My dream. My reality

Facebook curfew

2010-10-28T17:31:00.004+01:00

On Wednesday the YM quietly put a notice on the office table

'excessive use of facebook at work affects performance'

so facebook access is only allowed during lunch break(1-2pm) and after work (5-7pm)

thanks to the solicitous public

bloody 'ell!

3 S

2010-10-19T16:34:00.003+01:00

hate to say this
it's just my second day of work but already i'm sick of not having much to do
not that i am a workaholic, it's just that i cant stand watching the time crawl at snail's pace
please
either keep me busy like bees from 8 to 5
or let me sleep in , chill at home
Never in-betweens

yeah..i din go to 5 yr dental school for nothing...so stop making me feel i'm some unwanted incompetent loser
be it extraction, filling, rct, crown, denture, surgical or splint..just bring it on!!

grrrrr....
anyway
now everyday i wake up wishing i'm equipped with the 3 key qualities to thrive in outpatient
aka 3 S - speed, spot diagnosis and split second decision!

Passed!

2010-10-15T04:30:00.003+01:00

Today i got 60 marks in driving

Woohooo!

Strictly Adult

2010-10-14T11:19:00.003+01:00

two awkward encounters in one day

Bank A
Worker : Yes?
Me : I'd like to open a new account
Worker : student or joint account?
Me : err..neither. I'd like a personal account
Worker : Ooh......

Bank B
Worker : Hello
Me : Hi ya, can i apply for an ATM card please?
Worker : Sorry, we only provide ATM cards for 17 and above.
Me : Right, i'm above 17.
Worker : Oooh....

Master of none

2010-10-13T18:24:00.005+01:00

During the usual after-dinner family chit chat

Mom : Oiii...you need to start practising your BM now. Or else, how are you going to communicate with your patients and colleagues??

Me : Like... how?

Mom : Speak to us in BM from now on.

Me : ...............

Mom : okay okay...at least, learn some dental terminology in BM. That should be helpful.

Me : There are so many jargons in dentistry.Where should i start?? ( excuse )

Mom : Pretending i'm your patient and I dun understand things like plaque, calculus, RCT etc How would you explain to me in BM??

Me : (pondering) haih.....plaque is plaq la, benda yg lembut dan putih/kuning tu, lekat pd gigi; then calculus is ...err...batu gigi?! Rct ..hmm...err..i dun think i'll be doing that in hospital.

Mom : Batu gigi???hahahahaha

Bro : OMG..this is the first time i've heard of that!!! Dr, apa lu cakap?Wa tak faham!

Me : batu gigi is calculus la! It's the calcified plaque on the teeth, hard like stone.

Bro : I know it's as hard as a rock but please, we don't translate it to BM so directly. We call it karang gigi, doink! See, i dun need to go to dental school to know this!

Me : (teeth clenching) since you're so smart, then tell me what is bridge, crown, overdenture, post and core, braces in BM?

Bro : Of coz, i dunno. Do you??

Me : ................

Bro : (shaking head) Ma, i think...drill her driving first lah. One at a time. It's ok to be dumb at work but she definitely needs to know how to get to the hospital in one piece.

Boohoooo!

Hide n Seek

2010-10-13T06:30:00.005+01:00

My family was tired of me grizzling about getting fat and noshing nonstop
so they came up with a solution
that is ....hide the snacks!
they keep some in their workplace and some in their cars, just to make sure the food is unreachable by me esp when i am all alone at home
well, that is not to say i'm not allowed to snack at all
i do get my treat day every now and then (in fact, almost every day)
but in a controlled amount (up to mom to decide)
so what's left in the house is nothing but raw food and dried stuff which i'll never touch
the downside of their idea is that
if they forget to leave a portion of edibles for me before they're off to work i'll be starved until they come home
what i usually do to tame my 'under-sweet blood' is sleep
yea..HIBERNATE - that's how animals survive through the winter months

Unfortunately, my hunger pangs overpower today
so i decide to search high and low for f-o-o-d
after 1 hour of rummage TA-DA! i declare VICTORY!!
my smart mother hid a bag of chocolate bars in her wardrobe!
muahahahaha
obviously, they didn't do enough to keep me out of it
what can i say?

try harder, mom :P

winner takes all :D:D

Oh no, i'm so fat!

A New Chapter In Life

2010-10-10T20:06:00.005+01:00

so here i am
bracing myself for a new beginning

some ask Dun you miss London?
it's a lie if i say no
weather, people, culture, fashion, cafes, public transport, high street shopping....
there are 101 reasons to stay in London
so why not, you ask

there is something missing in London
something i never realised, has been my priority in life
cant believe my egocentric side is only a disguise
underlyingly, what the heart yearns for is no different from what every child wants

so i made my choice
promised that i'd stop looking back
there is only so much i can run away
life is too short to dwell on the past
come what may, i'll survive...Noo, i'll flourish!

so here i am
looking to a brand new ME!

L.O.V.E

2010-06-19T16:01:00.006+01:00

In a world where true love is scarce

I witnessed one today

~Love is not about finding a perfect person

but

learning to see an imperfect person perfectly~

Viva Exam

2010-06-11T23:49:00.004+01:00

i never liked viva

vivas are different from other exams

you cannot skip the question you are not sure or dunno and come back later to try again
you cannot spit out 200 nonsense words and let the examiner pick out the relevant parts
you cannot cross out previous answers and reattempt them

in a viva

every word you say counts
every word you say determines what sort of question you might get next
every word you say can lead to only two outcomes
impress or disappoint

5 years of dental school have made me realised that
i can read a hundred pages about caries
and still fail to convey what i know in one short, condensed sentence to the examiner during a viva

My seen case was a catastrophe
thanks mom and dad for giving me a strong heart
otherwise, i'd have got MI and passed out right in front of the examiners and patient

My unseen case wasn't as bad, but almost on a slippery slope

i could see the examiners endeavouring to throw me a life-saving rope but my sweaty wobbly hands slid through it effortlessly

'Pulpotomy or pulpectomy?' Dr. J asked

'Pulpotomy' i answered without hesitation

He squinted at me.

The other examiner, Prof H chipped in, ' It's a permanent tooth.'

'Uhmm...sorry, i mean pulpectomy..oh hold on, let me see the xray again' i started to panic

They both peered at me, as if asking ARE YOU SURE?

Oh shit!Pulpotomy or pulpectomy?pulpotomy! No no no..pulpectomy! errr..maybe not...arghh Yin Hui, make up your mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had two little voices constantly debating in my head throughout the viva, confusing myself and both of the examiners

15 min just slipped away faster than i realised

the next thing i knew, i was already out of the suffocating room and resenting being the biggest dolt in front of two senior examiners

Seriously

A second chance at getting it right??

NO, THANKS!!!

Back and Alive!!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-09T21:52:00.002+01:00

the feeling after finishing the last exam

is so freaking G.R.E.A.T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

never mind the utmost stress for the last 5 weeks
forget the panic attack + emotional breakdown pre and post viva

i just want to break freeeeee at this very moment!!!

WOooohoooooooooooooooooo

Up Next : reminiscence of viva

super sleepy module

2010-02-02T23:38:00.001Z

I can't help but laugh at myself. My own stupidity.
Of all the dentistry course modules, dental materials is my least favourite
and the biggest irony is i chose it for my ssm!
WHY??WHY???WHYYYYYY?????
words like tensile strength, thermal expansion, covalent bond, polymaleic acid, alumina-silicate glass, anhydrous cements..........make me see stars
Boring is an understatement. It's definitely an effective cure for insomnia.

1 book plus 10 journals for just one material...duuude! I din even study so much for finals

sighh....what's left to say?
I made a dumb choice so stick with it!

*grunt*

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

2009-12-21T12:40:00.003Z

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

2009-12-10T23:22:00.001Z

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

2009-11-25T22:20:00.000Z

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

2009-11-21T00:53:00.003Z

"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

2009-11-12T18:30:00.001Z

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

2009-11-08T00:08:00.005Z

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

2009-10-27T17:25:00.004Z

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!

2009-10-26T17:12:00.004Z

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

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

2009-10-23T21:40:00.002+01:00

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

2009-10-16T00:00:00.003+01:00

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

*sob*

A little praise goes a long way

2009-10-12T18:25:00.001+01:00

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

2009-10-05T20:29:00.000+01:00

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

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.
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
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?"
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????
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

2009-09-21T23:23:00.006+01:00

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

2009-09-15T23:55:00.001+01:00

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

2009-08-27T17:26:00.002+01:00

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

2009-08-19T22:59:00.003+01:00

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

2009-08-12T17:46:00.004+01:00

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!

2009-08-08T13:04:00.005+01:00

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

2009-07-27T16:28:00.003+01:00

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!

2009-07-26T14:26:00.006+01:00

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

2009-07-16T17:38:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-11T20:32:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-09T23:10:00.007+01:00

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

2009-07-06T19:38:00.001+01:00

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

2009-06-30T18:29:00.002+01:00

''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

2009-06-24T00:17:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-17T16:22:00.002+01:00

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!

2009-06-16T19:32:00.000+01:00

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

2009-06-11T12:37:00.014+01:00

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?

