....Actually, no I don't. I'm pretty sure most people are not excited or happy to be going to the dentist.
This is my experience with the many dentists I had visited in the past. If you would like to skip it all and go down to some recommendations, scroll to the bottom.
I'm not sure how many people have had bad luck with dentists, but I figure I had to visit about 5 or 6 different dentists before I finally found a good one. My teeth were perfectly fine until about grade 7, when people referred me to a dentist that used to go to our church. There was a good amount of people that went to him, so we figured let's go to him from now on. Plus he wasn't too far away from home.
We'll call him Dr. A. The first visit, he says I have perfect teeth. It was mostly assessment and what not. The following week I came back to have cleaning done. Lo and behold, Dr. A says I got 7 cavities. Holy damn what? 7? How the heck did I get 7 cavities in less than a week? I didn't even eat any candy that week. But as a patient, you trust your dentist's judgment right? I had to go multiple times to fix those so called cavities. I later found out this dentist had pretty much lied to us. I didn't have any cavities actually. But instead, he used that excuse so he could buff all my teeth. When I mean buff, he buffed all my enamel out. Basic tooth anatomy 101: Enamel is the white layer on top of every tooth, the outmost protective layer of a tooth. If that thins out, your tooth is more susceptible to cracks, damage, cavities, and that could lead to more problems in the future. This dentist was a freaking crook. Took advantage of our insurance.
Anyways great, now that all my enamel is gone, my teeth became super sensitive to touch. Hot and cold liquids, and chewing food. Sensodyne for life now. I switched dentists to see if I could somehow fix this problem, but every dentist I went to assumed I was grinding my teeth at night. So 2 of them gave me a night guard for use at night. I used it for a while and then got lazy so I stopped using it.
Late 2008 was the beginning of a tooth nightmare. I had gone in complaining of sensitivity and pain in my left molar. The new dentist I went to (we'll call him Dr. B) did a thorough assessment and found a huge cavity hiding in the back. It was hard to tell by xray but it looked like the tooth could be saved. It wasn't touching the pulp, or so we thought. Cavity was taken out and the area was cleaned, then sealed. And off I went. In the next few months, the tooth was way more sensitive than before. Sensitive to everything, even air. I kept telling them something was wrong, but I was told it was normal to feel a bit of sensitivity. Ok, fine I'll just suck it up and deal with it.
About 10 months later, 6 days before I went to write my licensing exam, there was a dull pain in my jaw. It came and went, nothing too significant. I didn't think too much of it but figured I'll keep an eye out. The next day (5 days before the exam), the pain came back and stayed. But it was bearable. On the third day, that's when all hell broke loose. The pain became excruciating that I could not stop crying. This time, the pain went from dull to sharp, and was hitting my entire jaw line, up to my head, giving me the worst headaches. Headaches that went past 24 hours. It would not go away. I knew the origin of pain was from that molar, and I just wanted to rip it out so the pain would go away. It was pain mixed with feeling itchy in that area. I hit up the emergency room, and the nurse gave me a Tylenol regular. I take it but it does nothing at all. We wait about 3 hours before being called in, and then another hour before the doctor actually comes to see me. The MD assesses and says my gums are swollen red, and says it's infected. No sh*t Sherlock.
He says there is no dentist on call at the hospital. The only thing he can do is write a prescription for an antibiotic, and take some Advil for the pain. I said the nurse gave me a Tylenol 500mg. He tells me it's not a NSAID so it wouldn't help. Hello, I know that, your nurse gave it to me. Shouldn't you be prescribing me some Morphine? This isn't some normal tooth pain or arthritic pain. Advil and Tylenol will do no good at this time! So I waited 4 hours to be given an antibiotic prescription. Lovely.
The following morning, we called up dentist #3. We'll call him Dr. C. We told him what happened the previous night, so he pushed all his appointments for the day to accommodate me first thing in the morning, as it was an emergency case. And this was my first root canal. I had no clue what to expect, but I can tell you that it hurt like a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch. It was probably very painful at this point because whatever was going on inside the tooth, it was already infected beyond repairing/saving the pulp. The pulp is the part in the tooth where there is blood supply along with nerves to keep the tooth alive, so to speak. When a cavity becomes deep enough that it touches the pulp, the pulp becomes inflamed. The longer it remains inflamed, the harder it becomes to save the tooth and leads to an abscess. Infection occurs and when it is not treated, it travels into the blood stream, and then you'll have way bigger problems. The last thing you want is for it to hit your brain.
During the procedure, Lidocaine was given, but in my opinion, not enough because I felt everything. I kept signaling to give me more, which I believe I was given 4 needle shots in total. But while he was pulling out the pulp/roots, I could still feel it. It's hard to describe, but it's like when you hit your funny bone very hard. And you get that painful weird sensation for a while. Yeah, it's like that. Except it's in your mouth. To get to the pulp, the dentist or endodontist drills into the tooth from the top, removes the pulp, nerves, and any bacteria or debris and a thorough cleaning is done, before the area is filled. If you feel any pain, ask for more freezing. The most difficult part about root canals on the molars is that molars have more nerve endings than the rest of the teeth. The average is about 3 nerve endings/roots. So it will take quite a bit of Lidocaine to numb everything in that area. I was told for this specific tooth, there were 2 dead nerves and 1 live nerve, hence why I was feeling lots of pain.
Finally after about an hour, it was all done. After a root canal, you get a temporary filling. Eventually you'll have to go back to the dentist after a couple of weeks at least, to get the permanent filling done. And then finally, a crown to be put on top of that tooth, so it won't shatter when you eat. Now that there is no nerves or blood supply going to that tooth, there should not be any sensation left.
