life is a journey, not a destination

lots happened but deep down in my heart, i'm thankful to have wonderful friend who was always there, lending me a helping hand & keep me strong.. to be honest, whatever happened, i'm already immuned, thanks to the experience before... so, come what may, it wont affect me much... what doesnt kill you will make you stronger & again, perception wont kill.. as long as i think that i'm on the right track (despite others said no), i'm fine.. however, life is a journey, not a destination.. i want to taste different situation, be able to grow & do what i like most (certainly not facing computers all day long but if that's work, then i had no other option, except to finish it).. it would be a waste to dispose all the experiences & knowledges that i gained before just to please others, so, i'm going to move forward.. nobody can guarantee it would be a path of roses, but still, if it was my choice, then i wont regret it.. whatever happened, i'm going to embrace the future with optimism..

post op: what i know

my friend shared a link about Laser treatment & i found few articles that i think can help.. i share my knowledges so that it may be beneficial to those who may need it(as a guide / another experience of longer recovery rate).. i'm not an expert, but experiences are the best teacher for me.. 1st, i think someone need really strong reason to do lasik/relex smile.. remember, we can only propose but god can dispose our plan.. for Allah is the healer of all kind of ailments, & with 'kun fayakun', something impossible can be possible.. there's an article on optimism & gratefulness correlate with healing rate.. however, in my case, perhaps longer recovery time gave me extensive knowledges in vision (thanks to my optometrist friend who always answer my questions without complaining & thanks to few friends who share their knowledges on food/anything that helped me during recovery period).. 1) lasik/relex smile may have undesirable outcome - visual acuity not perfect, haloes, glares etc.. or perhaps, when the vision isnt 6/6 or 20/20(it's the same), you still need spectacle.. or maybe, after few years of lasik/relex smile, your vision deteriorate & you still need spectacle (some said that this is the reason why optometrists were not keen of doing LASIK/relex smile)..however, having said this doesnt means that i opposed this treatment, just , dont have high expectation..if everything is well, then being grateful is the right thing to do but when it isnt fine and dandy, you wont despair... considering possible complications means luck may play its role in recovery (remember, Allah is the best healer? leave it to Allah & whatever the outcome is, it's good for you).. & talking about cost, it aint wrong to consider the cost of the medicines post surgery (naturale tears eye drop, systane lubricant, if having dry eyes, perhaps genteal ointment & restasis may help (bear in nind that naturale tears need to be applied as frequent as possible for hydration purpose or else, it will affect healing time(mine was every 15minutes and a box of naturale tears last less than a week & i need to continue both naturale tearss & systane for 6month! quite a lot for me! 2) as it's best to go blind for the first few days, sunglass can help too! (previously i wonder some people use sunglass building, turn out that 'silau' can cause pain(different patient had different reaction!)... better to get sunglass with uv protection, so it can be 2 in 1 sunglass (protect from uv light either during recovery period or for holidays!).. i just know that the sunglassess with uv protection are tinted! no wonder xpanas sangat... 3) keep eyes hydrated as much as possible dry eyes can slow the healing rate, so better to invest in naturale tears and sysstane(for normal people) than risking the eys because LASIK dont go well with dry eyes.. 4)eat nutritious food Food rich in vitamin A eg carrot, tomato, lettuce, fish, liver -generally are good for eye health Vitamin C can be useful too! eg citrus food(orange etc), kiwis, dark leafy green vegetables, berries food rich in Omega 3 may alleviate the dry eyes problem (eg salmon, fish, cod liver oil, nuts (walnuts, chia seed, flaxseed) or fortified food rich in omega 3 avoid food that you are allergic to! (eye itchiness may lead to rubbing of eyes & this wasnt good for your eyes!) how to clean eyes? facial before procedure can help you stay refreshed for a while because need to avoid splashing water/chemicals into the eyes.. cotton buds help to clean oily yyeeyees (not directly into ayes tapi area eyelids & nearby areas.. if foreign body enter eyes, use natural tears!

