PhD! Yes, a research-based degree that delves and cultivates understanding of a subject in a field, with the aim to contribute to a new knowledge. I think that's how we describe the bigger picture of it. It is the highest degree that you can pursue by focusing on a problem, issue, or situation in a subject and solving them or proposing a better solution through research. That is why it takes 3-4 years which seems like an adequate time to master the knowledge of a subject inside out, identify the problem, test your idea and argue them at the end of your research in order to qualify that Doctorate degree. GETTING INTO RESEARCH My PhD journey started in early 2020. I was so excited when I got awarded the UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship. It was the greatest achievement that I have made in my entire academic journey. Also, I have always known that I want to do a PhD because of that big picture it presents. But hey, as excelling as it sounds, the research world nowadays is perceived as to
I love Tempe. At home in Bali, I ate Tempe almost everyday. Most of the time I ate them fried with salt and pepper, or with turmeric, coriander powder, or coated with crispy flour or breadcrumbs. The best one was when my mom fried the small tempe stripes and coated them in lemongrass, galangal, palm sugar sauce - Tempe Manis! Sometimes these days when I get creative, I also make a burger patty, katsu, schnitzel, and possibly any other way you want to have your meat cooked, but only using Tempe without losing the amount of protein! Tempe is a nutritious, soybean cake, originally from Indonesia. Unlike its sister tofu that's softer in texture, Tempe is more nutty and has a unique, funky, fermented taste. That's because it is made from the culture of Rhizopus sp. , a type of fungi. The cost of 250 gram Tempe in Sydney is about $3.50. In Bali, this block of Tempe costs only 5000 IDR , which is about $0.50! So, you can imagine that I have to live in this irony for the last 4 years