Running Out of Time

Man made pond at a mall in Kuwait City

With my incredibly long working hours, I rarely have enough time to myself. I would like to watch movies, but I'm too absorbed in my work. Being a perfectionist has it's ups and downs. I'm never satisified because my quality of work has to be the best. My repair work requires no rework because I find permanent solutions to broken equipment. My boss says it is because I'm a Virgo.

Sports:
Me and my boss have strong differences in opinion when it comes to sports. I don't play it or watch it because I think it is a complete waste of time and effort. He tries to convince me that it is good for your body and spirit. I tell him that "men who like to watch sweaty men playing with balls IS GAY". He stares back at me without answer. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being anti-social. I'm just a deep thinker and I like to come up with creative ideas and new inventions.



Today, I had a large serving of lobster, two servings of steak and Baskin Robbins ice cream. I have been told that the Kuwaiti government pays for our food. I'm not sure if it is rumor, but it makes sense that we get to eat a lot without meal cards or having it deducted from our paychecks. I can just imagine how many millions of dollars they spend a day to feed us. Especially since all the food here is imported from all over the world. Thanks for all food, Kuwait!

Military Downsizing
The military is still downsizing. Although the higher-ups try to rename downsizing to "right sizing".... but we aren't stupid. Who do they think we are? The Navy is moving towards becoming a more deployable force. I'm not too sure how they would accomplish this since a good portion of the Navy is already deployed. So does that mean, no family life what-so-ever? I imagine new UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) laws that enforce: Falling in Love is Not Allowed. The military needs to realize how precious shore duty stations are. They allow us to purchase homes and boost local economies while providing training and logistical support for the war fighters. This is solely my opinion. Don't take away the military member's family life and if it must be disrupted, at the very least, make it tolerable and provide compensation time and money.

OPSEC a Question?

So what is OPSEC? Many people are confused when it comes to this. Our Commanding Officer clearly tells us not to reveal troop movements, numbers and anything harmful to the U.S. and Allies of the United States.

All photos posted are unclassified and outdated. Especially any photographs taken from the air. I actually download most of these from the military's share drive! I can only talk about what has happened in the past.

Does this webpage need to be cleared with the Public Affairs Officer?
No. As written in the "Stars and Stripes", the U.S. Army allows deployed troops to upkeep bloggers. It is actually encouraged as it may boost morale by being an inexpensive means of keeping in touch with family (and the world!). But if you feel that anything here violates operational security, please e-mail me at the link on this page and I will promptly remove it as I check my e-mail constantly.

I work with the Public Affairs Officer as my writing is also published in "The Desert Anchor".


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Okay, now I got that out of the way, I can talk about life again.

Lately, I've been reading a book called "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown. It is really quite interesting. There are a lot of twists and turns as a suspense novel should be.

Movies I watched: The War of the Worlds and The Day after Tomorrow.
Today was President's Day, so I actually had some time to decompress and not think about work. The War of the Worlds was very good. If you have seen it before, you would know that that little girl in that movie was really annoying and all I wanted to do is smack her. Some of the people who watched the movie didn't get the ending. Simple minded people would think that Tom Cruise caused the aliens to go away.... Think about the ending.

Soco will be moving out of the apartment soon. The government is going to make us pay to move out which is going to cost us a couple thousand dollars. Ick. I know that the government is being stingy with their funding. Ouch. Oh well, the benefits outweigh the costs since we will no longer have to pay to do laundry and we will have an American sized kitchen!

Science News: I was reading the other day about anti-matter. If we can harness the energy of anti-matter, it is actually 1000 times more potent than nuclear fusion. Wow. That would mean that something the size of a grain of rice can power the entire country of Japan. Or travel to the planet Mars with 6 grams of matter!

Lunch with the Admiral: Never happened. I was assigned to have lunch with him two days ago and for some reason, it never materialized. My trust in my chain of command has decreased.... thanks a lot.

-=-=-=-=-=-
I know that in the military, people are awarded for various reasons. I have decided to take it upon myself to establish 3 new ribbons:

1. "Getting Credit for Somebody Else's Hard Work" Ribbon
2. "I Did My Job" Ribbon
3. "Outstanding Usage of Tag-a-log While in Uniform" Ribbon

If you are in the military, you probably know what I'm talking about. The suck-ups, the lazy, and the Tag-A-Log speakers.
-=-=-=-=-=-

Sorry, no pictures today. I'm using one of the MWR computers.

