The snapping that was going on in my mouth was far from comforting. I didn't like it.

But it had to be done.

I was waiting for more than a year for this day to come.

I'd never thought it'd be this tedious.

The orthodontist patiently worked.

Suddenly, there was a lack of tension in my mouth, tension that I had grown accustomed to for a year.

And a rather putrid stench wafted.

The orthodontist told me that I had to brush my teeth before she could continue.

I closed my mouth promptly and sat up. On the quicksilver dental tray was my braces, now two wire lengths that had strange cubes attached to it, and the back brackets were small grotesque hoops attached to the wire.

Good riddance, I thought. I did not like my four or five year long journey of dental burden, but the worst was over.

If I handled the headgear and the braces, the retainer was a small matter. And I would have a proper, aligned set of teeth to last me through my life.

Armed with my toothbrush and paste, I set to clean those filthy teeth that did not receive the good cleaning it needed. I brush well, both orthodontist and dentist agree, but still the plaque hid from the bristles.

At least now they could get a good scrubbing, the metal no longer barricading the path of the toothbrush.

I could not help but run my tongue over my teeth a few times during the brushing. It felt so... strange... to have your mouth feel so... roomy... and empty.

But, as I rinsed my mouth and smiled at the mirror, a straight set of teeth was staring back at me.

Many years' of discomfort and dental slavery paid off well, I could say.

My tongue rolled over the straight teeth once more, before the orthodontist called me back to the dental chair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's old news. I took out my braces on Thursday, and now am waiting for the retainers to come. Gawsh, I hope none of my teeth move! I know the description is bad. Heh.

I watched a musical, a local production that was a big hit, called 'Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress'. I would have loved to tell you all about it, but a lot of it needed some comprehending from the audience of China's past under Empress Dowager Cixi's rule. But it's a touching story.

Everyone in the modern world sees Cixi as a woman with an iron fist, downright cruel and cold. However, this play revolves on the account of an American painter who painted her portrait, and what a harsh life Cixi, then known as Concubine Yehenara, suffered to survive in the Forbidden City and revealed to the painter.

If only everyone could remember that everyone around them is human, and you can never say that he or she has no feelings or emotions. The hardest of generals can let a little kindness dwell in him, same goes for the cursing medics and soldiers, and teachers.

This is my last week of holidays before polytechnic starts. I had a glimpse at the new timetable, and I have the first lesson at ten in the morning. Good time to blog here about a school life that no one believes I have, since I have not splurged my school burdens and whinery (coined by my twin sister) here.

Those hours to ten could be used well, I think.

I had a good time this holiday. I was unemployed, but I helped my grandparents out. Sure, many people left the face of the Earth during the period (Steve Irwin, my grandaunt, Elizabeth Choy) and even it was bitter, it was something. I had a blast in Malaysia, I had more quality time with music on the laptop and BZPower than necessary and, most important of all, I feel that my time was not wasted. I was doing something that was personally productive. I was writing. I was reading.

I tried to write a song to add to that emerency song-writing class list, but it did not come out.

I practised for an upcoming music exam. Still have to practise, but the progress is visible.

I'm going into Transformers fanfiction now. I'm working on Bionicle fanfiction, spitting out two short stories and, most recently, an epic chapter.

I feel mighty pleased with myself. Mighty pleased.