I am approximately four years and four months into my PhD and expecting to graduate sometime this year, most likely in the second half which will make it a five-year PhD. Like any other PhD student, I will not hesitate to say that the last 4+ years have been a tremendously enriching and learning experience for me not only in research but also in my personal life. Turns out I have gradually matured, most sharply in 2012, with respect to being able to manage myself better, says my room-mate of 4-years who witnessed my transition first-hand. As with any typical PhD path, there have been much more (and repeated) failures and disappointments than successes, and it has been a continuous test of my ability to sustain the enthusiasm and focus in spite of painful failures, but as the saying goes: A minute’s success pays off for years of failures . I am a typical PhD student in most respects. However, the thing which makes my PhD a little not-so-typical one is that, I am the first st