relex smile: the recovery

i'm one of the complicated patient who can only read on Day 9! the first day, my eyes sting a bit (pedih, blur) & teary at night (akak yang baru buat relex smile masa pegi follow up , mata dia dah berair lepas sejam dua buat surgery but not me!).. maybe reaction depend pada patient jugak kot... 2 nd day afterwards, mata pedih bila apply vigamox but i know its function(antibiotic boleh jadi prophylaxis/boleh elakkan infection), so i continue medication without any doubt.. my vision seemed static for the first week, not much improvement.. everything was foggy & blur, i cant even read the medications box (being a pharmacist, i'm used to study mechanism of action of every medicine that i take, not to mention its possible side effect & just see the brand name alone is frustrating ( of all the details, the band name was the largest !)... that means, i cant read book, not to mention message or whatsapp or tv.. so, imagine a life like that - almost blind,surely it ws abweek of excruciating pain for me! Lucky my sisters helped whenever i need to message/whatsapp anybody regarding works.. oh, almost forgot to inform that wearing old(previous) spectacle worsen the vision( lagi x nampak) , nak buat new spectacle, power xstabil lagi so useless klu buat pun, malah cari penyakit free klu buat sebab power yang xsesuai hanya akan memburukkan keadaan (pening/sakit kepala dll).. so all i did was sleep the whole day, wishing for speedy recovery.. panicked? of course! i expect just two or 3 days to recover (ambik cuti lebih tu untuk standby kot2 xfully recover tapi look like i utilised all the 11 days off from work just at home, staring at the blurry images.. rasa macam dunia gelap seketika sebab xleh buat ape-ape... sungguh, nikmat penglihatan adalah anugerah terindah! dengan nikmat penglihatan tu, macam-macam aktiviti boleh buat (dengan selesa).. & talking about 'blind', perhaps the best ways to kill time for muslim is remmbering god (zikir/anything else that you think is best for you)... i remember the day i went for follow up, an auntie who just finished her relex smile procedure bribg along 'tasbih' & kept using it while waiting to see the doctor.. i'm not saying that you should 'menunjuk-nunjuk amalab' but maybe, this gave rough idea what to do when you think you are at the bottom... & talking about follow up, i also met an auntie who came alone, regret because nobody helped to take videos.. plus her vision still blurry, it was hard for her to call her family member to fetch her.. & she doesnt even know if the naturale tears was empty (serius x nampak ade ubat lagi ke x walaupun solution tu clear!). & that means it's better to come with somevody to assisst you in anything... boleh je berdikari tapi susah sikit klu vision x improve lagi..

relex smile: the day of surgery

it started with adrenaline rush.. Sultan Ismail Petra airport was crowded more than usual, i arrive late & barely had time before the boarding gate was closed.. long story cut short, i arrive at the centre around 1.20pm.. Had several eye assessment tests, from one machine to another machine.. Certainly more sophisticated than the one i had in Penang(my friend recommend that shop & i got great saving thanks to her).. once done, the staff at counter explain about the payment.. however, due to time constraint, i was called for the procedure.. no time to feel nervous or whatsoever, i went straight to the room, wear the gown and cap(much like the attire in the operation theater/ICU.. briefly being explained about what to do by the staffs(focus on the dot after the "Suction on " by the machine), laid on the stroller ( much like the CT Scan machine), face being cleaned by the staff, the stroller rotate 90 degree below thwe machine (i think it's Carl Zeiss machine), the doctor came & the procedure started(with bismillah & zikir) .. after few minutes, the surgery finished & i was allowed to go outside..my first sight after the surgery were the image of the doctor & my father outside the room, blur & foggy .. rest for a while, settle the payment halfway, meet the doctor(to see if there was any improvement in vision) & then finish the payment.. were given Vigamox eyedrop(antibiotic,taken 4times/day for 1 week, together with Maxidex eyedrop(sterooi with antiinflammatory properties), naturale tears & systane eyedrop(both as lubricant).. cant replace naturale tears with eye mo since eye mo had preservative.. was given a piece of paper on what to do before & after lasik but i cant read, so i dont really care until someone helped me to read it.. discharged home not long after that... i forgot to bring sunglass (not provided & nobody told me before the procedure(even the staff yang handle appointment pun xcakap).. Lucky i met a kind doctor who came for her relex smile follow up, she gave me a ride to the nearest destination.. overall, the doctor & optometrist were extremely good but the flow wasnt a smooth one.. nobody told me exactly what the do's and don't after the surgery.. what the point of giving a sheet of paper when the patient cant read?? & more disappointed because i had long recovery but the staff promised something but never do it! so, i think there's not much difference between government staffs & private staffs.. except, perhaps those in private earn more..o in one of clinic in Singapore, the patients were given chance to watch the video first(on how the procedure were performed), & then they completely go blind after surgery (even the eyes were plastered), were given care kit including protective goggle to wear during sleep & sunglass to wear outdoor, plus the face kit(items to clean the face/specifically eyes & the normal medications... most clients/patients were satisfied with the staffs & the outcome (if go blind for the first few days can aid in sepedy recovery, why peedy recovery, why not apply it?).. so, for more info, pwrhaps blog reviews from Singapore can help!

