Silicone iPod Case

What I'm listening to: Pink - Fingers
I thought I'd add in this feature to my posts sometimes, even if I'm not actually listening to the particular track. I was listening to it in bed, in the dark where the light from the iPod screen was actually enough to act as a small flashlight. I actually heard it first in a commercial in Shanghai. I can't remember what for, but it was probably something like toothpaste. There were a lot of those commercials. I hadn't known it was by Pink, because I didn't have the album yet, but I listened to that for almost the entire time when I was in HK and feeling very down.


It's a beautiful day outside. According to the up-to-the-minute weather forecast at the bottom of my browser, it is Now: Mostly Sunny, 21°C. What am I doing inside? I would have gone grocery shopping with my dad, but he went to pick up his oldest sister, my aunt, and she is incredibly naggy, so I opted to stay home and work on my Calculus and the workbook that I was assigned. Of course, that's what I do everyday - say that I'm going to work hard, instead of hardly working.


My dad came back from his business trip to HK and bought me this iPod case. In an email that I checked only after he came back, he told me that it was okay if we didn't find the iPod. He didn't even know that I did when he bought me the case anyways, because he really did mean it when he said that I'd get another one. Soon.

He wanted to get one with a lanyard so he picked this one for me. I'm getting a...hip bone ache, so I'm going to have to speed this one up. As written in a previous, lengthycomment (sorry Intensecure):

When something finally turns up, especially after abandoning a long search, it's like getting a brand new one for free. In this case, it was better than a brand new one because it was mine :]

I'm not sure how to take preventative precautions against losing [my iPod nano] for good, but I'm thinking on it. Carrying it with a lanyard around my neck is difficult because it doesn't come with a place for attachment, plus it would swing around, get scratched up and in my way. I can wrap the drawstrings of the little bag I use around my wrist and hold it in my hand, but that's not always convenient. Everything I make are unreliable and armbands of any sort feel insecure. I don't always have pockets or ones where it would fit comfortably if I did. Like Batman, I have a utility belt XD but the pockets are too small...and of course I wouldn't trust something like that even with belt attachments made specifically for iPod. Besides, belts don't always match... I've been keeping it in my bag with the cord coming out of an unzipped compartment, because I can't think of anything else safer or convenient. Hence, the complicated dilemma I've been trying to resolve even before I bought it *sigh*

My first MP3 player came with earbuds that were part of the lanyard and they were the only ones that fit, so when they broke, I couldn't use it anymore aside from its function as portable USB storage, in which case, it's too bulky. I didn't have any respect for the one I got next. I don't know why I'd toss it around, drop it often, leave it around and it in loose jacket pockets that I might have left unattended, but I never managed to lose it and it took a long time for it to break. I don't know if I was subconsciously trying to break it, but when it did, the earphone jack gave out on me after all the tugging and wrapping the cord around it tightly. Even then I could still listen to it after tweaking the earphone plug around. What do people do with the cord when they're storing it away?

Good. I got the long discussion on lanyards with a lot of tangents out of the way. I'm quite impressed with what my dad got me, because he often has, let's say, a very different taste from mine when it comes to colour, style, design, object, etc. At first, I was a bit skeptical when he told me about it over the phone, but I said "Oh, you shouldn't have, but thank you". I can't seem to remember if this was before I found my iPod though. I believe it cost him $95 HKD, which is approximately $13.57 CAD. At first I forgot the exchange rate and thought it was $20+ and kind of felt bad about it, but thought that it would be about the same price in Canada. However, that's not really fair since he did buy it in HK. It's of fairly high quality (nice QC), so it's worthwhile, even more so if I didn't have an iPod.

As always, I would have hoped for a red case to go with my red and black theme, but I don't think they make red silicone cases. Either pink or blue are very nice and would go well with summer attire and other accessories. The lanyard is silver, very sturdy and it is entirely removable. It also comes with a clasp, so that I could get rid of it very quickly or I could easily attach another key chain accessory, if I wanted to. It's attached at the bottom, so if I wanted to look at the screen, it would be flipped right-side up.

The click wheel is covered by a thin layer of opaque silicone, which I thought would desensitize it, but it still works well. The silicone is supposed to be unbreakable and it does absorb shock quite well. The screen part has a transparent unbreakable cover over it to protect it from scratches, instead of just a hole in the silicone. It has a very thin frame encircling it, so that it doesn't press directly on the screen. There is also an additional frame around it on the silicone itself to give it a proper finish and prevent the cover from getting scratched when placed or dragged across a flat surface. I accidentally scratched the film sticker covering that I had bought earlier and it was noticeable underneath it. I thought about it and decided to take a risk by putting a dab of hand lotion on it, which could have potentially ruined the sticker altogether, but it disappeared like magic. :]


On the back, is a very tight metal clip to attach it to a belt, pocket, or unzipped hoodie/cardigan. It's difficult to pry it open just enough to fit the fabric through, which is also a benefit, as it is less likely to become slip out. The clip can also be rotated and inserted through the square horizontally. That is almost an impossible task to complete due to its sturdiness, which makes it even more reliable so that the entire clasp doesn't just fall out someday. I tried gently, but I don't think I'll force it or risk stretching/breaking, and it doesn't really matter that much if it's vertical or horizontal since I'll be moving it around and it's current position does have it's benefits.


While there is a hole at the bottom of the case where the earbuds can be easily inserted, the hold button at the top is rather difficult to slide as it is covered, but still manageable. The bottom part of case can be easily slipped off to sync or charge it. In addition, that part is usually covered, making it more water-resistant and less likely to be severely damaged if it were stabbed by something. I'm very pleased with it and I'm thinking up more ideas to accessorize it further without adding bulk.

My Dad :D

Intensecure caught this post during the 30 second duration that it was published, then taken offline almost immediately. Amazing.

I guess I have to publish it anyways and I don't know why I obsess over things concerning numbers, as described below:

I was going to post this right after writing about the iPod case, but I wanted to cap the posts at exactly 40 in the first month of writing for this blog, which would be April, the fourth month of the year. Besides, I didn't have a picture to go with it at the time anyways. [I want to have all my posts go with a picture, but I don't really feel like turning on my desktop just to get a photo of my dad then turning it off. Here's a temporary one that I have on my camera, even though I thought I deleted almost all of them.]


What a funny picture of him yawning while driving. In fact, now that it's been uploaded and doesn't look as awful as I thought it would, I might even keep it. In case you're wondering, I believe we were driving our Toyota Corolla and not the Camry, as I had thought originally. I can't remember where we were going or why I took it either. Well, I took it because I was probably bored and laughing maniacally while keeping myself entertained. They don't mind having their pictures taken as much as I do, so it's all in good fun. That's our garage door opener clipped to the mirror on the top.

My dad went on a business trip last week, where he bought me the iPod case. My mom has been worrying about this trip since January and she's been on his case to shorten it every single day. These trips usually last about three weeks, but he ended up having to strategically shorten it to seven days, one week including plane flights, to HK exclusively. I don't think it's very fair, because that's what he was essentially hired to do - accompany his boss on business trips, namely to Asia. On his business card under his name, is written New Buisness Delvelopment. Yes, both Business and Development are spelled incorrectly. My dad has had maybe over several thousand business cards made very recently, because he never brings enough with him to foreign countries, where he always seems to get caught working on business affairs. Typical of my workaholic father. I checked his other ones and they were copied from the original so they're all incorrect.

