Hello, I blog!
I share all my sporadic and toilet thoughts in here, because I am random like that.
2017 Resolution
Read an article about how our seemingly incessant consumption of clothing has led to potential environmental destruction, with unwanted clothes piling up in landfills.
Fast fashion, and clothing made with polyester and other manmade fibers (because it’s cheaper) seem to be the largest culprits. The former because their low costs had led people to buy more and in turn, throw away more. The latter, because it’s not biodegradable.
I looked up at my overflowing wardrobe and thought, oops.
Recently, I made the switch to preferring pure cotton for my clothing items, but only because it’s more comfortable given the heat in Singapore. Looks like I have an additional reason to add to that list.
So this year, I’ve decided to be more discerning about what I buy. It’s easy to get tempted especially with Instagram style pictures and online stores being just a tap away, but this is well worth a try.
The rod in my wardrobe broke from the sheer amount of clothing I owned back in 2015. That’s how bad it was. This will save me loads from what I don’t buy, as well as unnecessary repair costs.
To some extent, I’m already picky about the brands I choose to support (mainly because of their consistently good quality), so I guess I have some advantage there.
Now it’s more of to buy or not to buy?
That’s where it gets helpful for me to list down what do I exactly look out for in a piece of clothing that is expected to be timeless and last me for several years.
So, here’s the checklist I shall refer to from now on.
1. Must have pockets.
2. Must be easy to match.
3. Must be lightweight yet durable.
This is a struggle, because it’s impossible to gauge this when buying online. So I pay attention to the material type, and purchase only certain tried and tested brands online.
4. Must be able to cover the knees.
I wear knee guards because of regular joint pain from my illness. Anything that does not cover them ends up having very little mileage.
5. Must be something I will definitely wear.
If there’s even the slightest doubt about “is this something that I will wear?”, don’t buy it.
Let’s see how this pans out. On top of my consistent clearing of stuff that had very little mileage (read: rarely wear) on Carousell, this is a large step towards less clutter.
Why I am so anxious about dentists
I wrote a post about how IV sedation benefited me during a dental procedure back in 2010, which subsequently led to several emails from fellow dental anxiety sufferers wanting to know more. Thank you guys for writing in, and I hope you managed to get your dental woes sorted out sans the anxiety! I guess this will be a sequel. Kind of.
Warning – super long post ahead!
I hate sequels, especially of the dental drama variety. Holiday sequels, family comedy sequels, “funny moments in the office” sequels, yeap bring them on. But medical sequels (too much of them) and dental sequels can well stay out of my way. But that’s life – full of ups and downs.
Unfortunately, a filling on my right upper molar failed miserably. I currently have pain on chewing, and considering the depth of the cavity, I opted to do an elective root canal treatment with the blessings of my current dentist. (And another crown thereafter. Yes, another.)
And of course, with me being all jittery about dental procedures, I opted to be sedated once again.
With my medical history being too complex now, my dentist didn’t feel too comfortable doing the root canal himself. So he referred me to an endodontic specialist whom I saw for the first time last week.
The endodontist was a really nice guy, and I really enjoyed chatting with him. And me being me, I flooded him with loads of questions. But not once did he show any sign of irritation. It was only when he wanted to do an “ice test” (putting a cold object on my tooth to test the level of nerve sensitivity) on my tooth did I freak out. It was then followed by my howls of “ohmygosh, so embarassing!” thereafter, with the endodontist and his assistant smiling reassuringly at me.
He then asked me why was I so anxious about dental work and where my dental anxiety originated from. Not the first dentist to ever ask me this question. To be honest, I never really thought about it, and my responses to previous dentists had always been a shrug. I only knew that yeah, I get anxious about dental work.
I thought about it a little on the spot, but was only able to vaguely trace it to my experience with my primary school dentist.
My response to him? “Because my primary school dentist was a prick.”
He could barely hold back his chuckle.
Sleep is not for the weak
Was just reading an article today about an entrepreneur whom in an interview, mentioned he only needed 4 hours of sleep at night because there’s so much to do.
Not linking to that article because that would personally identify said entrepreneur (whose success story and company happens to be one I respect a lot).
My response to that article was to grit my teeth down and think “so young, so foolish.”
With all due respect to entrepreneurs, there need to be fewer articles sensationalizing about how people survive without sleep (or on very little sleep) to achieve success, like as if it’s a badge of pride or something.
I used to be that foolish person. I stayed awake for 48 hours on several occasions back in my heyday – whether to complete projects as a student or to hit a deadline. And then boast happily about it as if I’m so proud of that fact.
Then again, I was a young person who had my life ahead of me. Or so I thought.
5 years and several illnesses later, this late twenty-something has realized that health is not something that is a given. It is a privilege that can be taken away anytime.
And I’m struggling to get it back. Struggling, because what I have now is irreversible and life is now pretty much a “fight to live normally”.
I no longer consider myself an entrepreneur, even though I’m in the founding team of a startup company. My priorities have completely shifted and my health has taken centrestage. You would say that all the fire has gone out of me, and I wouldn’t disagree with you.
Then again, I’m in an extreme situation so I cannot help tutting when reading about how people put their health on the line just to achieve success. Like heyyy, you guys still have your health. Can you please take better care of it?
Youth does not make one immune to the shit that can happen if you take health for granted.
I know everyone defines success differently and for some, their business/work is their life (like it used to be for me). But nothing is worth throwing your health away for.
Please don’t learn the hard way like me, yeah.
/End of my Saturday night random thoughts.
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This blog has really bad continuity, I know. It’s September now – 6 months since my last post and unfortunately, 2015 is pretty much like 2014 – defined by the same health struggle, multiple hospitalizations and less than 50% attendance in the office.
I have so many insecurities now, but I’ll save that for a different post on a different day. If I get round to it, that is.
Typing is actually painful so I guess I’ll stop here.
Good night, folks.
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