Let sleeping dogs lie and snoozing cats stretch.
Besides, I still have PR to contend with. No time to mope over gulped milk, and even more pointless to compare and contrast our answers with that of the notes or each other. Focus on the more important tasks people, most of you have yet to start on your PR post-assignment, and we don't have much time left. Keep at it folks~
Just this afternoon, I suddenly realised something about myself I had overlooked all this while. The way I do things, the manner I tackle problems - it is very similar to how I approach a particular type of assignment that I relatively enjoy doing: the research paper.
Whenever I'm tasked to submit a research paper on a given topic, the first thing I would do is to head to the library and look for hard-copy sources. Even if the assignment requirement dictates three sources as adequate, I usually go for ten from a variety of media before I call it a day - better to have more information than to have insufficient data when you get down to writing the paper. Next, it's time to hit Google, and with a simple search with the base keywords, I work my way to upwards of another ten sources, refining the keywords and selecting only the articles of the highest academic integrity or journalistic credibility. Only then will I start a new Word document to do some generic format setting and then proceed to process all of my sources.
Processing is a whole new ball game altogether, and the hard-copy sources will take the most time and effort. Merely reading, highlighting, re-reading, removing and re-highlighting journal articles can take an entire day, and the usable material - which isn't much most of the time - is transcribed to the Word document, for consideration of use. Its source is also properly credited and stored away for the inevitable Works Cited page to be born at the end of the paper.
Once all sources have been read through and information extracted from them, the paper can now be written. Typically, I would sit myself down (sometimes forcefully) and will myself to start writing the paper. Most of the time, the first paragraph I create will only exist for a few minutes, after which its existence is reversed by the Backspace. To me, the most difficult part of a research paper is the start, but once that's out of the way, the rest of the paper will flow like a broken dam, or an unblocked toilet if you're more of the lavatorial persuasion. I make it a point to finish the first draft of the paper in one sitting, no matter how long it takes, but it usually requires a good three to six hours of discipline and mental fortitude to complete the first manuscript. Once that is done, I back the document up online, emailing it to three separate email addresses, one created expressly for the purpose of storing backups and backups of backups. I would also save a copy of the paper onto my Berry, for mobile review and also to serve as another channel of backup. If the assignment is important enough, its essence will also be shared across a thumbdrive and two portable HDDs. Even if the world ended the next day, my paper would be safe.
After a day, I return to the first draft and start to edit the whole thing: whole sections are removed or rewritten, words are changed, sentences are restructured, grammar gets Nazified and vocabulary finds new meaning in its boring life. I have a bad habit though - whenever I ought to cut down on the word count, I end up adding even more words to the original number, and it takes so much effort just to destroy one whole paragraph, or to squeeze all those words into a single page. It's worse than using Occam's Razor on Schrodinger's Cat. Maybe.
After the torture to cut down on the words and to be that bit more concise, the paper is printed out and read through. With a colored pen in hand, my eyes scan the physical copy for errors which managed to evade my radar the first time round. As expected, multiple blemishes appear as I roam the pages, and mistakes are forcefully crossed out and corrected in pink ink as I mutter under my breath for this gross negligence of vigilance.
Anyhow, the paper finally gets edited to my satisfaction and it is now time for the most exciting period in the research paper writing process: formatting! That particular margin must be of the default setting, font size must be exactly 12, font type must be Calibri if its for a school assignment - Times New Roman for all others -and page numbers must be present. A cover page is also fabricated from nothingness and smacked on top of the first page of the paper, with all personal particulars present, clear and in bold. The Works Cited page must be properly formatted as well to MLA/APA standards, with each second and subsequent line indented once from the original margin, and all entries must be sorted in alphanumeric order. When that's done, the research paper is officially finished.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I approach life's problems.
All the world's a research paper, all the men and women merely sources, helping me to answer life's enduring research question.
As I pondered this revelation, I realised it made perfect sense. How many times have I seen myself constantly finding out about something just to make sure things are the way they appear to be? I think things through, through and through, and seek a variety of informational avenues just to confirm or refute a point. For the minor issues, a single source would suffice, but for the more complex algorithms (like the one plaguing me right now), a whole plethora of opinions across the whole spectrum of sources is needed. I have to admit, that is so damn true. I talked to a whole bunch of people about this issue, all of them unique, all of them special in their own way, but united by the fact that they are the ones who gave me information related to this personal matter. I couldn't believe it at first, but as the idea floated about in my head like a ghost, I accepted it as part of my character.
Insights however, like to happen in pairs.
A friend told me this afternoon that he noticed I was always rushing around, be it within a work-related environment, a school zone or even when at leisure. He said that I seemed to always be in a rush to complete things, which results in turning in work quickly (but with quality), studying for tests early and generally just completing tasks way before time. Dad also concurred with this friend's analysis over dinner earlier, stating that I do things fast, even when I'm eating. I start eating quickly, then end off quickly as well, while the rest of the family is roughly midway through the meal. Well, people have said I inhale my food, so I guess the speed-eating thing is not an isolated observation. I admit that facet of myself and wholly embrace it, eating quickly means freeing up one chore for the day.
But coming back to the issue of my apparent rush, I guess it is due to how I was brought up. I was trained to do things quickly and accurately, with longer break times between tasks if the first one was completed swiftly. I reckon Palov had a part to play with this sort of learning, and till now I still cannot bring myself to do something slowly - it is just not a part of me. Believe me, I have tried to slow down or delay doing something which is usually completed with speed, but I felt immensely uncomfortable and chock full of self-guilt that I abandoned the notion altogether. It is this trait that creates me, and it is in me that I must trust.
Well, this is a pretty inspiring and self-insightful post, looks like you really do learn something new everyday.
Let's hope I get the answer to this part of the lifelong research question soon.
Enjoy this rare, not-that-emo post guys, and remember to feed the fish! :)
