a LOO'er at Merck

La Fin

2007-04-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

...wowsers, can't believe 4 months has already come to an end. this has definitely been my best co-op term, and my last one too. it's nice to end it this way.

so my last weekend in Montreal, has been a wrap up of things i haven't done yet. climbed Mont Royal (highest mountain on the island) and man alive the view was just AMAZING. like...you could see practically the whole island from the various vantage points. very romantic. very tiring. watched the Tam Tams play (at the bottom of the mountain...people gather together every sunday, weather permitting, to smoke weed, play drums, dance, sell merchandises, and plain out chill). I also participated in a "medieval" fight...where people would dress up and kick each other's behind with foam swords, spears, shields, and armours. it was great times. i picked a two-handed sword (i kid you not...it was almost my height...went up to about my chin) and gg-owned my friends. haha. i felt like Cloud from FF7. minus the Tifa.

anywho, we also went to Eggspectations...and it exceeded all my EGGspectations of the place. I ordered a Pagé fruit juice (Strawberry, banana, blueberry, kiwi, melon, honeydew, mango, papaya, pineapple blended with fresh orange juice) and an Eggspectation™ (Three egg omelette, with mushrooms, onions, green and red peppers, bacon, sausage, ham…. served with grilled potatoes and chef’s fruit garnish. And with a lot of love.♥) with extra love on the side. the waiter wouldn't gimme the love on the side...rather...it would be distributed evenly throughout my meal instead. man alive was the meal loverly. the juice probably made my day.

then we walked some more and went to Montreal's most famous ice cream parlor (can't recall the name..something B...something french...), and wow...there was like a perpetual line-up. people would just keep comin' and linin' up...and you know a place is good when the line-ups never stop. i got me a pistachio ice cream (with REAL whole pistachio nuts in it!) and a pear sorbet (made with real pears...it's like if you were eating one). SOOOOOOOOO good. if gg had a flavour...this ice cream place would have it.

i'm sad to leave this great city...great company...great friends. but alas...that is life...and as this chapter closes...another opens. can't wait to see what's next!

Aujourd'hui...

2007-04-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

...i had a hankering for McDonald's nuggets 'n fries...so...i went to this friendly place on St. Jean's. and man alive...it was the FANCIEST McDee's i've ever been to! it had a McCafe (where you can get like...gourmet sandwiches...coffee...iced lattes...), a McPlayground, a plasma TV, Internet access, a fireplace in the middle of the restaurant with a rustic chimney, long glass panels decorating the room....and get this...the tables were all made of GRANITE! whoa nelly mad cow disease...this place was quite pimping. even the floors were clean.

anywho, the past few weeks have been pretty go-go-go pour moi...and it ain't gonna slow down till the 25th. i can't believe i have less than deux semaines left in Montreal. it's gonna be bittersweet leaving here...

so the past few weekends has been awesome-sauce:

-cy 'n carol's visit, bagels 'n smoked meat, gg-good times
-biodome (saw the "swimming pig"), insectarium (i ate cheddar flavoured mealworms!), botanical garden (this place was AWEsome...there's this butterfly exhibit where you enter a room...and butterflies are flying EVERYWHERE. they land on you...lay eggs under your epidermis, zip across your eyes. it was really...a cool experience. some of these guys are like...the size of my head...), photo updates HERE
-went back to TO for Easter (family time, friendly friend time, sharbear's baptism...muchos eating was accomplished and muchos goodly time had...)

this weekend...co-ops are havin' a costume partay at a guy's house...the next day we're going "tree hopping" in Rigaud (a place where you can zipline, do obstacle courses atop trees, and rock climb)...i'm uber excited to try this out!

i also discovered that...i really enjoy...being lost. when i ride my bike to work...sometimes...i would take random routes that i've never taken....just for fun. comin' home the other day...i decided to take a "detour" into winding streets...i ended up being "lost" for an hour. i love...how smooth the roads here are....how the wind caresses my hair....how free i am when i rip up a hill...and how i can experience God...through the nothingness of it all.

Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

habs-sauce...

2007-03-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

...nothing is better than some wet-cajun Morty's wings accompanied by a heap of honey-garlic ones guzzled down with a large jug of refreshingly iced tea while watching the hockey game for a post-exam celebration.

actually, it can get better.

S.E.A.M #2 (Stuff Enjoyed At Montreal)...a list of...many more to come:

-live hockey game. last night i went to my buddy's (friend i met from last co-op term) "bachelor partay". it wasn't much of a partay as it was a testosterone filled night of screaming, pizza, and foam fingers. it was my first live hockey game and man alive, it's SO much better than watching it on tv.

the atmostphere, the crowd, random goofies spilling beer, the excitement when the goal is scored...i lurve it all. the Montreal Canadiens whooped the Caps 4-1. if the habs scored 5 or more goals...we all would've gotten free wings from Les Cages aux Sports. ah well, it was close.

