I’ve finally descended from my pink cloud after receiving my PhD with distinction (!) last week and put some pictures online from the defence, dinner, and party (a slightly censored selection - don’t worry..). Some more party pics can be found on Egor’s site for which I deny all responsibility…

With our hospital being an ever-changing building site, it may be tricky to find your way to the site of my PhD defence, so here’s some directions:

1. Take entrance 3 “Sophia/Faculteit” (see map below)
2. Take the elevator to floor 3
3. Follow signs to “Faculteitsgebouw” (over a bridge)
4. Look for (and follow!) red signs “Promotie” or “Collegezaal 7″

If you get lost, ring one of my “paranimfs”
Fleur 0628124014
Gavin 0646017283

Please note that the estimated walking time from the entrance to the defence is 10 mins (and that the defence starts 1.45pm sharp).

I am not a very practical person. I am aware of this, but somehow I forget at crucial moments, such as last week when the 900 copies of my thesis arrived from the printer’s.

Having been delivered to the point the furthest away from my office in the hospital possible, they just needed to be loaded on a trolley and wheeled to my office. Doesn’t seem too complicated, right? That’s why I felt fairly stupid checking there were any brakes on the wheels of the trolley I just loaded the 40+ boxes on (there weren’t), but even more stupid realising I was not going to be able to move the trolley, especially not wearing my high-heeled, smooth-soled shoes… At least I provided some entertainment for the people in the corridors I passed (well, who passed me and my trolley, really). A pleading and very desperate phone call for help was required…

But now the thesis has been sent off, the misery is easily forgotten with compliments pouring in . This is what it’s all about then - lots and lots of positive attention, yum!

Last month I finally submitted my PhD thesis. I will not bore you with my (lack of) Christmas, New Year’s and the weeks leading up to submission. Suffice to say that now, more than two weeks after submitting, I seem to have my life back, a little.

Job done? Not quite. What else is there still to worry about? Lots.

First: My thesis is currently being reviewed by three highly learned professors, who will decide on its PhD-worthiness. A formality, I thought, but now I get to hear the horror stories, of very able and smart PhD students who had to rewrite half their thesis and resubmit. There’s no return. All I can do is wait.

Second: I need to come up with eleven statements. Originally, the public PhD defence was all about these statements, derived from your thesis or other insights gained during your PhD research. The thesis itself was less important, having already been read and peer-reviewed extensively. Nowadays, the statements are an important remnant of this tradition with a completely different status: that of showing off your extreme wit, deep insight and ultimate cleverness. I’m at a loss: where am I going to find eleven one-liners that show that I’m not just a boring PhD researcher, but in fact a very smart and funny person?

Third: The public defence. It’s scheduled for the 25th of June, and I’m already worried sick. This defence takes 60 minutes, exact, during which you are grilled about your work by ten professors in the presence of your colleagues, friends and family. People who have done this before say it really is fun, but I just don’t believe them. I think they’re not telling the truth, because otherwise nobody else will ever go through with it. I place them in the category of women that say childbirth isn’t that painful: big fat lies to ensure the continuation of our species.

Fourth: The party. This should be the fun part, I love parties. But there’s going to be too much room for embarrassment. One, nobody might show up at my beautiful party location for 100+ guests. Two, there seems to be no inhibition at these events with regards to the speeches/photos/songs that may be given/shown/performed. Oh god, I really should’ve considered this when getting slightly too drunk at those conferences…

So, what are we all going to wear for the big day of Indra’s PhD defence? After a long day’s shopping on the first day of gorgeous weather this year, we may not have found the best jackets yet..

No kidding, no photoshop.. there really are hills in Holland!
More photos of our weekend away “up north”.

Testing the champagne for Indra’s PhD lunch (16 May).

In true Bridget Jones style and putting Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits into practice, here’s my 2007 personal mission statement: I will buy a house, finish my PhD and will not get overworked. How? Well, I will:

1. finish reading the Seven Habits (still stuck at habit no. 5).
2. wait for a miracle to happen (hopefully described in habits 6-7).
3. failing the above, go to the gym and get in superhuman shape.
4. write a bunch of papers, stumble upon the house of our dreams, get a mortgage and be happy.

Now, that doesn’t seem too hard, does it? Happy New Year!

One of my favourite Indian dishes, with many thanks to Mukund for showing us how to do it. Quantities by approximation.

1. Fry 1 green chili, 1 chopped onion and garlic until soft, and the onion caramelises.
2. Add ground cumin and coriander (1 tsp of each) and fry for another couple of minutes.
3. Add some chopped tomato, lemon juice, yoghurt (2 tbsp) and creamed coconut (1 tbsp).
4. Add chickpeas (1 tin).
5. Garnish with lots of fresh coriander and serve.