It’s inevitable! I can’t seem to talk about anything else these days but political speculations, sob stories of defamed politicians, possible election outcomes, the election process….I do hope none of my apathetic friends are annoyed with me!
During my morning classes, I would be devouring the newspapers(getting my BN fix) but the real fun starts at night when I get home and the internet is my best friend. Youtube videos on opposition ceramahs, political pundits sharing their thoughts with the online rakyat and support groups on Facebook…these are exciting times for everyone who cares about what happens to Malaysia. 🙂 My stand is for smarter voices in parliament and for idiots who have embarrassed themselves in parliament to be eliminated.
While going through the videos on youtube, I realise that I have always admired Dr. Mahathir for the way he speaks. Gotta love his sarcasm. I didn’t realise Anwar was such an incredible speaker too! I was on an Anwar Ibrahim binge last night. In certain aspects, he has the same flair for speech as Dr. M. I’m not basing my admiration for whatever these two people have done in the past, but I’m just taking it all at face value. Makes for good entertainment!
On a more serious(but still fun!!) note, I’m going for Jeff Ooi’s wrapping up ceramah at Han Chiang stadium in Penang tomorrow. Will be wearing red! Woot woot! I’m also crazy enough to come back for Hannah Yeoh’s wrapping-up ceramah this Friday. I nearly wanted to go to RPK’s ceramah last night in Penang but I received news on Facebook that the police have denied him entry into the island. Oh well.
Mm, there should be more to life than just the General Elections. Well, okay, um.. every night I find myself in a daze about how to prioritize my time and energy. Assessing which photos from my stock are worthy to be blogged first, procrastinating when it comes to handing in r.Age artices and also editing a website with an e-zine that I’m working for. It’s tiring but i’m hoping that my effort will pay off and that I get to go to Hong Kong at the end of the year with my own money from doing these three activities.
Studies will receive my utmost attention in a week or two. As if third year is not relaxing enough, I will be having TWO papers for my finals at the end of April. The two papers are medicine and surgery. Just two papers, two hours each. Just those two hours each two papers, I’m getting two weeks study break. I’d better pass with flying colours or I will not forgive myself. A little worried about my Surgery paper though as I failed the last module’s paper. Though I should add that I did get a distinction for the first module. Hehe. So by adding up the two papers, my average is probably well…somewhat average. Just let me pass my finals. Please please please..
If you don’t understand what’s the big deal about having only two papers for my finals..well compared to last year’s final when I had six subjects and one practical to study for. Also two weeks study break! There is no excuse for me to fail the coming finals.
The school has arranged for the exams to be carried out this way in order for us to go into the clinical phase and start treating patients. We will be having ONLY the dentistry final paper in our July finals.
It’s been ages since I’ve last posted photos from my practical class. Not that it’ll be very interesting to the most of you but just bear with it. I like my practical classes. 🙂 One of the reasons why I’m doing dentistry is because of the many hands-on approach that I get in this field. As our orthodontics lecturer said, “Dentistry is a blend of art and science.” 🙂
After we mounted the teeth for our upcoming endodontic practicals, we had to trim the models so that it will fit into the adaptors.
Adaptors to hold the models which will be placed inside the simulated patient’s mouth.
Looks like a bad occclusion. Oh well, no one’s perfect.
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I’m sure most of you know what’s a root canal therapy. Well, at the very least heard of it. That’s what we’re currently learning! Here I am gaining access into the pulp canal perpendicular to the long axis of the tooth. After that, further access to the pulp canal should be attempted parallel to the long axis of the tooth.
My minute and dainty cavity. 😀 *proud*
My tutor inserted the endo file to see if I’ve managed to access the pulpal canal.
The Gates-Glidden bur is used for coronal flaring of the coronal 1/3 of the pulp chamber.
Big holes now! Good for vision!
Loving my big holes. Yes, I know it sounds wrong.
Oh joy! Our first exposure to oral radiography.
