And the Glory Goes to...

Remember I wrote about how much I like looking at randomly-lit cityscape painted by artificial lights set in front of a dark background? I was looking through the pictures I snapped with my camera phone (funny how they’d come up with the name) and most are pictures of the sky. Not totally skies but you know, more up and than down?

Also, those pictures are usually warm which means they’re either taken at dawn or dusk. It’s during sunset that I feel really at ease and letting the throes of the day fade into the darkness. No doubt the sunrise is a sight to behold but where I am, we usually anticipate a hot and sweaty day ahead.

It’s different about 12 hours later when it’s dry and the mercury’s falling. You’d feel things beginning to slow down reaching equilibrium with how intense the wave hits the rock. Soon, life begins both here on the ground and up in the sky.

I’m glad I was there with my trusty Sony Ericsson K530i.

Early in the morning with the white balance set to "cloudy"

Some time in the morning

Late one evening at USM

A wonderful place to be in the evening; more so if its breezy. This is the "rock"-y place I was talking about. Across the road from Queensbay Mall.

Teluk Kumbar: Out looking for seafood and since dinner takes a while to be served...

Ok, now I’m being effusive and at the same time, bland. Perhaps, this God-suspired nature is able to communicate its splendour – differently every time – to everyone who takes time to see.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19:1-4

Lord, regardless whether one prefers 7 am or 7 pm, I thank you for each new day and your providence throughout.

 

A ⇔ B and REM

I love you... that is if you love me too.

When I read that, I went, “What the {bleep}? Really?”

And then I realized that I shouldn’t be surprised by that. Judging by how things work today, there are many who’d subscribe to that. Well, I think it’ll be easier to count how the number of people who don’t operate in that manner.

I wonder what Amanda’s like. I haven’t “seen” her since last Wednesday but I had a less-than-lovely dream last night. I went at a thief with a hammer and he fired two shots at me; both found their way into my chest. Lucky for me, I lived to use a different approach the next time around.

Another warm Sunday afternoon and I’m going to take a nap after finishing the 4-minute clip on Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Do look up “foodwishes” on YouTube. You’d drool every time. I know I did, with a little rumbling in the tummy.

Note from a Math weakling: (material equivalence) A ⇔ B means A is true if B is true and A is false if B is false.

 

A Cracking Day, Breaking Wind

Nevermind the title. Those words just came to me after I finished typing.

It’s one of those mornings that really lift your spirit to the point that you’d feel yourself float a few centimetres off the ground as you walked. I have to pick this one up later. Time to go for dim sum with a bunch of friends.

***

And I’m back; after two hours of Chinese tea and some sinfully (read oily) delicious food. Those, coupled with a good laugh with Wendy, Raj, PKC, and LGL. It’s a very good day indeed.

A very breezy – almost blustery – morning and the sunlight wonderfully diffused. Traffic was smooth and it’s a joy to drive; well, it’s a joy for me to drive everyday – the hilly pass and the long, fast straights.

Jelutong Expressway: This doesn't look like much but at 9:30 am, it's really my best-loved kinda weather

Maybe I’d upload some pics later. I know, I know, it’s dangerous to not fully concentrate on the road but well, it’s one of those days. If only everyday is cloudy when I’m awake and it starts to pour when I’m about to sleep.

I don’t think I’ll be having lunch since breakfast is still in transit waiting for the pyloric sphincter to open.

Last night, I posted a question on Y! A (Yahoo! Answers if you don't already know what this is) regarding some Russian letters and a person by the name of Val volunteered to record some words and sent it over to me; which she did two hours later. Ah, I’m so thankful for that wonderful gesture. Thank you, Val, whoever you are. Большое спасибо!

I guess it’s time for me to end here and start yakking with Wendy, who came all the way to Penang just to visit us in the lab. I love Friday. Don’t you?

Edited 6 pm with pictures and a few lines.

Here's what I'd see if I have to get up earlier than usual for meetings with my supervisor. You can bet I'll go trigger-happy with my phone.

At about 6:40 am

Favourite part of my journey (both ways): Up (and down) the hill. Air's great... until about 7-iah

A really smooth journey all the way until USM. Then a stopover for breakfast consisting of teh tarik and roti canai. Beautiful, innit?

All in a 35-minute journey.
    

Eating My Way Through... Part 2

Tug, tug. Snip, snip. And the stitches were removed. We waited for a little over an hour before we’re called into the exam room. As usual, our dentist was all smiles and asked how each of us held up against the swelling during the whole of last week. The three of us spoke for about five minutes, thanked her and then opened the door to freedom. At least that’s what I’d like to think. It’s going to be about another week or so before the “crater” will be overgrown with tissues.

I’m already thinking how I’m going to season my potatoes and sauté them. There are fishes too and maybe I’ll think of something later. If before this I chronicled my tussle with post-op troubles, the days weren’t without some pleasant occurrences.

For a start, I could have ice cream anytime I want and the first two nights I skipped brushing my teeth. Before anyone starts cringing, I did swirl a mouthful of chlorhexidine solution.

Everyone around me seemed nicer; not that they’re unfriendly before this but somehow they’re softer and they have that concerned look with eyes that went, “You poor thing. Let me know if you need anything.” See? I told you it wasn’t that bad; so much so I can start to daydream and thought that I revolve around them.

The most delightful of events in the past week has got to be this one vivid dream. It was at a counter where students can make reservations to use a lecture hall for their activities. It’s situated along the busy corridor of the main lecture hall complex and the person on duty that night is my Genetics lecturer.

