Awkward #1. The Water Fountain

I am envisaging that I will have more awkward posts in the future, so I have named this #1. May it be the first of many.

Actually this isn't so bad. When I went to the gym today, I forgot to bring my water bottle, which is a pretty usual occurrence anyway. So between sets, I'd drink from the water fountain and I don't know how the pipes are set up, but every time I leant down to drink, the water would suddenly gain energy and shoot up all over my face. And when I thought it couldn't get worse, I went down for a second sip and water shot up my nose. It was painful. I thought I could get away discreetly, but when I straightened up, there were two guys in line behind me and they actually had a look of fear in their eyes when they saw me rubbing liquid from my face like I was a snotty-nosed kid. With all this kerfuffle and hoohaa about swine flu being transmitted through respiratory secretions and from rubbing your eyes, I don't blame them, but it still took much effort to retain my dignity and hold my head high as I walked past. 

On a different but related note, one of the pharmacist's duties is to educate people about current health issues. Although I am but an intern, I will offer some general tips to living virus free!

• Good hygiene is the best way to prevent infection, both to protect others from your germs and to respectfully decline other people's germs entry into your body
• So, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and wash your hands after
• Throw the tissue away after use! Used tissues are not classified as art and so should not be exhibited in any way, shape or form
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Don't get worried if you see a girl doing these things at the gym near a water fountain because chances are, she has just been attacked by said water fountain. Am I starting to sound bitter?

An innocent glass of water - hard to believe it is related to The Water Fountain

Ah, To Be Young Again

Went back to uni today for a seminar where we basically have 2 days of intense lectures, small group tutorials and role plays. It was really draining, more draining than work somehow. So forgive me if my post isn't well written tonight. 

Today, I found out that there was a high drop out rate for pharmacists after they register. This really interested me, more than it probably should. Does that mean I'm seriously considering giving it all up as a career path? I guess I should focus on the task at hand, that is, actually passing my exams first so that I actually have something to drop out of. And learning enough so that I won't feel too out of depth in the dark, murky waters that is taking responsibility as a pharmacist. No one to check after me! No one to tell me I'm wrong! No one to look at me in disbelief when I don't know how a drug is metabolised, or what it's for or even the fact that it's not a drug! (I'm referring to when I thought "aperient" was a drug because it sounded like "aprepitant" and I tried to correct the nurse for pronouncing it wrong.) Yes, as we were told today, the stage of the newly registered pharmacist... is a lonely place to be... (curtain drop)

On a lighter note, I went out for dinner and movie after uni was over. I'll talk about the movie first, even though it happened second. This is so that I can end my post with a photo. See, I'm always thinking of your literary experience, dear reader! 

The movie was called "The Hangover", and despite it being pretty wrong, I actually found it hilarious. Usually, I hate movies where a bunch of dirty, bloody guys traipse around the desert trying to find some meaning in their lives, which they weren't even doing - they were merely trying to find their friend. That they lost. Coz they were drunk. It sounded like a stupid movie but it was genuinely funny! I actually laughed out loud a lot, the whole way through. It kind of reminds me of Pineapple Express, that kind of funny. My review (and the movie) doesn't get much deeper than that, but in all seriousness, I highly recommend it if you're in need of a fast-paced, pure popcorn entertainment movie. 

So back to dinner. It's always nice dining in Hardware Lane, for it's relaxed yet energetic and distinctly European ambience. Especially today, as it wasn't too cold this evening and we were seated right under the outdoor heater. I am paranoid that they're going to fall down on me one day. I am paranoid about a lot of things. But I got through dinner OK, thanks for asking. The food wasn't as good as I thought it would be. How hard is it to make a nice prawn linguini? Having said that, I'll always love you, Hardware Lane.

The streets of Paris... je t'aime