According to a report from AFP, “At least 73 people were killed and more than 330,000 others displaced after the heaviest rain in more than four decades plunged the Philippine capital into turmoil…

The nine-hour deluge across Manila on Saturday submerged houses, washed away shanties and turned roads into raging rivers, forcing terrified residents to seek refuge on top of homes or cars where they waited for more than 24 hours.”

It is the worst extensive flooding that he has seen, according to Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro. The rainfall sets a record high of 41.6 centimetres (16 inches), over the previous single-day record of 33.4 centimetres in July 1967.

Philippine Red Cross chairwoman Gwendolyn Pang said rescuers were struggling to reach many areas, with highways rendered impassable.

“This has never happened before. Almost 80 percent of metropolitan Manila is underwater,” Pang told AFP.

For those of you who are reading this and want to make a donation whether in term of money or relief goods, you can do it through:

1. Philippines National Red Cross, PNRC or through their online form: PNRC and choose ‘Typhoon Ondoy.’

2. And if you are in the Philippines, you can also access this list for all the locations where you can drop off relief goods for people affected by Ketsana (Ondoy).

3. If you are in Cebu: Victory Cebu at 3/F Dacay Building, 72 Escario St., Cebu City. Operation: 10am - 6pm, Monday - Sunday.

4. If you are in Bacolod: Victory Bacolod at 3/L Robinsons Place - Bacolod. They are accepting donations in cash and relief goods (bread, “mamon” brownies, cookies/biscuits, juice, energy drink, bottled water, medication, clothing, slippers, blankets,etc.). Contact no. 441-0703.

Update:

The Filipino Association in Singapore (FAS) also announced that it is accepting donations in kind for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Donations may be dropped off at:

A-Freight Cargo
304 Orchard Road
#03-19 Lucky Plaza
Singapore 238863
Contact Maureen Schepers: 6235-1011.

i-Remit Singapore announced that it will waive remittance charges for donations to the Philippine National Red Cross. Remittances to the Philippine National Red Cross may be sent through:

i-Remit Singapore
304 Orchard Road
#03-69 Lucky Plaza
Singapore 238863

LBC announced that it will waive remittance charges for donations made to the following organizations: ABS-CBN Foundation, GMA Foundation, Philippine National Red Cross, and the National Disaster Coordinating Center. Remittances to these organizations may be sent through:

LBC Singapore
304 Orchard Road
#04-77 Lucky Plaza
Singapore 238863

Wishing everyone a bless week ahead!

I would have gotten mine done too if it was partially erupted at that time; it didn’t. But I always believe that everything happened for a reason. If I had mine extracted then, I wouldn’t have the chance to help others who are going through or will be going through similar situation. All prices stated hereafter are in Singapore dollar. This may not be applicable to you especially if you are not in Singapore. However, if you know of any affordable ways for wisdom tooth surgery in your country, do feel free to share in the comment area with all of us.

As most of you know, wisdom tooth removal can be pretty expensive; especially when it has to be surgically removed. One of my friends had a wisdom tooth surgically removed, in a private practice, for $600. Yes, you read right, just one wisdom tooth.

If a wisdom tooth needs to be surgically removed, the cost for extraction in private practices can vary from as low as $400 to as high as $800. Heard anything higher? That was why I felt helpless since I had to have mine removed.

What I did first was to check with friends who might have good and most importantly - reasonably priced - dentist. That didn’t help much; most have good dentists to recommend but the costs of surgery were almost the same. Next I turned to Googling for extraction that can be done through Medisave. Yes, wisdom tooth surgery can be covered by Medisave now. That can be good news especially if you are a working Singapore citizen. If you are not, you can still use your parents’ Medisave.

If you want to do your wisdom tooth surgery in private practices and want to pay for your extraction through Medisave, you must make sure that the dental clinic is participating in the Medisave Scheme. One private practice which I called does participate in the scheme but it would cost me around $600-$800.

I have read in one of the forums that the cheapest way is to get a referral letter from Polyclinic (see list of polyclinics with dental facilities) to the National Dental Centre (NDC). When you are booking your appointment with the polyclinic, do let them know that you want to get a referral letter to the NDC under subsidised rate.

During the first visit to the NDC, a X-ray will be done to see if your wisdom tooth needs to be surgically removed. If it does, they will advice you what to do and do feel free to ask them any questions. “Only day surgery procedures (eg. surgical removal of wisdom teeth) can be covered by Medisave,” according to NDC.

Mine needed to be operated on. I spent about $500 in all sessions with the polyclinic and the NDC and about 80% of that was paid through Medisave. Problem solved. Do you have similar scheme like Medisave in your country too?

———————————-
Sponsor Ads

If you have aesthetic smile issues, consider traveling to go with the best New York cosmetic dentist who can provide you with that perfect smile.

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace, one must believe it. And it isn’t enough to to believe in it, one must work for it.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

I was at Labrador Park, Singapore, a few weeks ago. It was like taking a walk in history. I took these shots with the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone with sepia effect, to give it a little historical feel. The first shot was that of a machine gun post set up to protect 12-pounder guns on the hill right above it and the second shot was that of a gun.

Reading the title of this post, what came into your mind? I must be kidding? How can Human be beast? From Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, he theorized that humans were derived from apes. So that make us beast?

We have indeed come a long way. We have tried controlling our environment, which once (still is) fed and provided natural resources in abundance for us. We have created weapons capable of massive destruction. We have grown intellectually and yet emotionally ever ready to jump and to destroy each other at the slightest provocation.

Perhaps, all that wouldn’t justify us as beast? Recently, I picked up an interesting book ‘The World Without Us’ by Alan Weisman from the library. Alan questions: How would the world change if human beings vanished from the earth right now, for good? What would the planet be like in a day, a week, a month … a millennium?

In the book, it is mentioned that we genetically most resemble the chimpanzees. Dr. Michael Wilson who does field research at Gombe Stream, Tanzania, observed chimpanzees in wild tearing apart and devouring red colobus monkeys. They are superb hunter, about 80% of their attempts are successful kills. Comparing to lions, it is only about one out of 10 or 20.

Dr. Michael Wilson also observed something sad and kind of depressing. Chimpanzees were seen stealing into the territories of neighboring chimp groups, ambushed unwary lone males, and maul them to death.

In the book (observed by Dr. Michael Wilson), “… He watched chimps over months patiently pick off males of neighboring clans until the territory and the females are theirs. He also seen pitched chimpanzee combat, and blood battles within a group to determine who is the alpha male.” Do you see the resembles in human aggression and power struggles?

When I was reading that passage, I couldn’t help but felt deeply how human has acted in the same way. We may have evolved to become a superior primate but some of us may not have renounced ‘the beast’ within yet. Fortunately, I believe that majority of the people have not only evolved intellectually but also emotionally.

This was taken with Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot Camera Phone in the Singapore HortPark, marked as Leopard Flower and origin from China. In Wikipedia, it was stated that it is used in Chinese villages for its medicinal values. The first thing I saw in the car park of HortPark was this beautiful flower. And there were bees busy pollinating the flower. I tried to take shots of the bees on the Leopard Flower but I was too slow.

According to Wikipedia, Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry lily, Leopard flower, Leopard lily) is an ornamental plant in the Iridaceae family. In 2005, based on molecular DNA sequence evidence, Belamcanda chinensis, the sole species in the genus Belamcanda, was transferred to the genus Iris and renamed Iris domestica.

The plant grows 60-90 cm tall in full sun and is often found blanketing hill sides, the flowers can range form red to yellow to orange or mixed and bloom in summer to early autumn (fall).