2009-05-31T18:37:00.001+01:00

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

2009-05-28T20:22:00.002+01:00

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?

behind closed doors

2009-05-26T11:45:00.005+01:00

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind those closed/ locked doors?

Here is where the story starts….
5 girls were walking home after dinner on a chilly spring night
All of sudden they heard some knocking noise coming from the back of a locked door they had just walked past

A asked if any of them heard the sound
B said yes
C and D weren’t sure
E noticed there was light under the door and the main entrance of the store was half-closed

They froze there for a while, waiting for more signs
Just when they thought they heard it incorrectly, the knocking sound came back, less loud than the previous one
Looking at one another, each of them began to come up with their own speculations
Could it be that someone is trapped inside?
someone is moving stuff inside since it’s a storage(looks like it)?
Some spooky paranormal phenomena?
a naughty prank from some bored security guys?
the latest “American funniest video’’ or "You’ve been framed’’ shooting?

There was only one way to find out. The girls turned back and knocked on the door
Hello,anybody in there??

No answer

Seconds later, it knocked back

The girls knocked harder and increased their volume at the same time
Still, no answer.
The strange thing was every time they knocked, they heard the same knocking sound from the other side of the door almost right away although there was no one responding them

Curious and leery, A&B decided to drag another 3 people, F,G and H into their mini investigation

F,G and H reluctantly knocked on the door one by one,
Again, the knock echoed instantly
F presumed that it was the anti-theft device that mimicked knocking sound to create a sort of scarecrow effect while G and H chuckled at how the technology had just fooled 5 ingenuous girls who were clearly influenced by commercialized concepts of horror

Now the mystery solved. The girls continued their journey home but they couldn’t help wondering
The anti-theft system didn’t justify for the sound they all heard when there was no one knocking on it
So,
What if there was really someone being locked in there?
What if someone was trying to call for help but the door was soundproof which explained why only the pounding sound was heard?

Isn’t it disturbing???

P/S this story is a modified, partial work of ficiton. For original and unabridged version, please refer to Helen's blog :P:P

An old friend revisited

2009-05-25T23:31:00.006+01:00

I have been voluntarily chained into a state of quiescence lol
not sleeping but reading
that curl-up-and-read-in-bed kind of reading
so it's akin to sleeping, only you keep your eyes open and change posture every so often (not recommended if you are weight obsessed or hyperthyroid or imaginary-impaired) :P

What actually sparked off my old pastime was the movie "The Reader", a film adaptation of a German novel by Bernhard Schlink. Stirred by Hanna's enduring passion for being read to and shame of being illiterate, I decided to revive my old hobby which has been abandoned for nearly 2 years

Looking back on the books I read during school days and outside college i realised my memory retains little about them...i can recall only a few,i mean a very few of them!
Such a waste of time you say
i say it's budget-friendly, in the sense that you can read them over and over, still get surprised at bits you'd forgotten as if it's a different story each time u reread.

Having said that, i do remember one or two books in which i got so emotionally involved that i wept like a baby. Perhaps that's one of the signs of a good book.

A Walk To Remember

This one is too hard to be forgotten. I watched the movie b4 I read the book(due to the scarcity of English literature in my hometown) I thought the movies adapted from novels usually lacked authenticity and insight of the story so I effortfully went to MPH bookstore in KL to look for it.Guess what! I stood by the shelf, finishing it in 2 hours. By the time i flipped to the last page, my eyes were already swollen like two eggs. What happened right after that was unforgettably embarrassing. People looked at me as though they had just seen a bullied girl craving for comfort. One woman even approached me to make sure i was ok. In the end I had to flee to the toilet and hide in there until my red, puffy eyes had disappeared. I may forget the whole course of dentistry 20 years later but certainly not this one.

Falling Leaves

I read this book totally based on my best friend's exaggerated remarks
I've never cried so much in all my life!
I scanned through the synopsis at the back - typical true story of an unwanted daughter
so predictable! i thought
Little did i know, i cried my heart out as i was reading it. Only this time i was in my room. No more drama like the previous book... phewww!
"Did you cry?" a quizzical look from her
" A little" i lied.

Man and Boy

Probably the last book to burst my tear glands (i'm not going to read another tear-jerking book, i swear! maybe..sort of..hopefully)
I wouldn't say it's the best book i have ever read but it's definitely, highly readable. considering there aren't many as heart wrenching and witty books written from male perspective as female fiction in the market. It's basically about a man screwing up and learning from his screw-ups. Precisely like what the critics claimed I cried 5 times and laughed out loud 4

All right, I can feel bookworms tickling me now

Ta!

I salute you, Sir!

2009-05-21T20:03:00.003+01:00

"Arrr..arr....." my patient moaned with her face scrunched up.
A 6 month pregnant lady who speaks very limited English

"still hurting?" i repeated that probably just a little less than a zillion times

"It's infection!" Helen said in a certain tone of voice.

i know but i can't just leave it, can i?

After 4 cartridges of Lignocaine and her buccal mucosa going from red to white due to local anaesthetic pooling she still complained of pain. It has to be infection!

Like a deflating balloon, our patience was slowly wearing thin and we had to summon Dr. Wotherspoon to save the day.

One thing about clinical tutors, they have the magic of making what seems to be grueling to us a lot easier.
And, he did it!He managed to numb the patient with only one cartridge of LA(damn!).
Oh well,what's new?

"Here you go!" Dr. Wotherspoon,chipper and laid-back as always, handed me over the forcep.

So,i took out the tooth, leaving the last one to Helen.It was a badly decayed premolar with merely one standing cusp, I call it a survivor

5 minutes later, I changed my mind.

It was a friggin plague!

Crack!!

We both stared at the tooth in horror.

Oh no, one bit of the root was broken inside!!

The next 20 minutes was like a strenuous battle between 2 exasperating dental students and a teeny weeny root
and apparently, size doesn't matter at all coz the little root won
*ouch* *ouch*

Once again, we had to succumb to the mindset of ''admit it, you suck in oral surgery!"

Dr. Lalli came around, listened to our problem and then dropped a bomb

"Top up the LA.We are gonna raise the flap!"

Huh, surgical removal???? You can't be serious!

Thank goodness that Dr Lalli was held up in another bay so we got Dr. Wotherspoon to help us instead. Sure enough, he flipped the remaining root out like flicking a bug off shoulder. Actually i didn't witness how he did it. I was too busy looking for a missing tooth that I missed the classic moment.

"How did he do it?" I asked when Helen was holding the gory suction tip with the damn root that got us into the bloody game of hide-and-seek for a good 20 minutes

"Dunno" she shrugged

A sudden furious relief struck me.You know that kind of relief that you are spared the trouble but at the same time you are mad at yourself for being incapable.

I wanted Dr. Wotherspoon to be my brother(he's only 27, too young to be my father). I wanted him to teach me how to play games with those wilily stubborn teeth. I wanted him to inspire me to be a competent dentist along with a devil-may-care attitude.

Dream on!

serves me right

2009-05-20T20:16:00.006+01:00

if i fail,
for

...studying last minute
...underestimating oral pathology
...overrating my aptitude
and worst of all,
...trusting my bird brain over my gut instincts

''the initial judgment one gets is always right" -- my primary school English teacher's favourite quote

took me almost 12 years to believe that

OUTRAGEOUS ABSURDITY!!!!

*heart attack*

isn't it a wonder

2009-05-16T19:13:00.001+01:00

we all know certain things that happen in the movies never happen in real life

for example,
ugly girls can become a beauty simply by removing their glasses and redoing their hair; any computer system can be hacked into; phones always work unless the killer is near or something bad is going to happen to the user (battery gone flat usually); haunted houses are always run down, dirty and old; bombs are always defused within the last three seconds, never at twelve or twenty seven; whenever you see something strange/unbelievable, if you take someone else back to see the same thing then it will always be gone...

Yet, something really strange happened today
something i thought i'd only see in Fringe or any sci-fi show where things are allowed to happen without regard to reality

My internet has been dead for 3 weeks came back to life this morning
The question is

HOW?

No one came to repair it after i reported to site manager twice and for both times i got the same response

''we don't deal with internet. go to computing service department''

What?!asking someone from computing service in mile end to come and fix my internet??

That doesn't make sense.

A guy in computing service advised me to speak with floyer house manager if it's the wall socket acting up.

''they should be responsible for everything in the inventory''

That makes sense.

ok..I get it. It's a hell lot of work to repair the socket or hub or whatever u call it...imagine have to knock out parts of the wall and change the cable...perhaps this kind of messy task will only be seen to when it's time to renovate the floor

i was fed up with going back and forth and still getting nothing resolved so i resorted to going online in the library

I really thought it'd remain like that until i move into a new room which only happens in july

but dunno why and how
my internet is back on, inexplicably
after 3 weeks

I was more mystified than excited the moment i saw the long-lost ''local area network connected 10.0Mbps'' icon

How is that possible??? (sounds like Broyles)
if that is in Fringe, it'll fall into the category of strange things happen in Walter's lab
unexplainable
so don't bother to reason
just enjoy the internet while it's here

now i wonder if it will disappear when i turn off my computer
should i worry??

hmmm...

congrats....to me?!

