PRU13...the journey to Putrajaya continues! #1

Sunday 5th May, 2013
...here are the winners, the losers, the good, the best, the bad, the ugly and the rest!

Following his father's footstep into politics and into the parliament...trouncing and finally killing the FROG PRINCE in his own backyard (or pond...whichever you see fit)! The so called ultra Malay leader and PERKASA president aka the UMNO puppet will hopefully never make another comeback for the sake of all Malaysians. His hopping days are over. Unless "the puppet master" thinks otherwise...

PRU13...the journey to Putrajaya continues!

Sunday 5th May, 2013
The TRUTH are definitely not defeated in this election. More and more people of different races and religions are seeking, finding and voting for the TRUTH. Although the TRUTH lost Kedah, at the same time the TRUTH are making major inroads to the FALSE's fortresses in the state of JOHOR and NEGERI 9. The TRUTH lost albeit narrowly in TERENGGANU and PERAK yet retain the crown jewel of MALAYSIA that is SELANGOR. The FALSE is clearly nearing its end...  
So...here are the winners, the losers, the good, the best, the bad, the ugly and the rest!



TGNA...Mursyidul Am / Spiritual Leader of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). By Allah's will he won as expected and again successfully defended Kelantan to remain under the banner of Islam. After Che Det and Pak Lah, Najib is the 3rd PM that failed to dislodge PAS-led state government under the leadership of TGNA. With nothing else to prove and with age fast catching up, TGNA willingly stepped down from his "voluntarily" post as Kelantan Menteri Besar after 23 years in office. For him however, his struggle to uphold Islam will continue until his very last breath. A true Muslim leader...may Allah bless him for the rest of his life. Terima kasih TGNA...semoga tempat mu di syurga Allah SWT! Amiiin.

cycle of life

14 december, 2011
bandar tasik puteri
rawang, selangor darul ehsan

the girl is now cycling...and discovering a skill which will last a lifetime. congratulations, girl!

...get a life!

man united 2 chelsea 1
sunday 8th may, 2011
old trafford
... no, i did not see it and i don't give a damn...and i hate that gum-oholic fergie!!! well, you're just lucky that sir alex ferguson decided not to send in scholesy onto the pitch so that he can give you a two-footed tackle. howard webb, your undying love to chelsea is futile coz as what sir alex rightly said we won the game without any help from referees!!! we did it our own way...and the reds go marching on and on (to the 19th league title)!

agro-xplorasi...fishy life story

5th-7th december, 2010
bukit merah, semanggol, perak
another episode...again back to tanah tumpahnya darah ku...
every new day brings new hope...
not many of us know much about bukit merah apart from the water theme park and laketown resort. before that not many of us even knew or heard about bukit merah itself. tourists, before the existence of this weekend attraction, normally make their stopover in taiping before going further up north. well, little did they realize that this small and quiet town located about an hour drive from ipoh (via the north south highway) has another booming multi-million industry going on quietly among the ‘lucky’ few who are always on the lookout for any golden opportunity. it has subsequently placed the town on the world map of THE place for arowana fish breeding industry.

tuah ayam nampak di kaki, tuah ikan...
bukit merah dam which was originally built by the british in 1906 has created around 40 square kilometer of fresh water lake benefitting the surrounding agriculture sector and providing drinking water for the krian district population. the dam also serves as a gateway to control water volume and flow from the surrounding rivers and the lake during rainy season as the area is quite prone to flash flood. with it also comes the beautiful arowana fish or more commonly known locally as ikan kelisa. unique only to the water of bukit merah lake is the malaysia gold variety, one of the most prized and sought after arowana variety in the world. according to existing record, the biggest of its kind ever been caught is around 3 feet long and the most expensive ever been sold is for around RM20,000.00. they have definitely struck gold here in this part of the silver state!
beware...there is 'something' in the water
traditionally this area is known for its paddy farming and other agriculture related economic activities. a few years back all these are beginning to change...rather drastically. there is something about the water and the soil here in bukit merah. yes, no one can deny it has served the farming community well over the years but Allah hu Akbar...it’s unique properties are also unrivalled anywhere else that makes it so suitable to breed arowana.
conscious as crystal clear as water...
like it or not...paddy plots have rapidly been replaced by arowana ponds. whether it is for good or for worse is debatable, depending on which sides you’re on (what the general population need vs what the people here can make for themselves and still contributing to nation’s income). the land surrounding this area has been reportedly rocketed to at least RM400,000.00 per acre since the boom of this unique industry in bukit merah. the locals (and outsiders too from as far as sabah) have now turned their livelihood to this lucrative business venture which brings about investment opportunities with quite unimaginable returns.

