My 'PhD' daughter; Kamalia....
I have a student coming to see me last time who was overly impressed of my achievements. And what I told her was simple.. ‘you need not be a genius to do a PhD, what you need is just determination.’ And I think confidence.
Frankly speaking..I never thought about furthering my study this far. Even when I was in TKC, I never know for sure what I wanna be. I was never the ambitious one there. I was busy with my handball, netball, etc. Looking back at my grades there..ouchh..that’s a very sensitive issue...definitely very bad as compared to all my friendslah especially Elma (she was TKC's best student for both SRP and SPM for our batch). I am sure none of my teachers back then remember me. Hmm..and my mom refused to believe that me and Elma were quite close just because our results differed..big time! Years back, my main aim was to get thru SPM, get my degree and work. But, after graduation, after I started working, little by little, my perceptions changed. I wanted to work..true..but I wanted the time to be flexible. I wanted to learn and at the same time be given opportunities to move up the ladder without any restrictions. I wanted freedom in completing my work. So, I applied to work as a lecturer and was lucky to be accepted as well. The rest is historylah..
To me, there's nothing fancy about getting my PhD (although I did manage to get another daughter throughout the process…hehe). I am still me. Yes, it's an achievement especially when I have to tolerate struggling to end it alone without my husband and my kids for 3 ½ years, when I have to lead a life that was full of ups and downs (one phone call a day to Malaysia and a few pages of Quran reading kept me sane). But the moment I passed my viva...I just didn't feel a thing. Until now pun, I still feel kind of numb. When they sent me my certificate, I kept wondering..‘all those hardships and tears just for this piece of paper?’ Funny, isn't it?
6 comments:
I quote " ‘you need not be a genius to do a PhD, what you need is just determination.’ And I think confidence. ", unquote.
How true. It was determination that had me completed my ACCA. Took me 7 loooong years (with several breaks and failures in between)to do it. A push from a big boss also helps. hehehehe...
-niasulaiman-
Salam Dahlia
Firstly, allow me to congratulate u on yr wonderful achievement- I hope it is still not too late. Smthg I hv always shared with my stds - "Sometimes the destination is not so important. Wht is more crucial is the journey."
When I heard yr lament ab our days in TKC, I'd jst like u to know tht u r not alone. I think many of us hv always felt the pressure, hv always been compared to someone (and of course we r always not good enough). Bt I think who we r today is more significant than who we were because the journey has taught us well.
Wassalam. Adle
Hey,
It's Tie here. I witnessed with my own eyes how you had persevered to reach your dream. It's not an easy task but you made it. Congratulations on your PhD. The first in our batch. So, Dr. Dahlia, let me wish you all the best and keep on reaching for the stars.
Hi you guys..it's nice to hear from all of you. Adle...last time when we were at the MGC/TKC OGA dinner, we were wondering why Adle did not sing..hehe..dah lama tak dengar your beautiful voice. Nik..congratulations to you too for completing your ACCA. It's hard if we are single, it's even harder when we are married, kan? And Tie...I will not be able to survive without 'kata-kata hikmah' from all my friends including you. Thanks.
Bunge! getting a phd is all about WORKING HARD... i have neither the determination nor the drive to work hard. SIGH.
My aim in life, as I have figured out a loooong time ago, is to be a lady of leisure! but even that requires hard work heh heh.
Congratulations my friend! keep on being my pillar of inspiration :)
Your Phd daughter is cute....Look at her smile..so adorable:-)
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