Full Time Fulfilment
There is no definitive secret to happiness in life. We are constantly faced with circumstances that lead us along unfamiliar paths, and everyone has a different way of coping - of finding their balance and peace. This piece tells the stories of three individuals who lead very different lives: journeys defined by big shifts, daily struggles, sticking to the essentials and the pursuit of happiness.
Nazeri Ismail, Pastry Chef
Chef Nazeri’s imposing, somewhat intimidating disposition is betrayed by the break of his smile, coupled with a deep voice that reverberates with a welcoming warmth and pride at being one of only a few bakeries in Penang with a wide selection of bona fide European pastry and bread.
Wheat Connection is a labour of love that was established three years ago upon Chef Nazeri’s departure from an internationally renowned hotel group. As Head Chef, he had it all back then: a glamorous platform to perform, a healthy pay check and a steady flow of patrons. Today, situated at the heart of old Georgetown in a 150-year-old protected shop lot along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling sits his bakery, unassuming and exuding a colonial charm.
With a thoughtful frown, he shares his plans of making gradual additions to the already characteristic premise – a space that still retains old influences by way of mosaic floor work and an unusual dome shaped façade. “We try to make little changes here and there, but any plans to renovate need to first go through the city council.” The quiet stream of english classic hits playing in the background completes a purposeful setting, warmly lit and delicately decorated.
To most, Chef Nazeri’s shift from the luxuries of hotel service to running a humble bakery raised eyebrows. But to him, running his own business has been a dream since his foray into the culinary world 24 years ago - what more, investing in a labour of love. Remarking on his bakery’s simple yet comfortable ambience, he shares, “For me, humility bears more importance than extravagance. My focus is less on the shop’s concept or environment, but entirely on the quality of our food. It’s about sticking to what’s essential”.
“When I was at the height of my hotel career, I was my own boss. I had a capable team that waited upon my instructions with the menu, recipes and kitchen tasks. We operated with machine-like efficiency,” he reflects with an ever-earnest grin. Here at Wheat Connection with a relatively young team of four, Chef Nazeri works 16-hour days, every day of the week. “It’s become about working with what you’ve got, and making the best of it.” He has undoubtedly come a long way from working his way up to his heydays of representing Malaysia in the World Cup and European championships, making a mark as a dessert and chocolate specialist – and even being able to serve Malaysian royalty. These were moments he recall to be his finest yet.
As much as it all seem to rest on his shoulders, the father of three finds rest and encouragement at home with his family. His wife and children visit the bakery over weekends, helping out where they can. “It’s important to me that my children knows what keeps their father both busy and happy, and to learn where they can”, he said. Chef Nazeri also regularly shares ideas and consults his wife on plans for the future – one that includes taking up advisory roles in culinary institutions around the island to help nurture and encourage the young.
“In the years to come, I hope to grow with my bakery. By getting to know my clients better and maybe start a pastry school - but at the end of the day, just to keep doing what I do best.”
Lakhbir Singh, Lorry Driver
An excerpt from his high school magazine said this of him: “If you are looking for Lakhbir, look everywhere except his seat, he’s never there. You can easily identify him by his psychedelic turbans.” Fast-forward to today, little seems to have changed for the ever-smiling and gentle speaking father of three, a proud owner of a lorry business and lover of life.
Although the days of his psychedelic turbans have come to pass, little has changed for Lakhbir in his hunger for adventure and things anew. Being in the logistics industry allows him to travel and he often hits the highway, at times being away for long stretches. He also works on a project basis for the Road Transport Department (JPJ) by maintaining the department’s truck scales across the peninsular.
“My journeys have taken me to places such as Dabong in Kelantan and the deep-end of Terengganu along the east-coast, areas where communicating with the locals play an important part in getting around”. To Lakhbir, this is the best part of what he does: being able to explore new places, meet people beyond the city and quite simply, to learn through new experiences. He is particularly fond of the cheap and authentic delicacies in Kedah and Terrengganu - local delights that one from the city would not normally have, let alone know of.
