Days with alien, epi 6

Yesterday, we had a spring clean in the lab.

Heard that the OHS will be coming for a visit, that's why will have to do something to make the lab looks tidier and cleaner.

And you know what is so surprising?

When I asked Alf's help to just inform the alien again to throw her biohazard waster to level 4 autoclave room...what is Alf's respond? He said that it's because we did not inform and talk with the alien before, that's why the alien did not know where to throw.

Oh, is that so? When the alien was in for the first month, I had asked the alien to throw her waste in the biohazard plastic bag and if it's full, then take up to level 4 autoclave room to throw.

And what's the alien answer yesterday? She answered Alf that she indeed tried to put up to level 4, but the autoclave room WAS LOCKED! Oh, since when the autoclave room locked? I had even tried to put waste at 11pm at night, and the room still on as always. What an excuse that she tried to put up for Alf... Anyhow, since Alf unsure if the autoclave room was locked, he just let the alien be?! Well, yesterday, luckily he manage to asked the alien to throw her biohazard waste to level 4...I had already gave up talking with the alien. I did not speak alienly language!

Today, the alien was not in! Well, at least until this moment. How nice it is, when the alien was not in the lab. The lab become so peaceful and harmony. Well, suppose SBK had to take back the lab key and just ask her to apply the key via the school. Due to a lot of pampering from SBK, the alien becoming more and more severe in her attitude problem!

Days with alien, epi 5

You know, I got updates for everybody.

Today, we had a lab meeting in Lab 3317 and all the members in working in this lab attended it.

When we were saying that we would like to get this open, since nobody admitted that he or she did it, then we don't mind to get it out.

Then, out of the blue, she (the alien) uttered something to the 2 lectures as in ' It MIGHT been ME who DID it, because I am the last one who USED it. If it's GETS burned in a FEW seconds...'

Hmm.....what did the alien trying to point out? It happened and she unaware of burning it and after it was burned, she claimed that she don't know who did it?

Wow, such a good answer in defending... Such denial words from the alien mouth wasn't surprise at all!!!

When S.B.K asked the alien to fill in the report form, she only acted as the person who report it, not as the person who did it. In the explanation column, the alien only pointed out all might and might be, not admitting it at all! The worst is, S.B.K bind it and let the alien just submit the form like that!

Before the lab meeting, I receive information from Mr CCB that the lab auditors are coming and asked us to keep the lab clean n tidy to avoid any frustration. After that, I asked if he aware of anything happened to the lab, because yesterday (11/3) S.B.K already seen the burn mark and he suppose to report it within 24 hours. (Which he didn't because it was very obvious that he was still thinking whether he should report or just keep the incident hidden as it was from the well known troublesome n problematic student!)

As accidents sometimes, can't be avoided, all of us in the lab weren't upset because of something burned! We were d@mn upset because this superbly problematic alien didn't even have any intention to admit it. The alien just said might be her...so, you can see, how ignorance and arrogant Alien is..when answering.

I would like the alien not holding the lab key anymore...but it seems like it is impossible. SBK didn't mentioned anything regarding to the holding of lab key. He only warned the alien not to work alone, and must have senior or lecturer as buddy when work during off office hours and weekend. The worst part was, when we were being told that she will be in the lab for 6 more weeks! D@mn it. I felt very (dulan) even for 1 more day!

Both the alien supervisors are playing kicking the ball and passing it around! The supervisor 1 (C.C) and Supervisor 2 (SBK) keep on saying that the alien isn't their registered student. C.C said SBK is the supervisor, hence, he had to decide whether to let the alien keeping the key or not. SBK said to us in the lab, when we had keep on complaining about the alien that C.C is the main supervisor, he is just the c0-supervisor. So, the decision had to be done by C.C. (I meant last time when we tried to ask SBK to remove her to other lab.) Surprisingly, the alien still will be in the uni.

