Greenwich Park

Visited Greenwich Park last Sunday. This was my first visit to the park which is quite near to my sis-in-law's house. The park is said to be oldest enclosed Royal Park in the UK and covers approx. 73 hectares (183 acres).




The daffodils were in full bloom and looked fantastic

Was looking forward to taking some great pictures but let down when I found out that the camera batteries were down. Ended up taking pictures with my old Skypephone but in the end, the results were not that bad.




The Observatory

I was looking forward to going into the Observatory and posing on the Prime Meridian but the gate was closed.


Shepherd gate 24-hour clock


View from the top of the hill

Will definitely be going back again, making sure that the batteries are fully charged.

Earth Hour 2010

Yesterday evening we celebrated Earth Hour 2010 by shutting off all the lights and electrical appliances. It was fun discussing about the environment with our daughter over hot tea and snacks.

Thinking of doing a PhD?

Well Don't!

Nah! I am just joking.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole process and also hated it, have been ecstatic, depressed and excited in turns and sometimes all at the same time. A PhD is never easy and is a life changing experience. Some had mental breakdowns, miscarriages, breakdown of relationships and some got pregnant (I am not joking). You develop a love-hate relationship with your supervisor and sometimes hate-hate. Only a fortunate few get supervisors that are kind, helpful and considerate.


Ups and Downs

Somehow I have become a guy to contact for prospective PhD students in the Warwick Business School and my weakness is that I always reply to their queries and several of these guys have now started their studies here at the school.  I belive in Karma and sincerely do like helping out people.

The University should actually pay me for my service.

Anyway, I find that the queries are quite similar and it's gets repetitive after a while. After replying to yet another query a couple of minutes ago, I suddenly realised that I could actually have the info up on my blogs and just point them to it. Wonder why I never thought about that.

So given below are some of the key questions to look at before you apply in order to have a better chance of getting into the WBS PhD programme (or any other phD programme for that matter).

1. Is there a gap in research?

For this you will need to read up and see what research has been done
in your area of interest and if there are any gaps in the research that has not been explored. I am not talking of merely changing the context but of gaps in theories. This can be sometimes quite difficult when you are looking at something relatively new - like blogs in my case. Some people commented that being a current topic is great because no body has done it. It is actually problematic because you don't have any or very little research evidence to fall back on to back up your research. It really helps if you are researching a topic you are really interested in because after a while you do get sick of reading about the same things again and again. Fortunately, I am a compulsive blogger and have a deep interest in social media of which, blogs form a very important part.

2. Do you have access to data or subject of study?

This is very important to prove that the research is possible. A number of grand proposals failed because the students simply didn't have access to the data they were looking for. Companies are notoriously difficult to access (naturally) unless you have contact inside.

Thus a good methodology would be required. In other words, how are you going to access and ultimately analyse the data. If you plant to do a quantitative study, it will be helpful to specify the methods and tools you are are going to use to analyse the data.

3. Do you have a prospective supervisor?

Many prospective PhD students make the mistake of applying without looking to see if there is anybody interested in their study. Sometimes a great school doesn't mean that the people are good in your subject area. For example, Warwick Business School may be way better in terms of expertise in a particular suject as compared to Cambridge or Oxford.

There is no point if you have an amazing proposal but no one in the Faculty is interested to take you up as a student. Even if someone is interested,they might not be able to take you up if they already have too many PhD students.

Have a look at the list of experts in your field and approach them directly (via email), providing a brief outline of your proposal. If they respond positively, you can then send in an extended proposal. I even had a chat with my potential supervisor over the phone before I got here.

Once you have covered all the 3 points, you can then proceed with the formal application process.

Finally, do not forget to contact the doctoral programme office in the respective schools with all your queries as well.

My special day

It was my birthday a few days back. Normally I don't make a big deal out of it and usually celebrate it with my wife and kids but this time my sis-in-law and her family joined us. She brought along a lovely cake as well.








We we supposed to go tho the Afghan restaurant in Stoney Stanton but it was closed and we decided to have our lunch at Nando's in the City Centre instead.







Thanks for the delicious cake Eju and Muz.