Before kicking off his lorry business in 2002, Lakhbir spent almost two decades with a zinc manufacturer as a transporter. This is where he nurtured his knowledge in logistics, making valuable connections along the way – most of whom remain close friends today. “We live in a beautiful country – our ability to live peacefully and coexist in such a diverse society is really what makes us Malaysians.” And it also for this reason that he loves what he does, being able to constantly immerse himself in the different tapestries of people and places.
His journey to where he is today has not been one without steep inclines. It was not until 2009 that Lakhbir received full Malaysian citizenship: a 45-year wait dotted with numerous applications – most of which were rejected without reason. His parents moved to Kuala Lumpur in the early ‘60s and he grew up in a village on the peripherals of the city. Taught how to tend to livestock as a child, he was exposed to the rigours of hard labour at a young age in order to help support his family.
A man of simple routines, Lakhbir spends most of his time with his family at and at the gurdwara when he has time away from work. He enjoys speaking at lengths with his two sons and daughter – both of whom are already in college, well-poised for the challenges of the working world. “My key principle in life is to be kind to everyone, regardless of his or her looks. But it is equally important to find and make your own way, without relying on others.” This is what he constantly reminds his children of – that at the end of the day one will not be remembered for his or her riches, but for how much one gives to others.
Syed Azmi Alhabshi, Pharmacist & Social Activist
As the year-end monsoon ravaged the East Coast on an unprecedented scale in 2014, a jovial bespectacled city pharmacist stepped up, applied for leave, coordinated lorries full of essential goods and rallied a team of volunteers to provide on-ground assistance to stricken families. This is the story of Syed Azmi: an ordinary man from Taman Tun Dr Ismail who couples his extensive medicinal knowledge with an unbridled heart of compassion.
Azmi is well-known among peers for cultivating unconventional methods of reaching out and bridging the gap between communities and between the needy with those willing to give. As thousands of families in Kelantan were recovering from the floods, Syed Azmi visited a few schools to execute Free Markets: a novel twist of the flea market concept where every item on display is free for the taking, with the only requirement being a simple “please” and “thank you”. Azmi, along with his parents and close friends, successfully orchestrated the collection and transportation of essential goods and dry rations for hundreds of affected families from Kuala Lumpur in the run-up to the outreach. Another idea regularly spoken of by Azmi is the ‘Suspended Meal’: a gesture whereby one pays in advance for a meal that will be made available to anyone who asks for or are unable to afford one later. This meal is then ‘suspended’ by the restaurant or cafe to be given to those in need.
Speaking on the act of giving, Azmi stresses that a gesture need not be elaborate or driven by a motive to stimulate big changes. Rather, it should rest simply on the desire to help and done so within one’s capacity to do so. During Ramadan this year, Azmi alongside his parents broke fast and prayed with hundreds of homeless folks on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. His father, a retired engineer, cheerfully helped out with the cooking.
“It all started a few years ago when a lady from my town asked for help on social media for her ailing child. She highlighted the role of the local community and that really struck me – I was moved and endeavoured to help.” Since then, Azmi has not looked back and continuously finds delight in the opportunity to surround himself with like-minded people. He continues, “Her son could have been anyone else’s, it could have been my father - I know I would have certainly needed help and support from my neighbours.”
It is for this reason that Azmi is a part of #rakyat4rakyat - a platform for the public to get together and champion causes together. It is a platform for anyone who wishes to highlight needs within and beyond the community, be it through an NGO, foundation or an individual. “Who the members are should not be the focus, because it is ultimately about members of the rakyat (citizen) caring for one another. It’s not about where you come from or the colour of your skin. We don’t care much for hierarchy or labels.”
Having to juggle his job at the pharmacy while serving various communities is a challenge. Azmi continues to ponder on the possibility of establishing more structure, such as an office space to help organise and expand. Speaking on his hopes for the future, he nonetheless quips firmly, “I don’t want to be a senator. I just want to keep doing the things I do now, as an individual or an NGI (non-governmental individual). That way, I don’t have to be everywhere – and anyone can do what I’m doing. It’s not the name of the doer that the people need, it is the deed.”
