The Day My Smile Changed... (Reposted)

     The day intended for my dental check-up in the preparation of me having dental braces turned into a day that would be marked red on my personal calendar. Yesterday, October 23, 2011, I had my dental braces attached, and so, changes my smile for the rest of my existence. Read on to know of the whole account. ;D

     It was past 1pm when I arrived at the De Castro-Suba Dental Clinic in Palangoy, Binangonan, Rizal--a place foreign to me. Assessment eat up only half an hour to educate me about my teeth, their problems, and the solutions Dra. Imelda is going to apply to correct them. Why go all the way to Binagonan, Rizal if I reside in Antipolo, you ask? Well, simply because of their 15k promo for upper and lower braces plus cleaning, pasta, and tooth extraction if there's a need to. Stubborn as I really am, I didn't agree of her extracting one of my fine tooth to give space for the (sungki) I wish to be corrected. My eager stubbornness won and she just settled on trimming some of my tooth (decreasing its size to give space for the one tooth that is as stubborn as me). That settled, (cause I am bent on not having an extraction no matter what happens) we went on the creating of the mold of my upper and lower set of teeth.

     The awesome part of having your mold is that you get to have a clone of your teeth and see the state your teeth really is in. Well, the not-so side is, I almost choked when she inserted the mouthful (it's a mouthful, okay? it's difficult for people with small mouths as me) of paste in my mouth, press it up to get the shape, then pull it down to take it out. That's done, I wish I've taken the mold with me as a souvenir and remembrance of my teeth.

Here's the upper one I got to take a picture of.

     Cleaning and Pasta took an hour. The other Dentist-in-charge then let me rest for a while since the attachment of the brackets would take 3 to 4 hours according to her--I better rest my jaw to prepare for that.

     Then the time has come. But before that, here's a picture of me with a widener to keep my mouth open during the whole procedure. I played with it a bit. ;D

Here's my final smile without the metal.

And here's my current smile. ;D

     Would I trigger the metal detector if I pass one? I can tell you this for certain, I pity myself now that I can't eat solid food, huhu. I can't chew so I can only eat soup and soupy meal. Thanks to my grand mother, Nanay, for seeing that our dinner last night is with broth even though the pork was really intended for adobo.

     First, the tattoo; then, my shortest hair cut; and now, this. What's gonna come next? Cold Wave!

I posted this blog last October 24, 2011 wishing only to share the news about me having my dental braces attached. Apparently, this same blog is viewed by some potential patient of the De Castro-Suba Dental Clinic as imposing negative comments about the said clinic. I wanna set things straight by saying that I don't intend for the readers of this blog to resent the good doctors of De Castro-Suba. They are good doctors and good people on that note. I apologize if I phrased myself the wrong way--used the wrong words, and not be able to express myself correctly. I've deleted the phrase that's suspected to bring about negative statement about them. Again, my sincere apologies. 

It's only been three months but here's a photo of the current state of my teeth. As you can see, the lower set are aligned now. I'm grateful.

Xerlynjoy Lanaza
January 24, 2012 10:00am

Ako? Gusto ko na lang maging Kapwa para Tiba-Tiba!

     Okey, mahirap ang Pilipinas kaya dapat nagtutulungan ang bawat isa para mapaunlad ang pamumuhay. Nandiyan ang mga fun run: Takbo para sa Ilog Pasig, at iba pang ilog sa Pilipinas. Nandiyan ang iba't-ibang foundation ng tumutulong tuwing may bagyo; Kapuso, Kapamilya, Kapatid foundation. Nandiyan din ang mga institusyon tulad ng Bantay-Bata, Bantay-Kalikasan, o kahit Bantay-Bahay.

     Sabihin nang maitim talaga ang kalooban ko pero sa tuwing makakakita ako ng mga pribadong tao na gumagawa ng mga bagay na pampubliko, ang naiisip ko ay ito: "Wala ka talagang maasahan sa mga pinuno ng bayan. Trabaho nila ang asikasuhin at pangalagaan ang nasasakupan nila pero hindi nila ito ginagawa." Sa paglilinis na lamang ng ilog Pasig, hindi ko alam kung may mararating ba yun kung hindi pa tumulong ang kung sino-sinong artista na ikampanya ang pagsuporta sa pagkilos na ito.

