So... many years have passed since my last post. The PhD was successfully done in late 2010 and life went on its due course!
So... what did I learned during this whole process? A couple of things.
1) Don't expect people to tell you what to do! It's your PhD, your research, your chosen topic, your edge-research.
2) Don't talk, just do! Don't spend too much time babbling about your ideas. Just dig deep and implement them and then check if they hold or fail.
3) More than collaborators, make friends! Collaborations end at some point; friends stay for life.
4) If you have the opportunity, expose yourself. Take hold of every chance you have to travel and present your work all around. Take all the courses you need in abroad schools. You will hardly experience this kind of life again, even if you succeed in your career.
5) Try to make something practical. Even you are working on some highly advanced theoretical concept (like string theory, mathematical manifold differential geometry, DNA/molecular/bio-stuff..., whatever), try to impart some of your knowledge to younger kids (do science outreach, seminars, volunteering, etc.). The society appreciates these things and they bring joy to your soul.
6) Don't drag things too much. Try, fail, recover, try, fail, recover, try, obtain some result, move on to next target... Life is short.
7) Try to enjoy some parts of the process.
Cheers and happy PhD.
DP
