Toothache.

I woke up in the middle of my sleep last night holding my left cheek because of an acute pain in my teeth. I didn’t know what was happening, but the pain was so intense that I couldn’t really get back to sleep after that.

So I went to look for a dental clinic in the morning, and one precious lesson that I learned was that an acute toothache is so much harder to bear than other acute illness such as appendicities because while you can get yourself treated at a medical clinic or a hospital pretty easily, finding a dentist who could tend to you immediately is so much more difficult! The first 4 dentists I visited were all fully booked and they didn’t have any slot available until late in the afternoon, and it was only when I found my fifth one that I managed to get attended to. That dentist wasn’t good though – he did a check of about 2 minutes and determined that there was nothing wrong with me. So off I went, $50 poorer and all I got was a pack of panadol. He said that I was being too tensed in life and I need to relax a little, which included my gum and the muscle inside my mouth.

The pain did not go away even after the panadol, so I went to see another dentist after lunch with my colleagues. That dentist was amazed that he was the second dentist I visited in a day, and he was even more amazed that the first one who saw me didn’t even do an x-ray on my teeth. He did that, and discovered that I actually had a bit of tooth decay right at the back which was the cause of the pain. So he put in some fillings for me, and the pain seemed to have eased off quite significantly. But I guess I probably was one of the worst patients he’s ever got, because I think I got quite an earful from him for not "cooperating" enough – well this was my first visit to the dentist’s for more than 3 years, and the last time I got somethign drastic done to my teeth, I was under anaesthetic!

Anyway the plan to go to Seoul has to be put off because there simply isn’t any flights available. But I’m still going somewhere. To find out where I’m heading to, watch this space!

Oh by the way can I brush my teeth when I’ve just got that tooth filling? (Of course I mean that particular tooth that had fillings done on!)

Seoul.

Now the situation for the trip to Seoul is very delicately poised: we’ve gotten the hotel completely sorted out as we maanged to book an additional night of accommodation at the same hotel, but now the air ticket is still pretty sticky. I’ve made a reservation with Ctrip, a Chinese online travel agency, for 2 tickets from Shenzhen (yes you read me right) to Seoul. The tickets aren’t confirmed yet, and apparently they will be ready in 24 hours’ time. If that works, then it’ll be great. If not, I also don’t know what to do.

Anyway recently I’ve attended a couple of talks on enneagram at VTC, and apparently I’m a Type 7 – "The Enthusiast". And this is what the Enneagram Institute has to say about Type Sevens:

"Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness.

At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.

Key Motivations: Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain."

I think that’s quite true about me. People who know me well will probably agree that I fit the characteristics of a Type 7. So I guess that explains why I can never sit still!