I am like a flower. Really ... I am . When it comes to the dentist.
In my life I have tolerated many pains. I have suffered the pain of broken bones , fractures, sprains, incisions, lacerations, contusions and many other pains ending with "ions". I also have endured the pains of heartbreaks, hardknocks and even hard-headed people. Often times, I have raised the bar on my pain threshold, reaching new heights as Life throws me its plethora of curve balls. BUT, there is one pain that I could never bring myself to conquer or even try facing. A toothache.
The toothache, a severe life threatening , migraine making, swearing inducing and a totally skull numbing sensation experienced when a tooth undergoes complications such as decay and etc. Amongst these, the biggest culprit... the WTC (Wisdom Tooth Complications). The one I have been diagnosed with now. How cruel can life be to me?
I always had felt that I had too many teeth. Ten years back I realised that it was due to the Wisdom Teeth ( I wonder why do they even call them that). Since everything was going ok, i turned a blind eye to the fact that I had 4 extra teeth. Recently, after a hearty meal, I dislodged a piece of food particle from my teeth using my tongue and spat it out. When the particle hit the basin, it made a "cling" sound. At that moment, my worst fear was confirmed.. I had to visit the dentist. Because the particle was actually a fragment of my Wisdom Tooth.
I made my appointment with the NDC. Like everyone else, when forced to do something that you dread, I tried to come up with excuses to postpone it. I even tried my hand at reading omens. I told the cab driver National Dental Center and he brought me to the National Cancer Center, what more of an omen can I ask for? Then, I realised I wasn't wearing socks. My God! This is the second omen. Walking into the glass panel of a malfunctioning Auto-Door entrance was the third. Thats it. I had enough signs to call it off ... till the mother calls in to seal my fate. "Don't let anyone know that you are afraid of the dentist. They will spit at you. You call yourself a grown up?!".. Yup that did it alright. My ego and pride were not ready to be subjugated to the insults of mummy. So i registered myself and got myself x-rayed and diagnosed. My Wisdom teeth had to go.
The dentist gave me 2 options.
1) Go for General Anesthetics and knock out while they pluck my teeth out. All 4 of them.
2) Go for Local Anesthetics and pluck out only 2 at a time. Meaning I come back one more time.
Just like a true Singaporean dentist. She read out all probabilities of the surgery.
1) " With G.A there is a 1 % chance that you may slip into a coma while you are in surgery... but then there is always a risk in everything"
2) " With both procedures, there is again another 1% chance of your nerves getting affected and you losing all sensations in your mouth." I am a Singaporean!!! there's nothing to do in Singapore but EAT!
3) "It's possible that your sinus cavities can be punctured during the surgery, if we detect it, we will patch it for you during the surgery itself...... this also is another 1% chance."
Now you understand why I am freaked out? My teeth is so close to my brain. Anything can happen when the dentist is happily yanking it out.. Which i have to witness since i opted for local anesthetics. Damn SHIT! I have to see a stout Chinese fella (assumingly) standing over me and probing my mouth... Whats the world coming to? Crap.... The Tooth Fairy better make me a good deal!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Trek Equinox TTX 9.9
Trek Equinox TTX 9.9Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Last Lecture : In honour of Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch
~ Oct 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008 ~
~ Oct 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008 ~
Was watching the news when i learned of Randy Pausch's passing.The following ONE HOUR, should you choose to sit and view this will prove very meaningful and he will open your eyes to your own problems. I first got to know about him in NIE and he has changed how i approach the so called problems in my life , forever. I really hope you can view this fully. If not at least in installments.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
sweat... sweat and more sweat.
I simply love to sweat. Not fully sure why though ( bet Wasim or Tahira would be more than glad to enlighten me). All i know is that it helps me beat the stress and most importantly...the emotional build up. I realize that though i am quite frank and open, i do internalize alot of issues that upset/irritate me. Simply because the issue seems too trivial for me to enter the "Raghavan Zone" ( simply put the confrontation zone). In the "Raghavan Zone" , there are no grey areas... its either all or nothing. So normally i would try to avoid the bitter after effects of an all out confrontation if the situation is deemed minuscule.
