======= Date Modified 19 Sep 2008 20:11:30 =======
Hi Rubyw,

It's good to hear from you. I know! the forum is so slow today. People must be making loads of progress. If only I could as well.

I went to uni this morning to see If I could catch my supervisor, but apparently all faculty were away at some event elsewhere, so no luck. I am a bit less horrified than I was yesterday, even though I haven't heard from him, just by thinking through the options I might have at this point. Anyway, I left him another email asking to meet me on Monday so I'm working towards finishing this chapter 3 by then, and hopefully this thesis will make some sense to someone other than myself. Obviously it is easier said than done, but I'll give it my best effort. So another writing marathon weekend ... yay!!!! and this time with an unavoidable deadline... yay!! and far more ambitious than all the other ones... yay!!! if I don't make fun of myself, I'll start crying, so... yay for back to back thesis writing shifts!!!

Anyhow, I hope you are all doing well. How is it going Lara, Sheena?

Back to work now (up)(up)

Hey all u beautiful souls!!
Dear Amendarf, When I was 21years old and told my Dad that I had decided to do my PhD in Biochemistry, he asked me "Do u know y they award u a Doctrate in Philosophy and not a Doctorate in Science??"....Keen though I was to do my PhD, I was stumped when I was asked this question. And being the patient and loving dad that he is, he explained to me "Because doing a PhD teaches u more about life than about science"........Whatever ur research interests are, doing a PhD will take u on a roller coaster ride, just have to learn to hang on, get used to it and enjoy the ride!!! I know that this is a tough phase for you, but the best thing u can do right now is prove ur sup that he is wrong and think calmly of stratergies that can turn the situation into a positive one. Does ur Sup have someother Prof who he is really close to in the Department?? U can try telling him ur problem and maybe he can influence ur sup to reconsider his discission?? (I have tried this stratergy on an oncassion and it has worked!!! so....);-)....... Keep ur spirts high.... A PhD is part of ur life, not ur whole life..REMEMBER THAT!!!! May the sun shine brightly on u and may the angles smile sweetly this Monday.... Gud luck with everything!!! I am sooo glad that u have taken all this in the best possible spirit,I doubt if I would do the same.....
Lara, wats up with chapter 5?? I hope it has been completed!!! Knowing u I am sure u have done full justice to whatever work u have written so far....So unglue urself from the chair and smell the roses tomorrow, Coz its gonna be a fine day!!!!
Rubyw!!! Congrats on a fish being named after u... It seems so grand!!!How is the editing going on??? Both u and Lara seem like big movie buffs!!!! Iam sure once u finish ur PhD u guys will c back to back movies....I am dying to see The Dark Knight...maybe someday soon!!!
Sorry everyone...I wasnt on the forum for a few days....One of my friends was in a biiig mess and I was helping her sort out the problem!!! Now that the problem has been solved I am back.... Did anyone miss me??;-)
Will be starting my first set of experiments on Friday, and teaching a Bachelors course this Thursday... Very very excited about everything.... I have an assignment to do over the weekend as well so I will be definately keeping u amazing people company!!!
Keep on track everyone!!!!!(up)

======= Date Modified 19 Sep 2008 21:48:26 =======
Hi Ruby! i love your monologues, they really make me laugh! :-) and glad you like sleepy hollow too! i agree its a brilliant film! and 8 pages edited, fantastic progress well done you! and lol at the fish story hahahaha
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Armendaf, i will be joining you for the writing marathon this weekend, so you have me as company! i also have the ultimate deadline on monday too! so lets do it grrrr (battle face).
--
Pari, loved the story about your dad and why its called a doctorate of philosopy, that is so sweet :-) and you're so right! thanks for sharing that with us, and of course we missed you, you're like our very own cheerleader!!
===
well i havent quite finished chapter 5, my discussion is abit disjointed and it doesnt flow well and i keep jumping topics and then coming back to them again several pages later! so i printed it all out, and using the carpenter and archictect to fix it!
i have to finish my entire thesis by monday! no joke!! i have to confront my sup and demand that he sign my exam entry forms. but the only way im going to be able to do that, if i say that my thesis *is* completed. if he still refuses, than i have to phone the admin at my own university and ask him what the hell shall i do.

