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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Captain Hangman

The movie Captain Philips --starring Tom Hanks as the eponymous hero of the novel-- was released in Singapore two days ago. This is one movie which the hubz had wanted to catch since we first saw the trailer. The movie would be something which the hubz could identify with as he once had a mission to patrol the Gulf of Aden which was infested by Somali pirates.

Situated between Yemen and Somalia in the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden is a vital waterway for sea trade, with approximately 25,000 merchant ships passing through each year. Since the Somali Civil War, shipping along the Gulf of Aden has been threatened by rampant piracy. Pirates on skiffs are known to chase after cargo ships, intimidate the ship crew and hold them for ransom.

A maritime nation with the world’s busiest port, our country Singapore understands the importance of keeping the world’s sea lines of communication open. As a responsible member of the international community, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has been working closely with the navies of several other nations to fight against piracy threats in this vital waterway, under the ambit of the Combined Task Force (CTF 151).

Since 2009, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has contributed a total of three deployments of the RSN’s Landing Ships Tank (LSTs) and the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) Super Puma helicopters to the Gulf of Aden. My hubz was one of the Super Puma helicopter pilots in the 2011 deployment who was involved in the foiling of pirate attacks when he first spotted a white pirate's skiff in the sea of blue.


The hubz had a total of 20 seconds of glory in this video at 5:05--5:15 and 7:33--7:43.




I wrote a brief post on the hubz's mission  in 2011 without elaborating much but having newspaper cuttings to tell the story. Also due to kh's nature of work, there are some tasks he does at work which are classified or not meant for the public or even for me to hear. Hence, I would always check with him what is appropriate for me to post. As usual, I'm doing a throwback here while trying to relate back to the current. I always have good reasons for having throwback posts.


~*SAF Overseas Service Medal Presentation*~


Welcoming RSS Endeavour back to Singapore!

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It was too easy to spot kh. The one with the Mickey Mouse ears.

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The Navy and Air Force men all in a row.

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Me and Kh.

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Together with my parents-in-law.

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My FIL looked better with kh's cap than he did.

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A shot with RSS Endeavour in the background.

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It was time for the medal presentation. There were many deserving recipients.

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Finally, it was kh's turn. I had to zoom to the max to capture this.

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What a great honour to have received these.

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After the medal presentation, RSS Endeavour was open for the families to visit. That was the first time I stepped into a navy ship.

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From the visit, family members learnt a lot about their husbands/boyfriends/fathers/sons/brothers led their lives while away at sea for 3 months. Kh kept raving about how good the food was. Having good food on board the ship helped to keep morales up.

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Each time my PIL and I bumped into a face familiar to kh and got introduced, everyone would tell us about kh and his $10K Bose TV and how they slaved to help him haul the TV up the ship. Kh had lots of "love notes" from his co-workers. It was really hilarious witnessing some of the same people helping him to haul the TV down. I should have taken a video of that!

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Apparently my dear hubby bought a Bose Video Wave entertainment system when they had stopover at Muscat. He was really intrigued by the surround sound system without the need for speakers and wiring and impressed by the demo that he bought the TV there since it was not available in Singapore at that time. -_-||| I took a few weeks to get over his spending on the TV since I'm one who hates surround sound system at home and often complain about how his TV or computer is too loud. It has been almost 2 years and we have only used the sound system less than 10 times as I really could not stand all the deafening sounds in our little room.

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Just to show all of you how big the TV is and how he had made so many people slave for him.

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After all the hullabaloo, kh and I headed for one of our favourite Japanese haunt -- Tamako. It is a quaint little izakaya (居酒屋) that looks so old, forgotten and tucked away in Concorde Hotel Singapore that if Kh's Japanese friend hadn't recommended it to us, I would have thought it was a shady place. It is precisely because it is old, forgotten and tucked away that makes this little haunt an unpolished gem. The thing about traditional, non-franchise eateries would be their hand-made menu and funny English.

