Some thoughts over the night

Hello blog,

Since I don't have anyone to talk to, let me talk to you. I'm exhausted. Assignments, assessment, exam, rig practicals. 3 more weeks to go. Hang in there Ganu.

It's 12.23 AM at this moment (Tyumen local time). I'm hungry. I have nothing to eat. It's not literally nothing. It's just nothing! Then I start to think why do I have to go through all these? I found the answer.

God granted my wish to have a good career with good pay. But with this good pay, I can't even have a pack of biscuit or instant noodle to eat when I'm hungry. Allah is fair. For some people, they don't need to have a high pay job just to have something to eat when they are hungry. Just be at the right place and the right time, they can enjoy their life, watching football together, having some mee goreng mamak and milo ais, chit-chatting, that's it. I don't need all those fancy food; Chilli's, Tony Roma's, Kenny Rogers, Nandos or whatever. A packet of instant noodle would be fine but I couldn't have it. So you work like a mad dog and what is the money for if you can't have anything to eat when you're hungry.

That's the price that I need to pay.

Verily after difficulty, there is ease. InsyaAllah.

Randomness Over Night

How I wish I'm still in US being a Vandy-Engineering-Nerd+Cool. It's one of the best moment in my life. I just can't get over it. I miss going to Wal-Mart at 2am and watching movie through the big flat screen TV in a living room cramped with people. How I wish everyone is still there so that I don't feel working life is taking my friends away. After all, we don't need to be an academic superstar or whatever, we just need to live our life and everything will look just fine. How I wish when I sign in to the YM, everyone is there and not just me alone and we can chat with anyone we want to. How I wish to go to rec center everyday, playing indoor soccer until it closed, going back home, cooking, finishing my homework, and then watching movie. Awesome people are awesome.

p/s: #foreveralone mode

Cubaan Buat Cerpen

It's a long journey. Joys and tears.

Submit my 1st resume to SLB website on June. Dekat sebulan lepas tu dapat e-mail cakap no available position at this moment. Down sekejap. Teringat lagi ada satu malam tu, lepas balik dari kerja, buat kerja gila. Massive job application hit on Jobstreet. Masa tu selagi ada engineer position, tak kisah la apa jenis engineering pun, terus je click kat button apply tu. Sebab nak jadi engineer punya pasal.

Saat paling critical masa Ramadhan. Ada satu malam (hari Khamis) yang dah masuk time buka tapi tak buka2 lagi. Leave office at 9 pm. Balik rumah, sambung balik buat kerja. Boss press nak tengok deck. Tarawikh entah ke mana. Siap pukul 4 pagi. Tidur kejap. Pukul 5 bangun sahur. After subuh gerak pergi office. Ammend balik deck tu. Seriously, that was one hell of moment in my life. Malam tu rasa stress giler nak nangis.

During the weekend, update resume baru and submit resume tu ke SLB website (for the 3rd time I think). Alhamdulillah, on Monday dapat call suruh attend Group Dynamic (1st stage of recruitment process) after raya, on 7th September. I couldn't describe my feeling at that time. Masa tu rasa sangat excited. 2 bulan after 1st resume submission, baru kena panggil pergi Rohas Perkasa. Masa tu terasa macam Allah dengar rintihan hati ini. Aku yakin, kalau ini lah jalan terbaik untuk masa depan aku, aku mintak Allah permudahkan jalan-jalan menuju ke arah tu.

Masa tu start tanya2 orang2 SLB how the recruitment process is. Rupa-rupanya lain orang lain process. I mean stage level. Semuanya depends on recruiter's availability. Since Group Dynamic tu was one week right after raya, aku memang tak enjoy sangat raya haritu. Nervous terlebih. Yes seronok beraya after 4 years being abroad tapi lagi nervous pasal aku punya interview tu. Dah la dengan on-going project yang aku tengah work-on time tu. Agak la serabut nya kepala aku time raya tu.

Kalau siapa2 nak tahu details pasal interview process boleh la tanya. Panjang kalau nak cerita. Tapi sepanjang 1st time aku pergi Rohas untuk interview sampai la aku dapat offer letter, memang banyak benda yang jadi yang buat aku fikir memang setiap benda ni Allah dah aturkan elok2 dan ada hikmah di sebaliknya.

Overall, ada 5 stages recruitment process untuk SLB ni (again number of stages untuk semua orang tak sama).