I had pushed the permanent filling to be done later on when I received insurance from work. At that time, I just graduated and was no longer under parents' insurance benefits, so I had to pay everything out of pocket. Root canals these days cost about $800-1,000 depending on which tooth. Molars are the most expensive because they take the longest time and contain the most roots, along with bigger pulps. Permanent filling would cost another few hundred. And a crown would cost about $1,000, depending on material. Most common these days are porcelain laced with gold inside.
About 8 months later, I had a part time job but no full time, so there was still no insurance. I still pushed to wait. And that's when problems occurred. At this time, the temporary filling fell out, and the tooth got infected once again. I was put on a course of antibiotics again. This time I was referred to an Endodontist, a specialist dentist. We'll call her Dr. D. She did an xray to see what was going on, and found that there was an extra nerve ending that was not taken out. 4 roots in total?? The initial root canal was not done properly. So here I go, another pulpectomy but it wasn't as bad as the first one. So finally, another temporary filling was done. This time I was warned to not wait so long for a permanent filling. So I said ok, screw it, let's do the permanent filling and get a crown.
I go back to dentist #3 to get the permanent filling and the crown done. Once again, all this was paid out of pocket due to having no insurance. Pricey as faaaaackkkkkkk. This one tooth took about a year and a half to properly fix. Plus a couple grand to fix in total. Could've bought a purse.
Fast forward to 2015. I had a problematic tooth once again on the opposite side, a molar. That tooth had cracked previously and was fixed twice. It had cracked again and part of the tooth fell out. I could tell it was not in good condition so I scheduled to see dentist #3. He cleaned and filled it once again. But it was still super sensitive. He didn't think I needed a root canal because he fixed it. I also had another tooth on the opposite side that was aching for about a year but I didn't really bother to get it checked out because I'm stubborn like that.
A family member had talked about another dentist (dentist #5, Dr. E) and so I was referred there for my second problematic tooth. She did an assessment and said it was a deep cavity but the tooth can be saved. So it was cleaned and filled. Problem is, this tooth became super sensitive than before and it hurt. She told me it would be sensitive for a few days. Well, over a week later it still hurt. So I knew this was not a good sign. That's the thing with dentists. Even if it looks pretty bad, they would still try to fix and save the tooth, and still take a chunk out of your insurance money. Thank God for full time status and benefits.
I remember the Endodontist had told me of a tap test to check for sensitivity and pain. Just knock on your affected tooth/teeth with your nail or with a metal utensil. If there is pain and it lingers, it means the pulp is inflamed. Another test is the cold touch test. Take a Q-tip and put cold water on the tip. Put the tip on your tooth and remove when you feel pain. If the pain lingers, the pulp is inflamed. Not a good sign at all. The pulp cannot be saved. So I knocked on both of my teeth. Lo and behold, they both lingered.
I asked for a referral back to the same Endo that had done my root canal a few years back. The plan was to do one root canal that day on the molar. However, I had told her on the spot about the other tooth that had lingering pain. And she made the decision to do two root canals in one sitting. TWO?! Well, there's always a first for things. But having 2 root canals done in one sitting is not something that anyone would dream of doing.
Once again, the big molar had 3 roots to remove, so lots of Lidocaine was needed. I counted about 5 shots to that area, plus 1 shot to the second tooth (which only had 1 root, so 1 shot of Lidocaine was enough). So in total, 6 doses of Lidocaine. The procedure took about 2 hours. Can you imagine sitting in a dentist's chair for 2 hours straight with your mouth open non stop? Yeah, it's not fun.
2 hours later, the procedure is done, and I look like a swollen chipmunk. It takes about 2 weeks to fully recover and for the sensitivity to go away before permanent fillings are needed, and then crowns being fitted. The cost of having 2 root canals? $2,000. The next bill is for the permanent fillings and two crowns, which is going to cost....I don't even want to know. Paying out of pocket it would be about 3 grand. Thankfully with insurance, at least there would be coverage.
Some lessons to be learned:
1) Any tooth pain is not normal. Get it checked out.
2) Don't skip going to the dentist. No one likes to go, but a check up every 6 months, even for teeth cleaning, is worth it.
3) If you don't like pain, avoid root canals.
4) If you've been told your cavity was deep but it wasn't touching the pulp, pay attention for the next few weeks. If it becomes more sensitive than before, do the tap test. If the pain lingers, it means the pulp is inflamed, and is not a good sign. The longer it lingers, the worst it gets.
5) Regular dentists can do root canals. I would recommend Endodontists because they specialize in those and, in my opinion, do a better job. So get a referral there if you need to do a root canal.
6) Crowns are recommended for molars, as they do the most work in chewing food. You can skip out on it if it's canines (front) or bicuspids (front-side); usually a permanent filling is sufficient. With molars, it's highly recommended that you get a crown to be fitted on top of the affected tooth to protect it for many years to come.
7) Avoid drinks high in sugar. Even if you dilute your drink with water, you will still have 35 grams of sugar in that particular drink. All that sugary stuff is left behind in the small crevasses between your teeth, and over time it will become a cavity.
8) You'll have a higher chance of getting a root canal done if you suffer from the following:
a) No enamel left, leaving your tooth highly sensitive
b) Your tooth had previously cracked
c) Constant work done on the tooth (cavities, cracks)
d) Deep cavities
e) Tooth decay
f) Trauma to the tooth
9) Before brushing teeth, try rinsing out your mouth with salt and warm water. You could actually use coconut oil as well on its own. Take a mouthful of coconut oil and let it simmer between your teeth and gums. In 5-10 minutes, spit out and brush.
10) Brush your teeth and floss regularly. There is no set amount of times you should brush (although most people brush in the morning and at night), but I would recommend brushing after each meal or any time you eat something. Technique is also important as well with brushing. Up and down motion is preferred to get rid of any plaque between the teeth. Scrubbing side to side will not clean much.
