Project

We finally agree though risky to put our hard earned money into NSH Maju Enterprise (NSH is combination of the first letter of our names, Ng (age 52), Safiee(58) and Hasim(59)) and initiated our first 10 acres vegetable growing project at Titi Panjang Merbau Pulas.
The project looks viable on paper and money back guarantee after the third round of planting , provided that the vegetables produced are of good quality, high demand, and no glut of the products in the market. Price of sayur as usual not stable, fluctuating every now and then. When the vege price goes down the one who suffers most are the producers, as to middleman, they keep on smiling all the way to the bank.
For good crop growth, chicken dung is a must, blended into the soil a week or more before sowing the seeds. With high yielding quality seeds, adequate fertilisers, competent workers and a comprehensive infra such as drainage, overhead irrigation system, fences, farm roads, strong trellis (for climbing vegetables such as timun, kacang panjang) etc, the risk insha'allah can be very much reduced.
Manual workers are legal Bangladeshi, recruited and trained to become highly motivated workers, hardworking, punctual. With regard to punctuality, we are very concern and strict with them.We will deduct their income if they came late for work. They are also not allow to engage in too much talking while working as this can affect their work efficiency. We make sure that their wages are paid on exact date as promised. We realize that late payment even by one day can demotivate them.
Safiee with his 30 years experience in vegetable planting is the backbone of the project. He is very competent and knowledgeable in running a commercially large scale vegetable farm. He provides the overall expertise, planning and also supervising the 7 Bangladeshis recruited for the project.
Money for the project come from two Finance Ministers MrNg and me.
Work starts at 7 o'clock in the morning and finishes at 6 in the evening. 'Rondaan' in the project area is also being carried out during the night. Hard works are really needed to make it succeed.
Seven acres are now planted with bendi, kacang panjang, and timun and the remainder three acres will be planted with petola. Currently the project produces about 60-90 kg bendi and 200-300kg of timun and the generated income is still inadequate to pay wages for the 7 workers. We still have to go deep into our pocket to make the project running. Hopefully with good management practices, we will be able to reap some profit and generate enough income insha'allah on the third round of planting to cover the expenses incurred.



KATA RANG TUA:
KALAU TAKUT DILAMBUNG OMBAK JANGAN BERUMAH DITEPI PANTAI
START A PROJECT WITH WHAT YOU KNOW BEST.

Al-Hafiz

If I had begun the journey years, years, years ago, I might have arrived at my destination by now. But as people always says, it's better late than never, more importantly when seeking knowledge and improving your spiritual life. With patience, unwavering mental strength, perseverance, long healthy life, and adopting the right method any good muslim or muslimah is capable of achieving the desired destination, insya'Allah.
The first step of my long journey began when I enrolled as participant to a one day course on new effective method of hafazan Surah Al-Qur'an organized by Pusat Islam USM. The new 'kaedah' of hafazan called 'Kaedah Jibril' specifically created for the busy working muslims was presented by the creator of the 'kaedah' himself Ustaz Hj Mohd Asraf Ayob Al-Hafiz. Participants who diligently follow this 'kaedah' are guaranteed success as they will be able to by heart 10 popular surahs out of the 114 surahs in the Qur'an in less than seven months.
'Membaca dan menghafal surah-surah AlQu'ran adalah ibadah yang tinggi nilainya dan merupakan amal soleh yang sangat dituntut untuk dilaksanakan'
Allocate time for reading and understanding Al-Quran no matter how busy you are.
Begin the first stride, start the journey now.
Two well known official Imams at masjid Al-Khalid USM, Ustaz Zamrus and Ustaz Zaid son of Professor Zhari whom I know very well attained the title of Al-Hafiz at very young age. They began their journey early and they now have safely arrived at their destination. How nice to be able to stand before Allah and by heart recite beautifully any of 114 surahs in the Qur'an.
Kak Long, Bang Ngah, Bang Lang and Fuad, have you begun your journey yet?
The destination to your journey is AL-HAFIZ (AL-HAFIZAH).
INSYA'ALLAH.



TAHNIAH DAN KESYUKURAN PADA ALLAH ATAS KELAHIRAN CAHAYAMATA PERTAMA:
NORAZLIN DAN ZAIDI.
AZREE DAN SUHANA.

