Jobs of joy

By LEONG SIOK HUI

Relish a life of adventure, help change the world and . . . get paid for it! StarWeekend looks into dream jobs.

YOU'VE got a dream job!” friends exclaim. 

What they mean is I get paid to climb mountains in Borneo, mountain bike in Sarawak's deep forest, sail the South China Sea or jump off a plane at 3,000ft (914m). 

And in the last four years, I've travelled to nine different countries on work assignments.  

On the flipside, I earn pittance compared to my peers (in other jobs), drive a 14-year-old clunker and only vacation in Third World countries to stretch my ringgit. But, I'm not complaining. 

All the folks featured here have one thing in common – they have a yen for a fulfilled life, and the drive to ride out their wildest dreams. They may not make their millions anytime soon, but hey, they can proudly say: “I've lived my life”. 

Naturalist/conservationist
Irshad Mobarak, 47

Why the job's cool: Irshad's typical day starts with an early morning stroll near the resort where he regales guests with intriguing facts and anecdotes. On most days, the ebullient guide gets to spot Asian Fairy Bluebirds, Oriental Pied hornbills or Dusky Langurs (monkeys).  

In his 16-year career, Irshad has helped with or appeared in documentaries like The Mysteries of the Malaysian Rainforest on National Geographic (NG) Channel and The Wedding Ceremony of the White Bellied Sea Eagle on Discovery Channel. With the NG filming crew, he saw the (also the first ever-recorded) courtship of the Great Hornbills where three young males clashed beaks to court one female.  

“I like to consider myself a conservationist first, then a guide,'' says the Negeri Sembilan native. “I pass the message of nature in an educational and fun way. It's great to see the reaction people get from understanding nature.”  

A self-taught naturalist and outdoor buff, Irshad also educates school kids and trains outdoor instructors on nature and conservation. As part of his job and passion, he trailblazes forest paths and takes part in scientific expeditions.  

Turning point: When he was nine, Irshad's father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. “I said: ‘Dad, I want to be a game warden',” says Irshad whose father exposed him to naturewhen he was young. 

Growing up, he would lap up nature documentaries by David Bellamy and Sir David Attenborough. But as years went by, he lost touch with his dream. He worked in a bank in Kuala Lumpur. 

Four years later, a holiday to Pulau Tioman changed his life forever.  

“It was my first time snorkelling,'' recalls Irshad. “I still remember how vivid the colours were. I spent five hours in the water, and only came up when I was hungry.  

“I knew then that I never wanted to be far from nature again,” says Irshad, who came back to the city and, to the chagrin of his parents, quit his job.  

He bummed around for three years, teaching recreation sports in Cherating and the islands off the East Coast. He drifted from job to job just to be close to nature.  

Then, he set foot in Langkawi . . . the island's incredible diversity of wildlife habitats, flora and fauna, beautiful mangrove forests and majestic limestone rocks bowled him over. He had found his calling – to protect what was right in front of him.  

That was 16 years ago.  

“I've been able to meet so many people, take people out to enjoy nature, done things I never expected to do in life,” says Irshad.  

“I've met my heroes,'' adds Irshad who met his childhood hero, botanist/writer David Bellamy. On a stint at the British Museum of Natural History, Irshad became an understudy to the world authority in butterflies, Professor Bernard D'Abrera.  

“To think that I walked in the same place as people like Charles Darwin and stood at the back of the house of (anthropologist/ naturalist) Alfred Russell Wallace . . .” 

Reality check: “We have lost 48% of our natural habitat in Langkawi. The biggest issue here is the continuous loss of wild land,” says Irshad. 

“If this island wants eco-tourism, we must save the remaining wild areas.” 

Irshad and his like-minded friends' biggest challenge is dealing with obstinate, oldschool politicians.  

But after years of fighting the conservation cause, Irshad and his friends finally got a chance to be heard.  

“Last year, when the authorities prepared the Langkawi Structural Plan 2015, I presented a bantahan (protest) and we were finally allowed to present our case to state politicians and town planners,” says the relieved Irshad.  

“But there are still lots of development projects in Langkawi. We just have to persevere.” 

Get inspired: “Find what your passion in life is and find a sense of purpose,” advises the man who holds the quintessential “dream job”.  

“Obstacles will come but if you're going the right way and your intentions are good, you'll find yourself.  

"Don't worry about the money, it'll come later,” said Irshad who has trained many (Langkawi) islanders to become guides.  

How does one become one of the best nature guides in the country?  

“Read, watch documentaries, research and, most importantly, go into the field,” advises the keen intellectual who loves reading.  

“Find a person who's good at what he does with nature, learn from him, and opportunities will come.” 

Outdoor gear retailer
Leong Dee Lu, 32

Why the job's cool: An outdoor buff, Leong gets to “thrash” the latest gear in the name of research. She and her staff try out the latest hiking pants, test climbing harnesses or outdoor sandals while on hiking, rockclimbing or river kayaking trips. She travels to outdoor shows, drops in on gear manufacturers and pokes around outdoor retail shops overseas. 

“Retail has always fascinated me because I love the interaction with people,'' says Leong, who has a US business and marketing degree.  

