who's soonger??

Wednesday, November 2

It's been a while since I last posted here ... lots of stuff has come up since AUGUST. Let's see ... went back to school (officially). Doing the part-time PharmD program at the University of Toronto. It is definitely a new experience for me. Going to school as an 'mature student' -- very strange feeling. I felt kinda old walking around but at the same time, it was nice to be back on campus. The place is very different than when I left back in 2001. Amazing what time (and a lot of money towards renovation) can do to a campus.

Stayed with my aunt in North York. Yup -- I was a commuter for a week. Let me be the first to take my hat off to those GTA people who did this for 4+ years. I was sick of it after a week, let alone 4 years! Well ... I drove my car up but I couldn't imagine having to contend with the traffic into the city, the C$15 to park it for a day ... then contend with the traffic back home. Forget that! Toronto is a nice place to visit but definitely not a place to live for long periods of time. I don't know why my friends still live there.

So the past couple months has been trying to keep good time management. How does one work 40+hr/wk and also do school work (about 20-25hr/wk so far)? Let me tell you -- it's not been easy. And to think, I'm PAYING to do this extra work after my regular work hours. Well ... it's going to be a hellish 2 years of coursework. Then it's clinical rotations -- 11 x 1 month clinical rotations. Good thing it doesn't have to be in downtown Toronto. So as long as the PharmD committee takes a look at the potential rotation / preceptor I can find, they're OK with it. I'm looking to do a few in Detroit and of course, Singapore. If I have to take time off from working, why not go somewhere in style?

Lastly, I have bad news. It appears Man Tou -- the dumb dog, is gone forever. Family friends came over today to go shopping with my parents to Detroit left the garage door open (including the door leading into the house!). My parents didn't realize Man Tou was on the loose and long gone until they returned home at 4pm to see Man Tou did not greet them. I am very upset with this loss. A call to the Humane Society turned up nothing. I will post up some posters but am very pessimistic about his safe return. He's got no tags, he'll go anywhere since he's so trusting of people and worst of all, I don't think he knows what to do in traffic. I'm afraid to look down Huron Church road fearing I'll find his remains strewed all over the road. Anyway ... it's been a terrible day since I've returned home. I'm afraid to tell JJ the bad news when she comes home.

Man Tou found!

Thursday, November 17

Sorry for leaving you all in suspense ... Man Tou was found the next day. I was lucky that a veteranarian's family found him in the park by the house. They took him in. Luckily, I left a message at the Humane Society the day he was missing. The vet called the Humane Society and passed on my #. I was quite relieved as was my folks.

For the next few days, Man Tou was quite traumatized. He was very lethargic and shaken. I don't doubt for a moment he was emotionally scarred. But I refused to take him to see a pet shrink ... this is not California! My dad noticed one day, he was back to his usual antics (ie eating his cake). He immediately replied, "Man Tou is healthy ... he ate his own medicine."

Call me crazy but I've noticed Man Tou is a lot more attached to people than before. He will insist on sitting near someone (or ON someone). He's a lot more dependent on people than Caesar or Rex ever were. That's OK with me. It's only a problem when he hasn't bathed in a while.

Since that day, it's been a very busy couple weeks. I was in over my head with homework. I was feeling really stress out. Pulled between work, school and family commitments had me running around like a raver on speed. Not a healthy lifestyle. Speaking of lifestyle, I have been eating really poorly -- a lot of junk (instant noodles, going out, etc). Coupled with lack of exercise, not good whatsoever! I'm feeling crappy -- I should be doing more but with my current situation, I can't let go of my commitments to work and school.

To elaborate, my boss at Shoppers is in really bad shape. She requires surgery -- she can't walk with the pain she's experiencing. So instead of going to 1 day a week at Shoppers, I'm still at two days. Still working 1 day out in the east end and 2 days at the hospital. Somewhere in the mix, I have to work a day at a third pharmacy to maintain my 'self employed' status (for tax purposes).

Today ... I'm out in Essex and let me tell you how GREAT it is to have time to do homework, chat with friends and not have to worry about how much homework I have to do when I come home. In fact, someone is switching on call with me. Ha! I can cruise. One thing ... a friend who's relocated out west is back in town and I'm meeting up with her and her family. Nice to see her after all this time. I was supposed to meet up with a colleague but I'll have to tell her the bad news. (Update: I just called her and she's cool with it; her parents are coming to town tonight so she was gonna back out -- we mutually excused ourselves from hanging out -- we'll see one another at the Shoppers Christmas shin-dig at the Ciacaro on Saturday.)

Things to keep in mind -- I have plans to head out to Vegas next month. Have a conference to attend (I have receipts to prove it!) I'm a little bummed out I'm not going to the CES ... my friend Ben is going ... he has so many stories to tell me about his trip to Japan ... his new NSX and S2000 he bought. Man ... I am so jealous on how that guy lives (so large!)

Monday, December 19

Well ... another month gone by. In a nutshell, I've done lots of homework, worked about 50hrs/wk AND went to Vegas for a week for a pharmacy conference. Vegas was hosting the ASHP Mid-year conference. Jing was presenting a poster and I was moral support. Didn't do many conference events since I had a lot of homework to do on my own. Walked the Strip and did some shopping but zero gambling. I thought I was going to try a few hands of blackjack but it didn't turn out that way. Food was good as was some of the drug company sponsored events. One night of drinking ended up having me spend the next day recovering from hangover ... (Ghost Bar at the Palms). I had an oral exam for one of my classes while in Vegas. That didn't turn out so well -- I should have done better.

Since I've been back, it's been a mad dash to get things completed. I haven't officially started Christmas shopping, either. Actually, I did some yesterday (Costco & Canadian Tire) so gifts were marginal, at best. Need to do some power-shopping on Thursday when I go over to Detroit to replace a tire with a bubble in it (courtesy to the fine potholes in Michigan on my way to the airport going to Vegas!). So hope I can find last minute deals...

Also slowing down work for the New Year. I've told the good people at Riverside Medical that I'm throwing in the towel at the end of the year. I cannot maintain this hectic work schedule + school schedule without "losing it". January, I cut back my hours at Riverside and at Shoppers. Shoppers I'll hang on to a bit until they can find regular relief in my absence. It's about 2 months late, but I don't mind, considering the recent events with the associate.

Is it too early for New Year's resolutions? Here are a few that I have thought of so far:

• - relax a little more
• - exercise more (back to BMI < 24)
• - more time for study
• - less work scheduled
• - invest more aggressively

Do you think I can achieve these lofty goals? I hope I can get into a regular workout routine so I can get my muscle/fat ratio to a higher level and overall weight down. I did get a wake-up call at the Vegas convention. The Merck booth had cholesterol testing ... I had a non-fasting total cholesterol value of 188mg/dL (4.9mmol/L). That's not good with my paternal family history of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Better get it in gear if I want to maintain a healthy life.