Surgical Hell

This post might be labelled 'death' - sort of an exaggeration - but not really. I srsly felt like I was about to die from the pain, the pressure and the pulling from my first surgical op for my wisdom teeth (I was only supposed to have one removed - the right bottom jaw area - but the dentist later asked if I wanted my right upper jaw area's wisdom tooth removed as well - for a price of 80 bucks).

Anyway, before I went for the op scheduled for 2:30, I was looking up for advice and stuff online about extracting wisdom teeth. It made me more scared, of course, reading the horror stories others had to face when they extracted their wisdom teeth. Then, I headed out and met my mother to eat a li'l pasta for lunch! I had Pomodoro and a Cream of Chicken soup to go with. My mother got Aglio Olio. I only managed to down about half of my plate though, although I had to eat up since I wouldn't be able to eat after the surgery till much later.

We headed up to the dental clinic once we finished eating, and by then, I was trying hard to keep my composure and not freak out there and then! I listened to music on my phone and read the sequel to The Hunger Games (It's an awesome trilogy, btdubs - can't wait for the movie scheduled for March 23, 2012)! We stayed in the waiting room for quite a while, then I was called in.

My mother asked if I could listen to music while I was doing the surgery and I couldn't - in the end. Pity. It would have been hard for the dentist to work with the the headphones wire and all that.

Then, he and an assistant (he had two assistants later when the surgery began) rubbed a cotton with numbing gel around me right mouth and in my right bottom gum and later injected me with more of the numb stuff under local anesthesia (novocaine? lidocaine? I'm not sure which). It hurt, I've to admit. I could feel the needle piercing my gum, and I was squeamish and my legs were actually kicking on the chair, since I couldn't move my upper body, else something goes wrong. It was over in a few seconds, and my tongue, mouth and lips in the right were all numbed.

They also made me swallow 8 different pieces of pills and tablets! Even the kind I don't usually like to swallow. But it was pretty easy to when they actually numbed everything in my right side. I had to take them down with 2 cups of water though. There were 4 each for antibiotics, 2 for anti-swelling and 2 for painkillers (I got them all prescribed for home, damn)!

Then, he moved me to another room (all the rooms were pretty small - it's a small clinic - so there wasn't much room to move about) for an X-ray of my teeth (just the area around my wisdom tooth thankfully - it actually hurt taking that X-ray!). He inserted a wooden clip that held a rectangular-squarish piece of thing into my mouth, and I had to bite on the wooden piece! It felt hell uncomfortable, but it was over pretty fast.

Once the X-ray piece came out, he called my mother in and started explaining the risks and stuff of extracting a wisdom tooth that was on a piece of paper. He asked if we had questions, and when I asked if I could be put under, he didn't exactly give a direct answer, but said general anesthesia had to be done in hospitals, and there was a slight 1 to 3% chance of not ever waking up from it. That scared me a little, so I didn't say anything else. Then, my mother moved back out to the waiting room, and we got started.

They pulled up a green operating cloth over my body (like the ones used in operations in hospitals!) and I had a bathing cap over my head (LOL) and they covered my eyes with a mask used for covering the nose when you get a cold. I'm glad they covered my eyes though. It'd have been scary to watch them operating on me with all those scary tools.

There were a lot of awful sounds and once in a while, I could feel the pain, and they would put more of the numbing stuff in me. The worse was the drill they used to cut my wisdom tooth out. It felt so horrible and the sound was just dreadful. I opened my mouth wider so it wouldn't accidentally cut my mouth, though I doubt that would happen, unless you purposely close your mouth all of a sudden, of course.

The surgery actually took about half an hour! I thought it'd take an hour, but it was pretty fast. Then, he had to take my X-ray again to see the structure of my teeth and gums now that the bottom wisdom tooth is out. It hurt - more now, since my mouth was stuffed with gauze to absorb the bleeding. I had to take the X-ray twice since the first it didn't penetrate deep into my gums. Ouch.

I took off for the loo afterwards for a pee and returned, and decided to remove my upper wisdom tooth on my right. It was a lot faster, but when they inserted the anesthetic again with the needle, it hurt far worse. I was making tons of awful noises (the kind you'd make if you couldn't really make properly if your teeth were being operated on). Then, with a little more pressure and pulling (no drill this time, thank God), the tooth was out!

We later went to get a haircut a few blocks away and I had my hair cut 2 inches and had my fringe cut short. By then, my gums were starting to hurt and I couldn't exactly change the gauze till I was back home (it was entirely soaked in blood by then)! Anyway, I hope I never have to go through with this again. It was pure hell, I tell ya! I still have one wisdom tooth on my bottom lower jaw (or two?) and hopefully, I won't have to extract that - not ever! Share

Pray for the World

Well, I've no idea what to believe now. 2012 might become a reality after all. Anyway, I send all my thoughts and prayers to Japan!

