Good Things Come in Pairs (Part I)

The Wushi Finger - Kung Fu Panda
The meeting with the dissertation professor yesterday provided much material for this blog, which I will pen down.

The first thing that struck me about Professor L is his fiery eyebrows. It bunches and curves up at the edges, resisting his best efforts to tamp them down. Coupled with his slightly wheezy voice, he gives me the impression that he is some wizened and formidable kung-fu master. Maybe the kung-fu master part is an exaggeration, but that he is an expert in the field of mental wizardry is without doubt.

Enter the Dragon's Lair

When I first entered his office, he was leaning back comfortably in his swivel chair, with both his lower limbs propped up on the table. Hanging off his feet are the oldest looking pair of socks, with half of it drooping off his toes in the most uninspiring manner. Yet there he sat, unmoved by my entrance. I was entering his den, his domain, and this is how he chooses to display his dominance. I sat down meekly. After what seemed like eternity (a good twenty seconds) he finally withdrew his feet. And so we began..

In the few months that I've been working under him, I've found him to be a hard taskmaster. That he is demanding, together with his quirky habit of changing his mind often, made the period very trying indeed. Granted, given his many other commitments, I probably rank lowly on his list of priorities, which explains why he gives me a different set of instructions each time I see him. I'm unsure as to whether he is purposely trying to make things difficult for me as a test of character, or whether it is simply that he has a sharp mind, and cannot fathom why someone else cannot think as quickly as him. When a section of my dissertation reported results that were "statistically insignificant", he insisted I scrap the section, and then proceeded to recite off alternative methodologies in quick rapid-fire. Little Scribe Ko is left to frantically scribble notes and lap up his idiosyncratic offerings of brilliance.

How Low is My Self Worth

As usual, it was turning out to be another intense session where I squirm uncomfortably in my seat for longer than I would have liked. He critiqued my dissertation mercilessly - my overly meandering writing style, my failure to present the news-worthy material convincingly, my dismal data presentation, among others. I ended up with a laundry list of changes to be rectified, and fast. Resigned to my fate, I covertly let out a small sigh under my breath - one too silent to be noticed, but a personal victory nonetheless, for it was my only recourse at any form of opposition, no matter how minute.

The Pinky and The Brain

In my head I went, "It's going to be a long weekend, as many weekends before have been.." It's like Pinky asking Brain, "So Brain, what are we gonna do tonight?", except that Brain replies, "The same thing we do every night.. try to finish the dissertation".

Is Academia my Cup of Tea

Just as I was turning the door knob to leave, he said, as if as an after-thought, "Prepare your data neatly and send me your work. I would want to present this paper at an academic conference, with you as the co-author".

I meekly* replied, "Yes, Sir", and closed the door behind me. As the door snapped shut, I looked up, and I swear that even if the nearest passer-by was a mile away, he would still have caught a glimpse of me with a silly and star-struck grin stretched across my face.

Heh. Not bad.. A nice item on my life's tick-list. 

Your Dissertation Student,

Jansen Ko

*second time I used this word, but it can't be helped as it best encapsulates what I am when I'm about him