Retiring early - the thought keeps coming, refreshed

21 january 3:

Some phone calls, received and placed, today really lighted up my once burning dream to quit rat race, and leave the city. The 2-acre land some 70km north of KL now beginning to get noticed. The chief called for more fund to be injected. RM500 for cleaning, another RM600 for cleaning. Total RM1100 per ekar. The uncle sought RM5000 to build a shelter cum pondok on the land. Some paxs already started planting, I was told thru phone.

KL is a great place to learn! Today's subject is OPTIONS TRADING

17/10/2013:

When I came to KL, I noticed one thing about this city.

KL IS A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN.

You work daytime from Monday to Friday. You have your own times at night and over weekends. So many things you can do. You can pick up new skills, learn new languages like Mandarin, master basic Photoshop, even learn to play drum or guitar or other musical instruments. Kuliah ugama (religious short classes) are aplenty. Almost after every maghrib and subuh prayers at the masjids near you.

Today I managed to attend one 2-hour free seminar on investment techniques. I registered for last week's session, but however could not make due to ultra heavy traffic due to heavy downpour fwhich shutting down part Jalan Kuching and PJ area.  Based on lesson learnt from last week, I took LRT instead, from KLCC station to Asia Jaya station. Armada Hotel is just 5-minute walk from AJ station.

Why I choose to attend the session? It is part of my early retirement plan, to generate same passive income. With basic investment background prior to joining this organization, and after taking some investment classes over the weekend, I thought this seminar will provide some practical and hand-on guides to take me one step closer to financial freedom.

The instructor was young and superb orator. Full of facts. Technical stuff on one financial instrument i.e. OPTIONS TRADING. The topic too complicated for an average retail investor. Not a cup of tea, at least for me. After all, what is options? It is 'insurance' sold in stock market, with specific expiry dates. Options is another security you may add to your investment portfolio, on top of stocks or unit trusts or bonds. The power of options lies with its flexibility.  Click here to learn it all here.
Options trading are based on conventional system, therefore it is forbidden/haram in Islam. Click here for details on hukum options.

I had to come to a landing. I decided this is not for me, I am out of this! I did not regret spending 2 hours. I learned a new thing and I shared with all. 

Death at 33 at Putrajaya

18/10/2013:

Received one email today on Company's email system. Bad news indeed. Another death.

When you are dead, you stop to live. Death is the opposite of living. Thing most people dread of. The opposite of  all good things in life. Think of the opposite  of these -- a highrise condo with prestigious address, a  Beemer with double Vanos engine friends talk about, a lovely wife and kids, a fruit orchard at country-side you go during weekend to rest, not to work, as there is already an Indon paid to look after it, overseas holiday you take every year, weekly eat-out with family at Nandos or my favorite Hadhratul Mawt, and other things you work so hard for.

Now imagine the opposite - a small compartment 6-feet under, total darkness, total confusion, total pain. At the corner of the kampong.

He is a friend I knew way back in Miri, when I was posted at Sarawak Operation in 2008 after returning from overseas assignment in Yangon. He was then in procurement,  A typical PETRONAS executive -- dedicated, committed and full of drive.

The accident occurred today in Putrajaya while riding a big bike. Died on the spot. His time has come. Our time coming soon.

Al Fatihah to Almarhum Fadzli Mahpudz. Semoga Allah  merahmati tuan di sana!

 

Farming the lalang (for now)

13 October 2013:
Today is Sunday. With Izan in town, and no other plan in sleeve, I decided to make a trip north to Ulu Bernam to see my plot of agricultural land. Supposed to be an orchard, filled with fruits of all kinds, but for now filled with lalang of all kinds. Nobody to blame but myself. Cita-cita besar tapi action too slow. Well, life is short. Nothing to regret about.

I drove my old faithful Pajero to the site, some 75 kms from KL. Lt Colonel Hj Hamdan and his wife Hajjah Sawiah came along. The feeling of hitting the highway going into the country side was so overwhelming. All stresses from work and office were all gone, vaporizing into thin air. My goals for this trip:
1. To plant seeds (durian musang king, jambu seedless, rambutan) I bought from MARDI Serdang 3 months ago.
2. To check my kelapa pandan planted 6 months ago.
3. To survey properties around Bukit Beruntung.

