I tipped the scale at 100 lbs – or so says the weighing scale in school. If it were any other girl trying to lose weight, she would have jumped with glee with that figure. But, I am no ordinary girl and I’m not even close to feeling overjoyed with that.

You see, the scale I used to measure myself is actually an obesity scale masquerading as a weighing scale because it adds 5 lbs to everyone’s actual weight. When I first tried weighing myself in and saw the pointer at 100 lbs, I was so happy, well, not until my roommate told me how this obesity scale adds 5 lbs to your real weight. At my height, tipping the scale at 100 lbs is just the exact weight one needs to get that normal BMI. A pound lower than a hundred and it’s already considered underweight – a problem that I’ve been struggling with since time immemorial.

A lot of girls envy me because I don’t have to watch out what goes into my mouth. I can literally stuff myself with all the junk foods and chocolates I could lay my hands on and not feel any tinge of guilt at all. Nay, I am not at risk for having bulimia nervosa. Heck, I don’t even have to spend a cent for diet pills such as Phentermine just so I would fit in those size 0 clothes. What most girls don’t know is that girls like me born to have an ectomorph body type face the same insecurities that girls on the other end of the scale do. Like them, we also want to have a better body frame; a more lean and healthier physique.

In 2006, I discovered an appetite stimulant that boosted my appetite to its maximum. Soon, I found myself eating almost non-stop and a month later, everyone noticed the new, heavier and happier “me”. I finally reached my 100-lb target. Of course, I had to stop taking the appetite booster once I reached a hundred because I didn’t want to grow so big that I’d go on a crash diet. At the same time, though, I vowed to myself that never again will I go back to my old, ugly, skinny self. However, a classmate caught my attention a few days ago and commented on how I’m starting to get thinner and thinner by the day. It set off the alarm bells to ring. He didn’t have to say it out loud because I could feel the chubbiness of my cheeks literally fading into oblivion as days go by. I knew I had to start a weight-gain regimen soon, else, I might wake up one morning and find myself back to square one. For the last few weeks, I’ve been on and off the weight-gain pills that I fondly call “Ling” (if you can understand Filipino, I even made an entry about “Ling” in my Filipino blog). Because of the effects of this stimulant, I always get hungry so that I am always munching on something at any time of the day. But you see, I don’t really know if what I’m taking in now is more than enough for me to pack on some pounds especially since the stress of medical school is soon taking its toll on me and it worries me that I might have to take it longer now. “Ling” took one month to produce the much desired results in 2006. I wonder though how long it’ll take “Ling” to transform me back into this cuter-looking me some two years later:

Hmmmm…

I’ve been wearing prescription glasses since sixth grade. I remember the first time I visited an optical clinic to have my eyes checked. I wasn’t able to get my glasses that same day because apparently, my pair was extra special because my eyesight was a lot worse than what I had thought. I started wearing glasses with my right eye at 2.75 and my left at 2.00. No wonder I had to squint (until I got wrinkles on my forehead) while in class! My eyesight was terrible! I started my lifelong commitment with a pair of eyeglasses that year. Back when I was younger, I wouldn’t care less if the frame wasn’t in style but when I grew older and became more aware of my looks, I started craving for better frames. The more stylish, the better! Although I now wear colored contact lenses more often, I still haven’t fully given up my glasses. No one can wear contact lenses 24/7 and in my case, a pair of eyeglasses is still a necessity especially when I’m at home and putting my tired eyeballs at rest.

Everytime I visit the optometrist, I gawk at those branded and very very pricey glasses that stare back at me through their glass enclosures. They’re very pretty, yes, but I wonder… does someone really shell out that much for a frame? I know I won’t because I change my lenses every year and doing so is a little impractical on my part. Good thing, staying pretty and fashionable doesn’t mean that you have to spend an arm and a foot to get yourself a lovely pair of frames. Take for example Zenni Optical, a specialty online store for prescription glasses where you can get a complete set of fashionable prescription glasses for as low as $8. The store offers an array of incredible stylish new frames from Zenni – their own manufactured brand. By offering exclusively designed frames from their own line straight to the customer and removing the hassles of middlemen from the picture, Zenni Optical is able to offer stylish and durable yet very affordable prescription glasses. Choose from their wide range of frames made from metal, plastic/acetate, stainless steel, memory titanium, pure titanium, aluminum alloy or mixed material.  A variety of rimless, half-rim and full-rim frames are also available; or perhaps, the variable dimension frames from Zenni will take your fancy.

I’ve been using my current frame for the last two years and it’s high time to buy myself a new one. I’m actually thinking of getting one of those Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses online. This one took my fancy. What do you think?

UPDATES!

Zenni Optical was on Fox news recently. Click to watch.

I haven’t started studying for tomorrow’s exam, I hardly slept last night so I had to catch my forty winks before I embark on yet another sleepless journey through the night. I am disappointed because of how I’m faring with my exams so far. It’s hard to move on but I can’t do much. If I won’t try to forget how disappointed I am with myself, then all the rest of the coming exams will surely suffer as well.

When I whine about how hectic my med school life is, people always tell me: “You can do this” or “That’s okay”. Don’t get me wrong but I really do appreciate the way the people around me are trying to make me feel better, but then again, one won’t know how hard our life is until they’re in our position and experience the same things that we do.

I’m currently alone here in my room. My roommate got sick and she decided to go home already. She’s not coming to school tomorrow to get some rest. I feel sorry for her because last year she missed out on an exam date too when she got stricken by viral diarrhea. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t know what to do. Absenting myself from class has never been in my vocabulary – how much more if it were on an exam day? Speaking of her, I still haven’t gotten used to her new metal-eater look. Getting those braces to, as she said, “make her a prettier doctor”, has surely taken the toll on her. If you’re looking for a surefire way to slim down, have braces put on your teeth. My roommate’s losing weight fast because she can hardly eat anything solid, add to that the numerous canker sores she has to contend with everyday. Actually, I’m thinking of getting one for myself too but spending 40K to fix just one tooth, I think, is too expensive for vanity.  Not that I’m wishing I had more crooked teeth to fix though! By the way, are you in North Carolina? How much does a Charlotte cosmetic dentist charge for a veneer? One of my is friends coming over to the US soon and she’s eyeing to go to one. Anyone have an idea?

I was doing my online window shopping routine when I chanced on this multiply account selling stuff. it caught my attention precisely because they were selling colored contact lenses for a price that is much much less than in optical stores. A fan of colored (but graded) Freshlook contact lenses myself, I couldn’t help but be enticed by the ad. Then it caught my eye: one prospective buyer asked if the contact lenses could be used for up to a year. The seller said yes. Que horror! From the point of view of a medical student, that’s calling for trouble.

Contact lenses, especially the soft ones come in different lengths of time that one can wear them safely. Back in the days when I still have to discover the huge difference a colored contact lens can make to one’s looks, I used to buy the extended ones – a pair that can last for a year or two. That was a huge mistake because they weren’t only more expensive, but they also didn’t prove to last me that long since I always end up tearing them apart. Since I realized what a silly investment it was, I started buying the ones that are common today: those that come in a box which are good for one month each pair. The thing is, you have to change contact lenses after using them for 30 days. The colored ones I’m using can be worn for 3 months max. Whatever type you’re wearing, colored or not, the premise is this: use them only until the box says it’s good to do so. Don’t use them longer than prescribed. A lot of people have this notion that if it’s not being used as frequently, then the lenses can last for up to a year. It’s a big no-no and as I said, you’re calling for trouble.

You see, contact lenses in the long run can harbor bacteria which may cause conjunctivitis. In worse case scenarios, you not only get bacterial conjunctivitis, but develop fungal keratitis – a condition whose symptoms usually manifests after a few months have passed. Fungal keratitis is a lot harder to treat than bacterial keratitis and it may even cause the patient a lot of eye and visual discomfort. Usually, patients with fungal keratitis develop photophobia or light sensitivity, aside from having this weird (usually) whitish and furry-looking thing growing on the conjunctiva of your eye. Fungal keratitis are also contracted when the conjunctiva of the eye is scratched by an object that has had contact with the soil. In a tropical country like the Philippines, getting an object contaminated with fungus is a no-brainer. Fungi bask and grow in the warmth of the climate. Although fungal keratitis can be treated and is not really life-threatening, treatment can take from months to years before finally eradicating the offending fungi – quite troublesome really.

So the next time you think of being a scrooge and storing that contact lens in your dresser for a year, think of all the expense and all the time you have to consume treating that fungal growth on your eyes. Probably saving up a few hundred bucks is good for now, but in the long run, would you really rather spend more for treatments? Keep in mind the age-old adage: Prevention is better than cure.

Don’t risk your eyesight.

I remember back in grade school how I had a classmate who had chapped and bruised lips forever. Yep. She has been using chapstick since we were young girls who’d rather play than get stuck bored in school. I didn’t have problems with chapped lips – not until I turned out to be too girly for my own good. I can’t remember when I first had my own stick of lip balm. Chapstick (particularly the one in red) was all the rage then. I bought one to look cool.

When college came, my lips became sensitive and soon, I found myself battling with chapped and bruised lips every single day. I tried everything: from piling on lip balm almost every hour to keep my lips from drying up to sleeping with my lips literally drenched in petroleum jelly so I’d wake up with softer lips in the morning. The petroleum jelly did wonders at first but when my gay friend commented how I look like I had lechon for lunch once, I ditched my bottle of petroleum jelly for good.

My discovery of The Face Shop’s Plus+1 Intensive Lip Care Cream was an accident. I was checking out my mom’s make up case one night when I saw this old tube that she hasn’t been using for weeks. She eventually gave it to me. That night, I was nursing a really badly chapped lips (think, bleeding) because I again unconsciously played with my lips and peeled the chapping skin off. I put on some before I went to bed. What I found the next morning was a pleasant surprise. My lips were really soft and the best part? My bruises were on their way to healing. The bruises had closed and were no longer fresh. Before, that would have taken me two to three days but it all happened overnight! Since then, I no longer parted with my trusted tube. Applying it on my lips every night has been a routine. Yes. My lips still chap every now and then and I still get bruises because of my very bad habit – but at least I have something in my stash to combat it.

Plus+1 Intensive Lip Care Cream is loooove.