I had this intuition that the alien will graduate and surprisingly with a super good result also. Whereby I doubted it, and I am suspecting money is the culprit. Well, I had no evidence, but the alien alliances, whom now repeating the basic microbiology after failing it on last year...will graduate even if the alliances failed the basic microbiology again...

Well...?! With money, you can move a mountain!!!

Such a supervisor... ==

Why the hell that my supervisor S.B.K always want to ask me what do you think is wrong?

If I know what is wrong, I guess I already had the result and need not to report the bad news of no result isn't it?

I had tried to troubleshoot one by one to reduce the possibility of loosing any results, but yet, he still can ask me, what do you think is wrong? I am not the PCR thermal cycler, I am not the sample, I am not the reagent, I am not the enzyme, I am just an ordinary person, trying to do RESEARCH! What do you think I would know what is wrong if the PCR previously had result and now did not produce the same result?

If research is so straight forward, I guess it would not be named RE-SEARCH? I guessed it should be name as HAD-SEARCH?! WTH!!!!

I felt totally speechless and so frustrated when being agitated by this kind of reaction given to me by the supervisor. My previous lady boss is far much more better...I think near to perfect... to handle this kind of situation. I myself also desperately needed some result, as I know I had to prepare for a presentation soon... Hence, I tried to troubleshoot as much as possible by myself as among the other HDR students...just to get back the results...

How would you felt if your supervisor said, are you sure you did the correct PCR? Ok, if I only tried once, it might be my problem of not getting the PCR product, but these were more than 3 times, until I felt of wasting of reagents to keep on trying. I had narrow up the trial to limit the wastage of reagents. Yet, still want to emphasize that this kind of molecular work, very straight forward, suppose to get result easily... (C'mon, if it's easy, do you think it is even worth to work as master project? Might as well do as a third year project for 3 months!!!) I am so disappointed when hearing this supervisor saying such a thing as in, 'How come you could lost the product via the gel extraction?) I don't know...Maybe the gel extraction kit not reliable, because it was not only me alone whom could not get the required product, some in the same lab experienced the same! or Maybe I do not have the luck and the magic hands that can make everything working fine?!

But what the heck as in S.B.K asked me that have you done this kind of molecular work before...asn in doing PCR and as well as to gel extraction? Wow...what do he want to hint me? Indeed my project at my ex-uni wasn't focusing on molecular, but I started to work with Stc on year 2007 and she and Angl as well as the rest did shown me and taught me a lot before they left! So, he's now questioning me, whether is it because I am first time in doing PCR? WTF!!!

I felt, it's like no point to keep on following such a supervisor, even if he is expert in molecular as well as bioinformatics (in fact, he always wanted to do the bio-informatics analysis and always pushing me for that). I definitely wanted to finish my work fast and produce the result fast as well as to graduate fast...But heck, you think it is that easy to do lab work?! He, himself is a PhD grad and hasn't he been through all these? I suppose, he do more dry lab than wet lab? or Did he born with the magic hands as well as been blessed with the luck? If that's the case, can he donate the luck to me?! ==" @&$#*$^@&*$^*

Days with alien, epi 4 (super invasion!)

I might make it sounds so serious, but heck, indeed serious for me...at least!

I was surprised when Alf told me one shocking news...

What was the news?!

Alf said, around hour 15++, Wednesday 10th of March 2010...the alien called him... asking for S.O.S

Alright...you did not read wrongly... it was indeed S.O.S!!!!

What did the alien did?

Can you make a wild guess?

The photo above just shown the lab arrangement, like nothing special...except...do notice that there was a masking tape plastered onto the bench upper column. What did the masking tape doing there? Well, obviously it was to cover up something...

Take a look at this photo below...

Can you spot the different? The burn mark?! The masking tape was used to cover this thingy...

And surprisingly....How did the alien did it?

The alien told Alf, that it was not there this morning, and she did not know how it happened! More over, she almost wanted to blame the other honours student in the lab, but she failed because the other honours student did not needed the flame at all for her project! So, to make life easier, so Alf answered if it was not You that had done that, meaning it was either me, WC or Ice! She immediately replied as in WC and Ice does not have the possibility using that flame and caused this burn.... (As clever as she trying to cover her own crime, her guilt already shown so obviously!!!)

