ACNE is (sort of) like a CURSE… (Part 3)

 I finally got my Vitamin C cream from Dermaceutic Representative which I had been waiting for a month now. Remember, it was missing from the box I received and finally they sent in. I have completed three Peel treatments and waiting for 2 more before I contact the company. These days I have been youtube’ing as to people’s skin care routine and have found great reviews on dermalogica, Murad and Proactive. As you know I did try Proactive and it cleared my skin but cystic acne had begun. I want to try Murad but it’s known to be Proactive’s sibling since it has the same “active” ingredients. So, my next product to try will be dermalogica (from London); it has its own app in the iphone and I haven’t seen a bad review yet. My partner says, I haven’t looked enough, typical men.

I recently finished my antibiotic minocycline and thank god I did because I was itchy all over my body due to that medicine. I didn’t sleep few nights because I itched all night and scratched so bad that I bled. I used Gold bond cream, powder, fuciden and medicated soaps and aghhh the itch wouldn’t go away. However, one thing worked called Aerius (allergy medication), I got my sleep back.

My face looks a bit better today and the pimples are calm and my face is less reddish. I am hoping for the best but one never knows. I have my fingers crossed!!!

Top ‘Don’ts’ when studying for CFA level 1

I am also on LinkedIN and there are some great discussions/articles members post regarding CFA exams. I will paste what one of the members (name Raina) wrote regarding the CFA level 1 examination, so here it goes.

Top ‘Don’ts when studying for CFA Level 1. Read it so you dont weep later…

1) Don’t wait until the last minute to start studying. You will regret it, not pass the test, and will have wasted a ton of money.
2) Don’t rely solely on your study group to fill in the gaps. You need to devote some time to studying on your own.
3) Don’t waste time learning definitions and flipping through flashcards. Save that for a few weeks prior to the test.
4) Don’t fill your study group with people with the same skills and knowledge areas. Try to build a group with people who have different skills and strengths.
5) Don’t get hung up trying to understand one topic thoroughly. There are a few core topics you have to know expertly, so know what they are!
6) Don’t try to learn formulas through memorization only. Application of them is the only way you can train your brain to have formulas ready for recall for the test.
7) Don’t spend too much time mastering Derivatives and Alternative Investments. You don’t need to.
8) Don’t underestimate Ethical and Professional Standards. This section can make or break you.
9) Don’t be afraid to self-test through the study process. Failing a question makes you learn since your brain will learn best through the shock of failure or through repetition.
10) Don’t be afraid to skip around in the CFA curriculum. The way the curriculum is laid out does not lend itself to revealing the many links between all of the topics presented in the Learning Outcome Statements.
I pasted this article since some people are not LinkedIn members and this really interested me. If you like this, then I will update you with some great CFA blogs that are out there. Bye for now…

CFA Update…

Well the first step is to come out of denial stage, so the truth is; I am behind in my CFA studies. I am definitely not where I am supposed to be and I am sort overwhelmed by the materials, I really want to pass and now I am getting scared which is causing me to procrastinate. Is it normal? I guess so. I have asked my friends and 50% are on schedule and 50% are not. I am surprised my last name is not Procrastinator lol.

Now that I am out of denial stage, let’s talk about what I can do to get back on track. As planned, my goal was to complete 20 readings in the month of January but I have completed only 4, so I am 16 behind. There are approximately 77 readings so I am not close to complete, wow go figure. On top, I have to complete quizzes, videos and exam books. Do I have enough time? The answer is, yes if I use my time wisely.

I have given myself till February 14^th since the price of the registration changes on the 15^th from $1125 to $1470. I can’t believe it’s so expensive. Keep in mind, if you job is covering for it; you have to mention and receive an approval from your manager before registering it. For me, I have informed but waiting for a written approval from my manager. And when I pass then I can submit my invoice in order to get reimbursed, or else I won’t be reimbursed.

Hot Yoga

My best friend has been going on and on about ‘hot yoga’ for few weeks so I finally decided to research. I am sure you have heard that yoga is benefitable in many ways, one of the major ones being, calming your mind and body which is very important in this fast paced world. I do not like Sauna so the idea of hot yoga was not very appealing to me.

Also, as the New Year has just begun, people have resolutions to get fit and most of the Yoga classes were FULL near our residency. After a week of research, we finally went to a drop-in hot yoga class at MOKSHA YOGA STUDIO after work. The studio was located in a Plaza but was very spacious from inside, and there were a lot of people in line (and it was first-come first-serve basis). The money they collected from this class went to a charity which was really impressive to hear.

We finally got in, changed and laid down our mats; after ten minutes, we started to feel hot, really hot, which made us uncomfortable since it was our very first time. The yoga teacher started the class that lasted for 60 minutes. The only yoga pose I liked was called the corpse pose, where you lie down on a mat (like a corpse) with the palms facing the sky ha-ha. Finally, our class was over and we had survived our first ‘hot yoga’ class.

