Ooooho...I completed the other half of my calculations already :-) I am going to submit the simulations which I was intending to submit tomorrow and then back home for a movie :-)

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I'm working on revising my literature review chapters today. Currently collecting additional papers relevant to my thesis.

I'm post viva working on thesis corrections, but I'm struggling with feeling really inadequate and 'slow' in comparison with people who started a year later than me, yet have fully completed their PhDs. My own fault for adding so much into one singular thesis. Even my examiners kept commenting on how much work I've done......kind of regretting my ambitious nature now :-(

Just need to maintain some degree of motivation and productivity to get through this!

Anyway, I'll keep chipping a way at it with a view to have a final final draft before Christmas. Have to remember that it could have been worse. At least they didn't fail me outright or award me with an MPhil after corrections!

Best of luck those of you about to hit the submission hurdle :)

Hi Pineapple29 - Don't worry about going slowly at all, am sure you are moving on steadily. Also it is better not to compare with others who have fast pace as each and everybody's project is different. You have put a lot of hard work and learnt a lot. There are many people who are struggling to reach the required words (like me for example) which means having to cut down is in a way a bit better than having to include new additional stuff. You are definitely doing great :-)

30.08.2011's entry

1. My supervisor is presenting some of my results in his teaching lecture in a national conference this week which is good.
2. I did not do any work yesterday as I felt completely drained out and did not even feel like getting out of the bed (it wasn't my fault completely - it was the weather :p). So just lazed around doing nothing productive.
3. Submitted yet another simulation this morning.

Plan:

1. Analyse the results of previous simulation this evening.
2. Do some more analytical calculations this evening which wouldn't really take a long time.
3. To do measurements tomorrow.

I have a meeting with my supervisors on Thursday - I am just hoping that everything will go well!

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Unfortunately, no :-( -  I don't have any secondary supervisor/ post doc/ any friend in the same field. :-| I guess just have to send the papers /try my luck without much (any?) support from them and keep on praying. Sending papers is also actually one of my ways of getting some feedback on what I am doing since I don't have a very good supervision from the start & not many people to discuss with about my reseach here. One of the few good things about my supervisor is he easily gives financial support to attend conferences & buy equipments for my research. So I am going to fully utilize my resources and stop crying over what I don't have. :-|  I'm done with that already! :-|  Anyway, I had sent the papers last weekend and today's status mentioned that it (the one that I submitted to journal) is under review. It's much faster than the previous journal that I had submitted to. Hopefully the result will be fine although I really doubt it (T_T).

I went back to my home country last weekend and happy to be at my hometown now:-):-):-). Although I really wish to relax and fully enjoy my holiday, I still have to bring my work home & have already started working today after few days of rest. Today, I had read some papers about method A, but it seems to be different than what I initially think. I need to read more about this and method B tomorrow and hopefully I can find a way how to use/ modify/ suit them to solve the problem I'm studying.

Good luck for the meeting with your supervisors, Cindrella. It seems to me that you have a lot of things to show them. That is good(up)
Wow! (*o*). It feels so fast, that 2 weeks have already passed.

Good luck everyone!  \(*o*)/ (up)

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I am sorry to hear that you don't have anyone to advice you about your article, Huhu. But am really impressed that you have been doing everything on your own. That's great!!! You should be proud of yourself :-) I will pray for you as well and am sending my positive vibrations in this package (gift) All the best (up) I am glad to hear that you are in your home country :-) Perhaps working there too is not good - you should think about taking at least few days (if not the whole time there) totally off from work and am sure it will help you refresh your mind. Take care!

To be honest, I haven't got much results to show my supervisors tomorrow. I can't believe that even at this stage am still panicking about the meetings with my supervisors :-( I have got quite a lot of work done in last two weeks but still have the analysis part to be done and also some of my results doesn't seem to make sense which needs to be investigated. I got the measurements part done today (its been dragging on for a bit as I couldn't get the equipment) which I am very happy about. Just hoping that everything will go ok tomorrow and with the rest of the PhD as well!!

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Thanks Cindrella!:-):-):-)

Hopefully the meeting with your supervisor went well today.

