Let's discuss maturity today!

It is quite clear that the level of maturity differs between males and females. Maturity differs between the age group of young female adults; the 20s-23s, 24-26s and 27-29s. Males on the other hand are no different across the 20s-30s.

Being an observer on the sideline, you can expect to see more of the game rather than being in it. In the same regard, being a female, I believe that I do know females sufficiently well. Sometimes, it's amazing to see how different girls can be in front of other girls, yet act so different in the presence of guys. I guess, deep down inside, we all have a flirtatious character; a sense of playfulness. But what I don't understand is how some people can only think of having fun, disregarding priorities: a lack of rationality and objectivity if you would put it.

Often when we think of maturity, we think that males would be ones that are more immature. It is not often that we come across females who are. I struggle to keep my cool and keep up with your annoyance. Not many people can annoy me as much as you have. One thing that I must admit is that I do have a pretty high level of tolerance but the fact that I have reached my limit says quite a lot.

For now, i guess I'll just have to tolerate until I can tolerate no more.

Said goodbye to one of my closest friends in Dunedin. He's leaving to Japan to begin the next chapter of his research career. It's always easy to welcome someone new into your life but saying goodbye on the other hand is way harder than I expected.

Many things in life are only temporal and friends come and go. I have no doubt that it is the footprints, the everlasting impressions from the memories that we've gone through that will remain behind.

I pray that the transition to a new country, new way of life, be smooth sailing and that you will make amazing friends in Japan and embrace the culture. :)

Take care and farewell! :)

I am thankful for the endless support and friendship all these years. The events on 2nd Dec have led to a little disappointment. How many times have we disappointed others? It takes true courage to face disappointment. And I'm unsure if I am up to that challenge! Perhaps it's just hard for me to accept defeat. I am inclined to believe that I'm a sort of person that strives for perfection in everything that I do. It's hard for me to accept mediocrity. I know I have to be brave because one gains much more from failures than successes.

I am really grateful for my supervisors - I'm very encouraged to know that they see the possibility and potential in me and inspire me to reach my fullest potential. Was having a conversation with one of them and he said never ever be satisfied with your result. And he quoted one of a famous mathematician, Bolyai. Never be worried about the questions but worry about the satisfied answers.

Feelings of despair will fade away, I know that when I look back at this post a couple of years later, even months later, and laugh at how silly i was. Winning a competition isn't everything, success is built on failures upon failures. Words of encouragement are instrumental in the process of healing. I will recover from this disappointment only to come back stronger than before.

I want to leave you with this quote:

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." ---Alexander Graham Bell

The Power of Procrastination

More recently, the power of procrastination have been ever more evident in my daily living. The life of a graduate student will inevitably be hit with procrastination the closer you get to the reality of publishing. That is - the writing up process!

I must say that writing up takes more than just persistence. You'll first have to overcome the hardship of data collection. Once you have endured this arduous process, it does not necessary mean that the worst is over.


You'll be pretty surprised how much one can procrastinate in order to avoid doing something you should. But no, updating this blog was not because of procrastination, rather something that I ought to do.

With that, I leave you with my latest quote. :)

"A manuscript is like a piece of fine art, no matter how much effort you put into its construction, you will never be satisfied with its artistry."

I thank God for ...

I thank God for the angels He has placed around me.
I thank God for the moments of joy, happiness and laughter.
I thank God for the moments of sadness, desperation and despair.
I thank God for the trials I face each and every day.
I thank God for the strength and learning those trials bring.

I thank God for family and their unending support.
I thank God for supervisors and their selflessness.
I thank God for friends and their companionship.

But above all, I thank God for His everlasting love!

It's almost midnight.

I'm sitting in the lab with my timer.

Enough said.

Sometimes I wonder whether people progress better in a hierarchical society? This is not taking into consideration the degree nor the extent of branching. First described by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, hierarchies have always been the foothold of ancient civilizations, from the Indus civilization in India to Egyptian society as well as in the Catholic church. Hierarchies can be considered to be more rampant in present day society and have been considered to be part and parcel of life - the social norm.

Don't get me wrong, I am in agreement that hierarchies are necessary in society. For example, in schools, there are students and teachers and in the workforce, there are CEO and subordinates. Without a hierarchy, such entities will no longer be who they are. However, I am not ready to succumb to society.

As graduate students, we are living in an overlapping hierarchy. By that, I am solely responsible to reporting to and being accountable to my supervisors. Everyone else has equal standing. We are all here to learn, be it research fellows, post-docs, postgraduates or even undergraduates. A higher education status does not indicate given authority. I believe that even after attaining the gold standard of education, it does not authorize a person to think that they are a 'class' higher than someone who hasn't yet attained that level of education. They do not have the right to do that! We are all in a educational institution. i.e we are all here for one common reason, TO LEARN.

Attitude says it all, isn't it.

A confrontational attitude leads to a hostile environment. I'm almost certain no one would like to be in such a situation or environment most of the day. It affects every aspect of life, from mood to serotonin production. Students may just be students, but there is no right for the blatant lack of respect and inappropriate attitude. Should we be forthright in such circumstances? Should we handle it in a professional manner? Should we adopt the forgive and forget mentality or avoid the issue altogether?

Whatever the choice, whichever the decision... Occurrences of such behavior should never be tolerated!!!