Terima Kasih & Selamat Tinggal, SKAku sayang

 

Today is my last day at PCSB SKA. After 16 wonderful years here - since reporting duty at SKO in 2008, steadfastly in Miri and SKA all these years - it's now time for me to go. 

Effective August 2024, I will be assigned as Manager, Feasibility Studies under Front End, Development Division in KL, evaluating new discoveries and new frontiers – just as I will be making exciting new discoveries and adventures myself, insha Allah 😊.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank all the leaders, colleagues and subordinates that have supported, inspired, guided, challenged me, and believed in me throughout these years, which I confidently say, are the best years of my life (so far, at least 😊). Here in SKA, I've met some of the most inspiring, generous, talented professionals, and I'm honored to have you as my friends, colleagues, leaders and subordinates. It has been a very fulfilling, satisfying, and wholesome experience at SKA, and I appreciate every moment of our time here together (including, in hindsight, those challenging ones too) that has every bit contributed to pushing my boundaries towards shaping me to become who I am today.

Admittedly, it's a bittersweet moment. I am equally parts excited to pursue this new path, tapi pada masa yang sama, terasa berat saying goodbye to this region and this beautiful city of Miri where I started off my career as a clueless chemical engineering fresh graduate. 

Please do share with me your thoughts and feedback of our working experience together. If there were any positive contributions, please do carry on (and further improving) that legacy further. 

 

… And for every not-so-great experience and shortcomings you've experienced with me, firstly: I sincerely apologize for them. 

Please do share your constructive feedback with me, so I can improve, before I cause further destruction and chaos to the organization 😆.

 

 A special thanks, appreciation, and shout-out to our LT's, my fellow colleagues at QTG and my awesome Process Technologist team from Engineering Studies, QTG10. 

Thank you to our LTs for believing in me to appoint me in managing our process technology and facilities engineering team over the years. I am honored, humbled and privileged to be working with such a great team. Going to miss you guys!

Last but not least, please continue to make SKA a great place to work, and driving our beloved PETRONAS towards MFT50:30:0 as a world class energy solutions partner. 

Stay sincere, stay humble, keep improving, help each other to shape our great place to work, double down your passion for progress, and be the leaders the organization needs.

Take care of yourselves, take care of each other. Continue to leave behind a positive legacy and wake for our future generations 

 May Allah grant us success, barakah (blessings) and ‘aafiyah (well-being) in dunya and akhirah 🤲🏼

-Faisal Abdul Latif-

31 July 2024

Final Internship Presentation, Valdrin Riyot: 30 July 2024

 

Today was the student intern project presentation our UTP Intern, Valdrin Riyot.

I love attending our interns' final presentations. Like a proud father, this Feels like a culmination of seeing the seeds that you've planted in these young engineers, as they share insights of what they've been enlightened with in the past few months being with your team, as their very first formal exposure to the industry. (UTP interns are particularly satisfying to supervise, as they have the longest internship period of 7 months 🔥)

I've always been passionate about developing interns. For us employees, this period of internship having them around might just seemed like “a brief period in which we had some helping hands” that comes and goes – but from their perspective, this is their first-ever exposure to the professional working world; and in the context of our organization, this was their firsthand exposure window to witnessing the inner workings of a Fortune 500-listed Oil and Gas Company.

As a supervisor, we play that role of ambassador. This experience might either (a) inspire them and motivate them, kindling the fire inside to pursue their professional career ambitions; or (b) give them such a negative impression that it will demotivate them, perhaps jaded and all the more relieved it was over, dreading the days of employment to come.

Here are some guiding principles I keep in mind when supervising interns:

1. Growth mindset: believe in them, and in their capacity to grow and improve

2. Assign challenging (but doable) tasks

While there is tendency to take the easier path and dispatch interns to carry out trivial fetch quests and photocopy tasks, we should put serious thought as to the best type of tasks I could assign. The tasks had to be
Challenging enough, but do-able for them.

