On selecting paper for journal club

Three words: Nature or Science.

Another three words: Papers with Previews.

Corollary:

If you want to torture your audience, pick Cell, etc.

If you want to put your colleagues to sleep, pick papers with western blots only.

If you want to put your colleagues to sleep for eternity, pick papers with electrophysiology only.

On the importance of a paper

The importance of a scientific paper can be best quantified by the number of the dublicated copies of that particular paper on your desk.

corollary:

The importance of a scientific paper can be further quantified by the number of times that you have re-read it, often without knowing that you have read it ten thousand times before until you saw another highlighted copy of the same paper lying somewhere on your desk.

Applying for postdoc: the letter

Most of the time the PIs that you want to work for don't really know you that well, even if you have talked to him or her a couple of times before. So how do you write the first email to him saying that you want to work in his or her lab? What I have done is simple, it is so simple that maybe it is not really worth mentioning: I just tell him/her what I am asking for in this email (two lines), my PhD project (a short paragraph), why I am interested in his/her work (a couple of lines), and then conclude by saying something like visiting his/her lab. I kept it really short and simple, because these people probably have tons of emails everyday and they don't really want the story of your life. Most importantly, attach your CV. That's probably the first thing they want to see anyway.

A language problem

So I have been thinking, should I continue to write in Chinese or what. It takes a longer time since I don't have a proper software to write in Chinese. So I guess for now I will write mostly in English, although I do like to um swear in Cantonese! haha.

That's it for today. I think I may continue my ranting soon since a lot has happened in the lab! So stay tuned! (I am assuming someone is reading this..probably I am wrong! haha)

Milestone

I have just finished my thesis intro! yay!
Well, it is too long (according to my boss), but at least it is done!
About freaking time!
Now it is the fun game of referencing....ugh.

好人有衰報

最近下大雪，所以沒有回實驗室。
收到琪妹兩封電郵，又向我大吐苦水，老細又要佢加班，但是一o黎冇人幫，二o黎又唔係佢既project，三o黎又要好似幼稚園咁教人地，完全當佢o既時間表係透明。
琪妹既情況，在我讀博士的六年生涯中，都算是可歌可泣。你可能認為，沒有什麼大不了。佢梗係廢柴，先至被老細啄。
琪妹是我認識的人當中，最能幹又最沒有架子，有求必應的。但是當老細知道她打算讀法律之後，便變本加厲的向她過份要求，事事挑剔，令琪妹不勝其煩。對其他飯桶學生／博士後／助理，卻捧到天上去，或處處維護。令人髮指。
老板既態度係，如果你畢業後，選擇科學研究以外的工作，而她又認為你有能力繼續做科學研究的話，你就是將靈魂賣了給魔鬼。就算你是打算去非洲做義工，她仍然會認為你是癡線，完全沒有想到人各有志。這還罷了，她可以自此以後當你隱形，或將你搾乾淨盡。琪妹以經不是第一個受害者。
又有甚麼可以做呢，我們已經嘗試過向她直接坦白，換來的卻是冷戰多日，自以為是。拿到了研究經費，便以為自己的行政策略沒有問題。
老細這種態度，已經慢慢張揚開去，很快便沒有學生願意找她當導師, 到時有錢又有屁用。
令人吃驚的是，像我老細的博士導師，大有人在。所以搵博士導師，真係要眉精眼企！

搵博士後o既經驗(1)

講開博士後，不如略略講下我點搵同點揀博士後。
第一件另我有少少驚奇既事，係差唔多所有既PI都有邀請我去interview。我申請既差唔多都係大粒佬。個個都係我呢行數一數二既大人物。我當時有D玩野，諗住試下冇壞，唔得咪唔得。點知個個一個禮拜內就有回覆。我心諗，乜佢地原來咁得閒ga。
所以，我認為申請博士後可以大膽D。冇乜所謂。最好係整個表，好似中一派位咁，DB，喇渣，華仁，英華，先email頭四個，唔得，再下四個，餘此類推。一次唔好email太多, 頂嚨四個, 以免攪到你要同十個人say no。咁人地好冇癮架。搞到你好似運桔咁，就唔好啦。
下次再傾下點去推銷自己。