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Tamako serves authentic Japanese food prepared right before your very eyes. If you know the owner well enough, he might prepare a dish for you that isn't listed on the menu. For a period of time, the owner recognized kh and prepared special dishes upon request. We have not been to Tamako for about 2 years since and I wonder if he would still remember kh.

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My favourite simple comfort food would be their cooked salmon onigiri. So simple but the best I've ever eaten! I could simply sit at the counter and eat their onigiri without any other food.

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Tamako isn't for you if you are one who hates cigarette smoke. (I really abhor 2nd hand cigarette smoke by the way). If the owner has his regular Japanese customers visiting, be prepared for lots of indoor inhaling of 2nd hand smoke. Singapore bans smoking indoors and even in many outdoor seating eateries. Tamako must be one of the only places to allow indoor smoking. Smoke aside, we really love the simple traditional fare at Tamako.

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47 comments:

  1. So inspiring! It's so refreshing to stumble upon blogs that aren't entirely focused on just fashion on beauty! :)

    Hayfa
    www.londonloafers.com

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    1. Thank you, Hayfa. We had our fair share about exclaiming on the coincidence and had many exchanges on Instagram yesterday. Hehehe... Glad we are now acquainted on more platforms!

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  2. What an adventure that must have been for him. You must be so proud, even with the TV and all :) I think its in every guys DNA to want a humongous, loud TV (mine could be Burl Ive's coffin) but restraint must be practiced in small spaces, especially for loved ones and neighbors. And people smoking in a restaurant??? Thank goodness those days are finished here. Smoke just makes me wretch and itch and dining time supposed to be relaxing and fun. Great pics, dear! :)

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    1. I do not quite comprehend how he thought we needed such a huge tv in our room and also don't get me going on the loudness of the surround sound. The last we used that was for watching Despicable Me (no 2) and I already found it so loud. What if we were watching some action movie or thriller? I've stopped watching horror shows too. The ghosts can't be bigger than me. It's not right.

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    2. How can you, a practiced and professional ghost herself, be disturbed by other ghosts. I still let out a small "eek" whenever I think of that green, ghoulish face you wore (eek!) We guys mostly think that when watching a film, especially and action film, if the sound is not rattling the windows, it just isn't loud enough. Hearing aid companies love us :)

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  3. So cool, how amazing that would have been. Well done to your Husband, that is fantastic. Really loved these pictures of everyone smiling and happy :) You always post yummy food too, haha. But, I enjoy seeing it as I like to know what people in different countries eat :))) Happy Sunday my sweet girl, I hope you are well <3 xx

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    1. Thank you, Kizzy. You would be really confused about Singapore's culture if you based it on my food pictures as my food pictures are cuisines from all over the world. That's just the melting pot of many different cultures in Singapore.

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  4. Thanks for sharing:) You can never go wrong with throwback posts.:D

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    1. I guess I should be glad I'm always right then. =)

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  5. Hi Jo! Oh wow, many congrats to your husband, you must be so very proud of him. I believe it must have been so hard for him and I can imagine how you felt while he was away. The ship looks incredible, I am in awe, would love to step in too. Is nice that he said the food was good, I think it was very important for all those people which were so far from their loved ones. Congrats also for the medals he got. Oh my, the Tv is awesome!!^^' I wouldnt need glasses to see better with such huge screen!:D Salmon Onigiri sounds very good, love it too.
    Thanks a bunch for stopping by dear, yep I close the comments in my previous posts, leaving open the last everytime, only cause I was receiving too much spam and I was really tired of it. Regarding your question, yes I had the same trouble with costume jewelry earrings, in fact before to use them I put peroxide or saline solution. But I think is as you said cause they are made with alloy. Happy Sunday! Kisses! xo

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    1. Always love hearing from you Lilli. Oh yes, there was a video dedicated to the chef and food on board the vessel. It is really important to feed these men well to boost their morale especially when out at sea for so long with minimal telecommunication and other stuff to keep themselves occupied. Kh said he practically looked forward to meal times every day. I still need my glasses when watching this large TV in bed if I were to read the subtitles. I'm often in bed without my glasses and I find myself straining my eyes.

