My Aims ...

To establish as an successful LAE by 2011
Visit Old Trafford to watch ManUtd's game
Learn Piano

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Line 10 with Mr H

Today is Saturday. Outside, the weather is now drizzling due to downpour in the evening. For the last Saturday of every month, today has been the official off-day for college's activity. What else I have been asking for? Rest day ... Yeah!! Well, my life-style here isn't much changed here, currently still doing my apprenticeship in hangar. Over the last week, I was stationed at hangar Production Line 10, a B777-200 (ETOPS) from S a ud i A ir l i ne s. This B777 is having Heavy Maintenance Visit (HMV) D Check, and now we are coming to almost completion; the restoration and functional checks stage.

Last Monday, my group and I reported to Line 10. As usual, the first day reporting at new working place,we were like strangers, wandering around aimlessly with many eyes staring at you. Sometimes, that really makes me uncomfortable as if piles of bricks are hanging over my shoulders! However, after few days passed, we will be more comfortable with other colleagues once we have adapted to the environment. In Line 10, again, I met Mr H, a Licensed Aircraft Engineer (LAE) who I had previously worked with him in Line 6 before that. He is well-known for his un-friendly-ness and kuai-lan person to most of us. He is very a disciplined LAE who has precise time concept for he will screw up anyone who does not respect the precious time in aviation. I recalled, the Lead Engineer in Line 10 told me this ... " Make sure you don't go missing when you are working with Mr H, otherwise, you will get the bombs from him! ... But, you have made the right choice to follow Mr H, hahaha ... " I wasn't surprised to hear that too, after all, this isn't my first experience with Mr H.

Okey, once settled down, Mr H called me, handing over me an APU Tail Position Light. He said, " Now take this and go and install it ... " I was like ... wow, that's very challenging. I have never done this task before. I whispered in my heart, "Can you do it, Keith?" Really puzzling and confused. Trying to show my man-ness, I took it and go to aircraft. A quick scan of the Tail Position Light, I can see it was just a normal light on aircraft, with electrical connector on one end, secured by using screws. My collegue, Ewin came along with me, and together we finally managed to install the APU Tail Position Light successfully. Mr H went into the cockpit, and pressed the switch, the result, was positive! Oh, thanks God ... Not too bad. Hehe :)

There were many memorable experience for my first week in Line 10, probably because I was working with Mr H most of the time, form early morning, 745am till 730pm in the evening. Ups and downs, happy and sad, all these will enrich my experience in the field of aviation. One thing about Mr H, is, he is a kind of person who very straight-forward. He scolds, curses f*** word and bangs you kau kau lat if you did mistakes. Fair ... You did it wrongly, you deserve the blames. Then, you must use more of brain if you wanna work with him, rule number 1, don't ask stupid questions to Mr H, otherwise you will end up intense heat in your ears. He sounded me before, " If these simple and basic thing you don't know, how are you going to work on aircraft? " Suddenly, my heart was like a glass fell onto ground, breaking into pieces with no mercy! Honestly, I hated him when he sounded me like this, but come to think about it seriously, he was on the right side. If I couldn't master my basics, how can I go deeper into more complicated systems? Instead, I shall have given my highest gratitude to Mr H to ring a bell on me for giving me a serious wake up call now. I really need to look into myself, identify my weakness and find solutions to solidy my walls. Otherwise, if this problem is prolonged, I will definitely lag behind others. Thanks you, Mr H, I promise to do my best now, I will remember all your words of wisdom. You are my role-model who inspire me to achieve my visions.

