wow Ruby! i'm so impressed you've had such a productive day. well done!!! :-)
am glad to hear things are going well for you.

yah i know what you mean, some days are just totally off and some days you just find yourself ON.


me on the other hand, was too distracted by the pretty snow hehe. but forced myself to read 6 pages from my thesis which i just finished now. going to bed now. see you tommorow. going to study hard tommorow to make up for my slacking today!

me three! i did no work today, totally distracted by all the pretty snow ! hehe

gonna read 6 pages from my thesis to make up for lack of work. and tommorow gonna get up and shift my body clock once and for all!! hopefully :p

======= Date Modified 02 Feb 2009 03:17:36 =======
good luck Loo! i cant imagine how you must be feeling knowing your viva is in 2 weeks time. but alot can be accomplished in 2 weeks. just take it one day at a time.

start formulating answers for general viva questions like. "describe what are the highlights of your thesis"

apart from the questions, just refresh your mind on the basic principles and theories your thesis rests on. everyone who has had a viva, has always told me that during the viva, just be confident, even if you dont feel it, act and pretend to be confident! and how its more like a discussion of your work. the day before, dont do any cramming or reading. but relax and take it easy and get a good night sleep and be well rested. and rest assure that during the viva the information will flow out of you, and their questions will act like triggers. there is no "best" answer, just formulate any answer, and write it down.
the very act of writing things down, helps you to remember them.

try making question and answer cards. pretend you're giving a lecture to invisible students in your room, and go through your answers.

good luck! and i can keep you company whilst you prepare for your viva, i too am studying everyday for my viva. so how about we study super hard these next two weeks :) but my viva is not in 2 weeks time, but i have set myself a deadline of 27th feb, to be prepared for a viva. a viva date can be pounced on me any day.

======= Date Modified 02 Feb 2009 03:41:44 =======
Hey Ruby! you're welcome :-) glad to help in any small way i can.

well i didnt do any studying today! whooooops. woke up late, then got distracted with a bunch of stuff and then had a lovely lunch , then just hung out with my family, my brother came today for sunday lunch.

how beautiful was the snow! it was magical, i felt like i was in narnia :-) its still snowing abit. i cant seem to stop looking outside my window. its like being in another world :)

anyways, tommorow is a fresh new day so back to studying mode! so i will study tommorow. but so that today isnt a total bust. i'm going to read 6 pages from my thesis before i clock out.
==
edit.
just read pages 7-12 of my thesis. realised really need to understand and get the argument cemented in my head of these particular thesis pages that discuss several different opposing theories. so will do that tommorow when i'm more alert. but good that i read it tonight to re-acquant myself. i know i spelt it wrong. too tired to correct it.

======= Date Modified 01 Feb 2009 01:27:13 =======
Awww thanks Ruby! you're so kind to say that. that really put a big smile on my face :-)

aww dont be so hard on yourself. you must be exhausted, you've been working so hard and i know what you're going through, it seems like the misery will never end, its really hard to keep going back to it when all you wanna do is curl up in a ball and go into hibernation and sleep and escape. you're doing great! good thing you sorted out those references.

sorry to hear your computer is being slow - i'm gonna go in "mommy mode" and say - do make sure all your stuff is backed up. maybe you can try defragmenting your computer.

and you're right, being tired definately does not help. i hope you get a good night sleep tonight- so you can be bright eyed and bushy tailed tommorow.

oh i know what you mean about those work emails - the wrong email can put you in totally the wrong mood. i remember when i was writing up my thesis., i wouldnt check my email during the day, but only after i had finished for the day - in the evening, that way if there was an email that peeved me off, i wouldnt have the added guilt of it taking my attention and concentration away from my thesis.

and yes tommorow is a brand new fresh day and you can get back on the horse.

i dont think you're being slow. i think when you're in that state, you may feel you are making little progress, but every little thing you do, adds to the big picture.

---
well i'm back for a quick study session before bedtime. i thought i would read the "6 pages" from my thesis that i have to do everyday. and then get ready for bed. i'm determined to wake up at 10am tommorow! lol i say that everyday dont i.

see you tommorow , i want to do some studying in the morning, before the sunday lunch with my family. we're having cheeseburgers, yum. i cant wait! i love burgers hehe. my mom is making home made lamb burgers, and then i will assemble the burgers either burger king or macdonal stylee. sunday is the only day we eat unhealthy :p but i know after sunday lunch, i'm usually quite lethargic , so wont get much studying done in the afternoon, and so as a reward for morning study session i will watch a dvd film - well that's the plan! :-)

ps dont apolagise, you're not moaning, you're sharing negative feelings, better out then in i say!! i once read that psychologically the very act of writing out the negative feelings, helps to let them go, and helps to make you feel better. so carry on sharing! i know what you're going through.

======
EDIT.

okay me clocking out for today. just finished reading 6 pages of my thesis. (pages 1-6)

======= Date Modified 31 Jan 2009 21:23:30 =======
update/progress so far:
aim 1 accomplished -i made a list of questions from various sources, which i will keep in mind as i am revising.

hours studied so far =approximately 5 hours: (i studied from 1pm - 4pm. and then 6.40pm - 9pm). i have written about 5 pages of notes. going to take a break now, and then come back to do more studying later on tonight.
--
how are you doing Ruby?

anyone else out there studying for their viva?

