Alvin's Blog

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T11:41:00.000+08:00

Here I am, updating my blog on Christmas night. Well, just a few minutes more and it's not Christmas anymore. Again, it's been a while since I updated. There's quite a lot of things happening in the last 2 months plus since my birthday. Had my viva in mid Oct. I didn't call up the chief preceptor to check my marks but I guess it should be ok. We'll have one more before the end of pre-reg... and that's in early February. The training programme will officially end mid March and I'm looking forward to that.

Currently, I'm no longer in Gleneagles Guardian. I'm into my last rotation in Toa Payoh T190. It's a patient care centre, so there's more emphasis on patient counselling as well as patient follow-ups. So far the say is quite pleasant. Most of the people there are nice and I especially like the second pharmacist there. He's middle aged and very blur sometimes. Nevertheless, working with him is great as it is always stress free. However, all in all, I still like my attachment to Taka best haha...

For the past 2 months, I've been asking a girl out for meals and movies. Not exactly my first time going out with a girl but it still feels special. Actually, I kept in touch with her ever since I started emailling her in Feb 2004. I was trying to get to know her more then. She strikes me as someone homely and sweet. As it turned out to be, she seems quite family-oriented, which is what I'm looking for haha. It wasn't until 1 1/2 years later before I asked her out... So far we've gone out 3 times for movies and meals. I managed to know her more after each outing and she seems nice although sometimes I find her not responsive...and that can be pretty discouraging at times. Well, it's still early in the relationship and we'll see how it goes...

I went out with a former university classmate today for dinner and a drink. Well, I've never really seen him feeling sad before...other than the times when his marks are not up to his expectations. Today, I really can see his sadness. It appears that he has been liking a girl for a fairly long time, but due to some obstacles, he couldn't persue her. An email from her the day before made him realise that perhaps he should not have waited too long. As much as I wanted to say here, I think it's not right to reveal too much as he might just come up and whack me later haha. Just that... yup... unrequited love is painful. It's worse when the girl doesn't know that you like her. Worse still, when you bump into the girl right after that... Heard he confessed to that girl already, which I think is the right thing to do. At least the girl knows and won't be a dum dum after the whole episode haha...

Next weekend I'll have a 4 day weekend. Yeah, you heard that right. Can't wait till then. So this means that next week, I'll only work for 3 days. What a way to end the year! Most of my close friends are away now....one back in Ipoh, one back in Muar, the other one going back to Segamat soon. Let's hope that by the countdown to the New Year, at least one would be back...

I can't go back to Penang until CNY...which is about a month away. I'll be going back for a week. Hopefully they will approve my leave because there seems to be an out-of-place project presentation on 2 Feb. How ridiculous to have that right after CNY?? Sometimes, I think those people doing the arrangements are doing that on purpose... so that you cannot go back and must work during the festive season. Grrrr...

Ah, to 'drugged' who added a comment earlier. Sorry for not replying to the comment because I didn't realise there was one haha.... Merry Christmas to everyone! And a Happy New Year too if I don't update my blog by then.

Till then, sayonara!

Eve of Birthday

2005-10-08T23:28:00.000+08:00

Here I'm writing again on the eve of my 24th birthday. It's really been a loooooong time since I last blogged. Somehow I couldnt find the motivation to. Maybe I'm more of a reserved person, or maybe I'm just not good at representing myself in words haha...

Well, 24 now. What have I achieved? Come to think if it, really nothing much. Finished university education and now working. At least that is more certain. Personal life hmm...utter mess. In my 24 years living on this planet, I've never been attached, hence making me a lonely soul haha. I know I know...I'm still young. But prospects are not good either. Usually when I'm interested in a girl, she's usually not interested. That is what I feel usually or maybe I'm not persistent enough. Some girls like to play hard to get. But I guess I'm more of the passive type. So usually I won't go further. Sometimes, those are missed opportunities haha.

Went out to have lunch with my friends today after the PSS lecture. Lecture was interesting but sometimes the lecturer can be a little too long winded. We went to Magic Wok for lunch. Yiu Cheong and Yik Chuen (the two YCs) gave me, Andrew and Othua a birthday treat. Andrew's and Othua's birthday was on 3rd Oct and 30 Sept respectively. After that, Yiu Cheong left for work while the rest of us went to Bras Basah to look at some medical books. After the last of the YCs left to be with his GF, we went to Bugis for a drink. There was a lot of people but we managed to get a place in Starbucks. As usual, the topic is always on the plight of our bachelorhood hahaha... I decided to be brave and smsed a girl for a movie but I'm yet to receive a reply. Oh well...expected lah haha

I wish that my life will be more fruitful from today onwards. Get job satisfaction and more importantly, get someone I can share my life with...be it happiness or sorrow. I'll patiently wait for that day to arrive. :P

Busy busy...

2005-07-24T01:56:00.000+08:00

July has got to be the busiest month and it's tiring me out. Because of the tight schedule, I've been lacking sleep until this weekend when I can try to recuperate haha...

After the cemmencement weekend, there was the NETP which took up the whole of the week after that. It's ok to attend training from 9-6pm but coupled with the first aid course on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it can be really tiring. Imagine working from 9 to 9.30pm...

Then there's the past week. Torturing haha... Started peacefully with Monday when I went to work in my morning shift. These days, I really like morning shifts. It's always so relaxing to be training under my preceptor. He has always been patient and there's practically no stress learning under him. So, the mornings are usually peaceful. Afternoon time is usually the unpleasant one. Some others around can really give you the stress and unpleasant atmosphere haha. I just cannot understand why some people have perpetual mood swings everyday...sigh

Tuesday was the PACW presentation. That day was Teck Hua and Yi Lin's turn to present. The in-charge that day was not someone whom you can easily approach. While I must admit that she's knowledgeble, the method of teaching was unnecessary. In my opinion, it was counter productive. Are all 'smart' people arrogant and hard to get along with? Hmm, I've seen many friendly and down to earth SMART people around. So I guess those are just bad apples... Went back to work after lunch and proceeded to First Aid later at 6.30pm. Days with First Aid are always the longest.

