Eye Update

Went back to the eye doctor for an update. The lumps on the underside of my eye lids and cornea (apparently there were lumps there too!) have reduced in size and I do find that my eyes are less itchy too. Doc advised to refrain from my contacts for another 1-2 weeks for complete healing. =(

Had a bit of a chat with her and I realised that for soft permanent lenses, they need to be changed every year. My current pair is already 1 yr and 9 months old!! Then I asked her about various alternatives since replacing my lenses every year would come up to quite a sum!

1) Disposable lenses
In my case, it's not possible as my astigmatism is very high, about 350 and as far as I know disposable lenses are not available for astigmatism of such a high extent.

2) Soft lenses
I would need to change them every year and must ensure I use them for a period of 12 hours each time or else my eyes will act up again.

Cost per year = roughly $350
Lotion, cleaner, protein remover = $180

3) Hard lenses
My optician keep dissuading me from them, but my eye doc says they are the safest for the eyes and each pair can last up to 3 years with proper care and using for more than 12 hours is possible too.

Cost per year (assuming one pair costs $500) = $167
Lotion, cleaner, protein remover = $180

4) Lasik
Currently, cost of lasik has gone down but considering my high degree and high astigmatism, estimate it to cost roughly $3000. But I did get quite a fair bit of feedback that I gotta manage my expectations if I do lasik that it may not be perfect. There have been horror stories about seeing halos, unclear vision when tired, etc.

5) Glasses
Glasses can last for quite a while, maybe 2-3 years. But of course, one doesn't look so great with it. Somehow I got lots of comments from friends, colleagues, even those from other depts, that I look so different in glasses. Sigh.. Somehow I dun see that as a compliment!

Cost per year (assuming one pair costs $300) = $100

Obviously, glasses is the most economical choice! But did some calculations. Lasik will prob last me maybe 10 years before I get lao hua. So on a time scale of ten years,

Soft lenses will cost $530/year.
Hard lenses will cost $347/year.
Glasses will cost $100/year.
Lasik will cost $300/year.

So what will Em's decision be? Still thinking...

Social Change .. with a Grin

Check out this really cute and heartwarming TVC that won many advertising awards.

Saying Goodbye to a Fren

I'm so sorry I couldn't take care of you better.
I still remember the very first day I got introduced to you.
You were new, fresh and in great condition.
Not only that, you were stylish and I was proud to bring you around and show you off.
At first, I didn't really know or understand you.
But with time, I began to appreciate you better for your strengths and abilities.
You were a fren who shared all the happy moments and events in my life.
The very last event was supposed to be a great nite out with my hubby.
The very last moments were shots of a hearty meal we had together.
Some time later, you were senselessly, unknowingly taken away from me.
By the time I could react, it was too late.
I could only let my tears flow and flood the anger and disbelief that this had happened.
We had known each other for not even a year.
There were still many happy occasions I wanted you to share with me.
But now.... I only had the past to hold on to.
Perhaps it was just meant to be this way.
And now.... I have to stop the mourning and the fretting and let go...

Goodbye my fren!

Itchy Eyes

Past few weeks my eyes have been very itchy and going red all of a sudden. This is especially so for the left eye and it went all red on several occasions. Decided to stop being vain and lay off wearing my contacts for a while. But the itch still remained. After much nagging from Joe, I went to see an eye doctor. By eye doctor, I mean a real doctor specialising in optometry and not an optician. Did the usual eye test to test my sight, then she checked my eyes in detail, the underside of the eyelids and my cornea, etc. Even did an interesting test where strips of paper were placed at the bottom of my eye to test how well my eyes were producing tears.

The diagnosis -> my eyes were very dry especially the left eye. There were also white bumps called papillae on the underside of my eyelids [in the picture, you can see slight bumps on the left hand side of the lid], indicating allergy reaction, which she concluded was caused by my contact lenses. She prescribed eye solution to treat the allergy reaction, eye drops which I had to use to lubricate my eyes every hour or so and an eye gel to be used before I slept. I also had to stop wearing my lenses till the bumps were gone which she would check for me when I go back for a follow-up checkup. Sigh, that means I got to endure people saying I look like a teacher till my eyes fully recover!!! She asked me if I use my contacts for long periods of time and by long period, it means more than 12 hours each time. But then if you think about it, if you start wearing your contacts around 730am in the morning 12 hours means I need to remove my contacts at 730pm! How will that be possible? Maybe I should start wear glasses on weekdays and contacts during weekends? But can you ever look stylish with glasses? =((

Girls' Nite Out

We gals had a year-end get-together over yummy Korean food! We went to Hyang-to-gol at Amara Hotel, where many Koreans patronise as well! Check out the spread of side dishes and it is free-flow!