Besides that, there were also these unforgettable events that I will bring them with me for life. They may sound funny to you, but they were parts and puzzles of me. There was once I was asked to replace lamps in the Forward Main Equipment Compartment (MEC) by Mr H. By the way, Forward MEC is located in front of the nose landing gear. There were 3 lamps, all were inoperative. Sounds easy as ABC? Neh ... That's my first impression, but it was easy to said than doing it. Generally, the location of the lamps were at center, left and right, but due to limited access area and very demanding working environment in the MEC, my task was not as easy as it looked. As usual, Ewin and I did the replacement. Ewin did the first lamp, the center lamp, which was considered quite easy. Guess what he did, he couldn't stand up straight because of the height of the compartment was low, he needed to squat all the way with legs opened wide standing in between a big hole underneath of him before he could replace the lamp. Easy? Haha :) When it came to my turn, I replaced the 2 lamps at both sides. I needed to crawl deep into the compartment, again, it was very crappy and I have to squat all the ways as well. The task went on quite smoothly not until the last lamp that by the time I put the lamp into the assembly, it ... broken into two pieces. F*** up!! What the heck!! "Oh my, Mr H is going to f*** me up this time," I told myself. Some more, this lamp isn't cheap as what we use in household. Feeling depressed and reluctantly, I walked into the office to inform Mr H. To my surprise, he wasn't angry, but he smiled back at me. I apologized to him countless time, but he took it lightly and replied, " Arrrgh ... It's ok, no big deal, I will just order new spare tomorrow ... " I remained silent, very guilty deep in my heart. That day, I went home, puzzling how the hell I could break the lamp. Am I that strong? Damn!! The next morning, I was determined to fix the defect myself, even though Ewin offered to help me this time. After that, confidently, I put the last lamp securely into the housing. Ewin switched on the switch, and oooh ... The whole compartment was litted with yellow light. At that moment, I could feel the rush of adrenalin flow through my blood stream, the feeling of satisfaction wrapped me up even myself couldn't express in words. I jumped and punched in the air when I climbed out from the compartment, I was indeed more than just pleased and happy.

Oh ya, just yesterday, I came across this opportunity to replace the Continuous Flow Sensor at the aircraft waste tank in the aft cargo compartment. This sensor was found to be unserviceable by Mr H during the trouble-shooting process. So, there we went to replace the sensor. As I was about to release the clamps of the sensor, suddenly ... Oh s***!! Yes, it was the s*** waste rushed out flowing freely through the waste duct. Oh my God. Everyone nearby just couldn't bear the sharp smell of the s*** waste. Acting swiftly, the technician quickly re-engaged back the clamps to stop the flow. What the heck? The Mechanical crews had earlier told us that they had drained out all the waste, and guess what, there was still some residue inside the waste tank. With the pressure acting inside the tank due to vacuum at one end, the waste rushed out like no one can stop it. Oh s***. Really kanasai this time. This remained me of the movie ah Long where Fann Wong had to hide inside the waste pool when she was trying to escape from the gangsters. ( ... ceh chiek wo chen tak si kanasia liaw ... ) Kanasai, I had to use a quarter bottle of dettol to wash my hands in order to remove the odors. Damn!! Haha :) However, I consider it as a good experience as the technicians there told me it was a normal incident whenever servicing on waste tanks are carried out. " ... Memang sudah biasa lah ... Itu hari saya lagi teruk ooh, kena baju semua, dahlah baru masuk kerja night shift. Apa lagi, balik mandi lah ... Ini sudah kira baik loh ... "

Nevertheless, I have learned new knowledge everyday, particularly, I have the chance to carry out a few functional tests on aircraft systems; eg, Tail Strike System, Fire Extinguisher System Operational Test and Oxygen Masks Deployment Test. By this time around, I have identified a few of my weak points, highlighted by Mr H. I will improve in that area for my main vision is always to establish as a successful LAE by 2011 ...! It will never change since the first day I entered the aviation world. Lastly, to Mr H, thanks for all your guidance and patience in teaching me to be more independent and reliable on myself. I want to be as good as you one day ...


All the best,
With love,
KeithK :)

~ Good Night! ~

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Our Spirit, MH ...

Blogging has became hot among youths nowadays, but this trend soon spreads its wing to higher level to such of adults, political leaders in the country as well as corporate managements. Recently, our M A S MD, Datuk Seri I dr is Ja la had launched the very first Mal a y sia A ir l in es blog at MAS Academy, Kelana Jaya. Wow ... Cool ya? Click here to view ...

The backdrop of this blog is a cheerful and livery one, decorated with the warm and brightful colours of the Malaysians. The title Living Malaysian Hospitality - Eating, breathing and sleeping MH definitely reflects the spirit of MH among the staffs from all levels, anchoring to our promise to provide the best five stars services to customers, giving each of them the feel of being at home.

According to the MD, he said, " ... It will be able to provide customers with a better understanding of the organisation’s changing work culture. Employees can now communicate with customers directly and vice-versa, without going through conventional medium ..." MH blog is divided into four sections, namely Sneak Peak, From our Guests, Corporate Speaks and Psst! Customers can read inspiring stories of the airlines’ transformation under Sneak Peek, while customers can also write about their experiences with the airlines’ service under From Our Guests. Travel tales and tips can be found under Psst! while corporate announcements are to be found under Corporate Speak.

