Tabi basa everyone! Today, I’d like to share with you the health topic that was shared by our onboard “awantang” Medic Jaduin from Ranau this morning about Mental Health. It is related to emotion, psychology & self well-being. 3 factors that causes all of this including biological factor (genetics), life experiences (trauma, abuse, broken relationships & heartbreak, quarantine too long, extended offshore etc) and family history with mental health problems. For those suffering from mental health, it is easy to see that they are not their usual self.
The early warning signs are as follows:
1) Eating / sleeping too much/ too little
2) Pull away from people or usual activity (prefer to be alone / isolating oneself)
3) Have low / no energy to daily activity
4) Feel numb / like nothing matters in this world
5) Feel helpless / hopeless
6) Excessive smoking or drinking / start using drug to drown the pain
7) Feeling confused, forgetful, upset, on edge, angry, worried, scared for no particular reason
8) Yelling / fighting with family / friends / colleagues
9) Experiencing mood swings
10) Having persistent thought / memories that you can’t get out of from head
11) Hearing voice / believing things that’s not true
12) Thinking of self-harm / suicidal thoughts
13) Inability to perform daily task
In case any of you are experiencing these early warning signs, it is important for you to approach the right person. Our society is not yet ready to accept the idea of visit to psychologist is just as important as visiting a doctor.
While doctors heal physical wound, these psychologist helps to heal mental wound. It is during this time, help from family and friends are equally important to keep you going. You should get physically active lest your body are affected as well.
Some people also develop a coping skill, including finding their own catharsis, which includes music. Singing high note songs are cathartic to some because some emotion can’t be expressed with words. Some chose to meditate, while some chose to pray.
Nevertheless, if any of your friends or family is showing signs of mental illness, do reach out to them. For emotional support, you also can call Befrienders’s hotline at +60376272929.
Life is too short to be wasted on mental illness. Therefore, stay safe & take care!
Fastart Abseilers. From left: Kelly, Kevin & Harith.
Tabi basa & greetings everybody! Today I’d like to write about these brave souls that works as an abseiler. Abseiler is defined as a person who descends down a nearly vertical face by using doubled rope that is wrapped around the body & attached to high point. Most of the time, they deal with great heights & literally hanging out.
I took my chance to ask a few that I have met in person about their profession. They are trained & certified under IRATA (International Rope Access Trade Association) & internationally recognised. For beginners, Rope Access Level 1. For the experienced, they have Rope Access Level 2. Rope Access Level 3 is for supervisors.
Working at Height
When comparing IRATA and WAH, IRATA is internationally-recognised, while WAH is more local. In the work at height industry such as these, there are many regulations, laws & standard application such as FMA 1967 (Act 139), OSHA 1994 (Act 514) & DOSH Guidelines for the Prevention of Falls at Workplaces 2007.
To join this work at height industry, most important things is you have to be fit & has no fear of height, like what you’ll hear from these peoples: abseiler’s from Fastart & a lady on hiatus.
First one is Kevin Use’ Pahang, 26, from Long Apu, Baram. He has been working as abseiler for the past 3 years. His unforgettable experience is working rope-to-rope at 50m tower. The challenges as an abseiler is the fear of height, and a lot of things could go wrong. One wrong move, they would end up falling to the ground. Therefore, safety is their top priority. He hoped that this profession is not being regarded as lowly profession but as a profession that’s equal to the other. He also hoped that it can be extended across other industrial sector as well.
Second one is Mohd Harith Ugak Minggat, 31 from Sibu. He has been working as an abseiler for the past 5 years & have done lots, including changing flare tip, inspection at blasting tower, underside helideck, jacket leg & touch-up painting of crane’s boom. The challenge of working at height have him the fulfilment because he loves to hang at a high places. He hopes thay Rope Access technique is made more popular in oil & gas industry as well in TMM’s (projects, maintenance & construction).
Third one is Kelly Mutang, 39 from Lawas. He has been working as Blaster / Painter, BP team leader and BP supervisor. He is going to take his abseiling course & painting inspector next year. He loves the challenge that abseiling will grant him, though he also has to face the challenge of being far from his family.
Ain. Nang berani nya tok.
