to whomsoever it may concern

Free advice.
Points to remember about your dissertation (coming from someone in the middle of one, this is as genuine as it gets!):
If there are 'x' number of things that can go wrong, be assured, all of them will. There are no two ways about it. And you will realize how many ways things can go wrong in! A simple thing like data collection is no less than the maze at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. With dragons and spells vying for your attention at every turn. Well, almost!
All those people who tell you that 'well begun is better done' are absolutely right. At least in the context of dissertations. I prefered to emulate those who started late and still managed to get their work done in time. Not the smartest choice.
And then, the computer aspect. This morning, I had an almost heart attack 'coz my usually no-nonsense, docile comp suddenly went off! The screen went blank and the green light kept flickering. Nothing would revive it. Not random key-pressing, not turning it upside down, not even telling it how much I loved it! And the weirdest part is, when I tried opening the CD drive, it opened! Spooky!
After around 10 traumatic minutes, it suddenly came back to life. Miracles do happen! (why just yesterday a plane landed on water!). And the message on the screen said "windows has just recovered from an unlikely shutdown". Gawd, and I recovered from an almost-stopped-heart!
So, make sure that all your data has backup. Specially people who no longer write stuff and type every little thing. Mail it as attachments to various accounts. Various ppl if possible. Burn Cds, do whatcver. But there's no way out if you have just one place of storage and that gets damaged. I can't believe I'm saying that. It's such a tech-savvy sounding thing na? haha That's what dissertations do to you. They turn morons into experts. Non-believers into fanatics. Perfectly sane people into lunatics!
And final point to remember, which I am saying due to sheer optimism and not personal experience (yet), the whole thing is totally worth it. I am hoping that at the end of this dissertation I can look back and feel proud of the effort I put in :)

2009

This one's begun well. I don't remember how 2008 started. I don't even remember if I made any resolutions last year. As far as I remember, I didn't. Anyway! : )Till day before, I didn't have any for this year either. But now I do. Spurred by whatever happened yesterday.

It was the kinda start I had hardly expected. I met two of my closest friends from school after ages. It wasn't really the time. I think I have met them on and off last year (though not too often)...It was like...no, it wasn't even like the 'old times' actually. It was like the "new" times.

Yesterday was perhaps the first time I acknowledged the fact that I had not been very nice to either of them for quite some time. Yea I was mad at them for not keeping in touch..but I dealt with it most foolishly...by reminding them at every possible instance how they were not making an effort but I was. I don't how I expected that to make them keep in touch...all I managed to do was drive them farther away. So, resolution no.1 is that I will try not to be mean (unless absolutely necessary..;) ).
The other resoultions are the usual...losing weight, not obsessing about falling in love, spending less time on unproductive things etc. haha