Thanks so much for describing your viva, its VERY helpful!! i've copied down the questions they asked you. and added it to my list of viva questions

thanks so much for giving the rest of us who are expecting viva, the reassurance, and the advice you have given us is VERY GOOD!!

======= Date Modified 31 Jan 2009 21:23:02 =======
======= Date Modified 31 Jan 2009 21:16:34 =======
Good luck with the methodology chapter Ruby!

i made a 1 month plan yesterday and i have to read and understand 6 pages of my thesis everyday, along with the papers i cite within those 6 pages. also i've made a bunch of blank "cards" where i can put questions and answers on them and quiz myself

my aims today:
1. make a list of potential viva questions to keep in mind as i am reading my thesis (qs inspired from Murrary's book)
2. read 6 pages from my thesis. (pages 1-6)
2. make notes from the 9 papers i read this past week.
3. make qs and and answer cards of important info i need to remember from todays topic i've chosen.

======= Date Modified 30 Jan 2009 14:59:35 =======
Hey Ruby. good luck with your chapters. sounds like you've been working really hard. well done you.

thanks for the advice. i cant contact them just yet - not until i've studied my thesis and understood the basics. i will contact them in march. i need to gain confidence and arm myself with knowledge before i feel ready to contact them.

i just need to up my game and study harder. right now i dont understand or remember anything from my thesis. my sup told me to contact him only after i had studied my thesis. right now im a blank slate so no point in contacting them.

just had a long chat with my best friend, she has given me great advice about how to prepare for my viva. she knows me too well and said i am probably getting bogged down with one topic. so she's given me a one month deadline to prepare for my viva. told me to make a list of all the topics and subtopics of my thesis and then everyday study one subtopic. and not to make copious anounts of notes but to understand the general idea and make notes in my own words. so i feel abit better, as i was getting bogged down. going to make a proper plan and timetable .

going to list all the topics and subtopics of my phd. then make a 1 month timetable. and allocate one subtopic per day and study that topic that day. and at the same time keep in my mind "viva" questions.

my aims for today:
1. make list of topics
2. make 1 month timetable.
3. study one topic and make notes.

======= Date Modified 30 Jan 2009 01:46:09 =======
Hi Chris, i'm going to give you a pretty negative aspect of doing a phd. most of the time, you will be bored doing it , even if you are interested in the subject, its a very very long journey, and once you embark on it, you're trapped, because you gotta stick to it for the next few years, 3-4 however long it takes. you pretty much have to give up your life and dedicate everything towards your phd. forget socialising , and you will always have the umbrella of - 'after my phd, then i can do xyz' freedom goes out the window. and dont even get me started how "bored" and frustrated you will get writing the thesis, and then preparing for the grueling that is a viva.

im painting a very bleak picture, only because i wish i knew what a phd really entailed before i embarked upon one. dont do a phd, because your bored with your current life, because chances are you might be bored with doing a phd.
do a phd, if you are REALLY REALLY passionate about X subject. whatever it is. and want to research it to death. i dont know why people do a phd. you have to ask yourself, WHY you really want to do a phd.

it sounds to me like you're doing extremely well in your career, perhaps moving around in your own line of work might prop up a challenge for you?

sorry i dont mean to rain on your parade. just think very carefully before you embark on a phd. because once you're in it, your stuck.

my first advice would be to (unfortunately you already said you dont have time, but sorry to say you will have to "make" the time) even if its just a little bit every week, spend a couple of hours once a week reading around the subject that you're interested in. read the latest literature. get a couple of books on how to write a phd, the one by patrick dunleavy is good. "Authoring a PhD: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation". that way when you have a good solid background on the literature, you will get to know who are the big players in your field, and then you can start to approach them. but first you really need to get a good sound knowledge of what the subject is before you reach the stage of writing proposals, all of this will take time, and since you are working full time, just work on it in the background, bit by bit.

hope i havent been too gloomy in my advice. best of luck ! and if you do decide to do a phd, well then, welcome to the club

--

to give you a taste of the intellectual challenge that you will face during a phd. try writing a mini literature review on the subject you want to do a phd on. (and yes unfortunately this will involve spending hours in the library).


in your litertaure review answer questions such as:
why is this subject important?
who else thinks it is important?
who has worked on this subject before?
what has been done ?
what not been done before?
who has done something similar to what you want to do?
conduct critical apraisal of other work, and not just descriptive. what are your own thoughts on the theories on the subject matter

some helpful tips on how to go about writing proposals, and litertare reviews.
http://www.learnerassociates.net/dissthes/

i hope i havent scared you off, but just wanted to give you a taster :)
---

anyone burning the ol midnight oil? hardly did any studying today, so feel i ought to do some tonight to make up for it :$

Hello fellow comrades!!! i feel like im spamming the wall here.

clocking in for today. late start for me, and slept in again, ugh, will try again tommorow to wake up early lol

my aims for today.
make notes from 9 papers.

catch you guys later!

well done Rah!! thats fantastic news!!! and thanks for the reassurance and advice for the rest of us that are awaiting judgement day! you must have done really well and known all about your research. well done on only getting minor corrections.

congratulations! that's super great news!! WELL DONE!!! and minor corrections, thats just really brilliant.