Never Ending Job

Army and Navy Medical Team working together at Camp Victory, Kuwait

The job that I do, Biomedical Engineer is a never ending job. There is never a time where I can just spend time catching up on things because there is always work to do. 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. That schedule is starting to wear me out and Jcid, my co-worker, is showing serious signs of burn-out. Even though our leadership has called for giving us 1 1/2 days off a week, we take the initiative to keep working and answer troublecalls on our days off. Unfortunately for us, every piece of medical equipment is detrimental to the mission. My hobby of fixing things has become my job and now I take little pleasure in fixing stuff. Funny, I thought that people should aim to work at what they take pleasure of doing. Hmm... food for thought.

Today, I checked the shelves at the PX and to my surprise, the shelf was full of action packed games! SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals, Grand Theft Auto Libery City, Lord of the Rings: Tactics, and the ever-so-popular, Need for Speed. SWEET. I'm sure that they will all be gone by the close of business.

Line of Medievac Humvees

Morale Calls Home
I do my best to call home once a day. It is quite challenging because Japan is six hours ahead of us and while Soco is home, I am working. Although not authorized to make personal calls during working hours, I put my wife first and I stop everything I do and make a phone call near the end of closing time. And after that, I catch up on more work that has piled up since then. I can't wait to go back home!

Morale is improving as our tour is coming to a close. Seabees have already switched out with their new crew and I'll be awaiting for my replacement, Advanced BMET from Naval Medical Center San Diego.

Prado being refueled directly from the truck

If you ever come to Kuwait, you may be lucky to drive a Prado. The government leases these wonderful 4-wheel drive SUVs and they are sooth off-road! My fastest muddy desert off-road speed to date: 65 kph. A strange phenomenon is that it has two fuel tanks. I found out about this when the fuel tank went from 3/4 tank to full while I was driving on the freeway. Everybody falls in love with this vehicle. As Chief Haggad calls them, "Prado Affectionados".

No Alcohol, No Naked Photos Allowed

Helo Landing

General Order #1: No alcohol or naked photos what-so-ever.

It is not just a rule on this base, it is the rule for the entire country.

How do soldiers, airmen and sailors cope with this?
Answer: Near beer

Monopoly:
The military exchange is a monopoly out here! I can't believe that I have to pay so much for the things I want! They falsely advertise, "We go where you go, and our prices stay the same."

Bullshit! Digital cameras, laptops, televisions, computers, memory, batteries, video games, music CDs, DVDs, MP3 players, DVD players are all outrageously priced. The prices stay the same for toothpaste, bubble gum and toilet paper, but not the "good stuff" that keep us sane.

Another thing I noticed is that they stock the stupidest crap. They have very little idea what the target customer really wants. There are 40 copies of "Bad News Bears" PSP movie just sitting on the shelf collecting dust for over 2 months! There could be some cool video game there in it's place, but no... they have to sell out of it before they restock with something fresh. Why aren't they stocking war games? Or race car games? Everybody loves playing "SOCOM: US Navy Seals", instead they stock stupid shit like, 30 copies of an old crappy movie called "Death Race 2000" or 30 copies of "Robocop" or games designed for six year old kids. C'mon people! We're in a warzone! There's no kids here. You're killing me! If you're going to stock up on stupid miscellaneous crap, get only 5 copies, not 30. Jeez.

Jokes:
To maximize our use of time out here, we try to entertain ourselves with pranks and jokes. My latest prank is setting up wooden mouse traps in the refrigerator. To watch someone reach in and see all those mouse traps! Hahaha! What is even funnier is when someone actually reaches in for something and set them off! OOOUCHHH!!!

Another prank that has been going around is the "FN + Num lock" key. My boss actually bought a new keyboard because someone had changed his keyboard configuration! Hehehe

Most Influential Language in the World

Rack Life

Out of boredom, I was researching what was the most influential language in the world. It is difficult to get up-to-date information since most of it was dated back in 1997 (9 years ago). It appears that Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world, and English is the second. But English is spoken in more countries and is the business language of the world. With billions of citizens within it's own country of China, Mandaran defaults as the most spoken language. There are very few Mandaran speakers in the U.S. and scattered in other countries, and it is not very easy to learn. I was watching how amazing it was to see Indian MTV and surprisingly everyone spoke English! It is much easier to conduct business in Kuwait since everyone here can speak English or some form of English. I spoke to Mr. Deepak, a contractor, and he told me that everyone in India is taught English at a very young age. That is very interesting. Wouldn't it be great if the whole world spoke one language? That would end so much confusion, miscommunication, and possibly, wars.
I already know that in many countries, English is printed along with Arabic in middle eastern countries and in Japan.

Motivational Sign

Kuwait City

Let's get a large-bore IV going!