11) Marry a dentist. They'll fix your teeth for free.
So there you have it. Take care of your teeth.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Dress Code and Alexi Halket
If you haven't been reading or listening to the news lately, 18 years old Alexi Halket is a high school student in Etobicoke who got into trouble this week with the principal because of what she was wearing to class that day. According to the principal, Alexi violated the school's dress code by wearing a halter-style top that showed her midriff, along with a skirt that an inch or so above her knees. This was a girl that had never gotten into trouble at school for anything, and had never seen the principal's office, until this day.
She decided to take it to Facebook and post about her issue, saying that the teachers were being too judgmental on showing some skin. She has gotten a lot of support from her peers, and there was a rally fighting for the right to wear whatever girls wanted. If boys at school are allowed to go shirtless during gym class, or swimming, then girls can wear tops that show some skin.
TDSB has said her attire was inappropriate for school.
I'll play the devil's advocate. Girl, put some clothes on. Some proper clothes that cover your midriff.
I grew up in the TDSB and in the 18 years (or 14 years if you don't include the first 4 years of life) of attending public school and high school, I can tell you that covering up is important. If a girl had went to school with a tank top that barely fit over her breasts, she would get the strangest stares from peers and teachers. The initial thought is, is she going in for a porno audition? This isn't a fashion show my dear.
You go to school to learn various subjects to prepare you for university, which will lead to your career. You go to school to learn and prepare for the real world. True, people may not care about what you wear to class, but please have some decency to cover yourself up. If you show up with your midriff showing, then might as well go to class naked. What's the point of teasing your peers (or whoever you're trying to show off to) when you can just bare it all and go naked. Oh right, dress code.
These days, it seems like it's all about entitlement. Which is pretty sad. Because I am a woman, I am entitled to do this and that. Because it's my body, I can wear whatever I want. If a guy creeps on me, then he's a creep, I better call the cops. Seriously? What the heck.
If you want to wear a bra looking top because you want to, then you can do it off school grounds. But schools have dress codes and rules for a reason. To sustain some order so chaos does not ensue. It's purely a learning environment that involves everyone from all types of backgrounds. And everyone should be learning in an environment that is not distracting or disturbing to others. I agree with both the principal and the TDSB that her sense of fashion and choice of wardrobe was inappropriate for school grounds.
If you are to raise a generation to prepare them for their future careers and education, it all starts with something as basic as wardrobe. Would you want to lead a generation that "Yes, wearing a bra top with booty shorts" is appropriate to go to your first job interview? Or better yet, go to work in that attire? Maybe in a strip club sure. If you're working in the hospital, government, schools, business buildings etc., then no. Dress according to what the company says. And that's the thing. Companies all have dress codes. If you don't abide by it, you could be penalized or worst, fired. Do we really want to raise a generation to bend the rules and risk their careers? Because they manage to bend the rules at school, then might as well bend the rules when they have a career?
You might think why the hell is this my business? You're right, it isn't. But when we all have kids someday or deal with kids, it will become your business, and mine as well. Might as well start now. We all have an obligation to pass on to the next generation the rights and wrongs. Following the codes and learning about consequences when they aren't followed.
I want to also ask, where were the parents? Do they not see what she wears before she leaves the house? If my mother saw me wear that to school, she would yell until I got changed. And probably skin me alive. Parents also have a huge role. If you don't teach kids what is appropriate or inappropriate to wear to school, they won't know. They will think anything is fine. Or they can play the rebellious game and test parents' patience but as parents, they have also got to stand up and point out that it's inappropriate for school purposes. If I saw my daughter wearing that to school, she would get beaten with a bamboo stick. Then I'd tell her to wear something more appropriate. Really, who is she trying to impress? Why do you need to impress people by wearing half a cloth when you should be concentrating on learning and studying?
I believe part of the problem is also how social media is so involved in our lives these days. You might have seen stories on different levels where one guy complained something happened at work and decided to share it on social media for help. And then get many responses supporting him or vice versa. A girl decides to share her story of being abused online by perpetrators, and drove her to becoming suicidal. Many people poured their support to her and vowed to find out who were the culprits behind the abuse. Now, a girl who gets scolded for not wearing enough clothes at school gets in trouble, she becomes unhappy and then decides to post it all over social media to get attention and pity. Boo frikkin hoo. Sorry girl, but you don't have my vote on this.
My verdict? Follow the dress code. Follow the rules. Focus on finishing school and finding your career. When you are not doing any of those, you can wear whatever you want or not wear anything at all. Whatever suits your boat. There will always be a time and place that you can wear whatever you want, or lack of (eg. going out with your friends, clubbing, partying). But while you're still in school, follow the rules. It will also reflect a lot on your personality. So if you want to succeed in life, you better have some self-discipline.
In the words of Coco Chanel herself: "Be classy. Anything but trashy."
She decided to take it to Facebook and post about her issue, saying that the teachers were being too judgmental on showing some skin. She has gotten a lot of support from her peers, and there was a rally fighting for the right to wear whatever girls wanted. If boys at school are allowed to go shirtless during gym class, or swimming, then girls can wear tops that show some skin.
TDSB has said her attire was inappropriate for school.
I'll play the devil's advocate. Girl, put some clothes on. Some proper clothes that cover your midriff.
I grew up in the TDSB and in the 18 years (or 14 years if you don't include the first 4 years of life) of attending public school and high school, I can tell you that covering up is important. If a girl had went to school with a tank top that barely fit over her breasts, she would get the strangest stares from peers and teachers. The initial thought is, is she going in for a porno audition? This isn't a fashion show my dear.
