Because i'm starting to update everyday!
Hehe anyway, first thing to report: I finally finalized my interviews and my date to go back to tw! Hooray! I was worried that I would have to postpone my trip until later during my break and therefore miss ALL OF chinese new year and time to spend with my parents. But as it turns out, I was able to schedule both interviews during next week. Although I still have to fly in for one of them, and schedule is back to back so I will have to drive from thousand oaks directly to the airport to get on the plane, then a day after i come back from new jersey get on another plane to go back to tw, I am happy to do so. It beats spending my vacation waiting in the US for something that may or may not happen. Will keep you posted.
Second thing, I finally get to go out and have some fun with my friends. Well, not like a crazy night out but after almost 6 weeks of zero social life other than eating and sleeping right after work, I met up with a old college pal in K-town to have some korean bbq. Whew, that's a lot of cholesterol. But I have to say the pork belly was really good, as well as the marinated short ribs. Although i secretly suspected that I didn't get my money's worth because we ordered all-you-can-eat, and I have a stomach size of a little birdie. :( We then 'walked' to (yes, that's the beauty of west LA) the nearest bar (Le bleu) and had a couple drinks while catching up. It's always good to hang with old friends who live a completely different life. Having hang with pharmacy friends for so long sometimes you lose sight of what really makes you YOU in college. life really isn't all about fellowships/residency. I always enjoy other people's stories, espeically when they are well-travelled. It reminds me of all the happy times i had while abroad away from work. Of course at this point i am very far removed from it, but it's good to always have a goal to work toward. Although I did somewhat complained about the fact that I can never end up where i REALLY want to be. And I mean this not in terms of the position but in terms of the location of the companies I want to be. In general, metropolitan cities are alreayd over populated and it is not possible to fit a new industry (such as biotech/pharma) inside a city like New york. Physically there's just not enough room and economically it would cost too much. So I am finding myself constantly choosing between the suburbs. I can tell you with 100% confidence that if these jobs are in NYC or Boston I would move in a heartbeat. But to think I'm essentially transferring from a big city to a small town where there is nothing kind of scares me. I would be doing the same thing, minus family and friends. My friends who are in fashion or business can pretty much put their finger anywhere on the US map and stay in the city they want. But not so with pharmaceutical industry (unless you are into sales and marketing).
Alas, time to sleep!
2010年2月13日 星期六
2010年2月12日 星期五
A bit under the weather and the case of an over-achiever
Good news: I am FINALLY done with my oncology rotation. I honestly dont know how i was able to survive it all, super-long hours, crazy hard subject I wasn't particularly fond of, a super over-achiever classmate as my partner, patients who are extremely complicated, and flying all over the nation for interviews (and getting rejected). Wow, that's a handful. But I think like I said before, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Looking back I am extremely proud that I had survived it, and I can tell people now that I took 2 rotations at a cancer hospital and did well (well, well enough I guess). It was funny that I also kept running into people I know yesterday, some of them underclassmen, some of them in my class. When they found out that I chose an oncology rotation their eyes nearly popped out. They were talking about how much they hated the oncology module and so on. I guess it was very ambitious and silly of me at the time when I was choosing my rotation to think I can do it all. But all of my decisions are actually pretty thought-out. At the time i wanted to do something that can help with my industry-related interests, and possibly hospital, if i changed my mind. Oncology just sounds like a good field because it's a growing market, not as played-out as cardiovascular or diabetes, and all the drug companies/hospitals want a foot in oncology now. However I can also picture myself two years ago, all that I wanted to do was to graduate as smoothly as possible. I wanted all the easy rotations, and I looked strangely at the fourth years who talked passionately about the hard rotations and thought they must be crazy. And now i'm that crazy fourth year....I guess people do change. :)
BUT, I have to say that although I became more interested in certain fields of my study, i am never an over-achiever like some people. Another part of this rotation that makes it hard is that, my classmate who is my partner for this rotation, had a niche for oncology since a long time ago. She had plenty of experience in-patient. She picked pretty much ALL her rotations in a cancer hospital. She knew the drugs well and she went the extra mile for any assignments we may have. For that I had to push myself even harder in fear of looking like the stupider student. So whenever we had topic discussions in the afternoon she would provide us with lots and lots of handouts that she made or articles she pulled, completed with pictures and graphs and whatnot. Well, I couldn't exactly match THAT, but I did have to sacrifice my lunchtime to make 'outlines' for my topic presentation days (usually these are days when you just talk about a certain disease state informally). Which worked out fine, in my case I guess. My preceptor was cool with just having an outline which they could look at while I did my talk. Another thing she did was asking 