Year 1

Weeks 51-52

Week 52

#phdlife Week 52

One year into PhD and already made countless wrong turns during the journey. Luckily my friends, colleagues, and supervisors keeps pointing me in the right direction.

Never hesitate to ask others for help whenever you feel lost

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) September 29, 2019

Week 51

#phdlife Week 51

in a conference:

Senior
academics &
PIs PhD students pic.twitter.com/SQIhHb21No

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) September 22, 2019

Weeks 41-50

Week 50

#phdlife Week 50#Senorita for senior academics:

I love it when you call me Senior Author
I wish I could pretend I didn't need ya
But every thought is ooh la la la~
It's true, la la la~
Ooh, I should be writing
Ooh, you keep me coming for you~
💃🏻🕺

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) September 15, 2019

Week 49

#phdlife Week 49

Brace yourself. Emails are coming.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) September 8, 2019

Week 48

#phdlife Week 48

PhD is pretty much a daily struggle to overcome stupidity

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) September 1, 2019

Week 47

#phdlife Week 47

We often spend too much time complaining how we are not the person we want to be we forget to appreciate how we are not the person we don't want to be

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) August 25, 2019

Week 46

#phdlife week 46

Today is the 74th Indonesia #IndependenceDay and I’d like to highlight one of our nation core values I adore:

“Gotong-royong”

It’s a concept of collaboration build upon the spirit of mutual aid, volunteerism, and selflessness

Could be useful in academia :)

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) August 17, 2019

Week 45

#phdlife Week 45

A simple no is often better than a reluctant yes

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) August 11, 2019

Week 44

#phdlife Week 44

Live your own dreams. Not other people's dreams.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) August 4, 2019

Week 43

#phdlife Week 43

Me watching #TheLionKing :

1994:
Most relatable scene - Hakuna Matata
Most unrealistic scene - Scar's betrayal

2019:
Most relatable scene – Scar's betrayal
Most unrealistic scene – Hakuna Matata

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) July 28, 2019

Week 42

#phdlife Week 42

Comparison creates standard. Standard creates expectation. Expectation creates pressure. Pressure creates stress.

Prevent stress by:
- not comparing
- not having unrealistic standard / expectation
- handling pressure (e.g. accepting failure)
- being happy :)

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) July 20, 2019

Week 41

#phdlife Week 41

If you think you are not the best person for a certain job but you are the only one willing to do the job, then you ARE the best person for the job

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) July 14, 2019

Weeks 31-40

Week 40

#phdlife Week 40

“Behold the field in which I grow my social life. Lay thine eyes upon it and thou shalt see that it is barren” pic.twitter.com/FV1vavZv8q

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) July 7, 2019

Week 39

#phdlife Week 39

Colleague: *invite to join a research project
Me: pic.twitter.com/6wWUVeRWXr

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) June 30, 2019

Week 38

#phdlife Week 38

Causal is the new significant

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) June 23, 2019

Week 37

#phdlife Week 37

Proofread your email.
Imagine writing to your colleague:

“Hi! Just read this article published recently in Mature Communications and it made me think of you!”

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) June 16, 2019

Week 36

#phdlife Week 36

I spend days tweaking color scheme in my graphs and slides because I’m a proud person of color#dataviz #AcademicTwitter

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) June 8, 2019

Week 35

#phdlife Week 35

Last month my first ever paper was published and had several media coverage. Considering I'm not that clever and not very good with English or writing, I think the three most important things that lead to this small feat are:
1. Luck
2. Help from others
3. Grit https://t.co/RyQCshQwUj

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) June 2, 2019

Week 34

#phdlife Week 34

Seminar organiser:
“There will be foods & drinks after the meeting if you don’t mind staying”

Me: pic.twitter.com/BDLBQ8P9x1

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) May 26, 2019

Week 33

#phdlife Week 33

I procrastinate so much I do other stuff before I even finish writing a sente

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) May 19, 2019

Week 32

#phdlife Week 32

Browsing old photo folders and found a perfect photo for desktop background that accurately describes my current research progress

*Photo taken in @sciencemuseum pic.twitter.com/fQP4ZHhERN

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) May 12, 2019

Week 31

#phdlife week 31 #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

There are many great tips for surviving PhD, e.g. https://t.co/c6q5CSoH6x, but most focus on self-improvement (western individualism culture?)

We can do a LOT better if we help each other

Starting tip: Reach out to the quiet ones

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) May 5, 2019

Weeks 21-30

Week 30

#phdlife Week 30

Me when I write "This is beyond the scope of our paper" pic.twitter.com/5xytBvGqJS

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) April 27, 2019

Week 29

#phdlife Week 29

I admittedly work during weekends & holidays and I think this is partly because I grew up in a rather secluded environment not knowing many 'fun' activities (yes, I am a boring person). The opportunity to work sometimes makes me happy. Is this wrong? #phdchat

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) April 20, 2019

Week 28

#phdlife Week 28

To-do list suddenly expands after my bag & laptop were stolen on Friday night 😔

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) April 14, 2019

Week 27

#phdlife Week 27

When you read a research article with interesting title and results but the methods were seriously flawed pic.twitter.com/m6ccxKa4Fa

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) April 6, 2019

Week 26

#phdlife Week 26

You either die a first author or live long enough to see yourself become the 𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑙.#AcademicTwitter

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) March 30, 2019

Week 25

#phdlife Week 25

That feeling when other collaborators don't want to share their data pic.twitter.com/wBI6mQoEgr

