fantasy square and garage sales

Inside Nordstrom

Saks Fifth Avenue. Tiffany's. Niketown. Williams Sonoma. Shreve and Co. Macy's. Neiman Marcus. FAO Schwartz. Armani. Versace. Victoria's Secret.

Looking at a few of the names that makes up Union Square, the hub of San Francisco's shopping district, you wouldn't wonder why some people call it fantasy square :0P

Mr. A and I spent the afternoon going around the square, trying hard not to gawk at the prices of the goods and maintaining the nonchalant air of the rich hehe :0D

***
Early in the day, we went around our city, scouting for more affordable finds at the citywide garage sales.

My mother-in-law was fortunate enough to find a dresser that suited her (lots of drawers and a big mirror) for just forty bucks! My find was a Miss Marple mystery (by Agatha Christie) for just a quarter!

I gotta say that bargain hunting sure beats fantasy square scouting ;0)

Another installment of my dental saga

In about a week, I will be sedated and will go home 2 molars less than what I had when I came in.

It’s weird because I am looking forward to that extraction in the way that you look forward to things you dread – so that you can have them finally over with.

I was very apprehensive about it since I haven’t had any of my teeth pulled out in the 27 years that I’m alive. But talking to the oral surgeon who’s going to do the extraction made me feel much better.

My dentist actually recommended having all four of my wisdom teeth removed but Dr. M told me that removing the two lower ones would be enough. For that alone, he has earned my respect and eternal gratitude.

Dr. M also explained every little thing to me, managing to assuage most of my fears and my doubts about the whole procedure. He also recommended sedating me (which he described as “not being unconscious but just not caring”) to make the whole process more comfortable.

(That was a lot of load off my mind since back in Manila, extractions are commonly done with local anesthetic only. And the stories you hear are just downright scary.)

As I understand it, I just have to fast 8 hours before and basically float through the whole process.

Cool.

I’m not yet thinking of the post-op scenario lest I lose my nerve :0P

deep cleaning + sausage on a bun afterwards = very bad idea

I went to the dentist today to have the right half of my mouth deep-cleaned. I have to be honest, I do not know a thing about dental deep cleaning when I went in.

After a 45-minute session, I learned the following:

1. Deep cleaning involves topical and local anesthesia. Which means injecting a local anesthetic around the area. Which means, in plain words, SHOTS ON YOUR GUMS.
2. With the injecting part done, it is not a painful process, just an uncomfortable one.
3. It’s hard to rinse while half of your mouth is numb, not to mention a little embarrassing since the rinse keeps dribbling out :0P

Although the process wasn’t painful, it was still unpleasant. So when we went to COSTCO afterwards, I told my husband that I deserve a big Polish sausage on a bun, slathered with lots of mustard as a pick-me-upper.

I had my sausage, with a big sundae on the side. Problem was, half of my mouth was still numb. It was a very messy and totally embarrassing experience trying to eat with half of my mouth essentially not working. I couldn’t chew, I couldn’t even feel if I have mustard or bits of relish on my lips!

My husband found the whole thing amusing. Obviously, I did not :0P

I was in shopping heaven for a day.

I took a break from my domestic-goddess-in-training mode and spent a day at the outlet stores.

The Vacaville Outlet stores was 2 plazas-worth of premium retail spaces!

Liz Clairborne. Liz Clairborne Shoes. Dress Barn. Naturalizer. Banana Rep Factory Store. Eddie Bauer. Gap Outlet. Guess. Bath and Body Works. Nautica. Tommy Hilfiger. Wilson’s Leather Outlet. Calvin Klein. Nike. Levi’s. Ralph Lauren. Coach.

And these are only the brand names that I recognize!

We only managed to browse through the west block but it was still shopping heaven for me :0)

Mr. A kept telling me that I just have to point out the items I wanted and he’ll buy it for me. And I keep reminding myself to remember the difference between want and need :0P

Needless to say, my practical and my kikay side were on an all-out war.

Kikay Leah: That sleeveless, dreamy, yellow biased-cut floral dress from the Dress Barn sure is perfect for spring.
Practical Leah: Have we adapted enough to the climate here that we can already wear a flimsy, sleeveless dress? I don’t think so.
Kikay Leah: But it’ll show up beautifully when we wear it sightseeing and get our picture taken.
Practical Leah: Are you suggesting traipsing around San Francisco in a dress that would probably lead us to Influenza?

Sigh. Practical me won that round.

But that’s not to say Kikay Leah was a loser all throughout the day. My new pair of Mockup Espresso Suede shoes from Naturalizer and a matching suede bag from Wilson’s Leather are victorious evidences.

(Since the shoes were a gift from Tita Mommy (my mom-in-law) and the bag was from Mr. A, the victories were all the more sweeter :0) )

My two sides even managed to agree on one major purchase – a front zip-up white jacket from Geoffrey Beene. Warm and stylish.

My minor purchases include a hairband to keep my hair off my face at home, a set of curlers and a butterfly clip all from Claire’s Accessories. Also stocked up on my favorite scent, White Tea and Ginger from Bath and Body works. Got both the body splash and the body cream.

At first, it was a challenge not to convert everything into Philippine pesos, but after a while, I soon got the hang of taking the dollar price at face value (Or else I wouldn’t be able to buy anything!). I was also a little guilty since I am spending, what is essentially, conjugal money (my husband’s, in short :0P). But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed myself :0)

nothing irritates like a toothache :0P

My impacted wisdom tooth is acting up again.

I got a topical analgesic to soothe the angry red gums that surrounds it. It worked Wednesday night. But last night, I had to resort to a couple of Advils to keep the hounding pain away.

Looking inside my mouth, I couldn't see the darn tooth anymore. Yup, the swelling was that bad that the gums seem to cover up my half-buried tooth :0P I am even starting to look like a chipmunk with a cheekful of nuts.

I knew then that I needed more than pain relievers to battle the pain and the inflammation. Problem is, unlike in Manila, I couldn't get OTC antibiotics here.

So I went to the dentist today. I had a complete set of dental x-rays taken and I was prescribed with pain relievers and antibiotics. I also had a whole dental treatment plan laid out to me. Last but not the least, I was referred for wisdom tooth extraction.

I am really apprehensive about the surgery but if it means never having to contend with this pain anymore, then I am all for it.

golden weekend

Finally.

Goodbye, Manila. Hello, California.


SFO Airport: Welcomed with love and roses :0)

Seeing Mr. A waiting for me with a bouquet of red roses more than compensates for the physically and emotionally tiring journey from MNL to SFO.


A touching welcome!

The "welcome home" banner and the balloons really touched me. It kept the strangeness and the newness of it all at bay.

There's more to my move than these few sentences but everything's just churning inside me. This is after all the climax of more than 4 years of waiting and planning. The start of more wonderful years of actually living.

There's a mixture of excitement and sadness and adventure to it all.