Only Sadness

i have no idea why but James Blunt has become the singer of the season. he sings melancholic, slightly gay songs which grab your brain and refuse to let go. frankly im afraid of overplaying his stuff but nothing else seems to do anything for the moods ive been in the last week.

im seriously starting to wonder if another half year extra is in the works for me. i feel so damn inadequate in the face of the great work that is my profession-to-be. and the prostho stuff is not coming up fast enough. and the way my out-of-school life is going, i'm enough of a wreck now for 2 men.

No Bravery - James Blunt

There Would Still Be Music Left To Write

somehow havent had the incentive to blog for a long time. my life lately has been a mess of burring and flaming, and tempers have risen and fallen in a steady synchronity with how my patient's teeth are lining up. its frustrating when work slows because of lack of the proper items, and uncertainty about how to proceed. i need to find Mohammad stst on monday morning cos the teeth i've been issued for my Yellow File Ah Pek are too tiny. and setting him up with 3 or 4 anterior diastemata is just gross.

latest hot topic in the local sections of the paper has been aggressive proselytising of patients by the Christian members of teaching and healthcare professions. our nation has been miraculously glued together despite its diverse creeds and cultures, and religion has always been a touchy thing. a disturbing factor is that by nature, Christianity is made to be spread. its methods seem agressive next to the other religions where the usual mode of entry is birth. there is, and i will categorically state this, no such thing as a person born into Christianity. we gain our converts via, you guessed it, conversion. decisions made as conscious, convicted, consenting individuals. so the question is, should doctors be allowed to practice and preach? should they care for the soul of the patient as well as his body? should the dentist have a tract rack in the waiting room and bible verses on the wall where the patient can see as he's stuck in the chair, captive and rubber-dammed? when are lines crossed? where are the lines? how can a healthcare professional be so insensitive? i think amongst all of these the Christian healthcare worker should be sensitive to the call of God. ask nicely before proceeding, and back off if the patient is in pain, just like any other procedure. no preaching during venipuncture, definitely.

How Many Hearts - Travis

I Wanna Give This Imagery Back

the days seem to be flying by in a draining blur. library infestation is in vogue again, and 7 other classmates sit scattered around me in various states of awakeness trying to study Oral Pathology. i have no mood for this. the notes are crap, and i've read through Neville enough times to bore me but not enough times for it to absorb. since when do books absorb into my memory by reading anyhow? there are so many other things to fix up in my life, like my back-dated lab work and patient management and christmas musical and messy messy messy emotional life.

backdated movie review of the weekend is for The Corpse Bride. Tim Burton does not disappoint this outing with the animation, which carries enough subtle touches to show the work of a master. plot is sufficient, not exactly intellectual fodder but easily accessible to kids and adults while able to keep both groups stimulated. charaters are well thought out and mesh well. the musical score and songs by Danny Elfman are excellent work as well, at times giving the movie the feel of a Disney movie gone wrong. this one's worth watching!

picked up Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams from Sembawang before the movie. was impressed by a music video of one of the songs while over in the UK, and the CD did not disappoint. folksy guitar and intelligent lyrics carried on excellent melodies make this a worthy addition to my CD collection. and the music is calming me down even now as i try to refocus on my OP...

Do You Remember - Jack Johnson

Oh Well, It Seemed Like Such Fun

my holidays are now officially over since it's crossed midnight and it is now monday with a vengeance. i officially spent the last hour or so of my hols playing DotA, thrashing some noobs with Mangix the Pandaren Battlemaster, which i think was pretty okay. granted, they werent the most cerebral of opposition, save one decent Medusa player, but i just wish that the rest of the guys were playing too. clan BDS-in-Exile is practically defunct now.

what else have i done with my holiday? went to london, didn't see the queen. learned that even if materials and methods differ, dentistry is still dentistry and standards are required of you even in poor working conditions. saw once again the sad truth of how our class has grown cold to the point where they will not meet to celebrate the happiness of one of their own. clarified and confused myself so many times over... and now its back to the little corner of the lab where i try to work magic and sometimes fail. my little field of dreams, where wax turns to gold. wish the damn ortho wires would turn to gold too, but they just confuse my eyes and hurt my hands.

