Skin Patch Test Update: Stickers Begone!! May 16, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , add a commentAfter the ordeal of having to endure the incredibly itchy sticker patches on my back on Monday, I was really looking forward to Wednesday morning (today), when those patches would be removed.
I headed straight for the hospital after dropping off my kids in school and waited for my turn at the doc’s clinic. I was ushered into the dressing room about 10 minutes later and the nurse began to peel off the stickers,…most of it anyway. She left the numbered portions stuck to my skin, and cut off the part with the little round patches so that it would be easy to identify which patch was from which number.
Then I was asked to wait for a few more minutes before my name was called to go into the doctor’s office.
The doctor then took some readings from the patches on my back, and made scary remarks like, “Wow…you have quite a lot of allergic reactions!”
Among them, she told me it was clear that I was allergic to nickel and chromium, which were present in some costume jewelry and accessories. She said I had to abstain from wearing bras with steel parts. (and errr…that means all my jewelry needs to be gold and platinum, yes?). Another substance I was presumably allergic to was a preservative chemical present in most makeup products (didn’t quite get the chemical name from her verbally)…so do I need to stop wearing makeup?
Results after 48 hours also showed I am allergic to the dishwashing detergents I had brought in AND the rubber gloves I provided. The doctor said, “I don’t even know what to do now, since you are allergic to both the detergent AND the rubber gloves!”
Also, true to my suspicion was my allergy to some ingredient in the two sunblock lotions I brought in. I’m suspecting homosalate, as this ingredient is present in both the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock and the Australian Cancer Council Everyday Sunscreen. The doctor recorded an “IR” (Irritant Reaction) for both of these substances.
Hubby will have no excuse about not using sunblock now that I have these *extra* ones to pass on to him. 
The doctor then ordered a retest of 3 items, including a new test from the rubber gloves from the hospital, so I still have a little patch on my back now, with 3 little round stickers. The rest of my back has scattered red rashes, some looking angrier than the rest.
My back is to remain as dry as possible till Friday (read: showering remains a chore), when my next appointment would be, and I would be provided a full report of my skin allergy patch test then.
The itch has subsided somewhat, which means I could be also allergic to the stickers used to stick the patch samples on. SIGH…does anyone have a good method to remove the sticker/tape stains on skin?
“Sure Boh?” May 15, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 1 comment so far
I am a self-professed bargain hunter. And lately with the age of group discounts on the rise, the consumers are the ones who are on the happy receiving end. Just take a look around the internet and you can compare prices and deals for a fraction of the original cost.
As a matter of fact, I have landed myself some great deals from group discount sites such as these, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a friend of mine recently embarked on a similar group discount site.
Cheekily named Sure Boh!, a mangled up form of “Are you sure?” from English and the Hokkien dialect, this site promises great deals aplenty (without the “beat around the bush” and “sometimes over-flowery” language – teehee). So go check it out…I saw some delicious-looking deals for Klang Valley peeps…
I sure hope Sure Boh! will bring more fantastic deals for the Penang population soon …
I’m Finally getting a Skin Allergy Patch Test done… May 14, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 1 comment so farSo what IS a Skin Allergy Patch Test? Basically, it’s a test that determines a person’s level of allergic reaction to certain substances, especially useful to detect allergic reactions in people with eczema or contact dermatitis. I have been advised by my skin doctor to take the skin allergy patch test for a long time, and she advised that I only do it when my hand eczema is *under control*.
My eczema condition has been yoyoing over the past few months, and just these past weeks, it feels rather controlled, so I figured I would do it this week.
The catch? The test needs to be done over a period of 5 days; and I would need to see the doctor on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Apart from the 30 different allergens/substances that the doctor will test me on, she encouraged me to bring in my own lotions/detergents/stuff that I wanted to test on.
And since I only planned on doing this test just ONCE, I went crazy and brought almost everything I could think of.
Household detergents and cleansers, including a pair of rubber gloves:
Skincare products, sunblock, oils etc:
So on the first day (today), I passed all the stuff I brought in to the nurses and waited while they prepared the patch test for me. It was a long wait, of almost an hour and a half, but application of the stickers to my back was just a mere 1-2 minutes.
One little round sticker patch will be stuck to my back for each substance I was to be tested on. The doctor had 30, and I brought 20, so I had 50 little round stickers on my back. They were sticker sheets of 10 round patches on each sheet, numbered accordingly with reference to the substance being tested on.
Not a very pretty sight, actually. And yes, it is uncomfortable.
