Shoes That Don't Fit

What I'm listening to: Lily Allen - Littlest Things

This song doesn't necessarily apply to me, but I really am listening to it on loop right now and have been for maybe the past couple of hours. I hadn't known there was a music video, but I think I'll post that instead.



She also has a video for Smile, her first single, which isn't bad. This one is probably the only mellow song on her album and I happen to like this one more. In case you haven't heard of Lily Allen, then it's probably because you don't use Myspace or you missed it by chance, but this is how she made her way to fame:


Because of the above article, it is now necessary for me to post PaxilBack by The Gray Kid. I was really pretty crazy about this video:



I was pretty crazy about this video and his music when it first came out. I hope he makes more videos soon or puts up music free for download like he did before.

Side Note: I just noticed that this is Post #50 and it happens to be May 10th. I thought I'd just share that today.

I hadn't really intended on posting today, but I'm feeling kind of melancholic, which might explain why everything has suddenly seized up and hurting. Where is the thunderstorm that was supposed to happen today? The hip itself doesn't usually ache, it's almost always the joints and parts connected to it. Today, the actual hip is really bothering me and I think I twisted my neck wrong or something. I got some Robax Platinum samples that I requested in the mail, so I think I'll take that now. Being a Thursday, I spoke to my GP and we've decided to discontinue Celebrex, because it may be causing cardiovascular problems in some people, mainly seniors, but I'm sure it will have ill effects after taking it consistently for a long time. It doesn't help anything, so I don't want to take it anymore.

I was going to finish up my latest bear and take pictures of the completed one, but I haven't gotten very much accomplished today. I've been trying to sort things out for credit cards and online payments, but it's not going so well for me. Haven't really felt too down for quite a while.

When I visited Taiwan a few years ago, I dropped by to meet with some relatives. My family can get to be kind of complicated, because my dad has three brothers and three sisters, all of them older than him. His oldest brother is 20 years his elder and his oldest son, who would be my cousin, is roughly one year younger. All of his children are older than me, but I still have the status of 'Aunt'. My dad's oldest sister-in-law is the aunt who taught me to make the peace ball and lotus flowers I posted about before. Her daughter, my cousin, came to visit me when I was in the hospital in Shanghai and brought me a lot of interesting books and Buddhist CDs to listen to. She's very environmentally-conscious and we chatted about sustainable development, organic foods, holistic remedies, and food properties, such as their vitamins, minerals and health benefits. Fascinating, common interests.

My cousin works at Texas Instruments as VP of Human Resources, so she was on a business trip and stopped by to keep me company a couple times. We used the TI-83+ calculators for AP Calculus, but I happened to have already bought the TI-92+ about six years ago for $300:



My calculator got discontinued almost as soon as I got it. Wonderful. At least I didn't have to buy another one, because a friend of mine lent one to me for about two years. Last year, I got a Casio fx-7400G PLUS-GY from my high school for being the top overall math student over the four years:


That's even more incompatible. Tell me, why would they give me one of those, especially a Casio calculator, when we clearly use Texas Instruments calculators? Answer: It's only $40. A TI-83+ currently costs about $130, but I'll bet it was more at that time. I tried selling it, but nobody wants it. It's still unopened, so let me know if you're interested, which I highly doubt.

When I visited Taiwan, her daughter was dating a guy whose family owned a Nike factory in China, but they're now married and had a baby. No, it was not a sweat shop. It was actually more like a small village. They provided accommodations and food by the truckloads. Nike would only let them make basketball shoes and sourced from a number of different factories for their other styles. However, they were also contracted to make baby shoes and they gave me two pairs, which have been sitting in the box and on my desk shelf:


I don't think both pairs are meant to be fit in that small box, but that's how they were given to me. I don't think I'd ever owned a pair of Nike shoes before these ones.


I like the white ones better, because they'd be ones that I'd actually consider buying for myself if they were my size. I really like the wrap-around velcro and the quality is pretty good. I think they have little dots and a Nike logo on the soles for a better grip, but I forgot to take a photo.


These shoes are pretty soft and I would imagine they'd be comfortable for babies to wear in comparison to those stiff patent leather ones. I don't think babies really want to wear shoes at all. These ones are pretty unique, because they're plaid. Have you ever seen a pair of plaid basketball shoes? Exactly.

My dad went back to visit them about a year later while he was on a business trip and he called back to ask for our shoe sizes. I got one black pair and another one that was really quite similar to the first red/white/navy blue ones if you can imagine. I know my brother got a pair of silver-grey basketball shoes, but I can't remember for sure the colours of the other ones. My dad got white and blue shoes. I don't believe my mom got any at all :(

Quite frankly, I don't really like Nike shoes very much. They're very obviously informal, as if I should be in a gym or running track. Basketball shoes bother me even more because they look very chunky, but I still appreciate the gifts. They were very exciting at that age and I think I might still have them somewhere, but I don't think I'll be wearing them anymore.

I also saw mini PUMA shoes on sale at one of the stores for athletic gear at Vaughn Mills. I think it would have been nice to own a couple, but I would have rather saved that money to buy a pair in my size. I now have five pairs. I'm still going to work on extending the life of the ones that I wear frequently, but I think I should stop buying them for a while.