      Thanx a bunch for explaining to me about significance of nickle-free products. Peroxide or saline solution? Should try out this little tip.

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  6. Wow you hubby is a hero!! Isn't that quite dangerous? Yes I'm a coward ;-). You both look so adorable together and he has a very pleasant voice. You must be so proud of him. As always the food looks totally delicious. Have a happy Sunday!!

    xx Mira

    www.glamdevils.com

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    1. It is dangerous as some of the pirates who managed to capture huge vessels would have weapons of a more massive scale with them. The one my hubz spotted was their skiff. He kept emphasizing to me that he could have been shot down if they were on the mothership. I half believed him till one of our common friends mentioned how a ship from her company was taken down by these Somali pirates and everyone on board was killed. GASP! Her boss had heart attack when he heard the news.

      You are so kind to comment about his pleasant voice coz everyone of us, including himself found his voice irritating. Wahahaha...

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  7. What a wonderful tribute to your husband and his heroic service! Enjoyed the pics! Hugs, T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com

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  8. The medal was well deserved! If I remember correctly, the 2nd in command on the ship was cute. :)
    The onigiri sounds great, I would love to try it. All the food looks tasty. Smoke didn't bother me in the past, but now it's do rare, I can't take it anymore.

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    1. Hehehe... 2nd command on the ship? Hmm... If I remember correctly whom you are referring to, she is on my Facebook. I'm always very apprehensive introducing Asian food to my Caucasian friends. I hope you try the onigiri too and become a lover for Asian (Jap) food.

      The smoke that didn't bother you in the past came from someone dear and hence it didn't bother you much. =)

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    2. :D But I didn't enjoy washing it off our dining room walls.

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  9. Congratulations you must be so proud of your wonderful husband. My husband has the same surround sound we must both be married to technology lovers. Thank you so much for your lovely kind words. Have so lovely week.

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    1. Really? That's such a coincidence. Hahaha... He isn't really a techie person. He was simply sold by the wireless and speaker-less surround sound technology. Same to you. Thank you for dropping by. =)

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  10. I just saw the movie a few weeks ago! Its so cool (and kinda scary) that your hubby was out there when it was all going on in real life! You must be so proud :) I'd love it if you dropped by to my blog at
    www.JuneWantsItAll.com and if you like, we could follow each other!
    PS: Please disable word verification for comments

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thank you for dropping by. I love seeing newcomers here. Yup, it was a real life movie adventure for him. I want to catch that movie soon.

      I enabled the word verification after the spam comments got too many for me to be patient. The word verification ceased all spam comments like a charm.

      Delete
  11. This is so fantastic!!! You should be so proud of him!!!!! All the best to you and your family! And thank you for popping by my blog! Nicole

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    1. Thank you, Nicole. And thanx for popping by my blog too. =)

      Delete
  12. Hi sweetie, thanks for your wonderful words over at mine, you are the sweetest! A friends sent me an email with that list of 15 things and I loved it so much I had to post it. It takes ages trying to sort out the different looks by categories, I appreciate your acknowledgment. Wow, so impressed by your husbands achievements, he is truly an inspiration. Such a proud moment for the both of you and his parents. Wonderful photo memories, you look so pretty in these pics! I have never tried this type of food before, its really interesting. Have a great week ahead hun!

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    1. Thanx for your reply, doll. I wonder if the original list of 15 things to give up came from Purpose Fairy herself or from some other equally great people. There are many people sharing the list. Great effort in your fashion posts as what I've already mentioned in the comment. Awww... and thank you for all the sweet words.

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  13. I would check out your blog during my pockets of free time.

