New years post and blog overhaul 2013

Reviving my blog to track a few things, though not explicitly.
I'm outgrowing the cardboardcookie name but I don't have a new one either.

First thing's first, growing my hair-

As of today, it reaches the end of my jaw on both sides of my face.
I don't remember the last time it was past my shoulders.
My hair, despite my obsession with changing it every second day, actually grows at a decent rate.  It's averaging at an inch per month.
This time I am determined.  I have even primed it for growing it by matching the over-dyed colour with my black roots and leveled the back to minimize the growing mullet.
It should take one year to reach past the dreaded "medium".


Next - Yoga

 

This year I'm going to try and master the crow and headstand.

I found this great set of videos by Tara Stiles from Livestrong on youtube that focuses on building strength and balance. 

There are no photos for tracking on this one because at this point I can barely do a plank!

Last - Keto 

So here I am on NYE as Princess Bubblegum from "Adventure time". 
It's not as obvious here but the chub is outta control.
I actually started going full keto 3 weeks before this and have lost (since that photo) some more swelling.
As of the past few days, I have finally stabilised and have regained control over hunger/cravings.  At this point I really don't foresee myself "needing" carbs, unless I get ambushed by a siu long bao.
My macro ratio is averaging 10%;30%;60%
It's pretty hard to get down to 5% carbs but I don't feel the need to at this point.  Maybe when I plateau.
Also struggling to keep the calories under 1200 but it's getting easier.

Non-surgical nose reshaping

Back from hiatus!  I exported all my posts before the hiatus, and they have now been reset.  I've lost all my comments and such! :( (not that there were many) So I've only just bothered to import a few recent ones.

The post title...kind of strange coming back from hiatus and jumping into such a sensitive topic, but before I took the plunge, there were so little actual patient reviews/relevant information on this topic.  So hopefully, this will shed some light for those hunting the web for a more detailed, non-biased review.

First of all, some before and after pictures:

Before:

After:

The night I returned from the clinic.  As mentioned below, it was a little lumpy

Day 4 (today)

I forgot to take a proper before image, but it's fairly obvious from the photo that my former nose bridge was much flatter.

Cost: £350, one full syringe of Restylane was used.
Length of effect: 6-9 months realistically.


Some background info:
I've been looking into this procedure for awhile after reading about it on another blog.  I thought it was perfect for minor adjustments that are not worth the risk of going under the knife.
The height of my natural nose bridge is not really considered flat for Asians but... girls will be girls.
Also, I wanted a bit more definition on the tip of my nose.


At the clinic:
I told the doctor what I was after and she assessed the area, pinching and poking.  We then went into a  consultation discussion. 
She made sure that I was very comfortable with everything before we moved to the chair.


First, she cleaned the general area with antiseptic wipes and explained that the product contains anesthetic elements in itself so anesthesia was not necessary.


A few pen marks were made on my nose.


I felt a slight pinch on the bridge of my nose as the first needle went in and a numbness spreading across the area.  After she took the needle out, she proceeded to pinch and press on the area.
This process continued for around 10 minutes.  


She then gave me a mirror and asked me if I was happy with everything.  (I was very amused at the fact that this is what hairdressers do when they cut your hair, except this was for my nose...)
I noticed a few uneven bumps and that the nose bridge is not wide enough, so she continued with the needle jabs and pinches.




Finally, I was given an ice pack and a hole in my wallet.


The next few days:
When I got home, I noticed some bruising of the nose and slight uneven bumps but not enough to bug me.
The next two days, my nose was slightly swollen and tender to the touch.  The uneveness was less obvious but I could still feel hard lumps in my nose.


Day 4 (now):  The swelling has gone completely.  The uneveness is completely gone.  The entire nose is now soft and "normal".  Although, the difference is less obvious.


The Verdict:
I am very happy with this procedure.  Will definitely do it again and recommend others to give it a try.


Pros:
I felt like all the fears I had about this procedure were a non-issue.  The procedure was fairly straight forward.


The difference is quite subtle and natural.  


An extra plus: because the skin on my nose bridge was stretched, the procedure actually caused my eyes to lengthen slightly!


Cons:
Not really a con anymore but for the first few days, my nose was lumpy so I wasn't 100% satisfied with the results.  But now, the lumps have smoothed out.


Another false-con, some areas were really hard and 'beady'.  But they have now softened.


Can see this becoming rather addictive.


This depends on the individual but for me, the difference is a little too subtle despite how high the bridge looks in the second picture (lighting).

On hiatus

Barcelona

Intuos 4 is the best thing that's happened to me

Birthday present finally arrived on Saturday :D

Compared to my old Graphire tablet...  

Actually, there is no comparison.  The amount of control you have with the Intuos 4 is quite astonishing.  

Her shirt says Carte X blanche

Looks like Cute X in the thumbnail

eww

Ok I lied

So I didn't take any more photos since the last post...

Since Ed got into Star craft 2 again, I haven't even had a 'real' computer :(

We went to Bogan Bingo Thursday.  Super duper fun :D

There was an Air guitar comp after the first game and I REALLY wanted to rock out.  So much so, that I entered!  Not sure what I was thinking.  But the urge was relentless.

It was pretty embarrassingly fun.  There's a video.  I'll post it maybe in 50 years or so.

yah

sometimes I paint my face

Ode to Autumn

Autumn in London is amazing!
These were just taken from a short stroll through Hyde park.


Today is another Tube strike day.  Though I welcome the extra day indoors and not out braving the cold, I'm really hating the guilt that comes with taking so many days off :/

Also, every week I am excited by the prospect of snow!  But London doth disappoint.




Last week, I bought a pumpkin pie from whole foods!  It was delicious.   And also roasted some chicken drumsticks with gravy for a mock thanks giving dinner :D
Not being American or even living in the U.S I thought a mock dinner was enough effort :O.

Quad biking in Paros and Lake Como

 Greek Sweets

Whilst traveling in Greece, the best way to get around is to rent some quad bikes.  They are so fun!  Though my only experience of riding one lasted  around 2 mins and under 30k/h.  The rest I spent clenching Ed's back.  The best time was down the huge stretches of cliff-side highways along the ocean. 

OH can't believe I forgot about this!  I saw 4 shooting stars in the span of 30 mins in Santorini.  But it doesn't feel as special now, knowing they're so common.

In front of our pretty hotel in Lake como.

a fortnight in Belfast

We are nearing the end of our 13 days in Belfast.
I have rather mixed feelings about this place.
Edmond got a fever as soon as we landed so things started quite miserably for the both of us here.
He went to training still feeling sickly and I was alone during the day.  There aren't many places to go here other than a few shopping centres.   During the first couple of days, I managed to sought comfort at Starbucks where things were a little more familiar.  Feeling more confident, I was able to explore a little more.  However that didn't last long as I was shot down by some dodgy diner food.  Kept me in the hotel well into Thursday night.  Something strange I discovered while I was sick was that most things I encountered that afternoon made me feel sick when I thought about them.  The smell of the hotel shower cream, the clothes I bought from Primark?!?!  So weird!
Anyway, moving on.  Friday night, Wendy and Chris arrived! We had dinner at the hooligan teatery.  Definitely one of the best places I've been to.  The ambiance and atmosphere was dim and relaxing.  Although close to 11pm, it was still extremely busy and the staff still managed to be very attentive.  The decor was kooky.   My favourite were the wolpertinger wall mounts.
Things in Belfast were starting to look brighter.  Quite literally, as on Saturday there was not a cloud in the sky and we headed to Dublin :D
The cobble stone paved city centre was pretty but Dublin, overall,  was boring.  But we did go to the Guinness factory for a tour which was fun.  We also got a free guinness each :D.   They're very dark and bitter.  I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy it but wouldn't be craving one any time soon.
We spent the afternoon wandering around Kildare outlet.  
Ed suggested that we visit Giant's Causeway  on Sunday.  We took the ocean drive to Giant's causeway.  It was beautiful.  Quaint little sea-side towns and farms.  Giant's causeway itself was amazing.  Volcanic rock ledges formed 60 million years ago.  Every little pillar was similar in size and almost hexagon in shape.
Monday night, we went to Hooligans again.  Edmond said the steak was one of the best he's had :D
Love that place.
We are leaving on Saturday afternoon.  I can't wait to go!  But at the same time I know I'll miss this place D:

 More pics after the jump

Poached egg

Finally can make a decent poached egg :D

mon obsession du jour

Ever since Hora told us the story of how he ate too many artichokes, enough to make him sick... we have been hunting for them.  About a month ago, the (very long winded) grocery store owner told me all about how they are only delicious if they bloom(?) in the winter so they are kept moist enough for maximum fleshiness!

I didn't believe a plain boiled vegetable could taste so good on it's own.  But here they are...

Life in the country

I could really see myself living in the country after retirement.  With a little farm, breeding little pigs and chickens.

The Wedding was so beautiful~  Everything was perfect.  Even the weather.
This would be my fourth bridesmaid dress! 

I really loved these dresses. They were so sexy and matched the black suits of the groomsmen very well.

While I was distracted getting ready in the morning, Ed met another lady...
Farr, the cow.  It's rather painful but I will get through it

Happy Birthday Edmond~

mmm neglecting my blog lately. We sort of lost my memory card for awhile so I couldn't upload any pictures :(
Today Edmond turns 2x :D He actually worked half a day on his birthday! Then we went to centennial park to feed some birds

Camelia season

Going bike riding today! Hope the weather remains sunny. Hasn't been very dependable lately. Rain, Sun, Rain, Sun... sigh