Since I was born in February, of course, it’s one of my favorite months of the year. This year felt different as I entered my mid-30s. Of course, I can feel my body change in a not-so-healthy way and I know I need to do better and watch out for my health. Apart from health, 2024’s February has been good.
I submitted my application for a Diploma in Applied Science (Veterinary Technology), a part-time course, for both Temasek and Ngee Ann Polytechnics in January. I applied it through work experiences as I kind of misplaced my Diploma in Mass Communications. Not knowing if luck would be by my side, I hoped for the best. And it was one of my birthday wishes this year!
I got to consider which school is my priority and I chose Temasek Polytechnic. Mainly because it was the first school that offered a Veterinary Science course many years ago and highly recommended. And they have a clinic on the campus! I read the reviews and the past students said they got to have practical practises during their course duration. And I believe hands-on practices are much more important than just learning from textbooks.
It was an anxious one-month wait and I have been checking my email since 15 February when the application for this year’s intake closes. And when I received the email on 27 February, I had to re-read it to confirm that I didn’t misread anything. I was over the moon and started shouting for Dear to share the good news. I’ve never felt this before, like receiving an acceptance letter from a dream school. I mean, my Diploma in Mass Communications was from MDIS and we don’t get this kind of feeling. It’s just apply for the course, paid money and we wait for semester to start. But applying for local Polytechnics were different. I get the anxious wait and the happiness after receiving the acceptance letter.
So I accepted the offer and paid for the first-semester fee. Now I am waiting for the school’s schedule to be out. I can’t wait for school to start in April! I will aim for better results and learn new knowledge! I can do this!
Our first fostering experience failed which everyone predicted so. We have been talking about fostering fur kids in the future and that we have to be firm that we won’t end up adopting them instead. I guess, most times, it didn’t go as planned.
A friend approached me, asking if we could foster an injured cat. She showed me a video of the cat limping and said her estate community neighbors would be trapping the cat for medical care. After discussing with the wife, we said sure. Let’s get her well again after her hospital stay.
We knew how soft our hearts were and kept reminding ourselves not to name the cat. And no, we’re not keeping her. We were both determined to make the fostering a success. Sadly, we failed. She needed a home and we gave her one. It was a long hoo-ha between the rescuers and her previous owner. Eventually, he relinquished his ownership and we adopted her.
The first thing on our agenda was to get her better. Borrowed a soft playpen from our friend, but it didn’t last long as this little girl jailbreak her enclosure. We were supposed to prevent her from moving too much as she just had surgery for her injured paw and sterilization. This active girl thinks she’s all good and ready to conquer her new home. Sadly, the first week was a nightmare. The boys and her didn’t get along well. Weirdly, the boys were aggressive towards one another instead of towards the new pawmily member. Somehow, eventually they started to get better mingling. And today, they’re getting along really well. Thankful there’s no crazy cat fights and injuries during the introduction period. It was tiring for us both physically and mentally, but the end results were worth it.
Initially, we named her Dew, after her eye color. However, when she did something wrong and we were shouting her name out, we realized it sounded wrong. In Cantonese, it was a vulgar word and we knew we had to change her name. And it was another round of scrolling through Google for name inspiration.
We ended up renaming her as Dione, after a Greek goddess. Dione is the wife of Zeus. So yes, our feisty little one is named Dione Mimi. And we’re happy to announce that she’s eating well and on a full raw diet. She’s gaining weight and her coat is getting better too. And hopefully, for now, she’s the last kid we bring into our pawmily till we’re ready for the next one. Things don’t always go as planned, but we’re glad that we’re able to provide a home for the kids that we’ve adopted so far.
With the Invisalign treatment, there’s an additional pouch that I needed to bring every time we went out. It may take up space especially if my bag is small. It was a hassle at first, but it got better as it became a habit. The first few days of wearing the Invisalign, I kept thinking of just settling my meals at home. But of course, that’s just a wishful thinking because eventually I will still have to head out and experience the inevitable.