'rhetorical questions'. questions she already knew the answers of, but making it a self-answered format. It bugged the HECK out of me, because she obviously did the research so she knew the answer, or she studied and memorized it, or whatever, but she would be asking it like "is this drug so and so because it causes so and so to happen in the 'insert and organ' so we need to watch out for side effects like so and so"? and i was like, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER! and she did this even on readings that we were both assigned and just talked and talked so that i couldn't have a chance to prove myself (of course, i later learned to 'compete' for the right the answer). and of course on our final presentation, on which we had a time limit of 30 minuites, she made it into a ONE FRIGGIN HOUR presentation completed all and every aspect of the disease possible and ALL treatment options, and that's a lot in the world of pharmacy and medicine. so that of course made my 30-minuite presenation look somewhat like sh*t. I did a fine job, but in the presence of her over-achieving presentation i was getting comments like "I would like to see more studies done" "I want to see all treatment options available for this other disease". Um, my topic was "Eculizumab in the treatment of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria". If you didnt' come for the "eculizumab" part of it or the "PNH" part of it, then you were in the wrong room. I did, judiciously, briefly go over the other medications but what use is it for me to spend another 30 minuites on the background information when all am trying to do is introducing the new drug available? Although through this experience, i've learned that my forte is still " knowing my patient and knowing them well". I like to put everyone's life into a story in my head and the treatments they've gone through because I dont just care about them like they are case studies. And I think that realy helps. Even when I talk about some of the diseases I always connect them to patients I have seen. So I guess THAT is my niche.
so my body usually goes into over drive with I have a ton of stress, and I have finally reached my 'off'rotation during which I have 6 weeks off. this morning when i woke up I immediately felt a bit under the weather. my nose is runny and my head hurts. My eyes are somwhat swollen maybe from drinking too much water or the sickness itself. In anycase, I hope I do feel better soon. I plan to get a facial sometime this weekend because i feel pretty disgusting over all and my face is a bit broken out. It would be nice to have a spa day to de-stress. :)
BUT, I have to say that although I became more interested in certain fields of my study, i am never an over-achiever like some people. Another part of this rotation that makes it hard is that, my classmate who is my partner for this rotation, had a niche for oncology since a long time ago. She had plenty of experience in-patient. She picked pretty much ALL her rotations in a cancer hospital. She knew the drugs well and she went the extra mile for any assignments we may have. For that I had to push myself even harder in fear of looking like the stupider student. So whenever we had topic discussions in the afternoon she would provide us with lots and lots of handouts that she made or articles she pulled, completed with pictures and graphs and whatnot. Well, I couldn't exactly match THAT, but I did have to sacrifice my lunchtime to make 'outlines' for my topic presentation days (usually these are days when you just talk about a certain disease state informally). Which worked out fine, in my case I guess. My preceptor was cool with just having an outline which they could look at while I did my talk. Another thing she did was asking 'rhetorical questions'. questions she already knew the answers of, but making it a self-answered format. It bugged the HECK out of me, because she obviously did the research so she knew the answer, or she studied and memorized it, or whatever, but she would be asking it like "is this drug so and so because it causes so and so to happen in the 'insert and organ' so we need to watch out for side effects like so and so"? and i was like, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER! and she did this even on readings that we were both assigned and just talked and talked so that i couldn't have a chance to prove myself (of course, i later learned to 'compete' for the right the answer). and of course on our final presentation, on which we had a time limit of 30 minuites, she made it into a ONE FRIGGIN HOUR presentation completed all and every aspect of the disease possible and ALL treatment options, and that's a lot in the world of pharmacy and medicine. so that of course made my 30-minuite presenation look somewhat like sh*t. I did a fine job, but in the presence of her over-achieving presentation i was getting comments like "I would like to see more studies done" "I want to see all treatment options available for this other disease". Um, my topic was "Eculizumab in the treatment of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria". If you didnt' come for the "eculizumab" part of it or the "PNH" part of it, then you were in the wrong room. I did, judiciously, briefly go over the other medications but what use is it for me to spend another 30 minuites on the background information when all am trying to do is introducing the new drug available? Although through this experience, i've learned that my forte is still " knowing my patient and knowing them well". I like to put everyone's life into a story in my head and the treatments they've gone through because I dont just care about them like they are case studies. And I think that realy helps. Even when I talk about some of the diseases I always connect them to patients I have seen. So I guess THAT is my niche.
