Sinusities

I went for a nasopharyngoscope, that is essentially inserting a fiberoptic, flexible tube through the nose. A very interesting "burrow-like" landscape flashed on the television in front of the 'dentist' chair that I was sitting on. It's a medical procedure that allows the otorhinolaryngologist to find out what went wrong with my nose, the blockages and all. Prior to the insertion of the camera tube, he sprayed this decongestant agent into my nose which numbed my nose and throat some what. The scan revealed that I have a 'crooked' nose, so to speak.

As is illustrated on the photograph, the left side of my nose has a somewhat convex shape while the right side is straight and well. In other words, my frequent nasal congestion has got to do with the anatomical structure of my nose as it blocks and reduces the space in the passageway. Seriously, I didn't think I would have a 'crooked' nose on the inside for it certainly didn't seem that way on the outside.

They put me through this skin-prick test to test for signs of allergy - mainly outdoor and indoor allergens. These allergens were extracted in its purest form and stored in mini glass bottles. The entire procedure was a rather simple one which took approximately 30 minutes to complete. The nurse dab a drop of allergen esscence each onto the skin in a systematic fashion - for her recording purposes. I do not remember how many bottles there were. On my right hand were the essence of the outdoor allergens such as palm, bermuda grass and some other weird ferns and shrubs. On my left were the more common aggressors - the indoor allergens the likes of pets (dogs & cats lander), dust mites, mixed mites, roaches. After dabbing these essences, the nurse pricked the areas on my skin gently with a tiny needle and I was left to read up on some allergy & allergent brochure.

Certain areas on my skin turned red and itchy. There was also a slightly raised bump on the affected areas. Any bump that is more than 3mm deems that you're allergic to that particular allergen. So, as expected I am allergic to dust mites, mixed mites. I didn't think I would be allergic to "horror!" dogs and cats... as well as the common "I-am-everywhere" bermuda grass. Dreads. Nurse Jane jokingly suggested that I should migrate to Alaska and be neighbours with Sarah Palin. She is a funny and friendly nurse.

I've been put on Telfast and Flaxonase for 30 days . The doc said I would have to do a review after a month of medication. Dreads. My poor kidneys.

He may discuss the option of surgery should nasal congestion continue to bug me during the course of the prescribed medication. Heee, I should perhaps make things worse and get him to give me a rhinoplasty while straightening out the convex anatonomical part.

Oh, I got myself an Eyore toy to replace my 3 year old grey dolphin plush. According to Nurse Jane, god knows how many tons of dustmites and mite poos are in that toy.

It's shopping every night - Browser window shopping Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

I've been shopping and shopping and shopping every night, every week virtually. It's all done in the comfort of my own home, sitting snugly in my armchair, at my own convenience. Hah!

ワーイ♪＼(^ω^＼)( /^ω^)/ワーイ♪

I must be having this online spree buying fever... let me count off the items I have racked off the web... I am currently waiting for my stash from:

Drugstore.com:

• Burt's Bee Apricot Baby Oil

Nordstrom:

• Bare Escentuals® Mineral Veil
• Bare Escentuals® Flawless Application Face Brush
• Too Faced 'Flatbuki' Brush

Target.com:

• Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer

EverydayMinerals.com:

• Base powder in Light Olive, Beige - light medium and Buff - light medium neutral
• Cheek colour in Sheen Snuggle and Lucent Soft Touch
• Face rice powder in fair
• Long handled kabuki brush

Goodness gracious me.... that's a whole lot of stuff. Sheesh. Seriously, I have to say it is a whole lot cheaper to join some spree organized by like-minded buyers to get the stuff that you want at a cheaper rate. I've done some research actually, before I set my mind and take that leap of faith to trust and pay the organizer before even having anything tangible in my hands.

I'm very interested to lay my hands on the much reviewed and raved about mineral veil powder by Bare Escentuals. I came across this powder as I was browsing through the Nordstrom site on one of my usual night surfing. The first thing that caught my eyes was of course the price. It was a good US$19 for a tub which is one of the cheaper branded mineral make-up alternatives. I did some Math and the price after converting to Sing dollars is around sgd$27+. It didn't seem all that expensive and I reckon I could save a few dollars if I switch from using Ettusais Day Amulet Powder which is costing me some $38 for a refill pack.

