Friday, October 2, 2009

Thanks God for showing me the light..

I'm so thankful to Allah. Sign is every where. I just need to understand them and make my 1st step and keep on walking step by step. Every time I fell, I gathered back my strength to stand up and walk ahead one more step and continue on.

On one cozy afternoon after lunch, when I was at my hometown chatting with my father at our backyard.. suddenly he told me that his friend in my village had planted red chilly trees in polybags and he wanted to show me quite sometime ago but I was rarely home.

So that afternoon we went to visit his friend house to look at the plants. Oh my God!!! I just can't believe what I saw. I've never seen chilly plant grow so well in polybags with other media instead of soil. The red and green chillies rumble out between the leaves. According to him, he got to know this new method through MARDI. So, he just tried out the experiment at his own backyard. He had total of 800 chilly plants and had great income just from selling the chillies that he grown on his own. This is very interesting!!
Ideas about this new method of planting chillies keep coming into my head like a light bulb..This must be really the right sign!!

Start from that day, I traveled and learned the technique from Mardi, 'Jabatan Pertanian' and people who grow chilly and other plants using the same method. I've attended the workshops, course & forums related to vegetables growth, process after harvesting, Fertigation Techniques, Pest Control, visit farm and reading books related to agriculture.

After 3-6 months, I started to apply what I've learned about Fertigation. It's regarding how to sow the seed and take care of it until it grow. I did seeding in trays, when they grow - the plants were then transferred into polybags. Need to apply correct fertilizer, perform pest control and applied the required processes after harvesting.

This is totally a difference experience compared to when I was an engineer before. However, I've made full use of my experience as engineer to enhance and automate the processes in my own chilly farm. Yet - just be ready to face the challenges. You just need to do it and learn while experiencing and now I realized that those people who said that planting chilly is easy is a total bullshit!!! Let me tell u, people who just know the theory but never experience planting chillies will never be able to be a great consultants.

My advise.. for those people that give you advise but you don't know their background, you can just listen, but never!! never!! trust. Old folk said, you listen and analyze first. Just take the good things but never trust them. For the people you known well, yes! this is my advice you can ask them but think as many time to get the real picture. Bottom line - you still need to hands on and get your hands dirty in the learning process!! Else - you will never learn.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Searching the right path

Returning from Haj, I keep searching ways to earn money. I meet a few people who sell things by the roadside and talk to them. They're selling nasi lemak, fresh fruits, sell drinks and others. Suprisingly they do earn a lot too.


So, I enrolled myself into food business & cooking classes.
After getting the necessary knowledge, I tried first doing it at home - the nasi lemak, doughnuts and others I cook taste not bad at all.

But I need to get it sold..then only money will come.
But if I were to sell food or drinks by the road side or at night market, suddenly if my neighbours, former colleages, friends or relative saw me..what will they think of me?


Ooh no! I'm too shy... Ah!! this is not the kind of job I like to do ....I'm too shy.
Many negative thoughts keep coming to my mind. Oh no!!! Need to find other jobs...a lot of other thing i can still do. So I just keep my cooking cert nicely in my certification file and search for other job. None other than my wife knows that now I'm unemployed married man. I need to find a real good business first before telling the rest.

Pray to God, Show Me The Way..

I'm very thankful to 'Allah' the Almighty for choosing me to step foot in Masjidil Haram on the holy land of Makkah and Masjidil Nabawi in Madinah. The opportunity came when my parents in law was chosen to go for Haj and none either then me and my wife could able to accompany them in this challenging and adventurous journey.

I realized that this is my opportunity to fulfill the call from God to visit the Holy lands and perform Haj and Umra with my wife and her parents. Unfortunately, my father in law was diagnosed having severe illness and not fit to join us there due to his health condition. So, just the 3 of us had continued with the journey and we kept praying for his speedy recovery and hope our prayer will be accepted and all our wishes come true.

Pray in front of 'Kaabah' together with millions of Muslim brothers and sisters followed with 'Doa' for God to guide and show us the way for a life full of wisdom & 'barkah'. There are tears in my eyes and felt warm teardrops fallen to my cheek every time I stand in front of God. I've experienced a sense of peacefulness and calmness which I've never felt before.

I felt so timid and so blessed. We're God slave and always need help from God to guide us the way in this life and the day after. Either we're rich or poor, when performing the Haj all will be in a piece of white cloth during the prayer. That is the situation we can imagine ourselves in when God call us in our 2nd life after death in the day after.

Full fill the pray and Doa for 44 days while followed the Haj and umrah activities, and I can tell U there is never place in this world that you can feel very peaceful as there. Feel like to be there until the end of my life. So I suggest to all my Muslim brothers & sisters, keep praying & 'doa' so that you'll be there too.

Always asks for God to guide us and show us the right way by performing solat Istigharah and Hajat. Allah will show you the sign and you will just need to find it..

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Exploration - Way to be rich???

I started my journey readings self-motivation books and try to enrich my survivals skills by attending seminars and courses. I travel from places to places and start talking to +ve people to seek answers and understand.

My wife once said:
Find a business that can make you happy and set your goal. Just ensure the ROI is more than you can get from the company that will never be yours!!

Yes!! You got that right honey :)

" Why we are not rich? the answer is we did not help ourselves to be rich.
Everyday we work hard for other person to be rich" - Chef Li

* Chef Li - the writer of "Silence Millionaire"

Friday, September 25, 2009

The day has come..The adventure begins..

I've been down inside waiting for the day to come. Time fly and I don't feel like working ~ I don't care anymore. I don't know why, don't know why!! Everywhere I go, people keep asking me, when is my last day.

On 18 March 2007, I declared -Today is my "Last Day".

After 13 years, my mind and heart struggle finding a 'peace of mind', now the dream has come true. Signing the letter and returning the laptop and badge, it's the last procedure I'd to followed.

I just know the day has come, the real adventure of the real world has just begun. You never ever ever gonna see me here again and your never gonna see me doing anything but what I like and passionate about.

Outside world full of strangers, the unknown things for me to explore and know for survival. Deep inside my heart ~ "Sure!! I'll Survive"

' It's a hard decision I have to make '


Talk about "CHANGE" - is easy to said, but deep inside your heart, hard feeling engraved with pain and cold blood to leave the " Comfort Zone". Will i survive in the real world?? The clock start ticking..

Letter has been sent. Days running fast, waiting balance leave to closed. The last email configured, long listed name-list to say thanks and bid farewell to friends that crossed my path along the way before the property return to owner.

"DARE To CHANGE" - Chef Li

Thursday, September 24, 2009

When the wind of change blow..

On one hectic day back in 2007, I stop looking at my laptop and think..am i a successful engineer now? it's no longer like the old day where i can climb to the top of equipment and apply my magic touch and everything will be alright..i work happily..i still have time with family..

I just realized that i was boxed down with work work work..go back from office..my hp rang..escalation from work..go work again..weekend work..and work..never end..for a company that will never be mine.

I believe I've done more now after 13 years here..but seems like 24hr a day is just not enough, too many crazy work and arrogant voices cracking and screaming, political issue peeking around..i can't just find the 'umph' for the task I did any longer. Is this the kind of work life for me & my family??

No way - I'm not letting this kind of work controlling my life..my family..any longer
it's time for me to change!!

You cannot change the direction of the wind..but you can adjust your sail.