3. Coach and guide – without holding their hand

With the challenges and targets in place, it’s time to establish the learning path to getting there. A lot of concepts and principles will be alien to them, and even theories which they are familiar with, require a paradigm shift and wisdom to understand how they are applied in the practical, real world. And part of the learning process is to go through that journey, without being completely abandoned or clueless.

As supervisors, we need to find that middle ground: give them just enough guidance to progress forward and discover the solutions, without spoonfeeding solutions.

4.  A great working experience. Be inclusive, and Let them experience the holistic experience of a great place to work

Wishing all the best for Riyot!

1-on-1 Performance Conversations: Mid-Year Review

 

Alhamdulillah, done concluded all our one-on-one performance conversations with the Process team: Dari Tower 2, ke Blok Mawar, Chemara dan Route 66😊. 

I try my best to make it a point to conduct these sessions, physically where possible, as a productive tool for 360-degree improvement. For some of our new recruits, it’s their first time ever conducting a 1-on-1 performance review discussion, so I also saw this as a chance to provide a positive working experience for them. 

Here are a few key pointers I keep in mind all throughout: 

1. Set the right Tone – Make it clear, what is the intention behind this exercise, and that we are here to help each other with the catch-up plan. If we leaders put in the conscious effort to build the right environment: Little human touches like setting a calm, kind, and encouraging tone, mindfully being aware of our words to remove sarcasm or being condescending, especially when providing constructive feedback... all these little things can make all the difference between a demoralizing interrogation or an inspiring call to action. 

2. Utilitze Feedback effectively – This is the space that we get to demonstrate our commitment to the Growth Mindset. Provide honest, open and personalized feedback (not copy-paste stuff. For me, I try not even to refer to the same feedback from the previous year, for the same person!). In her book "Radical candor", author Kim Scott emphasizes that the key to effective feedback is through two key elements: Challenge Directly, and Care personally. Be tough AND be kind. 

 

3. "Don't get mad, get curious": Training yourself to get better at receiving constructive feedback. What I've learnt is, we need to separate "me" from "My work" - Don't make it personal. Think of it as a criticism of your work, not you as a person. Learn approach it with humility, and curiosity like a student hungry to learn: "what did you mean by that?", "tell me more". Learn to approach them with a sincere attitude to learn and enhance ourselves.

Glad we got through it with all smiles in the end. Wishing the team all the best, throughout 2024 and beyond!

Muawiyah and Friends go to Lambir - Family Walk to Lambir National Park with Tadika Astana, 27 July 2024

 

Tadika Astana Games Day: 25 July, 2024

 

Achievement Unlocked: for the first time, today Abah volunteers as MC for Muawiyah's school event 🤗.

Alhamdulillah a fun new experience for me, switching up my MC-ing style from the serious setting of Islamic conferences and professional events to a fun school activity; in addition to also a very fulfilling experience, being able to contribute to our son's school and helping out their teachers. Its through little touches like these - knowing Abah played a part in enriching their educational experience - we hope that can inspire our children as they grow up ✨.

Thanks to @tadikaastanamiri for a wonderful day and experience for parents, teachers and kids alike 💐

Nikmat memperoleh Sahabat yang Baik

“Apabila engkau memiliki teman yang membantumu dalam melakukan ketaatan, maka peganglah dia erat-erat dengan kedua tanganmu. Karena sesungguhnya mencari teman itu sangatlah sulit, namun berpisah dengannya sangatlah mudah.” [Pesanan Imam Asy-Syafi’i. Ruj: Hilyatul Auliya, 4/101]

Umar ibn Al-Khattab berkata: “Tidaklah seseorang diberikan kenikmatan setelah Islam, yang lebih baik daripada kenikmatan memiliki saudara (semuslim) yang shaleh. Apabila engkau dapati salah seorang sahabat yang shaleh maka peganglah erat-erat.” [Quutul Qulub 2/17]

Alhamdulillah, bagi saya, antara nikmat dan keberkatan terbesar yang Allah kurniakan kepada kami sekeluarga sepanjang 16 tahun kami menetap di Miri, adalah utk kami dipertemukan dengan kawan2 yang baik.  

