- randomn thoughts that cross my mind.
This year's is solely student-based in bid to prepare our precious juniors for their upcoming 6 weeks long community pharmacy stint.
I hope they go with a very open mind and try to get as much experience as possible in order to maximise those 6 weeks. If they were to sit around to bump - it would be a sheer waste. They should also note that for every disease everyone has very different opinions to treatment and they also need to know that treatment for any disease is best tailor for particular patients.
However, I feel that it would be best to invite speakers with a whole lot more experience and those who have more authority to speak on the topics concerned. I felt that there is a need to go in depth so that our juniors will not go shell-shocked when they start their stint - so I believe more time should be allocated.
Everyone has different opinions and a rigid exam-format way to answer questions is highly unadvisable - I'm not interested in dunno what fame but I've a lot of things to say =p Fame comes with a lot of responsibility and require a lot of work to uphold - I'm a slacker.
Community Pharmacy Practice such as Watson's, Guardian and Unity, are front line pharmacies where they serve the community in which they are stationed it. Pharmacists must practise automony when dealing with prescriptionless walkin-in and work with doctors who send presciptions in. They help give an image to the public as what a pharmacist does for them and to them in the best interest of their health. If all things are done well enough in best interest of the public, I believe that pharmacists would be the preferred dispensing choice over your mere doctor's clinic assistant - more automony leads to more choices, more economy and more efficacy. We can't control the flow of patients from the clinic assistant or the pharmacist but we hope to be the preferred frontline choice.
March onwards juniors and put your best foot forward!!!
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Varsity Guild gathering todae @chong qin hotpot (Bugis)
Today went out with 6 other members of the guild to Chong Qin Hotpot near Bugis.
WARNING: DUN SIT INSIDE. AIRCON SPOILT!!!
But the food value for money @ $15 a head with 1 jug of lemon juice going at $6 a jug. We had 2 jugs.
The main draw for me must be the 餃子 - curry pok shaped one is meat filled. The machiam any how press one is your 韭菜 - both were good. I think mass produced frozen one but who cares. Good to eat can liaoz.
Very popular with the China International crowd as well - we set about 2 tables from a table of them with 1 Indian guy. They were very loud indeed - likely due to be under the influence - and their Indian khaki looked very sian sianz.
One thing I must say - guild leader eats very disgustingly - guilder rushed for time so boh pianz.
ice ice prawn.
WARNING: DUN SIT INSIDE. AIRCON SPOILT!!!
But the food value for money @ $15 a head with 1 jug of lemon juice going at $6 a jug. We had 2 jugs.
The main draw for me must be the 餃子 - curry pok shaped one is meat filled. The machiam any how press one is your 韭菜 - both were good. I think mass produced frozen one but who cares. Good to eat can liaoz.
Very popular with the China International crowd as well - we set about 2 tables from a table of them with 1 Indian guy. They were very loud indeed - likely due to be under the influence - and their Indian khaki looked very sian sianz.
One thing I must say - guild leader eats very disgustingly - guilder rushed for time so boh pianz.
ice ice prawn.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Repotting P. primulinum seedling - A sneak peak at what's to come tomorrow
PS - due to some admin problems on the exporting authority, pianging of flask will not be shown live tomorrow
Tomorrow will be my talk on growing Paphiopedilums from scratch (albeit minus the plating and flasking part) - I want to incalcate to other growers the important value of looking at cultural ability rather than buying power. After that I'll take a nong nong hiatus to concentrate on other stuff - not to worry though - I'll still be blogging.
A lot of people get burnt out from their hobbies simply because they look at the wrong side of the hobby or they are not ready and just decide to take a gigantic leap forward. Currently, IMHO, a lot of people are proud to put a flowering plant on the display table and win a prize but that plant may have just came from another grower's nursery or imported in less than a month ago. Buah CHAO!!!! It only leads to show your buying power not your growing ability. This misconstrued way to progressing actually leads to an early burn out - running out of space to house non-flowering plants after their initial few blooms. Sad isn't it?