"This morning i watched the sun rise...in a vain attempt to imitate your beauty."

c'est bon

2007-03-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

what a fantastical weekend in TO. ate muchos food avec the family...got to attend my friend's farewell partay...got to chill with some long-time-haven't-chilled-with friends...TenRen's next top model...shooting frosty in jc's backyard (frosty got gg-owned)...baton with the mcbc-crew...awesome-sauce worship service...couldn't ask for a better weekend.

the drive back was horrible though...took almost 6 hours...snow was a factor...and cop cars were lined up alone the roads like kangeroo poop. but alas, jon foreman and i became good friends during the ride.

S.E.A.M #1 (Stuff Enjoyed At Montreal)...a list of...many more to come:

[yes, i got the idea off of josh's site...haha]

-poutine and smoked meat. once i drove into town from TO, i immediately stopped at Smoked Meat Pete's for some good ol' artery cloggin' action. a SUGOI-ly huge smoked meat sandwich with Everest high poutines...all downed with a few glasses of dihydrogen monoxide.

"the beat of my heart is like a drum that's lost...and it's been looking for a rhythm like you..." -rm

=)

oh la la

2007-03-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

...so the "light show" downtown was pretty interesting.

-saw some "modern" dance thingy...was rather...ummm....confusing...but i got three free glowsticks. it was sweet.
-visited a "haunted" restaurant...where people dressed up as dead people...and walked around to scare you. but they spoke french...so i wasn't afraid.
-ate from the giant omelette (made from 10,000 eggs). it was actually pretty darn good but we lined up for over an hour. but it was free, so it was worth it. it took like...10 chefs to cook around the giant skillet (4m across).
-ate from the one-tonne apple sauce. it was kinda...sour. i only ate it cause i wanted to have a piece of history inside my tummy...they were trying to break guiness world records...and some dood took a pic of me 'n my chums eating. i hope i get to be in next year's brochure.

...am finally an accredited rock climber! i can climb...rocks...wherever and whenever. beware of that stone in your backyard...i will soon be squatting on it.

...went snowboarding for the first time this past weekend! i felt like a giant bruise the next day but man alive it was fun! i went on two black diamond slopes accidentally. almost died. then a chick saved me. elementary kids were taking me to school on the snowboard. next time...i'll take them to school....in a school bus. i couldn't pick up a pot to cook the next day...so i ordered pizza. it took me 3 days to finish the pizza. it wasn't...very good.

...received my fourth last pay cheque today, it was bitter sweet.

...peach-flavoured YOP rocks.

...TO this weekend, sugoi!

À mi-chemin

2007-03-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

...i can't believe the term's already half done. there's still so much to do and explore. quick update on the happenings:

-on Hallmark Day, a bunch of single co-ops went out for some Mexican food. i ate cactus for the first time. we also catapulted lime wedges around.

-for Chinese New Year, i went back to TO! sooooo much goodly food to be had. it was definitely too short a weekend, didn't meet up with everyone that i would've liked to. nonetheless, good times with the family and friends.

-Rock Climbing. this is the dope. i re-injured an old wound but it was still awesome. i was supposed to get my accreditation this week but we had a snow storm. maybe next week. the harnass really uprides on ya. i think infertility is calling my name.

-Sugar Shack. went "sugaring off" with a bunch of co-ops. it's a meal...where almost every dish involved maple syrup!!! they had: fresh maple syrup and toffee, home-made ketchup and coleslaw, pickles and pickled beets, split pea soup with a base of pork rind, amazing maple roasted ham, eggs, home-fries, maple baked beans, crazy good desserts.

my favourite dish was the "pig's ears". this is essentially...the fattiest part of bacon...and then deep-fried. and heavily salted. if gg-ownage had a flavour...this would be it. a gradient of crispiness permeates the beautifully deep-fried curl of delicious goodness.

-China Town. it was actually clean-looking. but then...it was also really really small.

-Work. has been...decent. some of my experiments haven't been working properly so that's been a bit disappointing.

-planning to go watch a light show downtown tonight. pull an all-nighter, cause at 4:30am they're making a giant omelette (requires 10,000 eggs and a one-tonne frying pan nearly 4 metres across), and then sample from a one-tonne apple sauce...(all for free!!!)

