Reflections on Thesis-Writing: Draft Three and Beyond

I actually enjoy writing my thesis.

 

There, I've said it upfront and point-blank. It's a conclusion I came to couple of days ago, after achieving another milestone in my thesis-writing journey: the submission of the third and final draft of my thesis. Somehow, the intensity and stress of the past few weeks managed to inspire some soul-searching and reflections on thesis-writing. Now that I can finally take a brief breather, it's time to gather all those fragments of thoughts and piece them together into a coherent whole, so that I have something to refer to for those moments of doubt during the remainder of my thesis-writing journey.

 

Some days, everything is smooth-sailing and the words flow freely from my mind to the Word document before me. Other days, all that I learnt, researched and studied become such a frustratingly incoherent mass in my mind that I despair and come close to giving up. Do you know what the most challenging part about thesis-writing is? In my view, it is gathering all your ideas, the theories and concepts you learned and the research you did into an articulate, coherent and concise 16 000 word (NOT as long as it seems) long whole. Only those with true grit and passion need apply.

 

Despite the love-hate relationship, I've come to realize that this thesis means so much to me. It is the most personal and close-to-heart academic endeavour I have ever undertaken. To begin with, this is my thesis. I set out with a puzzle that I hit upon and wanted to investigate, put in a great deal of blood, sweat and tears into the investigation, and eventually came to my own conclusions. Of course, I received a great deal of support, love and feedback from the people around me, without which I would never have made it this far. Otherwise this is an independent study. As my supervisor keeps telling me, I'm in charge. I guess it's therefore natural that I want to succeed in an endeavour that is largely my own undertaking and responsibility. Attaining that First Class Honours is certainly a very attractive goal and a powerful motivation.

 

There is a deeper and more important driving force than the attractiveness of the end goal, however. The thesis-writing journey itself is also highly personal. I wonder if anyone else who has ever written a thesis or is writing one felt that they discovered more of themselves and their abilities in the course of writing? I did, and it was a startling revelation when it struck me how much I have achieved along the way. I used to be pretty weak in the Chinese language subject as a student in Singapore and I once had this Chinese tutor during my primary school days who gave up on me. Here I am today writing a thesis that involves reading and translating Chinese media sources. I used to get really bad grades for the Literature subject when in secondary school and decided not to pursue Literature as an 'O' Level subject as I felt sure I was hopeless at it. Here I am today writing a thesis that involves in-depth discourse and semiotic analyses to examine the visual nature of my sources and the language they are embedded in. I used to get weak grades for the English language subject in secondary school and my mother had to see my teacher to discuss my poor English grades. Here I am today actually writing a full thesis and I have been told several times along the way that I speak and write very well. The point of saying all this is to not toot my own horn, but highlight how thesis-writing brought out abilities and strengths in me that I thought never existed to begin with. Perhaps I'm a late bloomer? Whatever it is, thesis-writing has taught me a lot of myself as much as I have learnt about my topic of interest, making me much more confident in myself now.

 

The thesis-writing journey is coming to an end so soon, and things are actually looking bright. I received feedback on the third draft this afternoon, and my supervisor congratulated me on a job well done, saying that I have made a major improvement from the last draft and only minor tweaks are needed now. He even said that if I like, I could actually turn it into a journal article (after making the necessary tweaks of course)! This has got to be the best feedback I ever received in my life. To hear that my work has improved so much that it is almost journal-worthy makes all those sacrifices worth it, and more importantly, I have renewed faith in myself and my abilities. All that needs to be done now is to stay focused, make the necessary changes and keep believing till the very end.

 

Yes, I really enjoy writing my thesis.

 

 

Second draft submitted, and oh no, it's May already?!

Another milestone in my Honours journey: Today, I finally submitted the second draft of my thesis! Whew, that took quite a while, about 2 months after I submitted my first draft. I couldn't help but take that much time though. In addition to thesis writing, I had to do compulsory coursework as part of my degree requirements. I tried to get as much coursework done as early as possible before May because I wanted to concentrate mostly on my thesis in May. Aside from the demanding thesis and coursework components of my Honours degree, I also started applying for some jobs and a conference. In between all that, I try to have fun by myself or with my friends, because I don't want my final semester to be remembered as one defined solely by my Honours work. This final semester will be one to remember in more ways than one.