Inilah sahabat-sahabat yang kami belajar agama bersama, insaf dan perbaiki diri bersama. Belajar, tadarrus dan menghafal Al-Qur'an. Layan para ustaz jemputan dan lepak malam bersama. Beri agihan sedekah kepada keluarga-keluarga asnaf bersama. 

Inilah kawan-kawan yang berlumba-lumba ke arah kebaikan yang bagi inspirasi untuk bertambah baik demi Allah. Bila pergi masjid, ada je jumpa diorg. Bila kita lambat sampai masjid, diorg steady je datang awal dah standby sebelum iqamah. Tatkala kita kedekut, mereka bagi sedekah. Tatkala kita malas pegi kelas, diorg yang lagi sibuk dari kita, steady je datang kelas. 

Rasulullah ﷺ bersabda:

الْمَرْءُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ أَحَدُكُمْ مَنْ يُخَالِلُ

“Agama seseorang itu berada atas agama teman dekatnya. Maka lihatlah siapa yang menjadi teman dekatnya.” [HR. Abu Dawud dan Tirmidzi)

Makin lama berkenalan, makin berkembang jemaah. Rajin menjemput sahabat2 lain utk turut serta, ramai berkenalan dengan Ustaz2, membuka peluang baru lagi.. masha Allah inilah networking yang paling berkat!

Daripada yang single, berkahwin, makin bertambah anak2… anak2 pun dah berkawan sesama sendiri. Masha Allah, keberkatan yang berterusan. 

Walaupun kita takde lah banyak luangkan masa bersama - mungkin hanya beberapa jam dalam sebulan - tetapi dalam masa yang singkat tersebut, terlalu banyak manfaat yang Allah kurniakan, melalui mereka. Dan mengingatkan kita untuk bersyukur. Ini semuanya takdir Allah, yang menulis untuk kita bertemu, berkenalan, belajar, dan bekerjasama - semuanya sudah tertulis 50,000 sebelum kejadian langit dan Bumi bahawa di sini lah, Miri, tempat lahirnya keberkatan Allah ini kepada kita. 

Nabi ﷺ mengibaratkan sahabat baik ini laksana penjual minyak wangi: Lepak dengan diorg sekejap je, kita akan jadi wangi. Manakala sahabat buruk ini seperti tukang besi - sama ada baju kita akan terbakar, atau at least baju kita akan terbau busuk. Macam lepak dengan kawan yang isap rokok atau lepak lama kat kedai mamak… Ada evidence yang tak best. 

Jadi persoalan yang kita selalu perlu tanya diri sendiri kita: Apakah bau anda terhadap sahabat sekeliling anda? Harapan dan doa saya adalah Allah Kurniakan saya juga keikhlasan untuk meninggalkan kesan yang baik bagi semua. 

Terima kasih, jazakumUllah khayran atas persahabatan dan sumbangan. Saya berdoa dan berharap agar persahabatan ini terus berkekalan, sehingga ke Syurga. Dan berharap agar sahabat2 terus bersabar dengan satu sama lain; berwaspadalah dengan shaitan yang tak puas hati dengan hubungan indah ini, dan akan sentiasa cuba untuk membatu apikan sesama kita, membakar ego sehingga memusnahkan persaudaraan kita. Semoga persahabatan menjadi asbab untuk kita kasih Sayang demi Allah.

JazakumUllahu khayran wa barakAllahu fikum

Going to miss you guys. Love you all for the sake of Allah. 

Semoga Allah ketemukan kita semua di Jannatul Firdaus. 

Seperti kata-kata ibn Al-Jawzi, 

“Andailah kalian tidak menjumpaiku di syurga, maka tanyalah tentang diriku, dan katakanlah, ‘wahai Tuhanku, si fulandan fulan dahulunya mengingatkan kami tentang Engkau’”

Farewell from the Process Team - July 2024

 This week, the Process Technologist team organized another Farewell party.

