Just a Casual Entry

Dear Diary,

An SMS came in the morning… hmmm… “Hope it was not someone falling ill again,” I thought. I just got one guy complaining earlier that he could not go to work because of a sore throat. I really have no more backup pharmacists for the day! Thankfully, it wasn’t from another colleague. Instead, it was from a pharmacy junior who is now doing her training in the hospital I used to train in. =)

Well, she told me that she was pretty nervous about the upcoming viva and asked for tips. Hmmm… haha… when I was a student in the university… because the juniors outnumber us seniors, I was assigned to “mentor” 2 junior girls, basically to provide them with notes, lab reports and textbooks lah… haha. They both differ greatly in characters but I do dote on them. It was almost predictable that the “more vocal” of the two would message me on the phone before every exam or major test to ask for tips. I would just tell her some reassuring words and then she would happily continue studying. In fact, the “more vocal” one even called me recently to ask for career options after her pre-registration training and eventually I told her that she was more towards the clinical side. She got a place in suitable hospital and waiting to get in after her pre-registration training.

As for the less vocal junior, well… this morning’s message from her was quite a surprise. The odds of me guessing that it was from her, is probably as high as the odds to win that $10-million Toto lottery which everyone seems to be talking about. Then again, I remember meeting up with her at the entrance of the hospital which I was trained in. I was then a pre-registration pharmacist. That wasn’t too long ago, just about a year back. =) I told her that if she stayed calm, she could definitely do well for the interview. She always looks so “cool” (or “cold”?) anyway, haha… just maintain status quo and it would be fine.

Sometimes, I think I am more suited to be mentor than to be a manager. Maybe I am the kind of person who should be a missionary or a charity volunteer or a counsellor or a social worker or a teacher? I don’t know. My locum pharmacist still treats me like a kid and gave me a furry zebra key chain just now??? Leaves packets of sweets or chocolates for me at my pharmacy counter… oh well, she is slightly older than me but then… actually I don’t mind also… get to taste the different flavours of sweets and chocolates which I am quite sure I would not have splurge my money on. =P

It is a waste I can’t be a “pre-registration pharmacist” preceptor this year. If I could, I will make sure my pre-reg do well man… haha… I am a senior pharmacist but still too young, according to Pharmacy Board. However, I drew up a pretty nice plan to make the pharmacy department more clinical in nature and to train the pre-reg well. Hope my manager accepts my idea.

Oh yes, I should be going to Hong Kong at the end of March! =) A good tour for a good break! Haven’t been on a tour with my family for ages! I have a young adult church camp coming up in mid March too… Whoopppee… March seems like a nice month to recharge me again, especially when I face the impending huge result in early April. Maybe even earlier! Sheeshhh… but whatever the result, let me look at the sunrise in Sentosa first (oops, no… I ever sneaked my little juniors out in the wee hours of the morning to watch the sunrise at “Sunset” bay during Orientation Camp 2002, and obviously we saw no sunrise!!!) and the Mickey Mouse at Disney Land in Hong Kong! Heard it will be a little chilly in HK in late March. Should shop for some sweaters and jackets soon. ;-)

That’s working life… just make it sound interesting… just think about the fun in the distant future… yah, just be optimistic. Even sitting among the kids in the library during meal breaks and listening to a librarian tell fairy tales, can be something to be happy about. If you haven’t really started working, be prepared! Haha…

God Bless

Andrew