Funny Arabian TV Ads

Sword in the Stone

After being here, I've seen a lot of pretty cool television Ads in Kuwait. For example, the Chevy truck commercials show how they can withstand terrorist attacks by cleverly concealing an armored vehicle's gold inside the Chevy SUV and toppling building blasts. It makes me want to buy a Chevy! Dubai has been advertising like crazy and it appears to be one of the most modern cities in the middle east. They advertise racing, horse races, concerts with famous American celebrities etc... I wish I could visit Dubai!

My back has been healing slowly and I can now walk upright. The pain is still there though.

Demeral Injection Experience

Demeral is the best pain killer that we have and it still didn't cure me. (I think they did away with Morphene a long time ago.) I was still limping after the injection and was a bit dizzy. I was kept under watchful eye because it is known to be habit forming and people go "wacko". I just sat in bed and counted the Kuwaiti Dinars in my wallet. Speaking of which, they have 1/3 of a dinar in paper format! What the heck? Anyways, I didn't go wacko like they said I would. My best advice for everyone, be sure to perform stretches before going to the gym! I usually don't and my old age is starting to show. Looks like my metabolism is slowing down and I'm getting fatter.... Now I'm watching out for high fiber foods so I can do my business on schedule. Jeez... I guess it just keeps getting worse and worse.

My Back Hurts

Another formation with me in it

It has been almost four days. My back still aches and it is still taking me 20 minutes to tie my left boot.

I have recently placed two morale calls to the states, one to my parents and another to my sister-in-law. Lives back home doesn't seem to change much. I just know that my life back in Japan will be totally different as I won't even know where I live.

I've been spending a lot of time in my rack because my mobility is quite limited. It is difficult for me to walk so I've been reading a lot. That Dan Brown book, "Angels and Demons" is starting to become boring. I have absolutely no interest in the Vatican city. So my reading is becoming very dull and I don't really care if it vanishes due to an anti-matter bomb. His other book, "Deception Point" was extremely thought provoking unlike this book. I guess you have to be Catholic to appreciate the relic fantasy of it all.

I've been writing a fictional book which relates to my experiences here. It isn't packed with suspense and mystery, but it will be funny. I haven't heard of any books about Operational Iraqi Freedom being humorous, so here it is. I don't want to reveal what it is about, but it is about 10% complete and I may be able to get a motion picture deal. Of course, keeping Operational Security in mind.

Idiots Leading the Way?

USMHK Rock Garden

I must honestly say, that the people who are leading the country is either lacking intelligence or compassion for it's people. I'm not saying that I have contempt towards officials, but I've gotta say, that they need to smarten up. Especially since they are coming up with ridiculous things like, "We need to extend to one year deployments." "The Navy is going to be a more deployable force." My question is this: How much more deployable does the Navy need to be? It is already hard on our families as it is with sailors being deployed all the time. Heck, if I got deployed to Kuwait, damn... our country is running low on manpower or the Army is slacking. The Army has more personnel than the Navy, Marine Corps and the Air Force combined and they are having manning issues? They had to call upon joint forces to help them out. My solution to all of this is to get out of this place because we don't belong here. The government is spending all this money for what? To stablize Iraq and Afghanistan? Why must we do that? They have oil that is depleting as the days go by. Eventually, the oil will be gone. "Popular Science" magazine, Shell, Exxon and Texaco estimates 5-10 years before we "run out" as the world is growing it's reliance on oil.

My solution, build military machines that run on Ethanol instead of gasoline. Cars that run on H20. The technology is there, why is it taking so long to switch over? We should've done this years ago. Where is my flying car?

Lately, I have lost most of my mobility as I have injured myself. So does that mean that I get a Purple Heart for being injured in a Combat Zone? Hehe, just kidding. As I was talking to the doctor, he says that 90 percent of the patients that come in are sports related injuries. I can tell, because while I was waiting, 90% of the patients were still in PT (Physical Training) gear. I was given vitamin M (Motrin) and Vikaden which put me to sleep.

