Data Collection.

I didn't post anything here last month, because... well, I just didn't feel like posting anything. Things did happen last month, but they were all overshadowed by a lingering feeling of despair and hopelessness that hung over me like stratus clouds when it came to my research. I barely got anything done in March.

But now I'm sort of back to feeling like my life has meaning again. It's been less than a week into April, but it already feels like I've done a lot, and there's even more to come.

I spent the first morning of the month in Shah Alam, meeting up with most of the Rawang team (plus a couple of new faces) to firstly give away free drinks to people jogging by the lake, and then making our way to an orphanage where we were met with the chaos that comes with squeezing thirty 4-to-6-year-olds in one small area. Straight after we were done there, I had to rush back to KL as I had to attend a meeting for an event which I'm part of the committee for.

A few days later, I had another early start, only this time I was headed to Melaka to carry out a pilot study for my research. I just so happened to have a former classmate from Rembau who fit the criteria for my required respondents, and thankfully she was very accommodating and showed me a level of hospitality above and beyond any reasonable expectations. She even helped me get more respondents until I met my quota of five, which was nice. It meant, among other things, that I was able to spend the whole of the next day chilling at home instead of having to worry about getting more respondents. I wish her all the best in her business and in life.

Now I'm making plans for the next stage of my research: the dreaded data collection. I'll have to go to Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis to get about 300 respondents, and the current plan is to do it all in one go and in that order. That would realistically mean that I'll be out on the road for more than a couple of weeks, assuming I stay in each state for three to four days.

There's also the possibility of the upcoming general election being held during my data collection, which would mean that I'd probably have to do something dramatic/crazy/stupid like taking a quick flight back to KL to exercise my right to vote, and then heading straight back to continue my research. Now that would be some story.

Judging by my experience in Melaka, the data collection process is likely to be strenuous, and one of my supervisors keeps telling me that I shouldn't expect it all to be plain sailing. She's right, of course, but that doesn't mean I should spend all my time feeling terrible about it. Whatever happens, happens, I suppose. Nothing to it but to do it, as they say.

One thing I've decided to do to make the trip more bearable is vlog it. I'm not really sure how much footage I'll be able to get or how good it'll be, but hopefully the whole video-making process will help keep me sane. Making videos, and particularly shooting and editing them, is something I genuinely enjoy and have missed doing. In among all the negativity that the awfulness of collecting data and being away from home for so long is bound to bring, there is a bright beacon of hope and joy that comes from being able to also use the trip to make videos. The prospect of making videos again has gotten me all excited for the trip now. I'm going out to get new tripods and stuff as soon as I can.

(I do realize that people do 'mini-vlogging' these days through 'stories' on social media, but I can't really get with that. Stories aren't as lasting as proper videos, and require little to no editing. The difference between stories and proper vlogs is the same as it is between instant meals and proper ones. True enjoyment is in the preparation.)

It's going to be a big month for me, and hopefully I can get all the data collection done by the beginning of May, at the very latest by the time Ramadan starts. Following that, it shouldn't take me too long to publish the vlogs. It's eminently doable, and I will try my best to make it so.