Wednesday and Thursday was the Journal Club presentation. I presented on the second day and we were all grilled by David and Ivan. Fortunately, I think I did quite ok for mine. Those 2 days were the most torturous days...especially on Thursday when we also had First Aid later at night. I slept through the lecture haha... Thankfully, our trainer was kind that day. He must have noticed that most of us were dozing off, so he let us off earlier so we can rest.

Friday was my off day after working last Sunday. Today started with the PSS lecture and during the break, my preceptor called to say that there was only 1 person working in the store! How amazing. So later after lunch, Lee Sun and me went back to store to help out. We were supposed to have a talk from 2-4pm in Crown Prince but we skipped that. The store was in a mess because the GDC stock was everywhere literally. So we began to help to clear those first. Went fine at first. It's when one of the staff came that the nightmare began. There was even a quarrel involving another staff and her in the store later. Sometimes there are a lot of things that are just so amusing. Makes me wonder whether the position of an executive is higher than a mere bargainable. I saw right before my eyes...a bargainable scolding and shouting at an executive. It's lucky that the executive is not the one that likes trouble. The act of the bargainable is totally unacceptable. In fact, if I'm the one in charge, I would have fired that fella decades ago. A totally despecable character which is unbecoming of a human being. Totally KP. Sigh...I'm not that one that gets angry easily but this character is really too much I guess. I really pity the other staffs who have to put up with her antics all this while. Anyway, it's none of my business and I shall end at that haha...Politics

Anyway, the pharmacist that came to work in my store today is totally my type. Feminine and sweet. Wow...never seen this kind in my cohort haha. Found out that she was born in the same year as me..so just one year my senior in uni. However, this kind of girl will surely be attached already. If not, then there's something wrong liao haha...

Long Time Since Last Entry

2005-07-12T00:31:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I last blogged. It has been a busy week for me because of the commencement ceremony that took place last Friday. The week started pretty normally. Work on Monday till Wednesday. My parents came down to Singapore on Wednesday noon but I wasn't able to accompany them because I had work until 6.30pm. Fortunately my brother was able to accompany them after fetching them from the airport.

After that, I took leave on Thursday to accompany my parents. That also marks the start of a 4 day holiday hehe...partly because I have my routine weekend off too! My parents stayed at my home and takes over my room while I moved to my brother's room. With my parents around, the house seems more complete haha... Went shopping with my parents everyday. My mom likes to shop for clothes and while she does that, my dad has to find some place to sit down haha... She can take up to the whole day shopping for clothes!

I had my commencement on Friday night. We reached the University Cultural Centre at 6.50pm and I went to collect the extra invitation card for my brother. Initially, they only gave 2 invitation cards for each graduate. Soon, I went to the robing room to wear the gown...which took a little effort to get it right hahha... After that, we took some photos before my family went into the hall. Outside, I managed to mingle around with my friends and bumped into Chin Kwok and Jonie who came to visit. It's been a long time since I last saw Chin Kwok and hmm, his hairline seems to be receeding and his hair has thinned a lot too! Wow, the power of studying medicine...sigh

Not long after, we grads went into the hall and was seated accordingly. We were shown some interviews during the pre-commencement ceremony. Shin Shin, Jaspar and Andy were somehow interviewed on the big screen. Then, the ceremony started with the entrance of the professors and Prof Shih. The ceremony was rather fast I must say. Each of us lined up and received an empty scroll cover on stage before collecting our real certs later. At the end, Jamie gave quite a good valedictorian speech after which she received a thunderous round of applause. The ceremony ended with the release of balloons from the top. All in all, the ceremony is OK but not very impressive hahhaa..

Outside the hall later, everyone starts to take photos for remembrance. My brother managed to take a lot of my photos with my friends. The atmosphere in UCC was very joyous with grads taking photos with their friends and families. We left UCC at 10 and managed to have dinner in Crystal Jade Holland V.

Saturday was a day of shopping again with my parents. My cousin treated us to lunch in The Soup Restaurant in Suntec City. The food there was not bad and it was the first time that I tasted the food there. My parents went back on Sunday at 6.45pm. Feels a little sad that an interesting weekend has come to an end. Another tiring week ahead with more training in Guardian. We will be having out New Employee Training Programme for the whole week on top of our First Aid lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Went to the first day of NETP today and found it rather boring. Nevertheless, it's a good time to relax haha... Gotta sleep soon. Have to wake up early tomorrow for the talk by the French Dermatologist in Mandarin Singapore at 8am. Ah well, American buffet will be served hehe... :P

Oh ya! By the way, I've uploaded some of the commencement photos in http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=4021333 together with the year 4 class photos as well. Enjoy!

Commencement Soon

2005-07-03T16:18:00.000+08:00

Another week has passed. It has been quite a tedious week as I had some admin matter to settle throughout the week. I worked in the night shift, so I get to wake up late... but that also means that I will have to work till 10pm.

Monday was just a normal day. Nothing much happened. Working in Guardian is more of a routine already. Learn new things, dispense, counsel if there's a chance, merchandising, helping out in cashiering, chatting haha. I must say it has been quite fun working in Taka as the people there are nice. I'm not sure whether the same can be said when I go to Gleneagles. It's going to be much busier with many prescriptions. In fact, we have to make a lot of preparations as well. Fortunately, hospital outlets only have morning shift, hence I won't be working till 10pm. And there's no work on Sundays. Saturdays are just until about 3pm. Not bad eh? Haha... Actually working night shift isn't that bad either la...

We had our case study presentation on Tuesday morning from 9 to 12. The topic is on Asthma. This time, it's Kai and Janice who presented. Lee Kim was in charge of the session. After that, 5 of us Malaysians went to meet Winnie from HR to get our employmeny pass letters. We then learnt that we must go back to Shenton Medical to do a HIV test for the EP. So, we got the rest of our day off to do that. I also got to know that she had forgotten to update my bank account information, so my pay will be in the form of a cheque. This also means that I will get my pay later than the rest...Grr

I finally got my pay on Friday. There's the monthly Pharmacy Practice Meeting in Peace Centre for all pharmacists and pre-regs. Usually, they will invite someone to present on a certain topic and this time, it's a Gastroenterologist from Mt E who came to talk on dyspepsia. After that, Jocelyn, Jialing and Kai presented on Allergic Rhinitis. Yes, we pre-regs are expected to present on a topic during PPM. My turn should be in January though. It can be quite scary presenting to pharmacists as they should know more than you do. Fortunately on that day, no one asked questions hahaha... After the PPM ended, the 5 Malaysians went to meet Winnie again and that's when she passed me my cheque. After that, we went to Ministry of Manpower to collect our employment pass. After presenting them with our documents, we needed to wait for nearly 3 hours to get the passes. Amazing efficiency I must say. What more... Jerry found that his address is wrong and he told them. They said that they will change it for him. The rest of us were wondering how long that will take again. Guess what. His new card was ready within 2 minutes. So what's the 3 hours for?

