3 weeks into new job

3 weeks into life as an associate and here's the findings:

(i) life is really slow for me; a fellow new colleague commented this:" i feel that i am being sheltered from the harsh realities of working life, it seems like they (the organization) are trying to nurture me as slowly as they can, and in the meanwhile, make sure that i grow up, slowly and steady...." hahaha... well, i think those words really reflect what i am thinking too...

(ii) prudent, and to be seen prudent, is the key for most govt departments, including mine. was supposed to take over the duties of a colleague, but yet, one of the the kep personnel refused to let me travel for the meeting, cos we dont need 2 staffing officers to go at the same time... then how am i supposed to learn?!

(iii) no traces of any office politics as yet. perhaps i am at the very bottom of the organization, so i dont appear as a threat to anyone yet. hahah... maybe all these politics will set in when i get a little higher up...

(iv) most of the colleagues are really nice =D
they usually try to help me whenever they can, probably becos of the fact that most of us are less than a year with the organization.

(v) signs of the "i-dont-know-as-it's-not-my-area-of-work" attitudes are slowly surfacing. and those words came from one of the head of one of the unit. omans, why ah? why is it that people tend to push their responsibilities to other units?