My IntraLASIK Surgery

We have broken-up.

No, no, no. Not me and Guna, alright. We have never had any relationship that is more than just friendship-lor haha!

That picture above was taken back in November, 2005, when I had a dinner together with my high-school mates. Throughout that dinner, Guna tried to teach me the correct way of using chopsticks lol! What I crapped actually didn't relate much to this entry. Anyway, from the picture above, I was wearing a pair of glasses, which was my second glasses. Unfortunately, I lost it in the sea during our year-end trip to Redang Island several months later. In all, I have had five glasses.

I started to wear glasses since I was sixteen, which lasted for more than seven-long years. That is almost one-third of my whole life! The breaking-up was actually my relationship with my glasses. May 6, 2010 was the last day I've worn my glasses. It was the day when I went to do my laser eye surgery and bid farewell to my contact lens and prescribed glasses forever.

The clinic was located at the Yurakucho Itocia Office Tower, just a stone's throw from JR Yurakucho station.

The decision to go for this surgery came from almost nowhere. I had casual conversation with Kai Cung one night, and the next thing I knew was that the two of us decided to go for the laser surgery.

The place was Shinagawa Lasik Centre in Yurakucho, Tokyo. Besides its main clinic in Tokyo, it also has branches in Osaka, Nagaoka and Fukuoka. It is the leading-clinic in Japan which deals with laser surgery, which boast the highest number of visual correction surgeries in the world. Of over half a million of surgeries undergone, the reported number of infectious diseases cases is zero. Besides that, the rate of the visual recovery above 1.0 after the surgery is 99.7%.

Shinagawa Lasik Clinic.

Okay-lah, I gotta admit the statistics look a little bit fishy. But anyway, with all these statistics, one would surely feel safe to do it here, isn't it? After all, this surgery deals with your eyesight, and anybody would surely want to get the best place to do it.

Before the surgery day, I have actually gone to do a check-up several weeks earlier. During that check-up, they put me through a series of processes which involves measuring my eye-sight, both in bright and dark rooms, the condition of my cornea, whether it is suitable to undergo the laser surgery, and a few other processes as well. Besides that, we were given a briefing in advance what to expect, and how to take care of our eyes after the surgery. They also gave me an envelope which included a pamphlet that detailed on the do's and don'ts before and after the surgery.

The whole thing took me almost three-long hours!

The waiting area, before patients are called in for check-ups.

I passed all the check-ups without any complications and made an appointment to do the surgery on May 6, 2010. It wasn't just a case of going there on that day and let them laser your eyes, because I was told not to wear contact lenses three days prior to that surgery day, and to use the eye-drop they'd given me earlier, once every three hours a day before the surgery.

During that time, the alarm on my phone wasn't used to wake me up in the morning, instead, I set it to ring every three hours, to remind me that it was time to put on my eye-drop haha! I'm such a forgetful person, that's why.

Filling-in some forms during our first visit to the clinic.

For a person who cannot stand the sight of blood and operation theater (that explains why I will never become a doctor), it was quite a miracle that I didn't feel really worried on the day of the surgery. Perhaps this surgery doesn't involve any blood splattered around the operating theater, or uses sharp surgical tools that cut through my organs.

Kai Cung has been watching videos on the surgery at Youtube almost every night before our surgery day, but I ignored him every time he asked me to see it haha! I don't know, I just feel that my eyes would feel pain when I watch those videos. Perhaps my tactic of not watching them worked wonders, as I was pretty much a calm and unworried guy when I stepped into the clinic that evening.

This hall alone explains how huge this clinic is.

Thank God I had Kok Hong to accompany me there, although he left the clinic halfway to catch his flight back to Miyazaki. At least I wasn't alone on the day I did the first and hopefully, the last surgery in my life. That would be such a lonely and sad case-lor haha! After a few final eye check-ups to make sure the data collected a few weeks earlier remains the same, they prepared me for the surgery. I was made to wait for almost an hour in the waiting area, that I dozed off halfway lol!