2009-05-07T22:34:00.001+01:00

For the past two weeks i've been living with no internet access in my room, getting used to onlining in library for just a couple of hours a day, watching videos with my headphone while everyone else is burying their noses in books (makes me guilty for .... one minute or maybe less) and learning how to console myself when people look at me in shock and disbelief every time i share my internetless story with them ( a good acclimatisation for internetless life in Southend)

But today i found something to beat my internetless blues

FOX PICKS UP SECOND SEASON OF “FRINGE”

No. 1 New Series Among Adults 18-49 Renewed for Full Season

Season Finale Guest-Starring Leonard Nimoy Airs

Tuesday, May 12, on FOX

FOX has renewed FRINGE, the No. 1 new series among Adults 18-49, with a full second season, it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company.

“FRINGE proved to be a notable addition to our schedule all season and it really has fans buzzing as it builds to a fantastic season finale,” said Reilly. “J.J. and the whole Bad Robot team have been phenomenal partners, and we look forward to years of making great television with them.”

“FRINGE continues to gain momentum, creatively and with viewers,” said J.J. Abrams, series co-creator and executive producer. “We couldn’t be more thrilled that FRINGE will continue to freak people out for at least another season!”

FRINGE has captivated audiences this season, winning its Tuesday time period weekly among key demographics and ranks as the No. 1 new series in primetime among Adults 18-49.

That means i will have to keep coming back to library and hogging the computer

that's how much i love Fringe!!

*wink*

expect the unexpected

2009-05-03T01:54:00.004+01:00

York,
a surprisingly small, walking-friendly medieval city with overpriced attractions and no sign of Yorkshire Pudding

but granted us our very own version of 'the sisterhood of the traveling BAG'!!!

Hail to the spirit of unitedness (150pd!)

*wink*

Busted!

2009-04-29T19:54:00.004+01:00

One of the worst things that could ever happen to someone who is heavily relying on internet for communication n entertainment is
losing internet access!
Maybe it's a sign my angry laptop is throwing to protest against overwork but at least gimme an early warning so that i can be more well-prepared (perhaps download more stuff b4hand..:P)

sigh..time to learn how to live primitive

*sob*

F.R.I.N.G.E

2009-04-27T23:07:00.003+01:00

With Prison Break officially coming to an end, Heroes going nowhere fast, Gossip Girl getting annoyingly boring every week, Desperate Housewives' lack of drama especially after the shocking death of Edie in the last episode and Grey's Anatomy starting to go downhill, owing to the script writers' farcical nonsense (the izzy-danny plot is simply off the wall)..it's undoubtedly that Fringe is the only American series i'm anticipating eagerly these days. It's not just another replica of The X-files but a witty and gripping sci-fi series, with a well-planned plot and is also easier to follow than Lost.
But one thing about american series is that the viewer number determines the future of the series. I'm keeping my finger crossed that Fox won't cancel this excellent show. Come on!If craps like Chuck & Knight Rider can have 2 or 3 seasons, why can't Fringe (not to mention it's nowhere close to rubbish)??

episode 18, please come faster..I'm begging u!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hair chameleons

2009-04-26T17:26:00.003+01:00

life after coming back from Malaysia is still happening (is it that my new camera is spicing things up?? heheeheee)

yesterday might be a feet abuse day but today is certainly a pamper day with home hair colouring by amateur hairstylers and facial treatment

can you see the purple tone in my hair?? (say yes!) lol

P/S thanks ashie and fatiha for being our hair stylerssss... an absolutely brrrrrilliannt job as a first-timer *muakssss*

just a whim

2009-04-23T23:52:00.000+01:00

I wanna shop! I wanna splash some cash around!
that was the first thought dat crossed my mind when i saw the picture of Bluewater shopping centre

I need to de-stress! i need to let out my financial/weight frustration!!
But shopping is gonna make my problem worse at a time like this

chill out ...think about Japan..think about the 2k goal

alright, what about window shop??? it's free (or nearly free since transportation costs). It wouldn't tarnish my bank balance if i just shelf-browse, right??

let's go window shopping!

just admiring its stylish architecture can lift my mood

smile makeover

2009-04-21T19:27:00.007+01:00

Thanks to the high rate of DNA today i became the guinea pig to test the worth of cosmetic dentistry
At the end of the treatment, i was handed an 'invoice'
2 Composite fillings --> 400pd
*LOL*

Above: before treatment -- chipped and slightly twisted incisors
Below: after treatment -- both incisors are reshaped and straightened

the conclusion is cosmetic dentistry is not just a gimmick!

a token of love

2009-04-21T18:41:00.001+01:00

for a daughter who tends to
slip into taking love for granted

.... and always forgets to say thank you

If I could turn back time

2009-04-20T21:48:00.007+01:00

the sequence of the pictures would be like this...

transit at Abu Dhabi International Airport

It's a MY-CHILD-IS-BACK day...all smiles

off the plane and back on the road

pastries and coffee before heading for bigger treats...yum yum

and....
of course
if only I could turn back time

*pout*

an unwanted souvenir

2009-04-14T17:00:00.003+01:00

Time flies when u r having fun...gonna go back to London in just 3 days

Mrs Lee starts to urge me to make a purchase list

''You'd better make sure u dun miss out anything....i'm not gonna courier it like last time!"

Okay Okay!

What bugs me most is not the last minute shopping and packing but...

whether or not i can fit in my pants after two straight weeks of indulgence

serious

i think i've gained at least 2kg.....the most unwanted souvenir i've received from home...a big big sigh Haihhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

what's next? Diet? yea..getting back to london means getting back to my crazy calorie-counting diet

wish i could wake up one day and find myself shrunk 2kg magically!

Erhmmmm................

love or fling?

2009-04-04T16:40:00.006+01:00

serious and steady. i call it a commitment!

thrilling and irresistible. I call it a fling!

One last dream

2009-03-31T23:34:00.000+01:00

''It's nice to get away. I bet you can't wait,'' my patient replied after i told him that i was going home for 2 weeks

''Yeah......hmm,'' i paused, hesitating to elaborate on it

all of a sudden, a mixture of feelings hit me

how wonderful to have 2 weeks off from uncompleted work, lifeless clinics and the distressing, seemingly never-ending requirements

but

what happens after 2 weeks?

can i still be on the run?

that's when excitement fades out, eaten away in parts by horror, stress, insecurity, remorse.....

If there is one thing i believe in m horoscope, it's escapism

for years and years, i've been relying on it to cope with my problems
i know it's gotta come to an end someday
i know that one day it's no more a solution to everything.
i know i know....

but please let me run away from it all

just this one time

On 5th gear

2009-03-30T14:10:00.003+01:00

only 2 days to go before i get on the plane and head home....yay yay yay!

only 1 day to catch up on an accumulated backlog of work....ouch ouch ouch!

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.

I can't agree more

Hey you!
chronic procrastinator,
hurry up
it's time to work your fingers to the bone!!!

Oink Oink

Oopsy! I ate it again!!

2009-03-27T23:42:00.001Z

3 overripe bananas on the table, waiting to be consumed
but that's 315 kcal in one go

i looked at my food diary

crunchy oats 600 kcal
skinny mocha 160 kcal
apple 47 kcal
kiwi & orange 70 kcal
mushroom omelet 100kcal
ovaltine 76 kcal

total calorie : 1053

it was only 3pm but i had already squandered 87% of my daily calorie allowance! *gasp*

then i stared back at those bananas again, wondering what to do with them.

Eat them? my calorie intake will exceed 1200 kcal
Leave them? they will rot by tomorrow which is such a waste and i'll be damned if i waste my money that way during economic recession
Offer someone? there is no one in the flat. Besides, it's not so nice to offer people rotting bananas.

hmm..maybe i should make something delicious out of bananas for my flat mates since i havent contributed anything to this flat yet. I quickly scanned through a list of cake recipes that require bananas and finally came to this simple kitchen formula --> steamed banana cake aka Apam pisang

problem solved! *woohooooo*

While waiting for the cake to steam i chatted with some fifth yr medics and was happy over the great news. Congrats doctors! The future of Malaysia healthcare relies on you people!!

Anyway, back to the cake...menaka, fatiha and ash came by and discussed whether to go for beer race or not

'lapar laaa...let's try your apam pisang!' Fatiha gave in to the temptation of food...lol

So there we were...4 girls sitting around the freshly steamed cake, talking while helping ourselves to the cake.

'OMG, we're almost finishing it! There is no more left for the rest of the flat.' We looked down at the last tiny piece, thinking about one and the same thing --> who is gonna have the last one??

then i saw fatiha scraping it off the tin

'You shudn't have told Lyana i was making apam..see now it's all gone!' i purposely scowled at Ash

'Alamak!' Fatiha suddenly realised she took the last slice and wanted to put it back after taking one bite

We all laughed at the scene, right away....

Fatiha is sooo helplessly funny sometimes...hahaha

Anyway,that was the first time in a long while i hadnt thought about calorie when eating. It really feels so good to put that daunting thought aside which also makes me jealous of people who can eat whatever they want, how much they like and still remain slim...Grrr....not fairrr!!!

Well, thank you for enjoying the cake even thought it wasnt superb and sorry for those who din get to taste my virgin banana cake (blame fatiha!)

