In the business of theology it is hard not to be controversial - Jurgen Moltmann

Monday 22 October 2007

重整旗鼓 :: reconfiguration

My 'deepest fear' over my last thesis chapter has come true — my supervisor really asked, why is this (large section in the chapter) here and not in the introduction instead?  Hence my reconfiguration of the last chapter (which was just done a week ago) and then writing up the conclusion.

Concurrently my life at home was also reconfigurated, as the leaking out pipe which had caused damage to my downstairs neighbour was replaced. 

........................................

          上週鵲橋登高興高采烈之際,其實也在重整旗鼓,腦分兩路,一路開動論文結論的草稿,二路部署修改剛寫完一遍的最後一章。兩路殊途,但是同歸 ... 於盡 —— 一同指向論文的盡頭。

          那天老師拿著我那最後一章,果然劈頭就問我最害怕他會問的那個問題:你這一大段為甚麼不是放在導論,而要放在最後?我說,那也是可以的,我都有這樣想過,而且一直害怕你會這樣問。老師說,那表示我們思想一致,真好。

          吹漲,不過說的也是,所以吹漲得來有理。

          好了,把那個佔了全章三份一的大段落調到論文開首,其餘部份就可以有多些篇幅討論得詳細點。另外,就是要把論點表達得更突出更銳利了。

對於這個表達到位銳利的問題,我老師是非常看重的。他甚至曾經嫌我某些標題起得過火,這次又有些標題太過中性未能突出內容重點,正是內容過關,題目不及格。

幾個月前,他還跟我議論某一句應該用past tense還是present perfect tense。嘩,真是連小學五六年級周恕恒老師和陳發昌老師教的English grammar都抖了出來。

          重整的旗鼓除了論文,還有家裡的污水管。

          話說大概三週前某天,樓下鄰居突然告急,說她某角落的天花塌了,我下樓一看,嘩果然大鑊。經過專業檢驗之後,證實是我的浴室污水管某個段落殘破漏水,結果花了一天半時間,拿起地板,更換水管,鋪回地板,好大工程。

          不過師傅說,最複雜的工序其實是把新水管跟百餘年歷史的舊水管接合,花了他大半天時間。拿開了地板的時候,還讓我看到這棟百餘年歷史建築物的原貌,真是a touch of archaeology,哈哈。

          費用?應該大概五六百鎊吧,當然是由業主的保險支付囉。

1 comment:

ANOCHKA said...

Hello there, I came cross your blog while I was searching information about my primary school teacher-周恕恒老師 (Chow Sir) from Methodist School.

This is my class pic (6B) in 1988
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1464395&op=3&o=global&view=global&subj=572207686&id=616540739

Just want to take this chance to say HI, If you're on facebook, you probably have found many of your classmates, it's such a great way to re-connect and to share those good old days memories.

God Bless,

anna
Boston, MA