Hello everyone! i am officially back aswell, will respond to everyone later on today, but i just wanted to quickly log in and say hello and "clock in"

my aim today is to finish reading the book "how to survive your viva". i've been reading it on and off past couple of weeks, i'm on chapter 5 currently, which talks about questions that commonly come up in viva's. will share with you all once i am done tonight.

Thank you all so much for the lovely support and kind words you wrote, really means so much to me :-) i was feeling so guilty, and stressed and that i haven't prepared anything or been revising. all your messages made me feel better and calmer :-) you all give great advice!

catch you all later on in the evening.

it's so nice to have you guys there! :) :)

Ruby I am so impressed by your hard work and determination!! you go girl! and wow thats great about TG

WELL DONE TRACTORGIRL!! whereever you are ! :)

-----

How's it going Miss spacey?

--

i think the problem i am having is that i am feeling very overwelmed, its like a mountain and i dont know where to start, and feel how do i even begin to prepare for a viva. i feel i dont know anything and cant defend my work and i have forgotten everything.
i wish i had a photographic memory.

but i think i am going to make a plan. a plan of action. topics i need to read and revise. papers i need to read. read books on how to improve memory and public speaking -i am not articulate. i find it difficult to explain things to people. or i find it difficult to converse intellectually. maybe its because i dont have the knowledge in my head in the first place so need to work on that too.

and i will keep a viva prep diary. write in it everyday what i did. that way i can track what ive done. okay first thing going to make a mind map! will do it on my big white board :D

Hey Ruby and Miss spacey! just a quick hello!

aww thanks Miss spacey, thats sweet of you to say :)

Ruby, that sounds like alot of work, but thats great what your sup said about it being a good and original thesis. i hope you got a chance to enjoy xmas though.

i've still not done any viva prep whatsover!! i blame the xmas hols!! i just keep procrastinating cant seem to get going.

so i am back here. and i am going to try the ol 15 minute trick. i have the book "how to surive a thesis" staring at me, so going to crack it open and read it for 15 minutes .. hopefully that should get me going. i've just been so busy socialising !! and having fun with my friends and working on my hobbies and photography and watching dvds. but i must start a proper routine of studying during the day and relaxing in the evening.

okay here it goes 15 minutes!

Hello everyone!! just logging in, to see how everyone is doing :)

omg its been 2 weeks since i last logged in. was is it with winter months that time just seems to be zooming past!!!

i finally finished tidying up and sorting out my study room!! hurrah !! i packed most of the stuff away to put in the attic that i dont need for viva prep, but may need for thesis corrections.

so its nice to have a decluttered room. i still have drawers full of papers, that i will slowly start to organise according to "subject" but i can do that alongside viva prep. but i'm happy the study room is finally done!! took me AGES!!!


so i am ready to start studying for my viva - from monday! no more waking up late either!

so my holiday and break is over now, and now i have to seriously start studying for my viva . eeeeeeek.
i cant believe its been 7 weeks since that day i submitted my thesis. my goodness time really flies by!!

now that i realised how much time has gone by, i feel really guilty!! that i haven't studied anything for my viva and realised its been 7 weeks!

:-( but like JB says, everyday is a fresh start, and not to look back, but to look forwards.
so from monday onwards, am going to start a proper study routine. and make a 6 week plan. my deadline is 1st of feb. and will make a 1 week plan aswell, as you need mini deadlines.

i feel like there's a mountain of stuff i need to understand and learn and memorise. i feel i have forgotten everything! and i dont understand anything about my research, my mind is a blank slate. literally. i cant remember anything. nor understand anything. okay must not panic. luckily i still have time to study before my viva, as my sup wont organise examiners until the new year, as he's been super busy and i told my 2nd sup, not to worry and we can sort it out in the new year :-)

so first step, i will spend the weekend reading the book "how to surviva your viva" and "how to read a book". that should slowly get me back into "study mode".

how are you all doing?

thats brilliant. well done you!!! congrats Dr K!

Aww thanks Eppi, and so happy to hear you did so well! well done !! :-) it's nice to hear a nice viva story /experience. well done you!!

