to the bridge during each shift, whether they are a steward, cabin attendant, caterer, passenger, friend or anyone else. I give others the chance to do something that they never ever thought they would be able to do.

--- TIME ---

The one thing that we can not control, can never get back, it eventually runs out and can seem endless yet at the same time so short… Where does it come from? Where does it go? You can chase it but you will never be able to catch it.
Time determines so much in our daily lives. Sometime we wish we had more of it and that it would never end and other times we wish that it would all just stop. Oh if we could just go back in time to change something we did in hope for a better outcome, but would we be where we are in life today without our past experiences?

What drives a ship I wonder?

A ship can’t clean itself. It relies on its crew to keep it in good clean shape.
The same goes with us and I am not talk about a physical cleaning. If we don’t make an effort to continually clean ourselves from the inside out we will eventually become clogged up and weighed down from everything we have let build up.
So how can we have an inner clean up? Dieticians recommend a detox but they only focus’s on your health and body. A full clean up from the inside out involves letting go and getting rid of all your emotional baggage. This is probably the hardest part of self cleansing. Letting go of the issues you have been carrying around your entire life, breaking down barriers and allowing yourself to love again, believing in yourself that you have a life which is worth living for. I could go on and on about this but basically at the end of the day it is up to each of us as individuals to look after and take care of ourselves. What we do, we have to face up to the consequences. If you don’t look after yourself it is not anyone else’s fault but yourselves! So take time to look at your life every now and then, start to unblock all the channels which have slowly started to get clogged up, remember to have not only a physical clean each day but also an emotional clean out every so often. In order to stay in shape we have to be willing to put in the hard work!