As an academician, upon completing a Ph.D program in 1984, I was asked to go to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Sabah Branch or Campus (UKMS) in Kota Kinabalu to help strengthening the Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Natural Resources.  The posting was somewhat very challenging considering my situation full of anxiety and do not know exactly what to expects knowing my wife is expecting our first child.  At the same time I got to be away entirely helplessly and dejected.  It was tough and such an anticlimax to start the supposedly exciting challenging career.  I was really upset, disappointed, confused, lost respect and disbelieving in the management system.  Not that I was objecting the posting to Sabah, but the timing was not right.  The decision made by the top management at that particular time turning down my request to delay the posting only after our first baby due in February 1984, was really heartbreaking.  To make things worse, upon knowing my teaching was only starting in second semester, which only started in May.  Well, nothing much one could do except swallowing and pretending nothing happened, in the notorious Malaysia’s scenario where boss is always right.

         On the eve after being informed by my sister in law, my wife was to undergo caesarean the next day on 19 February 1984, I was scared and just lost.  Somehow, I was invited to a diner at a staff apartment, and soon after we were watching television.  Coincidently, it was a drama where the wife was undergone complication and did not made it on surgery table.  Spontaneously, I stood up, rushed to the television, switch it off and went out to the balcony.  I was blank and empty, and luckily the host family understood.  Thank god, my wife made it and we have our first baby.         

         Ever since, the experienced made me tough, stronger and a fighter.  The whole episodes have opening my interest on haruan and wound healing.  It was also the time, when every academician was asked to come up with research proposal under the MPKSN, Ministry of Sciences, Technology and Environment (MOSTE).  As expected, I failed to secure any grant (well no point of grumbling and cracking our head over the internal as well as external politicking and the so called gangsterism within the system) except a small amount of seed money from the university, until I came across International Foundation for Sciences (IFS).  IFS had really helping me through not only with grant, but technical, networking and moral support to see me through thick and thin.  I therefore considering starting works on haruan research in June 1985, and never look back.