| a milestone achieved! |
[22 Oct 2009|07:51am] |
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R4: Today |
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My upgrade viva has taken place (yesterday), and I am delighted to say that it was successful, and I have been provisionally upgraded from MPhil student to PhD student. Upon submission of a revised timetable for completion of my thesis, I will be officially be upgraded to PhD student.
This is the culmination of quite a lot of hard work. It also confirms that others more experienced than me in academic thinking and writing have confidence in my ability to complete a thesis in four years. I didn't quite understand the monumentality of that statement until I actually tried doing it. A thesis is quite a beast: it's one very long argument, and it's imperative that I don't repeat myself in it (because examiners will definitely catch it, and give me a dressing down for it). I need to maintain my argument throughout, and ensure that everything in the thesis is there for a reason, not just superfluous filler. This sounds quite straightforward, but at times is quite a challenge.
I got very useful comments at the upgrade viva yesterday, all of which I will (and am expected to) incorporate into new versions of chapters. But it was good to have other academics besides my supervisor and my other half read my work and critique it. I'm very pleased with how yesterday went - and ecstatic that I am allowed to continue with my research and work toward my PhD!
So I'm taking today off from PhD stuff. I have a massage booked at 10am, and then I'm not quite sure what I'll do. Maybe snooze! Or up my jewelcrafting in WoW...
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| how time flies |
[08 Sep 2009|05:44pm] |
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I'm updating so that this journal doesn't look abandoned. I've submitted my upgrade materials for my upgrade from MPhil student to PhD student status. I have my upgrade viva later this month. I'm feeling pretty good about it - confident, like.
Not sure what else I fancy sharing with the world. Funny how I've had this journal for over seven years, and the longer I've had it, the more private I feel I want to keep my life. I am considering just closing this, but then I get all nostalgic and think, oh but think how long this LJ thing has been a part of my life. And so I keep it, though I don't know what actual benefit it provides me.
Though I did discover two LJ communities which tickle my fancy, so perhaps that's a reason to keep this active.
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| well now |
[25 Jun 2009|05:46pm] |
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a bit surprised |
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Oh noes y'all -- Farrah Fawcett is dead!
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| This journal is still active |
[12 Jun 2009|03:20pm] |
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Ah the lifespan of computing.
The new iPhone 3G S has the same processor speed and RAM as my 2002 iBook.
This is basically a post so that my journal doesn't look like I've abandoned it. I've not, I've just been very busy with research, writing, and other things. Sadly I have nothing new to post, apart from a HUGE desire to drink champagne and get a massage. Not necessarily together.
Well as long as I'm here, I might as well talk about the trials and tribulations, to coin a phrase, of doing a PhD in the UK. So I was supposed to "upgrade" from MPhil to PhD student status. This is a standard process here apparently. For the first two years of the PhD I'm "officially" registered as an MPhil student, which I guess is a Master of Philosophy, so in case you fuck up and don't complete your PhD you at least get something. After two years, you undergo a "viva", or oral examination, to upgrade you to official PhD student status. I was scheduled to do my upgrade viva in May, just after I'd returned from a week away. I go to meet with my supervisor before the viva, and she gives me the news that my viva is being "postponed" until September, basically because nobody thinks I'm ready to upgrade, and everything thinks I should be further along in my research and argument construction.
This is a bit disappointing, and frustrating, because it's true: I should be further along, and have been dropping the ball for the past few months. I think there are several things causing this: lack of desire (mid-thesis slump), lack of motivation (see previous), fear of success, fear of failure, uncertainty of what I'm doing, lack of confidence in my argument construction skills are the top reasons. And World of Warcraft.
Anyway I'm back on track, because this "postponement" was quite a kick up my intellectual backside. I've spent the past couple of weeks going over my data, and thinking a lot about what my overall argument is for my thesis. I've also read a few theses in my area, which have been particularly helpful, because the structure of a PhD thesis is quite different than the structure of a Master's dissertation, or book, or even journal article. I've also made contact with a really interesting academic at Western Michigan University who is actually researching what I am, flight attendant/pilot communication, but from an aviation psychology/safety/CRM approach. That is, she's not coming at it from a theoretical, linguistic anthropology framework.
So that's how I'm occupying my time right now. A distinct change from what I was doing with my life 5 years ago.
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| text versus images |
[07 Apr 2009|05:19pm] |
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music |
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"For all we know" - Gary Burton & Friends |
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I hope I am not the only one mystified/confused/frustrated at mindmaps. How are they supposed to help? I just tried making one, and it only confused me further. Hrmph.
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| A bit of sad |
[18 Feb 2009|09:26am] |
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I just found out that Lux Interior died. This makes me quite sad, as The Cramps have been a constant (if not very obvious) musical companion since 1987.
