Christmas Submission

You know, we typically think publishing an article is harder than writing a thesis, because it's supposed to really show your scholarship.

This year, I had the taste of trying to write articles and thesis. I actually find it harder to write a thesis. Even for the 7,000 word article, I struggled to read the article in one setting in order to edit it. Can you imagine, how am I supposed to do that for a 40,000 word document? I've been working on my thesis chapter by chapter, but eventually I will need to check the whole thing for coherence.

Writing a thesis is more like writing a book, more ideas to put into in a megastructure; whereas an article is very concise and direct and you don't need to try to tell everything. Oh, but that poses a different challenge. How to write with focus is difficult as well, I guess, especially for someone like me who is easily distracted by new concepts and ideas.

I have to work on that thesis soon as I hope to get it submitted for examination in January 2015.

But I am actually so grateful that my supervisor supported me so much in writing of articles. When I was an undergraduate, that was my then supervisor's goal. He said that if I can publish before I complete my thesis, it would help me get pass the thesis examination better. But it remained a lofty and unattainable goal for me. Back then, just struggling to grasp the research I was doing, also words didn't come easily. I also didn't know back then that writing was a very labor-intensive project, requiring a lot of editing. Back then, a week before submission, I started to write. *shakes head*

I remembered my supervisor being surprised that I wrote quite well, given the really "dire straits" situation I was to rush to complete that thesis. I still remember and feel proud, because till this day, I still felt that God enabled me to write the discussion of my undergraduate thesis. Rather than feeling insulted that others thought I got someone else to write for me, I felt proud that I wrote well, because I had help from above. And I guess this has been a motto of my life. By nature, I have few strengths, but I always desire to avail my body for the use of the Lord, so that when His strength is displayed, I know who to praise and who to thank.