Every Lunar New Year is associated with one of 12 animal zodiacs. The action-packed Year of the Tiger is over, and on January 22, 2023, we hopped into the gentler Year of the Rabbit.
As with every Lunar New Year, you can be sure that I decorated the house and that I’m still full from this past weekend’s feast to celebrate (you can read a little about my personal family traditions related to the Lunar New Year in my blog post from 2022).
By nature, rabbits are quick and agile – they’re alert, able to analyze situations and quickly make decisions. And it’s no coincidence that as scientists we embody these characteristics when running our experiments in the lab.
While in the lab, I was constantly hopping from one task to the next to collect and derivatize samples for my in vivo neurotransmitter analysis. It was a fast-paced day where I had to be alert to factors impacting my sample collection and quickly access and react to ever-changing conditions in real time — just like a rabbit.
The easiest part of experiment day came at the end, when I would load my samples into our Thermo Scientific™ Vanquish™ Horizon UHPLC System, and with a few clicks, I was collecting data on my mass spectrometer.
I left the lab knowing my samples would run without worry, and that I would have a relaxing day analyzing data in my future. Ah, the good old days.
And just like a relaxing day of data analysis, I’m looking forward to the Year of the Rabbit to usher in some calm and reflection after a very action-packed experiment day … I mean, Year of the Tiger.
So, however you may say “Happy Lunar New Year,“ I wish you the best in 2023.
新年快乐! 恭喜发财! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! Chúc mừng năm mới!