Hi

Lara: Thanks ever so much for your kind words. You are so nice and really inspire me to keep going!!!!!! Thanks again for all your positive messages.

Don't worry about having a moan! I fully understand!! During the weekend just gone a friend of mine phoned and said to me "have you not finished your thesis yet? when will you finish it, what have you been doing all this time!!!" She then asked me to visit her on Sunday (she called Saturday) and she lives half way up the country which would have resulted in me missing a whole day of work what with travelling to see her, then coming back!! Anyway i told her i wouldn't be able to make it only for her to get really grumpy!!! She accused me of not making an effort!!!!!!!!! She then said "how can you have a breal for a few hours to watch football but not come and see me!!!" The cheek of it!!!! I mean i know when i need my breaks but also know i can't take a whole day off at this stage!! Lucky i didn't tell her about my contact lens appointment and lunch on Sunday or i think she would have flipped completely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway don't you worry. I think a lot of the time people (especially parents) think they are being helpful and showing an interest without realising that it gets us stressed!! My parents are the same! I keep getting "are you on target etc etc" then i sometimes snap and my mum doesn't really understand why!!!
Try not to let it get to you (difficult i know) and focus on your work. Remember you are the expert in your thesis and you know what is left to do. Also you will get there and your thesis will be brilliant.

I have just re-read all our messages from the last week and look at how much you have done!!!!! Last week you acheived so much, really fantastic!!! Just keep going, and you will get there. Try not to worry about other people, i think you are right unless you are doing a PhD it is very hard to understand the process and how challenging it all is.
Anyway, don't worry and good luck with the writing tonight.
I am now going to get some dinner then am going to put my new figures into chapter 5, and work on 7 for a bit. Am having a fry up inspired by the one Armendaf had at the weekend!!!

Speak again later on after a bit more work!!!

Hi

Just signing off for the night. Managed to get my changed figures incorporated into the text, and worked a bit on Chapter 7 but am quite sleepy now!!!!!

Aims for tomorrow: Finish Chapter 7, finish Chapter 1 changes, sort out the page numbers!!!!!!!!

See you tomorrow!

PS Been playing ABBA songs, makes me think of Mamma Mia which i loved! I think it is coming out on DVD around christmas time so definitely one to buy i think!!!

Hi Lara and Tractorgirl,

Just been reading all your progress posts, you've both done so much today!

TG hope your headache has gone now, but it sounds like you're well on target! The bits you've got left sound very do-able in the time you've got, you've got amazing discipline to have stuck with it, I'm very impressed! Wish I was more like that. Exciting to be planning printing it out and delivering it now, at last the end's in sight!! ABBA sounds good for working to, I've had Elvis on today- late 50s/early 60s pop - lovely!! Well, to me anyway!!

Lara, you've done an incredible amount today - lots of writing, plus it's very focussed, not just a load of woffle to pad it out, as you've been incorporating all the reviewer's feedback and queries into it. As you said, they're like mini-examiners, so it's been time well spent. I can't imagine (yet) how it must be when you're so near the deadline, but you really can't do any more than you are. You and TG are working flat out for an extended period of time, which is really hard to sustain and not go a bit mad or get ill.

I'm glad you have a rant about people asking about when you're finishing, and not understanding that you can't go off for days out at this point, they just don't realise the enormity of what we're doing. Moan all you like on here, it's the best place for it! It makes me a feel a bit anti-social sometimes, but if I don't enjoy myself if I'm worrying about the time I could be spending on my thesis. Wondering what excuse I'll be able to give when it's all done and I don't want to go and visit someone hehe...

I'm ashamed to say I fell asleep after Dick van Dyke and did virtually nothing after that, then decided to clean the venetian blind in the kitchen, not sure why, have never been a stepford wife type but maybe I'm becoming one of those cleaning procrastinators, better than the faffing around on the internet type, as at least you can see a difference I guess! Still, I haven't had any time off work since Christmas so not too lazy really. Tomorrow will be better and I will finish this thing - I made an artificial deadline for it, as it doesn't really have to be done till Wednesday but then it eats into the other time, so best to get it out of the way.

Anyway I'm off to bed now, hope you both have a good night. See you in the morning!

======= Date Modified 09 Sep 2008 00:38:57 =======
======= Date Modified 09 Sep 2008 00:36:49 =======
Hi girls,

It looks like I missed a lot by not being around today.

