reality – check

And so ends another chapter…

Final results were released today. I passed everything, which means I’m officially finished with my first university degree. In terms of grades, I did ok. I’m happy that I passed but, you know, could’ve done better (maybe).

But you know what I am chuffed about? I am chuffed about having a genuine reason for using the word “chuffed” and about being one step closer to becoming a registered pharmacist. It’s really sinking in now that I know I’m going to graduate and… I got my pharmacists’ coat~ (Yes, that is a big deal. I feel twice as professional with it (NB: uniform minus coat is already quite professional-looking). Plus, I get more pockets.)

So now I just have to wait for registration to be confirmed – then I’ll officially be an intern. At the moment, I’m in pre-pre-reg limbo.

But, I have to admit, I am a little wary about things getting harder from here on in. It’s sort of like I’m walking down a street, expecting something to jump out from every corner.

Whatever. I’ll get there when I get there.

Oh, and since I’m graduating, this could very well be the last post that gets filed under the “uni” category. That’s not really that revolutionary or anything, but I thought I’d mention it.

If these last four years were a person, I’d want to give ’em a big hug

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whirlwind

While waiting for the train from work the other day, I noticed something rather peculiar. To get to the the train platform, you have to walk down a concrete ramp thing. I was bored waiting for the train (which was late!), so I looked up at the underside of this ramp (which I happened to be standing under).

To my amazement, there was a plant growing out of it! Not just a tiny little weed that had just sprouted, but a plant at least half a metre long with green leaves all along it. And it was growing out of the concrete, with roots hanging down, and stem hugging the underside of the ramp, trying to grow upwards.

The more I looked at it, the more amazing it seemed because it’d hardly get any sunlight at all, and not much rain or nutrients (considering it’s not in contact with soil) – but it’s still alive and has probably been there for quite some time!

The leaves were all pointed downwards, presumably to catch more sunlight. The plant stem itself has also started growing downwards in order to get past the ramp-support-thing that’s sort of walling it in (no idea if that description makes sense to anyone but me…)

I did take a photo of it (might upload another day – phone is currently charging, so cannot connect to computer), and I think I’ll check up on it’s progress from time to time, too. There’s no doubt it’s a survivor, but I just hope maintenance workers don’t come along and pluck it out.

Reminds me of that bit of grass that was growing smack-bang in the middle of the footpath through the park. Pity it’s no longer there coz the path got redone (they made it wider, which is a very welcome change).

like fireworks

I just realised I never wrote a post about the Pharm Ball back in September. I am supposing that was because I didn’t want to ruin it with words and lengthy descriptions (either that or I was too tired for several days afterwards and then couldn’t be bothered).

The Graduation Dinner was on the Friday just passed. Between Pharm Ball and Grad Dinner, I’m not really sure which night was better. Maybe Grad Dinner…? But then it has recency bias in its favour.

Well, it doesn’t really matter, anyway. Both nights were a blast. The perfect way to round off four years of hard work.

Grad Dinner sort of reminded me of Grade 12 Formal – except this time the venue was smaller (probably half the number of people) and it was less formal (only semi-formal/cocktail) and we had alcohol (unlimited and free, although technically we paid for it through our ticket price).

I think it was very fitting that the theme of this year’s Pharm Ball was “fireworks” because you only get fireworks at special events for special occasions and, although there were no actual fireworks on either night (not that anyone really cared/noticed), I think I’ll remember those nights as being very special, indeed.

this stuff is brilliant

I found this WP blog on the Freshly Pressed page, and I seriously think it is among the more brilliant blogs I’ve stumbled upon in a while (not that I spend that much time stumbling upon blogs, or that other blogs I follow aren’t awesome in their own right, but this one is really .. just .. brilliant).

I’ve liked all the posts I’ve seen on it so far (not actually “liked” as in clicked on the “like” button for all of them because I didn’t want to spam them with all these notifications of me liking them), but I figured I’ll just share one, and you can take it from there:

Migraine or Tumor.

I chose this post because I like the educational value in it, in the sense that it teaches people what migraines are and hence helps to correct the misuse of the word “migraine” in self-diagnosing headaches.

I also like this post because I can relate to it, in the sense that I, too, sometimes wonder if certain symptoms are a sign of something more sinister. Usually my rational side wins out, too, but, having a health sciences background, it can be hard not to speculate sometimes.

Speaking of health sciences, I had my last undergraduate exam today. (Hooray for me!) One step closer to being a qualified pharmacist.

do not disturb?

Just because it’s exam time, doesn’t mean I’m too busy to post! You didn’t really think I’d forget, did you? Probably too busy with your own study/exams to notice…

In actuality, this is probably the least stressed exam block I’ve had since first year, or maybe high school. Well, either way, things aren’t too bad. Sometimes I wonder if I should be more stressed and study more… but you probably don’t want to read about that.

On to something more interesting / less boring: I was talking to a friend yesterday about songs that have titles that don’t really make sense because they’re words/phrases that are only mentioned once/twice in the entire song or not at all.

Take, for example, “Do not disturb” by Let’s Get It. I don’t think they actually say “do not disturb” at any point in the song, and even considering what the song is about, I’m not sure that the title is really that relevant. Have a listen – you’ll see what I mean.

I think the title is meant to have “tell me how bad” in parentheses, but that would probably make more sense as a title in itself than “do not disturb”. But this is a petty thing, really. I do like the song – it’s quite catchy, and really fun to play on Tap Tap Revenge, which is where I first discovered the song, along with others such as “We love like vampires” by Sparks the Rescue, which is also a cool song, but with a slightly weird MV…

best comics

Comic strips are among the few things I bother reading in newspapers these days, and even then I only bother reading certain ones. One comic strip that I will always read in the paper if I have the chance is “B.C.” because I find that it is quite consistently funny. I also like that they (very) occasionally have pharmacy-related material. Take, for example, the comic in today’s CM:

So relevant, since there seems to be quite a lot of pharmacy students who just aren’t bothered taking any medication for any ailment.

From searching for that online, I also came across this one, which I remember seeing a while back.

Also quite relevant, since I (and others, judging by stories I’ve heard) have met quite a few customers who are very .. forthcoming with their symptoms.

More comics at: http://www.johnhartstudios.com/bc/