A_1990

The year 1990. Since my sabbatical ended on last Dec 31, Jan 2 Tue was my re-first day in the office (Semester II, 1989/90). That was my first sabbatical since lecturing in 1976; and the first pro 'job' was to give lectures on SK4642 (Bulk Properties of Polymers) at ten. The following Semester (Semester I, 1990/91) it would be SK4732 (Physical Properties of Polymeric Solutions). A post-sabbatical "chat" with Academic TNC Prof Shahrir was arranged on Feb 9 Fri. Matriculation Centre had not forgotten me; in its Workshop on May 14 - 16, I was invited to sit on the chemistry panel.

LKIM's Sedili auction bay, and the "tukun tiruan" project.

DOF's Gelang Patah Aquaculture and Tebrau Kupang Culture.

Press conference on May 10 Thu, attended by both the Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Hamid, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (R&D) Prof Dr Sham Sani, and detail post-recording for broadcasting.

In the mulberry farm in Teresat, Terengganu, and the batik printing training institute in Pasir Tumbuh, Kelantan. Actually, in the former we were interested in the spent bombyx morii, whereas in the latter, the polluted washing water.

The batik washing fed Bodor river which in turn fed Kelantan river: the blue sky against the red river.

Chitin Group made a very impressive progress this year. The subject was the talk of the campus. On resubmission into Industrial Sector of MOSTE's IRPA, the group was awarded a substantial fund to carry out the quest on the new material, IRPA 02-07-03-011 (445KRM). Several projects were running concurrently; I led the derivatization, with Rohana Masud the RA. When tangible results were in need, a device was designed to show that chitosan cleans effluent. The group made two field trips this year. One was during the school break beginning Feb 23 Fri, south to Kota Tinggi (a break - with kids), LKIM and East Asia Marine Aquaculture, in Sedili; Dept of Agriculture's aquaculture in Gelang Patah, its Kupang Culture in Selat Tebrau in Johore Bharu, and the East Asia Marine's cold storage in Pasir Gudang. The second field trip was to the East Coast in late May; but I headed south to JB, to send off my nephew Mohamad Endut to Makkah while asking him to arrange for a proxy-Haj for my mother (via Ustz Abu Kassim). I also visited Wan Nukman, the son of Che Wan Bakar, my boyhood folk-mate in Terengganu, who was residing in JB and working in Singapore. Transgressed the east coast of Johore, for the first time I saw Endau and Mersing (apart from Sedili in last Feb - all three towns were fishing towns, and was told that many fishermen were from Terengganu, including one of my distant relative in Mersing, Abang Wi had been to and seen her). Rendezvous with the Chitin Grp in Terengganu May 28 Mon, seeing Sutera Semai in Chendering and its farm (the worm and mulberry) in Teresat, Kuala Berang; then to Kota Bharu seeing the Batik Printing in Pasir Tumbuh, Sungai Bodor (the most polluted polluted; it was so polluted that its surface was like a mirror fluid solid, and the mother-river looked like the universe upside down - a riversal of blue water under the evening red sun setting sky), and finally the Songket in Penambang. The trip ended up in the sea near Pulau Kapas off Kuala Terengganu coast, on May 31 Thu, "squidding". The adventure climaxed in a torrential storm that left many, especially Dr Rusli and Dr Jamil, with inverted excitement. While they were returning to Bangi by Kuantan route, I headed to Kota Bharu to peek at PAP at Simpang Tiga Telipot. I met the PAP founder Haji Hassan, on June 2 Sat, then headed to Bangi via Gua Musang, Kuala Lipis, Raub and Bentong (first time on this route).

Water treatment chitosan system; using a fraction of IRPA budget, and conversion to a more sophisticated version (complete with pH regulator) using special Chancellory budget for exhibition.

The model was taken to Mindex 90 Exhibition in PWTC on Aug 20-26, then replayed during the UKM 20 Years Celebration, Aug 27-30. It was constructed by Norsaidi's PCE from my design.
UKM launched the UKM 20 Years celebration, officially on May 18. The Chancellory decided to make a series of press releases as an activity during the celebration. Chitin Grp was picked to start, on Thu May 10; and a 'gallant' exhibition by FSFG students in the festival of Konvo 18 UKM on Aug 11-14.

