Life is Full of Opportunities

It is a no-brainer - a statement everyone can understand. However many don't seem to get it, and some continue to live in self-denial. Even though each's situation is different, and it is impractical and even unwise to compare one's predicament from another, there are still enough avenues to other possibilities. Dead end only occurs when one refuses to think differently and consider alternatives. In most cases, it is a downfall of his own making. I think this applies to my PhD journey. Be positive, there is always an open door when it seems all doors are shut on you. Don't expect everything to be rosy but never get disheartened whenever difficult times befall on you. On another note, as a Christian, I believe this statement to the uttermost. Romans 8:28 says "...for all things work together for good to those who love God..." Life is full of opportunities. In a real sense, trials and afflictions are to help us grow and know Him more in a practical and subjective way. We are not just hoping that everything will be alright or become better, rather we believe there is a reason for everything. We should not linger on the things of the past. Instead we should move forward, take on the 'uncharted territory', and see (with a positive attitude) what God has in store for us.

Newbie at the Academic Conference

Just attended the Postgraduate Conference of Social Sciences and Humanities 2012 held and fully sponsored by Unimas at the campus. Apart from the colloquiums and workshops, this is the first academic conference that I have ever participated in. There is one obvious similarity between these events, and that is the 'makan' culture... but I will leave that aside for the moment. I did not know what to expect but at the end of the day there is nothing surprising. I presented my work, but am not really pleased with my performance. For some reason I was tongue tied. Perhaps I was too cautious not to over-speak and make mistakes... There weren't many comments or 'criticism' after the presentation, and maybe that was due to the fact that my supervisor was the chairperson of that particular session, and he knows what I am doing (fortunately but to a certain extent, 'sadly'). Overall it is a good experience for me to present my work again, share my knowledge with others, learn from others and get to know some new friends or researchers. There is one thing for sure: if I want to make progress in academia, I have to share, and sharing includes receiving helps, be it advice or constructive criticism, from others. I am looking forward to joining the next conference at Taylor's University in September.

Read, WRITE and Submit

Just received the notification of the day and time of my presentation in a postgraduate colloquium in July. Here comes another chance to do a self-check: how much have I understood and learnt thus far. I had a good time with my supervisor today, and I think he is right about one thing: I read and keep reading but I do not know where or how to stop. I feel like a part of me is urging me to keep reading because there is something more I need to explore and understand, and another part is telling me to stop because I would never be able to exhaust the knowledge; I have to stop somewhere so that my research can progress. In retrospect, I think I need to do what my supervisor has always told us to do, and that is to write and show it to him. Taking nothing away from reading, I seriously need to write papers even though I do keep record of the things that I read and do. I do not have the luxury to spend all my time and sometimes even the time I planned on writing (due to various commitments), but I know there is still enough time for it.

SEM-PLS Workshop in Batu Pahat

Spent a disproportionate amount of money (for workshop, air tickets, taxi, accommodation, meals and etc) to attend a 2-day SEM workshop using PLS in Batu Pahat last weekend. Being the only one from Sarawak and the only Chinese, I presume, it made me wonder for some reason why I was spending so much to be there in the first place. When the instructor said that we needed to 'invest' in our research (which he had said before during a talk at Unimas some months ago), then I realized that I was actually making an 'investment'. I tried my best to listen and learn in the workshop. Even though there were a number of things which I did not understand, I still gained a lot. What matters now is to keep reading and learning, using the software again and again. If such an investment is a risk, it is certainly a risk worth taking. Hopefully soon I will begin to reap the return.

First Paper Sent

Finally the first paper was sent last week. It is always the hope of a postgraduate student or a novice researcher to get his or her first paper sent and published. How long does it take to get it published? Would it be published? I don't know. But there was a little sense of contentment... there is no doubt about it. I know there are goals set by researchers as to how many papers should get published every year. I am not there yet so I do not know what should be my goal. However that does not imply I am passive or indifferent in this matter. I have learnt so many new things over the past two years and I am continuing to explore new things every now and then. I believe there are times for me to learn so many things in academia. Rather than setting a goal (for getting papers published) which I may like but do not really understand, I just need to work hard. If I don't know and don't really know, I am happy to admit it. When I know, I know, and I want to know it with assurance and conviction.

Come Facebook Generation

Just last year (2011) I read an article asserting that if Facebook were a country, it would be the third or fourth largest (most populated) country on the earth. In actuality its population could have easily overtaken that of China or India had the Chinese government not prohibited its use in the mainland. Now, consider this: could the Facebook users be the largest ever generation or cohort in human history? If cataclysmic events and their impact on people during their formative years are what the formation of generations are essentially about, then perhaps it is quite possible that Facebook is one of the top happenings in the last 5 years, not just in the US or Malaysia, but throughout the world. Generation Y or the Millennials, the Nexters may have lived in an intensely diverse society, the new generation, and let's call it the Facebook Generation for now, is actually entering into something that is far more dynamic and complex. It is a global village in the cyber world. It gives new meaning to the world being flat. Facebook Generation simply inherits the internet, and use it at their fingertips. Not only can they 'see' anything through Facebook, they can 'be' anything in Facebook. They live with Facebook, they grow with Facebook, and they speak and work through Facebook. Before long we will adopt the word 'facebook' to describe a certain value, attitude or behaviour of this generation.

Time to Prepare or Repair

Another truthful statement: If you do not invest time to prepare, you will waste time to repair, by Dr Billy Kueek. It underscores the importance of preparation. In my experience, preparation comes in at least two forms; either I am fully prepared or I am partially prepared. Although I know the degree of preparedness makes a lot of difference, at times I still prepare myself half-way, treading on the line of 'just enough'. Sometimes I am right but sometimes I am in trouble as a result. Then wasting time to repair is the consequence though the repairing process itself is not necessary a bad thing. I still learn something there. The point is why risk it when I have the time to prepare. I know there are instances when I need to improvise, such as giving an impromptu explanation on something, but it does not diminish the significance of preparation. Once prepared, concentration, determination and pliability all will develop simultaneously and progressively.

The Art of Explaining Things

Saw this on facebook. How true the statement is. During my presentations in the first year, I felt I explained too much. Instead of demonstrating to my supervisor and to the panels in different occasions how much I had understood, I actually exposed myself how little I had read and understood. Bearing no hard feeling, I know these are but learning curves. There will be more presentations and colloquiums soon, and I am looking forward to taking these opportunities to do well and learn again.

PhD Challenging Journey

The journey has been challenging so far, not because of the research itself, but managing a few things (research, work and family) concurrently for the past two years. I could have spent more time on my research but have no regrets about "wasting" too much time on my work (church work in particular) and my family. I am glad to have a very understanding and capable supervisor, who is also a Christian and a father himself. Slowly but surely, I am moving forward.

2-day SEM-AMOS Workshop

Attending a 2-day SEM workshop by Prof T. Ramayah. People have been saying drawing is the tedious part... I actually find it interesting and straightforward. The part that I struggle is the analytical part, especially when it deals with statistics. Hopefully I can overcome it when I start using SEM on a regular basis.