So what's the deal about May? Well, the end of the month is The Big Submission. I can't help but feel anxious about it, even though I've been on track with my thesis - writing targets (albeit a little slow). Now that I've got my second draft out of the way, I'm gonna tackle my final coursework assignment while my supervisor reads the second draft, then start working on the third and final draft next week. Yep, it's full steam ahead this month! Stressful as this is going to be, I'll do my very best to keep calm and carry on :) I know I can do this. After all, I'm Singaporean, and I survived the stressful Singapore education system plus three major nation - wide exams back home. I guess you can say I'm a veteran when it comes to academia - related stress already!

For now, I'll just take a deep breath and relax, because tomorrow onwards it's time to really soldier on ......

Birthday

Today's my birthday. I've had great fun celebrating it with friends and on my own today and for the past few days, all while rushing to complete some academic work. The highlight of the celebrations has got to be heading to the Gold Coast on my own this afternoon to catch the world premiere of acclaimed anime film director Makoto Shinkai's latest movie 'The Garden of Words'. This movie deserves a post of its own so for now I'll just say that it's absolutely beautiful and struck an emotional chord within me so I highly recommend it to everyone, anime fan or not. Shinkai himself was an awesome dude, when I met him during the autograph session (yes, he came all the way down to the Gold Coast!), I mentioned that today was my birthday and requested that he write 'happy birthday' to mark the occasion, which he happily obliged and also wished me a happy birthday. Thanks dude, meeting you today and watching your beautiful new film made my birthday very happy indeed :D

Looking back over my life, I'm astounded by how much I have achieved and how much I've grown as a person. Especially since I started university. If you'd told little me that one day I'd go abroad to live and study (twice!), built rich friendships with so many people from around the world and shook hands with an acclaimed film director, she probably wouldn't have quite believe it! Here's to many more fulfilling and memorable years ahead! :D

Enjoying my food

In spite of my really busy and stressful final semester, when it comes to my food, I tend to make a ritual out of it.

For example, this morning I had to finish the last of the Maple Muesli I bought from the weekly city farmers' market as well as some of my favourite deep - purple grapes that I purchased from the West End farmers' markets (I absolutely love shopping at farmers' markets but that will be for another blog post). It was a morning meant to be enjoyed, to begin with. It was raining when I woke up and I enjoy rainy mornings because the rain makes the morning air so fresh and cool and crisp. So I had to have a nice breakfast to go with the lovely morning. I prepared a bowl of milk, and placed the last of my Muesli and some grapes on the side. Then I alternated between eating the Muesli straight from the packaging and eating it mixed up with the milk. The Muesli was good eaten either way, see. Eaten straight allows you to enjoy the crunch of the various nuts and seeds and savour their delicious toasty nuttiness. Eaten with milk softens the rolled oats at bit and allows the oats to absorb some of the creamy milk. Every now and then, I'd pop a few grapes and enjoy the explosion of sweet grape juice as I munch on them. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable breakfast.

Eating is certainly the best part of having food, but I do enjoy the process of making it as well. Take the very popular and delicious Thai green curry for instance. Since last year, when I happened to find out that Kaffir Lime fruits were in season in Brisbane every April and May, I have been buying up those fruits so that I can make green curry paste from scratch. The challenge of getting hold of Kaffir Limes, as well as a few other essential ingredients for the green curry paste, is the most difficult aspect of preparing authentic Thai green curry here in Brisbane. Moreover, it's a laborious process that involves chopping up a big pile of ingredients (some of which are pretty tough to slice, such as the Galangal), and then pounding them into a paste using a mortar - and - pestle (last year I had some help from my housemate's food processor, but she has since moved out, taking her food processor with her). The end result of an extremely flavourful and fragrant curry, more flavourful and fragrant than many green curries I have eaten in cafes and restaurants, make all that hard work so worth it! Plus, because I make a big batch of paste, I can store up the leftover paste in the fridge or freezer for future use. There's more I'd like to say about the tedious but rewarding process of making Thai green curry from scratch, but that will be for another blog post.



Homemade Thai green curry I prepared last week. Delicious!