In the meantime, the effluent treatment model worked well; it began with a make-shift piece-wise assembly, using a small budget that was allocated for me. Plumbing experience during the home building for the past three years was very helful. It was the only tangible item for the group, and in coincidence with various exhibitions to be held this year, a chancellory budget was allocated (apparently it was deducted from our IRPA account) and contracted to PCE to make into a more compact and portable model. It was taken to Mindex 90 in PWTC on Aug 20-26 (during which I was attending the Course on Water Treatment in UPM - I met Ariffin Saat, SAS-ian 69, who was with Tampin Municipality); then 'replayed' in the Research Conference Exhibition (part of UKM 20 Yrs) in August 27 - 30, which was officiated by the Education Minister, Datuk Seri Anuar Ibrahim. Consultancy pioneered by Dr Arisol in a series of meeting with the Teroka Rimba proprieter Jalil (an architect) culminated in an attempt to set up a chitosan plant (Ramli Zainuddin joined) in Semenyih to be managed by T.R. Perusahan with the raw materials yet to be sourced. It started as early as Jan, infrastructure rose in April and by late Nov some kilos of the 'prototype' were produced; by the end of the year the plant met with the notorious raw materials bump.

Published Dec 1990

Published Nov 1990
KBSM matters were as hectic and as regimented as last year. PAP had just learnt something from last year KBSM2, yet they needed mediating pros editor like Anuar DPI and Amran DBP to interphase Koo from BBT. I took every effort to hunt for materials to furnish the contents. Opportunity during the Chitin Grp field trips was tight-gripped; one mission trip was on Mar 18 Sun from Dengkil, to PJ, to Batu Caves, KL; one peek to the publisher itself on Jun 2 Sat in Kota Bharu, and another on Oct 16 - 18 with Rashidi (by air). KBSM4 was briefed on Jul 12 Thu, and the proposal was ready by the year end, at about the same time as KBSM3 appeared. I coached Dr Khalik and Dr Zaharuddin of MINT to write one of General Science for Pantas Set (Sulaiman) as well as partnered another with Rashidi for Anggerik in Jalan Ipoh.

With DBP, Rudin's The Elements of Polymer Science and Engineering was ready by Mar, but had to find its new editor for Puan Rashidah had retired to help daddy's (who had just passed away) business in JB. Kimia Organik was in the gallei; indexed by June end.

Originally it was a WBB,

Since I had not tasted any "kemajuan" in my home state, I asked for one, and got a TM

And the recipient.
The home front was equally hectic, had to, to balance the moment polarised towards the KBSM and DBP. Lela made to KISAS Klang in Form 4 in Jan, thus created many peripheral activities throughout the year. With Awang MakNgah in JB, it was a chance to get to the place with a reason: a long week-end from Jan 26 via Segamat; Feb 24 in the Chitin Grp field trip; May 25 'detour' to rendezvous the Grp three days later in K Trg. The Eid 1410H was on Apr 27 Fri, but we were at home already as early as Apr 21; and for myself, not forgetting sea-going on Apr 29 Sun with the 'crews' I picked like they were two years ago. Another long vac was in the near year end, Nov 6-17, taking every body, including Ani (who had completed her MPI training and to report to Trg Education Office - after twice seeing Wan Bakar, Mar 9 Fri and Oct 4 Thu) to Sitiawan (a night with Zubaidah), then Penang (putting up with Dr Wan Saime - just completed his sabbatical in Chitin Grp) for a day round with the Penang Festival, then out via Kepala Batas (Ani's course mate), Grik (Rest House), through east-west to Kota Bharu and finally K Trg. Even on the return journey on Nov 16 Fri, it was on the reverse route to Taiping seeing Zali (MRSM) for a night. The C70, the WBB recipient arrived on May 21 by Pahang Mail for AdikJo now moved to Dungun ITM after a few months in SS form six. We spent the Eid Adha on Jul 2 Mon in Bangi for the lecture of the new session 1990/91 commenced the next day Jul 3 Tue. Awang MakNgah moved to Bangi (3/6), assumed his MEd programme in UKM, and might not return to school teaching again since his unmaterialised approved move last year to Trg on inspectorate ticket.

From left: Amin, me, and Maung Kyaw, lunching in the Union Cafetaria, Salford U, 1976
Unexpected snail mail communication on Oct 31 from Dr Maung Kyaw, a Burmese housemate in Castle Irwell, Salford in 1974-76, a doctorate student working under Dr Robert Blackburn on something radiation chemistry, who I coached to drive his yellow VW-Beetle he said he would take back to Burma. He said he acquired my name from a flyer about UKM, landed in his University in Yangoon. He was enquiring about his friend who had reached to Dept approval for a post degree study; no events followed after that perhaps due to non-validity of the G-G financial arrangement.