Here I am, discussing details of the reservation as well as that of the unknown event with a girl; all the while checking the application form. Names, time, equipments. She’s Chinese but has that Pan-Asian looks and she's really fair. Her dark hair hung down over her shoulders terminating between the ends of her scapulae. Ok, shoulder blades. She possesses a smile that warms; and not beguiling or else I’d be running away even in my dreams.

Just before we leave the counter – gosh, I can’t imagine Prof N as the guy handling the bookings of the varsity’s facilities – I remember asking, “Hey, will we meet again?”

She smiled and nodded.

I walk her to the car park; up the ramp towards an awaiting car. She opens the door, we say our goodbyes, and the door then shut with a muffled thud. The window tint cast a bluish-green hue on that oval face as she smiled and waved. And the car speed off. A white, late model Toyota Camry with the registration plate: PJE and some-four-digits-with-8-and-3 in them. Somehow, I look up into the sky and heave a deep sigh. It’s her boyfriend’s car. Funny how I’d know that.

Do I still regard that as pleasant? Well, majority of the dream (at least what I remembered clearly) wasn’t about the driver of the car. So yeah, I suppose I am. Good thing is, she’s not some person that I know existed and definitely not from one of those tv ads; though her looks have a semblance (not resemblance) of an acquaintance. I remembered those letters written in the “Name” field: Amanda.

Yes, yes. People dream and it’s not that big a deal, really. Nevertheless, I find it nice to wake up to a total recollection of that part of the dream and not to a dry mouth.

Eating My Way Through... Part 1

And thus, with six hours left on the sixth day, I look forward to the next sunrise when the sutures/stitches will be removed and the area assessed by the dentist. The first two days after surgery weren’t pleasant. The pain was almost gone on the first night but the swelling starts soon after.

I had to open my mouth – no, more like not able to shut it properly – as my upper tooth will rest directly on the swollen area of the gum. Fine, I thought. I’d prop my head on two pillows, tilted it slightly to the right and downwards, and go to sleep. Giving myself an imaginary pat on the back, I went to sleep.

I was jolted from my slumber and I remember opening my mouth (seemed like reflex on hindsight) sucking in some air in a vain attempt to sooth the pain. Somehow, my brain decided then to tell the jaws to shut. Tight.

Now I got smarter and on the second night, I rolled some dental gauze pads together and place them between my premolars on the right; a good distance from the left side should the gauze fall inside my mouth. I awoke to a very dry mouth the next day.

Eating wasn’t a nice experience. Due to the minimal jaw opening, I had to use a teaspoon to feed myself. Although I made killer (or nearly so) mash potatoes, it’s so difficult to spoon a small amount mash and slowly introduce it into the buccal cavity. Any bigger and I’d be kissing the mash.

Fast forwarding...

Today I had porridge for lunch. Five days of mash potatoes seemed like too much for too long. The area where the partially erupted tooth used to be now looked puffy and it felt much smaller when I tried biting down. And it slightly red but pink overall. I need to sink my teeth into some meat soon.

And oh, I'll be having rice vermicelli for dinner. Soup's ready. The scent of seaweed, mushroom, dried scallops, and sesame oil beckons. I might as well cook the vermicelli now.

 

Fragmented something something

It took about 90 minutes to remove my particularly deep and stubborn tooth. The reason I’m typing this is to get my mind off the dull, throbbing pain. Gosh! It’s annoying and I don’t want to pop too many pills within two hours.

Man, it’s not nice at all. My mind’s empty and my fingers are hitting the key nearly randomly. Ok, not random or else you’ll get smoetinhg lkie tihs. Now I’m being absurd. I can’t think clearly and I’m hungry.

It’s fortunate that the blood’s clotted. Let’s hope the swelling is minimal over the next couple of days. I remember the green garb put over my face with a square hole for my mouth to be exposed. Are holes square? Or are they round? Or is it circle because there’s a hole? It’s rather terrifying to be able to hear but not see a thing.

The pint-sized dentist was gentle but boy, she’s strong. After the sectioning, she’d pluck them out. Pluck(?!) I’m losing my marbles. I didn’t have any to begin with (literally-speaking). The sound of the tooth sections being separated from the alveolar bone was sickening.

I looked at what I typed and I thought to myself, my being disorderly; funny and never happened when I write. No, when I type.

Did I mention that I sent a few text messages out and didn’t manage to read them? For the next 87 minutes, I was hoping the tooth fall out soon. Feeling the familiar soft fibers brushing my lips was soothing. Calming.

“She is suturing ground zero.”

The rest needs no further description. Pain still lingers. Not good. And I’ve finished my rather fragmented thoughts; much like what I saw when she laid out my tooth – or what’s left of my tooth – after the procedure.

And oh, scenes from Saw (film) kept playing in my mind. Gosh!

Thank you Dr. Aswani and we'll see you during Kak Mimi's Raya open house.

 

The Sum of...

I like the part when he went:

You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there and I know when I need it
I can count on you like four, three, two
And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends
Are supposed to do...

Saw that [shared] on Facebook for the second time now and I must say that it’s really sweet what they did (using Flash?). Good to know that there’s still a song written about friendship. For me, it’s nice to listen to this one and putting away – for a little while – those lovey-dovey, queasy-cheesy lyrics chronicling the passion between two souls.

Ok, I exaggerated. If the songs are in my playlist then they’re all hunky-dory. Not too much, not too scarce, just Julian-ish.

August 1. Dang!