Archives for August 2020

Get started on it, the essence of good living.

Summer Lotus Aug 1 · 2 min read

I can’t work well without music, I have concluded–Classical ones such as the flute, piano, violin, and the guitar is the staple of my work environment. Even Jazz music is so soothing.

My fingers moved with ease as I work with my instruments in a work-area the size of an apple — — the mouth.

Music makes it easy even for the most difficult piece of work — restoring an upper second molar where I usually need to bend my spine and neck at least 35 degrees using indirect vision.

Or sectioning the wisdom tooth to deliver it in pieces in a deliberate manner.

Music makes it a breeze. My body moves as in a dance, as I shifted left and right and left again to get a good view of the cavity and begin my work of art and science. Music never fails me.

My mind settles to a zone of peace. I am in a flow state, fingers fluid, eyes focused. Nothing seems too difficult.

Meanwhile, I noticed that my patient had drifted off to sleep. Good! They could rest with the mouth open and breathing very easily and evenly.

Such is the magic of music. When the music suddenly stops, I am rudely shocked into reality. Hands froze. “ Nurse, music please!” The patient laughed as if we are in a concert or show and the music is summoned by the conductor.

Night falls, it is time to turn in. Like a creature of habit, I turned to repeat music — selected from the lullaby category of the ‘Calm’ app. Within a short unknown interval, I was carried away into the world of slumber.

Such is the power of music. When I wake up, the lullaby will still be playing. A new day has dawned and music has finished its transport.

Another wonderful day, I am looking forward to listening to music again. Who says that working life is tough?

And I mean everything. There is only one way to avoid this.

Summer Lotus Jul 31 · 4 min read

Life is meant to be hard and we should expect it.

Someone says, “Oh, I just take life easy, mark time every day and collect my salary at the end of the month”.

Well, things don’t work this way. In this competitive world that has gone global and where people from other countries can easily seek work in your country, it is a huge mistake to sit on your laurels.

Soon, very soon, you will get booted out. Because, there is always someone hungrier than you, someone who wants to prove their salt no matter how unpalatable the job, someone who sees any job as a stepping stone to a better one.

Even if you were in a multinational enterprise where they have thousands of workers, walls can talk.

Words get around that you are a skiver, or are not doing your share enough. There is no hiding from job appraisals.

Don’t kill your dreams by being mediocre

The world works in the most expected way; the hardworking ones, the smart ones and the initiated even when not smart but willing to learn and contribute, all will get a piece of the pie.

So, it is best to buck up. Especially in today’s new normal world, so to speak, you have to be abnormal – in the sense that you show adaptability like a chameleon, flex like bamboo in the wind, adjusting to the stormy billows of life as it belts everyone with continuous changes, unimaginable.

In this COVID-19 era, you learned to be resourceful. Having a virus susceptible job and quickly skill yourself to pick up a virus-proof one.

A job like the one you know would be essential when a pandemic hits like those jobs that are in demand now while others are clamped down by the regulations.

I see that opportunity in technology such as blogging, web-based education, e-commerce, food delivery services, transport, health services, etc.

Indeed, it has been a gig economy and will be for good – one job is not enough. Even if you are so versed and passionate about your vocation, learning a different trade would enrich your life immensely.

And in a strange and creative way, they will overlap at some points and contribute to each other’s growth.

I have been a dentist for 35 years and never wanted to die a dentist anyway though I enjoy dentistry. We are made to experience and explore more and squeeze mediocrity out of our lives. Somehow, I became interested in blogging as I was entertaining the idea of being a writer since I like to share my travel stories.

Blogging led to website creation and content creation as well as setting up an e-commerce store.

The two interests overlap. Besides blogging, It became natural for me to set up a clinic website that I never had one but has been a necessity long overdue.

I was a latecomer to the game and was more motivated to do so when I found out that my dentist friends have spent several thousand dollars on their websites besides hefty yearly maintenance.

After some effort, I came up with a functional one which I felt was basic but serve patients well. However, I am continuously upgrading it to make google like me.

SEO was next as it is today’s way of reaching out to patients who use the internet to look for dental services.

SEO is search engine optimization, which is knowing how to make your website more accessible to internet users when they search for the dental industry.

I learned to request for Google stars and FB likes to get ranking. Without paying any money, it works and I had referrals through Google searches.

So, the two vocations had intertwined and potentiated each other’s performance. With more website experience, I can now offer website services as well, a virus-proof job. In the process of creating websites, I learn tools like photo editing, adding elements, and graphics which is a fun thing to do.

Dentistry is moving fast especially when it became digitally enhanced. Everything is fast and clean and good.

Soon to be phased out would be impressions, those sticky, gluey stuff that patients hate and would be replaced by scanning the teeth and gums to record data in the mouth.

For years, X-rays have already been digital and 3 D images were available for more accurate analysis of vital structures and teeth and bone integrity. Now splints could be fabricated for accurate placement of implants.

It takes work and many man-hours to upskill. There are no shortcuts in life.

So, are most careers. If you do not wish to be replaced by someone who knows more and willing to work harder, you have to create that x-factor, that extra edge that would tip that interview in your favor. Or at least show that you are valuable and relevant even with the robots around.

I see developing Communication skills as a paramount way to move forward in one’s career and life.

