Jim_Iain

@Northern Aurora Gerry - Please jump in often. The more the better. I honestly need all the help I can get. Good Example of something new I learned. You should know if this is new or whether I'm just and Airhead . Our friends dropped buy today and asked - WHERE'S THE LIFE JACKET? Being the regular Celebrity Cruiser I said in the closet. Went over to show them --- Nada- We looked through every closet, drawer and even under the bed to no avail. Nada The Eagle Eye Robert pointed the door - Gerry -- Is this new. I obviously didn't pay attention to e-muster.

Ok Enough of this - Yesterday was Embarkation Day. There were 2 ships in port and it was a completed mess. You first lined up Lines - The right most queue for Suits we were back about 40 and just stood because they said their was no more room upstairs. Finally we got cleared and went up escalators. Huge room with another long line - Good news is they had seats along the lines so could sit down. Also we were in AC. 45 minutes after we were at one of 2 podiums for Suites and they Took another picture, confirmed we were with Covid or Pregnant. Then you squeeze a little past 1 1/2 foot to another podium that checked your Visa's and documentation. Then you move into a roped off area for Suites - the normal coffee, pastries etc. They also had some seating around the edges but many had no seating. Finally up another escalator for Electronic Emigration. Again one a mess - They had about a dozen terminals = Slip Passport In - Check Mark and a gate opens. Next step camera takes picture and clears you and directed to put right thumb on scanner and you get your final check and a glass gate opens. I thought that wasn't bad but did take 1 1/4 hour. I didn't see Iain, David and Robert and thought they boarded. So aboard I went. Was met by our room attendant who said our room was completely setup. So started unpacking. 1/2 hour still no Iain -- I texted Robert and asked. He said David was rejected and in a back room. I asked where's Iain and all I got back - on an elevator - Scratching head figured they were big boys. About another hour and a half I hear the door open. He said about 1/2 the terminals were rejecting scanning passports. You then had to manually processed (David). Iain was also rejected but they couldn't do his manually so sent him back to step one. Unfortunately they put him the wrong elevator and he came out in baggage and then had to make how whole way back through the XRAy Machines and scanner. It took him 2 3/4 in total to get to the room. Here's a picture of RETREAT LOUNGE - Have to admit not quite as nice as Terminal 25. I was luck a this is my path to ship. Robert head bottom right at doc check. lest is Suite area Once through it is a little more relaxed in the Retreat lounge. The poor could with the lady in Red are in a Royal Suite at step one they pulled them out of the line and escorted - Didn't help much as they ended up boarding after me. All the people behind are still waiting to have doc's checked.

Crazy.... I thought that in retrospect that she blew it. If she had hung amount 9 months she wold have gotten 100% and ended with enough money live in Silicon Valley for MAYBE 2 years. My siblings and I received his estate and never had believed we would get a penny.

I should have know better -- When I took my driviers test - now written test you sit at a desk and the tester ask you questions and show you pictures of sings. I missed on Unprotected Quay - I chuckled I had no Idea

Wonderful to hear. I'm a Mutt 35% England, 19% Scotland, 11%Indigenous Americas- Mexico, 9% Sweden

Not flown Qatar but sounds like a fantastic experience. Ok bragging time, I once flew Concord. My mother was getting married and I had to finish off work in London. While over the Atlantic Airlines United Airlines (my connecting flight went out on strike). When I arrived JFK BA kicked into gear - They called American and said they had a VIP Travaeler needing to get to Huntsville - They got me on a flight leaving in less than an our hour. She grabbed it made another call chartering a Helicopter and about 15 minutes I was on the Say to Newark - Limo picked me up on tarmac and they brought me aboard. It was beyond incredible - The sky was dark blue and you could actually see the curvature of the earth. The two most amazing sensation that once out over Atlantic and turn on afterburners to go from Mac 1 to Mac 2 - Your pushed back in seat with G's. They also invite passengers to visit the Cocpit in flight --- My boss choked at my expense report but signed, saying don't make this a habit.

You can't imagine. We were never close - even though he lived in California about 2 miles from my house. Being the Oldest Male, with a Older and Sister and a younger brother, I was always the one to take care of family members. I was the one to have to take his car keys from him, take control of his finances and manage his Divorce from that Gold Mining Korean wife. My father was never known for not stretching the truth. She also wasn't the brightest star in the sky. She didn't speak English well an felt that once married 10 years she could file for divorce an get 1/2 his SS. Hmmm.. She thought he had Millions hidden around. She didn't realize she couldn't file until in her 60's. Long story short - In final negotiations - I had found a Pre-Nuptuial and a recorded Quick Deed that she signed saying his House was 100% his and she had no claim to it. Opps. Once I dropped that on the table - her attorney's mouth dropped to the floor as I had only found it the day before. She settled with a fraction of what she wanted. Charlie died about 9 months later from Alzheimer - Anyone who has a family member with this terrible disease my heart goes out to you. Luckily he only suffered (or was it me suffering to manage him) was less than 9 months.

I will let you know - it is today. It also just be those that choose to participate. May be selected people as may be difficult if all 3,000 choose to take place.

Not if I'm posting to Cruise Critics.

Gave a great cruise....

