I'm sorry. I don't know what to say.

Thursday,17th Dec

Task : take impression for crown( lower 7) - one for working cast and one for opposing cast

Outcome : Mr. Sarcastic wasn't happy with the impression for opposing cast.
He took the impression from me
Let's see. Patient's got a big jaw and your tray is obviously too small. You
need to extend the tray distally

I tried to beg some empathy from him, hoping he would let me off by accepting the
not-so-perfect impression
'I have already extended it and this is the biggest tray we have here. I actually
thought i could get away with a slight deficiency.......

' In that case, you'll need to make a special tray for it.' He didn't even let me finish
my last sentence which could be my key defense. So mean!

'Err..special tray for the opposing cast???' For one second I thought I heard it wrong
so I had to repeat it just to confirm although it might sound stupid

He gave me the YES-YOU-HEARD-ME look and said
'Yes, b'coz this tray is not good enough.'

I looked at him with my mouth open. I wanted to say something but i was at a loss
for words. Then i just nodded and walked away. Subconsciously, i still couldn't believe
what i've just heard.

Achievement : none


Today

Task : impression for crown (round 2)

Outcome : The wash impression turned out weird.Why did i use the word weird?It looked jagged
on one side rather than a smooth and flat margin.

Mr. S gave a few reasons why the the impression looked 'funny'
i. inadequate moisture control
ii. underextended tray
iii. position of the tongue that hinders the impression material from flowing into the
sulcus
iv. sequence of impression loading - start from the most difficult area which is the
distolingual area.

Finally he said,
Keep that impression. In a worst case scenario, you may need to pour it and make a
special tray

OH GOSH!! another special tray???? NOOOoooo

Quickly, i asked,'Can I have another go?I might get it right next time.'

'Of course!' he smiled

I repeated the impression a couple of times, taking all his advice into consideration
and sadly, i kept getting the same thing back. The same funny impression.
Feeling a bit ashamed, I walked up to him with my 3rd or 4th impression

'Any better?'

' Hmm...no. In fact, worse.' My face turned red

'Yup!' (Dunno why but i thought i sensed some glee in his tone)

He went on,' I thought i told you to make a special tray for that last week.'

'I did but that was for the upper.' I was surprised that he forgot coz he never did.
That word shouldn't exist in the world he lives in.

He stared at me in disbelief and put his palm on his forehead, as though he was saying
Why are you such an idiot??Why would you need a special tray for the opposing
cast??Isn't it bloody obvious that the working cast is more important, dope???

Again, i lost for words. This time, my anger was blazing up. I knew I had to walk
away before things got uglier.
Deep down inside, a little voice was screaming,
' Dun be such a coward. Tell him it was him asking for a special tray for the
opposing cast and he did sign the lab card. Show him the card and let him know it's
not your fault. Go, Yin Hui!!!'

But in the end, i chose to be a craven. i guess my conscience got the better of me.
What good would it do if I ticked Mr. S off??? Probably 6 months of misery in return.
Sigh...Fine, just let me stay foolish

P.S A 'Dr.L's dentistry guide for dummies' pocket book will make the best Christmas gift for me this year

*pout*

A burden called FINALIST

Today at radiology seminar
the tutor put up a panoramic radiograph and turned to us

"Third year, i'll be proud if you can grasp most of things we are going to discuss here"
"But..."

She stared at me and my group mate

"Fifth year, I expect miracles from you two!"

"And...less miracle from the forth year"

"Right, Yin, come forward and present this radiograph to your colleagues"

*gasp*

Since when the relaxing radiology session became not so relaxing??

Being labeled a finalist
you are inevitably prohibited from defending your ignorance with those excuses you used to exploit at ease like

I have no idea
haven't seen this before,
It's the first time i'm doing this
we haven't been taught how to do this yet
I'm a third year so what do u expect?


Tutors get demanding
Patients can put your degree at stake
People around you suddenly lay their expectations on you
You don't/rarely get away with blunders. Even if you stumble make sure you pick yourself up before anyone notices coz sympathy becomes so scarce that sometimes the world feels so... unforgiving

so much for the honour of being a finalist!

