The Day a Survey Chain Taught Me Humility This is a story about swallowing my pride and eating my own words — rather reluctantly! It happened at the beginning of my career, when I was 22, young, stubborn and very sure of my reasoning. You might think that, after such an experience, I would have learnt my lesson well. Yet throughout my career, I have sometimes spoken too quickly, judged too soon and rejected an idea before listening properly. Whenever that happens, this little story returns to remind me to be humble. It was one of my first field survey assignments. I joined a survey party led by Ali, my good friend and fellow surveyor, to carry out a boundary survey of a small plot of land. We were using a measuring chain. It was heavy and needed two strong people to pull it taut. Even in my youthful strength, I struggled to handle it. My job was to read the measurements and record them in the field book. We were working beside a kampung road when a group of village women approached. Th...

  The following post was a random musing about my life using ChatGPT as writer. I had this blog spot with just one line at the top for a while, I did not even explain a single thing about the night before. I was thinking to delete this post but I thought why not asked AI to write based on what it already knows about me. It is not what I expected it to write. but nonetheless amusing read. Although it sounds like me, it is fictitious writeup and I quite like it.  I woke up from an exhausted body due to lack of sleep the night before.  On Leave, Apparently An imaginary day in my almost-retired life. I woke up with an exhausted body after too little sleep the night before. My mind, however, was already at work. “Before we get up,” it said, “perhaps we should review the things we did not finish yesterday.” My body declined to attend the meeting. I was on leave. This was supposed to mean sleeping in, resting well and listening to my body. Unfortunately, my body had been submitt...

  The Lord sent this Bible Verse into my social media reels to prepare me for what it to happen.  Isaiah 50:4 (The Message)  The Master, God, has given me a well-taught tongue, So I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, Wakes me up, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUH3lskKUzI Isaiah 50:4-11 4 The Master, God, has given me a well-taught tongue, So I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, Wakes me up, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders. 5 The Master, God, opened my ears, and I didn't go back to sleep, didn't pull the covers back over my head. 6 I followed orders, stood there and took it while they beat me, held steady while they pulled out my beard, Didn't dodge their insults, faced them as they spit in my face. 7 And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me, so I'm not disgraced. Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I'll ...

  As I draw closer to my 60th birthday, I do not feel old; I feel seasoned, with a wealth of experience gathered over the years. I am not wealthy, but I have enough to enjoy a comfortable life with my family. I hope I can still help the next generation build a stronger financial foundation — perhaps in small ways, but enough to give them a little push forward. Turning back to myself, I need to listen more closely to my body. It has served me faithfully all these years, yet I have not always given it the care it deserves. My biggest regret is reaching 60 with a tired body that now needs attention, rest and repair. As I prepare for retirement, I want to care for the body that has carried me this far, and give myself the time and space to live well. What are the FIRIST things come to my mind when I entering retiring age ? FIRST — My Thoughts on Retirement F for Finishing Well First thing first, finishing well is my key motto. I want to complete this chapter with care, purpose and inte...