See the view of the burn mark from below to the top...

The plastic at the edge of the bench upper column all melted...and would you felt weird as in the alien did not smell plastic burning? Oh, I forgot to mentioned that there is a possibility that the alien has no ability to smell, due to having a ring pierced and the alien smoke heavily until she can be hospitalised because of bronchitis! I doubted that she can smell, and even beta-mercaptanol is not superb smelly and irritating for her...

I am guessing that this burning happened when both WC and I were away for demo today from 1400-1700. Can you imagine she might have the possibility of burning the whole lab, if this was not a working day?!

Oh, did I mentioned that this alien did her PCR with the flame on, as in she needed the aseptic condition for her pipetting so that it would not be contaminated by the air?

Do not ask me why, I do not know where this alien learned the technique from. How did this alien manage to graduate from the Uni and holding 20% scholarship for enrolling in Honours in the Uni still a mystery. In addition, one of the lecturer even claimed that she recognised the alien, and the alien failed her unit! (So, do you wonder how on earth the alien can graduate from the Uni and attended convocation, plus, the alien has 20% scholarship offered for Honours enrolment!)

I do not want to risk my life working with such an alien. I am going to report this incident together with Alf and WC.

The alien should not be even allowed to do laboratory work, since the alien only has tentacle-like clothing all around and the alien specifically dislike having lab coat. I guess is either Malaysia temperature is too hot hor the alien to wear a lab coat in an air-conditioned lab, or the alien just wanted to show off the alienly tentacle-like clothing! Oh...the alien has long hair...and frizzy hair...I guess the alien wanted to show off the large brunch of the frizzy hair?!

Pizza Uno

Oh...on the same day (5th March), KYan, WC and me went out to lunch/tea with Chels at Secret Recipe in Sunway Pyramid.

What was kind of surprising was that, when WC having her baked fish...she shouted to us that the fish was not cook! So all of us take a loot, and indeed the fish was raw in the middle and we asked for a refund of the dish. We did not proceed to exchange a new one, due to we had to rush plus WC do not know what to get. So, we cancelled order and after that we head off back to uni.

Then...we had dinner at Pizza Uno, USJ Taipan. Well, both WC and I were late due to waiting for the autoclave to be done and pour plates before we drive out for the dinner. At Pizza Uno, I ordered Aglia Olio, Iced Mocha and WC order for a baked pasta and Sparkling apple and summer berries juice (330ml). As what was written in the menu....

Why I needed to be specific in the name and also the amount of volume? Haha...Read the followings and you'll notice.

Alf and the rest... (YQi,LiLian,Nichole,Jing,Junie,Carolyn) had had their meal and when both me and WC arrived, they were dining a pizza for sure. What was to our surprise is that the pizza was soggy in the middle. It does not seems to be the usual pizza...so, Alf asked the captain to exchange the pizza. And the captain explained that the pizza was soggy because of the pineapple. Oh well, other pizza outlets also served pineapple pizza, and why it was not soggy? Then the captain further explain as in the kitchen did not manage to dry the newly opened canned pineapple because they did not realised that they had just ran out of pineapple. So, they proceed baking pizza with not fully drained and dried pineapple. That's why the pizza was soggy. If the PIzza Uno were to replace a new pizza, the captain asked us to maybe exchange to another type which do not have pineapple. So, like it or not, they had to accept it.