Well taught

can't stop laughing to myself at my patient's msg

this afternoon one of my fav patients sent me a text, freaking out that half of his tooth fell out

my response was typically dentist-like

which tooth?when?any pain/sensitivity?how severe?

he replied, almost instantaneously

upper right 6, fell out when eating lunch, no pain yet..oh gosh!

very dentist-like answer

that's why he is my favourite patient

LMAO

L for Luck

"You're the lucky customer of the day!Your coffee is on the house!!" the barista flashed a big wide grin, as if i just won the lottery

i hope today, two weeks later
i'll be as lucky too =_=

right, time to pay off my 'series' debt (~_^)

Ta!

An Intelligent Diet

some tips off the internet...

Boost your brainpower by feeding your brain 'brain foods'. Here are 4 tips for an intelligent diet:

1. Balance your glucose - it provides fuel for your brain. Try to eat carbohydrate foods in the evening as it promotes relaxation and sleep.

2. Eat essential fats - ensure your diet is rich in omega-3 fats found in oily fish.

3. Include plenty of protein rich foods in your diet. Proteins are essential to make neurotransmitters which are vital for the thinking process. Try to eat a protein based lunch to optimise your mental performance and alertness throughout the day.

4. Eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals to 'fine tune' your mind.

5. Drink 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day to keep your brain well hydrated.

6. Oxygenate your brain by exercising and eating little and often. Eat your main meal before 7pm.

A reason to keep going

What do you do when you are tired of studying??
exam in 8 days , finals in 8 months
but the little voice in the back of your head mutters LET"S CALL IT A DAY.GO TO SLEEP!

I look at this picture and visualize myself being one of them...tempting? definito!

then i look at this gorgeous and imagine grabbing it at the boutique....gassssspppp!!

Fine..
now, go hit the book
not the pillow~!

I tried

couldn't focus on revision this afternoon so decided to do my 'homework' in 4th floor lab

after one hour of drilling and measuring with my back bending forward like a prawn

i showed my work to Prof Sam

"Good!You managed to preserve the occlusal morphology and get the right amount of reduction...nice prep!"

"but..it's not perfect" i responded automatically

Prof Sam looked at me, as if i was cracked

"There is no perfect crown prep. Humans are not perfect!" he handed the model back to me

*tongue sticking out*

It's not perrrrfectttt...sighhhhhhhhh

No more baby steps!

Mr Perfectionist : You're gonna do a crown prep next week, aren't you?

Me : Yes

Mr Perfectionist : I want to see a really nice crown prep with the exact axial and occlusal reduction on a plastic tooth. Make sure you follow the anatomy of the occlusal surface. A flat top is not tolerable and i want you to go into the lab, practise the crown prep in a phantom head. Do it as you would do in your patient. I want to see it before you get your patient in!

Me : All rightttt...

Does that mean i can't see the patient if i fail Mr Perfectionist's crown test?

Shit!

Did i tell you the last time i was assigned a task was in secondary school??

Anyway

I have changed my resolution (FORCED TO)

from

aim to pass

to

perfection is what you make of it
5 P's -- proper preparation for prevention of poor performance
6 P's -- proper preparation for prevention of pissed poor performance
(by Mr Perfectionist)

little miss no name

What's wrong with chinese having no english name?

no big deals

just a few things you should know...

• your surname becomes your first name

• your two-character given name is shortened to one-character

• people mispronounce/mispell/forget your name

• anonymity is maintained with zero effort

• If there is another chinese with a western name, say Mary who attends the same school as you, your name is conveniently interchangeable. So, you can be known as Mary or Non-Mary, depending on how well people manage to distinguish you from Mary. Either way, people still dun remember your name.

and one more thing...you can even change your sex!

This morning at ortho clinic the register went like this

Name	Attendance
Rose	√
Steven	√
Ronald	√
Hilary	√
Tommy	√
Eric Kong aka Mr. ABSENTEE	√
Lee Yin Hui	absent

*speechless*

nervous breakdown

so much for a clinical test
i am having a fit!

*sob*

A little praise goes a long way

i was reluctant to go in this morning for one simple reason - i don't want to see that middle age cranky b***h!

"i thought you'd forgotten me!'' was how she greeted me when we first met, one year ago today
i was reproached for being 2 minutes late, thanks to our boss who turned up late and the first-line rule 'no tutor, no patient'
fine, i can take that blame
the following 10 minutes was a proper history of COMPLAINT, starting from her own dentist till her teeth.90% of it was how useless her dentist had been
then came my turn to be her next hateful dentist for what she called
''hurting my gums with that sharp thingie"
my first meeting with her started off rocky, ended up not any less rocky

in the second meeting, she was moody again
'Do whatever you want but mind you, i only have half an hour!'

