Sharing my Google Reader with U :))

I don't know how many of you have used Google Reader. I've come to be best friend with Google Reader (GR) since I attended the university library workshop on Current Awareness: Keeping up-to-date. Basically the workshop is about keeping ourself in the loop of what's going on in our research field.

Other than using GR for my research references, I use it to compile blogs which I find interesting. You see, before I befriended GR, I tend to bookmark all these blogs. Later, I'll end up forgetting to check the blog for its latest update.

Anyway, what I really want to do today is to share with you some of the interesting items I read in the blogs I subscribe to using my GR. I've added a widget on my right side bar. You can click on it to find out more. Since my free time interest bends towards gardening, cooking, crafting and bla..bla.., you'll find most of my GR contents revolve around that.

Happy Sharing! :)

Tutorial: How To Organize Your References (Journals)

Saya sebenarnya dah lama nak tulis pasal cara nak susun atur jurnal-jurnal yang kita gunakan dalam research, tapi terbantut niat tu sebab saya terfikir macam tak perlu. (Lagipun masa tu terfikir, nanti takut ada suara-suara sumbang mengatakan saya nak tunjuk pandai buatnya saya tak mampu menghabiskan PhD dalam tempoh 3 tahun). Dua minggu lepas, ada seorang kawan yang sama-sama sedang buat PhD datang melawat saya kat opis dan bertanya hal tersebut. Maka, saya rasa perlu untuk berkongsi sedikit organization skills yang saya ada ni.

Masa saya buat master dulu, mula-mula tu tak reti pun nak organize jurnal-jurnal ni. Saya Search-Find-Save-Print/Don’t Print. Lepas tu ada seorang kawan yang saya panggil Kak Ju, dia bagi tips supaya saya asingkan jurnal-jurnal mengikut topic dan kemudian nomborkan. Saya buat tapi bila ada lebih dari satu topic, numbering method yang saya gunakan dah bercampur aduk. Yelah Topik A, ada jurnal bernombor 1, di bawah Topik B pun ada jurnal yang bernombor 1. Melalu Trial& Error method, saya fikir saya dah jumpa satu cara yang berkesan untuk saya simpan jurnal-jurnal yang saya gunakan sebagai references. Cara-caranya saya jelaskan pada setiap gambar. Cuma satu peringatan ye, TIADA JAMINAN anda berjaya menghabiskan research anda dalam tempoh yang dikehendaki oleh penaja anda OK ;P


Tentukan TOPIK-TOPIK UTAMA. Buat 1 folder(dalam computer atau laptop) dan sediakn 1 file untuk setiap topik. As your research develops, your main topics may expand. Semasa PhD saya bermula awal tahun lepas, saya ada 3 topik utama seperti dalam gambar gambar di atas.


Sekarang bila dah faham sikit tentang objektif kajian, topik pun bertambah. Tak dapat dielakkan isi kandungan jurnal ni akan bertindih antara topik-topik utama. Cara saya, saya tengok sekali imbas kecenderungan isi kandungan jurnal dan tempatkan dalam folder yang berkenaan. Masalah redundancy insya-Allah takkan terjadi sebab saya gunakan EndNote software untuk katalogkan semua references saya.


Gunakan document separator untuk asingkan jurnal-jurnal jika kita menggunakan satu fail untuk lebih dari 1 topik utama.


Pilih kod yang sesuai untuk jurnal kita. Kodkan setiap jurnal.


*klik untuk besarkan gambar

Tanya kawan saya,”Aku kadangnya ada [jurnal] yang diprint dan ada yang nggak, gimana tu?” Oh! Ini solutionnya mudah saja. Bila saya kodkan jurnal saya, saya akan letak p untuk mewakili telah diprint, dan x mewakili belum diprint. Rujuk gmbar di atas.

Contoh: JN14 x_Title untuk mewakili Jurnal Near Infra-Red Spectra bernombor 14 yang tidak diprint.

