sunny days* keeping the clouds away

december so far

2009-12-26T06:00:25Z

1) met up with the bffs again to mark the start of the bingeing season.

it's been 10 years and my respect for them hasn't waned. if anything, it's increased. think it's amazing how they're all so incredibly strong in their own unique ways. al's super focussed and determined--she knows what she wants and goes all out to get it. yn ay's never afraid to take risks, frequently plunging into the unknown with enthusiasm. ruomei's the outspoken trilingual one; articulate, intelligent and confident, i won't be surprised if she makes it to forbes' 100 most powerful women in the world. clara's the creative one who traded in her cambridge law degree to realise her dream of becoming an animator; she never fails to dazzle me, whether with her banner designs, ideas for council souvenirs, awesome AEP pieces, or her more recent animation reels. then there's kristy, the all-rounder, whose resume is just staggering. she went through ocs, knows how to fly a plane, represented the country in softball competitions, and is set to be a medical doctor in about 6 months time. and me? i guess i'm just a dentist with amazing friends :)

2) celebrated christmas with the family :) big christmas dinner on the eve, midnight mass, and an even bigger christmas lunch the next day.

the man bought one of those gorgeous fruit tarts from fruit paradise for my family instead of the ever-generic log cake. i got owned by this chocolate banana tart. it's practically a meal in itself. spent the rest of christmas day half-comatosed on the bed, watching monk season 3 and preparing the tummy for...

3) more bingeing on christmas night at dao(aka binge buddy)'s place.

no pictures cuz i was so excited abt the food i forgot to bring my camera. omg it's official. his bbqs are the BEST. perfectly cooked chicken wings with crackling skin, juicy pork ribs, sausages with his mom's damn power chilli padi sauce, pork belly, prawns, "firm and mushy" (haha) fish, non-rubbery squid with loads of sambal, and the pièce de résistance--ribeye steaks! the only thing missing was his mother's awesome pineapple tarts. but seriously, there's no turning back now. this is the peak as far as bbqs go.

4) and tonight it's nick's surprise 21st at janice's rider's cafe. expect there will be heaps more food :)

it's been an amazing month so far, and it's only gonna get better cuz...i'm on leave next week! :):):):):):):) have a blessed christmas!

at 8-9 months

2009-11-29T05:44:08Z

occupational hazards

2009-11-27T04:32:36Z

yesterday i met THE ULTIMATE SPOILT BRAT. usually i'm averse to raising my voice at the children even when they're being extremely difficult but yesterday i found myself pushing voice control to its limit. my hands were actually trembling for about an hour after the experience. it sucked that we weren't at hpb so we couldn't call for reinforcements to help physically restrain her. now my deltoids are aching like crazy.

jacob

2009-11-19T07:30:29Z

dear jacob,
it may have only been 5 short years, but know that you were loved dearly. i hope you're happy with the angels up in heaven now, running around playing with your paper aeroplanes.

there are no words for this

2009-11-09T14:25:00Z

this morning i found out that my little cousin in brisbane had an accident in the pool and is now in an induced coma. i cried when i heard the news. for the rest of the day i had difficulty concentrating at work. he's just a kid. he's tiny. i couldn't understand why such an awful thing had to happen to someone so young and innocent. i hated that i couldn't go visit him. i felt so helpless. for the first time i regretted choosing dentistry over medicine. at least if i were a doctor i could help fight for the lives of little children like him. so instead i prayed hard cuz that's all i could do for him.

reminiscing..

2009-11-07T05:36:53Z

i miss the old days :')

springbreak

2009-10-11T08:18:55Z

as much as i'm enjoying life after dental school, there is one thing i really do miss and that's the school holidays. i've been fortunate enough to get 24 days annual leave which is unheard of for many of my fellow non-dental fresh graduates. nonetheless, 24 days is nothing compared to the 13 weeks-a-year breaks we got as students :(

used up 7 days of my leave on a 10-day holiday down under and o.m.g. i wish it had been longer. aus is beautiful in spring! we go down every year to visit the grandmother but it's always in summer when temperatures hover at a sweltering 38 degrees. this time queensland was a more acceptable 32deg (except when the sandstorm hit and it went up to 36deg for a day :| ) further south in tasmania was even better at a gorgeous cool 10-15deg :)

time to start planning for the next trip!

transition to adulthood

2009-09-12T10:03:52Z

a few days ago the baby's upper canine exfoliated. this time i was fortunate enough to snatch the tooth away before he could swallow it.

this one's for keeps. alongside my own wisdom teeth. hur

they grow up quickly, don't they...a little too quickly.

satisfaction is...

2009-08-12T15:14:28Z

when you manage to acclimatise a difficult, apprehensive 4 y.o. to the point where his parents tell you you're "good" and ask for your name so they can request for you to treat him again at the next visit.

it's moments like these that make up for the many many shitty moments. shitty moments that make you feel like quitting your job/never having children/shooting yourself (or more frequently, the kid.) it's amazing how a simple heartfelt thank you can brighten up the darkest of days and make you feel like just maybe, you're not that crap a dentist afterall.

daily conversations

2009-08-02T05:55:22Z

at home
me to my dog:
"that's a good boy, bruno!"
"you're doing such a good job!"
"wow, aren't you a clever boy!"
"thank you for pooping on the grass!"
"no, don't bite me."

at work
me to my pedo patients:
"that's a good boy/girl, XX!"
"you're doing a GREAT job!"
"wow, aren't you a clever boy/girl!"
"thank you for opening your mouth so wide!"
"no, don't bite me."

life is good

2009-07-22T14:36:35Z

i'm totally enjoying working life. it feels wonderful to be able to head home straight after work and not have to worry about labwork, patient scheduling, requirements, tutorial read-lists and anything dentistry-related. i am free to take my naps, play with the crazy pup and just do whatever i want!

life after dental school is FABULOUS.

GRADUATION!

2009-07-13T15:34:14Z

finally :)

with prof yeo

it's as if wataru's the chosen one or something

marian, the bestest labby! :)

mh and dr uy

family

and more shots at FOD before they tear it down :(

dr mok and dr ryan, the pedo ppl

dr ng and her mentees

prof keng who interviewed me

cl.2 nurses aichin and shida. i'm so sad i don't have one with the cl. 3 nurses :(

line juniors!

and of course...
thanks for the flowers :)

dentistry class of 2009 :) we made it!

so it begins

2009-07-05T07:26:12Z

started work on wednesday and i've been so busy that i haven't had time to come online, much less blog. actually the first 2 days were kinda slack cuz we had orientation but cuz my maid went home for holiday i've had to get up early and go to bed late to attend to the dog. he's gets so crazy when i leave for work in the morning! always attempting to block my way and even yank at my clothes with his increasingly-sharp teeth. geez. separation anxiety :( always feel bad for yelling at him, especially when he gives me that ke lian face. argh! totally got played, i know. but on the bright side, he's mastered 'sit'ting and 'down'ing and lets me brush his teeth.

work itself is kinda stressful too. got posted to school dental service and i'm not that big a fan of children under the age of 12. i get so frustrated cuz i'm so slow and still so incompetent despite having had 2+ years of clinics. feels totally weird when my nurse calls me Dr. Yim cuz i seriously think i'm undeserving of the title. hopefully i'll pick up speed and get better soon. school mobile next week!

thankfully commencement's tmr so i dont' have to wake up at 6 :) i tried on my academic dress just now and was totally drowning in it. oh God, please don't let me trip and fall tmr.

kitchen escapades--rocky road

2009-06-19T05:52:13Z

a few days ago we were intending to catch startrek (damn slow, yes) but laziness prevailed and we ended up staying at home instead to make rocky road cupcakes. the ingredients for rocky road differs from country to country with the mainstays being chocolate and marshmallows. the recipe i used required nuts but cuz i'm averse to nuts, i stuck to the basics.

the marshmallows and chocolate buttons within melted and resulted in earthquake-like cracks which i tried to mask with the topping. verdict? pretty good but still room for improvement. i wish cold storage would stock valrhona chocolate :(

on an entirely different note, i love you, man is HILARIOUS.

guess who went on a shopping spree?

2009-06-17T06:03:27Z

i did!! haha it's been ages since i last went shopping but cuz we were in town yesterday and my line juniors nylarehs, charmaine and matthew had given me a yummy guess gift card for my birthday (thank you!!! treat you all to lunch/dinner sometime), i decided to indulge :)

whoever came up with the concept of sale! is a genius! i had a 10% discount on top of the already discounted prices :):) argh! i'm so happy! every girl has something she loves to splurge on--accessories, shoes, makeup, clothes... i think i'm a total shoe-and-(sometimes)-bag person and w, who bought me the bag, approves of my fetish. he says it's better and more cost-effective than being an accessories (particularly the precious gem range) person. lol. he's obviously never heard of louboutins, manolos and jimmy choos. but no worries. that's out of my league--for now ;)

mass suicide

2009-06-14T06:34:03Z

i woke up this morning and, upon opening the bathroom door, got the shock of my life.