Much as I enjoy cooking, it is nice to have someone else cook for you for a change. Because of my limited student budget, I go out to eat only about 3 times a week. And when I do, I make sure my calories and money are not wasted on crappy food. I particularly enjoy going to cafes serving modern Australian cuisine for a bite. These cafes, which typically open from early morning to about 3pm in the afternoon, are really popular in Brisbane. Eating breakfast/ brunch/ lunch at these cafes with friends/ family is a favourite local pastime especially during weekends. It's a favourite pastime of mine too. Whenever I visit one for breakfast or lunch, I never rush my meal. I take my time browsing through the menu or the display cabinets, spend my waiting time reading a good book or a magazine, then savour my food slowly and appreciatively when it arrives. It's not just the food, see, but the whole experience of dining out at a lovely café and the collective experience of savouring beautifully prepared and delicious food with my fellow diners. Again, this whole experience of eating out at cafes in Australia deserves a blog post of its own, which will be written another day.




Confit of portabella mushrooms baked with a feta and chorizo crumble - with dill scrambled eggs, smoked tomato compote and rye and onion toast. This is my favourite meal so far from Pablo, a café in Brisbane that I like.

Of course, much as I'd like to, I don't take my time with every meal I eat. I am a busy final year student after all. But when I do, usually when I'm preparing/ eating my favourite foods or when I'm at a café I like, I really try to revel in the whole experience. I think this is my way of "smelling the roses along the way" as I proceed with life. Too often, we rush through life or are so preoccupied with tasks and responsibilities that we fail to truly live life. I should know. I come from Singapore, a society in which stress permeates pretty much every sphere of life. As my university life comes to an end, and the "real world" of working life beckons, I find myself trying to enjoy the simple pleasures of life as much as I can before I take on the slew of responsibilities that come with being a working adult. How often will I get a chance to savour something as basic as breakfast, slowly and lovingly prepare a delicious meal for myself or revel in the comfort of my favourite cafes when I am busy with earning money and supporting myself? I don't know. What I do know is that for now, I am not too busy to enjoy my food, so I'm indulging in simple gastronomic pleasures while I can.

A busy semester ahead

Last Monday, March 11, was a milestone in my thesis - writing journey. I submitted the first fully completed first draft of my thesis *whew!* This being my first draft, I'm sure there'll be plenty of editing to be done and more drafts to be submitted. In fact, I'm gonna see my supervisor later to get some feedback on that first draft.

This final semester is gonna be a really busy one: there's a thesis to complete and coursework as well. I know I have not been updating at all since last year but I don't intend to abndon this blog. Actually, I've plenty to say, it's just that I never got round to writing. But I will try, even though I will have little time to do so over the next few months. There're things I want to record and remember, unique moments in space and time to preserve.

Till then!

Japan Trip 2012

(2012 is coming to an end soon, but before it does, I want to conclude this very eventful and memorable year with a reflection on my last big adventure of the year. This is a long post because there is so much to be said, but then I'm mainly writing this for myself, in line with this blog's stated aim of preserving as best as I can those unique moments in space and time of my life. May 2013 be just as eventful, fulfilling and memorable as 2012!)

I visited Japan for the fourth time in my life this month. You’d think I’d be bored of Japan having visited several times before, but when my mother first proposed that she and I travel together to Japan for a 15 day holiday during my summer break, I readily and happily agreed. Japan is one of my favourite countries in the world so I’m always keen to visit every now and then.

I shall not give a detailed description of what I did and where I went for each and every day of my trip. That’ll be too long, and besides, that’s not the point of this blog entry. No, I want to talk about why I find Japan alluring enough to visit again and again, drawing mainly from my most recent adventures in Japan.

For my fourth trip, Mum and I covered 5 main places: we started in Kyoto, then went West to Hiroshima, back to the Kansai region to stay in Koyasan, followed by an Eastwards journey to Takayama and finally ending in Tokyo. Most of our time was in the Kansai region (where Koyasan and Kyoto are located).

