Work's Fine

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

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

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

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