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!
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!
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.
We’re celebrating the lunar new year in late January which means it’s my peak period for dog grooming. Tired would be the word to describe the month. Physically tired as I go from appointment to appointment. And I’m always looking forward to the last appointment before I head off for the lunar new year break.
I didn’t have a great month as I was down with tummyache and diarrhea. It was an on-and-off thing since my dinner at Ikea on the 12th of January. Felt slightly better on the 18th of January. Had to cancel an appointment as I was feeling terrible. Slept the entire afternoon and it was good to rest.
Chinese New Year celebration and visiting came and go faster than I expected. Spent the 3 public holidays with Dear visiting her relatives. First time and it felt weirdly good. They were all welcoming despite some seeing me for the first time. But also probably because it’s the Chinese New Year, everybody just welcomes anybody to their home for celebrations. The visiting schedule wasn’t as hectic as my family where we tend to have many relatives to visit. It’s quite relaxing for me after my peak period which I do appreciate and enjoyed a lot.
Time really flies and January just came and go in a blink of an eye. I wonder what February will be like. Hmm…
I have a lot in mind that I would love to put down in this blog and share with the world. The thing is, I do not know where to start! And when I do, I probably make it very confusing to understand for my readers. It is like those vlogs that I tried doing, the feedback I got from Dear was, I’m being everywhere! I need to plan my content better.
So for a start, I am going through other bloggers’ pages for inspiration. You’ll probably see some changes in the future posts. Till then, a short and sweet entry for the night.
It happened in April when I was off to my last appointment for the day. I’ve groomed this poodle before and the day I got bitten was my second visit. On the first visit, he was such an angel allowing me to groom him. However, the second visit was a nightmare for me.
As usual, after I unpack my grooming equipment, I got ready to start grooming. Sadly, before I could even start, I got bitten on the nose just when I bend down to retrieve my small shaver. I’m not sure how bad the wound was, all I remember was to get some tissues near me to cover and add pressure to stop the bleeding. Everything happened too fast and sudden that I didn’t know what to do other than adding pressure and hoping the wound isn’t bad.
A trip to the clinic
After the owner came back into the room, I told her I needed a while as I got bitten by her poodle, she asked me to head down to the clinic at the void deck. She said the wound looks bad. She can’t accompany me as she had a newborn at home, so I made my way down alone.
While on the way, I was still adding pressure to the wound. As I couldn’t wear my mask on (a mandatory rule due to covid-19), I was hoping that I wouldn’t get caught and be issued a fine. I had a valid reason for not wearing my mask, that’s what I thought.
When I entered the clinic, the receptionist helped me with registration. They thought I had a nose bleed as I was pinching my nose with tissues. I told them no, I got bitten by a tiny dog. Upon hearing that, I got ushered into the doctor’s room to seek treatment. Skipping the queue as they deem it as an emergency.
The doctor helped to clean up my wound and I was told the bite pierced through the nose. My nostril was bleeding on the inside too. Got given a tetanus jab because the last I took was quite some time ago. He mentioned that the tetanus jab can last about 5 years. Despite my fear of needles, I went through with it because I was told it might help prevent or reduce any inflammation or infection. And it’s part of the treatment to receive the jab I guess.
Had a brief chat with the doctor while he attends to my wound. He was the first person to believe me that the small dogs are usually the most aggressive ones compared to the bigger dogs. Though if a large breed were to bite, the injury definitely will be much worse.
Self-declare medical leave
After my visit to the clinic, I head back to the customer’s house to retrieve my stuff and call it a day. We rescheduled the appointment thinking it could be a one-off incident because he wasn’t aggressive before. The owner reimbursed me the medical fee and I could feel that she’s sincerely sorry about what had happened.
I canceled the week’s appointment because I wanted to let the wound heal. And also wearing a mask over the wound hurts badly. Dear came back early from work to check on me. Felt so loved and cared for.
Felt the pain kicking in after all the shock and adrenaline was gone. It’s bearable thus I didn’t take the pain killer that the doctor prescribed. I tend to my wound with care because I didn’t want it to leave a horrible scar and also its pain when applying the cream. Thankfully, it healed well with slight scarring. Not obvious unless you take a closer look at it.
Newborn baby, maybe?
I don’t blame the dog for acting the way he was. My guess could be the owner’s newborn baby who just got home from the hospital after about seven months in the NICU due to being born prematurely. With all the medical machines and a newborn, I’m guessing the dog felt neglected, in need of attention, and had slight changes in the environment he was used to, thus he attacked me unexpectedly. It could also be an act of jealousy.
It’s just my guess, I don’t know the actual cause of his sudden aggressive behavior. But I read up and heard a few stories of how the dog/cat’s behavior changed when a newborn arrived in the family. Yes, even though the parents may have done everything to introduce the baby to the pets, it doesn’t mean the dog/cat won’t act all crazy.
Many envied me for being skinny and they wished they were as slim as me. I wished they would stop commenting and envy how skinny I am no matter how much I eat. For the record, I’m unhealthy despite having a slim body.
My wife and I had to explain many times that I’m actually unhealthy and I have skinny fats hidden inside that small body frame of mine. Nobody in our circle of friends knew what skinny fats are or even heard of the term. To be honest, I didn’t know about it too. I got to know of it when I came across an article about it on Channel News Asia’s Facebook page.
Skinny Fats and Why It’s Deadly
side-by-side comparison shows how tightly packed the abdominal cavity can become with visceral fat Image from makeyourbodywork.com
The medical term for skinny fats is metabolically obese. Yes, I’m obese on the inside where unhealthy fats are surrounding my organs. I may look normal on the outside, but actually, I might have a slew of healthy issues beneath me.