This powder from Bare Escentuals was actually recommended by a fashion & beauty writer in the Straits Times supplementary paper Urban. What struck me on that page was no, not the outcome of the makeup on some model's face. Rather, it was the price again. It is only available in Sephora Takashimaya at a hefy sgd$45. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. So you see my enthusiasm in banging my bucks immediately on the 1st Nordstrom spree organizer that I can find on Live Journal.

Well, it's been around two weeks since I placed my order and made the payment. I do hope and I am crossing my fingers that the organizer is an honest lass who will mail out the stuff that I ordered in due time. I haven't heard from her since her last email that said "All stuff's in stock and I've placed the orders". We shall wait and see then.

In the meantime, I'll still keep a lookout on things on the web. And hopefully on my bank account too =)

Longchamp Le Pliage

My very kind sister who's working in Paris bought me a Le Pliage from Longchamp. These handbags are kinda like the "in" thing that the ladies in my country like to hang around their arms these days (opps, guys, you're out!). There have been tons of spin-offs lately, where hawkers at the make-shift markets hang the Longchamp fakies and the Agnes B distorted twin out in broad day light. And yes, they are as common as your plastic bags.

Right, I would definitely vouch for my sister that my pastel green Le Pliage is stone-cast authentic. I saw the labels as well as the product tag that came along. I am enjoying the bag and I can't help but be delighted that it is a whole lot cheaper than its duplicates in Singapore. For a mere $70 - $80 sgd, you can get a decent Le Pliage like these:

Do get the smaller Le Pliage as it is extremely handy and useful. Whether it is a short trip out or just heading for work, the blue Le Pliage works just fine if you're not an extreme hoarder. Even if you do stuff the bag to its max, it retains its shape pretty well. $70 odd bucks for a roomier Le Pliage doesn't sound bad either. You can usually sling the bag around your shoulders.

Right, so much about getting cheaper Le Pliage directly from Paris; the main purpose of this post is to caution every Le Pliage owners that your light and trusty handbags do not enjoy water. They will bleed.... continuously....

My pastel green bag held up pretty well for its 1st wash. Nothing came off, a-OK. That kinda tricked me into giving it its 2nd wash and that was when it bled pretty bad. Some brownish particle was coming off from the leather I suspect and that kinda stained the fabric when it dried.

Well, all's not lost. In the event that your trusty holder needs a bath, wash the nylon fabric as per norm, with water and detergent. Do have plenty of soft dry towels and a clean toothbrush with you. Immediately after the wash, wrap the leather handles and flap in the towels so as none will touch the fabric of your bag. Pat and squeeze the water from the handles and flap. It will be inevitable that some staining will occur at the zip area. If this happens, place the bag on a clean area, ensure that the leather handles and flap remain wrapped/covered or it's just going to be a very frustrating and long process for you. Dip the toothbrush in water and gently brush the stain off the fabric. The fabric is of quality and removing the brownish particles is relatively easy. You will not be able to brush the stain off without water.

Do a thorough check to make sure that no other areas are stained. With the agility of a 12 year-old, grab your salon-grade hairdryer, turn up to the max and blast hot air at the handle and flap. You need to be quick as it seems like the fabric has some weird osmosis or anti-gravity moving capillary action that will suck up the brownish particles or so it seems.

So yes, do be vigilant. Always check, check, check to make sure no other areas are stained. Otherwise, it's just gonna make you grit your teeth and tear your hair out.

HTML.... CSS... （;≧皿≦）。゜°。ううううぅぅぅ

Sheesh, have been trying for hours to edit the html code of my blog template. Doesn't seem all that easy given that there isn't a structured or systematic style template authors write with. I've downloaded a couple of blog templates and tried comparing them to suss out the codes that I need. Yes, the basic things are there but it's just not as easy as filling up say, a standard application form. Hmmmp. Still I will persist. I'm gonna hit the library tomorrow to get some books for html/blogging/css... we'll see how.

Aiks, thought things would be easier with dreamweaver... well, can't fly when I haven't even learn how to walk yeah?

Aloha Moola

Right, I actually wanted to create a blogskin entirely on my own before I set out to publish any post. Since I am not schooled in Multimedia and Technology, I am, well finding it rather hmm... tedious to start creating one. Well, not that I have not used a wysiwyg web creation programme before, rather my memory of how to go about doing it has kinda faded with age. Besides, I have not found the right mascot to go with this blog... so, I guess we'll have to push that aside for a while. In the mean time, I'll just make do with whatever templates/ designs that I have; till the rightist in me is satisfied with the mascot, colour scheme, design blah blah blah. So, here's my first post. The blog's gonna change some what, some day... Heee