Hello peeps

Salam w.b.t and hi all,

How are you doing? I am doing fine. I am offshore at the moment, first time offshore in Qatar. On Al-Khor, Shell jack-up rig. Ocean is calm, but the temperature is so hot. They announce the heat index from time to time, the range of the temperature is between 49 to 56 degree C. It can be hotter during the day.

It has been crazy for the past three weeks. I have been planning to update the blog many times, but I was pretty occupied with the jobs.

Exhausted as well.

I managed to go back to Doha on Eid. I did not go anywhere, I was sleeping and rest as trying to adjust the sleeping schedule. Then, on the very same day, my manager asked me to come to the base on the next day to prepare the basket tests. Then, next day I was planned to go to another land rig for rig up with another MWD, Berik. I will do the rig up and leave Berik to run the job alone. There will be Remote Operation support and I will go back to the previous rig I was, GDI-4.

Ok, that’s cool. We arrived around 4PM and started the rig up. The heat was so crazy, and at 5PM I was sitting at the corner and about to black out. Immediately I went to room, wet my face, threw up, heart beats crazily and I could not open my eyes. I laid down on the floor for one hour with headache. It was like a punch hitting my head. I was so scared that I might be unable to wake up.

Then moved to the bed, slept. Around 6PM, back to normal and continued rig up and preparing the equipment. We rigged up and finish around 5.30 in the morning. We were so exhausted, and Berik, he looked like lost sometimes. Well, I understand because exhausted, heat, and unplanned rig up. He is the man with the plan, and when there is no plan, he kind of lost. I know this rig, so I led him.

At 8AM, driver came to pick me up to go back to Doha. In the evening, got another message to go to another rig, GDI-1 to do the setup and teach the loan guy about the job. Ok, fine. I departed to the rig, and came back to Doha in the afternoon.

After that, I managed to get three days of rest without any disturbance. Treated myself with good foods, watched Pirates of the Caribbean, and sleeping. On the fourth days, I felt weird as the managers did not call or email me. I was so kind (LOL), went to the base to say hello and ask them, "What's up?".

Went to the base, did the basket test and I was told by another manager I will be going to the rig in two days. He gave me 5 minutes pre-job briefing and I don’t know a heck what the job was about. I said, I am supposed to go back to the GDI-4, that’s what my manager told me.

Long story short, I was sent to the rig, I am currently at. I don’t really like it, although the food is really good.

The reasons are;

1. I share the room with another Shell's female personnel. The room is very hot, and the A/C is working, but it is always like that since it is summer
2. No hand phone here, leave it on land
3. Health and Safety is quite strict compared to land rig. I have been working freely on land, and then I need to limit and control it here. Basically, be more safer
4. New client for me, and a lot of things I need to learn and their SOP, bla bla bla
5. On land, if I want to come back to Doha, I can push my manager to relieve me. I can go to the supermarket, and walk around the rig. Here, I need to wait for helicopter and I cannot randomly say, I want to go home
6. I made friends with the rig I was at previously, I know the crew and what they are doing. I call them by their name, and they know me. Here, I am a new crew and I need to break the ice

I am an introvert, I don’t get along easily with people at the beginning. It takes time to know people, and after that I will be fine.

It is quite calm now, we are drilling. I arrived 5 days ago and the last two days, it has been crazy. Anyways, I hope it will be good now.

On another note, I will have my vacation in Aug-Sept. I will go to New Zealand visiting friend and see places, and I just bought the flight ticket two hours ago. It is going to be a long flight. From Doha to Christchurch, in total around 28 hours with three transits. Erm….I hope I will be fine. Then, I will go back to Malaysia. That’s the plan for now, details, I will think about it later.

When thinking about New Zealand, I already feel excited. Hahaha…will see. Anyone wants to join me, you are welcome.

That’s what I have so far.

I will write again later, take care folks.

Keep me posted if anything.

Salam w.b.t and see you all next time.

P/S - Nothing to P/S

Before I leave

Salam w.b.t and hi all.
Time flies really fast. We are three/four days away from 2017. Well, I don’t really look forward to the New Year actually because, I don’t.
It is not really a big deal, well, it is a big deal. It is just this is where everybody will be away and have a lot of holiday. I really need to be really patient for them to reply my emails!
Anyway, I am still in Aberdeen as a vacation, trying to use up my annual leave. I have a lot of things to do during my vacation before leaving Aberdeen.
So far;

• Already buy the one-way flight ticket to Malaysia. So sad and nervous
• Watched Fantastic Beast at the cinema. I am a bit disappointed with this movie, I don’t really understand what is it about apart from magic wound whoosh here and there. Whoosh £10.60 for the ticket

Eddie is so weird and awkward in the movie, although it is part of the character. I don't like it

• Packing my stuff for shipping. See the state of my house! Like a shipwreck

• Donated my pre-loved items to the charity shops, mostly the winter clothes since I will not require it in Qatar
• Sold my car
• Sold many of my items as I am trying to lessen weight for luggage
• Get my SLB Laptop fixed as I screwed up with the software
• Met the dentist, four appointments back to back
• My beloved wisdom tooth on the left cheek started to grow. I was in pain for three to four days but now, it is no longer sore. Yay!
• I have been going to the city for 4-5 consecutive days before Christmas, just to see/survey the price for my favourite things. Today, I don’t see much difference although it is Boxing Day. So, I just buy it instead of waiting for another "cheaper" version. I bought three shirts
• Snow fall heavily today. Nice opportunity to see it before I leave Aberdeen

Still considering whether I need to buy the tablet-laptop convertible or not. I was at the Curry's PC World for nearly two hours today, but I did not buy it. The price is £149.99 + £45.00 for Window installation. I don’t know if it is a need or a want. Besides, I surveyed the price sold in Malaysia is way much pricey.


