ROTFLOL

I feel humbled yet privileged to be a member of the prestigious Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn.



All the hard work finally paid off..



I learn that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.



Dining is part of the Call ceremony and obligatory for all newly Called barristers to attend dinner, a tradition which may have started since 1422. During the dessert, the Treasurer will propose the Loyal Toast, and then the health of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, after which he will address the the newly Called barristers and ask the Bench to rise and drink the health of the newly Called barristers.

Acknowledgement: To my beloved parents for generously funding my studies at the Bar but more importantly, letting me be me.
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*update*

My name has been published in a local newspaper, The Times, following the Call to the Bar. See if you can find it.

Clinical Trials at ULSOP

I recently participated in a clinical trial conducted by a fellow colleague as part of his research into finding ways to effectively mask the bitter taste of medicine for children. When I arrive in the morning, the setup was already waiting for me, neatly arranged on the bench as shown in the picture below.




In my opinion, it was a simple experimental setup, yet cleverly designed although I have my own reservations about the scoring system employed in the study. However, the essential materials and methods are as follow:

• The dry biscuit, taken prior to the start of the experiment to cleanse or clear the taste buds of any residual taste from breakfast (no food or drinks other than water is allowed one hour before the study);
  
• The drug solution either quinine or hydrocortisone contained in the syringes is taken one at a time and gargled for at least 15 seconds, without swallowing, before spitting it all out into the plastic beaker and immediately rate the bitterness of the solution. I had to wait for another 60 seconds and repeat the bitterness rating process; and
  
• The plastic bottle, filled with distilled water, was provided to rinse and clear the oral cavity of the (bad, seriously) after taste left by the solution.

Now more about the drugs. Quinine is a drug commonly used to treat malaria and hydrocortisone, corticosteroid, is usually prescribed to reduce inflammation or allergy-related conditions such as asthma or skin rashes. Those who have had tasted quinine would agree that it is not the greatest medicine for the palate. In fact, from my own personal experience, the bitterness was quite overwhelming that I grimaced at the prospect of having to sample 18 concoctions of quinine. It was not very much different with hydrocortisone as it was equally bitter when compared to quinine. The experiment was continued with another 18 formulations of hydrocortisone.

At some point during the experiment, due to the number of samples I had taken, I was not able to distinguish the degree of bitterness between one sample and another anymore. Fortunately for my colleague, I did, however, completed the whole process and survived the ordeal but not without having the bad taste lingering in my mouth for the entire day. This, as I was told, was the first series of clinical trials planned and following the analysis of the initial study, a handful of volunteers will be recruited for the next stage of the experiment. Having gone through it the first time, I am now feeling a bit hesitant to allow my taste buds to be violated ever again.

British Library

If there is one place tourists should visit in London, it should be the British Library located just next to the recently refurbished King's Cross station. It is known to hold the world's knowledge which boasts impressive collections of over 13 million books, 920,000 journal and newspaper titles, 57 million patents, 3 million sound recordings and so much more. I visited the Library today and it brought back memories of the long hours I spent researching, gathering and reading masses of journals and text books.

Apart from books, work of arts also adorn the corridors and passages in the buildings. One particular work which never fail to catch my attention and fascinate is a combination of collage and painting which depicts a series of book shelves as pictured below. The unique point of it is that the work deceives the visions creating an optical illusion of the book shelves shifting like waves from side to side!  The picture below somehow, does not do justice to the work and does not create the illusion like the real thing. But if you so happened to be in King's Cross or its immediate vicinity, why not take some time to visit the British Library and be mesmerised by this potrait for yourself!