The Wayfarer ASA Edition Winter 2015

A publication for the SSA Global Community Winter 2015 Cover photo by ŠFernanda Brocoletti

ASA Edition Winter 2015

Welcome back!

The Wayfarer

A publication for the SSA Global Community

I

am very pleased to present you with this issue dedicated to our Asia/Australia Chapters.

It was great to work with all the Chapter coordinators and communications teams, and a special joy to work with the much admired Fay Hennings, the new Asia/Australia Coordinator. She is so passionate about the role of the SSA in our lives and she transmits such a positive energy, that it is contagious! Thanks, Fay, and congratulations on everything you are doing to help your Chapters!

Our Program Manager, Muriel Barnier, sent us very interesting articles focusing on HSE activities around the world in the past year. Has your Area done something similar?

Please share it with us

and we can publish it on our next edition.

During October, most chapters had Breast Cancer Awareness activities, and have shared them on our Facebook Group. Thanks for your support to this cause!

At the beginning of the year, your SSA Local Coordinators filled out a Survey which provided us with very interesting insights about the amazing things you are doing in your Chapters, as well as the troubles you might find. We hear you!

On page 112 you will find some of the results, and remember you can consult the full report on www.ssafara.net.

members to introduce to you! You’ll have a chance to know more of them in our next edition, but find out who the new Latin America and Europe/ Russia Coordinators are on page 4.

And last but not least, I’d like to mention that our gorgeous cover photo was taken by the sweet SSA Singapore Communications Coordinator, Fernanda Brocoletti. It was taken last July in the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (also known as Bright Hill Monastery).

Happy Holidays!

Elsa Scheffler

We have new Global Board Good morning, Perth ©Vibes of lights photography

In this issue you will find: A letter from our Global Coordinator: Page 3 Meet the SSA Global Board: Page 4 Thank you to our outgoing SSA Global Board Members: Page 5 Asia/Australia Area presentation: Pages 6-7 Hello from ASA: Pages 8-9 Jakarta, Indonesia: Pages 10-14

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pages 26-45 Chengdu, China: Pages 46-47 Perth, Australia: Pages 48-87 Singapore: Pages 88-91 Songkhla, Thailand: Pages 92-107 What’s new in HSE: Pages 108-115 SSA Survey Results: Page 116 Our next edition will be… Page 117

Japan: Pages 15-25

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A message from our Global Coordinator

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ummer is long over and we are recovering from our fantastic vacations and thankful that the kids are back in school… lol… getting back to our ‘normal’ routines and some of us, like me, are settling down in our new locations.

Aren’t we happy that we have SSA to help us settle into our new locations? I was speaking with one of our global board members recently and she said, “I always know when I move to a new location that SSA will be there for me and that’s reassuring.” It is very comforting to have someone call you to say hello and welcome, and to receive a basket full of important and useful information. For some of us that voice is a lifeline in a new location. Meeting fellow members at coffee morning and connecting with that one individual with whom you can share your concerns, makes it so much easier to settle down. Thanks to all our welcome coordinators/ chapter coordinators and all those members who take time to make newcomers at home!

I would like to take a moment to touch on the fact that October was Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is such an important health issue for so many people. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are about 1.38 million new cases and 458,000 deaths from breast cancer each year and is the most common cancer in women worldwide in both developed and developing countries. It is important for us to take care of our health and get regular checkups as early detection is the key to breast cancer control.

As we are about to embark on our holiday break I want to take the time to say thanks to all our Chapters for their understanding and cooperation during this difficult time for us all.

To our hard working Local Board members, thank you for all that you do for your members, making them feel welcome and supporting them during 2015. To our Global Board members, thank you for your dedication and commitment to SSA. For all the behind the scenes efforts you make for our Chapters and for the unwavering support you provide to them. I am so happy to be part of such an awesome Team! Thanks to our sponsor, Schlumberger, for supporting us in 2015.

However, when we move we also leave dear treasured friends behind. When you connect and click with complete strangers who become like members of your family it’s hard to say goodbye. Some, if we are lucky, we will see again. Thankfully, with all the modern I wish you all Happy Holidays and for those celebrating, Merry Christmas! All the best for technology we have available to us, we can the coming year 2016! connect and stay in touch. I am grateful, and I am sure many of you are as well, to have met so many great people who have touched our lives in Lorraine Albelto some special way and would always be SSA Global Coordinator remembered fondly.

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Meet the SSA Global Board Lorraine Albelto

Nikita Goel

SSA Global Coordinator ssa-global-coord@slb.com

SSA Global Webmaster ssa-webmaster@slb.com

Anisa Haddad

Elsa Scheffler

SSA Ex-Officio Global Coordinator ssa-exofficio@slb.com

SSA Global Communications Coordinator ssa-communications@slb.com

Sandra Showalter

Lasairiona McMaster

SSA Global Secretary ssa-secretary@slb.com

SSA North America Area Coordinator ssa-nam-coord@slb.com

Maha Sousak Brenda Echeveste

SSA Middle East Area Coordinator ssa-mideast-coord@slb.com

SSA Africa Coordinator ssa-africa-coord@slb.com

Fay Hennings

Yoldary Bernal Cruz

SSA Asia/Australia Coordinator ssa-asia-coord@slb.com

SSA Latin America Coordinator ssa-lam-coord@slb.com

Basti Ismayilbayli SSA Europe/Russia Area Coordinator ssa-eur-slr-coord@slb.com

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THANK YOU A great big THANK YOU to our former Global Board members Diana Sguerra and Petite Orteg贸n for their great job during their time. We wish you all the best and hope to work together again in the future.

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ASIA/AUSTRALIA

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he Asia/Australia Area is comprised of such vibrant, diverse cultures that have so much to share, that I took a little extra time to edit this Wayfarer because there were so many articles and pictures that I wanted to do justice to each and every one!

In the next few pages you will find out how they grow hydroponic vegetables in Jakarta. Then we will go to Japan and learn how to make a Washi paper box and a beautiful wind chime. We will also take a tour to Nokogiriyama, a beautiful site home to one of the oldest Buddha statues in Japan. In Kuala Lumpur we will meet the 2015 and 2016 SSA Boards and find out about the great activities they prepare for their members. We will then get a peek at Perth, where they are proud of living in one of the “most livable cities in the world�! The article from Singapore will make you dream about such a wonderful place to live. From Songkhla, Thailand we will read about some of the creative activities they do together. We will also find beautiful art and one amazing trip from two of our talented SSA children.

Among the articles you will find mouthwatering recipes provided by our members, be sure to try them! And let us know how they go =)

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All of our Asia/Australia Chapters participate in charity activities in their respective countries, which goes to show the generous nature of SSA members who like to give back a little to the land that welcomes them with open arms.

HSE is also very present with our Asia/ Australia Chapters, and you will get to see the activities that they prepared for our Chapters in the area for 2015.

The new Asia/Australia Area Coordinator, Fay Hennings, has hit the ground running with getting to know all of the Local Coordinators and get them in touch with each other, so they can share tips and ideas of things to do and how to organize a Chapter. The Area is so lucky to have her at the helm! I’m sure they will appreciate all the hard work that she does with generosity and genuine love for the SSA. And I will close this introduction to the Area by stealing a great line that Fay recently wrote in one of her many encouraging emails to the Local Coordinators: “No one turns down a hug, so hug everyone you meet at the next SSA event”. Isn’t that a great idea?

Enjoy!

Elsa

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Hello from ASA 

G’day mate, Kia ora, 你好, Kamusta, Halo, chào bạn, halēā, สวัสดี, Kon'nichiwa

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he SLB ASA Area: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam…. the names conjure up exotic places, friendly people, ancient cultures and architecture, food to tantalize your taste buds and some of the strangest animals on this planet!

If your family has transferred to any of these locations, you have been lucky enough to experience some or all of the above. I hope you have the time and opportunity to explore and enjoy your assignment country. As a SLB spouse you are welcomed and can join a ready-made ‘SSA family’, form lifelong friendships, and as they say in today’s social media lingo - SSAbff (SSA best friends forever) .

In the midst of these amazing countries, local and international SSA members celebrate their differences, sharing and learning from

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another. Thank you to all the SSA Chapters who participated in this edition of the SSA Wayfarer and highlighted their region. For many, it is the first time composing and contributing articles or works of art, and for all, this is a showcase of the tremendous work that both you and the local SSA Chapters have accomplished.

As they say in Australia, “Good skills!”

Hugs to all.

Fay Hennings  ASA Area Coordinator

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“Easy Gardening with Homegrown Hydroponics” Proverb says: Good Health is Priceless, it is true.

We are advised to consume healthy foods, which can be easily derived from our own backyard.

So, let us begin: ‘A healthy life starts at home’.

By Nuri Nuraini

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From left to right: Putri, Nuri, Aida, Wiwiek, Priscilla, Trie, Mifty, Emily, July, Sumi, Dinda, Kikie, Agnes The Wayfarer

On Monday 21 September 2015, Jakarta SSA Ladies had the opportunity to visit the Hydroponic garden owned by Mr. Ronny, located in South Jakarta. He is known as a ‘Hydroponic Expert’ in Indonesia. During the visit, we learned how to cultivate hydroponic plantations.

The delegation was excited with Mr. Ronny’s lecture on Hydroponic and learned a lot. The visit was completed with a salad and juice preparation class with vegetables sourced from Mr. Ronny’s hydroponic garden.

Hydroponics can be one of the solutions in modern life as it doesn’t take lots of space, a warranty of pesticide-free leaves, controlled organic fertilizer, and does not depend on seasons as we can provide a minimum amount of water and prevent dehydration. Many have constructed simple hydroponics with vertical stacked pipes in their apartments these days.

Ready to try? It’s a guarantee - very simple and not expensive. Equipment required for beginners are only plastic trays and pots, and a variety of vegetables can be grown.

Mr. Ronny showed the ladies how to build a Hydroponic System (Here are Trie, Putri, Priscilla and Wiwiek

Emily, Sumi, Kikie, Dinda, Priscilla, Juli, Wiwiek and Trie learning from Mr. Ronny

How to Grow Hydroponics There are five main factors needed to grow hydroponics: Oxygen, Water, Light, Nutrients and don’t forget Love and Care.

1.

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The first step is to prepare a seed’s grow tray. Seedling seed on the Grow-tray or seedlings-container, use an 80% germinated seed only. Good seedling media commonly used is rockwool-cube. Rockwool is utilized because of its high water absorption and is sterile as well. Add either water or diluted nutrient solution directly to your tray, seal the tray, and then place it in a dark area. After 3-5 days, your seeds should have sprouted and are now ready to be transferred to GrowMedia (next -> 2nd stage).

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2.

3.

4.

During the 2nd stage, continue to feed your baby sprout with a properly mixed hydroponic nutrient solution. Once your plants’ roots start to poke out from the bottom of your rockwool-cube, they are ready to be placed to the hydroponic system. This can take up to 2-4 weeks, depending on the type of plant (3rd stage).

There are many variations/types of hydroponic systems, but the water culture system is the simplest of all active hydroponic systems. The platform that holds the plants is usually made of Styrofoam and floats directly on the nutrient solution. An air pump supplies air to the air stone that bubbles the nutrient solution and supplies oxygen to the roots of the plants.

Water culture is the system of choice for growing leaf lettuce, which are fastgrowing, water-loving plants, making them an ideal choice for this type of hydroponic system. Very few plants other than lettuce will do well in this type of system.

Now you know how to grow hydroponic! If you’ve done everything properly you should be able to enjoy your first harvest 4-8 weeks after you transplant your seeds. Growing times will vary depending on the type of produce.

Let’s forget the heat and sweating… smile, ladies!

