LAST DAY

Wow.

a whole month passes by so quickly when you're working. its been a wonderful experience and everybody was really nice

i spent the last two days just talking to more people around the office. I got around to talk to E about his story and i got -alot- from him. i got a couple of people's contacts and i definetly will be talking to them again.

work so extremely different from school im not sure if im ready for it yet. well... if i really had to i probably would be okay with it.. but i'd much rather stay in school. although, i cant do that forever.

its been great just meeting new people while i would never get the chance to do if not for this opportunity (considering how bad i am at talking to people) it was easy somewhat cause people just told me their story like that. it was like.... they had always wanted to talk about it and they jsut went on. i didn't really have to do much to keep the conversation going! it was good for me.

today, P brought doughnuts for everyone in the office because it was nearing his two year anniversary at the company. two years seems like a lot to me but considering the rest of the experience that other people have had its is just tiny fraction. so i guess i shouldnt worry too much about how long something takes me to do because 5 - 10 years is a short time.

I got to somewhat learn how to sleep and wake up early ( i'm already tired at 12! i usually get tired much later) so im hoping i keep this cycle (hard because i procrastinate all the time! :( ))
and working life makes you more mature? i guess.


I am very much looking forward to the people there again beacuse they are extremely nice people and im very glad i got to go to them and not anywhere else.

day 18

two more days till its over! wow time passes way too fast when you're at work. tooooooo fast.

today laurence came over and i did my prensentation on my project and lotsa people came to watch. (like 10... that was a lot for me) anyways i think i rushed it a bit but it wasnt too horrible. now im just make moar formulations and doing moar ftir analysises(is that a word?)

day 17

Friday
Monday
Monday
Tuesday

Tuesday

Oops procrastination caused me to not update for the past two days. but fear not! triple entry today to make up for it!

so on friday i practically didn't step into the secret lab at all because we were held up in our experiments due to equipments. I took the time to finish up my presentation and report. again. also, i got a tiny bit sick and i noticed that whenever i sneezed or coughed in my cubicle, the sound would bounce back at me like a wierd high pitched echo.

On monday I spent more time in the lab, but mostly waiting around for reactions to finish. Floated around the labs. again.

Today i made up final formulations just to make sure everything ive done was correct.

Also, I pity the IT people. they have to fix SO MANY THINGS.

day 14

today was a relaxing day. i finished up my report and presentation. and then floated around the labs.

I found out why M sits in the dark. its cause she has sensitive eyes! Also i noted a number of things

- when i go to the back storage, its always in anxiousness because i have to pass the compressor which tends to make loud noises all of a sudden.
- It was cold today so I really wanted to go hang out in the 40 C storage cupboard. But if i go in, i wont be able to get out
- every one had heaps of meetings today which i wasn't allowed into.

Day 13

Today was enjoyable. finised upone of my projects, well almost.

i forgot to mention that yesterday i was almost late because one of the busses was late. but THANK GOD girl P was driving to work and saw me walking to the office with 5 mins to spare and she drove me the rest of the way, so i wasnt late. PHEW.

Also, M is back at work i think shes the coolest person there. I want to hang out with her but shes always hangin out with L in the library, or writing/reading there in the dark. So secretive. I think she like the quiet. Her lab is all the way in the corner too. But shes so cool.

Oh. I sneaked a photo during lunch time. ahah.

day 12

double lunch photo!!

anyway today was a tiring day again and all of a sudden i have a gazillion things to do: report, presentation, school project and PSS website. all by end of this week!

today there was a journal club thing where 2 people had to presnet ideas to the company. it was good but i dont see a big enough incentive to put effort into it if your idea was most likely gonna get shelved anyways.

okay i better get started on my presentation. its already 9!! ARGH

day11

instant food mondays.. ahhh. I hadn't put enough water in the instant fried rice and it came out uncooked, even after 10 mins of cooking. it was still edible and the msg and other taste enhancers fixed that though. Ahhh robustness. but still. i shouldn't ever eat this again.

Anyway, today I hardly stepped into the lab. only once in the morning and once just before i left. the rest of the time was spent working on my report because we had met a road block in the experiment because we didn't have access to a freeze dryer or a spray dryer.

So we had one of those weekly meetings with R to let him know about the progress and all... and apparantly, we're meant to lay out the whole aim and everything out again, just in case he forgot haha.

