More to Come

I must say that working with everyday life interest in quantum mechanics, can really test your unimaginative mathematical skill tactics. In addition, at the same time when trying to reasoning all the things you've computed with their related physicals interpretation will somehow further the difficulty of the things you're working on. Nonetheless, if one has indeed successfully made all the necessary things, there will definitely bring joy at the end of the day.

On present, my work is not only within the quantum mechanics region, but to make things more challenging, we are now going to the non-commutative level of quantum mechanics. Honestly, it makes the mathematics behind the story become more complicated from the existing complicated theory. One will require to give careful treatment due to the usual coordinate space. Where "dirty" algebra will play the biggest role.

Of cause, getting to this level, physicist (to be specific mathematical physicist) would like to see if the theory of the non-commutative quantum mechanics will have something to say perhaps within the range of string theory and closed enough would be in the range of high energy physics. In fact there are quite number of papers discussing the non-commutative of quantum mechanics. For example, when dealing with the two-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator.

Next week, we will welcome a visitor who was originally from Senegal. He also working on this non-commutative geometry. As promise my adviser would like to have him together with me discussing on the matter I'm working right now. Having someone who is also from the same field would be very fortunate. But in the same time, I have a nervous feeling about this meeting. As mentioned by my adviser he's now working in Perimeter Institute, Waterloo.

What???
I don't know what kind of preparation should I prepare. For which at this point, I still consider my knowledge are still naive and immature. Lets hoping for a good outcome from it. I will write more next week.

Continuing Working

It is now Wednesday and it is also the first day of the September 2010. Next week, insyaAllah we will celebrate our hari raya Aidilfitri. Meaning that Syawal is just around the corner. How fast isn't it? I still remember two weeks back we're just started our first day of Ramadhan. How quick...so so quick.

Next week also, my class will officially start. I have registered for the advanced quantum mechanics course under the Physics department. Last Winter, I took an audit course for the quantum mechanics too but it was under the Mathematics and Statistics department. And just now I met my Russian friend who used to sit for the same class during the QM course last Winter. Good news is his supervisor also asked him to take this advanced QM course under the physics. This means that I have a known friend in that class. At least. Don't have to start a fresh conversation with a new face. I am so happy about this. Peter was his name, is a very cool guy, plus a very very nice in person. He has willingly gave me a permission to use his work place and his PC at our SGW campus office whenever I want. He was also working part time, so he's not in the office all day. I am so thankful and please by his generosity.

So now, I'm trying to finish the rest of the work that have been asked by my adviser. Next week, I will be bundled up with assignments and notes from the course.
Good luck to me...

Wednesday

What so special about Wednesday. I intentionally post something today just to highlight how the Wednesday effect myself. I haven't think of this before. Just recently.

Monday; we usually very excited as it is the beginning of the week. Also most of us feel usually fresh and energetic. Full of ideas and plenty of plans for the rest of the week.

While Friday tends to higher the energetic level of person even 'more'. Because most of us wanted to enjoy the weekend the most. With lots of free time activities. The not so good about this day is as it brings closer the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) , the mood or level of focusing within works or tasks during the day kind of decreasing. During the Summer, the office hour on Friday is just until 1 p.m. So people here does celebrate the weekend at their very best.

So how about Wednesday. First, lets highlight its special property. It was a day which divide the week into a symmetric order. So by having this kind of property I might say that, it rank on how fast the week will be gone or how far yet the week is still moving.

I'm talking this because, my usual meeting and discussion with my adviser usually happens on Wednesday. But this week I'm having my meeting yesterday. And it is very fortunate for me to do so since the rest of the week is not a good time of having a meeting with my adviser. He had other things to do. I found out if I'm having a meeting before Wednesday I feel like I have all the time to work on what I'm suppose to do before the coming of the new week after. If I met my adviser especially on Friday, I felt like the time is too short as usually Monday or Wednesday I have to update my progress again.

I also noticed that weekends fly by just like that. Perhaps like a speed of light. And the Monday is again so eager to show up and thus the normal thing you do is going to start all over again.

Having said all these, I plan to keep myself busy and focus, as I try as much as I can to at least meet my adviser twice a week. And I'm using the Wednesday as my monitoring day. If I managed to discuss before Wednesday, there's a big chance I can meet him again on let say Thursday or Friday. At least. So twice per week is somehow realizable.

I've met him yesterday and my next meeting is on Monday. So by not counting the weekend I still have two days to work on my case. I think there's a lot of time. So lets move on.

