So far, I have had two close friends make the same statement to me. “Did you know Charice got Botox?” Initially, I didn’t know. I have to admit a less than desirable medical event was the center of my attention as I was the recipient. That’s beside the point. They got my attention and I checked out the story online.
If you noticed, this article is headed to my Charice Corner and Words of Caution. Why the latter? This whole thing with Charice and Botox can make current issues very clear.
One must exercise extreme caution when you are reading things especially by American journalists and bloggers. Gone are the days when you could trust American journalism. Instead, you must question everything you read and not be manipulated. Many American journalists no longer care about reporting the truth but just getting higher ratings and by extension higher income from commercials and advertisements.
For the first example, we have a shameless blogger trying to get traffic by doing shock-tactic writing and demonstrating very poor research skills. The writer immediately jumps to the conclusion that Botox and Thermage were for cosmetic processes.
CBS had a misleading post focusing on the cosmetic aspect as well. Not so surprisingly, it has been removed for a more balanced article. Makes you wonder if they got a call from a certain somebody’s attorney.
The most balanced report came from the Philippines where they disclosed the primary purposes are not for cosmetics but dental issues for the Botox. In particular, TMJ and Bruxism. I’ll get to the Thermage.
There are a number of things to remember when reading and reacting to all of this hoopla.
Botox is not just for cosmetic use. That is what is it known for but it is not the only reason. It also treats pain in the facial muscles namely it is a treatment for TMJ. Technically, it is called an Onabotulinumtoxin A Injection. I know this as I deal with it commonly enough in my job in the pharmaceutical field. (Yes, I can pronounce the names of the meds too.)
We know Charice competed in contests so she could generate money so she and her mother could eat. I highly doubt proper dental care factored into their budget. If you notice, one tooth is out of alignment on her upper left jaw. Unresolved jaw alignment issues can cause problems later.
We also know Charice is 18 years old and about to be on the TV show Glee. Reread that sentence. You have a teenager jumping around many different climates about to be on a TV show where the cameras are not as forgiving as a photograph. What do teenagers commonly have? Acne, zits, pimples. What don’t you want seen on TV? What do you get more of when you change climates? You know the answer. (I did see her up close and personal. She’s human.)
What are the other uses for Thermage? I’ll copy and paste the answer from their website. “Thermage will also help people with active acne and acne scars. Just one treatment will give visible improvement in most people.”
Why would you believe the doctor over Charice and her agent? If the doctor is telling the truth, then it is a blatant HIPAA violation and grounds for punitive action. If she is lying, then it is a slander case which may or may not be pursued.
With all that said, what seems more believable? Treatment for TMJ, Bruxism, and acne from a person from the Philippines or remodeling the face of an 18 yr old?
Rule to live by:
“Be skeptical of all claims especially those published in the media or by those connected to celebrities. Also, don’t immediately react based on limited information – Do your homework first. “
I believe I will not find the end of things in the English language and American vernacular to amuse me and keep my interest. So I wanted to dive into 3 simple words. Those words are eccentric, sorted / sordid, and retirement.
Why eccentric? Well, I was watching Iron Man 2 with my hubby and the word came up describing Tony Stark. It caught my attention so I had to find out what it meant. Looking it up in the online dictionaries really didn’t answer it for me as there seemed to be more to it than a mere dictionary definition. Goryo made this one incredibly easy for me.
“Eccentric means you are weird and wealthy. If you are middle class or poor, you are just weird or strange.”
That definition totally fits how it is commonly used here.
Why sorted? Well, the word itself is very straight forward on its definition. That wasn’t the problem, it was my occasional accent that comes up when I’m tired. The context was I had tried to say “I sorted the laundry.” But my accent changed it to
My hubby was laughing on that one as he explained how badly I changed the definition of the sentence with my accent. Instead of putting dirty laundry in piles, I changed it to an incorrect grammatical sentence meaning I was doing dirty things to the dirty laundry. Gotta watch that accent.
On a side note, I recently had a business transaction with a Philippine company. The lady on the phone stated I would need to “pint it up” regarding an email attachment. Grammatically, standard slang, and enunciation wise, that made little sense as it could be taken to mean adding more alcoholic drinks to someone or something. What she meant to say was “print it out.” That would have made complete sense.
