My first book

I am proud to announce that the book I was working on is complete!

I have a few free e-copies to give away. Please comment here if you would like to have one. I will give you a giftcode. :)

You can find a sample of the book at this link: Chapter 3: Begin Writing at Every Stage of your Graduate Studies.

The Counter-Intuition of Writing

The funny thing about writing (or me?) is that for me, the project goes slowly and is stalled until and unless I take action. Let me give you an example. So I had the draft of my book for a long time. I completed most of it in January. Basically the writing came to me in big spurts. It was easy because all I had to say was already in my mind for a long time, they just flowed out.

But that draft was just there hanging. I wanted feedback but did not receive a lot. But those I received (very gratefully) helped pushed the work forward. And then it stalled...

But suddenly, the draft progressed... After I did two things:

1. I asked designers to design my front cover. Alright, so after the samples came out, I realised that my title could be improved and was not grammatically correct. I have not touched the title for a long time and the impetus to touch it came ONLY AFTER the book cover came out and I saw for myself something was wrong. So I sought M's advice and I improved the title.

2. I sent my draft out for copyediting. It's crazy but the number of things to be improved I spotted suddenly increased ONLY AFTER I sent it out. Prior to this, I was just sort of procrastinating, thinking that I have time to work on these small issues some time later. It was the sending it out that made me realised that the deadline to publication was actually nearly than I thought.

So I just want to share a tip with you, in case I am not a weird case, but my experience is shared by other human beings... Perhaps if something is slow and stalling for a long time, you might want to take an action that may initially seem illogical.

For example, you may think your work is still at its beginning stage... Of course, you don't send it for feedback from your supervisor or your peers! You wait till you improved this version, and then you send it out...

Or... You may think your work is still not yet close to being proofread... Of course! You don't send it for proofreading at this stage! Or you have wasted efforts! What is copyedited may be eventually deleted and you're wasting time and energy and MONEY! You wait and wait...

And here I am going to soon do the very illogical act of publishing a book on academic writing and publishing. Hey, this is the gal who GAVE UP her PhD studies to travel... What does she know about writing and publishing for graduate students?

Sometimes writing happens counter-intuitively and you need to trust your instincts and an act that seems illogical may be the very act you need to take at that moment to push yourself and your work forward. This has been my experience many times.

Sometimes even if you may not know the steps to take, the best thing you can do is to still take a step forward.

Updates...

I've not been here in awhile. I have been wandering about Latin America. I sometimes don't think what I am doing is considered "traveling". It seems more like random wandering with no particular purpose or order. I see many younger people traveling and I have so much to learn from them... I like how they systematically cover places of interest while keeping in touch with their loved ones. And how they end up in many places, each they personally chose to be at. Traveling at low cost. They look contented and happy.

How do they do it?

Alright. Back to this. Remember that book?

I took a long hiatus from it. One of my friends just gave me really good feedback and it scares and excites me at the same time. It scares me because her feedback is incisive and it excites me because I finally found someone who can give me the kind of feedback that can move the work forward. Incisive is exactly what I need.

I also wonder how much faith do I have. Do I have enough faith to think that piece of work can help anyone at all and is worth writing well? I don't feel like asking anyone that question. I feel like finding the answer myself. Just like how I stop asking someone what he or she likes about me. I will find out for myself what is likeable about me.

A love for writing

I did not know I enjoy writing so much.

You know I cannot stop writing my book on how to write.

It's like there's so much I want to tell people about this. But I am trying to correctly reference and cite the authors who inspired. So that those who are keen to know more know where to turn to. I think that's important.

So my book will serve as a bare bones version and also a multi-directional sign board that points to other resources that cover topics similar to mine.

So it's true, it's easy to write when you have something to say.

Self Publishing

You know I am that kind of person when I see everybody doing something a certain way, I will come along and say, “Hey! Look here, I’m going to do it this other way.”

Similar to perspectives. People see things a certain way, I like to see it in a different way. Perhaps this quality of mine has helped me somewhat in being “original”, and making an original contribution. Being original is not something I need to strive for. It’s something I yearn and desire for and feel good being. I just want to be different.

That’s not enough to be a scholar. You need to contribute in some ways.

Okay! Back here! I have quit the PHD but I have a thought of publishing a book on Amazon on how I managed to publish three articles from my Masters study. I am thinking to share this knowledge because the way I did it was unconventional. And also perhaps this could be a step for me to become self-employed. Or like a way to earn a bit of income to support myself. And yes, to share that knowledge as well.

So... let me try...

An attention to particulars

"In confronting the "complex specificness" of a particular teacher's experience with a particular group of students, I presented a means to think realistically an concretely about broader problems of cross-cultural adjustment, home-school relationships, and the like. This is not a claim to see the world in a grain of sand, but a characteristically qualitative acknowledgment that small aspects of experience, conveyed in sufficient depth and detail, can speak to large issues." (p. 10)

Thomas H. Schram

I am leaving academia...

Sorry this sounded so abrupt and I haven't been updating you all, whoever you are, my dear audience. But I have withdrawn from my PhD programme two weeks ago. The dissonance is too great that I cannot ignore anymore that whatever I am studying right now is not what I want to spend my time, energy, effort, and youth (if I still have some of it left) professing now or later. I enjoy researching what I am researching as a good academic exercise and what I research interests me, but I am not ready to explore it into the depth required for the PhD level and not really wanting to be an expert of Patriotism or Nationalistic Education.

The PhD programme has always been very instrumental to me. I am doing it because I want to write a book, to pick up the skills of writing. The past two years has taught me that this is not a strong enough reason to give me motivation to keep carrying on when the going gets tough. I am not willing to be chronically depressed to pick up the skills of writing. Circumstances have changed and doing the PhD is no longer favourable for me. This is the main reason why I am withdrawing. I've tried my best to hang on to it for another year, though already last year, I had that sense that I wanted to quit. But holding on another year has only reconfirmed that cutting my losses now is better than later.

I appreciate how welcoming the community of scholars have been to me and all the kind help I have received over my many years working in the university and the larger community researching citizenship education. I actually am sad to leave NIE, where I have called home since 2010. It is rare in today's world to find a young person like me staying in a job for so long. Besides my loyalty and comfort, this happened because of the many people I have met here who nurtured me, gave me many opportunities, and helped me developed my interest and skills in research and writing. I always tell people that I can do my work anywhere, but I come to my office to work because all my friends are here. I have seen many friends come and go since I came here in 2010 and I thank each one who has made my stay here in NIE bearable and beautiful. :)

I don't know where I am headed to next and will probably be spending some time figuring that out. But I hope to stay in touch with you. I wish you all the best too!