Cars

My first car purchased in 1980 using government loan was a brand new German technology Opel Kadett 1.2S, plate number KL 2083. Priced at 11000 ringgit on the road, this was the only car I could afford. Popular Japanese-made cars like Toyota Legenda, Mazda Capella, Mitsubishi Lancer, Mazda 323, Datsun 120Y etc, priced around 15000 to 20000 ringgit were a bit expensive for a newly appointed government officer like me.
Opel was a good car and very durable, and it served my family well for almost two decades before we decided to part with it and sold it to Kak Lang.
Another continental car we had at that time was an Italian-made car Fiat 131 Mirafiori. The car belong to Allahyarham Uda Kudus and it was very kind of him to place the car temporarily with us before flying off to Canada with his family. The car, famous in the early eighties was very comfortable to drive especially for long distance travel and I like it very much for its soft, smooth and spongy seats and road stability.
My experience with a Japanese-made car was in 1991 when I bought a secondhand Nissan Sunny for 17000 ringgit and after using it for seven years traded it in for 14000 ringgit in exchange for the new Proton Wira which Fadhli is using it now.
This Proton Wira bought in 1997 is a good car.
'Bang Ngah, if you want your car to look smart, cuci selalu, kalau bolih polish, lagi cantik'
I had just retired from my government service when Fuad (baru first year at that time at Uitm) insisted me day and night to buy him a car. He adamantly refused to use the campus bus giving me all sort of excuses. I tried hard to remain tough but finally had to admit defeat to this lawyer to be. I bought him a Kancil hoping that he would be happy with it. I was utterly wrong.
'Kancil is too small for me la ayah and it gives me lots of problems. I want bigger car'
He sold the kancil and bought a Gen 2.
Right now Syima is using her mother's first car Proton Saga bought in 1991 (Are you satisfied with the car or are you thinking-thinking of buying a new car?) My wife presently drives a Toyoto Altis and left her second car Proton Waja to me. Fikri, nice, cool, undemanding guy of the family, is the only one who has'nt got a car yet.
'Fikri, if you want I can give you your mother's Proton Waja. I'll wait for my Sijil Simpanan Premium to strike, god willing I might be driving a Merce or BMW, who knows!
OR if not, will one of you buy me one?'


SELAMAT MENDUDUKI PEPERIKSAAN TO FADHLI, FIKRI, FUAD DAN KEPADA SYIMA, SAYANG DAN YANG TERSAYANG SELAMAT MENJALANKAN TUGAS. MOGA ALLAH MEMBERKATI SEMUA TUGAS YG KITA LAKSANAKAN.

Rain

It was indeed a moment of jubilation the day the rain began to fall at the end of last february. Two months of hot and dry weather and not a single drop of rain inevitably scorched the grasses, turning them brown, making them scarce and unpalatable for the skinny cattles to graze.
The 200-odd limau madu trees which were planted three and a half years ago on a 2.5 acres piece of land at Tengkorak Batu Bukit Selambau, naturally produced smaller leaves and furled their leaves upward during the dry spell in their bid to conserve water and reduced transpiration.
But for the 20 durian trees planted 15 years ago in that same piece of land, the flower initiation was in fact began during the dry period and alhamdulillah almost all the branches in all the trees are abundantly covered with flowers. It is very interesting to note how the kampung folks rightly describe the development of the durian flower based on the size of the flower buds. The flower buds at their first stage are called 'Jari cicak', they are then called 'mata ketam' as they grow slightly bigger, and finally 'terung belanda', the size just before the buds bloom into flower. Surprisingly drought seems to have little effect on the 40-odd longan trees there. They keep on producing shoots even during the dry period.
Showered by rain, the land is beaming with life again. The scorched grasses turn flush green much to the delight of the four cattles which we rear for the sole purpose of biologically controlling the grasses. The durian flower buds burst and bloom into beautiful yellowish-white blossoms. The canopy of the limau trees are of light green, dense with thousands of magnificient tiny white flowers. What a sight to behold!
Inshaallah the durians, longan, rambutan and limau will be ready for harvesting in September or October. The children are always reluctant to follow me to the orchard when asked to simply because of the mosquito bites and many other reasons only known to them.
Dah besa jadi orang pekan, besa senang, ajak masuk semak sikit dah tak mau.
I know Fuad (pity him) hate durians because of their pungent aroma. Fikri, when he wants to see somebody, refrains himself from eating them (You can always use colgate total or other oral wash to clear off the durian smell from your breath) . My wife, Syima, Fadhli, Sayang, pantang tengok durians, they obsessively love them. Ulaq sawa lalu pun depa dah tak nampak.
Hopefully this time around all of them are willing to go to the orchard, braving out the mosquitoes, picking and tasting the fruits where they are grown.
See you all in six months time, in the orchard!