Buy it or no? I don't know.

Not much I have been accomplished for the past two weeks. Sometimes, I felt lost as in, "What I want to do today since I have a lot of free times". So, I decided to write to-do-list every day. At the end of the day, I will cross out what I have done and see what else I can do. It is boring when you are alone and don’t have any plan.



So lame and unorganized life

That is why I write this entry so that I can cross out the to-do-list for today. Haha…Ok, I will write properly next time.


Take care guys.


P/S - Anyone is going for vacation/backpacking/volunteering event next month? Any vacant spot? I would love to join.

 

My first Ramadhan in Aberdeen

Salam w.b.t. and hello folks.

I don’t have fancy pictures of food, restaurants, whatnot to be posted on social network. But, I would like to share so far what it is like fasting here, in Aberdeen. Ramadhan 6 today.

Maghrib is around 10.15 pm, and Subuh is around 2.10 am. So, I have approximately 4 hours to before I start fasting again. Well, compared to Finland and nearby regions, they have less than an hour. So, 4 hours. Should not complain much.

Also, I shared with my workmates about Ramadhan, fasting, and basic ideas why Muslim fast.

*

Kris: I have an energy drink in my car. I can nip out and give it to you.

Me: What? Energy drink? No, no. When I say fasting, I mean no food, no drink, nothing goes inside our body.

Kris: What??! I thought you cannot eat only. You can drink. What if you dehydrate?

Me: I haven't reach that level yet, and I can assure you it won't be until dehydration. If it is too much, I will just break my fast. So, don’t worry.

*

Alan: Toon, are you fasting ey?

Me: Yeah. Do you want to try to fast with me as well?

Alan: I don't think I will make it. If I don’t eat and hungry, I will be grumpy and have my period all day.

Me: You are the first man I know that can have period ;)

*

Workshop supervisor came and asked me several questions about Ramadhan and fasting. After our chat, I told him, I am not really good at explaining stuffs but I will try my best to answer.

He said, "Nah, don’t worry. You already answer all my questions. Before this, we did not have a chance to ask this sort of thing here. Since you are here, we can ask you".

"I will try my best to address all the questions, Fincham".

*

They are curious, curious on many things. They asked about headscarf, hajj, mosques, and many other things. Some even asked about marriage (Hahahaha). Most of the times, I doubt if I have properly explained to them since I am not that alim.

Anyway, Ramadhan Mubarak to everyone. No matter where we are, we are aiming the same objective, to be a better person.

The view of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat. I went there last month.

P/S - The responsibility is bigger

My first trip offshore

Salam w.b.t and hi all,

How are you guys doing? I am doing great. Hopefully all of you are doing great as well.

Actually, before I start writing these, I wanted to watch a movie called "Sinister". But after 16 minutes, I think the movie is a bit scary for me to watch alone although it is 11.00 am in the morning here. So, I decided to write an entry.

It is been awhile. Several important things happened lately.

I was offshore for two weeks. I was assigned to Brent Bravo platform, of course as a trainee, which means I observed the job. No responsibilities yet. This was my first time going offshore, ride on the chopper, and being in the middle of the ocean.

In the middle of North Sea, with the risk anything could happen at any time.

Before I left, the senior engineer said I will be there for seven days or less as the bed space limitation might require me to leave the platform at a short notice. We done the job on the fifth day, and I thought, "This is great. I am able to see the job from start till finish before I down manned".

We done on the fifth day. On the sixth day, I called the base, they said, "You will not be relieved until next week". This means I had to stay another week.

"Oh my god".

It is not that I don’t like there, but I was worried. You know, as a female, you will have period every month. And, it was about time and I did not prepare. I don’t think there is women tampon sell at the Bond. (Ladies, be prepared. Bring it and extra whenever you are going to somewhere and only God knows when you will return)

Also, on the third day, there was an unfortunate event happened in Norway. A chopper outbound for one of the platform in the North Sea was crashed. The passengers were all oil and gas workers, and they are all dead. Let me tell you, everyone onboard was worried including me. This particular specification of chopper is mostly used in the North Sea. It can cover long distance from onshore to offshore.

These are only some factors that made feel nervous.

Even though there is nobody wait for me in Aberdeen, but I was homesick when I am offshore. The homesick feeling was difficult. It is like the feeling of wanting to go back to my comfort zone. I am sure it is normal to experience this, I saw many personnel on the platform sometimes sit and stare blankly at the wall.

Being away is tough. You have to learn to control this feeling, in the meantime keep your head straight.



The view from Computer Room in Brent Bravo



Anyway, long story short, I stayed there 15 days. Everything went well. I also got the chance to see they pulled out the completion using our tool on the day 13. So, it was great.

Everything was massive. It was really huge and old platform. Everyone on the platform was really, really, really helpful and nice. From OIM, DSV, DE, drilling crews, and everybody onboard.

They shared their knowledge and experience to me. They are really good at what they are doing. "Good" is so understatement, I would say excellent. They are very excellent at what they are doing. Even though in some occasions, the language become a little bit to understand. They come from all over the UK, so difference accents. My ears are not used to listen to various accents, so it took a bit of effort to understand them.