Cherry Blossoms

I spent almost 9 hours today at the hospital and I was debating whether or not I should make a post at all today. It's very warm in my room and I have a lot of ideas. I'm afraid if I really get into it, I won't be able to stop, which would likely take me all night.

I think I'll just make a quick post about Spring in Canada. I heard it was 28°C today, but I was inside for almost all of it. When I was out it was stuffy and humid. I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a warm jacket, but I don't know why I didn't take it off. I bought a gel ice pack for Friday, because I checked my messages this morning there and I was surprised to hear that they had already replied. Dr. Freilich had wanted to speak with my GP yesterday at 5 PM, when she was getting off work, and I guess everything went alright, because the receptionist gave me a whole bunch of instructions and answered even more questions that I had. If I...uhh...don't post anymore...you'll know that either those estimates were inaccurate or I was just lucky.

There's going to be clouds, sun and a thunderstorm tomorrow with an average of 23°C tomorrow, when I'm going to see my GP, and it'll reach 25°C by Friday, which is fine because I have to wear a t-shirt for them to take my blood pressure and everything. I'm going at 2:30 PM and the procedure will last 1.5 hours, but there's always a delay, so I'm expecting to be done at around 5 PM. She wanted me to pay a $200 deposit and I wanted to see if I could pay all of it over the phone at the hospital with my dad's credit card so I wouldn't have to carry the remaining $1000 in cash on me, but she didn't think it would be a good idea if I did that. She will, however, keep my dad's credit card number on the computer, so she'll bill it and I won't have to worry about that.

I had to cancel the appointment with her on Saturday, because it's quite likely that I won't be feeling well or really need to go. That also means that I might not be able to make it to see HUE perform at the 'Unique Talent Show' at Pacific Mall during the 2 to 5 PM time span. I'll see how I feel, but I'd really like to go.



I took this picture of my backyard from a window in my kitchen. The apple tree is on the left and the cherry tree is on the right. On the far right, is a tiny maple tree, but it's difficult to see. There's a mulberry tree to the left of the apple tree, but I couldn't fit it in from that window, as you can see from the bricks framing the window on the left edge. The mulberry tree has been faithfully bearing a lot of fruit every year, while the apples and cherries only started to grow last year. My mom brought me a small apple when I came back and was staying at Markham-Stouffville Hospital last September. My dad found a bird's nest containing three tiny eggs high up on the maple tree on the front lawn. How did he know there were three eggs? He climbed up on a ladder to see. Nice.

On the apple tree, my dad decided that he wanted to put up a bird feeder, so we bought a very large bag for $3.99 at Bulk Barn. Most of it gets eaten by squirrels, who spill a lot of it on the ground so the rabbits come to clean it up. The plastic has been really chewed up, because the squirrels latch themselves onto it and gnaw away at the small hole intended for birds. There was one day when I was standing inside watching a fat squirrel eat, then it jumped deliberately down on the ground and faced me. It started to dance by moving its arms, gleefully shaking its body, and rapidly twitching its tail. Repeatedly. It didn't seem particularly friendly. It skipped back onto the fence where it continued to wave its tail mockingly at me, but finally dashed away when it finished making its point. It thinks it's clever. I think I'm scrutinizing this too much and I'm not angry or anything even though they finish off a full container of bird seed in a day, because I believe all of these creatures are eligible to live comfortably without hunger. However, these squirrels are hogging it and keeping birds from getting their share, so now I know why Martha Stewart was talking about the assortment of bird feeders she uses on her enormous plot of land, and also why people make/sell bird feeders specifically to keep squirrels from abusing it by making it almost impossible for them to climb on because they keep slipping off. I think the repelling and trapping techniques for squirrels described on the site are a bit excessive. My dad is thinking about getting more of them, so hopefully none of them have to go hungry.

Clothes for Spring

Yesterday

My mom woke up early that morning and said she wanted a McMuffin from McDonald's, so we went to fulfill her craving. My dad went and we got two combos, which came with a hash brown and a small drink. Both breakfast sandwiches contained a slice of cheese and my mom had the Sausage & Egg with milk, while my dad had tea and an Egg McMuffin that actually came with a slice of ham. My mom didn't want her hash brown because it was fried, so my dad had both with ketchup. My mom took a bite and realised that she had actually wanted a McGriddle. This happens every time. Another reason why I don't like eating in restaurants, especially with my parents. My mom finished half of her sandwich and announced she was full. Then we went home, but I stayed dressed as I'm going to describe below.

Felix was finally united with his roommate when he and I met up yesterday at Chapters and wandered around First Markham Place. I bought some sketchy DVDs, picked up a whole bunch of take out menus for my mom and looked for eyes and flesh...

Safety eyes for dolls, which they don't seem to sell in most stores, and flesh-toned yarn for Le Petit Prince that I'm planning to crochet as a big project that I'm going to work on when I have more time. I didn't find either, but I think the "Buff" yarn I already bought is kind of close enough. They don't have "Young White Boy"-coloured yarn. No, the Indian, Chinese or African colours are going to work, nor is "Drunk Red-Faced & Flustered" going to work. I forgot to look for beanies that I'm thinking about adding to the polyfill so that my dolls will be nice and squishy and have some weight to them. I think that adds to shipping and handling costs, but I'll see if they're worthwhile or suitable to add.