so my body usually goes into over drive with I have a ton of stress, and I have finally reached my 'off'rotation during which I have 6 weeks off. this morning when i woke up I immediately felt a bit under the weather. my nose is runny and my head hurts. My eyes are somwhat swollen maybe from drinking too much water or the sickness itself. In anycase, I hope I do feel better soon. I plan to get a facial sometime this weekend because i feel pretty disgusting over all and my face is a bit broken out. It would be nice to have a spa day to de-stress. :)
2010年2月9日 星期二
because i have some time and i'm sitting in the library i'm goign to update my blog
Because I used the Superbowl weekend to, well, watch Superbowl and rest after my series of interview, i actually accomplished a lot. I'm 99% done with my final presentation, and at this point I am just waiting for the end of it all (on thursday). then I will be rotation free for the next 6 weeks.
I wish that i didn't have this "inverview" cloud hanging over my head. Then i'd be really excited about the upcoming break. But the fact that, knowing a lot of my classmates got the position they wanted (and these are classmates who i'm not particularly friends with), makes me feel somewhat sad about my fellowship/job outlook. it's pretty much the first thing i think about upon waking up, and last thing i think about before going to bed. Well, THAT and my current rotation. my social like is at a complete halt right now. and then i sit around wondering why i'm 'dateless' for V-day (actually, not really). ;)
So last night i enjoyed a night of The Bachelor marathon. it's particularly ironic when you're single and you've been watching the past 5 seasons...knowing that none of these relationships will work out and in order to win over the bachelor (who is gorgeous by the way, but kinda cheesey) you gotta act like you've fallen in love upon meeting him, and probably find the shirt with the least amount of fabric to wear so he can practically stare through you top. I often wonder if i ever signed myself up for the show in hope to find 'true love', if i'd be eliminated upon stepping off the limo (not even to the first round of Rose Ceremony). HAHA. the contestants are just all too gorgeous, however shallow they may seem and the numerous tanning sessions and plastic surgeries they go through. i think The Bachelor really like that. Anyway, i am putting too much thought into a little silly show. It's actually making me a ever more bitter single woman. ;)
@ KJ: thanks...I do hope that i can find out as much as about these positions as possible when i go to the onsite interviews. today's job market makes me fee like "begger's can't be choosers" (maybe i'm exageratting a little bit). but i feel that i should be thankful for whatever comes my way, at the same time, i'm also so reluctant to leave home to somewhere far, far away where ther is lots of snow storms and a whole lotta nothing (ie New jersey). and i tend to always project a few years on top what what i have right now to see what is the optimal time to return to tw, so that my parents won't be too old and we can still spend quality time together..so and so.
