quebec is now a nation...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/11/27/nation-vote.html

As of today, the (former) province of Quebec is now a nation within a united Canada. I'm sorry...but I think this is a bit daft!!! I know there's history and culture that figure into this decision, but I cannot say I agree with this. Maybe in a few years, instead of provinces, they will all become states...then we can call ourselves the United States of Canada...shiite:(

an interesting thought...

Had a quiet moment...and was thinking...in an ideal world, we would share all our hopes, dreams and fears with the one we are with...but to be honest, sometimes I find I don't always adhere to this. Not sure why...not sure if this is normal...maybe it has something to do with one not being familiar and the other being more so. Is this a superficial matter...or one that runs deeper? I find that sometimes I am a paradox...I find this more and more as I observe myself...I wonder if we are all like this?

a bit sad...

Wrote my resignation letter tonight. Will deliver tomorrow. Felt a bit sad. Not really b/c I was leaving Xenon...after all, I had been there 4.5 years...don't get me wrong, I will be leaving a great group...Xing and Jen really made it fun going to work...and I think I made it amusing for them too...and most days, I was lucky...I got to play:)

I think it finally hit me...all the things and ppl that I would leave behind in Vancouver...sometimes a career is of the utmost importance...and at certain moments, it seems to mean less...not sure I can even adequately explain why I feel this way...but I do...

will miss my wakeup call...

Every morning...at about 8:15, I hear scratches on my door...once I open the door, a furry creature bounds into my room, jumps on my bed, chases his tail a few times, settles down and takes a nap:) Something I will definitely miss...but I suppose these brief moments are what make life worth living ;-)

got the offer...

Well, was woken up early on Monday morning...still had my night guard in my mouth (it makes me speak with a lisp:P)...and it was an offer...a chance to move to a different country...to go somewhere that may offer me a chance to grow...a chance to see how good I could be...

My reaction? The opportunity is nice...my future supervisor (I have accepted the offer)...he said that despite my lack of experience compared to the other candidates...he was impressed with me on my phone interview...and when I went for my onsite interviews...it confirmed his thoughts...and apparently I didn't piss too many ppl off:P Apparently, he felt I bring a lot of intangibles to the table...haha, little does he know:)

Will start Dec 18th...a new home...a new company...a totally new city and culture...away from my friends, family and my ma fan girl...away from all the things that made Vancouver home for me for all these years. To be honest...I feel a little sad. Sometimes, I have to remind myself...the really good things...the ones that are true...they will always be there. Maybe I am idealistic...but I prefer it that way...

So to something new...

...Cheers! :)

sad story:(...

Something I found on digg.com...someone's Masters' thesis...

flying on a jet plane...

Well, been back for a few days...am extraordinarily tired, but have slept too much...was sick with bad food poisoning a few days ago...so have no energy right now:(

BTW, not my pic...just found it on Flickr...and thought it was pretty cool. The night I returned home...it too was beautiful, but the image will only reside in my noggin:P Very cool descending down into YVR...with the moon lighting the cloud tops...and the city lights far down below...one of the moments worth living for, methinks...haha, will stop now:P

Amgen was interesting. Prior to going for my interviews...I think I had many reservations about relocating...I simply went with the attitude that not many ppl received invitations for onsite interviews...and b/c of that, I thought it was a nice compliment. But in my mind, there were many impracticalities of going...

Following my interviews...and visiting the campus (it really reminds me of university and not a large company of 20000 ppl)...combined with the way that I was treated in my time there...Amgen is clearly a first class organization. One of the ladies who interviewed me, she had been working at Amgen for more than 15 years...and said that her current group (Investigative Tox, the one I am applying to)...it is the best she has ever known. Another guy...the last to interview me (more on that later)...he came from Pharmacia...and he had been there for 3 years...he said he actually enjoyed coming to work. It was an atmosphere that fostered continuing scientific thought...in a non-competitive environment...one that many ppl thrived in.

