Category: Articles

Victor recently did an entry on “Tips on wearing contact lens“. I thought I’ll add in by doing one on how to take proper care of your contact lens, based on my 9 yrs of experience.

This post is meant for soft contact lens wearers, regardless of disposable (weekly / bi-weekly / monthly) or permanent. (Permanent lens does NOT mean it’s really permanent.. Usually the lens can last for 1 yr but can be extended to 1.5yrs with proper usage)

I started off wearing monthly lens, since I was too broke as a student. My optician was nice to give me a pair free when I get a year’s supply! That cost me $360 back in 2000, for a year’s supply. But that’s because I needed Toric66 lens, lens meant for astigmatism, and are usually more expensive.

Back to main topic.

If you are using disposable lens, multi-purpose solutions are your best friend.
I was using Complete Moisture for several years, until they released the new version which caused me eye irritation. Switched over to Alcon’s Optifree Express and I’ve no regrets since. Each bottle comes with a contact lens casing. I particularly liked the colour of the casing compared to SoloCare. 😀

Change the solution (in the casing) every other day if you do not wear the lens regularly
More for hygiene purposes. Can you imagine taking lens out of a casing that feels slippery? It irks me at the thought of that. I usually try to change the solution every 2-3 days (I don’t wear the contact lens everyday). If you forgot to change the solution, don’t panic. Just clean the casing and refill with new solution. If it makes you feel better, clean your lens as well. =D

Change the casing every other month
Prevents bacteria from accumulating. I usually change the casing when my bottle of solution is finished. My suggestion is to use solutions that come with free casing. Saves you money on buying casings.

Air-dry the casing when not in use
Avoid cleaning it with cloth or tissue. Rinse it with the multi-purpose solution when you need to use the casing again. Avoid using tap water to clean the casing. If you find using multi-purpose solution a tat too expensive for this, you can use Saline instead. Available at optical shops / Watsons etc.

Clean your lens after removing from your eye and before placing it in the casing
I’m sure we get lazy at times. But placing cleaned lens into the solution is better than having lens soaked in a dirty bath of solution. You can refer to this site for more information on the best way of cleaning soft contact lens.

Use Protein Tablets if you are using permanent lens
Protein tablets help to remove excessive protein from the lens. Protein gets built up when we wear contact lens for long hours. Use the tablets once a week. My routine is to clean the lens, soak in solution with protein tablets for at least 4hrs max 12hrs, clean lens, soak in clean solution for at least 15mins before wearing. Somehow my eyes get irritated when I wear freshly cleaned-with-protein-tablets lens. Best to soak them in multi-purpose solution or saline solution before wearing, to minimise irritation.
If you are using monthly lens, it’s not necessary to use protein tablets, since you’ll be throwing away the lens after a month.

With proper care of the lens, monthly lens can usually be worn for an additional 1 week. Permanent lens can have extended usage for half a year.

My two cents worth of information. Hope it helps!

Adapted from SDU site

In the musical Forbidden City, the artist (portrait painter) Kate, noted that falling in love is precisely falling out of control. You will stand to lose some pride, dignity and control over the outcome.

But oh what a rush!

There is a rush of chemicals that make you feel so good when you fall in love.

As we get older, we either stop falling in love, or take longer to fall in love, or we’ve simply forgotten what it means to fall in love. It might help if we had over-active hormones, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t fall in love once past our adolescent. We just have to remember how to do it.

To fall requires one to let go. There is of course a risk in letting go, and as we get older, we learn to avoid risk, to manage risk, to minimise risk. As would any investment advisor (i.e. someone who wants your money) will tell you, risk isn’t always bad – it’s just a matter of balancing risk and potential returns.

So the next time someone piques your interest, don’t play down those feelings. Introduce yourself. Explore the possibilities of meeting for drinks. You might get rejected, but hey, you might also get a date.

So true.

.. as we get older, we learn to avoid risk, to manage risk, to minimise risk ..

And it’s not easy to

.. don’t play down those feelings. Introduce yourself. Explore the possibilities of meeting for drinks ..

Probably that’s why I’m where I am now. LOL

So there are sane people in MS afterall..

Maybe that’s why my dept has only got 1 guy.

Article from Wall Street Journal.

.. insists that men and women write code differently. Women are more touchy-feely and considerate of those who will use the code later, she says. They’ll intersperse their code–those strings of instructions that result in nifty applications and programs–with helpful comments and directions, explaining why they wrote the lines the way they did and exactly how they did it. ..

