Aftermath Meeting

Solar Taurus 60

It was the aftermath of all the hard work since last two month for the engine exchange work. The result, only gas turbine unit one was successfully completed. However for unit 2 the gas turbine engine lubes oil still leaking. Today it’s the meeting between the owner, operator, engine supplier and PETRONAS GCM.

Now the Owner did not mention about neck on chopping block again, but even worst the F-bomb explode! Not just F-bomb it also came in package with bloody hell and etc. since all those word explode, the PETRONAS guy who went to Pattaya with me last time tell the owner to calm down and let he handle the problem professionally.
The defect comes from the engine. The engine exchange was supposed to be something like item of plug and play engine. But when it comes with different specification other problem arise, not just the time delay, but the cost of maximum demand from TNB that have to be borne by owner. The finance manager will surely be investigated by Dato’, that’s what make him felt so stressed in the meeting.

The is the first time problem faced by user of Solar engine, and guess what… surely our workplace was marked in their history maybe as a lesson learn.

Recovered at last

Today, after 2 weeks of illness and flu, (as I previously posted in my last blog last week about getting better) and now it is a week later. Now I’m fully recovered. Not coughing and not sneezing. The matter that supposes to be completed in the plant was not happening as planned. The engine should be completely tested and re-commissioned yesterday, but the defect was still there. That’s what makes lube oil leaking from the engine when the engine was running on load.

I have planned for all major maintenance to be completed before the fasting month so that we could work minimum on fasting month and celebrate aidilfitri without thinking so much about the work in plant. up to now 8 equipments already inspected by department of safety and health (DOSH) and one gas turbine engine completed with engine exchange, and another engine seems like we have to wait maybe till October.

Whatever it is, I will still celebrate my raya at my hometown maybe longer than usual since I still have 18days left for leave. Maybe I could save some if I’m going to hop to another company… ahaa… I think I should contact them now.

Loyalty

I just want to write about loyalty. Long time ago when I was still a university student I heard some of my friend talk about loyalty. And the phrase if I am not mistaken, “loyalty is above all matters.” Maybe the meaning is about friendship.

But now for me the definition of loyalty is different. Some might be loyal to the company they work for after bonuses and increment or what so ever the company compensate them until they become too dependent to it. As for me, I won't be that loyal and it depends.

I kind a like the phrase “I work for money. If you want loyalty.. GET A DOG!”

Investing (maybe its boring to read but it might change your mind)

I was thinking about my future suddenly, about salary range, the inflation rate already hiking above 7.7% since the oil price increase few months before. Now I am learning about investment myself thru outside colleague, although I have been investing in certain government protected fund before, but it was all useless, with this type of investment the return still could not fight the inflation.

The definition: Let say today you have a million Ringgit, and you keep the money in your safe or just keep it in your saving account, after 7 year or so you withdraw the money for your own use. Guess what? Maybe you are still a millionaire after 7 years but with the same amount of money today you could buy more items than you can buy seven years later. This is the cause of inflation.

How to fight this problem? The solution is simple, investment, or you keep the money by buying gold. But which one is better? Today the gold price was ridiculously high since early 2008. And investment returns from ASB, ASN what so ever only gives you a return of 7 – 9 percent annually? Frustrating isn’t it? Not many of us know about investing, so do I, until I get an e-mail from someone who I didn’t know, then I realize I’ve been wasting a lot of time and money by investing in ASB.

Some other invested in Bank Rakyat where the return is about 15% so I tried to get through, sadly the fund was full. The priorities were for the government servant and have to wait for queue. Until I get the e-mail about one legal investment in Unit trust. It tells about Public Ittikal (under Public Mutual-Islamic section) the return at that time (2005) was 60% for previous 3 years! (This can be viewed thru The Star Newspaper every Saturday) but to be remembered that previous track record could not guarantee the same record in the future. Just that from the track record we could judge how well they manage the investment isn’t it?

Instead of investing in fixed deposit of 3.5 percent in banking account or in ASB which return less than 10% why not if it is invested in a unit trust that can give a return (insya’allah) of higher than 10% rite? If you want to buy a house in 4years with fix deposit of RM 25,000, so you must save about RM500 per month in a fixed deposit account, but if you save in unit trust, insya’allah you can pay about RM 35000… See the difference?

Ps: thank you to the unknown person who sent me the email…
Note: for more info just give me your e-mail, insya’allah I will share knowledge about UT and new potential fund launched by public mutual.

The Contract Terminator

Boss called me this morning talking about the in plant contractors job. Mechanical technician was not around today, since I’ve already signed the leave application, because the reason was undeniable- rest. Yup, every single person in this plant was tired. It’s been a month and a half since the engine exchange work kick-off. And the work was about 75% completed.






I myself was still recovering from my fever, still coughing as yesterday. Not having enough rest, and I think that’s why currently my antibody was not strong enough to destroy and eliminate all those virus or what so ever bacteria harming and damaging my cell alive. And I was currently fighting all those unwanted bad micro-biological-organism with the pills so called antibiotic. These pills were not just weakened those bad “alien” but also weaken the beneficial bacteria in my intestine. And dump them to my kidney. What a pity…

Opsss… I think I’m going out of the topic, where did I stop just now? Owh... The contractors… it is actually about the contract that I have to review, if it was not satisfactory the contract might be terminated. It was my job as the department head, but it was so not me to do this… I have to make some changes, make a partnering system maybe, if it is not working maybe I’ll try other solution.

One wedding and 1 MC's

Hari ni hari keempat selepas balik dari my hometown for my sister’s wedding. It’s a surprise when I arrived home and see my eldest sisters brand new car the Honda Accord Euro Type-R imported direct from Japan, harga lagi murah than my car lak tu.