According to NYTimes, a devastating 33-foot-high tsunami hit the coast of northeast Japan on Friday in the aftermath of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake about 80 miles offshore. In fact, it is the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history (300 years to be exact!), and the seventh largest of all time. Sendai Airport was practically underwater, and apparently 200 to 300 bodies were found in the coast city of Sendai after the earthquake. All underground subways, shinkansen (bullet trains in Japan!) and even Narita Airport ceased operations during the time of the earthquake and tsunami. Even  the happiest place on Earth, Tokyo Disneyland was flooded! Here are some of the pictures below. Disneyland has indeed become DisneySea!

The visitors waiting it out after the earthquake, hoping it would all tide over. God bless them!

Tsunami warnings have been issued to 50 surrounding countries and territories, including as far away as the Pacific Coast of the United States, California even! Some of the heaviest risk countries include the Philippines, Chile, Indonesia, Taiwan and Hawaii! Here are the estimated time arrivals of the tsunamis in these countries.

Here's more information on the waves that are making its way along the Pacific Ocean.

:: 9am - Northern Mariana Islands - no large waves hit

:: 9.17am - Guam - initially appears unaffected

:: 10.02am - Philippines «««««««

:: 11:32am - Papua New Guinea

:: 11.35am - Indonesia

:: 1.10pm - Hawaii

:: 2.16pm - Vanuatu

:: 2.53 - Samoa

:: 3.35pm - Australia

:: 4.12pm - US west coast 

:: 5.23pm - New Zealand

:: 11.00pm - Easter Island 

And just in case, below is a guide to Earthquake 101! 

If indoors:

• DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
• Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
• Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
• Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
• Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
• DO NOT use the elevators.

If outdoors:

• Stay there.
• Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
• Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

If in a moving vehicle: 

• Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
• Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris: 

• Do not light a match.
• Do not move about or kick up dust.
• Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
• Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

In addition, Google Person Finder has been launched in order to find any of your loved ones who might currently be in the middle of devastation in Japan! Here's the link for a Japanese version  --> Google Person Finder Japanese, and another for an English version --> Google Person Finder English. It finds out their status, whether they're alive, missing, or most unfortunately, dead.

Anyway, I'll be updating this post as the day progresses! I sincerely hope everyone would stay safe, and God bless you all! The worst is yet to come... Below's a video from the news on NHK World (I think).

"Knowledge is going to make you stronger. Knowledge is going to let you control your life. Knowledge is going to give you the wisdom to teach their children. Knowledge is the thing that makes you smile in the face of disaster."

- Avery Brooks

P.S.: If you live in USA, Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to Japan now! Share

The Mighty Wallet®

Was too bored to stay at home today. So I went out with a wad of cash wearing my trusty black motorcycle boots! Took the train into town and headed to the bookstore first and got a novel of my favorite series (Secrets of my Hollywood Life!) and DOLLY magazine! Never tried reading this mag from Australia before, so guess it starts now!

After that, I went to the departmental stores and got my hands on the infamous Mighty Wallet®! It was pretty expensive - 25 bucks! Thank goodness I only paid 5++ with the vouchers my mother gave me. Phew. I didn't bring too much moolah out either. Below's a snap I took of it! I had a hard time choosing between this and a vintage postal sort!

The Mighty Wallet® I got - BubbleGum themed! Thank God there were the ten dollar vouchers my mother gave me! Watch the video below which unveils The Mighty Wallet®!

Purchase or see more designs of The Mighty Wallet® by Dynomighty Design here!

Anyways, I heard this particular wallet can withstand more than a year - perhaps even longer! I can't wait to try it out and watch it grow old and all vintage-y like! I love how all the themes The Mighty Wallet® offers look so vintage. Wait - how many times have the word 'vintage' popped up in this post already?

And now, begins my review for The Mighty Wallet®! Firstly, you'd have to know what it's made of to make it tear-, water- and stain-resistant! Well, it is made from Tyvek. No idea what that is? Simply put, it's the same stuff that is used to make those incredibly sturdy express mail envelopes! Not only that, its ingenious origami design reinforces that strength by using a single folded stitch less construction allowing the wallet to gradually expand and adapt to meet your own personal storage needs, which basically means you can pretty much stuff it with all the AmEx-es, random cards and wads of cash you want. Obvs, the wallet will grow fatter, but still it's a miracle to watch.

