IT & I

I could not remember when did they begin to associate IT so tightly with me.

It probably began when I offered to help setup projectors and school's awful PCs.

When I offered the first help, I wasn't even aware of what many of the buttons on the projector remote control were supposed to do. The help offered was on a goodwill, and desire to hasten lectures so that they wont go beyond their time limits, which may in turn deprive me of my toilet breaks. Of course, skills come with experience. Projector setup did not become a problem soon enough.

School PCs are another story. They were awful and they still are awful. It took me an hour to print just 4 pages last week, having to go through 5 PCs, 4 printers and 3ELLs.

Somehow, I was said to be extremely good in IT and people came after me with many questions and problems. I didn't mind. Helping is good. And I get to learn a few things on the side. Soon enough, I even started looking for viruses in people's computers because the real expert has become sort of unavailable, both time and person.

Whatever it is, I wasn't an IT expert. I am still not an IT expert.

I profess an interest in gadgets. I admit my fancies for Apple products. I may have helped many people in their computer-related problems.

But I am not an IT expert.

When I was supposed to take pictures as a 'silent potato' (as they call in Malay), its OK. I am silent most of the time, especially in front of people that I am not well acquainted, people that I dislike so much, people that I secretly admire :-$, and during meetings which I don't have additional opinions to make. It is also true that most of those in the silent potatoes group don't make noise in the public (as evident in the last meeting). Taking photos in lab coats is less fine, but still acceptable for me. Asking me to pose like an IT expert is too much.

I feel like I'm becoming a geek in no time. Now have I realised that I am the computer geek in most people's eyes.

The association of IT and I had also nearly changed my research project for this semester.

Apparently, someone (which I have yet to identify) mentioned me as an IT expert in a certain e-PBL, causing the e-PBL facilitator, who happens to be my current research supervisor, to ask me if I had wanted to do 3D QSAR work instead of plant extraction. The supervisor for the 3D QSAR project had also came to meet me to see because he thought I had a genuine interest in it.

Sorry, I said. I am more interested in trying plant extraction.

You can still ask me about computer-related problems. I will try my best to help.

But please do not call me an IT expert. I don't know C, Java, and so many things. I can't even do a proper flash movie.

Don't embarrass me in front of the real experts. Please.