at least 40 bugs had committed suicide during the night. it was utterly disgusting. i would have screamed in horror if i hadn't been half-asleep. it was so bad i had to tiptoe to avoid stepping on the carnage. omg where the hell did these crazy insects come from?! and why, oh why, did they have to choose my bathroom to carry out their mass suicide!

as it is a sunday, my maid's (ugh i dislike the term but it sounds so weird to refer to her as 'domestic help') out so i couldn't scream for help and had to lug the mother-heavy vacuum cleaner from the basement to suck up the mess myself. yucks. i shudder to think what the inside of the vacuum cleaner must look like now :S

seriously, all these ugly bugs should just undergo extinction. just not in my house, thanks.

needy me

2009-06-12T04:55:01Z

a while ago, he told me he didn't want me to get dependent on him. these words came just after the incident--1 week after, to be exact--and when i told kristy this she got really indignant. indeed, at that time i was kinda appalled and hurt myself. i don't think girlfriends should be too clingy and have always scoffed at class couples who act like conjoined twins and who perpetually alienate the rest of the world unless they need something. however, i do believe that the other half should be there for you in times of need. they're supposed to be your pillar of strength (together with your besties) cuz really, if you can't count on them then they shouldn't even be your other half to begin with.

anw he did apologise for his insensitivity and has since tried to be supportive. but it's been 3 months and i can feel it wavering again. admittedly, 3 months seems like an extremely long time--enough for me to get over it. but it's not. incidents like that stick with you for life and that's something i don't think he can understand. objectively speaking, i'm sure it's difficult for him too, with such a hectic schedule (i should know.) it's akin to caring for an invalid person, an amnesiac, or just someone with a chronic problem, while simultaneously trying to get on with your own life which currently, is no walk in the park either. and i know he's really been trying. i'm trying on my part as well and i often get so angry and frustrated wondering why this has to be so difficult. sometimes i wish i could meet that bastard so i can repay him for messing me up.

i don't really know where this is going. sigh i wish i could get my puppy now. maybe then i wouldn't need a bf so much.

on cooking and dentistry

2009-06-11T16:15:09Z

spent the entire day baking today. i think i'm getting sick of baking sweet stuff. maybe i should get out of my comfort zone and leap into the dangerous, murky unknown. i.e. move from the oven to the stove. argh...but splattering hot oil scares the crap outta me :S lindy, my home econs partner, can testify to that. i used to roll down the sleeve of my hongzi and cover my hand with a towel whenever i had to fry stuff. and even then i'd still be shrieking like a banshee whenever the oil sizzled. weird huh...i'm accustomed to getting burnt by bunsen burners and heated wax spatulas but hot oil is still such a major issue.

speaking of cooking and dentistry, today i realised i'm a pro when it comes to hand-mixing batter and frosting. must be from all the alginate mixing i had to do for impression-taking. and mind you, we're talking a substantial number of impressions here. it was so weird...the figure-of-8 motion just came naturally while i was mixing the peanut butter frosting. geez.

kitchen experiments

2009-06-10T05:18:36Z

i've finally discovered the secret to making light airy cupcakes :) tried it out over the weekend and was extremely satisfied with the results. the ppl at home were too, apparently, for my large batch of blueberry cupcakes disappeared at an alarmingly fast rate.

blueberries are good for your health!

i'm so eager to prove my theory right! but unfortunately i've been marooned cuz dad's car is at the workshop and he's been using mine so i can't go out to buy stuff :(

argh! clock is ticking! only 2.5 weeks left!

MORE good news!

2009-06-09T06:12:46Z

results were released yesterday. it's OFFICIAL! i'm graduating!! :) did better than expected and surprisingly didn't end up with any Cs. oh thank God.

ooo and federer finally won the french open! in straight sets!!!! :):):)

14th grand slam!! wimbledon next, please

almost teared when he cried after winning :') it's like matt said, "even when he cried today, there was class." :)

on birthdays and friendship

2009-06-04T06:00:39Z

a couple of weeks ago i celebrated what i thought was one of the worst birthdays of my life. for one thing, it was right smack in the middle of the pre-exam major mugging period, which hasn't been the case since i stopped having mid-year exams (man, that sounds foreign.) that contributed to reason number 2, which was that almost everyone forgot. well doesn't that make me sound like a self-centred brat. admit it, though, everyone loves to have their birthday remembered. back in sec sch/jc, i used to get flooded with msgs and stuff on my birthday which made me extremely happy not cuz i'm materialistic (i'm honestly satisfied with smses), but cuz it meant that i was a decent-enough person to have people care about me that much to remember. this year made me look at my life and wonder where i went wrong and how i let myself turn into a crap person. i was seriously at a low.

but right now looking back, i've realised that my problem wasn't entirely about me being a crap person or a lousy friend. sure, that is indeed a problem, but it was also about how i kept harping on the seemingly large percentage of people who didn't remember that i disregarded the smaller percentage of more significant people who actually did remember. like shuiling from sec 2, who never fails to send me an sms every year on my birthday (this year she went one step further and sent it one week early. haha.) or glenn who sent me this super cute birthday card all the way from US that made me laugh (nobody uses snail mail anymore which is kinda sad.) bernie from pri sch who msgs me every year too and this year from vietnam, no less. minmin and xingni who remembered amidst all the furious mugging. sheralyn and those who wished me on fb. the bf who stuck with me the entire day even though mugger-milly = grumpy-whiny-and-not-much-fun-milly. and of course, my besties, who always remember, no matter where they may be or what they may be busy with.

ever since 'that tragic incident', the besties have been hell-bent on getting me a puppy for my birthday. yesterday we actually made a trip down to spca. as excited as i was about seeing the dogs, i felt kinda depressed seeing them all caged up and unwanted. everytime a bunch of kids walked in, they'd perk up hopefully, barking and wagging their tails. it actually looked like they were trying to sell themselves, or perhaps they were just hoping to see their previous owners finally coming to bring them back home. my heart ached as i pet this gorgeous golden retriever and i so wanted to bring him home even though he was already 6 years old. anw in the end we decided on a 2 month old cross-breed puppy but as i need to convince my entire family (which might take a while) to come down for an interaction session first, we didn't manage to go through with the adoption. ended up returning to kristy's place to brainstorm for ideas on how to sway my family and arguing about potential dog names. lol.

anw yesterday made me realise how important true friendship is, both to man and animals alike. as john donne said, no man is an island. i am, therefore, blessed. because though i may not have millions of friends, i do have those few true friends. friends who care about me enough to go to such lengths so that i may feel safe when i sleep at night. friends whom i can spill my heart and soul out to whenever i need to. friends who stick around for the good times and the bad. these are the friends who will be with me as i walk down the aisle (if ever), and hobble around with me when we're old and wrinkled. friends who will always remember my birthday because no matter how sucky a person i may be, they still think i'm worth the effort.

when you feel all alone
and the world has turned its back on you
give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart
i know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
it's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
when darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore
let me be the one you call
if you jump i'll break your fall
lift you up and fly away with you into the night
if you need to fall apart
i can mend a broken heart
if you need to crash then crash and burn
you're not alone

everytime i hear that song i think of kristy cuz she used to sing that to me whenever i was down :) anw speaking of lifelong friendships, the dogs at spca are craving some of that so please, if you're thinking of getting a dog too, think about adopting instead.

bittersweet ending

2009-05-31T16:59:57Z

with school having ended, i expected to be hit by a range of emotions. i expected to feel overjoyed about being able to graduate on time, with the rest (or majority) of my class. i expected to feel relief at no longer having to worry about tests and exams, scheduling of patients, fulfilling requirements, passing competencies, class politics and so on. i expected to feel overwhelmed at the idea of finally being able to enter the working world; to be, officially, an adult. i expected disbelief, that it has all finally happened.

what i didn't expect, was to be thrown by a wave of sadness now that it has finally ended. the past few days have made me realise how much i'm going to miss my classmates (well, some of them anw.) i'm gonna miss the tr3a/enclave lunches with minghui and the rest, bitching about instructors and miscellaneous ppl over (mostly) crap food. i'm gonna miss having my labby marian assist me, giving me moral support as i operate and advising me when i'm unsure. i'm gonna miss chatting and laughing at lame jokes with my cluster ppl while setting up dentures. i'm gonna miss the ppl and their eccentricities--the old suraj and his 'ouh noooo's, marian's loud dramatic gasps (which i kinda got infected with,) kaimun and his kancheong spider antics, gary and his perpetual supply of food that i'm forever stealing, xingni and her creepy sleepy songs, melvin and his loud monosyllabic answers during tutorials, wataru and his 'sweeeet' in all techno-bengster-ahpek-ness... i'm gonna miss all that and so much more.

don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got til it's gone

it seems like i've only just gotten to know my classmates and now we're forced to part. i honestly wish i had more time with them (well, the selected few anw.) i regret being so preoccupied with trying to get by that i forgot to take time to stop and appreciate the people around me. i guess the good thing about dentistry is that it's so small it's practically impossible to stay out of touch for long.

here's hoping it's not too late.

it's been a long time coming...

