Name : Yeap Kim Ho

Qualification: PhD in Engineering

Date of graduation: 14th June, 2011

Date of convocation: 9th September, 2011

I was in the bus, looking out from the window, mesmerized at the rows of undulating trees along the highway. It was a windy Thursday afternoon and I was on my way heading towards Kuala Lumpur to attend my convocation where I will be conferred my PhD.

My mobile phone rang. It was a text message from a staff in my university asking me to write a story about my success. The article is to be published in the newsletter and to be shared among the alumni. I shrugged my shoulder and declined. I knew that it was an earnest request indeed. But I was just a nonentity. ?What have I to share?? I thought to myself. 

Minutes later, the phone rang again. It was a second text message ? well, a somewhat long one, this time. Being the first to graduate in the field of engineering, surely, there must be something which I can share ? something which could encourage students to pursue postgraduate studies. That was what I was told. I sank into deep contemplation. Well, perhaps she was right, after all. Perhaps I should just write something ? something which had been long kept in my heart. Sharing the parts and parcels of my life as a PhD student might help the students to get a better insight of what one might face while pursuing postgraduate studies. I gathered. I nodded this time, agreeing and of course, thanking her on the offer as well.

To tell the truth, writing an article is probably one of the toughest tasks that I would have ever wanted to do. This is especially true when one is required to write about one own self. I know so much about myself that I have no idea where to start at all. After giving some serious thoughts, the best way to start was, perhaps, I concluded, to give a brief introduction about my family background.

I was brought up in a plain, average family. My dad was a lorry driver before he retired in the year 1999. That was also the same year I joined Universiti Teknologi Petronas to pursue my bachelor?s degree. Without a fix income from my family, life was certainly not easy back then. I have to admit that I might not have been what I am today, had it not been for the government PTPTN loan. I owed most of my financial support to the government loan indeed.

My dad knows me very well. He knows that I have a desire for knowledge. He knows that I have always wanted to become a lecturer one day. Hence, when I graduated from my bachelor?s degree in 2004, my dad encouraged me to continue my study for a Master?s degree. To my dad, knowledge is above everything else in the world. He was very supportive and was willing to fork out some money from his savings, so that I can continue with my studies. It was quite a difficult decision for me to make at that time. I knew that I needed to look for a job to mitigate my dad?s burden. However, I also knew that my passion to further my study might fade away once I have adapted to the working environment. Eventually, I have chosen to pursue my postgraduate study in one of the cheapest government universities. It took me only about eight months to complete my Master?s degree in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and I have only spent a mere RM3000 for the fees. Compare to the tens of thousands of ringgits of fees for postgraduate studies, the fees that I have paid was very much affordable and as such, I was profoundly grateful to the university.

            I joined Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman as a lecturer in 2005. I was pretty excited when I first enrolled in my career. To me, my dream, well one of my dreams actually, has finally come true. The engineering faculty and in fact, the entire university, was quite new then. Probably because of that reason, I was only paid barely more than RM2400 a month for my salary. As a young bachelor, the amount was just barely sufficient to meet my living expenses in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Even so, I was pretty happy with my work then. My head of department, as well as, my dean were the two nicest superiors I have ever met. They were exactly those kinds of persons who were capable of motivating the staff to work and were always ready to share the problems encountered by their subordinates. Since the number of staff was relatively small back then, everyone was quite close to each other. The faculty was like a cozy family where everyone likes to share their stories and to help each other. For the first half a year, I enjoyed myself teaching very much. After some time, however, the urge to continue with my study came haunting me again.

Back then, the university was only equipped with facilities for the undergraduate level. We had virtually nothing at all for postgraduate level. Frankly speaking, I was quite reluctant to register as a postgraduate student here, initially. With such a bare environment, I had no confidence at all when I could graduate or what I could accomplish at the end of the day. The dean of the faculty was a very understanding man. He tried to convince me that we do not necessarily need sophisticated tools to make ground breaking discoveries. The development of new theories, as well as, new formulations can stun the world as well. Being inspired by my dean, I have finally decided to sign up for my PhD study here in 2007. Well, honestly speaking, there were actually two main reasons I have chosen this university. Partly, it was because I believed that my dean would be a trustworthy supervisor. I felt safe to work under his supervision. Well, partly, it was also because the university was willing to offer me scholarship by waiving all my fees. I was owing hundreds of thousands of PTPTN loan for my undergraduate studies. I needed a job desperately for a living and to pay my debt; while, at the same time, a scholarship for my PhD study then. Therefore, I have decided to tie my fate with this new university.