Now to lesson proper:
Here's a middle sized Paphiopedilum primulinum seedling which is getting a bit too big for it's pot. My own rule is to try to compact the root ball but the leaves should not be 2/3 longer than the diameter of the pot. So this plant is a bit too big liaoz.
Select pot big enough for the plant. Usually I'll pick one 1-3cm in diameter bigger. Too big means too much media and a higher chance of waterlogged media. Also it may mean media wastage - rate of media rotting > than rate of media utilisation (root penetration) by the plant.
Dislodge plant from pot by gentle squeezing - don't squeeze until pot gets plastic deformation and the roots in the pot start snapping!!!! GENTLE PLEASE.
Alternatively, you may want to make 4 incisions at the edge of the pot. This will help to facilitate the peeling off of the disposible plastic "pot" (it's a modified drinking up actually). Just simply snap the edge of the pot and peel down 2 strips of pliable sides so that you'll get 2 halves which can be simply opened.
Once the plant is out of the pot, gently shake off ye olde media. Some people will repot using the old media but I've another view. Most Paph spp. like slightly basic media and the old media usually has decayed to something acidic and salty - not so good for the plant. I avoid washing the roots because I do not want to cause a drastic electrolyte shift in the roots and may end up damaging the roots due to the chlorine in the water.
Crocking material is very important for Paph spp. A lot of people will repot these plants straight into a rich moist media and forget to cater to drainage. Most Paphs are in a special class of their own - they are not true terrestrials but really humus epiphytes or humus lithophytes - just a layer of humus on top to keep the root ball moist. A variety of crocking materials can be used - hydroton, charcoal, diatomite, broken bricks, broken pots, styrofoam chunks, etc. Some will fill a pot 2/3 with crocking materials, but given the dry dry apartment I am in, 1/3 would be more appropriate.
Position plant comfortably in the pot with one hand and start filling media with the other hand. If you see any new shoot, take care not to damage it and also it would be alright to have the old parent plant leaning towards oneside of the pot and the neew shoot having more space to grow. However if there is no sign of shooting, position the plant centrally so that any shoots growing will not be impede by lack of potential growing space.
Fill them up and voilá! Gently pet down media so as not to compact it but make sure it is firm enough to hold the plant in place. If you compact the media too much there may be lack of air spaces in it and it will also cause the roots to grow slowly due to the hard compacted media.
Your initial watering would best done by patient mist spraying. If you dump copious amounts of water directly, it may cause compaction of the media and force all the air from the media out.
Growing Paphs from flasks is easy - you'll just have to know what grows well in your climate.
Support ex-situ conservation!!! - Does not apply if you bought jungle plants =.=
Tomorrow will be my talk on growing Paphiopedilums from scratch (albeit minus the plating and flasking part) - I want to incalcate to other growers the important value of looking at cultural ability rather than buying power. After that I'll take a nong nong hiatus to concentrate on other stuff - not to worry though - I'll still be blogging.
A lot of people get burnt out from their hobbies simply because they look at the wrong side of the hobby or they are not ready and just decide to take a gigantic leap forward. Currently, IMHO, a lot of people are proud to put a flowering plant on the display table and win a prize but that plant may have just came from another grower's nursery or imported in less than a month ago. Buah CHAO!!!! It only leads to show your buying power not your growing ability. This misconstrued way to progressing actually leads to an early burn out - running out of space to house non-flowering plants after their initial few blooms. Sad isn't it?
Now to lesson proper:
Here's a middle sized Paphiopedilum primulinum seedling which is getting a bit too big for it's pot. My own rule is to try to compact the root ball but the leaves should not be 2/3 longer than the diameter of the pot. So this plant is a bit too big liaoz.
Select pot big enough for the plant. Usually I'll pick one 1-3cm in diameter bigger. Too big means too much media and a higher chance of waterlogged media. Also it may mean media wastage - rate of media rotting > than rate of media utilisation (root penetration) by the plant.