P also told me that when I leave my table, I should make it a habit to cover all my important information lest some random comes and copies it. OOOhh super top secret. haha I keep thinking someone like austin powers would come along with a mini camera and take photos of my 'blueprints' hur hur hur. maybe i should get some blue lined paper and write with a blue pen they will actually be called 'blueprints'

day 10

No photos today cause i dont have my phone cable.

I had yum cha with a couple of people from work because P decided it would be a good idea. I think it was because he was happy about the progress of his patent. haha.

I spoke with L today because shes is an unofficial 'buyer' for the company, and is in charge of ordering anything that the labs need in. I think its like what my mother does.. but less official. I think I like the idea of being the company's personal shopper. mmm thats a good job title.

A lot of the 'bigger bosses' were not around today, so it was pretty quiet. but by afternoon tea time and after yumcha, everyone lighten up because it was like the weekend.

P and I sat down to discuss what we've been doing for the past week. I think we've made good progress. we've done a number of things. I have to start on my report on it as well

Girl R sent me to Monash and on the way home she told me that the pharmaceutical industry is shrinking rather than growing, and the focus is going into the biotechnology scene. I guess is kinda annoying that there are a decreasing number of jobs in the pharmaceutical industry, because i've been kinda studying to get into that industry...

But she did say that it is still a good track to be on (what I'm studying) because I still can go into other industries like paint and cosmetics and other stuff. phew.

Day 9

Today was much better than yesterday... I still feel awake haha. must be the tea. but somehow every one else seemed a little out of it. Every one was quiet and didn't say much. Must be some one who started it and influenced every one. haha. Not surprising since its such a small company

P wants to go for yum cha tomorrow. I just hope its not gonna be too expensive haha.

I spoke with B today and he told me that its a good thing I like science because you don't get a lot of money in the research line. Its a bit depressing but I'm not going to be in research forever. least research is enjoyable enough.

day 8

Today was pretty tiring. I'm not sure why, but I felt really sleepy by 1 in the afternoon and I was already counting the hours to 5. I didn't have a partcularly bad or inadequate sleep, I was just tired.

Maybe it was because I didn't have enough break.

Today's experiment was simple, and lots of waiting around. Actually, I didn't even do much of my own experiment. I just watched P do some one else's experiment.

I saw this woman who came to monash a couple of weeks back for the HPLC training session, and she was apparently an ex collegue of G. It was nice seeing her again and I got an opportunity to use the HPLCs and UPLCs because she asked G if I could.

Girl R is back and and sent me to Monash Clayton to take the bus back. She told me she sleeps at 9 and wakes up at 6 and if she sleeps any later, she'll start to feel exhausted too.

day 7

Today was slightly tiring. But the beautiful weather made up for it.

I got to see how the aerosol crimpers work because B was using them. I was walking past and I got a quick tour.

R gave me another set of confidentiality papers to sign because I apparently have to sign GSK ones and not Steifel ones. And go for a police check. Good thing theres the internet. I don't even know if I can summon up the time and energy and desire to do an actual police check. Actually, I don't even know how they did police checks before internet.. do you have to go to the police station?

During morning tea, I spoke with E and girl P about the difference between school and work. Girl P kinda said that if you can afford it, don't work because school is so much easier. (ofcourse, totally not feasible) and E said that work is somewhat better because the experience is so much more relavant. I'm definetly not looking forward to leaving school life, but again, I don't want to be this immature kid for the rest of my life, plus I have to learn about human relations and all that crap.

I have to make a point to talk to E because he's studying a management course (?) part time. He apparently comes to work in the morning and leaves at 4 to go to school. Holy crap.

I realised that because you work every day on the weekday, you don't want to waste your weekends sleeping in, but also, you want to spend your weekday sleeping in because you don't get to do it during the week. what a horrible dilemma.

Anyway, we're venturing into foggier, more turmultous ground with our experiments, and I've learnt to write down like a mini agenda and confirming it with P before going into war. It help if you got good communication with your supervisor.

AHhhhh
, I'm tired already.

Day 6

food on friday

lunch today: instant mexican rice from safeway.

No outfit photo today because I showered before I could take one. But I have last friday's and today's lunch photo. Just for funsies.