I had said that I didn't know what to wear in this sort of weather, but I've taken pictures of what I wore yesterday. This took a lot of deep discussion with myself, which always seems to happen to me as I stand in front of my closet. Some days, I feel like there's nothing to wear and I end up wearing something I always favour over everything else, which is how it got to be that way. Other days, there are too many garments to choose from, too many possible combinations, which reminds me of permutations, combinations and probability. "How many outfits can Katherine put together if she wears 2 layers? 3 layers? How about 4? With jeans? A skirt? Trousers? Colour and length? Formal or informal? And to what extent? How about accessories? Bandana? Scarf? What kind? Is it warm or cool today? Not sure. Belt? Ornamental belt?" I don't even want to think about jewelry combinations, because I have a lot. Too many piercings, arms, fingers to take into account, in addition to a neck. Pins for clothing, too. Oh! Make up possibilities and colouring schemes!! I better stop now. At least I don't have to think about socks. All of mine are the same, ankle socks from Old Navy. They don't slip and I don't like socks that are visible above the top of the shoe. I wore the leather PUMA shoes, which are sitting on top of the bathroom counter. I kept the jacket on with the buttons undone for the entire day.

Back to the topic at hand. In the picture above, I'm wearing the new pinstripe jacket I got. They were having a 15% off sale, but I have the Prestige card to save me an additional 10%, plus a $5 Summer coupon for Suzy Shier. I believe the jacket was $75 but came with a free pair of coordinating pants. The problem was that they didn't have my size and my dad is always in favour of rounding up. Guess what? Those pants don't fit anymore. I bought a pair of pants that matches the jacket the week after, so that it's barely noticeable that they're not from the same set. I never wear them together if I can avoid it. There's something very unappealing about matching perfectly from head to toe, in my opinion. Same purse I can't remember the price or the promotion for that.

Anyhow, I really wanted to post this jacket because I love pinstripes. It's got a very cool front closure, because the two sides overlap and are secured with two buttons on the exterior, but actually has an extra button on the inside so that the bottom layer lies flat. I think that it makes it worse. I had a picture of me wearing it buttoned, but isn't very clear and not worth posting.

There's a strap on the back with two false pockets on the sides, which are pointed longer in the front. The cuffs are very nice, too.

I feel ridiculous for posting this picture. That's why I almost never smile in photographs. I'm immortalized with a fixed smile until it fades or gets destroyed/deleted, usually by me. I'm wearing a tank top from Urban Planet, two for $20 with a 10% SPC discount, but they didn't have a good selection of colours, so I only have black and white. On almost every shopping trip my dad would mention that lace showing below the bottom of a shirt looks nice every time we see someone dressed in this way. I've always wanted to get a shirt like that and now I have one in both black and white. On top of that is a grey-purple 3/4 length shirt that I got at Buffalo jeans on a shopping spree at Vaughn Mills when my brother had come back from Montréal, so this must have been December 2004, before we went to Europe. Writing it out, it seems like a long time ago. I'm wearing the Miss Sixty jeans and the chrome Rado watch I got in Shanghai, as well as the tags my aunt got my uncle to bring me from there when he visited us. I'm also wearing a bandanna I got for about a dollar at a small shop in Vaughn and it makes me a bandit. The sunglasses were from quite a while ago, when the Urban Planet outlet first opened in the same plaza as the one I was at, across the parking lot from Chapters. There was a 'buy one get on free' promotion and it was $9, but I can't remember what I got with it, so it makes it pretty much $4.50 plus a 10% SPC discount on top of that. I like bargains :]

Today


I didn't know what the weather would be like, because it's not always how it appears through a window. Dressed as shown above, I took a step outside and it was windy, so I got my pleather jacket, but it turned out to be very warm in the car. In both pictures, I'm wearing the bracelets that ES sent me, as usual ^-^

As always, I'm wearing the necklace that someone had given my mother and had given it to me in turn. I rarely ever take it off and it's been very reliable for me. I must have worn it for 7 years or so. It's made of white gold encircling a genuine diamond with some small ones on one of the points.

Same tag as yesterday and another watch I got in Shanghai on the hand behind me. Can you tell that my hip is dislocated? I got this shirt that is like a thin sweater and the tank top to go with it a couple years ago. I have the exact same sweater in white and the tank top in pink, because the tank tops were sold at a bargain price in pairs and I like the embroidered design on the left that isn't visible in a photograph taken with this camera. It's subtle as the thread used is the same colour as the sweater, but has a slight sheen to it. I think I might also have a white t-shirt with the same design in pink, but I don't think I knew that when I bought it afterwards. Because I'm not wearing a bandanna or scarf around my neck, since it wouldn't go with a v-neck shirt, hence Dr. Freilich was able to see the tracheotomy. It's difficult to see, but I'm wearing the pinstripe pants that look like the ones that are supposed to match the jacket. I like the stripes because it makes me look taller without having to be taller with extra inches. Don't ask me why I don't want to grow taller, but the hem was too long and I never get them altered, because...what if I do grow taller? and I can always wear higher heels. Because I'm not that tall (yet), I wore the short boots and they were just the right length. That's one reason for why I don't want to grow taller.