Last but not least, a rose among the thorn, Nurain binti Muhammad, 34 from Sibu. This happily-married lady worked offshore since 2011 and had worked with Oceancare, Velosi and lastly RIA Solution. The challenge of being a women abseiler is being understimated due to physical strength differences. But she proved that a woman also can perform as a professional abseiler & deliver their part to the hiring client, be it Operations or Maintenance team. She hoped that many more women will took up the challenge to be an abseiler because it is a good profession & break the stereotype of women being afraid of height.
I hope the story that I have written about these brave souls inspires you & broadens your career option, especially those who love to climb & enjoy the heights. Stay safe & take care!
Tukang Rantek, Claudius
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Tabi basa & greetings! Today I’d like to share a story about Dyg Syafiqah Atiqah bt Abg Suhaili from Miri, Sarawak. This 32 y.o. lady has been working offshore since 2018 starting with Chemical Skid (Service Engineer & Project Engineer), followed by Transfame Sdn Bhd and now Sapura Energy Berhad, both as Field Engineer, though has been involved with #oilgasindustry since 2015, a challenging year for many.
She was blessed with career options in her hometown of Miri. However, it is not as easy as people think and it has taught a lot of lessons. For her, mental strength is the most important thing because she spent months working on a project jn the middle of the sea, surrounded by men. “Safety First” is her paramount slogan because she is working around the flammable materials under great pressure and treading a thin line between life & death. One wrong move & that’s the end. So, everyone looks after one another.
Weather is also a great challenge, especially when residing in a workboat or barge & it is bad weather outside. Seasick will accompany quite often too, especially during her early days. While working there as well, telecommunication is also another hassle that she has to face because it is limited and totally dependent on the connectivity strength provided by vessel or platform. Worstcase, just assume it is offshore life in pre-wifi days back in the 90s.
She hoped that from her sharing, people will realise that working offshore is not easy as people might think and to empower other women, especially young ladies to embrace the challenge. Though she is a lady, she has no problem because she is surrounded by professional men & those who accepts her as part of the great team. All the best to your great career ahead, Pika! Kitak tok nang antap. 😄👍🏻
Tabi basa balarantek! Today is Sunday. I hope you and your family remains tough to brave the upcoming COVID-19 days because things are not going to be easier for us. However, with your perseverance, you will be able to fight and survive this pandemic that is plaguing the whole world.
Christmas Away From Home
This year is a challenging year indeed. COVID-19 brings a never-before-seen challenges to us, forcing us to be separate. Last year’s Christmas celebration is also not as grand as it was before, though in its essence it is still unchanged, for Christmas is for us to celebrate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ.For Christians, Christmas is also the time of family gathering, near and far.
However, for some of us who works – be on duty guarding border, or even working offshore, they won’t be home for Christmas this year. It is a challenge indeed, especially when you have a family or a group of close friends that you always celebrate Christmas with, or the special person that expects to be with you on this blessed day. The emotional and mental burden is difficult to swallow, but they have to endure because duty calls and want to make a living and provide for the family. It’s not that they wante, but due to certain constrait such as manpower limitation, or has to cover for someome else forces them to do work even on public holiday, away from family.
Hearing wishes of Merry Christmas from friends regardless of their religion and race helps to lessen the unspoken & unexpressed sadness to be away on this day.
At offshore, there is always a Christmas gathering at a mini scale just to have that enjoyment offshore while being away from family. For this last Christmas by Shell at E11, there is something special prepared.
Enter: Pikachu, T-Rex & Black Panther
Malino, our enthusiastic OLC brought two costumes to offshore, T-Rex in green and Pikachu and was worn by Achong and Azman respectively. For Black Panther, Shahrul used his own resources to buy Black Panther’s costume. We began by parading the costume at OIM’s office, to mess room and finally to the helideck. There, we had our own mini photoshoot with these peoples.
Green Sea
Sea was green after the storm hits. Probably it is because of the sea floor movements. This is the first time I saw such green sea. I don’t think that there were any other occurrences like that before. We were lucky that these green sea happens, and we have a unique, one-of-a-kind background.
Photography Note
For this project, I am using Leica M10-P and Leica Summilux 35 FLE. For me, 35mm is a versatile lens that you can use for event photography if you can only bring one lens and one camera, especially in this offshore environment as weight reduction is a must when you want to travel via chopper. I have been using Leica for about 5 years now, and so far Leica M has been my favourite type of photography instrument.
