Hi!

Hope everyone is ok. Thanks ever so much for the messages about me working after the pub!! You are all so inspiring, encouraging and you really help me to keep ploughing on!!! I am so impressed by everyone's work today and since i last logged in you have all done loads!!! Well done and hope you have all had a good day.
I haven't done too much today as i went into town, had my sight test and then my boyfriend took me out for lunch and then we had a lovely afternoon shopping. Anyway back now and am going to cook some dinner then get a couple of hours done so the day is not wasted!! Tomorrow though i am going to work extra hard, and also all this week!!!!
Anyway, just to say hi and hope everyone is meeting their aims!!

PS Armendaf: what a great idea, i definitely reckon we should all celebrate after we have all finished!!
I agree with everyone, we have a brilliant community here and everyone is so supportive. I would definitely be lost without it

Hello again,

At the end I did some reading following my mind map which gave me more ideas to resume writing. It did take the best of my efforts to stay focus, and I think I could only do it because I had the telly showing the proms in the background; no point in actually watching it so just sat with my back to the box and read, it also kept me from changing the channel and watching something else. So there you go, new reading technique ;-) By the way the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was brilliant playing Brahms Symphony No.3.

I do not know when I'll be able to come back to writing, since tomorrow I have a busy day at work. I can however, read some more if I get there early enough, and I could even write something off the computer while reviewing the papers... yeah, I think I'll do that.

Lara and Rubyw, I hope you girls could make some progress, but also have some time to relax. After all it is Sunday :p

TG, we know you did have a great day, I'm so envious. Well done (up)

Hello!

Armendaf, your evening sounds ok to me - innovative reading technique (!), as you say, plus your mindmap was useful! What more can you do when you're working tomorrow as well?

Tractorgirl - sounds like you had lovely day! Great to get away from the PhD for a while - nice to be reminded there's life beyond a thesis!! Hope you got something nice on your shopping trip too, you deserved a good day out!

I've been looking at that stuff I'm supposed to submit for the research degrees exhibition in the last few hours, and the more I look at it, the more it's making me anxious, which isn't very good. I thought I'd picked the pics and done the rough draft of the blurb, but I'm not sure about it now, it looks horrendously inadequate today. How can you sum up a PhD in 6/8 images plus a tiny bit of text AND make it look interesting to anyone who drifts in and knows nothing about your work? AND who you'd quite like to think - ooh her work sounds fascinating, tell me more! Well, it's got me flummoxed, though I hope it's only temporary. I was looking at an email from Friday (that I've ignored till today) with indicative examples from some of our research centres, so I suppose I'll try to do something like that... I wish I wasn't involved in it, but I am, so I've got to do it and not spend too long on it, because it'll take time away from my thesis, which is the important thing. I'll think about it in the morning.

Hope you're having a good evening Lara btw!

Goodnight, see you all tomorrow!!

Hi

I am also signing off now as fairly tired. Managed to get a couple of hours done and have now completed the abstract. I will need to re-read it tomorrow and check it is ok but at least i feel i have done something at least today!!
Rubyw: Try not to feel anxious about the exhibition. I understand it must be difficult to juggle a couple of things at once but it sounds like you have really done well with your pictures. I think it is a massive acheivement to sum up all your hard work in a few images!!!!! I wonder if it looks a bit difficult at the minute because it is quite late, you have been working so hard and you have had a busy week. Tomorrow it will look clearer and i am sure what you have done will be fantastic so try not too worry.
Lara and armendaf: Hope you have made the progress you wanted this weekend, just think this will soon be over and all your hard work will be worth it.
Anyway, have a good rest of the evening and see you all tomorrow!

Hello my budding phd writers! :-)

i am calling it a night aswell. I am going to be like ya'll and wake up early, well early for me is 8am!! so going to bed at a decent time tonight, will relax with a book in bed.

Ruby, your message made me laugh !! loved the whole metaphor of the slug cracked me up, and am so pleased to hear that i make you laugh i cant imagine when though lol. thanks for that!! :-)

Armendaf, like you said, it is sunday after all, and i did relax -abit too much perhaps!! naughty me!! oooooops hehehe. but i did drag my butt back to my computer at 11.30pm and spent about an hour finishing off the last papers that i wanted to include in my discussion and wrote 760 words, and i have now finished the 2nd draft of the discussion section! hurrah!! no more new writing needed for the discussion section.
BUT now -it needs MAJOR editing!! as its abit all over the place and i have repeated myself a few times no doubt! just to get the message across, i do tend to keep repeating things but in different ways. but i need to leave it for a few days, because right now i wont have the ability to cut anything out! as it took so long to write in the first place. so after a few days i will spend a few hours and transfer both the introduction and discussion section to final draft version. and also write up the results section from my scrappy papers, but will do that later on in the week. need to work on the other chapters!!!