“It's like shopping for friends. The people who use our products actually appreciate their ‘toys'. And they come back and tell us about it.  

Turning point: Leong landed in the adventure gear industry by accident — literally. After dislocating her elbow while cycling, she couldn't drive for two months.  

To pass the time, she would saunter across the road from her house to Summit USJ and hang out at the climbing gym every day. 

She ended up helping her friends in the gym's retail shop. In four years, she upped her kayaking and climbing techniques and picked up rigging skills in adventure racing events.  

“But my passion was still very focused on product retailing. To me, the only way to get a ‘dream job' is to create it. So, CoreZone is the result of my passion.'' 

Leong and her business partners found investors who helped put the store together in three months. Barely seven months old now, CoreZone has the best selection of high-quality outdoor brands in the Klang Valley.  

Reality check: Leong's challenge is to educate Malaysians on using the right gear for the outdoors. She's also involved in nature conservation issues.  

“I hope that the outdoor sector in Malaysia will grow into a “real” industry that can support talented and/or highly qualified individuals who want to build a real career,” adds Leong. Currently, many graduates and skilled technical guides find it hard to make a living from the outdoor sector.  

If you've been working in the outdoor industry in Malaysia, you learn to live cost-effectively like Leong does.  

“Make IndoMee goreng and teh-o-ais limau (ice lemon tea) your staple diet, wear T-shirts and jeans to work, and your hiking shoes 24/7,” quips Leong. “And spend all the money you earn on new gear at staff price and an adventure trip.”  

Get inspired: Leong's simple advice — dream, plan, execute. “Live your dream, but be smart about it.” 

Underwater/social documentary filmmaker
John Wong, in his 40s

At home, he works with local universities and NGOs to document scientific expeditions and with local media to run production workshops for teenagers.  

Why the job's cool: Wong is one difficult man to get hold of. When this writer asked around, no one knew where he was — “The last I heard, he was in Vietnam,” said one source.  

“He's been AWOL for a while,” said another. 

After a month, I got hold of him. 

For nine months, Wong was filming street children in Cambodia for a Christian mission group. He was shuttling back and forth between Vietnam and Cambodia.  

Wong's passion took him to the world's nooks and corners that were never documented before, and he also rubbed shoulders with amazing people.  

Filming on location in the Flores for his Deeps Asia project, Wong met renowned underwater photographer, David Doubilet, of the National Geographic magazine. He interviewed Doubilet and filmed him working underwater.  

“I was exposed to communities who have so much difficulty trying to survive,” said Wong. 

“There were hungry, malnourished children, and communities trying to sustain a livelihood in the face of continued exploitation from overfishing and shore pollution.”  

Wong feels his job is to create awareness about things that he feels passionate about – marine environment and people in relation to the environment they live in.  

“I can't contemplate going to work everyday, 9 to 5, beating the traffic. At the end of the day, I'm just maintaining a lifestyle so I can pay for my house, car, this and that,” says Wong. “Is that what life is about?”  

Turning point: A Kuantan native, Wong started scuba diving in1984 and fell in love with the underwater world. Then an outdoor guide taking foreign tourists to national parks, Wong started fiddling around with an underwater camera in the late 80s.  

Wong credits his mentor, Janathana Naidu for teaching him the art of documentary filmmaking. He picked up the rest of his skills through hands-on experience, short courses and brief industrial stints in the US and Europe.  

Reality check: It's one thing to capture the images and document the stories but it's another thing to be able to sell your story, as Wong found out.  

But it was tougher than he imagined.  

Frustrated by the lack of response from the broadcast industry, Wong went ahead with his dreams anyway.  

“I was more concerned with doing my stuff, bringing it back and selling it,” says Wong. “Dealing with distribution – controlled by big syndicates and censorship, was something I didn't anticipate.''  

He did video production workshops and corporate videos, and even taught English to keep his dreams alive.  

“When I went to Cambodia and saw the kind of desolation there, I broke down in the middle of the streets. How do I convey to people the intensity of the suffering there?” asks Wong.  

“I can't because I can't find the platform to tell my story. I can't reach my audience and that's the worst thing. It kills an artist.”  

“Maybe I will look into other forms of mass media other than film and television,” says Wong. “I'm a storyteller at the end of the day. I just want to tell those stories because I think they matter.”  

Get inspired: Many young people have shared their aspirations with Wong. But the usual lament is the lack of sponsors.  

“I gave up everything to pursue my passion. Don't expect anyone to pay for your dreams. Put your money where your dreams are,” says Wong.  

It took him 10 years of research and hard work before he set out to do his Deeps Asia series.  

“I started off with RM2,000 in my pocket and half a million ringgit worth of sponsored equipment. It's barely enough but I just committed myself to the project and went ahead and did it.” 

White-water kayaking instructor & rafting guide
Marjorie Gabriel, 40

Why the job's cool: She's tackled Class V rapids (Class V's strictly for experts and adrenaline junkies) in Sumatra's Asahan River and Selangor River, KKB. And she's the first Malaysian female to log a descent down Selangor River in a hard shell kayak.  