From left to right: Nuri, Trie, Aida, Wiwiek, Juli, Priscilla, Dinda, Emily, Page 12

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In the cooking class we learned how to make salad with the fresh vegetables from the farm and enjoyed a delicious meal!

From left to right: Trie, Priscilla, Dinda, Agnes, Mr. Ronny, Nuri, Putri and Wiwiek

Putri is enjoying her Mysterious Juice Recipe of the Day!!

From left to right: Wiwiek, Putri, Aida, Kikie, Priscilla, Dinda and Trie ASA Edition

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By Beryl Fletcher, written October 2015 Jakarta's SSA charity program is just getting started. The aim is to:  

Find small charities that help people help themselves.

Provide time and everyday items, not just a cheque or cash.

We found one such charity called Wisma Cheshire.

This charity helps disabled people, mainly in wheelchairs but with movement in their hands. Wisma Cheshire teaches them a skill, either sewing -using a sewing machine or an adapted sewing machine-and woodwork. These people come from all over Indonesia. The charity gives them a bed, a roof over their head, three meals a day and the skills to look after themselves. This allows them to support themselves and return home to their villages .

The length of stay at the charity is anywhere from a year to several years depending on their circumstances.

The handicrafts that are produced are sold at the in-house shop called “The red feather shop”. They sell mainly to expats and at local bazaars.

Their needs:   

Out time.

Administrative help.

Every day things, for example: special covered mattresses, laptop computers and especially a printer.

These are the items we hope to help them with.

There is also another local charity called Rachel house.

This charity helps terminally ill children. Their motto is: "We are not here to add days to the children's life's but to add life to their remaining days".

We need to research this more thoroughly but it sounds like a worthy cause.

Next time we shall have more to report.

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JAPAN こんにちは KONNICHIWA - HELLO from SSA JAPAN The SSA Highlights

Japan

Chapter

Activities

By Sheilla Hardini

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n interesting HSE initiative the SSA Japan Chapter offered new members is the Wanavi Earthquake Preparedness workshop. Japan is the one of the countries in the world with the highest seismic geological activities.

This workshop was specially designed to empower the international residents and their families with critical information and support to live comfortably and confidently in Japan. It also provided information on safe foods and how the Japanese Health insurance system works, including how to use the local Japanese hospital.

Traditionally, Washi is used for printing, collage, lighting (used in making lamp shades), bookbinding, for Sumi-e (black ink painting) and for Shodo (the Japanese art of printing and brush-writing). Nowadays the Washi comes in many color variations and decorative patterns. It is also used in craft making including decorating many household objects and jewelry.

Last May just before leaving for the summer vacation, some of the SSA Japan Chapter members got the chance to get together and do a workshop in making Washi Box Craft in Tokyo. In the two hour session, the ladies were shown many options and a variety of Washi papers and the crafts made out of it. The workshop walked the ladies through the process of making this craft - from choosing the design, cutting and constructing the cardboard sheets into the boxes and finally, the covering of these boxes with their chosen Washi papers.

成功 Seikō SUCCESS

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nother highlight offered by the SSA Japan Chapter was the Washi Box Craft workshop.

Japan has always been big for its beautiful crafts, be it the traditional ones or the traditional with the modern twist on it. Washi is one of these. It is a Japanese word for the traditional papers made from the long inner fiber of three plants.

The Washi features some differences compared to western paper which is made of wood pulp. Washi is warmer, lighter and has lower acidity, stronger because its fibers are left long, has soft translucency, good absorbency and flexibility.

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JAPAN MORE ABOUT THE MAKING OF WASHI-PAPER BOX

By Jyothsana Narasimhan SSA craft event at Sakura Horikiri shop, 1-chome-25-3 Yanagibashi, Taito, Tokyo.

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s a child, even before the age of two, one of the things that had fascinated me more often than not was paper in all its forms, in all its shapes, in all its texture. What I loved most about paper was that it could be, with just a few folds and lots of imagination, anything you ever wanted it to be. I remember rolling smooth old calendar sheets of gone by months or of months yet to come to make my personal telescope-kaleidoscope (often angering my poor mother in the bargain). Sometimes I folded them into cones, creating loudspeakers and bellowing into them as I ran across familiar corridors. I loved the scent of a fresh crisp newspaper strewn across the front door, loved old books – their musty smell, yellow colored with dog-eared pages.

This tryst with paper went on uninterrupted until I had to actually start using them for what they were supposedly and apparently meant to be for – cursive writing, homework and all those other boring stuff that you hated doing as a kid.

My play with paper long ago forgotten suddenly comes all gushing back as I happened to come across this four-storied building called Sakura Horikiri, not far from Asakusabashi station. Here is where I discovered this magical paper called Washi and it rekindled in me that imaginative child that I had long forgotten to be.

Washi is the Japanese word for traditionally hand-made papers made from the inner barks of three indigenous trees of Japan, namely Kozo, Mitsumata & Gampi. Though this art of making paper originated in China, it became an integral part of the ancient Japanese culture and tradition and still continues to be so at what I call ‘the paper wonderland’, officially called Sakura Horikiri. They have been one of the few families in Japan to keep this ancient art form of paper craft from becoming extinct.

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JAPAN It is a treasure house of one of the most beautiful collections of Washi papers in Tokyo. Be it motifs of Sakura blossoms or traditional Japanese houses, be it tatami patterns or the cultural scenes of tea ceremony, be it kabuki characters or wood block prints on the famous Ukiyo, these colored paper sheets adorn every square inch of this shop, where objects of all kinds can truly and literally exist in, on and of paper! Pencil holders, tiny tins, coquette dressing shelves with adjustable mirrors, medicine boxes, tissue boxes to all kinds of other useful big boxes, Washi paper binds them all, often sculpting them into masterpieces of day-to-day objects, adding an exotic touch à la japonaise. The papers are measured, cut to perfection, making them what you want them to be. They could be turned into a pen box, a jewelry case, a TV remote holder, your accessories wardrobe or just a little box of nothings or ‘special somethings’.

This paper wonderland provides all paper lovers with all kinds of DIY kits, making anything possible out of sheer paper! Despite my all-too-loudly-proclaimed-love for paper, making a Washi paper box for the first time was like putting together a piece of furniture from Ikea. It was initially puzzling to figure out the different strips of paper and their corresponding cardboards. Which strip to which paper? Which board, which fold? Which ones to be marked or which ones to be left untouched? Which side folds in and which side stands out? (The pictographic depiction of the methodology despite its written explanation in Japanese did help me a little to gauge how my paper box was supposed to look at different stages.) As you figure them out one by one (you eventually will!), you see the box coming to life, being slowly built from scratch, its different sides, its many angles, its myriad folds, all begin to take shape and seem to come together, mosaic by mosaic, tile by tile, piece by piece, the jigsaw grows and lo and behold, it is finally complete, albeit some stray strips that lay there unused (just the way it often is, isn’t it?, with some stray screws of Ikea things). You just add a handle to your chest drawer, let the glue stuck paper rest a while until dry and stuck for life and voilà goes your own hand-crafted Washi box.

Some trials and many errors hence, it is an inexplicable feeling of triumph as you gift it to your loved ones. A smile that spreads across their face, a sparkle in their eyes, makes it all worthwhile. You then get more orders in the form of requests for some more of those unique Washi paper boxes from cousins, friends and distant relatives, who all want to claim a piece of your art, a piece of Japan to decorate their homes and call it their own!

Beyond everything else, it was my time with papers in the paper wonderland once again for it reawakened the child in me, the child that we often leave behind as we grow up.

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JAPAN ‘The Magic of Wind Chimes’ – Making of the Furin with Shinohara Maruyoshi San. Furin – Japanese wind bells whose name literally means wind (fu) and bell (rin)

By Jyothsana Narasimhan Dated: 14th October 2015 SSA Activity Location: 4-25-10, Taito-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.

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hardened, chipped to perfection, waiting to be painted upon and etched with colored ink.

Be it designs of some gold fish for good fortune or some dragonflies to help us keep moving forward in our chosen paths never having to look back, or be it a colorful explosion of fireworks in the night sky; we were shown many symbols and their cultural significance as Maruyoshi San and his family guided us to decorate our crystal balls with some splash of color, each object having its own meaning and a cultural symbol. Some chose Fuji San, some others snow balls, some gold fish for that much needed luck and some chose to extract a figment of their imagination on this transparent canvas. Be it watermelons, or butterflies, a praying mantis or an ancient tree, be it Sakura flowers or Morning Glory, each glass bell now represented something, each Furin having its own distinct sound, a chime – each to its own. Some of higher octaves, others a tone lower, some sopranos, yet some tinkled in deep baritones.

olorful glass bells tinkled in the breeze as we were ushered into this little inconspicuous shop on a cobbled street.

The ever-busy Maruyoshi San welcomed us with a warm smile, asking us to take positions near the hot furnace. As we stood there, each waiting for their turn, we saw the magic unfold before our bedazzled eyes.

All it took was a long glass tube, a lengthy iron string, the orange burning furnace cupped in white walls, and our very own expanding lungs to whistle out the air into these hollow tubes.

We were mesmerized as little pieces of orange-red vermilion hued lumps turned into giant clear crystal bubbles, as we blew into them, one by one. There were many a hit, many a miss, some glasses cracked, some wilting away before we could put them back into the fire. Others just crumpled away, withering inside themselves, as we were learning the ropes of this “tough-breath” trade. After the perfect mix of quick turns and twists of the long glass tube and the right breaths, we got our little glass bells molten, Page 18

The task of painting them was a tricky one for they had to be painted from the insides. The technique is a little counter-intuitive, for the color that’s painted first is often what’s visible on the outside. The whole design had to be thought of beforehand, its completed image already chalked out in our heads.

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We each started our own, humming a tune as we went along. It was this perfect moment of being one with oneself, each absorbed in the moment – the present, trying our hands at painting what we wanted to see or what we had imagined our glass bell to be.

Perhaps, this is what one calls ‘Meditation’ - being in the moment. Being one with oneself yet sharing that thread of Zen in togetherness with the rest. That harmonious unison of all hands at work was a sheer delight. It was team building, some new bonding with people both old and new. Exchanging glances at works of others in progress, words of

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encouragement, a pat on the shoulder, discovering parts of some hidden talent all along unknown, unseen, unspoken.

Finally, as we finished our masterpieces, it was time to string them, add a gong for that perfect yet unique sound, that magical chime that was to play with the wind, sing with the breeze - songs of happiness, tunes yet unheard, as we string them on our porches and windows reminding us of this ever-changing yet constant magical musical ebb called Life.

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JAPAN

Armelle Lahitette

Jyothsana Narasimhan

Armelle, Sheila, Namita and Ingrid Page 20

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JAPAN

Ingrid Meibergen Tashiro

Sheila Hardini

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Namita Jamwal

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Nokogiriyama Japan’s little known treasure trail

By Jyothsana Narasimhan Page 22

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or your journey to Nokogiriyama you can choose one of two routes, either boarding at Shinjuku or Yokohama:

- From Shinjuku station it is a 10 minute ride on JR Chuo line to Tokyo station and 1.5 hours on JR special express SAZANAMI. Disembark at Hamakanaya station and from here begins the wonder trail towards the hidden treasures of Nokogiriyama, Chiba prefecture.

- From Yokohama take the Keikyu line to Keikyu Kurihama, a 35 minutes express train, followed by a 10 minute bus ride to Kurihama Port. Catch a impressionist painting that doesn’t ever cease to ferry to the Boso Peninsula & 35 minutes later, amaze you as you stand there feeling you are at the base of the mountain where you infinitesimally small in comparison. hike begins.