setting up to unfold the story of the golden fish
central to this story is bukit merah aquaculture and the man behind it, the founder, the godfather, the don...ahmad bin don. being one of the pioneer (in 2001) has its advantage. having a head start is one thing but the knowledge he has gathered since is another. he is the man you want to talk to if you’re interested to know more about this thriving business. be careful, as it is with any other big money-making venture there are bound to be conmen lurking just around the corner promising and luring you with some unrealistic and astronomical returns. there have been cases reported where investors being duped already...
the moment they’ve been waiting for...

it is good to see that those who invested comes from various races and background. definitely not exclusive to certain select few only. every 2 months, the whole family will drive down coming from all over malaysia to visit their respective ponds here...vigilantly waiting on the bank waiting for the workers to open up the mouth of each and every single male arowana (yes, male arowana keeps the eggs in their mouth for 2 months until they hatch) in the pond. according to the operator, it is important for the investors to witness themselves the moment of truth whether their dreams are about to come true or to put it on a backburner for another 2 more months. with the visitors being there, the operator is being transparent. in any case the investors cannot make it, they will not carry on with the harvest. being there among the investors it is funny to hear some of them saying that home renovation or buying a new car will have to be put on hold to another couple of months since there is no fry harvested from their ponds that day...
...danny is getting his wet dreams fulfilled!
every pond will house a maximum of 20 arowanas. a single male will normally has between 4 to 5 female companions. harvesting will be done every 2 months. female arowana is known to lay around 30–50 eggs at any one time. the male arowana will keep the eggs in its mouth until they hatch in about 4 weeks time. throughout this period, the male arowana (the brooder) will not eat at all until the fry are spit lose. the fry are then placed in an aquarium tank with constant water flow. this is a trick to con the fry as though they are still in their daddy's mouth. the fry will be kept in the tank for about 2 months until the yolk sacs attached to their belly disappear leaving them to swim freely. on average a single arowana fry can fetch a price of up to between RM1,500.00 to RM1,800.00 depending on variety. well, go on do the math yourself on how much you can expect to make by investing in this arowana business...oh, and did i tell you that arowana in captivity can live up to 50 years! pakcik kayo!!! standing there beside the pond with the investors you cannot help but feel the same excitement and anxiety with them during the harvesting session. high hopes indeed...be it datuks, datins, businessmen, factory supervisors, restaurant workers, teachers...all sharing similar dreams.
it’s never easy...tips from the man himself
no easy job. this man started from the bottom. from small time businessman selling ornamental fish from a shoplot in taiping to being a construction contractor to mega buck arowana industry. from trial and error, ups and downs, he has now made it to the top and deservedly so. take a peek at bukit merah aquaculture office building to see his fleet of luxury cars apart from his impressive collections of arowana species. yet he still keeps himself down to earth and is ever willing to share his knowledge. if you are ever in bukit merah and wants to ask for direction to his arowana farm...just mention “cik mat ikan” and they will point you to his place...