Mission accomplished. Return trip was the opposite way, via trunk road BB - Rawang. We completed the loop.

 

Sarapan leftover

Hari ini saya sarapan ketupat Sarawak (kelupis) dan rendang ayam Izan masak pd hari Raya Korban minggu lepas. Sarapan leftover diberi nama. Tiada kopi panas, hanyalah air soya berusia satu-hari yg disimpan molek dlm fridge satu-pintu buatan Sanyo, yang mana pintu freezer telah tertanggal. Saya menikmati juadah ini di tingkat 25 sebuah kondominium dg mountain-view yg berharga pasaran lebih dari setengah juta ringgit.

Hidup hanya sekejap. Nothing to complain or regret about.

Exam CUTE

12 October:
Living is hard. I was taught money don't grow on trees or at walls. I was told successful people never stop learning. When bad things happen to them, they learn from it so as not to repeat the same mistakes. Today I took a CUTE exam at Megan Avenue 2 off Jalan Ampang. It was a computerised exam. I must answer 60 questions within 2 hours, and must score minimum 45 questions right in order to pass. At registration counter, the administrator will assign room and table number. A network-connected laptop and a mouse was ready for you to start the test. I finished 30 minutes earlier and the computer congratulated me! Alhamdulillah. Journey to retire-young-and-rich is a mile closer. BETULKAN NIAT ANDA, WAHAI ABU ADAM!

The Great Gatsby

Zahid asked me about whether I had watched the movie THE GREAT GATSBY. He was surprised when I told him I knew him since 1982 in Canada. Yes the whole batch was forced by Ms Reeed to read the classic masterpiece written by Scott Fitzgerald. The novel was about love and passion, about a dream, about friendship, about betrayal.

He loaded a USB pen drive to a LCD TV and we watched the movie together. Izan and Adam too. I remember the plot and characters from the novel I read and memorized. Nick Carraway and his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband. And of course reclusive Jay Gatz who always threw party to the New Yorkers, the host unknown to the guests, who worshipped the green light at the other end of the lake.

 

A man I met at a cafetaria

I must say this is not a good entry for HR person like me. But a good experience.

The building in KL we rented as EOR project office belongs to an established insurance company who made it their main office for their takaful business. We rented 3 floors only on different towers. There was a busy cafeteria on Level 2, frequented by many tenants every morning and lunch time. It was one morning in June where I bumped into one investment consultant who politely requested to sit at my table, as other tables fully occupied. He said he was waiting for his client. We talked. About work. About rat race. About health. About retirement. About early retirement -- the topic so close to me after moving to KL. About investment.

Perhaps I should label this entry as pre-retirement, as I sensed and I saw some eventual big departure from the rat race, after this. Lets wait and see.

The transfer

1 July 2013:
The assignment in KL took a new twist when I received a secondment letter which stated I was permanently transfered to work on EOR project full time in KL.I took it positively as there were so many things could be done here. Coaching Afiq and Syahirah. Rebuilding relationships. Family and relatives whom I was separated for so long, since I was in Kerteh, Yangon and Miri. Or even working on a piece of land in Ulu Bernam.

Works at EOR Center seemed delayed as 2 of my staff (from Shell and one from PCSB) still could not come on board on fulltime basis.

In the meantime the daily routine to work from home on LRT was rather stressful for a simple kampong man like me. Train ride home-office-home was not enjoyable anymore.  I had to stand swayed all the way and held to a small handle on a moving train everyday. (Wait, I will write more about this later.)

