It has been more and more infrequent I blog - the question is how to make my blog relevant? There is really a whole wide world of the internet out there. Many professional website such as BIMCO, Pandi Club, class societies, seafarers unions and other organisations and blog which provide technical and other information on relevant issues pertaining to shipping. So am I to reinvent the wheel or put in my two cents worth? It is indeed a humbling realisation that in the big wide infinite ocean of knowledge, whatever my experience or knowledge I could share is literally just a tiny weeny "drop in the ocean".
I just came back from a visit to Myanmar. I am forever amazed and facisnated by my partner there U Than Win. He is still actively engaged in his professional work as in giving in house training, revamping our in house database with our IT guy, having sleepless night looking for replacement crew, especially senior officers and engineers, dealing with anomaly in wages and keeping the crew happy with us. On top of that, he is leading discussion with members of Myansea which is a manning agent association in Myanmar, reading up, do research on the new Maritime Labour Convention and reviewing the SECD general agreeement and then more discussion and meeting with the government authorities and the unions etc.
From day one, U Than Win is full of energy and ideas - ceaselessly working for the interest of Monsoon, for the crew, our clients and the communities. He cannot stay still and does not like taking holidays or just sit back and relax.
How does one keep up such activities for so many years, again I consider myself and Monsoon very fortunate and also humbling that compare to this human dynamo, I am really very laidback.
I can recall those days when I was actively involved in operational work, how happy I was, the sense of achievement when all sorts of operational problems are thrown at me and my team. We were working day and night. Many a time, we were worried where to find the crew replacement even in those day because our business were expanding rapidly, somehow we coped and it is with great pride, we keep the ship sailing, there has never been an instance when the ship has to wait for our crew or is offhired caused by us. The experience is exhilarating. The teamwork, we inspired each other. We were always happy and smiling. How appropriate "when the going gets tough, the tough gets going" - today, those experience held me in good stead to lead this organisation.
As we move on, we get new people in, get them excited about the business but as usual, old foggies as we are, we talk about the good old days and how tough we were and how the new guys lacks similiar focus or commitment etc. Time and the business has changed. Monsoon has been able to adjust our business model to be relevant, to be ahead. We may not be big, but we are really professional.
What has been achieved would not have been achieved if not for the dedication and extreme hard work and ideas put in by the orginal team of managers, some of us has move on, but the key guys are still here and contributing. UHA, Zaw Moe and Capt Henry and our Yangon team, Dado, Nena, Dojie and the team in Manila, Michelle, NSW, Bee from Singapore....
Much work need to be done by my new team to go much further ahead than what we have achieved in the last 17, 18 years. I have full confidence in their abilities. This period of extreme crew shortage will really put them through the grindmills so that after another 10 years, they could be like me, talking about how tough they have been.
Well this is how it should be.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Terminal Three, Changi
Today is the opening day of our spanking new terminal three, Changi airport.
Happy New Year, everyone - I am back blogging. I decided to take an after dinner drive to T3 and have a cup of coffee with the wife. Our airport is of course just a few minutes from our home.
I am glad I did, it is really an impressive airport. Certainly a historic moment - Singapore is keeping up with the best in the world - we check out the basements, arrival, departure and viewing levels - Everything is freshly painted, clean, everything works as it should, no teething problems as far I know.
Singapore is really amazing - despite the challenges pose by fast advancing China, I can safely said that the new airports which I have visited in Guangzhou, KL, Bangkok and even Inchon or HK airport cannot be compared in term of planning, user friendliness and human scale. Singapore T3, the future has arrived.
I am really proud to be Singaporean.
Now my next target is to fly onthe A380, of course, it will have to be Singapore Airlines.
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