P/S-Friday for me, just shorten my time even faster. It's how my mind think of it.

Ramadhan 2010

This coming Wednesday would be the first day of Ramadhan. So the fasting month is just around the corner. And this will be my third time of having the month of Ramadhan abroad.

As usually spoken, we have 'more' time during this fasting month. For which we don't have to spend times for breakfast and lunch as always. But to me, having spend those days for almost two years here in Montreal, there's not so much different of a lifestyle. Most of the time, I usually took my brunch and lunch in front of my PC while reading online news, physics newsletter and sometimes updates my interest on current Malaysian news.

But the most important part would be to really embrace this year of Ramadhan and be thankful the most to our Creator as we meet again this special month.

Selamat Berpuasa to all

World Cup 2010 Goes to Spain

So here it goes the double winner, Spain. They won the EURO 2008 and now repeating the victory to become the strongest football team in the 2010. Sadly to announce, last champion of the World Cup 2006, Italy cannot even go to the next second round after the group stage. Very sad indeed.

After seeing most of the good team defeated. These include, Argentina, Brazil, Italy and France of cause. Before the final game, most of the fan predicted that perhaps Germany will win the title. Not to mention, they played very well in every game except only one game defeats to Serbia. German also have many young players which most of them are very skillful and talented. But during the semifinal when they meet Spain, they lose 1-0 (the same goal they missed during the final of EURO 2008).

So, the winning team left to be either Spain or Netherlands. Both team never win the world cup. Spain in the other hand had never go to the final. The final game was a bit highly nerve breaking and dramatic, since both team desperately wanted to be the winner. Both have a 50-50 chances to win. Casillas did performed well during the game. Being a keeper and a captain at the same time is very challenging. But he did safe most of the shots from the Dutch player. He definitely deserved to be remembered during this 2010 game. I've seen him played since I was 20 years of age. At that time, he played with Real Madrid (until now) and he was just 19 years old. It was so tempting to think of how at young age he was representing one of the top football club in the world.

This year also, mark a very important year as I was enjoying the game during the day time. I don't have to wait until early morning at 2.30 a.m. to watch the game. But still, this is not so nice since during the day I was at school. Thus missing few early games in the group stage. But I do enjoy the game as much as before in the repeated game.

Long live football...

Hot Weather in Town

All around the news, especially in the US and North America regions, people are complaining about this year summer. We also bought a new fan because we cannot stand the heat in our house too. Not to say, the whole family are now having cold water as usual water usage instead of the warm water we used to. As for me, taking the public transport everyday making the feel of the heat even stronger. One thing for sure, taking the subways is less hot than taking the bus.

Right now, I really missed my home town ...

Pelita by A.P.I.

A very nice song. Boleh bikin naik semangat. Layan...

A Next Level

Yesterday, I sit for my oral physics comprehensive exam. It consists of a mini-project of current interest that also relate to my future proposal of Ph.D interest. It took me approximately 30 minutes to talk and the rest is for the Q&A session.

All together there are three committee members whom two of them are my internal examiners. Both are from physics department. The first was a high energy physicist, and the other was a theoretical condensed matter physicist. I was told my by my friend regarding this professor of theoretical condensed matter (he was from Greece), of how he usually give the student a pretty hard time if he was one of the examiner.

And this is in fact so true, because the first time when I sent him my type written report, he got so many suggestion in mind. There are certain things that he asked me to do and until the last minute of the day of the exam (presentation day), he event sent me an email saying what he aspect to see in my slides. This I cannot do of cause because of the time constraint that I have to follow. But at the end of my presentation, he again asked me to prepare another additional report and sent him a copy.

The story during the exam/presentation was a bit hectic. My other examiner asked few questions plus some suggestion of what I've been proposing in the current project. This is absolutely fine with me since I know absolutely what I did. But, the 1000 millions questions were by my Greek professor. His question covered from the very little things of physics to a wide knowledge of quantum mechanics but still in the interval of what I have said in my slide. I was so lucky that I did attend my supervisor's course on quantum mechanics and plus do some exercises on certain topics on the so famous nowadays coherent states. There are times, I was stumbled a bit, trying to focus and remember of what will be the answer, but overall I made his satisfied.

At this point, I believed I have give the best that I can and well, I did passed my comprehensive. This is indeed a good news as I am now officially a PhD candidate.

Thanks to the millions people around me and may I be prepared for the next level of the real research work.

Peace...

