This is my third attempt at publishing this blog. Why you ask?? Hmmmm.. Very good question, quite timely and precise! Well folks, it sadens me to tell you that lady luck is not on my side these few days. My career has suffered a great blow. I know Graduate Assistanship hardly qualifies as a career, but still it is what I have been occupying myself with for the past year and a half, and as a result, my nagging skills and techniques have grown sharper than ever, so GA, by all means, qualifies as a career! With my previous GA supervisor, I used to work in a private research lab, CRPH, Center for Research on Population Health. We used to be around eight girls, always occupied with something. Whenever you'd go in, all you would hear is the sound of shuffling of paper, and ofcourse the continuous frantic tapping on keyborads with our illuminated faces staring at blinking monitors, some for purposes of actual research, and others for the delight chatting on msn with yoru friends brings, especially in a work environment. I belonged to the latter group of people, of course! I did research, but I also chatted, and blogged, and listened to music. In short, I multi-tasked! I did have my privilages there. It was like being a member of an elitist club. Plenty of resources to use and abuse, and I must admit, I did my share of using, not abusing though! Instead of cigars and fine wine, there was the printer, a photocopy machine, and a phoneline.

I felt like I was in some teacher's lounge at Hravard, but quite devoid of all
the intellectual discussions that might take place there.

Those were the days. Then the semester came to an end. My GA contract was renewed, naturally, but my supervisor has changed. A move that I didn't realize would cost me my distinguished seat at the CRPH, a three wheeled black leather seat that I was and still am willing to fight for and hold on to just as tight as our highly regarded president clings to his presidential chair. Unfortunately, my new supervosir is not on good terms with the professor in charge of the CRPH lab. Come think of it, I am not sure he was so keen on having me there to begin with. Whenever he went into the lab, he would fire glances at me, satanic looks that seemed to be drenched with hatered and resentment for my very existance. Could it be the music that would be playing EVERY single time he happened to be there, or maybe the sudden alerts I got from all the popping chat windows. Regardless, I didn't have to report to him, he was not my supervisor. So anyways, seems my chances of getting back into the lab are dwindling by the day, so yseterday I went to collect my 'box'. You know in Hollywood movies, whenever they let an employee go, they usually get this box, where they put all there personal belongings, mugs, pictures, papers, calender, a stapler (usually it belongs to the office!)- and because simply you wouldn't see a day coming when you will actually have to vacate, and so you make your office just a tiny bit less comfortable than your own home.

Until recently I have been carrying my things around the faculty to settle somewhere. Most of the time, I end up in the faculty's computer lab, a place for commoners, where all people share one printer, talk, make sounds with their chewing gums, a place where MSN is not installed, web MSN is blocked and I can't even right-click on my mouse for 'security' issues! Worst of all, the internet there is extremely slow, which explains why I have failed to publish this entry earlier. But today I got an idea. My supervisor's office has an extra desk, and with the wireless internet all around campus, I have set up my new desk! Access to her office is not an issue as I can get the keys from the librarian anytime I want. My desk is situated next to a window with a view, some plants too, and a hand weaved canvas hanging on the wall facing me. The only disadvantage is that it gets pretty warm in here sometimes, but it is a low price to pay for the refuge I got in Room 318, my new headquarters!