reality

database

To create a database certainly posed a problem for me. Equipped only with Office 2003, I have two options; either to use Excel or Access. Both applications I hardly ever used.

I try to use Access but problems interpreting instruction and queries and table relationship befuddled me. It was the first time I open Access and I still learning to grasp the concept behind it. I am more familiar with Excel though but nevertheless, I don't think Excel can give me what I want.

Doing a research certainly exposed me to new challenges at every level. Now, it is about building and managing a database. I wonder what will be next.

Till then, expect me to be busy creating and managing my own database :)

collection

Starting from tomorrow, I will be starting to collect data for my research. Today, my supervisor introduced me to the basic stuff that needs to be learned.

My sample size is quite big. My supervisor hopes that I can get around at least 1000 diabetic patients. I think it is achievable but tedious. Diabetes clinic is only on Tuesday and Wednesday every week and there are roughly 35-40 patients per day. All of these patients come for their routine assessment and theoretically, there should not be any dropout. So for the next 3-5 months, this will be my routine. Expect me to be busy from Tuesday to Thursday. Thursday is for data entry into database.

Ok...got to prepare for tomorrow.

unbelievable

I read this in the online news.

"I believe sovereign nations have the right to defend their people from terrorist attack, and to take the necessary action to prevent those attacks," Mr Bush said in his weekly radio address.

The US was also expediting an arms shipment of precision bombs to Israel from an arms deal struck last year, a US official said yesterday.

From here.

How about Lebanon? They should have the same right to defend from the terrorist too. Those terrorist is currently slaughtering Lebanese without any mercy. USA ought to give the Lebanese army some weapon at the very least and not the other way around. A terrible world indeed.

And what is there to keep back men from believing, now that Guidance has come to them, nor from praying for forgiveness from their Lord, but that (they ask that) the ways of the ancients be repeated with them, or the Wrath be brought to them face to face?

We only send the messengers to give Glad Tidings and to give warnings: But the unbelievers dispute with vain argument, in order therewith to weaken the truth, and they treat My Signs as a jest, as also the fact that they are warned!

And who doth more wrong than one who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord, but turns away from them, forgetting the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this, and over their ears, deafness, if thou callest them to guidance, even then will they never accept guidance.

But your Lord is Most forgiving, full of Mercy. If He were to call them (at once) to account for what they have earned, then surely He would have hastened their punishment: but they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no refuge.

Such were the populations we destroyed when they committed iniquities; but we fixed an appointed time for their destruction.

(Al-Kahf : 55 - 59)

colours

Since starting the semester with research, I need to check my university email regularly (read: hourly :D) . A bit anxious to wait for any reply, just in case I forgot to do something important.

Receiving emails from many important person certainly requires me to get organized. Need to prioritise my routine since my supervisor loves to meet at random and sometimes within the next 2-3 hours. What a hectic life indeed.

Thus, came the use of colours. The university email allows me to highlight emails with different colours. Thus, there are emails with bright red (urgent, important), green ( not that urgent but still important), blue (read if have time) and purple (hmm, don't know how to categorise this one..just put it for the sake of colours ;)). My life is full of colours :)

layman's term

My supervisor asked me to wrote a letter to the parent. As my research involves their kids, the letter should tell them the importance of my research and how it will be beneficial to them and the kids.

Writing is only the beginning. It is not easy to convert medical jargons to every day terms. And it is not easy to put your thought into easy comprehensible words. People that goes to the university tend to write in long sentences. As complex as possible...just for the sake of impression. They used jargons unconsciously.

I tried to write in simple short sentence. A lead to B. B lead to C. Lots of full stop in between phrases. I still don't know how plain is plain English. Will ask my supervisor to proofread the letter.

font

Taking a break from endless literature review. There are literally hundreds journals that I need to check and after that do some sort of critical appraisal. Countless times I have lost in the search.

Now, something from my random blog hopping.

There will new fonts for the Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 12. All the new fonts name begin with 'C'. Wonder what is the reason of doing that.

I checked my fonts just now and I already have two of the new fonts. I don't know how it get there in the first place. Anyway, I think I prefer Cambria

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exhausted

Just came back from hospital. I have a two-hour statistic lecture. There is not much thing to comprehend but we spend lot of time discussing on creating the most appropriate research question and study design. It was quite hard to do since there are many possibility of bias and confounding factors. One student even mentioned the possibility of participants lying and to solve this problem, another person suggested that by doing randomised control trial, we already equally distributed the persons who are lying :D. I never perceived RCT that way and this opinion certainly struck my mind.

fast track

I met my supervisor early this morning. We discussed several things about my research and she want me to start data collection ASAP, preferably next week. After thinking deeply about that, I think probably my supervisor and I have different view on this AMS stuff. Her target is the publication and my target is to learn how to do research.