R.I.P. Lux.
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[02 Feb 2009|02:48am] |
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mood |
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A bit pissed |
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music |
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The Superbowl |
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I have an iPhone! Finally!
And it's snowing so much here in Kent, we're forecasted to get up to 6 inches!
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| An Historic Day |
[20 Jan 2009|11:35pm] |
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mood |
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 optimistic |
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Well, what a great day for the United States of America. I watched live, on the BBC, the pre-inauguration stuff, and the inauguration. Didn't get a chance to see the parade or anything after that, as our Sky is rubbish (which means we only get a few channels, not the plethora we normally get). I am so, so happy that Obama is now our president!!! By "our" of course I mean America, but really, while some people do not like to admit it, America has a very influential role in the rest of the world, so in a way, Obama is "president" for the world.
I sat inches away from the TV (mainly because my left eye is getting increasingly worse), waving my invisible flag, clapping like a mental person and just giddy with hope and glee and joy and the sheer happiness that the darkness which has enveloped me for the past 8 years has lifted.
I've got Newsnight on now, with the lovely (and kinda hot) Jeremy Paxman, and Ted Koppel is talking about his views about today. Earlier another guest was Chuck D. Bob Woodward offered his views as well. What a great day for the world. No longer does the US have in power someone who, quite frankly in my opinion, hated America.
Ok so now that optimistic American view is down, I can be a bit more British: Aretha's voice isn't quite what it used to be, is it? Shame. I quite enjoyed the quartet as well, that was a lovely arrangement, and so multi-culti. Very in fitting with the mood of the future.
In other news, because I so rarely talk about myself here: my PhD upgrade viva is rapidly approaching. This is the ceremony when I am quizzed orally about my research, and it is decided whether I am allowed to proceed with my research in the PhD programme, or if I must graduate with an MPhil degree. Which is, I believe, a Masters of Philosophy. I was a wee bit terrified until I sat down today and made myself a schedule. A schedule always helps me, and makes me feel more in control. I like feeling in control; it makes me very happy and calm.
For this viva and upgrade process, I must hand in several documents, including a 15,000-20,000 word document, usually a chapter from my thesis (what the UK calls a PhD dissertation). Crikey. That's a lot of words! But I broke it down into manageable chunks, and it's feeling a lot more achievable right now. Of course I've had a couple glasses of wine now, so pretty much everything is feeling achievable right now :-)
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| Random spotting of former ANTM contestant |
[14 Jan 2009|09:44pm] |
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This is so random. I'm watching something on BBC4 about Rankin, the photographer, recreating famous fashion photographs from the past, e.g., from Helmut Newton and David Bailey. Anyway, he was recreating a famous Helmut Newton one, and one of the models he used was Mollie Sue from ANTM cycle 6! There she was, all cute with her cute short boy hair! Good on her!
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| thoughts. |
[07 Jan 2009|10:43pm] |
Toby Young has blagged his way onto Top Chef pretending/claiming to be a food critic. Not just a food critic but a "famed British food critic". Um. I live in Britain, yo, and this cat is a misanthrope. I don't remember him being a food critic. He's a journalist. And 10 years ago was a drug supplier to Fat Les for a great photo shoot for Vanity Fair, the magazine he got fired from, for pissing off everyone there. I'm watching him carefully during this episode, and thus far he's not said anything which would lead me to believe that he knows what he's talking about, culinary-wise. I could be wrong, but Toby Young is pretty much known in Britain for being a dick, who pisses everyone off, who acts inappropriately, who says shit that angers people. Though he has been on Celebrity Come Dine With Me. Hardly food critic stuff though.
Edit: Yeah, he is just a little prick! If you read How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, that sums him up precisely. Ooh that stupid little face he has! With his stupid little bald head! Ok maybe it's becoming clear that Toby Young is not my favourite person, lol. Seriously though, listen to him - he sounds nothing like Colicchio, who is clearly an educated palate.
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[31 Dec 2008|11:39pm] |
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Happy New Year 2009 everyone!!!
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[05 Nov 2008|02:40pm] |
I'm in Iceland!
And we won!!!!! Did we do it?
YES WE DID!!!!
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| waking-up thoughts |
[23 Oct 2008|07:23am] |
All of this hoo-ha about Palin's makeover, and everything else about her, and it strikes me that she is a female version of chimpy. Because chimpy is male, his overarching status as masculine-dominant seemed to neutralise, or at least counteract, the stupid things he says and does. Palin, on the other hand, does not have that necessary Y-chromosome, and therefore people think she is stupid, vapid, and not fit for the office of (vice-)president. Interesting, and telling about the state of gender relations in the US.
