The 9th Asian Conference of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) 2009 was held in Seoul, Korea. Fourteen eager Singapore delegates turned up in force to promote the ACCP 2010 which will be hosted by PSS next year. Armed with “ACCP 2010” pens, bookmarks, post-it pads bearing the “Uniquely Singapore” messages, the delegates set out to paint the town red.

The booth was dotted with 10th ACCP flyers, various species of orchids, and all sorts of Singapore Tourism Board flyers and brochures to be distributed to delegates during the breaks. The highlight of the booth was the “Food Game”, featuring famous dishes of Singapore like Fried Carrot Cake, Rojak, Curry Fish Head, Rojak, Roti Prata and Char Kway Teow. The objective of the game was to spot the food dish with the mismatched ingredients. Our enthusiastic Singapore delegates engaged as many as they could, not only to announce Singapore as a venue, but to introduce them to the 6 must-try dishes in Singapore. If no one has coined the adage “Crowds beget crowds”, the committee will claim it to be their own! Since so many “mobbed” our booth, everyone else naturally got curious and came along to see what the draw was. We would like to think that it was our warm and friendly delegates, though it could well be the freebies we were dishing out so generously.

 
At the gala dinner, the Singaporean delegation paraded in various ethnic traditional costumes representing the melting pot of cultures, and rounded off with a rousing performance of “Singapore Town”. Check out the team in their gusto!

All other Asian delegations also came in their traditional performances, including the host who presented a traditional number with their tradition custome.

On Sunday, the Singapore delegates donned their snazzy red and white polo T-shirt bearing the “ACCP 2010” emblem, complete with Singapore’s very own iconic Vanda Miss Joaquims. What more could be done to catch the attention of all at the conference?

Amidst the bustle of “work” at the conference, the Singapore delegates got to foster deeper bonds. Teamwork was evident as the delegates gathered in wee hours of the day inside one hotel room to process the flowers that would later serve as decoration of the booth. Trying all sorts of food - laden with chilli, vinegar, streaky meats and Korean BBQ - was a gastronomic adventure in itself. 

I represent all who were there by saying it was a rewarding and very unforgettable experience. We still miss Korea.

Doreen Tan Su-Yin
BSc (Pharm), BCPS with AQ Cardio, CGP
Principal Clinical Pharmacist, Alexandra Hospital
103rd Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS) Council Member
Ex-officio, PSS Hospital Chapter