Terpie's update...

[terpie82]

My dearest family,
First, I want to apologize for my long period of inactivity since coming back from Montreal in the summer. After Montreal, I directed all my energy into my teaching and preparing for the exam I had this morning. The most important exam in my 20-year academic career began this morning at 10 AM and lasted 3 hours and involved an oral exam given by 6 faculty members. I had on THREE good-luck charms in my left breast pocket during the exam which included:
1) a Chinese fortune I got from a cookie that read "You will be successful in everything"
2) a religious necklace given to me by my parents
and 3) a trinket given to me by Trish in Montreal that had an angel on one side and read "Always with you" on the opposite side.

So the result is I passed with flying colors. I actually started balling in front of the committee when they told me the news, but I'm extremely elated to say that I'm officially now a PhD Candidate.

The 2nd update is that I have been blessed to have a significant other to help me through the last few crazy days of preparing for the exam. But I will admit that everyone here has been on my mind and in my prayers the last few months since Montreal, and everyone was in the exam room with me this morning because Trish's trinket reminded me so. Zephyr, Lisa, Robert, Trish & John, Ric & Thom, Moffie, RAB, Cliff, Basquo, Danny, I love you all and miss you dearly (if I left out any names, I apologize for being brain dead at the moment but I love you a ton too). I can't wait until we meet again next time so that I give you all bear hugs again.

Always,
Terpie

[DanKenny]

Terpie...

Congrats...

I remember that feeling of admission to candidacy rather well...that was not too long ago.  You need to take a deep breadth now, and move on to the dissertation stage. What's your discipline...?  Well, take care, work hard, and get the damn PhD behind you --- remember it is not the smartest who complete, but the determined....it can be done.

take care - DK

[terpie82]

Thanks DK. There are no words to describe how I feel right now. My discipline is plant genetics and my verbose & pretentious proposal title was: Characterizing LUG, LUH, & SEU As Mediators of the ABA and SA Signaling Pathways. &$%!!!...I'm beginning to forget what those acronyms stand for now. And I definitely agree with the smartest part because I'm definitely not *
-Terpie

[OzPaul]

Dear Terpie/Minh

Congratulations and welcome back !!! I have wondered about you often, knowing that this was crunch time in your academic life. I'm so glad that you have a partner to see you through all this and share your life with.

I will always remember fondly your kindness, generosity, humor and compassion as you helped me through my last visit at NIH for their LTNP study. You were heroic, especially after my cancelled flight to get back home. I also think back to our lovely meal out at the Vietnamsese restaurant in Bethesda on that balmy summer evening with you, Loreen, my partner, Boy his partner. What a great night !!

Take good care and visit us here more often as you get time.

Cheers
Paul

[Cliff]

congratulations Minh!!!!!  I'm glad things worked out for you.  I was wondering what happened to you, so it's nice to get a report.  Keep us posted on how things go and don't be such a stranger.

Hoping to see you again in Cali!!!

Cliff

[aztecan]

MInh,

Wow! Congratulations on the candidacy and all the hard work I know you did preparing for it.

I was looking over some of the Montreal photos the other day and thought of you. I had thought of starting a thread to see if anyone had heard from you.

Now, I won't have to. I am so happy for you, both for the candidacy and the new special someone in your life.

Please stay in touch and let us know how you're doing.

BIG HUGS,

Mark

[AlanBama]

Congratulations Minh!   It's great to hear from you.


hugs,

Alan

[Lou-ah-vull]

Congrats Minh!

One step closer to Dr. Minh!  Glad to see you posting on here again.  Keep up the good work and try not to overstress on the dissertation.

Gary

[emeraldize]

Congratulatiions. It was good to meet you in Montreal and what a tremendous commitment you've undertaken. Best of luck (more than you already had in your pocket?) to you as you move forward. Em

[Robert]

  HEY MINH!!!

  I missed this.  And I've missed you. 
  I am so happy for you.  Congratulations.  I can just see you crying at your orals.  I mean, you were bawling your head off in Montreal and Ms Lisa just had to grab ahold of you real tight.  Too bad she wasn't there for your exams.

  So you passed!  Does this mean you'll be out here in Oakland this fall?  I'm looking forward to your lecture.
 
  robert

[Andy Velez]

Hi Soon-to-be Dr. Minh,

Really good to hear from you and how you're getting through my faculty advisor called "the insults of passage."

Wishing you the best,

[dtwpuck]

Warmest congratulations!
How increditbly exciting for you. 

[RAB]

Minh

I didn't see this thread until just now.  It's great to hear that so many good things are happening for you.  (A significant other?  Hmm)

Preparing for the exam must have been exhausting, both physically and emotionally.  All that hard work has paid off though.  Congratulations Dr. Minh.   

RAB

[Jody]

Great to hear from you again Minh and congrats on your accomplishments...Hope to see you in California come September !!!!

Jody 

[heartforyou]

Sweetest Minh,

This deserves not only a big kiss , but also the fact that, yet another member of our family found the strenght to go on, in spite of HIV.

I am so proud of you, as are all the others.

And ... good luck and happiness with your significant other

hermie

[terpie82]

Thanks dtw, hermie (yes I chose to go full speed ahead and if HIV can catch up with me, good for it --if not, eat my dust you viral piece of s*&$), Jody, and RAB. Oh, and an update on the significant other...I'm sorry (actually, not really sorry at all) to say that it fizzled out to be the shortest lived relationship I've ever had. I guess I've learned from it that I'm one of the toughest person to live with, being so meticulous, clean, and organized and if that drives the guy nuts, I'm not ashamed to say "there's the door". Thanks emeraldize, Lou-ah-vull, Alan, Mark (yep, I'll be on here more often now so there won't be any missing persons report ;-D), Cliff, & Paul. Suddenly, I am transported back to Montreal with you all and to that week with Paul, his partner and Zephyr. Such great memories.

Hey Robert,
Thanks. I was waiting to hear from you. Yes, I was a total mess when leaving Montreal so you can imagine what I was like after the exam. If Lisa was there, I probably would have been pounding the floor with my fists and screaming, in addition to the tears haha. This year's Ryan White National Youth Conference has been merged with the Staying Alive conference and the site has been moved to Cleveland, Ohio. I'm also afraid after next Sunday, I will no longer be considered a "youth" based on their standards so my participation would be contingent upon me presenting and having my own funds to cover airfare and housing. So it looks like you won't be seeing me in action anytime soon. I will have to make a trip out there to CA sometime though to visit you and Zephyr down south, and I will definitely try to make it to this year's AMG. Keep in touch though Robert

Andy, it is required that family members refer to me as Minh or Terpie or Cute boy or Minhie Me...basically anything but Dr. Minh from now until forever, haha. That's reserved for the other people. It's like how I don't address you as President Andy or Your Majesty the Andy after all you've done in leading and fighting for those of us affected by the virus.

Cheers & luv to all,
Terpie