Ookay...10 min for border moulding the trays, 15 minutes for impressions and repetitions, 5 min for the beeline to show Dr. N my work, not surprisingly, he turned his nose up at it
Ding! Time's up!
'Not good?' She looked at my disappointed face
'Blimey!I gotta go to work!" she stomped off without even saying goodbye

That was why i loathed Pros so much back in 3rd/4th year

One year later which was the day she came back, the day i dreaded
turned out she was late for 15 minutes and she APOLOGISED
Of course, i din expect her to say hi but i suppose a SORRY from HER is worth 10 times a friendly greeting
Thinking that she might need to rush for work as usual, i sped up the reassessment and got down to primary impression. Very lucky for me, both impressions worked out well in one go.
Most importantly, she didn't grumble at all this time.
Just before she went off, she surprised me with her words
''i see you work more efficiently now. You must have got enough practice over the past year."

Wowww!! For a split moment, i thought i was dreaming
''Thank you!'' was merely what i managed to squeeze out from my mouth

Why overreact to a compliment??
Well, a compliment from someone who moans about every single thing is a big deal

Suddenly i feel appreciated :)

hate is the new love

a big sigh of relief, finally

the second i sent the denture off for final processing, i felt like yelling at the top of my lungs,''Woohoooo, i've done my first denture!!!"

Looking back on all my prosthodontic misfortunes, it wasn't easy for me to come to this stage
While people happily delivered their 4th denture, i was still cracking on my 1st and worse, i had people who had completed 2 or 3 dentures come up to me, complaining of having trouble meeting the requirements.
Most of the time, i just agreed or joined in the whinge coz i din know how to console them when i was already in deep mud. I know it's human nature to fret and enjoy talking about oneself so i dun really blame them for being insensitive. Rather, i throw the blame at my own bad luck which my clincial partner once described as incredible and partly, myself for being a quitter..no, i shud say for being MADE a quitter. Why? Take a look at what i have done in 2 years of Pros - 2 discharged patients with zero denture made and one partial denture in stagnant progress. What an achievement! I'm totally stressed out everytime i think of Pros, not only the fact that i'm way behind in my work, also the fear that i dun understand what i am doing in Pros.

When my friend told me the 5 stages of grief, i somehow see myself fitting in all stages

1. Denial
   I din wan to admit how lost i was in pros lectures and even in lab dems. They were mostly taught b4 we started pros clinics so i thought i would pick up along the way once we got a patient.
   
2. Anger.
   My first patient kept missing his appointment and the second patient decided to put her treatment on hold for medical reason. Both left me in fury over wasting one year for nothing
   
3. Bargaining.
   The frustrating me made bargains with the power from above, asking, "If i do my work religiously, will you let me sail through Prosthodontics?"
4. Depression.
   hopelessly miserable when i was stuck at my first partial denture..Why am i still trapped in this ill fate after what i have been through..why????
   
5. Acceptance.
   Before today, I was at this stage where i simply accepted that i had no choice but to knuckle down on Pros in the remaining time.

Now that i have passed all 5 stages so what's next?
whatever it is, i hope it is a good one
at least I dun hate prosthodontics like how i used to
Gosh, how one denture changed everything!!

Chronicles of Mr. Nice

i have never encountered any agreeable tutor like him all my life
let's just call him Mr. Nice

heard about him even b4 i came to Southend
ALL positive comments , not even a single word of disapproval
that's how nice Mr. Nice is

see, i have been tipped off
but his utmost niceness still caught me off guard, twice!

Anecdote 1
Last week i had an 8-year-old come in for an extraction
it all went well until i was about to give an injection
the boy turned pale and started crying
we tried every conceivable way to get his coorperation, coaxing,persuading,
bribing, negotiating, assuring and even blackmailing
all our efforts were in vain
the boy was too afraid to open his mouth

looking at his teary face i felt like an evil stepmother
one minute the boy was so full of energy and mischief, chatting about his new lunchbox
the next minute he was curling up in the chair with shivers and tears

i thought
that's it..i give up..this is like child abuse

so i went up to Mr Nice, preparing to admit my lousy child management

'sorry, Dr, i don't think i can do the extraction. He just won't let me touch his teeth."