The cat that came to visit

Sometime back we had to take care of our friend's cat while they went on vacation to Rome. I was a bit apprehensive as my kids never had any pets. I am more of a dog person  and have never had any cats in my life but in the end it turned out ok. The cat actually liked me would come purring and rubbing her side on my legs.


Moreover it was toilet trained and really well behaved. All I had to do was clean the litter and feed her.

My kids loved the cat and my son was fascinated but he probably thought it was a moving teddy bear and tried to hug it and the cat never came near him after that. Ultimately our friends came back and she went back with them. 
It was a nice experience but would I ever keep a cat.Not right now but maybe in the future when we have a bigger house and the kids are big enough to clean the litter ;-)

Hey! Get off my table.

Rhymes

My daughter is learning rhymes at school and came up with one a few days ago. She's been pestering me to put it up on my blog.

I foresee that she's going to have her own blog soon.

Anyway here's her poem called honey

I like Honey too
Like Winnie the Poo
and that's what I am going to do.

I asked her "do what?"

"Eat honey!" she replied.

And she wanted it in Pink. She's really happy now.

Foxes in the backyard

Saw two foxes in the back yard of my sis-in-law's house in Greenwich. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen them myself. Here are these healthy looking foxes in one of the busiest cities in the World.






The female fox actually looked straight into my eyes and didn't look scared at all.

They did some naughty stuff as well.

And finally they went away

London Bridge

Attending a 5 day training programme here. Some pictures I took during lunch break.






Near London Bridge

More pics later

Rectal thermometer

Yet another forwarded email (thanks Luiz) but I assure you that this will definitely put a smile on your face. I don't know who the author is but he's really creative.

-------------

When you have an 'I Hate My Job day'
[Even if you're retired, you sometimes have those days]

Try this out:

After you've gotten a cash advance stop by your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer by Johnson & Johnson.

Be very sure you get this brand of thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson.

When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed.

Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favourite chair. Open the package and remove the thermometer.

Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins.

Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully.

You will notice that in small print there is a statement:

Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized.

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times:

"I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson & Johnson."

HAVE A NICE DAY; AND REMEMBER, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE WITH A JOB THAT IS MORE OF A PAIN IN THE A** THAN YOURS!

And now, if you haven't got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart...
Then you are just an old sour fart. Maybe you should go and work for Johnson and Johnson.

In the name of Allah

A lot of my friends here in the UK have been asking me about the recent controversy over use of the word 'Allah' by Christians in Malaysia‎. I was not actually sure what it was all about myself and did some research.

It all started when the Government of Malaysia banned the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. Apparently this issue was raised up by a few people who objected to the words being used in Bibles - most of them printed in Indonesia. Then recently Malaysia's high court overturned the ban following a lawsuit filed in 2007 by The Herald - a Catholic newspaper.

It then became a political issue and the debate even spilled onto the Blogosphere. A number of Christian bloggers blogged in support of the court's decision while other bloggers were against it - some claiming it to be a attack on Malay rights.

Following the court ruling, several churches in Malaysia have come under a spate of fire-bombings and vandalism attacks - nine at last count

Initially, I was wondering why Christians would want to use the word "Allah" - which is God in Arabic (not restricted to Muslims) when the Bahasa Malaysia word for God is actually Tuhan. However, I later found the word has been in use in Christian publications and church services for a number of years before this whole controversy and violence.

I totally disagree with people who claim that this would lead to confusion among Muslims and encourage them to convert to Christianity. Burning houses of worship is definitely not a very religious activity.

A lot of people don't see the positive side - everyone in Malaysia regardless of faith should be encouraged to use the word Allah to refer to God. Hopefully people will then come to realise that we are all praying to the same "God". Thus one less reason to fight over.

Just my opinion and you may disagree.

More Snow in Coventry 2010

me more pictures:

Our leaning snowman


In our backyard


WBS teaching centre, University of Warwick


At Jubilee Crescent, Radford

Snow in Coventry 2010

Without any flash


It's not B&W

Story of the folding bike

A couple of my colleagues regularly cycle to the University and they have been tempting me to give it a go. Besides saving me loads of money on fuel, I should be able to get a regular workout as well. The only problem is the distance to the University from my house - a distance of 5.2 miles. Anyway, I am seriously considering it and I might try it out this summer.

Of course, the choice of the cycle is very important as well. On my frequent trips to London, I often see people carrying little folded cycles, getting off the tube and then riding off after unfolding them.

Andrew Ritchie

I was quite amazed at the engineering and ingenuity that goes behind the bike. Later found out that it was called the Brompton cycle. Andrew Ritchie, who was trained as an engineer, came up with the idea in the mid-70s while working as a landscape gardener. He wanted to design a bike so small “it could fit in your pocket”. He formed the Brompton Bicycle company in 1976, named after the Brompton Oratory church opposite his home.

The unique"Brompton fold" allowing you to fold the bicycle both vertically and lengthwise while keeping all of the parts attached together.

Like many Undiscovered Business Entrepreneurs, his idea was ignored by other bicycle manufacturers, many of which have disappeared today and he had to go into production for himself.

Starting off with just 50 bicycles in the beginning, the company now has a turnover of £10million and is growing about 25% a year. Though the bikes are still manufactured in London (the only bicycle company in fact to do so), it has a worldwide following with about 70% of the bikes being sold abroad. An amazing British manufacturing success story.

Moving house in London

New Year's eve. Helping my sis-in-law move to her new house in Greenwich.


Packed and ready to go


Loading up


Bye Elgin Mews








Toothy smil.e The kids like the new place,

A day as an invigilator

Yesterday morning I was invigilating an exam at the Rootes building in the University of Warwick. It was a 3 hours long exam and yes, it was really boring. So I tried to pass time by observing the people.

I never did think about it but looking at the guys, I realise how much I hate exams.

Anyway, students were not allowed to hang their jackets on their chairs for health and safety reasons and coat hangers were provided. However, there was this one lady who refused saying that "this is a cardigan not a jacket". Actually it was a fleece jacket and she looked like a feisty lady - one of those stubborn ones who stuck by their guns and I left her alone.

I couldn't believe it but some people had actually forgotten to bring their University identification cards - one lady told me that she had lost hers. Fortunately they had some kind of alternative ID.

During exams people do all kinds of things to remember the stuff they had crammed - one guy was scratching his head on the right side using his left hand. Another guy was staring at the lights for a long time. One lady with big hair do was moving her head back and forth and waving her hands around in front and many more.

The air conditioning suddenly came on around 11am with a loud swoosh and a few guys actually jumped in their seats. We never realise how loud these things are.

When it finally ended and after all the answer sheets for accounted for, we noticed that 6 people had left their mobile phones behind. They had been asked to hand it in when they started the exams. It's not surprising. Every exam, something always gets left behind and some people will never come back for them.

Look at yourself before finding fault with others

Another great forwarded mail. It's really thought provoking..

A man feared his wife wasn’t hearing well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called his family doctor to discuss the problem. The doctor told him there is a simple, informal test; which he could perform and give them a better idea about her hearing loss.

“Here’s what you do,” said the doctor, “stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone, see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response.”

That evening, when his wife was in the kitchen, cooking dinner, he was in the drawing room, standing about 40 feet away from her.

“Honey, what’s for dinner?”, he asked in a normal tone. No response! So he moved closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeated “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Still there was no response.

Next, he moved into the dining room where he was placed about 20 feet from his wife and asked the same question. Still further, he didn’t get his awaited response. He now walked up to the kitchen door which was another 10 feet away and asked “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Again no response! So he walks up and whispers behind her “Honey, what’s for dinner?”

“Steve, for the fifth time I’ve said, “Chicken”. “Do you have some hearing problem?”

Sometimes, the problem may not be with the other person as we always think; it could be within us. Let’s look within ourselves before we find fault with others.

Dilip is my name

I have always wondered about the meaning of my name. I knew that Dilip was an ancestor of Rama, the Hindu God. I also knew that my grandfather had named me after the Indian movie star Dilip Kumar. I guess he was a fan. However, I just found out that it means "Protector", which sounds quite good.

Adam was the name I choose for myself. He was the very first guy, according to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Mutum is my family name and I am sure it has some meaning though I have no idea.

Do you know the meaning of your name?