stuff
I make an effort to get along with most of my colleagues. I try to understand that sometimes, they can be such a pain, but hey, they are just doing their job. So basically, there are times when i will join in the bitching about someone else and the next, I can be sitting with her in the pantry having a rather amicable conversation. And then i begin to wonder if i am being hypocritical. So, where do we draw the line between being civil, friendly, and being a hypocrite?
I know someone who makes list. Whose day goes by his list. And i get the feeling that he rejoices in being able to cross out each item on the list as the day progresses. I am not a follower to list or schedules. I have an unkempt lifestyle, i hate routines though i must say that I do take comfort in routines. I've tried the list way of living before but we didn't work out. Although i did feel very good upon completion of a list, after a while, i began to feel as if i am a robot engineered to complete lists! I started feeling mechanic and lost touch with myself. The list and i parted.
---------------------------
c. on ys: oh, that girl! She is the only person in the entire institute who took 30mins to decide on the size of her labcoat!!!Labels: life
pigu! mogu!
cute!!!!
grass is always greener...
the grass is always greener on the other side because we like to romanticize about the other side. We like to romanticize about something we do not have. that is what makes day dreaming so comforting. And so addictive. I wonder what is wrong with day dreaming, because i remember as a kid that teachers will always reprimand us for day dreaming. Just because we aren't paying attention, its day dreaming! I like day dreaming. That is why on some days i can wake up in the and laze in bed for about an hour or so, drifting in and out of sleep dreaming about the impossible. Its been quite a long time since i had the luxury to day dream.
Labels: life
romance
i have a friend who loves to read romance novels. I think its such a waste of time. Mushy romance stuff just isn't something i want to spend time on. really. Then, i realised that i like to watch romance movies. or so-called chick flicks. I like them! They are easy... they have a feel good factor cos there is always, i repeat, ALWAYS a happy ending. it makes me happy. At least for about 2 hours. So i guess its for the same reason why my friend reads romance. not becåuse she believes in it but rather, for the feel good factor i suppose. A book last longer than a movie so you get to live in that 'fairy tale' longer. Maybe i should try that out too.
Some fav films... the awakening film was 50 First Dates. Feels me with a complete fuzzy feeling. then i re-watched Claire Dane's and Leonardo's Romeo and Juliet. Just watched Closer which isn't that fairy tale but lends some perspective on love. Love the script.
When one doesn't believe in love anymore, books and films is a lovely way out.
Labels: films, life, love
fear
We live in an age of fear.
Butter is really bad for you, its fattening and therefore causes heart problems. Margarine is better. Oh wait, trans-fat has been shown to cause heart disease too!!
Milk is good for you. Its got the calcium which build bones, staving off osteoporosis. Milk builds strong bones and teeth, really good for the growing child too. But, aren't there reports linkin milk and cancer? Particularly IGF-1? Perhaps soy milk will be better.
guess what? I just read that "
Soy is linked to infertility, breast cancer, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and many other disorders."
forget it! to hell with all that. Just eat wat you want. like really, whatever!!
Labels: food
pain
“Very rarely is art something that can fall subject to reason. It is very subjective, and we are both the beauty and pain of that.” ... ...
Labels: art, dance
adapt or die??
i've been blog-surfing. it can get so addictive.
A few years ago, i joined a team for a marine conservation project in Sabah. Not because i was over-zealous about it, but rather, I wanted a break. My stand on conservation is rather... actually, I don't know what my stand is. You can say that i am agnostic about it. I don't believe in it. But i would like to. Still I don't.
Conservation is important for all the textbook reasons. Yet isn't life all about adaptation? If we screw up our environment, and our technology can't keep up... we run out of arable land, potable water etc etc, then fine, we go extinct. i don't know... i have friends who are environmental enthusiasts, and we tell me stuff like "isn't it sad if you descendants never get to see a real shark?" i've never seen a dodo and somehow, i don't feel as if life has short changed me in any way. I can live without it.
