Dr. JB Lim’s Feedback On His Article Being Published in IEM’s Bulletin

The Blogger’s Note:

Following his article on Covid-19 having been published for the first time in the July 2020 issue of IEM’s monthly bulletin “JURUTERA”, Dr. Lim Ju Boo has made the following remarks in the “Origin of The Species” Chat Group created by him for his mainly medical professional friends.  I am pleased to reproduce his candid, story-telling and humorous feedback as follows:  

Fri, Jul 10, 10:26 PM:

Thanks Ir. TO Lau for the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Bulletin, and thank you all the engineers here.

I really don’t know how your engineers association can accept and publish a medical article by me inside your IEM Bulletin?

Although I feel terribly honored, I am actually a misfit inside your profession.

The first time I met a real engineer was Ir. Tan Seng Khoon who was the secretary and I was the president of the Astronomical Society of Malaysia in the 1970’s when I was working at the Institute for Medical Research, and he was with JKR.

Both of us were from entirely different professions, but both of us landed up in another area that has nothing to do with either engineering or medical research.

A few years later mysteriously I attended an engineering seminar. I had no clue how I landed up there, and I had no clue if I understood what was presented there.

When I left the hall where the conference was held, I met Ir. Cheong Chee Kwong whom I had not met before. He thought I too was an engineer. I told him I was not, and I had no idea how I landed up attending an engineers’ conference – maybe I went there as a bogus engineer.

He was surprised, but we landed up as good friends.

After that more and more engineers came into my path, and I had no idea how they came. Either they or myself might have taken the wrong flight path.

All along like birds of the same feathers flying together, my flock of birds all along was among medical doctors.

Then suddenly another flock of birds of another feather of a different colour flew alongside our flock.  

While flying I must have kept looking at the other flock of birds of another colour, and I must have either lost my directions, or got attracted by this different flock by the colour of the feathers.

So I may have either lost direction, or got attracted, and started to deviate flight path to join their flock.

So now in this chat group and in other chat groups, there are now almost equal numbers of these two different birds flying together, and I am unsure which flock I now belong to, having now published a small article inside their engineers bulletin.

Anyway, thank you Ir. Lau for having me.

I feel I was an Ugly Duckling among beautiful swans flying next door as the story written by Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen goes,  I read when I was a small boy.

Unfortunately, I am now too old to grow up to be a beautiful swan to join them except as a bogus swan.

Fortunately, they accept me and this article in their IEM Bulletin tells all.

Thank you for having an Ugly Duckling in your flock.

Jb 

Fri, Jul 10, 10:54 PM

I agree the IEM Bulletin looks attractive and interesting to read. I shall take my time to slowly read them. 

This is the first time this Bulletin was sent to me.

Thank you Ir Lau for having an Ugly Duckling among members of your elite profession. 

No wonder my sister's friend in 1950s predicted I shall one day become an engineer by me being called to repair a radio which was not working. 

I merely shook some loose wires behind our radio which was the only entertainment, together with F & N orange crush plus some groundnuts, kauci and some biscuits for friends and guests those days.

After shaking some loose wires behind the radio, the radio started to sing those old songs by Zhou Xuan again and again.

My sister’s friend was so impressed by my "performance" to be able to make the radio 'sing' again that she remarked to my sister that I would become an engineer when I grew up.

I was so elated by what she predicted that my head immediately swelled up with pride and I went somersaulting and stood on my head for days around the house, so much so my parents were very worried and wanted to send me to see a doctor if there was something wrong with me.

Here I am as a bogus engineer writing an article for the engineers bulletin.

Thank you for having me in your midst as Bogus Swan (Ugly Duckling).

Jb