Nokogiriyama is one of those little or lesser known treasures of Japan, despite being home to one of the oldest and tallest of Daibutsu (Buddha) statues in Japan. The Daibutsu of Kamakura and Nara are better known than this precious gem hidden amidst the steep green hills of the Boso peninsula.

The long winding trail from the base of the mountain till the top is beseechingly beautiful with tall old trees, their roots forming a webbed mosaic on the ground. The view from the top is spectacular, with a striking view of Fuji san in the background. The blue sky stretches out and reaches down to touch the limitless horizon of the calming blue sea, making it a beautiful ASA Edition

As you meander through these trails, you witness many thousands of statues of Buddhist saints or monks called Rakans meditating under the halfcaves of those steep hills. Unlike the peaceful expressions of saints that we commonly see, the 1,500 Rakans seem to embody the whole range of human emotions and facial expressions. Almost life-like in their making, they continue along the paths towards the two Daibutsu that we are to soon witness.

The path that leads us to the tall standing Daibutsu is a beautiful stone-cobbled one under the cool shades of those huge trees with hanging roots and creepers that meander many meters long, seemingly girdling the whole mountain range in its warm cozy Page 23

JAPAN embrace. As you come out of that cool shade, there in all its entirety standing tall is the Hyakushaku-Kannon Buddha, carved into the rock, on the steep side of an almost vertical cliff with such finesse & delicatesse that you could almost feel the fabric of his chiseled robe.

As we walk up the trail, we come to what’s called Jigokunozoki (gazing in to hell), which is like a massive, sharp edged floating rock overlooking the bay, and the forests on either sides, so sharply straight & vertical that the name of peeping into hell is justly befitting.

Climbing our way down, we now walk towards the second Daibutsu. This one sitting on a lotus is referred to as the Nihonji Buddha or the Yakushiruriko Nyorai. This statue is a great open air stone statue, 31 meters tall/a staggering 110 feet and is actually an image of Ruriko Bhechadjaguru Tathagata, signifying that the whole universe is a "pure field confined in a lotus world"- a symbol of world peace and tranquility. The essence of this message can definitely be felt as you gaze at one of the most peaceful expressions of Buddha, a radiant face, eyes shut in deep meditation, an intransient smile that is etched on to this rock.

As you stand there admiring this sculpted radiance, you cannot help but wish for a truer manifestation of peace, in its essential essence worldwide.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Hi from the multi-cultural city of Kuala Lumpur.

I’m Patricia Ysaccis, Kuala Lumpur Chapter Coordinator for 2015. My heritage is half Brazilian and half Venezuelan. My family and I have been in Malaysia for more than 7 years, this is our second assignment here. We consider Malaysia our second home, since this is the country of our longest stay since leaving Venezuela. We have also resided in Villahermosa (MÊxico), Bogotå (Colombia) and Houston (USA) before.

My parents, being multi-national, enabled me to understand the difficulties, mixed feelings and advantages that come along each time your family has to move to a new country. Issues of languages, culture, food, climate and others can be challenging, especially if they are different from your own. Many times mixed feelings are present: excitement of experiencing a new country and city; worries for not knowing how it will be and if the family will adapt quickly; sadness of leaving friends and family behind; appreciation for the new opportunity. All this turmoil of feelings and emotions bring your family into a rollercoaster ride. The good news is that if you are positive, there are many advantages each time you are relocated: being able to experience a new culture first-hand, learning a new language, making new friends, etc.

We are also lucky to have a supporting group composed of people that are going through the same experience than us and local people sharing their experiences of surviving. This is SSA, a supportive group in which every member volunteers to help, welcome and support other members (SSA Major Goals from SSA Chapter Guidelines & Mission Statement). In short, I always tell our members that SSA is our family away from home, with many friends ready to assist and hold your hand along the way.

Expats and locals play a key role in SSA as they complement each other in knowledge and understanding, making our association the best reflection of the perfect family.

Patricia Ysaccis Page 26

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Meet the wonderful SSA Kuala Lumpur 2015 and 2016 Boards

The 2016 SSA KL Board Members—Congratulations!

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Selamat Pagi from SSA Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!!!

SSA KL Chapter has over 370 members from 57 different countries creating a multilingual community. English, Bahasa Malay, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese are some of the languages commonly heard in our meetings. The SSA KL is a great place to meet people and get advice on everything from spices to cultural performances and, of course, all the opportunities that a city like Kuala Lumpur offers.

Our Chapter consists of three main pillars:  Hospitality is our first contact with the new members. This team is responsible to welcome and assist settling newcomers and to organize monthly coffee mornings to help them to make friends in an informal and safe environment. Their main goal is to give a hand to these families and make them feel Malaysia as their home.  Activity is a way to build up our friendship, creating opportunities to know each other by bringing our members together in monthly events. The Activities Team organizes a variety of events covering cooking class, local crafts, cultural tours, International Festival and sports. At the end, their goal is to create unique memories from our temporary home Malaysia.  Charity helps our members connect with less fortunate people in this country. The Charity Team gets its funds from our members’ volunteer donations.

Additionally our Chapter structure has teams related to:  HSE (Health, Safety and the Environment) which are a single contact between our local chapter and HSE Schlumberger. This team is responsible to coordinate together with the company trainings on HSE topics and forward any warning of risks that could be present in our community.  Playgroup team is in charge of our little ones by creating fun and imaginative activities for the kids that are not going to school yet.  Website Coordinator is responsible to update our chapter information in the ssafara.net platform. This is a very important task as this data can be accessed worldwide and be a reference for newcomers.  Communication Coordinator and Secretary sends out our bi-monthly newsletter and other communication primary by email. This is the person who keeps all members informed about all events and news of our Chapter. We use mail and our SSA KL Facebook page.  Treasurer is the person in charge of controlling our expenses and handling all reimbursements. She makes sure we keep our costs within our annual budget.

In total we are a team of 14 volunteer members from 10 nationalities and we are hoping to bring our different cultures, skills and experiences to enhance the roles of SSA. Page 28

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Malaysian Cooking Class at Lazat in KL After a wonderful summer break, SSA KL Activity Team was back with a “bang” and some “pot and pans” with an Authentic Malaysian Cooking Class for the spouses.

Located at a serene and scenic hill top with birds chirping and hens cock-a-doodling.

Lazat Cooking School and SSA Activities hosted a class for 35 enthusiastic ladies. We prepared some delicious Malaysian specials like curry laksa, crispy fritters/tempura and everyone’s favorite sweet treat: Onde Onde.

The helpful staff at Lazat guided our happy and eager-tolearn spouses around making it so much “fun in the kitchen”!! There was laughter, selfies, giggles, smiles and, of course, lots of yummy food to enjoy with wonderful friends. Thank you for your fabulous response and for making another SSA Activity a HIT!!

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Onde onde (Palm sugar in glutinous ball) Recipe Ingredients: 

100 g glutinous flour

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100 ml pandan juice

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60 g palm sugar, chopped into small pieces

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60 g grated coconut—mix well with a pinch of salt

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700 ml water to boil

Ingredients for pandan juice: 

100 large pandan leaves (screwpine)

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100 ml water

Method to prepare pandan juice: Rinse pandan leaves and cut it into 2 cm pieces. Blend the leaves with water, strain and reserve.

Instructions: Place glutinous flour in a mixing bowl.

Slowly add pandan juice and mix until it is a soft dough. Make small balls with the dough, and place a piece of palm sugar in the center. Drop balls into boiling water and cook until they float up. Drain well. Roll onde onde balls at once in the grated coconut.

Let balls to cool and serve.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Curry Laksa Recipe Ingredients for Laksa Sauce:  4 Tbsp. oil 

1/2 cup laksa spice paste

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1 tsp curry powder 2 sprigs laksa leaves, thinly sliced 1 wild gingerbud, thinly sliced 300 ml chicken stock

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150 ml coconut milk  1/2 tsp sugar and 3/4 tsp salt Laksa Spice paste (this makes one cup):  6 shallots or 40 g onion  2 garlic cloves  

5 g galangal 2 lemongrass stalks 1 piece candlenut

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10 g turmeric

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8 medium size red chilies  1 tsp dried shrimp (soften in water)  1 tsp roasted shrimp paste * Chop above ingredients before grinding Other main ingredients:  100 g yellow noodle, blanched Garnishing:  4 medium sized poached and peeled prawns  1 hard boiled egg, cut into two  2 Tbsp. cucumber, 1 Tbsp. laksa leaves, 1 Tbsp. gingerbud leaves, thinly sliced and 1 calamansi (optional)

Method:  Grind all spice paste’s ingredients, add oil if needed.  Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and gently sauté laksa paste and curry powder for 10 minutes, or until oil seeps out. Add laksa leaves, ginger buds and chicken stock. Mix well and cook until reaching soft boiling point (cover with a lid) - takes about 10 minutes.  Then add coconut milk and season with sugar and salt. Lower heat and cook for 5 more minutes.  

Meanwhile, blanch noodles and prawns in boiling water for a few seconds to heat through.

Place the noodles into a bowl, pour in the sauce and top the bowl with the garnishing.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia SSA Playgroup The SSA Playgroup caters to children aged 0 to 4 years. A large percentage of our children were born in Malaysia. The Playgroup is very important because it enriches the little ones and helps them develop their motor skills.

It is always difficult when new mothers are far from family, especially those who are first time mommies or have friends who do not have children. With our Playgroup we are encouraged to give advice as well as share information with each other. This develops strong and lasting friendships. It also gives the mothers time to chat with each other and compare notes, as well as enables the little ones to interact together.

This is always a very relaxing gathering and one which is enjoyed by the mothers as well as the toddlers. Our time to come together is a special one, and is keenly looked forward to.

By Raquel Izquierdo de Bencomo

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia SSA Hospitality Being part of the Hospitality Team of SSA KL Chapter means you are the first face of SSA that any Schlumberger Spouse will see when they are relocated to Kuala Lumpur. 

Our goal is to make them feel comfortable from the very start and address any upfront questions they might have about diverse topics like schools, doctors, places to live, groceries, pets, cultural clubs and settling down in general.



We also organize monthly Coffee Mornings to help newcomer families to make friends, to connect with other members, to bond with other members.

Hospitality work is a total team effort!! Zydra and I are helping each other a lot with Coffee Mornings and welcoming. A great job, Zydra!

Thanks, Renu Rajain Hospitality Coordinator SSA

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia SSA Charity Hello from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!!! We are a team of three spouses who are motivated and dedicated to helping those in need. As Schlumberger Spouses we can be good ambassadors to the less fortunate in our local community by sharing the prosperity we enjoy.

We do not receive a budget, but rely on the SSA KL member donations to help us continue our devotion. We also sell second hand books at the various coffee mornings to raise funds. The success of our fundraisers are vital as these are the only source of funds for donating directly to the charities.

In the past year we have been able to help the following establishments with their various needs: MANNA HOUSE LEARNING CENTRE: With the help and donations of the various other teams and members, we contributed 50 shoe boxes with stationary supplies inside. This was desperately needed. A printer was also donated.

PKYMS ORPHANAGE: The remaining stationary shoe boxes where donated to this school/ orphanage. We were very pleased to also help them with 16 chairs and desks and a ceiling fan for the boys’ dormitory. For the elderly we collected toiletries and gave them to the gentlemen and ladies residing there as well. A trip was planned to take 25 of the children to the Petrosians Discovery Centre, as well as a light lunch.

BABY BENJAMIN: RM1000 was donated to baby Benjamin, an 11 month old refugee boy who was born with a large hole in his heart and required life saving heart surgery to live. The parents were unable to afford the costs.

TASPUTRA HOME: Tasputra home for disabled children in Ampang was donated a blender and mixer. This was very welcome. This is a home Daycare for handicapped children.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ROHINGA REFUGEES: A donation of clothing, shoes and bags.

