The year 1991.


I dreamed to have a bicycle like this when I was ten. The dream came true forty five years later - when my kids abandoned their bicycles for the games on PC.

Most events were extensions of the 1990 assignment, including the major lectures: SK 4642 in Semester II (90/91) and SK4732 in Semester I (1991/92), plus the SD courses facilitation, and the hons project students' supervision, and plus the committee things, the KBSM matters and things with DBP. Some parental 'delis' required modification since Rubaini shifted her Form 1 from SMK BBB to SMAS Kajang from Jan 18 Fri. I dealt with her in the very early morning to Kajang (racing with the train, competing for the gate bar at the crossing) while Zizah dealt with the SRK-ers in BBB. From April, I made a mutual arrangement with a fellow parent, Dr Idris of UPM in Jln 2/2; he would take the girls to school in the morning, and I picked them in the afternoon, but yet I had to take Rubaini to BBB. Pak Zik, turned up on Jan 30 Wed after about a month messaged, and I zeroed with him the house building payment so that I could continue to bring up my children in a home free from any fear; preceeding the night dinner of Ikatan (Persatuan Penerbit Melayu Malaysia) in KL Regent on PAP ticket.

Perhaps the year was better marked by a world event: Jan 17 Thu, the US invaded Iraqis in Kuwait. It was known later as Gulf War I (GW1) after much anticipation that US would continue with a series of military interventions in order to rob the middle east oil. The US had all the means to anihilate the iraqis on the desert between Baghdad and Kuwait City.

During the mid-sem break beginning Jan 28, I attended the Malay Language Update Course organised by the Pusat Bahasa, which turned out to be a sponsored 'picnic' for the managers of the Linguistic Society. We never recieved the certificate to this date.


At National Fry Hatchery and Research Centre, Pulau Sayak. We were told that the fry researched in Gelah Patah Aquaculture, the place we visited last year, were flown from here in a special flight.
Chitin Grp resumed the survey (part of the IRPA objectives) on Jan 9 Wed by seeing the wool processing factory in Semenyih (Malaysian Top Makni). Perhaps the most looked forward was the trip on May 27 Mon to Langkawi. The trip started along the west coast to United Plantation in Ulu Bernam and put up in Teluk Batik; the following day, the various Cold Storages in Bagan Serai and Parit Buntar, and a break at Kuala Lumpur Hotel in Butterworth (popped in Penang by the ferry in the evening through to almost mid night); May 29 Wed, National Fry Hatchery and Research Centre, Pulau Sayak and a 'resuscitation' in Kangar before crossing the next day May 30 Thu to Langkawi. May 31 Fri 'rest' on the Pantai Tengah beach. The final day was Jun 1 Sat at Langkawi Aquaculture and a poke at the water treatment plant of the Pelangi Beach Resort. Jun 2 Sun was the journey home; it was a very heavy rain when we were in the southern Kedah, an almost trapped by a flood near Kepala Batas, Prai; reached Taiping at almost mid-night to break the journey. Jun 3 Mon, breaking away from the team, a visit to Zubaidah in Sitiawan, to return to Bangi the next day.

The consultancy works with TR Perusahan slowed down because of the raw material problem; constant supply could nor be established although no problems arised from the chemicals. A meeting on Feb 9 Sat in Semenyih was not quite an encouraging one.


In Parapat, Toba (left) and Samosir background (right).

Lunch in Restoran Garuda in Medan (left), and in a sea-food production in Belawan (right).
A new front nonetheless was opened on June 19 Wed with an informal meeting in Jln 6 in Bangi with a Sumatran delegation (Tg Razman and Tg Musa), in anticipation for a bigger JVC, downlining to effluent treatment. It was followed by a trip to the proprieter's place on Aug 24 - 28 in Medan, Sumatra (a Trikora). The host was Tg Razman. On arrival, after a lunch at Medan Club we were rested in Tarabunga, Parapat, Toba (ca. 4 hrs drive from Medan in a Toyota's Kijang). Obviously the next day was a tour to Samosir Island in the Toba Lake before being driven back to Medan and put up in Garuda Plaza. Of all the people we met at the hotel, were a full coach of visitors from no other than Sungai Merab, and more, another coachful from Seberang Takir, Terengganu. The actual study tour was on Aug 26 Mon; seeing the prospecting areas around Belawan, and the lab of a sub-Trikora in Medan. It happened that a student in the Grp, Harry Agusnar (an USU staff) was around, and we were guided by him up to USU campus; Aug 27 Tue was another 'academic' discussion on matters related the JVC's contents; a (must) visit to Pasar Ikan Lama - perhaps it used to, but then were flooded with tourism items, especially batik, one each for every body at home. The continuation was carried out informally at the residence of Tg Razman over a dinner, joined by one Malaysian of Indochem, Aris, and Pak Mustafa, a bigger Trikora. The next day the flight home.

KBSM4 went through, PAP was officially communicated on Jan 7 Mon. Anuar DPI was still a PAP part in the bridge to BBT. In DBP, Feb, a translated chemistry ms was read, to be set by Pakar Set Teknik for DBP; it took a second reading to get closer.

Mac 18 Mon was Ramadan 1411 and the Eid was on April 16 Tue in Trg (and fishing). And another home break to Trg on Aug 12 - 21. The school final break began on Oct 26 Sat. The new school day was on Dec 2 Mon. This year Muzani inched to Year 1 SRK BBB, on top of the standing Zidni, Year 3, Malini Year 6, and Rubaini Form 2 in SMAS, Kajang.

Computer AT 286 appeared. This was the period I had my own first PC, ca. five years after I first laid my fingers on a PC key-board (of the department controversial IBM-clone): an AT 286 - 1991 Oct 30 with Windows 3.1 running on 10/20 MHz CPU speed, 512 kb upgraded (from 256 kb) graphic ram, 1 mb RAM, 40 mb HD - twin 5.5" FDD (added later on a 3.5" FDD); before CD era. Movie was barely playable on such a PC with the aid of an additional video card. I could not afford a DOS-run PC before that. There was only one such DOS-run PC HDD-less in the department. The DTP was Ventura, on which I laid-out my sebbatical (Apr 1, 1989 - Dis 31, 1989) product: a book "Rentasan Kimia Fizik" of which I persuaded successfully Pustaka Aman to publish and print (1992).


Edition dated May 2003