That's probably the best way to describe my 'boss'. Initially, I've planned to write a very long and nasty post but being a wiser man now, I know how time can help heal stuff so I took the higher road and let Father Time do his job.
However, I would still like to comment on a few stuff. I have to admit my supervisor has changed a lot recently (for the better of course). However, sometimes....the character that we all hate so much will creep back, somehow. I had a torrid time when I first join his lab but later, when I learnt to cope with his character, life was then much easier. At times, the words that he uses are just too blunt although he probably meant otherwise.
Knowing he would probably make a comment on my recent absence from the lab (due to the time spent at the hospital caring for my grandma), I tried my best to avoid seeing him so there wouldn't be a scene. Being a result-orientated person that he is, I took the opportunity of all the spare time I had especially during the recent long weekend holidays (and also the one before) and countless tiring nights to complete my analytical work so that he would be happy to see results and not make my absence into something which is not. However, we unfortunately met in the lab earlier today and as predicted, his blunt comment came. I promised myself earlier to just follow the route I've always used - to just smile and swallow the bitter words he uttered - but due to the emotional roller-coaster I've just gone through and the sacrifice of my much needed holidays just to please him, I had to let him know he was wrong to judge me that way. However, after a few rounds, I stopped myself and ignored him before I was dropped as his student.
Throughout the day, I felt crappy. He must understand that not seeing someone in the lab, does not mean he is not working. There's always the time when you are not around that people are working. Other students will only work during office hours or on working days just to show that they are working but I'm not that type of person. In the evening, he dropped by the lab and saw me washing up some glassware (and probably realised I was actually working). I just ignored him just so I wouldn't get pissed off and probably get my butt kicked-out of USM. Suddenly, I realised he was calling me repeatedly. He wanted to know if I've collected my keychain souvenier that he brought back from Bali. I told him I didn't and I chose the hat. He looked sort of 'concerned' that I didn't get my keychain and questioned my labmate about it. I explained that I was fine with not having the keychain since I have just too many of them already! He walked off to go home only to come back and remind me to help out in planning for our new wet lab facility. Only then did I realise that he still does value my contribution to the lab and it reminded me that the incident this morning was just a flash of his old character and not to take it to heart.
There are still some matters that I would want to point out such as not compensating me for my tutoring the lab classes (which he did the previous time) and also not wanting to give me a copy of the photos I took for him during the recent seminar but I'll keep them for another day. Today, I'm feeling better already and I don't want to spoil my mood spending more time on these stuff.
P/S Thanks to those who 'volunteered' to listen to me rant about this and probably kept some of you behind (later than you would probably have wanted) in doing so. Really appreciate it...