Moving on to the capital city

15 May 2013:
On this date, some thing big happened. I was assigned to lead HR Dept on EOR project. Which means I have to move from Miri to the capital city Kuala Lumpur. The assignment letters said 'until further notice', the term HR people at the HQ used to indicate that they were not sure when the project would last or probably, in fact, more accurately, that the permanent transfer was imminent but needed more time to get approval. It was lateral move, which meant not a promotion. You move to a same grade job. I did not mind at all, as I  had some personal plan come 2014, may be end of 2013. Izan was extremely happy - she said her doa was answered, despite having to stay back in Miri with Adam until at least end of the year. It was a conscious decision, made easy by Him the Almighty. Afiq sitting for PMR in October and he needed parental support. I could do something about it.
 

Death of cancer

Got a whatsapp message from group ex-it sometime in May 2013.  A friend I knew during my IT life in this conglomerate returned to her Creator. She had a successful corporate life during time I knew her. IT Manager at PDB. We followed our way and eventually lost contact circa 2004/2005.

Alfatihah for Puan Nurul Noriah. Semoga puan lebih baik di sana.

When a senior manager does business

We were having a dinner at a new outlet in Taman Melati area fronting MRR2 when somebody followed the waiter who came to us to show the bill. She was a familiar face I knew. She could have been another customer, but she was not.
"I own this outlet, a franchising business."
"Part of retirement plan, he he. I am not going to work until 60. Aren't you?" she added.
She was a successful senior manager in the corporate office, and I was pretty much surprise, or may be I am the one left behind in planning for the future, about her involvement in 'other' business, whereas we are not allowed to do moonlightings.
She sought for the feedbacks about the foods served, in the name of improvement, same way OPI people at corporate office do after the event.
"Bit salty, I mean my bakso."
Afiq and Syahirah said nothing but the way they looked at me I knew they wanted me to say 'sikit sangat'.

Lesson learnt:
START PLANNING EARLY FOR RETIREMENT. In my case, only one year left.

Cat on Car

Title for my next short story? Ha ha but very catchy. Indeed it is.
Yes this creature is very friendly and cool. It has 9 lives too.
I like the cool part. Thats why many has gone under my Forte tyres. Kesian.

In my Miri house, there are >10 cats of various colors, mainly grey, as they are offspring of Michelle.
Adam and Ummi like them so much. We travelled to Kuala Belait in Brunei every month or so to buy cat foods. Way much cheaper than in Miri. Smarheart pack of 7 kg, cost RM62.90 in Miri, but only BND18 or about RM45 in selected shop in Brunei.

Lessons learnt:
Brunei is tiny place with good and beautiful people.

Complicated love affair in Miri

An operation engineer, female, less than 2 years in the organization was in relationship with a local technician. She was sweet and friendly that many could have fallen for her easy style and could have easily mistaken her charming approach as something serious - something called love, probably. But not what she thinks. False hopes, probably not that false, I dont know, was given. The technician was on cloud nine, until time came for the engineer to make decision. Change of heart. She realized she needed somebody equivalent, an engineer too, as a life partner. She found the operation engineer she thought could make her life meaningful, unfortunately working on the same platform with the technician but different shift. The poor technician could not take it and demanded promise to be fulfilled.
In one incident at Miri Airport, upon her arrival from KL, he grabbed her into his car, but somehow let go when others watched. The case was reported. The company conducted internal investigation. HR stepped in. The solutions were to immediately transfer her to another sister company in Semenanjung. Her new beau was tranfered to another platform.

Lessons learnt:

1. Never underestimate the power of love.
2. Old ways of transfering problematic people to faraway location may not work these days when email and whatsapp know no border.

Staff left because of manager, not job

Attrition rate in this organization is not alarming, less than 1℅ for the first quarter 2013. But when technical engineer left, one with critical skill and well-trained, HR people felt bad. The cost of recruitment is not worth it.
During one of exit meeting, one of the reason quoted was the manager did not deliver the promises, not helping at all when approached. Yes middle managers are overloaded in this company, I am one of them. Organizing Staff Appreciation Dinner, developing offshore technicians KPI,  leading HR team in due dilligence for brownfield takeover are some tasks I am expected to complete in May 2013.  So when the resigning staff said his manager is one of the reason he decided to resign, I am not surprised at all. I have 7 staff under me, all running on auto mode. Except junior staff who need handholding a bit longer.