- My Life Of DPHMI -

Hooray!!! i m gonna finish my diploma life! DPHMI stands for diploma in pharmacy, and this is my final semester here (out of 7 semesters!)  It takes me 2.5 years just to yell - HOORAY!!Wheww!

                                                                                 

So, what have i get here in INTI IU throughout the 2.5 years of diploma in pharmacy? Ehmm...i have witnessed how INTI grew from INTI UC to INTI IU! haha! Ok back to the point now. I hav sweet time and bitter (tortured) time along the journey...

When i joined INTI in Sep 2009 (1st sem), it was a short semester which only lasted for 2.5 months. Lets started with the orientation week. I was so happy that time as i met n make lots of new n nice frens! V played a lot of funny games together during the week n v had our dinner together as well in a big group! But the hapi moments are always short lasting...My problems came after the regular classes commenced...

First is homesick (my happy n blissful family to be blamed =D)! 
Second is the lecturer. The new lecturer acted as if he was the boss n v were degree or even master student. 'v r supposed to know everything!' One step wrong in the lab ur mark will be deducted. This is the monster organic chemistry lecturer that make me started hating chemistry, started reject the invitation to join the group for dinner, started searching n searching non-stop in front of the laptop before and after each lesson n lab, n started thinking that i might not suitable for this course....i doubt...n i almost suffocated with tonnes of stress i had...urghhh...but i m glad that out of the 3 subjects that i took, only 1 lecturer was torturing me!
 Third is chickenpox! Haha...i wonder wether my clazmates still remember this...When i just started to warm up and get familiar with the hectic life (just attended 1 week claz), i found out that i was infected with the chickenpox virus n i hv no choice but to back to my lovely hometown - Kedah.. With this, i got 2 weeks holiday n free from the stressful life temporary. When i came back, luckily i still able to catch up with the progress n successfully, i passed all the subjects with flying colors ^^

                     

One of my fren always ask me :" why u dun wan to join any club or society?" and i would say :" sorry lo...i hv no extra time .." fren :" lol...i doubt"   Emm..maybe i lack of time management skill...haha! For me, this diploma life is really hectic and not fun at all~ Because in my 2nd sem the monster lecturer was still there for my physical chemistry and u can guess what life was that during that semester (for your information, that was long sem with 4 other subjects). And then the following long semesters(4 months) i was having 6 subjects (maximum for the sem) and 3 subjects for short semesters (maximum subjects as well), tests, quizzes, assignments, presentations, labs n reports, finals....No More Battery!!! The only holiday on weekend i also had to drag myself back from the shopping mood to doing lab reportsss... I will end up looking at my roomates showing me the items from their shopping spree (all of my roomates are business student ).



Besides the super duper busy life, one more 'monster' is the tuition fee! Wah! That is really a lot! I will definitely experienced  a big mood swing every enrolment due to this 'pretty lottery number'! And the biggest problem is ptptn is always not enough to cover the fee (since inti always increases the fee!) Thrust me!Try to show the invoice to ur business fren and they will give u this expression ~*0* (shocked). The highest fee i had to pay once is about 13K..imagine that..one semester..just for ur diploma  and for a student from a medium level family...
                                                                                                       


Sorry for badmouthing too much...hehe now i will talk about the sweet portion of my student life (although major portion is bitter and torturing life :)  ). Well, by being here, i have the chance to see people from various part of the world with different cultures, and i have classmates who are international students too! That is awesome! And due to this international culture, i have the chance of communicating in english and my english has improved compared to 2.5 years ago where i dont have an english speaking environment..(shy... [~o~] ) Besides that, i have learnt some 'profesional' knwledge about pharmacy, especially pharmacology which enable me to show off a little bit in my home and to my frenss...hahaha ^^!


