LeProfesseur LeRong

Back in April 1996, I sat on my office chair, excitedly cherishing the first moments of landing a job as assistant professor at my current university...

I had never dreamt of getting a job in Japan, what more a teaching job in a Japanese national university...

Fast-forward ten years to this fateful twenty-first day of the year two-zero-zero-six...

I sit on my office chair... quietly cherishing the very first moments of my promotion from associate professor to a full, tenured professor this morning...

Officially, my promotion takes effect from 1st October 2006...

The road has not been pretty at times...

Hard work, of course, comes first... perseverance, that is...

Then, naturally, there is luck... we need it, really...

Plus, the tears... yes, tears, my dear friends...

One occasion was when my supervisor-professor threw out my paper while a doctoral student...

The second time was when the business faculty decided to reject my bid to become associate professor in 1997...

Ahhh, it is quite sweet, I must say, to be able to sit back, reflect, and smile at those times...

But then, nothing's really changed...

First and foremost, I remain humbled but honored as always, to be treated as such...

And like you, I'd still fart and burp after gulping down some of those delectable durians during my trips home...

I would certainly still snore when I hit the sack at night...

For I am, but the same old yours truly... a bit corny, sometimes unfunny, and occasionally grouchy (my missus will attest to this)...

Still, for the time being, I remain on cloud nine...

Oops, time to report to my missus...

We'll probably have red wine in the evening to celebrate this wonderful turn of events...