Sweet tooth...

When I was young oral care is the last thing on my mind. I mean my mom had to think of so many ways to ensure that I have good well aligned teeth.

I vividly remember 3 particular incidents.

The first 2 had to do with my baby teeth as they were slowly being replaced by permanent teeth but I was really nervous about it.

In fact even though this baby teeth could be swaying and I can rock and twist them a bit, I will not pull it out nor let anyone near it.

So my ever wise mom will offer me sugar cane to eat. Having a sweet tooth, I am a sucker for anything sweet. So before long, out comes the tooth, nailed in between the sugar cane.

Then there was this particular front baby tooth of my which refused to budge even though my mom could see the tip of a new tooth coming out.

Sugar cane did not work this time, so she schemed with my uncle and a few other cohorts (which included my aunt and a few others) and when I was walking by the corridor of my grandparents house minding my own business, 2 pairs of strong arms will suddenly grabbed me and in a second I would be on the floor pinned down by these hooligans and my mom with a handkerchief will grabbed and pull out this baby tooth.

It was a swift and successful operation for their record as I was too shock to register any reaction.

My last memorable incident was my trip to the dentist in Ampang Park. The dentist was japanese. I could remember him clearly because my parents made sure I know that I was getting the best dentist and not just any average dentist cos he's japanese.

But before reaching there, we will make a detour to a pastry shop on the ground floor, my personal favorite.

It was a japanese sweet snack in shape of fish. Now with the help of google I managed to find it's name of these long years of not knowing. It's (ta-da-da-da...)

Taiyaki (たい焼き)
A snack in the shape of a sea bream. (A sea bream is a freshwater fish in Japan.) A mold is made in the likeness of a sea bream, and batter is baked in the mold. Then the sweet bean paste is used as filling.

I wonder why no one sells this snack anymore... Perhaps the price of red bean had gone up drastically.

Anyway my mom will use this as bait to get me onto the dentist's chair but I wont sit there without a fight. And by fight I really mean fight. I'll be screaming, kicking and swinging my arms so much that the poor japanese dentist had to call in reinforcements.

So picture me being pinned down by 6 people including my mom and dad and the dentist extracting the tooth hastily and with much force and determination.

After putting on such a fight, my dad will then have to carry me in his arm and I will be slumped over his shoulder, looking ever so betrayed and forlorn with a gauze in my mouth to stop the bleeding and carrying my precious taiyaki.

The cause of my downfall... blame it on my sweet tooth.

But it's funny how I cant remember any of my other doctors but I can remember all the dentists I went to. Maybe it's cos going to the dentist has and always will be traumatic. Even right now, I am dragging my feet to have my belated annual dental checkup. Sigh... where is the taiyaki shop when you need one...

Turkuaz Fashion Spread - DARA.COM

4 pages Turkuaz fashion spread in Dara.com October 2010 edition @ RM5.00 each magazine.

Dara.com is on the search for their 2011/2012 Covergirl!! So if you think you have it, why not give it a try.


In pages 140-141 is an interview with Dafi.

So hurry and get a copy of Dara.com at your nearest newstand.

New Pantsuit Design - Nur'Ain

Nur'Ain is a very sweet and innocent pantsuit design with lots of laces, piping and pleats.

It comes in 2 different kind of fabric and is fully lined with plain chiffon lining.

Sizes are from S - XXL (code 330-1042) and comes with matching pants.

Prices are:-
- for white with yellow flower RM339.90 but member or online purchase can enjoy special price of RM290/set with pants.
- for cream and brown RM379.90 but member or online purchase: RM330/set with pants.


In total there are:-
38pcs for the white and yellow (japanese cotton)
36pcs for the brown (japanese chiffon material)


Meaning both colours will be available at all outlets and online sale.

Turkuaz Fashion Spread - MINGGUAN WANITA

3 pages Turkuaz fashion spread in Mingguan Wanita.

Bad experience dealing with TM and its agents

Previously we had been using just 512kbps in our office. I know it's rather slow for an office but it was a very very old package and we never thought of upgrading until recently after receiving a fax flyer from one TM agent.

Opting for the easy way out we choose to upgrade our streamyx through an agent who can come to our office with the relevant forms.

On hindsight, it was a very big mistake for us as well as the beginning of many phone calls to TM at "100", complain letters and visits to TM Point centre itself.

To make the long story short, basically what happened was we were given the Office in a Box PLUS package instead of the just the Office in a Box Basic 4mbps package. To make matter worst, we only found out about the problem 2 months later as TM did not bill us on the 1st month (September) but waited for the next month and then bill us for 2 months (Sept and October).

So now after visitting TM Point they have retified our package to the basic plan but we now have to wait to see if TM credit department will revise the amount since the 1st 2 months we were billed  under the Plus package (more $$ package).

But before we can breathe a sigh of relief, to our horror we found out that our old streamyx account was still active. Again to cut the story short, there were again numerous calls, letters and visits to TM point to terminate this account. As for the rebate (since we paid for the month of September since we did not receive any streamyx bill under the new package), we will just have to wait and see if it materialise at all as during our staff visit to TM Point centre, the answer were basically we have to pay for it even though we did not use it.