"Don't let your dingle-dangle dangle in the dirt,
Pick it up, wipe it off, stick it in your shirt!

Don't let your dingle-dangle dangle in the sand,
Pick it up, wipe it off, put it in your hand!"
-Navy Cadence

Dingle-dangle = dogtags

United States, the most powerful force in the Universe

US Military Hospital Kuwait Entrance

The United States, I have learned, has infinite money. It is strange, but true fact that it is the wealthiest, bankrupt country in the world. Yet, we are still on top of the world and luckily, other nations love to trade with us. Our only downfall is our reliance on foreign fossil fuels. By the year 2015, electric cars will take over. Hydrogen power is the future.

Food Court

Me and J were having recent discussions and debating about how this war is being fought. I'm thinking that we are doing okay, but it can get better. J jokingly said that, "Genocide is the key to success in warfare. If you kill everybody, there can be no retailiation and the victorious will be happy forever." Is it? It is impossible to conduct such a feat in this war because insurgents blend in with the local population. So no, genocide wouldn't work. The main strategy is: rebuild Iraq's and Afghanistan's economy so they can prosper and influence surrounding Islamic nations by their success. Now, Iran wants to screw everything up by threatening nukes. They're so dumb. Why can't everybody be happy and peaceful? America did them a favor by removing a crazy dictator armed with chemical and biological weapons away from their border. No appreciation what-so-ever.

Helo Ops

Life of the Typical Deployed Military Member

Fish Market

The weather has gotten wetter and warmer over the past few days. And it shows, now that I go to work every morning and have to put up with the stench of my co-workers. I think that fat people stink pretty bad. I turn around and yell at my partner, "GO TAKE A SHOWER DAMN IT!" "Shut up, I already did." he yells back. We unsheath our knives and wrenches and pretend to fight each other.

It is pretty much the same thing at the barracks. Everybody stinks and the nasty fart games that guys play are pretty disgusting. We are packed in our living quarters like sardines. And the farting never stop with people saying, "Oh! That one was great, I just might have to change my underwear." I really hate it that everyone seems to think that it is okay to stay awake late at night, talk in their normal tones of voices while some people are trying to sleep. It drives me nuts. I wish I could just cut their tongue out, but that would be too messy. I'm missing the life in my cozy apartment in Japan.

I swear that I'm getting dumber and dumber as I spend more time around the folks around here. People are starting to reflect on their life back home, talking about how they would have sex with ugly chicks or their favorite private places to masterbate. I'm not going to go into detail but you can figure out the rest. I try to ignore all the racist jokes and remarks which occur quite frequently under a controlled environment. I'm also having dreams of shooting bad guys with my 9mm. I try to keep my sanity by reading two month old Time magazines and continuous cramming for the advancement exam. Something that Soco has got me motivated to do. I remind myself that I'll be home shortly and I look forward to eating steak and crablegs a few more times.

I have gotten a package from my sister. It was pretty neat. Bowl of Vietnamese PHO, snacks, a toy and a HUGE box of breath mints. How thoughtful, I pass out the breath-ments every morning for now on. It's enough to last a month! Cool, thanks!

Another typical day in the Kuwaiti Desert. 07 FEB 06
New Movies

Adventures in Kuwait City

Indian Food

At the briefing, I was told not to cross the street or go past the fish market. After finding the mall so boring, I figured... why not? I crossed the street and left the comfort of armed security. I was on my own.

Outside the mall, it was really trashy. The buildings look like they were weakly built and that they could fall apart. The sidewalks had huge potholes and the smell of exhaust was overwhelming. I got stared at a lot because I was probably the wierdest person they have ever seen. I dressed differently and I looked like I had a lot of money on me. That was my first mistake as I walked into the street side bazaar. There are a lot of Indian, Sri Lankans, Pakistanians, and Philipinos. A lot, by the way they were dressed, were Muslem. The women all wore burkas of some kind. Some only covered their body and hair, while others only have holes for their eyes. The buildings were dark and spooky and everyone wanted to lure me in and have me purchase something.

Something I learned in Cultural Awareness class, is that you should never approach a woman or stare at them. You might get stabbed. So I cautiously looked around and didn't stay in one place for too long. Walking around by myself in this foreign land was very nerve racking. I wanted to run back, but I kept my cool and attempted to blend in by walking into a store. Watches caught a glimpse of my eye and somehow I was convinced to buy something. Hmmm.... Something that I couldn't get anywhere else. Just for my wife.

Out of all of the oddities here, I think the perfect Valentines gift was all over the place. But since, Soco already knows what I got her, I'm going to go ahead and mention what I got.