The most interesting labs for me is pharmaceutical technology 1, physiology and microbiology. In the tech1
lab, i have prepared various simple medicinal solutions, mixtures, creams, and capsules! Only pharmacy students have this chance! wohoo~  While in physio lab, although we have to poke ourselves in almost every lab to get our blood sample, i m willing to be poked because i m curious about my blood condition n luckily all turns out good =D.  In the microbio lab, despite dangerous (risk of infection since v are handling bacteria), i was always looking forward to the lab because v can see bacteria in various shape under the microscope and stain them with various colour! And v will go to the lab the next day to take picture about our culture and some funny things might happen (especially the reaction and funny expression when v were exposed to the 'fantastic' smell of the cultures of bacteria, the smell is really disgusting like rotten egg :[  ) . On the other hand, except the monster lecturer, most of the lecturers i met (especially part time lecturer) are all good. For sure, i have a lot of frens and classmates here, the cute one, the silly one, the pretty one, the clever one, the nonsense one, the hardworking one , the lazy one, all are included! =D
                                                                                                                  

I have just completed my community and hospital training respectively in my hometown last semester. Thank god, both of my supervisors were so nice and they taught me a lot either on the pharmacy knowledge or the theory of life...i appreciated this very much! The most important thing is that they gave me very high mark on my performance (although i know how my performance was) ! I really thankz them wholeheartedly! Love u! Awww.. i just love the training life very much...properly scheduled life and without the stress of  'oh! tomorrow have quiz! Oh! next week have test! Oh! final is coming!'  Should i say i like to work?? =X

Now, i m back to the jungle again after leaving it for roughly 3 months! Start my torturing life again! Hopefully everything will go smoothly...

After graduate in dec, i will still have a burden - where should i continue my degree? ? ? continue or not continue?? or change field?? Again...Oh!!Hmmm...this is my diploma in pharmacy life...:)
                                                    
                                                - the route to success is never smooth-
                                             - learning is bitter but the outcome is sweet-

Chemical N Me^^

King-To Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa (京都念慈菴川贝枇杷膏）

The image of pei pa koa:
                                                
 Yes, this is the chemical or medicine that i would like to talk about in this post~ I m glad that i am gifted a healthy body that have strong immune system (i seldom get serious sickness throughout the years)...this enable me to keep as far away as i could from the pills and tablets (i m phobic to swallow those solid, although i m studying pharmacy~ =X ) Most of the time i will go for chinese medicine which is mostly in powder form to be dissolved in the water to 'drink' instead of 'swallow'.  This is why pei pa koa steps in and stick to my life (it is delicious!!)....

Pei pa koa is my all time favourite when i just started to feel the warning signals from my body about the cold and cough attack (sore throat, sneezing, cough and nasal congestion) and very glad that everytime it will successfully soothe my condition in a matter of 1-2 days. It is a traditional chinese medicine formulated by a doctor called Doctor Ip in Qing dynasty upon the request of a filiail son Yeung Kan to treat his mother's persistent cough. This is where the name of the product came: King-to (京都 which means Beijing）, Nin Jiom (念慈, which means memory to mother), Pei Pa Koa (枇杷膏, which means loquat syrup). The logo also came from this story - The filial piety trade mark    
The logo: 

This product is effective in clearing the phlegm, relieving cough and sore throat. Besides that, it also nourishes the lungs, relieves asthma, cools the body and improves skin complexion. You can take it when you are having irritataed throat (itchy) and when you are loosing your voice (after opening concert in k-box =p) as well as to alleviate thirst. Lets take a glance at the ingrediants in this superb product:

                                    

Most of the ingredients are extracted from the root, leaves, flowers and fruits. It is natural remedy!

                                               

The main active ingrediant is Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae (川贝母).  It is used in traditional chinese cough remedies. It can suppress cough. It is usually combined with loquat extract, in this case the Folium Eriobotryae (枇杷叶).


                                      
                                              

This loquat leave extract ( Folium Eriobotryae (枇杷叶)) has soothing effect on the throat and can relieve cough as well. In addition, it acts as a demulcent and expectorant that can help in eliminating the phlegm and sputum, and at the same time soothing the digestive and respiratory system. However, large amount of it will cause mild but significant sedation.



                                          

Adenophora root or ginseng(南沙参) content improves blood circulation and 'bu qi' which can strengthen our respiratory and cardiovascular system.


                                                    

Poria (茯苓) is a medicinal mushroom that induces diuresis and eliminats dampness and thus clearing the phlegm. Hence, it is useful in cough due to phlegm retention ( phlegm is due to water retention in the body).



                                                  

Pomelo peel (化橘红) is mostly for fragrance and flavouring purposes.



