Of family and friends

As I do the chores on the farm, my mind is always filled with all kinds of thoughts.  I began thinking that often we do not salute the people that have made an impact and been there in our lives.  When I first started out in farming, my parents were surprised and felt that I would be not be fulfilling my potential.  My dad's favorite line was "Belajar tinggi-tinggi sampai Amerika dan sekarang jadi petani".  However, they have always supported me in whatever I wanted to do so they did not prevent me from pursuing this area.  That is the greatness of the love they have for me - they are there for me and support me to explore and get new experiences.  Since then, my dad has often given me clippings of articles related to agriculture, given me suggestions of what can be produced at the farm as well as providing feedback on my produce.  My mother has also provided feedback on my produce and even given me seedling to start my herbal garden.  My husband, Giancarlo, is not into farming but since it is something I would love to do, he gives me the freedom to pursue this.  To me, in spite of their concern of all the hard work and money that I will have to put in, they give me their blessings.  SubhanAllah.  Alhamdulillah.

In the beginning of the adventure, a very good friend, Huzir Mahmud, was my comrade-in-arms in doing the manual land clearing and also with the inital planting of plants and trees.  He was my sounding board and never stingy in sharing his knowledge and spending hours working the land with me.  He truly contributed blood, sweat and tears as I began the farm.  Often, he would fo the the land to work on it when I was busy with my corporate life.  For that, I will always appreciate his friendship.  To me, he is like family.

Amongst the first friends that provided me with invaluable information and moral support was and is Kamarulzaman Bachik or as we friends refer as Man Bachik.  Although I had not spoken much to him over the years but when I first contacted him over 3 years ago to ask some questions after not talking to him for many more years than I can remember, he was as nice and helpful as when we were in MRSM KB.  He introduced me to organic fertilizers, shared his experience as well as gave me lots of information - never being stingy to share.  To me, Man Bachik is not a friend but a "sahabat".

My other sahabat is Daud Abu Hanipah, who also is like a mentor to me.  He has been involved in agriculture and aquaculture for many years and he provided me with real-life suggestions and advise.  He is also one who is generous in sharing his knowledge.  I enjoy sharing ideas and discussing with him as he is involved in aquaculture.  I first got to know him during my Unisys days and over the years, he has been a great friend.  Whenever I had a major activity that needed extra hands, he would always appear and help out, always with a cheerful persona.

One of the area of interest that I have is in our traditional herbs. I feel that the Malay traditional herbal knowledge and practice has lost ground and there is not much documentation on it. It would be a waste to lose it. In my quest to increase my knowledge in this area, I met Hj. Hassan Awang Din over three years ago. From the first time that I met him, he has always treated me warmly and been generous in sharing his knowledge. A humble and knowledgeable man in the cultivation and usage of traditional Malay herbs and spices, I have learnt much. Many of the herbal plants that I used to start my herbal garden came from him. Over the years, we have become like family and whenever I am in Kedah, I will pay him a visit at this home in Sik.

One of the people who give me motivational inspiration is Sharifah Sofianny Syed Hussein or more known as Sherry - here is a lady who during our MRSM days was not considered as a star student, often receiving comments to that effect from teachers and students.  Coming from a well-connected family, she could have opted out to be a leech in adulthood but instead has worked very hard to acquire knowledge and skills and is now a major player in the finance world.  Through it all, she has always remained down to earth and true to herself.  The passion she has for what she does shines through.  To me, she is a shining example of how you can achieve what you want by working hard, dedication, being disciplined and have a passion for what you are doing.

When bringing produce to market, I often experiment with how the produce can be transformed to form increased value item.  To this end, I have a straight-talking taste-tester, Sheila.  I first got to know Sheila during my time at TimeDotCom.  With her great personality and kind heart, we hit it off from the start and a great friendship was formed.  Her feedback is invaluable as she calls it like it is.  She has also assisted in marketing SHL products, all without being asked, and this to me marks true support of a friend.  Her continued support, both as a taster, marketer and as a customer is very much appreciated.

Over the past two years, my main assistant is Azis, someone who works with me and views the growing and development of the farm as more than a job, but as a way of life.  The passion and care that he has for the farm is something that I appreciate and one that I can depend on to take charge when I am not at the farm.  He does not count the hours that he works nor quibble over minor issues. The farm is surrounded by hilly forest hence quite often in the pre-dawn hours, all sorts of animals would come and "visit" the farm such as wild pigs, river otters and fox.  The dogs and the geese would create a commotion, and without fail, Azis will get up and check it out and ensure that all is well before he gets more rest and at times, foregoing sleep as it is already daylight and time to start the day.  This commitment that he has to the safety of the farm is something that money cannot buy and I feel blessed to have someone like him at the farm. As we have worked alongside, he has become family, a younger brother.

In life, one does not walk alone, so I am thankful to have a great family and wonderful friends - Nur Suraya, Foong Lee, Anis, Nas and many more.  To all my friends who have attended and supported my various events as well as being my customers, thank you very much.  Allahuakbar.