Another bummer from having this test done is that I am NOT supposed to get my back wet. No water, no showering and hence….no sweat. Which meant…..(sob sob) no gym for 5 whole days! And since the test completes this Friday, and I don’t go to the gym on weekends, that would mean 1 WHOLE WEEK of no exercising! 
As you can see, I am not in a very good mood now, and on top of that, the stickers are making my back itch, and it has only been what…. 12 hours??! How on earth am I going to get through the next 48 hours?
On Wednesday, the stickers will be removed, but I am still supposed to keep the area dry.
NOT. LIKING. THIS. AT. ALL.
Me-Time Luxuries: Stripped Off and Masked May 11, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , add a commentThere are 2 main reasons why I avoid using those sticky nose strips that claim to “extricate” the white heads and black heads on your nose. Having tried them years ago when they were first introduced by a popular brand in Malaysia, I found that they leave sticky residues on my nose and also, they made me break out, perhaps due to my sensitive skin.
Hence it was with much trepidation that I decided to try Beauty Clinic’s Sulfur Blackhead Suction Nose Pack. I did a quick google on this product and everyone who tried it had good things to say about it, so I was curious too. Also, with a name like that, I could almost feel it working on my nose just by reading it. Ha.
The suction nose pack includes 10 individually packed nose strips, and directions for use are provided on the box in Korean as well as in English. I would personally use the nose strips a maximum of 2 times a week, mainly because I don’t want the natural layer of my skin to be “stripped off” too often, but of course, the frequency of use is dependent on the individual. At the time of writing, I had only used the strips twice, 4 days apart.
So how did it fare?
My Thoughts Thus Far on Creative Ziio’ s PlayChinese Tablet May 2, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : Parenting & Motherhood, Thoughts & Scribblings , 1 comment so far
I blogged about our initial experience with Creative Ziio’s PlayChinese tablet about a month ago. Since then, we have been playing with this tablet and experimenting with it as much as possible. I know that there are so many more things this tablet can do and teach us, but for the moment, I feel that it is still underutilized, and you will see in a moment, why I think that way.
Initial Experience
My son is the main user of this tablet and he uses it to practise writing whatever characters he fancies. I don’t come down hard on him and force him to write on the tablet at least 15 minutes a day. I feel that at his age, learning should be fun, and should not be forced. He seems to enjoy writing on the Shenbii application, especially when he rakes in the points.
What We Have Discovered and Learned
- The Shenbii writing application is a great tool for users to learn the correct strokes and remember how to write them, through practice and repetition. Learning Chinese is, after all, all about repetition and memorizing.
- On top of the that, the Shenbii application is able to provide the meaning of words, simply by clicking on the Dictionary button.
- The size of the tablet is a 7″ one, which I think is perfect especially for kids to hold and grasp. Fits nicely onto the palm and also doesn’t take up much space if you want to tote it around in your bag.
- The Shenbii writing application requires the user to write using the correct character strokes in the correct order, and then repeat after the voice pronouncing the word. While erroneous strokes are detected very well, my son very quickly discovered that the error threshold for the pronunciation is way way below par. The application will accept ANY verbal input: my kids actually had a good laugh because they found it hilarious that the application could not detect their mistakes. I did speak to the sales representatives and they told me the threshold was lowered because initially, users got frustrated because they could not pronounce the word accurately. So they have now opted for a lower verbal threshold in the hope that users would follow the voice and repetition would produce a correct sounding word. I would have preferred a slightly higher threshold for the verbal pronunciation though, merely for accuracy’s sake.
My Wash Room Came in The Mail! April 25, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : Relax & Celebrate, The Fairer Sex , add a comment
No, I’m not kidding…
Yesterday, the courier man brought me a package and it was something I had been looking forward to receiving for the past couple of days. I was first *introduced* to the Wash Room from Deuteronline.com when I saw it on My Women Stuff and it was truly love at first sight; and what bliss, there was a giveaway for it too, so I put in my entry…and lo and behold, I was selected as the winner! Yipppeeee!!!
It’s the perfect traveling companion for anyone. Well, actually it appeals to ladies only because of the flower motif on the front, but really, guys, if you can see past that…this is a really cool bag to lug around.
Like its namesake, the Wash Room can very well tote your entire wash room in it. It’s immensely spacious, and I am so looking forward to using this because every time I travel I’ll need an extra bag to carry all my toiletries and *girly* stuff in. This would be so much classier to tote around! I bet my hubby would be glad that all my travel toiletries actually fit into one nice bag now!
