hi celesmai, yeh i've been up since 9am, but just been cleaning the kitchen and phaffing around! i thought i would put in my aims to kick start me. i might have some breakie in abit though, feeling hungry.

aww you have a puppy, how cute. what breed is it?

my aims for today:
chapter 5 (sort out and complete result analysis)

1. pairwise comparison (figure out how to do it)
2. r cluster analysis: meth data
3. maximum parsimony analysis: meth data
4. r cluster of m/s data
5. maximum parsimony analysis of m/s data
6. compare meth and m/s data

hurrah! finished aim 1. took the whole day! but i am glad it's done


i have a friend staying with me, and another coming for dinner later on tonight, so i think i will take the evening off now.

i will most probably do aim 2 tommorow morning.

have a good evening folks!

i hope you have a nice relaxing day off tommorow Tractorgirl, you totally deserve it !!

and good luck with job applications, and yes every interview is good experience, a rehearsal.

see you on monday

Hi tractorgirl!! thanks for the messages you always make me feel so much better, I really appreciate your continuous support!! you are a star!

you are so right about realistic aims, and have a good relaxing weekend, i have a friend staying over at the weekend, so will do some work, and go out tommorow with her for abit as a break.

i think we should take it easy at the weekend, and then start afresh again on monday!! and lol at you not knowing where your week went either. i think the fairies took our week!!

here's to a productive week starting monday!! with the main goal, setting REALISTIC aims. the theme for next week will be to set realistic aims.

Hi Mr K!

sorry again for misjudging what gender you are! i don't know why i thought you were a girl. lol my bad!

I am glad to hear you sorted out your personal issues, i know what that's like, when it can really affect your concentration, so it's good to deal with it.

well done on completely chapter 2! that's really great progress.

good luck! you're ploughing through very well.

things okay with me, i have to do "more" analysis so just been working on that, will be glad when i get it done.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooops sorry K!!!
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hey everyone! it's friday, where oh where did the week go? seriously? does anyone know where my week went? *looking under rocks, 'nope not there'*...how did it go so fast? and i feel like i hardly made a dent in my thesis! still trying to finish off result analysis. oh well. i do know result analysis takes up the most time. it will be good once it's done then i can start writing.
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my aims:

1. finish snp penny analysis (10 patients left).
2. re-do cluster analysis of 8 patients.

those are my immediate aims, will see how i get on with that before making any more aims.

good luck folks!!

awww you guys thanks jennifr and Walminskipeasucker for the nice things you said :)
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i am joining the nocturnal thread tonight. had some friends over for dinner, was a nice relaxing fun evening.

will do some work even if it's just abit until i start to nod off..
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jennifr , yep, i am in the same boat as you, i HAVE to submit end of sept, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.

good luck!!

good luck armendaf!

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i got aim 1 done, then took a massive break for lunch hehe naughty me.

i have 2 more aims that i want to get done today by tommorow: i might have to work late tonight after my friends are gone, to get it done.

2. penny tree snp analysis patients 1-16.
3. re-do cluster analysis patients 1-16 (taking out failed markers).

you will do it

try maybe touching the side of the well when you pipette out, so that the last remaining liquid is taken out due to the cohesion property of liquid.

advice given to me, when i first started pipetting, was to take up the volume slowly. check with the eye that there were no bubbles. and then slowly depress the button and pippete down and then at the end doing the extra push.
lab skills, it's just a matter of practice. don't worry. you will get there!

it comes with practice, lots and lots of practice. it takes time sometimes to "hone" the skills.

when you say your pipetting is rubbish, what kind of volumes are we talking here?

1000ul and less?

i must commend you for actively seeking medical advice, that is really good, and the art therapy sounds interesting.

i totally agree with you, subjects and issues like this should be openly discussed, and you for being so brave in dislosing your deepest secrets to us and seeking help and advice.

whatever you decide to do i hope it makes you happy. whether it's continuing your phd or finding something else. quitting a phd wont be the end of the world, your mental health is THE most important thing. nothing is worth your life, not a phd, nothing. you have so much potential to do whatever you want...

please keep coming back here, we're all here to support you, in any way we can

may i please suggest a really good book that really has helped me?

it's by Dale Carnegie: "how to stop worrying and start living" deals with depression and how people have overcome it.

Hello Zingo, I am sorry to hear about what you are going through. I agree with you, a Phd is so unlike anything else, the presurre and the expectations, can be more than one can bear. You are definately not alone in feeling depressed and having suicidal thoughts. I too suffered from an acute form of depression and I also had suicidal thoughts aswell, which come and go, the depression comes in waves.. i think it's more about the fear of failing and letting my family down, and the fear of everyone being dissapointed in me..

I just wanted to escape from all the pressure and the high expectation of it all. It wasn't like i would actually go through with it, but more the thought just popped into my head, then afterwards when i felt better, i would think, did i even think about death even for a second. life is general is up and down, a grey rainy day is often followed by a sunny one.

Welcome armendaf!! nice to have you join us good luck with chapter 3!
so the book by murrey, what kind of things does it suggest?
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The Dark Knight was brilliant!!!
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woke up at 8.40am today. clocking in for the day. I have some friends coming over around 5.30pm, so need to concentrate and get as much done, before they come
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My aims today:
1. Cluster analysis of SNP analysis: 1-16.
2. re-do cluster analysis: 1-16 (taking out failed markers)

and going to watch Batman Dark Knight tonight! i can't wait, been dying to watch it since it's been released. even though i don't really deserve a treat, as i haven't done much. but what the heck. i'm being naughty today. will work harder tommorow to make up for it.