Deja Vu

Just when I thought I was getting better at my new job. Suddenly I was poked and prodded in all directions by faxes, faxes, and yet more faxes! I was almost going to throw in the proverbial towel, when the boss came upstairs and asked me if I was going well. Needless to say he had to help me fix up the faxes.

In that moment he was explaining to me about an issue with this nursing home that I had a deja vu flash. I remember vaguely dreaming about that exact moment. Does that mean that I'm destined to work there for a considerable amount of time?

Only time will let me in on this secret life journey.

Deja Vu

New Beginning

I got the job. They must really need someone in a hurry, because not long after I went for the second interview, the manager rang me and asked me to start the following day.

I've worked six gruelling days at the pharmacy. For the first few days, I was too anxious to feel physically tired after working all those hours, but I was mentally exhausted. It is a new environment for me, and I had much to learn. I still have much to learn, but at least I have grasped the basics. I feel a little more confident. Hopefully I can gain a bit more footing next week.

One night I bought a Donna Hay October edition to get some cash out. I discovered what I think has to be the simplest and yet most delicious and satisying cookie recipe - oat and coconut crisps. I had most of the ingredients on hand (I bought a big bag of coconut shreds to make kerisik for the beef rendang the other night, so all the more reason to put them to good use!), and it didn't require too much fiddling around!

Welcome Spring!

I tried the recipe out yesterday night. I adapted the recipe, of course, since I'm not one to follow a recipe to the letter. ;)

The outcome - very nice~

Oat and Coconut Crisps

Ingredients:
135g rolled oats
(KT had a bag of tropical muesli, so I used 135g of that instead, I picked out all the large bits of fruit)
40g shredded coconut
135g brown sugar (I used 130g, I didn't want it to be too sweet)
165g white sugar
(I substituted with 100g caster sugar, and 50g CSR coffee sugar crystals for added crunch and flavour)
35g plain flour, sifted
165g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Place the oats, coconut, sugar, and flour in a bowl. Mix to combine.
3. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Spoon one teaspoon of the mixture at a time onto a baking tray lined with
non-stick baking paper.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
6. As soon as they turn golden, take them out of the oven, leave on the tray for a
few minutes, then lift the baking paper from the tray and onto a wire rack to
cool completely.

Tips:
1. I set the oven at 160 degrees Celcius fan-forced.
2. I spooned only one teaspoon of the mixture at any one time, not one tablespoon
as per original recipe, as one tablespoon would spread too much. Make sure
that each teaspoon of mixture has enough room to spread whilst cooking.
3. Set timer at 10 minutes to start, the biscuits would take 10 minutes at most to
turn brown. If they are baked longer, the sugar would caramelise too much and turn quite bitter.


Voila! Simple and delicious!

New Beginning

Fifteenth Day of Chinese New Year - Chap Goh Mei

The fifteenth day of Chinese New Year is more popularly known in Malaysia as Chap Goh Mei. The celebrations of the fifteenth day is no less splendid; on the night we would make sweet glutinous rice balls (tang yuan) served in a ginger syrup soup as a symbol of unity (round) and the good things in life (sweetness). Chap Goh Mei is also the Chinese version of St. Valentine's day, with unmarried girls throwing mandarin oranges for the man of their dreams to pick up.

I worked on Chap Goh Mei, of course. This Chap Goh Mei turned out to be the most eventful one of my life so far. The pharmacy I worked at was robbed and I was held up by a man holding a sharp knife. Thankfully no one was hurt. I left the pharmacy feeling angry, angry that there are people who feel that they have the right to rob and steal from others just because they feel themselves to be underprivileged. This man is neither physically impaired, and certainly not mentally impaired, considering that he is clever enough to orchestrate a hold-up on two defenceless ladies. Indeed.

I left the scene feeling detached and wary, too. I can't stop these things from happening. One of the things in life. It's a valuable lesson for me to be always vigilant no matter where I am. My rose-tinted glasses have faded now.

To that man: You may escape without being caught this time, count yourself lucky. I do believe in karma. What goes around comes around. It's a valuable lesson for you, too, not just for me.

I saw the full moon on Chap Goh Mei night. I wished that I was carrying a Chinese lattern as when I was young, playing beneath the moonlight, blissfully unaware of the ugly reality of the world.

Sadly, I no longer live in a beautiful world.

Fifteenth Day of Chinese New Year - Chap Goh Mei

Achievement

04/08/2007 working at Liverpool was by far the smoothest-running day I've had since working as a pharmacist-in-charge. It's true that I've gotten a tad bit more efficient at checking scripts and dealing with customer service. By far the more important factor, however, is teamwork.