To be more specific, he is a buyer or a product manager, as described at his previous company. He picks items that he thinks will sell well, but instead of choosing them for a mail order catalog targeting senior customers, he is selecting them for infomercials to be shown on television and, more recently, online. I am so glad they updated their sites for the company and for online shopping. They also sell the "As Seen On TV" products in stores, such as Walmart, for people who don't like calling in and giving their name, credit card number, expiry date and address over the phone. I wouldn't. I've worked at a customer service call centre and I know how easily that information could be abused. Before my dad joined the team, they were a distributer, sourcing from another distributer in the US. Why pay another distributer when you can buy directly from The Source - China, where everything is or can made. I'm told that they don't like the label "Made in China" anymore and they're trying to change it to "Made by China". China as its own proper entity, as if it were a specific person. Strange thinking.

Let's say my dad picked out an item in HK or saw a unique but interesting one here in Canada that Northern Response (International) Ltd. wants to sell on television as a revolutionary, state-of-the-art product. First of all, it has to undergo a long process that now seems very similar to a bill becoming law in Parliament: My dad will present it to his boss and some other people, who will either pick it up or reject it immediately. The other option is that they will laugh, make fun of it, mess around with it at the office, reconsider and...probably reject it again later. If it does go through, he will go and contact either the original supplier or find his own sources to compare for the best price. Sometimes his sources actually look for other suppliers for him or they find factories to make it for themselves if it's very unique or they think they can sell it elsewhere and they send samples, wherever they get it from, so he can present it again. Then the sales people (the guys sitting next to him at the office) make a sales pitch to companies like Walmart or Showcase, which sells all the "As Seen On TV" products in-store, regardless of it supposedly being "not available in stores". If all goes well, my dad places an order and agrees upon the method of payment with the supplier. I forgot how they do it exactly, but it's a clever, conservative way to ensure that they don't buy thousands of pieces and end up over-stocking, which was a common problem at the other company. Eventually, they might hire some celebrity or a bunch of attractive models, who did not get that way through their product but actually started out that way to get the job to advertise it in stores. My dad looks out for other items in stores or at product shows (hardware shows, toy shows, etc), like he did in HK, but this time the focus was more on visiting the factories and suppliers, because they were so pressed for time. Here, the sales people also attend product shows, where they demonstrate the product and try to convince other stores or companies to source the product through them, just like they used to do before.

A large portion of this work used to be part of the sales department, but it is now part of product development, which is mainly composed of my dad and so he answers directly to the president/founder of the company. Big assets that put my dad above a lot of people were his experience and language abilities. No, not English. The "tremendous experience", as his boss tells all of his acquaintances he has and met with overseas, is mostly referring to the 28 years he has worked with factories and suppliers in Asia. Another important component was, at the moment when a former colleague recommended him, his boss was looking to hire someone to solve the problem with the middle-man and source directly from China. He was really quite desperate to find a travel guide/translator to take him to Asia, because he's gone a few times before in the past but came back with nothing, as he couldn't communicate and didn't know where to even begin.

A lot of people thought he would never be able to find a job at his age when he lost his old one when the other company went bankrupt. Age and experience really does come in handy, even if it looks unappealing on a resumé, because he only had a few jobs on it and his BA in Commerce, as they came to call it, was completed in one of the top universities in Taiwan, but they don't know that. All they see is a foreign one, an old guy with 'not a lot of job experience', probably with poor language skills - more specifically, English. I wrote those cover letters and put together his resumé for him, so there's no reason for the prejudice.

As you can probably see, I'm very proud of my dad. And as you would probably guess, my dad's the best and it's not even Father's Day, haha XD

Watching DVDs

The rental place I have a membership at started renting out a number of dramas, such as Grey's Anatomy, LOST, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, 24, Six Feet Under and Nip/Tuck. I don't understand all the hype about Grey's Anatomy, because it has a very simple storyline and there really wasn't anything exciting about it at all. Six Feet Under didn't have such a big reputation and I found it rather boring, so I wasn't surprised. I haven't rented Desperate Housewives, because I have a suspicion it'll be pretty much the same. I don't know about Prison Break or 24, so I didn't rent them and I still haven't.

LOST was the first one I watched and I enjoyed it, which is how I ended up renting all the other ones. It was not very convincing and I remember spotting some glitches, but at least it was suspenseful and intriguing enough to continue watching for entertainment, instead of feeling obligated because they've already been rented. I never get to see them while they're playing on TV, but I think the reason I started watching these TV series programs on DVD was because I was looking up Ian Somerhalder's filmography after watching The Rules of Attraction, the film adaptation for the novel by Bret Easton Ellis that I had read first. He played Boone in LOST and was my favourite character, because the other ones were a bit exaggerated and stereotypical in my opinion. Then he died and got cast out, which is one of the reasons why I didn't want to rent the second season anymore. For the series to continue as it is described in the summary doesn't seem reasonable at all, but I attempted to rent it anyways at first and only managed to get one of the DVDs in the middle of the season. Great. I watched the first five minutes of one episode and had to stop it, because it didn't make sense and I didn't want to ruin my impression of the series from what I had seen in the first season.

In my opinion, Nip/Tuck has to be the best I've seen so far. Very graphic, extreme, provocative, and entirely fascinating. A disturbingly perfect drama indeed, but not because of its sexually explicit content. I'm waiting for the fourth season to come out for rental on DVD, because I always miss it when it does come on television and I don't like watching them out of order either. I find it strange that it only comes on once a week on Saturdays at 10 PM and never repeats, but I was surprised to find that a lot of these series are available to watch online without downloading.



I watched Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain), also known simply as Amélie on Friday. I've borrowed that DVD from the library several times but never got a chance to watch it and I think I even got an overdue fine for it once. They've shown it at school on movie nights and I keep missing every opportunity to see it. I finally downloaded it, in fact, quite a while ago and finally got around to watching it. Twice. In the same day. I'm not joking when I say I have difficulty concentrating. I had to rewind many times, much more than usual. Then I went out on a few errands with my mom and Aunt Tiffany, but by the time I got home, I couldn't remember most of the film. Even during the second viewing, I had to rewind several times because I kept missing out on entire parts - not just the small details I absolutely have to check or else it'll keep pestering me. I'm glad I did watch it, regardless of how many times it took me, because I loved it. It's a very creative and adorable story ;)


I like watching movies again after a while, because I have a tendency to forget them. I remember enjoying The Machinist but couldn't recall very much of it. Every time Christian Bale is mentioned, I keep thinking about the above picture and his dedication. It's an interesting movie and I like the way all the details end up fitting together in a way that makes sense. For movies starring Christian Bale, I watched American Psycho fairly recently, also an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, and I own Batman Begins, which I'm thinking of watching again, and Harsh Times, which I have yet to see.


Christian Bale lost more than 60 pounds for his role as Trevor Reznik in The Machinist, then gained exactly 100 pounds, as well as 20 pounds of muscle, in six months to become Batman. You have to admit that it's pretty impressive, but I'm not sure that it's altogether healthy. However, he did take on the role because the script “intrigued” him, and it helped him cope with his depression. I'm just glad it worked out alright for him.


Christian Bale starved himself for over 4 months prior to filming, eating one can of tuna and an apple each day (approximately 275 calories) , as his character needed to look drastically thin. According to the DVD commentary, he lost 62 pounds (28 kg), reducing his body weight to 120 pounds (54.4 kg). Bale wanted to go down to 100 pounds (45.3 kg) but the filmmakers would not let him due to health concerns. He later regained the weight, plus an additional 40 pounds (18 kg) due to weightlifting, in preparation for his role in Batman Begins. - www.wikipedia.com


From Batman Begins, my favourite character was Dr. Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow: A psychiatrist who works at Arkham Asylum and has developed fear-inducing toxins. He takes on the persona of the Scarecrow to intimidate others and he was portrayed by Cillian Murphy, who starred in Red Eye, which is another movie I watched again, almost right after watching The Machinist.


Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane

A signed card by Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow.

Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes: A childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who works as an assistant to Gotham City's District Attorney and fights against the corruption in the city with Dr. Jonathan Crane, played by Cillian Murphy.



With two of my favourite actors in it, I definitely have to see Batman Begins again. I always liked Scarecrow as one of the Batman's villains.


And this is what I saw today...


This morning, I watched 父子 (After This Our Exile), starring singer/actor Aaron Kwok (郭富城). Literally, the title actually means Father Son, as in father 'and' son, and the movie doesn't really have much to do with an 'exile'. I believe it received several awards and was critically acclaimed, but I didn't like it very much at all which seems typical of HK movies these days. There isn't a very substantial plot line with a lot of character development or anything of that sort and it doesn't even have a worthy ending.

Update: Movies have completely replaced cable television. I'm seriously considering canceling that altogether, because it's an unnecessary expense. I just watched Blood Diamond. Excellent movie. Obviously, infinitely better than the one above. It's on the edge of being a bit long for someone with a short attention span like myself, but still very good. Doesn't beat Little Miss Sunshine or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but they're of completely different genres and this one isn't really a distinct favourite. My head, neck and spine hurt, so I'm going to sleep now.

PUMA Shoes II

Again, I'm sorry for the lack of posts if you have been checking back regularly, because I haven't been feeling well again. The numbness is really getting worse and it kept me up last night. The chronic aches, pains and headaches aren't helping either. My x-ray results came back with obvious and blood tests were fairly normal, except for the genetic abnormalities, like high cholesterol. That happens every time and doesn't make any sense, because cholesterol is present only in animal products. I am vegan, this shouldn't be happening, but a lot of people in my family have cholesterol problems, so it's one that I've gotten with the package :(

As I'm writing this post, I'm skipping back and forth between the forms that I have to send to the Office for Persons with Disabilities at the University of Waterloo, where I'm attending classes in September. Unfortunately, the residence I'm looking at does not have air conditioning and I just realized that it doesn't have single rooms either, which is quite the disappointment because I kept thinking that it does. That leaves me with only Village 1, which was the one I was considering to begin with, until somebody recommended UW Place. Last year, I would have been living with three other girls in a suite style room at Mackenzie King Village. Neither are going to work out for me anymore. My OCD tendencies are continually getting worse and, I know it sounds weak, but I can't help it. I really can't stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong with just about everything that I eat, touch, wear, people I interact with, or places that I visit. Please. No physical contact. I don't think I would be able to concentrate very well if I had a roommate. *sigh*

I mentioned that I needed black shoes in a previous post. However, black stiletto ones probably won't necessarily work for all occasions; for example, a very casual one with lots of walking. Besides, my concentration is shot. I walk into things and 'almost' trip and fall (sometimes down or while going up the stairs) several times a day. Those strange panic attack incidents are happening more and more frequently. I feel light-headed, nauseous and dizzy a lot. I'm always tired and for a while I thought I just wasn't getting enough sleep, but I do and the fatigue persists. My doctor thinks it might be the Wellbutrin, but I've been on it for quite a while now and these side effects have just suddenly appeared. I really don't want to decrease my dosage.


Back to the topic at hand. I went to Markville Mall today to buy some maintenance supplies for my shoes, because I realized that my red puma shoes were actually a bit blue as my jeans must have stained it. The year before last, I bought the Sneaker Protector on the far left and the Suede & Nubuck brush on the far right. I was skeptical at first, but the sales associate showed me how the spray works on a piece of cardboard and the part that wasn't sprayed got all wet, but the sprayed area stayed dry when she sprayed it with water. How could I resist something like that? I also the brush and I'm really glad I did. Not only does it comes with an eraser to rub off stubborn pieces of dirt or whatever (shown standing on top of the brush) , but the brush works for everything. I've used it to remove lint balls on sweaters, the white residue from detergents or when someone forgets to take the Kleenex or paper out of their pockets before throwing it in the wash. They were $8 each and normally I wouldn't purchase such things, but it just comes to show my dedication to these shoes.

I found white shoe polish (second from the left) at Foot Locker, so I don't have to paint my shoes anymore. I also got a cleaner for my shoes (second from the right), which was what I really went to buy. It's really quite a product. The sales person asked me to take off a shoe and he pressed the button at the top and scrubbed it very gently with the brush surrounding the button and the shoe looked brand new. Amazing. I already have black shoe polish and the polishing sponge, so I didn't need to buy another sponge, even thought it really does work well. There happened to be a 'buy one get one half off' sale going on at both Foot Locker and Athletes World. Together, they came to a total of $12, but I couldn't use my SPC card to get an additional 10% off, which is typical for items on sale. I wish there was that promotion when I bought the first two cleaning products.

I actually went to Athletes World first and there were quite a few people looking to buy shoes. The most awkward part about buying shoes is when the sales associate stands there and stares at me while I'm trying them on. My hands kind of get shaky and fumble. If I were to rank pet peeves, that would rank pretty high on the list.

These are very similar to the one I painted and posted before, as it's also mostly leather, except for the part at the back that's suede. Another difference lies in the colours - the former pair was "White/Angel Falls Blue/Swedish Blue" and this one is "Black/White/Vapour Blue". I don't think it's blue at all. It's grey, but I suppose to some designer on this planet, it could possibly be classified as a blue-grey of some sort.


They were $120, which is the typical price for a pair in the Future Cat Low design. I'm not sure about the others, because these are the only ones I really like. The Speed Cat designs are somewhat similar, but of an older generation and not as sleek, according to the official PUMA site:

The low cut version of the Future Cat series will start a new hype for the motorsport business. Its sleek, sophisticated, but futuristic look features as many functional details as possible. Asymmetric lacing, split heel and new last construction give this product an unbelievable fit, which doesn't collide with the great looks of the dignified successor of the Speed Cat.

They had a size 7, but on the left shoe, the leather was kind of wrinkled. It really bothered me, so I ended up having to settle for a size 7.5, which could be described as "comfortably loose". I would have expected that my dad would say "nah, don't worry about it, it'll get wrinkled sooner or later," but he actually said "who knows if the leather's defective" and didn't think it was a good idea to just ignore it. Strange. I would have just given up if he said that, but now that my concerns were confirmed, there was no going back. It might also been the fact that he just wanted me to buy bigger sizes. He's always getting me to buy larger sizes, in the event that I should grow out of them and make him buy me more clothes.

It's funny that my dad is trying to gain weight to be able to keep wearing his clothes, while I'm working on losing weight to fit into mine comfortably. Of course, it's always been an obsession of mine, but it's much worse now with my lop-sided right hip. Sometimes I see girls with jeans that are too tight, which causes a bulge to form just above the waist band. Then they wear tight shirts, so it's very noticeable. I don't want to be one of those people. If it's too small, it's too small; admit it and buy a larger size. Or, one should work to either lose weight or get fit so that the bulge(s) don't form. Oh, right. My point is my lop-sided hip resembles a bulge and there really isn't anything I can do about it. I suppose I could continue losing weight so that everything fits loosely and the hip becomes less noticeable. It's only on the right side.


