These Days

Went to Shepparton today to the Bush Market where apparently it would be the best sale of the year.

It was alright... nothing spectacular but nothing too shabby either - I guess it's a matter of whether you have something to buy or not. I didn't really particularly have anything in mind so ended up coming home with a French Pear scented candle and some groceries. Boring.

How's Milton? Let's just say that sometimes he's a sweetie and sometimes he's well... not. I've been thinking a lot about his behaviour this past few weeks and have concluded that he:

1. Needs more structure in his life.
2. Desperately needs puppy friends.

Anyway, nothing extraordinary happening. Am currently hooked on this game on Facebook called Farm Town.

Metal

Milton has taken to chewing the wall in the laundry.

I thought that there was nothing to destroy in the laundry but clearly I was wrong.

Does anybody want a 5 month old Cavalier spaniel?

Tired

Been absolutely exhausted.

Not sure if it's because I have absolutely no stamina, dentistry is slowly sucking the life out of me or I'm just plain undernourished.

Came back from work yesterday and just collapsed into bed for about 2 hours. Woke up, stared into space for 3 and then went to bed at 11 and woke up at 8 - 11 hours of sleep and I am still not rejuvenated.

I'm watching Milton less and less now and that was a mistake this morning because he did bad things. I guess I should have known he was being too quiet. Other than that he's fine - his fur is thickening and lengthening and it's so glossy and soft. He's really quite a pretty dog, albeit a unhousebroken one.

Melbourne

Went back to Melbourne for a fleeting weekend visit where I ate as much Asian food as possible and shopped as much as possible.

Not that I actually bought anything - the only thing I got was a cardigan because I was stupid enough not to pack one and was freezing when night fell.

There were things that I wanted though - went to LV and tried on a pair of ballerina flats that felt like I was walking on marshmallows. Problem was that they didn't have the color I wanted.

Was also considering buying a tv but 46 inch tv boxes don't fit into cars. The good news is...

Me: How much would it cost to deliver this to the country?
Salesperson: Which part?
Me: The little town of X.
Salesperson: X? What are you doing in X?? I'm from X.
Me: I'm a dentist and I need a good tv for entertainment.
Salesperson: I totally agree. Come here *looking around the store furtively*. Go to this store, ask for this salesperson and tell him to give you this price. And if he doesn't feel free to tell him that I send him a punch to his head. This way you save on delivery.

What are the odds?

Had the worst work day ever today.

5 minutes lunch, 7 extractions, 1 crown prep, 5 fissure sealants, 2 restorations, 3 consultations.

Going to pass out now.

Blank

Before I started work I had all these plans on things I wanted to buy and things I wanted to do.

Now that I've started and am nearing the first month mark, I look at my bank statement and feel nothing.

No exhilaration, no joyful expectations - blank.

I could go out and buy something nice for myself. Indeed, there are plenty of nice things around. But somehow I don't really have the interest.

All I see is a meaningless number.

One Word

Tagged in Facebook, answered here:

1. Where is your cell phone?
Home

2. Your significant other?
Irrelevant

3. Your hair?
Black

4. Your favorite thing?
Chocolate

7. Your dream last night?
Forgettable

8. Your favorite drink?
Latte

9. Your dream/goal?
Happiness

10. What room you are in?
Bedroom

11. Your hobby?
Baking

12. Your fear?
Loneliness

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Unknown

14. Where were you last night?
Home

16. Muffins?
Blueberry

17. Wish list item?
TV

18. Where you grew up?
Malaysia

19. Last thing you did?
Type

20. What are you wearing?
Clothes

21. Your TV?
Mediocre

22. Your pets?
Puppy

23. Friends?
Amazing

24. Your life?
Unexpected

25. Your mood?
Confused

26. Missing someone?
Periodically

27. Car?
Civic

28. Something you're not wearing?
Necklace

29. Your favorite store?
Undecided

30. Your favorite color?
Burgundy

33. When is the last time you laughed?
Now.

34. Last time you cried?
Recently

35. Who will resend this?
Entertainers

36. One place that I go to over and over?
Work

37. One person who emails me regularly?
Friend

38. My favorite place to eat?
Home

39. Why you participated in this survey?
Bored

40. What are you doing tonight?
Rest.

The Past

Been reading my old private blog. As many of you know, this blog is just used for relaying news about the latest things in my life but obviously not necessarily allof them. There's another blog specifically for my rants and more sensitive issues.

Anyway, been looking at what has been bothering me for the past 3 years and it's quite amazing how the subject of worry shifts every month or so. There's always something new. Not that all the matters are resolved. Some are still unresolved but I've decided to just forget it and get over it. Fresh ones always crop up though.

Either I'm just an expert in finding new things to complain/worry about or life is just not meant to be a bed of roses.

24

I am 24.

No longer am I in my early twenties,but rather my mid twenties!

It seems funny that I should have gone to Trinity College 6 years ago thinking that my life was going to begin. The expectations, the plans and hopes and dreams only the naive and the young can muster up. Truth be told, my utopian ideas were wiped out quite soon after I turned 18.

Fast forward 6 years and here I am in rural Victoria with Milton. Is this where I thought I'd end up?

No.

In my 18 year old mind at 24 I thought I would be studying my final year of medicine, happily engaged to someone that I had met when I was 19. The naivety of that thought!!!

I'm older and wiser now. I now know you can't plan your life - things never turn out the way you'd imagine it to be.

Plans for today? Buy a huge tub of ice cream and KFC.