If I start collecting data too soon, probably my methodology would be full of bias and uncertainty. Probably she forgot that I am after all only a new comer in the world of research. Need to discuss more about this with her within this week.

"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging."

-Joseph Campbell-

overreact

I read an interesting question asked by one of the newspaper readers...

Would Australia bomb civilian targets in New Zealand if a radical group of New Zealanders kidnapped Australian soldiers?

There is a Malay proverb 'marahkan nyamuk, kelambu dibakar' which literally mean 'just because you are irritated by a mosquito, you burn the mosquito net'. Haven't they ever learn the art of negotiation? Wars only bring destruction and create hatred among your enemies.

double standard

The North Korea only launched its missile that failed after few seconds and never really hit Japan. United Nation gave them mandatory targeted sanctions.

Israel on the other hand not only launched several missiles but also destroyed airport, bridges and countless building on Lebanon. Not to mention a number of civilians being killed by the attack. Yet, UN never gave them any sanction at all.

The world at wars now. United Nation still remains as ineffective as ever.

If any do wish for the transitory things (of this life), We readily grant them - such things as We will, to such person as We will: in the end have We provided Hell for them: they will burn therein, disgraced and rejected. Those who do wish for the (things of) the Hereafter, and strive therefor with all due striving, and have Faith,- they are the ones whose striving is acceptable (to Allah). Of the bounties of thy Lord We bestow freely on all- These as well as those: The bounties of thy Lord are not closed (to anyone). See how We have bestowed more on some than on others; but verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation and more in excellence.

(Al-Isra :18-21 )

Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief,- except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty. This because they love the life of this world better than the Hereafter: and Allah will not guide those who reject Faith. Those are they whose hearts, ears, and eyes Allah has sealed up, and they take no heed. Without doubt, in the Hereafter they will perish.

(An-Nahl :106-109)

half...

The picture of this blog header is actually bigger than that. Above is the original picture taken from vladstudio.com. This website has lots of beautiful pictures :)

an odyssey

Having nothing to do at the moment, I went for blog hopping. Reading few blogs from different countries.

This one is certainly look interesting. This author started to trade a red paperclip in a quest to trade for a house. So, from one red paperclip to item A, from item A to B etc. Guess what...after one year, he managed to reach the end of his journey. An amazing story.

Read more here.

Independent

Today, new semester started. My research is something to do with diabetes among children and my orientation day was at Royal Children Hospital. Start from 9.30 am and finished by 3.30 pm and I have nothing for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow :)

My project is 100% research. Some people were 75% research and 25% coursework. They have tight schedule learning the biostatistics but I have somewhat flexible timetable. I will be learning those stuff throughout the whole year and meet few times per month.

Having almost total control is rather new to me. The last 5 semesters, I will know what will happen next. The timetable is fixed and rigid. Each week, we are given one case study to be solved and there are learning objectives to be achieved by the end of every week. Now, it is up to me to do anything. I am still learning how to cope with this new environment.....

end

After one month of holiday, now it is over. One interesting point to note that our holiday exactly follows World Cup :) ...Good timing indeed.

Next stage, one whole year of research. Don't know whether this will be interesting or boring. Will be immersed with figures and countless statistics after this. No more exam at least for one year ;)...that should be a good thing especially for me.

bond

My former classmates are getting married next month. I knew both of them very well and indeed have been there to witness how their relationship grows throughout my foundations years. One was the class rep and the other was his assistant.

In the beginning, they always had dispute against each other. Fight between them is the norm and in fact, we are so used to it by the end of our foundation years. I'm truly missed those years. The boys and the girls with their own agenda, but I think in the end we come together as one whole team to face the exam. The exam that determines which university we go in the future.

After two years spending time together, my classmates spread throughout the whole world. Half is in Australia, the other half in UK and Ireland. It is my wish that somewhere in the future I could meet all those familiar faces again.

Time has passed and I wonder how much my classmates have changed...

Blue

New look :) [with graphical smilies added]

There are few minor things to be added. Give me comments for me to improve on. This template look best in Firefox 1.5 but in Internet Explorer, the body shift to the right. Don't know how that happened.

lessons from football

SPORT remains a great metaphor for life's most difficult lessons. It is through football that many of us came to understand that fear can be tamed; that for a team the whole is more than the sum of its parts; and that the ability to be heroic lies within.

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sluggish

that is how i would describe my internet connection now, and the reason of my abstinence from posting :)

anyway, this internet will be ok in few days time....c u later then.

Two extremes

Currently the attentions of the whole world reside between these two environments. Read the headings and you will learn the truth.

Israeli air raid hits Palestinian PM's office

Zidane inspires France to win over lacklustre Brazil