ACR SCHOOL: A total of 18 scientific calculators were donated to the Chin refugee school.

The gratitude of the students is expressed in some of the letters they wrote to us!! Now we call our company “Slumber-joy”.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia HSE SSA Kuala Lumpur, we care!!

These are some notes of our trainings to keep our members safe and healthy. Thanks to HR, HSE and IT Schlumberger departments at Kuala Lumpur for giving us the support to get our mission done.

DriveSMARRT Course for Spouses We successfully completed DriveSMARRT training courses in 2015, directed by Mr. Alan Who from SLB.  

  

S M A RR T

Search the horizon Maintain space and visibility Always move your eyes Recognize and Response Take control—be seen

Driving is a routine activity for some of us nowadays, but it can put our families into harm when we are not doing it properly. The DriveSMARRT course provided us with knowledge and tips to bring our awareness towards the things that could keep us safe while we’re driving.

The participants found that the course was very useful. It was an interactive course where all materials were connected to the real driving situation. Now they can drive with more confidence, knowing that they can keep their families safe while driving by doing the SMARRT system. Crash-Free driving is definitely the goal we all want to achieve anywhere we are driving.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia HR Open Door for SSA KL April 21st 2015—SLB ASA HQ HR Team working together with SSA KL HSE Team to have an Open Door Talk open to all SSA KL members. Malaysia HR has taken the initiative to introduce and refresh few benefits that can be beneficial to Schlumberger affiliated spouses. We would like to provide ad-hoc information on topics such as: 

International Healthcare



Relocation

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Dependent Visa; Dos and Don’ts

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Outplacement Support

First Aid Survival and Tropical Disease Training May 27th 2015—SSA KL HSE together with SLB HSE department held the first aid survival and tropical disease training. In this session we learned some information about Dengue Fever, and we also got basic knowledge on first aid survival. The course also covered the treatment for infants and toddlers.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia HSE for Youth Workshop The program targeted children aged 6 to 12. Children at this age are very active, thus we share with them how to stay safe especially when they are on the road. It was a fun and attractive event.

Children met new friends, shared experiences and enjoyed a presentation about what to do and not do while they are on the road.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia HSE Self-Defense Training September 15th, 2015. Our selfdefense course was done with Mr. Francis Albert as trainer. This event provided spouses with safety knowledge on how to be aware and how to protect ourselves if danger comes, especially outside in a public area, parking garage, etc. The training took two effective hours to cover some simulations of basic self -defense techniques to be used only if facing danger. The course provided us some safety skills like how to get free from people trying to rob us, how to survive a knife attack, how to survive a kidnapping, etc.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Boleh!!!!

KL, the multicultural city: this city is an ethnic mix of Malays, Indians and Chinese. Within a short walk you can witness an extraordinary blend of cultures, languages and religions.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, the city of contrast: past and future blend in many corners

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Chengdu, China NEW SSA CHENGDU CHAPTER On October 21st 2015, the SSA Chengdu Chapter in China was set up. After having worked along with Fay Hennings, the SSA ASA Coordinator, and SLB HR department, an introductory meeting to expound SSA to the interested spouses was held at SLB base in Chengdu. There were ten attendees in total (nine spouses and Chin Na Lee from SLB) and Fay Hennings was present by means of a conference call. The meeting was held both in Chinese and English, as some of them could not speak English. Half of the spouses have never heard about this association before so after a presentation about the SSA, people who have been active members in other locations could share their own experience with them. The SSA Chengdu Chapter was finally set up and the board members were elected as follows: Coordinator: Ana Camani Treasurer: Zhao Xiao Feng Welcome Coordinator: Summer Moh Thank you, Fay, for your effort and continuous support. SSA members at Global and Geomarket level, as well as the SSA Beijing Chapter Coordinator, Lucille Moffat, have really worked together as a team to achieve this new Chapter.

Ana Camani SSA Chengdu Chapter Coordinator CHINA

http://cometochengdu.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Chengdu

Jinli Street in Chengdu, China, which is near Wuhou Temple.

Taken on May 29th, 2005 by ŠBenBen Page 46

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Chengdu, China Giant Panda at Chengdu, China ©Nitin Ticku, May 2012

Congratulations to the new SSA Chengdu Chapter Coordinator, Ana Camani, and thank you to SLB HR China!

locations sharing their experiences… everyone, SLB HR and spouses, expressed pleasure that they would have a SSA Chapter in Chengdu. Ana hosted and asked me to give the history of the SSA, after which she explained the The initial start up meeting for a SSA functions of the SSA and asked for Chapter in Chengdu was a great success. volunteer spouses to form a committee.

The initative was led by SLB HR Chin Ana and I stressed that the SSA was for Na Lee, who coordinated with SLB the spouses/partners of ALL spouse Ana Camani. Ana has been an Schlumberger employees, both local and active SSA member in other Chapters international, and that our mission first before moving to Chengdu. I “telephone and foremost is to WELCOME, assist skyped” and sat in on the event and support fellow SSA members. Great introducing myself, welcoming and job, Ana, and thank you once again. thanking everyone and assisting to clarify certain points. I was met with the Regards, sounds of laughter, Chinese/English Fay Hennings translations, questions, and spouses who SSA ASA Coordinator had been SSA members in other

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PERTH

he SSA Perth Chapter is a vibrant, multi-cultural group who are happy to extend a warm Perth Welcome to new arrivals. SSA Perth members enjoy WELCOME events where we celebrate the national festivals of our members (Chinese New Year, Eid, Diwali, and Thanksgiving, to name a few), cruises on the Swan River, tennis, surfing lessons, and cooking demonstrations by SSA members.

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SSA Perth Chapter

Our families have enjoyed Mum & little ones play dates, family picnics, whale watching tours, outings to the movies, Scitech, the Zoo and Indoor Playgrounds. Health and safety are priority for SLB Perth and the SSA, and SSA members have attended IT / Social Media Awareness sessions, Drive Smart classes, First Aid certification courses and SLB has hosted HSE for Youth workshops.

The SSA Perth Chapter committee endeavors to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable experience and these events provide us with the opportunity to socialise and share experiences as we look forward to meeting new arrivals and spending time with friends.

Over the years, a few of the many volunteers who have contributed to the success and growth of the SSA Perth Chapter are the following committee members: Kathy Vigor, Angela Gibb, Bodil Balteskard, Kim Sancar, Jessie Johnston, Julie Gray, Gilda Saddad, Jessie Low, Bavani Rengasamy, Sanya Shireen, Agnes Aruna, Jennifer Elliot, Magali Larive, Sheila Jaya Poomy, Mayra Brooks, Tanja Kettle, Sharon Khan, Rhona Raw, Cheryl Renninck, Caroline Bertolino, Irene Whelan, Marcia Hoelting Kern, Jessica D’Souza, Claire Elliott, Rana Auda, Yi Ping Low, Jennifer Cao, Shina Chakraverty, Tazeen Shehryar, Lyaisan Akhmadeeva, Madeeha Saif, Daria Viandante, Carolina Arevalo, Fay Hennings, Jing Chen, Junia Fernando, Lasha Esquivel, Emilia Mandrini, Lucy Rowdon, Carol Dias, Ayudia Siregar, MeyMey Jansen, Jackeline Aguillon, Cathy Goodwin, Tisa Pierre, Nada Sharbaji, Farveh Farivah, Sonia Bumrah, Mitra Gholami, and Adriana Paredes. The SSA Perth Chapter would like to thank each of them for assisting and supporting their fellow members.

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If Perth, West Australia, on the banks of the Swan River is your next transfer, pack quickly, come ‘Down Under’ and experience one of the ‘world’s most livable cities’. Perth, home of the Noongar Aboriginal people, has grown from the 1829 colony on the Swan River banks into a multi-ethnic city with a modern day economy and skyline. This capital city of Western Australia, described from space as the City of Lights, shone brightly for astronaut John Glenn as he orbited the earth in 1962 and again in 1998. Unlike John Glenn, with your feet solidly on the ground you can visit heritage sites, see migrating whales, explore the beaches, vineyards and national parks - take your feet off the ground and you can surf and swim in the Indian Ocean, and yes, “we can put a shrimp on the barbie (BBQ grill) for you”.

PERTH

SSA Perth would not be a successful Chapter without the ongoing support provided by the past and present SLB Perth management teams - A big SSA thank you to Pia Francinni, Nicola Hamilton, Gavin Rennick, Fernando Burbano, Tony Tomba, Gerry O'Dwyer, Laurent Butre, Aparna Raman, Sarah Pearce, Armity Saljooghi, Bronwyn Sawyer, Simon Wait, Val Rebello, Musa Gani and Nizar Al-Shawwa.

Fay Hennings

Sarah Hennings made this rig for her father out of old business cards

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2014 Australia Day fireworks

PERTH

THE PRASETYA FAMILY SHARE THEIR LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHS

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y name is Wira Nastiti Nasroel and I am married to M. Giry Prasetya (D&M SLB Perth). We have 3 boys (12 year old Ray seen in the photo “Jump”, and Radzka & Razzan, 7 year old twins). Giry and I met in the SLB office in Duri, Riau (Indonesia) where we worked in the same office. We moved to Balikpapan, Indonesia, and then to Western Australia where we have lived for Cottesloe Beach, West Australia almost 10 years, first in the town of Karratha and presently in Perth. So far I’ve met good friends in SSA. I joined SSA Karratha previously, they were very helpful when we first arrived. In SSA Perth I found very nice friends as well.

Giry and I love taking photos, my hubby takes the photos and I am the editor. Hopefully, the photos we share are useful to others in positive ways.

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Ray was 10 years old when we took this photo

Fremantle (Freo) Markets at night

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PERTH

Swan Bell Tower, Perth

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Springtime is a happy time, West Australia

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A joint effort by Schlumberger Perth and SSA Perth Chapter Every year, SSA Perth Coordinator Cathy Goodwin has raised funds for the fight against breast cancer. This year Cathy is a Nana for the first time :) and she and Tony are busy with Lucas, their new grandson. Fay Hennings (ASA Coordinator) and Armity Saljooghi (HR manager) took up Cathy's baton and organised a joint SLB & SSA Cancer Awareness Campaign to raise funds for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and for Breast Care Cancer WA.

PERTH

2015 CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AND FUNDRAISER

Two of our brave SSA members are the poster ‘faces’ of our fundraiser campaign: courageous Katy who has battled this disease and Shina who has shown her support in the gifting of her hair for wigs.

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Thank you to Katy, Shina and the SSA members who baked and served the morning tea. Thank you also to the SLB employees who participated, purchased tea plates and pink and purple T-shirts, to the employees who made donations without purchases and to the APG Geomarket for a generous donation. Representatives from both Breast Screen WA and the Australian Cancer Research Foundation gave several presentations throughout the morning of the fundraiser.

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A PINK MORNING TEA was held at SLB Perth office on 30 October 2015, and funds were raised from the sales of: the morning tea which was baked and supplied by SSA members; the pink and purple T-shirts purchased and worn by SLB employees and SSA members; and donations from SLB employees who shaved their heads/colored hair pink in a show of support for their family and colleagues who are battling cancer.

By Fay Hennings

Breast Screen WA Representative and HR Armity Saljooghi

Ali is having his hair “pinked�

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Cake for Cancer Awareness Fundraiser

by Nicholette Rebello

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2015 CANCER AWARENESS CAM

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MPAIGN AND FUNDRAISER

https://acrf.com.au/ “The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is a cancer charity foundation, dedicated to finding the cures for cancer by funding world-class cancer research in Australia". http://www.breastcancer.org.au/ “Breast Cancer Care WA is a WA charity that provides personalised emotional, practical and financial support and care to people affected by breast cancer”.

