Today is my first day off in almost three months (notice that today is Saturday).

My life has become an endless routine of work, work, and more work. And guess what: I still have more work to do. I’m just glad I don’t have a family to neglect and traumatise.

I live in a lab. I spend 10-12 hours a day (often every day) carrying out experiments that don’t succeed 9 times out of 10, and when they do they take my project back three steps 8 times out of 10.

People think that when I finish, the world will be my oyster. But, as I’ve said before, the world is more of a tight clam, with maybe a pearl inside. Research is competitive, pretty much like every other profession, and new fish are often not welcome.

Strangely, I’m not depressed about it. Tired of it, low on that first-year enthusiasm – sure. But not depressed or stressed in any way. Because in the end, God holds the reins, and life will never get any easier. What it will get, is a meaning.

The first rule of a PhD is, you do not talk about your PhD.
The second rule of a PhD is, you DO NOT talk about your PhD.
The third rule of a PhD is, if someone yells “Stop!” goes limp, taps out, ignore them.
The fourth rule of a PhD is, only one person to a PhD.
The fifth rule of a PhD is, one PhD at a time.
The sixth rule of a PhD is, no life, no interests.
The seventh rule of a PhD is, work will go on as long as it has to.
And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at a PhD, you have to publish.