Tractorgirl, good for you for getting the abstract done!

and i agree we should definately celebrate once we're all done! you lot are just so amazing, i dont know what i would do without you, it just feels so nice to know you're all working and kinda motivates me to do the same. and you all are so encouraging and positive and supportive! :-) its just easier to talk to people who are going through the exact same thing. its like when hostages bond lol we're all bonding over a stressful experience!!

Armendaf, that is so cool you listening to the proms whilst reading. i love the proms, i went last year it was so amazing!! if you go a few hours before, you que up for ages, but you can get a standing ticket for £5, i went with my friend and we went to the top and it felt like as if we were in the past when poor people had to stand in the back to listen to the proms and the rich artistocrats were seated down below lol hehehe it was great though! had fantastic time, was very cool atmosphere at the balcony, people just lying down or sitting on the floor,and the music just enveloping you. never forget it.

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well chapter 5 is finally done in rough version!!! it needs tidying up and i still need to type up my results from my scrappy papers. but the content and the thinking part is done hurrah! God how long did i spend on chapter 5! i shudder to think!!

but tommorow, i am going to work on the discussion section of chapter 4 and 3... and hopefully finish them both in one day, most of the discussion of both chapters is already written, because i nicked it from my two papers, but need to rewrite it so dont get in trouble for plagerism and need to add MORE content to both discussions to make it more like a thesis so will trawl for papers etc. but i wont spend more than a day on this, as need to get moving.

i think i am done for today. i cant face any more writing or reading. i am not sleepy but i want to start afresh tommorow.

okay so tommorows aim wake up early!!!

see you folks tommorow :-)

Hello there, back again for another day!

Lara - a good night's work there, you must be so pleased!! Great to have finished the new writing for that section, editing is the next step to the final version. I agree, you've all helped enormously with maintaining the motivation on this weird academic marathon, and we should celebrate at the end especially now we've 'bonded like hostages' lol!!

Tractorgirl, good to have finished the abstract, one more thing done!

You were right about me moaning more because it was late, it's amazing how different it seems the next day after a bit of sleep. I'll just do one pic per chapter, and say what I was investigating and what my methods were. I'll aim to get it finished by Dick van Dyke time, then leave it. I'll come back to it later to spot any elusive errors, then send it off.

See you later!

Hi,

Lara: Finishing Chapter 5 is brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well done, really fantastic news!!!!!!!!!! You are nearly there now and good luck with 3 and 4 today. Well done again, i am really proud of you.
Rubyw: I'm really glad things look a bit better today, you had done so much work over the weekend and you have acheived so much. I reckon the exhibiton will be brilliant. Good luck today and i will be joining you with the daily Dick van Dyke murder mystery!!!!
Armendaf: Hope you have a good day at work and good luck with the reading. Hope the tooth is still ok.
Hope we all have a great day!!

PS My aims: Sort out figure 5.3 in chapter 5 (needs to be re-done!)
Sort out the page numbers (Word has somehow started my page numbers ok, but then in one chapter the page numbers read page 114, 115, 116, 30, 31, 32 etc!!! What is going on!!! I think we all need a PhD in Microsoft Word before we get started!!! Oh well, will try to figure that out today.
Also need to go through the rest of chapter 1 as i need to add a few more references and do a bit more reading.
Finally, tonight i want to do some more work on Chapter 7 and this will also take up tomorrow i think!!!!!
Here goes ......!!!

Hello there Tractorgirl and Lara,

I bet you're both poring over your computers there, but I can't keep still now, so will have a proper break, I think. No point in wriggling around on my chair, is there! Still haven't finished my blurb and have realised to my horror about half the pics are a lower resolution than they would like, but can't repeat them now so it will have to do. Anyway, I will listen to some nice cheesy music and have something to eat now, so see you later.

Hope you're getting on better than me!!

Hello there Tractorgirl and Lara,

I bet you're both poring over your computers there, but I can't keep still now, so will have a proper break, I think. No point in wriggling around on my chair, is there! Still haven't finished my blurb and have realised to my horror about half the pics are a lower resolution than they would like, but can't repeat them now so it will have to do. Anyway, I will listen to some nice cheesy music and have something to eat now, so see you later.

Hope you're getting on better than me!!

Oooops sorry about that double post, impatient as well as fidgety obviously...

Hi Ruby and Tractorgirl, aww you two are so nice, thanks so much for the positive messages regarding chapter 5. i really appreciate it :-)

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well i clocked in at around 12pm, and i have just been printing and sifting through my folders grabbing all my drafts and reading through the reviewers comments for my 2nd paper, to "improve" the discussion section. so i now have all my material infront of me. and i just have to add extra information to the discussion.
the discussion section for the paper is at around 800 words. my 1st draft of my discussion chapter is around 2000 words.
i think i want to add something like 2000-3000 words more and then i will be happy with that.

so my aim today: is add extra information to the discussion for chapter 4. there's quite alot to do, the reviewers comments have thrown up all sorts of things i need to address! so perhaps i wont get time to even touch chapter 3 discussion. so i am going to concentrate and finish discussion of chapter 4 today, and only allow myself one day. so deadline is tonight.

i'm feeling hungry now though, so going to get some lunch and then start writing! i wont worry about writing in order, but get the content down first and then figure out how to slot the extra info into the discussion section.

i think i will start with the reviewers comments first, as they are like "mini examiners" lol.

