Farewell, until we meet again

I remember showing up nervously one fine morning in 2003 for an interview. Prior to that, I was asked to complete a multiple-page pre-interview essay :) You guys bought me breakfast but I barely had any appetite because of all the butterflies in my stomach (lunch too, was the same for that matter). A full day of interviews followed, during which the best part was, of course, the grueling lab. By the end of the day I was physically and mentally exhausted and was quite certain that the other candidates would get the job before I did. Wonders of wonders, I was invited back for a second interview, and man, was I ecstatic to receive your offer email the following week! Embedded systems, the chance to be one of the geeks--what more could a starry-eyed new college graduate ask for?

Since then, I've had the privilege and honor of meeting more of you--all of whom left indelible impressions on me. Good-hearted, salt-of-the-earth engineers / people / role models. I have been so lucky to have met you all. May I take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have taught me over the past few years? What can I say--you have been the best managers, mentors and friends anyone can hope for. To me, our group is the epitome of solid, honest, old-fashioned engineering. No matter how much we complain, we are always ready to dive into the unknown and make things that just work. When the sky falls down, we will be there to keep the machines running and to keep spirits up with our humor. I will sorely miss your Dilbert cartoons, random games, cube-wall comics and all-round quirkiness. You taught me perspective--that it is possible to have fun and work at the same time. You showed me how to treat people the right way and how to meld a chaotic bunch of differing opinions into a synergistic whole. Thank you for supporting our efforts and making sure that we have the resources we needed. Your passion for the work we do never ceases to amaze me, even when the bugs pile up and bitstreams don't meet timing. I will always cherish memories of our picnics, soccer games, hiking and camping trips.

I wish I could say goodbye in person. I wish I could visit that rib place again sometime. I wish I can be there to witness Linux booting on the Nth iteration of one of our boards. A Chinese proverb goes, "There is no never-ending banquet in all the world." Perhaps that just means we will feast again at another table.