Dislodge plant from pot by gentle squeezing - don't squeeze until pot gets plastic deformation and the roots in the pot start snapping!!!! GENTLE PLEASE.
Alternatively, you may want to make 4 incisions at the edge of the pot. This will help to facilitate the peeling off of the disposible plastic "pot" (it's a modified drinking up actually). Just simply snap the edge of the pot and peel down 2 strips of pliable sides so that you'll get 2 halves which can be simply opened.
Once the plant is out of the pot, gently shake off ye olde media. Some people will repot using the old media but I've another view. Most Paph spp. like slightly basic media and the old media usually has decayed to something acidic and salty - not so good for the plant. I avoid washing the roots because I do not want to cause a drastic electrolyte shift in the roots and may end up damaging the roots due to the chlorine in the water.
Crocking material is very important for Paph spp. A lot of people will repot these plants straight into a rich moist media and forget to cater to drainage. Most Paphs are in a special class of their own - they are not true terrestrials but really humus epiphytes or humus lithophytes - just a layer of humus on top to keep the root ball moist. A variety of crocking materials can be used - hydroton, charcoal, diatomite, broken bricks, broken pots, styrofoam chunks, etc. Some will fill a pot 2/3 with crocking materials, but given the dry dry apartment I am in, 1/3 would be more appropriate.
Position plant comfortably in the pot with one hand and start filling media with the other hand. If you see any new shoot, take care not to damage it and also it would be alright to have the old parent plant leaning towards oneside of the pot and the neew shoot having more space to grow. However if there is no sign of shooting, position the plant centrally so that any shoots growing will not be impede by lack of potential growing space.
Fill them up and voilá! Gently pet down media so as not to compact it but make sure it is firm enough to hold the plant in place. If you compact the media too much there may be lack of air spaces in it and it will also cause the roots to grow slowly due to the hard compacted media.
Your initial watering would best done by patient mist spraying. If you dump copious amounts of water directly, it may cause compaction of the media and force all the air from the media out.
Growing Paphs from flasks is easy - you'll just have to know what grows well in your climate.
Support ex-situ conservation!!! - Does not apply if you bought jungle plants =.=
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Just throw lah
The first lesson in orchid culture is learning to let go. Some people are so reluctant to throw dead or potentially dead plants and hope for a(n impossible) resurrection.
When plants like the Paphiopedilum bellatulum above is having crown or basal rot, just dump it. Letting dying plants lie around only allow the spores to spread to other plants, waste space and cause unsightliness. Paph bellatulum (occassionally purposefulyl mispronunced as "bella - too lan") is a difficult plant in our climate and starting form flask is advisable - throw away seedlings not so heart pain. Anyway one flask of 20 clost about the same as one matured plant =p.
If your plant gets red spider mites (RSM for short - nothing to do with your favourite army personnel), once too often - time to dump. RSM is a very problematic pest and some plants (esp. mericloned or single-line hybdrids) are rather vulnerable. This plant above is Dendrobium Chao Praya Gem which I named as 'Weinachten'. The only pure white one out of the the batch of lucky draw plants given out when OSSEA's monthly meeting was still at the UWCSEA. The rest of my friends got pinks ^^. But then the plant produces very stiff sheaths along the stems that are hard to shed or remove - perfect hiding place for RSMs. After trying systemics, immuno modulators, coating agents and the works, I decided it was time to let go the plant - besides Chao Praya Nursery had already cloned tonnes of a white Chao Praya Gem for CNY a couple of years back =.=
When plants like the Paphiopedilum bellatulum above is having crown or basal rot, just dump it. Letting dying plants lie around only allow the spores to spread to other plants, waste space and cause unsightliness. Paph bellatulum (occassionally purposefulyl mispronunced as "bella - too lan") is a difficult plant in our climate and starting form flask is advisable - throw away seedlings not so heart pain. Anyway one flask of 20 clost about the same as one matured plant =p.
