Fayiz & Nurul Iffah Solemnization

we were unable to attend the solemnization ceremony of Fayiz and Nurul Iffah, which took place at Masjid Gunung, Alor Setar, at 3:00 pm... likewise, we will also be unable to be present at the wedding reception on Nurul Iffah’s side scheduled for the following day... nevertheless, our heartfelt congratulations go to Pah on welcoming her second daughter-in-law into the family... interestingly, both daughters-in-law share a similar name, creating a memorable family connection: Fayed is married to Nur Iffah, while Fayiz is now married to Nurul Iffah... although we could not celebrate this joyous occasion in person, our thoughts and prayers are with the newlyweds and their families... we wish Fayiz and Nurul Iffah a lifetime filled with love, happiness, mutual understanding, good health, and countless blessings... may their marriage be blessed with peace, prosperity, and enduring companionship as they begin this beautiful new chapter together...

My PhD Viva Voce

what a remarkable and inspiring journey it has been... it all began with an idea from Prof. Dr. Nor Khomar, who was my Dean at the time... she encouraged me to pursue a PhD, reminding me that it would be a great loss to stop at a Master's degree while continuing to teach without completing the highest academic qualification... motivated by her advice, I enrolled as a PhD student at UNITAR in 2015... the first year was devoted to mandatory weekend classes, and I successfully completed all the required courses before embarking on the independent research phase under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naim... at that time, I was serving as a Deputy Dean, and balancing administrative responsibilities with doctoral studies proved to be a significant challenge, leaving very limited time for research...

in 2018, following my Dean's departure, Prof. Nor Raihan took over as my supervisor... however, my progress was severely disrupted when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020... the focus of my research was on 4-star and 5-star hotels in Malaysia, and the unprecedented impact of the pandemic rendered much of the original study context and data less relevant... subsequently, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Haliza assumed the role of supervisor, and I had little choice but to wait until circumstances stabilized... in 2023, UNITAR advised me to restart my candidature under a new matriculation number, effectively giving me a fresh beginning... my supervisory team was then led by Prof. Dr. Rosmimah together with Dr. Sarina... during this period, I faced another major test from Allah SWT when I was involved in an accident and required an extended period of recovery... despite these setbacks, I continued to persevere and managed to make substantial progress, eventually reaching the write-up stage of my dissertation...

by mid-2025, Dr. Sarina became my sole supervisor and continued to guide me diligently... although I had initially planned to complete and submit my final report by January 2026, another health-related challenge delayed my progress, forcing me to prioritize recovery before continuing my academic work... nevertheless, with determination, patience, and unwavering commitment, I finally completed the thesis and submitted it for the long-awaited Viva Voce examination... interestingly, I was not informed of the identities of either the external or internal examiners until the day of the presentation itself... the first external examiner was Prof. Dr. Norzuwana Sumarjan, Dean of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UiTM Puncak Alam with expertise in human resource management... the second examiner was Dr. Noor Awanis Muslim, Senior Lecturer at the UNITEN Business School in Kajang, specializing in behavioural studies... the internal examiner was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Che Supian Mohamad Nor, whose expertise lies in human asset development... the session was chaired by Dr. Ainur Amira, an expert in Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and item parceling, while the rapporteur was Md. Hidhir Mohamed, a PhD scholar specializing in community empowerment research...

the viva voce commenced promptly at 2:00 pm... I completed my presentation within 35 minutes, well within the allocated time... the question-and-answer session then followed, with the first examiner engaging me for approximately 1 hour, followed by the second examiner for 30 minutes and the internal examiner for an additional 15 minutes... throughout the session, I was able to address and respond confidently to all questions raised... at the conclusion of the examination, I received one of the most meaningful outcomes of my academic career... after 11-year journey filled with challenges, interruptions, uncertainty, health issues, leadership responsibilities, and extraordinary perseverance, I was awarded a passing result, with 1 year granted for amendments and improvements to the thesis... the feedback provided by the examiners was constructive and insightful, giving me valuable perspectives on how to further strengthen the research... in fact, I had hoped that, if successful, I would be given sufficient time for revisions due to my professional commitments, and I am truly grateful that this request was accommodated...

looking back, this achievement would not have been possible without the guidance, patience, encouragement, and unwavering support of Dr. Sarina, who stood by me throughout the final and most challenging stages of the journey... for that, I am deeply grateful... to finally reach this milestone after beginning the journey in 2015 is both humbling and fulfilling... as if the day had not already become memorable enough, upon arriving home, I was pleasantly surprised by a special celebration prepared by Naja... it was an unexpected gesture that made the occasion even more meaningful... thank you, my dear, for the love, support, understanding, and encouragement you have given me throughout this journey... this achievement belongs not only to me but also to everyone who stood beside me, believed in me, and helped me persevere until the very end... Alhamdulillah...