Here’s what my pouch contains:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dental floss
Mouth wash
Rubber bands (for my Invisalign treatment)
Invisalign casing
I have consulted a few friends who did braces in the past, and somehow all of them did the traditional metal braces. The advice I was given was to bring a bottle of mouthwash, in case the public toilet isn’t ideal for brushing my teeth. At least with the mouthwash, I can do a quick rinse and wear my Invisalign back. It indeed was very good advice as it did happen to me at the local coffee shop and hawker center.
Somehow, most public toilets I went to were clean enough to brush my teeth. It was awkward at first as my very first experience was at the Singapore Zoo. A young girl, around primary school age, kept staring at me when I started flossing my teeth and brushing. It was a very uncomfortable situation but I try to take it that kids are just being curious at why I’m doing this in a public place.
Initially, I thought the frequent visits to the toilet before and after meals would be a hassle, but it wasn’t. I started the Invisalign journey with the mindset of having better dental hygiene and the trouble would be worth it. I have seen myself flossing often and brushing my teeth as best as I could. Not that I didn’t brush well previously, but I just want to make sure what I’m doing now doesn’t cause any teeth issues like decay.
My experience thus far has been good. Getting the hang of this new habit and ignoring everybody’s stares. Overseas experience coming soon in the year 2024. Wonder how it will be considering there’s street food to eat.
Finally back from a month-long holiday and I’m ready to start my Invisalign journey! The first thing on my to-do list was to extract two upper wisdom teeth. My upper row of teeth is a little crowded and the wisdom had to go. As I looked forward to my extraction appointment in excitement, I was actually a little scared because of my dentist’s phobia.
I was thankful that my appointment was 10 am in the morning and I got to rest the entire day after I’m back home. The dentist and her assistant were nice as they calmed me and assured me everything would be fine before, during, and after the procedure. They helped make my experience less traumatizing considering I had a bad experience visiting the dentist.
The whole extraction procedure went smoothly and faster than I expected. In a few minutes, I was out and ready to head home to rest for the day. I didn’t feel any pain till the numbness wore off. It was a little stinging pain for a while and that’s it. I didn’t need any painkillers and I’m back to eating normally.
17 October – Invisalign Day!
The day I have been looking forward to finally arrived. The usual cleaning of my teeth with Dr Jessica before we started with the Invisalign fitting. It was a little longer than I expected. But everything went well as she updated me on what she was doing during the procedure.
I have two little metal to hook the rubber bands on my Invisalign. I also have some little bumps on my teeth in order for the aligners to hold on tight while I wear them for a minimum of 22 hours a day! The only time I took it off will be during meal times.
Received a total of 59 sets of Invisalign. Was given a schedule to change a new set of Invisalign each week. It will last till 19th December, and I’m guessing they’ll give me a new schedule after that. I’ve forgotten to ask, will do so during my next appointment if I ever remember.
Wearing it for the first day was a little uncomfortable. My teeth felt tight and constrained in the little aligners. My Jaw was a little sore, not sure if it’s from the Invisalign or that my mouth was opened for quite a while during the dentist visit. Removing it by myself at home for the first time for dinner took me a long time. I stood by the sink and was trying to pry open the Invisalign. I get a little frustrated when it doesn’t want to come off. But was a relief when I managed to remove them.
It was difficult to chew on my food now with all the little bumps and metal rods in my teeth. It felt weird and I was scared I broke something. Thankfully Dear was understanding of my plight, and we’ve been having smaller pieces and softer meat as I slowly get used to my new routine.
I don’t really floss my teeth, but now I have to start a regular habit. After every meal, I was told to floss and brush my teeth. And for the first time in my life, I’m flossing and brushing my teeth more times a day! I have yet to head out for a meal, probably will write an entry about my eating out experience soon.
Oh, I was given Invisalign’s very own casing to keep my aligners properly when I remove them during meal times! The whole thing looked damn high class can!
We left home at around 4 am without much sleep as we were doing last-minute packing. We procrastinated and only started the serious packing two nights before our scheduled flight. 😂 But of course, we’ve forgotten quite a few things such as toothpaste. It’s ok, we could purchase most of them at the convenience stores around Japan.