a new lease of life
apart from driving the industry domestically and internationally...and making as much profit as possible for the company and its investors, bukit merah aquaculture should also be commended for playing an active role to eradicate hardcore poverty within the kerian district. this unique adoption program (program e-kasih / program peningkatan pendapatan rakyat termiskin) which is commendably run by the company on behalf of the government with the cooperation from the perak's department of fisheries has benefitted about 60 participants and has successfully wiped out poverty level within the district to almost 0%. the company even paid monthly advance payment of about RM350 per participants before the program had even shown any results.

well, watcha doin' just standing there...waiting for what?
all is well...the industry has proven itself, the returns are impressive, the business is legit, the objective is good even with a noble side-cause. but what do you really make of it? what's the hukum? at the end of the day you’re just selling fish. not for eating, mind you but for the purpose of fung shui. isn't it in a way it contradicts with our beliefs? well, if you ask this question to one particular ulama in the silver state itself...the most probable answer you’ll get from him is that it is harussss...

the official agro-xplorasi profile

ahmad bin don
Sebelum menempa nama sebagai usahawan pembiakan ikan Arowana yang berjaya, beliau merupakan seorang kontraktor binaan yang turut menjalankan perniagaan menjual ikan hiasan di Bandar Taiping. Beliau adalah antara pengusaha terawal di Bukit Merah yang bermula pada sekitar tahun 2001 dan kini telah mempunyai lebih daripada 1,000 buah kolam pembiakan yang terletak di kawasan Bukit Merah dan Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Selain aktif menyertai pameran di dalam dan luar negara dalam usaha meluaskan pasaran, beliau juga menjalinkan kerjasama rapat dengan pihak Jabatan Perikanan sehingga memperolehi Skim Persijilan Ladang Akuakultur Malaysia (SPLAM). Beliau sentiasa memastikan segala urusan operasi perniagaannya dijalankan dengan teratur dan secara penuh profesional. Ini termasuk mengaplikasi sistem penyimpanan maklumat dan data, penggunaan mikrocip bagi tujuan pengenalan setiap ekor ikan dan sistem kawalan keselamatan yang rapi.

Kejayaan usahanya terbukti apabila beliau merupakan satu-satunya pengusaha bumiputera yang berjaya mendapat lesen di bawah Convention on the International Trade in Endargered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) yang dikeluarkan di Switzerland bagi membolehkannya mengaut pulangan yang lumayan dalam memperdagangkan ikan Arowana ke luar negara terutamanya di pasaran China, Jepun, Singapura, Thailand dan Vietnam sejak tahun 2008 lagi.

Selain sedang giat berusaha menuju wawasannya untuk menjadikan Bukit Merah Aquaculture sebagai pengeluar ikan Arowana yang terbesar di dunia, beliau tidak lupa dengan tanggungjawab sosialnya kepada alam semulajadi dan penduduk setempat. Kerjasamanya dengan pihak Kementerian telah berjaya membasmi kadar kemiskinan tegar di daerah Kerian melalui Program E-Kasih dan penglibatannya dalam program konservasi dengan melepaskan anak-anak ikan Arowana kembali ke Tasik Bukit Merah menjanjikan kesinambungan spesis asal Arowana Malaysian Gold di Tasik Bukit Merah di masa hadapan.

enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJks3RDfxk

agro-xplorasi...rice is life

1-3 december, 2010 sg.burung, selangor ...when was the last time we turun ke bendang? ...green field of gold vidly i can remember the good old times when we were still kids going to catch keli, puyu and sepat at kak midah's family bendang back in her kampung in titi gantung, bota, perak. at the time when emak was still teaching, kak midah helped out with the house chores and looked after all 5 of us boys. almost once every month, arwah abah will take the whole family to go for a picnic at teluk batik during weekends. on the way there, we would sometimes stop by to visit kak midah's parents. if the visit coincided with the planting season...we, the city boys will also rolled up our sleeves and turun bendang. it was fun...except for the time when you found out that your whole body had turned into a magnet attracting hundreds (i'm being over-exaggerating here) of blood-sucking leeches! ...kenal tak apa ni? inilah padi. dari padi baru jadi beras. bila beras dimasak barulah jadi nasi...