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) March 24, 2019

Week 24

#phdlife Week 24

Many of us have stories to tell, but sometimes cannot find ears to listen. Reaching out to others and lending our ears to those in need are important to maintain a healthy community.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) March 17, 2019

Week 23

#phdlife Week 23

The advice “Don’t be ashamed to do / be / get X” won’t work well if the world keeps thinking that non-X is preferable. When we give such an advice, at least make sure that we don’t have biased attitude against X.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) March 10, 2019

Week 22

#phdlife Week 22

I define the totality of my problems as the problemome. Some of the main scientific subfields are:
- Cognitive problemomics
- Computational problemomics
- Behavioural problemomics
- Social problemomics

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) March 2, 2019

Week 21

#phdlife Week 21

Lack of knowledge can be a blessing in disguise. It sparks curiosity, generates questions, starts a journey to seek answers, and can eventually lead to new discoveries. pic.twitter.com/3laXsQ4OjY

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) February 24, 2019

Weeks 11-20

Week 20

#phdlife Week 20

Bottling up feelings is like holding in a poo. The more we hold it, the more it'll accumulate and the more problems it'll cause. So let it out before we sh*t ourselves. 💩

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) February 17, 2019

Week 19

#phdlife Week 19

There is no single determinant of success in academia. It's a combination of curiosity, domain knowledge, hard work, time management, communication & social skills, and many more factors.

Embrace your strengths & weaknesses.

Be unique. Be you. And be lucky.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) February 9, 2019

Week 18

#phdlife Week 18

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Your works are great
Well done you!

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) February 3, 2019

Week 17

#phdlife Week 17

Me when I submit my first manuscript draft pic.twitter.com/YQs9yC295K

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) January 26, 2019

Week 16

In a state of uncertainty
Collaborate, not compete#phdlife Week 16

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) January 20, 2019

Week 15

Outside of my field, I love learning history.
It helps in dealing with people with ancient mindset.#phdlife Week 15

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) January 13, 2019

Week 14

#phdlife Week 14

Happy new year and w̶e̶l̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ hope you have had a wonderful break 🤗

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) January 5, 2019

Week 13

#phdlife Week 13

As I grow older, I realised how difficult it is to actually put happy in "Happy New Year".

That would be my new year's resolution for 2019.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) December 30, 2018

Week 12

#phdlife Week 12

All I want for Christmas is the ability to bridge the huge cultural gap between the two worlds I’m living in as a lone #firstgen student in a faraway land

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) December 23, 2018

Week 11

🎶🎵

Last Christmas, I gave you my draft

But the very next day, you gave it away

This year, to save me from tears

I’ll give it to other journal

🎶🎉🕺🎶#phdlife Week 11

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) December 15, 2018

Weeks 1-10

Week 10

#phdlife Week 10

Putting dead in deadline

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) December 8, 2018

Week 9

#phdlife Week 9. I like to write my own codes, whenever possible. It's not about reinventing the wheel, but learning how to invent the wheel. Imagine cooking instant noodle vs. making noodle from scratch. The former is easier, but the latter makes you a better cook. pic.twitter.com/0ir0qZg98E

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) December 1, 2018

Week 8

#phdlife Week 8. Starting a study in a field with >100 years of history is like starting watching a long-running, daily TV series from Season 127, Ep.46. It takes time to be able to understand the whole story, but the most important thing is to enjoy the process of doing so.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) November 25, 2018

Week 7

#phdlife Week 7

*receives invitation to a meeting on a busy day, with 5 impending deadlines

My brain:
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it
Don't say it

My finger:
*click Accept

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) November 18, 2018

Week 6

#phdlife Week 6. Rough incoming messages stats:
- Invitation to meetings, courses, talks (57%)
- Colleagues asking for a favour (24%)
- IT support (13%)
- Targeted ads (5%)
- Reply from busy collaborators (0.999%)
- Invitation to social events (0.001%) pic.twitter.com/hKwBuYF5HB

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) November 11, 2018

Week 5

#phdlife Week 5. At my office desk. On Sunday afternoon. This can't be good, but I have only myself to blame. I was too afraid to say "no" & made lots of unrealistic expectations. Work-life balance should be my priority, and I learned this the hard way. Hope it isn't too late...

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) November 4, 2018

Week 4

#phdlife Week 4. Attended a course on complex trait genetics. Half of the lecture was about comparison of different models under different scenarios. Reminds me of that old quote: "All models are wrong, but some are useful". Perhaps understanding their assumptions is the key.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) October 28, 2018

Week 3

#phdlife Week 3. We sat together, judging other people, and criticising their works in an activity called journal club. Sounds evil but helps to develop critical thinking and maintain a healthy level of skepticism.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) October 21, 2018

Week 2

#phdlife Week 2. Had the opportunity to visit different research groups within our institute. Amazing to see people from a wide range of disciplines work together towards common goals. A reminder that science is collaborative, and we should appreciate the works of others.

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) October 14, 2018

Week 1

#phdlife Week 1: Lots of induction, welcome talks, and survival tips. Some informative, some repetitive. My fav advice is: "PhD study is not just about learning to be an expert, but to be an independent researcher". Now let the game begin and stay away from me, imposter syndrome! pic.twitter.com/QPzuZLKdIO

— Albert Henry (@AH_AlbertHenry) October 7, 2018