When will i bake next?
Hmm...perhaps when i have rotting fruitsss?!

going against the tide

2009-03-23T12:53:00.002Z

People are surprised when i tell them i want to lose weight. I have had a fair amount of people tell me i am small and thin. But NO, I DON'T FEEL THIN!
When i look in the mirror, i still see problem areas that need more weight taken off. People dunno these areas are there becoz they are well-hidden under clothes!
Call me insane or whatever, i'm not gonna dwell in comments like ''you don't need to lose anymore'', ''you are getting too skinny'' bla bla until i'm contented with the way my body looks. Right now, i still feel FAT, as always!

anyway, i came across this sad sad shocking news about coffee which titled

"Don't Be Latte Fatty - the awful truth about your daily caffeine hit"

Whether you prefer skinny or whipped, with an extra shot of caffeine or a pump of syrup, your favourite beverage probably contains more calories, fat and sugar than you imagine.

....it's perfectly possible to get more than 500 calories in a Starbucks drink.

All figures given here are based on averages in drinks made from whole milk (where relevant) from High Street coffee chains.

LATTE
What is it: 1-2 shots of espresso with steamed milk.
Calories: Small, 200; large, 341.
Fat: Small, 10.6g (6.6 saturated); large, 17.9g (11.2 saturated).
Verdict: Surprisingly unhealthy. A large latte contains almost one third of the daily recommended fat intake for women. Add a vanilla shot and you 380 calories and 14.5g of fat in each large cup. This is equivalent to ten rashers of bacon.
How to make it healthier: Stick to skimmed milk and the calories in your large latte drop to 160, reduce saturated fat to zero and still provide a healthy dose (450mg) of calcium. Soya milk contains 50 calories more per large serving, but is still healthier than whole milk.

MOCHA
What is it: Three-quarters steamed milk, 3-4 pumps of chocolate sauce and 2-3 shots of espresso topped with whipped cream.
Calories: Small, 255; large, 484.
Fat: Small, 9.3g (5.4g saturated); large, 25.3g (14.3g saturated).
Verdict: Very fatty. This is sweetened with a massive 41g of sugar in a large cup. Things could be worse: a large white chocolate mocha with whipped cream contains 628 calories and 28.9g of fat.
How to make it healthier: Order a small skinny (skimmed milk), no-whip (without cream) dark mocha and your calorie count drops to 175.

AMERICANO
What is it: 2-3 espresso shots topped with water, and optional milk.
Calories: Small, 11; large, 23 (more with milk and sugar).
Fat: None (unless you add milk).
Verdict: Most people add milk, but to cut calories make sure it is skimmed. A few studies suggest that a high intake of caffeine promotes the leeching of calcium from bones, but the National Osteoporosis Foundation says adding milk will offset any such risk.
How to make it healthier: Avoid full-fat milk and sugar. Better still, take it black.

ESPRESSO
What is it: Coffee and water.
Calories: Single, 6; double, 11.
Verdict: If you don't add sugar (10 calories per sachet), this is the lowest-calorie coffee. Consuming more than 5-6 cups a day is not recommended by doctors or nutritionists, but a strong black coffee 1-2 hours prior to exercise has been shown to be beneficial. Substances in caffeine trigger the release of fats into the bloodstream during activity, enabling the body to use fat as its primary energy source, say researchers at the Australian Institute of Sport. You will also burn up the fat faster.
How to make it healthier: A macchiato (espresso with foamed milk) provides some calcium and not many more calories (there are only 20 in a double shot drink). But avoid caramel and other flavoured macchiatos - a large one has 390 calories and 17.4g of fat

CAPPUCINO
What is it: A mix of steamed and foamed milk added to an espresso shot.
Calories: Small, 122; large, 207.
Fat: Small, 6.4g (4g saturated); large, 10.7g (6.7g saturated).
Verdict: Better than lattes. But, with 6.7g of arteryclogging saturated fat in a large mug, it's hardly healthy.
How to make it healthier: Ask for skimmed milk. This will remove the fat and cut the calories to 129 in a large drink (76 in a small). Sprinkle on cinnamon instead of chocolate.

HOT CHOCOLATE
What is it: Chocolate drunk with whole milk, often topped with whipped cream.
Calories: Small, 357; large, 549.
Fat: Small, 18.7g (10.7g saturated); large, 27g (15.2g).
Verdict: A large cup has the calories and fat content of three hot dogs, according to the Centre for Science in the Public Interest. Worse is a large, white, hot chocolate containing a whopping 719 calories and 33.4g of fat. Be wary of fast-food chains that make hot chocolates not with milk, but with a mix of sugar and non-dairy creamer (containing the unhealthy partially hydrogenated soybean oil and more sugar).
How to make it healthier: Go for a small, no-whip, skinny hot chocolate to drop your calories to 209.

In short, skip the whip, sugar, syrups and replace full fat milk with skimmed. Better still, have your coffee plain like americano or espresso which contains less than 10 calories per cup.

So, to make my coffee healthier and diet-friendly i can only order the skinny options: skinny latte, skinny vanila/ hazelnut latte, skinny mocha or black coffee i.e. americano, macchiato, espresso

It's not all bad news, isn't it? I dun have to remove coffee from my diet, at least!!

Kvetch of the week

2009-03-20T20:56:00.000Z

for some reason i feel that time seems to pass slower than usual this week

lectures 9 to 5 almost every day. I find it racking to force myself out of bed early in the morning when normally i can sleep until i naturally wake which tends to be in the afternoon :P

the good thing about lectures is you can just sit back and relax while the lecturer is talking in front. consider yourself lucky if the lecturer has a wicked sense of humour but most of the time, it's long, dull and above all, excessively informative to the extent that your brain gets tired and switches off. At the end of the day, what you bring home is only 10% of the lectures and for someone like me, whose memory is equivalent to RAM, that 10% is *pooooofffffffffff* gone as soon as i snooze.
Honestly, what stays on is nothing but lecturer's jokes

sigh..have to endure another week of 9-to-5-lecture before we go back to clinic (Arghh..that's another pain in the ass!!) ..why do i complain so much??am i coming to the point where i'm already fed up with my routine life even before i qualify as a dentist??

*Gulp*

I can't wait till i'm home.

April. Please come soon!!!!

23 + 1

2009-03-15T23:49:00.001Z

not in the mood to blog but since it's my birthday and i owe a lot of ppl a big thank you, i should drop some words here.

24. Gaspppp....

"Relax, it's just a number!" i hear that a lot, recently. But, deep down inside..i'm friggin' scared to turn 24...haha...simply becoz i cannot accept the fact that i'm getting OLDER!
No longer an innocent little gal who counts down to her big day and wishes for a big chocolate birthday cake. Not to say that the birthday celebration was greater when i was a kid. In fact, it was very typical. A dinner at a restaurant of my choosing and a birthday cake. Still, i looked forward to it every year.

If turning 24 is already disturbing..what more for 30, 40??

Maybe i should look at the bright side.
It's a day to indulge myself, hang out with friends and have fun. A day to harbor a secret hope that someone will do something wonderful. A day to reflect on how silly i was and try to wipe the slate clean. A day i feel cared for and appreciated by family and friends.

I'm 24. So what? It's just a number....pffttt

P/S Thank you for all your wishes, cards and gifts!! *hugs*

GREASE is the word

2009-02-27T18:17:00.000Z

What did i enjoy most about Grease?

the thrill of having my 3 first-times in one night

Hey,dun get me wrong!! It's nothing suggestive

it's just the first time...

i had been sitting so close to the stage, seeing the performers' facial expressions so vividly

i had met a celebrity in London or more accurately, bumped into a celeb without having a clue who he was but just joined the frenzy

i had failed to get through to my hard-core-phone-junkie friends whose identities are self-evident

Ahem! Ahem! *cough cough*

a night like no other - began with an electrifying rock n roll musical and ended with a zany celeb encounter

Grab your seat quick!

2009-02-19T21:37:00.000Z

Guess what i came across when i was looking up fun things to do and see in tokyo??

The world's busiest starbucks in Shibuya,Tokyo !

Not that it serves the best starbucks coffee, it's being in front of the world's famous Hachiko crosswalk that makes it frantically packed day in, day out.

Yes, one of the cool things to do in tokyo is people watching, especially in Shibuya. A lot of people visit this starbucks just to feast their eyes on the busiest intersection on earth so it's extremely difficult to get a seat at the window. sounds crazy? maybe...but i'd love to check it out when i go to japan this summer..Watching waves of pedestrians going everywhere at once can be a breathtaking sight..

Here is a video of the famous 'scramble crossing' taken from Starbucks! LoL *wink*

i cant help wondering if it's possible to get lost in throngs of people when crossing...hmm

Like a kid again

2009-02-03T19:14:00.010Z

The day we woke up treated with an accidental holiday

the city being blanketed by snow...

releasing our inner child....

enjoying fresh kisses of snow....

building a snow man....

lying in the snow....

jumping...

fiddling around....

kicking...

chasing....

Happy Snow Day!!

it's all about ....

2009-01-23T23:39:00.000Z

MONEY
dum dum de de dum dum

Name those things money can buy
so many that you dunno where to begin
comfort, freedom, power, choices, satisfaction........