My mom chooses the date for the wedding. Biasa la many people take a date of 08/08/08 as a wedding day. Mostly Chinese la kot. Tengok-tengok balik macam dah plan plak, my second younger sister married on 06/06/06 and the brother 07/07/07 and the latest one 08/08/08. Exactly a year and a month and a day later.

This time I reach home near Maghrib time coz I went to a seminar earlier that morning. Since the evening session was not related to mechanical part, so I escape, and directly “balik Kampung”. Akad nikah was carried out at my kampung’s mosque. There, my role was as a photographer and sit beside tok Imam just before it begins. Thus there’s no photo of myself inside the ceremony.

The brother in law was from Malacca, so just after the ceremony and banquet, the in laws family directly heads home to Malacca before the Jumaat prayer. Most of the invited guest arrived after the Jumaat Prayer. The ceremony ended at 8 I guess. I thought I could rest as usual after that, but it’s not happening as I thought. It was restless with all sort of thing.

The 2nd day it’s a farewell for my elder sister at the Sultan Ismail airport. I guess this is the last time I will see my sister before she departed for Dubai following her husband who got a job there. The next day, the married couple departed for a honeymoon. I and my wife departed for KL few hours later of course with my ‘Mugen’ Honda hehehe… jadik le rally driver.

The next day I was not feeling well, and a day after I take a medical leave, tonsil problem again, maybe because of not enough rest. And here I am today still coughing in the office hehehe… but getting better

Neck on Chopping Block

This happens yesterdays during meeting between the owner of the co-generation plant and the contractor of the gas turbine engine exchange. We as the work supervisor were given the authority by the owner to manage everything within our power.

The situation now is the gas turbine re-commissioning was having trouble with lube oil leakage during running once the engine get warmer. Since this project was outstanding for a week, the director of finance gets involved in the meeting. This includes the manager of the contractor itself.

The owner was not satisfied with the condition of the machine and don’t want to accept the engine as per agreement. Now the owner have to bear the cost of electricity and gas (which price already increase 100% after PETRONAS Gas revise price) owners wanted the contractor to bear the cost if the job not completed within time. But the contractor’s manager refuses to give the warranty to the owner.

The director gets heated and says “are you willing to put your neck on the chopping block?” whoa... everybody looking at each other. (Wonders the face of the contractor manager looks like? Like celcom advert in the TV date with monkey) not only that the director include the example as Proton Perdana (he previously used). “Do you think that if I buy a Proton Perdana today and tomorrow find out the gearbox have a problem I have to pay the cost of the repair?” (Proton Perdana MB Terengganu kes tgh hangat). “Kenapa tak berani bagi warranty sedangkan engine ni sepatutnya dalam keadaan baik?” Ini lah kelemahan kaum ‘kita’ sepatutnya kita sebagai bangsa melayu patut berpegang kepada kata dan sanggup memberi sesuatu untuk dijual dengan jaminan yang baik”.

There you go, I learn a new phrase about the chopping block thing… now I could use it among other contractor though… hehehe

Hurricane of the Dawn

Earlier yesterday morning, there was a storm maybe in shape of cyclone or some small tornadoes take place at my workplace. It was near dawn, I was still sleeping that time it wasn’t Subuh time yet.

At first I heard sound like a stone hitting a steel pillar few times while sleeping, maybe it’s an ice rain… then few minutes later, come this horrifying whistle of wind similar sound like a tornadoes in a cinema with Dolby surround system but a little bit lauder… but the sound of stone hitting a steel pillar still continues. All this sounds bothering my sleep.

At that time I thought I was just dreaming, until I feel the wind in my room! At first it was just like a slow fan, but then it gets stronger than a blower, my room door was closed! Even the main door was closed. Soon the sound gets lauder, and I felt the chill, I woke up and trying to observe what is happening outside, it was still dark but I could see debris and something like water droplet flying horizontally. I never see such seen before, I lay back on my bed stunned, and repeatedly pray “La haula wala quwata illa billah” to prevent anything bad happens.

After nearly an hour, everything stopped, I look outside, miraculously it’s like nothing had happened before. But at the living area, papers that have been stick on the wall hanging which seems like somebody is trying to pull it off from where it stick, and found out some lighting malfunctioned outside.

I wonder how this wind could be strong even it is inside a room… first time in my life I experience this… now I know how it feels like to live at tornado alleys, but this is just the minor one and not in tornado alleys such as Texas, Colorado and etc which is much more stronger and destructive.

New Malaysianized English

word and story below is just a fiction and jokes

Anwarized" - meaning: To get back-stabbed. . i.e. People who have been anwarized may contact the DPM's hotline

"Badawized" - meaning: To be stupified ...........i. e. Malaysians seem to be badawized by the media which reports biased news

"Najibbed" - meaning: To be blown to bits .....i.e. In this country,you better be careful with what you say, you can be najibbed otherwise

"Petrad" - meaning: To be exposed ...........i. e. Lately the BN coalition has been petrad in many ways

"KayJayed" - meaning: To shout for no reason i.e. He kayjayed in the Dewan and appeared like a moron

"Balaed" - meaning: To vanish suddenly i.e. They opposition balaed from the meeting in protest

"Lingamed" - meaning: To repeat redundantly i.e. The Information Minister lingamed the same rubbish in the debate recently.

"Soileked" - meaning: To be caught on tape i.e. People have stopped using budget hotels as they are afraid of being soileked.

A short Malaysian fiction:

Altantuya was cold bloodedly najibbed after she attempted to petra Najib for anwarising her and not making the promised payments. Razak was badawized into covering up for Najib while Najib balaed from the scene. Razak was actually anwarized. However Najib lingamed that he had nothing to do with it and has been kayjaying on the topic in an attempt to prove his innocence. Nevertheless, some quarters have been threatening that they have soileked evidence that Najib was involved.