Teething Problems

I think the talk of wisdom teeth extractions earlier last week induced a psycho-somatic response in me. The gums near my lower right molars just started throbbing with pain last week. Must be stress. This has been a pretty stressful month for me.

My brother had his wisdom teeth extracted a long time ago but I remember him looking like butt man for a week. I don't want to go through a horrible wisdom teeth operation.

But eventually I found myself booking a dental appointment. I haven't been to a dental clinic in what... five years? I was really nervous because every time Ive been to one, its been a painful experience.

I thought my luck would change.

I was greeted by a nice asian lady dentist. Pretty, petite and polite. She's a beautiful dentist with AMAZINGLY white smile. During the check up she reassured me that all will be fine and there shouldn't be any pain. True to her words, her delicate hands worked professionally to check my teeth.

Unfortunately that couldn’t be said for the dental assistant. The assistant is a middle aged lady with an eastern european accent. She looked like she was bored out of her wits in there.

The dentist was using an ultrasonic cleaner to remove harmful plaque on my teeth. The assistant was suppose to direct the aspirator to remove excess fluid build-up in my mouth. Instead what does she do?!? She positions the stainless steel tube on my lower gum and goes to lalala - day dream land. She was pressing on it quite hard and was probably unaware that she was digging through my gums.

IT HURT LIKE HELL! I could feel my toes curl and my body tense up as I cringed in pain! Its like getting a needle stuck to your gum, only that the needle is a 10 gauge freakin’ stainless steel tube that bluntly dig into your gum. I could feel the metal starting to rub through to the roots of my front teeth!

AAAAAARRRG! I was getting teary eyed from pain!

If the lady dentist hadn't nestled my head between her breasts as she examined my teeth, I would have jumped up and screamed in pain.

Malaysian Tucker

Short Talk:
The site template has been changed AGAIN! But its my site and I will change it as often as I want to! Go the mighty ducks eagles :)

Food Trip

I haven't posted anything gastronimic lately so I've decided to post some malaysian dishes I sampled during my last trip. Tell you the truth lah, food was really good lah. Althought the cutlery and service were not so good lah. Food was still good lah.Eating snails required mastery of a sucking technique. I swallowed a few whole shells, but that's expected of newbies.

For dessert, we headed down to this place. They served all sorts of shaved ice desserts.

Shaved ice topped with mango cubes and mango puree lah. This piece of heaven is called "Mango-loh" lah. Not sure if that is the right name lah. But it sounds right lah.

Once upon a time

Will - 2 months old
Life was good back then. Everyone loved chillin` by my crib.

Happy birthday 2 - me.

Happiness was a packet of cheese curles and a small bottle of coke (in a plastic bag).

Once upon a time, my hair was light brown and curly.

Man Rules #16

Short Talk:
Waited on a line of greens and blues. Just to be the next to be with you

This was posted on my old blog :

At a family dinner, one can happily point out to Auntie that a piece of green vegetable is stuck between her teeth. She will happily pick at it with her red polished fingernails leaving you cringing and asking why you ever mentioned it. Uncle doesn’t take offence when you tell him he looks like hes been sniffing spaghetti with his saucy collection stuck on his moustache. You can tell family anything.

A bit different when you’re with a group of work colleagues. Here you are in a 5-star restaurant, the company is paying for dinner. Everyone’s all nicely dressed up. Everything looks exquisite and expensive. Piano playing on the background. The chardonnay has fuelled the chatter in the function room. The boss, spots you two table away and decide to come over for some idle chitchat. He walks over with a glass of wine and calls out your name. You look up. There it is.

Custard in its most awkward form.

A piece of custard has happily nestled its way on your boss's nose hair. He greets you with a smile and gives you a firm handshake. You wish you shook his hand harder to dislodge the yellow creamery stuck on the nasal orifice. The wine has numbed your boss's senses - and you gulp down your glass in hope that this too will numb yours. You can't take your eyes off it. It plays hide and seek with you in rhythm with your boss's breathing. Is it going to fall out or get sucked in? Oh no! What if he chokes to death? Would that go into his brain and give him a custardy stoke? Or even worse, what if his exhalation dislodges the yellow pudding and projects it to the target directly in front?

*Side Step*

A polite thing to do would be to make 'suggestive' gestures around the nose. Hopefully they are smart enough to notice what you’re trying to say. But in most cases, if they were numb enough not to notice, they are numb enough not to respond to your sign language. So I say - let them look funny. Who gave them the right to make you feel uncomfortable! I don't care if there’s custard or chives or curly black hairs stuck on their faces or clothes. You're forever gonna remember your boss as the custard nose man. Why not share the joke with everyone else? Share the wealth I always say.