Meanwhile, over here at WC's side, I noticed a different when Junie asked the content of the juice. I mentioned should have apple and berries taste, due to the name sparkling apple and summer berries... I immediately taken a sip to try out the juice...and to my surprise, the juice does not seems to be right. Well, what wrong? When Junie and Carolyn read out the ingredients of the juice at the labels, I notice no berries were mentioned! And, I even looked carefully in the bottle label...and OMG! I saw that the volume written was 275ml and the menu given (330ml) description. So, I quickly asked the captain to explain why the different and I immediately felt cheated. What was written in the menu was totally different from the product given. So, he explained that it was different brand and it was also a different product from the initial order that WC wanted. Oh...if you were in this situation, what would you think? Frankly speaking, the person who had taken our order should had to inform us that the original brand stated in the menu was no longer available and they had switched to another new brand. More over, they should had also inform us, in case the waiter forgotten to explain to us, that the bottle of juice they served us was from different brand and different from the menu, and just kindly asked if we would still like to proceed with the order?

I am really so freaking felt cheated. So, I keep on repeating to the captain, I felt CHEATED! He then politely said, please do not say like that, and he will inform the boss to kindly change the menu and also for informing the customer in the future. So...what he can do right now was to refund the product given, and it will be a FOC item. Well, that's much better. (I might sounds like I am very demanding and acted such as a barbarian, but I fight for my consumer rights. If everyone fight for their own rights, those business man/woman will not be so daring to cheat customers!) Hmm, I also wondered, if it's alright for the restaurant to charge up to RM1 for a sky juice. If we(I mean a lot of us joining that dinner) do not mistaken, the government did mentioned something as in the impose charges for sky juice cannot more than 50 cents. So, what do you think?

Taken the front page of the Pizza Uno menu...

This was the so-called sparkling apple and summer berries without the summer berries juice... ==" WTF.... Baked pasta.....I like the cheesy taste, though...

The aglio olio...I felt it was too salty for me...(that's why I put more chilli flakes) Alf the 'taiko' briefing on how to survive 'demo-ing' in the Uni...Lolz...

5th March-Stc Bday

Yesterday...it was Dr Stc's birthday.

Me and WC suppose to attend meeting with her every Friday...and we initially did not plan to meet her up, due to not having any results yet, plus we felt it was kind of rush to meet her. Some how, both WC and I had set reminder that 5th of March was her birthday, and we panic!

Well, at last, we planned to buy a cake to send to her, after her meeting at office. We asked KLeong to help to spy for us, and to inform us when the meeting was over. KYan, WC and I bought a mocha cake for her (hopefully she is ok with it) and we rushed back to uni to fetch Alf. All of us were rushing and coincidently it was raining and getting heavier as we approached TylrCol.

While KYan and Alf getting the cake prepared, WC and I enter the office just to delay her leaving time and we talked a bit regarding to our project...and...

All of a sudden...

Alf and Kyan and also Ade Yong came in singing Happy Birthday...LOLZ...

You should see her expression...she was shocked yet she was speechless as well as she initially kind of frustrated on why both WC and I took such a late slot to meet her.

Well, thanks to Ade Yong for snapping the pictures...and here we go...

She kindly and politely asked Ade Yong to spend her free time to treat us a coffee break, but due to all of us were rushing and we agreed to just make a gathering at some other time...

song-wan-ist?!

Hmm, so sorry for disappearing for couple of days.

I found out that this show 'gag 姐' was kind of funny yet telling out the fact of life!

Look at one of the example when she mentioned 'songwanist'

I felt it did point out the fact that people nowadays like to have fun, but will not know the consequences. Moreover, those that who did plays too extremely...

I can't help but agree with her that some of the games are too 'song' and they were acting like 'brainless' games. Pointless, meaningless, non-benefiting and also humiliating. I just can't understand, why people have to do something like they will felt fun when seeing people being humiliated! Sigh...I guess people and society nowadays getting psycho...

No...! NOT that I want to say that I am so righteous, but at least, come to my mind that we need not to do such games to entertain ourselves.

Maybe I am old-fashion, not open-minded, not fully civilised?! But, at least, I know the limitation.

Those of my friends, you might be in the 'songwanist' category, but hopefully, you will realise that if you enjoy seeing people doing stuff and games like this...there will be one day, the vicious cycle comes back to you, and people will be enjoying seeing you being humiliated...