When I was there, it was like what I read on textbook come to life. It is surreal to able to see, experience, and become part of it. 

The first job was to section mill 85 feet of window, but the client decided to extend the window to 180 feet due to certain circumstances. We were continuously milling for nearly 3 days, and I was hoping our tool will not fuck up. We were really pushing the limit. When we were arrived at 150 feet, the client said that’s fine. 150 feet is fine.

I did not know, but when I back onshore, the senior engineer said, this is the world record. 150 feet. So, you should be proud to be there and see it. Around 6 persons only can come onboard to operate this tool and involve with the operation.

Well, I know you don’t really understand on this bit as it is a bit technical. In short, I am glad to be there even though as an observer.

There are a lot more to learn, and I have to remain focus on developing my knowledge and skills. It is tough with the current business environment for the Oil and Gas industry.

Also, I am looking forwards to the next trip, which I don’t know when. But, I look forward to it.

I think that’s all from me for now. I will see you in the next entry.

Salam w.b.t and take care guys.

P/S - Bond, is the shop name on the platform. Most platforms have the Bond.

Aberdeen through my S3 lense

Salam w.b.t and hello all.

 

How are you doing folks? In this entry, I would like to share a video I made. It shows the Aberdeen City. Actually, I took it on my way home from Portlethen and luckily at that time, it was a double-decker bus. I was on-leave on last Friday to take care of some stuffs. So, I took the opportunity to see Aberdeen in daylight.

I share the link here: Aberdeen City

I cannot upload it here since it exceeds the size allowed. Apology for the video quality, but I hope you are still enjoying it.


On the road

You know what, this is at noon in Aberdeen but the weather was like at dusk. Just so you know, this kind of weather considers to be the best weather.

This is the road I take everyday to go/back from work, usually sun already set.

This is at the Castle Street, the building on the left is where I live for now. I will need to find another place, soon.

Aberdeen City also known as Granite City, well you can see from the buildings here. Most of them are constructed from granite centuries ago. Basically, it is historical city and full of ancient elements.

I forgot what is the name of this building, I think it is the university

Normally, it will rain and windy. The wind here, I would be honest, it can blow you miles away. It can reach 55 - 60 mph, sometimes higher. I personally experienced it when I got back from shop. On one hand, I carried my doughnut boxes, and the other hand, I held the wall of the building to against myself and made my step slowly to go home. It was tiring as the wind gust keep pushing my body.

 

Insane!

I came across this fella last week when I randomly made myself lost in the city

My effects from Malaysia just arrived yesterday. It was great to see my stuffs, like jackets, t-shirts, pants, and others. My mother included foods in the shipment, like coffee, instant noodles, food paste, and other Asian foods. Unfortunately, the shipping company did not allow food to be shipped to UK. That’s ashamed. Otherwise, I will have dancing around the room like mad.

Like a coffin ayy

That’s fine, it is not a first world problem. 

 

About work, it is very tiring sometimes, especially when I am a woman, but work like man. Can you imagine the effort to do that, for instance to unscrew the bolt? I am not talking about the typical bolt you see at DIY shop, this is the bolt for tool that is used to make a hole in deep down in subsurface.

 

For female, the effort could be double, triple, or quadruple compared to male. I am not kidding.

 

Anyway, that’s is different story I will share later.

 

I just want to share what Aberdeen looks like. 

 

I think that’s it for now. Take care guys, and Assalamualaikum Dunia.

 

P/S - The people here is very helpful, they know I hardly understand Doric. So, they are helping me to learn Doric. For a start, they call me "Toon" :D

 

2015, In A Nutshell

Salam w.b.t and hi all.

How are you guys been doing? Alhamdulillah, I am doing fine here. As we all know, 2016 is just around the corner. Time flies fast, I mean, really fast.

Time is gold. En route to Aberdeen from Paris

I remember the time I happy, cried, disappointed for various of things. The memories are still fresh, like it just happened yesterday.

A lot of things have happened. A lot of things have changed. Well, we are not living in a static world, are we?

In my head, I have many things to share on this blog but as usual, I don’t know what to start with. Thus, I think I will just share the highlights of events happened in my 2015 calendar.

 

Start working with SLB

It was exhaustive wait. People might know I am working in Aberdeen, but not everyone knows, how? After Australia, they changed my posting to Indonesia. Unfortunately, my work Indonesia visa did not approve as I did not meet the age requirement. I was 23 at the time. Then, the recruiter made drastic changes, he changed my segment and the posting location. I need to go for all the interview processes, all over again. As they can't simply assign me without knowing my capabilities.

I went to Labuan, again. Hehehe…I took it as a vacation.

Sunset view from staff house in Labuan

Making new friends

I make new friends. I work at Sepen, I make new friends there. You know what, during my last day of employment I cried. A colleague said to me, "Chill man, you just work 6 months here. So, chillex". Hahaha…



My last meeting with Sepen folks

Also, I make new friends in Paris. All are SLB new hired, we met in Paris during OFS-1. I never be in one room with so many nationalities, around 20 nationalities from around the world. Only me from Malaysia. I was quite scare at first, like my English is not so fluent. But, things sorted out well.

The largest batch in 2015 for EAF geomarket, they said

I have new friend here, her name is Kanoon. We are based in Aberdeen but stay at different staff house. Despite of different segment, we contact each other as we are still trying to settle down in Aberdeen. Actually, got several other trainees posted to Aberdeen, but I don’t have the pictures with them.

