Last weekend, the boys wanted to go out for dinner and hang out a little since one of them is leaving back to NZ very soon. Supposed to have a balance of both genders but Ms Leow had to bail on the very last minute. We went to Burger Lab for dinner and it took us an hour to get there thanks to Mr T's good sense of direction. It was so chaotic in the car since he and Mr K were busy arguing. Here's a joke that happened while we were otw there.
Mr S: So, what is nice ah to eat at Burger Lab? I've never been there lah.
Me: Ask Mr T to intro lah since he's so fond with the place.
Mr T: I think you can have "Hangover".
Mr S: Hangover? But I don't plan to drink eh tonight.
*burst of laughter from me and Mr S*
No pictures are available for Burger Lab since we were all hungry monsters when the food arrived. Waited for a good 40minutes from the time we got there. After dinner, we decided to go to Flat White in SS15 since Mr T have to get his dose of caffeine and apparently their coffee is good.
When we first went up the stairs, I really like the murals on the walls that were greeting us, very cute and artsy.
Ordered Cappucino and one of their cakes, Strawberry Chocolate cake.
Overall experience:
Ambiance: 3.5 / 5
Quite small and packed but the decor is nice.
Food: 4 / 5
Coffee was good but the cake was pretty bad. The chocolate tasted cheap and the texture was gooey.
Price: 4 / 5
Standard cafe prices.
Not very keen to go back there but the coffee is pretty good. Probably would give it a second chance and try out some other cakes.
It's one of those days where I needed the "alone time" to myself..
So, I decided to go 'lepak' at the Starbucks near my place. Grab a cuppa of good ol' Signature Hot Chocolate and a pastry to go with that for lunch while enjoying some people watching session. I don't know why but I love doing that, I feel at ease instead of lonely.
While I was at the counter, I decided to top-up my Starbucks card and then the lady behind the counter asked me, "Miss, do you want to get our Starbucks' Valentine's Day card?". I heard about it on the radio, with it you can get a free size upgrade for beverages for this month and buy1 free1 on Valentine's Day but that's past already. So, she showed me the cards, they have 4 designs with different messages. Pretty cute I must say with its heart shaped design and all, too adorable and tempting that you couldn't resist. I know I couldn't because I agreed to it almost immediately but of course after asking what the T&Cs are.
How to get one?
Easy. Just tell the barista that you want to get their Valentine's Day card, choose your favorite design and then pay RM100 to activate and top-up the card.
So, since I planned to top-up RM100 to my old card already, might as well I get this one.
Using my favorite cuddly panda which I named "Cuddles" as my model (:
I've chosen the "Wonderful You" design.
You can always buy the card as a gift for someone special and there's some space for you to write your love note. Sweet! ❤
Don't you agree that it's just too adorable to resist?
I've added a charm and gold chain to it, it now can be used as a bag decor! ❤
it's beautiful but yet has so many obstacles around it like the thorns on the stem.
I'm talking about love in general, friendship, relationship, family, etc..
Friendship..
As I being to grow older, I somewhat feel as though true friends are getting lesser. Yes, you meet a lot of people walking in and out of your life but they are like shadows lurking in the dark and will be gone when the sun is up. Most of them would be there to laugh with you but how many would remain to cry with you? Once my friend came to me and say,"I find a lot of people are just being friends for the sake of using me." This is a point I agreed on. I've seen people who would be nice to you and stick to you when they want something. After getting what they want, they'll just go "poof!" and vanish! Like a leech that falls off after sucking enough blood from the host. While some.. You might be close initially but somehow time will test the friendship.
I would say the best way to test your friendship is when you are going through a hard time. Count the ones who really care, not those who only want to hear a story. Cherish them!
Relationship..
Everyone's ideal idea about relationship is that it only concerns the two individuals in it but in reality, it was never like that.
Friends, family and public are always getting in the way as how you have to go through the thorns to get the beautiful rose. Never forget the disagreements and arguments in between, either they'll make it better or break it once and for all. Tolerance, patience and understanding are really crucial, especially communication. Without that, how is trust and honesty build and what are they to be build on? Have a balance for everything and always check your priorities so that you don't miss out on anything. Listen to your other half and figure out ways to make things better together, as it bonds you closer and it'll be an achievement as a couple.
If you ever find a guy who loves you for who you are and most of the time you are happy rather than sad, you might just found yourself The One.
Family..
Love from family..
Is like a dethorn rose, easy to hold on to and you can enjoy its beauty without much worries. It's love without the need of returns and sacrifices are done willingly for each other. On the days when you feel like you have no one to turn to, don't forget that you would always have them behind you giving you all the support needed. As any other forms of relationship may vary, this is one that would last a lifetime.