2009-05-28T06:29:10Z

i ended what could possibly be the last exam of my life on thursday and i'm officially en route to graduation! man, it's been a long time coming...all the slogging...late nights in the lab furiously polishing dentures and scoring dies...the fervent prayers....the blood(literally,) sweat and tears. feels so weird to think that chapter of my life has finally drawn to a close. a few months ago, life was hanging in the balance--i didn't even know if i could graduate on time, having so many unfinished requirements. term 3 was hell indeed.

and then there was the dreaded final pros. kinda had a burn out after the 3rd pros and i just couldn't study effectively anymore. a certain traumatic incident that happened on the morning of 16th feb didn't really help matters; i could no longer sleep peacefully and it greatly affected not just my concentration, but also my mood. it's really a wonder i managed to scrape through the finals having had such a rough few months. thank God, that's all i can say. sigh, i am not looking forward to seeing my actual grades. don't think my parents will be too thrilled about me getting my first C. still..better than an extinction viva, eh?

anw, as is evident, i've changed my blog layout :) figured it would inspire me to kick-start one of my post-(almost)graduation resolutions--to blog more regularly. my writing skills have seriously deteriorated ever since JC ended. my mind is perpetually stuck on point-form mode to the extent that my exam answers actually ended up being phrased like point-form sentences strung together. [hm...come to think of it, you can kinda see that happening in this post too.] mrs seah will be so disappointed. hopefully blogging more and reading more will help save me from literary damnation.

speaking of skills, i've been attempting to hone my domestic skills to prepare for wifehood. ok rubbish, i was just being greedy as usual and desperately wanted to eat something yummy so i went about baking...

BANOFFEE CUPCAKES!
(that's banana-toffee, not coffee which is just yuckers)

the muffin exploded cuz i went a bit out of control with the caramel sauce. lol

ooo but it was good

next came the topping. 1st attempt at whipping cream

FAILED. got butter instead :(
2nd attempt...

better, much better :)

piling it on.

i got impatient and topped it before it cooled completely
which led to everything oozing everywhere...

which actually isn't such a bad thing :) esp when it's yummy oozing stuff. hur

ok i'm off for a briefing by my future employers. laters

y2k@2/8

2008-12-14T07:38:08Z

as much as i hate to admit it, whoever said "your parents know best" did actually get it right. cuz if it weren't for mom and dad coercing me into entering one of the most cheenafied schools in singapore, i seriously doubt i'd be where i am today. in dec 1998, i was miserable and angry. now, exactly a decade later, as i look back with fondness on the years spent wearing the awful hongzi complete with pong mushroom hairstyle, i've come to realise that the greatest blessings often come in disguises.

against the backdrop of the decrepit old campus (and then subsequently the ostentatious new one), some of my best friendships were forged--the earliest of these being with the 1/8ers. i guess you can't go through experiences like rolling around in putrid mud, having bunkbeds cave in, washing toilets, playing basketball in the torrential rain and then dancing on the canteen benches in soaking wet uniforms, and weeping your eyes out together over a friend's pseudo-hepatic carcinoma, without coming out as lifelong friends :)

us then...

and us now.

almost 10 years since the day we first met. has it really been that long?

it's shocking, really, to think that my "son", the one who used to shriek "niiaaaaaaang!" whenever she saw me, who used to buy flowers for me every mother's day [don't ask], is actually ENGAGED. i couldn't stop screaming when she flashed me her diamond ring.

yep...we've all grown up (at least chronologically-speaking). but just throw us together once in a while and allow us to start reminiscing about ye old days, and it's like we're 13 again. i guess that's why i love these little reunions...

...because it's not everyday you get to relive the best years of your life :)

four

2008-09-25T16:17:17Z

back in sec sch, 4 years was practically an engagement. but right now, 4 years just doesn't seem that long to me anymore. how time flies.

i've come to realise that the arm is too short to take self-shots. anw i hate taking them so no loss.

garibaldi.

i had the degustation menu that left me very happy and surprisingly full.

clockwise from top left:
-the AWESOME bread
-wagyu beef carpaccio with parmigiano cheese and rucola
-my ultimate favourite: grilled scallop with porcini mushroom and truffled taleggio fondue. o.m.g.
-bf's garlic snails with saute baby spinach and chick peas puree. which was amazing, as well

-squid ink pasta with crabmeat in vodka sauce
-lamb tenderloin. the 2nd best lamb i ever had, the first being the lamb tajine in morocco.
-bf's molten lava chocolate cake with hazelnut gelato and raspberry coulis
-some herb jelly with passionfruit mousse and mandarin basil soup. pretty weird stuff

no sch, therefore the face gets fatter.

it was indeed a happy 4th anni :)