However, we still hear people say there are things money can't buy
luck, knowledge, love, friendship, health........
In short, money can't buy happiness

But in reality, we know that's not entirely true
Perhaps people who say money is not the answer to everything are
either
some humble toffs trying to solace the miserable hearts of the poor
or
destitute but being determinedly optimistic

Personally i think money does buy happiness, just for a brief and fleeting moment.
And, people who say money is not everything, probably dunno what it is like to live in poverty.
Imagine if you had no money
how would you eat?
how would you pay for anything you do?
rent?education?car?house?medical check-up?

It is a material world that we all live in, whether we like it or not, money is certainly one necessary commodity we can't live without

So what about true happiness? inner fulfillment?
Well, only when we have no worries about our basic needs we think about the pursuit of happiness i guess.
Otherwise, would you bother to run after the so-called true happiness when you don't even have the fundamental requirement to stay alive?!

Undeniably, money doesn't bring happiness
but
not having any does bring unhappiness

--- a reflection arisen from January financial blues

The Best Gift of All

2009-01-18T17:35:00.004Z

is not always the most expensive one
but
a gift of warmth and joy that touches your heart in dark times

It puts a smile on your face just when it feels as if you will never smile again

The best gift of all

is more than words can say

Dilly Dally Shilly Shally

2009-01-16T19:10:00.000Z

a 60pd pay as you go phone
OR
an 18 month contract @ 9pd a month?

both offer Sony Ericsson G502

the only difference is the 18 month plan comes with 100 min and/or text and a free 2GB memory card

but an additional contract = 2 numbers = hassle + paying extra 102pd for the exact same phone

then again, i can't afford a new phone at the moment...sigh...if 20pd is already considered my limit, let alone 60pd.

should i wait until next month and grab a new phone
OR
go for the deal, get a phone right away and put this hitch behind me?

Life is full of choices. Happiness or unhappiness is often a matter of choice.
Perhaps, i grew up with little choice about anything so i see having more choice as a burden.

a phone or a contract??

Arghhhhh!!!

you two manipulative rats!!

2009-01-12T17:08:00.003Z

This afternoon i went in for perio with an expectation that my patient won't turn up. A Chinese patient.

The reason being he didn't reply my message nor pick up his phone. An early sign of DNA.Woohoo!!

Hence I didn't bother to set up the bay, just waiting to be signed off and at the same time, talking to happy helen whose partner was 'ill', permitting her to an afternoon off.

But very unlucky for her. I had to snatch her brief joy when I suddenly caught a glimpse of my patient in the waiting room...arghhh..frankly, i also felt robbed of my happiness for a moment.
Since my clinical partner was nursing somebody else, poor helen had to take over his place. Still pouting, we rushed to set the bay up and start the treatment. Thank goodness, it was a short one!

''so your next appointment will be in two weeks which is on the .....26th Jan,'' i reminded my patient b4 he went off.

''It's Chinese New Year!" Helen squealed with eyes wide open.

Splat!
How could i forget that???

"err.. you sure you wanna come in on the first day of Chinese New Year?'' i looked at his hesitant face, hoping he would say no.

"It's a Chinese superstition that going to hospital on CNY should be avoided but it's ok, my teeth are more important,''

''Actually it's up to you whether you want an appointment on CNY or a later date. It's a good news for both you and me if you cant make it. But like i said, it's your decision. I cant cancel the appointment for you until you say so,''i tried to hint that he should call it off. Dude, it's CNY!

My attempt was in vain as he insisted to choose scaling over CNY
I turned to Helen, with a disappointed look.

"Are you gonna have a CNY party?'' Helen changed the topic

"Yea..we are gonna have a big party on the 25th and count down to CNY,'' his face lit up suddenly

"Wow..you will be staying up all night and drinking then..Maybe you should take a rest on the next day and save yourself the pain of having to come to dentist on CNY,'' Helen's suggestion made my patient hesitate again

"Yea yea..i might be too drunk to wake up the next day...i'll probably have to cancel the appointment then,'' we all laughed, for different reasons obviously.

He might be laughing at the idea of getting hangover on CNY but helen and i were laughing for our moment of triumph. Our dirty little trick! Woot!!

Cheers to Helen for the early CNY pressie :D

World's most expensive poop

2009-01-11T17:33:00.004Z

If you were given 50 pounds, what would you do with it?

save it?spend it on
a Nica handbag? a pair of Nike Air Force Premium trainers? a concert ticket? a day trip out of London? an exquisite dinner at a French restaurant?
OR
a cup of world's most expensive coffee?

Still think Blue Mountain is the most sought-after coffee in the world? Update yourself!
This honour belongs to a unique Indonesian coffee known as Luwak coffee or Civet coffee.

Interesting enough, this coffee is made from cats' droppings!!
The raw coffee beans are eaten, partly digested and then excreted by a small cat-like creature called the Toddy Cat. The cat is said to be very selective in it's choice of only the best and ripest coffee berries which explains the superior quality of the beans as well as its staggering price.

Still, 50 pounds for a cup of coffee sounds insanely extravagant.
What's worse is it is literally cat poo! *splutter*

No way!

Drink my poop!It's sumptuous!!

so...what now?

2009-01-07T20:10:00.001Z

5 days
That's how long i haven't been to Starbucks.
That's also how long i haven't set foot in anywhere out of Whitechapel.

A lot of things have changed in Starbucks, from indoor decorations to menu board. The 3 seasonal coffee treats are gone, replaced by a new slogan ' a moment of goodness with vivanno nourishing blend'. Seeing these changes reminds me that I should get myself a new calendar.
It's 2009 now. OMG!!
I've been too busy battling with poor appetite to usher in new year and make new year's resolutions.

Anyway, it's not too late to set goals now, right?
EAT LIKE A NORMAL PERSON
that's going to be on top of the list, definitely.
No joke, being able to enjoy what you eat is a bliss!
For the past few days, i have been trying different types of food to stimulate my appetite. Food that i have been refraining from for a long time. Food that i have been considering sinful aka diet killer.
Sadly, none of them works.

You may think '' good news! i can lose weight!!''
But trust me, you wouldn't want it this way.
Imagine you lose feelings of hunger and everything tastes like plain water.
Imagine you feel so bloated that you can barely breathe after half a muffin or a quarter bowl of noodle.
Imagine you have to keep forcing yourself to eat for survival's sake until you feel nauseous like a chemo patient.
Awful! Awful to the max!!

As for my second resolution, I'll think about it once I've achieved the first one.

Let's talk fashion

2009-01-05T00:17:00.000Z

Fashionistas: here is a list of trends to watch for spring 2009

Prints - Wonderful Parrot-like prints from Peter Pilotto, huge playful polka dots, and tropical exotic holiday prints.
Motif - The butterfly takes over from the star as the motif du jour in 2009. Don't fall into the trap of glitzy blingy kitch though - the butterfly this summer is all about elegance.
Colors - Tropical and zesty fruits and nutty flavors from pistachio, citrus lemons and limes to juicy papaya. An abundance of nudes offer a neutral (and transparent) palette. Metallic liquid silver and gold is everywhere, from jumpsuits to evening gowns. Black is out, nude is in, so is kingfisher-type blue, named as Palace Blue.
Jackets - Rolled or pushed-up sleeves especially on jackets and baggy blazers, or kimono sleeves. The Vest jacket gets a new look, from cropped to tunic length.
Jumpsuits and Playsuits - Figure hugging jumpsuits in slinky jersey and metallics and candy stripes and leopard prints.
Short suits - Not the demure variety, but sexy hotpants styles with matching jackets. Stylish daywear or sporty versions.
Trousers and Pants - The 7/8th crop length trouser (especially in florals) comes of age this season and cigarette pants are the look of the day. Add some floral printed pants from Henry Holland and DVF or slinky wet-look leggings.
Dresses - From single-shouldered dresses to tops and bikinis, asymmetric shoulder-lines have made a huge return in 2009. There are plenty of peplum waists (not good news for those with a bulging tummy) and spring-like papaya shifts and caftans.
Lovely in Lace - Last season’s black punk-goth-style lace has been given a softer romantic make-over with Edwardiana dresses from Erdem, in French lace.
Fashion Accessories - Think sash-like scarf belts and bug-eyed glasses, huge chunky necklaces,almost chest pieces and long, chandelier earrings.

reference: Spring 2009 Trend Report

Top left : playsuit ; Bottom left : single-shouldered dresses; Middle: big chunky necklace; Top right : long, tasseled earrings; Bottom right : transparent, sheer fabrics

Time for a new wardrobe??
Honestly, I'm tempted to shop after browsing through the fashion sites but let's face it: I'm financially handicapped after coming back from Turkey and Bulgaria.
So, forget about spring shopping spree until next month.

*sob*

so near, yet so far

2009-01-03T02:18:00.002Z

Last New Year's Eve I had so much fun counting down to a brand new year along the banks of River Thames and watching a spectacular 10 minute fireworks display fired from the London Eye.

Same time this year I curled up in my bed, under a duvet and layers of clothing to fight off an infection called FLU!

No cheers. No gathering in great crowds. No drunkenness. No talking to strangers.
Just me and my bed in a cold, cold room.

