au.was.here.

hayyyy... so many things happening this January. i keep putting off blogging about it, lalo lang natatambak so simulan ko na kaya. di ko nga lang malaman how to start... hmmm... let's see... how about from the beginning 'no?

nothing better than shocking my reader straight up para magising so eto...


ok, you can un-cringe now... haha... daughter Gabey has been wanting a tongue ring on and off since she was in highschool but of course it wasn't possible then because the school doesn't allow it. so even if it was ok with me, we still have to follow school rules. but she kept her belly ring a secret (from the school, not from me) so we got away with that.

some people have quit asking me by now why i allow it but in case you're curious and don't know it yet, it's because i have one (or two) too. getting any part of the body pierced is really no different than getting an ear piercing. for as long as it is done aseptically and by the right person, there's really no harm in it. but if not done right and if not taken care of the proper way, just like any wound, it could get you in trouble, of course. i really do not see what's the big deal about it for some people--it's simply a matter of preference and style perhaps. besides, piercings are even easier to deal with than tattoos. if you don't like it anymore, the jewelry can be taken out in a sec and most of the time, the hole even closes up depending on how long it's been there.

i often get asked if getting the piercing hurts, and the answer is: but of course it does!!! but the part i hate most is NOT the moment of the piercing itself (because that takes all of 2 seconds actually) but the healing time. it takes about 2 weeks before it is completely comfortable to eat again. it's not totally a bad thing though if you're on a diet...haha!...

unfortunately, i did lose my tongue piercing about a year ago. i had a mouth sore in the roof of my palate so i removed the bar for about 5 days. despite the fact that i had that ring for over a year, the hole still closed up on me. i couldn't put the darned tongue ring back!

Gabey didn't want to do it alone and kept bugging me to get pierced with her. i kinda missed my tongue ring anyway so, in short, i had an excuse to do it again. and so last Jan 3, we did...



o sya, more "normal people" kwento next time... :-D

ADDENDUM:
i just realized some younger people might be reading this post so let me dish out some advise on the right way to do this:

1. if you live with your parents, ask for their permission
i know...chances are, they won't agree but there's really nothing you can do about that till you can live on your own. the best way to deal with this is to "educate" them first on what it's is all about. so maybe you should educate yourself first on what it IS all about. so go ahead and google it.

2. go to a reputable piercer (this is important!)
there may be a lot of piercers in Manila but not all of them are safe. go to a reputable one. i can recommend Skinworkz because they have a proper autoclave for sterilization of their tools and jewelry. and the owner is current president of PhilTag (Philippine Tattoo Artists Guild - which has DOH accreditation)

3. take antibiotics just to be safe
no, the piercer is not a doctor so you should probably get your doctor to give you a prescription. do not self medicate! that could get you in trouble if you have an allergy to meds.

4. it would be nice to take some vitamins as well for immune system support so healing would be faster.

5. last but not the least: Advil (Ibuprofen) is your friend (unless you have and allergy to it, ok!) other bets are paracetamol (Biogesic) or mefenamic acid (Ponstan). Goodluck!