this is why i think i need to just shut down my brain sometimes. :P
I wish that i didn't have this "inverview" cloud hanging over my head. Then i'd be really excited about the upcoming break. But the fact that, knowing a lot of my classmates got the position they wanted (and these are classmates who i'm not particularly friends with), makes me feel somewhat sad about my fellowship/job outlook. it's pretty much the first thing i think about upon waking up, and last thing i think about before going to bed. Well, THAT and my current rotation. my social like is at a complete halt right now. and then i sit around wondering why i'm 'dateless' for V-day (actually, not really). ;)
So last night i enjoyed a night of The Bachelor marathon. it's particularly ironic when you're single and you've been watching the past 5 seasons...knowing that none of these relationships will work out and in order to win over the bachelor (who is gorgeous by the way, but kinda cheesey) you gotta act like you've fallen in love upon meeting him, and probably find the shirt with the least amount of fabric to wear so he can practically stare through you top. I often wonder if i ever signed myself up for the show in hope to find 'true love', if i'd be eliminated upon stepping off the limo (not even to the first round of Rose Ceremony). HAHA. the contestants are just all too gorgeous, however shallow they may seem and the numerous tanning sessions and plastic surgeries they go through. i think The Bachelor really like that. Anyway, i am putting too much thought into a little silly show. It's actually making me a ever more bitter single woman. ;)
@ KJ: thanks...I do hope that i can find out as much as about these positions as possible when i go to the onsite interviews. today's job market makes me fee like "begger's can't be choosers" (maybe i'm exageratting a little bit). but i feel that i should be thankful for whatever comes my way, at the same time, i'm also so reluctant to leave home to somewhere far, far away where ther is lots of snow storms and a whole lotta nothing (ie New jersey). and i tend to always project a few years on top what what i have right now to see what is the optimal time to return to tw, so that my parents won't be too old and we can still spend quality time together..so and so.
this is why i think i need to just shut down my brain sometimes. :P
2010年2月7日 星期日
a whole lotta nuthin'
This is probably the first weekend since a long time ago I finally have time to sit home during a free weekend to blog. I really apologize for not keeping up. This usually happens during extreme stress/depressed mood. I don't feel that crappy overall but the job aspect has definitely depleted a lot of my enthusiasm and the rotation drained a lot of my energy.
To make long story short, last december I went to great length to prepare for 10+ applications/interviews, and went through 3 days straight of interviews in Vegas with no fun time, and finally got 2 offers for an on-site interview sometime during early January. I flew to new jersey to interview with them. Each company requires you to spend the whole day with them. And I mean literally the whole day from 830 to 4pm. You basically talk to someone every half an hour until you're emotionally and physically drained. And you give a powerpoint presentation sometime in between (and i made one brand new too just for these company and their impossible requirements). On top of that, you also had to read a research paper and send in your critique before the actual onsite interview. Although super tired and somewhat nervous, I finished both interviews with high hopes. I could tell that I really kicked ass during the presentation, but with so many more applicants this year d/t the recession, I can't be 100% sure. I got followup phone calls from one company in particular somewhat asking me to make a decision between the two companies (they know about each other) and I was completely caught off guard.
I then spent the next month waiting in vain for the results. When I didn't hear anything on the proposed day of decision I knew I was out. Of course my suspicion was confirmed via phone calls/email that the offer belonged to someone else. At which point, my mood was very very bad. Because I went through so much work. and then nothing. It pains me to even look at the presentation I made and the articles I had to read for these companies. I dont think i ever or will ever have to try this hard for any job in my life. They raised the bar so high that as a candidate you had to jump through these hoops in order to be the chosen one.
Then I was called back for a residency interview in nyc. I thought that was a very interesting surprise. I had applied for hospital residencies as a back up, and didn't think i'd get any invites. But I went anyway, since there's really no backup plan as of now. Then i was put through another all-day interview between 2 medical centers, only to find out in the end that the program isn't that great because they work their residents to death. I would be living in nyc working 60+ hr a week and never see the sun. And the interview was poorly organized. half the interviewers prolly didn't show up. And the ones who did show up had trouble identifying which candidate should go to which room. At one point I was being interviewed in the cafeteria because of some room booking confusion. I'd be damned if that interview worked in my favor. At the end of the day it was coming straight back to LA for my rotation the next day.
And did I mention I am also doing my oncology rotation at the same time? I pulled 2 50+ weeks 2 weeks in a row just so I can fly to the east coast to get interviewed. In hindsight, all for nothing. Everyday at the hospital I could feel that I was just so sad and tired.
I had planned to go back to tw during my off rotation (which starts valentine's day weekend) but because I haven't received any offers I have to wait in the US for 2 interviews (one has yet to be booked).
