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.