Katie's Journal

An academic blog by a linguist specialising in healthcare research & medical humanities

  • Weeks 172–174: Final revisions and a new project

    For the past few weeks, I’ve been making final revisions for the first full draft of my thesis. I’m reading through the draft again and again and amending for presentational and stylistic consistency. I’ll miss being a PhD student after I’ve submitted it, even though I’ve tackled the same topic for as long as four… read more

    Weeks 172–174: Final revisions and a new project
  • Week 171: Completion of the first draft

    I had no chocolate eggs or hot cross buns for the Easter break, and I was stuck at my desk all day. But, on Easter Sunday, I finished editing Chapter 1 at last, which means I’ve completed the first full draft of my thesis. I will never forget the feeling of my body and mind… read more

    Week 171: Completion of the first draft
  • My experience with Reiki Level 2

    Since I learnt how to do Reiki in January, Reiki healing has been part of my daily life. Each morning, I start my day with 15 minutes of self-healing. The Reiki Level 2 course planned to take place in London was cancelled and moved to an online platform due to COVID-19. The school I am… read more

    My experience with Reiki Level 2
  • Week 170: Completion of Chapter 3

    I’ve completed the rewriting and editing of Chapter 3, and today I sent my supervisors revised Chapters 2, 3 and 4. The literature review and methodology chapters are closely connected, so it was essential to validate the theories’ positioning. I have gone back and forth between Chapters 2 to 7, and the actual order I… read more

    Week 170: Completion of Chapter 3
  • Week 169: Focus on quality rather than rushing ahead

    This week, I’ve had both good and bad news. I’ll start with the bad news first. A month ago, I applied for a postdoc research position. The position genuinely excited me, and I enjoyed writing my application for it. I haven’t heard anything about my application over the last four weeks and therefore thought it… read more

    Week 169: Focus on quality rather than rushing ahead
  • Weeks 167 and 168: Teaching online and finalising Chapter 2

    I cannot believe how quickly the global situation has been changing over the past two weeks. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to last for the long term. We are trying to not waste supplies, and apart from a minimum preparation, we don’t over-buy. From reading current reports on the situation in cities… read more

    Weeks 167 and 168: Teaching online and finalising Chapter 2
  • Matcha Cupcakes

    This is one of the ways in which I enjoy matcha when I buy a packet of matcha green tea powder. I always buy a small quantity at one time, and once it’s opened, I keep it in the freezer and try to use it all within a month. Mostly, I enjoy drinking matcha in… read more

    Matcha Cupcakes
  • Week 166: Need to rest

    I’ve been making further revisions to Chapters 4 and 5. These two largest chapters of my thesis have hindered me from moving on to editing the other chapters. There’s so much left to do, and everything seems to be going back and forth, making me wonder if I am making progress or not. On the… read more

    Week 166: Need to rest