You go to school to learn various subjects to prepare you for university, which will lead to your career. You go to school to learn and prepare for the real world. True, people may not care about what you wear to class, but please have some decency to cover yourself up. If you show up with your midriff showing, then might as well go to class naked. What's the point of teasing your peers (or whoever you're trying to show off to) when you can just bare it all and go naked. Oh right, dress code.
These days, it seems like it's all about entitlement. Which is pretty sad. Because I am a woman, I am entitled to do this and that. Because it's my body, I can wear whatever I want. If a guy creeps on me, then he's a creep, I better call the cops. Seriously? What the heck.
If you want to wear a bra looking top because you want to, then you can do it off school grounds. But schools have dress codes and rules for a reason. To sustain some order so chaos does not ensue. It's purely a learning environment that involves everyone from all types of backgrounds. And everyone should be learning in an environment that is not distracting or disturbing to others. I agree with both the principal and the TDSB that her sense of fashion and choice of wardrobe was inappropriate for school grounds.
If you are to raise a generation to prepare them for their future careers and education, it all starts with something as basic as wardrobe. Would you want to lead a generation that "Yes, wearing a bra top with booty shorts" is appropriate to go to your first job interview? Or better yet, go to work in that attire? Maybe in a strip club sure. If you're working in the hospital, government, schools, business buildings etc., then no. Dress according to what the company says. And that's the thing. Companies all have dress codes. If you don't abide by it, you could be penalized or worst, fired. Do we really want to raise a generation to bend the rules and risk their careers? Because they manage to bend the rules at school, then might as well bend the rules when they have a career?
You might think why the hell is this my business? You're right, it isn't. But when we all have kids someday or deal with kids, it will become your business, and mine as well. Might as well start now. We all have an obligation to pass on to the next generation the rights and wrongs. Following the codes and learning about consequences when they aren't followed.
I want to also ask, where were the parents? Do they not see what she wears before she leaves the house? If my mother saw me wear that to school, she would yell until I got changed. And probably skin me alive. Parents also have a huge role. If you don't teach kids what is appropriate or inappropriate to wear to school, they won't know. They will think anything is fine. Or they can play the rebellious game and test parents' patience but as parents, they have also got to stand up and point out that it's inappropriate for school purposes. If I saw my daughter wearing that to school, she would get beaten with a bamboo stick. Then I'd tell her to wear something more appropriate. Really, who is she trying to impress? Why do you need to impress people by wearing half a cloth when you should be concentrating on learning and studying?
I believe part of the problem is also how social media is so involved in our lives these days. You might have seen stories on different levels where one guy complained something happened at work and decided to share it on social media for help. And then get many responses supporting him or vice versa. A girl decides to share her story of being abused online by perpetrators, and drove her to becoming suicidal. Many people poured their support to her and vowed to find out who were the culprits behind the abuse. Now, a girl who gets scolded for not wearing enough clothes at school gets in trouble, she becomes unhappy and then decides to post it all over social media to get attention and pity. Boo frikkin hoo. Sorry girl, but you don't have my vote on this.
My verdict? Follow the dress code. Follow the rules. Focus on finishing school and finding your career. When you are not doing any of those, you can wear whatever you want or not wear anything at all. Whatever suits your boat. There will always be a time and place that you can wear whatever you want, or lack of (eg. going out with your friends, clubbing, partying). But while you're still in school, follow the rules. It will also reflect a lot on your personality. So if you want to succeed in life, you better have some self-discipline.
In the words of Coco Chanel herself: "Be classy. Anything but trashy."
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
It's the Random Crap Thread!
Not sure who even reads these but anyways, as the title states, this will be an entry about random things.
First off, Suicide Squad is an upcoming supervillian movie set to be released into theatres in August 2016. They began filming in mid-April in downtown Toronto and have closed off Yonge St. between College and Front Streets in the past couple days to film some car chase scenes. I had the opportunity to check it out and see what the commotion was about. Seeing the stars of the film (Jared Leto, Will Smith etc) were difficult as it was mostly just the stunt team doing the shoot. Last night they filmed the Batmobile chasing the Joker's sweet pink ride, teamed with the brilliant license plate "HAHAHA". Tonight however, there were no exciting chase scenes. At least not at 11:30pm. The crew were nice enough to let people on Yonge St. take pictures of Batmobile while it drove up and down the street. Because of the amount of people crowded on the sidewalks, they had to halt filming just for this one nice gesture, before telling everyone to leave so they can continue filming. Didn't get a chance to see Joker's ride in person, but from pictures it looks pretty sweet. Filming is set to wrap up sometime in August this year.
Second, it's been a crazy week with planning the poster for the national conference that I'll be presenting at. Not only that, but preparing for next week's staff training on the new machine. Lots of things to juggle but it will be a surreal experience in the end. Thankfully the first batch of staff who I've trained have retained their information well on how to operate the new machines at work. I guess it means I'm doing something right.
Thirdly, it's past 3am and I have a feeling the Joker is running away from Batman just a few kilometers away. Very tempting....
What was the most exciting thing that happened this past weekend? It wasn't the BTR Tuning event. It was.....the start of the Gumball 3000 Rally! Starting from Stockholm and ending in Las Vegas by the end of the weekend. Shmee150 has been constantly uploading various clips of his travels, so feel free to check out his YouTube channel if you haven't already. The theme is...well Las Vegas and poker. Hence why all those supercars are stickered with Aces and Spades, and roulettes. I remember when Gumball 3000 first arrived in Toronto in 2010, and it was pretty exciting. It just sucks that there isn't enough interest versus in Europe, hence why after 2012, Toronto was not on the map. But never know, with enough interest they could come back. *Fingers crossed*
By the way, did I mention already that I don't give a crap about people's thoughts? Yeah, I must've said it way too many times that I forgot. Well, here I say it again. I don't give a crap.
