a happy new year indeed!
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
After "my-near-death-sink-or-swim early-to-3rd quarter 2007", i was very pleased to see that god happily answered my prayers. Many things didn’t go as planned. My products failed to make an impact in the market, maybe of my inexperiences in the sales and marketing department.
Selling specific marine equipment, such as corrosion protection, anodes or impressed current cathodic protection is not as easy as selling peanuts. Unless,if i impress our prime minister that all land transport requires these devices and the G make them compulsory. Still,the vultures and every imaginable predators are there to ‘eat’ me alive.
After several attempts of sitting for chief mate orals exams failed, i am contented that i am going to become a second mate for life. so what? if that is the destiny, i will be prepared to dance to the music. I see that people who are lieutenant(rtd), are very proud of their rank, or a warrant officer(rtd). So what is wrong being a second mate? There are so many officers out there with major(rtd) or something else.
Finally , i coaxed my self to go for another attempt. Maybe 2007 would be different after all. For information, my passed written papers are from year 2000. That was 7 donkey years ago.If i am in a university,i would have taken the scroll in 2000.However, this is a professional qualification, not just another tertiary course. Most of my Master’s classmate have had their command as early as 2002. Well, that is their ‘rezeki’.
My ‘rezeki’ seems to change when i finally passed my Mate’s oral exam in 26 december. Finally, Zulfa is a Chief Mate.Thank God for that. Even though i have sailed as a Chief Mate for nearly 2 years on a Near-Coastal vessel. The picture was when i served onboard PV Kedah & Pahang (now KD Kedah(171) & KD Pahang(172). But now i am holding the Certificate of Competency as Chief Mate(Unlimited). Means that Master’s is just a step away(not that easy anyway).
I see that 2008 will bring new light for me. Hopefully, i will pass my Master’s orals exam in due time. The anticipation to see myself as a Master Mariner have been withheld for so long. I will therefore make my move. We’ll see again in about 6 months time. I am starting to seeing myself as Captain Zulfa Ahmad,MN; Master Mariner in the near future. That was a promise i made to myself when i was a Cadet Officer. Angan-angan menjadi cita-cita.
p/s: The picture is KD Pahang when she was registered as a merchant ship, proudly flying the Malaysian merchant ship Red Ensign
