Mines

Muzani and I sent both WFV and the 1.5GLi for some engine oil change, its filter, and some spark plugs for the latter. Never before have I seen anything like filling up car tires with nitrogen. Physicists: does nitrogen maintain the temperature and pressure better than air? I’ve heard something like the nitrogen boost but that’s something entirely different isn’t it? Then all five of us ranging from me to Ashbi ventured out to Mines for some good DVDs. The entrance to that place was jacked up with all sorts of constructions. Dang. We tried out Fujiyama chicken for Iftar, famous for being the food that Muzani likes very much. A short quiz what is my favorite food?

We settled down and watched the Prizoner of Azkaban on the big screen. The JVC receiver has been fixed a week ago and the home-theater set is complete! Actually, I didn’t dream of bringing home the entire slew of home-cinema equipment due to its weight but somehow it happened.

The most important choices are the ones we’re afraid to make… Do we want to be hurt now or later?

Your Body is a Temple

Healthmeter: how is systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 109 and 59, while pumping them vital internal liquid at 61 beats per minute? Pretty good, I guess. I’ve already lost 10lbs. OK. Med student can laugh now.

Awards

Ashbi came out the top spot in his class so we all went to the awards event. It used to be less chaotic then. Was it the heat? Or was it the child in me back then who didn’t feel chaotic… or the heat? Muzani and I set out to grab a replacement for the 1.5GLi headlight in Kajang. There were a lot of accessories shops but to find a reasonably priced item was tricky. You know how they’d squeeze you for every cent before raya. They’d take advantage of your desperation.

We all watched Batman Begins after Tarawikh. I’ve seen it once but I wanted to see it again. “Why do we fall? So that we learn to pick ourselves up.”

Job Satisfaction

Bala was very enlightening during another KLOSHC session. It was about road survival and how to deal with every day traveling. Taught by all kinds of experiences during crash rescue missions and accidents, he’s incredibly knowledgeable, charming and comical. With that many amusing stories to tell, I saw a natural comedian performing right there. Another funny person I’m becoming more acquainted with is Ustaz Dzulkarnain Hamzah. During a UN peacekeeping in Cambodia several years ago, he served our country together with our military, providing spiritual support to our troops there. He told great stories and with funny remarks of his, audience was fully captured. This is another reason why I like Friday - I get to listen to longer Tazkirah than any other day.

My superior came by, surprisingly, to have a chat before raya. The session I’d been asking for was granted, finally, for several minutes before office hour ended. Even though his questions in going about the project enlightened me, that was the technical part and everyone else should have also known the incompetence of someone new. What I expected was more on the recognition that I’ve put a reasonable effort to learn as much as possible in such a short time. If only he’d known how much effort I’ve put to gather information and technical expertise from technical advisors and the people around me who happened to be so stressed with workloads, I would’ve slept better at night. I’m not sure if he knows. He probably does. But HE knows.

I met Abi, a US-raised Indonesian friend at Masjid As-Syakirin for Iftar. He’s supposed to start his job in Jakarta the following Monday so before all the mess set in, he’d like to have a Malaysian visit. Besides, his sister is a Schlumberger boss here in Malaysia. We walked to a nearby Sushi restaurant and caught up with the latest stories. The best thing for me, well, besides catching up with an old friend, was to speak American English again, after a while. I almost lost the accent.

The Cowboy in Me

I had the chance to have a conversation with production technicians, radio operators, and the big boss offshore. Something bothered me when almost the same issue came up - manning and local management. I’m not much of an HR guy but I know if people are troubled because of the management. The biggest sign is when even the experienced folks are leaving - they don’t care about the benefits no more. Fewer people on board means more downtime thus more stress on everybody. I’m sure they have a strategy in place to handle the situation.

The medic while coming out of the dispensary (which didn’t look like it had enough supplies) asked, “Did you have an accident when you were little?” I was a bit puzzled for a moment until I realized the point of the question. Apparently, he noticed the cripple in me: I’m bow-legged.

Flare Fire

The day was greeted by a real fire alarm from the other sub platform. At another time later, a turbo compressor went down thus the flare fire went up 80 feet! Imagine if we’re burnt in hell like that 70 times the temperature. Astaghfirullah.

Chopper Delay

Slight chopper delay bogged us down but I convinced the other two in the team to stay positive. The result for being patient was rewarding. It was an exhilarating experience to me because for the first time ever, I traveled offshore with my peers. I also got to share the ups and downs of being new on the job with someone from other departments, something I couldn’t do very often everyday in my group/department.

Spider

CB and Alya wanted to watch Spiderman 2 so I had it on. Don’t you think the movie’s last line ‘Go get ‘em, Tiger’ should have been ‘Go get ‘em, Spider’? Did Raimi miss that part or Dunst deliberately mess that one up? It’s just a saying.

Heavy Duty

I’ve been doing a lot of heavy-duty thinking today. I think I will get my hair white sooner than my peers of age.