Braces Update #2

Quick update on my braces progress at 6 months mark

Tadaaaa

!!!! gross picture alert !!!

Horrible but whatever

My smile is fuller now, don't you think?

I am so amazed and pleased with my teeth movement, but right now I am entering 2 months of no change on my upper teeth, I am starting to feel frustrated.

I hope there's some kind of tips on how to rush the movement, I really can't afford wearing this on my big day! TT.TT

p/s going for my tightening next week, I can't wait for more progress ;)

Braces Update #1

Guyssss, I’m sorry for the long hiatus!

I’ve been busy with work, my side job, and keeping up with life, I barely have time to share about my teeth 

Cheers to a post after almost 4 months missing ><

....

Anyway, let’s go straight to business, yeah?

I would like to present you….jeng jeng jeng….my humble teeth-fie lol

This is the clearest angle I could do, not much has change but I think my smile is completely different now. My teeth actually move quite fast, despite the fact that I have a squarish jawline. A squarish jaw, said my dentist, is stronger, makes it harder for the teeth to move.

Most times I like it, but sometimes I miss my old vampire teeth. It’s not that I regret doing this, but yeah, it’s quite impossible 'to remove' the part of you that has been with you forever. In my case, it’s my vampire teeth, or lasit as the Dusun called it. :D

About my diet, I eat normally + healthier than my pre-braces days (and supplements of course!). That, my friend, cause me to lose some weight. Good riddance though. I never needed that extra fat lol

Next time I'll let you see the before and after picture :)

So itu seja lah for today...more updates later... <--- I'll do better this time haha

My teeth-supplement. Research proved that Vitamin C & calcium helps in the formation of Osteoclast, one of the cell responsible for tooth movement. No wonder gigi saya cepat gerak kan :D

Getting my braces on!

I finally have my braces on!

After contemplating for years whether I should have it done or not, I finally said yes to braces. And it isn't because my friends are doing it, or because somebody was bad-mouthing my bad teeth. No.

It has nothing to do with anything or anyone. I just want to have a straighter and maybe normal teeth like everybody else. Damn you Cheryl Cole, why is your smile so perfect? LOL

My teeth has always been crooked + crowded with a super big protruding rabbit teeth. I was super confident with it before, but now that I am older, I am beginning to feel uncomfortable about it. And now I regret for not doing it much earlier!

Day 4 with braces

So, I went for consultation at Dr. Natasha Dental Clinic in Donggongon (After doing lots of research and 'interviews', I decided to trust my teeth to Doctor Natasha due to her glory reputation as a dentist).

Fast forward the discussion, she told me that I have to extract 4 of my teeth in order for them to move perfectly and to prevent my rabbit teeth from going further in front. Gasp!! Imagine having to remove your 4 super healthy teeth when you have never extracted any teeth since you're 8!

I've no intention to brag, but yeah, my teeth are quite on the healthy side haha. I have never had any oral and dental problem since I was a little girl.

So what are the stages of getting a wire on your teeth?

1. Consultation

This is basically the process where the dentist will check on the condition of your teeth, and suggestion on the type of braces you should get, and how it will work on your teeth.

The consultation alone cost me around RM40, if I remember it well. Okay la tu, tiada service yang free bah.

2. X-ray

An X-ray is usually taken before treatment so that a proper treatment can be done. Since their x-ray machine was not functioning at that time, they referred me to Queen Elizabeth Hospital I for the procedure.

The images will be put inside a CD, the one you'll bring to your dentist on your next visit.

Price: RM240 + RM1 (CD)

3. Pictures and Impression (mold)

My third visit was brief, with them taking the before-picture of my teeth and having an impression made.

Impression are taken so that braces can be designed to perfectly fit my teeth. It was not painful, but it was uncomfortable. Mold was loaded into my mouth, and pressed against my teeth and gums to create 'negative'.

The 'negative' is what they'll used to design my braces.

4. Discussion

Based on the x-ray images, the dentist will explain to you thoroughly how the process would be. Different people has different procedure according to the condition of their teeth.

I had my teeth scaled on our fourth appointment.

5. Yay, braces on!

Finally, after weeks of hustle and bustle! I requested to have 2 of my teeth extracted on the same day to save time since my holidays were coming to an end. I won't have time for 'extraction appointment'.

Was it painful?

Well, yes, but bearable. The process itself wasn't painful but the after-effect was. My body temperature soared, and I almost faint. I didn't feel any pain on the gums area, but I guess it's my body who couldn't tolerate it. I have no idea why.

So, I nourished myself with Vitamin C and Calcium to promote self and gums healing, and everything went back normal the next day.

p/s be prepared with ulcers! It's gonna hurt a lot.


What did I eat on the first few days?

Porridge, smoothies,  and blended vegetables. On the fifth day, I started eating normally, though slowly hehe. No hard food, by the way! It can damaged the braces and makes the process longer. Anyway, everyhing seemed to heal very fast, thanks to vitamins ;)


Do you think it's gonna affect your self-confidence?

Honestly, no. I feel normal and there's no point on feeling bad about it. Sure, it isn't the cutest thing in the world, and believe me, I want it to finish as soon as possible, but, life goes on baby. Don't let it affect you.

So, that's a little bit about my braces, I'll keep everyone updated on the process. If you have any questions, just ask, I know everyone is as curious as I am, provided there's not much info about braces in Sabah so far.

Till next post, xoxo!

The Book Depository Review

If you ask me the one thing I never regret spending my money on, it would be books.

So, when my sister told me about Book Depository site and the free postage it offers, I didn't think twice. FREE DELIVERY WORLDWIDE including my country Malaysia! I was intrigued!