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By Dil (India) Hello my name is Dil (Dilpreet Grewal) and I make handcrafted Cartonnage Boxes. Cartonnage is the art of making boxes that originated in France in the late 18th Century. The technique involves crafting a box from cardboard and adorning it with special paper or cloth and accessories. These decorative boxes may be used for display and storing everyday items such as jewellery, cuff links, remote controls, eye wear, money, photos, business cards, stationery, tea bags, cutlery, etc. Your imagination is the limit to which you can put these boxes to use. These boxes are unique and exclusive as gift items and can be customized to your taste and requirements.

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PERTH

THE ART OF CARTONNAGE

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CARTONNAGE BY DIL

https://dilsboxes.shutterfly.com/

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Every year on the first Tuesday in November the ladies dress in their finery, hats and fascinators for the Melbourne Cup lunch and ‘the horse race that stops a nation.’ Prizes are won for the best hat and lucky picks naming the winning horse.

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PERTH

MELBOURNE CUP

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MELBOURNE CUP

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Milena Gould is one of the well-known faces of SLB Perth. Milena runs reception and is the first person you meet when you are buzzed into the head office on St Georges Terrace, Perth WA. Through the years she has been a staunch supporter of SSA Perth Chapter and we can call her at any time for information and assistance.

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PERTH

FACES OF SCHLUMBERGER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD.

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In 2010 SLB employee Anton Kroger organised the ‘Big Blue’ SLB sport/social club and from that year to present date, SLB employees and their families have participated in triathlons, Fun Runs and various marathons, with a family favourite being the ‘City to Surf’ Charity Marathon, where a brave few run the 24K, others run or walk the 12K and 4K joined by families pushing little ones in prams for this worthwhile cause.

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CITY TO SURF

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BY LYAYSAN AKHMADEEVA (Russia)

PERTH

“OCEAN”

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yaysan and her family moved to Perth, West Australia in 2012 from Astrakhan, Russia. Lyaysan has been an active committee member from the moment she joined the SSA Perth Chapter, welcoming new members and assisting with information for new Russian members. Whenever Lyaysan meets a SLB employee, she extols the virtues of the SSA and encourages them to have their spouse contact the SSA. Lyaysan and Vadim's son, Amir, is in high school, and before she went to full time day school, their daughter Safira joined us at SSA events. Lyaysan shares her art, 'Ocean' and this comment: “This year I've been lucky to find art classes. This hobby is the best way to find peace and joy in our busy and fast passing days. This is my second art work and I hope you like it!"

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PERTH ZOO HOLIDAY ACTIVITY

A fun filled day!

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Luc Durant poses with the offshore platform built by his son Arthur. When Arthur was in Year 3, he was asked to make a sculpture using recycled materials as part of his unit of inquiry on Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. He told his father that he wanted to build an offshore rig for his project, so Luc gave him some pictures and Arthur started collecting material. His teacher really liked the association with the ‘oil and gas’ industry in this recycling project. Once the project was completed Arthur offered the rig to his father for his office.

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PERTH

ARTHUR’S REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE PROJECT (France)

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BY EMILIA MANDRINI (Argentina) Last Thursday 9th of October some of the SSA members, including myself, had the chance to attend to a First Aid Course that will enable us to provide First Aid. This course was given by the trainer Ian McKie. I really enjoyed this course, many questions came up that made it even more interesting and worthwhile. It made me realise the importance of attending as many courses as I can in order to be as confident as possible in case it is necessary to assist someone. Last Sunday I went with my husband and son for a ride in Midland, West Australia and on our way we crossed someone that had an accident. This person was with someone else and we asked them if they needed help. Fortunately the ambulance was on the way and the person there already knew CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) - in case the injured faded and stopped breathing. Anyway, it made me feel so good to feel confident enough to offer my help - I have always thought I would be too intimidated to offer. My point is that we may never know how we are going to proceed in emergencies, but it is great to be prepared: you can save a life! Please try to attend to these courses, Perth SLB provides this and our Co-coordinator Fay organises the course and lunch for us - THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!! Also a great thanks to our SSA member Lucy, who organised the venue, even though she was not able to attend.

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FIRST AID TRAINING

Regards, Emilia

BY AMANDA LETIZIA (UK) Thank you so much for arranging this course - I feel as though my family and I really benefitted. The following is a summary of the course‌ I was asked to host the First Aid course for the northern suburbs which was very convenient as it saved me having to drive through rush hour to the city venue. Prior to the one day First Aid course we had to complete an online pre-assessment. This was challenging but provided a good start point. Our First Aid trainer Ian, a former paramedic, initially explained the legal responsibilities and the 'Good Samaritan' rule here in Australia. Medical conditions such as anaphylaxis, asthma and seizures were explained. We also practised CPR for adults, a child and infant (classified as 0 -12 months). As we were such a small group Ian was able to not only cover all the main areas of First Aid but individualise the course and focus on subjects that concerned the group. In particular I appreciated the topic venomous bites and how to immobilise the limb. By taking us step by step, incident by incident and ensuring the information was relevant to the group I feel myself and family grow in confidence to handle a variety of emergencies.

Thank you and regards, Amanda ASA Edition

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Strolling Tours takes us through the inner Perth city suburb of Northbridge, walking through the cultural quarter which houses the Gallery of Western Australia, the National Library, the Blue Room Theatre and the Museum of Western Australia, into William Street, onto James Street, the Northbridge Piazza and Brisbane Street, carrying us around the amazing variety of multi-cultural stores offering a diverse range of produce and goods.

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IN AND ABOUT PERTH

After strolling through the streets for over three hours, sampling a number of tasty treats including sesame squares, bubble tea and Chinese coconut buns, intrepid adventurers are ready for lunch in the food quarter known as “Old Shanghai”. This is a great way to introduce you to Northbridge and all that it has to offer.

Other strolling tours the SSA members have undertaken include Kings Park in spring time during the Kings Park Festival - the largest wildflower show in Australia in one of the world’s largest inner city parks, strolls through the port city of Fremantle where the Swan River flows into the Indian Ocean and where many European immigrants first set foot on Australian soil, and tours of the Historic Town of Guildford, once an inland port and where heritage trails run through the streets. Come ‘walkabout’ with SSA Perth.

By Cathy Goodwin and Fay Hennings

Native bird, by Emilia Mandrini Spring time purple blossoms of the jacaranda tree, by Fay Hennings Page 70

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The Banks of the Swan River, by Emilia Mandrini

MacInnis in Perth

Perth City and boats on the Swan River, by Emilia Mandrini

Susie and Koala friend

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Vineyard in the Swan Valley, by Fay Hennings

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By Carol Dias (India) As we all know settling in a new country can be very stressful. Families face the challenge to cope with their basic daily activities and as immigrants, we leave our friends and families behind. The anxiety is caused more often due to various factors such as language barriers and cultural differences, accompanied by issues involving housing, finance, safety, health care, employment, education and shopping.

The SSA welcomes spouses amicably and educates them on these issues, thus creating an awareness of how they could survive in what seems like a different world. By doing so the SSA helps conquer all odds, bringing out the best potential in each of us and enhancing skills and talents sometimes absolutely unknown to the individual themselves. The SSA is a unique organisation that reaches out to spouses before moving into the country, giving them a feeling of security so one does not feel alienated.

I was introduced to the SSA by a welcome email that I received from Fay & Cathy when I was back home in India. I was just one of those anxious immigrants who grabbed the opportunity of getting all my queries heard and answered.

Questions regarding relocation such as housing, employment options, medical

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assistance, safety, driving licence, transport, convenient shopping stores were all addressed satisfactorily. They would send me emails and links to the different issues that I was facing, not only did I get first-hand knowledge and support but also an insight into Australian values and culture.

PERTH

MY MOVE TO AUSTRALIA AND THE SSA PERTH WELCOME

I moved to Australia on the 29th May 2014 all excited and anxious about what this beautiful country had to offer. My first Evite invitation was a welcome dinner on the 5th June. As I was new to the location Cathy volunteered to take me to a lovely dinner where I met wonderful spouses from all over the world. It was an overwhelming experience of how different cultures blend so well. It was my first experience of Thai Cuisine too, absolutely palatable I must say. The spouses dined giggling over little conversations while exchanging numbers enthusiastically. Yes I did make a few friends and I called Fay the next morning and thanked her for this wonderful rendezvous!

It was only my second week in Australia and when I thought all was going well, my hubby and I were involved in a terrible car accident. Well life gives you a second chance sometimes, we were blessed and we survived it without a

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scratch. However the trauma was not easy to deal with, we needed to combat the fear especially since my hubby was planning to buy a vehicle and drive to work. On the 19th June the SSA conducted a Commuter Driving Course. Road Safety videos were shown and real life situations were discussed. It enlightened us on the road safety processes and updated us with procedures identifying and managing risks associated. The Course also educated me on one of Australia’s crucial legal obligations ‘Duty of Care’. We need to take care of our own safety as well as the safety of others.

While the driving course addressed my issues on safety and emergency contacts, I still had a lot on my mind. How would I help myself in case of such an emergency?

It is human tendency to think that nothing could go wrong with us, we always see things happening around us and my experience proves that yes we are wrong.

arrest, shock, bleeding wounds, etc. and how we could use First Aid in case of these emergencies. A list of emergency contact numbers were provided and we also received a basic First Aid course Certificate.

PERTH

MY MOVE TO AUSTRALIA AND THE SSA PERTH WELCOME—By Carol Dias (India) Continued

Friends, the SSA has truly supported me all through and is continuing to do so. It is what has inspired me in writing this article today, one of my hidden skills I have never acknowledged. take this opportunity to thank the SSA and all its active members for being there for me and supporting my family. Let me remind you though that it is a choice you make on your own. Every moment of your life you will have someone reaching out to you. Do you want to be reached out to though? Think about it. In our fast paced lives let us try to laugh, learn and love a little more. So the next time you get a Welcome invite or a chance to be a part of the SSA activities please do not hesitate to say ‘yes’ if possible. I am surely going to be actively involved.

On the 26th & 27 June the SSA conducted a two day Red Cross First Aid Certification Course which educated us on various Friends, hope I see you all too tomorrow emergency situations and services for the Welcome event. Cheers!!! keeping in mind the ‘Duty of Care’ for First Aid too. The aim of this training was to preserve life, to protect and prevent worsening of the injured person through various First Aid procedures, relieving pain and promoting recovery. All the spouses were provided with a very handy First Aid Book and basic First aid equipment. We also did role play activities in groups with scenarios involving accidents, burns, bites & stings, Cardiac

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PERTH

WELCOME EVENTS

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PERTH

WELCOME EVENTS

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By MeyMey Jansen (Australia) Perth, West Australia is my family’s hometown, our two children have grown up here. We love Perth, with the natural beauty, the blue sky and the lovely beaches. In the mornings I love to go walking through the suburbs with my friends.

Who wouldn't want to go out if the exquisite Swan River view was just minutes away from your front door? If it's my lucky day, sometimes I spot some pelicans, or once in a while a few dolphins swimming close to shore. Once a week I have coffee with different groups of mums, people who make my life more colourful, you can get some great Italian coffee in a lovely, cute cafe. Over the last 2 years, the selection of Perth coffee hotspots have broadened, although they still can't beat Melbourne. Sport has always been a big part of the children’s lives and our Saturdays were always spent on the hockey field or netball field with us parents cheering our hearts out. Jasmine our oldest daughter has moved to Melbourne to pursue her dream to study at the University of Melbourne. She is currently boarding at college and enjoying the vibrant culture that she is surrounded by. Our youngest, Jazzlyn is still with us and keeps me busy all the time, she is a gymnast and is constantly flipping around. Kamal my husband, is busy with work.

