Arriving in college the same day he reported to the authorities and checked into one the hostel. He made his way to Miri town for the first time to buy all the basic supplies including mattresses, pillow, blanket, plate, fork etc. He moved one step at a time, looked back and tried to remember how to get back to where he first started his stroll. Getting lost in a “big” town was the last thing he wanted to do. Perhaps because of his “I am new here and don’t belong to this place” walking style prompted one of the penjual ubat (drug peddler) to daringly nangkap his mosquito bitten hands. Inspecting the bites the peddler inquired his origin, married or single, employed or unemployed and when told that he was student prescribed certain tablet to cure his mosquito bites. At first the boy thought he was some government official or something and not until he was asked to pay a student rate for the medicine did he realized the man was in actual fact nothing more than one pushy and opportunistic seller preying on innocent and naïve souls. The boy thought of protesting and refusing to pay but the man got the better of him. He was scared, paid up the charge, turned “kaput” and made his way home to college.
It was sheer struggle to study seriously with little monetary support from home. Once or twice the boy would collect daun letop (wild vegetable causing food poisoning to some people) from the vicinity of the dormitory. When cooked dry fried style the leafy vegetable was quite a taste to hungry beings like him and his friends. During shrimps seasons the students would tie up one end of their sleeping sarong to catch shrimps (bubuk) in the beach. The shrimps were usually fried and eaten to supplement meal dishes or filled up hungry stomachs. More daring souls would lure a wild dog to their dormitory, killed and cooked it with fanciful ingredients. Those who dare - ate it creating quite an atmosphere of party time among them.
His stepmother (the one who actually raised him) died while he was preparing for his higher school certificate examinations. He was not informed of her death not until he went back home after completion of his studies in college. Two reasons were given for the decision: he would have had no money to go back home anyway; secondly the folks back home didn’t want the death to affect his studies. Imagine hardship and poverty prevented him from giving his last respect for her - someone whom he dearly loved!
Like others his age he was interested in one or two girls but with of all his semua nadai kemise – nadai gamal nadai duit ringgit nadai gari. His pursuit of admired girls remained futile and without any success. It turned out to be just cruel and wishful thought, which was simply unattainable for quite sometime. Luck finally smiled on him when his love letter to a girl in Lutong got some encouraging reply. They corresponded and this was follow up by several dates – just cheap dates. He could not afford her gifts, presents or decent dinner treats. Somehow the relationship clicked well and they became steady. That was in 1977 – his final year in college and she was in Form 5. Imagine how heartbroken they were when they had to go separate ways after his completion of Form 6. In spite of the separation they continue to maintain contact and distance failed miserably to neither extinguish nor dampen their love for each other.
He spent his post college days working as a temporary teacher at SMK Matu Daro for about 3 months while waiting for the outcome of his application for a place in the local university. The application was rejected on account of his not very good HSC examination results which he only managed to scrap through and the steep competition for places. He was so very frustrated upon receiving the news. Fortunately a telegram received two weeks later informed him as among the 2nd choice selected candidates. He quit his job and went back home pondering how to accept the offer when there was no money to support his further studies.
In the longhouse there was a bedara (miring) ceremony (asking for the blessing of the God). There were chipping in of tokens by everyone in the longhouse who could see that this was one boy who could one day become somebody big and famous! The boy got connected with one of the area boy who himself was a senior in the same university. The senior helped him to apply for his passport and convinced him with or without money the offer was to be made full used of. Application for a scholarship of bursary could be applied for once one was admitted to the university. In the first year he was offered accommodation in one of the colleges. From second until final year he stayed together a group of student at the rented flats outside the university.
Life in the university was difficult as he had little money to support himself. In one incident he asked and was given 10 bucks by his girlfriend. His friends had money to buy motorcycles, spent on food such as durian and even on girls. One day he was invited to eat durian by his friends but he decided against it, for far too often he depended on others kindness and generosity for some luxury and food but little to offer them in return. He locked himself inside his room instead and shed tears of pity and for his miserable and poor condition.
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