QuLulu's blog, University of Warwick

November 04, 2019

Every day counts

I attended a session called How to have it all: Stories of success from women in Science. We can never have it all, but we can do our best to keep a work/life balance. Everyone should be welcomed and encouraged into STEM but it surprised me there are few female workers(less than five probably I saw) at the National Automotive Innovation Centre where I visited in the Lord Bhattacharyya Building last week. I've known and benefited a lot from some female role models, so I know the importance of these positive role models to the next generation.

Apart from these brilliant women on stage, there is a young mother and her baby girl sitting on my right at the conference. The baby was put on the table, having fun with her toys and mumbling, or laughing from time to time. She was speaking her own language that is a luxury for us adults. But what surprised me was that her mom didn't ask her to hush her voice and to be quiet. She was just looking at her little angel and smiling. What a beautiful scene and I hope I could be as that patient and kind as she is to my baby one day.

Oh, another surprise is the view on the way to Gibbet Hill campus is fantastic, especially in Autumn! It's totally beyond description by words. I was lucky that I went to the medical school on foot this morning rather than by shuttle, otherwise, I feel like missing the best thing life could offer: Serendipity.

At noon, I had a typical British lunch there, which includes sandwiches, drinks and crisp. Sorry, my stomach just cannot enjoy the cold food. Then, I have walked to another workshop about defining a research question. I'm glad I didn't skip it because I met an inspiring new friend there. He is good at time management and he has even been to Tsinghua University with a scholarship. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I can tell that he is a hard-working, well-organised and ambitious student through the small talks on class.

Well, there're so many people and things here, every day, I can learn from to make a difference to my life.

Lulu Qu : 04 Nov 2019 19:10 | Tags: Inspiring Serendipity | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

November 02, 2019

6 Hrs.

I am happy that I braved the drizzle this morning and attended the Personality Type workshop. I really love the tutor's smile.

As getting older, I have a preference to learn something about psychology as a human being. I've been introduced the Enneagram of Personality a few years ago, but for the MBTI I probably know little. There are four dimensions: Extraversion & Introversion, Sensing & Intuition, Thinking & Feeling, Judging & Perceiving. After the self-assessment, my type is INTP, 85% I think. Also, I might be more effective to communicate with individuals with different personality types.

Another thing I am quite proud of myself is that I made a comprehensive Mind map about Writing PMAs. During the past two weeks, I've attended nearly 10 workshops on Academic Writing, Critical Thinking, etc. So I spent the whole afternoon synthesizing and evaluating the information from our tutors, ReMe team, Warwick study skills team to pull my thoughts together. What's more, I find out that leaving my phone at room is the best way to immerse myself into studying or working.

Lulu Qu : 02 Nov 2019 23:26 | Tags: Immersive Mbti Study | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

October 30, 2019

Now I'm feeling more relieved about my account

Learning from the Paul's workshop of time management.I realised my problem is doing too much things at once.

I need to pay more attention to these Important & Not-urgent tasks, instead of just listing and piling all the tasks day by day. I hate to be a firefighter, I hate to push myself to meet the deadline, also I hate to stay up at night.

I really appreciated The Role thinking method, which helps me to clarify the most important goal for me this year: I am doing my Master and I am also a part of my families.

I've tried the Pomodoro last year when I was preparing for the language test. But it doesn't work because in most cases I just ignore it. I'd like to try 52/17 Timer and use a Habit Tracker to monitor my pattern. I think it's kinda interesting. I've downloaded and compared several APP in the past hours, and at last I just leave a simple & user-friendly one to be my assist.

OK, I would spend some time on meditation and then spent 25 mins to write what I've learned today in my reflective Blog. Deal!

tangore

Lulu Qu : 30 Oct 2019 21:17 | Tags: 5217 Habit Role | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

My Curiosity drags me into Rabbit Holes

I'm quite frustrated right now. I feel unproductive because I'm easily distracted by EVERYTHING online. It is easy to find something interesting papers and books and before I know what has happened I run out of time to finish my tasks.

As Kathryn Schulz observed for The New Yorker in 2015, rabbit hole has further evolved into a metaphor for extreme distraction in the digital age: “These days, however, when we say that we fell down the rabbit hole, we seldom mean that we wound up somewhere psychedelically strange. We mean that we got interested in something to the point of distraction—usually by accident, and usually to a degree that the subject in question might not seem to merit.”

I was told to regard my curiosity as a great strength, but now I have to be careful about it. The biggest strength might turn out to be the biggest weakness as well.