Anyhow, there was the same sale, so I had to find a second one. The colours really weren't very nice, so I think they're probably doing a clearance sale and keeping the new designs for maybe the summer at regular price. The one above is a lot like the one I bought before, except in "Black/White/Chinese Red" instead of "Flame Scarlet/Winter White". They're essentially the same colour, but what exactly is "Chinese Red"? I'm a bit annoyed that the embroidered puma at the front is black, while the one on the inside part of the shoe is red. Black doesn't stand out at all and there's really no point in leaving the back part black as well. I would have much rather had all of the accents in red, but all of them were the same, so it wasn't a mistake. I'm already getting a good deal, but it was also on sale for $80. Unfortunately, the smallest was a size 8 and it's loose but tolerable. I didn't want to get another white one with green or tan accents, but I don't remember what other colours they had - just ones that I didn't really please me and get dirty easily. I think having two black pairs is the best choice, since it's a colour that doesn't get dirty so easily, different from the other ones I have and also very versatile.

I think I'm going to wait for the acrylic paint to really come off the other pair before I try out the white shoe polish. I'm not sure what would happen if I just used it on top. I'd probably ruin both.

PUMA Shoes

PUMA Future Cat Lows

The PUMAs I were writing about previously were really starting to wear out and no amount of scrubbing or polishing would return the to their original glory. In fact, I've been taking very meticulous care of them. I bought a brush with a special eraser for leather/suede shoes, and a spray, kind of like ScotchGuard, to make it more water resistant. I've been spending time on their maintenance regularly. I love those shoes. They were my first PUMA shoes, one of the first purchases I made after I got my first paycheque in September '05. I was too overprotective to wear them very often at first, but I couldn't resist when Spring came around and I've been wearing them frequently, almost daily, ever since. They've traveled the world with me.

I have worn these shoes through all kinds of weather conditions, on a wide variety of terrains in many different establishments in a number of cities and locations and it has been reliable all this time. Naturally, the fine sparkling white leather at the front were somewhat scuffed at the tip, as if a little bit bruised. The beautiful, vibrant cyan suede around the heel and ankle eventually lost their glow due to its material and the way the my jeans move against it, which might have also caused the colour of my jeans to rub off on it. The only parts that managed to retain their original colour were the embroidered pumas on the leather - the cyan signature puma at the tip and the silver one on the arches of the shoes. I've used hand sanitizer on the front when I was desperate at the hospital and I think it worked temporarily. I was searching in vain for a white polish for the front, so I attempted to use an all-purpose shoe polish on it. To my horror, it actually disintegrated the white surface of the leather to the dull grey underneath.
I can't find the picture online, because they're of the previously brighter colouring scheme and I can't remember the exact names of each colour, so imagine these shoes in a blue theme, where the strip on the side is actually a light blue, the suede back and signature puma on the front are bright cyan. The box describes them as White/Angel Falls Blue/Swedish Blue, but I believe they have since changed the corresponding colours or they were misplaced in the wrong box, but I doubt that.

Since I've been working with my brother's white acrylic paints recently for some of my projects, such as the claws on the gloomy bear and the stenciled wings on my laptop, I resigned to making use of them again to restore the main leather body to its original bright white. I did one primer layer with my fingers and a finishing one with a flat-tipped paintbrush. While there was nothing I could do about the back as it was already wearing thin, I figured they would be covered by my jeans unless I wore shorts, which I don't; or a skirt, in which case, I probably wouldn't be wearing these with them anyways. Then I noticed that the shoelaces were stained. I removed them and scrubbed them in water, but the stains were stubborn; although, the water gradually started to become cloudy and I refilled the water before I used bleach, but there wasn't much of an improvement, so I plunged my hands in the water again and kept working at them. My hands smelled of bleach for days, but it hadn't improved very much. I poured in a lot of those As-Seen-On-TV Cleaners, such as OxiClean, Astonish, or whatever else I could find. It was only after that I thought I should put some regular liquid detergent in the water and the blue colouring, used purely aesthetic purposes, instantly turned a reddish orange. An interesting chemical reaction. I left them soaking in the concoction and went back to work on my shoes. Eventually, my dad found them there and pulled them out for me, so his hands ended up smelling like bleach, too. He asked me what I put in the bath for the laces that still weren't quite glistening.

It turned out that the parts underneath the laces were dirty, too. The areas weren't damaged, but it did take me quite a while to really scrub off the scuffs. It works on my face, so I tried using the facial cleansing toner and a cotton facial wool pad from The Body Shop, which helped a lot, and I followed up with the eraser that came with the brush to rub off the remaining marks. They also brightened up the back part as well, not entirely restored, but as clean as I could get them to be. I think the toughest part of the entire task was carefully painting around the embroidered pumas. I coated them in clear nail polish so that the white paint would come off a little easier. I'm not sure what to do to seal in the acrylic, as it is water-soluble, but I'm not about to use the spray, which would likely ruin all of my work. Call it obsession, but I like to think of it as TLC and cherishing my belongings.

I also bought a pair of these Future Cat Low Flame Scarlet/Winter White ones, but I've only worn them once to play badminton indoors, so they're still in perfect condition. I'm planning on wearing the first pair until they're really trashed.

PUMA Speed Cats

I can't remember, but I think they were on sale or something, because I never really liked this style very much. They're also of an old generation, older than the first pair with the colours that have been discontinued. It's very basic, all leather in white with 'chocolate' accents. not that I dislike them or anything, but I still haven't worn them at all. Again, I'm trying to prolong the lifespan of my current ones before wearing a new pair.


I have a long sleeved shirt, several T's, and a pair of pants that are way too big. I don't know why I bought them. They were incredibly overpriced, but I think it was part of the initial craze when I splurged on my first pair of PUMA shoes, which I wouldn't normally have done to begin with. Now look where it's gotten me. I bought a plain red t-shirt with the logo in white the other day fr $14, but my dad made me get a boys' size Large, because he insisted that those shirts were meant to be worn loosely, which I suppose is fine for running, working out at the gym or playing badminton, but I've never really believed in the 'gym clothes' that they make you wear in school. It doesn't matter very much because I have the shirts in number of different sizes.

I have the PUMA Red perfume, a sample package of PUMA White (for men) and the body lotion and sample perfume pacakge from their Creative fragrance line. I got the lotion only because it was $15 and 50% off, so I only paid $7.50 :]

In Boots

I've been meaning to make a post on these boots since I've gotten them, but never really got around to it, because I started to feel unwell promptly after that trip to Pacific Mall. I noticed that I didn't really have any suitable black shoes to match my clothing, aside from the old leather boots I've had since last Winter. While they're still in fairly good shape, especially since I've barely worn them this year as I've been wearing my PUMAs from the Fall before last almost all the time, those boots are more practical than fashionable. When I was hunting for the metallic red iPod shell for my black iPod with my dad at Pacific Mall, everything was on sale for the change in season. Very serious ones at that. Unfortunately, I had spent the entire day searching for the perfect case and didn't get a chance to really shop for anything else, nor did I have the opportunity to return anytime soon.

By the time I went with my Aunt Tiffany, which I suppose has become my informal Godmother, all the winter apparel and accessories had been sold or packed away. The thick, heavy winter coats and sweaters on the mannequins had morphed into bright whimsical short skirts and light, carefree tops. This time we were on the lookout for a pair of short boots. I already have a whole variety of other kinds of boots, but I was really missing the long black suede ones that had broken beyond repair last year.

I think I'm a fairly efficient shopper, as I would stand outside the store, look through the window and decide whether it was even worth going in. My aunt didn't know what I was waiting for so she was encouraging me to just go in and have a look around. I wouldn't have found these if I hadn't:



I also bought a few other articles of clothing, which is a very typical and mandatory for me. I ended up owing my aunt fifty dollars, so when she gave me a ride yesterday to get my blood work and x-rays done, I tried to give her two bills, but she wouldn't take both of them. On a side note, I could have walked and taken advantage of the occasion for exercise, but my mom was worried I might have another panic attack and/or faint under the unforgiving heat of the sun overhead. She's very kind to me and I went with her to the supermarket, since that was where she was headed next, so she wouldn't have to make a detour.