I worked yesterday as well. Saturdays are busier compared to other days. Many customers came and go. It was the best opportunity to practise dispensing skills. How to ask questions to 'diagnose' and how to master the art of recommending the best product for the patient. Oh ya...and I got to see more weird customers hahhaa... One even came to borrow a pen and promised to return another day. Oh well...

I'm getting my Sunday off...yup, that's today and I'm now in Funan McD writing this. All alone in Funan haha.... Will be catching F1 later. Let's see that happens haha...Commencement is next week and my parents will be coming down to Singapore on Wednesday. Busy week ahead with the First Aid course starting as well haha.

Alright! Going off to Holland V Harry's now... :D

Work's Fine

2005-06-25T22:30:00.000+08:00

It's end of a Saturday again. This week is a normal week for me as I'm working on a Saturday instead of a Sunday. Still I had to wake up early today because of the opening lecture of the PSS continuing education lectures. Since I was in SGH for my year 3 hospital attachment, I can gauge accurately how long I will take to reach SGH. The lecture was held in NCC Level 4 Lecture Theatre. This was also the first time the whole class get to meet up again since leaving NUS. Happy faces around haha... We were given a briefing on PSS and their membership drive before a break for tea. Food was provided...well...with the $200 per person fee which we are to pay soon haha. Managed to catch up with some of my friends before we went into the LT again to finish up the briefing. The lecture ended at 11am and I had to go back to Taka to work. The rest of the day ended quite fast. Business was good...export sales were like crazy...many prescriptions...many came for P items too.

The week started on a Sunday because I had to work at least 1 Sunday a month. As a result, I had Thursday off as well haha... This week I was in morning shift. I love morning shifts because I like to roam around at night after work haha... So if I'm in the night shift, then I will not have that luxury...and I won't get to meet up with ppl.

Days are getting pretty uneventful. Everyday work, then go out a while, then back home. Is working life like that? haha....well, I'm still trying to get used to it. It's so much unlike studying days. You have so much freedom with time. You can skip lectures...but I've never skip lectures on purpose haha...unless I overslept :P

Went to collect the academic gown on Friday. Pharmers were allocated 24 June 9-12pm to collect the gowns. Because of that, most of the institutions gave us a half day off to collect it. In the midst of collecting the gowns, I was approaced by many ppl doing survey, notably financial planners. Looks like new grads are easy prey for them. Unfortunately, some of them are going to call me soon. Heck, I'm going to reject them haha. I paid $12 for my graduation picture to be taken on stage and I also bought the graduation plaque. See, before I even get my first pay, I'm already spending like crazy. How to survive?

Next week will be my night shift week. And on Tues and Fri, I might be working from 9am to 10pm, thanks to the meetings in the morning. Tuesday morning is our Asthma case study presentation day in Peace Centre. Friday morning is the monthly PPM where some of the new pre-regs will present something as well. 9am to 10pm...I'm deader than a dodo

Second Week in Guardian

2005-06-18T02:37:00.000+08:00

The second week in Guardian passed quite quickly. On Monday and Tuesday, we attended training in DFLC Bukit Merah. It's about Interacting with Customers and this training is actually an accredited WPA 2 day course. I was slightly late on Monday because there was a terrible traffic jam along AYE. There was actually a 4 car accident. Luckily, our trainer Victor Tng had not started and a few others were late as well. It seems that there's a tradition in Guardian where latecomers will have to do a forfeit like singing for the rest haha... It's a way of telling ppl to respect time more :P

The training was quite interesting because there was a lot of interaction with the trainer. We had roleplays where we were presented with common ways of handling customers as well as those difficult ones. This is important for us because as retail pharmacists, we will be at the frontline, facing customers all the time and thus we must know how to handle situations. Moreover, customer satisfaction is very important especially when you're in a retail setting. Greet and smile and you'll be alright hahaha...

At the end of the second day, we were supposed to take an ESS test which tests employability skills. Then one thing interesting happened. All of us happily filled up all our particulars and then Lee Sun asked the examiner how to fill in the NRIC section for foreigners. Guess what, the examiner was a little puzzled and went out to ask some of her colleagues. After a while, Victor Tng came in and told us that the test is only for Singaporeans haha.... Wow, foreigners got to leave early woohoo hahaha...

After the two days of training in Bukit Merah, I went back to Guardian Taka on Wednesday. We had stocktake on that day and much of the time was spent counting and counting stuffs haha...Time really flies when you are soooo busy. Before I knew it, everything was over and the day ended quickly. The rest of the stocktake will take place on Thursday morning where contracted ppl will come to do it.

On Thursday, I went to do an assessment for the training we had on Monday and Tuesday before I go back to Taka. The assessment was pretty simple and of course all of us were given the competent score. Soon, we'll each have a certificate stating that we're competent in serving customers hahha....interesting though

Back in Taka, I found out that Christine will not be working that day and another pharmacist will come in. She turned out to be Yanqun who is only 1 year my senior. She has just 'graduated' from the pre-reg programme and she will soon have her permanent store in Suntec when the huge 4000sqft one opens. Meanwhile, she will have to move around like a locum.

Today marked the end of my night shift week and I'll be in the morning shift next week haha. Lee Sun and me swap every week for the 2 shifts. Lee Sun was off today because she worked last Sunday. So, as a compensation, she will get a weekday off. As I'll be working this Sunday, I'll get my off day next week.

So far, the people in Guardian Taka are amazingly friendly and approachable. Mr Tharakan, Christine, Tess, Julia, Margaret, Miki and Zaida are very nice people to work with. Looking forward to learning more from them hehe...