How long I slept I remember not, but as i opened my eyes I saw only darkness outside the window and the clock struck 5.
5 a.m. or 5 p.m.? I can't tell

Feeling heavy-headed and shivery, I groped for food.
Crunchy oat cereals. That was my first meal after a god knows how long sleep.
Bluek!
Not even managed to eat a handful of cereals.
I stuffed another handful and again, I threw all up.
Feebly, i crawled back to bed and slept it off.

It must have been an extended sleep as the second time I woke up, it was still pitch black outside and the clock showed 4.35. Only this time my head wasn't as heavy as before so I could shove myself to the fridge which was just 1 metre away from my bed.
I need FOOD!!I didn't feel hungry but my intuition urged me to eat.
Sighhh,,,what was in the fridge? Oranges, kiwis, lemons, apples and milk!!

Bluekkkk!!! Half of the apple i endeavoured to swallow was all out.

Gosh! What's wrong with me??I wanted so much to cry for help but my voice failed me.
Pretty sure that i wasn't alone in the flat. My flat mates were just a few metres away but my body was so frail that even walking a few steps might kill me. Worse still, i didn't have a phone. It felt as if i was all alone, completely isolated from the world; as if i was being left here to decease slowly. No one came by to check on me. No one! So much for living in a 145-resident hall..sigh!!

I can't help wondering how long it would take to discover my body if i died in the room.
One day? One week? Maybe when my body starts to rot and stink the whole place??
It was ironic that the first person to learn my condition was actually miles away but was the one sending help signals to my literally reachable friends in London for me.

A world without friends is a very lonely place, indeed!
Nonetheless, is it fair to say otherwise?

P.S. a big big hug for my life saviour aka my ex-roommie aka Pei Lian :):) You proved one thing "distance is no obstacle for saving lives"!!!!! *muaks*

Breaking out

2008-12-11T16:34:00.001Z

I have come to a point where i realise my blog is no longer a safe blanket for my thoughts and feelings so i shall be off blogging for a while

dunno when i will be back..maybe when i'm ready to share again or maybe when i have grown out of being judged by what i write

Anyway, thank you for all your visits and comments!

Take care :):)

Clean up this pigsty!

2008-12-06T22:29:00.001Z

If there is one thing i hate, it's room tidying

Clothes everywhere in bags of all sizes and colours, overfilled shoe rack with shoes stacking on top of one another, overdoor hooks drowned in bags and coats, papers and books scatter all over the table, leaving the laptop to suffocate in the mess they make

Visualise those images and now transfer them to my room, a 6 x 7 square feet room

An eyesore?Absolutely!

You know it's time to tidy your room when
you can't find half of your stuff
your guest feels claustrophobic after staying for less than 1 minute
the messiness becomes a hazard,
and
your friend who has got used to the clutter starts giving you suggestions on how to keep things orderly.

Arghh...a few more things to be added to the shopping list

probably what i need to turn my room from pigsty to presentable

I wonder where i should sleep if i fit them all into my tiny room...Hmmm

Beat the blues

2008-12-04T17:19:00.001Z

For all you guys out there

ever wondered why girls can feel depressed for no apparent reason at all?

some call it chemical imbalance in the brain

women call it PMS

yea..it's the hormones

it's that time of the month when you wake up in the morning feeling moody,headachy and tired, your pants feel tight and you wonder how the hell u gained weight overnight, you can't get enough of chips and chocolate, you feel bloated and crampy all the time even if you haven't tucked in anything and you get irritated by the smallest incident.

It is as if a different persona has taken over.

So ladies, how to fight PMS??

Eat complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain breads, pasta and cereals, fiber and protein. Cut back on sugar and fat.

Avoid salt for the last few days before your period to reduce bloating and fluid retention.

Studies have shown that taking 1,200 mg of calcium a day can help reduce PMS symptoms.

Magnesium supplement can help reduce bloating, breast tenderness and mood symptoms. There is also some evidence that vitamin B6 and vitamin E can help reduce PMS symptoms.

Talking with others about how PMS affects you can help. Sharing what you are going through will enable the people around you to be more supportive.

Get moving with aerobic exercise. Work up to exercising 30 minutes, four to six times a week.

Try new ways to relax and relieve stress, such as yoga or massage.

Last but not least

Avoid CAFFEINE and alcohol.

Gosh..i think the withdrawal symptoms will turn me into a manslaughter first!!

To: You From: Us

2008-12-03T13:54:00.000Z

Dear Yin Hui,

Christmas awaits you at local Starbucks. As a valued Starbucks Card holder we'd like to invite you to try our new Dark Cherry Mocha, on us.

a little bit of festive magic from Starbucks

A Fragile Thing

2008-12-01T13:24:00.001Z

As doctors, we're trained to be skeptical, because patients lie to us all the time. The rule is, the patient is lying until proven honest.
----- Grey's Anatomy : Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

Sometimes i think i'm not destined to do prosthodontics (a branch of dentistry dealing with the replacement of teeth)

first patient - a friendly chap but not compliant with his appointment. I have to discharge him after a couple of cancellations

second patient - a grumpy,nasty and fussy middle-aged woman who is willing to stay for only 1 hour for each appointment.Worse still, she is diagnosed with uterine fibroids weeks later and has to undergo hysterectomy which puts off her dental treatment.

now comes the third patient - a huge black man who is 30 min late for his first appointment

Medically, he suffers from hypertension, stroke, diabetes and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

When asked to come in early at his next appointment, he goes
"i live in North London. It takes me 3 hours to get here. There is no way to make it earlier!''

Clearly i have no idea how far Enfield (where he lives) is so i just take his words for it.

When queried about his dental and social history he jeers at questions like ''how many times do you brush a day?", "do you floss?" , "do you smoke?" which are what we call standard questions for dental check-up.

"You like being a dentist?Looking at people's teeth every day?" he sneers
"i'm enjoying it so far'' trying to sound positive
"i think dentists like giving empty promises!'' he then goes on how his previous dentist has kept him waiting for a year and never dealt with his missing teeth as promised.
"So i suppose the next visit will be in a year's time?" he gives me the scornful look which i hate a second time
"Of course not!Your next appointment will be on 15th Dec,'' i put down the date on his appointment card.
"Promise?I know your name and i will call to remind you. Don't you ever think you can fool around with me!"

WTF! first time my trustworthiness has been questioned by a patient!!

Even worse, i later finds out he is a big fat liar. It only takes 45 min max by train to travel from his place to Whitechapel according to my group mate who lives in North London. As a stroke patient, he is entitled to free travel after 9.30a.m. which explains why he refuses to make early appointment.

"3 hours is a joke!'' my group mate teases

Interesting enough, the patient warns me not to break my promise when he himself is a liar in the first place.

Trust is like a mirror. Once broken you'll never look at in the same way again.

But for the sake of my pros requirement, i must mend this fragile bridge even if it means i may have to put up with more lies then.

It sucks to be a dental student like me!!

Never enough

2008-11-30T12:36:00.001Z

A woman can never have enough shoes/bags/clothes

so what's new?

the hunt continues......

Never been so lucky

2008-11-28T13:25:00.001Z

i had been in a stupor
before and after i collected my result

I flicked through my patient's notes without comprehending what i was reading
the words seemed jumbled up in my mind, not making any sense

I didn't pay attention when my tutor was talking

"What are you doing today?" he peered at me indifferently through his square glasses
"Yea. I've got a patient at 11 o'clock,'' words slipped out of my mouth like a pre-recorded answer
"So what are you doing today?"he repeated in a colder tone
"Ohhh..ermm..probably fissure sealant and topical fluoride,'' i suddenly regained my senses, as if i have just been concussed

Not a good start to the day

After the patient left, i stared at the notes with a pen in my hand, having trouble recalling what i just did. The only words reverberated in my mind were 'result', 'R 240', '1.15pm' and 'doom'.

i went down to the lab, hoping to preoccupy myself with some lab work before getting my result. Then i met Helen there. We decided to face our fear together so we went back up to second floor, R240. We saw some of our course mates holding a piece of A4 sized sheet and smiling in relief at the walkway.

Ouch!
Dunno why but it hurt when i saw those happy faces. It haunted me that i might not be walking out with the same kind of face.

Oddly enough, it didn't seem to take a minute to collect my result slip but it took me yonks to pick up the courage and open it. Being braver than me, Helen read her slip line by line slowly, then looked up with unconcealed glee.

"Open it!i have a feeling we both have the same thing!!" She gave me a reassured look

Feeling paralysed, i slipped my shaking fingers into the envelop and withdrew the paper.

My eyes ran over every word again and again, trying to savour it slowly and make sure i wasn't hallucinating.

Section A, result : Pass
Section B, result : Pass
Result at Part 3 : Pass with Distinction

Ohhhh Myyyy Gawddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once again, i entered a phase of extreme bewilderment.

Speechless and reaction-less!!

Should i just.......scream??

Where is hope when i need it most?

