Scientist

Growing up, I always pictured being a scientist as a cool career path. I have the image of "mixing different chemicals" and "looking at cells" conjure up in my mind. Occasionally, I would imagine "blowing" things up in the lab too. The image of fuzzy hair scientist and Einstein fluffy hair and with tongue outstretched will play itself over and over. When I was in college, I imagined myself cloning "stuff", as it was the hype then when "Dolly" the sheep was cloned. 

However, nobody told me this was just pure delusion for a scientist. Yes, you do get to mix chemicals, look at cell under microscope, blowing things when experiments go wrong and cloning too. But, how long can you stare at cells under the microscope without your eyes gets tired and then again, how many times would you want to look at the same type of cell over and over again? Try counting chromosomes under the microscope or play catch-up with sperms when you want to count them on a slide; doing all while staring into two-eye piece, fancy, gazillion dollar equipement that limit your plain of view but zooming in to all the microscopic details. 

Then, I realised the saying publish or perish! What is that? I didn't want to be a writer or journalist? I want to have fun playing with my C₈H₁₀N₄O₂  + H₂O +C₄₇H₄₈N₃O₇S₂Na + C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁. I don't want to sit in front of the computer typing away or tucked in a corner in the library browsing through the journal. I don't think any scientist actually do that, that's why the journals in the library are always dusty and look brand new. But I love the cold, secluded floor that housed all those journals. It's a perfect place to run away from your boss and take a 2 hours long cat nap or shoot your video for Science blog! 

Apart from that, I never thought about having to look for money to play with all that. Never cross my mind that I have to face with headache and heartache writing grants after grants and being rejected countless time. I have spent countless nights thinking of how to impress my 'readers' about my fancy, meticulously thought up idea on I can determine how human migrate from Africa to South East Asia using saliva! Yes, your are right, SPITS! Well, thanks to Wilbur brothers invention, this simple idea I have, had just becomes more difficult to perform! 

Anyway, here I am, still sitting in front of my iMac, still try to decode all the mysteries in life which essentially just made up of 4 letters -A, T, C and G; out of the 26 letters in the alphabet! On that note, I should go back to staring my PC again and maybe, imagining myself giving the Nobel Prize speech to continue motivating me doing what I am doing!

P/S: The chemical formula on top is how I make my coffee in the lab (Caffeine + Water + Casein + Sucrose)! Oh now I am getting more sophisticated on how I make my coffee. I add  C₇H₈N₄O₂! That's Theobromine (at least that is one of the compound in it!)