Back to sabah. I wanted to believe in conservation. I joined the expedition hoping to be convinced. I learned conservation is like communism. Good intentions but to carry it through? Might turn into a disaster. Just like
When Rubber Hits the Reefs. On the last day of the expedition, we stopped at a little island for lunch and such. And as I gazed into the water, I notice the amount of plastic bottles which littered the seabed. And i saw little fishes swimming all around and through them. As if it were their home. That looked like an adaptation to me. When the reefs are gone, its ok, we have the plastics. To be honest, its quite a sick thought to think that in future, there will be no longer any coral reefs. But people will still go diving to marvel at sea creatures making their home in plastic containers which their ancestors trashed into the sea years ago...
lost
I hate losing stuff.
I once spent a while 30mins looking for a pen cap to find it stuck on the other side of the pen.
I once lost an apple and griped about it for days.
and i think i might have misplaced my wallet. the thing is, i don't know if it is just misplaced at home, or if i dropped it on the streets. if its the former... i know that i will be able to find it if i search hard enough. Else, i am really very devastated. And i keep scratching my face, rubbing my eyes when i am agitated like this!
Labels: life
naked scientist
Found this article from here... kinda hilarious. Think i am a 1,2,6 combination. But considering that i have been hanging around labs for a few years.. maybe not so much of a 6 huh? I do change my clothes, just that i honestly hate small talk, i hate cheery good mornings and i like to work late cos there is nobody. ANd i definitely know someone who sounds like a #4!! hahaha
In scientific research most of the major stresses are outside our control; we cannot influence factors such as referee opinions, funding applications or difficult experiments, so really there is no point in worrying about them (seriously there isn't). I want to suggest that a major cause of stress in our lives is the people we work with. In most labs there are people who misuse equipment and others who take the last tube of reagent and don't reorder. As for our bosses - enough said! They are either locked in an office writing grant applications or they are peering over our shoulders asking stupid questions like "have you got any results to show me?"This article illustrates the kind of scientist you might encounter in a lab. Understanding how your colleagues think and behave is useful, and in observing their Achilles heel you know what to expect when things get stressful. There is also a strong possibility you may recognise yourself too, so beware!
1. Weird and Whacky
Consider the "mad scientist" of popular fiction, someone so obsessed with their subject that they forget to dress and show up to the lab in their pyjamas. Without wishing to indulge in stereotypes there are scientists who are highly creative and imaginative, it's just that you do wonder when the Mother Ship is going to come and collect them. On a good day they are self sufficient, enjoy thinking laterally and are great at finding ingenious ways of tackling a difficult piece of research. On a bad day they are withdrawn, uncommunicative and wearing their corduroy bellbottoms for the 400th consecutive day. They hate small talk and that includes a cheery "Good Morning" so they normally end up working the grave yard shift simply to avoid people. It is quite common for their group leaders to think these scientists have left and gone to work elsewhere.
2. The Charm Offensive
These scientists are wonderfully charming, very dynamic and successful; and they'll never tire of telling you so. They form collaborations easily and will network with all the major research minds in the field until they have got themselves noticed. We may think they are smarmy and lacking scientific rigour but these guys can work a conference like a politician at a convention. Charm Offensive scientists become stressed by the threat of being "pipped at the post" by the perceived competition. Under competitive circumstances they really turn up the pressure and while they imagine they are being motivating and encouraging, others in the group who are in the unfortunate position of working for them may wonder if galley slaves really did have it this good!
3. Pride and Prejudice
Here we have a brilliant scientist with a sharp analytical mind, a born sceptic who will think through every experiment to the n'th detail. They test every parameter and always include controls! They have a tendency to think they are the best but in reality they are tedious spooks who trust nobody. Unlike Dr. Charm, they don't collaborate mainly because they don't actually trust people and are scared they might be cheated. Bearing in mind that the average collaboration is going to be instigated by a Dr. Charm this may not be a bad strategy. If they feel that someone is trying to get one over on them or undermine them then this heightens the mistrust. They become very controlling and secretive and start building a secret store of their own reagents: so that's where they go - in case you're wondering.
4. Moaning Minnie
Every lab has one of these guys, a great sense of humour and a biting wit. Actually, make that raging sarcasm; they loathe everybody but are just far too passive to say or do anything directly. They are very good at trouble shooting and their insight makes them very good at spotting the mistake that needs to be rectified. In other words, since they won't point out your faults, they spot the flaws in your work and deliver their verdict under the guise of "constructive criticism". Of course they never clear up after themselves but will throw a hissy fit if they find equipment in a "dirty" state until they realise they were the last people to use it. They will tolerate an unpleasant job or a vicious boss and whinge for years but they will not change their situation. It's taken them years to get this miserable and they'll be dammed if they are going to try and be happy.