Closing Remark
The memories made at E11 will be remembered until eternity. The moment most of us go there again, it won’t be the same because the environment is different. However, I am looking forward to see my friends there again. Meanwhile, stay safe and take care wherever you are.
The Crews
Tukang Rantek, Claudius
Note: Claudius is a PORTRAIT & BOUDOIR “tukang rantek” (photographer in Bidayuh Pichin) based in Miri, with passion for writing.
Copyright Notice: All of the images on this site are protected by copyright laws and are the exclusive property of Claudius Weson. Images may not be copied, reproduced, manipulated, used or altered in any way without written permission. The use of any photography as the basis of another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
On this beautiful Thursday, I want to share about my mini adventure to a place close to my work area, which is at Lutong. Sarawak, as all of you know, is a land full of its own stories and tales, where to cover all of the area in Sarawak is an equally challenging and exciting adventure on its own. However, today, inspired by the things that I have saw and experienced on my own, the topic of my story is about “bubuk” or its English name, shrimp.
Introduction to Bubuk
When I talk about “bubuk”, I am sure all of you know because this thing is quite famous and well-known throughout the region. Just like how Rantau Abang in Terengganu is famous for its turtles, Miri (and Bintulu) is famous for its bubuk. I keep on typing bubuk because it is the best word to describe it. The word shrimp doesn’t have an emotional touch because it reminds me to whale’s food.
Fresh WhiteBubuk
Bubuk’s scientific name is Acetes intermedius and Acetes indicus, where the name Acetes belongs to the group of small shrimp that has the length of around 1 to 4 cm. These little things are the main ingredient of “belacan” (shrimp paste). Bintulu’s Belacan, made from bubuk is highly sought after, and that on its own deserved another topic of discussion as it is quite a detailed and intricate process.
Thursday Bubuk Market Story
Bubuk market place at Miri is usually at the Pondok Area, at Jalan Lutong-Kuala Baram, which is only comes alive when bubuk season is around the corner. To know more about bubuk, I pay a visit to the place and noticed that there is a lot of people over there. Usually, there is much more, but today’s crowd is not too bad as well. There is always market for bubuk, and I can see a mix of peoples there – from Ibans, Kedayan, Orang Ulu to the local Malays. I think I am the only Bidayuh guy there. Anway, doesn’t matter – we’re all Sarawakians, so I used our favourite mother tongue, except when I am certain that the person I am talking to is an Iban. Then I will switch to “jaku Iban’.
When I was there, I noticed a group of photographer/videographer in a white van. Out of curiosity, when my inner photojournalist took control, I managed to spoke to one of them, who would like to be called Arif, from Raku and Roll group. I learned from Arif that they doing coverage about Miri Bubuk, which will be aired in Miri before Ramadhan, i.e. sometime around April this year. His buddy seems to be occupied, so I do not disturb him carrying out his job. Instead, I took few shots of him and the other bubuk-buyers gathering around the newly-arrived bubuk stock, which was just landed onshore. I am in for a good luck today.
Playing with cute “bubuk” cat while waiting for fisherman to arrive with fresh bubuk.Here comes bubuk man.
After she was no longer busy, I approached her to know more about bubuk. She introduced herself as Sanisah. Kak Sanisah can’t recall when she first started doing bubuk business, and that means she has been doing this for a very long time already. Well, it is in the family. From her, I learned quite a lot about bubuk, which I will explain later.
Kak Sanisah
Miri Bubuk Market
Miri Bubuk Market concentrates around the shoreline areas, where Lutong is one of the most active, as it also attracts customers from Brunei, who is willing to cross border just to get a supply of fresh bubuk. Bubuk market at Pondok area, next to Sribima Maritime Traininc Centre (SMTC) is only alive when it is bubuk season. There is no exact date when bubuk season is, but according to Kak Sanisah, it is after Chinese New Year and ends around a month later, when the sea picks up and winds are getting stronger. Even now, as we speak, every day Mirians can sense that the wind is getting stronger, which signals the end-days of Miri bubuk season.