Interesting talks as follows:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-rabbit-hole-rabbit-hole

https://medium.com/100-words-about/the-antidote-to-distraction-is-curiosity-9ece23baf23a

https://medium.com/@BlakeGossard/the-importance-of-getting-distracted-cd2511ad5b74

https://www.computerworld.com/article/2507281/elgan--how-to-overcome-internet-distraction-disorder.html

https://www.quora.com/Is-curiosity-a-distraction

Lulu Qu : 30 Oct 2019 12:55 | Tags: Concentration Curiosity Distraction | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

October 29, 2019

What am I intersted in?

I was studying at the lib before being evacuated for the Fire Alarm. When the fire alarm went off, No one paniced! The majority of people just packed up their bags and walked out of the building through the escape routes. I don't really wanna go outside because I was immersing in testing two QDA softwares.LoL I try to find out more about these two this week.

Well, instead of learning the CS from scratch, my great curiosity may motivate me to be a Testing Specialist someday. However, I've seen certain questions for a prospective testing specialist of a software engineering company, quite novel. I don't think I am confident yet. or ...Who knows？

Then I was walking around to keep warm. Guess what, I met Yesim again at the Applied Linguistic ground floor. So nice! And then she showed the classroom where I am going to take an In-sessional class for Writing & Reading. The reason why I applied for it is because I wanna learn more about the English Language itself, including origins of characters, idioms as well as the etymology of words. But I am afraid it is more about the English study skills that I prefer to learn from the daily life. It works better for me at least.

When I come back the lib, there is a Happy Study Event on the ground floor. I grabbed something to eat and took a lovely penguin to be my study partner,hahahaha. Also, I was surprised to know there is still a big pay gap between the male and female staff on campus. The other thing I'm interested in is about the Gender Equality. But I don't know what can I do to secure real progress towards a gender-equal society where We would to see equal respect, leadership and Pay. And in most cases, I am just not willing to be seen, to speak up in public. I need to find my Tribe.

Lulu Qu : 29 Oct 2019 18:48 | Tags: Equality Gender Testing | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

October 21, 2019

Facial Paralysis Awareness Workshop

I just attended a Seminar on Facial Paralysis this afternoon and it contributes to raising my awareness of Facial Paralysis and to reducing negative biases towards people with facial paralysis.

I mean, I feel sooooo lucky after this workshop just because I can express myself freely by eye contact, speech, smiling or any other expressions. Sadly, there is a group of people suffering from Facial palsy or Moebius Syndrome fails to control their facial muscles as they want. I know there is little I could do for their treatment or cures, but at least now I might feel less uncomfortable when I communicate or interact with people with FP, just be more patient and ask them if I feel difficult to understand them. It's really difficult for people to socialise without any facial movement. I cannot imagine really what gonna happen if I am not allowed to smile for the whole day. Do cherish what you have now and make the most of it. Smile as much as you can!

None of us is perfect, and we all have a weakness. Some of them are visible whilst some not. Don't feel sorry but it's good to show empathy and understanding.

Plus, I was quite surprised by the buffet Lunch and the expense I was paid by attending this Seminar. Also, I'm glad to meet new friends Olivia and Florin there.

I will say it's an informative and worthwhile experience.

Lulu Qu : 21 Oct 2019 18:00 | Tags: Facial Moebius Palsy Syndrome | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

October 15, 2019

Daily chat

I know I am not good at time management, or you could say energy management.

My former leader he told some ways but I still find myself unproductive somehow. So I attended a workshop called organise your time last weekend. Fruitfully, I not only gain some insights but also make a new friend Sofia, a girl from Greece. Oculus O.02 is my favorite classroom to meet nice people I have to say, so lucky.

Back on my topic, now I can differentiatethe GOAL/PROJECT between the TASK. But the timetable on my Warwick APP still sucks I have no idea to do with it. So I download Todoist to make a schedule for myself. More user-friendly and more flexible.

I used another APP Sleep Cycle to monitor my Sleep Quality, but every morning I get up I was shocked that how bad the quality was on my sleep last night. It just frustrated me. Sorry Goodbye~

Happiness:

There are something wrong with my body health these days, but I got many comfort from my close friends at home. I started to cook by myself, and posted daily meals on an APP for the sake of record. I am going to making friends with food and my body.

Gratefulness：

I live on campus where just 6mins away the WMG building. My mates living in downtown spend over 2 hrs. on commute~~I know how is feeling, over the past three years, I totally understand!