It's been really hard for me, i'm sure looking back I will feel so sorry for myself. To be physically and mentally challenged at the hospital rotation, trying to impress my preceptor and match my super type-A partner, coming home to lots of rejection letter/email/phone calls, and flying all over the US for more interviews which are the least promising, and coming back to work straight through the week. I am only giving myself a free weekend so i can work on my final presentation and exam for my last week of rotation.
There are things that make me feel bad. like finding out my friend who got married got pregnant (not that it's a bad thing for her, but that's also something i haven't fulfilled my womanly duty for), and another girl getting engaged to a apparently very well off MD.
When I looked at the cancer patients at teh hospital and I wonder if i'll become one of them with my constant high stress level. I felt bad that during my time at the hospital I've already seen two pts go. and i had seen them while they were alive. really puts everything in perspective for you.
but at the same time, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I just produced a 1 hr long presentation completed with all kinds of studies and graphics within an hour, and i feel absolutely no anxiety about presenting it. I guess after having to present in front of 8 pharm.d.s + MDs at these company interviews nothing can make me pee my pants at this point. :P
To make long story short, last december I went to great length to prepare for 10+ applications/interviews, and went through 3 days straight of interviews in Vegas with no fun time, and finally got 2 offers for an on-site interview sometime during early January. I flew to new jersey to interview with them. Each company requires you to spend the whole day with them. And I mean literally the whole day from 830 to 4pm. You basically talk to someone every half an hour until you're emotionally and physically drained. And you give a powerpoint presentation sometime in between (and i made one brand new too just for these company and their impossible requirements). On top of that, you also had to read a research paper and send in your critique before the actual onsite interview. Although super tired and somewhat nervous, I finished both interviews with high hopes. I could tell that I really kicked ass during the presentation, but with so many more applicants this year d/t the recession, I can't be 100% sure. I got followup phone calls from one company in particular somewhat asking me to make a decision between the two companies (they know about each other) and I was completely caught off guard.
I then spent the next month waiting in vain for the results. When I didn't hear anything on the proposed day of decision I knew I was out. Of course my suspicion was confirmed via phone calls/email that the offer belonged to someone else. At which point, my mood was very very bad. Because I went through so much work. and then nothing. It pains me to even look at the presentation I made and the articles I had to read for these companies. I dont think i ever or will ever have to try this hard for any job in my life. They raised the bar so high that as a candidate you had to jump through these hoops in order to be the chosen one.
Then I was called back for a residency interview in nyc. I thought that was a very interesting surprise. I had applied for hospital residencies as a back up, and didn't think i'd get any invites. But I went anyway, since there's really no backup plan as of now. Then i was put through another all-day interview between 2 medical centers, only to find out in the end that the program isn't that great because they work their residents to death. I would be living in nyc working 60+ hr a week and never see the sun. And the interview was poorly organized. half the interviewers prolly didn't show up. And the ones who did show up had trouble identifying which candidate should go to which room. At one point I was being interviewed in the cafeteria because of some room booking confusion. I'd be damned if that interview worked in my favor. At the end of the day it was coming straight back to LA for my rotation the next day.
And did I mention I am also doing my oncology rotation at the same time? I pulled 2 50+ weeks 2 weeks in a row just so I can fly to the east coast to get interviewed. In hindsight, all for nothing. Everyday at the hospital I could feel that I was just so sad and tired.
I had planned to go back to tw during my off rotation (which starts valentine's day weekend) but because I haven't received any offers I have to wait in the US for 2 interviews (one has yet to be booked).
It's been really hard for me, i'm sure looking back I will feel so sorry for myself. To be physically and mentally challenged at the hospital rotation, trying to impress my preceptor and match my super type-A partner, coming home to lots of rejection letter/email/phone calls, and flying all over the US for more interviews which are the least promising, and coming back to work straight through the week. I am only giving myself a free weekend so i can work on my final presentation and exam for my last week of rotation.
There are things that make me feel bad. like finding out my friend who got married got pregnant (not that it's a bad thing for her, but that's also something i haven't fulfilled my womanly duty for), and another girl getting engaged to a apparently very well off MD.