Anyway, coming back to the topic of.... sweat. I just love sweating. I love the sauna and i love the field exerceises back in NS days ( though i cursed it back then). At the end of a long , hard and exhausting day... sweating it out actually and ironically rejuvenates me ( starting to sound like an endorsement for Brands Essence of Chicken). But seriously it does. I was beginning to wonder if in fact, something was really off with me. I was not physically active when i was young. Its only now. I don't know why. My friends are reluctant to engage in constant or shall i say consistent physical activities and they simply churn out the same old excuses despite knowing the benefits of sweating it out. By the way... just to let you all know... Sweating makes you smarter. Don't believe? read Psychology Today .....errr.. i think you should place your mouse over the word "Psychology Today".
Some of my buddies cheese me off by specualting that i engage in all these activities cause i am training up to be an ironman. IRONMAN?! Your head ah. IronPOTBELLYman, maybe... But ironman , definitely no. Then there is the other group who always say that they don't have enough hours in the day to factor in exercise. I only spend 2 hours a week on solid exercise. Let me rephrase that into something more sellable. Only 30 mins a day and 4 times a week ... or 15 mins everyday.. how you want to incorporate it into ur schedule is up to the individual.
I get the wonderfull opportunity of playing soccer with my colleagues at the school courtyard on Thursdays.. Its a small courtyard... but when you run back and forth at your maximum sprints.. it can be the workout of your life.. After that.. i was primed to run a cross country.. which of course i run on Wednesdays with another set of colleagues. Then i also cycle to school every other day if knees are holding up well. Soccer and running only takes up one hour alltogether in the entire week. It also promotes opportunities to foster better friendships at the work place.
Well at least there are some people who take me seriously.. to a point where one has become a full fledged runner ( wink wink), Chandra is now the swimmer and Wasim the cyclist and me the runner in the next upcoming team triathlon event.. and yesh of course.. how can i forget Ah Bin the ROAR RUNNER... simply put he is mad. He has ran to the edge of his sanity...
I would love to whine more ... but this all i can dish out with one hand typing. I realised i have a penchant for abrubt endings. Can't help it... was never good in essays since secondary school.
Anyway, coming back to the topic of.... sweat. I just love sweating. I love the sauna and i love the field exerceises back in NS days ( though i cursed it back then). At the end of a long , hard and exhausting day... sweating it out actually and ironically rejuvenates me ( starting to sound like an endorsement for Brands Essence of Chicken). But seriously it does. I was beginning to wonder if in fact, something was really off with me. I was not physically active when i was young. Its only now. I don't know why. My friends are reluctant to engage in constant or shall i say consistent physical activities and they simply churn out the same old excuses despite knowing the benefits of sweating it out. By the way... just to let you all know... Sweating makes you smarter. Don't believe? read Psychology Today .....errr.. i think you should place your mouse over the word "Psychology Today".
Some of my buddies cheese me off by specualting that i engage in all these activities cause i am training up to be an ironman. IRONMAN?! Your head ah. IronPOTBELLYman, maybe... But ironman , definitely no. Then there is the other group who always say that they don't have enough hours in the day to factor in exercise. I only spend 2 hours a week on solid exercise. Let me rephrase that into something more sellable. Only 30 mins a day and 4 times a week ... or 15 mins everyday.. how you want to incorporate it into ur schedule is up to the individual.
I get the wonderfull opportunity of playing soccer with my colleagues at the school courtyard on Thursdays.. Its a small courtyard... but when you run back and forth at your maximum sprints.. it can be the workout of your life.. After that.. i was primed to run a cross country.. which of course i run on Wednesdays with another set of colleagues. Then i also cycle to school every other day if knees are holding up well. Soccer and running only takes up one hour alltogether in the entire week. It also promotes opportunities to foster better friendships at the work place.
