Pre-braces journey

Hey guys,
so i have been acting on my 2013 "realistic" resolution to my best effort. One of this is consider the toughest of them all journey - the braces journey.

So i have been contemplating the idea of getting a straight set of teeth for a long while now, and thou everyone else has been talking me out of the idea, saying how my teeth looks fine, i just cannot push this pass my checklist.

thanks guys, i know my teeth looks fine & everyone loves me the way i am. but let's hope this stubborn personality of mine pays off and the teeth did indeed look like the way i have visualize it to turn out.

So having spend alot of time trying to research about braces & prepping for the big day, i have come to learn that there is only so much there is to search online.  Therefore, in order to help those who might be keen on embarking on the braces journey in the near future, here is my account of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Date: 25 march 2013
Having heard from bbbb's friend, Lao Kong about a friend who works in a dental clinic, i seek Lao Kong's help to enquire with his friend Jessica about getting my braces done. She was very helpful to provide me information on the payment & procedure with the dental clinic she is working at. I was advice the journey will cost about $3500 over a period of 2 years.  Dont be alarm by the large figures needed for this procedure, try convincing yourself the payment is broken down & spread over 3 years, so for the first year you are only expecting to part with a tiny tiny portion of your salary. I fix an appointment with Luminus Dental thanks to Jessica's help.

27mar2013
i ponder on the thought of tapping on Medisave to pay for the braces, i know the chances are slim but it was worth researching for some exception. I log into google & learn that braces are not claimable under Medisave scheme, with the exception to extraction of wisdom tooth that might/might not aid with the braces procedure.

I also manage to search on some reviews of Luminous Dental with whom i will be engaging for my braces. You can find some comment here , very limited thou.

29-30mar2013
i started breaking the news of getting my braces done to everyone around. They were skeptical about it, but provided support nevertheless.   bbbbb was the best, accepting how braces means the wedding plan will not take place anytime soon, but he render me full assistance nevertheless, i am extremely grateful for his support

31mar2013  - this session cost me $0
bbbb drove me to Luminous Dental located at 26A Chai Chee Lane, the place is not accessible by train but it is a good walk from bus stop B84011, so this information was helpful.

My first consulation was with Dr Lee, he was a friendly man who was discouraging me from getting my braces done if i had plan on getting married. His humor comfort me alot, and after looking through my teeth he made a few comment

irregular alignment when i smile

1. there is only 3 (instead of the usual 4 teeth) at the bottom row of my teeth
2. The bottom teeth is larger than everyone else probably because of the lack of one teeth
3. looking at the center 2buck teeth, you will soon notice my nose is not align correctly & slightly shift to the left
4. My upper teeth fits the lower teeth at 100% perfection, this does not mean it is perfectly normal. If you look at a usual set of teeth that everyone has, the upper row of teeth will slightly protrude outwards while the lower teeth is fitted right behind the upper teeth (like the image below

Conclusion? with a perfectly align upper & lower teeth, once the braces goes up, you can expect both my teeth to  protrude outwards, creating a super large gap in between when i smile. i wont be able to talk or pronounce correctly!!!!!   my solution now will be to remove some teeth to make space for the teeth to be align correctly

pretty acceptable alignment of both teeth from the right side of the teeth

misalignment of teeth on the left side. if you notice carefully the teeth filling that is black in color is pretty obvious here, i have since got it change into a share of white.

Dr Lee suggest i get an x-ray done. We also took pictures of my "before" teeth profiling. 

6april2013 - this session cost me $150

head down to LeMint Dental to get an x-ray of my teeth done

x-ray of my skull & teeth alignment, you can see my lip & chin in a slightly opaque shade

1. notice how my upper teeth & lower teeth are perfectly align ?? :(
2. Also notice how my chin is trying very badly to protrude outwards in order to match the teeth alignment.
3. btw.. the ring shape thingy u see near my ear are not earring, haha no jewellery allow during x-ray, its the tool they insert into my ear to get a scan

1. the front profile of my teeth
2. the slightly white portion are the teeth filling i have done over the years
3. my wisdom tooth in the right are grown inwards, but the x-ray review this is safe & can be kept the way it is
4. i have an extra tooth (that i never knew off) growing inside the gum of the left upper gum, no action done on that as long as i dont feel any discomfort

16april2013 - this session cost me $300

went down to the dental clinic to meet Dr Lee, who give more insights of my teeth, it was decided i was going to remove only 1 teeth thanks to the missing teeth at the bottom center area.