Life at SGW

I'm packing my things today. And later on will return my current office key to the department. It definitely a sad thing as I like my current workspace together with the rest of the students a lot. They are very understanding, helpfull and sometimes even hilarious. I can ask any question related to mathematical analysis and proof to these people. They're really nice. Thanks guys. I will be using my new office at Loyola Campus for now. Most people said that Loyola is more study-like environment, greener with its old building decoration plus quieter if compare to the SGW campus which is situated in the busy downtown area.

But, for me the busiest does not really bother me at all. Because the last time I spend my time at Loyola, I was trying my very best to cooperate with the so quiet motion. How bizarre that is. I told one of my friend that I'm going to move and pack my things. And he responded with, how sad it could be. Though I'll be seeing you guys again. It's not like I'm going back to Malaysia already.

Even though, I now don't have a permanent space/office here, but I will of cause definitely will come here now and then since my supervisor is here. There will be the graduate's room for which I can used. Also for the time being before the Fall semester is starting, I'll be using my friend's office to spend my weekdays for work purpose.

Today also, I'm able to take some pictures of the three of us. The mathematical physics student. Valerie is now Dr. Hudon and Ferenc will soon go for his thesis defense in July. Look how we pose in front the mathematical and statistic receptionist counter.

Me and Valerie Hudon

the mathematical physicist trio. ha ha

Fixing Thorough the Errors

It has been a while I'm using LaTeX as my word processor and I can say that I am quite comfortable with it. However, there are times when what you type and configure doesn't come out nicely. This never happened when I'm working in Microsoft word office.

Actually, there so much things you can do with LaTeX. Sometimes one can even experiment new style of writing, saving files, include files and so on. There are tons of references for those who would like to begin with LaTeX. And believe me it was really easy and helpful. But when one deals with the actual work with LaTeX, one can't imagine how one need to deal with the errors during the compilation of one files. Usually errors can be fix very quick. But today, it is very challenging. As I was writing just in a normal mode and everything was just fine. And next when I changed into a new file to continue with, I facing this kind of error for which I didn't know where to fix it since the file looked all perfect to me.

This is somehow very troublesome and annoying. Because now it has been one hour and more since I ever try to fix the error. It is related to the undefined references due to the cross-references in LaTeX. I somehow lost my focus since I cannot have the perfect compile pdf file. I guess I should stop running the compilation and just continue with the contents.

arrghhh...

p\s- I've emailed a friend who a master of this piece and perhaps he has the answer to it.

Oh Writing

I always get nervous, whenever I send my reports which definitely involved writing to someone who obviously experienced and smart. In this sense it is due to the academic writing (not when I'm blogging). Those reports which consist of technical and understanding of certain discussed topics. So in my case it would be the physics of mathematics. Graduate students, I assume will for sure experience the same thing. Of having to send reports, write-up, papers, theses and others writing materials to your supervisor. Doing this is to make sure that what you do is appropriately to what you have studied and mostly to witness your job in terms of documentation. And the viewers/readers are your referee to confirm your work.

I still remember during my final thesis writing of my masters. I supposed that I do OK in my writing but the results is not as I expected. The comments were made by my former supervisor was that,

"I think you watched too many English (US) movie. Your style of writing told me that. Please stop watching movies and you better start doing real writing. Meaning professional. " (I must agree, as people used to say your writing represent who you are)

From that day, I promised myself to work out my style of writing ever since. Not to do the same mistake again. And the most important part not to what Malay used to say "syok sendiri". My former also insist on knowing what your are writing and what is the thing you want really to say and keep your writing related to each other. He was also the one who taught me that equations and mathematical expression deserved to be treated as in line with the notions of a story. For example when you read a journals, you also read each mathematical equations together between the line if there is. Not to exclude them.

I must really really thank to my former adviser to really changed the way I write. Last two weeks, I sent my first report to my adviser. And I was so nervous about how it would turns out. And today we met, he told me he was satisfied. We just have to add some more to the idea. That's all. And more he didn't mention anything about my writing. Perhaps it is readable.

Thanks...

I've Been Monitored

Last week I missed my quantum mechanic class not because I do it in purpose but I have a bad cold and sore throat. And I feel so bad about it. Of cause this is just my audit course, not an officially registered one. But I've been given my full commitment for this class. I have take the opportunity to do almost all the assignment. At least it is for my own good.

