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 ...

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

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.

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.

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...

It Is Still Winter...

I sense that this year winter is a bit of not so cold and also not so many snow. But I was totally wrong since yesterday there were a very heavy snow and today we have the coolest weather so far.

This going to be continued for the whole weekend. Seems like our plan to go to the winter carnival is not going to happen. Well, just look like at the "feels like" degree.
Though lets enjoy the warmest feeling at your home.

Beggar/Homeless in Montreal

Type ??
They can be categorized to be a very talented person on earth. Most of them can play music very well. Some might prefer to call them a buskers or street performers. Not just singing and playing instruments but they can do other things as well. They perform so well which sometime they collected quite amount of tips for a single day. I can safely said that this type do not fall into the beggar/homeless category.

Type 1
This people standing at the side of the escalator at the exit (entrance) of metro (subways train) stations holding a board that reads, "I've served my country as an army during the Vietnam war. Please spare me some coins". Or some just shouting loud saying, "anyone, change please. Change...". Others are not saying much but just show off their buckets or hats for some to drop a coin.

Type 2
They don't even bother to ask for anything but just lying down at the stairs sleeping and some are even smelly. This type don't even care if anyone felt sorry for him. And even interesting when I found out that this people have a very high pride. One day I saw a couple of policewomen who trying to help a homeless guy who used to sleep at the side walks. I've heard one of the policewoman said that "come on, we just wanna help. Its not like we're gonna give you a ticket or something. You're interrupting people who used this route". Then this guy reply with, "owh..yeah I don't need help. Like I care". Hehehe... despite he was so much indeed need of help.

Type 3
They don't need money they just need a cigarette.

Type 4
I just came across this type number 4 this morning. He sat at the pedestrian side walk and at the same time reading a book. In front of him was his hat for coins. OK, to me its look like budaya membaca is everywhere. Maybe because of he showing off his effort to read, some might considered him to be worth it to drop at least 10 cents.

I haven't yet found any particular people with disabilities begging for money or anything. I just met a type of healthy and lazy people trying to do so little work with so minimum energy to survive for live.

Research Has Begun

Today I gave another presentation with my advisor together with his visiting scientist on a recent paper which I studies named "the group representation related to the Stockwell transform". After one year of registering into the program I am now working on my (advisor) topic of interest. This kind of transform is a new study in time-frequency analysis which are greatly important in areas like geophysics, biomedicine or engineering. I have started this work like three weeks now eventhough I haven't completed my maths comprehensive part.

Remember on previous post, I've been preparing for the Ph.D qualifying exams. Well, I just managed to perform in the physics parts, which it is natural for me to do so since I was graduated from physics background. But I sense that I somehow could not tolerate with this kind of situation (fail for the maths part, since I like maths a lot). Ouuh...may my likeness isn't enough. But the truth is I spend like 3 whole months preparing for the maths part ONLY. And it didn't work out.

I went to see the person who giving the grades for the exam and she showed me how I'm doing. She mentioned that I have no problem to use all the mathematical tools yet I having problem in terms of proving and analyzing mathematical statement. But she said that, it is OK since any physicist will not interested to know how functions behave accurately. Only mathematician do. But since I do mathematical physics, it is also natural for me to know both parts. I remember when my former supervisor told me quite a few times (for a theoretical physicist), about how he committed to physics more than maths. Maths is just a tool to solve physics problem. If you get stucked with the maths perhaps go back to the significant of the physical explaination on how one should tackle such problems. If oneself get 'carried away' with the maths part perhaps he or she should be working on the maths problem.

However, during the year I've learned that maths is just not for solving, it is philosophically a logic thinking. And I admit that I was so weak in that sense. Need to stay in the field long enough to get the feeling. Later on my advisor told me that it was just the past, and lets work on for the future. Some of the stuffs I've learned may not even used later on. For example physicist don't need to know measure theory (which happened to be the subject for the comprehensive). This told me that I still had a chance. If I get lucky I can still be continuing to this program. Or else I am preparing myself home for my country. My advisor is positive due to my continuing but I don't know how the university system works. Lets just hope for a positive outcomes.