Little Wing - JAM Project feat Masami Okui

Take This Chance, I Won't Repeat This

the cast and lower Hawley bow lie on my table, half-bent. my brother is lyin on the mattress behind me tryin his darndest to out-sing my laptop blasting Love Psychedelico. all in all, a pretty good morning! the only thing spoiling it is the niggly feeling that school is just waiting to bushwhack me on monday. haiz... how the hell does one bend the wire to be evenly 1mm over the cast anyhow?

here's an overdue movie review. The Brothers Grimm is a bit of an odd concept... fairytales, disillusioned men, action, evil witch queens, comedy, psychopaths, horror and a few beheadings all rolled into one. and somehow it succeeds at entertaining. i guess this was in line with my conjecture that Matt Damon has yet to make a bad call at role selection. set design is right in line with the fairytale-gone-wrong concept, cobwebby, grimey and muddy. the stock villains in the form of campy frenchmen and a whacked italian mercenary are so over-the-top they're actually funny in themselves. and there are enough comic moments to act as stress-breakers, even in the midst of scary scenes. not exactly high-brow art, this movie, but good to watch to de-stress!

Move This Mountain - Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Every Beginning Is Another Beginning's End

censorship is a bitch, innit? and yet sometimes for the good of society, and to uphold the morals of the common man who cannot differentiate art from real life, censorship is necessary. and so... unless you saw the blog entry for the half-hour or so it was up you'll never see it. for the good of society!

僕らはヒーロー - Kiroro

Never Further Than Right Beside

im finally home! very thankful that the journey home was much less eventful than the journey there, that i can get a nice shower and a clean bed, and that the room doesnt smell of feet that arent attached to me. and that i dont have to live out of a suitcase any more.

DotA 6.16 is out! that means that i have been out of the loop since... too long. randomed Bloodseeker, and got my ass handed to me. granted, the other team were lanners, but still it was a very painful game. really wish to get the rest of the clan back so that we can train again.

柊（ドラマ「恋文～私たちが愛した男～」主題歌） - Do As Infinity

Know That You Need It And Try To Believe It

i am finally going to bugger off from this wonderful little country. it has been 12 days and 2 version releases since i arrived here, and there are so many things to do back home. wire bending, Behavioural essay, studying for OP and FP, distributing the distressingly huge mountain of souvenirs and shit... and hopefully watching a good movie or 2 at the now relatively affordable SG prices. Pride and Prejudice... Kiera Knightly awaits...

my mattress calls from across the sea
it yells out loudly 'come lie on me!'
and if e'er there were a place to be,
t'would be on my mattress, worry-free .
-Jonathan Ee 2005

Ozymandias

i think Singapore would do well to start importing Walker's Crisps. the Walker's Sensations range is widely advertised in the tube, and i was wondering how, in the adopted homeland of the crisp (known elsewhere as the chip) this product would stand up against other established chips from america like Lays and old series Pringles. the crisps did not disappoint. a small 40g bag of crisps set me back 40p at the Spit, the unofficial GKT ang moh mamak shop. upon opening (which was not easy, as having no centre spine or pre-perforated tear point, one is forced to grip and rip the seam open along its cleavage plane) it was immediately apparent that the crisps were of remarkable thickness. under normal circumstances this would spell instant fatality. but i shit you not, these crisps have excellent crunch. they are brittle like any other american chip. flavourwise, these do not disappoint. Chargrilled Steak & Peppercorn Sauce Flavour Crisps really taste as advertised, and the flavour selection promises to bring a whole new range of subtle, classy flavours to the market. lets face it, heavy cheese a la Cheezels is so Primary 6. now i just have to stop myself from licking the empty bag...

Latex-triggered Anaphylaxis

almost a week has gone by in London. to compress everything into one blog entry will be complicated... so many things have happened quickly and yet slowly its just amazing. got to really be thankful one of the Yr4 students latched onto us and has been taking us around. sure, i miss aspects of home. like a towel rack where my towel wont get wet when im showering. or a room of my own with a door that doesnt auto-lock and have people (potentially drunk) pounding on the door asking to be let in at 3am. i miss my friends. but there are perks. the people lead free-er lives. theyre not afraid to speak out and be who they want to be. theyve been generally hospitable too (apart from one asshole who will be mentioned in la grande revue when i get back).

frankly, if i won like 3 million Yusof Ishaks i wouldnt mind doing post-grad here. sure, the facilities look a teensy bit more dated, and the exchange rate is rapacious, but the pace is so much more relaxed. fer goodness sake, they did in one full day of paedo tech what we would have done in half. the public parks look great to wander in on a cool evening, and the buildings are so varied compared to our relatively young and hence homogenous city.

funny enough, we havent seen any Singaporeans around. even though there are Singaporean medical students out there, no sign of any so far in GKT. im kind of developing a chinese version of what Nijam calls the Indian Radar... anyone looking remotely Han i'll spot and analyse... Chinese? Mainlander? Heung Gong Yann? Korean? Cute?