-next weekend i'm gonna go snowboardin' with the co-ops

i've also discovered some pretty awesome flavour combinations the past few months:

nutella and peanut butter: for breakfast, i'd eat a whopping tablespoon of nutella and a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter. that's enough calories to keep you going for a few hours. it tastes like a Reese's peanut butter cup on steroids.

milk and syrup: something i picked up from the sugar shack. normally 2% milk just taste like...white water...but add a dollop of maple syrup, and it's the drink of choice for champions.

coleslaw and ketchup: something else i picked up from the sugar shack. ever had flavourless coleslaw? add in some home-made ketchup and you're back in the game.

fennel and citrus fruits: a refreshing salad my landlady made once. cubed fennel with coriander and fennel seeds, peeled and segmented citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit...) some white balsamic and cider vinegar. i never knew something so simple...can taste...so yummy.

poutine and smoked meat: this is another gg-ownage dish. piping hot, fresh, greasy poutine topped with a mountain of smoked meat. it's a heart-attack in a giant bowl...ready to happen.

spiritually: been learnin' my own insufficiencies...been learnin' to give thanks no matter where i am and be satiated with whatever i have...been learnin' to take more risks and live more dangerously....been learnin' to love people for who they are. i think...this has been the biggest lesson i've been learning. to love people...for who they are, regardless of what they've done. there's a lot of hurting people at work...and they just need someone to show 'em God's love...with no strings attached. i also need to...love God more...Above All.

"And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don't think I'm being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches." (1 Corinthians 7:17, The Message)

Le Meilleur Weekend chez Québec...

2007-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

...by far. travelled to Quebec City with 7 other co-ops to attend its annual Winter Carnival. man alive it was soooooooo fun! i felt like a kid again. summary of the trip in list format...

Food I ate:

-beaver tail (cinnamon and sugar and lemon), a first-timer for me. reminded me of soggy pretzels
-alligator (tasted kinda like fishy rubbery chicken)
-maple taffy on the snow, in all its chewy and sticky goodness
-poutine, can't go to quebec without eating some poutine
-seafood crepes au gratin and yummy dessert crepes
-drank caribou (it's a drink they have, made with porte wine and triple sec...served warm)

Activities Partaken:

-zip lining (more on this later)
-tornado slide, an 8-person circular raft which spins as you slide down a crazy incline
-the raft, a 12-person raft which becomes air-borne over the bumps down a crazy incline
-tubing, it was a kiddy hill with optional yellow snow
-trampoline show, they did some pretty sick moves
-ice "castle", if i peed on it the whole thing might've collapsed
-snow and ice sculptures, pretty darn impressive
-human jitz table, we were tied to giant sticks and we had to kick a ball around...good times!

i also went "clubbing" with them. i ordered pineapple juice, listened to a live band...then i went home to watch the hockey game. i tried to dance for 3.2 seconds and failed miserably. i'm never dancing again. haha.

i couldn't ask for a better weekend. i've done many road trips and this one has to rank near the top. it was nice getting to know the people outside of work. the highlight of the trip for me was definitely the zip-lining. when i found out that it was included in the pass we bought, i wanted to go on...just for experience sake. but the thing is...i forgot that i was afraid of heights. i kept hyping people on about it...and as the line drew nearer to the front i got more excited. i wanted to do something risque, something that took me outta my comfort zone. as i got to the top of the tower...there was no turning back. i could've chickened out...or manned up. with the harness up-riding on me and fair maidens awaiting me at the finish line...i couldn't disappoint. i ran full speed and jumped. and man alive, it was probably the best decision i made all trip.

the experience was just liberating...i was running, swimming and modelling while i was up there. sometimes this is how i feel spiritually. there's always something that i'm afraid of, sins ashamed to be exposed, past mistakes that i wished to be erased...but i gotta face it...and let go of it. go full force in the Grace of God and to embrace and trust in His love.

PICTURES HERE!!!

En ce voyage j'ai fini par connaître cette fille un peu meilleure =)

Deuxième Semaine

2007-01-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

what a busy second week. deep into two projects already and my supervisor is gonna throw in a third one. should be good times time-managing stuff. finally met the rest of the co-ops this week...they're all from varying walks of life, each bringing their own flavour to the tables. we had a co-op dinner in the middle of the week, which was nice...getting to know people outside of the workplace.

yesterday i met up with a friend whom i haven't seen since first year univ. it was good catchin' up and just chillin'...

...the weather is still super cold.

anywho, enough text...enjoy some photos!