In his spare time he enjoys playing table tennis in the afternoon with his SLB friends to kill the stress. Btw I need to add that the coffee machine in the SLB cafe is really great, once in a while when Jazzlyn was small she loved having hot chocolate at the office with her dad as her treat. The monthly SSA Perth Welcome event is a great time for the spouses to gather and share information with one another, to enjoy lovely chats and delicious coffee.

Once in a while we have SSA dinners, outing trips, etc., a great time to connect with the Schlumberger community. There are never enough stories about Perth and the SSA here, I could probably write a book about it. I hope you enjoy my pictures, I love taking them and the SSA members are always reminding me to email and share the pictures.

PERTH

THE JANSEN FAMILY

MeyMey Jansen Page 76

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A note from Emilia Mandrini (Argentina) SSA Perth Chapter Communications Coordinator, who recently transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma and right into a Board position

“A

fter almost three years of living in Perth, it came the moment when my family and I had to move from this lovely city and we are starting our lives again somewhere else. I wanted to write these words because I feel the urge of saying goodbye to SSA Perth Chapter and give thanks, with all my heart, to some special members that made my stay in Perth a pleasant one. As I have told once, when we came to live in Australia (in January 2011), we were first in Roma, Queensland and I was quite by myself. My son Bruno was a one year old boy at that time. The first time I travelled with my husband was in April and it was to Brisbane. There we were warmly welcomed by our SSA member Junia Fernando (at that time she was living in that city). Junia and her family were so kind and friendly to us!! It was after that when I became aware of how important is feeling welcomed when you are in a new place. The following year, we moved to Perth. I was first contacted by our Co-coordinator Fay Hennings by email – it feels SOOOO good to know that from the very first moment you can count on someone!! When we arrived to

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PERTH

FAREWELL SSA PERTH CHAPTER

Perth I was contacted by SSA members Cathy Goodwin, Mayra Brooks and Olga López and they did all what they could to assist me and answer some of my questions. These friendliness and helpfulness was the final push to realize how fine is having help and also helping others - life might become special if you try to behave with others the same way you would like them to be with you…

Later that year I could meet Fay, who had been out of Perth for personal reasons, and since then, I can say she was my guardian angel in Perth (always willing to help with the issues I went through and never expecting anything in return). I really feel so fortunate to have met these ladies because they were great support and I left Perth with new and good friends whom I will take in my heart wherever I go. I also want to thank all ‘SSAians’ for their friendliness: it was a pleasure meeting you in SSA coffee mornings and events!!! Goodbye SSA Perth Chapter: it was a pleasure being an active member and I really hope that life crosses me again with such wonderful persons.”

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PERTH

EDIBLE ART BY JUNIA FERNANDO

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PERTH

EDIBLE ART BY JUNIA FERNANDO

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Coconut Dhal Ingredients: Red lentils 250 g

PERTH

RECIPES FROM SONIA’S COOKING CLASS

Coconut milk 400 ml tin Onions 2, finely chopped, 1 sliced Tomatoes 2 medium, sliced Green chilies 2–3 slices Turmeric 1 Tsp Oil 4 tbsp.

Fresh curry leaves, a handful Black mustard seeds, 2 tsp

Method:

Put the lentils, coconut milk, 400 ml water, chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies and turmeric in a pan with salt to taste and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Fry the onion in the oil until crisp, add the curry leaves (or coriander) and mustard seeds and sizzle together. Pour the lentils. Serve with flatbread.

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Tandoori Chicken Ingredients: 1 chicken, about 1 kg, skin removed Marinade #1:  Salt 1 tsp  Ginger-garlic 1 tsp Paste:  Red chili powder 1 tsp  Lemon juice 1 tsp Marinade #2:  Greek yogurt 250 g  Garam masala 1 tsp  Cinnamon 1/2 tsp  Red chili powder 1/2 tsp  Salt to taste  Red food color as needed

PERTH

RECIPES FROM SONIA’S COOKING CLASS

Method: Scour the chicken pieces and pat them dry. In a clean big bowl add all the ingredients of the first marinade, mix well and marinade the chicken in it for 30-40 minutes. Then drain the chicken for 10 minutes. In the same bowl add the second marinade ingredients and then add the chicken. You can keep this chicken in the marinade for four days and in the freezer for 2 months. You need to marinade the chicken for at least 4-5 hours. When it is time to cook, heat the oven to maximum temperature, lay the chicken pieces flan on an oven tray (if you are using low fat yogurt add 100ml of oil so that it doesn’t stick to the tray) and place the tray in the middle shelf of your oven and cook the chicken until it’s done. You can serve it with flat bread, Raita, sliced onions and mint chutney.

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Naan Bread Ingredients:

Plain flour 1 kg

PERTH

RECIPES FROM SONIA’S COOKING CLASS

Salt 1 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Yeast 1 tsp Yogurt 250 ml

Method: Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl or in food processor and blend well. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Kneed it until it’s soft and cover with cling wrap. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. Now heat the grill of your oven to maximum and place your rack to the top shelf. Roll the dough as needed on flat surface with the help of more dry plain flour thin enough and place on the baking tray. If you have spray oil, spray some on the tray or just oil the top of the bread an grill it for 1—1 1/2 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on the bread. When it’s done, wrap it in foil to keep warm and enjoy with daal and chicken.

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PERTH

COOKING WITH SONIA

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Kangaroo meat is used by some of the world’s best restaurants because of its high quality and unique flavour, also because it's very low in fat and therefore very good for you. Kangaroo has a rich appealing flavour that combines well with many other foods. Kangaroo meat is very low in fat, usually less than 2%. This is lower than most other red meats. This makes Kangaroo very healthy but also means it must be cooked carefully. Kangaroo is also very high in protein and iron. Fat contains a lot of moisture, hence meats like beef which is very high in fat can be cooked to very well done.

However because kangaroo has virtually no fat it can easily dry out during cooking. Because of this it's important to follow a few simple steps to retain the moisture in the meat.”

PERTH

COOKING KANGAROO

Outback Kangaroo Method: Brown in a flat pan 250g piece of Kangaroo Fillet for every person. Place pan in a hot oven and roast until medium-rare. Remove fillets and keep warm.

Make a sauce from red wine and demi-glaze in the pan. Add sliced spring onions and freshly ground black pepper. Slice Kangaroo Fillet, place on a plate, top with sauce.

Garnish with green peppercorn damper (traditional Australian soda bread, recipe below).

Damper recipe Ingredients: 2 cups S.R Flour ½ tsp salt 3 tsp Green Peppercorns 1 cup milk, approx.

Method: Mix all ingredients together, roll out on to a floured board to form a circle. Slice top part way through. Bake in a hot oven approximately 15 minutes.

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Ingredients: 

150g Roo fillet



50g mushrooms



20g spring onions



½ tsp garlic (crushed)



20ml brandy



fresh chilli to own taste



50g onion



20ml oil



salt, pepper



½ cup stock



1 tsp corn flour

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Chilli Kangaroo

2 tsp cold water Method: Slice all ingredients. Brown kangaroo fillets in hot frying pan with oil – leave fillets rare inside. Flame with brandy. Put kangaroo aside and add garlic and chilli to pan.

Cook for one minute and add rest of ingredients except flour, water and stock.

Reheat mixture for one minute and add stock and sliced kangaroo. Mix corn flour and water well. Quickly bring meat mixture back to boil and add corn flour to whole mixture. Serve with rice.

Kangaroos are not farmed in Australia, all kangaroo meat is harvested from wild animals and is based on a quota system regulated by the government.

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Amir & Safira

PERTH

SSA FAMILIES AND KIDS OUTINGS

Samar and baby Zein

Carolina and Luna

Swan Cruise 2014

Master Owais SSA Mum and Kids

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Ayesha

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Lucy and Susie

PERTH

SSA FAMILIES AND KIDS OUTINGS

Mother’s Day arrival, Leonie

Movie time!

Susie and Wes

Pottery ASA Edition

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Singapore Welcome to Singapore!

In 2015 our Little Red Dot (Singapore’s sweet nickname!) celebrated its 50th birthday as an independent nation.

Singaporeans have much to be proud of. Singapore has come a long way to become one of the most important financial and transportation hubs in the world. A clean, safe and multi-cultural city-state!

Singaporeans, expatriates and visitors alike celebrated this birthday, or SG50, with lots of fireworks, aerial parades, music and joy.

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Singapore Before moving in, most of us thought that Singapore was all about skyscrapers, shopping malls, financial districts and the legendary rules for almost everything. Well, this is all true, but Singapore is much more than that. There is a charming nostalgic side, with shop houses well kept in hidden streets, amazing places of worship for all major religions, real gems to be found when we wander around the island! This is a place where yesterdays’ traditions, today’s fast-paced life and tomorrow’s hopes walk hand-in-hand – maybe this is the best kept secret of Singapore!

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Singapore There is a reason why this city-state is called the Garden City: so many parks and nature reserves, featuring extremely rich native flora and fauna. A wonderful way to unwind from the stress of a big city life!

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Singapore

If you are moving to Singapore, please let SSA Singapore know. We are looking forward to meeting and welcoming you!

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Songkhla, Thailand Swasdee Ka/Hi A warm welcome to the SSA family!!!

My name is Preeti C. Kaler. I am from India and a SAHM (stay at home mum). I have two children named Neil Kaler (6 years old boy) and Reet Kaler (3 years old daughter). Let me take the opportunity to acquaint you all with our amazing SSA Chapter.

Introduction Songkhla is both one of Thailand’s most important port cities and a coastal province known for its ethnic diversity, unique traditions, dialect and folk entertainment. The city was named “Sing Lha” after the 2 lion-shape islands at the mouth of the city's lake. An undeniably historic town endowed with ancient ruins and places of cultural importance. Hat Yai, a district of Songkhla is perhaps better known than the provincial capital itself. Hat Yai serves as the southern hub of communication, trading and transportation, as well as a gateway to Malaysia and Singapore. Over the last few decades Songkhla has rapidly developed and is currently a unique attraction worth visiting. Blessed with natural resources such as fine beaches, enchanting waterfalls and a tranquil lake, the province has an abundance of tourist attractions and an amazing number of seaside resorts.

A spectacular View of the city (Clicked by Sunil Kaler) Page 92

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Songkhla, Thailand A relaxed day in one of the many resorts.

The SSA Family The Songkhla SSA family consists of a small group of highly motivated and active members. The Chapter was restarted recently, in April 2015, after a gap of two years and we love it. Thanks to the efforts put in by all the members. Till date it has been a smooth ride and we have been able to organise activities that interest all the members. We love exploring the city, its beautiful beach and all the amazing things that the city has to offer.

After the first coffee morning together with the Chapter board positions, the Chapter is fully functional. We have regular activities and circulate a quarterly newsletter.

A stroll through the pictures highlighting the activities conducted so far follows.

* Water color painting class @ Mixed Media Art * “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso And we did it J. Yes, the first activity was a watercolor painting class. All the members were thrilled and super excited to explore the inner child once again.

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Songkhla, Thailand * Baby shower Celebration * The chapter is happy to announce the birth of Josephine to parents Wiwin and Daniel Gemmel. The decoration and celebration was done in their own house so that it stayed in the house and they could enjoy it a little longer.

* Flower basket making class * The loy Krathong flower basket making class was conducted to take a step forward to have a closer look of the culture of this beautiful country.

