For Juniors...

Dear Juniors,

You might wanna read this if you are struggling to register your course for the next semester.

Elective to select during final years
Strategic Management
If you focuses on self improvement in doing business, this subject is the best I can recommend. As engineer, we always give ourselves some option to return to the original. Its like leaving the back door open to escape in case of some emergency. Business is a great choice as its easy to achieve and as long as there is capital.
However, in order to score a point in Strategic Managgement, you need to spend a lot of time in it preparing stuff for a presentation, class discussion, tests, and assignments. Its like the other elective too but this one causes you to do more in coursework. Total coursework is 60%. I get a very low course work cos I was focusing more to my technical side (FYP & FYDP). So my course work this time really shows me not getting an A for this subject.

Culture Anthropology
My favorite subject of my university life. Why? lots of reason. First, because its Doc Mat. As some of you know, Doc Mat is just the ideal lecturer to mix around with students. He can be really relax in giving lecturer. No preparation before he came, but he can make the lectures really interesting. Even though zero interaction between lecturer and student. Probably the subject is Cultutal Anthropology which examines human past, human nature, and human society. All things that he teach, if you go to lecture, you don't even need to study for you final anymore. Because, all those he thought will be remembered fully in your brain throughout your life. His final exam is just some debate question where he asked about your personal opinion on how do you think on this and that. The projects do not have a due date. It depends on the student whether they want the marks or just leave it to god. During test, he can just gave the tests questions and walk out of the hall to smoke. His principle is, if you cheat, the consequences is on you. In final exams, that will cost you more than you know. I like his style of teaching. He wants student s to be real independent. He trust his students.
If I have the time and chance, I would just sit in his class whole day even I am not taking his subject anymore next semester.
He is just real different from the others. Hope to see him perform with his band on stage for Euphonious 2010 next year! Go Doc Mat! Your invisible guitar is on the way!

About the other elective, better ask around to compare. This might be valuable for you to adjust yourself towards the working environment later.

Core Subjects
Malaysian Studies
Beware. If you choose the wrong lecturer, you will end up getting the low side of the marks. There are two lecturers here. If you notice, marks for one of them is real low. Be careful all. Send me a private email is you want to know the name. Not good to enclose here. haha..

Majoring for Chemical Engineering Students
There are lots of majoring for Chemicals, but our University only recommended Five.
Process Plant Design is one of them. The others I dare not to comment, you better communicate with those seniors by yourself.

In process plant design, things you will learn inclusive of Heat Integration, Plant Utility System, and Process optimization.

Heat Integration
Its basically deals with Process Plant Design thought in earlier of the degree program. Mostly talks on heat exchange within Heat Exchanger, crossing and matching the lines that needed heat and needed to release heat. In FYDP, you will strongly need these aspects to be adapted in it. Heat integration helps in reduce operating and capital cost of the plant.

Plant Utility System
This topic actually relates to the one above. However, it will be more broad because of the term Utility System. Utility system is used by a plant to support its operation. Steam are being generated to supply heat, Works are needed from expansion for compression, Electricity supply in order to support the insufficient of work and so on so forth. All and all, everything about Utility in a plant exist here.

Process Optimization
Haven't take yet. Will update in other post once I understand the principle. But it mainly will talks about how to improve savings in a plant and what should do to increase the profit margin. As engineers always relates the technical side to the economy, so better have some economy side of knowledge before being an engineer.

Basically, major in which subject depends what your internship plant is based on. From my observation, most of the Upstream company interns are majoring PE while the others are scattered. Second from PE is Process plant. Then third is Process Control, followed by Petrochemicals lastly Environment. So for those who wanted or about to go for intern, make sure you target down what you wanna learn and major in future few years time.

Its good for human to plan 5 years ahead.

Good luck!

Malaysian Studies

Malaysia is a nation who gains its independence on the 31 August 1957.

Before, independence, Malaya were being colonized by some western power such as British, Portugese, Dutch and so on. Until today, lots of their culture were being brought through till now.
After independence and before Sarawak, Singapore and Sabah joined Malaysia, Brunei was once struggle with her position whether to join, their negotiation with Malaysia Prime Minister went through several times.
At last, they concluded not to join Malaysia.
From analysis, Brunei's negotiation was not able to bridge mainly due to financial issue.
It is good to know our mistakes or the point of failure negotiation so that we can self realize on the importance of those aspect.
But is the self realize sufficient?

16 September 1963, Sarawak, Singapore & Sabah joined in.
However, sad to say, Singapore left after around 2 years due to racial issue.

As a Malaysian, we have seen the past, Singapore and Brunei, who left us has developed greatly in terms of economics, law, and country.
Malaysia?
Have we done enough to grow our country?
Is focusing on comfort zone really a good thing for us to compare with our sister country who has their independence around the same date as us?
We're not lacking behind lands?
We're not short of ManPower?
What else do we lack?

These are the questions for Malaysian to think. Self improvement from time to time, every moment and place just be brought into mind.
Of course not the improvement in term of how to create a crime (criminal nowadays are clever) but to improve in term of economics, social, and country development. As from one of my lecturer in my university, a big piece of mirror is really needed for Malaysians to see and look through themselves just to ask:

HAVE I DONE ENOUGH FOR THE COUNTRY?
CAN WE BE BETTER THAN OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES?
WHAT SHOULD WE DO NEXT IN ORDER TO BE BETTER THAN OUR NEIGHBOR?
MALAYSIAN!!! WAKE UP AND LOOK AROUND!!
WE MUST BE ALERT WITH OUR SITUATION!!!

The reason I wrote all these are just because I am taking Malaysian Studies this semester and are about to go into the exam hall after reading the whole books of Malaysian Studies.

Wish me luck!