First Week of Work

2005-06-12T02:39:00.000+08:00

Wow! It's been a week since I last updated my blog. Yesterday was the end of the first week of work in Guardian. The week went by quite fast and before I know it, it's the weekend already haha...

Started my first day of work on Tuesday. All of the pre-regs went to Peace Centre for our briefing at 9 and we were introduced to the organisation structure of Guardian, Dairy Farm and the parent company Jardine Matheson. We were briefed by the various managers and we had an introduction session as well. And as Jerry and Jialing came late, they are asked to do a penalty haha... Well, Jerry sang some chinese kiddy rhyme and jialing did a catwalk hahaha

After all the talks by the various managers, we were served with catered lunch. I must say that the food is quite good and we had a good lunch. During lunch, one of the area managers Mr Yong came over and chatted with us. Soon, Wai Lin the Asst General Manager came as well. Somehow, she brought up the topic of Diary Farm Idol and said that Mr Yong can sing very well haha... She then asked him to sing for us! Mr Yong was very sporting and sang a cantonese Happy Birthday song for us. His voice is very good really.

The day continued with briefings by David, Christine and Ivan. We were given our rotation schedules and I learnt that my first stop would be at Taka together with Lee Sun. I was a little disappointed not to get Cheryl as my preceptor but it's good to know more people as well hehe...

So on Wednesday, we started work at Guardian Taka. We found that our preceptor was on MC that day, so he couldn't brief us. So, we followed another pharmacist who came to replace our preceptor and the day was pretty uneventful as we tried to familiarise with the area and the people there. The people working there are very very nice and friendly and we could easily fit in. There is also a 2nd year Pharmacy student there by the name of Angeline who's on her 4th week attachment.

On Thursday, we met Mr Tharakan, our preceptor for the first time. He striked me as a very friendly and approachable person. So far I have not felt any stress learning under him haha. He has been with Guardian for the past 10 years and is very experienced as a pharmacist. In fact, he's the Pharmacy Manager in Guardian Taka as well. Had lunch with Cheryl and 5 others including Yvonne and 4 Year 2s haha.

I worked the morning shift this week, so I'll be in the afternoon shift next week. This means that I'll work from 1.30 to 10pm next week. Ahhh....my nightlife!! Haha... Also, I'll have this weekend off, so this means that I'll be working one day of the weekend for the next 3 weeks...sigh...

All in all, it's been a nice first week of work and I hope that I won't feel stressful as the time comes for presentations and project submissions haha... :P

Last days before work

2005-06-05T23:25:00.000+08:00

I came back to tanah bencana on 1st June night and reached on 2nd morning. Well, very sad that the short holiday is about to be over when I start work on the 7th.

Upon reaching Singapore, I managed to settle all the admin stuffs in one day. Went to Singapore Pharmacy Board to settle our registration and then went over to Guardian to hand in our final results for EP application. It's a little weird because all the Malaysians going to Guardian want to apply for PR but somehow, Guardian applied EP for us first. So we'll have to wait for the EP to be processed first before proceeding to apply for our PR. Usually, we should be applying for PR, then we get a temp work permit, but somehow it's the other way round this time haha...

Days before work in Singapore can be very boring if you don't find things to do or ask friends to go out with. My brother went back to Penang for a week on Friday night until next Saturday. BK went back to Ipoh the next day. So I'm practically home alone.

Friday night was boozing night haha... BK and Chee Wei bought a bottle of red wine and some snacks, so we drank and ate until late at night haha....while watching a rerun of 'The Romancing Stars' on DVD. The show is very very funny even though I've been watching it a lot of times. It seems that the Chinese comedies last time are so much nicer than the ones these days. The jokes these days are not as funny anymore.

Saturday was a busy day. Went out to meet Yiu Cheong for lunch, then met up with Andrew, Teck Hua and Ai Ling. We walked around Orchard and finally settled at McD Centrepoint to chat over drinks. Lots of crap and jokes were shared haha... Anyway, Ai Ling left us at 7.15pm to go over to meet Loo Yan (Pet and Othua's Unity preceptor) in Great World. Since I'm driving as my brother is away hehe, I drove the rest to Millenia Walk and proceeded to Marina Square for dinner. Then we paid Ritz Carlton a visit and then went over to Esplanade. I've not seen the Gluton Bay before. It looks like the previous one in Orchard but it's still quite small. Not many stalls are there. After that, I drove everyone back to their home...something I can only do when I have the car haha...

Went out alone today. Walked around Orchard to see whether there are any bargains but nothing attracted me. Good to save money anyway haha. No more money from parents means that I have to be extra careful. Met up with Yiu Cheong and Teck Hua at 5.30pm and we went to Casuarina for dinner. Actually, I intended to have prata for dinner but both of them didn't want. So we settled for 'Cze Char' instead. The food was quite good and reasonably priced. However, I'm surprised to see so many ppl waiting to get seats. Looks like it's very popular there.

After dinner, we went to Bugis because Teck Hua wanted to get a bottle of cologne. Finally he got himself an Aramis one which has quite a refreshing smell. Then we went to chat in Coffee Bean before I sent them home again. Nice being my friend isn't it? Muahaha...

Tomorrow will be the last day before I start work. Better spend it wisely hehe...:P

University is Finally Over!

2005-05-31T15:53:00.000+08:00

The results came out at 11am just now and I'm so relieved to see it. I got exactly what I wanted and it's so easy to just slip and get nothing. I made life difficult for myself by doing badly earlier in my course and I have to struggle to bring my CAP back up. From my first semester till now, I managed to pull up by 0.4 which is just enough to make my degree look better haha. My CAP is the worse in the first semester in Year 1 and the best in the second semester Year 4. So I can say that I'm very happy with that, considering that I always study last minute just before papers and has never studied in the library throughout the 4 years. Guess what, I always study either in fast food outlets or cafes haha, so that I can stray and jalan jalan later after studying :P Anyway, I'm glad with my final results and I'm also happy to hear that many of my friends did well this time as well and they got what they wanted.