Guess.

Well, you're wrong. It is not a robot! They don't sell those kind of things here! The two things that sell best here is gold, rugs and purfume. Now, take your guess.

Inside Mall

Third Country National Territory

Third Country Nationals, otherwise known as TCNs, is anyone who is not a Kuwaiti citizen. To be a Kuwaiti citizen, you must be married to a Kuwaiti or be the child of a Kuwaiti. It is very possible that a Kuwaiti will marry a Philipina and her child will be a Kuwaiti. Interesting isn't it?

ATM Machine in a Truck

Inevitible Laws of Success in today's United States Navy.
1. The Philippines is the center of the Universe.
2. Everything evolves around the Philippines.
3. Philippinos know everything. They have all the answers which make them, Subject Matter Experts.
4. If you can't understand rules number 2 and 3, refer back to rule number 1.
5. English is going to be phased out with Tag-a-log. The sooner you learn this language, the faster you will be promoted.
6. If you do not like adobo, panset or lumpia, you must at the very least, like steamed rice. If you don't, you won't succeed.

The Sultan Center - Al Kout Fahaheel

Girls coming out of a Video Game store

Definition: a long loose body-covering garment with veiled holes for the eyes, worn by some Muslim women

The lastest in Burka Fashion

I went to Kuwait City today for a Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) trip. It was really great to be able to escape this jail cell. The military doesn't ever let anyone leave the base except for work purposes. Well, I went to a mall. This mall was really nice and everything was very clean and luxurious. There were guards everywhere and everywhere you see, you see Muslim women in Burkas.

Despite all the burkas, this mall had lots of clothing, shoe and jewelery stores similar to what you would see in the United States. I was actually quite shocked to see familiar brands and familiar stores such as Harley Davidson, GNC (Vitamin Food Retail Store), Footlocker, etc... They also had lots of clothing stores which look somewhat similar to American like clothes.

There's so much to talk about, I'll continue on tomorrow.

IncrediblyX enjoying cool ocean breeze

Muslim Men going to get Starbucks Coffee

Brag Sheets, Absolutely a Play on Words

Sandstorms look cool unit they hit you

It is that time again, where enlisted sailors of the U.S. Navy are supposed to input their brag sheets. Brag Sheets are like resumes except that we aren't looking for a job. We are trying to get a raise, and believe me, it is cut throut. I have seen an example of one being 14 pages long. It is a bit ridiculous but I think it is unfair. Some people have jobs where they do absolutely nothing so they have all the time in the world to be attending college courses and taking correspondence courses during working hours. I believe it is a wrong to be doing personal advancement type stuff during working hours. It is unfair to those who bust their asses everyday in the frontlines. And especially to those who are deployed.

Well, in the sample bragsheet I have seen, this one person made, "putting up bathroom checklist" sound like saving the universe in the description. So stupid. But I guess if you can write and brag about yourself, you have an advantage over those who can't.

It is total bullshit.

People who try to stomp on people to get on top don't have consciences. They'll get what's coming to them eventually.... An extra hundred dollars a month.

Some people ask me if I have seen "Camel Spiders". The answer is no. I haven't seen any and they are rumored to be very large creatures. More like resembling a crab. If I see one, I'll put a picture up.

"Jarhead" - I watched that movie and it was mediocre. I liked the dramatic scenes where it paused and showed the spraying oil wells. I spoke to a Marine who saw it too. He said, "It was dumb, all it was about is how stupid Marines act." I was really wondering if he saw the same movie that I saw. That is totally what it's NOT about. Dumbass. It's someone's story about what they had experienced while going on Operation Desert Shield. Really good movie, everyone should see at least once. I doubt that it would become a classic like "Full Metal Jacket" since the bootcamp part of insulting Pvt. Swifford was way too short. Really great to watch, but too boring to watch again. The book was a whole lot better.

Beer Goggles and Female Shreks

Give me a Kiss you Fool!

Male conversations usually consist of sports, cars, technology, beer, and women. After being in Kuwait for so long, I think that being in a place where there is a lack of females, I'm probably getting dumber. I notice that my co-workers are getting the beer goggles and finding everything and anything attractive. Fortunately for me, I'm not getting affected by all this sand and dust. But some guys are. They're falling for "Female Shreks". Which is the common term to describe females that resemble green monster-like people. The Army has plenty of them. I asked an Air Force Sergent what he thought when he first stepped foot on this base, he said, "I've never been anywhere where there's so many ugly women." I joke, "Well, prey that you don't get beer goggles." Beware! I'm sure a good number of women look the same on almost every military base in the world where the it isn't a U.S. Air Force base. My wife is an exception!

