My Group

Setelah hampir 7 bulan berada di Biomedical Research Centre ni, rasa dah semakin serasi dengan group members. Dia orang ni sebenarnya ok dan berperangai berbeza-beza. One thing about research group here is they are really loyal and close to the group members. Oleh kerana it is a sort of 'high level' group of people (PhD onward), one must know how to get the most of the others group members i.e, never asked 'stupid question' and be sincere and equally hard work.

at the back: Fred (Swedes), Pai (Thais)

in front: Dr Lindsey (Scots), Dr Helen (English), Anne (German), Khamsah (Malaysian), Maggie (Scots)

Lab meeting

Hari ni, selasa macam biasa lab meeting pukul 9.30 pagi. Helen yang present hari ni. It's not about Helen's presentation that interest me (which I should). Since bangun awal sbab nak kena keluar awal, by the time meeting, mata rasa mengantuk pulak. Ditambah pulak hasrat yang tinggi menggunung untuk kurangkan caffeine, so tak bancuh la kopi macam biasa. Yang menarik meeting kali ni adalah apabila Paul (supervisor) mention pasal paper yang dia reviewed dan most probably he rejected. He said that he doesn't trust the results from that paper and most probably the are some sort of making up/overlay etc...in other word lying about results. At first he doesn't realised but can sensed something is not right about the whole thing...hypothesis is good, but result is to good. More interesting is that the author herself is trying to pursue him to colaborate together for about 10 years...yes 10 years and he keep saying he's busy with some other projects (he can get huge amount of fund by collaborating, but he's not short of fun anyway). The point is that it is not he's busy with other projects but he's not comfortable working with people who produce results he can't trust.

Moral of the story, be sincere in research....

Later that day, I went to his office (nothing to do with earlier disscusion) to past over my progress report which I should be submitted sometimes this month. He's kind of busy with Ana's stuff. After hand over the form, I still thinking about research thing (not so busy today, so have more time browsing the net). I visited 'my faculty' website and began clicking every staff links. My name obviously not there (so sad..) yet and I honestly do not know where do I belong. It doesn't seem to fit any department they have, or any course they offered, or possible collaborator/s.

I think just don't bother...get a PhD first (..but need to have a plan...)

Post Graduate Conference

Lagi dua hari nak kena present, power point tak siap lagi. Nervous gak...mau nyer tak, first time present kat negeri orang putih ni....dia orang tak per la, bahasa dia...

dalam duk prepare untuk presentation, tekak rasa semacam nih...jangan takde suara masa present...kacau...

Post graduate conference ni adalah annual event in Medical School's postgraduate programme (PhD only). First year students and third year student kena oral presentation, second year, poster (tak aci..), involving all student within medical school, Dundee U. Setakat ni yang tau, ada tiga malaysian first year (mungkin ada lagi, tapi tak tau), sharun and amal.

Still Standing

This month sibuk dengan conference and meeting. Next week is my first monitoring committee meeting. Suppose kena hantar literature review 2 minggu sebelum meeting tapi less than seminggu nak meeting ni tak hantar lagi.Nak kena present lagi. Tambah pulak ada post grad symposium, lagi la kalut. Dalam pada tu keje lab tak kurang banyaknya. Hari tu duk sibuk nak dapatkan protein, dah dapat nak kena buat protein pull down assay la pulak.

One thing kat sini dia orang punya philosophy...work hard, play hard. Weekend...non-academic activity. Kononnya kalau keje weekend ni bulihlah cepat habis, tapi tak jugak....memenatkan lagi ada. So, sekarang ni weekend adalah carboot sale, picnic, BBQ, shopping or just stay home.

Two weeks ago attend generic skill course, Research Management. Menarik jugak. Yang paling best, dua hari tak yah g lab..hahaha...

Course ni berkenaan bagaimana kita nak handle PhD ni...Menurut fasilitator, PhD is trying to find everything about nothing....that's interesting. maksudnya, makin banyak kita tahu, makin banyak yang kita tak tahu...so just keep asking and looking. PhD is about a journey, not a destination. If we can sail thru the journey, destination is crystal clear.

Protein Business

Lebih kurang dah 6 bulan kat sini, rasanya dah semakin selesa. My first review just around the corner. Still struggling but one thing I understood very well is that this kind of work need tremendous amount af patience and passion at the same time. Work hard is unquestionably a must thing to do. I spend most of my time in the lab trying to raised the protein and find out whether it useable or not. Sometime determination turn to boredorm as it needed to to it again and again.....well that's why they call it re-search.....

Sometimes I miss my old work, no sterilization, never worry so much about contamination and just can leave if need to take days off....

PhD@Dundee

It's been a while since my last post to this blog. To begin...2007 was a very strange and full of uncertainty year for me and family. It was a year that I had to decide whether to embark in PhD 'things' or being a stay home mom. And eventhough I decided to take the chances and go for PhD, finding the right place and the right project is not a fun thing to do and not the thing that I wanna do again..it's though..

Anyway, after endless discussion, thinking and rethinking..we finally decided that Dundee is the place to go. To be honest, I still don't really know whats really brought us here in this cold...not so cool corner of planet earth.

Well, here I'm...formally registered graduate student of Biomedical Research Centre, Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland. By rating (2007), University of Dundee 's Medical School ranked third in UK (Cambridge is fourth) and I guess this research centre is an excellent ones. I just never imagine myself in this kind of 'place' but I'm glad to be here. It's a greatest opportunity that God gave me, minggle around big brains from around the world. My group is very international. We have Helen from Manchester (post-doc fellow), Anne from German (PhD), Pai from Thailand(PhD), Maggie from Arberdeen, Scotland(PhD), Fred from Sweden(PhD), Malcom from Manchester(PhD), Jamie from London (Med) and my supervisor Prof Paul Clarke (not so sure, but UK). I'm the first malaysian ever...but there will be more to come.

Marine world

While finishing my thesis, I took up a job as research assisstant at University Malaysia Terengganu (KUSTEM at thet time). The project...marine natural product....something I know nothing about. After some serious readings and taking up diving course, it is not bad at all. In fact it is very fun.

We went sampling on the island around terengganu waters and collecting sea creature called marine sponge. They are in various shapes, colours, sizes and smells. It is said to be a simplest marine organisms but as far as I can see, nothing simple about his animal.

Collecting sponges is fun but a hell lot of work when we get back to the lab. During the sampling trip, the hard work goes to the divers. Me...most of the time photographing. The most fun part is while waiting the the surface, we never short of activities...snorkerling is the most popular...