relex smile: the decision

to be honest, i just know LASIK(laser-assissted in situ keratomileusis) at first & it was my younger sister who suggested me to do LASIK.. most patient recover just in one or two days, so i thought it's a simple procedure (without researching more).. The story began when my spectacle accidentally broke off(jatuh), new spectacle would take at least one week (having high astigmatisme means i need to reduce the thickness of the glass but concave lens/kanta cekung doesnt help at all, thick at the edges & thin in the middle) & i'm not suitable for contact lens (silau tinggi/dazzle) & this time, doing relex smile is faster than getting a pair of new spectacle.. i'm tired of spending more than RM 1k everytime i made new spectacle, so that called for an unplanned relex(Refractive Lenticule Extraction) smile(small incision lenticule extraction). Moreover, spectacle wont allow me snorkel (i just pay for the snorkelling trip in previous short holiday, but i dont dare to dive, so no shark/beautiful corals/fishes for me).. i made appointment & doing 'homework' (just a bit on what it is & other people's experience) about relex smile & lasik. The 4mm incision & no flap in relex smile means faster recovery rate ( there's you tube by prof muhaya & more in Alumni Lasik & Relex Smile Prof Muhaya facebook page, not to mention the overseas page!), so i dont think i need to elaborate further).. but what attracted me most was a video on you tube by Ustazah Isfadiah on 'anugerah penglihatan' & that enhance the intention to do cosmetic surgery(either relex smile or LASIK).. However, i have thin cornea (tapi still boleh buat surgery.. kornea nipis sangat xboleh buat surgery) & large pupil, so LASIK was a no-no for me.. another advantage of relex smile was the convenience of doing it on the sane day without the hassle of coming again on a specific date.. speaking of cosmetic surgery, that means government hospital dont offer this kind of surgery( i dont know if any gov institution offer this surgery, but my optometrist friend said no).. Translated, if there's any problems, you cant seek advice from government hospital (maybe just few consultants have extensive knowledge on Lasik/relex smile) & should your condition not improved in specific time, no doctor dare to give MC(perhaps ade, tp i x jumpa(.. needless to say, in my case,no MC was given because different patient had different recovery rate & you cant expect when exactly you'll fully recover.. So, it's better to prepare for the worst (extra days off from work) & having understanding bosses will give extra benefit (& helpful colleagues too!).. regarding o this matter, i'm eternally grateful to colleagues who help to cover my work when i'm not fit to go to work..

jakarta

a city of 'macet'(jammed), congested & high living cost. I made mistakes by coming back after trip to Bandung.. Better plan should be staying in Jakarta first, then move to Bandung & go home via Bandung.. higher airport tax (150 000 Rupiah/person), carrying heavier luggage (add on in Bandung) & extra cost for supir ( 5hours from Bandung because macet).. No time to go to Puncak since the alterations of my jeans takes time & this means my original tentative goes down the drain. Jakarta can be divided into 5 districts- Jakarta Utara, Jakarta Pusat, Jakarta Barat, Jakarta Timur & 1 more( forgot -maybe Jakarta Selatan?).. Each region was quite far away (consider the traffic congestion!), so it would have been better to allocate 1 full day for places of interest in different region. My initial itinerary included 1)Rumah Mini/Taman Mini Indonesia Indah(Jakarta Timur) , 2) Museum Fatahillah/Cafe Batavia/its surroundings(Jakarta Barat), 3) Ancol Seafood passing by Ancol Dreamland(Jakarta Utara) and 4) the remarkable MONAS & Masjid Istiqlal(Jakarta Pusat).. Shopping complex - Tanah Abang & Mangga Dua.. For more shopping, perhaps Sarinah Mall & Thamrin City should be added to the list.. However, as for me, i spent 1 extra day in Bandung & 5 hours journey to Jakarta (arrive around 12midnight at Jakarta) & 2 subsequent days at Tanah Abang, plus public holiday on Thursday, so most shops & places of attractions were closed). Not much experience in Jakarta . For Mangga Dua, there were lots of Mangga Dua , namely WTC Mangga Dua,ITC Mangga Dua and Mangga Dua Square.. We just went to ITC Mangga Dua but few section closed due to public holiday.. The same goes to Pasar Baru in Jakarta, some shops were closed.. As for the big building of Tanah Abang, i cant remember how many sections were there. i only know Pusat Grosir Blok A, Pusat Grosir Blok B (grosir = borong) & Metro Tanah Abang. Limited choice for kain sulam (or maybe i dont know the exact location?). Need to know exactly what you want because it seemed as mission impossible to explore the whole Tanah Abang building, unless you are energetic & full of stamina. Some locals may not helpful, so that call for better planning.. it's a waste of time to wander around , not knowing where to go & not to mention, walking around was tirung.. By the way, iTanah Abang was very busy, both with vehicles or locals doing their activities - selling at stalls, packing goods & so on & it was more crowded than chow kit.. if the supir wasnt there, i wouldnt dare to cross road! (parking inside Tanah Abang may consume time (one way road, no other exit. I dont dare to waste time on last day because i need to take heavily congested traffi into consideration... perhaps if i'm not rushing, it was okay to park inside the building.. Talking about pusat grosir, the prices were cheap when buy in bulk. Depending on your haggling skills,the price may go down sometimes. But going together with supir on last day, there were difference up to 50 Rupiah between the price of grosir & buy in small quantity ( or perhaps because i dont have haggling skills, i need to pay more & not much discount. when talking about wedding stuff, jakarta had lots to offer, especially lace & wedding gifts.. As for souvenir, MONAS offered wide array of t-shirts; fridge magnet, keychain, pen & other souvenirs at cheaper price compared to mall/ shopping complex