Met another dentist & he was a humourous Dentist who gave a brief introduction & assure me i was going to receive an MC for today (thank God, i didnt want to part with anther annual leave). I told him briefly that i was fearful of the pain, he agree to put numbing cream on my lips & gum before giving me the anesthetic jab, i dare tell you the anesthetic jab was painless (thank you to the review that warn it will hurt like shit, thank God i am super positive).... the Dentist clean up my teeth a little, slight discomfort as i could feel the machine on my teeth, not too long later i could no long feel my left lip & teeth.... 

after the cleaning i was told to gurgle some water, this was probably my most embarressing moments ever!~ basically because i could no longer feel my mouth, i was spilling the water out of my mouth like nobody's business, it was really hard to gurgle & spit the water out within the small frame of the sink i was told to spit into, 

sorry i had to insert this in..... it was funny not be able to feel your lip... the whole time i was drinking water after i was done with th extraction, i spill them out....     At age 26 & not drinking neatly certainly makes me feel weird. 

this is my molar that i have remove, the slightly less gore looking version... it is actually quite large & long with a pointy tip

gauze on the gum that couldnt stop bleeding for the first 4 hours... Now all is left are some blood here & there when i gurgle

Did you notice the separator place inside some of the teeth?   The agonizing pain it brings till today, at this point (i hate the pain.. argh)... the separator trying to push each tooth apart is unbearable (well it is bearable cos i am still typing this away)... i now have to get use to eating soft food when hungry (and still endure the pain of every chew.... tryiing hard to get use to this... )

well that is what have taken place till this point. My next appt is on 6may2013, where i will finally put on the metal braces (that will cost me $800, marking the end of the biggest payment ever!!)

I will continue to post update of this journey, hope you haven freak out  after reading so much... my pain level is only on the scale of 3/10 so far (the extraction is 0.5/10, painless lah!)

~Sweet.Silly.Stinky.Sleepyhead~

Barbies from all over the world!~

I have a soft spot for all things lovely, and one of these that made it to the top of the list are Barbie Dolls (c)

i love love love how perfect each doll look and when i was younger, i had to beg my Dad & Mum to let me buy new dresses for the Barbies...

By the age of 10 i beg my Grandmother to buy me a sewing machine ( she REALLY did get me a toy sewing maching that operates on battery.... UNFORTUNATELY i step onto a needle that was stuck in the carpet of our old house while i was playing the sewing machine & it peirce throught into my foot. thus ending my interest for sewing till years later)  so i would cut up my PJ into small pieces of cloth & sew them into dresses for my Barbies.   My grandmother fully supported our interest in sewing because as far as i remember, she had a chest full of fabric for all the female cousins whenever we step foot into her house for the weekend.

With that being said, you can expect my excitement when i came upon a article showing all the edition of Barbies all over the world in 2013, this has been ongoing since a long way back. Revision has been made periodically to better relate to the tradition/fashion in each country, see for yourself. :)

Mexico Barbie, 2012

I read that this was not authentic and has been receiving criticism for its lack of relation to the real Mexico, the hair on the Barbie should be weaved like the ones they use to make below 

Mexico Barbie, 1989 and 1996

The first edition Mexico Barbie (left), released in 1989, is far more authentic looking, with a colorfully embroidered blouse, a woven ribbon belt, and a lace mantilla -- a nod to the country's Spanish-influenced culture. The second-edition version, which came out in 1996, had ribbons woven into the dolls braids and a clothes in the colors of the Mexican flag.

i guess i could comment here that the barbie in 2013 looks much much prettier than the one in 1989, the eyebrows looks a little scarce & the eyes a little too dopey... 1996 version looks less Glamorous & real, i would choose these over the "extremely sassy looking 2013 version"

Chile Barbie

do they even dress like that? isnt this too masculine in comparison to the other feminine barbies? i can understand that they are trying hard to match up to the tradition, but this?!

Argentina Barbie

Very fanciful, i would really like to see everyone dress like that if i ever get to visit Argentina, they even had a shawl placed over the shoulder couple with the satin blue dress & its frilly tress at the bottom of the dress

China Barbie

i hope i am not prejudice here but this might be the prettiest version of Barbie ever to date!!!! the poofy hair & its sharp feature coupled with the dress looks very elegant.... Unfortunately for you and & me, asian common feature does NOT comes with a sharp brow bones thus making the eyes (even with any depth of eyeshadow ) looks flatter & less smokey eye, unlike the perfect feature on Barbie. 

But thumbs up for the hair, its soooo sleeky i am tempted to dye my hair jet black again... Afterall, it would be the only color that does not grows out of your root making it look as if you are trying too hard for a ombre tresses. 

Holland Barbie

i dont like how the Barbie looks too perfectionalized here, the posture, the perfectly pleated & finest shades of gold hair, seriously?!   The skirt is also too flair to look like  you can see it in the real world, also, try imagining the skirt a tad bit shorter and it shall remind you more of a cheerleader than holland.

Australia Barbie, 2012 and 1993

Another version of Barbie that i fell in love with, i can relate to the whole ensemble of the 2012 look because this would be the get up anyone would wear trying to visit the wildlife there i Australia. To make it even more realistic, here i can tell you that the getup -

Cowboy hat - easily attainable at F21

puffy sleeve khaki blouse - i am sure a a peplum blouse from G2000 will look the same with some enhance sewing :)

Pencil skirt with middle slit - this is too easy, Zara, F21, if all else fail, look on at Warehouse, Dorothy Perkin

Boots - Definitely Hunter Boots FTW

Philippines Barbie

Another proud moments, the first Pacific asia Barbie to be made and added to the collection, even the lip appear to be downsize to look like a dainty Phillippino, *applaud*

India Barbie and Hawaii Barbie

Big fat jealousy over the the machiam-jasmine-in-aladdin perfect poof hair complete with the Sari in yellow. Not so much commment on the Hawaii Barbie except double-likes for the weaved hair complete with a flower.

