Entering the home stretch

I’ve submitted my “intention to submit” form today which pretty much symbolizes the beginning to the end of my doctorate journey. I’ve been writing my thesis for about a month now in between the lab sessions and it’s quite surreal to think that it’s already been a little over three years since I started this.

I still have some experimental milestones to hit before I can officially go into “thesis writing” mode but hopefully, I can get it resolved over the next one or two months. I haven’t had much luck with lab results lately despite a lot of hard graft over the past two to three months. Curse the uncertainty of semi-novel research!

However, the good news is because I write my journal articles as I go about doing my lab work instead of leaving it until the end, all I have to do once I finish this batch of experiments is to collate all the papers together to form a coherent piece of work. It’s a two to three week job at most, fingers crossed.

Also, I have had one eye on my post-graduation career for the past one year now, and after a lot of uhm, “extra-curricular” reading, I feel like (or at least, I hope!) I’m sufficiently equipped now to handle any rigorous interview processes that might come my way. I should be starting to apply for jobs by mid to late April depending on the progress of my doctorate work.


I’m feeling a whole whirlwind of emotions right now, to be honest. There’s a bit of fear because at the back of my mind, there are still some lingering doubts as to whether I can actually make that final step and complete the doctorate. Just the thought of the humiliation of ending up with an MPhil instead of a PhD makes me feel nauseous. There’s relief because either ways, no matter what happens, this mentally and physically draining journey will end by the middle of 2012.


There’s contentment, because again, no matter what happens, I have come on leaps and bounds as a person and I can feel the improvement in maturity of thought compared to where I was three years ago, and really, isn’t that just what everyone wants? The feeling that you’ve made progress and not just stagnated as the days went by?


The dominating feeling right now, however, has to be excitement. There’s just so much to look forward to over the coming months and the uncertainty adds so much to it. So first, I have to get the final project out of the way, and then comes the job applications while finishing up the thesis, and if all goes well, I’ll successfully defend my thesis, become Dr. Ng and land the job that I want. Onwards and upwards!

……. or crash and burn, end up with an MPhil and wallow in misery for the rest of my life. That’s pretty exciting too, I suppose.


Whatever. Sit tight!