maybe u feel that way because u're trying to absorb everything. what exactly do u need for ur research? list them down and tackle one question at a time.

example?
i want to know *everything* about immunology. <= very subjective, u can never catch up.

i want to know these things about immunology <= more objective, better chance of catching up.
1. definition
2. simplest mechanism
3. top 3 main problems and solutions.

emotions can be very subjective. sometimes, by making the challenge very objective u can persuade the heart to feel differently.

believe it or not, academic bullying to some extent, is quite commonplace.

i got bullied by a professor because i corrected his error in reasoning after being reprimanded unjustly by him.

this is a very *sensitive* issue that must be tackled with utter diplomacy. try your best to be tactful because it might elevate to vendetta when not handled properly.

i made the mistake of being truly objective without considering the professor's desperation in securing his collapsing ego. as a result, he made it his agenda to make things difficult for me over the next two years. i guess he's just being human.

when bullied, maintain self composure, nod, smile and say.. "i find that very constructive and will look into it.. ". afterwards, try to find a better alternative to the problem. perhaps, by asking for a second opinion from people close to the bully etc.

try your best NOT to respond with "your criticism would only be justifiable if these conditions were true. unfortunately, they are not. allow me to elucidate your *flaw* in thinking. 1... 2... 3... which clearly nullify the foundation of your entire argument." LOL this is suicidal.

delaying retaliation is crucial because in the heat of the moment, the tension between the bully and the bullied can easily increase in intensity. as such, the best social solution may not emerge.

hey cleancotton,

unlike undergraduate days that revolve around exams, grades and competition between students in wanting to be the best, the arena of postgrads is very different.

there are no grades here, no competition against each other. each postgrad is fighting his own war. :)

u gotta let it go cotton. stop comparing yourself with others. in reading, focus on what u *need* to know to move forward and ignore everything else.

a wise man once told me that in doing your phd, it doesn't matter who has the most knowledge. knowledge by itself is not power. it's only a potential. what makes it powerful is how you use that knowledge.

can you contribute to the community?
can you make the world a better place? hehe yeah...
can you help people to do things better?

the late buckminster fuller made one research breakthrough after another, not because he aimed to be the most knowledgeable person.
instead, he made it his mission to use whatever he has, or know, to helping others.

get my drift? :)

hey tpk,

yes, i think it's possible to get ur phd done in 2 years, insyaAllah.

the key does NOT lie in how little social life u have (LOL).
u just gotta change the way u do research ie u cant really do research the old fashion way.

in which field do u intend to do ur phd?

hey kelly,

did a quick search on google and found these two articles.
http://www.innovation.cc/scholarly-style/sperlich11final1draft.pdf
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/new/Privatizing%20Education%20In%20Philadelphia.pdf

perhaps u can elaborate further on how u intend to explore co-production and systemic thinking in the educational context.

are you looking for ...
a model that explains the systemic interaction of student and management in co-production?
a specific measure of interaction through empirical research?
a framework on how the components within the system of student - teacher/lecturer - management can successfully synergize?

as most management people would say "clarity is key" :)

i completely agree with u radion. problem is, supervision is usually given based on expertise rather than sincerity.

i hope things will turn out okay for u chris. resolve to move forward and dont look back.

======= Date Modified 29 Oct 2012 22:11:14 =======
quote from dalmation:
He really needs to get a native speaker to help proofread his blog.
(This is meant as constructive criticism, not a snarky remark.)


unfortunately, being native does not guarantee competency in proofreading. :)

i find it ironic that syntactical recommendation is the only response u can deliver after reading his blog.

then again, availability heuristic is quite dominant for he who is conditioned to find flaw above merit.

SELF FUNDED PHD

advantages?
1. u'll get work experience. u can do ur phd part time and work full time. after graduation, u'd get a phd like everyone else, PLUS 3 years of working experience. they are getting allowance but i reckon ur pay might be more than that. :)

2. u'd get a stronger, more powerful push to get ur phd done on time. i once met a journalist who funded her own phd in linguistics and got in done in 2.5 years. yeah, 2.5 years of part time research, no joke.. crazy.

3. nobody owns u. freedom might seem like a minor issue to most people but to some people like myself, it's a really great deal. self funding means u can do what u wanna do ie completely decide what to research on. u're not tied up, u dont hv to impress anyone. it's all up to u. a friend of mine did his phd in medical engineering. half way through, for some reason, the committee decided that his research topic wasn't relevant. he had to change the topic after 1.5 years of research. yeah.. shit happens.


disadvantages?
1. u can't afford the luxury of being a slacker for important events ie to celebrate a research breakthrough etc. time is money and slacking off can bleed u dry.. no, u can't take an impromptu break during office hours to go to the mall and catch the finale of *breaking dawn* like other phd students. u can read their tweeter on this tho.