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Songkhla, Thailand * Batik classes * And art speaks for itself. The batik classes are in full swing. We were asked to be creative and creativity is just connecting things. The first picture is the attempt by all the members on the fabric and no wonder we all got connected, the result is an amazing pattern followed by my turn trying to learn the skills and painted a beautiful butterfly. Thanks to our Thai teacher.

This is our learning place and you can see me in action :)

Last but not the least a note of thanks is extended on behalf of the chapter to all the SSA Global Board members for the great amount of efforts put in the association and all the SSA members around the world to stay connected. Be safe. Be healthy.

Happy reading!!!!

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Preeti Kaler

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Songkhla, Thailand Papaya Salad / Som Tam The quickest and easiest vegetarian recipe Ingredients 1 small green firm and unripe papaya 1 cup diced tomatoes 3 chopped green beans 2 chopped spring onions 1 clove garlic 1/2 roasted peanuts/ cashews 1/2 medium size carrot grated 1-2 red chilies 3 tbsp. lime juice 1 tbsp. tamarind juice 2 tbsp. palm sugar/ brown sugar Salt to taste

First peel the green papaya and scoop out the inner skin along with the seeds and grate using your food processor. Place all the vegetables in a large mortar and pound them with a pestle. Now add sugar, salt, lime juice, tamarind juice and salt. Pour the mixture into a salad bowl, add the nuts and toss again.

Taste-tweak the salad to your taste.

In Thailand, the salad is ordered as per the number of chilies (like one chili or two chilies). I always prefer to order one and half.

Believe me 2 chili Som Tam is really spicy ;) Enjoy the Som Tam as the green papaya is really good for the liver.

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Songkhla, Thailand List of Indian Spices and benefits 1. Carom seeds/Ajwain- Indigestion and asthma.

2. Black pepper- Food flavouring and preservation, heart diseases, insomnia, joint pains, liver problems, sneezing.

3. Bay leaf- Gastric ulcers, migraine.

4. Cardamom- Stimulant for indigestion and flatulence, flavouring drinks.

5. Cinnamon- Cosmetics, food processing, anti-septic, anti-viral, blood purifier.

6. Cloves- Hernia, Ringworm, fungal infection, relieves toothaches.

7. Coriander- Relieves anxiety, insomnia, anti-bacterial, a good source of dietary fibre, magnesium and iron.

8. Cumin seeds- Rich in iron thus good for anaemic, a natural stimulant, carminative, antibacterial.

9. Fennel seeds/Saunf- Relieves chills and stomachs, mouth freshener.

10. Fenugreek seeds- A natural source of iron, silicon, sodium, and thiamine. Treats sinus and lung congestion, allergies, bronchitis, milk producing agent for nursing mother.

11. Garlic- Fights common cold, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

12. Ginger- Reduces arthritis, rheumatism, muscle spasms, nausea, removes toxins; cleanses bowels and kidneys; helps in stomach cramping; circulates blood; improves immunity.

13. Garam Masala- A typical Indian version of garam masala contains black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon or cassia bark nutmeg and mace black and green cardamom pods, bay leaf and cumin.

14. Mustard- Treats scorpion stings and snake bites, useful for epilepsy, toothache, bruises, rheumatism and respiratory problems.

15. Paprika- One of the best sources of vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin B1 and B2, used in food processing industry as an emulsifier.

16. Saffron- Anti-carcinogenic cancer suppressing, anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic mutation preventing, immune modulating, a colouring agent in food and beverages.

17. Turmeric- Anti tumoral effects, skin inflammations, sunscreen, sexually transmitted diseases.

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Songkhla, Thailand DIY Letters from Yarn You can decorate the door of your kid’s room by the letters in their names. The craft is really easy and in fact the teenagers can do it by themselves. My 3 year-old daughter and 6 year-old son helped me while colouring the letters.

I found something similar on Pinterest but couldn’t find the wool at the first place. I was very desperate to do it as I had promised the kids to do the decoration. So without waiting any longer we tried it with simple white yarn and voila the result is amazing.

The supplies needed are: 1.

A cardboard sheet 2.

A glue gun 3.

The yarn 4.

Water/Fabric colours of your choice 5.

Paint brushes and a mixing palette 6.

A pair of scissors.

The white yarn

Method

Draw the letters of size required and then cut them with the help of the scissors. Now apply glue on half of the letter, starting from one end and keep wrapping the yarn all around it. And colour them later. Please let them dry for some time to get a nice finish. We were in a hurry to finish, or rather I didn’t want the kids excitement to die, so we started colouring them even before they were dry.

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The letters before and after the colour

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Songkhla, Thailand After being satisfied with the plan, we thought of taking a step further and tried different shades.

The result is a nice decoration on the door and happy kids.

PS: A must DIY project to do with the kids.

Their exhilaration is undoubtedly beyond words to express.

Thanks Neil and Reet Kaler (Happy Kids) Preeti C. Kaler (Supervising mother) SSA Songkhla, Thailand ASA Edition

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Songkhla, Thailand

Enjoy the artwork of artist Neil Kaler (6 years old), son of Mr. Sunil Kaler and Mrs. Preeti Chowdhary Kaler from the SSA Songkhla Chapter.

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Songkhla, Thailand BAKING …..YES, IT IS MY CUP OF TEA

By Asma Fiyaz, SSA Songkhla

I

don’t even remember that time when I didn’t know anything about cooking and baking… I always used to see my younger sister baking cakes, breads, desserts, brownies, etc., and I never even bothered about taking a peak into the kitchen while she used to bake. My parents, especially my father, used to scold me every weekend (and by every I mean every) that I was very lazy and I had zero interest in cooking … Could I at least help my mother with cooking on my day off from work? But no way, I used to enjoooy my day off and used to sleep a lot.

I always thought cooking, especially baking, was just not my cup of tea… But, just like any other Pakistani girl, I had to learn how to cook after getting married. Plus, my husband is a real foodie J, so I was left with no choice. But baking… I was never very much interested in it. Since the last two years I have started enjoying it more than anything, and now, yes… baking is definitely my cup of tea. Now I bake cakes, muffins, cupcakes, breads, pizzas, cookies… just anything, whenever I find an interesting recipe. More than baking a cake, I love decorating them. So I am sharing some clicks of my baking and decorating skills. Hope you guys like them.

My first time baked perfect chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

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Songkhla, Thailand BAKING …..YES, IT IS MY CUP OF TEA—continued

Cupcakes I baked for my niece’s birthday … she just loved them!

Rainbow cupcakes on my daughter’s request

Ironman’s face cake for my son’s birthday

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Songkhla, Thailand BAKING …..YES, IT IS MY CUP OF TEA—continued

Elmo cake for my youngest son’s first birthday

Little Mermaid cake for my daughter’s birthday party at school

Elsa cake for my daughter’s birthday party

Coffee cake with salted caramel frosting ASA Edition

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Songkhla, Thailand BAKING …..YES, IT IS MY CUP OF TEA—continued

Baby shower cake for a dear friend

Macaroons with cream cheese filling

Macaroons with salted caramel and chocolate ganache filling

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Songkhla, Thailand My Trip to Sydney

By Alizeh Fiyaz (7 years old) Daughter of Asma Fiyaz

I

love to travel to new places.

When I travel to a new place, the thing that excites me the most is to learn about the animals found there. This year during my summer vacations I went to Sydney, Australia with my family.

We went to Sydney Wildlife Zoo. Me and my brother touched the kangaroos. We saw butterflies so big that they looked like birds. We also saw koala bears. It’s amazing that they can sleep up to 20 hours.

They also had a huge crocodile named Rex.

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Songkhla, Thailand We also went on a whale watching trip We sat in a boat and went to the sea. We saw a big whale jumping and splashing just in front of our boat. I loved it!

One day we went for BBQ to Royal National Park Sydney. We saw lots of free birds. It was so funny; a kookaburra came and flew away with a BBQ chop we just prepared. After that we had to protect our food.

We also visited an aquarium. We saw lots of colorful fishes and sea animals. It was scary to see the white shark with big sharp teeth.

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Songkhla, Thailand I really enjoy learning about dinosaurs, so my parents took me to a museum. They had very nice collection of animal skeletons and lots of birds. They had dinosaur skeletons of different species. It was a very interesting museum with lots of information.

Last day we went to the Palm Beach. We saw two dolphins playing on the shore. I have seen and touched dolphins once in Bangkok, but watching them swimming in the sea was really nice.

We went to a lot of places but I enjoyed the most at the aquarium and at the whale watching trip. I would love to go back to these places.

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What’s new in HSE? Our amazing SSA Program Manager, Muriel Barnier, has shared with us some of the latest initiatives by HSE. Blood for sake of life Article by Salah Elwafi, QHSE Manager Tajoura Base In many countries, the HSE teams organize Blood Donation Campaigns to give the opportunity to employees to donate their blood and save lives.

Central Blood Center Specialists and supported by the base LPT. A small token of appreciation was presented to all donors.

Blood Donor’s Day in Moscow

Blood donations are essential for the treatment of severe This was held in the Moscow office on October 30, 2014. All injuries, burns, surgical Blood Donation Campaign blood transfusions were sent to cases, and certain held in Libya the Centre of Pediatric complications linked to child Hematology, Oncology and birth as well as victims of Immunology named after natural catastrophes and Dmitry Rogachev. This medical terrorism. Blood transfusions center provides treatments to are also required for the over 500 children suffering from serious blood disorders. treatment of certain cancers, On March 23, 2015, 15 31 Schlumberger employees such as leukemia in children Schlumberger employees and participated in this campaign, following chemotherapy contractors participated in the many more than expected. treatment. Over 70% of Blood Donation Campaign held at LIG OFS Tajoura base. children with leukemia are It was a big success! The able to resume their normal Campaign was supervised by life due to donated blood.

Two recent examples of these campaigns:

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What’s new in HSE? MLC Abu Dhabi donating one ton of clothing Article by Juan E. Revelo, MLC HSE Manager The Middle East and Asia Learning Center (MLC) is the biggest Schlumberger multisegment training center and is located in the United Arab Emirates. It is visited by around 10,000 trainees each year coming from all around the world. The facilities include a hotel where 480 trainees can be accommodated. Some of them stay for as long as 3+ months in entry-level courses.

Making MLC home for the time of attending a course and after having this unique and enriching experience, many trainees leave behind some of their belongings. The MLC Lost and Found Procedure

dictates to notify them on the finding and keep all these items for a period of time.

Whatever is not reclaimed is disposed according to some categories established.

400 kg of clothing 485 kg of linens

120 kg of shoes

At the same time, MLC has a spirit of solidarity, social responsibility with the communities that surround it and cares for the environment (recycling), so donating to Red Crescent UAE is a regular practice it has been doing for years. Nevertheless the last donation done in February broke records in terms of quantities; more than 1 ton was given:

The Red Crescent branch in UAE provides humanitarian assistance to vulnerable and needy communities not only in UAE but also to the neighbor countries from the Middle East region. Recycling instead of throwing away these articles by donating to the Red Crescent is another little opportunity to change the world for the good.

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What’s new in HSE? CPR and First Aid Awareness Program, Road Safety and Tropical Diseases talk to SSA Kuala Lumpur, BMP Article by Doris Newton, HSE Specialist A total of 24 participants from SSA Kuala Lumpur attended the CPR and First Aid Awareness Program, Road Safety and Tropical Diseases talk.

CPR and First Aid Awareness Program was conducted by St.

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John Ambulance—Mr. Maniam, Mr. Dharma and Miss Grace.

Oommen, who talked about Dengue Fever.

This event was supported by In conjunction with the third Maen Razouqi, Geomarket UN Global Road Safety Week Manager BMP and Shihan 2015, the Road Safety talk was Mohamad, HSE Manager conducted by Doris Newton.