I also learned from there that there are two types of bubuk, red and white bubuk. The red bubuk is no longer available at Miri shoreline recently, but there are reports on red bubuk sightings at Bintulu. To make it clear, I sketched what I heard in the form of pictures for ease of understanding. Red bubuk is better, but it is also more difficult to catch and only available at the earlier part of bubuk season. As the bubuk season draws closer to the end, white bubuk is easier to find and it is cheaper, around RM 7~8 per kg, where red bubuk costs about RM8~9 per kg. However, I heard that bubuk price reaches about RM30 per kg. That is one of a craziest price that I have heard.
Bubuk Travel Path According to Kak Sanisah
Equipment
To start with bubuk, one needs to have their own “bubuk boat’, which costs around RM7~8k. In the past, bubuk fisherman uses wood to fabricate their own boats. However, as time goes by, cheaper and safer alternative material, fibre are widely used because it is safer and does not sink straightaway whenever bubuk boat hits the seabed or rock as it has emergency floatation mechanism in the middle of the boat. That boat is usually maned by 3-4 person, though using 2 crews are possible.
To catch these bubuks, there are plenty of tricks. However, the one that was revealed to me was the “sobor” method, which is using the front net as you can see in the image below. That is the tool used to cateh the red bubuk which is floating near the surface of the sea.
Bubuk Boat, with PETRONAS oil platform at the background
Another method is to use the beam trawl, where this method is used by the fiherman to catch the white bubuk. Beam trawl is the net that is being casted at the sides of their boat, and slowly it is drawn to catch more bubuk. Another method that is used at the earlier days of bubuk is “lengkung” or “purse-seine” net, utilising multiple boats. This sometimes can yield up to 10 trays of bubuk, each easily contains RM500 worth of bubuk,
Challenges
The biggest challenges of this bubuk industry is season. It is something that only happens once in a year. Therefore, they have to make full use of the time as much as possible. Weather is also another thing that affects the fisherman. If the weather is bad, then they cannot go to the sea as it dangerous for the small boat. Furthermore, bubuk is hard to come by in bad weather. Also, it is about marketing. A lot of people were not happy with the price, but otherwise, the bubuk fisherman and family will not be earning much as it is not an easy task for them to catch it. It is all abotu supply and demand, and RM7~8 / kg seems to be sitting nicely at the sweet spot.
Conclusion
To conclude this story of bubuk, I am quite proud to be able to cover this story although it is a short duration. Thank to the ladies and gentlemen who entertained me while I was doing this “photojournalistic” job at Lutong. Should you have any other nice and interesting story that you would like me to cover, do let me know. Thank you!
Photography Gears Used
In this blog, I am using my favourite gears, my Leica M10-P black and APO-Summicron 50mm as it is the smallest gears in my set-up, and it fits nicely with Leica’s theme, of being nice and discreet. My advise is, if you want to buy these kind of items, be it Profoto or Leica, don’t talk about it to someone else and just go buy it. Otherwise, if you delay it, you will not be buying because 1) you will talk yourself out of it, or 2) someone else will, or 3) you will use that capital for something else. Either way, just don’t be a victim of G.A.S (gear acquisition syndrome). Just buy the thing that can last a long time. In that way, you will buy that item and will not waste long hours reading reviews, which is an even greater loss because unlike money, time cannot be gained back.
Why Leica?
There is something about Leica that I am always passionate to tell about to others. For me, I just love to be part of the history of Leica. Period. Of course, there is a lot of camera gears out there that comes with its own bells and whistles, that can do ultra-fast frame rate, that has blazing speed auto-focus, but none can give the experience that my Leica M gave. Only Leica can fill the vacuum in every Leica M shooters. That probably is another reason why I never bought any SL because all I want is an M. For me, M9 is good. I love the colour. However, after 10 years, it requires an upgrade. Having skipped M240, I opt for M10 instead. I never regretted it. It is like an M9 on steroid, with a permanent effect. M cameras are small too. It is dicreet enough to be carried here and there. Some might argue point and shoot like Ricoh GRIII is the best, but for me, M gave the best experience. To each their reasons, I do love my M.
The thing about using a manual camera, or any other camera, we need to teach our camera how do we see the final images. Our perception has an auto-correction that is done real time, such as auto-colour temperature adjustment, auto aperture control or even auto-ISO control, which makes our eye as the best photography tool ever existed, and inspired the birth of many cameras. That is why we do final touch-up in our post-processing, because, for various reasons, the camera did not managed to produce the image that we see in our mind. Hence, need to tweak it a little bit. But not too much though, otherwise it will look fake.