The flight wasn’t exactly smooth due to the turbulence we met. The captain had to announce quite a few times to remind us to buckle up and remain seated. I remember waking up once as the plane was very shaky due to the turbulence. But thankfully, the landing was smooth as we were waiting for the descent of altitude, we didn’t know we were already reducing in height till the wheels of the plane touched the ground.
We didn’t take any meals on the flight as Dear had planned to bring me out for our first meal once we landed. Immigration was smooth sailing, although we don’t need to show proof of our vaccination now, but it’s good to register the immigration arrival details on Japan Web. It helps immigration clearance a bit smoother and faster. Might write another post about the online application on another post to help with first timers because I got confused too when navigating the website on my mobile.
We had lunch at the airport as Dear read online that there’s a nice ramen. She ordered Kamukura‘s Oiishi ramen set and a gyoza. I ordered a bento from Takomasa. To be honest, my bento wasn’t exactly delicious. The rice was cold, which I’m guessing it’s normal for a bento. The takoyaki wasn’t that bad, but not very delicious either. The only wow factor for the entire bento was the chicken kaarage which was hot and crispy and tasted good. The chicken was juicy and flavourful. Dear’s ramen was much better. The broth was refreshing and the noodles were tangy. Although the gyoza doesn’t come with any sauce or mayonnaise to go with, it was juicy and hot. It was pan-fried to perfection in my opinion. It was so much better than my bento!
We headed off to find a luggage delivery service at the airport. Dear planned to send our medium-sized luggage off to our second hotel, which I kind of glad she did. Japan is famous for the never-ending stairs around the country, especially at its train stations. It’s rare to see escalators and elevators. So sending one luggage off helps us move around easily. For our medium-sized luggage, according to Japan’s measurement, it’s less than 160cm. After adding the weight, it cost us around SGD21.
Address: Â 3-28 Rinkuoraiminami, Izumisano, Osaka 598-8508 Nearest Train Station: Rinku Town
We rolled around in our small luggage and headed off to Rinku Premium Outlet. The first stop was Thermos because Dear eyes brightened up when she saw the brand. Got her mum a new small bottle before we headed off to find the Nike store. Along the way, we stopped at Gap as Dear said there might be some clothing I would be interested in. Sadly, the colors weren’t what I liked. Before we left, I bought two bears and gachapon hoodies for them at the Gap store. It’s a tradition I had with my friends where we will get each other bears when we travel overseas. We have a collection of travel bears that we’ve collected since not sure when.
Dear was telling me before we even got to the Nike store, that if I managed to find an Air Jordan within her budget, she’d get me a pair. At that moment, I was literally happy to hear that but also worried that the designs weren’t what I liked. Most Air Jordan was high cut, which was like a pair of basketball shoes. I didn’t like those, I prefer lower cut like a pair of sneakers. As we entered the Nike store, we headed over to the shoes section and we started to browse. A red and black coloured Air Jordan at the kids’ section called out to me and I went over to have a look. Thankfully, they had it in my size and I gave it a try. At that moment, I knew I’m in love with this pair. It was within budget and yes, I got my very first pair of Air Jordan! Dear got a matching pair too.
After shopping, we headed towards our first accommodation, First Hotel Izumisano. We’ll be staying here for a night before we travel towards the more city part of Osaka. Staff greeted us warmly when we entered. During check-in, they asked if we needed shuttle to Kansai Airport. Which we did say no as our trip has only just begun. As our room was in their new wing of the building, they showed us a diagram and gave us instructions on how to get to our room.
We entered the room and was surprised it wasn’t as small as we thought. There’s more chairs in the room and a small coffee table. The bed size was decent, and it comes with pyjamas! Bedroom slippers were provided as well. Oh, they do have some daily necessities at the lobby where you can take for free. We took what we needed such as hair tie and some tea packets where we did make a cup to go with our dinner that we bought from 7-eleven.
Bathroom was clean especially the bathtub which we were quite particular about. All we did was rinse which was good. Because we’ve been to hotels with not very clean bathtub which we had to scrub and wash before use. Wifi was provided and the connection was good. We were able to connect once arrived and managed to send photos and videos updates to family. Overall, would recommend this hotel if you want somewhere near the airport.