My case of monday blues hit while I was on the way to lab. he's the best


I forgot to mention that we used the FTIR machine on friday and we needed to use this mini motar and pestel to grind the sample for measurement. IT IS SO CUTE! It looks like something out of a doll house kitchen. I want it to add to my collection of mini things.

There is also this really awesome analytical balance that I get to use. you wave your hand above the sensors to open its doors and you put your sample in. and then wave your hand above the sensor to close the doors again.It you don't think about the sensors, it feels like you're a jedi. Seriously. its the coolest piece of equipment ever. Its one of these. Not sure if you can see but the sensors are at the top left and right corners of the... control pad?


The whole day was pretty much spent in the secret lab today. I was on a roll.

I spoke to girl P and she told me how she didn't do honors and she's not affected by it. She told me that its really up to weather I want to go into more research. I'm not sure I do... but I'm somehow still leaning to another year at school.

I also asked girl A about D and honors and that. She did honors and it turned out okay for her as well. She told me that D was a very easy place to work with, alot of young people work there and it would be a good transition between school and the more hardcore places.

I did my first weekly report of P and I's project. It felt like we needed to do more work and I was underprepared but I guess thats what R is there for, to help us refine and check on us.

Girl R didn't come today so P offered to send me anywhere along Springvale road. We missed the turn on Ferntree gully road and ended up at princess highway. Whoops. haha

This post was for yesterday but I haven't gotten around to do it because I was travelling to creswick last night!

For the same reason, no photos because I didn't take a photo on my outfit yesterday :( I do have a photo of what I had for lunch but I don't have my phone on me so, no photos there either

So the first week of placement is over. It goes REALLY fast. When you're at work you don't feel how tired you get until the week end comes. and thats exactly what happened to me. I don't feel too excited to go back to Melbourne and get up early to get to work because I kinda forgot how nice it is to sleep in. I really shouldn't get back into the habit again though. BUT I STILL WANT TO SLEEP IN! ugh. Dilemma, dilemmas.

On friday, a lot of the time spent was by myself in the lab. I've kinda gotten the hang of it now and I don't find myself going to P and asking him to confirm what I'm meant to do the second before I do it.

P says that we've been very productive and gone through a lot of work, much more than he thought we'd do. I think thats a good thing. It should be

Also I found out girl A used to work at dulux. I think I should go and ask her about it. because Sam Mathews tells me that dulux is pretty awesome.

So. yes. girl R dropped me off at monash again.

Day 4

Okay today was the busiest. I think I would have more energy if I didnt have my period. Period is draining. Literally. And Figuratively. I wish there was no such thing as period. and the female egg was release in other ways like reabsorbed into the body or whatever.

Anyway as I was saying, it was busy today. Matt sent me to work so I didn't have to travel so far. Im so spoilt.

So today I think P was happy cause we were going so well with our programme so he went into somewhat of an over drive. or maybe its because there is a deadline... that I don't know about. Cause we're pretty much doing 2.5 experiments at a time. totally not a bad thing.

Apparantly thursdays is Pizza thursdays according to A because he goes out and buys them, but I wasn't around for long enough during lunch to get pizzas. Just as well cause I don't have money. and people who work need to pay for food. ahah.

So thats basically it. just more work. Because it was so busy today I was kinda over it at the end of the day and I didn't go see Sam Donegan at coffee HQ at monash university at 5.30 when I was there even though he was working till 6 because I was too lazy (eventhough I'm trying to get triat out of my blood for good)

Girl R dropped me off at the usual place and she missed a turn because she got distracted talking. haha too cute :D

Day 3

On the way to the lab in the morning was slightly tedious because it was raining. And I had to bring an umbrella with.

Today I got to talk to M and L, who've worked in R cosmetics together before. And now they are together at S. How nice. ahha. Girl R told me they were pretty much best friends. Anways they told me about the cosmetics industry and gave me tips and stuff which was really cool.

In the afternoon I continued with my super simple lab experiments which gave us a different answer to what we expected. But the beauty of this experiment is that, because its never done before, we're allowed to make mistakes because we don't know what is meant to happen.

And then R (boss) assigned us more experiments (I'm helping P possibly get another patent!) and there is a WHOLE lot of waiting involved, which sits very well in my boat.

Also, I found out that girl P, who is probably the youngest there, (S the receptionist may be a possible contender) is already married and 4 months preggers. Wow. so young.

I got a lift to Monash Clayton from girl R again and she asked me about Singapore