I have a low muscle mass and my fat percentage is quite high, which I’m aware of after visiting ActiveSG Lab. They have this machine to measure your weight, height, muscle mass, fat percentage etc. I think it’s good for those who wish to know more about their body and what they could do to improve their health.
Health issues that people like me may face if we continue our unhealthy lifestyle are diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke or even Alzheimer and cancer. We may have vitamin deficiencies too which can lead to fatigue or low concentrations levels.
Are you skinny fat?
As I was researching about skinny fats and what I should do to get back to being healthy, I came across this list on shape.com website:
Haven’t been lifting weights since years ago.
Experience constant “sugar crash” or “brain fog”, such as fatigue, low energy, or difficulty in focusing, memory or concentration.
Pass on protein-packed food.
Belly is bigger than the rest of the body.
Diet consists of excess carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, sugar or processed food.
Feel light-headed after mild exercise.
I identify with most of what’s listed above and I can say it’s not something I’m proud of. I didn’t know I was this unhealthy and am glad that I came across an article about this topic a few years ago. It’s like a wake-up call to me that I need to get back and be healthy.
How am I affected? And what I did to get healthy?
Every time when I looked in the mirror or look down at my belly, I feel fat. Yes, skinny people like me do feel fat but I’ve my reason. I have a bulging tummy which nobody knows because it’s hidden beneath my clothes. That bulging tummy is a sign of skinny fats.
Before I started to get healthy, I’m always feeling tired. I’ve no mood for anything and basically, I need my afternoon naps. The words, food coma, that my friends have been using, I experienced that too. Being born weak with health issues when I was younger, my unhealthy lifestyle during adulthood isn’t helping much. After graduating from secondary school, I haven’t been exercising. Eating whatever I feel like having was also part of the contributing factor to me being skinny fat.
I’ve experienced pains to my knees. I thought taking glucosamine would help. It did but not much. Occasionally, my arms would be in pain too whenever I lifted them up. I live with these for years and thought it was normal and part of ageing. The biggest wake up call that I needed to do something was when I experienced sharp pain on my back. Thinking it could be due to work. And I didn’t want to end up like my sister who is now suffering from back pain and had to visit specialist to sought help.
I decided to get rid of my unhealthy lifestyle in year 2019. I’ve changed my diet, eliminating carbohydrates such as rice and noodle. My meals mainly consist of proteins, fruits and vegetables. I’ve also cut down on desserts and sugary drinks. Now I’m taking my coffee and tea without sugar which most of my friends thinks I’m crazy.
Year 2019 was also the year I started bullet journaling. And I decided to do a exercise challenge on a monthly basis with different exercise planned for each day of the month. I started small, example a 10 sit up for the start. It’s because I haven’t been exercising and I didn’t want to strain and push myself till I got myself injured. Each day I try to complete the challenge. I did increase the number of sets I had to do as I get the momentum of exercising.
Changes I noticed in myself
I’ve lost some weight but was told I looked healthier. I’m no longer taking afternoon naps. I no longer feel lethargic instead I’m much more alert. Concentration level while driving and at work got better too. Realized my bulging tummy got smaller too which was what I’m aiming for. This means my body fat percentage is gradually heading towards the healthy range.
The pain and aches that I’ve been feeling previously were gone. I can’t remember when was the last time I felt the sharp pain in my back or that my knees giving me the aches. I am no longer taking glucosamine to help with my joint issues.
I’ve found out that I’m lactose and gluten intolerant after my change of diet. Despite me being lactose intolerant, I do enjoy ice cream at a controlled amount. Not too much to avoid tummyache and many visits to the toilet.
My advice to everyone, always listen to your body. Some signs are an indicator to certain problems or illnesses that you need to address. Don’t ignore them like how I ignored my skinny fats issue. Health is important, don’t neglect some self love.
Decided to visit Disney Magic of Animation Exhibition on my birthday. And have been waiting ever since I got to know of its existence in Singapore. As a Disney fan, particularly bias towards Mickey Mouse, it is a must-visit for me.
Due to the Covid-19, we had to see how bad the situation gets. Thankfully, the number of cases in Singapore per day have been decreasing. And the number of recoveries has been increasing. So despite the virus going on, we decided to go ahead. To reduce our contact with the crowd as much as we could, I made the decision that we drive out towards the Art Science Museum.
Tips: Parking at Marina Bay Sands is expensive. You may park at Gardens by the Bay if you would like a cheaper alternative.
Disney Magic of Animation Exhibition
Where: Art Science Museum When: 26 Oct 2019 to 29 Mar 2020
We paid via Standard Chartered credit card, on top of the 15% discount, we were given a Simba Funko Pop. It’s while stock last and thankfully we’re lucky enough to get our hands on it.
Entering the exhibition is like going back through time. I got to learn how Disney started and got to where they are now. It’s amazing to learn so much such as them studying animals’ movement for the movie, Bambi. It really takes a lot of time and effort to perfect an animation from start to finish.
At the end of the exhibition, we were greeted by a small section of merchandise. So much to choose! Wanted a tee, but it’s difficult to find my size. Adult sizes are too big. Kids sizes are just right but the length of the shirt is too short. After browsing the entire collection, I decided I would want a bowl. Despite the hefty price tag, Dear said it’s OK to get since I like it a lot.
My Birthday Thoughts
As I got older, celebrating my birthday has become more of wanting to spend it with my love ones. No big birthday bash, no fancy restaurants. A simple meal and doing what we like has become what I’d prefer now.
Maybe I am beginning to see that spending time with love ones are important thus my priority now. It’s like what many said, you won’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Cherish the people around us before it’s too late.
![How to Reduce Visceral Fat [And What NOT to Do to Shrink Your Belly]](https://makeyourbodywork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/what-is-visceral-fat.jpg)