We were so tired from traveling that we decided to head out to the nearest convenience store to get cup noodles as our dinner for the night. Comfort food does help especially in Japan. They have a wide range of food that you can get to fill up your tummy.
It’s time to rest and prepare for more adventure the next day!
I have been wanting to get my teeth fix. Initially, it was more for aesthetic purposes, but as time went by, it was more for better dental hygiene. With some teeth in a rotated manner and a bit of overlapping, I fear that my oral hygiene wasn’t in the best condition. The traditional braces weren’t an option that I would want to choose because of the tedious brushing and care needed. I know that I won’t be brushing properly or the right way. And having aligners will be a better choice as the brushing required seem to be more or less the same way as I’m currently doing. Yes, I did a little bit of research and did some considering of which troublesome situation I would prefer to be in.
Why did we want to consult the orthodontist instead? For more information to know what’s the difference between dentist and an orthodontist, you may find the information here.
To be honest, my first choice wasn’t Invisalign because it was quite pricey and over my budget. I was considering Zenyum, however, after trying twice after submitting the required documents to proceed, I was rejected because my case was too complex for their technology. With the two rejections, I went ahead with Invisalign and booked an appointment with an orthodontist, Dr Jessica from Royce Dental.
I’ve had bad experiences with dentists since primary school and visiting the dental clinic has always been my nightmare. I get anxious and nervous the entire session and always hope to have a nicer friendlier doctor during my visit. And yes, I was feeling the jitters the day of my visit when I had my consultation with Dr Jessica. Thankfully, my experience was pleasant.
We did some scans, photo taking, and X-rays. I found out that I have an overbite. My lower jaw was much inwards and my upper jaw was trying to compensate a little by making my jaw look as normal as possible. In fact, my lower jaw’s front teeth are touching the upper gums behind the teeth. Which in the long run isn’t good for the gums. And I am thankful I’ve decided to go for the consultation and get to know my condition better. There wasn’t any hard selling, Dr Jessica did ask if I would want to go ahead with having Invisalign treatment. I could have said no, but I said yes and scheduled for the next appointments.
I’m quite amazed with the new technology as it could show me how my teeth and jaw would look like after the treatment. And I’m already looking forward to it. But first, the thing I needed to do was remove my two upper wisdom teeth. I’ve already made another appointment for the teeth removal and getting my first set of aligners. Will be updating again in October on my next appointment’s experience.
After staying with Grandma for almost a month, we finally brought Toby home. Everything went well until we woke up to a diarrhea mess on Sunday morning. It all started when Dear jumped up from sleep and heard Toby vomiting. We cleaned up the mess and Dear said to bring Toby to the vet. Sadly, our usual vet doesn’t work on a Sunday though the clinic was opened and she’s on leave. We had to look for alternative vet.
The Animal Doctor was busy and couldn’t see our son, so we had to look for the next available nearest vet. We ended up with United Vet and are really thankful they are able to slot us in on their earliest available slot. Thankful it’s near home as well, it’s about a 10-minute drive away including finding a parking lot at the nearest car park. Usually we would monitor when the kids had diarrhea, however, due to Toby’s age, we decided to seek treatment since he had been having the runs multiple times while we were asleep.
We packed the soiled pee pad thinking they might need some stool samples since we heard of many pawrents mentioning it’s best to bring. However, I was wrong. To have a fecal smear, I was told by Dr Phoebe Ong that it’s better when it’s fresh. I’ve no idea how they’ll be getting a fresh one, but Toby did a fecal smear and thankfully nothing major.
During consultation, Dr. Ong mentioned several tests she thinks we should let Toby do. I am overwhelmed again by the various tests, and I decided to give Dear a call. Even got Dr. Ong to explain everything again and thankful Dear remained calm and we proceeded with the blood test to check on his pancreas. Thank you Dr Ong for being patient and understanding while I’m basically useless at the clinic. Dear was down with covid and only I could leave home since I tested negative.
Toby’s pancreas test results came back not looking good. Suspected pancreas issue, the reading was a little higher than the normal range. Went home with some medication for his diarrhea and a supplement for his pancreas issue. Not to forget, 7 large cans of Science Diet Presciption Diet, which Toby eventually didn’t enjoy from the second day onwards.