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There's no specific reasons for this post. Just a random rabble.
Hey all, I know some of you has been asking me how much did I spend on my recent LASIK surgery, so I scanned a picture of the flyer that I gotten from VISTA.
The one I did was iLASIK2 and the price above is for the procedure, not inclusive of the pre-surgery eye test. As mentioned in my first blog post on LASIK, VISTA is not doing the Aspheric lasik anymore as they do not have the machine here. You would have to travel to JB if you are keen for it as that's the only branch with the machine available.
And of course, the famous question..
"IS IT PAINFUL?"
Answer: NO.
It's not painful at all, just slight discomfort here and there as they put on the suction piece and also the metal eye opener piece, other than that, it's all good. Except the 5-6 hours stinging sensation after the procedure but it's bearable, just a little like shampoo entered your eyes. Of course, you can read all about my experience on the surgery day here.
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Now, back to my post's title, Post-Surgery Care for LASIK.
I would like to share some tips and dos-and-don'ts from my experience.
1. Do drop the eye drops on time and per prescribed by the nurse as it is crucial for the recovery of the cornea flap.
2. Wear your sunvisor at all time when there's bright light or else you might suffer a headache afterwards.
3. If you are using a shower head, do consider wearing your sunvisor when taking your shower. I am personally doing this everyday. You might think this is funny, wearing sunvisor in the showers but after your shower, check the surface and you'll notice how much tap water would have been in your eyes if you didn't protect them.
4. Some said not to wash your face and hair for a week. Eww! Definitely a NO-NO for me! My tips for both..
Face: Gently pat water on your face, avoiding the eye areas. Bubble up your facial wash on your palm and slowly apply them on your face, again avoiding eye areas. You may want to do this in front of a mirror as it'll be easier. Then, wet a piece of cotton and slowly clean off the facial wash. As for the eyes, wet a piece of cotton and dab gently to clean. You might find some sticky residue when you are cleaning, these are from the dried up eye drops. Just gently dab on them to clean.
Hair: I used a water pipe connecting to the tap instead of the shower head as the water spray from the shower head is wider and therefore higher chance of getting tap water into your eyes. Control the level of water flow and tilt your head to the back to slowly wet the hair. I find tilting back is much easier and cleaner than tilting forwards plus it can reduce the strangles.
5. Wear the pair of transparent eye shields to sleep! They are really useful for people like me who loves to sleep sideways. If you love sleeping face up, do still wear them as it can protect you from rubbing or scratching them while you are in Dreamland.
6. NO MAKEUP. No eye shadow for a week and no eyeliner + mascara for a month.
7. Go for your follow-up checkups; 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 12 months after the procedure.
I guess those are some of the tips I can think of for now. Shall update if I can think of any.
Hello hello, it's my 5th day after my successful LASIK surgery!
So sorry for the delay in this blog post as I wanted to stay away from facing the laptop for long hours.
It feels so awesome and free without the need of glasses / contact lenses! No need to worry if the glasses fog up from the air-con, contact lenses being too dry from wearing too long and the time taken to put them on.
This is how I feel.. The amount of happiness ❤ Photo from last Malacca trip
Let me bring you back to my journey on the surgery day, February 6..
6.00am
Got up from bed feeling blur and sleepy, definitely not enough sleep. Can feel my eyes are so dehydrated from the lack of sleep. Time to shower and prep myself. Put on some comfy warm clothes and blow dry the hair, all done. Then, wait for the boyfie to come pick me up and go to the center together.
6.50am
We arrived and saw a car with the sticker "Vista" on it waiting for us. The driver definitely blasted the air-con for some while as it was coooooooold in there or maybe it's just me that's afraid of cold. He was friendly and welcomed us warmly, chit chatted throughout the journey while assuring me that the surgery would be okay and there's no need to feel overly nervous for it.
7.45am
Supposed to reach the center by 8.30am but we got there way earlier. Pretty surprised as it was quite heavily jammed up at the highways. The center is located right inside of The Curve. The office wasn't open yet but he was so nice to make a call and get the staffs to open it for us to wait inside.
8 something in the morning
We just sat around, playing with the phone while waiting for the nurse to arrive. The place was pretty comfy and on the side of the long registration table, there was one platform with more than 10 trophies on it. I guess you can say that's how trust-able they are in the industry. They have free chargers for iPhone, Samsung and HTC users, free WiFi and a coffee machine for self-service (awesome plus points for patient's company). Then, the nurse came and took me around for some eye checkup before the surgery. Followed up by signing the consent form and making the payment for the procedure.