Red and Black Hat

I crocheted this hat a while ago, but never got around to posting it, partly because I never know what expression I should make. It's a hat that has an interesting design and made from yarn of a slightly bulkier thickness than the variety I use for my amigurumi (crocheted dolls). I crocheted the black band and turned it to connect horizontally around the head, instead of working from the top. Next, I made the red circle at the top and attached it to the black band. The last part was the red stripe at the bottom with a striped bill and finished off with a black border along the entire edge. The brim is soft, so it doesn't stand up like the newsboy hat. Heh, looking back at that post, I used to be so much more concise.

Ugly Things Ahead

What I'm listening to: Fiona Apple - Paper Bag
I've liked this song for a long time. I used to listen it on loop 239843247 times on the bus, while working, running laps outside, to try to get to sleep, etc, and especially at the gym. It has that line that a lot of people love and it's motivational. Did I ever end up sending this to you, Intensecure? I can't remember, but here it is for everybody to download.

I can tell this is going to be a long post already. Sometimes I wonder whether I should just do a voice post instead, but I'm not really good at speaking. *Deep breath*
I hope you're reading this, ES!

I just got back from my consultation with the specialist (I'm not getting paid for this) who is going to remove my wisdom teeth, all four at the same time. I got there very early, as usual, and had to fill out two forms, so it wasn't too bad. Waited for a bit and had to go in to do a panoramic x-ray. I think I already did one not too long ago, maybe October, but I didn't have time to go get it from my cousin's office, so I figured I'd get a new updated one done, just in case. Nothing exciting, I just had to take off all jewelry and metal items, wear the lead armour which is a little heavy, put my chin in the space, and bite on a piece of plastic. Went back to the waiting room, which is beautifully furnished. Picture a nice hotel lobby or Troy/McNamara firm in Nip/Tuck. There were a number of rooms and they were very bright and spacious. They were well equipped with a computer, a very organized set of tools in cupboards and drawers, and a large flat screen television, but it just happened that the computer wasn't connecting properly to it to show me my x-ray today. It's fine because I've seen it before and I was going to bring my camera to take a picture, but I probably wouldn't have done it anyways. The doctor had a lot of diplomas and certification documents framed on the wall. All of it was very impressive and he lived up to it in person, too. Dr. Freilich was patient and thorough when asking me questions and explaining all the details, risks, outcomes, additional medications, whether there were any contraindications of the anesthesia with my medications, reports I needed to submit and why I need it done at all. He wants me to come in only when a professional anesthesiologist is working because of my medications and to be extra careful. Very considerate and observant as he noticed my tracheotomy and asked appropriate questions to go along with concerns about head and neck fractures.

"Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry that treats surgical problems of the mouth, jaws, teeth, gums, face, head and neck. Practitioners of this specialty graduate from accredited dental schools ("Doctor of Dental Surgery" or "Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry" degrees), and then complete hospital-based surgical residency training programs that range from 4 to 6 years to complete. To be licensed in Canada as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, practitioners must pass a credentialing examination that is administered by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and be eligible for licensure by their provincial College.

Dentists who refer to themselves as "Dental Surgeons" are General Dentists, and are not specialists in any aspect of dentistry."

The doctor also wanted me to either get a blood test done, which as you may recall I did not too long ago, so he wanted me to give him a copy. I had to pay at the front desk and my dad had given me $100 at the last minute as an afterthought this morning, but I ended up having to chip in $60. I'm lucky that I keep a decent amount of cash on me, because the consultation on its own was $100 and the x-ray was an extra $60. I got the appropriate receipts and hopefully we can get reimbursed from the insurance that my dad's company pays for. I had to sign a release of information form, so that the receptionist could fax it to my GP to get the blood test results. I insisted on sitting there to watch her do it, I'm not sure why. It took quite a while, but all the paperwork and the faxing were completed properly.

This is where the fun begins. While waiting for the fax to go through, it suddenly occurred to me that I should make a trip to the GP's on the way home. Her original receptionist was AWOL, while her husband the pharmacist was still working at his pharmacy, but she was replaced by a younger girl, who was...kind of difficult to deal with. I arrived and it was still that girl. I asked if they received the fax and they did, not too long ago. I was a bit worried that I might show up after she already faxed in my blood report, so I'd seem very pushy. That wasn't the case today. She was talking on the phone, for a long time. When the doctor came out to make an appointment for a patient, she hung up and I told them what I needed done. My GP gave her approval and told her to pull it from my file. After a long search, she still couldn't find my file. My GP continued with her appointment, so I kept waiting as she looked for it until my GP came out to sort something out again. It turned out that the file was actually with my GP, because she had to make a CT appointment for me/my head. She thought it was strange to use the one from February and I reminded her, so we got out the proper one done in April. My GP left again, telling her to fax it. She said she'd do it right in front of me. Of course, I wouldn't have left if she didn't. She puts it in the fax machine and we wait forever. I had a feeling she dialed their own fax number, which she did. *sigh* I'm glad that I had a couple of the Dr. Freilich's business cards in my pocket, which had their fax number on it. I kept standing there until it went through, but halfway through, she told me I could leave. I waited for it to go all the way through, but thinking back, I'm not exactly sure if it was my report at all. She might have faxed the requisition from the specialists' back to them. I got home and gave them both a call, but no one picked up, presumably because they had gotten off work or were close to being done for the day so they didn't want to have to deal with a call that might make them stay a few minutes later.