This 2 barbies receive some critics over its overly-traditional costume that people no longer wear, but i beg to differ.  i am pretty sure i still see very attractive Indian in Singapore dress up to the Nine on Deepavali & man, they look gorgeous!

France Barbie

i REALLY REALLY adore this Barbie & took more than a minute studying each & every details on the getup. Does anyone too, find the black mole below the eye super-duper-attractive.... 

i use to secretly draw dot below my eye to achieve the same look, but this Barbie, it too pretty, too pretty & the getup makes me want to buy the full complete look & donn them on to walk down Paris if i shall ever return. 

Spain Barbie

Erm, very little to talk about this outfit here, a little impossible for anyone to imagine donning a polka dotted dress with added puffy tutu lace (especially not at the sleeve) . Almost impossible to pull the hair so neatly into a perfect bun to place a crown  to head the street and DEFINTELY not going to comment on the almost-look-like-they-weight-a-ton earrings... 

Did you notice the shoes?!!!!!!!!!!!

~Sweet.Silly.Stinky.Sleepyhead~

RodKris Ave: Bentley & Bella

RodKris Ave: Bentley & Bella: Nothing particular exciting has been taking place this week, time is spent very well with Rodman and we even manage to steal some short afte...

~Sweet.Silly.Stinky.Sleepyhead~

Bentley & Bella

Nothing particular exciting has been taking place this week, time is spent very well with Rodman and we even manage to steal some short afternoon naps in between to garner energy for the next week. Other than talking about StapleStatement and the upcoming projects in plan for it, i am glad we made the extra effort to drop the work, and concentrate on our WE-time.

First up is the pretty picture Rodman has taken of me while we were hunting for a good deal to purcahse the 60d he has been eyeing for a while. This silly boy knows how to pamper everyone but himself so when it comes to material goods, sometimes its really gets on the nerves when you see him eyeing this one thing for a while, only to push his thoughts away and move on... The same cycle repeats till i can literally predict him about to eye the same item he saw as he walk past the display cabinet.    being a Camera amateur, i know not to comment too much into the specs, but over dinner somedays as he got involve into introducing the 60d  and all itss good quality, i knew i had to get him one!

We all knew good things never comes in unlimited quantity, as said with 60D. The plan was to ditch our good old 450D to get ourselves 60D, but we could not bear to part with the good old camera that has accomapnied us through so much.

it has seen us through so many unforgetable photoshoot.

(this is timmy btw.. inside my stomach)

That night as we were packing 450D to be sold the next day, it was Rodman who was emotional first. He was stroking the camera while telling me to recall the times we bring it along ost of our expediture. I was staying strong at first, only too excited about our new camera, so i decided to take over the packing & put us to bed, leaving the night to end so it could be sum up & settled the next day. 

You can say its fate but that night i had a dream about using 450D, in the dream i had laughter, much thanksgiving & alot of joy. I did not share with Rodman what i had dreamt about at first. But when i finally did, he exclain in surprise he had the same dream, this took place while we onboard the train to the camera shop. So again we left it as it is and try to ignore it.  Once we got to the camera shop, we were first told by the boss that Visa payment will incured 3% charges, so we had to withdraw ready cash to purchase our 60D, as we walked out to the ATM, i suddenly took a quick glance at Rodman only to realize he had done the same. So without hesitant i said aloud " if we are selling 450D away, can i be the buyer?"

Of course Rodman said no! he throw me a sweet & comforted smile, knowing fully well we are both too attached with the camera to give it away. It was that slight seconds from submitting the camera to be sold to the shop but after that quick decision we are more than relieve to just kept it away.   Once we got back to the shop we told the boss we were ready to purchase our camera, but we have decided not to trade in our old model. The Boss looks unusually shock at our news, but he too, can tell how we are both looking much much lighter at heart having know what we ahve just done. 

So here's how we eventually came up with 

our new baby.. meet Bella.... 

having 2 of the cameras is now a benefit to us, as both Rodman and myself enjoy clicking the shutter & learning the rope of capturing beautiful pictures. Rodman has a database of knowledge at the back of his mind and sometimes pops up new stuff for me to learn, it is now a norm if you can spot him playing with his camera - Bella, while i took our old 450d (now named Bentley) to try on some hands-on. we are really happy not parting Bentley for a couple of hundreds, even if it meants spending lesser somewhere else.

i am really grateful to find someone like Rodman who can understand my attachment to items that will not reciprocate the feelings. This is also why when i requested for a pet for our future home, he was always persistant in rejecting it, "sometimes teh attachement gets too overwhelming, it's no surprise if you find it hard to let go, espeically when you dont hve the choice not to"

Thank you for reliving my love for the camera & reignite the spark of reloving time spent with you. 

~Sweet.Silly.Stinky.Sleepyhead~