Write!

I am convinced of the need to write. And to get better at it by practising, by doing more writing.

I've spent the last 3 days holed up at home doing nothing but reading academic papers, conjuring up a novel scientific idea and writing a mock proposal to get it funded, which I will then defend in front of a jury of faculty. Yes, my first, off-topic qualifying exam is looming, and I've been working my ass off preparing for it!

It has been a challenge trying to organize my stream of consciousness into compelling arguments. But I've also realized a smoothened flow of internal dialogue, that the writing got easier halfway through, that my thoughts got clearer and my expression more concise. I really do believe that the actual practice of formalizing my thoughts by writing forces me to give the mental jumble some logical structure, which in turn helps my thinking.

On an off-note, I saw an amusing phrase in the ST today. You can read it here. Quote:

Retrenched workers whose monthly household income are below $2,500, and are assessed to be in need of help, are eligible for the CDC's Interim Coping Package for Economic Downturn (iCope)

Well, the issue of retrenched workers certainly isn't amusing but THAT is one HILARIOUS acronym. Some brilliant civil servant must have thought "iCOPE" would be an apt acronym for the times, and starting with that, tried to generate actual words to fit the acronym. I'm not sure if the acronym is supposed to contain substantially the words it stands for. "Interim Coping Package" indeed!