1st stage which is Group Dynamic. Dapat call dalam bulan puasa. Memang masa tu tengah mengharap sangat. Jadi antara orang2 last keluar office. Berbuka dalam KTM. Malam2 penat sampai nak pergi tarawikh pun dah tak larat. Kadang2 gagahkan jugak la nak pergi eventho time solat kepala dah laloq giler. Time dapat call tu, terasa macam happy giler like the best Hari Raya present ever. Dalam hati aku "Allah dengar doa aku dan kalau ni betul2 path yang aku patut ambil, I would just go for it". Aku ambil cuti 2 hari semata-mata nak prepare. Alhamdulillah passed stage tu. Kalau tanya orang2 SLB yang pernah went through this Group Dynamic, mesti diorang akan cakap stage ni la yang paling susah among other stages. Kena bantai macam dalam The Apprentice tu. Dah la diorang announce nama2 yang layak untuk ke next stage right after habis. Memang cuak giler kot time tu. Tawakal je minta2 nama kena sebut.

Next stage is one-to-one interview dengan HR Manager. Time ni dah ok sikit nervous tu. Memang masa tunggu kat lobby tu shaking jugak tapi bila tengah interview, everything went well. Mungkin tips masa interview tu aku boleh share dalam entry lain. All I can say is you just need to be yourself, be confident, and don't show any hesitation. Kalau untuk SLB, one important reminder: Don't ever talk about money. They hate it. You know they gonna pay you a lot later on. So just keep the figures to yourself.


Dalam masa tengah tunggu result for this stage, aku ada phone interview dengan Shell. I guess I was screwed at that time. Dah la time aku main set je date and time. Orang Shell tu call time aku tengah ada group discussion. Memang screwed up giler la. Dah ada instinct yang aku tak akan pass pun phone interview ni. Instinct aku betul. The next day terus dapat e-mail cakap aku unsuccessful to the Shell Recruitment Day. Agak sedih tapi aku rasa hikmahnya ialah benda tu ajar aku supaya jangan jadi tamak dan focus dengan apa yang aku tengah ada dulu. Yup at that time, I was working on this one major project in SPAD. So maybe aku just kena focus dekat project tu dulu. Jangan gopoh sangat nak kejar semua benda.

3rd and 4th time aku pergi Rohas untuk next stage interview with the respective segment manager. 1st segment yang aku pergi was Dynamic Pressure Measurement (DPM), a new segment in SLB. Interview pukul 9. Aku dah bagitau boss aku ada hal pagi tu. So masuk lambat sikit. Aku keluar awal dari rumah, pergi office dulu pukul 8.30 baru keluar dari office. Sekali boleh pulak si LRT rosak. Bayangkan dari KL Sentral
ke KLCC, kat each station in between dia stop lama giler. Sampai ramai giler keluar. Memang dugaan. Sampai2 je memang manager mat saleh ni tengah tunggu aku. Crap. Lepas tu aku tak ingat berapa lama aku kena tunggu until diroang panggil untuk the next segment interview pulak. Kali ni segment Drilling and Measurement (DNM).

Actually segment ni la yang aku mintak dengan HR Manager. Dia tanya aku "Why do you choose DNM". Aku cakap "I think being a driller is pretty cool". Ok cakap pasal DNM punya segment interview ni, aku memang takde prepare apa2 sebab memang the call was so sudden dan esoknya aku terus kena pergi Rohas. Dah la masa tu aku tengah busy. Balik rumah malam before nak interview tu pun sambung buat kerja lagi sebab esok tu ada important meeting awal2 pagi. Interview tu pukul 9 pagi so aku rasa ok je kalau pagi tu aku lari kejap ke KLCC. MUla2 aku tak tau la yang boss dah assigned aku wakilkan dia dalam meeting tu. Pagi2 tu aku datang awal office buka2 e-mail baru terbaca e-mail dari boss. Ok masa tu dah rasa screwed up. Aku dah la tak bagitau dia aku kena pergi Rohas. Nak tak nak terpaksa la buat kerja gila. Aku mintak tolong colleauge yang lain wakilkan aku pulak. Nasib baik boss kata OK.

Part paling menyayat hati dalam hidup ialah bila kereta sendiri yang baru berusia 2 bulan involved in accident. Kereta depan emergency brake, aku pun emergency brake, lori belakang bantai kereta aku, kereta aku bantai kereta depan. So of course la effect kat kereta aku paling teruk sebab dah jadi sandwich duduk tengah2. Aku sedih giler time tu. Lagi2 bila orang workshop cakap kereta kena masuk workshop dalam lebih kurang 3-4 minggu. Memang terasa patah kaki. Seminggu terpaksa susahkan ayah aku mintak tolong dia hantarkan pergi lrt station. Weekend memang tak boleh pergi mana2.