The very yummy beef bulgogi - the waitress will cook everything nicely for us so we just need to wait and then enjoy!


The seafood hot pot noodles - cooked on the spot for us as well!



A nice sweet end to the meal - I LOVE the sweet drink you see on the right. It is very refreshing!


What was extremely amusing was the fact that we had 3 bloggers, Becky, Ee-lin and me all taking pics of the food! Carilyn also took pics, though she doesn't blog! It was really amusing! We all had to wait for each other to finish taking pics before we could tuck in!


Thanks gals, I believe we all had a good time! =)

Off Day & Down Time

Joe and me decided to take a day off to just relax. It was a really relaxing day! Since I just washed some clothes on Saturday, that meant no laundry to do too! Attempted to hike to Henderson Waves but we kinda got lost and couldn't find the place. We will attempt it another time again!

From Harbourfront MRT station, leave by Exit D and you will find a sign that says "Henderson Waves."

Walk down the path and you will see a trail called Marang Trail.

Btw, hiking will require lots of walking so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk!




Yes, believe it or not, this IS Singapore!

You can see the cable-cars moving along from here!

I really love just strolling along amidst greenery, enjoying some calm from the hustle and bustle of city life. It makes me relaxed and also very happy!

Honeymoon 2008

I have been wanting to finish captioning my honeymoon pics for some time and I finally did it! You can view the slideshows below.

Paris


Barcelona


Madrid


Toledo


Granada


Also some of the highlights!

Best Breakfast
El Quim at Mercat Sant Josep, Barcelona

Best Lunch
La Finca de Susanna, Madrid

Best Dinner
Leon Restaurante-Bar, Granada

Best Shopping Experience
H&M at Madrid

Too busy shopping to take any pics!

Best Accomodation
Hands down Casa del Aljarife, Granada

Runner-up would be Hostal Goya, Barcelona

Best Museum
The Lourve, Paris

Best Attraction
Alhambra, Granada

Best Cultural Experience
Watching a flamenco perfomance at Casa Patas, Madrid

Best Overall Location
Barcelona!

Muesli bars for Christmas

Due to budget constraints, we bought Christmas gifts for family and close frens. Still, I thought it would be nice to bake something small for the rest of the friends we wanna appreciate. Decided on museli bars, based on the receipe my colleague June gave me. It's from Nigella Express.

250g rolled oats (NOT instant oats!) I bought a 1kg bag cos I thought it was more economical!

175g mixed nuts/seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, etc. of yr choice) You can buy nuts from Carrefour or Cold Storage. Not those pre-packed ones, but those that they weigh out for you.

125g peanuts or almonds Pound them first, but not too finely though.

150g dried cranberries

75g dessicated coconut You can find this at the baking section of supermarkets. I bought the brand Bake King.

1 x 397g can condensed milk

'Soak' the oats in the condensed milk first to soften it.
Mix the rest of the ingredients well and stir it into the oats.

Spread the mixture onto lined baking tray.

Press on all surface with a (fairly flat) tablespoon or yr hands so everything sticks together in a bar, with no gaps in between. Or else it may fall apart later, it did for mine. I had to use a spoon to press the bits that came apart back together again.

Bake at 160 degrees for an hour. Do watch the baking to ensure nothing burns. For my first attempt, it became a bit burnt and I had to chop off the burnt bits.

Cool for 15 mins before turning out to cut to bars of a size of your choice. You will need to use a chopping knife to cut the bars as the bake is quite firm - lots of strength needed!

I bought the small plastic bags from Daiso, very pretty! Even comes with electric blue twist-ties. In the end, I only managed to make 15 packs so the 15 privileged persons who got museli bars from me, you are blessed! Hehe!