Note: Claudius Weson is a “tukang rantek” (photographer in Bidayuh Pichin) based in Miri, mainly doing portraiture (indoor / studio / outdoor photoshoot), weddings and event photography.
All of the images on this site are protected by copyright laws and are the exclusive property of Claudius Weson Photography. Images may not be copied, reproduced, manipulated, used or altered in any way without written permission. The use of any photography as the basis of another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
How was your week so far? I hope it is great for you in this final week of October. Soon it will be November, and December will follow. 2019 is at its final quarter, and I do hope that you are making a lot of memories this year, because there will no longer the same year. Back in the 90s, I thought I would see cars flying around once we have reached 2020. It sounds so futuristic, with high hopes of our country will achieve accelerated modernisation. However, in 2019, all I wish for is road users to be able to use their turn signal light properly. There is no point for me to complain on something I can’t control, but I should do something within my control.
For this edition, I want to show to you the challenges, hopes and dreams of these wonderful ladies that joined the Dayung Laut Competition. SInce these ladies are working offshore, I was unable to reach some of them for the full interview.
Regardsless, the intention of this post is to show how these ladies started their offshore career, what do they love about it, challenges faced and future plans/dreams.
First Contest: Felicitie George
Full name: Felicitie George Profession : Piping Engineer Company : Petra Resources Sdn. Bhd. Location : F12
Another day at work.
How did you join offshore / oil and gas industry?
I was pushing my lucks applying offshore jobs after I graduated from Uni.
What do you love about offshore?
I love the environment. The sounds of wave crashing, the cold breeze and the skies full of stars at night. It give you sense of peace and serenity regardless chaotic day you have to endure when you at offshore.
Challenges faced offshore and how do you stay resilient offshore?
There are time when I cant deliver my work to meet my client’s expectations. Things didn’t turn out as planned. I always find a simplest and efficient way to solve it rather than making it worse. I will just ignore the negativity and focus on the goals.
Advice to ladies planning to work offshore
Be safe wherever you are.
Future career plan for yourself
To become a specialist in my field and working with big players in oil and gas
Second Contestant: Sandra Sim
Full name : Sandra Sim Vi Ting Profession : Site Planner / Associate Engineer Company : Petra Resources Sdn. Bhd. Location : West Lutong Oil Field
How did you join offshore / oil and gas industry?
Kick-started with internship in Sarawak Shell Berhad as Trainee Process Engineer.
What do you love about offshore?
It’s an amazing creation, a cool job place.
Challenges faced offshore and how do you stay resilient offshore?
Adverse weather, that causes the boat to roll. As the result, I vomit, and have to sleep before I can recover. Also, you will meet all kinds of men out there. So, be open minded, dedicated and firmed.
Advice to ladies planning to work offshore
No hesitate, no fear, no regret.
Future career plan for yourself
Build solid knowledge foundation by hands on experience which able to contribute in planning. Ultimate goal is to move into project management.
Third Contestant: Esther Michael
Full name : Esther Michael Proffession : Wellsite/Operations Geologist Company : Repsol Malaysia Location : PM3
How did you join offshore / oil and gas industry
My name is Esther Michael a mix Sebob/ Lun Bawang from Miri. Started career in oil and gas as a Sample Catcher/Mudlogger with International Logging in year 2005. Joines Petronas Carigali after that as a Wellsite/Operations Geologist / Geoscientist for 8 years and finally to Repsol Oil & Gas Limited (previously known as Talisman) for about 6 years till present.
What do you love about offshore?
What I love about offshore is the fact that the workplace is just steps away from bedroom and only wearing coveralls! Concentration on work is more in offshore as there are less meetings compared to being in office so less interuption. People treat you with respect (despite being a woman!) and listens to your input and takes them into consideration. But of course, being on the rig/platform is like its own small little world, therefore people are usually really nice.
What is the challenge faced offshore?
Challenges faced is to manage your time because the critical job can go for few days non stop. People rely on your intepretation and input to plan for next way forward of the well. Scary part is at times, you are worried whether your inputs are inaccurate that it may lead to another issue. So far touch wood..all okay! And of course being away from my 3 boys! Those early days, harrasments were encountered but nowadays you don’t hear that anymore. Regulations are rather strict when it comes to harrasments.