Ruby thats annoying about the low res thing. yeh just leave it for now, you can always replace it later.
TG hope your writing is going well for chapter 1.

Armendaf is probably busy lecturing.

Hi

Hope everyone is having a good day. Just a quick post as again i have another bad headache! Think i am getting too stressed!! Anyway i need to pop out to get some more headache tablets. Anyway, good news! I got Chapter 7 back and there isn't that much left to do, i reckon a day at most! I also got my abstract back (only sent it in last night!). I think my sup knows how stressed i am getting!!!! Anyway, i am now able to set a date for my printing!!!!!!! I think if i get the bits i need to tidy up done this week (abstract, chapter 7, finish chapter 1 and check the contents and page numbers etc) i should be able to print out my 6 copies Monday (15th) and take them down to the university Tuesday for soft binding and submission!!!!!!!! I need to work hard this week but am sure if i keep on going i will make this deadline. I think the fact it is nearly done is spurring me on!!!!!! Anyway, hopefully i will make this deadline so fingers crossed!!!!!
Hope everyone has had a good day and good luck with everyone's writing tonight! Once i have had a bath and tablets i am going to get some more work done so might well be on the late shift tonight. If anyone else is planning on working late, see you then!!!!

WOW Tractorgirl, you are a STAR!!! that is absolutely amazing!! i knew you would be able to meet the deadline! that is so great (up)

you've motivated me to try to get as much of my thesis done this week aswell. so will definately be joining you for the night shift.

but wow that really is great that chapter 7 has passed with only a few things to do, you must be so pleased. and looks like your phd thesis is practically done with just minor things to do now.

and thats super your planning on submitting next tuesday!

you must tell me what goes on the side of the spine of the thesis and the front cover, i have no clue lol. and in what order. all i know is PhD goes on the spine and your surname with your intial forename. dont know anything else.

well that is really great news about your thesis. you have nothing to worry about ! you're so close to the finishing line!!

======= Date Modified 08 Sep 2008 19:21:17 =======
ugh i'm going to have abit of a moan, everyone keeps asking me *when* i will finish my thesis, and the simple answer is I DONT KNOW!! i am not psychic. i can say, i would LIKE to finish by such and such a day, but you never know how long things take. and i am trying to impose deadlines on myself. but its stressig me out -when people keep asking me !!! and again with the, "are you on target" no im not on target now **** off. sorry just stressing out now. one of my dads friends son, (whos done a phd a couple of years ago) phoned up my dad to ask him and my dad just asked me, and its really really pissing me off :-s i said to my dad, tell him, i dont know and i will let everyone know, when i've finished.

its stressful enough trying to work on your thesis without having the extra burden of worrying whether you will get it done in time. its like you cant do both. you cant worry about meeting the deadline AND focus and think and write at the same time. its just not possible. so what i do, is when i am working and writing, i just block it out of my head, the 30th september deadline and i dont think about it. i just think about today, and what i need to do , today. but when people ask me, when i will finish my entire thesis, that really freaks and stresses me out. and it upsets me. i know they mean well when they ask,and arent doing it to stress me out. but it peeves me off.

okay i feel better now that i've let that out.

sorry rant over. its just sometimes i just want to cry thinking about how much i have to do and how little time i have left. but then i just force myself to focus on the task at hand. its not just the major stuff that needs to be done, but also the niggly little things that just seem to take a disporportiate amount of time too.

*takes a deep breath*

okay, going to continue working on the discussion section of chapter 4. and just block deadlines and all the other chapters and all the other things i have to do for my thesis out of my head.

oh and when i mean everyone, i mean the people out there (Friends and family) not you lot, you guys are great! :-) the only people that really understand and know exactly what to say to motivate and encourage me!! (up)

YIKES i only have 10 days left!!!!!!!!!!!! to finalise 6 chapters (chapter 7 : conclusions, will be a short chapter,so i aint counting that one!)

okay i wont panic yet, i will panic on sunday. i will postpone my panicking until sunday. till then, will try to get big chunks of the chapters done.

apolagies for the stress/peeved ourburst. :$

i do feel better now that i've let it out.
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okay *puts all that stuff in a box and locks it until sunday*
--

right update for today so far:

I have written 1296 words: based on all reviewers comments. and i am now going to find relevant papers to answer their questions and queries and comments, and so that should bulk up my discussion abit.

my deadline for writing extra stuff for the discussion chapter 4 is midnight tonight!!

i better get cracking.

short deadlines that i impose myself - works for me :p