Back to the topic at hand, I really hadn't liked the chain when I bought it and was planning to take it off and put on my own, but the more I looked at it when I got home, it didn't bother me much anymore. Pumps aren't entirely convenient or safe, because I always have a feeling that I'd have a higher chance of falling or spraining my ankle with them. Besides, I've never owned a pair of boots remotely like the ones I wanted, but eventually managed to find after several leisurely hours. I'm pretty sure they're made of pleather, but the chain turned out to be rather fragile. One of the faux diamonds fell out not long after and I spent some time trying to match a new one of a similar size to replace it. Neither task was easy.

However, I'm fairly sure that I wasn't working on them on Thursday night, the night after that stressful day of appointments. I wasn't wearing them on Wednesday either, because I spent the day at the hospital and wore my trusty PUMAs, but it's entirely possible that I was trying to fix them when I got home. I hadn't touched them yesterday morning either before I went out with Aunt Tiffany, wearing the same running shoes as I usually do.

Why all this seemingly irrelevant information? The reason behind my motivation to make this post does not concern the boots at all.

I was pretty devastated when I realized that my iPod had vanished, just as many other things have been recently. I've managed to lose the card I had bought and specifically put in my stationary drawer and an entire bottle of Lamictal (lamotrigine) 150mg. I'm losing my possessions faster than my weight and it's no fun anymore. I haven't found either and I was beginning to think that my iPod would turn out the same way. I tried to trace back to all the possible places I could have lost it if it had fallen out of my white Chloé bag that I use when the weather clears up and my clothes are more vibrant. The Emily the Strange bag is part of a different style altogether. I'll take a picture of it some other time, so it might better explain how it's more likely for my iPod to have abandoned it, aside from the vast difference in colouring scheme.

I called my Aunt Tiffany first, because I couldn't quite remember if I had it with me that morning, but I was fairly sure that I didn't. She's very observant, so she was quite certain that I hadn't had it with me or she'd have seen it, but she searched for me anyways and it wasn't on her car. Then I called my uncle who drove me from appointment to appointment on Thursday, because it was entirely possible for me to have left it on his car. I know I had it during the last appointment, which was with my cousin, because I was listening to it to pass the time in the waiting room. However, I was sitting beside the aunt who had come with us for her appointment before mine, so if I were to have dropped it while making my way into the operating room, she would have seen it. It didn't turn up with them either. I was reluctant, so I made my dad call my cousin, who didn't find it after working on my teeth nor did the receptionists mention finding it anywhere else, but he said he'd ask them today. By the time he had finished, I was the last patient to leave, just as they were packing up for the night. He said the lab wouldn't be open until Monday, so I could check with them then. I knew I couldn't have left it there, but it was always a possibility.

Between all these phone calls and waiting for the search results, my parents were already repeatedly reassuring me that it wasn't a big deal and they would buy me a new one. I was really quite attached to it, had spent a lot of time organizing and uploading my music onto it (some of which I accidentally deleted promptly afterwards, thinking I had it backed up), and I was really unwilling to have to spend all the time, effort and money on it all over again. While the anxiety and feelings of hopelessness were building, I didn't actually feel as if I would break down sobbing uncontrollably, let alone crying at all. That's a first. We really must have finally found the right cocktail, but I was telling my GP this morning that I was feeling flat. I think it's just not remembering how it feels to be stable. It's very bland and boring. She thought I was finally getting to be in a relatively normal state, so there wasn't anything I should be doing just yet, because she has only observed this behaviour during just a few of the most recent appointments.

I called the dental office to ask the receptionists for myself today, because my cousin is forgetful, but they hadn't found one either. I checked my uncle's car on the ride to the GP's and it was nowhere to be found. I was trying to console myself by thinking that I wouldn't get it right away, as I'm usually at home and I have other inferior MP3 players to use while I waited for the price to drop, but I was still feeling down about it, but only every now and then when something triggered it in my mind today, just as if I had already given up and accepted its/my/our fate.

My boots sit outside my room on a shelf. I've been walking past it all day and I even stop to look at them briefly. I have no idea how it managed to get there even by tracing through my recollection of the past few days. I vaguely remembered putting it in one of the boots, but not why or when. I always take them upstairs with me so they don't get mixed up and ruined with all the other shoes on the doormats and racks, so maybe I had my hands full and put them in while carrying them. As I explained above, I haven't worn those shoes in a few days, so I really don't know how it got there when I've had it all along after the last time I even touched or had anything to do with them. As I was about to shower and get to sleep earlier tonight, as I went to sleep at 2 AM and I've been up since 7 AM, I just stopped and figured I'd put my hand in the left boot for some strange reason. In the distant past, missing objects would always turn up unexpectedly when I had stopped looking for it. I'm ecstatically surprised that it turned up at all.

Name Change : 曾琬玲

Speaking of Shanghai and China, I got the writing of my name changed a couple days ago. The numerology of its strokes and the meanings were supposed to be much better suited to my personality and my fortune. Apparently, the previous one indicated that I would have a lot of falls, a lot of accidents. Another coincidence? It has been happening very frequently ever since I've been able to walk; I'd always slip and fall on the bathroom floor, in the fields, at school, across the street, down the stairs, up the stairs, on sidewalks, in shopping centres, off beds - everything I could possibly fall from. There were also other things that were very accurate, but I won't go into details, partly because I can't remember. I think there was also some mention about being difficult and/or OCD. True.

Another important factor that made my mom start all of this searching was the fact that the second character of my name isn't found on computers. None all over the world. It was pretty much the same one I have now, except with a 'water prefix' instead of the 'jade' one. It wasn't a common word, because it was the name of what turned out to be a very small river and my mom hadn't known that it was so small, which is probably why I can't type it for you. It's the left side of 滴, the three strokes, with 宛 on the right side. The word 滴 is pronounced dī and means a drop of or to drip water, that's why it has water as its prefix. The other character can be a surname or mean similar or winding in some contexts and is pronounced wǎn, the same as the characters of both my previous and current name. Yes, with a 'stone prefix' , like so 碗, it would mean a bowl.

My Chinese name hasn't been used in any formal documents, so there's nothing that I would have to change, which is very convenient. Most people write it incorrectly or don't know that the second character exists at all. They usually assume that it's the one with the 'girl prefix' 婉 which, according to this online dictionary, means graceful or tactful and, of course, like almost all of the Chinese characters can be used in a variety of contexts. The last character has also been changed, but I'm too tired to explain it, as it's fairly complicated. And now I can type it, so here it is:

曾 :: zheng - a surname and can be used in a number of contexts
琬 :: wǎn - ensign of royalty
玲 :: líng - tinkling of gem-pendants, (used in compounds)

Together they add up to 35 strokes, which is supposed to be much better than the 37 strokes it had been previously. For the last character, it can also be used in conjunction with another character in the following example:

玲瓏 :: líng lóng - (adj) exquisite; detailed; (adj) clever; quick (of a woman)

Interesting, isn't it? :]

Pelvic X-Rays

In the event that you happen to feel so inclined as to see what one of my x-rays look like, I happen to have some to share with you:

(click for a larger image)

These were taken on September 19th, 2006 and November 8th, 2006, respectively.