Advice to ladies:
Be professional and treat everyone from all colour coveralls with respect. Not using gender as an excuse to not perform or demand special treatment. Own the well and always aim to perform your best.
Future plan
To be an entrepreneur!
Note: She won Mrs Chipao Malaysia 2018. Chipao is cheongsam.
Fourth Contestant: Stephie Kayus
Full name: Stephanie Kayus Profession : Field Engineer Company : FugroTSM Location : Jasmine Field, Thailand
How did you join offshore / oil and gas industry
I joined O&G upstream since 2009 as a graduate engineer with Subsea 7 in subsea construction. My main task as project/field engineer is to ensure sufficient preparation for subsea construction. I develop installation procedure for offshore campaign and join in the execution on construction boats. I worked mostly in Sabah’s water. Currently, I’m an operation engineer with Cortez Subsea oversee their operation in Malaysia.
What do you love about offshore?
The smell of the sea and the adrenaline of executing the subsea construction whether with divers or ROV. Sometimes, we got surprises when encountered sea creatures during construction. When we went to the very deep of the sea, everything would be just quiet and serene. At night, I love looking at the bright stars. And my favourite when going offshore is counting the day of going home 🙂
Challenges faced offshore and how do you stay resilient offshore?
Always being the only lady on the construction boat could be very challenging for me. As a lady engineer, giving instruction to some guys could be very challenging as my scope involve a lot of preparation at the back deck.I have to be smart to ensure work is done safely and according to procedure. But I always have the peak of being in the only lady. Most of the time, i get my own cabin, washroom and locker room. When things get tough, I just tell myself, what doesnt kill me, make me stronger and most of the time, it’s true.
Advice to ladies planning to work offshore
Offshore is not for everyone. But once you are in, you are hooked. Ladies, you can be yourself, you don’t need to prove you are equal to your male colleagues but you can be as good or better than them. Work safely and enjoy the moment.
Future career plan for yourself
My future career plan is to be the boss..Lol..joking..I would like to be a project manager in near future and to lead a team for more subsea construction work offshore.
Fifth Contestant: Grace Tolebin
Full name : Gracy Tolebin Proffession : Project Engineer Company : Boilermaster Location : Puteri Zamrud
How did you join offshore / oil and gas industry?
After completing my study in mechanical engineering, I joined Boilermaster company in 2016 until now. My boss gave me an opportunity to study again and I believe I can go further. Some people has a different mindset, i.e. they think that ladies are weak, “ladies no need to go offshore. They don’t know what to do, so it is better for them to sit at the office only”. I have travelled to follow projects, Turnarounds and for training. Also, I have the opportunity to go offshore. My boss gave me hope and believe that I can do it even though I am a lady. Various experiences I have gone through. From this company and myself, I managed to go places.
What do you love about offshore?
I love new experiences because it is seldom for woman to go offshore. We know different culture that they have over there. With the five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 😂 foods, another thing is the mind therapy, where we can think a lot about future as we gaze upon the blue sea, fishes, wide open sky. I am amazed by the wondrous creation of God.
Challenges faced offshore and how do you stay resilient offshore?
I have to be tough, mentally strong, fit physically, be safe everywhere, alert all the time. This is because I saw Deepwater Horizon which is based on true story (highly recommended to watch 😿). I need to look after my ethiques because I am the only lady. Team work also has to be strong.
Advice to ladies planning to work offshore:
For ladies out there , don’t be afraid to try something new. Like what they said, “belum cuba, belum tahu” (you wouln’t know until you try). Before we do something, we need to ask our parents so that they can bless our career. You also must be active and strong (power). 💪🏻💪🏻
Future career plan for yourself:
My career is still long, and there is a lot that I want to accomplish. My dream is when I am 30 plus years old, i want to have my own business. Probably hardware shop, material supplies that relates to oil and gas. 😅
Sixth Contestant: Amelda Rowellna
The first lady who participate in this competition. Bravo! Diak dik stidi.
Full name : Amelda Rowellna Anak Awang Proffession : Cook Company : Maersk Drilling, Brunei Darussalam Location : SWA 108 Ampa Oil Field
In July 2012 to July 2014🎩, im taking course DIPLOMA IN HOTEL&CATERING MANAGEMENT at MTSSR (maktab teknik sultan saiful rijal) ,😊 after graduating, there is BMA (Brunei Marine Academy) programme , 🙌 which 1 year seatimes as a Trainee Cook 🍽️under vessel of Pacific Radiance Ltd.