Do to others what you want done to you. If this ever happens to me - custard in my nose. Leave me be. If it’s there - it’s there for a reason.
I’m starting a trend.

Man Rule #16 - Though shall not worry about another man's appearance because a real man only looks at women.

Half a glass

She asked me if the glass is half empty or half full?
I said the glass is too big.
Hehehe. Old engineering joke. Can't be helped. Sorry :)

But what was revealed out of short dinner conversation was that I'm a pessimist.

A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or take the gloomiest possible view

To tell you the truth, I was shocked! That cant' be right. I've always declared myself to be an optimist. "Things will always work out for the better" I would say. Add the fact that its very unfashionable to be a pessimist. There's so much negativity associated with it. So I'm not in favour of being labelled as one.

But sitting there and really thinking about things thats happened and things that will be, I've come to realised that theres many things im pessimistic about. It can't be helped. I just can't see the point of going through something terribly difficult that has a low probability of working out. So let me save myself the trouble by avoiding the situation altogether.

I've already lost before it's even started

But in the next few days and weeks Im hoping for the best. I'll be confronted with things that will be difficult and things that will be incredibly hard, I can already feel it straining me like nothing I've ever felt. Im holding on knowing that I'll survive it.

I've never been so optimistic in my life

So if my life really is a glass, then the glass is really too big. I need to fill it up with trust, confidence and hope. Because theres still plenty of room in there.

Risking yourself

The conversation was supposed to be about motorcycles.

I strongly believe riding motorcycles is stupid - (sorry to Berts, Thuy, Mikael, Anil and those who ride bikes!)

Please don’t' get me wrong. I have much respect for a motorcycle's engineering brilliance (specially the self-inducting intake models.). They are fast vehicles that will get you from A to B in insane times. Plus you won't need to pay a king's ransom to get a vehicle that will accelerate you from zero to 100 km/hr in less than 4 seconds. They are Fast. Period.

I also have much respect for bike drivers. Balancing 200kgs or so at fast speeds is no easy feat. Heal-toe on a motorcycle requires so much coordination and seeing bikes drifting on two wheels is amazingly insane! You'll also need to be physically fit to withstand the harsh environment you drive in. I believe motorbike drivers are more skilled than those who sit behind a steering wheel.

But as a mode of daily travel? With zero protecting from other drivers? I've heard medical stories of people's brains being scooped out of helmets, heard of friends who's relative have died from motorcycle accidents and I have witnessed the death of a young couple on a motorcycle new year's eve last year.

My studies and profession include much about safety and risk assessment. What can go wrong? How severe are the potential detriment or adverse consequences? How likely are these undesirable consequences? Failure to address or recognise this can results in massive losses. A good gambler is able to take risks because they know if the negative does occur, its quite manageable.

Is losing someone a risk thats manageable?

Steve Irwin and Peter Brock are two popular Australian's who have died recently. Steve "crikey" Irwin known for his crocodile antics and Peter Brock V8 supercar racing legend. Their knowledge and expertise made them legends, but legends lose out sometimes.

I accept the risks that go along with this because they are my own doing
-motorcycle fan

And trust me, I don't mean to be a preacher. If you take the risk, you're prepared to pay the consequences. There's no tragedy there. But I say these things not because I enjoy sounding like a old-worry-pants-auntie who doesn't like to take risks. Its because I think some people get so involved in their 'own doing', they forget about the people care and stand beside them.

Green

I've been very green the past few days.

• Gave my green thumb a workout. Planted roll-on grass on our front yard.
• Consumed too much of these green bottles last friday. I was kicked out ushered out of a restaurant because I was scaring the little kids.
• Changed the car oil. Magnatec came in green platic containers.
• Been having green thoughts. But this occurrence happens regularly. It can't be helped. Its a guy thing. *Note - Being green minded (i believe) is a filipino term for describing a perverted way of thinking. Thats why adult jokes are also called green jokes.
• Green shirts were on the top of the clothes pile so I've been wearing green shirts.
• Im still sick. Runny nose and sneezes. I don't think I need to explain green bodily fluids.
• Been snacking on Krispy Kreme donuts. They're not green, but their green dotted white boxes have been messing with my mind and eating habits.
• Old blog layout was too serious for me. I've decided to go green like this entry.
• I've been labelled as having a green eyed monster complex. Jealous type? Moi? Hmm, don't think so. I'm very aware (sometimes maybe too aware) and very happy with what I have. But I know I can't have everything.
• I've been attracted to green vegetables lately. Broccoli being my latest victims.

