Then came my next major dental procedure which was when I was 26 and had my wisdom teeth extracted. That one was traumatic in terms of injections and post-op pain. I wasn’t scared of the procedure, I would love to have a mirror and watch what the dentist was doing. Actually once I had a dermatofibroma removed from my arm and I was looking at the procedure the whole time. It’s surreal that while the doctor was slicing my skin and taking out the mass, I was not feeling anything. I was enjoying learning what went on. So the procedures for me were ok but what I really hated were the injection and post-op pain. I still have one wisdom tooth left but I’m crossing my fingers that it doesn’t need pulling out.

Two days ago I had my tooth filling replaced and of course SOP before the procedure was dental injection. Now I can say with emphasis that I HATE DENTAL INJECTIONS! The topical anesthetic was so gross and the back of my throat was numb and the feeling was uncomfortable. When the dentist inserted the needle, I didn’t feel the puncture (because the dentist had a “painless” needle) but a twinge later when I felt the anesthetic solution moving inside. Then the back of my throat, half of my lower lip, and my half of my tongue got so numb that it was hard for me to talk, swallow, and taste anything. Being that numb was a good thing because I didn’t feel anything when my tooth is getting drilled on. But the anesthesia stayed on for 5 more hours after the procedure. I felt my lips were fat, I couldn’t swallow well, I felt that I’ve been battered and bruised. When the numbness wore off, it was hard for me to open my mouth wide and there was this extreme soreness at the injection site. Uggh! Great!

I’m really a good patient – I’m not twitchy or anxious or whining. But I could say like any other patients, I’m a normal one – I hate dental procedures and I hate dental injections! Now I can really comprehend why a lot of people are scared of the dentist. So for my family members whom I’ve worked on, I apologize for having traumatize or hurt you. I feel you.

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Considering myself as a veteran driver, I haven’t had an accident yet (praise God) but I did scratched or damaged our car’s bumper already. And the victim is always a post or a wall. As my aunts told me, my car dents allow me to be more cautious but more courageous when it comes to driving. Although I’m 5’ 2”, skinny, and look like a kid I’m prone to road rage, so my brother will say.

I will never have road rage if drivers around me will drive normally and within  rules. Or admit they’re wrong by some gesture and I will forget their gaffe. However if they don’t realize their wrongdoing then I get irritated. Just like is it wrong to get mad when the driver in front of me turns so slow when I’m in a hurry and the light is turning red? Or when a driver will cut my turn in a 4-way stop? Or when they will change lane so near your car without even signaling? Or when they won’t let me pass through on a merging lane even when I’m front of them? Or when a driver is so timid to turn against an opposing traffic that he holds up a line behind him? Or when they will drive 10mph slower than speed limit on a one-way lane? Or when they will slow down or stop in the middle of the road for no reason?

Road rage? I believe it’s not a road rage but rather a puzzlement to the inanity of the other drivers. I don’t give the finger or scream swear words at the other offending drivers. I don’t hunt them down or engage in a car race with them. However I do honk at them (which according to the driving rules cannot be used unless in an emergency), blink my lights to signal them to speed up or I just scowl at them and mouth “What’s your problem, dude?” And after that,  just like a stimulus removed, I will calm down and happily drive my way to my destination.

Road rage management? I don’t believe I need intervention yet or if you will, I don’t have one. If you have worse than my case, then it’s time to look for road rage management.

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Now my dad changed it to Toyota Camry 2008. It’s heavier and slightly larger than the Corolla. I didn’t like it because it eats up gas quicker and it’s slightly larger built makes it hard for me to maneuver the car as I wanted to.

Now there is this big hoopla of recalling certain Toyota car models, Camry included. Toyota is recalling a list of it’s car models because of a problem with the gas pedal. The list of involved models are:

Certain 2009-2010 RAV4*,
Certain 2009-2010 Corolla*,
2009-2010 Matrix,
2005-2010 Avalon,
Certain 2007-2010 Camry*,
Certain 2010 Highlander*,
2007-2010 Tundra,
2008-2010 Sequoia

According to the Toyota pressroom,

“The issue involves a friction device in the pedal designed to provide the proper “feel” by adding resistance and making the pedal steady and stable.