2. u might have to sacrifice one of ur weekends, either saturday or sunday for research. this one sux, seriously. however, in time, u'll get the hang of it.

3. time flies really fast, supersonic speed. while other phd students can dwell on the evolution of ideas at the normal pace, u won't hv the same opportunity. instead, u gotta decide and act, pronto! good thing is, u're gonna have to learn to manage time more effectively and that's a real asset when u work.

======= Date Modified 29 Oct 2012 12:37:52 =======
hey mlis

just wondering, in which area did u do ur phd? i do see ads for postdocs position at the university. this position doesnt require any research experience besides having a phd. then again, it's usually very specialized.

i know this might sound corny, but maybe u should give urself a break. just enjoy whatever u have and take a pause from looking for a job. it's called the law of paradoxical intent ie how things might come when we've stopped looking for it.

couple of years ago, i was jobless as well. being desperate for cash, i applied incessantly to many companies and attended numerous interviews. nothing came up so i finally decided to take a break from looking and tried to enjoy the hiatus.

this might sound crazy, but suddenly.. out of the blue, i was offered a job. someone met my old friend and asked for his recommendation. my friend mentioned my name and some of my marketable qualities, and i kinda got the job without an interview. how crazy is that? lol

in retrospect, i reflected upon the mechanism.

what exactly did i do?

1. i prayed to God.
why? well, i've tried all the sophisticated strategies recommended by experts and it didnt work. seriously, i've tried them all. so i reckon, maybe i should try things the old fashion way.

2. i tried to help as many people as i could (help that doesnt involve $$$ of course, hehe)
why? it's how nature works. u help ppl, and u're gonna get just that. simple. just don't ask for help from the person u've helped. lol that could be very disheartening.

3. tried to be comfortable and happy with whatever i had at the time ie lousy part time job, lousy pay, lousy car etc.
why? when we're happy and contented, we tend to gravitate good things to us. when we're frustrated, we give out negative auras that repel good things from coming. i know it sounds mumbo jumbo but for some reasons it worked for me.

i dont know, maybe u could give it a try? :)

everyone feels a bit anxious before the exam. it's kinda natural to feel that way, assuming that u're human like all of us here.. :)

regarding your progress with work, try to maintain a steady pace in writing. it's better to write consistently everyday, than to go on a spurt once in a while.

get tips from past postgrads and your supervisor if possible, concerning the scope of the exam. would it be focusing on general knowledge regarding your research, or something more specific to your work. the postgrad exam changes all the time. estimating the possible region of knowledge relevant to it would be a great help. i mean, we can't possibly know everything right? hehe

good luck for the exam!

hey there academic,

welcome aboard! i'm a newbie in this forum too. :P

Quote From bewildered:
I would also add a large caveat to the general notion that self-funders call the shots as consumers. You're paying for expert advice on your project. It seems potentially rather self-defeating to reject that advice to me at least.

lol bewildered, i think u got it all wrong. the caveat is pretty much unwarranted. self-funders do have the prerogative to decide.

as clients, we're paying experts to give advice on *how* we can solve a particular problem that we're facing
and NOT how we can help the experts instead.

the implication of your assertion can be illustrated with a simple example. imagine meeting a consultant from 'mckinsey' to solve a problem in health science management, only to be told by the consultant that we should change our focus to his other consulting project in engineering. now, how should we respond to this? well, let's just say that this consultant won't even survive the probation period. :)

======= Date Modified 29 Oct 2012 14:27:23 =======
they call it collective intelligence.

u're gonna need to study artificial intelligence, ontology, computational linguistics, search technology, profiling and the list goes on.

the thing is, it CAN'T be maintained manually. it's gonna be too massive and messy. unless, u've got *agents* to do it for u. for instance, how would u rank experts? unlike a forum that estimates expertise based on the total number of messages posted, in the real world that may not be entirely accurate.

so the network must be intelligent and self aware. else, it'd just list tonnes of experts without knowing which one is critical in a particular situation. i heard that google and facebook are racing against each other to solve most of the problems related to ur idea.

however, if u're just interested of building a non-intelligent network similar to "academia", wouldn't it be more convenient to build upon what they have already done?

i do hope this is not your phd topic. it's gonna be too big to be done in 3 years. :)

hey ppl,

@keenbean,
thanks for the advice. i think i'm gonna start with a conceptual paper right away iA! :) just hope my theoretical thingy is good enough to be accepted.

@docinsanity,
hehe better start writing dude, u've got all that u need.

in my honest opinion? i think the supervisor carries more weight than the institution if the field is *esoteric*. for instance, consider these two possibilies : doing your phd in brown university (ivy league) or toronto university (non-ivy league). at first glance, i'd choose the former. however, if i intend to do my phd on theoretical psychology, then the expert is prof. kukla from toronto. he has written a book on theoretical psychology and considered the guru for this. again, this is just an opinion. can't really cite any journals to support my argumentation. :)