Being Azury

When wise people speaks...

In light of Malaysia's hottest issues; 1) the shortage of rice supply and 2) the shocking revelation of a wonder (or threat to some) called BLOG; I think Malaysians need to thank these couple of ‘wise guy’ for coming up with brilliant solutions and ideas. 

Wise Guy No. 1: MAKAN KELEDEK, UBI KENTANG GANTI NASI (as reported in today’s Utusan  Malaysia) 

Rakyat Malaysia disaran memakan keledek dan ubi kentang bagi menggantikan nasi sebagai MAKANAN RUJI. Ketua Pengarah Tuuuuttt, Mr Wise Guy No. 1 berkata, “Pengambilan ubi-ubi berkenaan sebagai pengganti beras sesuai dengan TREND makanan masyarakat sekarang. KANAK-KANAK sekarang juga menggemari KENTANG GORENG serta pelbagai produk daripada ubi termasuk KEREPEK UBI yang dapat membantu mengubah trend makanan rakyat negara ini.” 

I have no idea what’s going on in this fella’s head but clearly, the keywords ‘TREND, KANAK-KANAK, KENTANG GORENG and KEREPEK UBI’ can only be interpreted as ‘MCDONALD’S FRIES, MISTER POTATO, PRINGLES and CHEESY WEDGES’, to name a few. Potato can be healthy, but not in the form of fried fries and potato chips la. Next time, maybe you should THINK before you TALK? 

Wise Guy No. 2 : MAHASISWA SOKONG WUJUD PENGAJIAN BLOG DI IPTA

 Cadangan Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) untuk memperkenalkan kursus berkaitan pengajian blog dilihat sebagai suatu langkah positif ke arah melahirkan lebih ramai penulis blog di negara kita. Melalui kursus yang ditawarkan ini, sekurang-kurangnya dapat membantu pengendali blog yang baru dan berkeinginan untuk berkecimpung di arena blog ini. Walaupun perkembangan blog di negara kita bergerak dengan pantas, namun begitu ia hanya berlegar di kalangan golongan yang berminat dengan dunia politik sahaja (Yeah dude, blogging is all about politics…). Tetapi kehangatan dunia blogger ini kurang menyerap masuk ke dalam diri mahasiswa, Kebanyakan daripada mereka masih kurang sedar mengenai kepentingan blog. Hal demikian kerana kebanyakan daripada mereka tidak mempunyai ilmu dan kepakaran untuk membina dan mengendalikan blog (Kurang sedar kepentingan blog… kerana kurang ilmu membina dan mengendali blog? Are you for real??). Sebab itu, saya melihat cadangan memperkenalkan kursus berkaitan pengajian blog ini suatu cara untuk mengatasi masalah ini. Perlaksanaannya bukan sekadar dilakukan di Universiti Tuuutttt bahkan di seluruh universiti dan dijadikan sebagai subjek elektif untuk semua pelajar.
 
(Panjang lagi tapi tak larat nak taip, so skip right to the closing) 

Melalui lapangan blog ini, golongan mahasiswa lebih bebas menulis tanpa terikat dengan etika kewartawanan tertentu yang diguna pakai oleh media tradisional. – Written by Mr. Wise Guy No.2, Setiausaha, Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam, Universiti Tuuuuuttttt. 

I feel really sorry for this particular guy, honestly. First of all, he totally misunderstood the intention of the Vice Canselor of UiTM. I quote the VC speech from mSTAR Online, 12 May 2008: “Saya rasa Fakulti Komunikasi dan Pengajian Media bersedia untuk menjalankan kursus ini dan saya menyokong sepenuhnya cadangan ini kerana sudah sampai masanya kita membantu melahirkan blogger yang profesional dan beretika. Setiap orang boleh menjadi penulis blog, tetapi kita tidak boleh menulis sesuka hati dan mesti faham tentang beberapa syarat untuk menulis termasuk perkataan dari segi etika dan sama ada perkara itu benar atau tidak benar. Perkara berbentuk negatif ini kita tidak boleh terima”. 

Or in other word, less Raja Petra? Ooppss, I better not touch about that subject. SENSITIVE! 

Obviously… contrary to Mr. Wise Guy No. 2’s understanding, the VC was talking about blogging ethics, not how to blog, and the need to generate more professional and ethical blogger, not increasing the numbers of bloggers, which is the last thing our BN government need. Although I personally think it’s absurd to set up a dedicated course to address this issue, my point is gua bengang betul bila orang macam mamat universiti ni bagi cadangan merepek-repek dalam newspaper! Yang ko cerita pasal mahasiswa tidak mempunyai ilmu membina blog ape ke he nye yob? Blog ni macam tulis email la, ko taip ape kebende yang ko nak, letak attachment kalau perlu, pastu tekan save, siap. Tak payah buat kelas dik, budak sekolah rendah pun reti set up blog. Aku agak ko ni memang terer menggoreng la, sebab tu dilantik sebagai Setiausaha Persatuan Mahasiswa walaupun realitinya, goreng telur pun hangus. Buat malu universiti je.

Dear readers, kindly inform me if this blogging studies ever materialise. I might be the student they are looking for, judging from my lack of ethical post today. But then again, maybe not.. if these ‘wise guys’ can keep their mouths shut and save their thoughts to themselves. I need a break...

My marvelous Mother's Day

I had smashing Mother’s Day last week, thanks to my lovely Dania and my fabulous sistas! Dania made me a mother’s day card at school, together with a cute purple paper basket filled with candies and plastic blue flower. Err.. as you can see, candies were long gone before photo session.

Obviously the teacher did most of the works, but it was Dania’s thought and effort that really counts. The whole week she had been talking endlessly about their mother’s day school project, keep asking me to guess what was the ‘surprise’ present.. and came back from school on Friday with stardust all over her face. And how can I forget the look on her sweet face when she handed over the card and candy basket to me; her eyes were glowing with pride and excitement and THAT SMILE… :) Thank you baby!
 
Tapi tak sempat nak rasa gula-gula tu, habis dikebas oleh Encik Nafis, ayahnya dan Cik Dania sendiri yang tak habis-habis bertanya, “Bila Mama nak makan gula-gula mama? Kita boleh share tau, Dania nak makan satu saja!” Hehe.. pandai bargain ye?

And my sisters, yes…they surprised me well because I was not expecting anything from them. Aisya and Budar made their Kak Long emotional with their cute little cup cakes. Well, they actually bought the cup cakes and only did the decorating.. but then again, the thought and effort was all that matters! Aisya, the sista who can’t even cook and I believe never even knew the existence of icing sugar, went all out googling on How To Make Icing and went ingredients shopping. I can’t believe she actually made it herself because it tasted so good and the colouring was perfect! Eh, entah2 ko beli kat kedai tak aisya? Whateverlah, it was the THOUGHT that matters :) And budar, the ‘heftily paid actuarist’ (keh keh!), paid out for the cakes and decorated it so beautifully! That was really wonderful guys! You all just made my Mother’s Day the greatest... EVER!! I love you, and thank you :)