Had a long day yesterday. Met up with a female Pharmacy classmate and her sister. They came over from mainland Penang via the ferry at noon and I fetched them. After that, we spent the whole afternoon in Gurney Plaza and managed to catch Madagascar. RM7 for the ticket is waaaay much cheaper than ticket prices in Singapore haha... considering that ticket prices in Singapore has just gone up recently. Weekend tickets can cost as much as $9.50 now! Madagascar is quite a good show but it's a far cry from animations by rival Pixar. Okay, those by Dreamworks might appeal more to kids but Pixar ones have better storylines. So far, my favourite animation is The Incredibles with Finding Nemo coming in next. Haha...it's obvious that I should like Nemo...if not it won't be my avatar in MSN and iChat :P

After the show, we walked around and my friend's sister managed to get a pair of shoes for herself. They said that shoes in Penang is still cheaper than the ones in Singapore. Vin Cci has outlets in Penang as well as Singapore... and this name reminds me of another Pharmacy classmate by the same name hahaha... After shopping around, I sent them to the jetty to take a ferry back to Butterworth so that their dad can fetch them on the way back from work. Great day haha...too bad another female classmate from Bukit Mertajam couldn't join us because she went to Kelantan with her parents during the weekend and might not come back in time.

Later at night, my cousin came to fetch me for supper at Craven Cafe, Tanjung Bungah. Mind you, this mamak place has all round free wireless access. They have Apple's Airport Base stations with eMacs for customers. Pretty impressive I must say for a mamak place. My cousin had not taken his dinner and wow, he was really hungry. One huge place of Nasi Kandar was gone in a few minutes ahha... His friend and colleague from CG Computers also joined us for supper. She is working together with my cousin in CG which is Apple's Authorised Reseller in Penang. From what he has been telling me, it looks like he is earning quite a lot selling Apple products haha...so well, supper is on him then hahaha...

Nothing much happened during last weekend though. My uncle won Toto, so treated us to Coffee Bean on Saturday night. Chatted there until about 11.30pm haha. I bumped into a friend who also went to Coffee Bean with her family. She's a former student of my dad's and she's studying Chemical Engineering in NUS. She will be starting work in July but has to go back early to Singapore because she has to settle her accomodation. No more hall stay for her because she has graduated this semester. This friend of mine is very pretty and seems to attract a lot of stares from guys...and I think she knows about it haha...too bad she already has a Penang boyfriend...

Will be back in Singapore on Thursday morning. Lots of things to settle. Lots of things to apply...PR, EP, SPB etc... and have to do massive cleaning of the house before my landlord comes for the aircon maintenance on Friday haha...Till then...

I want laksa! Sob sob...

2005-05-25T14:57:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last blogged haha... These days, somehow I can't get the wireless connection when I feel like blogging. I usually blog at night but sometimes, no wireless networks can be found haha... In fact, I'm now writing in Coffee Bean Gurney Plaza. I'm sitting at the al fresco area ourside Coffee Bean but I'm using Segafredo's network haha... Luckily the weather is cool...windy.

Last night, my grandma called my grandaunt and chatted for 1/2 an hour. It seems that my grandma wants to make her famous laksa for me on Saturday before I go back to Singapore but unfortunately, my grandaunt won't be around as she needs to attend a wedding dinner. So...since this Saturday will be my last Saturday before returning to tanah bencana, no more laksa for me!! My grandma asked me when I'll be back in Penang again and I told her September...arghh...dun think can also because it will only be a short trip to attend my cousin's wedding. Sigh...I really miss my grandma's cooking. When I was small, I grew up with my grandma in a squatter house in a village. Wah, those times were great I tell you. Staying in a kampung, I get to play marbles, sepak raga, kampung badminton, hide and seek haha... Kids these days are quite deprived I must say hehe... Oh yeah, my grandma makes good 'bak chien cheese' also hahaha :P

My youngest cousin will be getting married in September. She's my father's brother's youngest daughter to be precise haha. She's currently working in KL but she'll be back for the marriage. Hence, I'll also be back in Penang in September. Hope I can get a few days leave. My brother will be back as well.

A pharmacy classmate of mine has been thinking of going to SDU after graduation and I've been asked along. Seems that SDU does provide a good opportunity for people like us to get to meet girls who have the same intention of getting attached haha. I really do agree with him that most of our friends are unattached. For my side, most of my friends have never been attached before except for the friend who recently broke up with the popular girl i mentioned a few posts earlier. Birds of the same feathers do flock together haha...

I'll be going back to tanah bencana on the 1st of June. Sigh, after this, I won't have long breaks anymore as I'll be working starting 7th June. When you work, getting long leaves will be a problem. So, I'll have to plan my leaves properly. More days have to be allocated for the CNY break next year haha...

Teck Hua proposed that a few close friends make a holiday trip together to Japan in March 2007. Whoa, good idea really. I've never been anywhere other than Singapore and Malaysia. And I didn't go anywhere for my post graduation tour. Most of my other classmates went to places like Taiwan, HK, Thailand and one even went to France and Switzerland! Gosh, I need to go somewhere too haha... Will save up for this proposed trip hehe...

Alrighty then, I shall go back to my condo and take a nap...Dunno why I'm always so sleepy in the afternoon :P

Extremely Disappointed

2005-05-22T01:12:00.000+08:00

Just received an email from Shin Shin to say that not everyone gets to go to the Medical Centennial Dinner in July for free. Earlier, it was said that every new graduate from Pharmacy will get to attend it for free but now it seems that they have backtracked on their words. I can't help but feel that the decision is a biased one. All those who will do their pre-reg in hospitals will get 100% sponsorship from NHG and Singhealth but those in Guardian and Unity will be left out. It is even more hilarious to learn that Guardian will only be 'buying' a table for the dinner. Imagine it's a big event with MM and Dr M attending. It looks like there's nothing much we can do for now. If we want to go, jolly well pay $148 for it. How unfair...oh well, this may just be my personal opinion. NUS could have at least pay for the new grads and not rely on the respective institutions to pay...Sigh

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-21T14:12:00.000+08:00

Yey! Finally got to watch Star Wars Episode 3 late last night. It's been a long wait but it's well worth it. By far, it's the best of the prequels. The first 2 episodes were quite slow with a lot of distractions but Episode 3 really links up the whole story on how Anakin is seduced by the dark side and reborn as Darth Vader. I find the show emotionally moving especially when Padme found out that Anakin has fallen to the dark side and when Obi Wan won the lightsaber duel against Anakin. Both Padme and Obi Wan were very sad and disappointed with Anakin's defection as he has become exactly what he swore to destroy as a Jedi. Obi Wan felt that he failed as a Master to Anakin and is obviously a broken man when he left Anakin with both his legs severed. All in all, it's a very good end to the Star Wars Prequels and I intend to watch Episodes IV, V and VI again as the last time I watched them was in the late 80s haha...