If your plant gets red spider mites (RSM for short - nothing to do with your favourite army personnel), once too often - time to dump. RSM is a very problematic pest and some plants (esp. mericloned or single-line hybdrids) are rather vulnerable. This plant above is Dendrobium Chao Praya Gem which I named as 'Weinachten'. The only pure white one out of the the batch of lucky draw plants given out when OSSEA's monthly meeting was still at the UWCSEA. The rest of my friends got pinks ^^. But then the plant produces very stiff sheaths along the stems that are hard to shed or remove - perfect hiding place for RSMs. After trying systemics, immuno modulators, coating agents and the works, I decided it was time to let go the plant - besides Chao Praya Nursery had already cloned tonnes of a white Chao Praya Gem for CNY a couple of years back =.=
Pesticides - trawl through the Ministries
Ever wonder who exactly regulates the pesticides you use on plants?
This caught my eye:
This caught my eye:
Here's the confusion: if you are growing plants in a HDB and start spraying away - who is going to regulate? Who does toxicity studies and monitors? Shouldn't it be the authorities involved with plants rather than those dealing with the environment?
It is interesting to know that the list of approved pesticides do not include a lot of very potent agents sold in smaller (yet potentially lethal) quantities on your super market shelves. There is a major discrepancy when the same potent agent is regulated with stringency by AVA when sold in bulk but exempted from regulations when sold in smaller volume. In fact, about 90% of the horticultural poisons sold off the shelves in DIY and supermarkets are not registered (and I assume to be not monitored).
It also gives a big headache to the poison centre here to monitor safety issues and have treatment protocols on hand without knowing the prevalence. it would be very confusing if one agency handles agri poisons and the other handles household horti poisons - unification is needed. You can imagine a scenario where you are thrown back and forth agencies when they say that a brand or chemical entity is not within their scope - time is ticking in emergency cases.
I was in shock when a friend told me that a box of extra potent pesticide was bought from across the Causeway only to read off "Streptomycin" as the active ingredient - talk about blaming hospitals for bacterial resistance!
Some people may criticise me for being a kan chong spider (ants on a hot pan) but then why want to allow preventable or controllable things to happen?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ooooh Long time never do already
Some aunties in a coffee shop were joking about how to dress up in a naughty fashion ranging from raffia strings with coconut husks to the normal store bought bikinis to boot.
My take on this (never knew that such specialised lingerié existed - the last book I saw at a cousin's place only deal with the "normal" kind):
Naughty needles
Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape
Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet
Knitting Lingerie Style: More Than 30 Basic and Lingerie-Inspired Designs
Nope, these are not on my upcoming wish list. Simply because I do not have enough time to sit through a session without snoozing nowadays - got some sleeping disease since the army dayz. Like late onset adolescence - I did not need much sleep during my JC dayz and still can stay pretty much awake. Also the dust generated during needlework actually causes me to sneeze =.=III.
Ooo. There's also a book for men (nope, don't count on it - needlework's not for everyone- your dear hubby may produce an infant sweater in the shape destined for the Adam's Family new brood). However, I must add this - when men do needlework, we usually deal with more rugged materials that will bleed women's very very delicate hands and we need more robust equipment such stainless steel knitting needles as opposed to bamboo and pine - we use more strength (more manly =p). I personally also like the heavy feel of stainless steel compared with filmsy wood - I think I broke more than a dozen knitting needles already. Material-wise, I usually make bags, so I will use up to 5 strands to make the bag material - 1 broken got 4 to support ^^.
This title sounds so wrong.... Crochet is way easier to handle - faster too.
My take on this (never knew that such specialised lingerié existed - the last book I saw at a cousin's place only deal with the "normal" kind):
Naughty needles
Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape
Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet
Knitting Lingerie Style: More Than 30 Basic and Lingerie-Inspired Designs
Nope, these are not on my upcoming wish list. Simply because I do not have enough time to sit through a session without snoozing nowadays - got some sleeping disease since the army dayz. Like late onset adolescence - I did not need much sleep during my JC dayz and still can stay pretty much awake. Also the dust generated during needlework actually causes me to sneeze =.=III.
