This Profession Needs Optimism!

Dear Diary,

Just got my laptop up and running after it shut down on me time and time again. Need real patience with this more-than-6-year-old machine. I was still hoping that it would last me a decade. Looks like it won’t after all. Maybe the computer just got too upset over some of the blogs I read last night, haha… I don’t usually read blogs… seriously… but just decided to surf last night and see how other pharmacists are faring, haha… I just search for pharmacists’ blogs in Singapore… lo and behold, you have the “pissed pharmacist”, the “furious pharmacist”, the “fast food pharmacist”, “And you wonder why your pharmacist never smile”, the “drug Nazi”, the “angry pharmacist”, blah blah…. Lots of pessimism. Kinda was expecting a little whining like I do sometimes, haha… but gosh… I got a larger-than-expected deal package indeed. Really makes me wonder why I haven’t read a pharmacist’s blog that says, “Hey, I love my job like I love lollipops…” Ok, even that sounds sarcastic, hahaha…. Maybe a more positive and optimistic tone, yeah? Haven’t found one out of the sea of perennial whines. Not many pharmacists enjoy pharmacy practice I guess.

Woke up today without my voice. I thought I was about to have a relapse of my dysphonia which I last had in May… I popped in 2 tablets of serratiopeptidase, not really expecting them to save my larynx but somehow they did. Thank God. I continued to eat the serratiopeptidase faithfully throughout the day. Eventually, at dinnertime, I decided to pay a visit to a rival pharmacy nearby. I decided I needed some leftose which I do not sell in my own pharmacy. When I met up the pharmacist Mr Leng (I don’t know if he actually know who I am), I just have the utmost respect for him. He is definitely much more senior than me and yet he continues with his great passion for retail pharmacy practice and his humble demeanour. I will always remember how I inherited the then-creaky pharmacy which the water pipes burst and the blackouts never fail to come periodically. I once rushed all my fridge items to his pharmacy downstairs for storage, haha… Quick thinking, keke… but he is the helpful guy.

Quite surprised to see a former college classmate pop by today and whine about his dental profession. There were also some Unity pharmacists who came by to say “Hi” to me. Very nice of them especially when I saw one of them only once at a particular talk and the other I saw her as a student in TTSH when I was a pre-registration pharmacist then. Never really spoke to both of them before. Somehow, there is always that bond between pharmacists. How time flies. In fact, in just less than a fortnight, would meet up with some ex-pre-registration colleagues for dinner. Kinda looking forward to knowing how they are all getting on.

Ok, will be having a good buffet dinner with some colleagues tomorrow at Hokkaido Japanese restaurant (turf city)… yay! Frankly, that’s bribery from the drug company but… oh well, I will still be unbiased when I am in my pharmacy. Maybe a little biased for a short while when I tuck into those delicious sashimi, haha… Whenever I think of Japanese food, I remember how one of my students is crazy over that steamed egg custard (chawamushi)… I tasted it and thought… hmmm…I would still settle for the soft-shell crab anytime, hee…

Okay, that’s all… goodnight! ;-)

God Bless,

Andrew