Dr. Freilich had mentioned getting a night guard for my teeth, because I had said that my jaws hurt, either from the way the wisdom teeth are growing in horizontally because there isn't enough space, from grinding/clenching my teeth at night or both. I already have one, but I don't wear it as often as I should, because I have enough trouble getting to sleep as it is. In case you've never seen one or you're going to get one, and it seems like there is an increasing number of people who need them, I'm making this post as a product review.


I took a picture of all of these things that I had to make a mould for. I didn't include my retainers because I've probably lost them. I didn't actually need them, but an overenthusiastic orthodontist made me get them. She wasn't nice at all and her personality wasn't the greatest, so I really didn't like her. I've made a post about the trays on the left that I had to get for the bleaching process. I got my first night guard, which is on the right, but I never really wore it because it's very uncomfortable. It had the same yellow case.

As I've already said, it's not comfortable enough to allow me to sleep, but it's an improvement. It's glossy on the underside as my cousin didn't have to adjust it by shaving pieces of it off, because it fit quite well. The colour is a lot nicer, too.

It's difficult to really tell, but this is the inside of it where I fit it on to my top set of teeth. I have to immerse it in hot water for before I put it on, because it softens it up a bit. The grooves get to be sort of gummy, which isn't the right word, but it's the first one that comes to mind. It has a plastic taste to it that almost seems like a synthetic fruit flavour.

I think it's a bit thinner than before and felt as comfortable as something like this could get for the first few times I wore it, but that feeling passes pretty quickly. After a night of wearing it, my teeth felt very different and foreign when chewing. I think it would have been more effective than my retainers if they shifted the grooves around a bit, but that's very difficult to perfect. When I got sick of using it, I went back to using those trays for bleaching, but that was bothering me a lot last night, so I left them next to the abandoned night guard on the desk beside my bed. Imagine wearing that in the daytime as well, like I was told to. I guess it could be used to prevent overeating sheerly out of boredom.

My Old Home

I was using Google Maps today to locate the place I'm going in a little while to get a consultation for the removal of my wisdom teeth. It's supposedly just down the street from my dentist's place, but the reception called me a few days ago to give me very obscure directions. She told me a few times that the route I would be taking would take much longer and gave the impression that I wouldn't be able to find it. Look, it's on the same road and about 700 building numbers away, but that's not a lot, considering each individual office building and house gets it's own number. According to the map, it's 4.8 km away and a straight line to get there.

Anyhow, I've been looking for this picture, but couldn't find it and would have been too lazy to scan it, because I don't like my all-in-one. Since I now have a satellite image of the location of my house, I figured I might as well make a post of it.

This is the actual house. It has a white sign next to the garage from when it was tagged by the builder and we hadn't removed it yet. I like the colour of the garage here much better than the awful pumpkin colour that was supposed to be beige. It gives an idea of the distance between the houses, because it's wider than it looks in the satellite image. My room is directly above the garage, but I usually sleep in my brother's room, which is the room on the right, because he's away. The centre window is just part of the hall. The front door is almost directly below it. We have interlock paving and it seems that this picture was taken before we did the landscaping and everything. I'm not too concerned about posting this picture, because a lot of these suburban houses look similar, but they did make an effort not to put identical ones next to each other.


This is the image of it from above. Yvonne lives directly across the street. The compass isn't actually pointing North; it's more North-East. North is approximately parallel to road on the left, but I'm used to drawing vertical compasses for world maps at school, so I forgot and it's already been uploaded. It's a nice day outside today, about 17 °C outside with some wind. I might post what I wore yesterday, because I did take some pictures while I was photographing some other items, because I never know what to wear for this kind of weather. It can change quite dramatically and I feel cold easily and when the air-conditioning is on. My mom is the opposite, but recently it's become even more unpredictable, which in turn affects the temperature inside. Most of the time, I'm freezing, but I'm already used to that.

Suki

I made this a while ago, but never had the motivation to set up the background to take photographs, transfer them to my computer to edit, then upload them online. The first one I made was grey and rather silly, but I'll make a post on that another day. I made another one that was very similar to this one, but I promptly sold it for $30 to a friend. I think I probably should have charged more, because this one is actually practical. Someone offered to sell it in her shop on Unionville Main Street, but I didn't like the terms and conditions of the proposed agreement.


Do you remember that hideous iPod case I crocheted one night when I couldn't sleep? I think I put it away somewhere, but I never explained the "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)." As you can see, I have rearranged the remaining letters and I had the option of choosing either DARE or READ. Would I really want a bag that was commanding me to READ?