======= Date Modified 07 Dec 2008 00:51:36 =======

Hi guys! awww thank you all so much for the warm welcome !!! love you guys :-)

Ruby, thanks so much for your message, it made me smile, i really appreciate it! really made me feel better and less guilty! sorry to hear you're feeling poorly. i hope you get better soon.

T-rabbit, thanks !! :-)
and don't feel bad, we all work to our own pace and timetable, you will get there!

Thanks Mira! nice to see you back :-)

Aww Thanks so much Butterfly, you are so sweet! really appreciate it.
and well done you!! for getting your thesis, you superstar! :)


seeing everyones progress and determination to carry on is very amazing and so motivating, you all are brilliant and i admire each and every one of you :)
it's been very motivating to read everyones progress, so well done everyone!

and Ruby, i am so happy you dont feel guilty! so you go girl! do nothing and potter about hehe
btw you watching the xfactor semi final lol

everytime i watch it now, i remember the time, when i was writing up and it was in the background, seems like a different life now!

and WELL done on getting great feedback from your sup, that's brilliant, you clever girl, you toot your horn!!

======= Date Modified 04 Dec 2008 01:31:46 =======
First of all my deepest apolagies for dissapearing !!! after i took a week off, i got completely distracted, i had so many weddings to attend, every weekend!! and then i travelled up to sheffield the other week to attend my friends wedding, and spent a few days there. so i've been busy catching up with friends and family, and also working on my photography. its a hobby of mine, and because i took so many photos at the wedding, it took me ages to post process them. and just been relaxing and taking it easy.
i was going to start viva prep this week, but then had a dental emergency! i cracked a tooth early this week. i was quite upset and disturbed by it. went to the dentist this morning and she told me i had a cavity, and i had my first filling today!! i havent been to the dentist in about 10 years i think. bad me!! so today i was nursing myself and taking it easy.

today my supervisor emailed me with the final proof of my 2nd paper. so today was the first day i did anything related to my phd! lol i just spent the last couple of hours reading through the paper and spotting errors.

what else have i been doing - well i managed to sort out my desktop computer, putting the programmes back on it and backing up stuff to dvd. my study room is still a mess though with papers everywhere, which i am now going to sort out tommorow.

i bought a gigantic whiteboard! to help me brainstorm for viva prep.

the book "how to survive your viva" arrived in the post last week.

i did think about you all and kept thinking i must log on and see how you all are, but kept getting distracted.

well done Ruby on handing in your second draft, that is such a great achievement ,and i know what you mean about it feeling like a thesis now. that's really great! you should take a well earned rest now!

Thanks so much Tokyorabbit, it was nice to hear from you! and i've caught up on the messages, and sounds like you and Ruby have been working super hard

Hey Armendaf, I am so impressed you have been preparing for the viva! well done you. i've been naughty!!

Hey Tractorgirl, thanks so much for your kind words and message, i hope your job is going well and your viva prep

well folks i'm back in hibernation now. i'm going to start studying for my viva everyday, but not work crazy hours, i want to have my evenings off to relax. so going to start a good routine of working from like 10am till 5pm or something like that. what Ruby said, was spot on, consistency is key.

right now, i feel i dont know anything about my phd!! at all. but i should just start off slowly and start making notes. i'm not going to stress myself out about it and just take it one day at a time.

well i just wanted to say a quick howdy to everyone!! look forward to chatting to you all regularly now :-)

take care and goodnight!

Hi Ruby!! Aww missed you too! I was thinking about you, how you were getting on. and thinking, i am so glad to have this forum and you guys for support now that i have to start on viva prep. i wanted to be on holiday for longer!

I am sorry to hear you've been ill. You poor thing, it's hard enough working on a thesis, without battling with being ill. you hang in there. and take it easy, get better and then you will work better. no point punishing yourself. you have plenty of time. so get some rest. i am glad you had an early night. how are you feeling now?

and don't worry about last week, and trying to catch up. DONT. dont even think about catching up. as its a never ending cycle. because you cant work triple or double the time. so just write that week off. we all get ill. and just start afresh and make a new plan. dont try to catch up on last weeks work ONTOP of the work you had planned this week. like JB says, yesterdays unwritten words stay in the past, everyday is a fresh start.