Settling Dust

just finished typing up all the base charting that i could find for my patients. another term has come and gone and the draining feeling still hasnt lifted. in 30 hours i fly for London. and i just feel so unprepared. no idea whats happening to me there, no idea who to meet or what to do. what i really want now is my bed.

last night's Densoc AGM was the most amazingly rigged AGM i have ever seen. now Yeehau has been left with the unenviable task of heading a student society the student body doesnt give a rat's ass about. and all because some people wanted something before its time. it was just disgusting.

しゃぼん玉 - Kiroro

Angel From A Fairytale

one more week and i'm outta here! the date draws near, and hopefully things will fall into place nicely. i still have 2 tests to do, a shitload of wires to bend, and my clinics to line up for next week. money hasnt been changed, DPH proj hasnt been printed out, and i havent started even thinking of what to pack.

got a new phone! and to increase the happy factor, its not a Samsung! im back in the Nokia fold with a cute little black thingy. i have some suspicion its a girly phone though. it has a girlified pinball game in it... ewww... and not very fun to play either. got a Tong Hua ringtone for my SMS, happy like banana!

for some weird reason, the Yr2 movie is still sticking in my mind. must be the amazing power of mush behind the MTV... and the fact that its actually a pretty decent song. wish i could compose like that, and play like that.

Tong Hua - Guang Liang

A Happy Sky Is Blue

just survived buffet night 2005. while funny enough i was dreading going, in the end im glad i went. i think buffet night symbolises to me the subversive side of dental students, when we take a stab at the deanery and have a good laugh all around. was really very impressed by the work that the years put out. without going into details, even though there were so many rough edges in the presentations, the sparks of genius that shone through just made me yearn more for a life outside dentistry. and yet at the same time, noone else quite understands what it is that we do and go through.

for those of you who missed the shows, you missed some good stuff.

Infraction

has my life really been so messed up these last few weeks? yeah, i've been in a rut since round about that last RP session on a thursday, but still... dont know if its hard to believe that im actually paying attention when it looks as if im not. and whe i t looks like i am, i i really may not be. surest sign is to see if im drooling...

Anime review for the week is Peace Maker, the latest offering from Gonzo Studios to grace Arts Central. this one gets a general positive review, artwork is of the level of excellence expected from Gonzo and general plot, although starting stereotypically so far, seems okay. the general feel, on the other hand, is that this is pretty much a lower-age Shonen kinda show, with dark bits showing through. the protagonist is a bratty 15-year-old, of course, and theres a pig that acts like a dog and torments him. yeah... general high hopes for this series though, because the lack of maturity of the lead leaves a lot of room for plot and character development. and chopping people up!

Jon's Wishlist Of The Moment:

1) sirloin steak, medium rare, done with black pepper sauce and mashed potatoes

2) personal labtech

3) better hands

4) 36 straight hours of sleep

5) some way of thrashing the med DotA players

6) a big hug. of long duration.

The Shadow Of Your Smile - Astrud Gilberto

Blaze Of Glory

guess my life has really been managed q badly. i managed to forget today was scheduled for a technical recall. and guess what? they decided to activate 417. this mean that i had to make a mad dash from church (just before service, so zhun) to go home, find a smart4 and beret and boots, and then go to New Kiat Hong. actually managed all this in 1hr. which is why im damn glad i dont stay in Tampines or sth.

was pleasantly surprised by PJ getting her section of the DPH project on critical analysis of the school dental system out to me this afternoon. shall save the critical reviews, but hey she did the essay and all pretty quick. on a lazy sunday afternoon i would have taken forever. now i have to jazz up my section, and we have to fill in the first section in the worksheet before we can submit. and then we can get this damn thing out of the way!

Amazing Kiss - BoA

Another Groove, Another Jive

from a conversation with Anqi in the clinics a few days ago, i was inspired to get my hands on a BoA album. been wanting to get one since my bro DL'ed some tracks from the net, and hearing the same track on Anqi's laptop was the breaking point. so far so good! need happy happy beat-filled stuff to keep things going for me.

term is ending so fast and i feel as if things arent falling into place for me. the lab barring is screwing things up even more cos i cant prepare for my RP sessions properly. i mean... come on. the staff have to realise just how the 5-day week is affecting us. and if our batch passess through school despite the handycap they'll probably see this as proof that such a rushed system can still work feasibly.

still need to finish the damn DPH project. PJ popped by my place friday night to try and finish it, but due to the lack of information, she ended up doing her mail while i did my research.

