I'm normal

6 weird things about me, then tag 6 other people to do the same.

I think I'm pretty normal however. Nothing interesting about this boy in particular. In fact, after reading about Jack's deformities, all I can come up with are

1. My deformed jaw. In fact, it's best shown in my side profile:

In fact, when you look at me from the front, and take a few moments to appreciate my teeth and how gloriously white they are, you'll notice that my upper set of teeth settle far behind my lower set of teeth, like so.


This gives me the appearance of a constant pout. And a very ugly pout at that. This jaw apparently is known as an 'overbite' and is a dental condition that can only be corrected by surgery. If at some point in future I become sufficiently interested in joining America's Next Top Model, I will have to let some orthodontist drill into, and cut out bits of my jaw in order to bring the upper and lower jaws back into their normal position. For now however, I rest in the knowledge that, should I ever enter a head-on collision with something, my jaw will give me plenty of warning before any other part of my face gets hit.


2. Maybe due to my jaw, my second claim to fame is my constant blowing air upwards towards my hair. I'm still not really sure why I do this. One theory is that it was a way to keep my hair from falling over my eyes way back, before I succumbed to water-based hair gels. My only consolation is that I don't do it so often now. Only when I'm alone.


3. I pull at my hair.

Especially when I'm stressed/thinking/when I have absolutely nothing to do. Again, I have no idea where this came from, but its a habit that has stuck with me since secondary school. I have fond memories of friends assigned to hit me hard every time I pulled at my hair way back when I was in Sitiawan. The amount of hair that I pull out on a daily basis is frightening, even to me. Leading to my friends' and family's predictions that I will be bald before I turn 40.

And scarily, I still do it. Right before exams, and even during exams. And considering I'm among the minority of people my age to still be studying and not working, it means I'll go on doing it for a while yet. Actually, come to think of it, I will probably carry it on even when I'm working.

Can't do it when I'm in a operating theatre though. Which leads me to believe I'll never make a surgeon. Imagine being stressed out in the middle of a operation, but not being able to pull at my hair!


4. I tend to swallow air down my esophagus, and burp it silently to myself. Well, sometimes not that silently, and people have scolded me for making 'funny noises' before. Funnily enough, I've discovered there's actually a medical term to this: aerophagia, which literally means swallowing air. I tend to be able to control this to a great extent now though, thankfully.


5. I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel for weird thing to talk about now, so I'll mention the way my head tilts to one side when I think I'm looking straight ahead. Like in the photo I think I'm looking straight, but actually:

My head's tilted to the left.

I first noticed this when I was marching in my school military band way back in secondary school. We were standing at attention when a senior came up to me and barked "Stand straight boy!" I replied I was, and he said no your head is crooked, or words to that effect. And I've lived with it ever since. Talk about stigma.


6. I've run out of weird things body-wise. So I'll end by saying I'm scared of spiders. Especially the ones with furry legs. I think thats just wrong.



People I would like to tag:
1. David Yu
2. Edward
3. Siew Lee
4. Philip Ong
5. Shawn Kong
6. Chik Ian

'Everyone's normal, some are just more normal than others' - Anonymous

Happy Year of the Pig

Or boar, which I think sounds more polite.

Chinese New Year for me brings to mind huge family gatherings, specifically on my mum's side. When I was younger, and all my cousins were still in Malaysia, we'd all meet up in my grandma's place in Ayer Tawar. The days would be filled with visits from family friends, the nights with lighting fireworks and doing our best to add to the din from the houses around. Later on, late nights were spent telling ghost stories before the adults came up to bed.

This was before everyone grew up and moved to NZ, Aus, UK etc etc. Although we did manage to have one last gathering a couple of years ago. Definitely the weirdest CNY ever, that year when we met after not having seen each other for ages all together. Made even weirder when our CNY dinner consisted of a mix of nasi lemak and soft shelled crabs and sotong, and when all of us cousins dragged the adults to a after dinner game of bowling and indoor football.

This year, CNY is, by personal choice, a quiet weekend in Barrow-In-Furness. And when I think of it, rejoining my family for CNY is going to be harder than ever in the coming years. Still hopeful for another get-together within the next decade, though.

I've realised

That I'm still not very good at picking up pathology on clinical examinations. Missed easy things like koilonychia and abdominal masses. Hoping that practice really makes perfect.

How crappy I am at looking into people's ears. When I think I can see ossicles (ear bones), others actually see the big mass of wax blocking any possible view elsewhere.

That I still suck at making decisions. Some things don't really change.

That I'm developing into a stay-at-home guy. Nothing beats having my room to come back to.

How much I miss music. As in playing it. On a piano.

I don't really take very good care of myself. Still refusing to stoop to multivitamins though.

My interests are slowly being limited to my laptop.

That I have no idea what's happening with my church back in Liverpool. I bet they're still surviving, though.

I need to start studying seriously. Seriously.

I haven't finished reading the Case for the Creator, almost 6 months after I'd bought it. Tht's definitely a record.

That its possible for others to see me in a totally different way than what I'd expect. And that I would have absolutely no clue they were thinking that way.

That along with the previous statement, honesty and openness is something precious. Or maybe it seems that way because it appears so rarely.

That I don't always make sense with these blog posts.

That it doesn't really matter anyway what people think. (wow thats a first)

That I'm grateful for friends who track me down after having lost contact with them for years. Wish I could do the same.

As much as I seek to mix around with others, I still feel comfortable with Malaysians (yes Steve, call me rascist).

Moving on

This is the most anatomy I've done in a while...looking at all the different structures in the head and neck: reminds me of how much I've forgotten since IMU. Piriform fossa? The only thing I recalled about that is its where fish bones can get stuck sometimes. All the different neck tumours needs a bit more reading up before bedtime tonight as well.

Currently am reading Labyrinth by Kate Mosse which I'm devouring bit by bit in my free time. Note to self: Next Christmas sale must look out for a cheap bedside lamp. Its another of a list of books which I've 'borrowed' from my GP and which they don't seem to miss. Weaving a tale of conspiracy through the middle ages to the present, its not much different from the current crop of thrillers, but the main characters all being women, makes it a refreshing read. No male muscling out of problems this time around!

Also reading Psalms 119 equally slowly. Centering on why God's message (eg the Bible) is such a big deal, it mirrors the life of an average person striving to be faithful. Picking truths out of it isn't as hard as from some other books I find; a 10 min breather before starting a hospital day pretty refreshing over a hot mug of coffee.

Back to the books.