Thursday, September 6, 2012

A Late Post about My PLDI experiment

If it is required that using one word to describe my PLDI'12 experiment, I think it should be the "LATE". I made the decision to attend PLDI this year very late, because there was originally a time conflict. I arrived Beijing in a late night because I had started my internship in California and I needed to complete my job before I can go. I gave my presentation very late because...it was arranged in the afternoon of the last day! The worst part of my experiment is that I was enforced to stay in Beijing for more than one and a half month after PLDI because I did not get my US visa......So technically, I expended six weeks for this PLDI, and just came back from it one month ago.....

But,
I would like say my PLDI experiment is so wonderful and special in my life! First of all, I gave a presentation in front of so many top CS researchers for the first time. Before the talk, I was so nervous about my language, my performance, and the possible hard questions after the talk. But finally I made it! It gave me much confidence that I realized I could do any hard things if I really prepared for that. Secondly, I got a chance to meet many researchers and students who I was so willing to meet with. Some of them gave me very nice comments after my talk, and some of them shared very wonderful/sad Ph. D. experiments with me. For them I would like to say that whether our rest of (Ph. D.) life is good or sad, we are all growing up and contribute to this exciting society. Finally, I can not express how excited I was when I met my parents and brothers after a three year foreign country study. In Chinese culture, those kind of feelings and relations can never be cut off, by whatever thousands of miles or 12 hours' time difference. Those will become the real motivation for the rest part of my life. 

Thanks for all these brought by PLDI'12. Now, the deadline for PLDI'13 is coming, and Ph. D.s like me are starting to fight for that. Those fighting will be ultimately transferred to the basic stones of the exciting IT world. Good luck, PLDI, and good luck, Ph. D.s. See you next year!

Feng