Lastly, the word retirement came up in a discussion on prefixes, suffixes, and the general working of the English language and all of its numerous exceptions. “Re-” means again or back. “Tire” means to become exhausted or fatigued.
The suffix “-ment” usually refers to a state of being or the state of being a verb. So using the English language rules strictly, retirement means “the state of being exhausted again.”
However, that is totally wrong as it means you have ceased employment usually due to age or sufficient enough savings.
What does our famous Charice have to do with chickens? The answer is in two parts. There isn’t much she has to do with them except eat them. The other part is she performed in Darboy, Wisconsin at the Chickenfest.
What is a Chickenfest? Well, it had events, food, rides, and a finishing concert. What it has to do with chickens is beyond me. I didn’t dig into the history of the festival as my oldest daughter and I wanted to see Charice perform live.
There were three performers that night and Charice went second in the line-up. We weren’t that impressed by the first performer and didn’t stick around for the third performer. We (and about 300 other Filipinas) were there for Charice. She did not disappoint! Every clip you see on Youtube of her is legit. There was no band, no backup singers, and no major distractions. It was just her with her background music for some of her songs on her CD. There were 2 other songs where she went totally a cappella when performing other Top 40 songs.
Here are a few of my impressions of the time with Charice. First, Charice is a totally down-to-earth person. She doesn’t wear much for make-up and is generally conservative except for the heels. This kind lady has been blessed with a voice, moves, and a wonderful personality. However, she is tiny even by Filipino standards. That doesn’t matter as Charice did one thing that my oldest will never forget. She signed our CD of her music and paid attention to my oldest. It left my daughter absolutely beaming with happiness. Next time, it’ll be a photo together. I also have to thank her for having all of us short Filipina’s moved into the VIP section.
On the crowd side, there are a couple of things that jumped out at me. Why on earth do the teenage girls have to scream so much? I nearly went deaf from their screaming. I wanted to hear Charice sing, not girls scream. Oh well, I can’t be too critical as there was a group of Filipina’s who also did something that I deem to be a big no-no. They were up front and holding up the Philippine flag. With all of the tension in the USA right now with Mexico and the illegal / legal immigration stuff, it was a disrespectful thing to do especially in a Mid-West area which is mainly conservative.
All that said, my daughter was thrilled by the experience as was I. What did my hubby do? He drove us there, hung in the background and found out all of the information we needed to know. That is who he is. He always helps us to shine. So thanks hubby!
Today, I must share with you a blunder I made on the technological side and the solution I generated for it. As you read, you’ll understand the title.
First, you will need a little background information. Our household has recently acquired a brand new 27″ iMac. It was supposed to be for my hubby to mount on the wall in his computer area but it is in my office. I must say I really like my new toy. Toy? I mean tool. Yah, that’s it.
As much as I like it, I have to admit there is a minor design oversight in the iMac. They placed the SD memory card reader next to the DVD drive. This may not seem like an issue but it is if you aren’t paying attention or are tired.
To be blunt, I accidentally put the SD card in the DVD drive. Looking online for solutions, I found out I wasn’t the only one who had a brain fart. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a workable solution. Some tried to send in their computer or take it to a service station to get the card removed. The danger in that is you have succeeded in invalidating your warranty as it counts against normal usage. There is also no guarantee they will get it out either.
So what do you do? I tried a variety of things to fish it out but I had to be cautious on my selections so I wouldn’t damage the DVD drive. In the end, I found a use for those annoying inserts in a magazine. The stiff paper was the perfect solution for a device rigid enough to fish out the card but soft enough to not damage the drive. See photos below.
How do you do it? Well, you are going fishing. The answer is to simply change the stiff paper into a fishing hook of sorts. I have included a photo of my finished “tool” so you can find out a potential solution should you make this same warranty-busting blunder.
Hopefully, you will never need to use this advice. If you do though, be nice to your iMac and yourself. In any case, learn from your mistake and don’t repeat it again. Or in the case like mine, get more rest after having a baby.
So far, I have had two close friends make the same statement to me. “Did you know Charice got Botox?” Initially, I didn’t know. I have to admit a less than desirable medical event was the center of my attention as I was the recipient. That’s beside the point. They got my attention and I checked out the story online. 