Creating content is huge now as most people turn to the internet or source for products and information.

So if you communicate well, whether, in writing or speaking, you would win accolades for yourself and an extra jig that pays well. Businesses need good write-up to attract potential clients to their sites to translate them into clients.

That means more reading, more writing, and more practice at Toastmasters’ meetings that would stand us in good stead for this new role.

Nobody ever says that life is easy or will get easier. But it is certainly fascinating. We need to ride this new wave of change and triumph in this brave new world.

In our busy lives, we are reading less and less……

Summer Lotus Aug 2 · 5 min read

Many people either have no time to read or have stopped reading. I have stopped reading for many years, confining myself to clinical textbooks, and occasional magazines.

It was not until recently that I discovered the secret to happiness is hidden in my library of books.

It started when I treated a patient. One day a patient named Jean who was from China, came for dental treatment carrying a thick literature book.

I was curious and impressed. She worked as a cashier in NTUC supermarket and I found out that she had graduated from Sichuan University. She came to Singapore to experience our culture and to pick up English. However, her work left her little opportunity for learning. She spoke good Mandarin and her book was deep in substance.

After the dental treatment, I made a transaction with her. She could teach me Mandarin and I would teach her English.

Over a year, we met once to twice a week after work in a cafe and tutored each other. I learned about Chinese idioms and phrases, about Ancient Chinese history and Philosophy. It was an enriching experience for me.

Then, we went through the storybooks that she liked. She would read aloud and I would explain where necessary and fine-tuned her pronunciations.

That was the start of my love for reading which I always felt was related to a need rather than a love.

Research has shown that reading is very important for our growth and development throughout our lives. I am not talking about any reading — gossips, memes, social media ranting, etc. I am referring to the good old book.

The benefits are;

1. Reading reduces stress and helps you to sleep better.

According to research by the University of Sussex, reading for just six minutes can reduce your stress levels by as much as 68 %

Psychologists believe that you become lost in your literary world away from the real one when you read and that relaxes your muscle tensions.

I am sure you have experienced sleepiness when you read after some time. It is the panacea for insomnia. My book fell away from me naturally as I read and sleep is induced.

But do avoid thrillers and horror stories for bedtime reading.

2 Reading motivates you.

Life has ups and downs whether you are poor or rich.

How you deal with them is in your mind and the wisdom to do so comes from the experiences and insights of authors who have gone before you.

The answers are in the books and they are tested. Whether it is fiction or fact, you can draw inferences where the situation is similar.

Dale Carnegie’s book: “How to win friends and influence people” or Napoleon Hill’s “ Think and grow rich “

These may be such old books that immediately come to my mind. They also show my lack of reading since then.

Some wise sayings from Carnegie:

Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration, and resentment.

If you want to keep happy, you have to share it.

From Napoleon Hill:

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Our only limitations are those we set up in our own minds

I attest to their philosophical influences on me. They have helped me greatly.

Do indulge in more self- help books especially in today’s negative world.

3 Reading staves off dementia

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

It is never too late to start reading and reap the brain benefits.

Even if started later, it can delay or prevent dementia.

Reading every day helps to preserve the language and memory longer. Why? Because you have to remember characters, scenarios, and plots when reading a novel, it is a silent training in strengthening your brain cells. Use them or lose them.

Each novel you read, you gain ideas, vocabulary, and inspiration. You fire your imagination and reading engages you so much that your brain will not age so fast.

4 Reading improves your knowledge

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… The man who never reads lives only once.”

When you read about travel stories, you are experiencing life through somebody’s lenses. Places, food, the culture you may never find time to experience but you could still enjoy it. The world is full of fascinating places, because of books.

When you read about a biography, you delve into the person’s philosophy and learned how he or she handled challenges in life. I would rather be learning from someone’s mistakes than to make them.

When you read about a hobby, you piqued your interest in art and culture. A hobby is an important thing to develop as we grow older. You realize your creativity and talent when you dabble in art other than work.

You find your life long interest and that could even spark off a side career for you.

5 Reading builds discipline and character.

Once you become a reader, the whole world is your oyster. Reading takes time and temerity. If you have the patience to finish a thick book, you could complete any manual or project with ease.

You develop an admiration for the author or the character in the story which is worth emulating.

Today’s reader is tomorrow’s leader. All famous people read profusely.

When Warren Buffet was once asked about the key to success, he pointed to a stack of nearby books and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

Bill Gates read about 50 books a year.

Elon Musk is an avid reader and when asked how he learned to build rockets, he said, “I read books.”

6 A good feel from a book.

Today, much reading is done on the screen. I feel that reading on a screen is disruptive and distracting. Advertisements pop up, sometimes the article shifts away as announcements are made and notifications from your laptop also appear. I feel less disturbed than reading from a book.

There is no radiation, no battery charge up or wifi required and is equally portable.

The touch of a book, the viewing of its cover, and thumbing through the pages give a sense of ownership that no computer can impart. Your favorite book sits on your shelf as a collectible to be passed on to your kids and theirs. It is your legacy.

In conclusion, I envision that with regular reading, I would be very informed in many aspects that I have an interest in and use them in my life.

My aim through reading is to develop more passion in life as the ‘light’ dims and still be a beacon of hope and inspiration to my children and other people.

Moreover, I will never be lonely as a book is my best friend.