Tapi Allah itu Maha Penyayang. Masa aku tengah sedih2 tunggu kereta siap, dapat call yang aku kena pergi Labuan untuk Field Exposure Program (FEP) untuk DNM punya segment. It was like a wake up call for me. Allah uji kita dengan satu ujian, tapi ada benda yang lagi baik menanti. Hebat sungguh perancangan Allah. So maksudnya aku tak payah risau pasal takde kereta seminggu sebab kena pergi Labuan. Yang paling best, balik2 je dari Labuan, orang workshop call cakap kereta dah siap and ready to be picked up. Alhamdulillah.

Ujian before nak pergi Labuan ni bukan setakat tu je. Aku kena pergi Labuan hari Isnin pagi. Malam Jumaat balik kerja macam biasa tapi minggu tu hujan lebat kat Lembah Klang. Since kereta dah takde ni, aku akan balik naik KTM dan turun kat Batu Tiga dan ambil teksi balik rumah. Untuk orang2 Batu Tiga ni diorang memang tahu la yang Batu Tiga ni memang kawasan banjir kalau hujan lebat. Nak dijadikan cerita, Batu Tiga memang banjir teruk malam tu. Kereta tak dapat masuk dan keluar. Taxi service was not available at that night.

Aku mintak ayah aku datang pick up tapi disebabkan hujan, aku kena across federal highway tu through jejantas yang ada tu la. Nak cross jejantas pun dah macam ape. Air dah paras dekat2 lutut. Nasib haritu hari Jumaat. Aku bawa sandal nak pergi solat Jumaat. Kalau tak memang habis la kasut kerja aku. Turun je dari jejantas lalu satu kawasan gelap ni. Ada 2 3 lori park kat tepi jalan. Aku jalan macam biasa je la. Sekali keluar anjing (aku taktau berapa ekor exactly tapi yang aku tau more than two) dari bawah lori tu kejar aku. Aku pun buka langkah seribu. Sandal yang aku pakai aku tanggalkan terus, memang pecut kaw2 nye tak ingat dunia. Aku memang dapat rasa anjing tu dah dekat sangat dengan aku. Tapi ternyata masa tu Ganu lagi laju daripada Usain Bolt. Aku taktau macam mana aku boleh lari laju dengan bag yang ada laptop lagi. Fuhhhh. Memang dugaan.

Hari Ahad tu ada Rugby World Cup Final. New Zealand vs. France. My Allblacks won 8-7. It was a tight game dengan Allblacks dah guna their 4th Flyhalf. At that time, I knew that it was a good sign for my Labuan trip since my all time favorite rugby team won the World Cup at their own mother soil.

I went to Labuan with two other guys. Dah macam penentuan hidup dan mati bila dah sampai Labuan ni. Orang selalu cakap kalau interview SLB, dah sampai Labuan or Kemaman tu, dah kira secured. The reality is, it is not the case. You're almost there, but the chances to fall down are still there. Apa yang aku boleh cakap, seminggu aku kat Labuan ni, aku consider diri aku "under-dog" la. To be honest, I felt like a noob who know shit about oil and gas.

Kawan aku yang lagi 2 orang tu memang ada advantage sebab diorang tengah kerja dengan company oil and gas. Tapi memang betul aku rasa ternganga je 1st time bila kat sana. Sembang2 term oil and gas. Alhamdulillah everything went well. FEP trip was awesome. People are very nice and helpful. Aku try jadi se-humble mungkin sebab memang aku takde basic oil and gas langsung. Memang lah aku ada Mechanical Engineering background, tapi that is so general plus ME major in Vanderbilt doesn't require specialization in any ME field. Apa yang aku ada masa pergi Labuan tu just the engineering background and basic knowledge on what Drilling and Measurement is all about. Being under-dog is a bliss to self-motivate yourself.

Hampir 2 minggu after balik dari Labuan, aku pun dapat la the most awaiting call. I have accepted by SLB. ALHAMDULILLAH. Syukur sangat2. Allah permudahkan jalan-jalan aku untuk menuju goal yang aku dah set. Memang aku ada perancangan sendiri untuk apa yang aku nak jadi tapi benarlah yang tiada siapa mampu lawan perancangan Allah. Semuanya adalah Qada' dan Qadar. Allah uji kita ikut kemampuan kita.

Janji Allah itu pasti. 

" Oleh itu, maka (tetapkanlah kepercayaanmu) bahawa sesungguhnya tiap-tiap kesukaran disertai kemudahan. (Sekali lagi ditegaskan): bahawa sesungguhnya tiap-tiap kesukaran disertai kemudahan." Al-Insyirah, ayat 5 - 6.