Just now, I had the compulsion to name it Suki. No, not Dare, that would be redundant. It's gender is still to be determined and I suppose that name could be a unisex one, but I can't seem to decide on it. What makes Suki special? You may have noticed that it appears rather flat. That's because it's a cat bag - a hungry one, it is running empty. The silver stars happened to come with the letters and I can't begin to describe how difficult it was to find attractive, suitable buttons. I didn't want cute, plastic pastel daisies.


The buttons fasten quite securely, yet they are relatively easy to open, unlike the other red and black bag I had made first. I think its stripes were wider, maybe doubled. It's quite spacious inside and fairly sturdy, but I wouldn't recommend carrying a brick around, because either the strap would come undone or it will get stretched out of shape.


To illustrate its actual size, I've slung it over my shoulder. I had taken pictures of the grey one, but it just didn't turn out well. I had hung it from somewhere and the strap looked more like a noose, which is why I haven't posted those pictures. I don't like that photo of me either, because it looks like I'm hugging myself in a warped position, but, really, I'm not. It just looks that way because I had to hold the camera. I gave up on using the timer today so that I could take more pictures before dinner and it's much easier. However, the mirror seems to be a bit streaked and speckled, so I'll have to clean it when I have time and I might replace some of these photos later. Taking pictures in my brother's washroom is really much easier because of the way its set up and doesn't include the laundry chute. I've always wondered what it would be like to slide through it, but the laundry room floor is tiled, so I'd crack either the tiles or my skull if I went head first.

Alright, lurkers. If you've made it through to the end of this post, I think it's only fair that you make your vote on my poll, especially since I went through the trouble of making it...

How much should I charge for Suki?
$40 - $50 $50 - $60 $60 - $70 $70 - $80 $80 - $90 $90 - $100 $100+??
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The amounts are in USD and I have to pay for listing fees, etc. Please ask your friends to have a look and cast their vote to help me out. As well, have a look at GourmetAmigrumi's Etsy shop to get a better idea of the price ranges. I consider my designs quite different from hers, so we aren't really direct competitors. Feel free to comment with a more specific amount and whether it should be including shipping and handling or if would be separate. Keep in mind that I have to use the profit to buy more safety eyes, especially cat eyes of different sizes and multi-coloured ones in a variety of styles online.

Please let me know what you think! Thank you!

Driving

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it, but this is the colour and model of the car that I was using.

As means of getting to the gym, my GP’s solutions are to take public transit or maybe I could drive there, to which I said I could go with my dad when he gets back from work. The problem is that it would be late, about 7 PM and when would dinner take place? Indeed, maybe it would be best if I drove there, which is what I thought in the beginning, but my parents don't trust me driving. Neither do I. My uncle learned to drive and taught driving lessons in Japan, where he says the standards to pass an exam are enormously higher than Canadian ones. He very kindly offered to give me free lessons, but even when I'm driving in residential areas, I'm nervous out of my mind with his older Toyota Corolla and him beside me. It's also hot, the sun is in my eyes, and, well, my reflexes are very slow. On a side note, his car used to be my mom's car until we sold it to him at a very good price, because his either broke down or was completely crushed, but I can't remember. I'm not good at parking and his instructions are incredibly vague. He only tells me when it's too late. Instructions like, "No, no. Turn it a bit more." and "No, no. Let it go. Turn the steering wheel back. Earlier!" He keeps talking and pointing everywhere so that my head spins, as if it weren't spinning enough when I started, and I don't hear what he's saying or know where to look, so I'm backing out while looking forward or vice versa. I think the worst part is how he selects the parking spots, and I'm not talking about the actual ones he picks - he tells me far too late and says I missed it. Did anyone else's instructor say that it was okay to be in the 'opposite lane' of the parking lot? Even for 'just a moment'? Mine really put a stress on that. After maybe fifteen failed attempts and a few that he made me get out of the car to examine and discuss, I said I was tired before he was able to choose another spot. I feel pretty bad about complaining, because he is taking the time and paying for the gas. In all fairness, he's quite nice about it, even though it's rather difficult to read him. I just can't tell, but at least he's not yelling at me. As I'm writing this, I have a growing suspicion that I'm more poorly coordinated than I had thought and his instructions would probably work on someone else. My former instructor had formulas for where the car had to be, how much to turn the steering wheel, how much to move forwards or backwards, and repeat for every new exact position of the car. I had trouble remembering all the steps, but I think I like that better than having to freestyle. I don't think my judgment is good enough for that.

Dietary Concerns

As usual, it is a Thursday, which means a visit with my GP. She is the one person I see most frequently, regularly, and for the longest durations of time:

Frequently - Twice a week, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Regularly - Every week.
Duration of Time - Half an hour per visit, which would come to a total of an hour per week.

However, she's recently informed me that I'm getting a double visit each time, because they're usually supposed to be fifteen minutes long. Because there are a lot of patients who can only come in on Saturdays, she says it's nothing personal, but she might have to shorten it to fifteen minutes from now on. I was about to mention that, because I'm not having a crisis at the moment and hopefully not for a while.

I'm told that a lot of GPs wouldn't do that for their patients. I've never met a GP who I would want to see even once in a very long while. She's one of the kindest and one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met, but she's the only one with the combination of the two. I really have to get going on writing that card. I've been at it for over a month now, but I know why that's happening. No, it's not just because I'm lazy. According to my workbook, I'm procrastinating because I'm a perfectionist and so I want it to be perfect. How accurate.

