I have done my thesis proposal last Thursday, which is the toughest hurdle during my PhD journey. Although I still need to submit a signed form to the PhD program advisor in the computer science department as part of required administrative steps, I am now officially a PhD candidate.

A quick summary…:
It was indeed tough… my committee members were very patient and kind, and they asked questions in a very friendly mood. However, it was quite hard to stay calm during the proposal presentation, and I felt it was not good enough to answer some of the questions correctly.

I am still learning from my experience, as well as from others.. I believe as long as I keep putting my efforts to go through, I will be getting stronger and stronger.

Now.. time to handle follow-up comments on my work in a relatively relaxed mood, and continue moving forward. Fight on!