Intralasik - Part Two: DURING

On the day of the treatment, I was the third patient in line. There were two very teenagerish looking Chinese patients before me (I intended to use the word ‘young’ but that made me appear ‘old’, so lets just agree with my selection of words :p) I was asked to arrive there at 1 pm, so while waiting for my turn, a nurse named Molly briefly explained the aftercare, dos and don’ts, helped me put on the surgical gown, cap and foot cover, dilated my eyes and made me feel comfortable. Around 3 pm, I finally met the doctor; Dr. Zainura. She read through my test results and checked my eyes, and at the same time explained to me the procedures and risks involved, also what to expect in the operating theatre and percentages of things that could go wrong. I initially anticipated that I could spend more time with her before the surgery, but surprisingly it was relatively brief and short because she on the other hand, expected that the counseling session had prepared me well for the surgery. Fortunately I didn’t have much to ask and I was quite ready myself, or else I would have been very panicky and anxious. It also seemed like she was rushing the pre-op session a little bit, probably because she had done it a gazillion times before. Even her explanation was flowing out of her mouth like a recorded speech! But she looked very professional and very certain on what she was doing, so that kind of gave me the assurance and confidence I badly needed. Plus she was also very pleasant. But frankly, I still feel that they should have let me see the doctor first before I decided to go for the surgery. Maybe I should have insisted. Oh, I hate regret. Learn from my mistake guys and lets move on. 

In her explanation, the doctor told me that 1% or 3% (I forgot which) of lasik patients will get a prolonged, if not permanent, side effects and complications after 6 months of surgery. 1 out of 200,000 people will suffer from excessive corneal curvature which is caused by thin cornea surface. 100% patient suffered temporary dry eyes and approximately 5% will need enhancement or follow up surgery to 'touch up' the previous operation. Normally people with remaining power of 100 after lasik are not encourage for the touch up mainly because enhancement means another surgery, which carries a new set of risks. So which mean to say, avoid it while you can. Although Optimax offers free lifetime enhancement as many time as possible, as long as the eye thickness is sufficient and in my case, the remaining thickness will allow for another 200 power enhancement, hopefully I will never need one.

Before getting in the OT room, the doctor used a topical anesthetic drops to numb my eyes and make a few marks on the white eye area. Basically I had to undergo two laser procedures, the first was to create the flap and the second was to shape the corneal bed. A nurse cleansed and sterilized my eyes, brought me to the first room which placed the intralase machine and helped me lie on the OT bed. The room temperature was very cold, even the doctor noticed that I was shivering; she asked a nurse to cover my body with a blanket. Another nurse covered my face with a piece of cloth that exposed my eye through the hole in the middle, then asked me to open my eyes wide and taped my eyelashes to get it out of the way. After that I couldn’t blink anymore, so it was quite agonizing having to gaze at the direct bright light before the procedure started. The doctor then placed an eyelid holder in my eye to prevent blinking. It was uncomfortable when she inserted the thing in because I can feel the pressure. After that, the doctor reminded me not to move my eyes, just relax and focus on the target light at the centre, not the ring of bright lights around it. The target light was very dim and barely seen, so I have to really focus and keep my eyes steady. The doctor started the laser which lasted about 15 seconds per eye. My vision got darker and eventually I can’t see anything until she removed the eyelid holder. My vision became blur again and she repeated the procedure on another eye. After completed, the nurse pulled the taped cloth and it felt like I was given a wax! I thought I lost lots of facial hair that day. 

Afterwards, I was brought to the second laser machine. Again the nurse put on the cloth, taped my lashes, placed the eyelid holder and made me stare at the bright light. This time, the red target light was much clearer. I saw the doctor holding a needled syringe but I don’t feel anything when she jabbed it in my eyes.  The flap was lifted and when the laser started, an intense smell of burning hair arouse in the room. I can see the tiny blue laser light circling slowly around my eye. It only took a few seconds but it felt like forever because I was trying hard to keep my eye still. The machine can detect and follow small eyes movement but it will automatically stop if your eye gets outside the target area. The doctor had warned me earlier that if the operation was halted middle way, things might get complicated because the entire test had to be repeated again due to the changes in the eyes map and contour. After the laser, the flap was flipped back to its original position. In order to achieve a smooth, crease-free flap, the doctor stroked the surface of my eye repeatedly in every direction. I guess the best way to describe it was 'like spreading icing on a cake with a pair of spatula’. Urgh, sounded weird but you know what I mean. When the procedure ended at 4pm, my vision was still blurry, but it was already better than my vision before. 