In conclusion, I slept like a baby that night and my back pain had gone away (which started in the morning) by the time I reached home. I sweated like an animal but the main thing was, I felt good after the class even though some moves were unbelievably hard, I still felt good. So if you get a chance, do try ‘hot yoga’ and let me know how you feel… And if you already do hot yoga, do share some tips.

Just remember à the first class will be hard so don’t give up and try your best, before you know it, you will survive your first class. However, if you feel nauseas, instead of leaving the class, do the child’s pose or the corpse pose to calm yourself down for 5 minutes before you leave class (the yoga teacher had advised me).

ACNE is (sort of) like a CURSE… (Part 2)

Let me show how much money I spent on my skin in 2011:

	Skin Related Costs
Jan-11	Proactive
	Wash, Cream, Gel	120.00
	Make up removing cloth	20.00
Apr-11	PCA Products – 6 Treatments
	3 Microdermabrasion, 3 Oxygen facials	500.00
May-11	Make up removing cloth	20.00
May-11	PCA Products
	Included (Wash, Cream, Acne for spot, pigment get, serum)	445.00
	Acne spot cream – bought again bc finished	60.00
Jun-11	Make up removing cloth	20.00
Jul-11	Make up removing cloth	20.00
Aug-11	Make up removing cloth	20.00
Sep-11	Dermaceutic Treatment
	1st Product Kit – free	0.00
	Guarantee – to clear the marks and pimples	650.00
Sep-11	Make up removing cloth	9.00
Oct-11	DermaceuticFoamWash- bought bc finished	40.00
Nov-11	Dermaceutic Mask – bought bc finished	60.00
Nov-11	Make up removing cloth	9.00
Nov-11	Tanda	45.00
Dec-11	Antibiotic Minocyclin	94.00
Dec-11	Dermaceutic Milk Treatment kit – free	0.00
	Yellow Cream for pigments – 2 sample free	0.00
	Total Spent on Skin related Issues	2132.00

 Some of you might think I am a crazy woman spending so much money, and some might know exactly where I am coming from. I am just an average person and I cannot just sit there and do nothing, so I am trying to use all my resources.

 It is January 2012 and I am still going through few pimples but I am trying to stay positive. Of course I am tired of this, I seriously am. One of my friends came over during the winter break and I didn’t have make up, she got really scared and asked if everything was okay with me. My self-esteem just went flat to below zero because it was hurtful. I am a happy-go-lucky person but a thing like this brings one down time to time.

Forgot one more thing – through my extensive research, I also learnt about Tanda and decided to buy it from Shoppers Drug Mart, it works but I have only used it couple of times. I will provide a detailed blog on Tanda later.

 When will my face clear up? I don’t know. When will I stop using Dermaceutic? I am giving them one more month which means 4 more treatments (once a week); if it doesn’t work, I am definitely stopping everything and may consider Accutane. I am still waiting for the Vitamin C cream lol. I will remind them today.

 Stay tuned for Part 3…

ACNE is (sort of) like a CURSE… (Part 1)

My acne is not getting any better and it’s officially been two years. Throughout the two years, acne had some ups and downs but not wiped out yet. Keep in mind, I never had acne in my teen years therefore this would be called Adult acne.

 As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I decided to cure and get rid of my acne in December 2010 by taking the initiative of using PROACTIVE. I used it religiously therefore face started clearing up in the third month; however, I could feel the pimples inside the skin but not on the upper layer. When I researched, this type of acne is known as cystic acne. My marks were not lightening, so I consulted skin specialist at ‘THE SPA’ (not naming the Spa till the end of my treatment).

 After meeting the owner (whom I knew very well) recommended Dermabrasion and oxygen treatment to clear up the marks and the 6 treatments cost about $500 and I signed up. I felt my skin was fresh and smooth in two treatments; she recommended it will work faster if I start the PCA products, which I did in May 2011. In the first month, more pimples started and eventually got better beginning of July. On top, I was getting micro-dermabrasion to get rid of the marks and now to get rid of any upcoming pimples (which was not working). So I complained after 5 treatments and they suggested to buy more treatments and said “3-4 treatments will do nothing,” but then why was I promised that I will, why wasn’t I told before? I told her I was very unhappy about this.

 In August, I went to a dermatologist (no names being mentioned), who suggested my acne is getting vulgar and he suggested going on Accutane but I did not want to. In September, I went back to ‘THE SPA’ and the skin Specialist suggested DERMACEUTIC products which she promised by so I started in September 2011. I paid $700 for treatments and the deal was, she will continue the treatment til the face clears up (SPA’s Promise). The first free kit included face wash, Hyal Ceutic Cream, and a Mask product. I am taking pictures to see the difference on a monthly basis and by November I complained again since my marks had increased.