With the advancement test being over, I've had a lot of spare time to finish my reading and do some creative thinking. It is funny that everytime I finish watching a show, I get so into it, that I want to get involved. For example, after watching "Robotica", I want to build my own robot. After watching "Underworld" I want to start killing vampires. After watching "Mythbusters", I want to debunk myths and build my own "Archamedes Death Ray". And after seeing, "American Chopper", I want to ride bikes. Maybe I've been watching too much television and the more I watch it, the more I miss home.

Question:
Hi, I found your blog on a general search. I am being deployed to Kuwait soon and I had a couple questions.

Is the food OK? Are there oppotrunities to travel off base or does it depend on your unit/ command? I know the uniform code of military justice forbids it, but in reality is it possible to have "relations" with women, while stationed there (you don't have to use names)?

Thanks in advance

Answer:
1. Food: read my other posts on food.
2. You may travel off base if it is mission oriented or if you go on an MWR trip. The MWR trips are usually in places with heavy security and plus there will be armed people with you at all times.
3. Relations with women is forbidden in a warzone. Don't even think about it. Married couples aren't allowed to touch each other. Friendships are okay, and if you fall in love, the relationship can be carried on after deployment is over. However, you can write to your loved ones back home. Postage is free.

Deployment

Coffee is a Drug, I don't do Drugs

New BMET Crew

A lot has been going on here. We have been doing the "Left-Seat, Right-Seat". In other words, a turn-over for new people so the old people can train the new people. VIPs have been coming in and out, evaluations and awards are being passed out for old people, old people move out of the barracks, etc. It has been a hectic week for all.

First Medical Brigade sponsored a Dining In which is a formal dining session where there are a lot of rules that are easy to break. When a rule is broken, the violator is asked to drink from the "Grog" bowl. This grog bowl had the nastiest stuff such as entire bottles of hot sauce, a sock, etc. The first violators were people without their identification, Dogtags. Half of the room were not wearing their dogtags. The procedure before drinking from the Grog included doing four left faces and with each left face, render a salute. Take two more steps in front of the grog bowl, take a bow and drink a cup. Then, put the cup upside down on your head to see if you drank the entire cup. It was quite humorous and it was a good time to poke fun at people. Another obsurd rule included that you can't applaud until "Mr. President" applauds. The night was full of funny skits and shows which demonstrated lower enlisted making fun of their superiors and superiors making fun of their superiors. Real good time.

War Stories

What it looks like if you open your eyes during a sandstorm

It doesn't matter if you are wearing a uniform, a badge, speak a foreign language, or if your black, asian or caucasian, we are all the same. People generally like the same type of things and eat various, but edible food and it all comes down to the most important thing ingestible item: water. In the desert, if you don't drink water, you will die. In the jungles of south-east asia, if you don't drink water, you will die. Death is a irrefutable fact of life. But, what makes cultures different here is the value of life. In America, life is precious, every single person counts for something. Although over here in Kuwait, life is "considered" precious, but it doesn't seem to be.

I have heard in the news that a dead body was lying on the side of the road and visible for several days before authorities decided to clean it up. Kuwaitis don't really care about third-country nationals (TCN's). They are immigrants from other countries seeking work, sort of similar to Mexicans crossing the American border to seek a better life(sorry for the analogy, but it's true). When I leave the confines of the base, most of the population I see are Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankian, or Philipino. If they die, nobody seems to care. There is a lot of poverty here. I notice that there is a lot of sheep herders and camel herders. But I have also seen some clean places in Kuwait City which resemble what San Diego looks like.

Camel hiding behind sign
It is interesting to see wild camels and seeing baby camels running alongside their mother. There's no other place in the world where I would see this type of stuff.

War Stories
Some of the people that I am working with have been here more than once. And they are more than happy to share their war stories with me. The soil I'm standing on was once occupied by the Iraqi army in the early 90s until the U.S. Military pushed them all out. Land cruising missiles used to attack random targets in Kuwait and soldiers were peeing their pants while stationed here about 2 years ago, an senior hospital corpsman recalls. Many say, "I've been to Iraq." "There are explosions and gunfire still being heard across the border." "I've seen the statue of Saddam being taken down." "If I had invested in Kuwaiti Dinars, I'd be rich." All kinds of stories. Very interesting stories, I wish I can write them all and publish, but thankfully, they aren't my stories to tell. Although I haven't seen the face of war, I still hear the thundering explosions here and there.

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