Oh yes, and yesterday I got a glimpse of Cyndi Wang who came to Gurney Plaza Penang to sign autographs, courtesy of Red Box Karaoke. There were a lot of ppl surrounding the stage and I can barely make my way to go into the mall. Luckily I wasn't late for my show haha... Seems like there are a lot of teenage guys who went to get her autographs hmm...And i overheard one of them saying in Hokkien, "Aiya, lu ai knhua ee, lu khee beh ee ae poster lah! Tiau tua pang keng, knhua ka lau nua" Hahaha...literally translated as "If you want to see her, go and get her poster lah. Hang in your room, see until your saliva drop" Hehe...it's really nice to be back in Penang :P

It's going to be another Formula 1 weekend... This time it's in Monte Carlo, Monaco GP. This is undoubtedly the most exciting and glamorous race of the calender. Will not miss it on Sunday haha...but I'm just hoping that Ferrari can do better this time. Anyway, they were off the pace in Thursday's practice sessions. Schumi could only manage 11th fastest time and was complaining about vibrations in the handling. Hope they can sort it out for the battle in Monaco!

Delay...

2005-05-19T23:40:00.000+08:00

Yesterday and today were uneventful. I got to know that those in Guardian will only start on the 7th of June, one day later than those in TTSH. The delay is because of the late release of our last exam results which will be on the 31st of May. Hence, we have to start work later in order to get all the paperwork done. Sigh, this means a delay in getting our first pay as well hahaha... Because of this, I should be delaying my trip back to Singapore by a few days. In a way, I will get to spend more time back in Penang! Perhaps I'll go back on 1st or 2nd June as I still have the Singapore Pharmacy Board and PR application to be processed. And of course, I hope that we can get our employment pass soon...

Watched American Idol yesterday and today. Finally, it's only down to two contestants, Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. I did not follow American Idol until I came back to Penang haha...but my parents have been faithfully following it. I must say that the top 4 contestants were good singers. My favourite has to be Bo... I think he has the character and charm as a superstar. Carrie is not bad, but I think Bo can sing better than her. In my opinion, her popularity depends a lot on her looks... She is a very cute girl with reasonably good vocals. The finals will be held in Kodak Theatre next week...and I would want Bo to win but I have this feeling that Carrie might just be crowned the 4th American Idol haha.... This remains to be seen :P

The pain in my left leg is still there sigh... Think I will need a lot of rest before it can heal completely. Better not exert myself too much for now.

The weather is getting hot again...hmm, hot cold hot cold... not a nice weather to have haha...Anyway, I'm looking forward to Star Wars Episode III tomorrow night! The seats in Premiere Class cinema will be nice I'm sure hahaha

Feeling better

2005-05-17T23:40:00.000+08:00

Finally the pain in my left leg has subsided after taking Norgesic. If not, I can barely walk straight haha...I just hope that the pain won't get worse in the coming days.

I'm still wondering when I should go back to tanah bencana. I'll start work on the 1st but before that, I have to apply for my training with the Singapore Pharmacy Board. As I need my final results, I can only apply after 11am 31 May. The SPB ppl told us to go there and apply after the release of the results. Besides, I also need to apply for my PR and I can only do that 3 days before starting work... So by calculations, I should go back during the 28/29 May weekend. Sigh, working life is going to be very different from studying, but I'm glad that my whole bunch of friends are together with me in Guardian except for Andrew who will be in TTSH. At first, those in TTSH will start work earlier on 30th May but because of the late release of the results, they will only start on the 6th of June - meaning longer holidays for them! Arghh...

My grandaunt made herbal chicken for me today haha...her cooking is marvelous. I always look forward to her cooking haha. Lemme see, she will be making 'pie tee' for me tomorrow night and maybe some other things later in the week haha...

Will be watching Star Wars on Friday night. I've bought the tickets but my cousin suddenly said that he can't make it...so I'll be going with another friend to watch. Premiere Class tickets costing me RM15 per seat haha... Looking forward to it!

Muscle Strain

2005-05-16T23:02:00.000+08:00

For the past few days, I've been enduring with very bad muscle pain at the back of my left thigh and lower left leg. I don't know the reason but the pain is quite unbearable since I came back to Penang. I had some pain since about March but it wasn't that bad then. After thinking through, it might be due to my jogging routine earlier...maybe I didn't warm up enough before starting to jog. Went to visit pharmacist today and was given Norgesic which is a combi of paracetamol and orphenadrine citrate...

It's been raining almost everyday in Penang...as well as Singapore I heard haha. Went to visit my cousin today who's working at Applecentre in Hardwicke Mansion. This is the second Applecentre in Penang after the one in Gurney Plaza. There's an Applecorner in Prangin Mall though. The one in Harwicke is quite nicely done up as it is the main one doing corporate sales as well. And ahem, no wonder my cousin enjoys working there. The 2 girls working there are very very pretty...serious. Unfortunately one is a Malay but she's very pretty nonetheless...like the Siti Nurhaliza quality haha

Arghh...walking is quite painful these days...hope it will get well soon...sigh

Good Looking People

2005-05-14T23:32:00.000+08:00

I came across an interesting article in the newspaper yesterday and how relevant can it be haha. Here it is...

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There are two things that average-looking people like to say about good-looking people.

First, they're probably dumb.

It's pure injustice that they got more attention from parents and teachers when they were kids, and grew up to have more friends, landed better jobs, got promoted faster and married other good-looking people.

So we average-lookers like to spite them by hitting where it hurts. We say they're stupid. We give them names like bimbo, air-head or muscle-brain.

After all, anyone so well-endowed in one department must be deficient in another. It's Nature's way of balancing things out.

Deep inside, though, we know not all beautiful people are dumb. As hard as it is to stomach, some people do sickeningly possess both brawn and brain.

But it's okay.

We average-lookers have one other grenade to lob against good-lookers, which brings me to point No.2.

They make lousy partners.

I first heard it when my Mum warned me many years ago to stay away from good-looking boys. They're trouble.

Last week, her sentiment was echoed by a friend's mother, who also cautioned him against dating pretty girls. They're trouble.

Mothers know things. They've been around longer than we have, so there must be some hard-earned truths behind their caution.

It makes sense, too. Good-looking people will always attract attention from the opposite sex, even right up to a ripe old age.

When relationships grow stale or hit a bump, as they always do, they are likely to bail, given the tempting spread of hassle-free options outside.

Good-looking people are also likely to have had many prior relationships than average lookers.

Chances are, you'd have to grapple with the ghosts of their many ex's past, possible entanglements with unresolved break-ups, even blows to your self-esteem, when comparisons are made.

Used to being lavished with attention from previous partners, they could also be egotistical, high-maintenance and difficult to please. In other words, you're the slave to their king or queen.

Of course, such behaviour is not the sole domain of good-looking people. Plain-lookers can also be masters of cheating, lying and all manner of despicable behaviour.

But the thing is, good-lookers are more likely to be lousy partners because they have more of what it takes to become one.

Sure, they're great to look at and could make you the envy of your friends. But they're probably not long-term material.

Guys seem to find it harder to resist good looks than girls.

My friend with the anti-pretty-girl mother tells me that all guys, without exception, go for looks.

He says: “We're made that way. A girl may have a good heart, but if she looks like a sack of potatoes, forget it.”

But we girls are different. Call it innate wisdom or just the biological need to propagate the species, we go for guys who can provide and will stick around. Looks aren't that big a deal.

I consoled him that, in Singapore at least, good-looking women far outnumber good-looking men. So there are many well-adjusted, level-headed women out there who offer both looks and quality.

Good-looking Singaporean men? They're hard to come by. So by sheer rarity in species, they are most likely to prove all mothers right.

I posed the good-looks-equals-lousy-partner theory to another friend, who disagreed vehemently.

“Sometimes, ugly people are even more susceptible to straying because they're not used to getting attention. So every time they get it, their heads swell and they'll pursue it,” he says.

Interesting thought.

I guess good looks are no barometer on whether a person will make a good or bad partner.

The real barometer is character.

Traits like honesty, trustworthiness and loyalty will keep a good-looking person decent, and make an average-looking person attractive.

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Haha....how true I thought. I've a friend who had a pretty girlfriend who is very popular among her friends. Guys would always try to get her attention and go after her. Eventually, due to her popularity, she left my friend and he felt so sad, even up till today. Oh well...good looking people have all the fun eh? Haha

I've sent in the Pharmaceutica Year 4 design to the Publications Head of NUSPS, Eric today. Too bad I can't manage to fill in all the blanks in the class list, so a few ppl will have some data unavailable haha... Overall, the design is ok but I think it's just so so haha...

Exam results will be out on the 31st of May. Sigh, hope I get the results I hope for...my last hope liao :)

Kingdom of Heaven

2005-05-13T00:17:00.000+08:00

Managed to watch Kingdom of Heaven yesterday. It's nice to see Orlando Bloom finally being able to get the top role after several movies playing second fiddle to other actors like in Troy. The epic is rather exciting especially when the forces of Salahudin came attacking Jerusalem. All in all, thumbs up for the movie haha..

Oh oh, bumped into Yik Chuen after buying my cinema ticket. He's with his girlfriend haha...I've been wanting to see his girlfriend after Andrew told me that he has one...Finally haha...Congrats to him haha :P

I'm 23 now, going 24 soon but still unattached...some ppl say that I'm young lah, still have chance when I start work. But err, kinda feel empty now though hehe. I'm just wondering...do you keep going after a girl after she rejected you earlier? Let's just say that you have not really gone after her theoretically but you just give her a present. Then she sends you an e-card, saying that she only wants to be friends. Is that a total no no to go on? Haha...anyone with any idea? It could be that she's not ready or she's not interested at all haha...hmm

You could say that yesterday is more 'happening' but today is a total flop. Slept a lot again haha. I was so happy when i saw thick black clouds hovering in the sky this morning...but in the end, a few drops of rain, then the wind blew those clouds away. Arghhh....weather has been hot and it makes me sleepy. Good also in a sense that I've nothing much to do anyway haha

Just helped my friend to reinstall Windoze in this Dell. He claimed that lightning might have spoilt his notebook because after the lightning, his notebook shut off immediately and when he turned it on again, the USB ports and modem fail to function anymore. In fact, no more sound as well. The Dell ppl say that his motherboard is probably finished and may need a replacement. All in all, it will cost RM1300!! Tried to reinstall his comp but it seems that the USB and modem is really dead. Even the sound card is dead. Not much choice I guess...

Sleepy

2005-05-10T23:44:00.000+08:00

Today is quite amazing. I slept almost the whole day...9-12pm after breakfast, then 2.30 to 6.30 after lunch haha...I think I must be lacking of sleep because I wake up early for breakfast with my parents.

These days, I do hear a lot of rumours going around among two of my classmates. And there are always two sides that I hear. I think no one knows whether they are still together and their relationship seems complicated enough. From one side, I hear that the guy is not possible to be with the girl. Then from the other side, there's a high possibility that they are together. Haha...relationships can be very confusing!

Needless to say, I'm one of the unfortunate ones in this relationship thingy haha. Most of my close friends are unattached anyway. What could be wrong ah haha...not that we didn't try but we just dun have the luck perhaps...or we're not good looking haha...Like what Father Andrew always say (what he heard) : 'Men not bad, girls won't like'....err. Throughout my uni life, I tried twice but failed twice also haha...

Alrighty, have to get some sleep already. If not, tomorrow I'll be sleeping the whole day also haha...goodnight!

Freaky Weather

2005-05-09T23:37:00.000+08:00

The weather these days is quite strange don't you think? I woke up today and I found the reason why I'm still so sleepy. It's raining heavily outside and I can barely see a thing outside the window haha....no wonder lah...so cozy. Then later in the evening, the sun is shining again...

