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Friday musing

02/05/2019

I must admit that recent months have been a bit of a lull. For many reasons - scheduling, logistics, scientific aptitude or even personal - there has been that nagging feeling that productivity, and as a cause or a consequence morale, has been strikingly low. Mondays have at times turned to Wednesdays with hardly a moment of measurable outcome, and time has otherwise just slipped past without notice. But it is perhaps then that I look to the end of the week, not because it concludes another five days, but rather because Friday afternoons are often that much needed breath of fresh air.

Lab work is a big chunk of my day job as a PhD student; most of it is guided through prior discussions, agreements and a steady supervision that ensures things are almost always on track. The other chunk includes a considerable amount of sitting, reading, drinking coffee and generally musing. And when allowed, the mind drops the leash and meanders through its own wilderness. Sometimes, consciousness returns with urgent questions that I keep a vague track of in the 'Daydreaming' section of my notebook.

Like much of research, there are known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns amongst these scribbles. The first, albeit repetitive and sometimes glaringly obvious, are critical for they form the premise of some stories we tell as researchers. The second are often shores we set sail for; here lies the cove of novelty that we hope to first discover, a distant treasure we catch a faint whiff of but one that sometimes maroons us in the deep blue ocean. But it is often the last, the unknown unknowns, that consumes our thoughts: the big what-if questions that may range from the predictable to the absolute absurd.

Childlike joy

Of course, these enquiries do not necessarily fall within our immediate focus either. But they almost always bring a palpable sense of failure and occasionally a good bit of childlike joy. But I like to think that, as long as it is safe, one only risks losing time and a few hours at the end of the week is sometimes worth it. Science history is packed with examples of those chasing such unknowns, many of which, like the work on graphene, took some shape on just another humble Friday.

Naturally, my contribution to these antics is still at the starting line. But even through considerably meek Friday afternoon adventures, I have at times shimmied my way out of stagnation and in some ways it is just plain satisfying to have a handful of those many nagging questions answered, even if in a negative result. Piling things up, shelving ideas and slowly lingering towards the general direction of the still-concealed finish line seems to be a part of this trip so any curiosities explored, no matter how miniscule in scope, may just add up to a nudge in the right direction. And if not, at least it didn’t cost more than an afternoon. Now, as I write this column, it is a Tuesday night and I wonder what answers this Friday would bring.

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