I find it very difficult most times to find website that offers shipping to Malaysia, let alone free delivery, so don't judge me for being OVERLY EXCITED about this! :D

Anyway, I spent 2 days browsing the website before I finally had the courage to place my order. Everything sounds too good to be true, and I don't fancy spending my hard earned money on cheating website! 

So, here's the advantages of TBD based on my 2 days of 'browsing session':

1. Free delivery worldwide

2. No minimum purchase - delivery is always FREE regardless of the number of books you buy!

3. Books are not overly priced

4. The collections are HUGE! I could die of excitement lol

I decided to buy When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr as a trial, but after about 2 weeks, I still didn't hear a word from the post office guy that I decided to send them an email.

I asked them the whereabouts of my book only to be informed that they are not able to track it anywhere. So, they sent out a new one for me, no fuss at all!

However, I am still waiting for it to arrive, I'll keep you guys updated later :D

Mount Trusmadi Expedition via Sinua Trail

2 weeks ago, I embarked on a journey to the top of Mount Trusmadi, the second highest mountain in Malaysia with a few friends from my Mount Kinabalu expedition.

Despite being the second higher, it offers a tougher challenge to its climbers compared to Mount Kinabalu.

Here, I present you our 3 days 2 nights trekking via wayaan Mannan a.k.a Sinua Trail.

Day 1  (Monday, December 11th, 2016)

At around 1.30 pm, my friends and I left Ranau for Keningau and then we proceed to Kampung Sinua, Sook to Tainiskon base camp. I was so excited because I have never set foot in Sook before, overjoyed like a child who's been given a lollipop!

Turned out, Sinua is located so far away from Keningau. About 100 kilometers from Keningau Town, it took us 2 and a half hours to reach there, excluding our special excursion to the border of Keningau and Tenom :p Anyway, thank you Arif kasi tumpang kereta :D

Then, from Kampung Sinua, we drove another 2 kilometers to Tainiskon Base Camp, the camp we were to stay for the night. The road to the base camp was quite challenging, but still accessible by non four-wheel-drives.

The shelter at Tainiskon Base Camp. We slept together openly under the same shelter, but no worries, everybody got their own bed. :D

The toilets + showers at the Base Camp. The view is breathtaking! We were advise to take our shower properly here because water won't be enough for shower at Camp 2.

The 'kitchen'

Bedtime selfie is a must during time like this!  There are spaces for our baggage at the head of our bed.

After dinner,  I immediately hit the sack as I wanted to recharge myself for tomorrow's climb. I was quite worried about my physical ability because I didn't do any training to prepare myself for this. The bed, anyway, with a structure of a stretcher, was amazingly comfortable. 

Day 2 (Tuesday, December 12th, 2016)

The next day, we woke up as early as 5 am to take a shower and to get our breakfast and lunch ready. We took the cheapest package available, so, we couldn't depend on the organizer for food.

The 'cooks' :D

After filling our tummies with cold maggi haha and bread, we immediately left the base camp for Camp 2. We trekked through 8 kilometers of secondary forest to Camp 2; the journey was challenging! 

As I know my own limit, I had some of my things brought by the porter and some on my own. They charged us RM60 one way for every 10 kilogram, it was worth it. But, being physically unfit for mountain climbing, I had my friends bring my backpack for me in the end hahaha. Thanks Bianus, Faldey, Ed and Elsa. You guys are the best ;)

The journey commenced! 

Crossing the fast river

anddddd leeches are everywhereeeee, especially when it's raining

Speaking of leeches, yes, Mount Trusmadi is very infamous with leeches. My family had warned me earlier about the leeches, so, I was quite prepared about it. Haha. I used the dry tobacco leaves as my 'leech-repellent', though smelly, it works wonder.

It was annoying though. Having to watch your every step, making sure you're not feeding any with your blood. They said, it can be under the dead leaves, behind the rocks or on the hanging tree branches (maybe?). One managed to get inside my shoes, luckily, I had already prepared myself mentally to handle it. Still, I cried. HAHAHA Thanks Salman for picking it off for me. I still remember him said "Lap tu air mata kau" HAHA

The trek from Base Camp to Camp 2

I was out of breath but yeah, must smile for the camera

After 8 hours, we finally reach the shelter at Camp 2. 

Kupi-kupi sesh with the group members

The shelter at Camp 2.

Dinner is served!

At 8.00 pm, we all settled down for the night. The temperature was freezingly cold (not Laban Rata cold, but still cold!) I couldn't sleep properly!

Day 3 (Wednesday, December 13th, 2016)

On the third day, we woke up at 2400 hrs (yes, only 4 hours of sleep), had a cup of hot milo and bread, then we started trekking through 4.2 km of mossy forest to the summit. I only managed to reach the 1st summit, because I wanted to and because I didn't want to go through the steep and muddy trail from Peak 1 to Peak 2.

So, I had all the time before sunrise at peak 1. While others were on their route to the final peak, I had my very own 'kupi-kupi' session with our guide; Bianus, waiting for the sun to emerge.

Ready to conquer the 1st summit!

0300 hours, after 2 hours of tree-climbing haha

while waiting for sunrise....

It was breathtakingly beautiful!!! My camera didn't do the view justice.

I actually quite regret my decision to settle at the 1st summit. Haha. But the beautiful sunrise took my regret away :p

After about an hour, we started our descend to Camp 2 to have our lunch and collect our bags. Then at 12.00 pm, we continued our descend back to base camp and directly back to Ranau in the evening.