**Satu peringatan kat sini, katalah beberapa bulan selepas kita save jurnal tu, baru timbul keperluan untuk print. Selepas print 2 perkara perlu dibuat:
1-Pergi kepada folder tempat jurnal diletakkan, tukar kod x kepada p.
2-Pergi kepada EndNote, gantikan jurnal yang telah ditukar kod dalam File Attachment.

Tukar kod x...

... kepada p (both in folders and EndNote File Attachment)


Satu lagi kelebihan menggunakan kod untuk jurnal ialah bila kita nak tulis sikit nota ata isi penting dari jurnal dalam research log book kita, kita tak perlulah tulis keseluruhan tajuk jurnal yang kadang-kadang tu panjang sedepan. Kita tulis je kod jurnal tu, rujuk gambar di atas.

Rasanya, itu saja yang dapat saya kongsi setakat ni. Semoga member manfaat.

My 2nd year PostGrad Conference

Every year, the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials of the Newcastle University hold a Postgraduate Research Conference (PGRC) for its 2nd and 3rd year PG students. The PGRC is a two days event where all 2nd and 3rd PG students present their work to their peers and to the Postgraduate Panel Committee members. Each PG students are given about 20 minutes to do his or her presentation. A brief question and answer session should also be included in that 20 minutes time.

I know that I am already in my 2nd year , but it has just been about 2 months since I passed my 1st year evaluation. So somehow I think I probably does not have to do it, hehehe... So I e-mailed the chairperson of the PG Panel Committee and asked him. Hemm... His reply is:

Dear Nor,

That depends on when you first registered. If you registered
well over a year ago before your panel interview, then you need to give a
presentation.

So, last two Fridays, the research group I am attached to replaces our weekly seminar with a mock presentation for the members who have to present during the PGRC. I was err.. only 70% prepared for the mock presentation. In my terms, I only considered myself 100% prepared when I have perfected my pitch and I can sail through my presentation without glitches. The mock presentation was good actually because I can improve my presentation based on the constructive comments from my supervisors as well as my research group members.

Anyway, the actual presentation took place last Thursday. From the schedule which I received the week before, it looks like I was going to be the last presenter. Ughh... Being the last presenter has its own pitfalls as well as its advantage. People might not be interested in what you are presenting because they can't wait to get the he** out of the conference room. The advantage of course, you will not get that many questions compare to other presenter.

I was doing alright for my presentation although I have hoped for a slower rate of words coming out of my mouth. I was quite nervous actually considering I wasn't really sure how to interpret my results from the principal components analysis. You see, my research combines two methods, wavelet transform and principal components analysis. So far, I am quite confident in explaining about the wavelet transform methodology. But when it comes to the principal components analysis, I am very unsure of my result. One because, the result is still fresh from the oven and two because I have not yet fully understand principal components analysis theory itself.



The chairperson during my presentation is the same lecturer who 'interviewed' me during my 1st year viva. After the conference ended, I bumped into him and we started chatting. He asked me whether I as nervous because I skipped my last slide. Haha... Very true! Well, actually that slide is not necessary because I have explained it in my previous two slides. He then said my presentation is quite good. Alhamdulillah :)

Preparing for the presentation is actually a good practice for me.
- I gained more confidence talking about my research
- I discovered few angles of which I should probably analysis my data
- I found more and more uhuk... journals to read, reviewed and of course critically think of their contents.

E-book Reader-Wowee! :))

The e-book reader with its power cable & usb cable.

The library put together guideline on how to use it. They have to! Us (renter) are liable to pay for any damage if there's any when we return it.

Much closer look.

I just got back from the university library to borrow an e-book reader. Haven't tried it yet. Will do so soon because I have to return it by Thursday next week (April 8). I'm loving our university library for all sort of services it provides. I sound like a nerd, don't I? I am never going to be able to be a nerd because in my dictionary I associate nerdiness with being a computer whizz. And I am sometimes go green with envy at those computer whizz. I guess I just settle to be a bookworm then :)