"yea..he is really frightened, isnt he? It must be difficult for you to calm him down.''Mr. Nice looked at me with sympathy

''..so...hrmm.....should i just ..ermm..book him in next time to do the filling?'' i didn't know how to react when i saw the pity in his eyes

"yea..that's fine"

Oooookay, i didnt see that coming.
That is not what a typical tutor would say when a student messes up
Honestly,a few quick shots actually passed through my mind b4 i reached Mr. Nice and i was geared up for them
A normal tutor would go "Do u mind if i have a go at it?"
A strict tutor would probably say ''Oh come on,fifth year student.Don't tell me you cant handle a kid!'

Anecdote 2
This morning i was told that i only had 80min instead of a full 2 hours for an rct
It was already partially treated by somebody else so all i had to do was obturation
the problem was that one of the canals kept bleeding
After spending almost an hour trying to stop bleeding and it still didnt work
Mr. Nice said '' let's just put in the Master GP and take an x ray"
So i did exactly as he said,put a temporary filling in patient's mouth
the nurses began chasing people away as it was nearly time for health and safety training
so i didnt have the time to write up the notes and view the xray until i sat myself down in the seminar room with the rest of the group

Holy shit!
i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw something jutting out from the tooth on the xray
i was supposed to see 3 Master GPs fit nicely in all 3 root canals
instead, only two GPs were placed rightly while the other one was totally out of the root, leaving one canal empty

my heart was pounding, hand was sweating

PERFORATION!!!

I stared at the blank notes, didnt know what to write and where to start
all i could think of was

Blimey, what have i done??
Perforated a tooth??
That's a nightmare of endodontic!!!
I'm so dead now!
Oh no..wait a minute...dat's not my fault! i didn't do the instrumentation..somebody else did
still..wat am i gonna say to the tutor???
what if he is mad??what if he reports to Mr. S??arghhh!!!

90 minute lunch break felt like 9 second
the next thing i knew, i was back in the clinic, waiting for the best time to face up to Mr. Nice

"It seems like the tooth is perforated.One of the GPs has gone out through the side of the canal....'' my voice died down slowly while waiting for Mr. Nice's response

"Yea.. it does seem like a lateral perforation" Mr. Nice held the x-ray film against the light and looked
"Shame,we won't be able to obturate it then.Well, it is a very tricky tooth to treat, taking into consideration of the limited access" he smiled kindest smile i had ever seen

"i'm just wondering how to break the bad news to the patient"

"Don't worry about it..she is a nice lady. She knows that it's a diffcult treatment and you've done well in getting rid of her pain. The first time she came in she had a lot of pain from that tooth but now you can see it's improved so much..." he continued

"but...she's been coming back and forth so many times for the treatment, only to find out this complication.She must be very upset.''

"She should be fine.We will certainly repair the perforation with GI and let it settle down before obturating it."

I tried to dissect his facial expression and pick up his tone
not even a hint of fury!
Incredible!!


I know i must sound crazy if i say i was really awaiting for a telling off or at least a lecture from him
I guess i have got so used to expecting the worst from tutors,be it harsh remarks or sarcasms, that i literally lose the ability to react when tutor is very nice to me

Getting away scot-free? No way! It is like sun rising from the west
Trust me, if there is only one thing i learn from dental school, that is it!

After all, perforation in endodontics is not as trivial as dropping a probe on the floor

I'm pretty sure things will turn out differently if the same thing is presented to other tutors, probably another long story of how a 0.3mm hole in a root ruined my day off

Having said that,the last thing i would want is to see Mr. Nice throwing a fit
Turning a Mr Nice into a Mr Cranky is...not fun at all

On being blunt

if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything

i cant agree more with it especially after tonight

being brutally honest can lead to more harm than good
for the simple reason that nobody likes honesty
some truths are ...painful to hear, even ugly to watch

Personally, i hate it when people say 'no offence' b4 they say something rather insulting
just because you say no offence, it doesn't make what you say any less hurtful
in fact,it makes me feel as if i'm not allowed to be offended anyway

some things are really better left unspoken
unless you are 100% sure that the person you are going to confront can handle bluntness

if you know you are going to hurt someone's feelings by saying something
either just keep quiet or keep it real

the expression of 'no offence but..' is pointless
coz i'm already offended

Post-holiday blues

suddenly i feel like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle
with scattered spaces of missing pieces

one piece is left to linger in the subtle aroma of Japanese green tea
one piece is left to melt in the picturesque nature of Switzerland
one piece is left sitting at an outdoor cafe in Nyhavn and watching the world walk by

i am back
well, not in one piece

when friend becomes foe

sun allergy caused by sunscreen

a product meant to protect our skins from the harmful effect of sunlight causes allergic reaction to the sun

isn't it ironic?

sigh

another thing to add to my medical history

welcome to my territory

it's not easy being a parent!
perhaps i get to feel like a parent only in London!