Security around the residential area was getting worse. The residents pooled for a paid night watch, throughout the year, and I was cornered for the 'manager'. Mar 12 Mon was the beginning of the end: Zainuddin was armed-robbed; Aug 21 Tue (at night's wee hours), it was an attempt on my own house, and a few hours later Wan Hassan was exhaustively armed-robbed (including from all members of his parents family and parent-in-laws family), followed by a failed attempt at Dr Jariah's in Bakar Baginda. With the incidents occurred under the nose of night watch, many residents (especially the victims) took a common sense decision; the night watch was stopped and every one watched themselves.

Monday Dec 3, the schools reopened. Rubaini now phased up to the secondary school; Sat Dec 1, she registered in SMK BBB, nextdoor to her primary school. It was our followed-on transition (and many more to come in coming years), marked by the first formal exam she sat, UPSR on Jul 24 Tue with the results appeared on Oct 24; and SDE on Sep 3 Mon with the results appeared on Oct 25. The latter led to an offer in Sekolah Hishamuddin, Klang. Malini in Year 5, in the morning session, but Zidni in Year 2 was in the afternoon session. Muzani now started his TASKI (Aishah, Jln 2/2B), at the same place his brother Zidni went to before. Alya had grown, substantially in the Toyota driven by her mother to ferry her sisters and brother to schools. This year she would continue to get so.

YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, and his famous "Merdeka" on the Sat morning of Aug 31, 1957. He was the Prime Minister since 'merdeka'. He stepped down on Sep 22 1970. And the late Tun Hussein Onn; he was the Prime Minister from Jan 1976 to Jul 1981.
Hj Ahmad Keromo (extreme right), pictured in 1972 in front of his house, my foster father in UKM Working Camp in 1972. To his right: Sonoto (my "brother"), me, and his wife, MakChik Timah. Front row, his sons L-R: Zainal, Zakaria (youngest child), and Zainuddin (eldest son). Haji Ahmad survived by three daughters and four sons. He worked in Health Ministry's medical laboratory in Section 17, PJ (in front of Islamic Study Faculty, UKM) to his last (unretired) day. I visited him on Eid Azha Jan 14 Sun 1973 (with Mansur Abdullah who went to visit his 'host'). I was asked to attend his first daughter (the eldest) Norsiah's wedding (to Mohd Nor) in 1973 Sep 1 Sat (with Sonoto); when I was in England in 1974-76, his second daughter Norhasanah wrote to me on how to get best in her exams. His other daughter, Noraina was small, and the other son was Zulkarnain. The family visited me once in 1977 Jun 1 Wed in Damansara Utama. I maintained the relationship to this day with his family like I would with my relatives.
This year the country paid tribute to two former prime ministers. On May 29 Tue, it was to Tun Hussein Onn, the third Prime Minister; he passed away in San Francisco, aged 68, and was laid to rest in the National Mosoleum. Then, on Dec 6 Thu, the passing away of the first Prime Minister, YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, aged 87. He was laid to rest in the Kedah Royal Mosoleum, Alor Setar, his home town. In between, on Aug 25 Sat, Haji Ahmad Keromo, a local Sungai Merab I knew since 1972, passed away after about a year unwell. He was one of the front-liner in the 'cheering crowd' when UKM was announced in 1970 to be built in Bangi, thus a 'host parent' when PMUKM organised a Working Camp in Sungai Merab - Bangi in Mar 1972. He was one of the village elders; when he spoke, people listened. General Election was on Oct 21 Sun, I was in the middle of KBSM; PAS swept Kelantan, as did, forestallingly, in Kuala Terengganu Bandar, a DUN traditionally represented by the only chinese in the state.

New semester (II) began on Dec 10 Mon. A doctorate student, Zainal Abidin Harahap (a staff of Universiti Shiah Kuala, Banda Acheh) registered under my supervision; he would carry out a full time research on an attempt to clean palm oil mill effluent using chitosan system). A briefing was held on Dec 21 Fri by the Academic Deputy Registrar's office (by Prof Dr Zainal from Electronic and En Hamdan from FPP) on new PNGK grading to be implemented beginning next session.

Edition dated May 2003