So, who’s leaving this time?

Apparently, it’s me. 

Alhamdulillah, huge thanks and high fives to the team for organizing the gathering. Was really nice to meet up with everyone again, especially with my buddies from the Oil Team, to hear from all of you and your kind words of encouragement and testimonials, and to receive such thoughtful and well-made gifts (gotta love that adorable cartoon portrait ☺️).

It’s been a real blast working with the team, especially the Gas team whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout these first few years in my role as a manager. I’ve learnt so much in our time together, and I hope I’ve been able to provide some positive contribution to enrich your professional lives, as you did for mine, and for anything good, continue that legacy and do even better. And for all my flaws, mistakes and annoying antics, I sincerely apologize and ask that you do share your constructive feedback to prevent me from causing further damage to others 😂. 

Wishing the team all the best as you continue carrying the torch, moving the organization forward. Really hope that everyone can thrive and achieve even greater heights. Stay sincere, stay humble, keep improving, help each other to shape our great place to work, and be the leaders the organization needs. May Allah grant us success, barakah (blessings) and ‘aafiyah (well-being) in dunya and akhirah 🤲🏼

Knowledge sharing: “Oil Spill & Old School Monitoring: An SKA LOPC story” (16 July 2024)

 

Years ago, I was granted the opportunity to be part of an investigation team for an oil spill incident on one of our offshore platforms. It was a particularly unique assignment for me, because it happened on one of our pneumatic platforms which didn’t have digital monitoring, it involved multiple engineering disciplines, simulation of hydrocarbon trajectory.

Since this kind of assignment is kind of a once-in-a-career experience, and seeing how rare opportunities are for engineers to be part of incident investigation teams, especially studying those quirky old-school charts, I decided to conduct a knowledge sharing on the subject.

Alhamdulillah to our surprise, to our surprise, in addition to the ~20 physical attendees, more than 150 people turned up, perhaps the highest attendance we've had so far for our Connect & Learn knowledge sharing series

In this session, we covered:

✅ What happens during incidents, especially those involving Loss of Primary Containment (LOPC) what are the procedures undertaken and how investigation teams approach their planning and analyses.

✅ The important skill of carving out the narrative (i.e. “the story) based on limited information.

✅ How to read these “old school” charts: Many of us have seen them, but very few of us actually interact with them in detail to draw out meaningful insights. Once you’ve had them, what do you do with them? How do you put the pieces together and connect the dots?

✅ Understanding limitations of pneumatic systems. Contrasting Analog vs. Digital: they’re like comparing cassette tapes to Spotify, or floppy disks to iCloud storage. Analog systems are always subject to funny little quirky errors, and all these factors play a role into how careful we need to be in extracting and understanding information and data from site.

✅ How you reconcile this information with the actual site conditions, personnel testimonials, data and input from other team members

✅An appreciation to what goes on behind the scenes when an investigation chronology or timeline is shared. Often what gets shared to management - and circulated with the rest of the staff - is a simplified one pager that sums up the whole incident. But what people don’t see is how so much effort goes to understanding the context, consolidating the information, filling in the gaps, perfrming engineering calculations. It's that JOURNEY that's part of the excitement!

✅ How Environment team take this information to run their oil spill simulation, using real-world metocean data, and how these simulations factor into decision-making for intervention.

One of the participants expressed that after this sharing, made her feel a much stronger appreciation of how digital technology has so greatly improved the way we operate and optimize our assets, something we take for granted these days. Kind of like how AI and analytics have totally changed our habits today.

It was fun personal learning experience preparing for the session, retreading the steps of my past self, trying to get into that state of mind of what I did back then, and at the same time, putting on that self-critical scrutiny of how I could have done better, and how we can simplify the sharing to make it as accessible and easily understood, as possible.

Hope it was beneficial, Allahumma barik!