My New Start!

Dear Diary,

Feel so happy that I actually navigated so successfully along the roads in the night! I drove home a student as it was nearby and then alighted an ex-colleague at the nearby MRT station. We had a pretty nice time catching up although I was expecting more people for this gathering, haha… It was a gathering initiated by this ex-colleague partly as a “farewell outing” for her student. So there were just three of us after another who came left early. We rented one mountain bike and a double bike. We rode for many kilometres. There was an instance when the double bike flipped. The student sustained abrasions on her knee but her preceptor was left unscathed. My first aid of Primapore dressing came in handy. ;-) Then I taught my ex-colleague how to cycle and I succeeded! Yay! She was really excited and I sat behind her on the double bike for a long period on our way back to the bicycle kiosk. We ate and chatted at Kenny Rogers for about an hour. It was kinda sobering to learn that another long-distance relationship broke down just when marriage was in sight. Then we left for home. It really feels good to own a personal car because going home is literally a breeze. =)

Yesterday, Friday (1st August) was my first day at my new job! Got 3 SMS in the morning wishing me the best of luck! Yay! One of them was from my former student. =) Everything just felt so different. Driving to work, getting a lengthy briefing from the HR manager, getting introduced to more than 100 staff (frankly, I don’t remember their looks, let alone their names! Was just busy shaking hands…) having my own desk with my own PC, getting a lunch treat at a Japanese restaurant in Plaza Parkroyal Hotel from my boss, involving in meetings, sitting at long conference tables… My boss booked me an air ticket as I would be accompanying her abroad in a couple of weeks. The upcoming events are packed with myself having to give a talk to surgeons (* faint*), helping out in some road shows, meeting up with foreign offices, local clients, local technical support (factory and labs), … Makes me feel like a real businessman.

I was also asked to read a whole stack of brochures and clinical papers at a meeting room. Initially it was a little difficult because I hadn’t read trial papers in ages! I took a notebook and wrote main points as I read. Later, when my boss asked me about the papers, I was able to impress her! Guess what, I really think my pharmacy education helped me. I could understand the biochemical and immunological processes easily despite them not pharmaceutical knowledge! ;-) Went home for dinner and watched dramas (got to see Lee Yunji on TV, and also caught the last episode of “Beach.Ball.Babes” though I never actually watched a single episode of it fully!) from 7pm till 10pm… Yay! I am able to do that these days! =) Just when I was about to retire for the day, an ex-university classmate rang me up.

When I saw her name reflected on my phone caller-ID, I immediately thought that she might have forgotten to “lock” her keypad (she hardly contacted me all these years) and hence accidentally activated my phone number since I am “A” for Andrew, haha… When I picked it up, I was surprised that she was seeking help. Apparently, she was the on-call pharmacist for a private hospital last night and a doctor called her to check if there are any alternatives since the patient was allergic to heparin. She was at a loss. I told her Lepirudin but soon realised that it was not available in Singapore. So I checked with my SGH friend and decided that Fondaparinux (Arixtra) would be a good choice. Told that to my desperate friend and she was so thankful. I was teasing her that she got the wrong person because I am doing business development now and no longer a practising pharmacist, let alone a hospital one. However, I was so glad I could help her. I better keep in touch with my pharmacy knowledge because it seems like I can have some use for it even in the future! ;-)

Okay, that’s about it. Pretty late now. Goodnight!

God Bless,

Andrew