4 weddings this year, and one down already. Might I say, that was one kickass wedding. Very well organized, everything went well, minus that one hiccup when the music stopped playing for about 3 seconds. Otherwise I'm very happy for the friends who have taken the next step in life with marriage. It's not an easy thing, and it takes a lot of work and commitment from both sides to make it work. So I wish the 4 couples the very best! You guys are amazing friends and I am honoured to be witnessing the greatest day of your life!
So apparently they made it illegal for teachers to strike in York, Durham and Peel Region. It's about damn time. I feel sorry for the kids who have to deal with having their education halted because of this constant protest on salary and benefits. When I was a kid in school, I don't recall strikes happening. Maybe a couple of times, but maybe I was too busy playing in the playground to notice anything. Our teachers at that time were very good at what they did. We went on many field trips, had a lot of interactions with kids from different classrooms, a lot of school assemblies, hot dog day...I could go on. The days of being in public school were really fun, subjects were bang on, sex education was minimal (they had split both girls and boys up into separate classrooms), but enough to talk about the basic changes in a boy and girl. It wasn't really until high school that they got more into detail about all that. But nowadays, all you hear is teachers strike, teachers strike, teachers strike. No offense to teachers, they actually have one of the hardest jobs dealing with 20 something odd students ranging from kindergarten to 18 and not everyone can deal with a classroom full of kids, but to constantly walk off on the job and strike is just damaging the kids' path to success. As a kid growing up, I wanted to be a teacher because I could just walk off the job when I felt like it and still get paid for it. I thought it was awesome, and have all the summer months off along with the holidays. Sadly that route didn't work for me. But that's the thing I learned as a kid about teacher strikes. When you see it often, you think that it's right. And if you don't want kids to think that while they grow up, then maybe they shouldn't strike so much?
It is illegal for front line health care staff to go on strike (go figure because if we did, our patients would be dead). Everyone complains of being underpaid, and the fact that we have to deal with life and death in a blink of an eye, and be the main support to a grieving family, plus do all the heavy lifting of patients and clean them, no money can buy the emotional and mental status of what we go through to witness all that in a day. Some people have the gift to deal with it and some don't.
So, I was finally able to let go of the upright piano that I've kept for 20 years to the little ones. That upright was my pride and joy growing up. From the time that I began learning piano, to about 2002, there were many memories. The first piano exam, the first time I learned a worship song on it, and well basically...the first piano. As I advanced to the higher grades, it became harder to hit the notes properly as they were more narrow. And being a fan of presto songs, it was not good for me. Eventually I was fortunate enough to upgrade to a baby grand, and it was a lot better. Those presto songs were insane, especially Chopin No. 5. Once I graduated from ARCT, both pianos just sat there. I ended up using the baby grand more frequently but barely touched the upright. Finally, as I found no more use for it, the little ones were taking up piano lessons and needed a piano, so it was given to them with a snap of a finger. I say goodbye to the journey endured, and pass on the legacy to the future generation. Make auntie proud.
Almost 4am. You think the Joker escaped Batman?
So some may wonder what the heck happened to me uploading those die-cast car videos on YT. They are my other pride and joy. I actually have taken all the necessary pictures and features and have put them together on the laptop. They are somewhat ready to go, but I have to find some background music to put it all together. And with the stupid copyright stuff, some get blocked and some get red flagged. Like really YouTube? Anyways it's either music or you'll hear my boring voice doing a narration of the features of the cars. Maybe I'll do a variety of both and see what happens. Nonetheless they will eventually get uploaded. Just that life and work are busy.
I have also completed a review on the Prada bag as well, but I figured the lighting was not that great (filmed at night) so I may have to re-film everything again in the daytime. It would only give me more joy by boxing and unboxing that heavy bag as if it were all brand new. Saffiano leather is great, but I realized after taking that bag with me on a weekend trip, it started to hurt the shoulders. There is something about that shoulder strap....either that or I was carrying way too much crap for it. But really, it's a bag. The point of a bag is to put all of life's crap in it. And what's the point paying for that price range when you can only carry a wallet and a phone? Yeah, I should totally add that to my film.
Alright it's pretty much 4am. Time to catch some sleep and dream about Batman.
First off, Suicide Squad is an upcoming supervillian movie set to be released into theatres in August 2016. They began filming in mid-April in downtown Toronto and have closed off Yonge St. between College and Front Streets in the past couple days to film some car chase scenes. I had the opportunity to check it out and see what the commotion was about. Seeing the stars of the film (Jared Leto, Will Smith etc) were difficult as it was mostly just the stunt team doing the shoot. Last night they filmed the Batmobile chasing the Joker's sweet pink ride, teamed with the brilliant license plate "HAHAHA". Tonight however, there were no exciting chase scenes. At least not at 11:30pm. The crew were nice enough to let people on Yonge St. take pictures of Batmobile while it drove up and down the street. Because of the amount of people crowded on the sidewalks, they had to halt filming just for this one nice gesture, before telling everyone to leave so they can continue filming. Didn't get a chance to see Joker's ride in person, but from pictures it looks pretty sweet. Filming is set to wrap up sometime in August this year.
Second, it's been a crazy week with planning the poster for the national conference that I'll be presenting at. Not only that, but preparing for next week's staff training on the new machine. Lots of things to juggle but it will be a surreal experience in the end. Thankfully the first batch of staff who I've trained have retained their information well on how to operate the new machines at work. I guess it means I'm doing something right.
Thirdly, it's past 3am and I have a feeling the Joker is running away from Batman just a few kilometers away. Very tempting....
