Dorking out

I made this little graphic to try and explain to my boyfriend how I "see" time. I realize I'm a big dork.

I'll try and elaborate on this someday.

The Cost of Health

"EXCUSE ME!" were the first words out of my lips as i looked at the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) my insurance provider sent me. Apparently, my brush with hearing loss cost me $1,070 in doctor's fees. WHAT.

This is my first major medical bill, so forgive me if that seems to be chump change to some of you. I didn't realize looking into my ears and listening to some beeps would cost an arm and a leg. Seryoso?


I'm the process of getting this all reviewed by my employer's insurance rep. Hopefully, there's been some mistake, like my HR rep seems to think. Crossing my fingers.

However, if I am, in fact, responsible for this $1,070, I'm thankful I have my FSA (Flexible Spending Account)and an emergency fund for these type of expenses. It pays to save, folks!

Lesson learned: stay healthy! Getting old is no joke. Haha. It's expensive. Hay nako.

I love TV

It's no secret to anybody who knows me that I love my TV shows. I watch a bunch of shows, but I choose them well. I'm not a big fan of trashy reality TV, and boring procedurals on CBS. Ha. Sorry, CBS.

I just finished Mad Men and Game of Thrones recently. Talk about emotionally exhausting shows. Wow. What I love about television is you really get to know these characters over time (compared to a 2-hour movie). When the characters are so well written, and portrayed so beautifully, I just can't help but feel invested in their lives.

I'm emotionally invested in Don Draper's life.  Image from: amctv.com

Arya Stark is my favorite in GOT.
Image from : hbo.com

I probably watch about 3 hours of TV a day, sometimes more. It gets pretty bad when I'm marathoning a show  and I go on a TV binge. I've watched a good number of TV shows this way, Dexter, Supernatural and Doctor Who, to name a few. More recently, the aforementioned Mad Men, which I actually didn't binge on, but took in smaller increments; and Game of Thrones, whose two seasons I finished in about two weeks.

When I do these marathons, the voice in my head adapts one of the characters. While I was marathoning Dexter, my thoughts were in his voice. It's weird and creepy, because my mind takes on even his tone and the inflections of his speech.

It makes me think about just how much influence these shows have on all of us. Not to say that having Dexter's voice in my head makes me want to go all vigilante, but it subtle ways, these shows get inside of us and takes hold - for better or worse.

I suppose the extent of influence anything has on a person is largely dependent on their individual character and personality. I can only speak for myself, and I wont deny my shows affect me. Downton Abbey makes me want to act more like a "lady," and speak in a British accent. Haha! Doctor Who brings out my geekiness. Mad Men makes me long to have style and (I hate the word, but-) swagger.

Charlie's final moments. Image from: abc.go.com

I'd like to think that watching my shows enhance my life. People say too much TV turns your brain into mush. I don't think that's true (depends on what you watch, of course). Sure, TV shows are created to entertain, but there are those that also succeed in raising issues that challenge you, makes you think. There are storylines that take you on an emotional high; and then those that break your heart. I've found myself weeping many times while watching my favorite characters go through painful experiences; and I feel a personal loss when someone dies (spoiler alert! most emotional death scene: a tie between Charlie Pace in LOST and Lord Eddard Stark in Game of Thrones).

TARDIS
 I created using Illustrator.

On a lighter note, if I were able to live in a TV show, I'd probably pick Doctor Who. :) Anything can happen when you can travel through time and space! I'd be a kick-ass companion to the Doctor, thank you. On the flip side, as much as I love the show, I wouldn't want to be in Game of Thrones. Yikes. Scary.

A shameless plug plus other thoughts

I currently work as a graphic designer for a small, local newspaper publisher. I don't get to work on a whole lot of creative projects, but I do appreciate the little challenges that I encounter day-to-day.

I work mostly on special sections and magazines; designing covers and page layouts:

To view more, please visit: Works on Paper. 

I enjoy what I do, though I admit it's hasn't been creatively challenging lately. Perhaps I need to go ahead and challenge myself to take on more creative pursuits. The classes I'm taking at UARTS are certainly challenging me, and I love it! I will start sharing more of the work I do in class as I progress. 

Nagpapaka-kyong

Having a drink at Happy Lemon, otherwise known as Kyong Central.

Take note: I am not a Lemon Boy, despite what is written on the wall behind me. Thank you. 

My boyfriend tells me I'm kyong forever. He tells me that I look no older than 25. Naks. Sip-sip. Wait, I have to explain what a kyong is, right? It's a word my boyfriend and his buddies use to describe someone who is cute and young. Or should I say kyot and young? 

Although sometimes he teases me that I'm not kyong, I'm kyold. Hahaha. Ok lang, basta cute parin.

Boom! It hit me

The first real sign of aging hit me about a month an a half ago. It hit me with a loud BOOM! Or rather, sudden silence.

I was at my part-time job one Saturday, when all of a sudden, my right ear stopped hearing. I brushed it off, thinking it'll clear up in a bit. When you're young, you tend to brush everything off. It didn't clear up. A few hours later, my left ear was all blocked up too. There was a moment of panic, naturally. I couldn't hear anything, and it was scary.

Of course I googled my symptoms. WebMD and wikipedia did a thorough job of both reassuring me and making me paranoid. Funny how that works, eh? I went from thinking, "Ah, it's nothing, I'll be okay," to "NOOOO!!! I'm deaf forever!!!" I think I stayed calm for the most part.

That Monday, I saw my doctor. She looked into my ear and cleaned it out, but it did little to help. She concluded that it was perhaps a bacterial infection due to my allergies/cold. So she wrote me a script and off to the pharmacy I went.

The antibiotics did wonders for my skin, but I was still pretty much deaf after I finished the 5 days. :/ I cannot tell you how frustrating it is not to be able to hear. I couldn't watch any T.V. without closed captioning, I couldn't tell if my coworkers were talking about me (haha), and worst of all, I couldn't skype with my boyfriend without the volume turned up to the max.

I went back to the doctor and she blasted my ear with this water gun thingy (I'm sure there's a proper term for this). More wax was cleared out (pretty gross, I know. Sorry, TMI) and this time, it actually helped! I could hear again! It was glorious! I could finally hear the water running when I wash my hands!

So I got my hearing back. Yay! However, along with all the everyday, normal sounds, now there's a ringing in my ear. An annoying, dial-tone-sounding ringing that was driving me bananas. For a moment, I thought, "I'd rather be deaf!" It was that bad. So off to more googling, and it's something called tinnitus, and there are many possible reasons for it. Great.

I decided to go see a specialist, so I went to an ENT doctor. I took a hearing test, the one where they put you in a booth and you're supposed to raise your hand if you hear the beep. After the whole thing, audiologist opens the door and says "Hmmmmm." Must be bad. She proceeded to say that I have unusual hearing loss for my age. WHAT. My ear drums were fine, and my ears were clean, so they concluded that I probably have an inner ear viral infection.

Doctor prescribes me an anti-viral and asks me to come back for another hearing test in a week. My second hearing test showed improvement, but that I still have hearing loss. I was told that I probably have Otosclerosis. Something about the bones in my ears being stiff. I'm still not sure what it is, no matter how much I google it. :/

Apparently, I'm just gonna have to learn how to live with the tinnitus. I still hear the ringing, but it's not as bad. I mostly sounds like subtle crickets-at-dusk now, which I don't mind as much. I turned down the suggestion to get hearing aids. HEARING AIDS! That made me laugh. I think I'll wait until I really cannot hear that well until I decide to rock hearing aids. Haha!

Is there anything more "aging" than someone saying you need hearing aids? I don't think so.

How old are you?

Never ask a woman her age. 

I never really found any offense to people asking how old I am. Perhaps I don't mind it so much now, because I'm still relatively young. Let's see how i feel about it years from now. When people learn how old I am, they usually respond with disbelief. 

"You can't be 29." or "No way!"

Makapal na kung makapal ang mukha. 

I'm 29. There's no reason not to admit it. Haha. Gosh, I'm old. It's hard to believe because when I was younger, 30 seems so far away. I used to think 30 was OLD. 30 is when you're all - you know, grown up. Many years ago, I thought that by 30, I would have it made. You know what I mean? Being 30 meant I was married, in my own house, established in a career I love and earning lots and lots of money.

Um, yes. None of that has actually come to fruition. Then again, I still have about 9 months 'til deadline. Haha. let's make it happen! (joke lang...or not?) 

One thing I do have going for me is that I look younger than I actually am.Yay! I say it's thanks to my Asian genes and obsessive use of sunscreen. Not to mention all the trial and error just to find the perfect skincare products. That's another post waiting to happen right there. 

I digress. I look forward to turning 30. Is that weird? I'm ready! Didn't someone say life starts at 30? Whoever said so was onto something. My 20's were spent trying to "find myself" and all that nonsense. The quarter-life-crisis period is over. Haha! There's nothing like a big fat 3-0 looming 'round the corner that makes you snap out of whatever "crisis" it is you're going through. It's true. 

Excitement. That's the #1 feeling I have at the moment. I'm sure it's bound to change. It's gonna be an exciting year, people. Hold on to your hats. :)