Me and Kanoon, she is from Thailand

I am sure I will meet more people in the future. I need to improve my social skills and also English, seriously. Haish…I am so not good at mingling around with people.

Miss old friends

I miss my friends, all of my friends although I am not being nice to everyone. I did not have a chance to meet up before I depart to the UK. Seriously folks. I miss you guys. All of you. I don’t want to specify the names, because it will be a very, very long list.



Friends

Therefore, I am extremely grateful and over the moon when some old friends randomly PM on Facebook. I really mean it. You know, when you are far from home, and your friends message to say hi, it is a great feeling. The feelings are like, "Owh man, this person still remember me. What a surprise!", "I have someone to talk to. Yuhuu!!".

Hahaha

Well, I know it is from Facebook, but still it is a great thing when the person still has guts to say hi to others.

 

New place, new environment, and being far from home

Home is where the heart is.

I don’t know how to describe this. But my adapting skill are being test to a whole new level. Freezing cold weather, sunlight for less than 5 hours a day, cultures, job, Scottish accent, foods, and many more. It is not easy I am telling you.

Apart from weather, their Scottish accent is quite a challenge for me

I am still adapting and it is challenging.

Despite of all the challenges, I always pray that I will never forget my responsibilities as His servant, my responsibilities as a daughter of my mother, and always stay down to earth. If I am changing, I hope that I am changing in a good way to become a better person.

Feel a "little bit" homesick at the moment

Experienced various of feelings

 

2015 is quite emotional year for me. Hahaha…I experienced various of feelings and emotions throughout the year compared to years before. I learn from the experiences, which kind of helping me to become a mature adult. Wihihihihi

Smile, do and pray for the best

Resolutions

I am learning from the past. I am drafting my 2016 resolutions, in my head. Hahaha….I haven't make my resolutions for the next year. Aiyaa….

But I have a personal diary already. My sister, angah gave it to me as a present. Wahaha…I am sure having a diary is a good start, isn't?

One iron woman, three daughters



I think that’s all I have on my mind at the moment. I hope we all will be successful in everything we do, and achieve success in this world and hereafter, InsyaAllah.

 

So folks, that’s it for now. I will write again in the future. As usual, take a good care of yourself.

 

Salam w.b.t and chow!

 

P/S - Great things are not easy to achieve, need a special formula and most important thing is PATIENCE

 

Quick Life Update 4

Salam w.b.t and hi all.

I did not post anything in last month. A lot of things have happened since last month, and I confused and too busy to think on what topic I want to write.

Thus, I think in this entry I will make it simple and sweet. Just in case anyone unsure, I am in Melun, Paris. Some of you may already know from my Facebook. I am here for one week, and today is the second last day.

1. I left my position as Project Engineer at Sepen Engineering. My last day of employment was on November 28.


2. I received my passport with visa to work in my assignment country on November 30. It was really, really close as I was due to leave Malaysia on December 6.


3. On December 6, I spent most of my time in flight. It was the longest flights I ever taken yet in my life. From KL, it was nearly 8 hours and I transit in Dubai for 2 hours. Then, from Dubai I departed to Paris and it took 8 hours as well. It was supposed to be 7 hours, but got a drunk woman, sat in front row of me, and she was not fit to fly. The crews took time to bring her out and to remove her baggage from flight. The situation was insane, I thought I will only see it in the movies. Anyway, I used Emirates Airline throughout the journey.


4. The jetlag I experienced was quite bad. I felt dizzy, headache, difficulties to sleep, and blur for like the next two days. But it was fine then.


5. I will leave Paris on 12 December to depart to my assignment location. I will share my location, later. Hehehe…


6. Also, I have a new wisdom tooth. It was painful like mad last week, but this week it is getting better. Hopefully, the tooth will be well behave from now on. I think I need to take care my personal health really seriously from now. Yes, no more taking personal health for granted.



SLB ELC, Melun

What else…I think that’s all for now. Just so you know, I could not share too details on what I am doing and what I experienced as the company put some restrictions on the information that can be revealed to public. It is not I am stingy, it just that my responsibilities to obey the rules and I don’t feel like creating any troubles.

Besides, the IT people in the company can access my laptop remotely. It is crazy, right….Haha…

Yes, I am publishing this entry from my-brand-new-SLB-laptop :)

I think that’s all for now. If you want to ask anything, just drop me a line. Catch you later, folks. Take care and chow!

Salam w.b.t.

P/S - The food here is nice, got halal at the accommodation as well at ELC. I am well-fed, so no argument here why I don’t look thin. 

I am engaged!

Surprise! Yes, I am engaged. Hahaha...Pardon me. I forgot to mention, I am engaged but it is in a dream. Haha…

Please do not misunderstand the above statement.

Before I go any further, first of all, Salam w.b.t. and hello folks.

All of you must be wondering, what on earth has happened to me. In my previous entries, I always shared the updates that already past. In a simple way, the mode most of my entries are in "past tense". Right in this entry, I want to share the current updates about myself. In another word, this entry will be in "present tense". Well, nobody cares Atiqah. So, screw you.

At this moment, I am at the living room writing the post.

About health, Alhamdulillah, I am doing fine. Healthy mind and body, Alhamdulillah.

I have start working. Of course, not with Slb. I will never decline the opportunity to work with Slb, but for now it is better for me to start building my life from scratch. As a start, find a job and work. I got another company in Rawang and I work as a project engineer. I have been working there for three weeks now. The company is dealing with pressure vessels fabrication and tanks with various sizes and functions.

As a new comer, a lot of things need to learn and do. Most of the things went well, so far. The engineer I tag along known as Viki. He is nice and really helpful. Although I asked a lot of stupid questions, he still answer and teach me. Haha…Alhamdulillah, I am grateful because the people there treat me nicely. You know, some people even get cursed on the first day of their working. I am fortunate because I did not experience that. Well, if it happens in the future, it will be a whole different story.

For a start, Viki gives me the opportunity to take charge one project that has 4 pressure vessels. 4 vessels project is considered as a small project, because other engineers like Viki is in charge of 39 pressure vessels. Imagine that.. 

During the introduction, the male staffs asked me what my status is. I know they are just fooling around and I understand that really well. Since I will be dealing with men and working in the environment dominated by men, I don’t want to mix personal matters and work. I would prefer to keep it formal. Thus, I have decided to put a clear boundary to differentiate this and I had my answer prepare beforehand. 

So, when they asked, "Are you married or single?". I answered, "I am already engaged", in the meantime behave like I am reluctant to reveal my status. They just nodded and said, "Oh man". So, end the story about my status. Otherwise, if I said "single", they might ask a lot of questions and the story will be much longer. I am afraid things could go wrong in a long term. In my point of view, this is also like a self defense mechanism. I don't want people particularly men to pay 'extra' attention to me like what happened during my internship. I don't want the history to repeat itself.

Besides, I am inexperienced in handling this matter and I am not yet ready to take this kind of risks. Frankly, I don't really like to discuss this matter in public and I am not ready to jump into this situation. So, if a new person or strangers ask me this, I will gladly say, "I am engaged". I think this question is typically asked by Malaysian, not others. Back in Australia, no strangers asked me. Thus, I did not have to do anything to hide my status.

My mother also advised me, "If you want to hide about your marital status, that is fine by me. However, make sure you do not go overboard".

"Alright mother, I got it".

Well, my mother also used to do similar what I do. After my father passed away, we always moved from one house to another. One residential area to another, from one state to another, and kept changing schools. Then, whenever the neighbours asked my mother questions like, "Where is the husband?", "What your husband do for a living?", my mother's answers was, "He is outstation. Seldom come home". Yeah, something like that. At first, as a kid, I do not understand why my mother did that. After some time, I got it. She wanted to protect us as well as herself. For instance, when we settle down in a new housing area, we sure got a lot of attentions from people, good and bad people. If bad people like robbers know there was no male in our house, and all are girls, anything could happen. Besides, my mother was also working and none to take care of us after we got back from schools. Thus, this was a method to defense our family.

Apart from I am already working, not much going on right now. Oh, I forgot. My youngest sister, Adek came back for a study break last week. She stayed for less than a week, and go back to her Uni. last Thursday. Currently, she is facing a trouble to find a place to stay for the next semester despite many extra activities she involved. She also did not see this coming, and she need to find a place to rent and money is the limiting factor right now. I cannot do much for her as I also just start working and yeah, money. I am sure you can imagine my situation right now.

Angah is also trying her best to get money from everywhere. She joins the online contests, competition, radio ads, and many more. She also apply assistance from Lembaga Zakat Selangor. However, not much luck now as we are not pure Selangor heritance. My mother is a Malaccan, my father was from Pahang and all three of us were born in Kuala Lumpur. So, too many "No" in this circumstance. Hopefully, there will be rezki for us somewhere, in a new future.

In terms of social, not much happen. I met Fakrul in person for the first time. He is also another Slb-new-hired. We used to contact through Fb only and last week we met face-to-face. I can say, although it was the first time meeting, it is like we understand each other quite well as we go through similar shit together. Also, Kamel, new hire also contacted me. I am quite relieved as he also know what type of shit I go through as he also experience similar. What we are doing is, we are trying to support each other at the moment. It does helps me to overcome negative feelings that appear in myself once in a while. I know I will just have to keep holding on and sure Allah S.W.T is preparing a great present for me. I am confident His  gift will be unveiled in the near future. Aisyah also contacted me once in a while and I really appreciate that, Aisyah. Thank you!

Erm, what else…

I don’t think I have any more to share. I think that's all for now. Take care of yourself and be nice to others. As we never know what kind of struggles other people is going through, thus never make it worse by treating them badly. Be kind and gentle.

Kak Daeng and I at Rottnest Island back in 2011

Salam w.b.t and chow.

P/S - Keep holding on folks.

Battle I got into

Salam w.b.t and hello readers.

Let me be honest, it took me a huge effort to share this post. I have wrote this entry weeks ago, but I was not ready to publish it until now. You will understand the reason behind this after you finish reading it.

I have been struggling since weeks ago, my motivations gone, my hopes shattered, I was dead inside out, literally. For some time, I did not have a word, sentence, or idea on how to describe what I have gone through. In a simple word, I was lost.

I got my AU visa in early of April, which was a great thing. One week after I got my visa approval, the Slb recruiter called me on Wednesday evening. I was expecting updates about when I can start working as all documents were ready, all onboarding processes already completed. I was so pumped to work my ass-off and gain money. I do not have any more money, while bills, debts are waiting to be paid.

When I answered the phone call, I heard the recruiter cleared his throat and I did not like the sound of it. No, actually I hate it very much. I immediately asked him, "Is it a good or bad news?". Basically he said, "Both". He broke the news, by the time, my mind was everywhere. I did not cry at the time, I tried to calm myself down and listen carefully but I lost track of everything.

Let me just put it in a simple way, the company decided to give me a new assignment. New assignment means, new location and all the onboarding process will have to start all over again. Start all over again, which means the waiting game will be extended to a certain period of time. I don’t think I can afford to wait any much longer, my patience is at the edge, and we are running out of money.

I kept asking, "What should I do?", "What should I do?", "What should I do?". Repeatedly. He explained the options several times. I am sure, I did not mean the question for him. It was more to myself. I went blank, numb and I cannot think of anything else other than the responsibilities on my shoulders that are getting heavier than ever.

"I don't know what to say".

"I didn't see this coming".

"I feel like knocking my head on the wall".

"I am disappointed".

I said to him.

"You have every rights to feel this way. I know this is very disheartening, you can take your time. But, after a day or two, please pull yourself back together". He continued talking whatever, but my mind was no longer there. 

By the way, this recruiter is really good at talking. I mean, the new recruiter. If he is a car salesperson, I would have buy the car he sell regardless the conditions and price.

My mother was also listening to the conversation and she pretty much got the idea of what was going on. Tears wetted her eyes and cheeks. After the call, I shivered and dropped to the floor. I felt like everything has been taken away from me harshly in a blink of an eye. It was also a really heartbreaking moment to see the disappointments in my mother's eyes. No, it was not the disappointments, but it is more on her fear of what lies ahead in the future.

My future, her future, my sister's future. I am her hope, I am the one who should stand up for her. I can see her world caved-in.

This news really shook my faith, "O Allah, what is happening?".

From that moment onwards, I don't know what to do, what to think, and every cells in my body chose not to cooperate with me. Whereas my mother decided to spend time alone, most likely to cool herself down. I totally understand that and I did not want to interrupt her.

We were in grief, in our own way.

Despite the news, I said to Allah SWT in my prayers, "Whatever happen, please Allah SWT, help me. Help me, guide me. I am totally helpless. Please help me to reach Khusnul Khatimah. I want to success in this world and hereafter. Strengthen me and help me. I am no longer can stand seeing my mother's tears and disappointments. It torn my heart to pieces. I cannot bear any more disappointment".

The next day in the morning, I still did not know what to do, how to react to this unexpected event, whom should I consult. My heart is still beating in the chest, but I did not feel alive. I was lost, and I need someone to discuss with.

One person I can really, really trust is Kak Daeng. I shared the recent news with her, from A to Z. I clearly know she also just recovered herself from several challenges, but her reactions to me does make me absolutely touched. From that moment, I know, she is my friend for life. She is my sister. She helped me countless times before, and every time she helped me, I become more certain that I want our friendship lasts till jannah, InsyaAllah. She advised me on several things and shed some light on what I can do. What she said are things that I kind of expected, but it feels good to have someone to say it again. It does lighten the burden a little when I shared the problems with her.

Since that day after, I decided to shut myself off the world for a while. I need to refocus and recover myself from this unanticipated event. Yes, tears still wetted my eyes once in a while, I could not avoid it. 

About five days after that, for a start, I emailed the recruiter to recheck several things because I did not really focus on our last conversation.

So, where am I now?

I am still in the battle, wounded, but I will never give up in fighting my way through.

P/S - Great friend is not the one who you took the selfie with the most. Great friend is the one who you can turn to regardless in happy or difficult situations and pray for you in secret. Lets strive to be a great friends to our friends, shall we?

Me in Kuching, Sarawak

Salam w.b.t and hello all.

How are you guys been doing? I am doing great. I would like to share my recent experience in Kuching, Sarawak. This was my first time in Kuching and I kinda look forward to go there. I was invited by the SLB recruiter to join the career fair as a volunteer which happened on March 7 and 8 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK). SLB will have a booth there and we will interact with the visitors. I departed to Kuching on March 6 and back in KL on March 9. 

March 6, Friday

I was on the same flight with Sir Lokman and Nadiah. I never met them face to face, we only talked on the phone. So, it was a bit nervous for me in meeting new people. When we met, Sir Lokman asked me, "How do you feel when meeting us?". I did not have a particular feeling at that time, honestly. So, I said, "I don't know". I am not sure that is acceptable answer to him. Haha...does not matter to me but yes,  that is the truth.

View of Kuching City from the top

The flight took off about 2.10 pm and we arrived in Kuching around 4 pm. Then, we check-in at Pullman Hotel that is located at the center of Kuching City. I shared the room with Nadiah.

We stayed on eleventh floor

After solat, we headed down to the Warong Nusantara near to the hotel to fill our stomach. I just drank the milo ice because I was not hungry. When Nadiah and I arrived at the warong, I believe Sir Lokman already had his second round of roti canai. I am sure he was starving :D

Then, we took a taxi and head to BCCK that was about 20 minutes drive. Arrived at BCCK around 6.30 pm and we immediately unloaded the box that contained the exhibition's stuff. I can see there are many other companies joining the career fair like Petronas, Shell, Nippon Oil, Sime Darby, and many more. There are also learning institutions that will take part in the fair. Since Petronas is one of the sponsors to this event, they got spacious booth for the exhibition and it looked so elegant. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of their booth. Never mind, it is no longer important. Hahaha…

Around 8 pm, we left the convention center with my stomach kept screaming for food. I am sure other's stomach also kept shouting for food. Sir Lokman and Nadiah kept asking me where to eat, where to go for our dinner, what we want to eat, and bla bla bla. My tiny little brain absolutely cannot give the reasonable answers to their questions since this was first time in Kuching. So, what I said was, "I don't mind anywhere, goreng-goreng also can". Finally, we went to Top Spot located close to our hotel.

Can you see the Pullman Hotel back there?

Top  Spot is the name of the location on the rooftop. When we were there, I can see there are various restaurants and most of them offered seafood. Nadiah asked me to choose the restaurant that I am interested to try. Again, of course I do not have a clue where to go. I asked Nadiah whether all this restaurants are halal or not. Well, the reason I asked was because that the restaurants' names are not only written in Malay, there are also written in Chinese. Nadiah said, they are all halal and it is normal to have the Chinese written everywhere since Kuching is a tourist attraction.

I could not conceal my blurriness in choosing which restaurant, finally Nadiah chose ABC Restaurant. Yes, if I am not mistaken, that's the place where we had our dinner. I was hungry, but not that hungry because I drank a lot of water. So, I ordered Nasi Goreng Ayam. When I ordered the food, Sir Lokman shot me a weird look like, 'So, you come all the way from KL just to eat Nasi Goreng Ayam. Really, I mean like, really?'. I did not give a crap to that. Hahaha...They ordered rice, fish, vegetables, tom yam, and egg. I gave half of my nasi goreng to Nadiah, because it was so much for me. When their food arrived, I was not sure whether they could finish all the food because it was a lot. Unbelievably, they finished it. After we had our dinner, we headed back to our hotel and get ready for tomorrow.

March 7, Saturday

In the morning, we had our breakfast together. Another engineer, Leon also joined us. He is a Sarawakian and we car pooled to the BCCK. Arrived at the venue around 9.30 am and we unpacked the stuffs and get ready for the exhibition.

Me at the front desk

I was quite nervous actually, because this was my first time of becoming a company's representative. On top of that, the company is Schlumberger, the entity that I really want to work with since years ago. Before this, I was a job seeker, came to career fairs and praying that someone will recruit me, walk from one booth to another to gain information, experience how some recruiters treated graduates with disrespect. Therefore, I really understand the feeling of the job seekers.

Me and Diyanah, already 5 years with SLB doing finance related stuff

Since the beginning, I set my mind to treat those who come with respect and do my best to deliver all the information accurately. I am sure they come to the fair with a bunch of hopes and I will try my best not to be the one who crush their hopes and beliefs.

The people started coming to our booth once we completed the final finishing to our booth. The visitors ranged from graduates, school students, parents, professionals, and also other exhibitors. They asked questions, and we gave them the explanation about SLB and what we do. So far, I can draw one conclusion. Most of the visitors never heard Schlumberger and do not have any idea what we do. Thus, that is our role to explain to them, the job opportunities available, requirements to join in, career path, and many more.

Ahamad Yuhana doing his explanation

From the crowd, suddenly I met a guy that looks familiar to me. He also said that my face looks familiar to him, and I randomly guessed his name is Zul. Definitely my wild guess was wrong, his name is Firdaus. Of course his face looks familiar, because we met in KL for our SLB group interview. We exchanged stories, I wished him the best in his future undertakings, and as usual, I forgot to take our picture.

Not long after that, I saw someone that I know standing at our booth, "Michelle!". I called her and she turned to see who was calling. Yes! I was right, the person was Michelle Jemang. We knew each other at MARA College Kuala Nerang, but she furthered her studies in the UK. So, now she already graduated. We exchanged stories and I gave some encouragement to her to not to give in. I believe, every job seekers need that since it is hard to get a proper place to start their career with current market.

Me and Michelle

Actually, we hold an open interview in the arvo for field engineer position. I was unsure how it will be done but Yuhana and I were automatically sorted the candidates. Those who came to our booth and show us their resumes, we will have a look and directed them to the interview room if we find them suitable. Yuhana, the engineer also did not have the idea how to do it. I mean a proper way to do it, so he kept collecting the resumes and gave them to me for the review.

The open interview conducted by Leon and Sir Lokman

Seriously, I did not have a clue how to sort the resumes but I did see how Sir Lokman reviewed one graduate's resume in the morning. So, with that I reviewed the resumes in front of the graduates and gave comments on how to improve their resumes. Generally, I did not give most of them a green light for the open interview because I could see they need to improve their resumes. However, I hope with the comments and advices given would help them in the future.

From left: Nadiah, me, Yuhana, and Leon. The theme was white

The people kept coming and coming. It was tiring but it was fun and satisfying for me. I am truly happy because I got the opportunity to meet people and in a way, assist them.

We left the BCCK around 6 pm, Leon sent us back to the hotel. We planned to have our dinner together and Leon will choose the place. Hahaha...Once Nadiah and I reached our room, we jumped to our bed and laid in our comforter for several minutes. What a day. I took a nap for several minutes before solat. Then, we got ready for dinner.

We had our dinner at Bla Bla Bla restaurant. Yes, the restaurant name is Bla Bla Bla, no kidding.