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  14. Wow, kudos to your husband! <3 I love your blog hun, I'm from Singapore too, I miss it so much! Can't wait to go back and perhaps bump into you one day! <3

    I've just followed you on GFC, looking forward to your next post love!! <3

    xoxo, Kerynn
    MangoRabbitRabbit.blogspot.com
    4 Steps: Bigger Rounder Doll Eyes

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Ooh... You are from Singapore? Helloooo! I'm so excited to have a fellow Singaporean here! xoxo

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  15. Jo, I did not know your husband was in the service. He is so brave. Those pirates scare me. I couldn't imagine being on a ship and being attacked by them. He's good. He looks so good in his uniform. I think he's so handsome. Great picture with his parents. I have Bose cd unit. I love it. But HaHa I couldn't imagine a big tv like that. I bet the sound is huge. HAHAHA Great post doll.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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    1. Hahaha... I was reading out your comment to kh and he was smiling sneakily all the way. And after I finished reading it, his smile suddenly changed and said, "Please don't tell me it's from a guy." Lol

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  16. aww your husband is awesome! and haha I love those restaurants where they give you dishes not on the menu- surprises are always good :)

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    1. I haven't seen you around much, Julie. Hope you are well!

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  17. Thanks for coming by my blog ;o) Nice to meet you ;o) You and your hubby are so cute! All the best to your family ;o)

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    1. Thank you for dropping by and for your sweet comment too. =)

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  18. That was really great :) you have such a wonderful brave husband and he's lucky to have such a beautiful and loving wife like you and not to mention smart and very supportive heehee. Anyway, the food look's really good it made me drool a bit haha. And oh' my internet is back that means i can check your blog post often :D

    I invite you to join my October "giveaway" which is open international!
    http://lapetitemichelle.blogspot.com/2013/10/giveaway-open-international-and-some.html

    ღMichelleღ
    lapetitemichelle.blogspot.com

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    1. Your Internet is finally back! Awww... You are too sweet already. xoxo! I will check out your giveaway soon!

      Delete
  19. Wow I really enjoyed reading this especially about the bose tv hahahaha I love all those funny comments written on it, my favorite is "We F-ing did it" mostly because the curse word was snuck in =P Wait next time I need more classification cause I couldn't figure out which guy had more "mickey mouse" ears lol Also you look really pretty, those contacts really suit you! (random note- it also looks hot that day) I think my bf would've done what your hubz did, buy the tv cause its not yet released at home yet and then have to justify why he got it. Perhaps when you have a girls night out he can have a hubz night in where he can truly appreciate the bose surround sound LOL I also don't like their surround sound, its too real -.- The first time I heard it I was like "omg, where is that sound coming from? its not from the tv -.-"

    re: There was no wifi on the cruise! It was so expensive to buy but it was lovely without having to "wire myself" =) I should do it more often =P Also while Disney cruises are nice a lot of people are starting to think they are priced much too high compared to other cruise lines that do the same thing >< Since I don't cruise often I didn't know about this but when I did my own research it was true! Oo

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    1. A little background on the "We F***ing did it" comment. It was during that period when there was a backlash on how one of our local university's valedictorian ended her speech with that. I thought it was cool. Many people thought it was cool too but there were many detractors as well.

      Btw, I once wanted to work on Disney cruise coz the pay was really good!

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  20. Yay for your husband. This is so great!

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

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  21. awww!! love this!! your hubby in uniform!! :) you guys look so cute! you the pretty officer's wife hehehe!!

    congrats on his medal that is so amazing!! it's nice to see a job well done being recognized!!! :) yummmm that japanese food looks delicious! i love salmon onigiri too!! hehehe!

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    1. Thank you sweetie Lisa. And I will throw a salmon onigiri over to you now.

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  22. You must be so proud of your hubby. Sounds like he has some great work mates. I'm surprised to hear that the food was so good. Now you're going to have to try and cook better than ship food! :D. Thanks for sharing, enjoy having your hubby back home with you :D. sparkle2day.com

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    1. Thank you. Ooh... I think I would fail miserably at cooking better than the ship's food. They had quite a feast on the daily menu.

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  23. Wow Jo, this is really awesome! So cool to learn that your hubz is a real life hero as well as being a great husband to you. You must be really proud. And I've probably told you this before already - you two make such a cute couple! And I'm totally craving Japanese food now :)

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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