Ooo. There's also a book for men (nope, don't count on it - needlework's not for everyone- your dear hubby may produce an infant sweater in the shape destined for the Adam's Family new brood). However, I must add this - when men do needlework, we usually deal with more rugged materials that will bleed women's very very delicate hands and we need more robust equipment such stainless steel knitting needles as opposed to bamboo and pine - we use more strength (more manly =p). I personally also like the heavy feel of stainless steel compared with filmsy wood - I think I broke more than a dozen knitting needles already. Material-wise, I usually make bags, so I will use up to 5 strands to make the bag material - 1 broken got 4 to support ^^.
This title sounds so wrong.... Crochet is way easier to handle - faster too.
How to kill excess bak kua, your waistline, your sugar level and your cholestrol levels at one go!!!
People kept giving bak kuah (dried preserved pork slices sweetened and salted and dried before being barbarqued over a charcoal pit) - why can't they just give me a fat red packet rather than a big caloric deposit. kekekeke enjoyed it anyway.
Salt - HTN
Sugar - DM II
BBQ - Carcinogenic and can alter the Pk of certain drugs.
Jennifer Aniston like mayonaise and so do I - no time to make and use up home-make mayo so bought my own. Hoped to neutralise the fat and sugar and salt with wholemeal bread - but then still nothing can compare with nutty rye bread - cannot find =.=. Let the sandwich sit around for a while for the bread to absorb some of the mayo and allow the meat to soften slightly before attacking. Enjoy the haven for the time being before you hear the following:
BTW, I've a lecturer who sounds like Russell Peters together the the Canto accent - hint hint: first day of class he said, " Why are you all laughing? I'm not a comedian or something.' LOL? I must admit I'm trained to listen (as opposed to hear) so I can pick out the slightest tinge of accent. I'm not mean or anything but every time I hear that combo accent, Russell Peters autoplayed in my head.
Some pics I took at Wairon's place during CNY pai pai with Laure
His Phalaenopsis bellinas:
A developing seed pod on a Phalaenopsis bellina:
The greening of the flower looks so startling. I know of some people who only collect green flowers but then hor lidat verli the hard to differentiate leave from flower lehz.... =.=
Some of his chiobu Cattleya hybrids (<<<---- see hor hybrid names no italics hor)
Brassolaeliocattleya Patricia Heathrington (I think I sic on this one):
Brassavola Singapura:
A made in Singapore Brassavola hybrid. The Singapura part is largely attribute the fine whiskers found on the lip - all thanks to the Brassavola mauritiana background
This one really caught my eye:
Even though I'm a self-confessed species snob, I really liked the flatness of the flower, the compactness of the plant and the lovely dreamy tones. Looks like a sunset doesn't it?
A developing seed pod on a Phalaenopsis bellina:
The greening of the flower looks so startling. I know of some people who only collect green flowers but then hor lidat verli the hard to differentiate leave from flower lehz.... =.=
Some of his chiobu Cattleya hybrids (<<<---- see hor hybrid names no italics hor)
Brassolaeliocattleya Patricia Heathrington (I think I sic on this one):
Brassavola Singapura:
A made in Singapore Brassavola hybrid. The Singapura part is largely attribute the fine whiskers found on the lip - all thanks to the Brassavola mauritiana background
This one really caught my eye:
Even though I'm a self-confessed species snob, I really liked the flatness of the flower, the compactness of the plant and the lovely dreamy tones. Looks like a sunset doesn't it?
Monday, February 26, 2007
I need to hide my head in the sand
http://nuscast.nus.edu.sg/PublicEvents/PharmacyPlayVideo.asp?v=Yr2006/PharmacyNUS_384.wmv
"The 'Pharmacy @ NUS' corporate video won the Award of Distinction in the recently concluded 'The 13th Annual Communicator Awards' international video competition.
