Did you bunk classes to go to movies, or hang out with friends... or just because you could not push yourself from bed? Did you stay awake at night, desperately reading piled up portions for the next day's exams, which you neglected for several months? Did you lecture your kids about the value of time, hard work... and felt guilty about it since you did not follow what you preached? ¿Did you goof up on your first day at work, commit embarrassing mistakes, which you would rather brush under the carpet? Did you have exciting, adventurous, life-threatening experiences and wished to share? ¿A.K. Girisam, a chief engineer in merchant navy, narrates his sailing experiences on high seas, some life-threatening incidents, from junior engineer to chief engineer, in a lighter vein. Fun filled college days, frolic with family and friends, and musings on several topics which will take the reader on a roller-coaster ride. He is the great grandson of Mr. Gurajada AppaRao, a literary giant and a social reformer of the 19th century, whose play 'Kanyasulkam' eradicated an evil custom of girl children marriages to old men, when illiteracy rate was highest in India. ¿A career in shipping and sailing is not everyone's cup of tea, you are away from mother earth for months together, and for many, it is a scary thought that beneath the steel hull, there is nothing but hundreds of meters of water. You are on your own, to fight your battles, storms and survive, when you are thousands of miles away from land, no one can come to help or rescue you. ¿The most attractive feature of the book is that reader can select any chapter and read, since all chapters are independent. This book was first published and previously titled Merry Mariner.