I'm not going to go into specific details on all my issues and whatnot, especially since none of them really have a solid solution. I had a blood test done recently. Nothing. Same goes for the x-rays. I did a urine test today. No abnormalities. Altered my medications and got the exact opposite of what was expected, meaning more side effects than before by decreasing, so I'm going back up again. Of course, with these experiments, everything is a variable and there are no controls aside from the medications themselves. I don't think anything else is steady, so it's not an accurate test at all. Therefore, I came to absolutely no conclusions with any sort of certainty. The guess is that I'm probably dependent on them. With these results, I'd think that I should further increase my Wellbutrin dosage, but I'm already at the 'target dosage' and I think any more would be really pushing it or too much altogether. I want to decrease the Lamotrigine, but my GP checked my charts and noticed that I've only been "stable" for almost an exact month, which isn't very long at all. She'd rather I be completely out of it than...well, how I was before. I feel brain-dead.

My cognitive abilities are terrible and I'm only a little bit upset about that, whereas I think it should be more serious than that. I. Can't. Do. Math. Or. Concentrate. Just when I finally decided on preparing and reviewing. I was really kind of getting driven to work on it. I think I still am, which is how I managed to find all my notes in the basement, because my dad rearranged my possessions and I couldn't find anything. I think I'll start by looking at it before attempting anything because that will probably discourage me. My GP thinks it's a good idea. She also tells me that I should go to the gym, exercise, go outside, socialize. I don't know why I say it every time it comes up, which is very often, but when she asks if the gym is accessible, I tell her that it's difficult and then she'll mention something about getting a ride, or like today, she suggested taking the bus and I said that I could always walk there, which I have done in the past. That was the past. It is not within walking distance at all. I don't know why I keep saying that. I'm very repetitive when I talk, much worse than when I write, and it really irritates me. The same word, the same sentence, same idea. I'll keep saying it over and over, but it's only after the appointment that it literally echoes in my mind, both the repetition of the actual phrases and the act of it. I think I'll move it up on the priority list and get going on that workbook. I didn't think it was as important, because I have all the time in the world for it, whereas school is coming up. However, solving Calculus and Algebra problems happen in September, while I need these skills probably take longer to develop and will ultimately be my most crucial ability. As well, I think I'm supposed to get the workbook done by May 24th, which always seemed like a very distant date. Well, it is now on the same page on my calendar that I look at everyday. My excuse was that none of that will get absorbed, so I should wait until my mind is actually functioning, but I'm not sure when that will happen. My GP asks about it and I have to say that whatever she's asking about is further along in the book, a chapter I haven't gotten to yet.

As for the problems that this post is supposed to address, I think I'll use the ones that I found and forgot about until I looked them up again and start from there. I swear that I am not the person who wrote this:

Dear Hungry Girl,

I often take in at least 40-50 grams of fibre a day. Is it possible to get too much of the stuff?

--Feeding on Fiber

Nor am I the one who wrote:

Dear HG, A friend at work told me that sipping apple cider vinegar after eating will break down fat, or keep it from absorbing into the body at all. Any truth to this? If so, how much should I sip and how often?

--Curious in California

While I may be curious, I am not in California, but I do hope to make a visit some day.

Fibre

I'm pretty sure that my fibre intake exceeds 40-50 grams daily. I eat organic cereal like couch potatoes eat chips. Each serving has 10 grams of fibre, but I have a lot of servings each time and frequently throughout the day. I bought Fibre 1 yesterday and it has an impressive 100 calories, 0 grams of sugar and 14 grams of fibre for a fairly large serving. It tastes oddly sweet, because they use sucralose instead of sugar. I don't think it was spread very evenly throughout the batch, because I was very surprised when I had a blast of very synthetic sweetness. I eat multi-grain oatmeal with added organic oat bran for breakfast. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I don't know how much all of that adds up to, but I'm sure that the fibre from the cereal already surpasses 50 grams, which is already double the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI).

This is what Hungry Girl had to say:


Fiber is fantastic. But, like anything else, you can get too much of it. I turned to my email bud, Lisa R. Young, who is not only a PhD, RD, but also the author of The Portion Teller, for help with this one. Lisa says you can absolutely get too much fiber. She says, "While fiber has many wonderful health benefits, getting too much fiber is not a good idea. The main reason is this: it can bind and carry out needed minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc which so many people have a hard time getting. These binders in fiber act as chelating agents which link chemically with nutrients and then carry them out of the body. Too much fiber can also carry water out of the body and cause dehydration, stomach distress and feelings of bloating. It is recommended that most women obtain 25 grams of fiber. While 30 grams would be ok, consuming 40 or 50 grams would be too much!" So there you have it. No more ODing on fiber!