''it's your territory.you know better"

for that, i have a role swap between child and parent
like a second pilot, suddenly promoted to captain
there is an obvious shift of control

brought two exciting 'kids' to the highly anticipated Madame Tussaud's, a place they have been talking about since day 1.

The queue was oh-my-freaking-gosh long and the bloody summer weather..plz dun make me swear again!
A clown-looking guy appeared out of nowhere and offered to draw a self portrait for me..turned out that was what i looked like to him....Hmmmm

The only way to get good photos in an insanely packed place like Madame Tussaud's is that you need to be less British and more Malaysian - jostle your way through the crowd and don't bother to line up for photograph.
I was practically pulling them to the nearest available wax, instructing them how to pose and when to smile all time.























it's only in london that i get the chance to decide for 3 people on where to dine and what to order
but back at home mom holds the spatula so i just have to eat whatever springs up on the table.

Lunch at Thai Square
mom's verdict : even dad can cook better
dad's verdict : never eat Thai food in london


clearly fussiness runs in the family!!


















Dad's 59th birthday was spent at the theater..probably the most expensive gift i have ever given him :P

Glad i picked Mamma Mia. It was really a feel-good family musical, brightened up by Abba hits
we sang and danced along during the grand finale

and finally...tired but happy

Back in town, burned and blotchy!

the first thing i did when i reached Whitehapel
not head back to my room and hit the pillow
but went straight to Sainsbury's to get
my vitamin F&V
grocery shopping had nv been that happy b4
no more budget cut, no more yen to pound conversion, no more dilemma in deciding between health and money

20 days of low fiber high carb diet + generous amt of sunlight + merciless insect attack
is probably the maximum limit my body can take

anyway, the trip was still thrillingly fantastic in almost every way
just that it could have been better if we weren't so drained towards the end of the journey
everything becomes less appealing when you are tired

so..will I go back to Japan again?

YESsss, no doubt about it!

Japan-ised

My elective report might be rubbish but my second project a.k.a exploring various types of coffee is no doubt, a masterpiece in the making

The power of 100 yen shop - like it or not, it'll end up becoming a necessity in your life

been eyeing kimono since day 1.....shud be able to afford one if i survive solely on 7-11 food n 100 yen shop beverage every day *faint*

Experience Japan - K-A-R-A-O-K-E....and just keep shouting even if you can't sing in japanese

Nihongo wakarimasen!

one of the most overused japanese phrases among we 4 girls
it means i dun understand japanese!!!
an essential travel phrase in japan

High five with poodlie (Matcha-chan)...how could you not love Japan?? even the dog is so friendly :)

Poor Helen, for being alienated like a swine flu victim after this photoshoot..ash's monologue: 1 metre away, kudasai!!!!

4 japanese woman- wanna be's - probably the least feminine of all....

kid memorial park in Hiroshima - getting more childish after one week of elective at paediatric department..wat happens in japan stays in japan, HOPEFULLY!

Me with two kawai japanese kids and their pretty otkusan...standing between me and ash is the happy-go-lucky Prof Shimono, the head of paediatric department

Surgery day

too tired to elaborate

long story short

5 hours of observing an extended oral maxfac surgery (12 hours supposedly) in the morning

3 hours of oral surgery in the afternoon

I am so beat down tired

my only consolation is that
i attempted my very FIRST surgical extraction today!!!!

not so scary after all

No biggie

I know I complain ALOT...my course, weather, tutors, patients, study, life, friends...literally anything under the sun
and now
I am trying...trying real hard here to stay positive

so I've just shifted into a new room
never mind the horribly exhausting packing, moving and unpacking (think P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E!)
compared to my previous room, ridiculously tiny and claustrophobic
the new room is quite a pleasure to live in
spacious, big windows, nice view, closer to laundry and main entrance, kitchen and bathroom are within 2 steps (it's not too hard to be P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E, isn't it?)

but...but...but
no internet!