Speaking of female Shreks, some of them can run pretty damn fast. I've seen girls run the speed limit. The speed limit is less than 25kph. The Army has the habit of doing physical training so freaking early in the morning. When I go to breakfast I usually see them chase after cars. My max is 9.3 miles per hour (on the treadmill), but damn, those Army girls are fast! (even the chubby ones)

Lately, I've been busy with coming up with articles to write in the newly established, The Desert Anchor. It is the hospital's newsletter and I've volunteered myself to be an editor. My main focus is writing about the guys "Behind the Scenes"... the people who make things happen.

Also recently, my wife has been pictured in the Umitaka (Japanese for Seahawk) which is the Yokosuka's newspaper. It shows her trying out the new fitness center. She was one of the first ones to ever get on an elliptical. She says that the new gym has treadmills with flatscreen tvs on them. Really cool stuff! I can't wait to try it, I'll bring my headphones.

Spec Ops Survival Tip:
Learn how to fall asleep in any situation because you never know when you'll have the opportunity to get a good night's rest. I think I have mastered this skill. I can sleep on a hard cold concrete floor, no cover with loud people shouting and music playing.
Seahuts at Fleet Hospital Training, Camp Pendleton, CA

Kuwait City

Kuwait Tower

Although I haven't had the opportunity to visit Kuwait City, I have pictures to share with the world of what it looks like. It is a very modern city, with big city happenings. Lots of people and crazy drivers. It is very clean and high tech just like the western world.

Feeding the Curious Camels

Camels

Mail Call

My House in Kuwait

Mail Call is the most exciting part of the day here at Kuwait. To have your name magically appear on the list is like winning the lottery. I haven't received a package or letter since Christmas. But that's okay, I can deal with it. :( I'm high tech, I get e-mails like crazy and my mailbox always gets full.

I remember George W. Bush saying, "Don't forget about Poland!" Since I've been here, I've seen troops and people from all over the world, EXCEPT Poland. I've seen people from S. Korea, Japan, all over South America, Philipines, India, Pakistan, Italian, Kuwaiti, British, Australia, Canada, all the Allied Nations, the U.S. Coast Guard (HUH? what are they doing here?), but where's Poland?!? What a disappointment. That is my goal. To meet and see a Polish soldier before I leave Kuwait, but I don't think it's going to happen.

There are so many pictures on our server. I'm stealing them and uploading them on my blogger. They're free to take anyways.

Buggers. I noticed that being in the desert, I get a lot of buggers. I can just imagine people reading this and thinking to themselves... ICK! But yeah, desert life brings on the life of sand and buggers.

"Showers can only be 5 minutes long!" New rule at the barracks. I've always had kept my showers short... but I guess people are abusing the hot water so that others may suffer the consequences. I can just imagine what the water bill used to be. Out here, water is like gold and the tax-payers are footing the bill for those water hogging bastards.

Soco weighs 140lbs with the baby right now. She is doing good. The baby kicks a lot!

Spec Ops Survival Tip:
Be unpredictable. "I don't have a routine." - LT. S*****Y (U.S. Navy Seal)

Iraqi Kids

Picture of a Sand Storm Arriving

Reason why Contact Lenses are not Authorized.

It was passed out in the Plan of the Week that people are getting eye injuries due to the wearing of contact lenses. People want to wear them although they are not authorized... dummys.

Soco also mentioned that if I had went to college, I would never have my daughter and have meet Soco. Yeah, real good point. It is a good thing.

Reminder: Valentines Day is coming up. Very important day for couples.

Spec Ops Survival Tip:
It takes 30 minutes to develop your best night vision. When you look at something, don't look directly at it. Look from side to side and what you are trying to see is much clearer.

Sunset in Kuwait

Should've gone to College

A spy!

Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I went to college instead of the military. Maybe I would be going to school and find myself working my ass off at McDonalds. I used to work for McDs. It wasn't very fun. The military life is actually a lot more fun and more fulfilling. I'm not helping make anyone rich. I'm working for my country.

Advancement exams for making rank is coming close. Lately, I've been studying every night. I feel like I've studied everything and I'm ready for the test. I know that I won't make it the first time up, but it is worth doing my best on it. I don't know when I'll ever have this much free time to focus on studying.

Spec Ops Survival Tip:
The emergency exit for tent city is determined by which wall you stab your knife through. Everyone here is issued a blade. I swear that my knife was sharpened by a laser because I never have to use the sawing motion to slice through cardboard.