Working rotation 3 months on board, difficult times when rough sea🌊😭 season, the sea sickness but its okay, good experience to be remembered 😊👍. After completing the seatimes in July 2016 to July 2017, i ve got another job opportunity worked in drilling rig, Maersk Convincer😍.
What i love the most about working offshore is there is no trafficking xp, 😂😂despite the fact that working offshore will be far from families & love one, plus, we must have tough heart&mind, surround ur self with good peoples & vibes, love ur job! cause everyday is like Monday to us 😂🙌.
For those ladies, wanted to challenge their self, just go for it! dont hesitate, 😎believe that you can do it👏!
Seventh Contestant: Jennet Blasius
Full name : Jennet Blasius Proffession : Offshore/Site Planner Company : Petra Resources Sdn Bhd Location : Sumandak, Petra Endeavour
How did you join offshore / oil and gas industry?
I’ve started my career in oil & gas industry on March 2015. Started working on offshore based on May 2019.
What do you love about offshore?
Plan to put my career on higher level through exposing myself more on technical part & field experience. Also felt want to experience offshore life myself.
Challenges faced offshore:
Task as offshore planner, the most challenging part is handling and dealing with construction crews.. the highest volume of crews that i had handled is 230pax. Apart from that is doing daily reporting & in charge of admin works at offshore at the same time. Boat & gangway transfer has always been challenging my courage. But, all challenges can be adapted..we just need a little time & a lot of patience & confidence.
Advices to ladies planning to work offshore:
Don’t afraid to work at offshore. You need to grab it once given opportunity..the expereince is priceless.
Future plan for yourself
become construction engineer..
The one from Jennet makes the end of interview.
These are the participants that I was unable to reach due to connection issue. But nevertheless, I just put the basic info here based on the info that they have placed for the competitions.
Eigth Contestant: Nuraisha Abd Halim
Full name: Nuraisha Abd Halim@ Robert Henry Eli Profession : Material coordinator Company: Brooke Dockyard Location/field: Bokor
Ninth Contestant: Nor Afzan
Full name : Nor Afzan Binti Wahid Profession : Safety Health Officer(SHO) Company : Sapura Energy Location : NC3
Tenth Contestant: Jill Uring
Full name: Jill Uring Paul Profession : Inspection Engineer Company: Oceancare corporation sdn bhd. Location : Bayan
End Note:
From the words from these ladies, I know there is a lot of challenges. However with the right spirit, mindset and mental fortitude, you can work offshore and become respectable part of the bigger oil and gas community. I sincerely hope that these stories inspires you to work offshore.
To say offshore industry if only for men and men alone is not entirely true as there are a lot of women out there working offshore, helping to grow our national economic growth from oil and gas. This is a tough business, especially if you are a mother and have to leave behind your little ones onshore. Another misconception that I always hear is that if you are a lady working offshore, you will become more man-like, which is not true. You still can be a lady and work offshore, no problem at all. Besides, there are rules about any form of harassment, be it physical or verbal, to deter any kind of such offense, all to provide a better working environment to everyone. Therefore, for the young girls out there, don’t be afraid to make offshore jobs your career path of choice. Emilia has done it, these ladies also has done it, and so can you. You can do it. Have faith in yourself. God bless!
Luconia Sunset. Sunsets tend to be more beautiful when you go offshore. (iPhone only)
Sounds familiar, right? This is a common question that I believe many of photographers out there hear every now and then.
Sabahan Mother missing her family and her son. (iPhone)
Not to mention that there is a lot also did not pursue their passion for photography because they believe that they do not have the gear. To answer this once and for all, the best camera is the camera that is with you, a quote by Chase Jarvis. He actually wrote a book about this, and you may refer to the link.
In this post, it would be about me, doing photography using my iPhone alone. I am only using iPhone because that is the phone that I have been using for the past 4 years. I don’t plan to upgrade because it is still good and it is stil can be used until this day. For some serious photography, I only need to use my Leica cameras.
Why Mobile Phone Photography?
It is convenient. You cannot deny that fact. Just find the camera apps and off you go.