 Then, the skin specialist recommended to detox (in order to get rid of all the toxins) which I did. And she also suggested getting my blood test done and that came out normal except I am low in Vitamin D (which a lot of people are). I went to the dermatologist and asked if there is any antibiotic I could have, and he gave Minocycline (100 mg) for twice a day for one month which I am currently taking. Now, the pimples were dying down but would still come two days before the period (which I can live with).

 In December 2011, DERMACEUTIC Company Representative met with me and suggested to take one stronger product of the same company. She offered the kit (same Former wash, hyal ceutic cream, turnover cream and extra vitamin C cream which was missing when I got the box) for free and gave the stronger treatment box to the specialist to use it on me.  The rep will use my pictures for future reference since I was keeping track. So I began the stronger products in the last week of December.

Stay tuned for Part 2…

Cleaning Update – Day 50

My honest response on cleaning braces, which I am not so proud of, so here it goes:

I use interdentally brush everyday after lunch and dinner because my teeth love bits and pieces of food I eat. Now I floss every three days instead of everyday. I use the Oral B brush morning and night and I think that was the best purchased product ever. I use the Waterpik every two days, the day I have not flossed and I have something stuck in my teeth’s.

I bought a cheaper version of Oral B round brush for work so I do not have to carry my expensive one. I bought a tongue cleaner which I use after a heavy meal (it was used a lot during Christmas times). I also found Crest toothpaste was easy on the teeth and I rinse my mouth with the Crest mouth wash before bedtime.

I know I was doing extensive cleaning the first 15 days I got my braces but it was getting tiring and I heard over brushing is also not good for the teeth’s so I am taking it slow. Will update you in a week…

Update on braces – Day 47

By day 46, I got used to my braces and was able to eat anything except hard foods i.e. Pecan, Almonds and so forth.  I have lost around 10 pounds which I cant believe. So let me update you all regarding my first tightening appointment.

Day 47 – All the rubber bands were replaced and even though I cleaned my teeth’s very well, the rubber bands were light yellow in colour. The orthodontist replaced all the rubber bands and the metal brace that goes between the braces locks. The length of the metal got smaller. Issue in my case: there are two teeth’s that are twisted and pushed in so she put small white wires to pull it out. When those teeth’s are eventually pulled out, then she will work on the crowding effect that is taking place in the bottom. After that is done, she will take care of the spacing issue between three-four teeth’s.

This is an easy but a long process, since she has to think of where to put the extra wirings to shape the teeth. The taking off and putting back the rubber bands puts pressure in your teeth but it’s a quick process. The wiring process was not hurtful at all, it took about 20 minutes.

Day 48 – Teeth’s felt the pressure again and oh my, the next two days were horrible. The pain was similar to when I got my braces therefore back to soups for now…

Listen up ALDO lovers…

There is great sale online at the ALDO website; I just bought 2 boots and 2 shoes for $160. Check it out : http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/sale/

 Additional 10% if you sign up by email, and free shipping for purchase over $50.

Studying for CFA…

It is believed completing CFA level 1, one is at the same level with anyone with a CFA major in any part of the world. So I have started studying for CFA and here are the current tips…

1. Research about getting secondary materials i.e. Schweser (Stalla), Analyst Notes or something else. Do your research before buying any of the materials since they are very helpful and in presented in a condensed way. So do your research carefully and go through the secondary websites and see what would be benefitable to you: are videos or cards  important for you? If you are full time employee like me, videos would take a lot of my time, are you willing to sit for about 40-50 hours listening to videos, probably not, so what one needs is product summaries book and exam/test questions and therefore pick the package accordingly and don’t waste your money.

I see a lot of people copying off the internet but what I don’t understand is, why wouldn’t you just buy it? It will be all worth it when you pass the exam, and if you don’t pass, you can still reuse for the December exam. Why bother downloading from crappy website and not sure of what is missing or how much has been changed? However, the decision is onto you as a CFA level 1 candidate.

2. When you receive the materials, just look through as in how many chapters, study sessions and stuff there are and make your schedule accordingly. Everyone will have a different time table since everyone has a different schedule, but make a realistic goal and a realistic time table. Being organized is one of the main keys here.  If you get a chance, maybe print it out and put it at work or home to continuously see your progress and the days left to the exam. I researched into a website which had an excel time table with all the topics and sessions shown, I will post Michaels blog website here for your reference, he also has some amazing tips.

http://michaeldignam.com.au/category/cfa-candidates/

The tips I am mentioning is what I am following which i believe will work for me; its totally up to you if you want to use them. I will update as to how my progress is going and where I had difficulties so others don’t end up making the same mistakes. So for more tips, stay tuned…