Storming The Brain

The corporate company I am currently working with is indeed the premier toll expressway operator in Malaysia and I believe the company is already at its best. Frankly speaking, I am very proud to work with this well established company. Some people call this company a gold mine, some even say it a comfort zone. Well, I do agree with them, but I perceive the company differently.

This Company to me is a venue to know and get closer to people with higher level of thinking. A venue where I can spill out my creativities and show them off and be recognised. A venue where ideas are heard and appreciated and not simply thrown away. A venue where I can explore more in what I do best, civil engineering, and will not become brain drain. A venue where there is a chance to stand tall, work hand in hand with the Managing Director, CEO, COO. As a summary, this Company is a good place for my self-development.

Speaking of which, the Management had organised a 5-day brainstorming session from 12 - 16 September 2005 which was called as The Special Task Force, as a way to get as many ideas out as they could from the staff. Well, I was one of the 30 selected people who voluntarily participated in the program. These people were then divided into 6 groups of five. Two groups would be sent away to Cameron Highlands, two groups to Pangkor Island and two groups to Port Dickson, for the so-called ‘vacation’. At the end of the program, we would all have to present our “outside of the box” ideas to the judges, comprised of the Company's Managing Director and five demanding Senior General Managers.

My group unanimously had chosen Cameron Highlands, yayyy! A cooler place - good for mind, body and soul! But berangan aje laaa…. the 5-day vacation was totally excrutiating to me and my teammates, Ijoe, Amran, The Razzler and Ajoy (dah jadik arwah dah). No good sleep, no good food, no lari-lari in the tea garden macam cerita Hindustan, no lepak-lepak. Painful! Arrghhh… Perah otak macam perah kain basah. There was one night where none of us uttered a word and none of us came out with any brilliant idea. It was a silent night. Syed finally broke the silence by letting out a loud sigh “I think the box is just too high to climb to get outside-lah!” which made us laugh terbahak-bahak.

Well, the program was similar to the TV show, The Apprentice, except that in this program there was no Mr. Donald Trump sitting amongst these VIPs, provoking and intimidating you. And the best part was, nobody got to hear the word “You are FIREDDDD!”.