doctor

I visited the doctor for the second time at Sungai Dua government clinic a week ago bringing along the results of my blood test and my final BP reading which I collected from one of the nurses of the same clinic. On my first visit I complained to the doctor of slight numbness on my left arm beginning from the elbow down to the fingertips. Although the numbness had since disappeared but the phenomena worried me and this was what brought me to get to see the doctor.
I think most men shun the doctor because they don't like to be told they are suffering from some kinds of ailments or diseases. What I dread most is to have to swallow in two to three kinds of medicine on a regular basis.
My BP readings as told by the doctor was okay. The first reading taken three weeks before the appointment was 140/90 which was high, but it dropped to 130/80 on the fifth reading taken just minutes before seeing the doctor. Unfortunately my blood sugar and cholesterol levels were high so much so that doc suggested I be put under medication to lower my cholesterol as well as a diabetic patient. How come I am a diabetic, all this while I make sure only a small amount of sugar is added into my drinks or sometimes no sugar is added at all. I'm quite doubtful, and I think I need a second opinion on this important matter. I told the doctor not to put me under medication yet and asked for her advice on reducing blood sugar level the natural ways. Yes, I need to do regular exercise and consume foods or drinks containing less sugar and eat more fruits or veges. I will again do the check-up in three months time.
I go to Bukit Jambul every alternate day now, spending about 40 minutes scaling the lower slope up and then down. Bukit Jambul has its highest peak but it's too high for me, my knees are not that strong anymore to climb it to the top.
I don't know yet whether doing this can help reduce the sugar level or not but for sure it makes me feel really fresh, healthy and fit after the climbing. 40 minutes is more than enough to make my body completely drenched with sweat. The feeling is really wonderful. Alhamdulillah.

Mishap

It costs me 240 ringgit today to repair the damage on my Waja. The damage is small but the cost to repair, cement and repaint it is quite heavy on the pocket especially for a pensioner who receives a meagre amount of retirement allowance every month. Unexpected spending like this will definately disrupts your monthly tight budget commitments.
The mishap happened yesterday while I was negotiating a narrow bend to enter Tabung Haji parking area in Sik. I swerved the car too much to the left not knowing that there is a one-foot-high concrete kerb on that side. We heard the awful screeching sound as the lower part of the car grazed the concrete kerb. The graze caused a one-foot long dent and scratches, missing the door lower edge by just a quarter of an inch. Who's to blame? Blame yourself for being so careless.
Although all proper precautions have been observed mishap could still happen. Kita sekadar merancang, Allah yang menentukan.
As we grow older our ability to focus or concentrate is slowly reduced.
Mood definately influences your way of driving. Don't drive when you are angry. This is important if you are a passenger talk nice to the driver, don't make him angry.

Atar

A distraction indeed when in the middle of your shalat as wind from the fan blows in your direction, your nostrils suddenly scent something unpleasant coming from a makmum praying beside you. You guess what? Yes you are right - the unpleasant odorous body of the makmum, the sour smell of his armpits, or the musty smell coming from his many days of wearing the same unwashed, unchanged jacket or shirt.
As the scent impulses reach your brain you lose your focus and the mind starts to wonder.
'Hai! dah berapa hari budak sebelah ni tak mandi. Baju tu tak pernah basuh ka! Pakai la perfume bila nak mai jemaah.'
For this reason that whenever possible I will take a bath before going to the masjid and habitually squirt atar oil on my baju melayu so as to obscure my ori unpleasant body smell if I ever had it.
It's a sunnah to wear clean, odorless outfit and to smear a few drops of atar perfume so as to give you a pleasant smell before going for a congregational prayer.
Atar perfumes are usually prepared and sold in a concentrated form so if it is used too much it will give out too strong a smell and the smell might repel some people especially youngsters. I often got complains from my niece for using atar in her presence.
'Jangan pakai banyak-banyak sangat Pak Teh. Pening la!'
At least my body smell of atar not the sour smell of the armpits.
My wife, a passionate atar user often shops for her favourite and latest up to date fragrants at Bajuineed perfumery store located at Lebuh Pantai, Penang. For easy identification and selection by customers, the atars there, are named after well-known branded perfumes found in the market such as Boss, Polo. Armani, Dunhill, Poison etc. The given names are based on their smell that resemble the mentioned products. Customers who prefer traditionally branded atars, there are lots of them to choose from- Malaikat Subuh, Seribu Bunga, Kasturi, Hajar Aswad etc (just mention it, they have it). The last time I went there was about three weeks ago when Syima wanted to buy some atars for her own used. Atars are definately suitable for young and olds.
Muslims should choose atar for their perfumes because it's alcohol free, bersih and suci.
Bring along a small bottle of atar wherever you go. People love to be near you when you emit nice and pleasant smell.


BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AHMAD FUAD CELEBRATED ON 4 MAC 2009. YOUR DREAM IS OUR DREAM TOO, MAY ALLAH BLESS U AND BESTOWS UPON U SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS TODAY AND ALL THROUGH THE YEAR.