Most of the time, I also feel nervous when meeting or explaining my works to my supervisor although he never scold /critisize me, usually doesn't give much comment and keeps on smiling during the meeting. I usually have to plan & practise my dialogue/presentation properly so he could understand me easily and so that I won't get embarassed for not being able to answer any of his questions. However, usually, the meeting didn't actually go as bad as I thought. :p

All the best for today's work and of course for the rest of the PhD too. \('o')/ (up):-)

Thanks a lot, Huhu! I had the shortest tutorial ever this morning - it lasted only 15 minutes (usually it goes on for 1 hr - 2 hrs). My second supervisor wasn't there as he was unwell and I just had my primary supervisor. I felt extremely awful to go for the meeting empty handed at this stage when I am nearing submission. I apologized and he said that it is not a problem. I totally agree with you - I always panic before these meetings but everything goes on fine usually. I am feeling low and anxious at the moment! Anyway I am extremely sorry for the depressive note :-(

Good luck to you too and have a nice week end! :-)

======= Date Modified 04 Sep 2011 10:59:17 =======
Hi all, I think I have found the solution for the problem with my inconsistent results. I had resubmitted new simulations on Friday which are done now and am putting the results together to analyse if it is ok. Keeping my fingers crossed. I have promised my supervisors that I will be submitting two main chapters of my thesis by the end of this month which sounds doable. I just have to make sure that I stick to the plan.

I think I will feel much more confident after seeing the draft of two chapters. Looking forward to the submission!!

Hi Cindrella,

I am also planning to submit two chapters in the last week of Sept. I almost completed one which needs some refinements for few days. Then, I will be working on the next. I know it can be done but I have not been that focused these days. Hope, I will be able to send two chapters to my sups on time.

Hi Swetchha,

Good to know that you are planning to submit two chapters by the end of this month too and well done for almost completing one :-) I have a long way to go :-( I have no clue how am going to do it but will try my best! I am thinking about working on both the chapters in parallel. To begin with intro, methods and materials on both of these chapters which is a bit straight forward then will go on to writing the results, discussion and conclusions.

All the best to you (up) Keep posting your progress and so will I :-)

Best,

Cindrella

Hi all, I did not get much work done since this morning :-( I am feeling extremely guilty about that. I am back to my office after dinner now I am going to work for the next few hours - aiming to finish of the analysis of the experimental work I did few days ago. I will make sure I complete it by tonight and post back to say that I have done it!

Hi cindrella,

IMHO if you push yourself too much, you might end up burning out. PhD is like a marathon so you don't want to lose all your energy in the short sprint. So, please do keep taking breaks. If one day you cannot achieve much, if possible, make that day a complete day off and don't be guilty. Next day, you will be back to your task and may even cover up for two days. Otherwise your productivity might go down over time.

Cheers

Hi Mak_2011,

Thanks a lot for the heads-up!! and I 100% agree with you but the deadline is haunting me so much that I am not able to sleep at all :-( and then I think perhaps it is better to work while am awake rather than lying on the bed worrying about my thesis. I know that it is totally insane to work like mad until early in the morning and then feel awfully tired during the day time. I will definitely try to change this. Cheers again :-)

Anyway about the analysis, I have quite a bit of it but still have some more to do and as Mak_2011 rightly mentioned, am totally knackered now so decided to call it a day and going home!

Hi all, Good morning!

Today's goal:

1. Finish the rest of the analysis of the experimental part, include the calculation results and email to supervisors.
2. Check on the simulations and combine/analyse the results.
3. Prepare notes on couple of sections of one of the main chapters.

I will have to try hard to stay focussed - am getting distracted a lot these days :-( I have decided to dedicate one day in a week just for thesis writing and the rest of the week I will try to write 1000 words (3.2 pages TNR 12 points 1.5 space) per day. Have a nice day guys and gals! :-)

Today- well due to sickness, I haven't looked at my thesis for just over a week..... :$ and I'm feeling really guilty about taking so much time away from my thesis and also relying on my family to support me whilst I complete this monster. I feel very alone from my university, so this forum has become my main source of support at the moment.

However, I'm feeling a little better now and my voice is starting to return. Severe case of tonsillitis is just not fun at all- and managed to completely drain out almost every last drop of energy.

I don't know HOW I'm going to finish all these thesis corrections before Christmas. I think I'm going to have to bury myself in a shed somewhere or find a very quiet corner in a library away from any internet distractions. My supervisor at my last job said I need to have hours of continious concentration without any distractions in order to successfully complete a thesis in time. Sounds like good advice.

I'm looking at my PhD supervisors PhDs via the EThOS British Library- has anyone used this service? I can see exactly where my sups have derived their arguments and ideas on structure etc over the last 4-5 years.

Anyway, I can't look at my thesis today (due to writing publications for a clinical psychologist), but it's full steam ahead tomorrow onwards. I'm looking over my sups PhDs though just to get further ideas about bringing the word count down.

Plan for the rest of this week- finish updating the first part of my literature review chapters.

Nightmare- fighting back the tears yet again :-(