What was the most exciting thing that happened this past weekend? It wasn't the BTR Tuning event. It was.....the start of the Gumball 3000 Rally! Starting from Stockholm and ending in Las Vegas by the end of the weekend. Shmee150 has been constantly uploading various clips of his travels, so feel free to check out his YouTube channel if you haven't already. The theme is...well Las Vegas and poker. Hence why all those supercars are stickered with Aces and Spades, and roulettes. I remember when Gumball 3000 first arrived in Toronto in 2010, and it was pretty exciting. It just sucks that there isn't enough interest versus in Europe, hence why after 2012, Toronto was not on the map. But never know, with enough interest they could come back. *Fingers crossed*
By the way, did I mention already that I don't give a crap about people's thoughts? Yeah, I must've said it way too many times that I forgot. Well, here I say it again. I don't give a crap.
4 weddings this year, and one down already. Might I say, that was one kickass wedding. Very well organized, everything went well, minus that one hiccup when the music stopped playing for about 3 seconds. Otherwise I'm very happy for the friends who have taken the next step in life with marriage. It's not an easy thing, and it takes a lot of work and commitment from both sides to make it work. So I wish the 4 couples the very best! You guys are amazing friends and I am honoured to be witnessing the greatest day of your life!
So apparently they made it illegal for teachers to strike in York, Durham and Peel Region. It's about damn time. I feel sorry for the kids who have to deal with having their education halted because of this constant protest on salary and benefits. When I was a kid in school, I don't recall strikes happening. Maybe a couple of times, but maybe I was too busy playing in the playground to notice anything. Our teachers at that time were very good at what they did. We went on many field trips, had a lot of interactions with kids from different classrooms, a lot of school assemblies, hot dog day...I could go on. The days of being in public school were really fun, subjects were bang on, sex education was minimal (they had split both girls and boys up into separate classrooms), but enough to talk about the basic changes in a boy and girl. It wasn't really until high school that they got more into detail about all that. But nowadays, all you hear is teachers strike, teachers strike, teachers strike. No offense to teachers, they actually have one of the hardest jobs dealing with 20 something odd students ranging from kindergarten to 18 and not everyone can deal with a classroom full of kids, but to constantly walk off on the job and strike is just damaging the kids' path to success. As a kid growing up, I wanted to be a teacher because I could just walk off the job when I felt like it and still get paid for it. I thought it was awesome, and have all the summer months off along with the holidays. Sadly that route didn't work for me. But that's the thing I learned as a kid about teacher strikes. When you see it often, you think that it's right. And if you don't want kids to think that while they grow up, then maybe they shouldn't strike so much?
It is illegal for front line health care staff to go on strike (go figure because if we did, our patients would be dead). Everyone complains of being underpaid, and the fact that we have to deal with life and death in a blink of an eye, and be the main support to a grieving family, plus do all the heavy lifting of patients and clean them, no money can buy the emotional and mental status of what we go through to witness all that in a day. Some people have the gift to deal with it and some don't.
So, I was finally able to let go of the upright piano that I've kept for 20 years to the little ones. That upright was my pride and joy growing up. From the time that I began learning piano, to about 2002, there were many memories. The first piano exam, the first time I learned a worship song on it, and well basically...the first piano. As I advanced to the higher grades, it became harder to hit the notes properly as they were more narrow. And being a fan of presto songs, it was not good for me. Eventually I was fortunate enough to upgrade to a baby grand, and it was a lot better. Those presto songs were insane, especially Chopin No. 5. Once I graduated from ARCT, both pianos just sat there. I ended up using the baby grand more frequently but barely touched the upright. Finally, as I found no more use for it, the little ones were taking up piano lessons and needed a piano, so it was given to them with a snap of a finger. I say goodbye to the journey endured, and pass on the legacy to the future generation. Make auntie proud.
Almost 4am. You think the Joker escaped Batman?
So some may wonder what the heck happened to me uploading those die-cast car videos on YT. They are my other pride and joy. I actually have taken all the necessary pictures and features and have put them together on the laptop. They are somewhat ready to go, but I have to find some background music to put it all together. And with the stupid copyright stuff, some get blocked and some get red flagged. Like really YouTube? Anyways it's either music or you'll hear my boring voice doing a narration of the features of the cars. Maybe I'll do a variety of both and see what happens. Nonetheless they will eventually get uploaded. Just that life and work are busy.
I have also completed a review on the Prada bag as well, but I figured the lighting was not that great (filmed at night) so I may have to re-film everything again in the daytime. It would only give me more joy by boxing and unboxing that heavy bag as if it were all brand new. Saffiano leather is great, but I realized after taking that bag with me on a weekend trip, it started to hurt the shoulders. There is something about that shoulder strap....either that or I was carrying way too much crap for it. But really, it's a bag. The point of a bag is to put all of life's crap in it. And what's the point paying for that price range when you can only carry a wallet and a phone? Yeah, I should totally add that to my film.
Alright it's pretty much 4am. Time to catch some sleep and dream about Batman.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
What's it like to own a modified sports car?
A question that comes up but doesn't really come up is: What's it like to own a modified sports car?
Now, the more interesting thing is, as a girl, what is it like owning a modified sports car? This should be interesting. And I'll tell you why. There are different classification of "girl modifiers": one who modify their cars themselves, one who goes to a shop or a friend's shop and they help modify her car, or one who does all that and ENTERS car competitions. Those are the hardcore enthusiasts. Then there are the ones who modify it to some degree, and then just uses it as a daily drive. That's me.
The aftermarket parts for the 2010-2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has definitely grown over the years. When the GC first came out, there was really nothing. All the parts that came out at first were either a hit or miss. As in, the bumpers or side skirts didn't fit properly so you would have to cut it or trim it down until it fits. Tunes were not available yet, although one of the first tunes that came out was SFR (Seoul For Racing) by Jay. People didn't really know much back then but decided to try out the tune. It was alright at first, but after a while is when the tune started having problems. Then I learned the tuning map was not exactly completed. The map was, you could say..."stolen" from the crew of BTR. Some drama happened and one guy didn't like the other so he took the other guy's tuning map and made it his own. Or that's according to what some people have said. Who knows. Let's just say once again that the car community is full of over dramatic people who you should not waste your time on.