Bla bla bla Restaurant FROM Google

When we walked into the restaurant, the atmosphere of tranquility hit myself and the light was deemed. I believe, if you come to Kuching with your partner, this restaurant is a nice place to dine in. :)

Me, Nadiah, and loads of food

They ordered foods, a lot of foods. I ate half bowl of rice together with dishes like prawn, tofu, cakung manis (I think that’s the name of the vegetable that only available in Sarawak, according to the waiter) and watermelon juice. Again, the rest kept pushing me to add more rice and dishes, but seriously, I could not eat more than I can. My stomach may be explode. Well, the situation might be different if I am studying or doing physical works that use a lot energy.

Leon and Sir Lokman

We did not go straight to the hotel after we finished our dinner. Sir Lokman and Leon had a very long, long, long chat. Nadiah and I had to wait until they done and by that time, my eyeballs nearly popped out from the sockets. Around 10 pm, we arrived at the hotel. Nadiah and I took a stroll to the nearby shops and we found a gift shop. I bought fridge magnet only since I left my purse in the hotel.

Finally, we arrived at our room around 11.30 pm and we got ready for tomorrow.

March 8, Sunday

After we had our breakfast, Leon fetched us around 8.30 am. We arrived at the BCCK around 9 am and we get ready for the exhibition. SLB will held a career talk at 3.00 pm until 4.00 pm. Sir Lokman, Yuhana, and Leon will give a talk and Nadiah will need to be there to assist the talk. So, it was just me at the booth during that hour. I do not mind at all, because I believe I could handle it.

From left: Leon, Yuhana, Lokman, Nadiah and me. Theme was black.

I also met several UWA graduates who graduated mid last year. Since the morning, people came and visited our booth and asked a lot of questions. However, the influx of visitors not that large compared to the first day of the fair. I had time to sit down with Yuhana and he shared a lot of information regarding his career at SLB and it was inspiring. He graduated from Monash University in Melbourne back in early 2000. Leon also have an awesome background, he used to play badminton in  same national team with Lee Chong Wei.

The talk gave by Leon

Father and his son asking about the opportunity

Around 5 pm, we packed our stuffs and ready to go back to the hotel. Leon helped us a lot with the packing. He even waited the taxi with us although we said that is fine if he want to go home. He countered back, "Who is going to load the stuffs into the taxi? It is heavy". Not long after that, we were on our way to the hotel. We were exhausted but happy at the same time.

We arrived aroung 5.30 pm, after solat jamak Asar and Zohor, I slept. So with Nadiah. We were supposed to hangout with new friends of Nadiah at 7.40 pm but we overslept until 9.30 pm. What the heck. Haha...Luckily her friends were still nearby. The Kek Lapis shop close at 10 pm, thus we will hardly make it there before 10 pm. Thus we asked their help to buy the kek Lapis Sarawak.

Me in front of the cats, landmark in Kuching

Laksa Sarawak and Teh P whatever, I forgot the drink's name

Then, we went out and had dinner with them at Restoran Pak Simmet, if I am not mistaken. The food I ordered was delicious and spicy, which met my taste. Before that, I bought several shirts at the shop near to riverfront. Nadiah and I finally arrived at the hotel around 1 am. My stomach was so full and I believe this caused me to feel so sleepy. After packing my luggage, I slept around 3 am. I set the alarms many times just to ensure we do not overslept and miss our flight home. Haha…

March 9, Monday

Our flight was at 9.25 am. The immigration check was so strict, I had to remove my belt. I remember, the last time I had to remove my belt was when in Melbourne's airport. We brought a box together with us as a hand luggage. Actually, in that box we put the cake and we planned to bring it into the cabin. Otherwise, the cake might melt. Other than the cake, several company's items were in it as well. Unfortunately, I accidentally put a pair of pliers in it. (Good job, Atiqah! Go knock your head on the wall)

According to the officer, the pliers is considered to be a very dangerous item and able to cut a cable. He sounded like we were some hooligans planning to do something to the flight. Like it or not, we need to unpack the box and recheck-in the box. I also had an issue with the immigration. Actually, on the day I arrived in Kuching, I only brought my Identity Card (IC) with me, no passport. Then, the immigration gave me a receipt like an instant visa to enter Sarawak and I need to give it back when I want to leave the state. The receipt was a small piece of paper and I just slip it in my phone casing.

When I want to go through the immigration check, the officer asked me for the receipt. I was panicked as I was unsure where I put it. I know that I put it in somewhere safe but I also afraid the possibility that I already threw it away. While I searched for that little paper, the officer already warned me that I need to do a police report if I lost it. She kept repeating it over, over, and over. Then, calmly I pulled it out from my phone case and gave it to her. She smiled sheepishly and advised me the importance of that paper. She also said that it is better to bring a blue passport (travel in Sarawak/Sabah) or international passport. Thus, no instant visa required. I have no idea about this before. So people, learn the lesson here. Alhamdulillah, everything went well after that.

In the flight, I slept all the way because I was so sleepy. We arrived in KLIA around 11 am and we departed to KL using KLIA express. I safely arrived at home around 3 pm.

Overall, it was a nice getaway. Hopefully, I will have a chance to visit Kuching again in the future. Also, I pray that a good news from AU immigration will pop out anytime soon. So, I can start working and earn money. Money, that is the critical part right now. 

That's it guys. I think I want to share something related to career fair in the future. Like, what can you do before coming to the fair, questions to ask, and others. Well, that is a plan for now. As usual, take care and see you later.

Salam w.b.t and chow!

P/S - The praying time in Kuching is about 30 minutes earlier than in KL