Monday, August 30, 2010

Accutane Day 571


I have a bandage on my right cheek because I had minor surgery. The surgery removed my cyst that was on my cheek for a long, long time. Today I can’t wash my face. Tomorrow I remove the bandage and apply a new bandage with Neosporin. The surgery took 15 minutes. I have another appointment to remove the stitches.

Before surgery my dermatologist was casual explaining the side effects; for instance, infection, another cyst appearing, and scars. The probability is less than 5%. He wrote the side effects on my chart and made me sign it to consent. He was very casual as if there’s no worry at all. I also consented my cyst is sent to a laboratory. I asked him the reason. His response was the cyst proved the surgery happened and my insurance compensates him for the procedure. I questioned his response for a minute and then I stopped worrying about it.

I had another outbreak of eczema on my cheeks last Sat. I believe the reason was ice skating. I’m taking ice skating lessons and my face is sensitive to the cold conditions. I apply Topicort to the affected areas and skip Atralin.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Three To Know

Cool Down During Bedtime

Dampen a towel with cold water if you wake up early and you have trouble falling asleep. Then wipe your arms, legs, chest, and face. You’re cooling yourself down. When you wake up, you’re warm—the body is warm when awaken from REM sleep. The body heats up hotter when you go back to bed. This technique is called “kur.”

Pillow Test

Fold the pillow in half. Then put a shoe on top of the folded pillow. If the pillow springs back, the pillow is adequate to support your head and neck. (I tried this and my pillows failed. I question this test.)

Body Language

Project yourself and your body with confidence. Stand up straight, make eye contact, and speak with strength. Avoid apologetic body language and weak talking. Begging and pleading people to accept you is weak. You don’t want to be concerned whether people like you or not. Nobody has a 100% success rate impressing other people.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Monday, August 16, 2010

This Joke Blog is LOL Funny

Some of us are funny and some of us aren’t funny. If you’re not funny, that’s okay. I’m not funny. Everyone is different. There are people who are funny that makes us laugh. I have friends who make me laugh. I admit sometimes I laugh too much and too hard. It’s a problem I continue to fix; however, when something said is lmao funny, it’s good to have that problem.

Another problem is saying wise jokes. There is a distinction between saying jokes and being funny. I believe you don’t have to be funny to say jokes. My definition of being funny is a person has comedian skills. I have friends who are funny. They enter a room and moments later, there is laughter in the room—lots of laughter. These funny people are natural comedians. I don’t know how they do it.

Learning how to say jokes is a key skill for meeting new people, making new friends, networking, and socializing. I agree saying jokes is not a necessity; however, you have a great advantage when you interact with people. More importantly, you must have a sense of humor.

In the coming months full of jokes and laughter: First, I continue working on controlling my laugh. Laugh softer. Laugh when the timing is proper since some jokes don’t need a laugh response. Second, I learn how to say jokes—better jokes, lol jokes. I observe other people how to say, what they say, who they say, and when they say their jokes. I create my own joke style in time. My joking skills are poor I don’t know how to end the blog with a joke.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Accutane Day 551


I visited my dermatologist yesterday for a follow up. I have been applying the ointment Atralin on my cheeks, nose, and a small area directly center at the upmost part of my forehead. The dermatologist said Atralin is working and my skin is in good health.

I informed my dermatologist I have been getting eczema on my right and left temples. The last outbreak happened on July 11. I applied Topicort instead of Cutivate. Cutivate was too weak. The Topicort treated the eczema in two to three days. She said if another outbreak happens, I use Cutivate first. My face is prone to sun and wind. I wear a hat when I go outdoors.

Topicort is an ointment to keep my glands small. The ointment doesn’t cure my blackheads and whiteheads. If I want both removed, I need laser surgery which my dermatologist doesn’t recommend. There are stronger dosages. My ointment dosage is mild. There are some people who take Topicort for a long time as maintenance to keep their pores in check.

My next appointment is Mon Aug 30. My dermatologist removes the cyst on my right side of my face on the bottom side of my cheeks. I cut the cyst in the middle of July while I shaved. Blood and an oily substance oozed out.

I get small spots of dermatitis on my hand when I wash dishes without dishwashing gloves. Otherwise, since I stopped taking Accutane, I don’t get dermatitis. Topicort removes my dermatitis between two to five days. I apply Vanicream when my hands feel dry.

One final note. Today there are more treatments for acne: over-the-counter medications, infomercials, prescribed creams and drugs, and laser surgery. There was much less acne treatments in 2005. I applied an ointment and a cream daily from 2005-2009. The topicals were Tazorac and Benzoyl Peroxide. The topicals kept my acne in check; although I occasionally got acne once a month. I made the correct choice to take Accutane. Accutane worked. I take Accutane once a week in addition to applying Topicort.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Sunday, August 08, 2010

501

I forgot to say thank you when I posted “500” blog. Thank you to the people who read my blogs, and the numbers are very few `__^ I hope my blogs help you become a better person. There is always time to change, to improve, and to innovate. The examples include trying something new, forgiving yourself, making the tough choices, and taking risks. Life is taking action, not sitting on the couch waiting for someone to give you life on a sliver platter.

I want to mention the three lessons I learned attending De Anza. It’s good timing to review the lessons. Here are the lessons:

Fall ’09: We are all human. Everyone is human. We make mistakes and we learn from them. We’re happy, sad, depressed, cheerful, frustrated, optimistic, loved, scared, angry, forgetful, and not perfect. The emotions, the pains you feel are part of being human.

Winter ’10: Go with the flow. We have good days and bad days. Don’t fight it. There’s always tomorrow.

Spring ’10: Timing is everything. Sometimes I’m at the right place at the right time. Sometimes I’m at the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes I get lots of green lights. Sometimes I get lots of red lights. It’s all timing.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Friday, August 06, 2010

500

Number 500! This blog is number 500 and the 5th anniversary for Innovating Common Knowledge. Good timing. I average 100 blogs every twelve months. That’s too low. On the other hand, 100 is a good number because I spread my time writing blogs and many other activities. There are both sides to the discussion whether I spend too much or too little time writing blogs.

On my 300th blog, I shared my top 30 blogs. I choose to repost the top 30 blogs instead of creating a top 50 blogs. The reason is the lessons I learned and the wisdom I gained from my top 30 blogs applies to today’s living--and tomorrow’s living. They are powerful for me. The lessons and wisdoms are both old lessons such as life is a marathon, not a sprit and new lessons such as age is just a number. The timing is good for another review.

I continue to write blogs promoting change, improvement, and innovation. I continue to write blogs to open myself up and to experiment what I can and what I can’t do. The Sign Of My Times (SOMT) and Accutane blogs continue as I reflect how life is changed now and when I was a child and my acne treatment, respectively.

Here is the summary of my top 30 blogs:

*01. Never take anything and anyone for granted.
*02. Trust my gut feeling.
*03. My [latest] daily top five rules for living: (1) Don't criticize, condemn, and complain, and don't compare with others. (2) Don't act like a jerk or bitch. (3) Always speak calmly and be calm. (4) Don't daydream when driving. (5) Keep your head up high . . . look at the cute face when talking.
*04. Continue to live life finding what you want to do.
*05. Never judge a person by their appearance.
*06. Remember to learn from you failures as well as your successes.
*07. It takes patience to learn who a person is for long-term family, friend, business, and romantic relationships.
*08. Do something else to take your mind off something you hate.
*09. Meet new people and make new friends continuously.
*10. It's OK to be alone.

*11. You must earn what you want in life.
*12. You are responsible for yourself.
*13. Schools have summer vacations; life doesn't have summer vacations.
*14. Age is just a number.
*15. Have courage to say goodbye to anything precious.
*16. First years, first impressions, first go-around, and first successes are equally important as second years, second impressions, second go-around, and second successes.
*17. Everyone has the right to find happiness.
*18. Be patient. Never rush.
*19. Take life one day at a time. Have fun, learn, and enjoy.
*20. If you talk the talk, you must stand by your talk.

*21. Do something to receive something.
*22. Money is a way to help people, create action, and show appreciation.
*23. Fight the pain, the suffering, and the struggles to keep living.
*24. Use your mind to see.
*25. Time is the ultimate judge.
*26. Live the present. Live the moment.
*27. Wait 24 hours for goods or services less than $100 and 48 hours for greater than $100 to avoid the urge to splurge.
*28. Do the little things and they add up in time.
*29. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
*30. When you in a jam, go back to the basics. Go remind yourself the basics which is what I'm doing :D :D :D

My first blog was posted on Thur Aug 4, 2005. The 300th blog was posted on Sun Dec 7, 2008. Click http://ininblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/300.html to read the entire 300th blog detailing the top blogs.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Thursday, August 05, 2010

SOMT: Newspapers Are Still Great

Blogger’s Note: SOMT stands for Sign Of My Times, an occasional blog sharing my thoughts how time changes life from when I was a kid to today. It’s been a long time I wrote a SOMT.

Times have changed when it comes to information and current events. I remember when I was a kid—and even a college student—one of the best sources of information was the newspaper. Everyday I walked outside to get the local newspaper from the driveway. I read the newspaper while I ate breakfast. I also read The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The WSJ was the best newspaper for editorials and opinions. I learned something reading those. The internet started influencing my life in 1997, the year I graduated San Jose State. I relied on newspapers for information throughout my young life.

We live in the information age. Up to the minute information is available 24/7. We turn on the computer, connect to the internet, and the latest and greatest are available to read. If something is on the internet, it’s a free for all such that anyone can find it.

Times are changing. Information and current events are online. My local newspaper continues to print hard editions. I still learn something new. I’m old school when it comes to newspapers. I like to read the newspaper on paper and not online.

Newspapers eventually disappear. It’s a matter of time. There are a few major cities their local newspaper stopped printing hard editions. Cherish the present and consider yourself lucky your city or town prints a newspaper in today’s tough economic times.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar