Chronicles of the Wisdom Teeth - Part 2

I have been lazy, hence the late update.

Basically, I did not get my extractions. I had a bit of phlegm on that day, and as there is increased risk of pneumonia, I decided to postpone the surgery. Hope I will be fully healthy on that day(two weeks later). I do not want it to be postponed again. Not because it hurts(the pain has subsided), but because I am afraid of getting infection and decay. I think I am very vulnerable to this as my gum has grown over part of the partially erupted tooth, which has made it harder to brush the area around the wisdom tooth. I certainly do not wish to have to extract the neighbouring tooth due to decay...

I have tried to imagine post-surgery impact: How swollen will my cheeks get? How long will I take to recover sufficiently to consume 'normal' food? Will I be able to go for lessons? How long do I have to wait before I can go back to work?

Questions, questions...

Answers in two weeks time(hopefully)...

Chronicles of the Wisdom Teeth - Part 1

Went for my X-ray today.

Result--> I need to extract all my wisdom teeth, including the two unerupted ones at the top. Great.

Total estimated cost for the whole affair (inclusive of initial consultation at Hougang Polyclinic) --> about $930. Marvellous.

Physical and financial pain awaits. Excellent combination.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the Chronicles of the Wisdom Teeth.

Deja Vu

Experienced deja vu today. I was asking Meeling about her appointment yesterday. Then I realised how it all seemed so familiar... I have vague memories of being at the same place, asking her the same question, with her giving the exact same reply. Even my follow-up question was the same, and from there, I was able to know what her reply would be, before I even finished asking my question. She answered in the same way she did in my 'memory'. It just seemed so unbelievable... There was one big difference between what happened today, and what was in my mind though - Ching Song was not in my mental scene.

This is not the first time I experienced deja vu. Is it really just a coincidence, or...?

Anyway, coincidence or not, that was not the chief preoccupation of the day. That honour would have to go to the ache in my buccal cavity. The problematic tooth has also left me with a slight swelling of my left jaw.

I'm SO looking forward to my dental visit tomorrow.

P.S.I doubt I have ever been more eager to see the dentist.

Groans!!!

My body's still aching after my IPPT exertions on Wednesday. It must be due to my lack of exercise and insufficient cooling-down exercises after the test. Oh, by the way, I failed (as I expected). Only managed 5 pull-ups instead of the 6 required to pass. Not that it matters since I have plans to retake even if I had passed as I want to get a silver.

Anyway, I have a new ache - this one caused by my new wisdom tooth...

There's a numbing pain that is downright distracting and getting unbearable by the minute. Wonder what time the dental clinic opens.

Will I be able to sleep tonight?

Detached...

School's bustling with excitement, with the CCA bazaar, students-organised games and other activities, food fair, etc. Indeed, SIM seems more like a fair this week, replete with life and energy. Everyone seemed so happy...

I feel so out of place. All this gaiety surrounding me only serves to intensify my uncertainties and confusion. What is the right balance?



Seeking...

Answers...

Seeking...

Assurance...



Sigh... Assurance... How ironic...

What should I do tomorrow?

Teachers' Day

Today, we had our last session of Read-With-Me for this term. Jia Yu was his usual wretched self...but a tad more destructive. Twice he grabbed and crushed Aaron's song sheet. Thankfully, Aaron was more bemused than upset.

I worked with Wei Ming for the first time today. His situation was worse than I expected. He could hardly speak(or perhaps he was just afraid/reluctant to speak?), and his ability to comprehend instructions and questions was barely enough for him to learn from the session. Besides that, he was largely anti-social, refusing to share his puzzles with others... If only I had more knowledge for helping such underpriviledged children.

Joven has been a good student generally, interactive and easy to teach. I'm sure he would have a smooth transition to Primary 1. I'll definitely miss him, the way I'm missing Rong Zhuo and Chao Yuan. I'm sure they are coping well.

The Teachers' Day present this year is rather useless to me, and is now lying in the cupboard next to last year's Teachers' Day gift. I like the accompanying Delifrance peach tart though...

Looking forward to the trip to the fire station...




Missing: All those teachers who have made an impact in my life.
Sorely missing: Mrs Jennifer Lee and Ye lao shi (aka Mrs Tan Mui Luan).

POSB Community Service Day

I did not sign up for this year's Army Half Marathon.
I thought I would be able to sleep in as a result.
Until...

I signed up for a morning with the animals at the Singapore Zoo.

It was a trip to the zoo for students from Student Care Services (SCS), organised by title sponser, POSB. I got the chance to join as a volunteer at the Hougang branch of SCS.

It was tough waking up at 6+ in the morning so that I could reach Hougang SCS by 7. I was late; but then again, only Xin Hui was on time... Haha...

It was tough trying to organise a roomful of screaming kids into the four groups they were pre-allocated for attendance-taking and distribution of group identification stickers and event T-shirts. We only managed to depart at 08:15am after settling the above tasks and other miscellaneous stuff such as getting the kids to change into the T-shirts, etc... Our speed was pretty OK until you consider that we had planned to leave at 07:30am. Some kids started complaining as a result.

The trip was pretty uneventful, in a negative way. The highlight was probably the magic show by 'Danny the Magic Prince'. We did not see a lot of animals as the planned route was pretty short.

Overall, there were a few things that stood out(for me):
1. There was this wolf which kept pacing up and down in its relatively small enclosure and it seemed to be in distraught.
2. There were so many free goodies in the TWO goodies bags given. Too much of a good thing can be bad. We ended up with many dimunitive kids carrying bags which even I think is heavy.
3. I thought there was too much POSB propaganda going on during the event.
4. The emcee keeps speaking in English that is too good for the children to understand. I'm not sure some of the children know what a 'washroom' is... And since the event was organised for the kids, it makes sense to speak at a level that is comfortable to them, not the adult volunteers.

Oh dear... I'm really tired... I was typing a load of gibberish which I've deleted, of course...

Good Night!