It has a hidden hanger contraption at the back, which you can extend to hang it on railings, if you like. This would be especially useful in hotel rooms or in places where you don’t want your bag to be placed on a wet counter. Trying out the hanger on my towel rack:
This is the first Deuter product I own and I am truly impressed by the impeccable quality. Very sturdy and well made!
As far as space is concerned, I’m really surprised by how many things this baby can hold. I *tested* it with some of my stuff, and there was still space for more things after I was done. See how the makeup brushes are held in place using the elastic organizer strip with loops? Awesomeness!
err…. please excuse the untidiness of my dresser, which seriously needs some spring cleaning…
And oh by the way, I ended up testing it with full-size products, not travel-size…and I haven’t even utilized the mesh and zippered pockets at the side! There’s also ample space for my toothbrush to stand upright!
Well, I have only tested this with my toiletries and granted, that was what the Wash Room was intended for in the first place, but you know what, I can think of a few other useful ways this Wash Room can be used as well:
I Caught HFMD from My Daughter! April 23, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : Close to Heart & Home, Parenting & Motherhood , 3commentsWhen my daughter was diagnosed with HFMD, I did everything in my power to minimize any contact with her brother. This included:
- taking away her mattress from her brother’s room into my room
- moving all her pillows and blanket into my room
- moving her towel into my room
- only changing her in my room
- barring her from entering her brother’s room and vice versa
- disallowing them from kissing or hugging each other, or even holding hands. If done accidentally, they would need to wash their hands immediately..
However, I had not expected that with all these *instructions* in place, I would be on the receiving end of her contagious virus. Day 4 after my daughter was diagnosed with HFMD, I had at least 4-5 ulcers in my mouth, sore throat and I noticed tiny red spots on my palms and soles of my feet.
The ones on my feet weren’t really noticeable until I felt the soreness when I walked. They felt like blisters, except when I checked, all I saw were red spots. The spots weren’t really OMG-itchy, but there were times at night when the itch came. Not that they’d turned into blisters anyway.
Recovery was not too much to handle, as I loaded myself on lots of Vitamin C and water. I fully recovered from HFMD in about 2 days but immediately after that, I developed some weird symptoms which I am not sure if they are attributed to HFMD. My neck and arms were aching like crazy, I was severely fatigue and I had stabbing pains in my head and earlobe. On top of that, I was on the verge of succumbing to a fever and I couldn’t hold anything properly because my hands were slightly shaky.
After yoyoing with some PCM, I forced myself to see a doctor only because I was going to be on my own taking care of my 2 kids for the next 4 days before my hubby returned from his business trip. The diagnosis was Muscle Spasm, and I was prescribed painkillers and muscle relaxants.
Despite me being wary of the doctor’s strange behavior, I was back to being normal after 3-4 doses of the medicine, thank goodness.
Definitely a chapter of my life which I closed by heaving a GREAT sigh of relief.
“They Complete Me” April 20, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : Close to Heart & Home, Parenting & Motherhood, Relax & Celebrate, Thoughts & Scribblings , 4commentsLate last year, I learnt about a writing competition organized by MyChildMalaysia.com: the My Life, My Story Writing Competition. I had it in my head to submit an entry, but because I had so many things on my mind at that time, this got shelved away and when I remembered it was a few hours past the deadline. I remembered the dateline was 5:00p.m. November 30th 2011. Thinking it was just not meant to be, I shrugged it off.
However, when I checked the competition page a few days later, praying that somehow the deadline had been extended, I was in for a pleasant surprise when I found out that indeed it had! The organizers had extended the deadline till the end of December 2011, and this time, I was adamant on completing it.
It was tough, given that we had our family vacation in Singapore in December then, and with the school holidays in full force, I hardly had time to pen a few sentences even! But a few sentences became paragraphs, stories…and after some edits and writer’s block here and there, I completed my story and submitted it.
It had been almost 3 months without any word from the sponsors, when suddenly an email pops up in my mailbox congratulating me as the first prize winner!
Wheeeeee!!!! I was literally on cloud nine! Such a pleasant surprise indeed!
The prizes were couriered to me last week, but the article just got published today.
See? The organizers were so thoughtful to take the extra step to gift-wrap the pressies too:
…all because they figured my kids would want to have a hand at unwrapping the presents…well, they were right!
Oh yeah, among the presents we got were 3 versions of UNO: the classic UNO, UNO Attack! and UNO Spin Travel edition. I have not figured out how to play the latter two yet, but the kids are more or less hooked on UNO now. LOL!
Thank you so much, MyChildMalaysia.com!
And just in case you’re in the wee bit interested in reading it, here’s my winning entry
I hope you like it!