I was browsing The Huffington Post's article and slideshow about Palin's makeover, and didn't realise she'd been wearing (rather hot) heels during the debate. I wonder what shoes Ferraro wore at her debate (was there even a VP debate back then?). Haha, political party shoe wars. Democrats wear Birkenstocks, and the Green Party wears hemp sandals woven by third world children, to earn money for the new clean water system for their village.
I find the entire Palin circus fascinating on many levels: political, social, gender, fashion, class. Funny that when something is revealed about the McCain/Palin ticket which is unflattering to the Republicans, they seem to play the "sexist" card more frequently than they should. I don't think it's sexist to report Palin got a $150k wardrobe makeover funded by the Republican National Party; I find it fascinating that a number of media outlets would report it, and the furore it seems to be causing in some circles is equally telling about unspoken social norms and gender(ed) expectations. And rather hypocritical too, considering the Republicans a few years ago were very vocal about Edwards' haircut he paid for (eventually) with his own money, and Clinton's alleged haircut on the LAX runway (I think it was LAX).
The really horrible thing, the more insidious element of all of this, is the fact that everything seems to be political nowadays. It's nice living in a different country, where every little detail and element of life is not interpreted as a marker of your political affiliation. I like the fact that health care and reproductive rights and the car we drive are not seen as political statements. Actually, over here, the food one eats, the newspaper one reads and the grocery store one shops at are more likely markers of political or class affiliation. Read the Guardian? You are lefty middle class. Shop at Tesco? Working class. Shop at Iceland? Pramface. Read the Daily Sport? Sad dude who likes to look at titties.
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| slightly pissed thoughts on the evil little toad |
[19 Oct 2008|02:02am] |
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So I'm getting round to watching the last debate. I used to really like McCain back in the day, when he was the acceptable face of the fascist, sorry, Republican party when he was on The Daily Show. Now he's just an evil, lying toad who blinks a freakishly excessive amount.
He spews lies, and makes Obama look that much more moral, intelligent, calm, rational, and presidential. He tries to distance himself from "the last eight years"; HELLO you little toad, you WERE RESPONSIBLE for the last eight years.
(self-edited for brevity)
McCain = FAIL
Obama = WIN!!!!!!!!!!
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| The Beauty of the Baize, Part One. |
[18 Oct 2008|01:03am] |
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oh, the snooker |
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I want an extra Sky+ Box (digital video recorder) just for the snooker. It's Grand Prix time, and I've still got some World Championships to watch, from May.
Ronnie got eliminated by a 19-year-old kid whose nickname is "Haircut 100".
Yes, I know I just did an entire post, short as it may be, about snooker.
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| Debate Redux |
[07 Oct 2008|07:45am] |
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oh my God I nearly fell off my chair laughing at this!!
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[02 Oct 2008|03:57pm] |
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totally gobsmacked |
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Ok. I have restrained myself immensely from any political talk, mostly because I'm over here and that's all going on over there. But the nomination of Sarah Palin to be McCain's VP has sparked a schadenfreude fascination in me that is incomparable.
I post this URL mostly for selfish reasons: because I want to remember it, and possibly revisit it, possibly multiple times, over the course of the next month. Perhaps there will be additional Greatest Hits reels to accompany it. And bookmarking it seems like a lot of work (mostly in the finding the bookmark stage, not in the making of the bookmark).
Jeez that was rambling. Anyway, enjoy.
Edit: Forgot to say, the video is a little choppy, which is unfortunate because I think the edits could lead to undue criticism of content. However, I think the spirit of the speakers come across.
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| Unexpected Joy |
[18 Sep 2008|12:54am] |
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music |
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BBC4 "Medical Mavericks" |
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Note to self: no matter how bad things get, they always get better.
And be happy if you don't have cholera, gonorrhea or syphilis!
Or yellow fever!
Edit: wtf how does wine sneak up on you like that?! :-p
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[27 Aug 2008|11:12am] |
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I just read Hillary's speech she gave last night at the Democratic National Convention. I found it so good I got a little misty-eyed, and I'm fairly sure it's not the remnants of sleep still clinging to the corners of my peepers.
In other news, I have begun the protozoic stages of my first chapter of my PhD dissertation, or as it's known in the UK, thesis. Not to be confused with what I wrote for my Master's Degree, which was a dissertation. See, not that confusing. :-) And of course Word decides to eff up -- what is it with Microsoft that they seem incapable of writing code or an application which does not have bugs that crop up at the most inconvenient times? I mean that as a rhetorical question, but if anyone has a serious answer, I'm all ears. Does anyone remember that e-mail that went around like 7 or 8 years ago, about Microsoft forming a new company called "PatchSoft"? Obviously it was a joke/funny/haha, but one of them what with a touch of truth behind it.
Let's end on a positive note! I can get an iPhone in only six months!! :-D
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