Early Morning Fun Run (Can you find me?)
Camel Pics

News from Kuwait

EMF Kuwait (MASH?) Unclassified Outdated Photo

Kuwait is in the state of mourning for the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He has died this morning of illness. He is known to have led Kuwait during the war with Iraq in 1990 and modernizing the country of Kuwait.

A change of plans, the MWR trips have been canceled until further notice.

Good news, my departure date is getting nearer and nearer. I can't wait to leave this place.

"Keep the calls to 15 minutes please."
These signs are posted above all the morale phones so that people can get a chance to call home. I try to keep my calls between 15-20 minutes, but sometimes I get carried away. Calling home to Japan isn't cheap, AT&T current rates are roughly 35 cents a minute. Soco doesn't like it when I talk for such a short time. Me neither.

Aeon Flux and Chronicles of Narnia
I got to watch these two movies this weekend. Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) was so good! I think it was better than the book. When I was in middle school, I read that book and it was fascinating! It is a good break from reality. Aeon Flux on the other hand was very interesting. I liked it, but most people would hate it. It as techy as The Matrix and the story is about the struggle of human survival and evils of human cloning. Pure science fiction, nerd talk and martial arts. Soco would hate it.

No, for the last time, I'm not in Iraq!

Aftermath

After a long phone conversation with my mom, she still seems to think that I'm in Iraq. Kuwait is not Iraq! I am not in the Army. I am in the Navy on an Army base. For civilians, I guess it is difficult to understand this concept. The two government services are much different with different missions, histories and traditions. It is like saying that the Dallas Cowboys is the same as Miami Dolphins. Don't get that confused.

Today, I had a very long talk with my boss. He told me his entire life history during dinner. It was quite interesting and very sad at the same time. I try to keep him on his toes and back him up on every situation. He finds it humiliating to still be an E-6, over 40 years old with 18 years in the military. I cheer him up by telling him that he has a valuable marketable skill. BMET jobs are out there when he gets out and maybe his civilian peers may be laughing at him right now, he will have the last laugh in the end.

Stay Positive!

Well, I've been playing with the new answering machine we have at our shop. And so far, we left a funny message with Jcid yelling and screaming. I can't stop laughing when I hear it because he is being obnoxious and professional at the same time. "If this is an Emergancy, CALL US ON OUR CELLPHONE!!!!!!"

My parents are pretty happy I'm having a child. Since they are very Asian, I was hoping that having a daughter didn't disappoint them. It didn't. They were pretty much expecting it. Well, what can I say? I'm pretty happy too that it is a little girl! It was fun teaching them how to say, "Nayeli". I know it is a strange and unusual name, but it means, "I love you" in Aztec. So if you call her name, you're telling her that you love her. (Soco's Brilliant Idea) I love my wife so much :)

Well, it is the end and there's nothing else to talk about but work. I made a new rule to myself and the rest of the guys at my shop. You already know what rule No 1 is.

Rule No 1: Last one to show up for head(bathroom) cleanup, scrubs the toilets.
Rule No 2 (New!): Whoever talks about work after 6 p.m. will get slapped. (Except if a customer asks a question.)

I like that rule!

Hajj Week

Rolling in Head Trauma

This week is the week of the Hajj where Muslems all over the world make their life long journey to the city of Mecca. In Kuwait, it is a week long holiday and business isn't usually conducted during this time. People fast and only eat and drink before sunrise and after sunset. For us, it is business as usual.

Lately, I've been having dreams of being home with my wife. It is such a pity that I can't take a few weeks of leave to go home. Six months seem like a little long for me. There is no getting "used" to this place. More like getting "bored" of this place. But last Monday, I stayed in my bunk bed the whole day and the next day, I was charged and ready to go. This week, was somehow a relief because the workload somehow vanished and we are littered with small chores and cleanup. I caught up on all the work I was wanting to do for the past few months and now we can continue with doing our long overdue, "preventative maintenance" (which we have been neglecting for the past month).

People still in Pajamas (when there is a mascal, there is no time to waste, get out there and help!)

Soco has been shopping for a diaper bag. She is looking for a relatively inexpensive, yet durible and functional bag. Jokingly, I suggested that I use my "spec ops" bag. (Same bag special forces (Navy Seals) use.) It lacks bottle holders though...

I can't wait to be home.

Bus Rollover - Mass Casuality

Nayeli Isabella Huynh and Cellphones for Soldiers

Seafood Night at the DFAC

So the news is out! It a Girl! And she is healthy. Well, during the ultrasound, I hear that she discovered her thumb and sucks on it a lot. She kicks Soco when she is hungry and puts her hands on her head when agitated. I wish I was there to see it! Her name will be Nayeli Isabella Huynh. The first name is American Indian, middle name is Spanish and the last name is Vietnamese. What a mix!

