Wednesday, March 30

Ooops ... I've neglected this webpage ... a little too long. My bad. Guess you could say I've been prioritizing things. Let's see ... February was a blur. Busy with work and applying for school were the priorities. Yes, you heard correctly -- applying for school. Silly me has been contemplating 'higher learning'. Guess I'm in a funk ... want to do a little more than dispense medications for a living. I did enjoy the work I did at the hospital but felt it was a little too dry for me. Need to have more skills to 'kick it up a notch' and do more clinical work.

What else has been on the agenda? In March ... I have been logging in a lot of hours as of late. On the weekend of the 12th-13th, I was called in last minute to work over at SDM. The boss had pneumonia -- she was sounding horrible. Since I'm the only unmarried 'regular' part-time pharmacist there, I went in. It's a good thing -- it was busy on that Saturday morning, but quiet in the afternoon and on the Sunday. I then had to work the following weekend (my turn) but luckily, I split it with Lydia. Had to only work the Sunday portion for that weekend but had to work the Saturday portion of the following weekend. It was good to have that one day off -- having to work a long streak can wear away at the spirit.

I was speaking to a few friends ... we're meeting up for a huge Acura meet April 9th at Woodbine Acura. They anticipate 100 cars to show up. I'm gonna get some mods done while I'm there -- new suspension setup. There will be people from Michigan attending, which is cool.

Another year wiser?

Wednesday, April 6

Well ... it's official ... I'm finally OLD. Hit the big 3-0 the other day and let me tell you ... I feel totally the SAME! Don't know if it's a psychological thing or not but really ... what's the difference between 20-something and hitting 30? Not a heckuva lot! Well, it could be a gender issue. I sum it up as not having a 'clock' ticking in my head. Time is on my side (or so I think!)

Despite having to work on my actual b'day, I did get a few surprise phone calls and e-mails. I got a phone call at 10AM from Singapore. Ai Vee gave me a very welcome surprise at work. Happy to hear from her -- she gave me a run for my money. Took me a few moments to figure out who I was talking to. Even colleagues were perplexed when I wished them a goodnight at the end of the conversation. Also got some calls from Farah and Jane (!).

Had a family and close friends dinner on Saturday over at New Kirin. A good time was had. We all went back to my house for desserts. Man Tou was super happy seeing all these fresh new faces. I'm sure he was well fed that evening. Since I'm officially old, I'm not as excited getting presents like I was when I was younger. In fact, the presents I got myself (ie parts for my car) were more exciting to order than actually getting them. I have to wait until this upcoming Saturday to get the last piece of the puzzle. I'm getting my suspension changed up (again) at Woodbine Acura in Toronto.

Speaking of which ... there's a HUGE meet at Woodbine Acura that same Saturday. I'll go in early and then check things out later in the morning. Hopefully my car will be serviced by noon (when they provide lunch) so I can park my car out with all the other cars. Might have to 'reserve' a spot, so to speak. One-hundred cars are expected. The media will be there to cover the big spring event.

Still have to complete all my mods. I did a quick wash / Zaino yesterday morning. Took me close to an hour to take off the trunk emblem to my car. I don't know where the AA batteries are in the house. My digital camera was dead otherwise I would have taken pics of the process. Want to clean the trunk again today before I put on the 'H emblem' tonight. Just need to order some center caps for the rims and my JDM conversion will be complete. =)

Wednesday, April 20

Had a busy weekend a couple weekends ago. Drove up to Toronto for a big car meet up at Woodbine Acura. A lot of cars showed up ... not sure as to the exact numbers but there were quite a few tricked out cars. I arrived early to get some mods installed (new springs and shocks). Luckily, I'm a regular customer there and got a good price on stuff.

Glad to see people as far east as Montreal and west as Lansing, MI. We were out in the sun for far too long and the cool temps gave me the illusion that I was doing OK outside. My 'Asian' skin didn't provide me as much protection as I had anticipated. Oh well... I got a tan (and slight burn) from the experience.

Crashed over at FJ's place. Good to see she's still up to her antics. Had some good eats both nights ... Chinese on Saturday and then Indian on Sunday (Bombay Bhel ... yummy). I also paid my aunt a visit as well. She's doing well. In fact, she's gone back full-time to work. No longer doing relief work like myself (she's an RN). Guess that will keep her out of trouble (as well as less chances for her to shop!)

Had to go home that weekend and then return to Toronto on the following Tuesday. Had me an interview. Was back on UofT campus. It's amazing to see how much has changed since the 4 years (!!!) since I graduated. Did the interview to do the part-time PharmD program. What's a PharmD? It's an advanced degree that will provide me opportunities for the future. I seriously doubt that pharmacy will be the same as it is today. I also don't want to be standing up, dispensing medicines before I retire (let alone 10 yrs from now). The interview also allowed me an opportunity to speak to a person currently enrolled in the part-time program. It was a good experience and quite a good tour of the program. I'm quite a bit intimidated by the coursework load. They expect me to put schoolwork as a main priority and pharmacy work as a part-time thing. I am willing to cut back my dispensing work to pursue this program.

The interview went fairly well. I know I could have answered a couple of questions a little better but I think my resume and my overall communications skills was enough to get me in the program. The train ride there and back was also relaxing. I'm glad I didn't drive because that would have been quite a tiring day.

Got a phone call from Dr Brown (director of the PharmD program) congratulating me on admission to the program. Just need to do the formalities and sign on the dotted line, etc. Told Christine Donaldson and Donna -- thanking them again for writing me letters of recommendation.