1994.
 Tekam Plantation Resort pool. Many staff and the accompanying children were tempted, but ironically, the regulations were incompatibly enforced on us. |
A hectic year. New year was still in the Tekam Plantation Resort, Jerantut, continuing the student motivation programme for Material Science and Nuclear Science students. My talk (on IT Explosion and The Impact) was in the afternoon and after dinner I took off to drive home. The year began with Rubaini checked in KISAS, Klang on Jan 2 Sun for her form four. However, the girls hostel was very bad, her intolerance forced us to concede after being agreed by the HM as well as the HEM deputy, and re-enrolled in Maahad Hamidiah, Kajang when the school reopened (after the first half-sem break) on Feb 15 Tue like her other SMAS-ian who did not go to KISAS or SMAP; it was on the fourth day of Ramadan 1414H [SMAS was closed in Jan 1996, the building was returned to the 'owner' JAIS for its SRA; it was 'replaced' with a similar SMA in Kuala Selangor; the teachers were distributed among the few secondary schools in Kajang area.]
In between, I returned home to Terengganu twice. First on Jan 7 Fri (with Alyani only, then only five - she insisted) to begin to proceed my solemn promise I made to my mother - to bring up my sister, Ani through to her wedding day. On this date it was for the papers to be in order and for making sure all the necessary hands to man the job on the day, and especially to let my other sisters to feel that every body was doing it for our mother and they had me standing tall; Soh and Man, my sisters' hubbies were the men about the house. The second home-coming was on the wedding day itself with all the family, Feb 4 Tu, through to the walimah day on Feb 7 Mon. Rubaini and Malini joined their Teh in the khatam, while the bull life was for CB's akikah. We still returned for the Eid 1414H on Mar 14 Mon for the whole week.
I was lured to venture into KBSR; an attempt was a team up with Rashidi, Dr Omar Ibrahim; to be promoted by Datin Azizah Mokhzani's publisher who included a teacher I had never met before, Wan Salma (and I never met to the end). The first sitting was on Jan 20 Tue followed by a BBT's briefing in DBP on Jan 27 Thu. The proposal ms was prepared almost round the clock during the short few days; submission on Feb 14 did not kick the tick.
 Asia-Pacific Chitin and Chitosan Symposium, May 24 - 27, 1994, Recreation Club House, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, MALAYSIA. |
Setting the proceeding was really a full time job: mss re-keyed, diagrams scanned, papers laid-out, and the proof shuttled (by s-mail) to the authors for verification. And I was alone (with Amipro on my 286 AT, HP 4L, and borrowed Deanery's HP scanner) to deliver the CRC; monitored by the editors, Faezah and later by Antony.
Post simposium: several in the media articles - The Sun. sun94_ogo18a.jpg sun94_ogo18c.jpg c_penerbitan\inmedia\sun94_ogo18a.jpg Dec 29 Thu meeting Mr Teoh of EG in Taiping, second meeting since xxxxx. possible joint venture companies. Kolokium FSFG Penang Park Royal Seminar.
Concurrently with the proceeding, was the ms "Eksperimen Kimia Polimer", compiled on the Dept insistence to carry the UKM 25-years anniversary logo next year.
The kids had their first semester break right after the (going to be historic) symposium from May 28 Sat (to June 19 Sun) and we spent all of them out of town. First in Sitiawan (Zubaidah was the reason there - and thus joined by Kamal's family from Segamat) for two days to include a dip in Teluk Batik and a night fishing (by land) at Shell and Malayan Flour's Bagan Laut jetty. The place was night-mosquito-infested (Zidni and Muzani were wrapped in sarong), but with a 3 kg senangin catch, it was worth a trip. The beachy frolics continued in Terengganu, in Penarik river for the kerang, Takir river for the small fries (for kiddies and ladies), and finally in the (usual) boat to the sea with usual crew including Kamal on the first trip - Jun 14 Tue - around Pulau Kapas, and Num and Jo on the second trip on Wed around Redang. The catch was good and we returned to dock at close to mid-night. When we reached to enter the estuary, the tide was still low. The smell of durian auction (durian season) in front of the Post Office lured us to dock there for a munch. On the way to the jetty then, the boat stucked on the sand in the low tide. We had no choice but to anchor right in the middle of the river mouth waiting for the tide to get sufficiently high to float the boat; and that would be tomorrow morning. From Bidong a few hours ago, via Num's hand set, we sent a call saying that we were cruising on the way back, but the engine had intermittent coolant problem; then the hand set ran out of battery to resend the call when we were already a few hundreds meters away from the jetty and were on a durian spree. Devoid of the second call, the waiting people on the land took it as we were in trouble with the boat engine broke down. So when we woke up in the morning (Friday) and docked at the jetty, a few elders were already in full gears with the rescue boat engine turned on to begin the search. I left at the jetty something to talk about for a few days. The break was finalised in Segamat on Fri night Sat, again on a durian spree; so that we could take Malini back to her hostel in TKC.
While my skin was well sun-tanned in the sea, the June ended dramatically. It was not that the new session 1994/95 lecture began on Jul 4 Mon, but out of whatever reason Dr Arisol tendered a 24-hr resignation on Jun 24 Fri, to join Sea Fresh chitosan adventure in Southern Thailand; the same day I received a surprise call and visit from Dr R Proehoeman who was a first (UKM pioneer) year medical student I acquainted in 1974 - after twenty one years apart. We had a quite lunch in D'Height in the afternoon May 28 Tue, after I had a short meeting with Amran at DBP, and before I went for the last meeting of the Task Force Committee about Pusat Sains Negara things in PJ Club (chaired by Mr Lim Tong Juan, retiring from Museum Negara); then another call on xxxx, then perhaps another twenty years.
At the new session I was made to take over the supervision of Harry from Dr Arisol who took over from arwah Dr Rusli last year. Added one new MSc student from India, Rosham, but after half semester he quitted for a better study environment in Singapore. April 22 Fri visited Dusun Durian Palm Oil Mill to post Zainal for his field trial.
Oct 28 Fri fishing in Port Klang with Rashidi.
Edition dated: June 2003