Thanks for your reply. I am trying to be positive. The reason I think she is mean is because the things I've heard from people and how she behaves.

I was working on some sequences with her on a program that we both are familiar with. As the student I kept quiet and let her do her thing. She got stuck and I tried to assist but she kept ignoring my suggestion. I was really trying to be polite because I didn't want to make her think that am looking down on her. I suggested like three times but to deaf ears. She went on and it still didn't work. Eventually she tried what I suggested and it worked but all she said was 'good for you'. Of course you can tell when this is said in a mean way.

E.g she is giving a student who just submitted her thesis a hard time telling her to clear her desk and locker for other people and yet this student is preparing for her viva next month. The worse thing is that we are not pressed for space and she could honestly just wait till January to start harassing her.

Its just annoying. I just want to learn how to work with her without loosing my cool.

Thanks for listening guys;-)

Guys I have a question,

How do you deal with a supervisor (not really my supervisor but a lecturer who is employed by my supervisor, my supervisor is too busy so I have to work with her)who assumes you are stupid and don't know anything. I just started my PhD but before that have been working in the same field for a while.
I didn't know what to say when she implied today that a fellow student should show me how to use pubmed and endnote. I was tongue-tie but so furious that she assumes I know nothing. :-s