Friday, April 28, 2006

End of synthesis break

Oh man...just when I thought I could take a break from handling and breathing all those solvents and watever carcinogenic stuff...my boss wants me to continue with my synthesis again...

That's in addition to the computer work with the molecular modelling software, HPLC analysis of my previous compounds...and some boring statistical analysis...*yawnz*
Did I mention that HPLC without an autosampler sucks...it's such a waste of time man...having to be there to inject each sample :P

Oh ya...we also have to write weekly reports now...oh man...like I have so much time...

Well...at least I had a pretty good week so far...finished all my test...err..for this month...and accompanied my housemate, Feei, for the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge yest...followed by meeting up with another fren :)

...and I'm gg diving this weekend...yippee...
Perhentian, here I come!!!

Sunday, April 23, 2006

No more synthesis intensive week

Somehow I thought it's a much less busy week this week...but I still feel like I dun really have any time to nua...so wat happened huh? Let me see...

Well...I did have a test and a presentation on Tue and Wed...

Other than that...most of the time...Mon to Thur...is spent in the lab...a bit of synthesis, more of work up and test to confirm the cpd is correct :D
Finally finished synthesizing 4 cpds that can be sent for testing...so it'll be a break from breathing solvents for a while :D
Oh ya...I was also trying to become a comp geek...spent a couple hours trying to solve a simple problem so that I can use a molecular modelling software in one of the comp in the lab...in the end, I spent 15 hrs in the lab that day!!!
So I hate Linux...but I like penguins :P

Fri...time to study...or rather prepare cheat sheet for test again...my tests were only 1 week apart...siao!!!
B4 that I went for a swim...haha...also siao...swim then study...totally siao combi huh? But I still managed to get quite a lot done in the library leh :P
That evening met up with a fren all the way in Woodlands...she really got me thinking a lot...really a lot...now my brain is totally full...gotta blame her if I do badly for my test...wahaha :P

Sat..was pretty eventful...started with a super early day...wanted to download some stuff from the Linux comp in the lab...but guess wat...apparently the pharmacy block is out of bounds to all for the weekend!!! wahhh...
In the end...I still managed to get in with some help...hehe...quickly get wat I want...then off I went...to...
Botanical gardens...for a forest restoration walk organized by Nature Society of S'pore...'cos it's Earth Day!!! It was quite an interesting walk...nice to be among the trees...but not so nice with mosquitoes ard :P
Then later...met up with that fren again...who just filled up my brain the day b4...filling up my brain further..until dinner time...
Had dinner with housemate at home...weird meal we had...but yummy...wahaha...

Then Sun...it's work time..10.30am to 10pm...yippee...IUWA work4!!!

So I guess it's just a less synthesis intensive week...but being a WA member...I just had to keep myself busy :P

Monday, April 17, 2006

Balloons

I went shopping at Carrefour yest...well...I wanted to get some storage containers for my room...and...err...balloons for use in the lab...hehe...

Vorlacks wanted to know y in the world m i using balloons in the lab...
Having a party? with black balloons??
Yup...I bought black balloons...hehe...din know there r black balloons in the first place :P

Anyway, here's how they r used...

First the balloons are attached to syringes that have been partially cut-off...
Then they r filled with some inert gas...in my case...it's nitrogen...
After that a needle is attached to the syringe...and..
Used as shown below...hehe :D



On the left...balloon on a rubber stopper...waiting to be used...
On the right...balloon on a bottle of anhydrous solvent...so that I can draw the solvent out while N2 goes in ;)
In the middle...balloon on the condenser attached to my reaction flask...ensure it's dry and inert in the reaction flask...at the same time keeps the pressure pretty constant :D

Spot the difference





Can u spot the difference...in me...between the 2 photos...taken 2 weeks apart...
I've changed something for abt 2 weeks now...but only 2 persons have noticed it...my housemates are not among the 2 :P

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Easter long weekend

It was quite a good long weekend...very WA...but still good :P

Very WA 'cos...I worked on Fri and Sat...then Sun...feeling lost...I went to the lab...hehe ;)

But still good 'cos I had plenty of sleep...slept by ard 11 the past couple of days...think i'll sleep early again today...hehe
Also went for a run/swim on Sat morning...then today had dinner with my twin and shopped at Carrefour..hehe...also met TLR and Fd at Plaza Sing :D

Talking abt twin...I was told my "brother" came to look for me at TPY on Fri evening after I left work...who was that huh?

Friday, April 14, 2006

WA week

I shall dedicate this week to WA...wahahha...

All I have done so far...is work work work...so WA man!!!

Spent so many hours working in the lab from Mon to Thur...
Had to escape the lab on Thur afternoon just to avoid my super enthusiatic supervisor from coming up with new things for me to do :P
Ended s t u d y-ing in TPY library...for a t e s t...wahaha!!!

Today is Good Friday....and I'm working...at TPY2...wahaha...
...and I managed to get so much done today...finished marking my lab reports, prepared for presentation, t e s t and synthesis reports...blah blah blah...

Woohoo...so WA!!!

...and tomorrow I'm working again...yippee...
Might go for a swim in the morning...provided the weather doesn't look so sian like the past few days...I dun like rainy days...love sunny days!!!

Sun...dun need to work...suddenly I feel lost...
Wat shld I do...play hard or work hard??