When I looked at the cancer patients at teh hospital and I wonder if i'll become one of them with my constant high stress level. I felt bad that during my time at the hospital I've already seen two pts go. and i had seen them while they were alive. really puts everything in perspective for you.
but at the same time, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I just produced a 1 hr long presentation completed with all kinds of studies and graphics within an hour, and i feel absolutely no anxiety about presenting it. I guess after having to present in front of 8 pharm.d.s + MDs at these company interviews nothing can make me pee my pants at this point. :P
2010年1月17日 星期日
What to do
Yes...it is a known fact that I can't update my blog when under extreme stress/worries.
A few words since my last update. I have received calls. I have flown over and returned from the east coast from interviews with two companies I applied for. I spent 2 whole days interviewing with them (from 830 to 330) and flying back and forth and I was so tired and drained from the trip to the east coast (and the fact that I have to make up the days I missed from rotation).
Anyway, I am right on the brink of everything. I am trying to write thank you cards to the people I interviewed with. But I am completely getting cold feet. Am I ready to move? More and more i'm flip flopping everyday about the decision. I am all of a sudden having this great fear from being on the other side of the country and away from all my family. I know no one on that side of the continent and no family at all. This typically did not bother me. but all of a sudden it's so debilitating. I feel that I am getting myself into it more by investing so much time into it. I am putting on a happy face while a part of me is getting really, really tired of being so far away from my family and people who i care for and love. I dont know if i am into the being alone in a small town (not nyc) just so i can get experiences to come home. I want to be surrounded by people who can give me a boost in morale when I am down after work, and not over Skype or the phone.
I think i am just really, really homesick and really scared to move far far away from everyone I know. like the big move i made when I was 15 to the US. I guess old memories dont die easy.
A few words since my last update. I have received calls. I have flown over and returned from the east coast from interviews with two companies I applied for. I spent 2 whole days interviewing with them (from 830 to 330) and flying back and forth and I was so tired and drained from the trip to the east coast (and the fact that I have to make up the days I missed from rotation).
Anyway, I am right on the brink of everything. I am trying to write thank you cards to the people I interviewed with. But I am completely getting cold feet. Am I ready to move? More and more i'm flip flopping everyday about the decision. I am all of a sudden having this great fear from being on the other side of the country and away from all my family. I know no one on that side of the continent and no family at all. This typically did not bother me. but all of a sudden it's so debilitating. I feel that I am getting myself into it more by investing so much time into it. I am putting on a happy face while a part of me is getting really, really tired of being so far away from my family and people who i care for and love. I dont know if i am into the being alone in a small town (not nyc) just so i can get experiences to come home. I want to be surrounded by people who can give me a boost in morale when I am down after work, and not over Skype or the phone.
I think i am just really, really homesick and really scared to move far far away from everyone I know. like the big move i made when I was 15 to the US. I guess old memories dont die easy.
2010年1月3日 星期日
last day for me to do absolutely nothing
EEEK! today is the last day of my winter break. ARGHH! Can't believe that 2 weeks flew by just like that. although i have to say that it feels like much longer because I was able to squeeze in some really quality time to rest and travel and do nothing, but still, the thought that tomorrow at this time I will be whining through my way through the next rotation is just kind of annoying. particularly because it's a hard one. particularly because I have it on campus with a smartie from my class, particularly because it's oncology which i remember nothing about. ok time to stop stressing!
So I'm lying in my bed and organizing the pictures. I decided that I will give a mini summary of my xmas break in a nutshell:
San Diego- accomplished a lot. went to the Sharp Hospital Open House (for business), and Old Town, Hillcrest, Downtown San Diego (for fun). We tried this new moroccan restaurant that was super yummy. the beef/shrim/tuna kebab was out of this world! and we FINALLY made it in the doors of Sushi Deli. I've waited in line to try this place at least 3 times in my life and i never got close to within 15 min of being seated. If you ever have a chance to go to San Diego you'd see it's outrageous how many people waste their time standing in the cold for the sushi here. BUT, since i never got to try throughout college, i decided to give it ago. and luckily we weren't that far down the list so we actually got in this time. Yes, it's reasonably price, no, the sushi quality is no where as good as what you can find in LA or OC. It's purely for the non-asian tastebuds or those who are on a tight budget. But if you ask me, you can spend the same amt of money in LA and get much better quality. You'd be better off walk around Gaslamp and find a good italian/steakhouse/Indian there, in my opinion. At the end of the day on our way back we stopped by Taiko (a authentic japanese place in Irvine). LOTS of food and tastes great. I can't believe i only paid that much for the quality of sashimi i got.