5 Perfectly Serious
This is another scientist with really high exacting standards and for whom the words "good enough" are an insult. They expect nothing less than perfection from you or themselves. They produce high quality work and pay meticulous attention to detail and will work long hours with very little time for fun and enjoyment. You may actually hear them say "my job is my hobby." Yes these are the sad souls who work late in the lab, have few friends and no social life. Their bench will be spotless; every tube labelled accurately in minute writing and their lab books will be properly catalogued with an index.
6 The Social Scientist
These people probably don't last too long in the lab since the insular environment and lack of social life is a big downer for these guys. They are "Party People", they love social interaction, and the Friday night trip to the pub for two pints of "Old Peculiar" and an informal lab meeting is not their idea of a good time. In the lab they will talk to everybody and know everybody's business. They are great listeners and know all the relevant and juicy gossip, and with a Dr Charm there will be gossip! They are helpful to the point of their own inconvenience. In fact months can go by before they get round to doing their own work. They hate to be ignored or criticised - if this happens they then become even more emotional and get very excitable. They are prone to tantrums and sulks and will throw things about the room so those safety goggles will be useful after all!
Mixing and Matching.
So who gets on with whom? In theory the Charm Offensive scientist will be able to schmooze his way round everybody, he is charming and will effortlessly mix and mingle. The reality is most people think he is an egotistical Casanova with a scant grasp of morality. Dr Pride will loathe him, she doesn't trust all that smooth talking baloney. Moaning Minnie is secretly envious of his success. She knows his flaws and can't wait to see him fall on his face. She and Dr Pride spend countless hours planning a vicious end to Dr Charm, normally something involving the Phenol waste. However the sociable social scientist thinks he is great fun and they will probably spend many a happy hour drinking and gossiping in the bar. In reality he is filching her ideas and getting her to do his research for him! Dr. Perfect and Dr Weird will get on well together. They are going to be working late anyway and will toil harmoniously in the quiet solitude of the lab conversing in their native Klingon.
Research Heaven and Research Hell
Every one of the scientists mentioned will bring richness to a research group. You need the ingenious ideas of Dr. Weird, and the razor sharp mind of Dr Pride. Dr. Charm knows how to get the best from people. Dr. Moan is essential for trouble shooting problems. The helpful cheeriness of Dr. Sociable will keep the group happy and the high standards of Dr. Perfect will ensure that the lab is committed to excellence...
OK, that was the Fairytale research group. The reality goes something like this:
It is time to apply for a major grant; it is a time for focus and hard work, so stress levels are up. Dr Perfect becomes even more obsessed than usual, and starts doing ritualistic things like switching off all the electrical equipment since he has a fear of fire. As a result he switches off a critical gel of Moaning Minnie's (well she didn't leave a laminated "please leave on" note on the apparatus). This "catastrophe" according to Minnie, sets her work back 6 weeks (2 days actually) and causes whinging on a scale of Wagnerian proportions, behind Dr. Perfect's back of course. Dr Pride gets suspicious of Dr. Perfect and his strange "switching off" behaviour and Dr. Moan is just a bit too jittery; she figures they could sabotage her work. So she starts locking her lab book in the drawer, hides away the enzyme stocks and relabels all her solutions in a secret code only she will understand. Dr Sociable senses the disquiet, tries to calm everyone down and organises a trip to the pub. No one shows up. This she sees as a rejection and after everything she has done for this group she bursts into tears and starts throwing beakers. Dr. Weird stopped talking three days ago; he is now secured in the dark room and is refusing to come out. Things finally hit the buffers when the police arrive looking for Dr Charm; seemingly he has absconded to the Bahamas with the Head of Section's wife and a large sum of money siphoned off from the research grant! Welcome to Research Group Hell!
About the Author
Mary O'Neill has previously worked as a molecular biologist in Leeds and Edinburgh. She is now training as a psychotherapist and is teaching at a further education college in Edinburgh.
Labels: geek
