Canada Picture

It's kind of belated, but I wanted to post a picture from my Canada trip.



It's just me in front of the Niagara Falls. It's not even a good picture, but it's one of the only few pictures that my boss took. You can kinda see the portion of the fall behind me.

From the Great White North...

Yeah, I'm in Canada right now typing this entry in the hotel room. This marks a few interesting milestones for me:

1. This is the first time I have ever connected to the Internet through a WiFi Hotspot.
2. This is my first entry that I write away from home (other than the very first entry: that was written at my parents' house).

My impression on WiFi Hotspot: it's way too expensive. I'm paying $11 for the right to connect for the next 24 hours with 500 MB data transfer limit. This barely lets you do much. Especially, if I'm connected in the hotel room, I would rather have a free, wired internet connection. I will have to watch my usage, really.

Anyway, I'm in Canada for a business. I'm staying at the Waterloo Inn in Kitchener, Ontario. Because I'm traveling with my boss (a VP of the company), we are getting a pampering VIP treatment from the host plant. They would drive us around, take us out to dine and wine, and they even arranged the hotel accommodation for us. The last time I was here, I had to do all that myself.

I wish I had a digital camera. My camera was lost during my last trip to Mexico. I am currently looking at getting one. One from Panasonic looks damn good, but expensive. Sony cameras' prices are coming down. I need a really portable good quality camera. I want to be able to post a picture on my blog sites wherever I am so that the millions of my potential readers will be able to keep up with my latest adventure.

Yes, it's cold here... The locals are telling me that it's gotten warm. I don't know how anybody gets used to this severe winter climate. I don't really like hot weather, but I guess I would take hot over cold any day.

You know I brought this notebook computer from work: the bigger, heavier one because I thought I needed this particular program for this trip. I found out that the program doesn't even work outside my office. They screwed up when they installed it, I guess. I'm mad because now I have to tote around this damn heavy computer all over the place for nothing! I could have brought my small Sony Vaio in the stylish Booq bag, and save some pain! Oh, well...

I'm gonna wrap up this entry before I end up yapping about nothing all night. I got an early morning tomorrow. Maybe I get a free connection tomorrow, then I will be able to post more, otherwise, you'll have to wait until Saturday night.

Electric Toothbrush

I use an electric toothbrush. I started using it a several months ago, and the result has been remarkable. The toothbrush is made by Oral-B and I paid about $20 at Wal-Mart. I can't find the exact model that I use anymore in the store or in the website, so they may have stopped producing it, but similar models still exist.

• The brush head should be small: it allows you to maneuver it better in your mouth so you are more likely to reach all surfaces of your teeth.
• The bristles should be soft: it actually brushes your teeth better (according to my hygienist). I used to use medium to hard bristles because the stimulation in my mouth felt better, but you can get used to the soft kind pretty quickly. With an electric brush, it's plenty stimulating anyway.
• The chargeable unit eliminates hassles: I guess it's not a requirement, but it IS convenient.

I use Crest Dual-action Whitening toothpaste. With toothpaste applied on the brush head, I turn the brush on in my mouth. I run the brush on each tooth briefly. I don't have to spend more time on each tooth than a few seconds, but I make sure that the outside bristles get into between the teeth as deep as possible by orienting the brush appropriately. It takes me about 3 minutes usually. The brush has a 2-minute timer (it vibrates intermittently for a second at the 2-minute mark), so I know if I'm on a right pace.

The visits to the dentist have been much more pleasant as my hygienist now commends me for my excellent oral hygiene. I only brush once a day in the morning and I swish with Listerine before I go to bed at night. I don't normally floss, but my hygienist doesn't even nag me about flossing anymore. I would like to think that the use of the electric brush is as effective as using the floss.

I've been lucky with oral health as I have never had a cavity in my life. I didn't go to the dentist for 7 years until a few years ago, but I only had the mild case of gingivitis which cured right after the visit to Dr. Whaley in Vincennes. With the electric brush, Plax and Listerine, my teeth now are whiter and healthier than ever. People actually comment on them! I definitely recommend my oral care method to anybody.