Overall, the surgery went well. To tell you the truth, I felt no pain at all. Only a bit of discomfort when the eyelid holder was placed and also not to forget, the unintentional ‘waxing’ session! ;) 

Wow, this post was longer than I thought and it took me days to complete. But if you're still interested on this matter or crave for another yawn, please come back later for the final part of Intralasik. Till then, bye!

Intralasik - Part One: BEFORE

Based on the numbers of queries and feedbacks I received on the topic of Lasik, I presume there must be quite a number of you out there who are contemplating about undergoing lasik surgery. I have received numerous questions from people around asking whether it’s painful, what and how it was done, which centre I went to, the cost, etc. So hopefully by writing this post, I get to share my own lasik experience with dear readers, and perhaps assist those considering lasik make out their judgment and decision. Now enough of the introduction and lets get straight to the point. 

I had my lasik at Optimax Eye Specialist Centre, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail. I think the reason I chose this place was because Optimax has became sort of synonym with lasik, been featured before in several magazines and newspapers, and they also claimed to be the first  in Malaysia to offer advanced eye laser procedures. Well, every laser center claimed that they’re the best right? But eventually, I made up my mind when Dr. Hamidah, an eye specialist from Tawakal recommended Optimax to me.    

Prior to the surgery, I have done one free preliminary eye test at the centre to determine whether I’m a suitable candidate. I was tested on four machines, each to check the eye power, corneal thickness, eye pressure and general eye condition. A few days before the surgery, I underwent another eye check up. This time it was more thorough, lasted about 3 hours and cost me RM120.00. One of the test involved dilating the pupils, where they put drops in my eyes and the pupils will dilate within 15 to 30 minutes. When dilated, near sightings became very blurry and sensitive to bright lights, and it lasted until I wake up the next morning. However it didn’t affect far sighting, so I have no problem driving back after the test. If you’re planning to get your eyes thoroughly check, I suggest you get it done on a non-working day. I went back to work after the test and I couldn’t even see the monitor, so I ended up doing nothing for the rest of the day! Oh, and also stop wearing contact lenses a few weeks before the test so that the eye will get back to its natural shape. All the tests were carried out by the center’s optometrist, not by the doctor. So the exact procedure will only be determined after the doctor evaluates the result of the eye check up. I forgot to mention that there was a counseling session after the test, where the optometrist explained the procedures and possible risks using a flip chart. At the end of the session, I was asked to answer a set of written question to make sure I understood everything that was explained to me. 

The procedure prescribed for me was Intralasik for both eyes. It was more expensive compared to lasik, epi or lasek, but I think it was worth the money spent because intralasik was the latest and safest technology. Furthermore, the eyes also heal faster. However, there are pros and cons for each procedure, so one has to make lots of homework before making the call. My references mainly were these websites: http://www.fda.gov/CDRH/LASIK/, http://www.optimax.com.my/ and http://www.vista.com.my/, just to name a few. Oh, and remember last time when I said not everybody have positive feedback for lasik? Please checkout these websites too, http://www.afterlasik.com/My_Story.html and http://lasikdisaster.com/index.htm. Those who had made their decision might think twice after reading it. However as known, no surgery in this world is free from risk. It's up to each of us to decide whether “less than 3%" of patients will have unresolved complications six months after surgery” (info from CRSQA and my doctor) as acceptable or not. Some of the known risk are infection and delayed healing, undercorrection or overcorrection, decrease in best-corrected vision, corneal haze, halo and glare effect, epithelial ingrowths, flap loss or damage, dry eye and altitude effects, to name a few. 

Besides reading, I also sought opinion from people who had undergone lasik. In my case it was my dear grand auntie, Wan Marhamah, who kept persuading me to go for lasik, and my mom of course, who eventually kinda gave her green light because she didn’t object after knowing I did the eye test. Now come to the money matters. Total cost for both eyes were RM5,976.00. Hubby nearly choked, but revived later when he learnt that Optimax offer 0% interest free installment. He even surprised me with his 1k sponsorship. Thank you honey! 