The GC community back then was pretty small and not many meets occurred but when they did, it was nice to meet everyone and remember everyone's names. Sadly over half the people that I've met at that first GC meet back in 2010 either sold their coupes or moved on. Back then, I was not quite interested in modding the coupe. There were lots of unknowns and not enough resources to do it.
Fast forward to 2013. After a terrible break up, I needed something to focus on. And that's where the modifications happened. It all started with a glossy black vinyl roof by ReStyleIt. Something simple. Then someone decided they didn't want their aftermarket tires and rims anymore so I bought it off of him. I saw that the diameter was not quite right. It made a huge gaping hole in the fender. You could literally put your entire fist (or two) in there. So I looked for some springs and got the Eibach Pros. Now it looked better. As for under the engine, a used blow off valve and an AEM intake occurred quick. Then some side skirts that a friend sold to me after his coupe was totaled in an accident. But it couldn't be completed without...a front lip! So got one ordered. Then the 2013 tail lights along with the front headlights that were modified were bought off a friend. This all happened within half a year. Although they were mostly used parts, the bill piled up.
Now for the last batch of modifications, the main focus now was on performance. I had on all the glam, but there was no go. So off I went to get a custom exhaust and intercooler with pipings (which I had already written below on my experience with that particular company). Then the tune to finish it off.
After the tune, I told myself no more mods. It's a waste, and what I've learned too is that once you start messing around with stock parts and putting non stock parts on, your car is not really the same anymore. If there is a problem, you have to fix it. And modified cars have problems alright. The Eibach springs that were on the car destroyed my shocks. So coilovers were ordered and put on. The front lip scraped a curb, damaging the lip, bumper and broke some clips underneath. So the lip has to be sent in for repairs, repainted and new bumper ordered. The side skirts eventually cracked and was hanging by a thread. So new side skirt is on the way. There is never a "I'm completely done!" moment because from now on, it's all about maintenance and fixing the stuff that wasn't done properly in the first place.
So, what is it like from a girl's perspective? It has its moments. I noticed a lot of young guys would try to race or just drive very aggressively around me when I'm just minding my own business. They think I'm some dude that looks for pink slips all night. Neighbours think I own a F-18 Hornet. Every time I start her up, they look and give this weird look. Thankfully the exhaust has quieted down. But it still gives a nice echo in the underground parking. I still get stares. Or the cop that pulled me over that one time. She was probably expecting some young punk but instead saw me and had a triple take. Got a warning and sent me away. I'm thankful for window tints. At least people won't see me picking my nose.
What is it like maintaining a modified coupe? Probably more expensive than a stock one. Not only do you have to worry about regular maintenance for oil, transmission, brakes etc but you also have to worry about your modified parts not falling apart, breaking or worst case: having those mods blow up your engine. The car is capable within its means but if you push it past its limit, of course it will struggle to balance all that out perfectly. Thankfully the coupe is not heavily modified and the only regular maintenance I've had is regular oil changes, but otherwise it's a matter of taking care of the car like it's your house or something. If you neglect it, the result will show. If you work hard to take care of it and maintain it well, it will show positively to those around you as well.
I was dropping off my girl friend from work the other night and taking my time cruising in the neighbourhood when a TSX appeared out of no where and tailgated me. Then zoomed past me at high speed. I was going 40km/hr so it wasn't like I was asking him to race. I caught up to him at the lights, and he motioned for me to roll down my window. And here is our convo:
Him: Are you mad?
Me: Mad? Naaaaaahhh.
Him: I seriously did not know you're a girl. Did not expect that at all.
Me: Yeah, I get that a lot.
Him: You have a nice car!
Me: Thanks! I like yours too. Very reliable.
Him: Nah my car is crap compared to yours. But it'll do for now.
*Light about to turn green*
Him: I guess you are turning left, I'm going straight. I'll see you around!
Me: Yes, you too and drive safe!
What's the point of this? Point is, there are douchebags everywhere in the car community. It's all about how you react to situations. If I was a mad sap and rolled up to him at the lights and started swearing and cussing him out, I'll be damned. I'm not saying what he did by tailgating me was right. People tail gate all the time. Main thing is, how you react to it. Most people think modified coupe owners are drug addicts or are bad people. But if you react the way that a drug addict would when it comes to basic situations like these, then of course people are going to think just that.
Would I modify my cars in the future? Maybe just a tune. And that's about it. Some people say as a true enthusiast, you will always modify your car. But I don't believe that. A true enthusiast is very general. You've got modifiers, tuners, and drivers. If you are a true driving enthusiast, you look for a car that is capable of providing perfect power to weight ratio and you don't even have to modify it. You appreciate the engineering behind it and you enjoy it. If you are more into modifications and tunes to make your car go faster, then you are a tuner enthusiast. But saying "true enthusiast" is bland. It doesn't mean anything.
Do I regret modifying the Genesis? Partially yeah. To turn it all back to stock now would be a lot of work. So I left it as is. And just enjoy the ride as much as I can, before the next car arrives.
Now, the more interesting thing is, as a girl, what is it like owning a modified sports car? This should be interesting. And I'll tell you why. There are different classification of "girl modifiers": one who modify their cars themselves, one who goes to a shop or a friend's shop and they help modify her car, or one who does all that and ENTERS car competitions. Those are the hardcore enthusiasts. Then there are the ones who modify it to some degree, and then just uses it as a daily drive. That's me.
