3-2-1 Go!

Last weekend was yet again another workin weekend for me and this time it was a great one. Altho it was also tiring like hell, it brought excitement not only to me but also to 51 other underprivellaged students from primary schools around Kertih. When my boss assigned me to be the East Coast coordinator for Program Bakti Pendidikan PETRONAS F1 Camp, I know that it was goin to be one hell of a task and I had to do well in making the grade. It was not just about getting free grandstand tickets to watch the race, but it was also to bring cheer to these kids who rarely have this kind of opportunity knocking on their front door...

The camp started on the 16 March when all of us departed for the Grand Olympic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Each school was represented by 4 students and one teacher, plus 1 facilitator from our OPUs (Operating Units) which include Carigali, Penapisan, Gas, Optimal, BPPA and others. The camp included activities such as visiting the Hi-5 bread factory in Shah Alam, visit to PETRONAS Twin Towers' Skybridge, Petrosains and also had a special spot to witness the BMW Heritage Race Cars Demonstration on the 18th March 2006 on front of the twin towers.

The climax of the camp was on the raceday itself, 19th March 2006. Before departing for Sepang International Circuit, we were treated with a tour around Putrajaya. It's been a while since I last been there and I could see a lot has been done to that place. We reached SIC around 12 noon and all of us went straight to the Diamond Grandstand, having to be seated in front of the starting grids. The kids were amazed and it touched my soft spot having to see them enjoying themselves altho they did not really understand a lot about the race.

Some people say "apa la gunanya bawak budak-budak sekolah rendah kampung ni nengok F1 - diorang bukannya faham pun..."

Yes, maybe for now they might not understand but children have good photographic memory and they might remember this for the rest of their lives. Having brought to the F1 Grand Prix, all of us at PETRONAS hope that, one day, they would have the passion to be involved with these kind of things - automotive engineering, becomin professional races and whatnot. We did not bring them there for nothing and this is also part of our responsibility to the community - giving back what we receive and share it with others...

During the race, I was reunited with some of our old friends like Kerol (January Batch), Reza and others. I also got close to one of the grandstand stewardesses, thee hee hee... At the end of the day, altho it was hectic havin to take care of the kids and makin sure that they enjoy the race, the smiles on their faces made my day...

You'll Never Walk Alone...