MAIN OBJECTIVES FIRST

Waiting my dental check up and lab in the clinic

Career Ship management doesn’t really want to waste time eh ?! , Cant imagine I am now being rushed by career to complete the necessary requirements as soon as possible and that they said according from what I heard on the medical department that I will be deployed soon.  Well I hope not that soon cause I still have a lot of administrative things to do.

Anyway when I arrived , I immediately arrived to the medical booth to check and see what's the deal with the medical slip. I was informed to photocopy a few documents and go back and report to the reporting booth. Went outside since there's no photocopy machine inside career ship management . Photocopied my 1st and 2nd page of my Seaman's book along with the 1st page of my passport and SRC card (Seafarer's Registration Card). After the Photo copy I went and proceeded to the reporting booth and was told to go back in the medical booth.

When I went I gave her my Yellow Fever Card and there I was given the medical slip and a sets of forms namely its called an "allotment" form, which basically tells who's is going to received my salary assuming that I get work  onboard a ship. She said that when passed The medical (If I passed) . I had to pass these forms back along with the  with another Typhoid fever yellow card.  She added also that my Medical Pre employment exam will be on the 27th of march 2013, and the results will be given by April 1st, 2013. I was order to call them back on the number she wrote on my medical slip.

The clinic site 

Immediately after I was finished with the medical , I Immediately sent an SMS to my sister informing her that I might need her help in regards to this since there are some parts in the medical that might have some cost like for example the Typhoid Fever Yellow Card which cost around 900 PHP . Overall my general assumption is that the medical bill might go beyond the 1,000 PHP, That's why I needed my sisters help on it. 

Few minutes ago while writing this part on my journal, I was briefly interrupted by a phone call from my cell phone coming from career. To my dismay on the phone call conversation , I was informed that there is a possible that I might leave the country in a rush basis be deployed by next month (April) in Dale which is the name of the joining port.  They told me to report to the office by tomorrow - right after my medical exam and proceed the visa booth for my endorsement on the Visa application.

Example of a "Yello Card" Vaccine, My Card by the way

 Unfortunately for me I haven't even started yet on the medical exam , and Its not even sure if I would pass the medical, I  told them that I'm still in the medical phase yet. They said that its urgent and I can proceed immediately after the medical. Personally I really hate this all-rush-of-a-sudden- method and it doesn’t work out for me that well , Why the fuck would they rush me ? I hate being rushed like this !. I haven’t even settled yet on the allottement form yet. Really frustrates me on this method, worse nobody in career even bothered to tell me about my deployment date which was April , they just one day said I'm going to be in dale by April. BOOM !! As simple as that. Got already too much things to attend with here and too little available resources and money to attend them all.

I remember an old Chinese proverb incidentally , it says "Rashness brings fortune to some , but misfortune to many" . 

The following day….

Set everything needed on my bad and even bought the extra cash needed for my medical exam at Maritime Medical and Laboratory Clinic, Inc . As usual I woke up early and got dress and took a public jeepney to the train station going to the main manila.

Minor Rain brought a huge puddle in the office

Came in very early n the clinic at about 6.30Am and basically it was still closed at that time, had to wait an hour, before it opens. We lined in a single file and I almost got lost to the "follow up" department instead going to the "new applicants" department. Nearly also got rejected from getting the medical exam because I don’t have any government issued I.D.'s , Good thing I was able to remember that I got an NBI certificate with me which I managed to get by a month ago.

My Medical Form in the clinic 

Alright everybody DropZone is 300 meters , line up single file :D

Went through 5 stages of medical screen in the clinic, First was of course the Laboratory which they had to extract blood from my arm. The med tech wasn't that good in extracting my blood and she had been drawing my blood for more than 3 minutes, It was excruciatingly painful having a needle stuck on my arm.  After that I proceeded to other stages, there was no problem as far I recall on the other stages of the medical examination. Just walked it by like without any problems. For the medical the only problem I could see is the dental which I might require repairing a small hole on the font of my teeth and the Typhoid fever vaccine which I haven't took yet..

So what I can say about Maritime Medical and laboratory clinic ? Well its not that sophisticated as the one I had in Physicians, but I guess this is enough to screen out sailors for their medical. One thing I had about Maritime Medical is their receptionist staff which I find very rude for my taste ( not the nurses of med techs).After finishing the medical ,l received an SMS message from career informing me about reporting back to the office and give my certificates to the NAC TESDA booth on career to have it scanned. Since I decided that I had plenty of time and its just noon. I decided to stop by pay career a little visit, Unfortunately I regretted the decision later on as it brought me more expenses and another set of objectives.

Went to the UN LRTA train station and got a train then dropped off to Edsa station , then afterwards walked northward a kilometer or two , all the way till I reached Evangelista Makati, As usual I stayed in McDonalds for about 30 minutes to cool off from the air con and change my shirt. After that I entered the Career Ship management office

When I arrived I was told to photo copy all my documents yet again (training certificates to be specific) and give the copies to the TESDA NAC booth, after going to the trouble of bring the photo copies. My documents was reviewed and said that three of my certificates have expired already and these are SHIP SECURITY AWARENESS, PADAMS, and INTERNATIONAL SAFETY MANAGEMENT CODE.  Aside from that I was given another 3 sets of minor objectives , apparently the TESDA NAC boot said I should accomplish some sort of CAV certificate from  TESDA office which is unfortunately far off in Taguig area in Manila (farther south). Another object she said was this so called Office seminars which I could accomplish within a few days , there are four and I think I can handle it. The third object is that I had to take 3 computer exams today and pass them, the receptionist on the TESDA NAC Booth said I should go to the fourth floor and see Captain Ledesma.

Medical slip that came from career

After seeing Captain Ledesma which informed me about my upcoming office training seminars, He told me that I should go down to the third floor to take the computer exam. In the room I just gave my 3 index cards given by Captain Ledesma and the staff there assisted me on the room, I took the CES 4.1 computer exam along with another computer exam called MARLINS and the last is Marine English. Funny thing though that my scores in English proficiency exams was 89 percent and based on the breakdown the English reading is perfect 100 percent while my listening skills was 90 percent accuracy. I guess all that call center trainings years ago really paid off. I did pass the CES deck support exam though it was only border limits. I went back to Captain ledesma and said that my next objective will be attended classes on April 2 and 3 and then again on April 5. He said call it a day and be back on the said date.

Cant really imagine that I'd be doing this ever in my life and in career, Imagine I took the whole medical screening enchilada in the morning and walked at noon ,then took a few paper works and even took a computer exam in the afternoon. Career really knows how to push the Filipino potential into limits,  I'm dead tired from the medical and still went to career and not only to finished it but pass the exam.

Finished the objective at about 5:30 and went home and took a bus. Unfortunately traffic got very heavy and it took me two hours to reach cubao area. For now I'd take advantage of the holiday to reassemble the needed finances for my agenda for the whole week. Looks like I'm going to be in a hell of a ride this coming April, Hope that my finances are stable enough to take the punishment.

For now I should not pay attention on this company lecture seminars and such , what I need to stay focus is on how to get the U.S. Visa. That objective is crucial in determining my place and the overall course of this campaign in career and this is the only thing I should care about until I have that Visa stamped to my passport. Should take note that I'm pressured in both time and resources, If I don’t secure this then my adventures in career wont be worth a set of thermal underwear in Kalaw street at high noon. I'd be dead fired from the job and even pay career for the expenses. I don’t want that to happen , and I have to go to it.

Walking my way in marikina riverside , clean fresh air and temp is much cooler than manila