How do you handle “Wrong Numbers”? April 17, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 2comments
Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Recently I had a rather rude awakening when I made a phone call to someone I knew. I didn’t have her number at first, so I called her husband to get it, and when I called her up, I said, “Hi, is that Mary*? This is Joyce”. And she immediately barked back in Hokkien, “You’ve dialled the wrong number la!”
And the line went dead.
I was rudely jolted that she would act and sound that way. I was quite sure it was her on the phone because it sounded like her, and it wasn’t as if I didn’t tell her who I was too; but the way she handled a phone call, which she thought was a wrong number surely said something about phone etiquette.
I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt that she had not seen my number before, and she thought it was someone she did not know, but even so, there is really no need to bark like that.
Even me in my bitchiest manner would not do that.
I’ve had my fair share of wrong numbers.
“Hello, can I speak to Ah Meng?”
“I think you’ve got the wrong number, there is no one by that name here.”
(line goes dead)
“Hello, Aunty ah?”
“No person by that name here, sorry.”
“Oh sorry ah…” (at least he has the decency to apologize)
“Hello! What place is this ah?”
“Yes? What number do you want?”
“Is this a house or a shop? What number is this?”
“Can you please tell me what number you dialed?”
(Caller hangs up)
So, see? It actually goes both ways. There can be rude callers and rude answerers too. I guess I have been on the receiving ends of both now.
How do you handle wrong numbers? Usually the person who dialled the wrong number did not do it on purpose, but by mistake. Don’t take it out on that person just because you were disturbed by the call. Sometimes it takes a bit of consideration to tell them it’s the wrong number. After all, they’re only human.
And if you indeed made a mistake by dialing a wrong number, the first thing you should do is apologize, not make excuses for making a wrong call. Just a simple sorry and then hang up will do nicely.
Me? Hmmmph. I’m still a bit miffed over the “barking” incident.
*Name changed to protect privacy
Me-Time Luxuries: Time for a Tea-Tree Oil Treatment April 17, 2012
Posted by The Giddy Tigress in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 2commentsIt has been ages since my last facial pampering session, and hence it certainly shows on my face . The lower half of my face recently feels really congested, and constant squeezing and picking (by who else but my good self), has made it quite unsightly, coverable only by using concealer, thank goodness.
I miss my silky smooth face.
So recently when I got my paws on the Tea Tree Healing Solution Essential Mask by Leaders Clinic, which claims to soothe troubled skin, I decided to try it out.
This brand is from Korea and I’ll be honest: I have not heard of it before. But ever always one to be adventurous, I decided to give this a go. This mask contains teatree oil, pine needle and portulaca ortulacea extract, and is individually packed as a sheet mask.
First I cleansed my face with a cleanser and a light scrub, and then I placed the sheet mask on my face. The sheet mask was very moist but surprisingly non-drippy. It was also very thin compared to the other sheet masks I have used before.
Another thing I like about it is that it fits and conforms to my face perfectly. See?
You can still see the skin of my face under the mask. It’s translucent, I would say, and very very soothing.
I left it on for about 15 minutes in the shower and then removed it and patted the moisture left on my face into the skin. I didn’t bother washing it off and left it on overnight. It didn’t have any scent actually, which suited me fine…well maybe like a light herbal scent, which did not bother my sensitive nose.
To be frank, I did not expect a miracle to happen, but I did expect some level of skin clarity with the use of this mask. Well, my spots did not completely disappear overnight, but they did dry up and I was happy with how my skin felt the following morning. It was smoother and clearer and the pores appeared less visible. The spots looked less prominent and well on the way to healing, so that was certainly a good sign.
It’s actually just like what a relaxing facial feels like. And to maximize the use of the mask, I applied the mask essence to my skin again the following day. Remember I said the mask was VERY moist? I squeezed out the moisture from the pack and used that! There was still LOADS to use!
The pimple scabs actually fell off 2 days later,and my skin felt healthier after that. I wouldn’t say it is 100% effective to “soothe troubled skin” but it would be something I would consider if I faced any skin congestion problems in future.
The Tea Tree Healing Solution Essential Mask by Leaders Clinic is available online at Hansaegee Nature. Each pack costs RM8.90 (which by the way, is another good thing about this mask!)
Me-Time Luxuries features special things I pamper myself with once in a while. Being a SAHM does not allow me a lot of me-time, but I make do with what I have and try to have those few minutes to myself as a form of *reward*. I try to keep it simple, no-fuss and as best as I can, frugal. After all, if I look and feel good about myself, I’d make others feel good too, yes?
Little Miracles
Our Journey of Love