     Sa tuwing may bagyo at kalamidad, mga ordinaryong tao din ang nakikita mong nag-aabot ng tulong sa mga nasalanta at naging biktima. Ang gobyerno? Pinag-aaralan pa kung ano ang dapat na gawing hakbang. Hindi naman sinasabi dito na iasa nang lahat sa gobyerno dahil una sa lahat, sarili mo ang dapat mong unang tulungan, which is ideal if you ask me so. May mga tao din kasing naghihintay lang ng tulong na akala mo eh may ipinatago.

Gawing isang halimbawa ang Joke na ito:


Bata 1: Gusto kong maging Duktor para makagamot ng kapwa
Bata 2: Gusto kong maging Nurse para maalagaan ang kapwa
Bata 3: Gusto kong maging Teacher para makapagturo ng kapwa
(pwede pang magtuloy-tuloy hanggang isang libong bata basta ang layunin ay ang makatulong sa kapwa)
at sa huli...
Bata 1001: Ako, gusto ko na lang maging kapwa, para tiba-tiba!

     Nakakatawa nung una kong marinig pero sa totoo lang, isa itong halimbawa ng biro na ang naging inspirasyon ay ang pang-araw-araw na buhay.

     Ang gusto talagang tumbukin dito ay ang usapin ng muli, paghingi ng tulong mula sa mamamayan para sa proyekto ng pamahalaan. Ipinanukala sa lungsod ng Quezon ang karagdagang buwis mula sa mamamayan nito upang mabigyan ng bahay ang may dalawang libong informal settlers sa nasabing lungsod. Okey na okey sana kasi mabibigyan ng bahay yung mga walang bahay at, ikagaganda din ito ng imahe ng mga taong makapagpapatupad nito dahil lalabas silang likas na matulungin.

     Pero sa likod ng magandang balita, nandun naman ang madilim na bahagi ng panukala--papasanin ng mga ordinaryong tao ang hindi naman nila responsibilidad, dahil kung sasabihin na nararapat lamang na gawin ng bawat nakakaangat sa buhay ang tulungan ang bawat nangangapos, aba, eh, ang sarap nga talagang maging "kapwa ".

     Ipagpalagay nating maisabatas ang panukala, magkaroon ng karagdagang buwis, at makalikom ng pondo para dito, makararating nga ba sa dapat puntahan ang pera? Kung oo, giginhawa na ba ang mga buhay nila? Marami pang usapin sa squatters area at mga informal settlers ang hindi ko na tatalakayin dahil ayoko na 'tong pahabain pa. Ang sa akin lang, kung tutulong ka, huwag lang basta maglagay ka ng tinapay sa hapag nila, tulungan mo din silang tulungan ang mga sarili nila. Dahil kung ang gusto mo lang eh maging duktor, nurse, o teacher para makatulong sa kapwa, sigurado, lumipas man ang maraming dekada, marami pa rin ang "kapwa".



Xerlynjoy Lanaza
October 11, 2011 12:42pm


mababasa mo ang balita tungkol sa housing project for informal settlers kapag sinundan mo ang link na ito.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/10/06/11/qc-residents-face-new-taxes-squatters-housing

Why Do We Compare Philippines to other countries?

     Why do people talk about RH Bill now? Abortion, same sex marriage, and other issues alike that would mean a great leap from our cocooned-conservative outlook and stance on things common to other more open-minded countries?

     The statement that we are falling miles behind other more influential and more progressive countries in issues and talks such as the above mentioned really lit fire for some people to care about the argument. "If this country and that country talks about this and that, then, why aren't we talking about it, too? Maybe they are more progressive economically speaking, because they can deal with these things arising." And so on.

     But really, why do we compare ourselves to them?

     Filipinos love to be acknowledged, maybe this is an angle to look at. We want to please other nationalities, that's why we wanna stand on the same platforms they are in. Talking about things just because other countries do so is a stupid way of going at it. Talk about these things because it affects us and that we see this as a vehicle for change, development, and progress.

     Now, writing this, I thought of another issue--using the English language as medium of communication in a country different from America and other countries whose native tongue is not English, we view people differently. If you can speak and communicate in fluent English, people view you as someone rich, educated, of authority, and if you dare speak this foreign tongue and failed, you're stupid, that immediate.

     Or you can see it differently: Those Filipinos who are speaking in English could be just people who wants to earn respect and high regard. Can I be counted as one since this whole article is not in my native tongue?

     Oh well, praise for Senator Lito Lapid for sparking change in the senate. The issue about RH Bill is now being held in Filipino.




Xerlynjoy Lanaza
October 5, 2011 10:35am