Saturday

Sunday

Il y a une joli étudiant mignon de quebecois au travail. J'ai obtenu de m'asseoir près d'elle pendant le dîner. J'étais étourdi comme une fille d'école. =)

Première Semaine

2007-01-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

wow...the first week really flew by...training has been so intense and the learning just never stops. protocols...procedures...method development...instrumentation designs....they actually worked me pretty darn hard for the first week of co-op. this is definitely gonna be my most challenging placement...hopefully it'll be just as rewarding. for the nerdy scientists out there...i'm currently working on an HPLC injection program for a method to determine the degradates of a specific API. i'll also (hopefully) be working on some well-plates (64) protocol development stuff as well.

so i have like zero social-life here after work. it takes me half an hour to walk to work and 30 mins to get back (that's already an hr gone) then...i work around...8.5-9 hr days...i leave before the sun rises and return after the sun sets. get home...cook...eat...shower...and it's pretty much bed time...haha. but i'm taking a DE course (on Love and Friendship) to make up for my lackluster performance in this area.

but yea...despite the exhausting week...it's been real fun getting to know the co-ops. we're all pretty much from different universities, backgrounds, and labs. i savour the time during lunch where we eat...and complain about reading SOPs. i wish i took french more seriously in high school...cause yea, a lot of ppl speak it and it's really really hard to read the menus here...ah well...i've been trying to pick things up from people tho...which has been an interesting learnin' experience.

so i explored the ONE mall in DDO (Fairview) and it's quite...lame. it's full of clothing stores (those who know me know that i despise clothing shopping. i'd rather watch polyester decompose than shop)...and the food court really didn't impress me. ah well...but i did get a healthy helping of pad thai (which was flavoured really well). i wanna get me some smoked meat/ham, poutine, and beaver tail one of these weekends.

so yea...last sunday i ended up walking into an Anglican church instead of the United one. this weekend i wanna visit my friend's church downtown...hopefully i won't get too lost.

the weather has been pretty funk-i lately too. sometimes it'd be super cold then it'd get super warm. then it'd rain, and snow...at the same time.

i'm so glad i can sleep in tmr!

Je me demande pourquoi je suis célibataire parfois. Alors j'ai réalise, c'est vendredi nuit et j'à la maison fais la blanchisserie et mets à jour mon Blog.

In Habs-Town

2007-01-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

thanks to all those who called last night to say farewells and adieus...it took everything i had within me to holdback the reservoir of saline solution welling up in my tearducts. i've truly been blessed with many a great brothers and sisters...and of course, the bestest family in the world. ya'll fantastic =)

so the journey began at 6AM this rainy day...i drove, got a Timmy's brekkie sandwich with bacon, then my dad drove...then i slept, and woke up in quebec. did some groceries...and today...i ate FRESHLY BAKED baguettes with pesto (sooooo beautiful)...soon thereafter...i got a FRESHLY BAKED poppyseed bagel!!! they were so FRESHLY BAKED that it burned my hands when i tried to eat 'em. crazy-sauce!

man alive, so good, so cheap, so happy. anywho...so they don't have LCBO in Quebec...instead...they just sell beer 'n wine in No-Frills-look-alike-stores. i was like...what the...interesting. and the traffic lights here are horizontal. and you can't make a right turn on a red light. however...the "Arret"-signs are still red. and octagonal.

then i moved into my place...the house "almost" looked like the photos that my landlady sent me...so i can't complain. living with a random guy (who lives in the basement) and the landlady. i get my own washroom so that's pretty sweet...except...it's so small...i'm afraid that if i close the door and fart, i might die of hydrogen sulfide poisoning.

then i made bow-tie pasta with an alfredo sauce avec fresh carrots and honey-dijon...and watched the latest installment of Bleach.

AND i found out that a friend of mine from first-yr (who later switched to McGill) is still here! so i may be able to catch up with her hopefully maybe perhaps perchance i hope.

and that is all. i plan to go to a United church tomorrow...just cause it's close to home. won't be venturing too far till i get a bus pass.

easy!

Tea Mine As Twen Tea Fife Daze

2006-12-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

PTL i've finally found a place to stay in Montreal (West Island). it's pretty much a 20 minute walk to everywhere (work, shopping, YMCA...). here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure (note, these pictures were taken during the summer):

38 Place Ravel

Bedroom

Living Room

Kitchen

Backyard (w/ a pool)!!!

i finally received my work contract as well, i'll be starting on Jan 8th, 2007...so i'll probably be moving up around the 5th or the 6th. i still needa find a suitable church (hopefully within walking distance). ya'll better come visit during reading week! =)

bagel-town, here i come!

Preparations

2006-11-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

T minus 38 days

still need:

-housing
-travel
-contract
-church
-a boldness to speak the Truth

slightly scared, very anxious, and have no clue what'll happen. Merck Frosst is a drug R and D company...but they said i won't be getting any free samples. apparently this place is right ON the trans Canada highway. good times.