Lifelong Learning

14-25 March 2011
Once again, my doa to be Tetamu Allah telah di makbulkan sekali lagi. My family of 15 members boarded the MAS flight to Jeddah enroute to Madinah Al-Munawwarah and Mekah Al-Mukarammah on 14 March 2011 to perform our Umrah (Small Haj). I feel very blessed to be in Masjidil Haram again....Alhamdullillah.
The landscape in Mecca has changed tremendously, no more small peddlers doing their business along the roadsides like before just before and after each solat/prayer. Big tall skyscrapers now dominate the skyline of the Holy City - the latest one Zam Zam Towers, known to be the tallest clock tower in the world, joining the earlier hotel blocks like Mekah Hilton, Inter Continental Hotel (formerly Sheraton), and still more blocks coming up facing the Umrah Gate.
Performing the Umrah or small Haj is a cleansing exercise for all Muslims, spiritually. We beg forgiveness from Allah The Almighty, to forgive whatever we had done, consciously or unconsciously, to our relatives, friends or foes. Upon leaving Mecca after the Tawaf Wida', we are actually without any sins at all, just like litlle new-borns, all our wrongdoings and sins have been cleansed by Allah, the Most Merciful.
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Syukur Alhamdullillah.....Ya Allah ya Tuhan ku! Jangan lah di jadikan tawaf dan ziarah hamba Mu ini sebagai kali yang penghabisan di Baitullah. Jika sekiranya ditakdirkan menjadi kali yang akhir maka aku memohon syurga sebagai gantinya dengan kemurahan Mu, ya Tuhan Yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang.
To me, the more we learn Al-Quran, the more jahil we become. To learn the Quran and the Sunnah Nabi is a lifelong learning process. Muslims are required to "Tuntutlah ilmu sehinggga ke liang lahad"

Lifelong Learning

1-3 March 2011
I feel happy and satisfied attending the Workshop on Harmonization of MPOB Codes of Practice(CoP) at MPOB HQ in Bangi for the past 3 days. The refresher course conducted by an experienced Consultant for MPOB is indeed an introduction to the world of technical auditing for me. I now understand why any industry see the need to get themselves audited - more so to improve on their work processes in order to cut costs, maintain a good public image. For MPOB, it is to assist the palm oil industry of Malaysia to produce Sustainable Palm Oil. Once the Board achieve its goal of becoming a Certified Body(CB), it would be in a better position to compete with RSPO(Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil) to guide all organizations in the palm oil supply chain in the country to practice quality management sytems, hence to produce good quality products and services. I personally feel that MPOB should stand tall, despite various challenges and threats posed by RSPO and other green NGO's, being the most authoritative body on the oil palm / palm oil.
Personally, it was wonderful for me to meet up old colleagues who are still serving the organization with loyalty, dedication and a fierce sense of belonging to the organization, the same feeling I had before I retired way back in 2005. Becoming an auditor in MPOB is one way for me to serve the Industry again and this is what I would like to do while I still can for Palm Oil........
Psst....I accidentally bumped into my former staff, Pn Robiah and Cik Noraziah on the way out there and one of them asked me...Datin belajar lagi? Of course, learning never stop, learning is for life!