Suwandi

  • Front Seat!

    In my youth, years ago, there’s something I always want to do. I want to sail across the deep blue ocean, through the straits. 🙂 I want to be able to go to many countries, many ports, many harbours, by working on a vessel or ship (I know, owning a vessel or ship, will be damn good, but I put my feet on earth that time haha). Before I made my mind choosing Industrial Engineering, I have 2 other options; architecture and shipping.

    For several reasons, I chose Industrial Engineering, although my feeling always more into shipping. A decision I never regretted, and will never be. I enjoy knowing many things as an industrial engineer. But, there’s this thing with the previous feeling. Yesterday, I’m visiting a job site in Bontang, and to reach the Crane Barge, we need to take a small speed boat. And I’m in the frontseat! Beside the you know, the ‘driver’, I dunno the english for God’s sake. Haha.. I even hold the control for a sec.

    Hahahaha…. Actually, I want to tell the ‘driver’, that I want to drive it to the base-port, but… I changed my mind. (Hmmm… imagine I did!)

  • Bontang

    Its been a while since my last post. Been in Bontang (300 km from Balikpapan) last week. The 1st time I’m in Bontang, they told me “when you drink the water from the land of Bontang, you will keep coming back”, I laughed. Bull Shit! (Jack Welch would have called it BS, for bull-shit).

    It was July 2004. And one-and-half year ahead since then, there’s been those 5 more trips to this oil and gas town, and made me nod my head and said “Damn! They’re right!”… Know what, next week, I’ll be visiting Bontang again for another trip to another client. A marine constructor. I can say that there’s nothing in Bontang. What I do everyday : wake up, breakfast and a cup of hot coffee, 5 minutes drive to job-site, conducting audit/consultancy/training, go back to hotel, watch one hour of TV, dinner with client, back to room, typing/reading/or another TV hour, and sleep. Tomorrow? The same thing!

    Ah, tired? Yes yes yes… but must put in mind and soul, that these trips were just several good experiences and many to come, these are learning experiences, where we can also learn about life. Learn yours too! 😉

  • Straight From Jack

    Almost finish my recent reading. JACK: Straight From The Gut.
    This is one of the book I’ve ever read. Its about Jack Welch of GE, how he started his career, reaching the CEO seat, managing GE Corp, his days, his ups and his downs. I highly recommend this book, as I was highly recommended by my mate Dennis. The language was simple, easy to understand. The structure of the book was very good. And of course, listening to Jack (or reading!) was the best thing. When I read the book, it felt like, Jack was actually talking to me, teaching about many new stuffs.

    Simply, one of my best guru. Perhaps, can meet him someday, and have a conversation about everything.

  • Young Adam

    Just noticed that airport in Semarang provides Free Hotspot! 🙂 Yipeee! For the first time, use my laptop for wireless internet connection! Previously, just feel, unfair to pay 50K Rups in Starbucks to try it. I was torn between 2 decisions, either to take out my laptop and try it, or just assuming there wont be such free thing down here. Talking to my mate for a sec, and decide to try.

    I watched Young Adams last week, I don’t think it’s a commercial movie that will be available in every screens. Its more into festival film. It’s about a young man, named Joe. He was involved in an accident that killed a girl, his previous girlfriend who is pregnant that time. Police and judges, at the end of the movie, decided that another guy (forgot the name) guilty for the death. Joe was there on the court-room.

    He was in a position that will decide the future of that suspect (charged with death penalty). Either he stepped in front and tell all the people, that he knew what happened, and that innocent guy will be released from any charge, or he stayed quite. There’s a moment in the movie that show the situation. At the very end, he chose not to do anything. The guy was charged with maximum penalty, which is death.

    Sometimes, we are in Joe’s foot. We are in between 2 decisions. No matter how simple the decision to be made, and how simple the consequences are. No matter how hard the decision to be made, and the harder the situation is, we are often in that position. Be a bad guy or be the good guy. North or South. Sleep or Not.

    Last time, I was in car heading to pay the parking ticket. Cost me 17000 Rups. I gave the guy 50000, and he returned 37000. I counted. I stepped on the pedal. I counted again, ups… it’s a mistakes. He over-paid me 4000! Back or not? Let myself get the extra 4000 or go back and stop the guy from losing 4000 at the end of the day?

    I hit the pedal again. It was too late, I thought. A lil bit sorry… but, must change the behaviour next time. 😉

  • Believe It Or Not

    Wow… its good to read this kind of stuff. Michael Session, an 18-year old student, elected as Hillsday major. (Read more). By the time I read the article, a friend recommend me an old song “Believe it or not” from Joey Scarbury. Haha, what a coincidence.

    Believe it or not, I’m walking on air.
    I never thought I could feel so free.
    Flying away on a wing and a prayer,
    Who could it be? Believe it or not, it’s just me.

    Sometimes, there are things you say ‘I don’t believe it myself’, but!, but!!, its do happen. In other cases, you just can’t believe that somethings don’t happen. Haha. Like, when we pledged ourself for something new, and we put efforts on it, but it doesn’t work. We started to think, ‘… urgh, things don’t happen…’, but when we look deeper, study thoroughly, actually, I believe we can later understand that we never really PUT the efforts. We’re not trying hard enough.

    Happens to me.

    Yesterday, had a little chat with my best friend, and she suggested to mind map my ideas. Sounds like a good idea. Picturing the possible very-end of each idea, and later picking the best path. Sounds easy too. But, when I get home, just realised I’ve done nothing. 🙂 Haha. Poor. And I said to my self ‘ah.. things not easy to every one’ . And I stopped to map.

    But today, after some thoughts, think I maybe try harder to map. Perhaps, everything on the right track. Let the unbelieveable become fact.
    Hopefully..