Religion

Kinkakuji

Nightime illumination at Kodaiji

Rows and rows of toriis at Fushimi Inari Taisha, my favourite shrine among all that I have visited

Beautiful and intricate designs of the shrine in Fushimi Inari Taisha

Votive tablets at the Fushimi Inari Taisha

The famous torii outside the Itsukushima Shrine, in Miyajima

This trip to Japan was a pilgrimage of sorts. Mum and I visited many temples and shrines mainly while we were staying in the Kansai and Chugoku regions. My family isn't really religious; on census forms we usually declare ourselves free - thinkers. However, we do practice some Buddhism, such making a point to pray or burn incense at many of the shrines we visit. The main religion in Japan is Shinto, but we still visit and pray at many Shinto shrines in Japan since Shinto and Buddism in Japan overlap substantially. I enjoy these visits very much because I find the rituals to be followed fascinating: first the washing up done at the purification fountains, then stepping from the realm of the profane into the sacred space of the shrine grounds, clasping my hands in prayer before the deity (sometimes bowing, clapping and ringing a bell as well) and silently articulating my hopes and dreams. The visits sometimes conclude with buying some amulets or shrines at the shrine shops. Next semester being a very important one for me, I bought a few to guide me as I continue to chase my dreams in the year ahead.

The highlight of our "pilgrimage" was our three day two night stay in Koyasan, a sacred mountain in Wakayama prefecture, Kansai region. We lodged at a lovely Buddhist temple during our visit, which was a first time for both of us. We enjoyed very much the peacefulness of the rural and rather difficult to access Koyasan village our temple was located in, as well as the peacefulness of our temple itself (we came during off - peak season so there were very few other guests). A thoroughly unforgetable Zen experience!

Food

Yudofu at Sosoan, a restaurant specializing in soy and tofu located near the Philosopher's Path. Kyoto is known for its excellent tofu.

An array of stewed goodies at the famous Nishiki market in Kyoto. This colourful and vibrant market is a foodie's paradise, and one of my favourite places visited.

Green tea desserts at the cafe of the famous Nakamura Tokichi, a green tea merchant and confectionist based in Uji. Uji, located outside Kyoto, is famous in Japan for its premium quality green tea.

This is one of my favourite meals this trip, called anago meshi (broiled conger eel on rice), a specialty of Miyajima. Anago meshi can be eaten piping hot straight from the kitchen or room temperature in a bento, but I prefer the former.

Maple leaf shaped deep - fried fish cakes sold near Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima. The maple leaf motif is pretty common in the Hiroshima Prefecture.

Another favourite meal, shojin ryori at the temple we stayed in Koyasan. Shojin Ryori is a Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, but while it may be entirely meat free, it is really pretty, delicious and healthy!

Breakfast at the lovely temple in Koyasan we stayed in, shojin ryori style.

Breakfast with grilled hoba miso (on leaf) on the side, in Takayama. Hoba miso is a specialty of the Takayama region, and it is so good with rice and grilled fish!

Hot - of - the - grill Mitarashi Dango is a popular street snack in Takayama.

The prettiest (and most expensive bento) I consumed this trip, eaten along the train journey from Takayama to Tokyo. It was a very well - balanced meal with great variety, but the only fault was that the brown rice on the bottom right corner was a little too salty. On the whole, though, it was a pleasant meal.

Awazenzai (red bean paste with millet), a specialty dessert from Umezono, a popular dessert shop near the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. I still don't know what those peppery tasting seeds in the little blue container is, but it helps to cut through the richness of the awa and zenzai mixture! Perfect!



 I believe that the easiest (and possibly the most fun way) to immerse oneself into a new culture is to have a taste of the local cuisine. Japanese cuisine is popular worldwide and I'm a big fan myself. Some may argue that Japanese food is bland compared to other cuisines such as Indian and Thai with their bold flavours, but the beauty of Japanese food is precisely this keeping of flavours simple. Often, with just a little of the right seasoning, the Japanese can make the flavours of meat, vegetables and seafood shine. Less is certainly more. Other reasons why I like Japanese food is that it is (generally) healthy and the presentation is often beautiful even for takeaway bentos at the train station.