Unfortunately, I don't have a 'Before' shot to show you, but do you notice the right side and how it's different? It's not that I'm just lying crooked, which is what the technicians thought at first. See if you can pick out all the fractures... :(

However, I do have a bunch of 'Immediately After' and several 'Recovering' shots, but they're the actual x-ray films themselves, larger than my torso and we had to carry them back from Shanghai. In fact, this wouldn't be a bad time to write about the journey home...

I believe I left on September 16th. My dad's company's insurance company was paying for it and all of my medical expenses which ended up coming to a total of approximately $100,000 USD (Correction: I'm told it was closer to half a million dollars). Shocking, isn't it? Not so much, considering I stayed in two hospitals; the first one for a few days in the ICU and the second one for approximately 8 weeks. In the latter, part of it in was spent in the ICU and the majority of it in a bedroom with two adjustable hospital beds, a flat-screen television, air-conditioning, a bathroom with shower, some furniture, a convertible sofa bed, meals included, and a small refrigerator. And a 24/7 maid.

On the return trip, they sent a nurse from Washington DC and a physiotherapist from somewhere else in the US (Atlanta? I can't remember) to pick me up and bring me back. My brother and dad left earlier not much for school and work, and my mom had to leave a couple days before, because those were the only tickets we could get. By then, I no longer had to be pushed on a gurney (they're awful), but I was in a wheelchair and I could even take a step or two if I was holding on to something. I took the ambulance with them to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Not only was it a strange coincidence that I happened to get the same ambulance with the same doctor on board, but I even remembered him and he vaguely remembered me, so we chatted a bit just before I had to be lifted off on a stretcher and seated in a wheelchair.

This was around the time when they weren't allowing any liquids in carry-ons. I had some lotion and Polysporin in my backpack, which they made me throw out. It just so happened that the elevators were broken, so I had to be tilted backwards with a female attendant supporting me and the physiotherapist holding me from the step above on the escalator. How long have the elevators been broken? A very long time. And will they ever be fixed? Uncertain. At least the escalator wasn't broken or else I would have had an exciting time getting down the stairs. I wonder what they would have done.

I got to take a break in the lounge, but there wasn't anything good there to eat or read, because the United Airlines lounge was being renovated or something, so there was one that was being shared with the Japan Airlines. The physiotherapist was a vegetarian of an Indian background and the Korean nurse was working for the insurance company, Sunlife, I believe. I had to walk up one step and down the aisle to get to my seat right at the first row in First Class on the United Airlines plane. The two had managed to buy a few faux brand name purses and I was worried about them getting through customs, but the flight attendant said not to worry. First Class wasn't as spectacular as it had been made out to be. The seats were wide and allowed the passengers to lie down, almost to 180 degrees. The meals were okay, better than most vegetarian meals, but nothing amazing. Individual screens and cassette tapes to choose from to watch at any given time. I watched Thank You for Smoking, which was great, and Failure to Launch as well as a few others that really...weren't. I was given a percocet and the nurse kept taking my temperature and blood pressure every hour or so and keeping a journal of everything. My story spread very quickly between the flight attendants and they were all very friendly. Almost at the end of the flight, I was having trouble breathing so I got to use the oxygen tank.

When we landed in Chicago about thirteen hours later, I had to walk back off the plane, then directly back into a wheelchair, where another attendant, male this time, pushed me to the destination I was supposed to be at. I think a lot of them were Polish and they weren't speaking English to each other. The physiotherapist was very nice, but she had to stay in Chicago for the night before she returned to her home. She had never done one of these trips before, while the nurse had to do them all the time, all over the world.

The only items I was carrying were my backpack and the enormously heavy and bulky x-rays, which are why I finally decided to write this story. The nurse had a huge bag of equipment and medications. From there, we took an air ambulance with two pilots and a nurse back to Buttonville Airport, just a few blocks from my home, but that wasn't where I was headed. The ride was not pleasant at all. It was freezing cold, I had to use the washroom and there was a lot of turbulence. There was no way I was going to be lying on that cold metal stretcher, so I sat in one of the tiny seats. There was popcorn just before the exit to this mini-plane and we took some onto with us for the flight. There were better snacks, such as granola bars, potato chips, bottled water and drinks, in the back, but I didn't take any of them. I'm not sure that I could reach either, because I couldn't get to my backpack that contained the hoodie Angie had bought me just before I left. She was having lunch with a client that day and was running late, but she showed up near the end and brought me fried rice and the Paul Frank hoodie. Very kind of her. The fried rice was delicious, too.

It took just over two hours to arrive at Buttonville Airport, where I was picked up by another ambulance via a convertible stretcher/gurney (I really hate them) and driven to Markham-Stouffville hospital at about 1 AM. I got my own room and then was quarantined, because I was coming from Asia, which obviously meant that it was highly likely that I was carrying SARS. Being crippled and having to take the commode wasn't nearly as bad, but that must have been the worst part about staying there. My parents came, brought me some food and my mail, which was rather depressing as a good part of it were letters from the university I was supposed to be attending, packages describing the orientation weeks and events and the residence I was supposed to be sleeping in, not the hospital. There were also a few letters from my high school to inform me that I should go to Commencement to pick up my awards. That just rubbed it in even more; the awards and diploma I had earned before. The few days after that just got worse, so I think I'll end with the best part: While I got wiped down every day in Shanghai by the maid, I was finally able to take a shower the next morning - the first one I'd had in over 8 weeks. Exhilarating.

Medical Conditions

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I was previously, but I really was intending to whenever I got the chance.

I was "taking a break" when I fell down the last few steps of my staircase one morning and landed flat on my ass and hit my arms on the edge in a feeble, natural instinct attempt to brace myself for the fall, more on the right side - the (more) messed up, lop-sided side, but both sides of the parts around my spine/tailbone are giving me a hard time. It's a strange coincidence that I had made a post about that not too long ago as well, so you would know exactly what I'm talking about. My hip is not only higher, but pushed inwards. I forgot to mention that it protrudes, as you might imagine it probably would. It's not very pleasant at times with most jeans and/or a belt.

Contrary to the phenomenon described in the previous post, where my symptoms disappear the moment I seek medical attention, it didn't happen this time. Unfortunately, not only did I have to endure the ache for the days before my visit yesterday, but I had to have very bizarre panic attack right before it. I've had it before a couple times, but we never thought much of it. You know how sometimes you might watch a bad downloaded movie where the audio doesn't match the video? Well, it's kind of like that - except with sight. I couldn't tell if the world was moving faster or slower than my movement and sight, but it felt like it was spinning. I was clumsy, forgetful, and racing around or felt like I was. I felt light-headed and my head started to ache a bit. It moved into an anxiety attack and my eyes began to feel bleary, as if I had cried a lot or it was late at night and I was just tired, but my sight soon became blurry. Blurriness changed into minor double-vision, as if I had rubbed my eyes, so I did it anyways and blinked a few times to see if it would clear up. It only made it worse; I was getting more worried, my heart began race and I felt shaky. Just when I thought it was improving, the double-vision became triple-vision and when I'm describing all of this, I swear I am not exaggerating. This has happened before, but I think it gets progressively worse each time. Triple-vision in the sense that it wouldn't be safe for me to climb stairs or hold something properly. The ability to read and write had vanished a long time ago, but I had a hard time putting cash into an envelope. When my uncle arrived, I had to walk between two parked cars in my garage and that made me dizzy.