BMP. The Tropical Disease talk was conducted by Dr. Samuel

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What’s new in HSE? Med-Track on your Smart Phone Excerpt of an article by Dr. Alex Barbey, International Health Coordinator

Schlumberger and International SOS have partnered to create a user friendly mobile application for Smart Phones (Android and Apple) that allowed all Med-Track members to Access their key medical information when on the move, even in remote locations.

The free App eMed-Track will help in improving Med-Track compliance while keeping private medical data readily available and updated.

All encrypted data, once downloaded from the online Web application, is available 24/7, in both online and offline modes.

Among other things, the App will send you notifications regarding required actions of your health program, as well as provide you with your blood group; your final fitness status; vaccination status; overall health status; standard health indicators (like BMI, cholesterol, glycemia, etc.); and your personal health indicators (like red blood cell count, HDL cholesterol, etc.).

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What’s new in HSE? Driving—A dangerous Activity we do every day

turn onto Silver Sky, and that there was also southbound traffic on the other side of Queenston.

Article by Julie Huff, NAO LWD Seismic Domain Champion Safety training helps minimize crash impact for Mom and young daughter On the afternoon of July 7th, 2005, my five year old daughter Sarah and I were driving home from the store in my 2006 Dodge Ram Truck. We had gone to Target on a quick errand to pick up a card for a baby gift, permanent markers to mark her stuff for summer camp, and kitty littler. It was broad daylight, clear, my mind was singing along to a country music song in the back seat, and we were less than two miles from the house.

time someone was knocking on the window of the truck. It turned out to be the driver of the car that had been making the right hand turn; he and his wife had seen the whole thing. I put the truck in park, and turned off the key to the ignition. As I tried to get out of the truck, I had to force my left side door open, the fender had pushed up against it.

As I began to pass de car turning right, suddenly there was a purple streak moving from my right to the left.

I wish I could say there was a detailed thought involved, but the truth was, there wasn’t. To the extent I had time to think anything, the thought process was something like, “CAR, car, GRASS!” I hit the brakes hard and swerved for the grass median in the middle of the road.

As it worked out, the driver of the other vehicle didn’t have a driver’s license or insurance. The driver and his three passengers all walked away from the crash, along with my We were headed northbound on daughter and me, but both vehicles Queenston Boulevard, which is a four The purple streak turned out to be a were a total loss. The other driver was lane divided road in Houston, Texas. 2007 Scion tC. Because I swerved, the cited for not having a license or impact was between the front right It was about 6:45 PM, and the surge insurance, and for failure to yield the side of my truck, and the front left of commuters had already mostly right of way, as the couple who had fender and wheel well of the car. cleared out, so traffic was relatively witnessed the crash saw him run the There was the initial crash. Then a moderate. My left hand turn to go stop sign. home was about a half mile ahead, so bump were my truck went up over the In the immediate aftermath of the as I approached the intersection with curb onto the median. Then a second accident, I considered how things Silver Sky Lane, I was traveling in the crash as the Scion failed to clear the could have been worse. I am grateful left lane. The intersection was typical curb, swung around and impacted the for the Schlumberger Light Vehicle right side of my truck a second time. of the Houston suburbs, I was Drivers’ Training I had in Kellyville, traveling on a larger road with a 40 All of this happened in what seemed OK in 2006. I believe that training mph speed limit that ran in between like less than a second. I heard my kid gave me the tools I needed to make neighborhoods. Silver Sky was a say “OW!” from the back seat. And the best choice how to react to secondary road feeding from the then, “That man broke our truck!”. minimize the severity of the crash. subdivision, and was controlled with Braking hard reduced speed to lower I turned to look at her and ask her if a stop sign. I noticed there was she was OK. She said yes. About that the force of the crash, swerving for another car slowing to make a right Page 112

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What’s new in HSE? the median allowed for a glancing blow, rather than a T-bone full force impact to the other vehicle. (As a side note, my child later asked me why I had honked the horn for so long. The witnesses made mention of this too.

While I have no memory of this, the bruise on the heel of my left hand does seem to suggest I did try to warn the other driver as well.

Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.

Years of working within a fixed and mature safety culture supported my thinking in making good choices with regard to safety in this instance.

I had the right of way. I was driving safely and aware of my surroundings.

I was doing the speed limit. I was wearing my seat belt. I wasn’t using a mobile device of any type. My child was restrained in an approved car seat.

the other car making the right turn, or was possibly trying to beat me through the intersection, rather than waiting for traffic to clear to turn safely.

Later that night my daughter was talking to my husband about the accident, and told him in a serious tone of voice that “Mommy should have driven home a different way.”

My husband’s comment was, “30 seconds earlier, or 10 seconds later.”

And both of them are right, in either of those cases, the accident wouldn’t have happened.

But other things came to my mind about the crash:    

Was the trip necessary Intersections Blind spots Visibility even on a clear day

Even though the accident was not my fault, I will be dealing with the consequences for a while. We will I am also grateful that my child was have to replace my truck. We had to still restrained in a full size child replace Sarah’s car seat. We have to booster seat including the five point deal with swapping around rental harness. Texas law states: All children A couple of days after the accident, I cars, and we will probably also have younger than 8 years old, unless taller went back to take another look at the higher insurance premiums. We will than 4’’9”, are required to be in the intersection from the other driver’s be fine, and I am very grateful for appropriate child safety seat system point of view, to try to figure out what that. But the whole incident still whenever they ride in a passenger had happened. Once there, I realized reminds me how incredibly vehicle. The safety seat system MUST that as the witness said, he had dangerous driving is. An activity we be installed according to the probably never seen my truck around do every day. manufacturer’s instructions.

All of these factors helped mitigate the damage done, but even still, the accident happened. I couldn’t prevent a bad driver that made a horrible choice from crashing into my truck.

This is a minimum requirement, the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) goes on to say: Any child who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for his convertible car seat should use a Forward-facing Car ASA Edition

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What’s new in HSE? Schlumberger Global Road Safety Campaign Article by Muriel Barnier, Program Manager, SSA & HSE

Throughout the months of May and June sessions were organized for employees and their families. The sessions included material specifically developed for children by the HSE for Youth program.

Driving is still our most dangerous US-based employees engaged in Global Road Safety activity. Schlumberger’s first ever Global sessions Road Safety Campaign used an innovative approach to help improve driving safety, in and out of the Special material was developed for employees and their workplace. spouses to fit this purpose specifically, using the HSE for Throughout the years, Schlumberger has put significant efforts into reducing automotive accidents that could result in a fatality, injury and/or property loss. As a result, we have seen tremendous improvement in our driving safety performance. By the end of 2014, our work -related automotive accident rate has decreased 14-fold In Indonesia employees look on as the Convincer shows the importance of using seatbelts since 2000. However, despite a good structure of controlling the driving risks at work, driving continues to be the activity that poses the highest risk for injury that employees are not necessarily applying our work-related driving principles outside the workplace, nor are they sharing these with their families.

Youth learner-centered approach. The material was not designed to teach any new driving principles, but rather to encourage attendees to take a moment to think about what we have learned through the Schlumberger driving programs in/or outside of the company, and to think about the kind of driver we are and the potential consequences that an accident can have on our life and family.

The sessions were very interactive with a series of activities to stir up discussions and reflection.

In the first activity, employees rated SSA members from Cameroon work on activities for themselves and their the Global Road Safety session colleagues as drivers.

It was interesting to see a clear trend. On the one hand, employees felt that they were outstanding drivers, that they were driving the same way at work and on their time To help engrain our off, and that they were sharing the Schlumberger driving driving safety principles with their family. On the other hand, when principles in our asked to rate their colleagues based on the same employees’ culture, parameters, employees rated their colleagues much more Schlumberger has launched an awareness poorly. campaign in Participants were then split into small groups to identify conjunction with the Employees in Pakistan engaged in the Global Road their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the key Safety activities United Nations Road Schlumberger driving principles. Often, wearing the Safety initiative; the theme for this year is “children and seatbelt was identified as being a rooted and adhered to road safety”. principle. Weak points often included fatigue Page 114

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What’s new in HSE? management, vehicle inspection and using the mobile phone while driving.

A focus was then made on distracted driving as well as on children and road safety, encouraging employees and spouses to be the kind of driver they would want the children in their family to be.

To date, more than 300 Global Road Safety sessions have been conducted, reaching employees, spouses and children in all Schlumberger Areas. Sessions will continue to be held in various locations throughout the year, continuing to emphasize the importance of adhering to the Schlumberger driving principles in and out of the workplace.

The Global Road Safety sessions included material specifically developed for children by the HSE for Youth program. Sessions were held globally, including locations such as Saudi Arabia (top left), the United States (top right), the Congo (bottom left), and Kazakhstan (bottom right)

“Schlumberger is recognized as being a leader in driving safety,” says Richard Brown, Vice President of HSE. “But more and more we realize that developing an HSE culture will require us to look beyond the workplace. The innovative approach of running concurrent safety campaigns reaching out to employees, spouses and children at the same time was proven to be successful with the Malaria and Ebola campaigns we ran last year. Now, we are sharing our driving safety principles directly with our families in a similar manner.”

“The feedback we received was extremely positive,” added Brown. “Many employees and spouses in all parts of the world asked if they could share the material with their friends and family. Although the campaign is over, many locations have decided to continue to run sessions.”

ASA Edition

Our 10 Key Driving Principles 1.

Make sure you have eight hours of quality rest in the last 24 hours.

2.

Inspect your vehicle before taking a trip.

3.

Make sure you are licensed and trained to operate the vehicle.

4.

Make sure you are fit and substance-free before you get behind the wheel.

5.

Always wear a seat belt and ensure that all vehicle occupants do the same.

6.

Stop for 15 minutes for every two hours you drive.

7.

Do not use your mobile phone while driving.

8.

Adjust your speed for the road conditions.

9.

Maintain a safe space and following distance.

10.

Stay in control and be prepared for any emergency situation.

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We hear you!

SSA Survey Results

A

s part of our efforts to understand the needs of our Chapters around the world, SLB helps us put together a Survey that is answered by Local Coordinators. The most recent one took place in May 2015, and we’d like to present you some of the highlights of the results:

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71 out of 94 Chapters responded the Survey, representing 4,799 members.

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The general perception is that the level of support to the SSA by SLB is good. The majority of SSA Coordinators know who their HR and HSE contacts are, although most of them only met once or twice in 2014.

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Most Chapters find out about newcomers through other SSA members, and we have to thank everyone for keeping your Local Boards informed. Only 35 out of the 71 respondents mentioned that HR informs them of new arrivals. This is clearly an area of opportunity and we will try to improve this in the near future.

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Based on your responses we think we need to increase awareness of SSA among SLB employees, who we are, what we do. And also encourage more members to volunteer and be part of their SSA Board.

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Your Coordinators also explained how the Budget is spent: mostly for Welcome/Social activities, which include Welcome Coffees, Sports Activities, HSE Trainings and Charity events. Most of these activities are aimed at SSA members, but sometimes include children and spouses too.

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You told us that you’d like the marketing material to be more accessible, and we are also going to be working on handover procedures, to make it easier for new SSA Boards to start their term and not loose the Chapter’s history.

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We have noticed that SSA Boards like to know what other boards are doing to get fresh ideas and perspectives. We will encourage Boards to share and communicate more in the coming months.

If you’d like to read the full report, you can look it up on www.ssafara.net, it is in the Documents folder, or you can ask your Local Coordinator to send you a copy. We always welcome your feedback and like to hear from you how to improve the way the SSA works, so please do not hesitate in sending us any comments or questions. We hear you!

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On our next edition we will get to know more about our AFRICAN Chapters.

Get ready, it will be a fun trip!

Happy Holidays to all!

ASA Edition

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