another day in paradise:)...

Well, it's been more than two weeks since I have flexed my (typing) fingers...at least in this forum anyways:) My trip home has come and gone...been back for 2 weeks...and been busy with work...which, in a sense, is good...it prevents me from being homesick or lonely...

Had a craving for Vietnamese food today...the cheapest place I knew of was in Van Nuys...30 miles away...just finished at the gym and the thought of a plate of food for 5 bucks was irresistible...although, when one factors in the gallon of gas it takes to go there and the gallon to come back...it's more like 11 bucks per plate:( But I refrain from doing math sometimes...haha:P The food wasn't as good as I expected...I shouldn't deviate from my norm!!! But I did manage to snag some snacks at the Chinese supermarket next door;-) That helped decrease my plate's cost:)

It's always interesting driving on the 101...Van Nuys, for those that don't know, is just off the 405/101 junction, close to LA. First off, I guess I am spoiled living and working in Camarillo and TO, respectively...it was maybe 26 C in TO and 23 C in Camarillo (don't ask me to convert to Fahrenheit...smoke would rise from my big head:P)...in Reseda, it was 36 C (according to my car's gauge)...and in Van Nuys, it was 34 C...when it was all said and done, the hot tea was quite refreshing:P J/K, haha!

Coming back was an adventure...I still can't get over this...every time I go to LA or its vicinity...I swear I am driving alongside some of the finest drivers on this fair planet! Perhaps, due to the short duration of my existence...these have to be the best!...ppl changing lanes to avoid others (who merge without looking in their mirrors), but doing so without looking in their own mirrors...and hence, I get to observe the near synchronous lane changing by two cars, in two different lanes...with one of them cutting me off at 75 mph! Gotta love that! Then there are the geniuses who believe they will get to their destination faster by zipping in and out of all five lanes on the freeway...it amuses me the most when I actually pass them while staying in one lane:P I could go on, but will refrain for fear to boring you to tears!

Till next time...cheers! ;-)

Some thoughts at 1:30 in the morning...

Maybe when one factors in the time...what I have to say...and what I am thinking is perhaps best left for another time...but will ignore conventional wisdom for the time being:)

Just some vague thoughts floating in my head...well, to be honest, they are not vague, but though I try to be honest in how I pen my thoughts, a part of me refrains from opening up totally...

When there is history involved...it appears impossible to change the misconceptions, ideas, perceptions...both good and bad, I suppose...(I know it's not impossible, but often it feels that way)...making mistakes is part of life...and learning from them, sometimes slowly, is one of the lessons... However, there are times this seems like a futile process! I had some reminders of this tonight...it seems the closer the ppl are...the more they cling to what was done and said before...at times, ignoring what happens now...and on occasion, using that past to, in essence, support and reinforce the "reflex" ideas about an individual. This frustrates me!

How can one counteract this? Cut the ties, and make new ones? Trying to repair, what were once, strong roots seems an exercise in futility...esp. when the other has no interest (or sees no reason) to feel the same way. Is it wise to do everything to appease that individual? Or ignore what cannot be changed? I am not sure...

sleeping in my own bed again... :)

Well, it's been awhile since I have written anything...it's been a long while since I have slept in my own bed. As an aside, though I am back in TO, it does not feel like home...I suppose that that is a function of time and people who make it feel that way...but I digress... ;-)

The past few weeks have been interesting...so lest I forget all the details, I will pen them down for your sedation:P Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights:P)...

Montreal, Quebec:
-Spent 4 days there, the conference was terrible, but the city was great. I still like Quebec City more, but it was really nice to be back in Montreal again. The locale for the conference was beyond reproach...in Vaudreuil-Dorion (on the 40 about 30 mins from downtown)...right on the edge of a lake...couldn't be better!
-I had attended another conference in Columbus, OH the week before (sponsored by the same company)...and it was light years ahead...this was a tremendous waste of time!...but who's complaining?!?:P
-In any case, enough about work:) Ma fan girl came out and we did a little sight-seeing...she loved Vieux Montreal...she went in and out of every shop (or so it seemed).
-Tried the best of Montreal's famous smoked meat - Schwartz's (for lunch) and Le Main (for dinner)...both on St. Catherine's...the former was much better...haha, but can't complain!
-And to top it off, on the last night in Montreal, we went to the top of Mont Royal...the view is pretty amazing...a bit of a hike, but on a clear evening, the view of the city is unparalleled! If you ever go, it's close to Le Lac de Castors (Beaver Lake, I hope I got the French right!:P)
-Almost forgot, we also drove to Ottawa to visit my uncle, aunt and their sons...they were very accomodating...and did the touristy stuff with us...the most memorable moment was when we were all in the elevator going to the top of the bell tower in the Parliament buildings...ma fan girl decided to take her sweet time photographing the stained glass windows, much to the chagrin of everyone in the lift:P She definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer:P

Omaha, Nebraska:
-Stats: approx. 500,000 ppl; known for their steaks; 2nd best transplant center in the US, 2 medical schools.
-Spent two weeks in a short course (Integrative and Organ Systems Pharmacology, ASPET) at Univ. of Nebraska Medical Center.

Interesting Tidbits
-Lived in dorm with 3 other students (total of 12 in course).
-Ate four steak dinners,
-Discovered Jimmy John's is pretty good
-Went down a giant slide in the middle of downtown at 11 pm
-Rode in the back (the very back) of an SUV for the first time (there were 7 of us, and only 5 seats)
-Drove my roomie's truck 3 times (all b/c he was drunk)...the 2nd time included us getting locked out of our dorm. Actually, we got in the building, but were stuck in the stairwell before we realized we didn't have our keycard). And to make a long story short, we had to throw stuff at our other roomies' windows...I was going to throw a rock, but thought better of it...threw bark mulch instead...my dumbass, drunk roomie, threw it at the wrong window on the wrong floor...and incurred the wrath of it's inhabitants!
-Saw tigers from 3 feet away, as we got the behind-the-scenes tour with the director at the Henry Doorly Zoo.
-On my last day, made reservations for a cab to take me to the airport at 530 am (710 am departure)...the cab was 45 mins late...turns out the driver had just left the police station, as he had just been robbed (and all the other cabbies went home, as the suspect was still at large)...then ended up being the last person on the plane...
-Midwest Airways is the best! Leather seats, extra-wide and I got to sit in row 1:) But they ran out of breakfast:( Now I am only a shadow of my former self...boo hoo hoo:P

However, my biggest thrill was the opportunity to work with an exceptional cardiovascular physiologist...he must be 65+ years old...however, his hands in surgery are more stable than mine (though that is not saying much, haha!). It was truly an honour...I did my elective with him (for 1.5 days)...and I have to say that I will remember that for a long time! If the opportunity presents itself, I would like to go back for an internship...I just have to convince the powers that be, that there is value in this!;-)

Enough rambling...time to get the clothes out of the dryer:)

Until the next time I bore you to tears...