Of course, by the time I got to my GP's office, I thought it was gone for good, as usual. It actually started to come back and my arm was visibly shaking on the arm rest while I was talking to her. It didn't get much worse though. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the left side of my head was feeling numb, as was everything else on the left side. I believe it's getting worse in the extremities - my hand, foot and ear. I don't know if my scalp and ear of the left side have always been numb or whether it started recently. I had mentioned this, as well as the panic attack, when I first experienced it, but there wasn't really anything she could do about it for me. This time was different, especially with the lower back that is stubbornly aching, despite the Celebrex and Oxycontin that I took one time - actually, I don't know why but I've never really felt any effect from Oxycontin, but I think Celebrex is losing its potency on my aches. I was blaming my medications for everything, because that was what I was studying and taking notes on the night before, so those side effects were the first things that came to mind.

While nobody else I know believes it's possible for someone of my age, let alone anyone at all, to have fibromyalgia, it is a condition that exists and I meet the criteria. She asked me several questions about whether something felt abnormal and unfortunately most of them did. Despite all of this, she still wants me to do physiotherapy because the pain and stiffness will only get worse if I don't. There's a possibility that I may have fractured something else or shifted it, so I had to get an x-ray done today, as well as a blood test for everything on the checklist for my other symptoms. She recommends that I take Glucosamine with Chondroitin and a multi-vitamin. We have huge stocks of Glucosamine, because my dad needs it for his joints, and he was told not to take his multi-vitamins anymore as he doesn't actually need the supplement, so I get to have both without making an additional purchase. The multi-vitamins are Centrum - for those of ages 50+. There's nothing wrong with taking them as they just have higher dosages of certain vitamins and minerals, which I would benefit from - except it pretty much makes my body officially 50+, too. My dad takes Glucosamine as do people of his age. Tell me again that I don't have any chance of having fibromyalgia? I don't think I've really gotten a diagnosis aside from fibromyalgia, but I suppose I should settle for rheumatoid arthritis, which is what Celebrex is supposed to treat. Maybe I should switch to Mobicox like my mom, she's not quite 50+ but she's getting there. I don't think I'll discuss the illness much further, but I just wanted to point out that I can check off all the symptoms...except literally being 50+.

I have a headache now, just like my GP had asked, but they've been present fairly consistently for a while now. I don't take notice of it, but I know it's there, along with all the other aches and pains that come and go whenever they please. The headache is pretty bad today, instead of the usual dull ache, and extends down my neck and I've had it for a good portion of the day, which is why I mention it. My eyes are tired, but it's nothing like what I had described above. Just fatigue.

In conclusion, this is why I haven't been online very much or long enough to post or feel motivated to. It hurts more when I sit, especially on a stiff chair. It was horrible when I had to lie on the cold x-ray table today while I had a number of sets done from several angles for different areas. I haven't done that before, but now I know it's worse than anything else. I've been feeling a lot of pain throughout the duration of writing these posts which took me a long time to work on. I apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes and I hope you can make sense of what I am trying to convey. I thought I was going to feel better as the weather clears up, but it improved for maybe one day and I'm pretty sure it's worse than before now, especially with my slip.

Update: I think I've lost my iPod. Great.

Dental Procedures

Yesterday, I finally went to get my veneers finished and I've been procrastinating for months, because it really is a hassle. I had to make two visits for making moulds, reducing the size of my teeth, making moulds again, then installing temporary crowns so I can still bite, bleach the rest of my teeth because they'd be very sensitive without them, but also with a more normal appearance. Nobody wants to be seen with two miniature, baby teeth-sized front teeth.

When he was working on the two front teeth that I needed to have fixed for both aesthetic and repairing purposes, he kept asking if I needed local anesthetics, but I had already taken my own painkillers in the morning for other reasons. I asked to see more information on it, while I was waiting during the second visit, just for educational purposes and the nurse actually gave me a PI sheet. Lidocaine HCl 2% and Epinephrine 1:50,000 or 1:100,000 injections. While it seems harmless enough in most websites, the PI sheet does warn against using it with those using is with a bunch of conditions, but also "patients receiving drugs known to produce blood pressure alterations (MAO Inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, etc.)" and after the whole list of Adverse Reaction, "In psychoneurotic individuals, existing symptoms mat be aggravated." Patients fill out the form for their conditions and, on that first visit, I was actually required to fill out another one, a more specific one with a list of current medications. Mine was filled up to the margin, but the writing was big, don't worry. I think I qualify for both contraindications, but he really didn't ask at all. What if some of my medications were in the category of "etc." I mentioned it and he said that it wouldn't matter because it would only be an extremely diminutive dose. It ended up being a little bit like an argument/discussion, I think because I was annoyed that I kept having to come in, but I think he was somewhat offended. I'm also paranoid with some OCD tendencies, I can't help it. I wish I had just stopped before it started making me uncomfortable, but I don't know, it just kind of persisted, maybe because he might have still been asking me whether I wanted it or not. I can't remember.

After bleaching, which is a literal and a metaphorical pain, I had to get the shading matched. I was really irritated in that last visit and was arguing about just estimating so I wouldn't have to make another trip, etc. I tried to arrange it on the same day, of course, so I got it at 4 PM with sufficient time for me to get from my GP's appointment and to find the place, if it wasn't quite as simple as described. I got a call when I was away the two days before saying that there was a "problem" with that appointment time. I called and they were already closed for the night, so I left a message insisting that I had to have that time. She called back and said fine, but try to be early or at least on time. We had a couple of small but nevertheless time-consuming tasks to complete after the first appointment, such as picking up my aunt for her visit and getting stuck talking to another aunt. We got there at exactly 3 PM. They made me wait a bit before working on it.

The new temporary fillers were supposed to be easily removable by the veneer specialists, but they weren't. They refused to come off with every prying effort. The specialists wanted me to come another day or get it removed and back by 4 PM. *palm to forehead" It was rush hour. We'd have to traffic jam our way to my cousin's office and hope that he's there to pull it off. Utter insanity, but we made it, without any other patients there, oddly enough. Usually the waiting room is full and people are walking in and out, so I got immediate service - me running in, talking very rapidly, then taking a seat. Again, that same question...Do I want the anesthesia? I had a feeling that he might have taken a glance at my file after the last visit, but I don't know what's up with him. Maybe he bought too much and it was close to the expiry date, which is highly unlikely. Had I already taken my own painkillers? Nope, but this time it didn't bother me nearly as much for some reason. He had to file it off again.

Then, it was the rush back. I think it was already 3:40 PM. I had to endure the sting even while inhaling throughout the trip. I ran in at 4:02PM and had to take another seat in the waiting room. By the time the specialist came out, she didn't really seem like she wanted to do it, because she had to go to present at a seminar at 5 PM. I kind of blurted out that I did arrive by 4 PM and it wasn't my fault, but yet again, I managed to offend her or something. Maybe she was just thinking about her presentation ahead? I don't know, but it's definitely a symptom of social anxiety - simply over-analyzing what I said and my impression and how she responded, etc. It's true, it's in the workbook I got assigned.