Lara and TG, please don't pay attention to those comments. I know how annoying it is when people make the sightliest gesture of disapproval, disbelief or lack of sensitivity towards your work, let alone when the dare to verbalise their thoughts in the form of a comment. I for once, have heard them all: "are you sure you are going to finish on time", "please, get it over with...", "What do you mean you don't know how long is going to take?". You can imagine that none of these comments have made me feel any better about myself, and don't even get me started on the conversation that followed each of them. So, I've decided that I'm going to heed none of it and just do what I have to do and that's it. I'm doing the PhD for myself and for myself alone, so if I make it or not, is my own business and I'll deal with the benefits or the consequences as I so suit. As you can imagine, so did I have a similar conversation recently. Anyway, to be fair, I have to say that both, my colleagues at work and my fellow students in the uni, they are all very supportive. Not as much as my writing buddies in the forum though ;-)

This thesis thing is coming around anyway: TG, you've got your chapter 7 and the introduction almost sorted; and Lara, you are cruising through the writing, you'll have those chapters drafted in no time; and Rubyw you've got that "graphic novel" of your PhD sorted. I tell you this thing is coming around... you are almost there.

Today I could only do a little bit of reading before going to work, and I was planning to do a bit more before going to bed; but I'm too tired for that. Tomorrow I'll get up early and start working straight away. I do not have to go to work, so I'll make it an intensive thesis day.

By the way, my mouth has gotten used to the new shape of my tooth and I'm not getting the tongue nor the inside of the cheek scratched any more, and eating doesn't feel awkward either, so it's fine now. I still have to be careful no to brake it again, otherwise it would be beyond repair. My lecture this evening (2 hrs) was OK, but I also have another one on Wednesday evenings (4hrs). I'm only dealing with lecturing and preparations on those two days leaving all other days of the week for the thesis, I really need to keep focused.

Have a good night, and I'll talk to you in the morrow 8-)

======= Date Modified 09 Sep 2008 00:58:33 =======

Hi guys :-) I am also calling it a night! clocking out for the day.

i just had a major reading session! 5 hours!! i've been reading since 7.30pm, the last time i clocked in. kept saying to myself, okay 15 more minutes than i will be done. just another 10 minutes. and then another hour would zoom past lol.

i have skimmed read 28 papers for the discussion. getting better at skimming papers, instead of getting bogged down by the intricate details, keep saying, blah blah, oooh that's interesting, *highlight* but now i just have absolutely no motivation or will power to do any writing of the stuff i've just read, and feeling abit hungry but more than that, feeling tired and my brain is now mush from all the reading..so calling it a day. i didnt meet my deadline for writing my discussion section by midnight, but oh well. will get it done tommorow. and i like Ruby's idea of artificial deadlines. they do work.

Thanks so much Tractogirl, Ruby and Armendaf for your wonderful and lovely encouraging messages! I would reply to you all individually, but feeling tired. But i really appreciated everything each one of you have said :-) you three are the best!! hehe

well i was contemplating in torturing myself and staying up all night to write the "extra" discussion stuff but i am way too tired, and you guys are always right in saying there's no point working when your tired.

Thanks Ruby about the comment about the examiners comments and not just padding, that made me feel better :-) and glad to know i'm not the only one that gets those comments. and i love elvis presley!!

Tractorgirl, you're so right, i didnt even think about how much we've accomplished in just a week. you're so very close to the finishing line, well done ! you really are inspiring me, to get finished too. and i also had to tell my friend i couldnt make it to his dinner party on saturday, he was dissapointed! and couldnt understand why i couldnt spare a few hours. but i know what i am like, it would have wasted a whole day and night.

Armendaf, glad to hear your tooth isnt giving you too much hassle. and am so impressed you lecture , very cool!! your comments regarding those "conversations" made me laugh.

okay see you folks tommorow for a marathon writing session!! i have all my material infront of me now to write my discussion, tommorow i just gotta glue myself and write it.
it will be nice to have the company , since its an intensive thesis day for you too! and TG no doubt will be around and Ruby too.

and ruby dont worry about falling asleep, i did that all the time!! trust me, every day after lunch time, i would take massive naps lol

goodnight folks :-)

Hi all,

Today I have finally submitted my PhD thesis. I have finished writing it almost a month ago, but my supervisor took his time reading it (3 weeks) and producing the soft copies took more time than expected.

My PhD start was very rough, changed my supervisor after one and half years, had sever personal problems, went into depression ... But I wanted to finish the PhD badly, I guess I have done OK overall and produced a good thesis. It was a huge learning experience for me, learned many things about my research area, life and most importantly myself.

I am happy and relived that I have reached this milestone, I wish the viva go smoothly and the examiners can appreciate the value of my research. Unfortunately, as the last year was very stressful, I choose to ignore money related issues. Currently, I am in big debt and trying to find a temporary job until the viva so I can have some money. Wish me luck in finding a job.

I wish everyone writing up (especially Lara) the best of luck, and if "K" did it, you can do it as well !!! (up)

Hi,

Lara, you got loads done last night - well done, you're really on a roll now (as they say!) Absolutely know what you mean about your brain turning to mush, there was a Doctor Who episode where people's brains got replaced with pale jellyish alien life forms and it sort of felt a bit familiar! Good to have stopped when you did and pace yourself, no point in burning yourself out completely at this stage.

