PhD..??

My cousin Asilla just got her PhD, the first to do so in our family (amongst my batch of siblings and cousins) and she is holding a kenduri kesyukuran (thanks giving ceremony) next week.

And I wondered will I ever get a PhD? Will I even pursue to get a master's degree?? Will I ever get anything??? What the hell have I been doing????
Hmmm…

I remember way back then when life was easy as pie we used to hang out   for hours doing nothing except discussing silly things with friends and one of those silly talks involved what kind of titles we'll be getting when we got older.

Me: how about being a  Datin Siti.
Siti: No la, Puan Sri  lagi best.
Me: You have to marry a Datuk or Tan Sri.

Shikin: Ok la tu.
Me: I'd rather be Dr Nina or Datuk Dr Nina and maybe Professor Tan Sri Dr. Nina Ok tak? 

Ten years passed and I'm still a long way away to getting that 'Dr' in front of my name, and don't even consider the Datuk or Tan Sri. My ambiton of being a cardiologist was in the dust. And I have to settle with an UNSW Engineering Degree  and I often wonder will I be bold enough to battle for that “Ir” title to be put before my name soon. Will it increase my value as a human resource? I don't know yet.

I have two cousins and they are, both about the same age, both are mothers. But while one pursued a career in education, the other stayed home even though she has a degree from an American university and has a future in banking. And I thought, "Hey, my cousin, the housewife, achieved something too."

It ticks me into thinking…….   .

How do you measure a person's achievement? Isn't the General Manager of RSB corp as successful as each of the yearly Ibu Mithali recipients who nurtured and invested their time and money on human commodity instead of property?

Do all the Datuks and Tan Sris deserve more recognition than the Teacher of the Year who gave all his energy to ensure the next generation is well -learned?

Does a singer/actor deserves more respect than the people who picked your garbage three times a week so that your house doesn't smell when you're watching them on TV?

Well I guess, the answer lies within you.