Say Cheese

I may have mentioned this before in a previous post but it really bothers me when people smile without showing their teeth.

I have come to the conclusion time and again that people who smile such smiles have something to hide. Sure, it might be as simple as broccoli stuck between their front teeth or braces, or something much deeper.

Many disagree with this theory I've come up with but to be honest, every single person I know who smiles a closed smile has continued to remain a mystery to me. Sure, I know their name and maybe their favourite color, but beyond that I have no inkling of what lies underneath. For such people, I find it hard to get to know them and even harder to trust.

That's all I wanted to say. Good night.

Retrieving

Been trying to teach Milton how to fetch. Problem with him is that he'd rather run after the object and play with it rather than bring it back.

Devised a very clever way to get him to come back to me. Milton is a creature of comfort would much rather stay on the carpeted areas of the house compared to the wooden floor. Therefore, by throwing his toys into the wooden area and standing at the edge of carpet and wood, he has no choice but to pass me if he wants to get back to the comfort of carpet and allows me the opportunity to snatch his toy from his very jowls.



This video shows Milton doing a few fetches. Watch how the first one was relatively easy, the second a bit slower and towards the end he doesn't even want to let go!

Current Wishlist

Am going through a craze of Scandinavian and Italian homewares. Current wishlist is as follows:


Menu Water Jug - Been searching high and low for the right water jug to have on my table so that I don't have to keep going to the kitchen to refill my glass every time I need a drink. Sure, I do have a $2 plastic pitcher from the dollar store that's about 6 years old but surely it's time to upgrade? Anyway, it's very hard to find a jug that looks nice and has a cover and this fulfills both criteria.


Alessi Toothpaste Cover - This little guy goes where the toothpaste cap is meant to go. Lift his hand and toohpaste will come out of his mouth!! I think it's rather cute.


Eva Solo Smiley Bowl - Looks pretty and really functions as two bowls in one.


Russell & Hobbs Panini Maker - Had great toasted sandwiches at my friend's place at Shepparton yesterday and am considering investing in one of these...


Alessi Floss Holder - Argh so cute!!!


Sony Bravia W Series - TV being one of the few sources of entertainment in the country, I'm thinking of investing in a good one since we will be spending so much quality time together...


Jacob Jensen Alarm Clock - The last alarm clock I had is a traditional one with the 2 bells that really rings. The alarm part of it stopped working maybe 2-3 years ago but it still works as a clock. Have been surviving on my handphone to wake me up since then.

Smoke, Water and Power

First I watched the news at about 10pm which informed me that there were bushfires in Victoria. Everywhere.

At about 11pm I could smell smoke in the air and wondered how far away the nearest bushfire was.

At 1am, I heard water. Where is it coming from? Turns out the water sprinklers were on in my front garden. How are they on and how do I stop it? Don't even know where the freaking switch is?? Is it automatic or did someone decide to switch it on?? Or is it some pipe that's burst or something??

This is the main thing I don't like about living alone - you have to deal with everything your damn self!

Decided to call the local police and start with 'I know this is going to sound really stupid...'

Anyway, the person who picked up the call was very nice about it and told me that the previous owner probably set the sprinklers to turn on once a fortnight or so and it'll turn off soon. And if it didn't I should call back.

It did.

Woke up this morning to the smell of even stronger smoke. Looked out of the window and even the house across the street is a little bit cloudy looking due to the smoke.


Out my bedroom window - It's 10am and there are no clouds, yet it's as if there's no sun.

Decided not to panic - if there really was a fire somewhere nearby surely there would be sirens? Must be a huge fire a few 100km away and the wind blew it over.

Fed Milton his breakfast and as I was there I heard a loud bang and one of the lighbulbs in my room exploded. Half the house had lost power.

Stuck with the dilemma of what to do again. I could:

1. Go over to my neighbour and look like a completely incompetent country dweller - which I am.
2. Do it my damn self.

Spent half an hour searching for the electricity box in the house, which eventually made me realize maybe it's outside the house.

Decided all of the switches should be 'on' not 'off' and flicked 2 of them back to that and voila - my house had power again.

Conclusion? I'm looking forward to my housemates returning and I really hope the bushfire isn't anywhere near where I am. Smoke getting stronger as we speak.

Keeping Cool

Was just about to leave the surgery on a Friday when someone rang up to ask if we were still open - his son had just smashed his front tooth in and it was now in the wrong position.

Had the joy of seeing my first trauma patient, repositioning the laterally luxated tooth and splinting them all up. Dad on the other hand was not so pleased.

The bill shocks patients most of the time, but it rarely shocks me. After all, I'm the one who lists down the things to charge.

Well, today's one did.

I have a feeling that boy isn't going to be so careless next time.

Superstar?

So a young patient comes in and says he needs a couple of fillings done.

My nurse gets excited and asks him if he would give her his autograph. I sat there puzzled - who is this guy?

Turns out he's part of some extreme motorcycling team or something like that and he's close to becoming an international superstar in that arena.

Now, if only Rafael Nadal would stop by...

Heatwave

The heat here is unbearable.

It's so hot that Milton starts barking because he just can't endure it anymore. Have to use a wet cloth to sponge him over with it to provide some relief.

As for the laundry, it dries bone dry in about an hour and is hot like it just came out of the dryer.

Been drinking as much iced water as possible and eating ice cream in my feeble attempt to stay cool. Have also cranked up the air conditioning - not to much avail.

I know in winter I whinge about the cold but I think this is 10 000 times worse. Yesterday's high was 44 degrees Celcius.

Melting.