so i have to get all the chapters wrapped up as best as i can by monday morning. so no sleep for me this weekend! i wonder how many days a person can surivive without sleep? i'm literally running against the clock!!

my plan for tonight:

1. discussion section chapter 5

2. intro section chapter 5

3. conclusion chapter 7

4 chapter 1 intro

5 chapter 2 methods

then i will sleep for a few hours and then go onto chapter 6, at this stage, its gonna be my worst chapter, which i dont mind cause i personally dont think it shoudl even go in my thesis but my sup insisted that i should put it in.

okay will update as soon as chapter 5 is done. im working on my bed now.

Hello there,

Ooh, I'm glad to hear from you all, I was starting to feel like a bit of a nutter talking to myself!!

Armendaf, sorry you didn't catch your supervisor today but can't be helped. Your plan to crack on and write all you can by Monday is the best idea, you'll be amazed what you can achieve between now and then.

Lara, your plan sounds realistic, I'm sure you'll get it done as you've done so much already. Can you have more short naps to revive your poor brain in between sections? You'll be ok if you plod on and don't panic.

Pari, I'm glad you helped your friend out, I'm sure she was pleased to have the company.

I'm off to bed now, have only done another 7 pages but I'll do the rest tomorrow. See you in the morning for another stint of mad writing-up.

Night all, get some rest when you can't think any more, but good luck with it until then.

======= Date Modified 20 Sep 2008 04:08:33 =======

Thanks so much for the advice Ruby, that is a very good idea, to take short naps, i will do that :-) thanks!
7 pages, great stuff, you're doing so well!

well i have finished chapter 5, hurrah! just finished the discussion, and then went straight onto to the introduction section, and its done hurrah! although there was a moment, when i was like, I CANT BE BOTHERED!!! and wanted to just sit there and think, ah i will just fail its less painful! no doubt its the lack of sleeping that's thinking like that haha.

i did print out the discussion and cut the differnet sections up and it was slightly easier to organise it that way. i dont know how i did it, but got it done.

feeling sleepy now, but will have a cup of coffee now and take a little break and then will write chapter 7 final conclusions, which is just a summary of the discussions i have already written.

okay will be back when i've got that done, unless i have falled asleep ontop of my laptop!

i read this hilarious account of a guy who went 10 days without sleep, its soooooooooooooo funny! or maybe i found it funny. but if you get a chance read it.

this bit cracked me up big time!!
"Then I started seeing people wandering past into the next office. For some reason I remember thinking they were crooks and probably Irish. Now I was supposed to be the only one here and in total charge on this floor during the nigh shifts.

So these people must be up to no good.

I armed myself with a heavy three foot metal rule and went into the office next door to investigate (as one does when under some irrational threat)..

Nobody there! Thought they were just being really devious so I started looking in tiny desk drawers for them!" LOL!!

http://iq.lycos.co.uk/qa/show/58324/How+long+can+the+human+body+survive+without+sleep%3F/

but if i start talking crazy talk, you know why! bring on the hallucinations then! lol

Hello everyone, fellow panickers and writers, it's Saturday morning and I feel like I haven't been away from this computer at all.

Oooh Lara, excellent - chapter 5's in the bag!!! Well done!!! I think your determination is amazing, I hope I'm like that nearer my submission date.

Your story was funny, I loved it! The idea of the building man checking little drawers with a big metal bar for intruders!!! LOL, but maybe he wasn't hallucinating after all, he could have discovered a gang of fairies or something, some people (not me) believe the 'little people' live in hidden places and they're a bit shy, so you never know.... *cue theme tune from The Outer Limits*

Anyway, back to harsh reality. I have a chapter to finish and have to keep at it all day. I've got a dreadful tendency to leave things to the last minute, and my supervisor was worried about me completing on time, so it's got to be done. TODAY. Definitely don't want to end up in a sleepless state where I'm seeing people in little drawers in the near future, so must stave off that situation from now on. And that means w.o.r.k.i.n.g. Yep, Must Log Off. NOW.

See you later!!

hahaha... fellow panickers!!!!! how true!!!! :-(...Oh the harsh realities of life.... The best way to come out winner in this game called life is to use a little bit of humour and a lot of patience..... Ruby!!U r sooo funieeee!!!! Howz the writing coming on??? I reckon u have done most of it by now if u need to submit it on Monday.....!!!
Lara... How is Chapter 5 treating u??;-) One of my friends who is on the way to finish her writting up chants' I love my PhD..I love my PhD' aloud!!!! So that she is convinced of it herself!!!!! :-) Its her way of motivating herself.....!!! Abt my dad..yeah !! he is nice, but but ..he is also the man who told me that PhD is an abbreviation for Permanent Head Damage!!!;-)
I am in college right now .... and I have read a couple of papers... need to read more and then put that in writing... THought I would finish most of the reading today, and start with the writing in the evening!!!
Amendarf.... where are u?? and more importantly how r u doing?? Hope everything is better...Is the writting more smooth sailing now??Let us know.....
Let the word marathon begin!!!!!
See u all later in the evening!!!!

Hi Girls!! so nice to have you two as company and Armendaf too! no doubt he's busy typing away!
Ruby you really make me laugh :-) thanks for your message, yah it definately feels good to have chapter 5 in the bag!
thanks so much for your advice last night about getting some ZZZzzzzz i feel so much better now, and rearing to go. last night i finished writing some extra stuff for chapter 7, but by the time i hit 6am, i felt sick, so i couldnt do it anymore, and had no willpower or motivation. so i went to sleep, i was planning on only sleeping for 2 hours, but i didnt hear my alarm, eventually got up at 12.40. and now i feel refreshed. sleep is really important. so even though i've lost 6 hours through sleeping. i will actually be able to work better today. i needed to sleep. one of my dad's friends son, said to me, to just stay up all weekend and get all the chapters done (he's done his phd) but i just couldnt do it. i'm not a robot !

Pari, your message made me laugh. i like that acronym. yes indeed let the marathon session begin!

Armendaf, i hope you are okay.

my aims for today:
1. chapter 7: spend maximum an hour on this.
2. chapter 1 introduction: cut out irrevelant stuff, add a few sections and finalise
3. chapter 2: methods: add one major section and extra details

chapter 6 i will work on tommorow and the appendix.

good luck everyone!

Aww thanks Ruby, that's really nice of you to say, thanks that makes me feel better! and glad you found the story funny, i thought you would hehehehe. and good luck with your writing today! you can do it! :-)

thanks for asking Pari, chapter 5 is done, hurrah! it's probably complete rubbish, but its done. thats all i care about. and you're so right, staying positive is really important! i will try the chanting hehe.

Hello, more people - yay!!

Pari, your dad sounds very sensible but hope he's wrong on the 'permanent' bit!

Lara, I'm not surprised you felt sick staying up that long - I would have keeled over by then, or just felt extremely ill through lack of sleep.
So how's chapter 7 going then...?

I'm bored now too, still haven't finished that flipping chapter and I swear it's turning into pure gobbledygook before my very eyes now. But it's much too early to have dinner, so I can't use hunger as an excuse to stop. :-s

I'll make a coffee and get back to it. Today I really wish the weather was crap, with thunderstorms, rain and lightening, so I wouldn't mind about being stuck indoors. Apologies to outdoors people not doing PhDs, but we PhD types really need a hand from the weather sometimes... Anyway, duty calls...:-s

Armendaf, hope you're doing ok.

See you later.... :-s

Hi girls,

Lara, it is fantastic how the work is flowing for you... keep at it, you'll definitely finish in time. And yes, sleeping is important; do not underestimate the healing power of sleep.

