Laser Hair Removal

Wow, it definitely sucks to hear so many of you guys with bad credit card experiences!

So anyway, I was sitting in MIS class today chatting with a friend of mine on Google, when the topic came up about Laser Hair Removal. She basically told me that he's interested in getting laser hair removal therapy. Now I know what you all are thinking - "What the hell, laser hair removal? Does that even flipping work?"

She wants to get it done on her... erm pubic region, and without getting too graphic here, it's not even anything bad to be honest. The whole point of her getting laser hair removal was to avoid having to shave all the time and yada yada.

From what I understand, Laser Hair Removal takes many many sessions and because of the time between treatments, can actually be a fairly drawn out process. To me this sounds like a huge money grab... Especially since these places charge per treatment.

At this point, I'm just trying to find ways to convince her otherwise because of the potential side effects... Skin cancer, rash, abrasive dermatological hypersensitivity (okay I admit I knew nothing about this stuff so I had to make it up). But still! A quick search on the web revealed that you would expect all of the easily foreseeable side effects.

Anyway, I'm still trying to convince her out of it, and get her to just shave her pubes regularly like everyone else does. It's a bit embarrassing, really (it's a girl thing I guess). SO anyone out there with experience doing laser hair removal surgery? Perhaps some good reasons why she shouldn't do it?

...Or even convince me otherwise that it's a safe procedure and worth the effort/money!

Zero Interest Credit Card

As a student, I'm always trying to save. And as a student, every penny helps. That's why I spent hours and hours scouring different credit card companies for a good rewards card.

First of all, I am very picky. I need some or all of the following features:
1) Cash-back
2) No annual fee
3) Low interest rate, if possible zero percent interest

Now, I hear a lot of people deciding about Visa vs Mastercard. In this day and age, that is not a deciding factor! Both are ubiquitous with merchants; where there's one, there's bound to be the other (although buying olympic tickets were a notable exception for Visa). Plus, what's stopping you from getting one of each?

I'll explain why I need each of these features.
Cash back: Getting 1% on every purchase adds up. Therefore, I pay for EVERYTHING with the card and hold minimal cash. $1.50 coffee? Throw it on the card. $0.50 stamp? Throw it on the card. With a monthly $500 balance, I get back a couple bucks per month which is nice.

No annual fee: This one is just silly. I'm not a consistent enough or rich enough user that I can make use of this. Most often paid cards will give you premium benefits like better rewards/cash back or lower interest rates. But you'd need to spend a crapload for it to pay off.

Low interest rate or zero interest rate: If I ever miss a bill, I need to be able to know that I can make the minimum payment and NOT get shot in the leg for holding a balance. Most cards charge you 20% which is just stupidly ridiculously high. The best I've seen are 11%, some perhaps even lower. If you are a student or someone else with a Part Time job or uncertain job, then make sure you have a good interest rate on your credit card! It will come in immensely helpful during those months you find yourself out of work.

AND finally, the juicy part, the solution:
Enter MBNA SmartCash Credit Card.
It gives 1% on all purchases, 3% on groceries and gas; and for the first 2 or 3 months, you get an extra 2% on groceries and gas (yes, 5% in total!). Great cash back for buying gas which is through the roof lately, as well as shopping for groceries which are always a necessity when living on your own.
Interest rate, I admit, is terrible (20%) but I think the smart cash makes up for it. Oh, and of course, no annual fee.

I encourage everyone to check it out and sign up for this card simply because it has the best reward out there right now. HOWEVER, I have no experience with their customer service so I can't comment on that. And with credit cards or financials, good CS can be a godsend.

Let there be light / Cramming tips

Hey guys, thanks for your caring comments. I released the blindfolds today, so to speak, and everything is still kind of blurry but I can see! Need to do regular checkups with the surgeon but it's going along very well.

Other than that, unfortunately not much to update you guys about in regards to University life. Exams are quickly creeping up so it's that season again... Cramming season. And damn, that's the worst season of the year. They say for a student there are only two seasons... Cramming season, and July ;)

Anyway, I know a lot of you guys are also facing upcoming crunch time, so I thought I'd give you guys some tips on how to cram effectively:

1) Be well nourished.

Nothing sucks worth than having hunger pangs or thirst interrupt your studying. In fact, more often than not, getting food or drink is just another procrastination technique. So bring food with you, but don't stock up too much on sugar and caffeine (this will drive you nuts and the subsequent crash will be spectacular). Bring a cool refreshing sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade, something with minerals in it (not friggn red bull, if you can help it). Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, say a salad. Bring healthy junk like oatmeal and energy bars. Don't eat too much in the very beginning! Just hold off the munchies for the first several hours.

2) Set the mood.

Get rid of ALL distractions from your environment. Change into something comfortable, but not PJ's and slippers (this sets the mood for sleep, terrible idea!). Another terrible idea is studying on your bed, just doesnt' work. If it's cold, turn up the heat and or throw on a sweater. Study at a well lit, cleared table away from the TV and computer (use the computer only if you really need it for downloading documents; it's too easy to get distracted on it). Your chair needs to upright, non-mushy. Music is good, but fast or upbeat with no lyrics. Try classical if you've used it in the past, but this often puts people to sleep.

3) Draw an outline.

Set an outline that maps out every 15 to 30 minutes of your studying. I.e. 10:00pm read chapter 1, 10:15 answer chapter 1 questions, 10:30 do supplementary problems. Finishing faster than the allotted time will serve as a motivator, but don't go "hey, I finished early so I can browse the web with the extra 5 minutes!" Nononononono. Finish early, give yourself more time on the next one. If you are late already, push yourself to finish quicker, or set more realistic guidelines. If you can't do it, move on. Furthermore, the outline will help you recall your info during the exam.

4) Don't stress!

Seriously, relax! Cramming is reality! If you stress out and start doubting that you can finish it, then you enter the mentality that you actually won't finish and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If you have the outline, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to stick to it and finish on time. Stick with it, work diligently. This takes a TON of self discipline so you'll need to work on it.

Best of luck guys! And as always, let me know how your exams go!

And the medical bills are sky high!

Hey guys, thanks for the kind wishes!

Just went through the surgery this afternoon and everything went swimmingly. Racked up some huge medical bills, so to speak. Thank god for medical insurance I guess...

My eyes are hypersensitive to light right now though so I actually got a friend of mine to transcribe this post. Couldn't keep away from my blogfans =).

Anyway, I'll just be chilllaxing at home with patches over my eyes for the next little while, though docs say they should be coming off in a matter of days. No rush though I say. I'm having the time of my life, just listening to music and whatnot...

I'd like to share a song with you that absolutely touched my heart. Chris Medina - What Are Words. Also watch his performance on American Idol, it's heartbreaking...You'll see!

Cheers.

Laser Eye Surgery

Hey guys,
So I will be receiving laser eye surgery over the next few days! I'm probably more enthusiastic about it than I should be, but I have acute myopia and my glasses are thick enough to stop bullets. Soooo, after I get the laser eye surgery (or otherwise known as LASIK) I'll be able to see without any glasses or contacts! Sweet deal!

I looked around for cheap laser eye clinics but unfortunately there's not a lot around this city. As a student I'm a bit tight on cash but I didn't want to go for the cheapest ones because these are my eyes we're dealing with after all... There are definitely more LASIK MD's in the states, but I couldn't afford to fly down just to do this operation.

Anyway, at the hospital/laser eye center, I'll have my laptop with me so I'll keep y'all updated!