I asked if she could make it just a touch whiter than my other teeth and they were strongly against it. They said it would last for a very long time and would be difficult to match again. Nevertheless, I tried to squeeze in that, if at all possible, maybe just a little on the brighter side? I think she was confused. I sat there staring at the laminated sign on the wall informing me that all the instruments I will be in contact with in have been carefully sterilized. I couldn't help but stare at her paint palette that actually had several other colours than just shades of white. What about the paint? It certainly didn't look new and she'd be dipping the brush as she painted them the proper shade with a "touch of blue with some highlights". I kept thinking about it, but I was so relieved when they fit perfectly and didn't have to be fixed or remade altogether. After she put it in the kiln for about 25 minutes, they turned out a little bit speckled, so she filled them in with the paint and baked them again. It ended up exceeding the 5 PM deadline, but she said it was fine. I'll bet the seminar was later and she needed time to prepare for it. In conclusion, they turned out brighter than the others, exactly what I had wanted :]

We had to get back so I could have my cousin attach them, rush hour persisting. We weaved around this time to see if we could get there faster and I think we succeeded. Here's where it gets to be troublesome again. Of course, another delay in the waiting room. My cousin thought they didn't fit so well and started drilling away at it - the veneers and some of my teeth, even the ones next to the area. Do I want anesthetics? No, I don't. How very courageous of me, he said. I told him I was getting used to it. I was just tired. That was one stressful hour. I had to make two other moulds with another unsuccessful attempt, because my veneers would break very quickly if I didn't have a night guard. I had to do it to make the trays for bleaching and I'm losing of the times I've had to make moulds. I've had a night guard before and I hated it, so I stopped. I understand the necessity of using one because I've actually stuck a device on my jaw for a night to count the number of times I ground or clenched my teeth in one night. I think I had around 75 or so, but my dad had over a hundred. Either way, we both need night guards and he was telling me to remind my dad to come in to make moulds. I think my dad is avoiding it, but I wouldn't blame him for it at all. I'll use it because I definitely don't want to go through the hassle of making a new pair of veneers.

I finally got home at 8 PM. My teeth were feeling sensitive, with a persistent sharpness of pain in both teeth on the right side, counting from the middle. Since I didn't have my night guards yet, which means another trip in about a week, I actually put on the bleaching trays willingly because my teeth were hurting that much and I really don't want to grind them any further. My jaw is sore every morning, so I know I do it for sure. I'll keep wearing those flimsy plastic trays. Better than nothing.

My mom encouraged me to call him today to ask him why my teeth were still hurting, but he had just left the office and would be back shortly to return my call. Thanks. It's 7:30 PM and he's not going to call. Does it happen to anyone else? Almost the moment after I hung up, they stopped hurting. They aren't hurting now either. That sort of thing always happens to me. I show up at a doctor's office and the pain instantly stops or a problem like a bruise or cold disappears overnight. I'm starting to question whether it's psychological.

My family doctor (GP) and my dentist know each other for some reason. He told me to say "Hi" to her when I made a visit about a week a go, which I did yesterday and she said it was "a small world," while my cousin wouldn't tell me why. He said they've known each other for 7 or 8 years, since "the old student days". Were they classmates? No, but "these things aren't brought up for discussion anymore". Hmm, endless possibilities.

As usual, I organized my appointments so I can get them done in one day, with one car ride from my uncle. I went to see my GP first, which is how all of that was "brought up", but it was he, who suddenly checked my file or whatever and asked me if I was still seeing her. I don't think I told him, but, yes, in fact, twice a week and almost always on Thursdays and Saturdays. I've had them all booked since March through July.

I was told they have a site and here are some of their policies:

• Regular appointments are only 15 minutes in length. Please focus on 1 or 2 issues. Please book another appointment for further issues.
• If you need counseling or a longer time period to discuss your issues, you can book 30-minute appointments.
  

LOL, I'll bet she made up those rules just for me. All my appointments are of the latter and I usually go overtime, even twice a week.

I'll save the details for the next post, because they're somewhat out of chronological order and this one is long enough as it is.

iPod Nano

I hadn't wanted to fall in with the whole craze, but I've been looking at iPods for a long time now. At first I wanted the best and most expensive, but I realised that I probably wouldn't even have anything to fill 80 GB, nor would I want to convert full movies to watch on it. I don't even take very many pictures either. It'd be strange having the photos to follow of my iPod on my iPod.

I had wanted to get the U2 one, only because it's red and black, but I really don't like U2 or Bono, nor am I willing to pay extra for it just so that a small portion of the proceeds would be directed towards the efforts in Africa. I don't want their signatures all over the back of it either. You should know by now that those are my favourite colours - black first, then red, but they're best when together as a team. I had really been planning on buying the Red iPod Nano online, because it was the same fair price and I'd get the engraving for free .

A few weeks ago, we thought better of it and decided to buy it at a local store, so if I had any problems with it, I could easily go back and take care of it. The problem was it was only available online. Nevertheless, I finally made up my mind and settled for a black one with 8GB at Costco, but was very adamant finding a way to make it red and black. I was going to pay for it myself, but my dad really insisted that he wanted to get it for me under one condition: I had to eat. I was still hoping that I could just buy it myself.

For the time being, I kept it in one of those tiny sealable plastic baggies and put it in a Dyrberg/Kern bag that I had received as a gift to contain the jewelry inside, of course. I was very anxious about getting the slightest scratch on it or damaging it any way. (Note: The red case is the one I ended up buying.)


The next weekend, we went shopping for iPod accessories at Pacific Mall. Oddly enough, almost all of the silicone skins or plastic cases only come in pastel colours. It was frustrated, but we persisted. Just as we were about to give up after approximately four hours of endless searching solely for iPod cases, we found a very nice metal one for $25. I was worried about scratching the screen since the case left it bare, but they were also selling plastic coverings for $5 and they were specifically designed for the iPod Nano. I was thinking that I had those clear adhesive sheets at home for cell phone screens, but couldn't be sure that they would be large enough.


I still keep it in the Dyrberg/Klein pouch, because sometimes I'm able to use the click wheel or lock/unlock the hold without having to pull out of the bag. The "Even brighter colour screen" is indeed strong enough to shine through the mesh and I can see the screen quite clearly.


Another bonus of keeping it in the pouch is not having to remove the actual device from it and directly insert USB connection cable directly when it's facing the right direction. The earbuds' cord also flows nicely through the opening when the strings are drawn. I don't feel safe with it dangling around my neck, putting it in my pocket, or just carrying it in my hand, so I hang it on my wrist by the strings, then twist it around so that it fits securely in the palm of my hand.



There was one night where I couldn't sleep at all. I stayed up the entire night and by 3 or 4 AM I gave up on sleep and decided I had to do something. I couldn't think of anything, so I thought I'd follow the trend of all craftsters and make an iPod cozy. I did it in one night and I happened to have a trinket for its closure - a silver metal 'M'. Why the 'M'? For Music! For Mania! I don't know. To be honest, it was just what I happened to have on hand, because I had used all the other letters in the word DREAM (you'll see how and why in another post to come). I made sure to make a small button hole opening at the bottle so I could plug in the headphone cord.

I hadn't intended on its cover to be in something of a zig-zag or snake-like shape. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make it at all, but decided it was for the best so that it wouldn't slip out. Plus, I just wanted to make use of that 'M'. I might remake the cover, because it doesn't fit quit the orderly stripes on the inside and on the back. As with most manic creations, especially made through or in the middle of the night, I wanted to destroy it as soon as the sun had risen. I'm rather ashamed of it, but it wouldn't be of much use to me to frog it completely, because the yarn would be difficult to use and I might be able to think of a way to improve it or motivate myself to remake the cover. Who knows. For now, I just never use it and prefer to keep it hidden. I hadn't really wanted to even take pictures of it let alone post them online, but I might as well include it as a part of this post.

On a side note, how do you handle the headphone cord? Does anyone have any brilliant ideas on how to keep it neat, organized and in good condition in a convenient fashion other than winding it around the iPod? I really hate having to do that and I really worry that the plug will get stretched or twisted and just give out on me some day. The sound quality is excellent, better than all the other cheap MP3 players I've gotten in the past, especially in comparison to the most recent one I had owned, where it required a lot of twisting of the plug to get it to play music. It was difficult to get it to play in even one side, but both was next to impossible.