Well at least there are some people who take me seriously.. to a point where one has become a full fledged runner ( wink wink), Chandra is now the swimmer and Wasim the cyclist and me the runner in the next upcoming team triathlon event.. and yesh of course.. how can i forget Ah Bin the ROAR RUNNER... simply put he is mad. He has ran to the edge of his sanity...
I would love to whine more ... but this all i can dish out with one hand typing. I realised i have a penchant for abrubt endings. Can't help it... was never good in essays since secondary school.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
the what , why and ifs of what the future holds...(very short one)
Determining what the future holds is an impossible task and we all know that. Then why are most of us ( including myself) trying so desperately to mould it. Is it an innate craving for control? A foolish tenet to be the master of one's own destiny? Lets narrow down the panoptic gaze on Life to just one's career and also lets take God out of the equation ( just for argument sake and to accomodate freethinkers views without prejudice)
We all would have had a certain inkling of who we wanted to become in our childhood. How many of us have achieved what we set out to do... Aspirations and reality somehow always seem to be at loggerheads. Why? Who is the culprit? Situations and circumstances? If so how? When everything is constant, why the rifts in outcomes. Is it as simple as being fickle minded.... i doubt so..
I honestly can't answer these questions without injecting God into the picture but this would fuel the theories of another group out there. That God is the side effect when our perpetual need for logic and comprehension is unsatisfied or unsubstantiated. In the end it simply becomes a vicious cycle. Back to the confusions board. haha.. good night.
We all would have had a certain inkling of who we wanted to become in our childhood. How many of us have achieved what we set out to do... Aspirations and reality somehow always seem to be at loggerheads. Why? Who is the culprit? Situations and circumstances? If so how? When everything is constant, why the rifts in outcomes. Is it as simple as being fickle minded.... i doubt so..
I honestly can't answer these questions without injecting God into the picture but this would fuel the theories of another group out there. That God is the side effect when our perpetual need for logic and comprehension is unsatisfied or unsubstantiated. In the end it simply becomes a vicious cycle. Back to the confusions board. haha.. good night.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Dark Knight Delivers...
The Dark Knight
The Director:Simply put, The Dark Knight ROCKS!!! Christopher Nolan delivers a solid rendition of my all time favourite (anti)hero. Nolan has created a reality that has never been so successfully visualized using characters from a comic book. I love it when everything makes sense and has a good and logical foundation. He has stripped the Dark Knight of its circus freak show taint, leaving behind a truly dark and vengeful vigilante who ironically becomes the cure for Gotham's cancer.
The Hero:
Michael Keaton, you suck! Val Kilmer.... you suck too! My God ... George Clooney, you can suck on Robin's Kevlar coated nipple. Christian Bale is the coolest and baddest Batman to date.
The Villain:
The late Heath Ledger gave a stellar performance as The Joker. No disrespect to Jack Nicholson but Ledger tore you apart like a cheap non-laminated China made stack of cards.
The Music:
Hans Zimmer and James Newton. Need i say more?
The Quotes: My favourite ones of course.
Harvey Dent- “Chance is the only reality in this cruel world. Unprejudiced. Unbiased. Fair.”
Harvey Dent- "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
(reminds me of our Mentos .....What ya think?)
The Joker - "This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."
The Ratings:
Monday, July 14, 2008
Keep moving...
Keep moving. My motto since young. No point wasting valuable time over spilled milk. I rather work for the solution then to keep lamenting. Moving on presents me with opportunities to seek a closure/ answer to my problems. In case this gets confusing, think about standing and running in the rain. When standing still you get drenched. When you run, you are less likely to get drenched. Stagnation only shackles you to your problems. Take a step back or move forward. I choose the latter.
So to follow up on my previous entry, i tweaked a few things. I realized that the Raascal had momentarily lost its essence due to a streak of ill timed misfortunes and i became shackled to a self sympathetic existence. In a simpler sense.. too 'emo' la. Kind of missed the satire, the rhetorics and the simpleminded morals of the stories.
[ struggling to connect the paragraph... hmmm ]
[after a good 20 minutes of typing and backspacing later...]
Yup, so i am going back to my roots. I am going to sidetrack a bit... actually screw it, i am going derail and re-instate the Raascal to its former glory (Rocky theme in the background).