But, the truth is I hardly ever missed a class or even a related weekly seminar. But last week I cannot help it because my body didn't seem to cooperate that well. Last week also I hand in my report a day earlier before the day of class via email to my adviser and supposedly I should at least have a quick discussed with him last week. But I missed them.
And this week, yesterday when I met him before the class, he asked me

"what happen to you last week? "
"sorry Prof. I had a cold" (oops...he wonders where I'd go)
"well, I can see that you still have a cold now, even you sound different"

I just putting up a smile. I hate to be the person anyone turned to especially before the class was about to get started. I really didn't purposely skipped the class. Believe me.

Then later after the class, one of my friend suggest me some medicine to relief the cold. I guess I getting better soon enough.

April Now

Its been a few days of April now. I have to try my best to catching up. Especially in my preparation towards my proposal seminar and also the write-up.

Right now, I am compiling the associated literature due to my related research on this specific integral form. Perhaps, I will try smart enough to arrange time together with if not smooth, but almost smooth during the execution.

Good luck.

Logic

Today I went to my QM class cheering up hoping that the original lecturer will give the lecture instead of the substitute ones. So just before 2pm, I found that I was the first to arrive at the usual lecture room and nobody else. I wait for over 10 minutes and started to sense that there is something wrong. Perhaps the place of the lecture had changed today. This is due to the fact that our original lecture is not quite healthy to actually move here and there from his office.

So I decided to check myself and went to my office. I found out that my friend's stuffs who also joined the lecture is there at his desk. Next, I checked my adviser's room (i.e. the original lecture) and I found that his light is on.

The first place that I could think of for these people having lecture is at the department meeting room. I don't know how it happened but I try to think it logically. I know that my friend's stuffs is here, so it couldn't be that far. It should take place at the very same floor. But, which room? That is why I'm thinking of the famous room in our department which is the meeting room. So I checked through the back door. And there I found all my friends and the lecture has already started. I looked at my watch it was 2.17pm. Ouchh...I was late about 17 minutes. I quickly grabbed my notes and politely burst into the room. Make a smile face and picked up the last row and started listening to the lecture. There you go, back to normal.

After the class, my friend asked me how I find them since I'm not receiving any news on the new place (I'm not register for the course, so I was not being notify. But it is important to attend). I told him, I first went to the usual lecture room. He thought that I asked the department secretary or by coincidence. Nay, that was not my first move. I told him how exactly I found it and he just laughed out loud. He found it very hilarious. I said, well I do some 'research' and also some thinking. He said that you have applied the most appropriate logic mathematical thinking here. Perhaps you know where to find exactly the particles are. hahaha...funny jokes that he had.

However, I told him, if you guys were not there, then my next move will be asked the secretary on you guys whereabout.
Full stop.

Spring or No Spring

Spring has officially started last Saturday. However, for our second day of Spring, we have a light snow after having a previous nice week with single digit Celsius. Today we have a light rain and windy weather.

I am wearing my Winter jacket again.

Seminar Plus Plus

This semester saw me attending more seminar than usual. Also the topic of seminar are more variety. Instead of having just mathematical physics stuffs, I am currently listen to the physics seminar. To add more, it is very unusual for me to listen to the experimental stuffs. When I used the word listen. What I mean is mostly during the seminar I listen more than understand them. Perhaps, I've been too attach to the physics maths makes me that way. But this is another good practice for me to be more one can say versatile. hehehe... Up to now, I have attended the particle physics, cosmology, string theory and the latest one which is today is molecular chemistry physics i.e. the study of optical spectroscopy of photosynthetic protein complexes. Yes, as I said this is very unusual.

Also, today seminar was given by a graduate student who already specialized in this spectroscopy analysis of protein complexes. This seminar is one of the compulsory seminar for graduate student before they are graduated. From what I heard she was the first graduate to present in this particular semester. The community of physics here in Concordia is not too big if compare to maths and stats community.

After the seminar the chair announced that, to all graduate student please don't be afraid to give a seminar because as you can see it is not as difficult and scary as you thought. Let us thank the speaker today. I am not aware of how seminar was organized here in the Physics Department since I'm used to the maths physics seminar. For which as a theorist we give an informal presentation almost all the time. Also in our graduate course, the final project usually needs us to present before you hand in the report. I know this because I have presenting on selected topic twice.

In our work, if we stop to presenting and discussing, all the 'things' that we learned and understand will be forgotten. It is kind of practice. When I first came to Montreal, I spoke to my adviser how well these people talked about something which is scientifically, so smoothly and confident. He replied that, you will learned all the related stuffs and in the end you will get used to them and finally one will be able to do just it. That is why, I've been presenting my progress or any task given in terms of discussion once a week. And my adviser do encouraged me if I have an advanced progress I can always knock out his door and start presenting.

