hello,

okay this is like probably the longest interval in recent years that i haven't updated this space. i swear there's multiple occasions when i signed onto this account with the intention of wanting to update stuff but just didn't manage to start/complete a post. i guess i've been really busy and caught up with so much stuff that i feel that i can hardly breathe sometimes.

exams have ended and i've completed my 4th year (hopefully, since results arent out yet). i'm worried about my overall results even though i think this time's written exam is pretty manageable, mainly because of the many other components that i didn't manage to do as well as i should. but oh wells, i've tried my best i suppose and i'm leaving everything to God :)
4th year 2nd sem is supposedly the most difficult semester ever in the dental course so i'm thankful to God that He has pulled me through this whole year.

somehow i'm already getting scared about next year (omg, final year), knowing how stressful it can be towards the end of the year. so many things to worry/stress about and its just daunting :( and time just passes so fast that i can hardly catch up with it. like i can't believe its going to be Dec next week. damn fast.

i've been really easily annoyed and impatient recently. i'm just upset at the way i treat others and taking people and things for granted. :(
i'm going to lakes entrance after my dad goes back to sg. hopefully it'll take things off my mind a little and i hope i don't miss my dad too much (it shouldn't be that bad i hope, since i'm headed home in 2 weeks time). what i feel super sian is that i have 3 clinical sessions the following week. k was saying that we should just enjoy our short getaway tgt but then again, its so difficult to not think/worry about clinical stuff since i'm having clinics when i come back from this road trip. i really pray hard that everything goes well with the issuance of denture and splint. and more importantly, my patients being able to attend the sessions.

life's quite sad in the sense that there's like no end to worrying. after something's done, we have something else to think/worry about. or maybe its just me, who always thinks further ahead and finds stuff to worry about. idk.

God is so amazing :D

really thank God for showering so much love on me :)

sick =X

got a bad runny nose.. i had mucus collecting my mask during GP clinic just now. omg, so gross.

saw a very old patient just now, and her son accompanies her everywhere she goes (for dental appts and other stuff). so heartwarming. :')

and back to being sick. i need to survive tmr. got preclinical (at the new awesome building) at 8am and then my day ends at.. 9.30pm. i win.

back to uni.

super busy. =S
and it's only the 4th day of the semester and it feels like 4 weeks have passed. i'm serious.
9 am - 5pm every single day, sometimes my day ends at 6.30. and my first emergency duty is next tues (will be in the hospital till 9.30pm).
so many preclinicals, clinicals, lectures and admin stuff to do. have to book patients in for appts, check if appointments are cancelled, and call patients to remind them to come for their appts etc. omg really. i feel like a receptionist. but thank God that things are working out (even though it takes a lot of effort, its worth it)!

but, i slack a lot when i'm home, cause i'm too lazy/tired to do anything after a long day. so many lectures to catch up on =x

last day of 3rd year dent

it just feels so... unreal. yep, unreal that i've completed 3rd year (unofficially though, cause there's still exams).

my last GP clinical session kind of suck. what a way to end 3rd year. i feel so lousy. and i can't blame anyone cause it's my fault. why do i always make mistakes that i shouldn't have. i feel dumb. sighhh.

i slept only 3 hours last night and the night before. thanks to trying to memorise stuff + distractions etc. i need to focus and not waste time.

Thank you God for pulling me through the whole 3rd year. Please grant me strength for the coming exams, to be productive and free from distractions and study smartly and able to answer the questions to the best of my ability. Amen.

:)

horrible day at the clinic =(

its 2.30 am now. feeling so shagged after a long day - 8am lecture, afternoon lecture and GP clinic session, meet-up with cousin and friends who came to melb for holiday. shagged but yet i just feel like i have to blog about my GP session today. it was eventful - in the negative sense. planned to rush out as many restorations as i can (i have to do four on this patient). i did the one that was giving him the biggest prob but it took much longer than i expected. and so, i only managed to do one. i really feel very very bad to this pt =( and getting very very worried about the progress of this impt pt. a bit hard to explain here why he is impt and i shall not go into the details since i should not be discussing about any specific patient's case here.

AND GUESS WHAT. another of my pt came in today when he is supposed to come in next fri. omg a DOUBLE-BOOKED appt. sucks ttm. i was pretty sure i told him NEXT FRI and the date but apparently there's some miscommunication. MR X was really nice about it, though i bet he was feeling unhappy inside (i mean who in the world would feel good about having to make a wasted trip down to the hospital and having plans disrupted just to come down for a dental appt). i felt really bad and kept apologizing. but luckily he didn't scold me. i bet if its other patients, they would have scolded the student like crazy. thank God for that.

yea and i was so unhappy with my demo (supervisor). (loll okay i doubt he'll ever read this but i still won't go into the specifics).