J and EL were the dispensary technicians on that day, and EL told me, "SY (a colleague and a good friend), told me to be nice to you!", to which she was, even to the point of bringing a script for me to check while she sat me down to eat my lunch (which she bought for me before she went off for lunch). It was my first time working with EL, and I was very impressed with her attitude, be it on work, or her outlook on life. I've worked with J on one or two occassions, and I've always found J to be a very obliging and friendly person.

Teamwork is a very important; and it makes such a big difference to work satisfaction. I'm very happy for my achievement, and I'm also very appreciative for the good team. :) Thank you.

Achievement

Home Alone

Well, after I had the GARDASIL vaccination on Tuesday, the left arm in which the doctor injected hurts. It feels as if I've got pins and needles where the injection site is.

On Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling slightly unwell, with a slight headache. After breakfast, I felt queasy in the stomach, and I was having cat-naps at the pharmacy.

Nowhere in the product information of GARDASIL does it state the symptoms I've been experiencing as adverse reactions to the injection. I think it's just individual to me. :P

So here I am on Thursday morning, a day off sick, reporting the alleged reactions I've had with GARDASIL.

The boss' wife rang not too long ago asking after me, if I'm well, and surprisingly, she asked me if I'd like to stay on. I told her I'd be more than happy if they're happy to have me stay on.

That's settled then. I'm now a permanent, well, more or less, fixture at the pharmacy. :)

I'm a bit apprehensive to be honest, as that would mean I have to take on more responsibility at the pharmacy, especially with the ordering of shop items, baby products and the like.

It's all for the best at the end. I have to start learning, if not to run my own business some day, then at least to have more experience. :)

Wish me luck.

Home Alone

Long Day

It's going to be a long day today...

I told my boss that I can work until 8pm on Thursdays... he was very happy with that because it would mean that he needn't make the trip from this house to the pharmacy just to take over for 2 hours after my shift and before the next pharmacist's shift.

My head hurts, and my stomach hurts... well, actually, my whole body aches, perhaps it's because I didn't get a good night's sleep.

I'm hoping for a quiet day today. Oh, don't let Murphy's Law strike me down. :P

The only consolation so far is that Thursday is pay-day...

It's going to be a long day today...

Long Day

The Replacement Pharmacist

I worked as a pharmacist-in-charge at Liverpool on Saturday, my first day practising as a registered pharmacist, all on my own. The night before I was agonising about working alone, and being the one in charge. I suppose with the short notice and all, I wasn't ready to be the 'Head'. The next morning, I woke up at about 6am, and got ready to go. I had to be at Redfern station by 7am. It took me a little more than an hour to get to Liverpool, otherwise, it was a very nice and scenic train trip, I thought I would feel sleepy and doze for the good part of the travel, but I was so anxious that I was very much awake.

I arrived at the shopping centre early, at about 8:30am, half an hour before the pharmacy opens. I didn't get to go in until about 8:45am when the pharmacy manager let me in. From the moment I stepped into the pharmacy, the roller-coaster ride began.

Note: if you think that pharmacy is a good career opportunity, you're most probably right. Be prepared for work-induced ailments, such as urinary incontinence, urinary tract infection, hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose level), and fainting spells. From the time I stepped into the pharmacy, it was worse than serving time. As I was the only pharmacist, there was no lunch break for me. The dispensary technician got me some sushi rolls for lunch at about 1 something, and I only took a few bites at close to 4pm. As for toilet breaks, I drank so little water that I didn't even have an urge to go. Couple these external factors with a sympathetic overdrive.

I was on a fight, flight, and fright response HIGH - bombarded with customer service literally left, right, and centre, running around like a headless chicken trying to locate products to recommend, rushing back to the dispensary (it felt like a 100-m dash - the pharmacy was like a big MAZE) to get scripts checked - there was hardly a quiet moment.

I survived the day, barely. Had I have been much more organised, I would have enjoyed my time there. It was quite an experience, and as one of my pharmacist friend commented, it's fun being a pharmacist-in-charge, on your own. :) I would agree to that, but until I get a bit more experience, every day out on my own results in days of anxiety...

The Replacement Pharmacist

Work at Last!!!

I was having a peaceful nap this afternoon, when I got a call from one of the pharmacists from the place I worked at. To cut a long story short, I'm to work for him tomorrow at this other place, a branch of the pharmacy... and I'll be on my own ... pharmacist-in-charge. I only received my temporary registration number and got myself insured for professional indemnity... must be my lucky day today...

Well I hope that tomorrow I'll be fine on my own... it'll really be a test of my mettle as a registered pharmacist, or maybe I'm just a "P"-licence driver. :P

I've never even been to the suburb before, so getting there in one piece is a great achievement in it's own right.

(Maybe this is the end of my piggying days...)

Work at Last!!!