I take it as it is and now started to spend time on research and Ph.D works. I don't get discouraged for what has happened and still carry one with what is in front of me now. Take every opportunities that I can get until it is been told to my face that 'it is the end of the world'.

p\s-Apart from the stuffs I've been studying for the maths comprehensive, I found that it really helps a lot while reading any mathematical physics journal. Especially in terms of notations and terminology.

Turkey and Thanksgiving

the 'the' turkey

This week we've been invited to attend to a thanksgiving party organized by my supervisor. This is our first time to actually being invited to a thanksgiving party. This is also our first time to get to see how the real turkey is prepared (one can read more on Thanksgiving here). Apart from the turkey (which was the main dishes), we also have a homemade cakes and beriani rice together with the cranberries jam and gravies for the turkey. We depart home at 8 p.m. after having a special coffee prepared by the host.

we took some pictures at the park nearby

No Heat Left

Its just the second day of October and it is still Fall. But the truth is I cannot feel any heat left. It's feels like the winter is very near. People especially pedestrian has started to wear more cloths than usual.

p/s- I remember I kept my head covered during the long night at home.

Very Hot

My friend is going to defense her Ph.D thesis on this end of the month. She will soon completing her Ph.D and will be entitled a Doctorate of Philosophy in Mathematical Physics. We both were supervised by the same professor.

This week, I was invited to attend her pre-thesis defense. She welcomed any suggestion so that she can really well-prepared during the real defense. Together with our supervisor and another new student who started his study this coming Fall, we all gather at the conference room. Her topic was the study of coherent states (CS) on R(2,1) space (i.e two dimension and one time). She worked on the CS of upper hyperboloid and upper cone which represent the R(2,1) space. The coherent states is simply a quantum states which by all means satisfy all the quantum properties. For example, in terms of complex square-integrability.

The time limit for the defense is 40 minutes and the rest will be open for the questions from examiners. She also mentioned that since her external was in Switzerland, her defense will be live via teleconference. Since the time different between Switzerland and Montreal is six hours later, she managed to arrange her defense to be in the morning. Noting this, I can not imagine, if I had an external from Malaysia and we want to have also a teleconference. This could be insane to organize because of the 12 hours different.

During her presentation, I heard few familiar stuffs coming from our supervisor. Please make your slide as visible as you can. Don't expect the audience knew what you are trying to tell them, even though they have read you thesis. Also don't stumble on basic things (I've heard this quite a few time actually, reminded by my former supervisor).

The best thing to hear was, when she was asked by our supervisor to highlight her results as a very new in the field. As no one ever come up with such results. He was so hilarious when he said,

"this is a very hot from the oven".

hahaha

Things That Make Me Smile

Up until now, I just don't realised how lucky I am due to the location of my office. Department of Mathematics and Statistics which is situated in level nine have rooms arranged in circles. At the center of the circles, we can also find more rooms which placed the conference room, graduate's office, rest room, discussion's room and some lecturer's room. The only disadvantage of the graduate's office situated in the center of the space is that they don't have windows to see outsides view. I'm lucky because the office which I'm sitting now, had a view of the street of Maisonneuve of downtown, Montreal. When it's snow falling, I enjoyed them every single day.

To start with, my office is only separated by three other lecturer's room to my advisor's room. Whenever he is speaking to someone or he went to the rest room, he will walked past my office. So I can sometimes heard his voice very loud and clear. I even recognize his footsteps. hehehe... Then, in front of me is the room for the department technical staff (we called him the computer consultant) and next to his room is the department Mathematics Help Centre (math help centre) staffed by graduate students, which provides tutoring and personal assistance for undergraduate students (particularly for first-year courses), and helps smooth the transition from CEGEP to university.

Next, we are also very near to the administrative area (this includes reception counter and support staff room) which also be very closed to the elevators (I can reach my office less than 10 steps). To add more, the conference room, where seminars usually took place is also near. And most important, the graduate's computer room where unlimited printing services is available is just happened to be next two room from my office. And last but not least, in between the graduate's computer room and my office there is the emergency's stairs (only). I think this is the most important one, if in case of fire alarm.

To view it back, I personally think that I have experienced the best spot so far. And these make me smile...