SF -
We went to SF for Xmas. The first night we got to spend xmas dinner on our own (me and my sis) and we went to an Indian buffet. all you can eat Indian food (plus the yummiest milk tea) for $12. It's at this place called Naan 'n' Curry. I thought that was a petty memorable xmas dinner considering the fact that we didn't go to a regular restaurant and spend $50 on finger food. I absolutely loved their curry (and milk tea) there. Over the next couple days, we also stopped by a friend's xmas party, Ferry Building (SUPER FUN almost reminds me of Quincy Market in Boston), Sausalito (cold and not that spectacular compared to SD), and more Union Square (love love love), some Jewish diner, and Shabu shabu. think I listed them all.
NYE-
Yes, i had some very tasty brazilian bbq! I've heard of Fogo de Chao for quite some time now but never tried. the rumor is true. it is Y.U.M.M.Y. all of the beef items were juicy and nicely marinated, the salad bar was above-average, and the never ending mash potato and fried plantains were also very delicious. My only complaint is that the Caparihna was on the pricey side and was wayy too strong. but the service was courteous and it didn't hurt that all the waiters were eye candies with an accent. ;) 4 stars! We then walked to Tanzore a close-by indian restaurant/lounge for the countdown.
It was a nice alternative because we were cutting pretty close to midnight and didnt' feel like traveling too far. we ended up having some Rose Champagne for the countdown. a very interesting experience.
Rest of the days -
were pretty uneventful. My sis was sick as hell so she couldn't' do much. But i did end up going to dinner with a friend at a indian restaurant in the area and shopped some more for deeply discounted stuff. I got pants for $10 and $15..isn't it crazy? You can't even get pants that cheap in Asia. :)
Alritey. gonna prolly sleep the rest of my day off. It's pretty sunny out and i can't believe my break is over! Wahhhhhh!
So I'm lying in my bed and organizing the pictures. I decided that I will give a mini summary of my xmas break in a nutshell:
San Diego- accomplished a lot. went to the Sharp Hospital Open House (for business), and Old Town, Hillcrest, Downtown San Diego (for fun). We tried this new moroccan restaurant that was super yummy. the beef/shrim/tuna kebab was out of this world! and we FINALLY made it in the doors of Sushi Deli. I've waited in line to try this place at least 3 times in my life and i never got close to within 15 min of being seated. If you ever have a chance to go to San Diego you'd see it's outrageous how many people waste their time standing in the cold for the sushi here. BUT, since i never got to try throughout college, i decided to give it ago. and luckily we weren't that far down the list so we actually got in this time. Yes, it's reasonably price, no, the sushi quality is no where as good as what you can find in LA or OC. It's purely for the non-asian tastebuds or those who are on a tight budget. But if you ask me, you can spend the same amt of money in LA and get much better quality. You'd be better off walk around Gaslamp and find a good italian/steakhouse/Indian there, in my opinion. At the end of the day on our way back we stopped by Taiko (a authentic japanese place in Irvine). LOTS of food and tastes great. I can't believe i only paid that much for the quality of sashimi i got.
SF -
We went to SF for Xmas. The first night we got to spend xmas dinner on our own (me and my sis) and we went to an Indian buffet. all you can eat Indian food (plus the yummiest milk tea) for $12. It's at this place called Naan 'n' Curry. I thought that was a petty memorable xmas dinner considering the fact that we didn't go to a regular restaurant and spend $50 on finger food. I absolutely loved their curry (and milk tea) there. Over the next couple days, we also stopped by a friend's xmas party, Ferry Building (SUPER FUN almost reminds me of Quincy Market in Boston), Sausalito (cold and not that spectacular compared to SD), and more Union Square (love love love), some Jewish diner, and Shabu shabu. think I listed them all.