bandung

Bandung needs no introduction.. Culinary, shopping & sightseeing were the main attractions. If you do internet search on factory outlet , you will eventually come across to Bandung , thanks to rave online reviews that it has received from its loyal patron.. So, why i choose Bandung instead of thousands other destination in this world? 1st, it's situated in South East Asia, just nearby Malaysia, so the language doesnt differ much (although they converse in Bahasa Indonesia, it's still understandable!).. So, it's a shame if i never set my feet there.. 2nd, its Rupiah currency vs RM allow me to kill 2 bird with one stone, shopping while enjoying the nature it has to offer.. Having experiencing shopping spree in Vietnam, why not consider shopping in my itinerary? 3rd, it's accessible via Jakarta. Jakarta was the capital of Indonesia, so, i can proudly say that i used to go to MONAS at the capital city of Indonesia. What to shop depend on your favourite. For me, i consider kain sulam first (i know Bukittinggi offer more kain sulam but hey, i'm more attracted to inactive volcano & highland of Bandung with strawberry farm & tea plantation more than shopping alone ).. Different shops/outlwts have different design & pattern, so it's best for you to grab the pattern that you like straight away.. I leave some spaces for Jakarta's kain sulam but there were limited choice for me ( i dont know if i went to wrong location but not much choice at Pasar Baru Jakarta, Tanah Abang, IT Mangga dua(the section for kain sulam closed that day) & few other places) The lists continue with 1) telekung solat- Telekung travel is cheaper here(light & isnt bulky, helpful to reduce a kilogram or few gram in your luggage while teravelling here & there) For ordinary telekung, sulam dominated most of the pattern, some even have bag for that telekung & some contain sejadah.. The same item was expensive in Malaysia ( expensive is subjective ) 2) perfume - i'm not a fan of branded perfume but here in Bandung, you can request any smell that you want, just name your favourite perfume brand, be it Lancome, Christian Dior, Anna Sui, Hugo Boss or any brand that you like, chance are, they'l be ready in just few mibutes!(if the queue isnt long).. The extra feature that i like most is, i can request for alcohol free perfume! Although they are colourless ( the coloured one usually contain alcohol- that was what the boss at In Parfum told me) & the price tag for alcohol free perfume doubled than normal price (the price doubled because they use more concentrated essence & skip the alcohol diluent), believe me, it's worth it. In fact, i cant differentiate the original brand with the fake one. The smell of my perfume lasted for 1 - 2 days & i love it! If you bring along your original container, no one will say that you use imitation!( oh, exception for those yang brand conscious, maybe this cheaper alternative doesnt suit you!) 3) jeans Tailor-made jeans are widely available here.. as for me, i made few items, including peplum & overall(being a copycat, 100% copy the idea of my friend).. i can choose the material & the design. For the peplum, i googled the design & choose one & gave the picture to the staff & i'm satisfied with the outcome. Even my mother & my friend's mother complimented that my choices were good (not fit & design ok).. However, that was the result of fitting, alter, fitting & alter again.. the reason? the owner was a chinese, & usually, the Chinese love the design that fit your body perfectly ( showing every curves that you have) & when she measure, she use that 'fit' measuring & note 'lebih longgar'.. However, that lebih longgar wasnt loose at all, so need to alter it.. Both my friend & i said add 2 inches but 2 inches in Indonesia means 2 cm & that 2 cm doesnt make any difference.. & that call for 2nd alteration! The best solution here is to give 2-3 daus extra time so that if you need alteration, you still had plenty of times to wait.. Bring along the sample for measuring purpose if you dont believe their measuring skills! 4) Factory outlets' items like branded clothes/ trousers/children attire/ leather products, shoes, bags & the leist continue.. 5) Souvenirs - Fridge Magnet & keychain are cheaper in Bandung than Jakarta. For those who love to collect FM as a proof that you had once being there, it's advisable to buy it in Bandung because it contained Jakarta's FM as well . For nature, i want: 1) volcano & the breathtaking scenery along the journey to the volcano Kawah Putih located in the suburb of Ciwidey.. The journey to Ciwidey was a pleasant one, woth its natural bauties / well preserved nature.. The sight of tea plantation areas, strawberry farm, horse with carriers ( i dont know what's the name but it's common in the outskirts of Ciwidey.. Bajaj(bajai?) & angkut were available in the town but not in the village) .