I'm gonna state on the positives and rad parts of this Mighty Wallet® first before I move on to the parts where it is lacking.

• It is a recyclable wallet! When have you ever seen something that is 100% recyclable look that vintage and would score you major cool points at school?
• Assuming you aren't gonna stuff it to its maximum (meaning just a credit card or two and a couple dollar bills), it's not gonna be so obvious or protruding when you stuff it into your jeans pocket! In fact, ipeople might not even notice it's there!
• Not only is it recyclable, it is also made out of recycled objects! Try 25% of post-consumer materials such as recycled milk and water containers on for size.
• Great conversation starter! When was the last time someone asked you about your wallet?

And now, the cons of the great and almighty wallet!

• Where's the slot for coins? If you intend on using this wallet for a while, it'd be a good idea to invest in a good coin pouch! You'd come across coins at some point and this wallet ain't gonna hold 'em proper!
• I'm a little nervous about the outward facing pockets - the part which the video above mentioned about 'quick access to business cards'. Sure they might come in real handy if you don't want to go through the manual task of prying your wallet open and searching through the rows of credit cards and other stuff. But there's the problem of easy dislodging with those problematic pockets - which is why it would NOT be wise to stash your cash in those areas!

Well, that's it for the review! I'll be using this wallet from tomorrow onwards (and carrying around a coin pouch to boot!). I'll keep posted on how it works and if it's really as 'MIGHTY' as it claims to be! After all, I heard several reviews about the fading graphics on the wallet after only 2 days, and where the cards from the wallet scattered all over the floor when removing it from the pocket.

Anyways, below is an update of my desktop picture I altered a little bit after the death of Mochi on Sunday. I made it a little tribute to both my hamsters. It's so hard to believe I've lost them. Then again, the people who followed my Tumblr page about hamsters have been really supportive. Pudding is on the polaroid on the corkboard, both Mochi and Pudding on the old, open book beside the pink couch, framed on the wall next to the candle, and one old photo of them as a "magnet" on the corkboard! I miss them so, so much. I don't think I can ever get over their deaths.

Double-click the image to view in high-res and full screen!

"The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule." 

- Warren Buffett

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Post-Mochi

It's been two days since Mochi died... It's so hard to believe I lost my two hamsters in less than a month. So now I'm pet-less. Damn it. I wonder why Pudding & Mochi passed away so fast. They were still lively the day before (for Pudding). But Mochi had been looking listless days ago and lying in her cotton bed most of the time. My heart is so broken I doubt I can ever get out of this mourning period. Everytime I look at the empty space where the cage used to be, and my heart breaks and aches so much.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss cleaning up after my hamsters, and feeding them their vita-syrup and brushing their fur each day. They'd left such a huge void in my life - i feel too empty inside. 

Anyways, hopefully, they're both cremated properly (cost a hundred and twenty in total for both their cremations!) and buried somewhere peaceful. And that they are reunited in hamster heaven. I cry into my pillow every night too. *Sigh* At least crying in command will come easy now...

I've been pigging out lately too, to rid myself of the depression I feel during this mourning period... Mixed cheddar cheese slices, jelly and macarons! Yummers.

Hazelnut flavored maracon! Loooove it!

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying." 

- Ed Furgol

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RIP Mochi

Emergency post. I'm crying. I'm guilty. I'm totally wrecked. I can never be the same again. I've experienced death two times now. Just now and just two weeks ago, when Pudding died just as suddenly. I can't believe I didn't find out Mochi had died sooner, when I reached home an hour ago. I only went to check on her after I'd taken a hot bath. Too bad its effects are wearing off on me.

She was lying sprawled in her food bowl, and her eyes were open. I knew she was dead the minute I looked at her through the cage. She couldn't have been sleeping -  she wasn't moving or breathing. When I touched her, she was stiff, but not as cold as Pudding had been when she passed away. I unfolded her tiny legs - stiff too. Her hands were frozen in midair. I'm gonna look at her again when I've composed myself. I'm crying twice as hard as I had last two weeks.

This is it. I'm hamster-less. Blaming myself for being such a bad owner and not being there for Mochi when she breathed her last during her final moments (God knows how many hours ago when I was out).

Anyways, my mother's called the cremation guys and they'd be over in an hour and fifteen. That's another 60 bucks for transportation. I am still in shock Mochi died all of a sudden. But then, she had been out of energy and lying in her cotton bed all day. She could barely climb the ramp in her cage. She had little fur left and recently, her stomach and rear had been really wet and cold. And it is not surprising for a hamster to die so quickly after her cagemate (Pudding) died. Mochi must have been devastated too.

And what aggravates me the most is that my friggin' father (I'm not gonna regard him as one anymore. He's a stranger and f***ing arse to me now) SCOLDED and YELLED at me when my mother told him she called for cremation and that the hamster had died. Scrooge. He also threatened to throw my future pets down the balcony if I ever bought a new one. Heartless creature. He'd have preferred it if my hamster's carcass could just be easily thrown down the rubbish chute. At least my mother's not that inhuman. From now on, he's no family of mine.

I'm gonna miss Mochi and Pudding so deeply. I've grown so attached to them, when I got them in 2008 on August 2nd. Pudding died 2 years and 20 days later, and Mochi lived till September 5 2010, exactly two weeks after Pudding passed away.

I'd get her obituary ready too days later. I hope they cremate her proper and bury her ashes well. Gonna create a tribute for both my hamsters after my exam in a few days. Time to mourn.

Anyways, this is a final note for Mochi.

Dear Mochi,
You'll forever be my first and beloved pet (along with Pudding). I hope you've crossed into the afterlife and into Heaven and rejoined Pudding. I hope you two are happy there and God is taking good care of you. I'm so terribly sorry I wasn't with you during your last few moments. I shouldn't have went out. I'm gonna fill your box with cotton when the cremation person comes to collect, so you'd be comfy in there. I'm gonna miss you so much, and I'll be praying for you every single day. Most importantly, you'll never be replaced, or forgotten. I wish I was given more time with you on Earth, or that I'd played and stayed with you longer today. Forgive me for not being there when you passed away. I love you Mochi, forever and ever, even if you were just a wee hamster that my heartless "father" couldn't care less about. I hope you'll hear my heartfelt words wherever you are and know that I will always love and miss you.
Love always, 
Your Owner for 2 years and 34 days

A framed photo of Mochi I compiled together a year ago. She was a total cutie, especially when she slept.

Still an old photo of Mochi. Adorable furball goodness!

The most recent photo I've got of Mochi. This was her exactly 2 weeks ago, during her birthday party with Pudding. 

Updated an hour later...
The cremation guy came and I went about my business in the balcony (disinfecting all the things that'd once belonged to Pudding and Mochi) as my mother settled the paperwork with him. Then, my father came up behind me (albeit quietly) and scolded and lectured me for keeping a pet in the first place. He's probably sore about the money that is used for the cremation transporters. Then, when the guy left, he started YELLING at me.  It's unfortunate how cruel and heartless someone related to you can be. He threatened to throw all of Mochi and Pudding's things away (thinking that I want new pets) and forbade me to buy new ones again. He wasn't a bit remorseful about the death of Mochi, even if she had been a wee hamster. What justice is there in this world, I tell you? He even scolded me for CRYING over my hamster. That is why from now on, I'm never, ever gonna regard him as my family, much less my father. I've had enough of his mindless yelling and cold heart. Share

The Atrocity of Life

Sometimes, I seriously wonder why life had to turn out, like everyone says, unfair. You get the seriously rich folks who never had to worry about being broke, and you get the in-the-middle people (like me) who ARE broke half the time and everything they do is average on the whole. Then there's the poor people. I ain't gonna elaborate on that - it's depressing. Anyways, just some uninspirational crap to start off this post. I don't even know exactly what I'm going on about, either. Anyways, to put it simply, life stinks. And below are pictures that justifies my statement...

...And this is what the world has come to - kids who flash their middle fingers at beggars. Poor lady (she probably didn't know what that gesture meant) - I would have socked that schoolgirl in the face if I was there.

OMFGGG. I ALWAYS tear up at this part!

I get that this is the first ever piece of Spongebob Squarepants material I put in this blog. LABELLED! I hate it when strangers always call even after I'd CLEARLY said WRONG NUMBER.

Self-explanatory.

Ditto.

OMG this must be some new species of wild rabbits. I know I hate it too when I've to wake up way early in the morning.

Ice-cream therapy after an exhausting week always works!

Death hurts - big time. Pudding's obituary finally came through! R.I.P Pudding. I love you.

"Always treat a famous person as if they're not. And a person who's not as if they were." 

- Adam Lawrence

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Smart Art

Some pretty ingenious photos below taken, altered or created by other people! I do not own any of these pictures. Scroll down, it gets even better. Dang, it seems my blog posts are getting shorter by the days... Anyways, hurrah for hi-res (high resolution, FYI) photos!!

Snail mail at its best! - With total originality!

Both the monkey and dog are hell adorable!! Protective monkey much?

So totally clever! Ctrl-X for Cut, obvs. Ctrl-V for paste and Ctrl-Z for delete!

Surprised to see Justin Bieber's head on a beaver's body?