This friction device includes a “shoe” that rubs against an adjoining surface during normal pedal operation.  Due to the materials used, wear and environmental conditions, these surfaces may, over time, begin to stick and release instead of operating smoothly. In some cases, friction could increase to a point that the pedal is slow to return to the idle position or, in rare cases, the pedal sticks, leaving the throttle partially open.”

I partially understood what they meant. And I think it happens in our car too. When I stop, it takes a long time to halt completely even though I’m pressing on the brake pedal. Sometimes there’s a slight increase in speed even though I’m hitting the brakes. My dad says that it happens most especially when you use the Cruise Control. When you switch off the Cruise Control, instead of slowing down, the car still accelerates.

Whatever the issue is, this will of course pose a big worry for the driver since there is no guarantee or confidence that the car will always be perfectly running. Because this issue has exploded, Toyota is now totally recalling the affected vehicle models. They will completely pay the repair and actual repair will only take 30 minutes. That’s good news because I have to drive to to work. At present, Toyota is suspending its sales on the affected models.

If you’re a Toyota car owner and your vehicle is any of the models stated above then your car is affected by the recall. Take note certain Prius models are now also included.  In the meantime, when you experience a sticking accelerator pedal when driving, here are recommended actions to take:

1. If you need to stop immediately, the vehicle can be controlled by stepping on the brake pedal with both feet using firm and steady pressure.  Do not pump the brake pedal as it will deplete the vacuum utilized for the power brake assist.
2. Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.
3. If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost. 
     a. If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine.  Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.  
     b.  If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine.  Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel. 

Click here for more information about the Toyota recall issue.

Drive carefully!

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XOXO,
Katrina

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According to my aunt and uncle, Ugg is short for Ugly! And Australians farmer wear it at home and not for fashion. It was only when celebrities start wearing them on the street that it became famous, highly in demand and expensive. However Ugg official site history says differently. Whatever it’s origins, I just love my Ugg!

To learn more about Ugg, click here.

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With this huge temperature drop, more expenses are generated: increase in electricity bill, increase in car fuel consumption because of usage of the car heater, I’m leaning towards spending money on buying more thermal underclothes…so anyway, my only prayer is that we can get through this freezing winter without getting sick.

Stay warm everybody!

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I’ve never written a Christmas wish list before because I have always believed that you’re not real. But I’m indulging myself. I’m at a point where I really want something bad yet I don’t have money to buy it. So I’m asking for your generosity, Santa. I’m giving you this list now because there are lots of good Black Friday deals out there which can give you discount and minimize the expense in purchasing me my Christmas gift. You will need all the discount you can get because what I’m asking for is a big-ticket item. And I guess I can ask for an expensive gift because my birthday is on December. I don’t mind you combining my Christmas and birthday gift into one. That has always been the case anyway. You can click on this link for the Black Friday deals. Ok I know, I’m digressing. So I hope your heart can handle this request and hopefully there’s still money in your treasure chest.

All I really want for Christmas is…a Macbook Pro 13-inch 2.53GHz with loaded softwares which you can purchase at an Apple Retail Store. There. That’s easy to acquire, right? So I’ll be waiting Santa.

Yours truly,

Katrina

PS. Please don’t get lost in the delivery!

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Is it flattering to be asked, “You look young”? or “You look like you’re 16″? I love it when I hear those comments. Of course in an era where people are obsessed about beauty and trying to look youthful, here I am not trying at all but still manage to always look younger than my age. One time I was paired with this college girl during a volunteer event. She was also young looking and I thought she was 19y/o. When she found out how old I am, she was astonished and repeatedly tell me that I look young – even younger than she is. Those were her exact words. Because I often hear such comments, I really need to invent a witty remark when people say I look so young because saying “thank you” is getting unimaginative. One of the things I also like about looking young  is that I can pull the “little innocent girl” card. I can get help immediately from people when I turn to them looking innocent and naive. A sneaky little red riding hood girl, huh? Hehehe.

