Assalamualaikum wbt and hello there,

To my friends and visitors of this site, this website is meant for my students. But if you find something in common - maybe to start a new project, especially in the field of Food Science and Biotechnology – please don’t hesitate to contact me.

For my dear students,

In June 2004, I began to teach the pioneer batch of KUIM Food Science & Biotech students. I could have become a lecturer armed with one 2 inch thick Masters thesis and one 3 inch thick PhD thesis. Then we’ll go through all the textbooks and labworks, get at least a second upper class degree and hoping to secure a job in the industry.

Unfortunately, the Malaysian Food and Biotech Industry doesn’t work that way.

I received sponsorship for both my Masters and PhD only during the last one or two semesters of my 8 year post grad studies. To support myself, there were lots and lots of consultancy works with the food industry. I got to know Who’s Who and the politics of the industry. And they knew me.

A large percentage of the industry is owned by non Malay, non Moslem, English speaking multinational companies. In each jobseeker, they look for self- confidence, communication skills, vision, goals, critical thinking, good English and technical skills. You must have the courage to knock on their doors. For those who want to go for an advanced studies, the Food Science & Biotech world is about writing lots of articles, doing world class researches, consultancy and having your products in the market.

As I look back, I was glad that I had to go through all these. My consultancy working ranging from an Indian ‘vadai’ seller on the street on Kajang (free of charge) to giant multinational companies (lots of charges).

In real life, no one can be accepted by the industry armed only with one Masters thesis and one PhD thesis. I can’t imagine myself as a lecturer who will be teaching know hows to my students on getting into the industry, while I have never having been there myself. Today, I tell my students these hard facts everyday so that they’ll be planning to work for these companies during their very first semester’s holiday in their first year. With 50,000 jobless graduates in 2004, having a very clear goal is the only solution.

My students must be tough and versatile too. I could motivate them by using examples from books, newspaper or internet.

Or I could tell my own story....

I was a coward and my husband had to send me to 2 karate classes and 3 taekwando classes per week to overcome this problem.

I had an inferiority complex attitude so I spent weekends with Russian Olympic and National sharpshooters who put me through a gruelling training regime.

I am an  asthmatic who couldn’t breath properly on land but I had been exploring the bottom of the sea since 2001.

For my students, I hope this website can inspire you to enjoy your youth and live life to the fullest. Your 4 years in KUIM determines your future. With the combination of science and strong Islamic background, the society will be observing how will you turn out to be after graduation.

For my fellow staffs and tutors who are 5 to 10 years younger than me, 90% of the activities here were done AFTER my first degree and marriage. I expect more energy from all of you.

Thank you again for visiting my site. Wassalam.

Dr Alina

KUIM, Bangi 2004