Had hokkien mee for breakfast. Oh my... haha, it tastes good. My friends who came to Penang for hols the last time can testify to this. I really miss Penang food :P

Other that the food, it's a rather boring day haha...I slept for the whole afternoon. Dunno why I always feel sleepy when I'm back in Penang. Maybe it's because of the weather. These days, I seem to find a lot of wireless networks in Penang. In my condo in Gurney Drive, I can find 4 wireless networks around my unit. Penang is not that backwards in this after all huh? Haha... Imagine the shock today when I can find another open network in the second bedroom of my house in Island Park. Haha...winning a lottery is even harder :P

My grandaunt made her trademark jelly today. Always so delicious. She will be making my favourite glutinous rice balls soon haha... I love these without anything inside. Just plain with syrup haha...drooling liao...keke

Hmm, think I should be sleeping soon. Always wake up early in Penang because my parents wanna have breakfast haha...

Mother's Day Celebrations

2005-05-08T22:31:00.000+08:00

Just came back from my grandaunt's place. Since the 1990s, my family has been going to my grandaunt's place everynight after dinner just to watch TV together haha...and it's like that even up till today.

Just now we had a good dinner in Eden Hutton Lane. My dad told me that this place has been there for 30 odd years! Can't imagine that because it still looks nice and cozy. It seems that the condition was like that since it started...so it must have been really well kept! The place is still very posh by Penang standards...but it seems that I was right. The ppl who frequent this particular Eden is of the older generation ahhahaha. My mum frequented this place when she was still schooling. I had lamb chop, my mum had shish kebab lamb while my dad had fried chicken indonesian style. The taste is superb as usual...haha. This Eden is a good place to drop by if any of you should come down to Penang for a holiday :)

After that, I watched the Spanish GP. As expected, Ferrari is gone again. Pointless. Michael should have gotten at least a podium but with those 2 consecutive punctures, he had to retire from the race. What a shame when he was very fast after the first pit stop. Seems like Ferrari is wrong in staying with Bridgestone after so many top teams chose Michelin instead. Sigh...

It's still hot in Penang...and it's making me feel sticky all the time....time for a bath! Haha :p

Back in Penang!

2005-05-08T14:49:00.000+08:00

Finally I'm back in Penang after a few months in tanah bencana. The last time I was back in Penang was during the CNY hols haha... Will be in Penang until late May when I have to get back to prepare for work.

Ah, the bus stopped at the new bus terminal in Sungai Nibong...and it's so much further for my parents to fetch me haha...we are staying in Gurney Drive. That place is a much better place as a bus terminal but it can be a little far because it's located much towards the south.

Anyway, it's good to be back in Penang after so long hehe... It's still pretty much the same here. Good food...great place hahaha. I've been very sleepy since I came back and have been sleeping a lot keke... I've also been trying to help design the Pharmaceutica year 4 pages...not that easy though, because a lot are mainly photos and class list. Other than that, pretty much boring back here haha...

Edmond is moving out from PGP today and will be moving to his sister's place in Clementi. Looks like we can take the same bus back from city next time haha... As for me, I'll be staying back in Buttock Hill for another year or so...it's a nice place actually...only if the landlady can nag less hahaha... 'Eh, the washing machine must be closed up with the cloth hor. If not, the colour of the machine might run' haha...I can hear that almost all the time when she calls...

Very sleepy...might just sleep the whole afternoon away... dunno whether will be catching the Spanish GP later...Schumi seems off the pace sigh...

Dear 'ol TJC

2005-05-05T16:06:00.000+08:00

Just came back from NUS after having tried the size of the academic gown and the mortar board. The sky is getting darker by the minute and I can hardly see anything in my room hehe...but that's just what I like...cozy and the feeling of laziness hahaha

Went out the whole day yesterday. Woke up early just to meet Edmond so that we can go back to visit our dear 'ol TJC. The journey took us an hour. The feeling of dejavu is so nice. TJ has changed a lot since I left in 2000. New blocks, new rooms. Even the staff rooms are now card accessed! Good to see a lot of improvements haha...

Met up with most of my JC teachers...Mrs Poon, Mrs Kitty Tan, Ms Yee, Mrs Ng and Miss Rita Wong. Had a nice chat with all of them and Ms Wong even brought us around the school to show us the changes haha...so nice of her! Met up with Chee Wei and we had lunch in the cafeteria. The malay auntie selling malay food there still remembers us haha...and she 'forced' us to eat there haha...but there are no complaints...the meal is only $1.50! Haha...

After that, went to the US Embassy because Edmond wanted to collect his visa. Too bad they didn't allow me to go in...no business inside konon. So I cannot have a look at the inside. Hmm...

Dinner was with Teck Hua and Andrew in Long John's Cineleisure. After that we proceeded to TCC Peranakan Place for a drink. It's a very cozy place and the drink there is great! It's been a long time since we had such a nice conversation. Talked about everything, including our sad bachelorhood haha...Andrew has been encouraging me to go for the someone I'm interested to know about...ah well...haha, not much confidence though :P

Teck Hua has left for Kuching at noon. Yiu Cheong and me will be leaving tomorrow for our hometowns. It won't be a long one as we'll be back in 3 week's time to apply for our PR...sigh

Making the jump

2005-05-05T00:20:00.000+08:00

Finally after so many years, I've decided to start my own blog. Rather late isn't it? Haha...anyway better late than never rite?

The starting of this blog also marks the end of my undergraduate days. In fact, my final exams ended on the 30th of April 2005. I've been a Pharmacy undergrad in NUS for the past 4 years since I ended my A-Levels in Temasek Junior College way back in 2000. Those were the days when I first left my family in Penang to study in Singapore haha...

Anyway, my undergraduate days in NUS had been great! Had loads of fun, knowing more new friends along the way, in addition to my ASEAN scholar buddies Edmond, Boon King and Chee Wei. The pharmacy course was a tough one but it's also quite fulfilling in a sense that it secures me a stable well paid job. As the pharmacy community is small, most of us know each other and we should be keeping in touch even after graduation. All of us will be going for our pre-registration training soon for about 9 months in hospitals and retail pharmacies. As for me, I'll be in Guardian for the 9 month period... but with the bond that comes with it (due to higher pay hehe), I'll be there for and extra one and a half years!

Will be starting work on the 1st of June and it marks the start of another phase of my life. As they say, life as a student is more protected...can't agree more. Hope that there are no politics in Guardian haha...

Oh well, blogging can be interesting really haha... good to just make an account of my life journey :)