The aftermarket parts for the 2010-2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has definitely grown over the years. When the GC first came out, there was really nothing. All the parts that came out at first were either a hit or miss. As in, the bumpers or side skirts didn't fit properly so you would have to cut it or trim it down until it fits. Tunes were not available yet, although one of the first tunes that came out was SFR (Seoul For Racing) by Jay. People didn't really know much back then but decided to try out the tune. It was alright at first, but after a while is when the tune started having problems. Then I learned the tuning map was not exactly completed. The map was, you could say..."stolen" from the crew of BTR. Some drama happened and one guy didn't like the other so he took the other guy's tuning map and made it his own. Or that's according to what some people have said. Who knows. Let's just say once again that the car community is full of over dramatic people who you should not waste your time on.
The GC community back then was pretty small and not many meets occurred but when they did, it was nice to meet everyone and remember everyone's names. Sadly over half the people that I've met at that first GC meet back in 2010 either sold their coupes or moved on. Back then, I was not quite interested in modding the coupe. There were lots of unknowns and not enough resources to do it.
Fast forward to 2013. After a terrible break up, I needed something to focus on. And that's where the modifications happened. It all started with a glossy black vinyl roof by ReStyleIt. Something simple. Then someone decided they didn't want their aftermarket tires and rims anymore so I bought it off of him. I saw that the diameter was not quite right. It made a huge gaping hole in the fender. You could literally put your entire fist (or two) in there. So I looked for some springs and got the Eibach Pros. Now it looked better. As for under the engine, a used blow off valve and an AEM intake occurred quick. Then some side skirts that a friend sold to me after his coupe was totaled in an accident. But it couldn't be completed without...a front lip! So got one ordered. Then the 2013 tail lights along with the front headlights that were modified were bought off a friend. This all happened within half a year. Although they were mostly used parts, the bill piled up.
Now for the last batch of modifications, the main focus now was on performance. I had on all the glam, but there was no go. So off I went to get a custom exhaust and intercooler with pipings (which I had already written below on my experience with that particular company). Then the tune to finish it off.
After the tune, I told myself no more mods. It's a waste, and what I've learned too is that once you start messing around with stock parts and putting non stock parts on, your car is not really the same anymore. If there is a problem, you have to fix it. And modified cars have problems alright. The Eibach springs that were on the car destroyed my shocks. So coilovers were ordered and put on. The front lip scraped a curb, damaging the lip, bumper and broke some clips underneath. So the lip has to be sent in for repairs, repainted and new bumper ordered. The side skirts eventually cracked and was hanging by a thread. So new side skirt is on the way. There is never a "I'm completely done!" moment because from now on, it's all about maintenance and fixing the stuff that wasn't done properly in the first place.
So, what is it like from a girl's perspective? It has its moments. I noticed a lot of young guys would try to race or just drive very aggressively around me when I'm just minding my own business. They think I'm some dude that looks for pink slips all night. Neighbours think I own a F-18 Hornet. Every time I start her up, they look and give this weird look. Thankfully the exhaust has quieted down. But it still gives a nice echo in the underground parking. I still get stares. Or the cop that pulled me over that one time. She was probably expecting some young punk but instead saw me and had a triple take. Got a warning and sent me away. I'm thankful for window tints. At least people won't see me picking my nose.
What is it like maintaining a modified coupe? Probably more expensive than a stock one. Not only do you have to worry about regular maintenance for oil, transmission, brakes etc but you also have to worry about your modified parts not falling apart, breaking or worst case: having those mods blow up your engine. The car is capable within its means but if you push it past its limit, of course it will struggle to balance all that out perfectly. Thankfully the coupe is not heavily modified and the only regular maintenance I've had is regular oil changes, but otherwise it's a matter of taking care of the car like it's your house or something. If you neglect it, the result will show. If you work hard to take care of it and maintain it well, it will show positively to those around you as well.
I was dropping off my girl friend from work the other night and taking my time cruising in the neighbourhood when a TSX appeared out of no where and tailgated me. Then zoomed past me at high speed. I was going 40km/hr so it wasn't like I was asking him to race. I caught up to him at the lights, and he motioned for me to roll down my window. And here is our convo:
Him: Are you mad?
Me: Mad? Naaaaaahhh.
Him: I seriously did not know you're a girl. Did not expect that at all.
Me: Yeah, I get that a lot.
Him: You have a nice car!
Me: Thanks! I like yours too. Very reliable.
Him: Nah my car is crap compared to yours. But it'll do for now.
*Light about to turn green*
Him: I guess you are turning left, I'm going straight. I'll see you around!
Me: Yes, you too and drive safe!
What's the point of this? Point is, there are douchebags everywhere in the car community. It's all about how you react to situations. If I was a mad sap and rolled up to him at the lights and started swearing and cussing him out, I'll be damned. I'm not saying what he did by tailgating me was right. People tail gate all the time. Main thing is, how you react to it. Most people think modified coupe owners are drug addicts or are bad people. But if you react the way that a drug addict would when it comes to basic situations like these, then of course people are going to think just that.
Would I modify my cars in the future? Maybe just a tune. And that's about it. Some people say as a true enthusiast, you will always modify your car. But I don't believe that. A true enthusiast is very general. You've got modifiers, tuners, and drivers. If you are a true driving enthusiast, you look for a car that is capable of providing perfect power to weight ratio and you don't even have to modify it. You appreciate the engineering behind it and you enjoy it. If you are more into modifications and tunes to make your car go faster, then you are a tuner enthusiast. But saying "true enthusiast" is bland. It doesn't mean anything.
Do I regret modifying the Genesis? Partially yeah. To turn it all back to stock now would be a lot of work. So I left it as is. And just enjoy the ride as much as I can, before the next car arrives.
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