Here’s the control panel.
Oooh and then we have the developer and fixer to process the periapical radiographs.
All of us paying close attention while the tutor demonstrates.
That is how we’re supposed to place the film! Parallel to the long axis of the teeth. My model looks like it’s suffering from horrible periodontal problems right? Damn plaster of paris infused with sawdust just don’t hold as well when clamped with the rubber dam clamps. 🙁
And then it was my turn. Like detonating a bomb right? Hehe.
Red see through cover to aid visibility but prevent exposure of the film.
Ahh, my beautiful first attempt. Not the best, but it’s my very own!
After a few days, we had to find out the working length of all four anterior teeth. After a few days because that’s when we had our next practicals lah. The working length means from the level where the hole is made to the bottom of the root of the teeth. That’s the extent of the pulp chamber. By taking an x-ray, we can be sure if the access cavities made by the burs are correct and not holes leading to elsewhere.
Ooooh ooooh! Probably the moment I’ve been waiting for ever since I decided to study dentistry(which was in form5)…Orthodontics!
Mr. Abdullah cuts wires for us to practice our wire-bending skills. Yan Rui is touched.
We were to bend the wires according to the shapes drawn out for us.
It was no easy task manipulating those wires. The skin on my finger pads were peeling, especially on the third finger. 🙁
A kink!! Argh! I can’t get a good S-shape. 🙁 🙁 🙁
It ranges from fun to just plain annoying. A third year dental student’s worst nightmare is probably to bend really complicated wires coated with baby oil.
My end result. Mr. Abdullah said the dental technicians that he had trained in the past were required to replicate the shapes exactly and ensure that when placed on the drawings, no shadows should be seen. Must be super flat. I couldn’t produce that kind of work. 🙁
Jimmy who finished too fast for my liking came to kepoh at my desk while I slaved away. He made this for me and got lazy and asked me to do the E myself. A portion of the guys in my class seem to be extremely good with their hands during practical classes. It’s frustrating to figure out why I can’t be as good as them. After careful consideration and evaluation of the common characteristic shared by the lot of them, it seems that playing Dota could very well be the reason. Hehe, that’s just my theory lah! All of them play Dota alot AND are the ones who produce the nicest work in class. So all you Dota addicts should consider a career in dentistry. There seems to be a co-relation.
To prevent our brains from going mush during these less than busy times, the AIMST Dental Students Association have finally congregated to suggest activities that can be carried out to fit everyone’s schedules.
Me being me, ran around with the camera again. Here are my classmates. So few of them compared to the larger turnout for the other two batches. Boohoo.
One half of the Year Ones(aka Batch3).
The other half of the year ones. They have about 50 students in their batch.
The Year Twos(Batch 2) have a larger amount of students actually. More than 50, I remember.
Ideas for ADSA boggles the mind.
And lastly, a photo of the happy committee who have decided to go ahead with ADSALYMPICS.
Despite the Year 2’s hectic schedule, the Year 3’s like-holiday-but-actually-got-school schedule and the Year 1 being somwhere in between, it’s quite nice to see all my coursemates utilizing the sports complex almost every day!
I try to swim three times a week but for fear of tinting the pool red for these few days, I’ve taken to playing badminton instead. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m actually enjoying myself every evening sweating it out and aching all over the next day. Soon the rest of you will say, “Eh. where’s Jolene?” when I turn sideways. Too slim. Cannot see.
I was searching for “big eye contact len” and actually got to your site, where you were saying you looked like a bear with such contact lens. Heh.. I like the way you blog, very funny!
hey i came to this blog by accident too. cant believe im learning something about dentistry from this blog. great posts!
arggghh!!! really goose-bump all over when i see the dentist equipment…..:(
rofl..maybe i shud take up dota to prep for that.. lol!! but earing making helps too, when u bend those wire to form loops.. maybe u shud try if u haven’t.. can increase skill and get nice earrings, double the fun!