I didn't know why Im so into green. My favourite colour is green. My last bedroom had 'rainforest' green walls.

I did a little net crawling on the colour green.

Green is the chakra colour for the heart. As quoted from this website ..

When the green chakra is activated, the person has reached an emotionally deeper understanding of oneself and of others. This person's feeling can be hurt when an event makes them believe or worry that they are not living lovable beings. The green chakra lets the person understand that there is a living, fragile person inside who needs and deserves love. For the ones with perfectly activated green chakras, they also understand the same goes for others. They know that others are also living lovable beings. They are able to feel love, but also the pain when love is not there

Deep. Very deep.

But with the events that has happened to me lately, it all makes perfect sense. Im always proclaiming to be a self-educated psychologist. Im always trying to understand what those around me are feeling. I want them to feel better by sharing words of encouragement because I empathise with them.
And when things happen without my feelings in mind, I get hurt.

And when I get hurt, i get the blues.

And this from another site

Greens love to be appreciated for their uniqueness and creative talents. They
are delighted when others acknowledge their sensitivity and nurturing nature.
This is music to a Green’s ears. In fact, they have such a need to be liked and
appreciated that a Green will often do things for others at their own expense.
This benevolent behavior somehow justifies the inconvenience in the mind of a
Green.

Thats right. It irks me to be labelled like someone else. I enjoy being unique.
Im also uneasy when I'm not liked. And yes, I will go do somethings because a little work is better than having that annoying nagging thing in your head.

So my conclusion is, I'm perfectly in tune with my green self. Im as green as Shrek can be.
And true to Kermit's saying. Its not easy being green.

Romance - Best before 18 months

A conversation with a psychologist revealed to me that the ‘romantic’ phase of a relationship lasts only 18 months.

I was shocked!

I think I was more surprised that she had a definitive number at the ready rather than the idea that romance will dwindle off to after a short period of time.

18 months! I should have time stamped my relationship so that I know how much time I have left! I should be taking her out on more dates, spending more quality time! We should be doing this and that because the sky is going to fall on our 18th month!

Good things always come to an end

But the idea is not new to me. Everyone knows that the ‘honeymoon’ phase ends. The ‘happily-ever-after story’ is just a Hollywood ideology. Days of lovey-doveyness can’t go on forever. The primary reason? Our biochemistry.

When cupid strikes us, we fall under the influence of Phenylethlylamine (PEA). A neurotrasmitter that makes us go goo-goo gaa-gaa over that special someone. It tickles our brain and drives the Casanovas in all of us.

Makes us do silly things like write poems, make paper roses, stick love hearts in our cars and put wallpaper photos in our phones. Its effects could last from 3 months to 3 years, varying from person to person and (I believe) is influenced by how much chocolate one consumes.

‘you’ve changed’

Sadly after when the effects of PEA wane off, couples are faced with harsh reality of their partner. No longer are we blinded by trace amines. Instead we see ‘oh-so’ clearly their blemishes and annoying habits. Differences become more apparent. The strong driving forces that have kept you together are no longer there. Probability of breaking up? Higher than before.

You're on your own

Hopefully by that time you would have spent lots of time building a bond – one that goes beyond infatuation and hormonal fluctuations.

I’m thinking PEA is more a catalyst to something greater. It helps start off something from nothing and lets you form a bond like no other. Similar to a bond between children and their parents. Or the bond between a PlayStation2 controller and me. It should now be an inbuilt connection, natural and chemistry free. Because all that messiness (warmth love and happiness) shouldn’t ever have to depend on something temporary. It should be on something that lasts.

Birthday babies

Its that time of the year again. The "ber" months.

That means the countdown for Christmas has started in the Philippines.
Christmas ham advertisements should be popping out soon :)

Comming back to this month, September, New Year's Day babies are celebrating their birthdays. I know a total of nine people celebrating their birthdays this month!

Crazy.

And don't get me started on the Valentines Day babies in November!
There will be a week in November where everyday somone close to me is having their birthday.

Geesh people.
Can't you be a bit more original on your 'celebrations'!

What I dont' understand is the birthday clump in April. Independence day babies?