fast forward 30 odd years later, i am now standing beside a plot of bendang own by one of the paddy farmers we're featuring in the program. by talking to them you just have to admire their will and determination to grow paddy. they are not born rich. they did not inherit from their parents. they've made it thru sheer perseverance. starting out they had to hold 2-3 jobs to meet ends meet. the money they got from working in factory is what they paid for their daily necessities. the money they got from farming, every single sen they re-invest to buy more paddy plots. from single plot to what they have right now. generally, paddy farming has gone thru and changed a lot since those days of trapping fish and of a battle with the leeches. in primary school, we were then taught that the state of kedah is the rice bowl of our country. well not anymore. selangor is now the proud state holding the title...

few weeks later can't resist to bring my family to witness this miraculous industry. i want them especially the kids to see where the rice that they eat everyday comes from. how does it look like before they end up on the plate. they won't learn this at school... remember the old saying that goes something like "sebutir nasi nilainya sama dengan setitik peluh petani"? it used to be a back breaking labour intensive job...but now you will not find a single buffalo ploughing the plot except for many different types of hi-tech machineries taking over the many tasks in the process of producing our staple diet. from the task of planting the seeds up to when harvesting the 'white gold'...now everything is done using modern and time saving machines. the industry has changed, the landscape has also changed. in the near future, kids in art class will draw lorries and tractors working in paddy field...replacing the mighty buffalo for good. this area is not solely dominated by paddy fields. farmers here also grow other crops such as various vegies, fruits, corns and many others. we had a field day shopping here especially the elusive 'buah sukun'. the days of focusing on single type of crops are over. the key word in agriculture now is 'integrated'. the more things you grow the more money you will make as you are not dependent on a single source of income. the fertility of the soil is also better if you implement crop rotation as different crop use different source of minerals. if you care to look further, you will also see 'swiflet's hotels' making their presence here.

the future looks very promising indeed for these farmers. it is such a vital sector for our country as food is becoming more and more expansive with the world population boom. the white gold will be even more valueable than black gold in the future. the farmers is doing an honest job as they reap what they actually sow. they can now truly make a very decent living out of it. beats working in factories. better (i think) than what i'm doing back in the office (!).

good for them and good for us too. Insya Allah, berbudilah pada tanah...

the official agro-xplorasi profile

muhammad rashid mohd hassan

zainuddin sudar

Sektor penanaman padi merupakan antara sektor pertanian terpenting bagi negara seperti Malaysia di mana beras merupakan makanan ruji harian penduduknya.

Usaha pihak Kementerian untuk mentransformasikan sektor ini kepada ciri-ciri yang lebih moden telah disambut oleh golongan muda seperti kedua-dua usahawan penanaman padi yang berjaya ini. Berbekalkan kerjasama yang rapat di antara pihak Kementerian dan Jabatan dengan para pesawah telah menyaksikan peningkatan hasil pengeluaran padi yang amat ketara sehingga membolehkan para pesawah di kawasan ini menikmati pendapatan purata bulanan sekurang-kurangnya RM2,000 setiap bulan.

Kesungguhan dan kegigihan seperti yang dipamerkan oleh kedua-dua pesawah moden ini telah membolehkan mereka kini meninggalkan terus pekerjaan mereka di kilang-kilang berhampiran dan menumpukan sepenuh perhatian kepada petak-petak sawah yang mereka miliki.