So this boils down to us trusting the agent to do their job as we had specifically inform them that we intend to terminate the old package to enjoy the new speed. This agent is no longer reachable and sad to say we only have their telephone contact number.

To further add salt to the wound, we have not been enjoying the 4mbps speed from day one as apparently TM did not do the proper setting for us until we lodge a complain 2 months later. FYI you can click on this link to check if your are enjoying the internet speed which you are paying for.

http://speedtest.streamyx.com.my/index1.php?110213597
or you can try http://www.speedtest.net/

Basically the staff told us that under any package, we can expect a 20% reduction in the download speed which is the norm. So for us we should be enjoying 3200kpbs. You can see from the picture below our download speed is a mere 573kpbs on 11/11/2010.

So in the future if you need anything done, just do it yourself! Don't trust any agents and we need better service from Telekom!! Anyone tried other service providers in Malaysia? Pls give your recommendations and comments.

New Jubah Gown - Dynas

Dynas is a very sophisticated gown / jubah gaun design with special pleating and piping at the neckline.

It comes in 4 different kind of fabrics (imported from Japan).

Sizes are from S - XL (code 330-1047). Price is RM329.90 but member or online purchase can enjoy special price of RM280/pc.

In total there are:-
13pcs for the green (satin)
26pcs for the red (material soft poly cotton mix)
27pcs for the black (material soft poly cotton mix)
15pcs for the brown / orange (satin)

So not every design would be available at all outlets.

Guys without tooth... Eeww...

There are many occasions of travelling to Indonesia that I meet guys who were impeccably dressed, having good physique but the moment they open their mouth to smile I cant help but grimace at their missing or cracked and decayed front tooth or in some cases teeth. Some decays are so extensive that all that's left are the mere root of the tooth.

So on hindsight I really appreciate my mom's concern and efforts in bringing me to dentists when I was young. Our malaysian government was also to be thanked to making oral checkup mandatory during my primary school time but how I HATED these check ups.

I would try to make a lot of excuses but somehow the school dentist always get to us. Blame it on the close proximity of the clinic to the school canteen. To us that place was more like a torture chamber than a clinic.

Later I heard rumours of these dentists having been paid by the government based on the number of fillings or extractions that they performed will indiscriminately performed such procedure on us poor students especially on those with below average oral care ones... I mean chocolates and sweets are staple food in a child's mind.

Come to think of it, I do find some truth in it cos I had these innocent growth kind of like moles, if tooth can have moles like skin, then that was what I had at the back of my tooth which is not visible at all when I smile. So till today I dont know if the growth is black colour like mole or just that my tooth at the back is not even.

Anyhow this dentist saw it, drilled it and filled it. And this mole growth thingey is not just on 1 tooth but on 2 of my teeth. Did I mentioned that the drill did not have water squirting at it as it drilled? It's basically just a drill, without any extras like water, suction thingey, piped in music, air-con, pain killer so you can just imagine the pain and agony for her to hurry up and finish the job.

Thank God she did a good job in the filling as after 20 over years, this filling have not been giving me any trouble. Goes to prove that old stuffs are still the best just like electrical appliances.

This is just one of the many close encounters I have had with dentists. Will blog more about them next time. Children nowadays have it so nice and easy so there's no excuses not to have sparkling and complete set of teeth, from top to bottom, front to back.

New Gaun Design - Sinar Suria

Sinar Suria is a very sophisticated gown / jubah gaun design with special custom dyed lace.

It comes in 5 different kind of fabrics (imported from Japan) and is fully lined with plain chiffon lining.

Sizes are from S - XL (code 330-1036). Price is RM329.90 but member or online purchase can enjoy special price of RM280/pc.

In total there are:-
19pcs for the black and white (chiffon)
23pcs for the brown flower (material soft poly cotton mix)
6pcs for the leopard print (chiffon)
7pcs for the black and white (full printing) (chiffon)
14pcs for the purple and black (chiffon)

So not every design would be available at all outlets.

The shocking truth about electricity

Recently had power cut in my house. It did not really bothered me until the battery ran out on the notebook. Drat!! So I was reduced to caveman lifestyle that night.

So what do you do in times like this? No tv, no astro, no computer, no air-con or fan... Battery dead on mobile phone. Double drat!!

But when the electricity's gone, you realised there's a stillness in the room... everything seems very quiet. Too quiet. Gone are the whizzing sound from the air con, the soft buzzing from the notebook fan and even the water dripping sound was gone as all the air cons are not working.

So what do you do in times like this? Well this was what I did. I sat down with my mom and sis and we began to talk. Just about everything.

I guess with all the technology that electricity brings, it also took away our interaction with fellow human beings. Even as I blog, who am I communicating with?

There is a wonderment in technology but will it ultimately cause the downfall in civilisation too? So I hope I will not see the day where people know more about their "friends" on facebook than people in their office or even in their very home.