MRSM Connection and the RM10,000.00 tree

This is my RM10K tree - hardwood that would be
enough for me to build my own house. Or otherwise
I was told to build a tree house here. Hmm.. mind you the root
of this tree is 40 m below this level.

If I didn't meet up with her, I am sure I would chopped down the tree and then set up a a big born fire to get rid of it. What a waste it would have been.

I did not know that it is worth at least RM10,000.00 a tree and that I could have built my own grand kampung house. Phew, no wonder some of the contractors I brought in to clear out the jungle on my land have indicated that we have nothing of value here. Vested interest, I guess.

I am sure they would be making lots of money on my behalf.

Jokingly she told me that she should have negotiated a consulting fee before agreeing to visit my jungle.

It is ok, kak, I will 'tolak' the jering and petai to you and not sell it to anyone else! You have a supply of jering for as long as you want it, and as long as the trees are bearing fruits.

My petai tree, if I am not mistaken

Actually initially I contacted another friend - a senior  from school (bro Man Bachik); another agro expert who, after giving me some pointers, promptly recommended to another friend of his who is so much into farming, for the fact that her place is only a few miles from mine. I was not sure if I should; wondering if she would remember me and after more than 30 years, how do I contact someone and seek their help and opinion.

But call her I did and then I went to her farm. Self invited, I believe.

I did not bother asking her if she remembers a junior, albeit only one year difference. For all I can remember, I may have not talked to her at all. Yes, I knew a few from her batch, but I doubt if I had talked to her.

It is of course easier for me to remember her, as she was the conductor at school, orchestrating us all to sing Maktab song during our Sunday assembly.

But as we walked into the jungle that is my land, we chatted like there was no barrier of 30 odd years that have separated us. I reminded her that most likely I last met her in 1979 - about 32 years ago. But fortunately for me, time in MRSM was precious and we just continue on where we left off. I guess despite it all, we have common bonds, sharing the first five years of MRSM KB's lives.

Kak Rusilawati and her right hand man Mas Aziz are very knowledgeable about tropical herbs and trees. He would be able to tell me if the trees there are of value or not and showed me one big tree here that would be enough for me to build myself a house.

From the number of trees that he had mentioned, I believe I have enough hardwood for me to build an istana!

Dah mengah la this old man, while she is still standing - Mas Aziz is on
the right is also standing. It was while sitting here that she told me that the big tree
in front of us (as in above pic) is worth RM10K and if I do not wish to fell it,
then i should get myself a house tree and then get Arif to play
the violin on top of the tree!

Mas Aziz also showed me that I have enough rubber trees to start 'menoreh'. For some reasons, I could not recognize rubber trees in a jungle of trees, and jokingly told kak Rusilawati that I am surprised I could not differentiate rubber trees here as I can always recognize them in a rubber tree plantation!

Everybody broke into laughter.

Well, I am glad that the MRSM bonding or rather connection is strong enough for her to respond to my request for help. Apparently she had started her Suria Helang Lui farm two years ago single handedly, and I know I don't have the strength and will power to re-do what she did, and hence I sent her an SOS.

So I visited her farm and she took me on a tour; two and half acres separated by Sg Lui.

You can read her blog here.

Impressive! Within two years this farm is nearly self sustaining with all kind of herbal plants, and other tropical plants, and mineral-watered fish pond! This is organic farming with no pesticide, and everything here use mineral water from drinking water to shower and fish pond and watering the plants!

She even sold them at a pasar tani in Penchala.

Well thank you Maam, thank you very much. I am hoping she would be willing to be part of my project scheduled to be started after Raya. But irrespective, she has helped a lot, and has given me the idea and strength on how to get going and tame the jungle.

Come to think of it, I should be contacting my forrest expert from my Edwardian group too. He is at FRIM and at one time I had taken the tour of FRIM with him.

Mind Mapping

In this particular case, even though he was my senior of three years - the first batch of MRSM KB, while I was the fourth, I am sure I would have spoken to him during those years and significantly we crossed path again when we met in Perth for our tertiary education. Later on in life, we worked for the same company - the black gold company.

Knowing his credentials and background, I asked Abang Zahari aka Zahari Mohamed to do a one-day training on Mind Mapping (or as he calls it, VisiMind, or Visualizing the Mind) at our small company and to complete the attendees list, I asked my sons and siblings to join us.

Catching up on old times, while polishing my mind
and filling up the stomachs

He had wanted to do chemical engineering, but MARA refused to let him do it, so instead he took up Chemistry at U Western Australia. Three years later, I was sent to Perth to do Chemical Engineering, but I left Perth after one year of matriculation, since there was no established course in Chemical Engineering there.

Instead I went to Melbourne's Monash Uni.

But funny how things changed within a few years.

So we chatted about our career path at a national oil organization. Interestingly, he was into marketing and corporate planning, and of course later on at Eagle Aircraft and Putrajaya, while I was so into refining and simulation and everything technical.

He spent twelve of his best years there while my tour of duty there lasted 8 years.

Bro Zahari explaning a point during his course
on visualizing our mind.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the training he did for us. It was enlightening for us, as this is the first time we did some management/personal development training for the staff.

Thanks again, big bro Zahari.