2nd of December seems like a good deadline to aim for. is this a definite deadline? or one you imposed on yourself? or your supervisor?

i'm going to have some dinner now, and watch some telly.and continue backing up my computer files. catch you later!

Armendaf! Great to hear from you ! :-) I am glad i am not the only one that was a slob this week! hehehe. i did absolutely nothing!!
when i say, i did nothing, i meant i did no phd work related stuff. but plenty of other stuff.

i got my desktop computer fixed. but it had to be reformatted, so its a blank slate! i spent most of the week, putting all software back on it, backing up all my phd files onto dvds. i've not finished backing up stuff, there's still alot left.

my laptop died. poor thing was hanging on till i submitted. i dont think it can be resurrected. but i will try to get it fixed.

Armendaf, like you, i need to do alot of cleaning and sorting out. my study room is a mess! papers, stacks and stacks of papers, and old drafts and files and books everywhere. so now that my holiday is over. i am going to start sorting it all out.

my brother printed an extra copy of my thesis. i was going to get it bound. but i will instead put it in a folder, so i can take out particular chapters. nearer to my viva, i will get another copy printed and bound properly. but right now, i wanna be all messy on the chapters, and highlight , post its, etc.

today i havent done much. i woke up late! ooops, gotta start waking up at 10am now. now that my holiday is over.

but i ordered a book today- to help me with my viva prep, as recommended by miss spacey, when she went to a lecture on viva prep. i read loads of reviews on it, and it sounds very good!

How to Survive Your Viva: Defending a Thesis in an Oral Examination (Paperback)
by Rowena Murray (Author)

i also emailed the dragons today aka the supervisors. and asked them for advice and tips on how i should go about preparing for the viva.

tommorow i'm going into central, as i have a few errands to run, nothing phd related. so i will start properly on wednesday.
like Armendaf, I will start by cleaning and sorting out my study room.

Awww thanks Caz! that's so nice!

Ruby, thanks so much regarding the compliment about the blog. that's really nice to hear that you think that :-)

i enjoyed your monologues!

i have a 3rd copy of my thesis, but i dont think i will get it bound but instead put it in a folder divided into seperate chapters. that way i can add notes and highlight it and not worry about it becoming messy for my viva but instead, nearer my viva date, get another fresh copy of my thesis printed and bound and neat notes attached for the viva.

i think for now, for the viva prep i dont want to have to worry about being all neat. plus can also add sheets to certain pages with extra notes.

Thanks Sarah! and well done to you!! i totally get what you mean, feels really good not to have to think about it!

======= Date Modified 04 Nov 2008 15:35:12 =======
i stopped writing in this diary, because i preferred the amazing support i received in the accountability thread. especially Ruby and Armendaf! and Tractogirl.
i looked through the messages over the weekend, its amazing how up and down the writing stage of the thesis is.

i had a small notepad i kept next to my computer, where everyday i recorded the amount of work i did. i recommend this. i am now going to keep a "viva" diary. i already have a little black notepad for this ready!

i am now going to buy a big whiteboard. in order to help me think and brainstorm during my viva prep. i can pretend i am giving a lecture or something haha or facing my examiners

p.s BACKUP your work. my laptop crashed over the weekend. it was freezing alot when i was writing my thesis, luckily i had everything backed up to external hard drive. i got someone to look at the laptop, and he thinks the RAM if fried. poor laptop, it clung onto its dear little life, until i submitted my thesis.

but good news, my previously crashed desktop computer is now fixed! hurrah. but had to reformat the harddrive. so its a blank slate. so i am now going to put everything back on it. i have everything backed up. so i can spend this week doing that, whilst i am on holiday :-)

so people - backup!- not only onto external hard drive, but also dvds/cds. as external hard drives also can crash.

======= Date Modified 02 Nov 2008 13:18:11 =======
Thanks so much Ruby, Armendaf and BilboBaggins!! :-)

I concur Armendaf's message, we aint leaving you Ruby! we will be with you till the end when you're ready to submit. I am going to start preparing for my viva on monday 10th november. i was chatting to my brother about it, and he said its almost like preparing another document. so i will be here everyday!