 This trip to Japan, I decided to go beyond the familiar Japanese foods such as teriyaki, katsudon and karaage and focus more on regional specialities. Most of the food featured above are therefore unfamiliar to many including myself before I arrived in Japan. It was great fun eating my way around Japan! Markets are some of my favourite places as they offer an array of delicious street food that can be eaten on the go or plates of food to sample as one explores. Some regional foods I didn't like much, such as Onomichi  - style ramen, which came with cubes of lard on top on the soup noodles ( talk about a heart attack waiting to happen!). My Mum and I also found Takayama - style ramen too simple as compared to more famous ramen varieties such as Hakata's Tonkotsu ramen and Hokkaido's miso ramen (which is our favourite ramen of all). Nevertheless, the fun was really in trying out as much as you can, and discovering what you liked and didn't like so it didn't matter that some dishes failed to impress. My favourite cuisines this trip come from the Kansai region, specifically Kyoto, the regions surrounding Kyoto and Koyasan. Simple yet elegant and delicious, they capture the essence of Japanese cusine so well.

 Nature

Beautiful autumn leaves in Uji

Wild purple flowers in Inari

A rainbow appeared over the snowy mountains in Shirakawa - go

An aerial view of Mt Fuji, seen while flying back home to Singapore from Japan



The road to Okunoin in Koyasan, lined with tall trees (Cedar, I think)

Anyone ever noticed that many Japanese surnames and place names reflect nature? E.g. The 'yama' (mountain) in Yamamoto and Okayama, 'kawa' (river) in Kawasaki and Shirakawa - go, 'matsu' (pine tree) in Matsumoto, 'mizu' (water) in Mizuno, 'aki' (autumn) in Akihabara and Akiko and many more. The importance of nature is related to the significant role the Shinto religion/ spirituality plays in Japanese culture, as Shinto emphasizes respect of nature.

I was therefore unsurprised to observe that the Japanese appreciate nature more than many other cultures do. Why else would they travel just to see the cherry blossoms bloom in Spring and the maple leaves change colour in Autumn? I, too, enjoy revelling in the beauty of nature. One of my best memories from this trip is the walk through the huge cemetery outside Okunoin in Koyasan, weaving our way through graves, memorials, small shrines and towering ancient trees. Melting snow from the leaves and branches above dripped gently upon us like a shower of rain, and shimmered in the sunlight that pierced through the canopy. So beautiful, so Zen.

(Pop) Culture

Hyouka poster commonly seen around Takayama, the town this anime was based on. I liked this poster so much I went around asking many people where I could buy it, and was directed to the strangest of places (folk art gallery? pharmacist?). In the end, it turned out that this was an official tourism poster not available for sale, so I made do with purchasing another really nice Hyouka poster at a toy shop. I've now been inspired to watch the Hyouka anime!

Giant anime ads at Akihanara, Tokyo, the mecca of electronic gadgets and all things anime and manga!

Little boy playing with the water pump at the Ghibli Musuem, Mitaka, Tokyo

 When one thinks of Japanese culture, pop culture usually comes to mind. Japanese pop culture, particularly anime and manga, are very popular worldwide. Being a big fan myself, I always make it a point to stop by any shop I come across specializing in anime and manga merchandise whenever I come to Japan because of the sheer variety many of these shops offer. And if I happen to be in Tokyo, a short visit to Akihabara, that mecca of all things Japanese pop culture, is mandatory.

For this month's trip, I finally made my "pilgrimage" to the Ghibli Musuem in Mitaka, Tokyo! This museum has got to be one of my favourite musuems I ever visited. It has the same magical feel you get from watching the beautiful Ghibli films. Mum and I arrived on a weekday morning before 10am, thinking that it wouldn't be very crowded because it was, well, a weekday morning before 10am. How wrong we were. When we finally arrived at the musuem, there was a massive crowd waiting to enter, consisting mainly of international visitors like ourselves and locals. That crowd was a testament to the immense popularity of Ghibli films, which evidently cut across age and national boundaries. We all entered the musuem full of excitement, were collectively wowed by the very well - thought exhibitions (pity, though, that all the explanations were in Japanese!) and left with bags of lovely Ghibli souvenirs.

 Conclusion on My Experiences in Japan

One of my favourite pictures taken this trip - a man selling Battledores at the year - end Hagoita - Ichi fair at Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo.

Rural mountain villages and bustling big cities. Traditional sho - tengai markets and glitzy malls. A pilgrimage of sorts to various temples and shrines and a pilgrimage of a different kind to the Ghibli museum. Not to mention eating my way through a diversity of regional Japanese cuisines. This may be my fourth trip to Japan, but never once did I feel bored, for there is a huge wealth of experiences to discover and rediscover in Japan.

