From where she stands, the shipping company offers her a great opportunity of getting acquainted with the sea, which is what she desires most. At the end of the interview she produces a medical report and discloses her medical condition, emphasizing that it should not affect her work performance as her chances of survival are fairly good. She has chosen this particular occasion to break the news of her condition to her father, the chair of the meeting, as she does not want him to have the opportunity of expressing emotions. She does not want sympathy. She believes as her father does that at the end of the day, one has only oneself to lean on.
Man is truly an island.
In the wild and untamed ocean of being, one's tears are always wasted. Lam has won a job in her father's shipyard. Her workplace turns out to be a far cry from what she had imagined. This is a place where ships are built and maintained, not where they sail. Her office is an anchored vessel within which the majestic sea is more an idea than a fact.