LISTEN TO MY HEART - BoA

I Know You Hate To Hear/ That I Adore You, Dear

Tiong has just turned 23, and in a generous gesture, he decided to treat some of us to dinner! really good to break the monotony of school life with something a bit different.

food review today is Munchy Monkey, the eatery located in YIH. as befits a student joint, the pricing is competetive for a place with aircon. 6 Yusof Ishaks will net you a main course, dessert for a few bucks more. and a big-ass ice water dispenser lies waiting to cater to the dehydrated. food quality is acceptable, the lasagna i tried was competent enough, but not especially outstanding against the benchmark of Mum's cooking.

issued Grandma's repair denture today. i think mebbe my rotten luck can be extended to all prostho. there i was, happily thinking that because the denture fit the cast like a freaking glove, even after fixing both the major connector fracture and adding a tooth, that it would pop in and sit down and not rock and the world would be bright and gay. yeah right. patient sent off without the denture base making full contact with the palate. like, what the hell? it wouldnt even sit down all the way, and of course that brought concommitant rocking. Prof Keng had a look, bent the clasps a bit with an Adams and then said that was as good as it gets cos repairing partials is messy business. oh well.. TD'd a distal carious lesion in the remaining 20min or so before discharge. and yeah... denture repair is dirt cheap, $5 to be exact. viva la sweatshop.

U Boat - Kasabian

And You Were Once My Sunshine?

sometimes reality bites and you realise that youre not that good at something which you really like and spend quite a bit of time doing. Clan BDS lost 2 consecutive matchups with medical irregulars. granted, it was 5.84c, but nonetheless... we need to get down to working together again. the synergy is officially gone.

looks like the aftermath of our labwork extensions have caught up with us. early lab closure for next week. i mean.. this is not good. dentures wont get made in time. and it all falls back on us. for some flimsy reasons the staff do not see fit to extend hours for us... oh well. half of dentistry is working miracles. the other half is making people see the miraculousness of it.

Czardas - Klazz Brothers feat Cuban Percussionists

By The Seashore/ You Mean Sur La Plage

weekends come and go, and this one is in the going phase. not too bad actually. besides the traditional icecream i managed to get me a new book and ten Yusof Ishaks worth of lab food! and in my post-prandial stupor the lyrics and music of Cole Porter guide my thoughts into tonights blogging.

book review for this week is Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett. in all honesty i think im not the most critical of book reviewers. i read Phoenix and while i got a little upset that Sirius Black was bumped off by Death Eaters, i still liked the book. im also quite a fan-boy of Terry Pratchett, having read his books since i was a wee lad of 14, wearing bermudas in ACS(I). Monstrous Regiment gives enough immediate laughts and later thoughtfulness to be worthy of his stellar line of Discworld books. the general premise of this story is basically a Discworld variation of Hua Mulan, a girl who signs on to look for her missing brother. there are enough plot details and pop culture references to keep the older and more knowledgeable writer chuckling a little. deep issues involve women in men's roles and being true to oneself. a recommended read, but then again so is the whole series.

All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

Truth And Reconciliation

now that Jo is back from State-side, my regular movie kaki is back. kinda celebrated by catching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Suntec, our usual fallback when orchard has no tickets or is just ridiculously full.

the subject of the aforementioned review is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. but of course. it would be worth noting that the book, written by Roald Dahl, is one of the best-loved children's storybooks. the adaptation of this beloved book was however excellently handled by Tim Burton. characters in the book were updated without losing their character and plot relevance, and Willy Wonka was given a back story. one which i find professionally distasteful, but nonetheless one which the public will love... the whole tone of the book was also shifted slightly and given a dark edge. enough fleshing out was given to the original plot to deny the chance to create Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which i saw as an unusual move. visuals were excellent, as expected from a Tim Burton opus. characters were solidly portrayed, and well fleshed out by the mostly-unknown cast. music by Danny Elfman, a long-time Burton collaborator, was infectious. this movie gets my recommendation!

just burned my new Bossa Nova CD. need a bit of new music to lift the spirits. and so far its good stuff!

Fly Me To The Moon - Astrud Gilberto