This style however sometimes makes me feel 'sick' because of the need of the level of continuation. Of cause as a normal human kind, we always need our own sweet time or some even called it the lazy time. Though to think it again, this is you yourself who created this your 'own' time. It is very subjective. So, I guess I will trying my best to develop the fun thing out of it. In that way one can not see it as a burden but as one interest.

But up till now, sometimes I still get nervous when I do my presentation (formal) especially when you know who is your crowd is. Perhaps with a good preparation, it will went well.

p\s-I still remember how my former adviser told his student that be responsible when you are giving a talk (informal or formal). Remember that the audience spare some of their valuable time to hear you talk. And you have to respect them and present in a way that is well-presenting.

What Really Matter is ...

Today I had a chance to chat with few students who took functional analysis and also just finished their midterm. This friend of mine, who comes from physics background, complained about how hard the midterm was and how unlucky that the time given for the exam was not enough.

He then mentioned that he don't care about the grades after all.

"Just go hell with the grades, it is all about learning. I don't mind learning all these difficult topics, since I'm going to use it in my research. Plus I don't have to too much focus on time constrained to use the facts that I learned and implement it in my research."

I have also face trouble to tackle problem such as analysis. I cannot simply "see" how it works. It is beyond my imagination. And recently I met few other students who also feel the same way. We just need to begin early at a young age to study analysis. No one can instantly practic

During our chatting, we conclude that the only point that is frequently brought up in this topic is, whenever there is a delta, we need to find associated epsilon. The delta-epsilon relation is so famous in doing analysis. Plus also the notion of neighborhood. It is similarly important.

But perhaps when someone like my friend who value understanding more than grades, I think it is the best that one can hope for. I like the idea too.

Winter Olympic Games 2010

Owh...I'm so into Vancouver Olympic Winter Games 2010. And I really enjoy almost all the games very much. Not to mention that my significant other also in the same mood as I am.

Last night, we watched the quater final of ice hockey played between Russian and Canada. We cheered for Canada like so huge and we win the game with 3-7 goals with Russia being defeated. Also, yesterday a one of the memorable day of Canada since for one day the medals count for her is four. All from the women's two woman bobsleigh (gold and silver), women's l500m long speed track (bronze) and women's 3000m relay short track (silver).

Tomorrow there will be more games to come. And perhaps more medals for Canada.

Go Canada Go...

Women are hmm...complicated?

Is it true that women are hard to please?

So yesterday, I heard my friends complaining about his teacher for this course he took. And I know his teacher too. He was talking about the result of the midterm he took and there is some kind of a misunderstanding of the question and the answer that he wrote.

After he burst (small) about what happened to another friend who also took the same course, he told me that

"Nurisya, women are complicated". In a mocking kind a way. He refer it to the teacher.

I just laugh and reply with, is there any particular reason why did you say that. Oh, he said that he got lots of reasons to strengthen his statement. He continued saying that we don't know what exactly that she want. How much details that she want and sometime, she herself don't even know what she want. It's pretty big issue.

I'm not sure if I am in the group of a complicated human being. I usually see myself being very particular and every single things that I take should be practical. So how complicated is that?

Though when it comes to this scientist, in this case a mathematician, and to be more specific, a functional analyst, maybe the terms of complicated falls within the area of his or her works. It doesn't have to be influence by ones gender.

P/S- then what happen to the usual sense which say men are unpredictable. Is it true?

Maths Physics Seminar

The title of today's talk is "Illusion of space-time and quantum mechanics (QM)" given by Professor Pavel K. Smrz from University of Newcastle, Australia. For more see this link.

As usual, I went to University de Montreal (UdEM) using metro subways since I can't stand to walk up the hill to the seminar room. And before the seminar started, I just noticed there is a conference given in CRM (Center of Mathematical Research), UdEM which is in 2007 that have a participant from Malaysia. The topic was heavy called

Groups and Symmetries: From Neolitics Scots to John Mackay"

This participant from Malaysia is known to be my former supervisor's colleague who her Phd advisor was Professor Leon Takhtajan from SUNY Stony Brook, New York. Prof. Takhtajan is one of the speaker in EQuaLS1.

I was so impressed that Malaysia do have a representative in this kind of I might say difficult area. John Mackay on the other hand is a very famous mathematician with his works on computation group theory and also Galois theory related from Concordia whom I met before during my Lie group class last winter 2008 (see this post). To be honest I was really inspired by these people.