2008-11-26T18:13:00.001Z

Why
wherever i go i hear people talk about it?
whenever i turn a deaf ear to everyone my eyes betray me?
however hard i laugh to forget it lurks in my dream and refuses to leave as i open my eyes?

so vivid and real that i can no longer fool myself into believing it's just a nightmare

fear starts to take a horrendous toll on me
there is nowhere to run
nowhere to hide
nothing i can do to blank out
so i just lie in my bed
let the sad tears i have been holding back fall
maybe if i dry my eyes up now it won't all end in tears?
let my heart fall
maybe if it hits the ground now it will stop falling?

but right now
i just want to escape
the uncertainty
the inevitability
the despondency

Laugh while you can!

2008-11-25T22:12:00.001Z

A joke is funny because it makes sense; nonsense is funny because it does not
not everyone can tell good jokes but everyone is gifted with the ability of talking gibberish
i personally don't get jokes right the whole time. In fact, i' m always the one looking bemused and wondering when everyone else is already laughing their heads off at somebody's joke
Nonsense is ,however, a completely different story. My language processor may be impaired when it comes to jokes but is certainly oversensitive to rubbish.
So if you wanna make me laugh, just don't talk sense
you'll be surprised how effortless and easy it is to crack me up

Here is some silly billy nonsense that i still find hilarious after having read them for zillion times. I know results are coming out this Friday but try not to let yourself fall into misery before you read this

Farting people

The Vain Person

One who loves the smell of his own farts.

The Amiable Person

One who loves the smell of other people's farts.

The Proud Person

One who thinks his farts are exceptionable fine.

The Shy Person

One who releases silent farts then blushes.

The Imprudent Person

One who boldly farts out loud, and then laughs.

The Unfortunate Person

One who tries hard to fart, but $#!^$ instead.

The Scientific Person

One who farts frequently, but is truly concerned for the environment.

The Nervous Person

One who stops in the middle of a fart.

The Honest Person

One who admitted he farted, but offers a good medical reason.

The Dishonest Person

One who farts but blames the dog.

The Foolish Person

One who suppresses a fart for hours and hours.

The Thrifty Person

One who always has several farts in reserve.

The Anti-Social Person

One who excuses himself and farts in complete privacy.

The Strategic Person

One who conceals his farts with loud coughing.

The Sadistic Person

One who farts in bed and then fluffs the covers over his bedmate.

The Intelligent Person

One who can determine from the smell of his neighbor's fart, precisely the latest food items consumed.

Sometimes

Sometimes...when you cry...no one sees your tears...

Sometimes...when you are worried....no one sees your pain...

Sometimes...when you are happy...no one sees your smile...

But fart just one time..

Imagine

The next time you're having a bad day, imagine this:

You're a Siamese twin.
Your brother, attached at your shoulder, is gay.
You're not.
He has a date coming over tonight.
You only have one ass.
Feel better...

Company Policy Changes

Effective Immediately

Dress Code

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days

We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday and Sunday.

Bereavement Leave

This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.

Toilet Use

Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break

Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

Just for fun

2008-11-24T22:02:00.001Z

got an email with a fun series of word puzzles from a friend

1. Arrange the letters of this phrase that will give the same meaning of that phrase: "ELEVEN PLUS TWO"

2. 120 ways to arrange the word "April". It doesn't even have to be a word, just all 120 ways to arrange the word April.

3. Arrange these words into a meaningful sentence "love ever u hate me like heart for if u never in life"

4. Arrange these letters in 3 words (hint: words you say when you are in love)

EUENYMROIA
EIHWLETVIM
FELEYBMI
FTOGUNIROIYWA

The first two questions are easy as they are simply logic but the last two are struggles for me
No wonder i never win the damn word scrambler

Well, give them a shot if you are just as bored as i am

*wink*

Memories

2008-11-22T20:07:00.001Z

a way of holding onto
the things you love
the things you are
the things you never want to lose

Gone are the days of my past and innocence

Whose kid is this?? So cuteee! *giggle*

Song dedications

2008-11-21T08:04:00.000Z

If someone dedicated this song to you

Cold As You

You have a way of coming easily to me.
And when you take, you take the very best of me.
So I start a fight 'cause I need to feel somethin'
And you do what you want 'cause I'm not what you wanted.

(CHORUS)
Oh, what a shame.
What a rainy ending given to a perfect day.
Just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say.
And now that I'm sittin' here thinkin' it through, I've never been anywhere cold as you.

You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray.
And I stood there lovin' you and WISHED them all away.
And you come away with a great little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.

(CHORUS)
Oh, what a shame.
What a rainy ending given to a perfect day.
So just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say.
And now that I'm sittin' here thinkin' it through, I've never been anywhere cold as you.

You never did give a damn thing, honey.
But I cried, cried for you.
And I know you wouldn't have told nobody if I died, died for you.
(Died for you)

Oh, what a shame.
What a rainy ending give to a perfect day. Every smile you fake is so condescending.
Counted all the scars you made.
Now that I'm sittin here thinkin' it through, I've never been anywhere cold as you

What song would you dedicate back??

False alarm

2008-11-20T16:03:00.001Z

Today my patient scared the hell out of me

i was meant to numb her teeth up before doing the extraction.
Nothing abnormal with her medical history except penicillin allergy
As soon as i gave the ID block, she started trembling, with her hands shaking uncontrollably followed by her mouth

"Is it normal to have this reaction after having the injection?" The patient looked apprehensive

Oh No! What have i done??

"Are u feeling nervous?" i tried to reassure her by putting my hand on hers

"No..not really...i mean i'm not afraid of needles or dentist usually...nothing can be as bad as childbirth really"

Okay, that wasn't what i wanted to hear. In fact, i started to feel adrenaline rushing through my body. ADRENALINE! That should be a clue to...erhmm...anaphalaxis?!?! Damn!

"Have you eaten since this morning?'' i tried to contemplate other possibilities ...i know i just did HHD last week so i should be able to handle medical emergency but seriously, this cant be happening..NOT NOW!

"No, i haven't had anything since this morning. You see, the pain is killing me. I know i should have eaten something b4 i came but i jz couldn't," i could see her lips quavering as she talked

I asked the nurse to get me some sugary drink. When the patient was sipping it i quickly flipped through the notes...no heart trouble, no hypertension, no liver problem, renal is fine....

"feeling anything funny, such as dizzy,itchy and nauseous?" i tried to squeeze the symptoms of anaphalaxis out of my head.

'No...should I?" She looked more concerned

Hell no!
Allright, there is only one sign so far which is tremor...could be hypoglycaemia but just in case....start with ABC, call 2222, oxygen, adrenaline...ermmm...chlorphenamine, hydrocortisone... what else? saline..then? C'mon, think harderrrrr, yin hui!!

"i think my lip is numb now..oh look, the shake has gone...funny, isn't it??" she looked at her hands, fascinated with the sudden cease of shiver.

#@@X%$#!&*x%$%#@@*#&!*%
That wasn't funny at all. I felt like bawling at her!

After i sent her off, the nurse came to me and went
"I think she was just anxious.''

What a false alarm! After all the thrills i had just put myself through, i began to feel limp.

Guess i need oxygen more than the patient

A lovely Wednesday

2008-11-19T19:33:00.001Z

It's the middle of the week
no lectures, nor clinics
slept almost till midday
the gals got no plan for today so i decided to hit the town alone and spend my day off my way

Rain or shine, day or night, weekend or weekday, the crowd on Oxford Street never diminishes

missing my buddies heaps!

not a good cook myself but i fancy experimenting with desserts, which reminds me that i need some guinea pigs for my little kitchen experiments ;)

HMV is another perfect place to get lost in, with mammoth collection of DVDs and CDs. My dear friends, when are we gonna watch MAMMA MIA?? We have been talking about it since last year *sigh*

Dark Cherry Mocha - a seasonal Starbucks newbie, recommended for non-coffee drinker

Lucky Tuesday

2008-11-18T13:05:00.001Z

Be careful what you wish for coz it might come true

A cliche? Maybe

Like a picture, a good cliche is worth 1000 words sometimes

I got up early feeling energised this morning...i guess i had a good start for DEC yesterday so i kinda looked forward to my second day of DEC

My first patient was a pregnant woman who complained of pain on her wisdom tooth. There was a big cavity on the tooth and she could hardly open her mouth due to the tormenting pain. As a routine, i did the history and examination, presented to tutor and then sent the patient down to x-ray department. I was already warned by the tutor that the tooth was not salvageable and the x-ray was needed to see the root morphology.

Yay! Extraction for today!!!

Dun ask me why i love extraction so much.

But, to my dismay the patient had to be referred to Oral Surgery coz it was a wisdom tooth extraction which might involve minor oral surgery.

Sightly upset and disappointed, i turned to Helen, telling her that i wanted to do an extraction. At least something different from the first day.
One minute i was whining, the next minute Dr Leung handed me a patient's note and said,'' Since you've just sent your patient away, here's another one for you. It's also an extraction!"

*cough cough* I hope she didn't hear what i jz told Helen.

............................................................................................................................................................

This afternoon my group had cons session. Karn was the dentist so it was practically a chill-out for me. Apart from running up and down the stairs several times ( 4th floor to 1st floor and back up), i just spaced out most of the time. That's what a dental nurse does..ooops!

During the treatment, Karn and I talked about RCT(Root Canal Therapy). Both of us had a patient who needs a Re-RCT which is basically a re-treatment. To be honest, I'm quite reluctant to do the re-treatment as it's more complicated and the risk of failure is higher than the primary treatment. So, i told him it would be nice to get a simple rct case and yet, meet the requirement for endodontics.