At present, there are 30 dedicated MH bloggers working on this blog who come from various departments such as Engineering, Flights Operation, Customer Services, Management and Commercial. As part of their transformation plan in the globalisation era of soaring jet ful prices, MH blog will capture the essense of people behind this showdown. Real stories from employees driving the Malaysia Airlines transformation, a showcase of employees' experiences, challenges, success stories and perspectives. That's what we call the real concept of transparentcy, yeah?

Well, feel free to surf the net and dive deep into MH blog.


Happy reading!
cHeErS,
KeithK :)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Back OFF!!

It's Saturday! I woke up this morning, staring outside my window from my bed; still with my eyes half-past close, wrapping myself under the cotton comfy warm blanket, I could see the sun shines bright and waves its hand to me, greeting ... "Good Morning, Keith. " Most of the time, I won't be sleeping so late as I need to attend my college's Saturday activity, but today it is an exception; we are given release - a weekend off!! Wow ... Yeeha, yeehaa ... < keithk jumped in the air > An off from activity is very much welcomed and appreciated as we had gone through a long hectic week, where we were required to sign in duty at 710am, unlike the normal hours at 745am.

Hmmm, since there is no need to attend college's activity, I will have more time for my own. I wake up this morning with two important lists in my head; First, to wash my car and second, to have my hair-cut. Over the last week, there was a downpour, obviously, my car was quite dirty and murky. The problem is, staying in condominium is quite tedious as I need to take a pail of water from my home up above 12th floor to the car park before I could wash my car. Oh my!! Eventually, after 45 solid minutes of washing, the feeling of satisfaction grooms inside of me as I could see my car is as clean as anew. Yeah :) Anyone wanna help me polishing my car? Haha ...

Second, to have my hair-cut. My hair isn't that long, if I compare to those ah beng out there, but duw to my working environment inside the hangar, I simply couldn't bare the hear. Imagine, I was already dripping in sweats before I start to work inside the aircraft's cabin. The intense heat, the pressure of working against time as well as the responsibility that I held upon my shoulder; all these lead me to have my hair-cut. A new look, fresher mind and smarter appearance will definitely make me more confident and well-prepared for up-coming week.

Recently, there was an issue over the closing of a tunnel road in front of my condominium. This tunnel road serves well as short-cut from my place to Kelana Jaya LRT station and LDP Highways. Due to complaints from the residents living near the tunnel road over traffic congestion during peak hours, the authority has decided to close it down. If that is a case, it will be troublesome for most of people, as they will now need to make a big turn before they can enter into LDP Highways. With the price of fuel is soaring high, this could prove to be pains in the neck for us, including me. The management in our condominium has came up with petition to be submitted to the local authority to object the closure of this tunnel road. I did my part too, I had submitted the letter to the person-in-charge. Hopefully, it will bear fruits soon while we are waiting for this good news. Let our voices be heard!!

Well, that's all from me now ... Got to go. Bye ...


Best wishes.
KeithK :)

Monday, July 14, 2008

Words of Wisdom

~ " A vision without achievements is only but a dream! " ~

cHeErs,
keithk :)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Secrets of Succes ...

Over the last week, I was pretty free and not attaching to any tasks in hangar. It wasn't that I am a lazy-go-happy brat or "curi ayam" when all others were working like mad men, but, it is because the aircraft that I am working on currently wasn't available for us, the Avionics personnel to carry out our maintenance tasks. This aircraft, an typical A320, is not in a very good shape. There are corrosion all over the body, so the it cannot go for painting which was scheduled to be completed by last week. Sigh. Now, the Sheet Metal Department has came up to rectify the corrosion before it further eats up the airframe of the aircraft. Till the end of this week, they have not done it all yet. Sweat =.=" Looks like it is going to be a boring week ahead!!

Since I was quite free, I bumped onto an article in a local paper. The title is "Secrets of Success". Quite meaningful and interesting, so much worth-sharing with all of you. Here it goes ...

There are 7 tips given in this article, I will just summarize it for your convenience ... Cool? :)

1 Regular activity - Successful career planning is not a one-time activity but a lifelong process. Mapping your career will help you to track your progress. Your interests, hobbies, transferable skills, and past accomplishments are all clues to opportunities that may be awaiting you in future. Defining your career goals clearly will help you to align them to career trends. Once you regularly review and plan your path, you will better prepared for any changes.

2 Winning attitude - The happiest and most successful person see themselves as winners and maintain an optimistic outlook as they move toward their goals. They have strong confidence and deep-rooted belief that they can do it well, thus developing winning mindset.

3 Move on - In order to experience the best in life, seize opportunities as they arise. Never stuck in your own comfort zone. If opportunities come knocking, grab it quickly ...

4 Positive values - True winners live by the virtues of fairness and decency. To succeed in the long term, you must know what's right or otherwise; you must use these standards of behaviors every day in your career and personal life. Adhering to strong code of positive values will make you productive, fulfilling and profitable.

5 Turn pain into gain - When hard times cause anguish, there is no point in becoming bitter. Winners face suffering head-on and try to turn pain into gain. Develop your career resilience. If you have ample free time, use the time to learn new skills. Don't look at the doors that were shut, but focus on opening new doors.

6 Learn to laugh - Humors cleanse spirit, lighten your burdens and keep you from taking yourself too seriously. Learn to smile and laugh more. Find happiness in doing the tasks assigned to you, no matter how difficult, demanding and challenging. Developing this ability to smile will help others to see your "can do" attitude.

7 Help others - The most satisfied people are those who help others. Offer to mentor your juniors or new hires. by this, you can actually reinforce and enhance your knowledge and skills by teaching others.

In conclusion, career success involves many ingredients. getting the right mix is not an easy task. Be positive and optimistic, deligent and dedicated at work, offer to go extra mile and help the community, remain cheerful in the face of challenging tasks and maintain a winner's mindset.


Happy Reading,
~ cHeErS ~
KeithK :)

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Happy-O-Meter




Hey everyone ...

This is a new function by N u f f n a n g.com;
create your own Happy-O-Meter.
Well, if you find it difficult to express your feeling
with lengthy words,
then you should give this a shot.
It is simple, just few clicks on your mouse,
and you will get your own Happy-o-Meter.
Very fun le ...
Try it today at here ...

cHeErS! :)

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Fill up my brain with ideas ...

I don't what to post for The Journals this week. (T.T) Sigh ... Today, college was called an off because some of my colleagues from FELDA are moving to their new hostel at Damansara. It is a condominium, equipped with swimming pool and gymnasium. Oh gosh ... These people are so so much luxurious. Ok ...

Just a few update on "what's going on" ...

Current aircraft I am working now is an A320 from India, G o A i r. It is coming in for C Check and will be handed over to new operator, which is Jetways Pacific from Vietnam after the period of lease has came to an end. For the past two weeks, I have done plenty of tasks; removing ADF and VHF antennas then put them back in piece, removing the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), commonly known as Black Box, and then flushing and draining of the pitot statics lines. Cool, great experience, crucial knowledge and wonderful time I have there with Ewin, my Avionics colleague, who bugs fuzzily and keep me accompany well. Hehe :) It is today also, that this A320 is going to "water break" and then go for painting of new colors. Guess what is "water break"?

Daniel told me if nothing important this week, do glue yourself at home, because rumors have been going around that there will be riots by P K R in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, most probably on Sunday. Reason? I don't why also but if you have been following the headlines in papers recently, then most probably you might guess it already ... tee hee :)

Not forgotten, to all my friends, Chung Ann, Suh Suh, Yiing Jwu, Siaw Fern, hmmm ... Sorry if I have forgotten to mention your name. May God bless you all and have a safe journey back to University. All the best for your second year studies ...

Oh ya, I watched Hancock yesterday with my buddies. Lunch time show, just as last week, same place in G S C Summit. Overall, I find this show was quite dry and boring, short story as well, after all it took only 1 hour 30 minutes. The antagonists characters were lousy, they were killed too easily, not by Hancock but by the supporting actor. Furthermore, some of the parts of the movie is not connected at all for example, out of sudden, the antagonists characters manage to "prison break" and then come back to revenge against Hancock. In the movie, Hancock, it does not actually reflect the credibility of Will Smith, unlike in the movie, "I'm Legend". Compare to "Wanted", definitely Hancock is at the lower par.

Ok, I won't keep this post too lengthy, ok, I admit I am dry up now. No inspiration to write at the meantime. Happy Weekend, everyone!


~ cHeErs ~
KeithK :)