Oskar speech

Probably went through the most scary moment of my life when I submitted the thesis today to the secretary - actually, to the secretary's secretary cause the secretary was out to lunch (sheesh!). Below is my oskar speech, for those of you who are reading here and are not on Fbook (ahem!). Of all of those mentioned below, clarifications and extra hugz are really needed for the following a) the prof (first paragraph - and only one that has one for himself - this one really wrote it with all my heart and without inspiring from other ack's) b) marian (ahem, needed one by himself ahem but it's not a love story what?), c) san and doris for reasons written below and many more hahaha, d) marius (for showing me that you CAN do mountaineering at fifty-fucking-four years old) , e) mihai and mariuca for settling both marian and me in during the first years and last but not least f) my mother - "raising me" should read "putting up with me and my impossible self - really" for about 23 years (i would have kicked myself out long before that). So, here goes nothin'!

It is with unbounded gratitude that I write these lines. I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Yong Meng Teo, for supporting me throughout this thesis with patience and knowledge, while at the same time allowing me room to follow my own way. Professor Teo has taught me how to look at a problem, what important questions to ask, and how to present my ideas clearly, focusing on the big picture and the important insights, rather than the intricate details of methods. More importantly, through his never-ending patience and kindness in dealing with his students, he has shown me that teaching is an act of patience and understanding, rather than a simple information exchange. I am happy he was my
supervisor throughout these years and could not wish for a better advisor.

I would like to thank my thesis committee, Professors X and Y, for their continuous feedback and encouragement. They have both given me their precious time and provided me the resources I needed. I would further like to thank Prof. Rassul Ayani and Dr Simon See for the helpful and insightful discussions on simulation, composability, and distributed computing. Dr Verdi March has always offered feedback and highlighted important issues during our seminar talks.

In the daily work in the Computer Systems Research Laboratory, I was surrounded by many great friends and brilliant colleagues. To Marian, for being a constant support throughout all the stressful times, putting up with me and making me laugh or focus when needed, there are no words to express my gratitude. To Mihai and Mariuca, thank you for all the coffee breaks and companionship throughout the first part of this quest. To Bogdan and Cristina, thank you for all the insightful conversations on life and computer science, over the never-changing food from the Science canteen. To Marius, I am grateful for showing me the power of believing in my dreams. To Sandra and Doris, thank you for being my climbing guinea pigs and sharing the cost of durians with me, although I always ate the bigger part; you've made this foreign country seem like home. To Cristina, Nandini, Dmitry, and Aleks, thanks for all the fun in this last stretch.

Finally, I thank my mother for raising me, supporting me through my university studies, and always pushing me to give my best.