*GASP*
It's okay
I still have keys to my old room so just bring my laptop and go online there

but..but...but
it's tiring to shuffle between two rooms, with 12 stupid doors in between!!

*GASP x2*
It's okay
moving about on the same floor is better than climbing stairs

I am thinking P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E !!

just suck it up

People have been speculating, even nosing around on which tutor they are going to get next year.
Some happy. Some sad. Some indifferent

funny how one person can cause such a big fuss among students which reminds me of old school days when we always spread rumours around on which physics/chemistry/bio/math teacher we were going to have for the next academic year...if a lousy one we'd have to get ready for tuition class which means more work and less sleep for us and parents. That's how one teacher affects our lives back then.

little did i expect, the same thing happened in uni, only we dun need to worry about what tuition class to attend, how to get there, whether or not the time clashes with parents' work/other tuition classes etc...a different level of influence and change in daily routine without much emotional impact
But in dentistry, the personality of the tutor matters not just in terms of students' clinical performance but more significantly, stress level.

a nice & encouraging tutor can brighten up your day, making you look forward to the next session; a strict tutor although scary, pushes you towards excellence; a sadistic tutor can suck out your enthusiasm slowly, nurture your self-doubt then thrash your confidence; an unreliable tutor stresses you out in the sense that you dun get to learn as much as your peers who are with other tutors, also you feel uncovered if you mess things up since tutor is not gonna fix the tight spot for you...stressedddddddd!!!

speculating clinical tutors is like watching weather forecast
rain, shine, t-storm, snow, gloom, sleet...you predict the weather condition yet you cant change it...probably what you can do is adjust your plans according to the weather.

On a personal note, i was rather down when one of my favourite tutors, Dr. W confirmed that he wouldn't be looking after us next term. So... who is? Dr. L? Dr. J?

*pout*

I cant agree more with Zulfi that oral surgery isnt going to be same without Dr. W

"Yeah, it's going to be Borrrringgg and Stressssssfullll'' Dr. W joked with a big smug grin


*pout**pout*

Dear patient

Today, my pros patient didn't turn up for his appointment.

A key appointment that determines whether i have to start all over again or i can draw a big smile on his face, perhaps more on mine.

A 50/50 gamble

I'm not sure if i should be relieved that he saved me from having to face the risk of redoing the whole or maybe half of the procedures
or rather, annoyed that i didn't get the chance to find out the answer to my unsettling question

"Call him!''
an automatic response you get whenever your patient is late or hasn't shown up yet

I wish i could! I really do!!

Helen deciphered the pain in my face

"Ooooh your patient doesn't have a phone!!!!!!"

thanks for understanding me

One thing about my pros patients, they are not only senior but also live primitive
they don't have phones at home, let alone a cell phone
so the only way to inform them of their appointment is sending them an appointment card
whether or not they can make it, you wont find out until the day of the appointment..damn!

In order to live through this 'inconvenience', I've learned to confirm their future appointments on the day i see them, write down the dates on their card, verbally remind them countless times like a nagging mom since i can't call them up. Otherwise, my session would be at stake if they forget. This method has worked so well for this particular pros patient until today.

it feels like a kite with a broken string now

ooh well oooh well
the worst is yet to come

another pros patient of mine is holding grudge against me, for not seeing her a while (that's another grandma story)

my long-lost cons patient changed her contacts without any notice

How to get hold of her???

"Send her an appointment card!'' the mighty super brain Sultan replied spontaneously

Again???!!!! GeeeeeeeeZ!

so here it goes.....

Dear patient,

Phones were invented for a reason. So, get yourself a house phone/cell phone or at least give me a number that i can call, either your neighbour's or whoever's, PLEASE!

Your unpaid dentist

*snort*

Blame it on the weather

''Why the heck turn off the AC in hot weather?? It's 29 degree Celsius today. Are they insane?...''

I was complaining non stop to the nurses, my groupmates, my patient...practically whoever i came across

"Chill, Yin!" one of my group mates was taken aback by my unusual crankiness

The hot weather has really got me into a bad mood, like a boiling kettle.

Even my partner's patient sensed my irritation

''she okay?''

"she's just allergic to the sun" my partner said seriously

I peered at him, acknowledging that i caught a hint of teasing in his voice

Allergic to the sun

well said!