It was only 5 min or less after i made that remark, Dr. Swati appeared all of a sudden and asked if anyone needs/wants an RCT patient.
Right away, Karn looked at me. Gobsmacked and speechless, i nodded my head faintly.

"When you've got a minute come and speak to me.We'll discuss with the patient what to do next."She walked off with a contented smile, like a math geek just found a solution to a complex problem.

I later on found out that the patient needs an RCT on the upper left 5 which is a SIMPLE RCT as i wished!!

Did my horoscope say that today is my day?!?!

sigh...I should have wished for more ...perhaps a free lifetime starbucks coffee voucher, a walk-in wardrobe or a lottery ticket worth 1 million!!!

Wasted!

Tricked? Almost!

2008-11-17T13:19:00.001Z

It felt like first day back to school as i stepped into dental institute this morning

Fresh, yet familiar

A part of me was delighted coz i was going to do things i'm used to, just like a fish in water...no more HHD bizarreness except medical history

Another part of me was a bit uneasy about what to expect. Obviously pain is the main issue but patient might come in with a massive swelling on the face, fractured jaw, foul-smelling abscess, broken teeth, subluxed TMJ.. or anything that falls into the category of dental emergency.

Anyway my patient was a blonde lad, complaining of pain on his left jaw. The pain was so bad that even analgesic failed to work.
I looked at his teeth..hmm...heavily restored, some had fallen out, lots of calculus and nicotine stains...then moved on to the site causing problem..Aha, i saw a deep hole in the middle of second premolar!

Phewww...i can handle this. So, the next hour was spent on giving LA, rubber dam, drilling, extirpating the pulp, packing in some hypocal and cotton pellet and followed by sealing it with a temporary dressing.

My tutor couldn't be bothered to check my treatment so i just gave the patient some post-op instructions and sent him off. One patient, one treatment. A good warm-up for DEC week.

At lunchtime, i grabbed a coffee from Nucleus as usual b4 heading back to my room.

Out of the blue my phone rang. Private number.
I thought it was Karn, my clinical partner.

"Hello, can i speak to Yin?" an unfamiliar female voice with not-so-british accent

"Yes, speaking''

"Hi Yin, Congratulations! You've just won yourself The Best Starbucks Customer of The Year!" She shrieked

"Err..sorry, i dun mean to be rude.May i know who is calling?" i was baffled

"Oh, my name is Helen.I'm calling from Starbucks in New York. You have been chosen to be the best customer of Starbucks in the UK!"

"Erhmm...is this some kind of joke?" my head was full of question marks

"No, this is not a joke. This is an annual international prize awarded for customers who have shown immense loyalty to Starbucks......................."

"Hang on, this is really odd. How would you know my number?I've never given it to anyone in starbucks and heard of this strange award?!?!Sounds like a prank to me!" frowned

"This is real, Yin. I understand that you have a lot of questions and why you don't believe me. What about you take this ID down and go to the nearest starbucks to redeem your reward?"

"errr......." lost for words, trying to figure out who the heck it could be, cracking this lame joke

"Have you got a pen and paper? Your ID is wcu7893324......." She went on without waiting for my response

Suddenly something crossed my mind and i hung up the call right away.
Crap! How could i have not thought of that????
The lamest prankster of my group --> Mr B!!!!!!

hey you!! if you are reading this. you'd better watch out.
I'm gonna whip your head next time i see you!

When lizard brain rules

2008-11-16T12:52:00.000Z

Life after exam is enjoyably on the go

1 month of nerdiness in exchange for 11 months of carefreeness and idleness

can simply follow my heart, allowing my lizard brain to lead without a hint of guilt

and the best part is i'm not alone in this chirpiness

Not the best pizza i have had but with great company, anything goes

lost amid the knickknacks, would u?I know i would

fairy tale or reality? who cares?

My favourite of the night

Instructions

1. Place it on a hard surface
2. Bang head against "BANG HEAD HERE"
3. Repeat until you are unconscious or in so much pain that you
forget about your stress

live like a hanging snowman - shine bright!

random is our theme

A night of laughter

2008-11-14T00:57:00.000Z

A good belly laugh is all we need to keep ourselves balanced sometimes

5 starving girls, 3 puckered Yo!Sushi vouchers and 30 plates of scrumptious sushi

With excessive endorphins, the whole eatery echoed with our hearty laughter

it feels so great to have my hunger back after one week of poor appetite

plates mounting like a shot with 5 famished stomachs around

The return of long-missing wholehearted smiles

Life is tough, but thank goodness humans were created with a sense of humour

Isn't it ironic

2008-11-13T14:52:00.001Z

Less than 24 hours earlier i was fighting darn hard not to sleep, pushing myself to cram in 3 modules at the fastest speed possible. Even my jaw joints hurt from yawning. The only thing kept me from giving up was the thought of getting a good long sleep right after the last paper.

now the exam rush is over, the nightmare is gone but the side effect stays on

Post exam insomnia

2 hours of tossing and turning like an alert owl instead of dancing freely in the slumber land

All thanks to the past few days of overtaxing

Well-trained!

First thing after exam -- clear out the shelf, get rid of things that shouldn't belong in my room

Bubbye, sticky notes! It's time to care for Mother Earth -->RECYCLE

Crash

2008-11-12T22:54:00.001Z

Damn

eyelids are feeling so heavy nowww

keep reading the same line over and over

brain crash gets faster each time i try to reboot it, just like a vicious circle

must not sleeeeepp now coz no doubt if i do i'll be so doomed tomoro

WAKE UP !

Wake me up!

2008-11-11T14:29:00.001Z

Please tell me this is just a dream
When i wake up, everything is gonna be fine

I experienced dyspnoea, palpitation, tremor, sweating, dry mouth, tachypnoea, abdominal pain,chills....all the signs and symptoms you will come across in Oxford Handbook Of Clinical Medicine but i'm medically fit and healthy, no family history of heart disease, lung disease, liver disease or whatsoever. So where did they come from??

I saw SLE, trabecular pleural effusion, cytochrome p450, brucellosis, sialadenitis, medication for acromegaly instead of angina pectoris, stroke, hep B, chronic renal failure, anaphalaxis and tuberculosis. But i remember Dr Lalli saying "common things happen commonly" so focus on the diseases you will most likely to come upon clinically. So why did i see so many unfamiliar things on the paper?

The only explanation is this is not real, right?

How come i still cannot wake up from it no matter how hard i try to pinch myself??

A lesson learned too late

2008-11-10T11:19:00.001Z

Paper Ai is over but it's not the end yet. It's just the end of the beginning

The first paper is always friggin' daunting coz it signifies the start of an arduous battle

Like it or not, it's not a choice.

It's when all your fears and regrets start attacking you that you have no more time to go over the notes again, no more time to recall what you have read, no more time to look back on what you have missed out, no more time to console yourself you still have another day to finish what you haven't, no more time to dwell in remorse for not having been working consistently.........

Scary but true

3 more fiends to thrash.One fiercer than another

Certainly no time to kick back

*puff*

The silent killer

2008-11-09T19:53:00.000Z

Shit!
It's that time again.
Food doesn't taste as good as usual.
Appetite goes down right away when food is within sight.
Eating becomes an effortful task.

Oh, please eat!!

Where did time go?

2008-11-08T10:17:00.001Z

Why,it seems like only yesterday that i started my revision.
And now exam is just less than 48 hours away

I'm so horribly unready for it.
It feels as if my brain is failing me. i cant remember
all the clinical features of liver failure - jaundice, spider naevi, palmar erythema,leuconychia, excoriations and ...????
investigations for epilepsy - FBC, LFT, RFT,blood electrolytes and ....???
dose of tranexamic acid?1g?100mg?
how much dextrose to give to manage an unconscious hypoglycaemic pt?50%?20%?
side effects of thiazide diuretic??gout,hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and what else????

Arghhh. ..i still cant recall them even with a gun to my head

Is there a clot in my brain, blocking the memory pathway??

Can someone order a CT head scan for me, please??

Wittypedia wanted

2008-11-07T15:35:00.000Z

i have got 101 questions about HHD and dental stuff but my brain capacity is only 1GB (though some studies say the capacity of our brain is 1 to 1000 terabytes)
C'mon, time to let your Pentium-4 or Athlon XP shine!

HHD

What is the management for acute stroke?

How is oral lichenoid reaction treated?

Is GA contraindicated for patient with epilepsy?

How is jaundice treated?

What precautions should be taken in treating patient who has just undergone renal transplantation?

Is nitrous oxide safe to sedate patient with COPD?

Endodontics

Why is TTP important in endodontic diagnosis?

What are the clinical and radiographic signs of an acute apical abscess?

Prevention

What antibiotics should be prescribed for adult periodontitis?

What is triclosan?How does it work?

How does dental fluorosis increase the risk of dental caries?

These are just a few questions that constantly bugging me to say the least.
So, do have a go at them, whether to do me a favour or to help yourself recall.

Oh, before i sign off, here is one last question for you to ponder

What is CMG? (This one should be obvious if you can answer all the questions above)

*wink*