Deciding on a Career - PhD or not to PhD?

Sometime in the life of a student fascinated about science, a question will come: go for a PhD or not? You may think the time for such decision has come for me, but in fact, it hasn't: I'm still half way in my Master's, so why am I making a post about this?

Truth is, I have given this question some thinking, but only now that other people ask me what I'll do it's become more serious. Partly because the outcome of my Master's thesis will influence my choice of  "if", "where" and "with who" I will do a PhD.

Some readers probably know I am a bit (a big bit) of a petrolhead. I like cars, but more importantly, I love to learn - hence my passion for restoration and modification. That's something I still have not had time to put into. Mostly because I'm not a very time-organized person. But it's definitely something important for me.

On the other hand, I am passionate about neuroscience. Sometimes the difficulties in a project make me wonder if I should be studying this, but fortunately I've had a recent conversation with a colleague. That conversation was a life changer. Right now I truly believe I will go for a PhD. And that's the result of never getting enough of science. I thing both my passions (cars and neuroscience, with everything attached to those two) are two sides of the same coin: looking to know how thing work.

The ideal situation for me would be to do both simultaneously: restomodding a Datsun as a hobby while doing the PhD. However... The ideal country for each of them is not the same. I hope I can find balance in the future.

I am thinking too much ahead. But thinking sometimes is good. I am grateful someone made me think and realise what I want. For now, I am happy with finding what I want!

London Transport: a guide by a newbie for other newbier newbies

   When I first came here I noticed a there were a lot of transports but there was the lack of a short guide. Why would you need a guide? Simply because there are many details in the London transport which are not obvious at first. I will try to be short, and should there be any mistakes or gaps, I'll fix them if you tell me.

   Types: In London you have buses, trains (you'll see the work 'rail' a lot), tram (which I never used), underground (or tube), DLR, Overground, WAIT WHAT? Well... the first four seem pretty obvious, but DRL and Overground not so much. DLR (Docklands Light Railway)  is a way of transport for the docks, at the same price as tube, and Overground is a suburban rail also at the same price as tube (but confirm this before you travel).

   Tube stations have direct connections with DLR and Overground, so you can plan your journey by looking at one of these maps:

   Buses are cheaper than tube and are really cool to use at weekends, because there is less traffic. In each bus stop there are maps you can use, which are really handy when you're looking for some place.

   The train is more expensive than bus, but cheaper than tube. This is by far my favourite transport for everyday commute. It's more quiet than the tube, it's fast and the time between trains is not too long (10 - 15 minutes).

   In London there are also Barclay's bicycles which can be used to go around the city, but they are paid so it will only compensate depending on how long you have to use them. The best thing about this service is that Barclay's spread maps around the city, and for this reason I've never actually felt lost in London.

   You can have 7 days or 1 month Travelcards which may compensate if you use more than one transport per day (for instance, rail and tube), but you are limited to certain zones (London is divided in layers, like an onion, going from the most central zone 1, to peripheral zones like 6.

   If you have any questions or corrections to this post, let me know. Best of luck in your next travel in London!

Bike riding - Beating uphill sections

Uphill sections are, for me, some kind of double edged sword: they're hard to beat, get me tired and slow, but after an uphill there's a delightful downhill section where I can stretch and  my legs and drink some water.

The way I go through these sections has a great impact on my performance during the ride and how tired I get after it. So far, I found two ways of doing this:

1 - Sit and keep the cadence you feel confortable with (number of revolutions per time, rhythm) even if it means using lower gears and go slower;

2 - Or lift my butt and use higher gears (keeping the right cadence too).

The main difference I find between these two is what part of me feels more tired: my heart (first method) or my legs (second method).

The first method is ideal for long uphill sections where endurance is required. Since I keep sit, all the effort goes to keep my rhythm. For best use, you should keep your body still (except your legs of course) and follow a straight line.

The second method is best for doing uphill sprints. This way I can use the weight of my body by rocking my hip in each pedal stroke. The reason for using higher gears in this method is because each stroke is much stronger than the first method ones. If you use low gears in method 2,  you will feel each stroke being wasted, because the pedal will go down too fast and recoveries will be very hard. I recommend shifting up one or two gears.

Final comment on bike riding:

Training is the key to learn more. Even though effort management and technique are important, knowledge and stamina need training to improve. For me, living in such beautiful place, not far from the sea, is a privilege and a pleasure to be able to ride my bike around here. I guess I'll miss this for the next few months.