                                                 

 Platycodon / chinese bellflower root (桔梗)  acts as an anti-inflammatory in the treatment of cough and cold, especially useful for sore throat.



                                                  

 Pinelia tuber (法半夏)  is a herb that is proven to be effective in eliminating dampness phlegm.



                                                       

Schisandra chinensis (五味子) astringe lungs 'qi' and nourishes the lungs, while at the same time alleviate thirst.


                                                 

Trichosanthes seeds (瓜蒌子) can soothe cough.


                                                    

 Tussilogo Farfara (款冬花) is a cough suppresant and it can treat asthma as well.

                                              

Polygara root (远志) functions as an expectorant that helps to remove phlegm.


                                                     

Bitter apricot kernel (苦杏仁) is included to regenerate body fluids, detoxify and quench thirst.

                                                     

 Fresh ginger (生姜)  is traditionally used to treat common cold.


                                                   

Licorice root (甘草) moistens lungs and stops cough. It also clears heat and toxin from the body.

Apart from these herbs, menthol in a syrup, peppermint and honey base make this medicine especially tasty and yummy!

This product is available in the market in the packege of 75ml, 150ml and 300ml.
This medicine is to be taken one tablespoonful (15ml) three times a day for adult, by sipping it slowly (to allow the medicine to stay and act locally at the throat). For children, the doses will be:
> aged 7-12 : 10ml 3 times a day
> aged 3-6 : 5ml 3 times a day

Everyone concerns about the safety and possible side effects of the medicines they take. Pei pa koa as a chinese herbal cough medicine is far safer than cough medicine containing drugs like codeine, pseudoephedrine, or virtually any pharmaceutical, and they are far more effective as well. False rumors, ignorant press, and pharmaceutical industry publicity has made some people nervous about the purity and safety of Chinese herbal medicine. The most important thing is to follow the direction of use!

The only thing one should take care of is the allergy to any of the herbs used. So, please be sure about this before you start taking this product. In addition, since it is in honey base, diabetics should avoid taking pei pa koa for their cough and cold. Last but not least, infant below 1 year old also cannot consume this product (and others with honey base) due to the risk of developing infant botulism.

Ehmm this is the chemical that i love the most when my immune system is low...taking medicine is never so enjoying except pei pa koa~ Thankz Nin Jiom company! Thankz Pei Pa Koa! ^.^v

Chemistry For Me...

For me...

Chemistry is a compulsory subject for science stream student (u cant drop chemistry but u can choose either biology or physics in Form4,5,6 and matriculation);

Chemistry is something to do with handling, testing, synthesizing and playing around with the chemicals (especially the dangerous chemicals!);

Chemistry is the major subject in pharmacy course (drug structure and properties, even pharmacology also involved chemistry..);

Chemistry is more dangerous than biology and physics (who knows by mixing this and that, or exposing a substance to the air in the lab may cause explosion!)


Chemistry enables the chemists to synthesize many substances and products which are useful and necessary to our daily lives (like medicines, food, clothes...)

Chemistry is all about laboratory works (assays, identification tests, quantitative analysis...)


Chemist is always involved with R&D;

Chemistry explains everything in our surroundings (how the light can on..water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen..why the fruit ripen..what is present in the air...)

Chemistry is about non-living substances (particles, matters, atoms, electrons...)

Chemistry can be divided into organic chemistry (deals with carbon containing compounds), inorganic chemistry, biochemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry;

Chemistry enables the scientist to create something new from other alredy existed substances by mixing, reaction..

Chemistry explains the properties of the substances (why diamond is so hard, why the boiling point of water is 100 degree celcius...);

Chemistry provides the methods or ways for people to test and analyse the safety of a product (quality control, qualitative analysis of drugs or food...)

Chemistry knowledge can cause harm to the public safety where somebody may misuse the knowledge (synthesis of bomb, chemical weapons and radiation pollution in wars..synthesis and misuse of pesticides to commit suicide..)


Chemistry needs a lot of memorising and drawing equation and calculations (moles, molarity...)


Chemistry is not my favourite subject (due to the lab work)

As a conclusion, we are surrounded by chemicals in our lives and with this the role of chemistry in our daily lives is undeniable...no matter how i dislike chemistry subject, i have no choice but to take it (since i have chose pharmacy course...or perhaps i might get rid of it by changing course? =X)