Finally not to forget the most important part; to seek help from the Almighty. No technology will ever defy His power.

Dude, I'm married!

I was approached by a stranger this afternoon while trying on lipsticks at Guardian store. Not a very good time to have a conversation I would say, especially when I had over five shades of lipstick tracings on my hand. The man was neatly dressed in office attire, but obviously he was not one of the salesmen there. “Cik, saya nampak cik tadi kat kedai tengah check mata. (I was at England Optical earlier, got my eye tested.. again. Hehe). Saya nak tanya, cik dah kahwin ke?” I asked him why? “Sebab cik ni nampak macam kawan saya. Are you married?” I answered yes and he asked again, “Betul ke cik dah kahwin?” I said, “Ya, kenapa tanya?” He answered with another question, “Suami cik orang mana?” At that moment I was like… Dude! If you thought you know me, you should asked about me instead, not my husband. Or if you thought you know my husband, maybe asking his name would ring the bell. Or worse, if you were hitting on me, I must say that was very lame! But apparently I kept that thought to myself. “Encik, maaf saya tak kenal encik. Saya tak perlu jawab la ye”. He looked pissed off and said, “Takkan nak tanya suami orang mana pun tak boleh?” and he walked away. Gosh, that was weird…

Ok, lets leave that behind and talk about something else. Back to my England Optical eye check, the result was: Right eye -0.75/-0.25, Left eye +0.00/-0.25. I'm esctatic! Feel like the world is mine, dah hampir nak peluk akak England Optical tu! Nasib baik tak. Keh keh! ;p

 

And as expected, I’m currently experiencing some of the post lasik temporary effect. For example, constant dry eye and starburst vision at nite, exactly like shown in the picture above (taken from thevisioncommunity.com). Mom said that must be a pretty sight, seeing stars everywhere! Hehe.. yes mom it is, but it can be pretty disturbing when I'm driving!

Despite all that, I’m still very grateful and very much humbled by the power of Allah. Thank you for this vision, it really makes me appreciate life better. Alhamdulillah.. :)

Vision Restored

I did it.
 
Yesterday, I had my LASER EYE SURGERY. 

It took me ages to decide whether or not I should undergo the treatment. These past couple of weeks I just couldn’t get the thought out of my head, so I made loads of internet browsing, studying the procedures, weighing the risks and reading other people’s testimonials (Unfortunately not everybody had positive feedback). However, after a thorough eye examination last Tuesday..  I had a strong feeling that everything’s going to be OK.  It just felt right, although I was damn nervous! Finally I decided to book the date of the surgery, which was scheduled yesterday evening. 

The procedure I had was called Intra-Lasik. Basically, the doctor used an intralase laser to create a flap in front of my cornea, folded back the flap, and then used an excimer laser to reshape the cornea by removing thin layers from the central region of the corneal bed, which will result in modification of the cornea curvature. Lebih kurang macam tu lah. The surgery lasted about 30 minutes and ended around 4pm. Amazingly that nite I was already watching Shrek 2... without wearing any glasses or contact lenses! It was truly unbelievable! Until now I still occasionally thought that I forgot to take out my contacts. Although the doctor had advised me not to give too much hope for a 20/20 vision, particularly because of my high astigmatism power, I’m already feeling so much lighter.. as if a burden has been lifted of my shoulder. This morning, the checkup result was very encouraging. The power of my right eye reduced from 3.75(myopia)/2.00(astigmatism) to 0/0.25, and left eye reduced from 5.00/2.25 to 0.25/0.50. It may take up to 6 months for the vision to fully stabilize, so in these few months my power might fluctuate. Hopefully by then, my vision will stay as good if not better, and free from any complication or side effect, InsyaAllah. 

So in the mean time, I’ll just enjoy my newly restored vision. 

I still can’t believe that I can SEE!