Recently, I got to make a morale phone call home using a 1 hour calling card donated from the, "Cell Phones for Soldiers". Everyone here got one. It was really a thoughtful and fantastic gift and morale building. You can visit the site:

http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/pages/1/index.htm

"The Cell Phones for Soldiers program was started in April of 2004 by thirteen year old Brittany Bergquist and her twelve year old brother Robbie of Norwell, Massachusetts. After hearing a news report about a local soldier who ran up a massive phone bill calling home from Iraq, they decided they wanted to do something to help. Brittany and Robbie donated their piggy bank money, collected snack money from their friends at school, and with $21.00, they went to the bank to open an account."

In turn, we sent a big "Thank You" certificate with all of our signatures on it.
Really great people with big hearts.

H2O

We need Leadership, not Likership

Field X-ray machine at Troop Medical Clinic, Camp Beuhring

I think the Army and the Marine Corps is the gayest (in a happy way) when it comes to leadership practices. They put up dumb signs to remind people of ridiculous things. If you ever go to Kuwait, the sign "We Need Leadership, Not Likership" is posted where it is most visible at almost every camp. So does that mean, that people should be assholes to each other? If they're going to post signs, they should post signs like, "Leadership is about inspiring people to do things, not because you tell them, but because they want to." Well, that's my definition of leadership. Leadership is all about inspiring. Being able to make people WANT to work hard for you, is a true force multiplier. If you inspire people to do things, they'll do a better job in the end and they'll be proud of what they did. Leading by example is key. When I see a Lieutenant sweeping the floor, I'm more than happy to take that broom away from him, rather than watching him make a mess and asking me to clean it up. If you work hard for your people, your people will work hard for you. Simple as that.

Lately, I got asked about how female servicemembers get treated at Camp Arifjan. I think they get treated fairly. Everyone here gets treated the same and everybody lives in the same crappy place with cold shower water. The Army uses the "Buddy System" and in Zone 6, the statistics say that one person (male and female) gets raped a week. Well, that is alarming, but that is what the buddy system is in place for. To stop that kind of crap.

Good news, I'll be moving out of a top rack and will be moving to a bottom rack. To whoever is fortunate enough to be living in a nice and cozy bed, be thankful. The mattresses here aren't the greatest and I wake up with an achy back. To ease the pain, I try to sleep on my side until my arm falls asleep and then I flip back over. But now, I don't have to worry about falling off and breaking my leg everytime I try to get out of bed. Bunk beds should be outlawed. They're safety hazards. Here I go again, preaching safety to everybody. I've been the safety officer almost everywhere I've been... sorry. Well, me and my buddy went to a Chinese restaurant on base. It was called the, "Oriental Restaurant". If I had to compare it to real Chinese food, it was mediocre, but compared to the DFAC, it was delicious! I'm starting to get sick of the DFAC and I noticed that my plate is starting to look like, "mashed potatoes and peas". I'm also starting to worry about getting cavities because people donated so much candy and cookies. I can't help but eat up all those boxes of cookies! They're so addicting. Especially those Girl Scout cookies. YUM!

New Year in Kuwait

Tanks

The New Year went out with a BANG for the Biomed Division here. I got called in for a portable X-ray machine at 2030 and worked on it until 2350. It made the time go by much faster before the countdown for the New Year. For some reason, when the unit is switched on, it creates a loud explosion and a cloud of smoke. Perfect timing isn't it? While me and Jcid were struggling with trying to find the root of the problem, there was a party going on inside of our shop. People were singing and eating grilled ribs.

When 2006 came, I saw lots and lots of fireworks in the distance surrounding the perimeter. Looks like, the Kuwaitis were going crazy as well as us. We were making loud racket and throwing pallets on the ground. We were making some noise and screaming "Happy New Year" at the top of our lungs! Woopie! It was fun. One day closer to going home. After that, I went back to my top bunk in the open bay barracks and crashed for the night.

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)

Mercedes Benz Car Bomb on the way to the DFAC

This car was seized, disabled and used as a display model of what you can see in this region. Terrorists and insurgents are becoming clever at hiding their explosives. In Kuwait, we have to keep an eye out for IEDs, crazy drivers, goats, camels and pedestrians. As you can see, driving can be very tiresome and after a long drive, it feels like a really, really long day at work. We get hazardous duty pay for a reason, because the potential for danger is always there. I've even experienced a mad driver drive in front of me and slam on their brakes to piss me off. Of course, I had to dodge him.