Japan is definietly beautiful in the many ways I have described earlier, but what made all my trips to Japan truly beautiful was the hospitality and kindness of the local people. Truth to be told, before I arrived, I was a little worried about being discriminated in Japan. Japan is notorious for being an insular country where a clear distinction is made between locals and foreigners, so I was mentally prepared that people would not waste too much time on foreigners like myself. How wrong I was! There have been many occsaions of locals trying their best to help when approached, and service staff offering excellent service to the point of going the extra mile. I felt truly welcomed in Japan. At the end of my trip I realized that a meaningful and positive cross - cultural encounter is when both parties approach each other with an open - mind. For the part of tourists, it helps immensely to show that one is genuinely interestested and curious about the local culture. My own spoken Japanese is basic but I found that simply trying to speak the local language and being interested worked wonderfully well to break down barriers. "Doko kara kimashita  ka (Where are you from)?" " Shingapooru kara kimashita! (I'm from Singapore!)" "Aa, Shingapooru... (Ah! Singapore...)" Smiles are exchanged and a mutual understanding is reached.

Japan in the international news is usually not so positive: frequent changing of prime ministers, rapidly aging population, the aftermath of last year's earthquake and tsunami, gender inequality etc. All these are no doubt very real, but I never got such a depressing sense whenever I visited, simply because there was so much beauty around me to discover and rediscover. Japan will always be one of my favourite countries to visit. Sayonara, for now, I will surely be back again to visit when I can!

...... and there goes half my Honours year

To think that my last post (yes, it was quite a while ago!) was on graduation and embarking on my Honours programme!

Last Friday was the last day of lessons. For majority of my fellow UQ schoolmates, this week is study break and the coming Saturday would mark the start of the exam period. Not so for me. I submitted my final assignment for the coursework I did this semester on Wednesday, and went for my last day of coursework class on Friday. Honours students in my School don't have to do exams (thank goodness, I've done enough exams to last a lifetime!), so while most of my schoolmates are busy studying hard for their upcoming exams now, I've been indulging in some much-deserved relaxation over the past few days.

That's the thing about being an Honours student and not an undergraduate any more: your academic schedule is pretty different. This was one aspect of Honours that I found a little difficult to adjust to when I first started in July this year. My academic schedule is also different in the sense that I do a lot more independent study. The main feature of the Honours programme is the thesis, which I begin working on from the start of my programme and submit about a year later. Save for the occasional feedback sessions on thesis writing organized by my school, the thesis writing process is driven by me. It is up to me to decide how much time and commitment I want to put into my thesis, how often I want to work on it, seek advice and help if needed, what I want to write about, do my own research etc. Aside from writing my thesis, I also have to do two compulsory Honours courseworks, one for each semester. The coursework takes up about 2 hours of my week, which means the rest of the week is entirely up to me to decide how to spend it. This was pretty new to me at the beginning, because for all my life I was used to having lessons planned for me to attend most weekdays. Now, I am "my own boss", as my thesis supervisor likes to tell me.

Oh well, now that half my Honours programme has been completed, I'm pretty used to this kind of independent study. I also think more like an Honours student, in the sense that I am aware of the wider debates and contexts of my discipline. All thanks to the compulsory course I had to do this semester, which is concerned with the Philosophy of the Social Sciences. It's mind-bogglingly deep, complex and challenging, and occasionally a source of frustration because I was never good with philosophical and abstract concepts to begin with. At the end of it, however, I was proud to be able to go up to my lecturer and tell him that though I still did not understand the nuances and details of some of the debates we learnt about, I did understand the gist of the course as a whole and could see how it was relevant and useful to  myself as an Honours student and the thesis I am working on.

All that's left for now is to focus on my Honours thesis this summer holidays. I have not yet started the 17 000 word journey actually (yep, that's how long my thesis is supposed to be!), because I first had to submit a detailed Statement of Intent and get feedback on it. I've got my feedback already and my supervisor reckons that I'm ready to begin writing. Now if I could just muster the willpower to get started and stop myself from sinking too deeply into the holiday mood ......