The People You Work with.-

This Crane operator that did the not so heavy liftings  came from Ayer itam, in Georgetown Penang where i came from, small world. Even if he was a Chinese we could relate with one another as thoguh we were from the same neighborhood. Most of the people that work on a major construction site like the one at the Petronas refinery in Kerteh originated from different parts of the country if not from overseas. Most did not know one another prior to being at the site. 

This gentleman, Peter Anak Chokan was an Iban from the state of Sarawak whose ancestry were know as head hunters of Borneo, and he was a Christian by faith and enjoys getting drunk in the evenings or during off days.. 

Harry as he was called was from Holland and one of the Site supervisor for Van Seumerren. He had misgivings about my position with the company untill one day when while hammering a'Pin' into the slot of the crane track a spinter shot from the pin and pierced hi lower lip spurting blood like a water pistol to the ground. He was luck it did not struck his eye instead. After this incident he had better appreciation of what safety was all about and appreciated my job better.

Wak Tumiran the CC2000 crane operator was from Indonesia and a master crane operator one of the best at heavy lifting for Van Seumerren. He was soft spoken and a very humble man. I learned much subtle things about life from this man and marveled at his handling of the crane while performing his task.. Patience was the key and a steady mind and sure fingers, focused on every action and making all the moves according to what was instructed even when the object that was lifted was out of sight, hidden from view by walls. . Instructions were passed by walkie talkie from one person to another and sometimes it took three people to relay a message for a lifting. This was teamwork at its best and precision was the name of the game.

They called him Major as he was a Army major at one time and they had to let him go because he was caught taking bribes from lorry drivers on site. he was good at his job but Greed got the better of him. Major was the second man to Steve Morton as a Security man for the Main Contractor, Foster Wheeler.

"Harry"

One of the things that i learn about life that i hold dearly is the fact that life is all about relationship. How youtouch others and how they touch you makes for what you are. Respect and trust is earned and nothing is taken for granted if it involves someone else and the welfare of the other comes first before yours, this is the way of the Bodhisatva. Sometimes my 'lower self 'would forget and get involve in passing judgement towards someone else's weakness or fault and this is what I learn to try and avoid as much as possible as I know it will come around to bite me when I least expect it. 

Austin Anak Janting - Rigging Supervisor. was another Iban who had a very strong presence but gentle demeanor about him. He moves slow but gets things done right. Does not say much but listens to you like you had much important things to share with him.

One of the two Malays who were a part of the Van Seumerren RomStar Crew at the Gebeng site., Basiron. A young man with allot of potential if he keeps it together working for this company. He had the ability to take on any task given to him and in a short period of time was trusted by the management o become the 'signal man', the man who relays the message from the engineer or lifting Supervisor to the crane operator.. 

Not everyone last throughout the project and this crane operator helper was one of them. He could not fit in with the way the 'Kwai lo' or foreign devils operated.; he left one day. Sometimes it is better to move on than stick to doing something that you find not to your liking or the circustances were not just the way you think it should be for you.