We were quite happy that he recovered well around the third day after seeing the vet. We’ve stopped the diarrhea medication as advised by the vet. We continued with the antibiotics and pancreas supplement. Happy to announce that he’s back to normal with lots of energy to chase his cat brothers.
Address: 401 Havelock Rd, Singapore 169631. Hotel Miramar
I’ve been wanting to bring Dear to Ikoi Japanese Restaurantfor the longest time since I tried it with my ex-colleagues many years back. I remember vividly that my experience was good and affordable and the sashimi was fresh. But of course, we didn’t have the chance to visit as Dear was still studying in Digipen Singapore, while I was busy getting my grooming certificate. We were on a tight budget back then and every penny was like very precious. Then I kind of forgotten about it till recently and finally we made time to pamper ourselves to a nice Japanese meal. We made a reservation through the Whatsapp number that we found on their Facebook page. We’re not sure if they’ll take walk-ins, so best to make a reservation in my opinion to secure yourself a table.
Appetizer
We arrived about 15 minutes early and they weren’t open yet, so we waited at the hotel lobby. As we waited, the crowd at the lobby started to formed and everyone was waiting for Ikoi Japanese Restaurant to open. Once we were seated, we were welcomed with appetizer on our table. A plate of sashimi each and a bowl of edamame to share, which I totally didn’t touch and Dear seemed to enjoy it more than I do.
Before we even enter the restaurant, we do know what we want and started to order when the waitress came over. We ordered almost everything we wanted at one go despite it being a free flow buffet.
We ordered some sashimi which in our opinion, fresh! Thankfully they disappoint me on my second visit after so many years. Dear approved and is satisfied which is good enough. The tempuras were good, crispy even after quite a while as we savour every dishes that we ordered. My favorite is the ebi tempura, or rather I’m just bias as I have a personal preference towards seafood. It goes well with the dipping sauce provided.
I saw Japanese curry rice and soba on the menu. We were told the portion would be small, so we ordered. When it arrived, we weren’t expecting palm size curry rice and soba. It was cute and we were so happy receiving them like two teenage girls giggling at the sight of it. It’s nice, but since it was carbs, we didn’t order again. Dear did order the fried rice to try, it was normal and nothing special. Go for the curry rice, it’s more worth the carbs intake in my opinion.
I love oden and I’m ecstatic when I saw the menu. And I just have to order it! No regrets as it was indeed oiishi! The flavour was just nice, not too salty or overwhelming. A very light taste enough to cleanse the palate. It’s refreshing to me, though I wanted another bowl, but by then we were almost full. We did order more sashimi and sushi which kind of filled up our tummy fast.
The meal comes with a complimentary soup. Though Dear said it’s a buffet, what’s complimentary? Ok, don’t ask me but that’s what it was called I think. It came in a nice ceramic pot. The taste to us was exactly the same as the oden, just without the ingredients. It’s nice, warms up the tummy as we ended our buffet dinner.
I’ve asked Dear if she would want to visit again, she said yes when we have craving for a Japanese cuisine buffet. It’s nice to have free flow sashimi and eat till we’re satisfied. But of course like most buffet, there’s a wastage fee. I can’t remember how much, but do order what you can finish. Don’t be the typical kiasu Singaporean and order more than you can chew!
I wanted to write a review for Angie, but as I wrote a draft on my mobile phone’s notes app, I came to realize there were too many things to write. It will be a very lengthy review. And I thought to myself, why not just write a blog entry about my experience which can be a lengthy review itself as well.
Early this year, I signed up for a 3-day Connecting the Dots (Animal Communication) course that took place during the Labour Day long weekends (29 April to 1 May 2023). I was contemplating between the course conducted by Angie and her master, Lucia. I ended up going with Angie’s as I was available on the dates the classes were on.
Before attending the class, I was encouraged to take up animal communication by customers as they think it will benefit me in my grooming career. One even told me that it’s more than just communicating with the animals. I didn’t know what she meant then, I was told to experience it myself to understand. And it’s best to go with an open mind.