I was asked why I was interested in the position...in a number of different ways...well, to be honest...it was simply that I wanted to move to the next level...I wanted to be in an environment where I could test my limits...for I have never been one who was simply content with remaining static...though I am lazy in my actions:P From my perspective...and from that of those who interviewed me...Amgen is a place where the imagination can run a little wild...that it doesn't seem having or not having a Ph.D. is a primary criterion in determining whether or not an individual has ability. And to top it off, it is a large company, with the feel of a small academic, collaborative lab atmosphere...and I found that very stimulating... The fact that Amgen treats its employees in an extraordinary manner...that doesn't hurt either:)

Some last thoughts...am not sure if I will get the job...but nonetheless, it really was eye-opening. I had an opportunity to see what the possibilities were...and that is a great learning experience.

The funniest memories...totally random here:P Managed to talk to every interviewer about snowboarding...and of all ppl, the senior director...the head of the entire Investigative Tox group...he simply stated that since he wasn't making the decision...we talked happily about the 19 inch pink salmon he caught while flyfishing in Squamish:) And to top it off, the last guy to interview me...he simply stated that I had probably entertained all the questions he could possibly think of...so he wasn't going to ask me anything...so he proceeded to tell me about guys' night out..."the night where one can do things that the wife would kill him for"...he was joking, as I got the sense he was a good family man...but it did tell me something...the ppl were really nice to me...and that goes a long way...I think that is a tribute more to them as ppl and as a company...than my ability (or lack thereof) to put ppl at ease:P

Back to sleep now:)

interesting day...

Well...after a 5 am wakeup and having my roomie drag himself out of bed to drive me to the airport...thanks Wayland!!!...I am sitting in my hotel room in Thousand Oaks.

I'm a morning person...but 5 am is too early...and am really tired...my mind is tired...I will be glad tomorrow when I am walking away from Building 27 at Amgen. To be honest, don't think my chances are that good...but this has been an interesting experience. Amgen is first class all the way...but before I get there...will take a step back in time:)

6 am at YVR was a busy time...not what I expected...it was pretty busy...lining up to go through US Customs was 3 rows deep. When I got to the customs officer...had the usual questions...where are you going?...why?...so I told him that I was going to an interview...so he asked me where I was going to work?...the US. Well, he clearly wasn't happy about that...muttered something about Canadians taking jobs away...and the TN situation getting out of hand, as the US government was handing out too many...then he gave me my documents and let me go on my way:)

The driver waiting for me at LAX...was a really great fellow...made the hour ride to my hotel more interesting...told me a little about the importance of family values, about raising kids (he was two sons: one a doctor and the other has a MBA; both working in the OC)...about learning something from everyone...

On to my area tour...Amgen arranges for a local company to show all their interviewees around the area (3 hr tour)...with an emphasis on personalizing the experience to the hobbies, lifestyle, etc of the individual. So I got a tour of the city and the surrounding areas...now I know Wayne Gretzky lives at Sherwood Lake:) We also stopped off at Trader Joe's to buy chocolate...I'm sure that was part of her itinerary:P...actually I convinced her that my need for "chocolate clouds" from the store was paramount to be mental wellbeing:P All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon...if only I wasn't so tired:(

But enough chitchat...have to eat...and then study a bit...will be a big day tomorrow...the worst thing is that I have to wear a suit:( Time to work how to convince the braintrust at Amgen that I am suitable for the village idiot position:P

cool song...

Just a song I really like... ;-)

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
Grey's Anatomy version...haha:P


We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

a few more days...

...to my imminent doom...or should I say, until I embarrass myself completely and wet my drawers?!?

Should be studying right now...it's 2 am...and am feeling anxious...I know, I know...just another interview...I may just be putting too much pressure on myself. Right now, am trying to absorb FDA ICH guidelines on the clinical evaluation of QT/QTc prolongation...sigh...

But nonetheless...by 2:30 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, I will be able to loosen my tie and breathe a big sigh of relief...

I suppose...since I have not actually written anything worthwhile...that I am, once again, doing what I do best...procrastinating:) Oh well...time to sleep!