“Kayaking is the only thing I've done in my life that makes me happy. Not even relationships or good sex can do that!” says Gabriel.  

And it doesn't hurt that her passion and skills are bringing in the dough. On a good month, Tracks runs rafting trips back-to-back over the weekends. Gabriel's guides will lead the runs while she's the self-appointed safety kayaker. She paddles ahead of the rafts to check out the river for obstacles. If all's clear, she signals the go-ahead.  

She also slots in a three-day beginner/intermediate kayaking class when there's demand.  

And when Tracks is toying with selling rafting trips to Sumatra, Gabriel lugs her kayak on the plane and goes on a recce trip down Asahan River.  

Home for Gabriel and her business partner/friend, Karin Lee, is a roomy four-bedroom house with a garden of fruit trees in the laid-back town of KKB. The bubbly lady with a hearty laugh walks around in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. A break from kayaking for Gabriel means chilling out at the nearby waterfall or taking a dip in the natural hot springs on cool nights. 

“Kayaking has never been work. The fact that I can earn money and play at the same time, it's fantastic,” Gabriel says. 

Turning point: For 13 years, the Kuala Lumpur born-and-bred lady was spinning music in various clubs and hotels in the city.  

“I was very happy as a DJ, it was a dream job at that time. But the partying got boring,” says Gabriel.  

Then one night, her friend, Bernie, asked if she was keen to go white-water rafting.  

“‘RM150 for the trip? Do you know how many beers you could buy with that?' I said to him,” recalls Gabriel. “I just wasn't keen to fall into a typical muddy Malaysian river.” But she tagged along anyway.  

Gabriel's life took a 180-degree turn. When their raft got stuck on the rocks just before the last vertical drop, everyone had to bail and jump into the frothy water.  

“The moment I hit the water, I got sucked in. It was thrilling and I came out and yelled, ‘Whoa! What was that?'” recalls Gabriel.  

Every bit of free time she had, she made the one hour-plus drive to KKB to kayak. Six years ago, she quit her job, decided to live on her savings and kayak full-time.  

After one-and-a-half years of “playing”, she was finally offered a partnership at Tracks. She packed her bags and set up home in KKB.  

Reality check: A rafting and kayaking business survives on the river. So, when the authorities built a dam on the Selangor River and the water level dropped, Tracks was in trouble. 

“There were some scary moments when we were low on our finances. I thought of giving up and working as a safety kayaker in New Zealand or the US,'' says Gabriel.  

At that critical period, her friend Karin chipped in with some money and helped boost the company up again. They started running trips at a different river and ventured into abseiling and canyoning trips.  

“I wasn't good in marketing or managing the business. Karin saw the company's potential,” says Gabriel. “I'm just glad I stuck it out.” After that one-year hiatus, Selangor River filled up and business came back up again.  

Get inspired: “You CAN make a living out of anything you're passionate about,” stresses Gabriel. “There are no boundaries as to what you can do with your life. You just have to like it.” 

Climbing wall builder/rock climber
Aswadi Akmal Mohd Noor, 26

A rock-climbing junkie, Adi is the first and only Malaysian to pull off an 8A route at the Nyamuk climbing site near Batu Caves. (8A is a degree of difficulty in the French rating system.)  

Why the job's cool: It takes a real climber to design an artificial wall that can challenge outdoor climbers. BLOCX is headed by one of its co-founders, swiss climber Patrick Andrey, who is also Adi's friend and mentor. Adi picked up the tricks of the trade from Andrey. 

After months of hard work, he gets to put the walls up and “test” them.  

“When people admire the walls and comment on its nice routes and features, it's great,” says Adi. “And it's fulfilling to see people enjoy climbing.”  

Climbing walls get families together. Hopefully climbing will become part of the Malaysian culture, Adi adds. 

“I'm very happy with this job because I'm working with my friends and there's always new stuff to do and learn.”  

Turning point: Fresh out of school after Form 5, Adi thought about becoming a chef. He enjoyed watching and helping his mum cook, especially during festive seasons. 

But he wasn't interested in the food business. 

He studied graphic design in college but found out he didn't like designing for other people.  

He did rope access work and odd jobs for a while to pay the bills. (Rope access uses abseiling techniques and equipment to clean high buildings).  

“It was a job that's closest to rock climbing but the experience was scary,” says Adi who started climbing when he was 14. “Sometimes the weather is unpredictable or you find yourself tottering on a one-foot wide ledge 50m above ground.”  

When Andrey offered him a full-time position at BLOCX, Adi thought, “Cool, why not!” 

Reality check: Building a climbing wall is not an easy job.  

“It's hard labour and some people say it's not good for me,” says Adi.  

“But life itself is not easy. It's always a challenge every day. I've tried working in an office. It's just too much sitting around all day.”  

A self-professed low-maintenance guy, Adi says he makes enough to sustain his lifestyle. His biggest expense lately is fixing his 13-year-old Daihatsu Charade.  

Get inspired: “Ask yourself, ‘Yeah, it's a good job, good money but are you really happy?'. Are you missing out on something,” asks Adi. 

“To me, a meaningful job is one where there's always something to learn.”