9.30am
'Ms Yvone? You are up for the surgery, please follow me.' This is when my heart started beating a little faster. After reading the consent form with all the things you might have to expect after the surgery, my mind was having a party on its own jumping at random thoughts. Before that, the nurse asked the boyfie if he wants to see how the procedure is carried out, he nods and they would lead him into the room once I am prepped for the surgery.
In the room..
It's like entering an operation theater seen on televisions, where there's 3 sections,
1. the area to clean and prep,
2. the waiting area, and
3. the operation theater.
Firstly, you have to remove your shoes and put on their provided pair of slippers. Then, remove all valuables or unrelated things to be keep in the lockers. The only thing I had was my spectacles. Then, they would require you to put the surgery cap on and wash off your facial products and have a clean bare face. Already the room was freezing cold, I had to wash my face with a running tap of cold water some more.. Oh, 'Clean and Clear' cleanser is provided for you to wash your face. After, they will give you the surgery dress and feet covers to put on while explaining the prescriptions of the given eye drops.
Next, into the waiting area. It was colder in there and I was a little shivering already even though I wore long sleeves and leggings. The nurse saw that I was fidgety so she asked if I needed some anti-anxious tablet to calm my nerves. I nodded and she gave me half a tablet. Few minutes later, another patient came in. Her turn is scheduled to be right after mine. The nurse then swab some antiseptics around the eyes and on the lids while we were waiting for the doctor. About 5 minutes later, I heard someone was telling, 'Doctor, this is your first patient of the day and we may begin in a while.' and I swear I heard some laser zapping sounds from the theater when they opened the door. Probably they were warming up the machines or something.
While I was just easing my mind off..
Time for the surgery!
First the doctor greeted me 'good morning', asked how I feel and reassuring me that this is a small surgery that would be done in just a nick of time. Lying on the chair in the operation theater makes everything more surreal and then it hits me, "This is it, after this no more glasses and contact lenses!". He started with covering my right eye and before he begin, he asked if I'm okay and my reply was, "I'm okay but I'm a little shivery because it's cold in here." Then, he asked the nurse to cover me with a blanket, instant warmness. So, he placed the suction thing over my eye, it's like a plastic piece and then I know.. I'll be losing vision for few minutes while the suction is on to create the flap (watched the animated video before during my briefing). I have to focus on a blinking red dot and then the nurse says, "Suction on..". You'll feel a minor discomfort as though your eyeball is being pulled and then shades of grey would slowly crawl in till you see nothing. That's when I don't know whether or not I am actually still focusing on the red dot as vision's zero. Felt a slight prick on the eyeball and seconds later, we are done with an eye. Then, he moved on to the right one. Same procedure and minutes later, we are moving to the next station to start on the laser! While I got up and open my eyes, I can clearly see there's a layer of skin on my eyeballs and those are the flaps created.
Second machine, the nurse placed a pillow and it's used to grab my head in place. This time he started with the right eye. Covered the left eye and then I have to focus on the blinking red dot again. He taped both my upper and lower lashes and inserted a metal piece to open up the eye, it's pretty uncomfortable. Next, drops of liquids are dropped onto the eye and he opened the flap for the laser procedure. The moment the flap is removed, my vision dropped almost instantly as all I see is blurriness. Slowly tilting my head until my eye is at the perfect position for the laser, the nurse started chanting, "Tracking, tracking, tracking, tracking, tracking, tracking, tracking, tracking, tracking... and 48 seconds counting down.. 35.. 25.. 10.. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..". Throughout the whole laser procedure, I can see the laser beams jumping on the cornea like some performance, very pretty I must say. LOL!
After that, he said, " Gimme a minute to close back the flap yea". Several eye drops and sweeping on the eye and, voila! One eye done and moving on to the next one. It definitely felt less than 10 minutes for the whole procedure and I really feel good throughout it as my doctor was great! He says encouraging words the whole time like, "Okay, Yvone, you are doing good. Very steady, doing very well", you know things that calm you down and gives you courage. Once finished with the procedure, I can barely open my eyes, my lids were so heavy. And apparently their anti-anxious tablet was sleeping pill. Together with my lack of sleep, it started to drown me with extreme sleepiness. And they actually take a photo of you with your doctor after the procedure for memories! Yay for that!
After the procedure, the nurse would check your eyes and you can go home already. I tried real hard to keep my eyes open but I can't and I was walking swinging left and right, a little like a drunkie. Thank God for the boyfie being there the whole time and taking care of me ❤ Also, I'm really glad for the free shuttle service as I get to rest comfortably on the way home while the driver was chit-chatting with the boyfie to keep him company. I could barely talk or move, sleeping pill effect. And, you will feel a stinging sensation with ultra sensitivity to light for the next 5-6 hours after the surgery. Be sure to put on your sunvisor the whole time and get plenty of rest.