If you or other's get into DNA - do some research. On a group on FB as an "Angel" I help adoptees find their birth parent. There are some really tragic stories of people contraction their birth mother or father only to be rejected once again. Others of non-adoptees who found by DNA they were a product of their mothers affair and their Father wasn't their father. You can imagine the conversation with Mom. It really does help us find our identity - I learned a long time ago you can't judge your ancestors you will find many ghosts in ancestors. My Ex-Wife Great Aunt had axed her Great Grandfather to death. Mental issue but when I found the front page stories in a Massachusetts Newspaper.

To finish off we had Ice Cream at Bugis Center.

Let's move back in times to last night. Since my failure at finding and acceptable Cantonese we decided to walk over to Liang Seah St. The street is blocked off and about 100+ restaurants of all types of food. We window shopped until we found Pot Pot Clay. When we got inside (they moved us to adjacent room which was also a Korean BBQ) Really funny as same place but two different types of food. After looking at both menus decided to do Korean BBQ. Even though my Father's 5th wife (who was 5 years younger than me) was Korean. I never had tried the Kim-chi after smelling it fermenting. I did have it last night and loved it.

We found that coming in 4 days early was perfect. Maybe a day too long if it weren't for David an Robert here with us. David gets ants in his pants to get out and about while Iain never gets out of bed until 9:30 unless he has too.

Thank you ... Thank you. Do you mind if I steal some of your food pictures? I try to keep a food data base - After all these years I have a hard time matching many of the deserts in my mind to the menu description - e.g. Marscopone Cheese Cake Loved your Live post and Safe Travels. You have created memories that will be with all of us.

That is the parameter that fixed mine. Basically it means each photo has 12 million pixels (dots like in a newspaper photo) as oppose to 24 Million. Results is 12mps pictures are about 2 Megabytes while 24MPS are 3 Megabytes. I believe the current CC software version just can't handle the file size.

Thanks Sallie For all the rest of you... Sorry for going so off track on Genealogy - It is really one of my passions. I awoke at 5:30 am and sitting watching the beautiful sun rise and sipping coffee and having fun reading all the messages from CC members. I forget sometimes you are only all my virtual friends. Thanks God for technology. I don't know if I ever mentioned that I met Iain on a Bulletin Board - the equivalent of the internet before they even had browsers and Windows 1. OK - I'm ancient. We chatted for 4 months before we ever agreed to meeting face to face for coffee.

It helps being a hacker - John's clue helped me find it. I couldn't find anything via Google. Good news @DaKahuna hint worked and I haven't had a failure after adjusting that one parameter.

Kay --- first thanks for your Service. Definitely save those things and and write a remembrance to create provenance. I'm a huge Genealogy researcher. I don't do vanity research and only include facts that can be proven with documentation or provenance. Which is of course required to Join Son's or Daughters of the American Revolution. Recently I've really gotten into Forensic Genealogy. My father was adopted and I have been trying to trace his ancestry for 40 years. The tough part was he was taken from an Indian Reservation and have a court order removing him and granting him citizenship as at that time American Indians were not citizens. Long story short - through DNA I found he was only 1/8th Indian and that the man on his birth certificate could not have been his father. Just in May of this year I had a breakthrough. I knew who his Mother was but she had disappeared from the face of the earth. Just before Covid I requested the Sacramento Genealogy Society to do a search from me of unpublished records. Bam Covid and City Hall was closed. Just before our Spring Cruise I pinged my researcher and she went to work. She e-mailed me when I was on the cruise that she found her Delayed Birth Certificate - Was able to finally find both her and her mother who had also disappeared. By DNA I was also able to find his 1/2 brother who was also adopted. Since both he had a different father that was 100% European proved his mother had to be 100% European. I finally found his Paternal Grandmother and found that she was 1/2 Native Mexican Indian but had a Conquistador (Spanish Portuguese mate). Still working on father but will probably never find - she lost contact with her two son's when she came to what is now part of the US (New Mexico) and her son's moved on to find work. Common Mexican name.

It is pretty much the same as the 14 but the camera has really been improved even further. Why train it to do laundry. I have Iain. oops don't tell him I said that. Good that he never reads my Live posts.... just looks at the pictures.

No didn't see. Would have been fun to visit. Curios if has any Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Iain's favorite 20th Century designer. We have visited Hill House, House for an Art Lover and Mackintosh House. He absolutely adores his furniture design especially his chairs.

This one is incredibly good. Handmade Salsas, Guacamole etc. They also asked the spice temperature you desired. I know it is the unexpected but been eating our way around the world. We have had Schecwan, Turkish, Dum Sing - Singapore Crab.... Last night we were looking Cantonese (harder to find). I know I'm going to get a bunch of Booooos, but Iain and I aren't into Indian. Just not fond of curry. David and Robert of course love it and have been good and taking our tastes into consideration after our first night and the HOT HOT Schecwan we went to. I was given the task to find one. I failed ! OK I did find two that were of interest to me but got voted down because when Iain and Robert researched - "Jim - they are both Michelin 2* - we can't go in short. OK... you didn't give me that parameter.

Will do -- before we do - Found a YouTube of Eclipse last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vURdUGUDYos

Ahh... That really is old. That takes a little hack - You will need a Samsung Remote and here's a tutorial with pictures. I don't think I have done this in 5 years. Hotel Mode with Pictures.docx

Great... We are in Singapore right now and board Edge for Sydney - New Zealand today They are expecting a late departure and have pushed all arrivals by an hour. They will have abut 600+ B2B's plus we will be sharing the terminal with Holand America Westerdam.