Perdana Protector (iPhone 6 Plus)
You have it with you all the time. Even though the quality differs from one model to another, but most of the model is getting better and better. Samsung recently released a new phone, A9 with 4 cameras. The competition is getting stiffer, and I am interested to see where the race is heading.
Regardless, despite the fancy accessories that these modern smartphone cameras have, the good news, it would be sooner than you expected that we are going to get an affordable technology for a smartphone. So that is a good place for you to start.
For me, since I am still using the old smartphone, the quality is good in good light. However, problem comes when there not enough light. I will be haunted by noises. Noise, noise and more noise. Sensor noise is the thing that you don’t want to have at your camera. It is the grainy items at you get to see at your camera.
Mister USA (iPhone 6 Plus)
Also, the quality that you will get when you zoom into your camera is not the best. It is not the one that you will have when you use a dedicated zoom lenses. It is kind of frustrating, but when that is the only one that you have, you have to live with it.
Anyway, my advise on smart phone photography is to find a good light and find a good composition.
For basic phones, you have no choice but to rely on COMPOSITION. In simple word, composition is the arrangement of the stuff that is inside your final image. In drawing, you can draw it. But in photography, you can move it around before you snap it. In street photography, it is much more complicated, you have to find the right moment, and be at the right place at the right time.
In a nutshell, a composition is the story that you want to tell using your image. If you want to make a portrait of someone using an older generation smartphone, try to distance up a bit. Otherwise, close-up using a smartphone’s wide angle will make someone’s face look distorted and it is not flattering.
FCB JJ – Once Upon a Time in the 60s. I can time travel. Trust me, I am an engineer. lol (iPhone)
Otherwise, you can always try to experiment around your smartphone. Once you have taken the photos, try to do a bit of touch-up using it. For my phone, I use Lightroom Mobile, although when I want a quick result, I just use iPhone’s image editing apps. I cannot comment for other smartphone because I have no experience handling it. However, you are most welcomed to try.
As a summary, for general consumption, smartphone photography is good enough, especially if you are a mobile person, or love Instagram to run your business. Even Baldkizz Sulaiman uses smartphone to run her 5-figure business. Just get a photo with good composition, and you are good to go.
Happy experimenting!
One of the old shots I took. I love the mood here. So serene. Things tend to be more beautiful after 12 hours working. (iPhone)
Another Sunset. I love this shot! (iPhone)
F28 from FCB (iPhone)
Another day at workplace, not for the seasick peoples. (iPhone)
Have you ever wonder, what does it feel like when you go through a day without doing the thing you love most? It feels empty, right? As if there is a hole in your heart, that cannot be filled no matter how much you fill it with good food, or good laugh. It like a splinter in your mind. That is what my days go without taking any photos. That is why I bring my camera wherever I go. For portability, currently I go with my M10-P and APO-50 as it is the most convenient for me to bring around everywhere. You might think, Claudius is rich, Claudius has a lot of money. The truth is, there is only two types of person who bought a Leica. The first one, either you are crazy rich Asian, or you are crazy Asian (quote from my Bitcoin friend, Devon Buy). I am one of those Crazy Asian. Haha
David Liaw Says – TOO EASY!!!!!! M10-P & APO-50
Anyway, it took me a few years to go to where I am now. I start small, from Black Ice – and its cheap VGA phone that can be used to take a lot of photos. Seriously, a lot. That’s because its size is small. Now, every phone has a good camera. But I still stick to my iPhone 6 Plus because that is good enough for me. For more serious works, I just use my M.
Somebody cannot stand the sea-sick. M10-P & APO-50
Actually, now, I am away from land because of work. Time for photography is also limited. I miss the night walks around Lutong to hunt random photos despite the warning about Rabies. Now, the only animal that I can shoot around me is two crows.
So, what can I do? I just have to keep myself open for any photographic opportunities. Even the sunset can be very beautiful from where I stand now. Yes! Praise the Lord! God is great. Now, as an advise to young photographers out there (I am still young too, still 2 year’s old in this business) – bring your camera everywhere you go. In the immortal word of Viking God – Thorsten Overgaard – Always Wear A Camera. You will never know when Inspiration will hit you. It can inspire you, it may perspire you, but most importantly, never retire from your dream. You can do anything else to make a living, but for the love of the lens and cameras and Oskar Barnack, don’t give on your dream. That’s all for now.