[ Wind of Change by Scorpions playing in the background]
The wind of change has come.. Raascal has returned.. no more sappiness. No more 'emo' stuff. No more whines . No more complaints about dimwits on the MRT .... No more subtle hints to people. Henceforth its going to be disclaimers, satire , sarcasm and rhetorics. I am back [ in pure Billa style minus the paunch].
So to follow up on my previous entry, i tweaked a few things. I realized that the Raascal had momentarily lost its essence due to a streak of ill timed misfortunes and i became shackled to a self sympathetic existence. In a simpler sense.. too 'emo' la. Kind of missed the satire, the rhetorics and the simpleminded morals of the stories.
[ struggling to connect the paragraph... hmmm ]
[after a good 20 minutes of typing and backspacing later...]
Yup, so i am going back to my roots. I am going to sidetrack a bit... actually screw it, i am going derail and re-instate the Raascal to its former glory (Rocky theme in the background).
[ Wind of Change by Scorpions playing in the background]
The wind of change has come.. Raascal has returned.. no more sappiness. No more 'emo' stuff. No more whines . No more complaints about dimwits on the MRT .... No more subtle hints to people. Henceforth its going to be disclaimers, satire , sarcasm and rhetorics. I am back [ in pure Billa style minus the paunch].
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
...yeah right !
Something has been really wrong with me for the past weeks. I am out of moderation. Need to fine tune and tweak a few things. But fine tune what?
Sitting down on top of a hill and staring into the night sky for hours really helped in placing a perspective for my problem. Its a very simple issue. I don't believe. Don't take it theologically though.. Its just people whom i seem to have a problem with. I can't seem to take their word for it. Something is not right. The vocabulary? The tone? The way its said.... I end up analyzing everything thats been mentioned to an extent that i can see multiple angles to a simple coincidental event which could have occurred for the most trivial of reason.
In matters relating to simple daily events, this practice of mine is viewed as being wishy washy. I do not deny. It has helped in maintaining my sensitivity towards others. Approaching the problem from the same perspective as the affected.
In other more complexed and complicated matters, my critical analysis comes across as a war cry and the murder of trust. I also don't deny. It has helped in putting an end to matters that will not progress in anyway even ten years down the road.
This topic only came out as it has been lingering in the back ground for too long. Too many people are pointing to me about it. The reason for me being analytical, or to put it subtly , wishy washy, are you my friends. You cultivated this habit in me, now its hardwired. Sorry nothing can be done about it. When questions are answered with questions, initiations met with silence and when communication is killed with no substantial reason.... Wishy washiness is nurtured.
To those who are reading in between the lines and to those who are determining the tone of my entry. Look at the mirror... You proved that you are no different than me. So why are you pointing at me as if i am a plague. Kinda funny ah....
Sitting down on top of a hill and staring into the night sky for hours really helped in placing a perspective for my problem. Its a very simple issue. I don't believe. Don't take it theologically though.. Its just people whom i seem to have a problem with. I can't seem to take their word for it. Something is not right. The vocabulary? The tone? The way its said.... I end up analyzing everything thats been mentioned to an extent that i can see multiple angles to a simple coincidental event which could have occurred for the most trivial of reason.
In matters relating to simple daily events, this practice of mine is viewed as being wishy washy. I do not deny. It has helped in maintaining my sensitivity towards others. Approaching the problem from the same perspective as the affected.
In other more complexed and complicated matters, my critical analysis comes across as a war cry and the murder of trust. I also don't deny. It has helped in putting an end to matters that will not progress in anyway even ten years down the road.
This topic only came out as it has been lingering in the back ground for too long. Too many people are pointing to me about it. The reason for me being analytical, or to put it subtly , wishy washy, are you my friends. You cultivated this habit in me, now its hardwired. Sorry nothing can be done about it. When questions are answered with questions, initiations met with silence and when communication is killed with no substantial reason.... Wishy washiness is nurtured.