I noticed after my last morale call to Soco, that I've been complaining a lot and I haven't been talking about what's really important about life. Family life. Well, Soco is doing fine and the baby is kicking. I'm getting really excited and I can't wait to get back. I'm having trouble thinking of baby names. I'm so picky, because it will be a name I'll be saying for the rest of my life. But I have to be careful, because I don't want to pick a name that will invite bullying like my sister's old name before she changed it to Phoebe. Got any cool names? Drop me a line!

Missing Home

Burger King in the middle of nowhere, near Iraq

Same thing over and over again. Camp Arifjan is boring. Go to work, eat, sleep, go to work. Nothing new. Only more work. Work... work work and more work. Hit the gym, sleep, shower in cold water, more work.

The Armed Forces Network (AFN) television shows are pretty dull and they play the same thing over and over. I think I have already watched, "Drumline" and "Edward Sizzerhands" like 4 or 5 times already. The music videos are pretty repeaticious also and I'm getting sick of watching Madonna dancing and a singing Frog.

The food place is called the "DFAC", which is pronounced, D-FAC. Their meals are starting to taste the same and I'm getting tired of omlets and sausage for breakfast. They have no soy milk so I can't eat cereal as I would like to change up my diet a little. During the day, I'm getting used to eating "Chicken and Gravy" and some days, I mix it up with "Ham and Gravy". Wednesday nights, they have dry, T-bone steak and Crablegs. I can't complain about that, but after having it 15 times in two months, it gets old. The salad dressing is disagreeable with my digestive system and the fruits don't change. Last night, I had a change and actually enjoyed an unusual meal selection, "Liver". It was really good. Isn't it sad that liver has become the most desirable thing on the menu?

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Today, we had fun doing a gift exchange with a Secret Santa. I had a lot of fun with it. For my boss, I wrapped a great big, giant box. It was the biggest gift on the table and for the party, we all opened our gifts in front of the crowd. Well, I had the idea to get my boss a 20 pack of bottled H2O! So when my boss lifted the box, he was immediately wondering how the heck he was going to carry this huge gift home! Hehe! When he opened the box, his reaction was kinda shocking. Water! Hahahaha! On the bottom, there was another box. And inside that box was another wrapped present. And inside of it was a wrapped present and inside of that was a Leatherman tool! He was so happy and everybody clapped. Hehehe!

Another Hard Day

Forklift

It was another hard day at work. Mondays for us kicks off with head cleanup. (Restroom cleaning). I joked and made a rule that the last one who shows up has to scrub the toilets. I was kinda tired of people showing up late for cleanup. Somehow, my freak'in rule backfired on me since I was the last one to show up at 0625. So I had to pull the most disgusting duty of all and I had to scrub the toilets with a crappy scratchy thingy. The stench almost made me want to puke. And of course, I put on purple gloves and scrapped the brick hard crap that was stuck to the sides of the toilet. It was very hard, smelly old crap. Since the patients that use them are usually crippled some way, shape or form, they refuse to flush. It is so nasty.

I also had to go to a meeting with some big wigs. The XO had asked me some technical questions about defibrillators and our database program. I told them how important our mission was to have BIOFACS and they all approved and made it one of the top 10 list of things to purchase. I was proud of myself.

Guns and Coffee

Starbucks at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

Nothing is better than the smell of coffee in the morning. At Camp Arifjan, we are very lucky to have a Starbucks on base. The outside of it looks like a field desert trailer, but on the inside, it is a whole different story. It is like, you've been teleported back to the states. I was one of the first ones to purchase a souveneur Starbucks coffee mug that day and when I finished my six dollar iced mocha, they were all sold out of Kuwaiti mugs. Lucky me! Anyways, is there anywhere else in the world where you can carry large semi-automatic weapons and sip coffee in a relaxing atmosphere at the same time?

Six dollar Mocha better taste good!

Happy Holidays from USMHK

BIOMED PHOTO US Military Hospital Kuwait 2005

As a Navy Tradition, Biomed repairmen from all over the U.S. Navy take their shop photo to share with the world. This year, I am in Kuwait and this is our shop. We represent the commands from Naval Hospital Lemoore, CA, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan, and Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego.

Ever since we lost one guy, we have been working our tails off. 7, 12 hour days. No time off. That may seem excessive, but we have to do what we have to do. It is really hard to stay focused when we work so much, but we do what we can. I don't want to hear anyone else bitching about their work schedule. Because I work 84 hours a week, cellphone/pager on-call 24 hours a day. I also pull 24 hour duty once a month where I have to stay awake for 24 hours. Beat that.