Armendaf, glad your lecture went ok, but the 4 hour one on Wednesday sounds challenging. I've never done more than 2hr sessions, anything longer would have to be well planned to make sure the students came back after their coffee break - they vote with their feet when they don't like you! You can only do so much on your thesis when you're working too, it's really difficult maintaining the continuity in your writing sometimes.

K - wow, submitted!!! Congratulations, that is a major achievement!! Good luck with finding a job, it is so easy to forget money things when you're concentrating on finishing, but we're only human.

Better get stuck in for today I suppose, so see you later. Pleased with my clean kitchen blind today though, there must be a little bit of Stepford in me after all lol.

Hi!

Thanks for eveyone's messages and hope everyone has a great day today. Also K, congratulations!!!!!!!!! What a brilliant acheivement, you should be really proud. You have done so well and i'm so pleased for you. Well done again and good luck on the job hunt!!!!!

Rubyw: don't worry about falling asleep!!! I have only just got up and had planned to start working at 8 this morning!!!!!!! I also know what you mean about not enjoying yourself because your mind is on the thesis. It is definitely hard to relax sometimes because of all the writing and thinking etc! Good luck with your deadline today, you can do it!! We all have loads of faith in you. Good luck!

Armendaf, glad the lecturing went ok and that the tooth is no longer scratching your mouth. Thanks ever so much for your encouraging words and also for sharing your experiences with other people. I definitely think sometimes that people just don't think about what they are saying half the time!!!!

Lara, 5 hours reading!!!!! That is fantastic!!!! You are really getting there and that is brilliant. Good luck with the writing today, you are doing so well and will be finished in no time. Hope you have a good day.

My aims: Have a cup of tea!
Finish Chapter 1, and 7. sort out page numbers. Also try to start proof reading chapters again once all the rest is done (might have to do this also tomorrow). Also watch DM at 2.15!!!!!!!
Hope everyone meets their aims.

======= Date Modified 09 Sep 2008 11:22:28 =======
Hi everyone,

I hope things are going well for you all. Just a quick post to check in. I've been reading all morning and I think I still need to read some more, but will definitely start slaughtering that chapter again before lunch time.

Lara you are doing so much work, well done, keep on going. TG, you are so close, great news about chapter 7, is almost done and dusted. Rubyw, cleaning procrastinating is just a temporary condition, after you submit the thesis you'll be back to your usual self, don't worry; the Van Dyke addiction might be a different story though ;-)

K congratulations on submitting the thesis, that's the mother of all accomplishments! Now take some time off and relax, and by the time the rest of us finish, you might have some ideas to keep up this thread to prepare for our Vivas.

Back to work now (up)

WOOHOO! CONGRATULATIONS K!! well done!!! that is absolutely fantastic! you are a star! thanks so much for the well wishes, i need it! :-)

so brilliant you finished writing it.

you must celebrate, you must take some time off and do something fun! and then worry about finding a job after a few days! good luck in finding a job, i am sure you will be able to find one soon

Aww thanks so much Ruby!!! really appreciate that. and you're so right! and LOL At the doctor who episode that was so funny!! hope you have a good day today
:-)

i have so much laundry to do ! it's just piling and piling and i have to keep rummaging in my cupboard for new clothes i can wear, cause i dont want to spend time on laundry haha. i think eventually i will run out of clothes and have no choice but to do the laundry.

Thanks so much Tractorgirl! :-)
and lol i also woke up at 11am and was planning on waking up at a 8am!!!

good luck with your aims today, and catch you later
;-)

Thank you so much Armendaf :-) I really appreciate the encouragment!

well i am just about to start writing, i'm going to write for 2 hours and see how much i can write, the aim is to write 2000 words.
and i have around 28 papers to comment and discuss.

i think in total i want my discussion to be no more than 6000 words.
i already have 2000 words written previously. 1000 from yesterday. so i need to aim for about 3000 words today. and then when i edit it all down, it should be around 5000 words, which is a decent discussion section for a chapter i reckon.

okay so my aim is to write at least 3000 words, but not more than that.

okay here it goes ! *starts timer* will report back in two hours with how much i have written.

good luck everyone!!! and i look forward to hearing everyones regular updates
;-)

Hi,

Just watched diagnosis murder and i am really freaked out!!!!!!!!!! It was about ghostly goings on in the hospital basement. I am at home alone and swear i just heard a spooky noise!!!! On the writing front have now got Chapter 7 finished and am doing some changes to chapter 5 before sorting out the rest of chapter 1.
Hope everyone is having a good day!!!

PS I'm sure i just saw a funny shape reflecting from the tv!!!!!