FEAR

i'm scared

not sure of what

is it
a second failure?
or
being all alone in a battle against uncertainty?

wish me luck

ungracious brats

i know it's impossible to make everyone like me
but i can't help being upset when a little blender hates me

actually two

they despise me so much that they refuse to obey my command

i walked miles with sweat trickling down my face and dust stinging my eyes
i risked being burnt by the merciless sun and blown away by the gusty wind
just to find them a nice, cosy home

why blender why
in spite of my best efforts, they have the cheek to go on strike??!!

Screw them!!

I miss winter!

Here comes summer

the time i dread every year
the time i wish to move to north pole
the time i get drowsy, irritable and parched
the time i can pass out or get first degree burn after 5 min in the sun
the time i have to add sunblock to my monthly budget
the time my computer overheats and crashes
the time my fan works at full blast around the clock and i still feel sick

the world would be a better place if we could skip summer!

*melt*

stop spitting in our faces

The following letter was published in The Star on Feb 13, 2008. I know this is a bit old and you might have read it but i find it irritatingly ridiculous and misleading. Therefore, i decided to put it up here to share with my fellow dentists. I bet this letter will evoke as much indignation in you as in me, if not more. There are so many misconceptions about dentistry in this letter that i can't help wondering if it was really written by a doctor. To me, the writer sounds like an emotional, self-absorbed, ignorant and brainless jackass who doesn't give a damn to the implications of his irrational writing but simply expresses his personal grudge over dentists. Such a shame!



Dental visits a pain in the pocket

ACCORDING to statistics, about 10% of people who are 55 years and older will begin to lose their teeth. Whatever the cause attributed to each individual, age is the single biggest factor. ---> it's gum disease, not age. Please do some reading before you show off your knowledge coz it's embarrassing if you get the facts wrong

Because of our ageing population, the number of people who would become edentulous would be a substantial number. The market is huge.

Many old folks are at the mercy of dental surgeons, especially the ones who now describe themselves as implantologists. ---> yea right, we all can self-declare as an implantologist without attending a 5-yr course in dental schools and undergoing a 3-year specialist training...life is easy for dentist, isn't it?

Many of them wear doctor’s coats, carry stethoscopes and insist on being called doctors. They charge by the tooth for every implant. Current prices range from RM7,000 to RM9,000 for the implantation of a tooth. This does not include the cost of the replacement parts, surgery, X-rays, etc. ---> dental surgeons carry stethoscopes?? hmm...since when? insist on ebing called doctors?? Dude, anyone with an advanced doctorate can be called "Dr". It doesn't have to be a medical degree either

Hence, for about four to five teeth to be implanted in the average elderly person, the price can come up to RM45,000. This is more than the cost of a complex angioplasty, bypass operation, or a hip replacement. ---> The materials and kits used to construct implant are expensive, plus the laboratory costs, xrays and other surgical procedures like bone grafting, sinus elevation. It may not seem as complex as bypass operation but it is indeed a surgical procedure requiring skilled training and precision

There seems to be no regulation to control these prices. It is a free market, with dentists, specialists, as well as GPs competing and charging whatever the market can take.

Most older people are poor and have to depend on their relatives. And few family members want to pay these exorbitant charges.

Government specialists, curiously, do not provide teeth implants for most of these unfortunate victims. If they do, it is to learn the technique before leaving government service. ---> for a start, implant is not the only solution to replacing missing teeth. There are other options like dentures and bridges which are relatively more affordable.


While the cost of private medical care is now regulated and there are guidelines provided by the MMA, implantology is a wide open field with no control. Even the Malaysian Dental council has not tried to exert any control.

The patients who cannot afford implants are given cheap dentures or a mix of implant and a bridge (if they can afford the latter). ---> excuse me, dentures are not cheap!

Having watched the implantation procedure, I think this is really a simple procedure, most of the time done under direct vision. There are no special tools required.

Most surgically trained medical GPs should be able to learn this procedure very quickly. There will, of course, be some difficult cases which can be left to the specialists. ---> is that a joke?? HA-HA-HA! So we should shut down dental schools and let the medics take over to cut down cost and redundancy..a world free of nasty, bloodsucking dentists...woohoo!

Dental surgeons, whether specialists or GPs, work in a very narrow field of the human body. From experience, I have learnt that they know little or nothing about the wider spectrum of medicine. ---> i see, so doctors work in a very wide field of human body. I'm sure you can treat my angina or lung cancer even though you are a gynaecologist. Am i right, DOCTOR??