Pengenalan benih-benih padi yang lebih bermutu tinggi dan penggunaan secara intensif pelbagai jentera serta mesin moden yang kini mendominasi lanskap sawah padi bermula dari peringkat menabur benih hingga ke proses menuai juga telah membantu melonjakkan pencapaian mereka di dalam sektor ini sehingga kedua-duanya pernah dinobatkan oleh Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani sebagai penerima Anugerah Pesawah Cemerlang (Muhammad Rashid bagi tahun 2007 dan Zainuddin bagi tahun 2010).

enjoy...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4t0xAfvaI4

agro-xplorasi...live life the organic way

27-29 November, 2010
kluang, johor

only from my point of view...

as we headed down south this time for the production of agro-xplorasi. destination...kluang town in the southern state of johor, famous for its coffee (yup, i can attest to that). interesting, coz i've never been here in kluang before and also because of the subject that we are going to cover for this episode...organic farming. have heard and read about it before but don't really know much about it. so, what does organic farming really means? well, simply put it means when you grow your greens, plants and fruits you must conciously and strictly restrain yourself from using any chemicle-based fertilizers or pesticides. your farm or plantation must be totally free from them. even the water source that you use. to nourish the plants, to keep bugs and diseases away from them...everything must be done using natural or organic sources.

fertile land...a gift from Allah The Almighty

organically grown food is fast gaining popularity globally. not so much in malaysia generally but the trend is picking up especially in urban and city centres. more and more people are turning to organic produce (am sure many had heard horror story about vegies coming down from highland of cameron). organically grown produce has very high demand especially in europe. more time and efforts are required to grown them but organic produce fetches far better prices; between two to three times more than those produced through the conventional ways. that is why it makes perfect sense to go into this kinda biz... ... rich in smell and nutritions (for the plants not the people)! boy, the smell of this thing is so horrendous...it sticks to your shirt for days. everything you smell is all the same...u should not try it...be at the factory site that is.

our exploration took us to a hundred acre farm run by the people of zenxin agri-organic foods. apart from here in kluang, zenxin also owns about 500 more acre of land in gua musang, kelantan where they also grow and produce organic rice. from rearing chicks (the real one!) the company got the idea to go into organic farming when they see tons of smelly chick s*#t...and nobody seems to knows what to do with it. well, one bright guy got the idea, why not use it as natural fertilizer...to either use it themselves or start selling it to the open markets. that same bright guy decided to do both and the rest as they say, is history!

...zooming in on an opportunity!

zenxin organic park here in kluang is one of the 46 farms around the country so far which has been awarded with SOM (skim organik malaysia) certification issued by the department of agriculture. it is important for any organic farm to get this certification so that they can brand it as organic produce and making thier products marketable locally and internationally. note that they also managed to receive certification from the australian authority. from time to time, the farm will have to go through rigourous checks by the relevant authorities...just to make sure that they maintain their organic principles and practices. according to the department's officer we interviewed the government always welcomes those who wish to carry out organic farming as oppose to conventional farming. u make more money and it is more environmentally friendly.

...as far as the eyes can see. this is the view taken from a tower in the middle of the organic park. the park is also recognized as one of the biggest organic farm in malaysia. the view really soothes your eyes with its green seas of plants. such a drastic change from your daily surroundings of concrete jungle back in kuala lumpur. such a refreshing change of scenery. am sure you'll like it too. can't help it but by now the theme song of agro-xplorasi is playing repeatedly in my head, '...oh tanah yang subur ini, usahakan milik kita, anugerah Maha Kuasa tersimpan sejuta rahsia...'.

taking a break with a cuppa smooth and aromatic mulberry leaf tea...aahhh.

throughout the 3 days we were here, the kind and generous people of zenxin served us many kind of wonderful organic food and drinks but the one that really stood out for me is when they served us the mulberry leaf tea. sat under the bright blue sky the tea tasted even better what with the pleasant 'pandan-like' aroma coming from the effect of boiling the dried leaf in hot water. it reminded me of the rooibos tea experience i had about 5 years ago while carrying out an assignment for malaysia airlines in south africa. unique!

watch out for the green ghost behind!