Here’s what I packed for the class:
Warm water in my trusty thermos bottle
Hot coffee to perk me up in my Tiger brand thermal bottle
Jacket & thickest shawl to keep me warm during class
Pen
Umbrella in case the sky decided to cry
Lunch because I’m lazy to head out to get food
Yoga mat cos limited sofa seats available
The class was conducted at HometeamNS Kathib. I planned to take the bus to Kathib on 29th April, Saturday since there’s no free parking at the nearby HDB area. But I left home a little late and waiting for the bus takes longer time than I expected. I returned to retrieve the car and thankfully made it in time for the class. I spent around $12 for parking, from 10 am to around 6 pm. Expensive, but I was to blame for heading out late. Subsequently on Sunday and Monday which was a Public Holiday, I parked the car opposite HometeamNS Kathib because there’s free parking. If you’re driving and don’t mind the walking, can consider this parking option if your classes falls on a Sunday and Public Holiday.
During the first day of class, we got to share why we were there attending Connecting the Dots. Everyone shared that they were there so they can communicate with their pets. To be honest, I didn’t know why I’m there. It felt like a calling to be there to attend the lesson.
The first day was more of a theory during the first half of the lesson. After which we got to try meditation and get into the zone to prepare for animal communication. The notes that Angie prepared and her explanation of how the meditation works are as easy as ABC in my opinion. I can’t say it on behalf of others, but for me, it’s easy to understand.
The second and third days were more practical, where we communicated with pets. We got to practice on Angie’s Smoochie and Galaxy before moving on to practice communicating with our fellow classmates’ pets. It was kind of interesting and fun. We also got to know how accurate our readings were from the owner’s feedback. We also communicated with fur kids at the rainbow bridge. It’s a whole new perspective and a nice closure for the classmates.
On the last day before the class ends, Angie got us to draw a card. Not sure what cards were those, but each of us had to draw one and asked a question. The question was, what is the exact purpose for me to attend this Connecting the Dots class? The answer surprised me. Indeed, through the class, I’ve found myself. It was an amazing experience attending the class and very mind-opening.
For those who are still considering taking the class, just go! There’s an upcoming beginner’s class in September and December this year. Go sign up to enjoy the early bird’s fee. If in doubt, feel free to contact Angie, she’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Out of the blue, we asked my ex-customer if there were any kittens up for adoption as we would like to add a new pawmily member when she visited us for emergency help after rescuing Oogway. And lucky us, there are two ginger boys looking for a forever home! Scheduled a meetup before we decide as we don’t want to promise anything without seeing them. Initially, we wanted to adopt one, but was told it’s good to adopt as a pair especially when we do not have cats at home and it’ll be easier for first time cat owners like us.
Kittens teach each other how to behave when playing and interacting. They let each other know when biting, nipping or gnawing is too aggressive, and they learn to establish boundaries. Kittens also learn cat skills like using the litter box and grooming by watching each other.
We said yes to adopting both the ginger boys and preparation to welcome them home starts immediately. Lots of things to do and the first one was to do some measuring. One of the adoption criteria was to mesh up our windows and gate, which we will DIY ourselves.
Ordered everything from Taobao except their food of course. Choosing the cat tower that we both like and some wall mounts for the kittens. Yes, we went all out to get all these necessary things though we were told cats might not even use them after we placed our orders. It’s a little late but it’s OK.
Dear researched raw diets and cat litter while I did nothing and just waited for the kittens’ arrival. Yes, I’m that useless. There’s a lot to learn since we’re first-time cat owners and we went all out asking for advice and getting the necessary things. But what surprised us was the fosterer’s sudden call to say the kittens must come home immediately because another cat needs foster care. So we scrambled to purchase some canned food for the time being. We even went to collect giveaway litter box and some scratching post as temporary items before ours arrives. Everything was chaotic a few days before our kittens’ arrival. We were both excited and scared that we’re not fully prepared with the necessary items.
But yes, we managed to get the basic items and we’ve turned our study room into kittengarten for the time being. Stay tuned for the next few posts when they arrived. Might be updating more and abruptly ending this post because they arrived earlier than expected.