有一天，一个有智慧的教授问他的学生以下的问题：

为什么人生气时说话用喊的？

所有的学生都想了很久，其中有一个学生说：

因为我们丧失了“冷静”，所以我们会用喊的。

教授又问，

但是为什么别人就在你旁边而已，你还是用喊的，难道不能小声地说吗？为什么总是要用喊的？

几乎所有的学生都七嘴八舌地说了一堆，但是没有一个答案让教授满意的。

最后教授解释说：

当两个人在生气的时候，新的距离是很远的，而为了掩盖当中的距离使对方能够听见，于是必须用喊的。

但是在喊的同时，人会生气，更生气距离就更远，距离更远就又要喊更大声。。。

教授接着继续说：

而当两个人在相恋时会怎样呢？情况刚好相反，不但不会用喊的，而且说话都很轻声细语，为什么？

因为他们的心很近，心与心之间几乎没有距离，所以相恋中的两个人通常是耳语式的说话，但是心中的爱因而更深，到后来根本不需要言语。

只用眼神就可以传情，而那时心与心之间早已经没有所谓的距离了。。

最后教授作了一个结论

当两个人争吵时，不要让心的距离变远，更不要说些让心距离更远的话。自然的过了几天，等耍心的距离已经比较没有那么远时，再好好地说吧！

在一个非常宁静而美丽的小城，有一对非常恩爱的恋人，他们每天都去海边看日出，晚上去海边送夕阳，每个见过他们的人都向他们投来羡慕的目光。

可是有一天，在一场车祸中，女孩不幸受了重伤，她静静地躺在医院的病床上，几天几夜都没有醒过来。白天，男孩就守在床前不停地呼唤毫无知觉的恋人；晚上，他就跑到小城的教堂里向上帝祷告，他已经哭干了眼泪。

一个月过去了，女孩仍然昏睡着，而男孩早已憔悴不堪了，但他仍苦苦地支撑着。终于有一天，上帝被这个痴情的男孩感动了。于是他决定给这个执着的男孩一个例 外。上帝问他：“你愿意用自己的生命作为交换吗？”男孩毫不犹豫地回答：“我愿意！”上帝说：“那好吧，我可以让你的恋人很快醒过来，但你要答应化作三年 的蜻蜓，你愿意吗？”男孩听了，还是坚定地回答道：“我愿意！”

天亮了，男孩已经变成了一只漂亮的蜻蜓，他告别了上帝便匆匆地飞到了医院。女孩真的醒了，而且她还在跟身旁的一位医生交谈着什么，可惜他听不到。

几天后，女孩便康复出院了，但是她并不快乐。她四处打听着男孩的下落，但没有人知道男孩究竟去了哪里。女孩整天不停地寻找着，然而早已化身成蜻蜓的男孩却 无时无刻不围绕在她身边，只是他不会呼喊，不会拥抱，他只能默默地承受着她的视而不见。夏天过去了，秋天的凉风吹落了树叶，蜻蜓不得不离开这里。于是他最 后一次飞落在女孩的肩上。他想用自己的翅膀抚摸她的脸，用细小的嘴来亲吻她的额头，然而他弱小的身体还是不足以被她发现。

转眼间，春天来了，蜻蜓迫不及待地飞回来寻找自己的恋人。然而，她那熟悉的身影旁站着一个高大而英俊的男人，那一刹那，蜻蜓几乎快从半空中坠落下来。人们 讲起车祸后女孩病得多么的严重，描述着那名男医生有多么的善良、可爱，还描述着他们的爱情有多么的理所当然，当然也描述了女孩已经快乐如从前。

蜻蜓伤心极了，在接下来的几天中，他常常会看到那个男人带着自己的恋人在海边看日出，晚上又在海边看日落，而他自己除了偶尔能停落在她的肩上以外，什么也做不了。

这一年的夏天特别长，蜻蜓每天痛苦地低飞着，他已经没有勇气接近自己昔日的恋人。她和那男人之间的喃喃细语，他和她快乐的笑声，都令他窒息。

第三年的夏天，蜻蜓已不再常常去看望自己的恋人了。她的肩被男医生轻拥着，脸被男医生轻轻地吻着，根本没有时间去留意一只伤心的蜻蜓，更没有心情去怀念过去。

上帝约定的三年期限很快就要到了。就在最后一天，蜻蜓昔日的恋人跟那个男医生举行了婚礼。

蜻蜓悄悄地飞进教堂，落在上帝的肩膀上，他听到下面的恋人对上帝发誓说：我愿意！他看着那个男医生把戒指戴到昔日恋人的手上，然后看着他们甜蜜地亲吻着。蜻蜓流下了伤心的泪水。

上帝叹息着：“你后悔了吗？”蜻蜓擦干了眼泪：“没有！”上帝又带着一丝愉悦说：“那么，明天你就可以变回你自己了。”蜻蜓摇了摇头：“就让我做一辈子蜻蜓吧……”

有些缘分是注定要失去的，有些缘分是永远不会有好结果的。爱一个人不一定要拥有，但拥有一个人就一定要好好去爱他。你的肩上有蜻蜓吗？

One of the most touching and purest love story I’ve read in a while …

From the very beginning, girl’s family objected strongly on her dating this guy, saying that it has got to do with family background, & that the girl will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she were to be with him.

Due to family’s pressure, the couple quarreled very often. Though the girl loved the guy deeply, she always asked him: “How deep is your love for me?”

As the guy is not good with his words, this often caused the girl to be very upset. With that and the family’s pressure, the gal often vents her anger on him. As for him … he only endured it in silence.

After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated and decided to further his studies overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the gal: “I’m not very good with words. But all I know is that I love you. If you allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my life. As for your family, I’ll try my best to talk them round. Will you marry me?”

The girl agreed, and with the guy’s determination, the family finally gave in and agreed to let them get married. So before he left, they got engaged.

The gal went out to the working society, whereas the guy was overseas, continuing his studies. They sent their love through emails & phone calls. Though it was hard, but both never thought of giving up.

One day, while the gal was on her way to work, she was knocked down by a car that lost control. When she woke up, she saw her parents beside her bed. She realized that she was badly injured. Seeing her mum cry, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that all that could come out of her mouth was just a sigh.

She had lost her voice ….

The doctor says that the impact on her brain has caused her to lose her voice. Listening to her parents’ comfort, but with nothing coming out from her, she broke down. During the stay in hospital, besides silent cry. it’s still just silent cry that accompanied her. Upon reaching home, everything seems to be the same. Except for the ringing tone of the phone which pierced into her heart every time it rang.

She does not wish to let the guy know and not wanting to be a burden to him, she wrote a letter to him saying that she does not wish to wait any longer.

With that, she sent the ring back to him. In return, the guy sent millions and millions of reply and countless phone calls. all the gal could do besides crying is still crying …. The parents decided to move away, hoping that she could eventually forget everything and be happy.

With a new environment, the gal learnt sign language and started a new life.

Telling herself everyday that she must forget the guy. One day, her friend came and told her that he’s back. She asked her friend not to let him know what happened to her. Since then, there wasn’t anymore news of him.

A year has passed and her friend came with an envelope, containing an invitation card for the guy’s wedding.

The gal was shattered. When she opened the letter, she saw her name on it instead. When she was about to ask her friend what was going on, she saw the guy standing in front of her ….

He used sign language to tell her, “I’ve spent a year to learn sign language. Just to let you know that I’ve not forgotten our promise. Let me have the chance to be your voice. I Love  You.” With that, he slipped the ring back into her finger. The gal finally smiled ……

Treat every relationship as if it’s the last one, then you’ll know how to Give.

Treat every moment as if it’s the last day, then you’ll know how to Treasure.

Treasure what you have right now, or else you may regret one day …

=================================

Real or not real, it’s still a beautiful story to share.

Adapted from askCLEO. LOL

I know there’s nothing wrong with being single, and for a while I was quite content to be one of those swinging singles, doing my own thing without having to ‘report’ to anyone. But now I’m starting to feel a little down about it. I’ve been trying to get back into the dating scene the past few months, but I’m still single. What’s wrong with me?

A lot of people are single through choice, while some are single because of situation (like working or living in a place where there are very few other single people). And of course, there are those who’d love to be in a relationship and meet lots of available people but still remain solo.

There are two types of relationships – ‘co-creational’, where two balanced people live their lives side by side; and ‘needy’ relationships, where one or both partners are using each other to compensate for low self-esteem. If you’re had co-creational relationships in the past, being single probably doesn’t frighten you. Needy people, meanwhile, want someone to do all the things they should be doing for themselves – someone to entertain, financially support and nurture them. Not surprisingly, this sort of person sweats desperation and any self-respecting prospect runs like hell on sight. If this is you, try dating yourself. Treat yourself the way an adoring partner would: spoil, pamper, and motivate yourself just as they would. Just when you decide you don’t need a man, you’ll be flooded with offers.