The route to success has not really been an easy one. It was quite a struggle for me to juggle between working and studying. Since the number of staff was quite small then, I was assigned to teach an average of 2 subjects every semester, each subject having more than 200 students. We were also required to work on every Saturday. Life was indeed hectic then. In order to optimize my time to perform my research, I have gone to work daily at as early as 5 am and going home late at about 6 pm in the evening. Honestly, it was rather exhaustive to stay in the university working and studying all day long. Indeed, I was quite prone to falling sick then. However, I kept reminding myself that all I needed to do was to hang on there for another 2 years and things will then turn out fine. Tantalizing that it might sound, I have set a target to graduate within 2 years time. Having the difficulty to find time to study was not the sole problem that I faced. Being one of the pioneers to perform my PhD study in this faculty, there was virtually no one else to discuss with me about the problems that I faced. My supervisor -- the dean of the faculty was a busy man. He was constantly occupied with meetings and could hardly find time to talk to me at all. Hence, I was working alone, struggling on my own most of the time.

In late 2007, I was deployed to the new campus in Kampar, Perak. That was the start of my worst nightmare. Due to the insufficiency of staff, I was requested by my new head of department to travel between Kuala Lumpur and Kampar to teach. Serving 2 campuses while at the same time, trying my very best to stay put with my research was tough. During that period, I was quite emotionally and physically drained. I must say that my supervisor was indeed a good counselor. He was exactly the kind of person who was capable of boosting one?s spirit. Every time I met up with him, he would motivate me by giving me words of encouragement. Like a capacitor being charged, I was buoyed with hope all over again every time after our chit chat.

To be fair, there were some exhilarating moments studying here too. In late 2008, with the help of my supervisor and the university, I was given the opportunity to spend 2 months performing my research in the University of Oxford. The plane ticket and subsistence were funded by my university; whereas the accommodation was funded by Oxford. It was simply an eye-opening experience to me. I was exposed to different kinds of advance equipments. The discussion I had with my co-supervisor in Oxford was very enlightening as well. But of course, life is always full of ups and downs. Apart from the great time I had in Oxford, I faced a couple of hiccups there too. I could still remember perambulating for 2 hours in the street after alighting from the plane as the University of Oxford forgot to help me prepare for my accommodation. I also had the experience of being chased out from the house because the University of Oxford forgot to pay for my rent too. Anyhow, I was pretty thankful to my co-supervisor to be there to help to solve the predicaments I faced.

In late 2009, my supervisor resigned to join another university. I was greatly perturbed by his leaving. But I understand that everyone face their own difficulties at times. I am sure it must have been a hard decision for him to have made. Hence, there was nothing much that I could do but to give him every tinge of blessing that I had. Without his tutelage, there was a time where my whole life was in a total pandemonium. I was fortunate enough though as the window without a supervisor did not last long. It was not exactly his field of study, but my new supervisor was very kind to take up the task to supervise me. Because of that reason, I was frightfully thankful to my new supervisor indeed.

            From 2010 to 2011, I faced with a few other more impediments as well. Some of them were so harsh that they have left me so vulnerable; while others have made me grown stronger. Well, I am so relief now that everything has finally come to an end. The route to success has never been an easy one. That is very true indeed. I truly cherish all that I have learned throughout all these years. I am sincerely grateful to all of them who have assisted me all these while in my study. It was indeed a real blessing to me, finally being able to reap the fruit of success.

            I am sure. I am certainly, absolutely, and most definitely sure that attaining a Doctor of Philosophy is not the end, but the beginning of a whole new challenge.