However it is my disadvantage too for looking young because in interviews, employers/interviewers don’t take me seriously. I think they see in me a green girl who needs more work or probably life experience. I was so frustrated when I wasn’t getting any job after the interviews that I would ask my mom to pick my interview outfit for me that will make me look older. One time I volunteered to an event and asked to be assigned to registration. But when the coordinator saw me, she passed my duty to someone who is an adult. She thought I’m just a kid. In addition to, guys would overlook me because they think I’m just a teenager. One time I accompany my mom to her company’s Christmas party. The following day, my mom came home from work gushing to me that a lot of guys from her company were curious about me. They think I’m pretty but they didn’t come to our table to introduce themselves because they think I was 16.

Why do I look young? It’s the Chinese/Oriental blood I think. Asians (and I would arbitrarily generalize it to Chinese) tend to look younger than the Western people. Even my Chinese aunt was noted to look 45 when she’s in fact 60 y/o. Another reason is my height. I’m only 5′ 1″ and skinny; I can actually disguise as a middle school kid. My mom will joke with me that I can join the kids during Halloween doing trick-or-treat. Then there is the youthful skin which is a result of healthy lifestyle and lack of vice. Which also leads me to the next possible reason: the lack of make-up. As much as possible, I don’t wear make-up. I want to preserve my skin’s health by not introducing harsh chemicals to it. If I do, I don’t know how to use makeup. I do the barest make-up: concealer, face powder, eyeliner, blush, and lip gloss. Sometimes I go without the eyeliner and blush. Although I want to look mature, my make-up is not doing any good. Not only my make-up is pedestrian but also my fashion. My fashion sense has not yet evolved to that of a sophisticated kind of girl. Also I have adopted a short straight hair which makes me look like a twelve year old. When I had my haircut my aim was to look mature but apparently the opposite happened.

There are a lot of tips in the internet to make myself look like my age. A makeup trick, trendy age-appropriate clothes may be able to help me look my age. But I guess what’s really making me look young is my mind. In the back of my mind, I know I’m not ready to look my age yet. I would like to be young looking as long as possible. Did I just stumble across the elixir for eternal youth?

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Thank the Lord I didn’t take long in the immigration/customs. I had an uneventful check-out. Although the custom officer said that I should have taken a travel document for staying out of the country for more than 6 months. Oh well next time then. It’s a sunny day today in the US. The weather is still good but I’m too lazy to go out yet. I’m still unpacking stuffs which I really don’t want to do. I’m surprised by the look of our apartment. There are lots of stuff here – an explosion of eclectic tastes. Next thing to do is to find work! I miss my mom and dad and family back in the Philippines. I wish my parents are here already so they can unpack for me. Lol!

I’ll be blogging more significant things in the coming days. My brain is still in sleep mode.

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Then my grandmother got sick and she eventually passed away on wednesday. My parents had to rush back to the Philippines here and so much preparations were needed for the funeral. I had to split my time among school, errands and the wake. The wake would be planned in Manila for 2 days before the remains of my lola transported to Cebu, my father’s province. Which would give me the weekend free for preparing all the things I needed for my trip abroad. They were inviting me to go to Cebu but I defer because I haven’t started packing yet. WAAAAHHH!!!!

The weather didn’t help also. It had been so hot and humid these past days! It would rain in the evening then turn humid come morning. The weather was so nasty that just after taking a bath I would feel sweaty and hot and I want to take a bath again. Yesterday I had to take care of renewal of my driver’s license. The traffic, pollution and the humidity almost turned me into a monster! The sweat was sticking on my body, my face was too oily I feared for breakouts and the traffic was so bad that I just thank God I would only renew my license every 3 years!

Because of the wake, my despedida plans with my family had been pushed to the lowest priority. I originally planned to have it at Makansutra Asian Food Village at Quirino with my brother and his wife, my sister, my aunt from australia and my other aunt. Then my parents and sister came home from abroad and I thought they would be able to join the despedida dinner but they’re all going to Cebu for the wake. So the venue will stick but the people present would just be me, my sister, my brother and his wife. I wished I could have one more despedida with my college friends, who weren’t able to attend the night we went to the club, but I don’t think I can squeezed in a free time because I haven’t packed yet. I won’t be able to spend some last moments with a lot of people before I go *sniff sniff*

Oh good news too! My blog will be turning 1 come sept 3. I can’t believe I actually made it this far. Thanks for all the readers and for all the experiences in my life. I’ll hope for more blogging because my life ain’t over yet!

This is it for now.  I have lots of things to do. The next post may be in the US already. See ya!

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