A new phase in life, at work

Training as an OJT had finally came to a sweet end as i cleared my validation at first go. The days after 3rd of June 2011 felt lighter ; I guessed this was only natural after going through what i deem as the string of hurdles in life.

It started with my wife's pregnancy and my boy's birth late July last year. Then came nights of inadequate rest. I lost track of time back then; I had to fly off to thailand in August for my in camp training evaluation just a month after my boy was born. Following that, I started my radar training ( for my 2nd atc license ). Life in SAA was tough. It took me many weeks of doing things blindly that i suddenly saw light in what i was trained to do. The final challenge of this was the beginning of OJT in SATCC where the colleagues you used to work with will see you in a much different light.

The only consolation throughout the much dreaded training phase in the centre was that my off days are OFF ( i.e no need to be rostered for standby ) and i KNOW everyone in the centre ( as compared to the alienated sensation i had when i was training in an unfamiliar environment for my first rating ). With patience and lots of dedications from my mentor Lionel and Stanley, things were much more manageable during the ALMOST half a year of training. Words alone cant express my sincere gratitude towards the 2 of them ( and all the others in my watch ).

Looking back, i gave myself the ultimate credit for having pulled through 11 months worth of obstacles( from July 2010 to Jun 2011 ). I think i need to slow down abit for now, having regained some form of stability in life.


When i penned down the title of the blog, i had initially left out the COMMA sign between LIFE and AT. I believed that life IS life and work IS work. There had to be a very clear distinction no matter how much both terms could affect each other. Hopefully i can still achieve a work life balance by doing my work well and at the same time achieve good times spent with my family.