JIAYOUS LEONA! u have to press on even though its really tough.

holidays #6 - say hello to year 3 sem 2

before i forget,
here's the bread and butter pudding that i made. first attempt at making and it was really quite a success. loll doesn't look that appetizing tho.


what it looks like inside:



had a crazy last day of holiday today. long story and i'm simply too lazy to get into the details. but yea, just a lot of rushing from places to places after church with some crazy friends. loll.

jasmine arrived in melb today and i got my stuff (including the loupes that i ordered) from her. big thanks to her for helping me to bring over some stuff from sg).




yes this thing called loupes is freaking expensive (S$1,700) but it is also because i got the 'branded' one and with the Oakley frame. HAI. but my rationale is that i'm going to use it throughout my course+career (hopefully) so i guess its worth it to get the more expensive one.
i'm going to try to start using the loupes on my patients within these few weeks and see how it goes.

i've been trying to read up on rem pros notes since last monday and its really a TORTURE. studying during holidays never work out (at least, for me).
tomorrow i'll just be taking history + oral exam + impression for my rem pros patient so i won't need that much of new technical knowledge. haven't met this patient before but he sounds okay (rather friendly) on the phone. mr xx, pleaseee be nice to me.

timetable this sem is really slack (but the subjects are definitely not easy). loll i actually have my thurs off officially. BUT, i kind of have to assist parmesh in her clinical session though its definitely not a must. sighh, how awesome it is to get a day off but oh wells, i'll just take it as an opportunity to learn from my peers.

haven't got back all our results and i'm getting very scared. but yea, i always believe that God has a plan for us and i'll accept whatever He gives to me :)

lazy and slack =(

yep that pretty much summed up my week. sigh. this is probably like the slackest i've ever been since year 1. i did some work, but its not sufficient (i think).

the cold weather is making me lazy. de-motivated to do anything, except maybe cooking and baking. i need to stop eating so much :( i bought so much groceries from vic mart just now and i've been looking at recipes online to see what i can whip up. such a waste of time right.

my patient yesterday made me feel good. she's so nice and sweet (if only all patients were like her) and said things like "your injection was good because i didn't feel dizzy which i felt last time when i had an injection". haha but really, i'm sure its not that the previous student/dentist was lousy or anything (since its more of the patient's anatomy that plays a part in a successful LA) . but it still made me feel good (:

siannn

my patient nosh-ed (no show) today =( sigh. i don't really get noshes (its sort of my 1st time, unlike some of my other coursemates who are not so lucky). and now i understand how it feels to have your 3 hour clinical session wasted. and i had so much planned out for him today. i won't get to see him until 3 weeks later cause its Easter and i've got other patients booked in after that. he's my most 'interesting' patient as of now as there are a lot of problems (pretty urgent) to be solved and i really hope that he'll come for his appointments.

having some trouble deciding if i should join certain activities with my dent friends in Grampians (where we r headed for our easter getaway). cause i don't want to tire myself during my easter but then again its going to be an experience.

weekends again! i hate weekends =(

week 6 of uni

ended clinic at 5 sharp, surprisingly. it was total craziness cause i had to rush out a restoration on tooth 28 for my patient (and i had to take 2 radiographs as well). and that tooth was damn difficult to work on. hard to access with the handpieces, can't see cause its right at the back, plus lots of saliva pooling over that area. it was my first occlusal restoration on a real patient and i wanted to do it properly. but, it was just so tough. my demonstrator was really encouraging though i bet she could tell that i was disoriented. but i guess the final result was alright after all that struggling. i'll improve with experience, i hope (:

(oh and i did my first LA injection on a real patient as well! wheee. okay i know this is lame, but its a historic moment for me right??)

i was having lunch with my 2 closest dental friends this afternoon and we were saying how stress makes us super grumpy. and we are particularly grumpy towards our parents. like when we talk to them over the phone, we'll just sound very pissed even though they didn't piss us off. we just can't help it.. it just comes out of us like that (if u get what i mean). this is so sad :( i really need to learn how to control my emotions better and stop being so self-centred.

week 5 of 3rd year

getting really busy with assignments/preparation for clinics/readings for lectures to be done. and as expected, i'm having less free time to slack and chill as the stress is building up. going to yarra valley and healesville for a weekend getaway with my dad ( who is arriving in melb this sat). hopefully everything (preclinic and clinic) will go smoothly on friday so that i can take my mind off work and enjoy myself during the weekend.

clinics are getting more exciting as cases get more interesting and as we progress into treatment planning and the actual treatment process itself.

LEONA, YOU CAN DO IT! :D

Psalm 56:3-4 3

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid.