Facebook

I’ve just started getting into Facebook - and I’m getting hooked! Its strange when you try to search for long lost friends from social network of the past. I also think its much better designed site from MySpace. Although my design suggestion would be to differentiate between other people’s site …

Include 2007 Paper Online

‘Through their eyes only – Focusing stakeholders on end-user needs’- The paper that I co-wrote with Matt Lievesley for the Include 2007 conference is now online here.

Shodan

This is another milestone-type posting. I guess its going to be this type of posting from now on. As you can guess I’m not that much of a day-to-day blogger- but hey I do keep you inform on the BIG things that happen. Well, after 5.5 years of being humiliated, thrown about, hurt and twisted on the mat, I finally achieved my black belt during the easter weekend. I now have a license….to maim! Actually it gives me an opportunity to enjoy my aikido again - to relax and relearn techniques, if that makes sense. Oh and as part of the honour of being a Shodan, you get to wear a silly hakama - baggy trousers that constantly trips you up during techniques. Btw, I realised that I’m slightly obsessed with aikido, as I can really relate a lot to the Aikiholics Facebook group which listed some of their obsessions as:

You do 3-4 loads of white laundry per week

You especially buy white clothing and towels so you can have a full load when you wash your gi

You don’t complain about not having a life, you just think that going to Aikido every night is a perfectly suitable one.

You are constantly tempted to throw your boyfriend/girlfriend into a sweet kotagaeshi break fall when you are holding hands.

You think it’s funny to gross your friends out with your swollen appendages.

At last!

After 4.5 years of toiling, hair pulling and endless working weekends, I have finally completed my PhD. Its been an epic struggle and without the support of friends and family, I would have most certainly failed. I could say a millions things about the experience but I thought it might be more useful to limit it to 5.

1. Getting a Phd is not as hard as you might think, it only needs dogged determination.

2. You must be ready to go on a mental and emotional rollercoaster. Its one heck of a ride if you survive it.

3. Accept that for 90% of the time, you will not have a clue what your PhD is about. Tip: Practise the pub questions - ‘So tell me what your PhD is about’ every few months. You’ll be astonished how different each time it will be.

4. It requires an enormous amount of self-belief - not to the point of arrogance, but you need to believe in your Phd for it to succeed.

5. And finally, don’t underestimate the support you will get from family and friends. They are the only ones to keep you sane during the whole period.