"LAB" is no longer taboo



Wahahaha...I'm mad :P

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

14 + 14 + 12

Those are the no. of hours I have been spending in the lab working almost non-stop...except for a short 15 mins break for bfast...and another 30 mins for lunch...

Will I go mad and blow up the lab soon?

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Just another week

Nothing much happened this week...except that my boss is officially back at work since Thur...and there's no more weekend lectures :D

Most days were spent in school synthesizing cpds...hope to get at least 3 or 4 cpds out by this month...first 2 steps have been more or less settled...doing larger scale synthesis now...so that I have enough to go on to the 3rd and final step :D
It's quite a headache to purify ur cpd when it's in a larger (2-3g) scale though :P

Wed was spent at home preparing for a presentation on Sat...spent the morning dunno doing wat..so in the end went to TPY library...since I'll be gg to work at TSP in the evening anyway ;)
The presentation turned out to be so unimportant that...one of the examiner din even bother to turn up!!! wahahaha...he's alway pretty blur one lah...luckily another enthu professor was there...so he took that blur guys place instead...hehe :D

After working hard from Mon to Sat...I went to help out in a coral relocation project at Pulau Semakau with Jasmine...it involves diving!!! Jasmine, Hang Chong and Swee Yin went on Sat too!!! Jasmine went the second day just to accompany me...
THANKS, JAS!!!

It was a pretty last minute thing...but it was quite interesting...
We did 2 dives only...first dive was pretty good as visibility was abt 3 meters...saw quite a lot of fishes...got wrasse, butterflyfish, parrotfish, damsel fish etc...pretty big sea urchins...and...also saw a huge purple giant clam!!!
Second dive was such a blur...visibility was at most 1 meter...and since we din change our tanks (max depth was less than 5m...so we din use a lot of air during the first dive)...Jas and I kept floating up after abt 20 mins...wahaha...
We did see some nudibranch though :D

Anyway, wat we did was...we used a certain plasticine-like cement to fix the hard corals to some granite stones that were already in the seabed...the corals were moved from another island earlier...some of the other volunteers got to hammer out the corals from the other site on Sat...I missed that :P

When we were supposed to get back...the boat just won't start!!!
In the end...the boat man called for another boat to jump start our engine...but when the boat arrived...the guy came in...dunno wat he did...and the engine was started...
Hmmm...so looks like wat we needed was someone who knows how to fix the engine...wahhaa

Again...for WA sake...in the evening...I went to work at TPY...felt a bit rocky in the pharmacy at times though...wahahaha...

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Where do tuition fees go?



Making new signs?

Sialagogue

Stedmans.com Word of the Day for Saturday, April 8, 2006

sialagogue
1. Promoting the flow of saliva

Hmm...interesting work huh?

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

What if there are no pharmacists in Singapore?

To all drug peddlers and drug users...

Wat are ur views?

Do we really need pharmacists in S'pore?
Pls say yes...otherwise I would know a lot of ppl who'll be jobless...wahaha :p

Go to this site...and share ur views :D

Twins

I think I mentioned abt my twin b4 rite?

Well...we decided to take photos again...after our recent hair cut....

Photos taken while we were in his L.A.B on Sunday...well...we needed a break from work...so that's wat we did...
Someone actually thought we were brothers...haha...ya...brothers...NOT brother/sister :p


This one was taken when we were having dinner...

In the L.A.B.


We figured with a white background...we can use it as our passport photo too :D


Err...got punished...we were supposed to be doing work...


Trying to act cool...I failed...and the camera ran out of battery...another time I guess...

Photos taken during a dinner at Suntec yesterday...I'm too busy and lazy to write abt it...u can find out more at Vorlacks' blog

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

The Wicked

A certain drug peddler tried to get her blog readers to get hooked on a certain wicked game...or the wicked junior...

Now that I'm hooked on it...I shall introduce it to whoever reads my blog...wahahahah :P

Good for those who hardly get to use their brain and has plenty of time to spare...
Otherwise...wat our frenly drug peddler's advice is...PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Still high on work...

Wahaha...yesterday I was deciding wat to do in the afternoon...
Whether to go S..C..H..O..O..L (it's a taboo word...dun say it out) to try out a synthesis...or to stay at home and prepare for presentation...or to go for the charity swim training...

Guess wat I did in the end...

Morning went to play tennis as planned...however reluctantly...
Played a pretty brainless match...practically din think where I was directing the ball to...anywhere in the court is fine...wahahaha...
So as expected...I lost...wahahaha...score doesn't look bad though...6-4, 6-4...although my opponent wasn't all that great too...hehe...definitely a beatable opponent...but without training...errr...since the beginning of the year...and my totally couldn't care less attitude...how to win??!!!!

After that...got home and had lunch...and off I go to S..C..H..O..O..L...hehe...
Started an overnight reaction...
Cleared up some unfinished work...
Then left the L..A..B (another taboo word?)...

I went for the swimming training...wahahaha...it's at the NUS pool...
Swam slightly more than 2km...

Then went for dinner with Vorlacks and E Hunt...

Now I'm at his L..A..B
Preparing for my presentation...after I finish this posting...wahahaha

So looks like I din have to make any decision after all...

Yippee...IUWA work4!!!