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 :)