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Hari Raya Time :)

Been pretty busy with hari raya over at my side, its pretty exhausting having to clean and prepare stuff for the house. This is the part which I dont enjoy about the holidays, and thats all the prep work 😛

Anyhow, I think I’m going to have a lie down for a while, which is quite a strange change for me, because of the routine that I’ve been doing for the 30 days previously, during this time, I’d be getting ready for the Tarawih (look at my tummy expand in just 2 days which I took 30 days to shrink 😛

I’ll update the blog later, I suppose … and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to everyone reading 🙂

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Of tides and dryness

Looks like I havent been updating my blog for a while. It wasnt that I was extremely busy. I guess I just havent had the chance to do so. I’ve contemplated on a lot of topics to talk about. Sometimes, admittedly to the extent that in some mundane situations, like while waiting for the bus, I’d have conversations with my head. Yes, I can get schizophrenic at times. But most creative geniuses are like that I suppose.

Anyway, while I’m typing this Blog, I’m also checking my yahoo email and guess what I’m doing? I’m pretty much just clicking on the ad mails that I have in my specifically made “junk mail” where I sign up for paid to click for websites. Basically, what that means is that usually when I open up my yahoo email, there’d be a couple of emails waiting. There’d be a link in each mail and for each link, once clicked, I will get a small amount ranging from 3 cents to 2 dollars.

Unfortunately it takes a whole load of clicking before I can actually draw real moolah out of this because they have a goal you’d have to reach first. I dont know why or how or when I signed up for one in the first place. All I know is, that its kind of therapeutic having a routine like that.

I’ll let you guys know when I reach my million dollars! Heh

Anyways, on the topic of money, its amazing isnt it? Such a small flat thing could bring in so much power. Its brought alot of comforts and pain for some people.

I cannot remember who said this but there was a saying from a famous 50’s or 60’s actress that said something like “I’d rather be rich and sad on a rolls royce than poor and happy on a bicycle”

What’ll you want eh?

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My battle with acne

There are days when you look in the mirror and you think to yourself, “Hey I look pretty good. My skin looks clear, practically no eye-bags and my hair looks so shiny and managable”.

Today is not that day.

Last Friday, I wake up to having my skin feeling quite rough, like sandpaper. Okay, I thought. Better be a little more gentle on my skin. Maybe that Biore wash didn’t work very well. I’d better stop using that.

Come Saturday, I had little zits around my mouth. It swelled more on Sunday.

Come Monday, I had a really huge zit next to my mouth. Words cannot express how mortified I was. I looked like someone punched me and missed my mouth and landed on my jaw instead.

I felt really unattractive looking in the mirror. That huge swell. And the little tiny yellow dots. Yuck! Smiling felt weird too.

I contemplated what I did wrong.

  • Was it the facial wash?
  • Was it the food intake I took?
  • Was it the dehydration from the fast?
  • Was it from the germs from clothes and carpets?
  • Was it hormonal changes?
  • Is it because I didn’t pray enough? God?
  • Stress? Maybe eh

I’ve always hated it when I’ve gotten zits. Ever since I was 12, I’ve been plagued with this horrible skin malaise. I’ve always envied people who’ve gotten clear skin, like my best friend Hema for one. She’s never had these kind of problems. I learnt that both her parents never had zits either.

It was the type of zits that was on and off. I even remembered having a little book journal where I jotted down the different types of skin products that I was using and noted how it reacted on my skin.

It didn’t get so bad till I went to Junior College. The zits literally popped out. It was so bad that I had a birthday card with a classmate signing in

“Dear Marina, Happy birthday! Hope your pimples heal faster”

I really felt low. Unattractive. Disgusting. I sought out ways to cure myself.

But how was I to do that? How was a teen, not working, with no money, find ways to cure my problem without having to ask my parents for the money? For the longest time, I’ve always been independent on my stance about money – never liked asking for money, even from my parents.

So at length, I decided to go to a polyclinic. It was a government subsidised clinic where one can get prescriptions and check ups by the doctors at a very subsidized price. So one day, after school I proceeded to have an appointment.

The few things bad about the polyclinic is that its VERY slow. I had to wait for hours before the nurse called my name to enter next.

I sat down on the chair and the doctor asked me a few questions. She scribbled on a piece of paper, handed it to me and said thank you. I think that took less than 5 mins.

But anyway, what she prescribed to me was Tetracycline. It was a red and yellow pill that was supposed to stabilize hormones. I took 2 pills an hour before I had any meals.

I felt so pretty 6 months after when my entire face was clear. And stopped since I wasn’t supposed to take it long term.

But my zits flare up again, I think 2 years back. Again I went to the polyclinic, this time I was referred to the National Skin Center. Same thing again, the doctor asked me a few questions after me waiting for some time. And in less than 5 mins I was on my way. (I wasn’t particularly happy with one of the doctors there, she wasn’t very thorough with the check up and seemed to just want to get itover and done with)

This time they prescribed with a stronger drug called Doxycyclene. And again in 6 months. I was clear again!

But I didn’t enjoy the cycle of having to go to the doctors and then have clear skin for a while and then going back to the doctors again. I wanted something more permanent. I wanted something more natural.

I scoured the net for some inspiration and found a few articles that was interesting. “How to cure acne in 3 days” (yeah right) there were some also which looked pretty fascinating read. But I wasn’t prepared to shell out 50 US dollars for their e-book (not a physical book mind you and then I found an acne sufferers community. It looked pretty well documented. I read the articles and then followed some of the tips like kidney flush and reducing sugar and oil and it worked pretty nicely for me.

I then proceeded to up the ante a little by going to have facials to clear my pores. I hated the part when they poked my face and squeezed the zit out (extraction, they called it) I don’t really see any physical difference though.

Then the last facial session was a little horrible. It hurt a lot. When the beautician did her extraction. I couldn’t take it any more. Worst part is the next day, some zits came out. When I used my proactive facial wash, it stung my face.

So I went to a hunt for new facial routine in Jurong Point (the shopping centre I usually go to) I went to Sasa. There was this lady who tried to cajole me to get this facial masque. She said that it was really good. I tried my best not to stare at her blacked acne.

Then I went to a Fancl counter and read that it was all natural and preservative free. It looks pretty good. I gave the fennaty trial set a try. When I went home, joy! It didn’t sting my face and the lotion felt gentle and cooling.

Pretty soon my face was almost back to as it was before 🙂

So I’ve absolutely no idea why the very sudden explosion. And I really cant point to any reasons to it. But at the moment, I’m REALLY watching what I put in my mouth. My mom tried to console me by telling me of stories of her wedding day. She said that while she was getting made over. The make over artist said that her acne was so bad … that she had to put extra layer of make up over her face. Kids commented “the bride looked like she had cooties”

She gave me a tip that might gross some people out. I’ve heard this tip before too. I honestly don’t know if its old wives tale or whatever. But she (and a few other good samaritans said that) to have a clear skin, take your underwear. Make sure its clean. While its wet with water, gently rub it over your face and say a prayer.

I cringed the first time I heard it. But I’m actually okay with it now … HAHAHAHAHAHA … shows how desperate I am right now.

I’m sorry for the very long post. But I really gotta rant. I really feel ugly

Update: Do read Evolution of face on my battle with acne in June 2006