To those who are reading in between the lines and to those who are determining the tone of my entry. Look at the mirror... You proved that you are no different than me. So why are you pointing at me as if i am a plague. Kinda funny ah....
Saturday, July 05, 2008
The highlight of my week....
Its been a very weird week. Actually a tough one. Not physically though. Mentally and emotionally. But i guess the hug from Shan makes up for the shitty week. Thanks babe.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Paper....
Finally.
We are Teachers now.
Before, we were not.
We are doing the same thing now,
that we did before.
So,
are we Teachers or are we not?
We are Teachers now.
Before, we were not.
We are doing the same thing now,
that we did before.
So,
are we Teachers or are we not?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
a clogged sinus and a coffee later...
Yes. I am officially cranky. For today at least. My head's every movement is amplified thanks to fluids clogging up my sinus cavities. Whats more irritating is that it (the sinus clogging ) came almost instantly. One sneeze was all it took.
So. Today is not really a good day to come up to me and open a grand topic on Life and the frailty of friendships. I can tolerate the nonsensical views of Life that you have ( everyone is entitled to their own opinions ). But i can't tolerate you canvassing your lack of efforts in maintaining a friendship as it (friendship) being frail. Most importantly, enough of the train analogy dude ( you were lucky i wasn't feeling well). Really enough is enough. I hope that your analogy was tuned to local context. Meaning, I hope you were referring to local trains. So here's me putting my perspective into this age old adage (no pun intended).
Enough of you and the people you meet in your life as passengers on the train you are taking. And enough of the people having to exit at various stations like how friends move away at stages in your life. Dude.. wake up ... Here at least in Singapore the MRT makes return journeys. True you may make a journey from one end of the island to the other ... but you also make the return journey. So does the guy who got off along the way.. you are probably going to see him again in the following day ( He also has to go to work rite). Funny thing is, the MRT can act as a perfect guide to how we should handle our friendships. You get off when your station arrives to carry on with your life. Then you get back on and meet the same people again going back home..All heading together for the brief moment of time and then when its time to alight... you alight.
As for the friends who disappeared amidst the stages in your life, they would have been there if they wanted to . So re-assess the friendship. Alternatively, maybe its just you who abandoned them in the so called evolution of friendships. You know like the saying goes " Has the world turned its back on you , or is it you who turned your back on the world". Stop feeding the vicious cycle and stop masquerading like a sage who has seen it all and done it all. Idiot.
I can't breathe through my nose anymore. sinus is bad. i am gonna hit the sack. good night.
So. Today is not really a good day to come up to me and open a grand topic on Life and the frailty of friendships. I can tolerate the nonsensical views of Life that you have ( everyone is entitled to their own opinions ). But i can't tolerate you canvassing your lack of efforts in maintaining a friendship as it (friendship) being frail. Most importantly, enough of the train analogy dude ( you were lucky i wasn't feeling well). Really enough is enough. I hope that your analogy was tuned to local context. Meaning, I hope you were referring to local trains. So here's me putting my perspective into this age old adage (no pun intended).
Enough of you and the people you meet in your life as passengers on the train you are taking. And enough of the people having to exit at various stations like how friends move away at stages in your life. Dude.. wake up ... Here at least in Singapore the MRT makes return journeys. True you may make a journey from one end of the island to the other ... but you also make the return journey. So does the guy who got off along the way.. you are probably going to see him again in the following day ( He also has to go to work rite). Funny thing is, the MRT can act as a perfect guide to how we should handle our friendships. You get off when your station arrives to carry on with your life. Then you get back on and meet the same people again going back home..All heading together for the brief moment of time and then when its time to alight... you alight.
As for the friends who disappeared amidst the stages in your life, they would have been there if they wanted to . So re-assess the friendship. Alternatively, maybe its just you who abandoned them in the so called evolution of friendships. You know like the saying goes " Has the world turned its back on you , or is it you who turned your back on the world". Stop feeding the vicious cycle and stop masquerading like a sage who has seen it all and done it all. Idiot.
I can't breathe through my nose anymore. sinus is bad. i am gonna hit the sack. good night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)