the set up here is very impressive indeed. at any one time, the people of zenxin grow at least 15 types of vege and fruit at the farm i.e. kangkung, sawi, pucuk keledek, pitaya, banana, mulberry, labu, etc. there is also a mart that sells fresh vegies, fruits, drinks, snacks, medicinal items and even organic soaps, shampoos and many more. what else do they have here in the park...there's a nursery for you to buy ornamental plants (mini cactus is hot item here) and of course, not forgetting a place for you to try out and enjoy organic food, a restaurant! yummy...

beginning of a fresh and safe new life...

that is why my friend zenxin is also a popular tourist spot. especially during weekends or during school holidays, tourists come by the bus-load! singporeans are such common faces here at zenxin. what else to do there? u won't find such thing there in the republic. if you happen to be here, don't miss out on a guided tour of the farm where you can learn many interesting things about organic farming and even hand-pick your own vegies to take back home to. another popular activity here is that u can rent bicycles at the park and ride on exploring the unknown...

...danny 'n anna gettin' into the organic groove.

am not much of an organic junkie, i must admit. all these are new to me. personally, to me if you want to live healthily by eating organically grown food you have to first totally change your lifestyle and eating habits. it just won't do by only taking organic greens while at the same time you continue smoking tobacco (cigarette, pipe, cigar, shisha, etc) or eating fast foods (maggi mee, mcd, kfc, etc), eating canned food (sardines) or consuming alcoholic drinks, popping up modern pills prescribes by conventional doctors whenever u feel your body tempretures going up, etc. etc. to me if you want to do it, then do it right! the water you drink (u know la the quality of our drinking water) better comes treated and bottled. then only i feel it is worthwhile to go organic way...

...interviewing a mechanical engineer turned farmer.

this business is thriving and being run very well with 'organic' growth within family members (you'll meet the brothers, uncles, nephews, etc). if you happen to stop by at the mart you can even see an old man believed to be one of the grand dad of the family doing his daily walk around and about the mart's entrance with a smile and thick glasses greeting and talking to customers. ok, enuff of writing this blog post. if you wanna know more about zenxin and its people or just to learn generally about organic farming then catch agro-xplorasi...you'll see!

the official agro-xplorasi profile

tai kok kong

Bermula sebagai sebuah syarikat ternakan ayam di sekitar tahun 70an, beliau kini mengusahakan antara ladang tanaman organik yang terbesar di negara ini dengan keluasan 100 ekar yang terletak di tapak Projek Pertanian Moden Kluang, Johor.

Menyedari bahawa beliau boleh memanfaatkan sisa buangan daripada ternakan ayamnya bagi menghasilkan baja organik dan selari dengan kewujudan pasaran baru serta trend gaya hidup yang mementingkan pemakanan sihat, usahawan tani ini terus beralih mengusahakan tanaman organik berskala besar semenjak 10 tahun yang lalu.

Lebih meyakinkan beliau apabila harga hasil tanaman organiknya mendapat harga pasaran yang lebih tinggi berbanding tanaman yang dihasilkan secara konvensional. Pada setiap satu masa, ladang ini ditanam dengan sekurang-kurangnya 15 jenis sayur-sayuran dan buah-buahan yang dipasarkan di dalam negara termasuk dieksport ke pasaran Singapura.

Selain ladang tanaman organik, Zenxin juga mempelbagaikan operasinya dengan menjalankan perniagaan restoran makanan dan pasaraya berasaskan hasil tanaman organik serta membuka ladangnya bagi tujuan lawatan untuk pengunjung terutamanya kanak-kanak sekolah mengambil bahagian dalam aktiviti memetik sayur-sayuran dan belajar mengenai pemeliharaan alam sekitar.

Menerusi bimbingan pihak Kementerian, ladang ini telah berjaya mendapat pengiktirafan dan pengesahan dari dalam serta luar negara iaitu menerusi persijilan Skim Organik Malaysia (SOM) dan National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA). Kecemerlangan usahawan ini juga telah menjadikan beliau terpilih menerima Anugarah Khas MAHA 2006 daripada Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani Malaysia.

enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNRv0gN2plk