All the M & Ms you can ever want!

... and all the vintage cameras too!

Awww... Eggy was too late to give that letter to its mother.

For some reason this cracked me up real bad.

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. Ahoy fudge marshmallows!

A jack-in-the-box killer clown! I've no idea why I placed this picture in here really - especially when it is titled 'Smart Art'! But whatevs.

"I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet." 

- Rodney Dangerfield

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Post-Pudding

It's been a day since Pudding died. I still find it hard to believe my first ever,  real pet died after just two years and twenty days (yep, that's the exact number of days since I got her and Mochi...). So obviously, I'm gonna find it equally hard to get over the sudden death of Pudding. I mean she appeared totally FINE just the day before. Her eyes didn't pop out, and she was just as lively as any other day. But the next day... she just went lifeless and died just an hour later. 

I wish I knew why she suddenly passed away like that, but I'm hoping it was just old age... Still, that doesn't explain why her eyes popped out like that. It was really scary. I know this might sound really sadistic - but I snapped a picture of Pudding's dead body in her box after I came home from the vet's - just for the sake of a last picture of her. Still, it was a really scary picture of her, all cold and stiff with her eyes open, so no way am I posting it up here. I can't imagine the torment I'd have to go through again when time's up for Mochi. Still, I'm grateful I listened to Bec and didn't decide to put Mochi through euthanasia the other time, or I'd have lost both my hamsters now. 

Anyways, I hope I'll feel better and get through and cope with Pudding's death soon enough. The people on my Tumblr have been really supportive, sending well-wishes my way about my loss and sharing their own stories about their deceased hamsters, so I'm really appreciative of them. Thanks!

I'll be thinking of Pudding each and every second of my life. We never did get to play together one last time... Pudding used to love crawling from my hand to the other hand. I'm gonna miss her so, so much, and I know I'll cry and pine for her as I go to sleep each night. Okay, I'm getting too sentimental here, and I feel like crying all over again when I think of Pudding being placed in a dog carrier by the cremation guy yesterday (we placed her surrounding cotton so she'd have a peaceful and comfy journey to heaven). She's probably become ashes now and buried somewhere, but I sincerely hope she's resting in peace and reunited with her hammie family in hammie heaven. I love you so much, Pudding.

"You were born an original. Don't die a copy." 

- John Mason

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RIP Pudding

I can't think of a better way to relieve the stress and depression I'm in now, so I'll just blog about this I guess. The cremation guys are probably on their way over, thank goodness I wouldn't have to watch Pudding, my hamster get cremated. I'd just bawl right on the spot. It cost 60 bucks for transportation and cremation, so it's all worth it I suppose. I hope they aren't gonna throw Pudding's carcass into a bin or something seeing she's not very huge and wasn't worth cremating - so I hope they do their job. They even allow us to keep the ashes in a special box, but that's gonna cost another hundred and twenty bucks. Wait a minute why am I talking about money now? Backtracking a little...

I woke up with my brother calling me to check on my hamsters. He said Pudding had cried out really loudly. When I checked the cage, I looked at Mochi first. I thought, "Phew. She's fine." And then I looked at Pudding. The waterworks were about to come, but I maintained my composure first. Pudding's eyes seemed to be popping out, she was just lying in a corner, her mouth opening and closing, and she seemed to be heaving, as if struggling for air. I knew her time was up. Anyway, since she still appeared to be moving a little (she was extremely stiff and a little cold, no body heat - that's the sign of a dying hamster), I quickly brought her to a vet for her to be euthanized. I was even praying for some hope of salvation for Pudding. No such luck. She died on the way to the vet's. The woman had a vet check if Pudding was still alive. There was no heartbeat. Their cremation services was really exy too, like $74.90. I went home dejected and extremely heartbroken.

So my mother's called for cremation and they're gonna pick Pudding up and send her for cremation. I hope she is resting in peace and has gone to heaven now. My mother's even prayed for Pudding. She was a beautiful and really lively winter white hamster, and she died really suddenly. Even Mochi (my other hamster) is upset too. I hope she lives through this. Hopefully she hadn't been the cause of Pudding's death...

Here's a little note to my beloved first hamster:
I love you from the bottom of my heart, Pudding. I won't ever forget you, and you'd always have that special place in my heart. I'm so sorry I didn't check on you just hours earlier and I didn't get that last chance to play and bond with you, Pudding. Please watch over Mochi in heaven too. I'll try my best to get your ashes so I can give you a funeral. But if I can't... I'm sorry and I love you, Pudding.

(Oh, no. The cremation people just arrived. Goodbye, Pudding.)

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