Well, yes, that is me to the extreme, as usual. They always mention increasing gradually, which I did. It just got out of control, like everything does with me, including blogging. First, I eat the bare minimum. Then, everyone urges me to eat and my GP gives me very disapproving, frustrated looks. So, I do, but I think I take it too far, because I eat a lot, but it might be by my standards. I don't know. Eating is a very serious matter to organize. I examine the Nutritional Information of everything I eat. Repeat. It's not as bad as before where I counted calories and wrote it all down, which I started on Monday but lost track of it with my absent-mindedness. I think a lack of variety concerns my GP, but I'm not sure what I can do about it. I never felt sick about it before, but it's been bothering me for a few weeks now. I feel full, yet unsatisfied and somewhat hungry. If I start eating, I get full quickly and feel sick, but I have difficulty stopping once it starts - all in the name of eating properly. After all, I am making healthy choices. In fact, I even put away whole wheat crackers and breads, because it's too processed and also in an attempt to limit myself, but it doesn't work that way. I just focus my attention on everything else that I've deemed healthy and all of it contains fairly high amounts of fibre. I don't care so much that it's leeching minerals, but this bloating, water retention, weight gain and all the other discomforts have got to stop, but I'm certainly not going to give up fibre, which is why I haven't even attempted to solve this problem. It finally got me thinking when my mom's face swelled up this morning, probably from the saline solution IVs. In addition to putting cucumbers on the eyes and that sort of thing, diuretics would be a solution:

Natural diuretics

More and more people are resorting to natural foods and herbs that exhibit diuretic properties instead of diuretic pills. Moderation is the watchword even in the case of natural diuretics. Natural diuretics can aid in removal of excess fluids from the body and aid in treating of sciatica, kidney stone, lymphatic swelling, PMS, gonorrhea, liver disorders and high blood pressure.

Green tea is a natural diuretic food that has been in use for centuries in China. Consumption of cranberry juice can aid in removal of excess fluid retention. Apple cider vinegar exhibits natural diuretic properties and in addition maintains the potassium levels. It can be added to the salad dressing. Dandelion is often used as a natural diuretic. Nettle has natural diuretic properties that facilitate good cleansing. Dandelion leaf tea aids in detoxification and has a beneficial effect on those suffering from cystitis and urinary tract infections. Fennel has carminative and diuretic properties and is frequently used in seasoning food.

Diuretic food
Natural foods with high water content such as watermelons and cucumbers help increase urination and better flushing out of toxins. Cucumbers are rich in sulfur and silicon that stimulate the kidneys into better removal of uric acid. Watercress and artichokes are also natural diuretic foods.

Asparagus contains asparigine - a chemical alkaloid that boosts kidney performance, thereby improving waste removal from the body.

Brussel Spouts help in stimulating the kidneys and pancreas. This helps in better cleansing of cells.

Beets are natural diuretic foods that attack floating body fats and fatty deposits.

Oats contain silica - a natural diuretic.

Cabbage is known to aid breakage of fatty deposits, especially around the abdominal region.

Carrots are a rich source of carotene that speeds the metabolic rate of the body and hastens removal of fat deposits and waste.

Lettuce aids better metabolism and flushing of toxins.

Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C that aid the metabolism and release of water from the kidney to flush out waste.

Other than the other excellent properties that Garlic possesses, it is a natural diuretic food that aids breakage of fat. Horseradish, raw onions and radish speed up your metabolism.

I eat a lot of those fairly regularly, but I'm guessing not enough in relation to the amount of fibre intake. I think it's time to start the tomato soup craze again like when it was almost all I ate with cereal as a snack. I think I'll be adding some of the above instead of just plain tomato soup, sometimes with ground flaxseeds.


Vinegar

I can't even begin to describe the amount of vinegar I used to consume, as well as the quantities of lemon juice. I'll bet if I kept it up, I would have developed ulcers very quickly. It eroded my teeth and my dentist wondered what happened to them. Acid reflux? Maybe, but I think it's quite enough just to ingest that volume. I did the Master Cleanse Diet, which involves drinking a mixture of fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and grade B maple syrup. This is followed up with a saltwater drink designed to purge the stomach and bowels. Some people choose to take a laxative while on the Master Cleanse, but no solid food is eaten while on the cleanse. The typical amount of time spent on the Master Cleanse is ten days, although it is not uncommon for people to stay on the cleanse for longer periods of time. I've done all sorts of bizarre "holistic" and "natural" detoxifications that don't seem to work, but I don't know for sure. Maybe magical things are happening internally for all I know.

In response to the question of concern above:

After reading your email, I was curious about that as well. VERY curious. But who are we kidding? If ingesting a little apple cider vinegar after downing a fatty piece of cream pie would help break down fat or even better keep it from being absorbed by the body, we'd all have portable IV vinegar drips! Unfortunately, all of the research I have done on the stuff points to the same sad conclusion. That apple cider vinegar pretty much has no effect on weight loss and the breaking down of fat. Honestly, if these vinegar rumors were true, wouldn't the big news already have been on the cover of every magazine, on Oprah and everywhere else under the sun? There's no magic bullet for fighting fat, I'm afraid. And that's that.

I might do a proper product/food review on some of the things mentioned above, but I'm a little bit busy and this extraordinary post started on Thursday and has been finally completed after a lot of procrastination. It turns out I was done and there wasn't really anything else that I wanted to discuss, but I was really bent on doing reviews of everything. I think I'll save that for separate posts.