Every patient would be provided with this med kit bag for the post-surgery care..
1. Sunvisor (indoors - first 24 hours and outdoors - one week)
2. A pair of eye shield together with the tape
3. Alcon's 5ml Vigamox (medicated antibiotic eye drops)
4. Alcon's 5ml Maxidex (medicated anti-inflammatory eye drops)
5. 4 boxes Alcon's Systane Ultra artificial eye drops
6. A flyer on the steps to apply the eye drops and dos-and-don'ts
7. They even prep a timetable for you to apply the eye drops
My Robocop/Mother of All Flies look for one week
My overall experience was AWESOME and so far I am enjoying every second of it!
Definitely worth the price in exchange for this piece of freedom!
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If you are interested to see how the surgery is carried out, this video would explain all. I think my surgery was the exact same one as mine was also done using 'Intralase' and 'Custom Lasik'. Skip to 4.10 minute for the procedure. Be warned that it might disgust you a little, boyfie said it was yucky to watch my procedure.
I hope this blog post would help you readers out there who are interested in going for LASIK.
If you have further questions, do leave me a comment, I wouldn't mind to share my experience (:
The days where the size of my waist and tummy would increase thanks to all the delicious delicacies and snacks that we all failed to resist! Once a year mah, eat while you can! #goodfoodisgoodfortummy
I know it's been few days since my eye test for my upcoming LASIK surgery, to my fellow readers who have been keeping tab to get futher updates, sorry for the delay. Been busy cleaning the house and preparing for Chinese New Year like an excited child.
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Regarding my eye test..
Firstly, you will need to lay off contact lenses for at least a week before proceeding with the test. They started with checking my eye sight power using the machine like how your normal optician would do when checking your power. Once completed, they used the machine to shoot some air into your eyes. This is to check on your eye pressure and it's definitely not pleasant. I literally jumped everytime they do that even though I was prepared. Can't imagine how funny I looked to others.
Then, they used another machine to check my corneal thickness. As mentioned in my previous post, you'll need sufficient thickness to go for the surgery (read more here). They'll strap your head to it and ask you to open your eyes big big and stare at the red light dot. Then no blinking or moving while a series of lights scanned through your eye. Feels a little like putting your eyeball on a photocopy machine. After that, there was another machine but I wasn't sure what was it for.
Next, she placed two thin strips of paper under both eyeballs and asked me to close my eyes and rest for 5 minutes. This is to test the level of moisture in your eyes to see if you have dry eye problem. You will feel minor discomfort because there's paper poking your eyeballs but it's bearable, nothing big. As for me, my eyes are a little dry, will be needing lots of eye drops after the surgery.
Moving on, the interesting part.. You know how you have to put on those hideous glasses which the opticians used to manually check your eye sight?
These are one of my worst nightmares! Especially after they are done changing in and out pieces after pieces of glass lenses, they'll ask you to go outside and walk around for a bit to see if your eyes can adapt to the new power. I can safely say that no one, NO ONE would ever look hot in these! Lucky for me, VISTA has this machine where you just put your face there and the rest is just clicks away.
It probably looked something like this. I would definitely go for this cyborg look anytime rather than those hideous glasses. After a good 10-15 minutes, it's done. Next, she used a 'Pupillometer', something that looks like a hair dryer to check on the size of your pupils. Apparently mine are bigger than those of average people, so I might have glare/halo problems but the eyes might also get adapted to it. We then proceeded to some eye drops used to dilate the pupils. She dropped from 3 different bottles and let me rest for 30 minutes in order for them to work their magic.
Afterwards, back into the room to check the eye sight using the cyborg machine again. This time, I have difficulties in reading the letters as my vision was quite blurry. Apparently they dilate your pupils to make your eyes focus more when reading to get a more accurate result. Later, it was time to consult the doctor. He just briefly go through again on what is LASIK, what are my results of the tests, what I might need to take note of after the surgery and some minor details, nothing much actually.
The last was a quick briefing by the optician of the dos-and-don'ts before and after the surgery. She was so nice to explain one by one even though I could read them on my own. Putting on the spectacles and trying to read while your pupils are still dilated is no fun. I suddenly felt like an old woman with farsightedness as the words are so blur. I have to take them off and hold the paper up close to my face to read it. Total blind bat moment! The effect would last for about 5-6 hours depending on individual. So, DO NOT drive after the test, get someone to pick you up.
Total payment of the test?
RM 98
Hope this post helps you in understanding part of the procedures better!
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