Sydney 2012

I was lucky to be in the technical team for Kerteh-wide Digital Trunked Radio System (DTRS) Expansion Project. The team were attending factory acceptance test (FAT) for Digital Microwave Radio (DMR) at Longreach office in Sydney, Australia.

I went there for one week that is from 26/6/2012 until 1/7/2012. The purpose of FAT is to test the equipment thoroughly before they will be brought into Malaysia to be installed in 5 sites around Kemaman and Dungun area to provide digital radio coverage in all PETRONAS facilities in Kerteh area.

I will let the pictures tell the rest :) - Reminder: not sorted chronologically

 At Cockle Bay Wharf

 Hard Rock Cafe Sydney

 Youth Hotel in Sydney is a great place to make new friends :P

 Business Class comfort

Being a Business Class traveller, you will be well fed and well-entertained

 Arrived in Sydney International Airport

 Sydney at nite

 Morning view from my room

 Light traffic in the morning

Train - our main mode of transport while in Sydney

 

 The technical team

 Testing the Outdoor Unit (ODU)

 Error generator

 The Longreach IR+ Indoor Unit (IDU)

Night walk

 

 Sydney Opera House at night

Harbour bridge

 

 Lobster for lunch, anyone?

Dinner in Malaysian restaurant

 

 Pisang goreng with ice-cream

The team with Longreach management

 

 Aborigine

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour

Sour Turkish delight!

EcoCare Goes into the Jungle!

One of my company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is EcoCare. EcoCare is focused on mostly on conservation of mangrooves along Sungai Kerteh, Terengganu. However, this year EcoCare team had diversified their focus by inviting the fellow volunteers for a jungle-trekking in Rimba Hutan Bukit Bauk.

Yazid from EcoCare delivering a short briefing to the volunteers

My colleague from Maintenance Department

I arrived at Rimba Hutan Bukit Bauk at around 8:30 AM. After having breakfast, the volunteers gathered at Jabatan Perhutanan Terengganu office in Bukit Bauk. The officers from Forestry Department of Terengganu had delivered a short briefing to all 70 volunteers who were present on that day.

The bosses

En. Manan from Jabatan Perhutanan Terengganu

Some of the volunteers

According to the officer, Bukit Bauk is unique because it is the only place where 'Kapur' trees are abundant. The forest is also home to few endemic species (nearly extinct) such as Mempisang. It is important to preserve the forest to make sure these species will not extinct in the future.

Pokok Kapur, makes up the most of Bukit Bauk Forest Reserve

Pokok Kapur tree trunk

After briefing, we were divided into 5 groups and each group were led by a forest ranger that explained about the trees that are available in the forest.

 

 Nearly extinct Mempisang plant

Lime green mushroom

I have also spotted a green Wagler pit viper or locally known as 'Ular Tapak Gajah'. This is a very poisonous snake, however it is blind during the day and can only sense using thermal detection.

Ular tapak gajah (Tropidolaemus wagleri)

Each group sent one representative to share about what they had learnt from the jungle-trekking activities soon after we complete the walk.

With some of the volunteers after the jungle trekking

 

Then, we were served with lunch provided by EcoCare team. I also took opportunity to taste 'Karas' tea that is made from 'Karas' tree bark. It taste like Chinese tea and is said to have benefit for men's health.

Karas tea

 Karas tea for sale, can be obtained from Forestry Department office

 

A big thank you from EcoCare folks to the guys in Forestry Department!