Assalamualaikum.

Abe Kie is not ashamed to admit that I come from a farming and rubber-tapping family. It was through the income from these humble occupations that Abe Kie was able to complete my secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Sains Machang, Kelantan, and eventually earn a TESL degree from the University of Malaya.

Life was certainly difficult back then, but thankfully, my late father, who was an only child, owned several acres of land. We may not have had much money, but at least we had land.

My love for farming was inherited from my father and has stayed with me to this day, even though the land around my house is rather limited. Still, I can grow a few things here and there to keep myself occupied during my free time.


This is the mango tree that I planted in front of my house. It is only two years old. I used to water it every day, but now that it has grown bigger, it survives with rainwater and water from the nearby drain.

Alhamdulillah, it looks healthy and thriving, doesn’t it? 🌱🥭


This is the tiered plant stand at the back of the kitchen where I keep my potted plants. I hired my brother-in-law to build it. It is six feet long and has three levels.

I use the stand to place pots containing lemongrass, ylang-ylang, jasmine, mulberry, pandan, pineapple, torch ginger, insulin plant, lime, Australian lime and cat’s whiskers. All of these plants are believed to have health benefits, especially as part of alternative remedies for managing my diabetes.


Under the water tank, Kak Ton has planted another mango tree. Once it grows bigger, we will have to prune its branches so that they do not extend into the neighbouring property.

Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy its fruit in another four years, in 2030. 🥭

Next to the kitchen entrance, there is another tiered stand for displaying potted plants. Here, I have pots containing turmeric, bird’s eye chilli, pandan, kelemak, Vietnamese bonsai, Chinese celery, torch ginger and pineapple plants. 🌱🍍


Finally, in the corner of the fence, Abam Kie planted a key lime tree. I bought a young tree that was already bearing fruit from Shopee. Once it was planted directly in the ground, it grew quickly and started producing fruit regularly. Alhamdulillah.

And that is the story of the plants growing around my house, which were planted about a year ago. May all these plants continue to flower, bear fruit and thrive for as long as I live on this earth.

That’s all for now. Thank you.