NYE-
Yes, i had some very tasty brazilian bbq! I've heard of Fogo de Chao for quite some time now but never tried. the rumor is true. it is Y.U.M.M.Y. all of the beef items were juicy and nicely marinated, the salad bar was above-average, and the never ending mash potato and fried plantains were also very delicious. My only complaint is that the Caparihna was on the pricey side and was wayy too strong. but the service was courteous and it didn't hurt that all the waiters were eye candies with an accent. ;) 4 stars! We then walked to Tanzore a close-by indian restaurant/lounge for the countdown.
It was a nice alternative because we were cutting pretty close to midnight and didnt' feel like traveling too far. we ended up having some Rose Champagne for the countdown. a very interesting experience.
Rest of the days -
were pretty uneventful. My sis was sick as hell so she couldn't' do much. But i did end up going to dinner with a friend at a indian restaurant in the area and shopped some more for deeply discounted stuff. I got pants for $10 and $15..isn't it crazy? You can't even get pants that cheap in Asia. :)
Alritey. gonna prolly sleep the rest of my day off. It's pretty sunny out and i can't believe my break is over! Wahhhhhh!
2010年1月1日 星期五
Is it ok to not have new year's resolution this year?
So I decided that this year I will not make any New Year's Resolution I cannot keep. I thought about making new ones, but it would be unrealistic of me to swear off these following things:
1) work out at least 3 times a week: seeing how i am sitting on the couch right in front of a perfectly functioning treadmill, while drinking my first boba of the year, this is most likely not going to happen. The house is cold, and I kind of dont feel like breaking a sweat. True, I probably gained a few pounds over the holidays and can probably get more definition in my arms, but c'mon, it's cold out, and I will be wearing long sleeves for the rest of the winter. I will work out when I feel like it, or eat salad when the temperature is at least over 60 degrees. It's really not like I'll be slipping in a tube dress anytime soon, so let's just be comfortable and forget about the workout.
2) Write only positive thoughts in my blog: ok, this of all things, probably will not last past 3 days. Probably because if i promise anything now, when the interviews roll around or when major decisions have to be made about whether to move or not, I will be full of complaints/doubts. and yes, this is a somewhat crucial year and I really dont want to give myself a hard time for writing about my doubts and negative feelings. It may be somewhat unpleasant to read, but I need to vent somehwere. and what better place than on your blog (than in the face of your co-worker, boss, friends, strangers...). I CAN however write more about pleasant things/trips in my life. that much i can promise. ;)
3) Be more positive about my love life (or lack thereof): well, this is something that is totally out of my control so why sweat about it.
These are some of the more major areas of life I can think of. But I really think I want to just take it easy this year and not worry about coming up with new year's resultions and feeling crappy about not keeping them 3 days after I make them.
Happy New Year Everyone! <3
1) work out at least 3 times a week: seeing how i am sitting on the couch right in front of a perfectly functioning treadmill, while drinking my first boba of the year, this is most likely not going to happen. The house is cold, and I kind of dont feel like breaking a sweat. True, I probably gained a few pounds over the holidays and can probably get more definition in my arms, but c'mon, it's cold out, and I will be wearing long sleeves for the rest of the winter. I will work out when I feel like it, or eat salad when the temperature is at least over 60 degrees. It's really not like I'll be slipping in a tube dress anytime soon, so let's just be comfortable and forget about the workout.
2) Write only positive thoughts in my blog: ok, this of all things, probably will not last past 3 days. Probably because if i promise anything now, when the interviews roll around or when major decisions have to be made about whether to move or not, I will be full of complaints/doubts. and yes, this is a somewhat crucial year and I really dont want to give myself a hard time for writing about my doubts and negative feelings. It may be somewhat unpleasant to read, but I need to vent somehwere. and what better place than on your blog (than in the face of your co-worker, boss, friends, strangers...). I CAN however write more about pleasant things/trips in my life. that much i can promise. ;)
3) Be more positive about my love life (or lack thereof): well, this is something that is totally out of my control so why sweat about it.
These are some of the more major areas of life I can think of. But I really think I want to just take it easy this year and not worry about coming up with new year's resultions and feeling crappy about not keeping them 3 days after I make them.
Happy New Year Everyone! <3
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