But I need to make the most of this advantage, so far I don't think I make it. I will make a plan anyway~

Stress:

Life is tough due to cooking, study is tough because of the group work. I have no idea how to deal with these two presentation on Thu and Fri, well, let's see how it goes. But I will do my best anyway, and Sofia just told me she didn't sleep a wink last night for a lab report. Oh no~

Great:

I went to the dirty duck this noon for the free lunch offered by MetaSwtich~ sorry~but they are cold. But, I took a testing paper from their test team which is really interesting. The questions on that are really critical and novel, wow, that's the way UK company seeking for the right people. Got it.

Lulu Qu : 15 Oct 2019 18:50 | Tags: Management Time | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

Reflection

Well~ It's quite difficult to stick to my goals-keep writing every day. But I love reflection, which enables me to know How MUCH I know, as well as how LITTLE I know.

But there're so many things and so many Aha moments I wanna to write it down and share with my friends and colleagues at home and abroad.

Teaching & Studying Models I've went through so far:(There is no judgement, only preference)

1. You are supposed to believe what's been told in class, and the school cares about how much you receied in class, and then evaluate you by scoring.

2. Your tutor is a facilitator. They prefer to be critized and challenged by your critical thing. Be sceptical to everything you've been taught. You are not studying for one particular knowledge, rather, you are learning how to learn.

I prefer the latter one, because I was meant to go to bed early by ten yesterday. However, I was surprised that the more I learned, the more I feel thrilled about this topic. I try to make a link between these knowledge or theories with my previous experience. I try to find out WHY I am/was thinking in these ways.

But I don't wanna be a night owl~I wanna be a early bird though. Those peopel I know and admire are used to getting up early in the morning, like two of my former Colleauges Rich and Cai, some brilliant students in Cambridge, Harvard. I am not going to follow their path, but I hope I could make the most of life from the very beginning of the day.

Competition VS Cooperation

As a student here, I don't need to show my capability by competing over others. The course tutor try to reduce any competiton among the class and encourage more cooperation. Quoted from Paul, we all have two ears, two eyes, and one mouth, and make sure you understand others before being understood. Exactly! I cannot agree with him more. I am gonna making more efforts to listening and understanding others because I believe I can learn more from my peers than my tutors under certain circumstances.

When it comes to competition within an organization, say I am the manager of one dept. It's not uncommon that I wanna make my dept stand out in this company. But it's absolutely WRONG! As a part of the whole system( system thinking), my goal should be the success of the whole organization, not my dept. There is no point making a excellent dept, but it's the whole group that matters. What a pity that I didn't know that before attending any meetings with senior managers, now I wanna observe how these managers propose the problems occured in their teams and how do they sort out a solution for the organizational issue. I will ask my colleauges hahaha.

Effective Leadership

I am the lucky one because I've been working with three top managers in Lumi. Compared with other assistants, I have more autonomy and flexibility. In most cases, I was assigned with goals, but specific tasks.

As an effective leader, how do you motivate and inspire, or stimulate your staff? Quoted again from Paul, what we can do is to create a suitable environment for our workers, where they can grow and reach their potentials. For example, we are growing plants. We don't need to select the best seed, but we give them enough sunshine, run, fresh air and fertilizer to help them grow.

How can I be heard as a junior/ How can I make a difference on the organization

One person can never change the whole system, not even the CEO. But you can make a influence on the people around you. Of course, those peole in return will have some impact on you too. Gradually, you two small group will grow into many groups and become bigger and bigger until one day the top manager team will see the change.

influence

Lulu Qu : 15 Oct 2019 18:16 | Tags: Leadership Management Time | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem

September 25, 2019

Hello World

I'm Lulu.

I've always dreamed of owning a place where I can dump thoughts easily, just like a tree hole.

Now I'd like to get out of my comfort zone and make it public.

I wanna listen to and find out what people say and think, which makes the world colourful.

This is my second day on the campus. Everything is new to me and there're so many places to expolre.

Unfortunately, I suffered from the hypoglycemia this morning due to the jet lag, empty stomach, and exhaustion...Things get worse after a cup of cold milk, I flet limp and throw up. I have to lie on the bed so that I've missed some events on my timetable.

Rather, my first day here is much better.

People are really helpful and kind to give me a hand with two heavy suitcases. I give them hand shakes to express my appreciation. One of the boys said " wow,you got a really strong hand shake." Hahaha, thank Rich to teach me about this manner, really helpful.

See ya. Time for bed.

Lulu Qu : 25 Sep 2019 22:50 | Tags: Campus Life | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem