THE DIFFERENCE

"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems." - Gandhi

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Dental Hygiene

I have spent a good 6+ hours reviewing dental hygiene products, from the electric toothbrushes to the Water Pik, reading over reviews and comments.

Electric Toothbrush
In the end, the best resource for electric-toothbrushes came from ConsumerSearch.com.

http://www.consumersearch.com/electric-toothbrushes/review

After this very thorough review, as well as my own experience with the Sonicare Flexcare toothbrush, I am going to go with buying the Oral-B. I have used the Sonicare Flexcare previously, and the Sonicare really is a mouth-numbing experience due its purely vibrational motion. While this does help with build-up, it also makes me fearful every time I think of brushing my teeth with it. In addition, supposedly the rotational motion provided by Oral-B electric toothbrushes are better in whitening and cleaning than the purely vibrations provided by Sonicare.

However, Sonicare products do look a lot sleeker than the Oral-B products. It took me a while to settle on the Oral-B simply because the Sonicare products look do look sexy. My eventual reasoning was 1) price and 2) gum/teeth care > looks.

The WaterPik
I have had my WaterPik for months now, and it works! It was recommended to me by my Dentist, and I am glad he did. I personally enjoy the squeeky-clean feeling I get every time after I use it. Compared to flossing, it is much easier to use, more thorough, and quicker. The experience is similar to visiting the dentist without paying every time. In my recent research, some great advice that I found included mixing in a little Listerine to the water bath for extra gingivitis protection. =)

Friday, December 11, 2009

Pork Buns (Tsa Sao Bao)


I made steamed pork buns (tsa sao bao) with my friend RH last night. It was surprisingly a lot less work than I anticipated and we had a good time. We made two different types of dough, one Vietnamese presifted flour packet bought from a local korean supermarket and one from a recipe in JT's Asian cookbook.

This time, they came out big and plentiful. I use to eat these by the tens as a kid. Now, I can make it and then eat my fill. =)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Breaking the Barrier of Religion

"... Today, however, while sitting in my friend Jeff's church, listening to songs, prayer, and reflecting on myself, it finally dawned on me. God IS a spirit! Not in a human form, or the sense that he is one entity, but, universally, God is the spirit that brings people together. He/It is what drives someone to hope and dream. He/It is the spirit of unity[...]

United, we can move mountains, fill in the valleys and level the hills. Individually, we all have the freedom to do what we want, but because of believing, we have given ourselves the capability to hope, to have peace, to love, and for change."

A blurb from my journal of thought.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Buying Inspiration on Black Friday



"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I cannot accept and the wisdom to know the difference".

Control and Acceptance. I found this bangle very fitting as a constant reminder that I can't control my environment and how I feel, but I can control what I do about it.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009


My first apple pie! The recipe is from Allrecipes.com. I added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to the recipe.
The crust is also homemade.
Total time: 4 hours.




The setting sun in Texas. I am not originally from Texas, but I am currently visiting my cousins. Texas has a different culture than anywhere else I have been. They love their football and they are active.







Along the same road, there is a calming creek with a bend in the path with geese and ducks. Texas is even more sprawled out than California! Overall, getting to Texas cost me $500, but the experience has been priceless.