Career Master Room, MCKK, 1969 :
" Nik, what career do you want to be in, say after your university days.. ", our Mat Saleh career master- Malaysian Studies- cum historian, asked me.
" I want to be a spy sir!...anything like James Bond double O seven, with a license to kill, at least kill for the country, sir! "
" I am afraid Nik, there is no such career in a small country such as ours. You have to choose another vocation... "
" In that case, I will choose to be a detective..."
" No, you are MCKK, you have to do better than that.. "
" OK sir, if that is the case, a career in Engineering will do.."
The career consultation, at least for me ended abruptly. It must have been too much for Mr D. G Tate, even though he was a well known writer of Malaysian History in his time.
At HSC, I did badly at Physics Practical examination, thus only obtaining a Subsidiary grade in Physics. So, Engineering was definitely a No, No
There was a story to this actually.
Myself, Peng, Fattah and I think also, Zawawi were trying hard to get into our Physics Lab , the night before our Practical Exam.
We knew those boys in VI, Methodist and Penang Free probably had had their practical done weeks before the exam time, as standard rehearsals. These have been going for years, the 'desus desas' and in 1969, post May 13th, we were sure this must have carried on.
At least this was the popular perception at that period of time, rightfully or wrongfully.
By 2 pm , we managed to get into the Lab.
There on the tables were properly arranged :bunsen burners, a piece of wood, some strings, a few nails and hammer, and some papaya stems, all properly set up at each individual student's corner.
At 2 am, we all wondered wow!!
This looked like a carpentary practical rather than a Physics Exam.!!!
I ended having migraine the next morning.
I did badly at carpentary. The nails, hammer and wooden board and string were there to measure " coefficient of friction ". [ hawat tak cakap awal awal!!!! ]
My migraine got worse during the practical.
The rest was history.
This recalcitrant student ended up being a doctor in 1978.
As to Peng, he just retired last year from UH as Consultant Peadiatrician with interest in Paediatrics Oncology.
Fattah is still successful, busy family physician in KB
Zawawi retired as special adviser to Tuan Guru NIk Aziz. Made a dato long before his retirement.
He was sane enough to change to Arts Stream in his sixth Form.
Fast Forward to 1983, St Bartholomews Hospital, Central London, EC13AI :
Mistake No 2....
After a short 6 month stint as senior house officer in Geriatrics, at Hackney Hospital, London, under consultant geriatrician, Dr A T Brain, son of Lord Brain, a famous neurophysician of his time who single handedly wrote the definitive Neurology book of that time, I wrote in to Dr RAJ Spurrel to join his department as an honourary research registrar in Cardiology..
Was accepted right away with strong recommendation from Lord Brain's son, my boss at Hackney.
And why not? For the Cardiology Department at Barts, I am a pair of 'free hands' to help them in The Cath Lab and in their diagnostic dept to help with their daily load of Stress ECG's and Echo. Also free hand to do the unpopular weekends calls for the department.
But as providence hs it , I was handed over to work under the up and coming world famous Dr AJ Camn, who was the youngest full Professor in Cardiology , in London at that time.
No Cath Lab for me at that time, just early morning coffee followed by reading 4 inches thick His bundle ECG's of 4 or 5 patients at precisely 7am every working mornings, with our senior registrar, Dr Anthony Nathan, combing through each pages, like an eagle, overlooking us registrars...At precisely 8 am , our mundanc hospital work and clinic start right up to late evenings.
After one year of this ordeal, I gave up on Prof AJ Camn. I walked off his department and join the plumbers!!
Looking back, it must be the biggest career mistake I have done.
Fast forward to 2025, I am now just a humble plumber plying my trade in Subang Jaya Medical Centre, coming to 40 years now.
Had I persisted with Prof AJ Camn, I could have been an 'Electrician', instead of just a humble plumber....
This 'animal' , in 1986, way back in Malaysia, did not even exist !
Now of course, there are plumbers and electricians everywhere now in 2025.