Rubyw, I'm also fighting the urge to leave it to the last minute, but today, I can not afford that. I really need to finish this chapter soon. I've had to juggle a bit more with the sections, but I think I finally got the right structure and it gives me a better anchor for the argument, so hopefully words will flow easier.

Pari, you are such a sweety, thanks for cheering us up... badly needed sometimes :$

So, the writing is slow as usual, but I think I can do this (I have to, actually). It's not rocket science for god sake! Its only writing down what I already know; the argument is partially there already, and everything else that I need I've read and digested multiple times... And if my pathetic little mind couldn't hold any of this information, it is right here, at arms length, in black and white, highlighted and annotated. What else do I need!!! :-s:-s

OK, rant over, sorry about that :$. I think I need some food now, so I'll stop for a little while and will get back to it later.

How are you girls doing?

======= Date Modified 20 Sep 2008 16:34:56 =======
Thank God for you people today, that's all i am going to say, as saturday can be sooooooooo quiet on the forums, but knowing you all are working away, is really helping me!! i agree Ruby, the weather is so lovely!!!! drats! but small sacrifice today, will pay off in the long run!

Ruby, i love the multitude of battle faces in your message lol.

i totally know what you mean about getting bored , i just finished chapter 7 (yah!!!) but as i was writing it, i was thinking, this is probably rubbish - but its done and that is all that matters, i will read through it again later once ive finished all the chapters, and maybe add a list of future experiments in bullet point, i once saw a thesis that had that. right now, i cant think of any! they are all just glazed suggestions, nothing specific..so maybe once my other chapters are done, my brain will unstress and some ideas might arise.

Ruby, dont worry about gobedly gook - i think what its important is to get it written in whatever shape and form!, and then improve on it later. its always easier to improve on something.

i'm having dinner at 7pm. so i'm working till then too. but going to take a little break now, before starting chapter 1 introduction.

keep going Ruby, you're doing well!! i admire you working on a saturday without a looming deadline over your head... and maybe you can take a little break and stand in the garden and enjoy the weather for abit?

thanks for saying that its perfectly normal to feel sick staying up that late, i felt i was being a weak solider lol.

Hi Armendaf, so nice to hear from you! thanks for your encouragement, hopefully *fingers crossed* and you're so right, sleep is sooooooooooooo healing!!!

i totally get what you mean about having everything infront of you but still mustering the motivation to just write it. i am like that too, i have everything infront of me, i just have to put it together, and still i sit there thinking, oh its too much, oh i cant be bothered. and just sit there, and lol the only thing that worked for me is having a headmistress voice in my head saying, "sit there and DO IT! do not even think about getting up from that chair until it's done. and i dont care if you're bored, write the damn thing!" the headmistress in my head is a biatch, but when i get it done, its a great feeling of accomplishment. thats the only thing thats motivating me, being able to tick off a chapter, and seeing the ticks on my wall planner next to each chapter. lol

lol i think i might be going abit loony. but hey whatever gets the job done !
Armendaf, dont worry about slow writing, as long as you keep at it, thats all that matters. you will get there! just get as much as you can done. no need to write a pultzer prized piece at this stage. i know i spelt it wrong, cant be arsed to check the correct spelling. and rant away my friend, that's what this forum is for!

Me too about just staring at it and wondering where on earth I can dredge up the motivation to get writing - why are we like this...????? We're just spinning out a job that's going to get done, one way or another. Interesting how you shift your ideas about the thesis, the nearer you get to submission, thinking well I can submit but then I'll have to do corrections anyway, as long as it's handed in...

But you're right, it will so great to finish it as we've done so much work now, there's no point in flopping at the last hurdle or we might be annoyed with ourselves for ever after.

Anyway, good luck you two, I'm so glad you're there today, it's so nice to have the company!

I'd better get back to it, I'll do that 15 minutes thing to get started.

I'll be around all night doing this, with a proper break for dinner/X Factor later. I'd rather do a PhD than sing on national TV and be publicly humiliated by Simon Cowell, so we're sparing ourselves that terrible fate if we get on with it! See you later.