The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition based in West Hollywood, California, USA. It recognizes outstanding work in the communication field. Entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talents exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work services as a benchmark for the industry. The Award of Distinction (80-89marks) is awarded to projects that exceed industry standards in production or communication skills. The website is available at this url: www.communicatorawards.com ."
I have no idea on how it won and I must say that I do not look quite right in the video. Bleh
"The 'Pharmacy @ NUS' corporate video won the Award of Distinction in the recently concluded 'The 13th Annual Communicator Awards' international video competition.
The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition based in West Hollywood, California, USA. It recognizes outstanding work in the communication field. Entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talents exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work services as a benchmark for the industry. The Award of Distinction (80-89marks) is awarded to projects that exceed industry standards in production or communication skills. The website is available at this url: www.communicatorawards.com ."
I have no idea on how it won and I must say that I do not look quite right in the video. Bleh
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Orchids can eat one meh?
Of course can one lah!!!
Vanilla flavouring comes from an orchid – NOT A LEGUMINOUS PLANT HOR!!!
In the past all vanilla pods come from just one species – Vanilla planifolia, but now, farmers are making hybrids of vanilla for the pods, giving each a unique flavour and producing hardier plants at the same time.
Vanilla pilifera pods can be eaten and they were said to be rather sweet.
By the way, vanilla products are the only orchid plant parts that are CITES exempted (ALL ORCHIDS are in the same league as the rhino – don’t ask me why: but conservationists don’t seem to realize that unlike orchids, rhinos can’t be tissue-cultured and grown in a small balcony).
Ever felt like bashing the Turkish ice-cream seller for musing you with that cone and make you so darn irritated because you have to toy along for that sweet sticky delight? That sticky stuff is salep – made from the tubers of terrestrial orchids (Orchis maculata and other Orchis spp.) If you read Eric Hansen’s “Orchid Fever”, he paints a beautiful image of how it’s harvested to how it’s made. Go try it. Just play along with the Turkish ice-cream seller – personally, it’s an odd ritual, the culture requires some getting used to.
In the Andes (can’t remember which portion) there is this species of Cyrtopodium used to curdle milk to make cheese. Can’t recall where I read this – me think it’s either from the AOS mag or Orchid Digest.
Vanilla flavouring comes from an orchid – NOT A LEGUMINOUS PLANT HOR!!!
In the past all vanilla pods come from just one species – Vanilla planifolia, but now, farmers are making hybrids of vanilla for the pods, giving each a unique flavour and producing hardier plants at the same time.
Vanilla pilifera pods can be eaten and they were said to be rather sweet.
By the way, vanilla products are the only orchid plant parts that are CITES exempted (ALL ORCHIDS are in the same league as the rhino – don’t ask me why: but conservationists don’t seem to realize that unlike orchids, rhinos can’t be tissue-cultured and grown in a small balcony).
Ever felt like bashing the Turkish ice-cream seller for musing you with that cone and make you so darn irritated because you have to toy along for that sweet sticky delight? That sticky stuff is salep – made from the tubers of terrestrial orchids (Orchis maculata and other Orchis spp.) If you read Eric Hansen’s “Orchid Fever”, he paints a beautiful image of how it’s harvested to how it’s made. Go try it. Just play along with the Turkish ice-cream seller – personally, it’s an odd ritual, the culture requires some getting used to.
In the Andes (can’t remember which portion) there is this species of Cyrtopodium used to curdle milk to make cheese. Can’t recall where I read this – me think it’s either from the AOS mag or Orchid Digest.
Humility
"A humble man will not call himself humble"
Likewise, one whould be humble but not call oneself humble.
If you tell everyone that you are a humble person, aren't you proud to be humble?
Likewise, one whould be humble but not call oneself humble.
If you tell everyone that you are a humble person, aren't you proud to be humble?
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