The number of antibiotics they are familiar with is very few. They ask for a history of diseases that the patient may have but do not know how to assess how bad these diseases are or how they should be treated. ---> that's why we are dentist and you are doctor. Otherwise, who needs a doctor if dentist can handle all

They have no idea about emergencies that may occur with surgery or with drugs. ---> i think i heard of cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, asthma attack, seizures, hypoglycaemia etc although i havent qualified

They do not know anything about cardiopulmonary resuscitation. ---> of coz, we study HHD for fun and play with the dummy because we are bored and have nothing better to do.

Because of these weaknesses, I would suggest the following remedial actions:

> The Malaysian Dental Council should investigate and control prices in this dog-eat-dog business. They must impose some discipline to care for poor old people. ---> right, it is unethical to charge the poor elderly but it is ethical to divert the cost to those who can afford so that your practice wont go bankrupt.

> The dental surgeon who calls himself an implantologist should give a written bill to the patient before he starts treatment. He should list all his immediate charges as well as charges for subsequent visits. ---> so the dentist must pray that the treatment will go perfectly smooth coz any cost of mishap or unforeseen incidents like broken post/crown that are not included in the bill goes back to the dentist.

> It should be possible to train technicians to do single implants. These technicians should be licensed and also given guidelines on charges. Prices would come down in a free market once you increase the supply. ---> extend the 3 year technician program to 5 years , which is the same duration as medicine and dentistry, only they dun gain the title of 'Dr' and earn less. But it's ok as long as the dentists dun get to drive Porsche

> Medical emergencies during a dental implant are rare but can happen. Hence it should be mandated that an anaesthetist should be on standby during any implant or surgical procedure done by a dentist. --->poor aneasthetist, i'm sorry but you have to work for free as i'm not allowed to increase the treatment charges

> The dentist should buy and place in his clinic emergency equipment. This would include a defibrillator, a heart monitor, a pulse oxymetre and an ECG machine. ---> with all these equipments you don't have to worry that your patient will die in the chair. Remember, they are cheap equipments so you have no excuse to raise the charge.

> The implantologist should be certified, which means going before a panel of peers who will verify if he has the knowledge and skills to perform large volume implantation. ---> i thought you said implant is very easy, even GPs can pick it up quickly...Hmmm

MEDICAL DOCTOR,
Kuala Lumpur.


My advice : read it just once and then laugh it off or it'll ruin your day

insensitivity or insecurity?

Why are some people so full of themselves?
Why can't they see constant bragging only makes people around them annoyed, not impressed?
Why the hell do they dwell on the belief that people show indifference to their bragging simply out of jealousy?

be it plain thick skin-ness or a cover-up for low self-esteem

I feel sorry for them, truly

*sigh*

Eyes don't lie

It's interesting to see how the police interrogates a suspect in cop shows.Starting with non-accusatory questions, they slowly build up the tension by creating different themes about why the suspect committed the crime,making blatant accusation and threatening then observe the suspect's reactions, both verbal and non-verbal. Sometimes they even incorporate other methods like deception, empathy and torture to lead the suspect into confession.
One of the notable interrogation techniques is known as NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) eye accessing cues that provides information about how a person's thinking by watching their eye movements.
Basically there are 6 main eye directions (assuming the person is facing you)


upper left ,visual construction (VC) : the person looking up-left is using their imagination to conjure up pictures in their mind. So, you can tell someone is lying when you ask them a memory-based question like "Have you been to New York?"




upper right , visual remembering (VR) : the person looking up-right is retrieving images from their memory, which means their answers are not a mere fabrication.





middle left, auditory construction (AC) : the person looking into that direction is constructing a sound , that's the direction the person's eye could go to when asked about what someone is going to say






middle Right , auditory remembering (AR) : this is the direction of remembering a sound when asked about what someone said before







lower left Kinesthetic (k) : this is the direction the eyes go to when someone is thinking about how something makes them feel.





lower right ,auditory digital (AD) : an indication of internal dialog. The person is reciting a conversation in his head.






However, the directions should be reversed if the person is a lefty.

such a simple trick to spot liars..whether accurate or not, it's up to you to find out.
Honestly, i feel like trying it on people around me...so you know what i'm up to if i gaze into your eyes when talking to you. Dun say i didn't warn you...lol

Here's a thought.
Which direction should you look before you answer when your gf/bf asks
Do you love me?