I will be honest here, I was a little bit nervous when I was waiting for my turn. Several thoughts ran though my mind. Will it be alright? How if something goes wrong? How if suddenly, the doctor feels like farting while he is lasering my eyes? Okay-lah, that sounded a little bit stupid, but the possibility is there, isn't it?

Another waiting room, this time to see the doctor.

The price of doing the surgery in Malaysia and Japan doesn't differ much, and in fact, it is slightly cheaper to do it in Japan. Given a choice, where would you prefer to do it? The answer is pretty obvious, isn't it? However, I guess Kok Hong summed it up the best way: he said he personally still prefer to do it in Malaysia because he cannot imagine what would happen to our eyes if an earthquake occurs halfway through the surgery. That time, not only my eyes, but my whole body will be lasered haha!

I put on a blue-coloured cap over my head and waited in the waiting room. During the wait, a nurse come over and drip a few types of eye-drops. I don't know why they need so many kinds of eye-drops; perhaps one of them is to make the patient calm down lol! Finally, I was led to the operating theater. From this point onwards, my camera wasn't with me anymore, so I'll try my best to use words to describe what happened.

I won't be giving a detailed description about the IntraLASIK surgery (also known as the Intralase method) in this entry, as the information and its comparison with the conventional method, Microkeratone method, which is used during LASIK surgery can be read here.

The first process of the surgical operation was to create the cornea flap using the femtosecond laser. I was asked to lie down on a bed upon entering the room. The doctor then dropped some anaesthetics to numb me eyes. That is why I started to feel a little nervous. But I told myself to calm down, despite the fact that the whole surgery was done while I was conscious at all times.

The IntraLase laser machine, which was used in the operating theater.

After everything was ready, the doctor moved the IntraLase laser machine over my head. He then used a steel scissor-like tool to fix my eyelids open and to make sure I didn't blink. Later, a plastic transparent suction ring was placed on my eyes, which made me I felt some light pressure acting on my eyes, and my vision blurred out.

It was a little uncomfortable at first to have an foreign object touching my eyeball. An appallation lens was then docked into the suction ring and I felt more pressure on my eyes. He asked me to focus on a ring of white light, and I shouldn't move my eyeballs under any circumstances. The sight was as if I was in a spaceship flying through the universe, seeing twinkling stars from every corner haha!

Just a photo to give you a better idea how the process was done.

The whole process took about twenty seconds. I could hear the nurses doing the count-down of fifteen, ten, and five seconds, until it was finally done. The doctor then did the same thing on my other eye. When it was finished, my vision became quite blurry because there were thousands of gas bubbles that joined together to create the flap.

After the first step, I was moved to an adjacent operating theater for the second step, which is to re-shape my cornea. The procedure was similar to the first one - extremely fast and painless. This time however, there were more staffs inside the operating theater - about eight of them, including the doctor. Another difference is that instead of focusing on the white circles, I was asked to look at a green light in the centre. The process took just a few seconds.

Kai Cung told me that when he went through the second step, he smelt something burning. As far as I could remember, I didn't smell anything. Perhaps I was too distracted at the exciting sights of the universe during the surgery, because there were not only white lights but also red, blue, and green lights as well haha!

Some of the souvenirs I got to bring back lol!

In total, the whole surgery took me about ten minutes for both eyes. I were later transferred into a dimmed room to relax and allow my eyes condition to stabilise for about thirty minutes. After that, a simple eye check-up was done, and we were given a set of eye drops and a pair of weird-looking transparent sunglasses to be used for the next few days. That was not the end, because there was a series of follow-up eye check-up after one day, one week, and three months from the day of the surgery, which are all free-of-charge.

It surely gotta be free after I paid such a huge amount of money, ain't it?

My vision right after the surgery was blurry. Imagine yourself wearing a fogged-up glasses when you exited from an air-conditioned room into the hot weather outside. It was something like that. I could just see, but just the vague shape of things. But of course, I managed to differentiate the two shapes properly when I went into the toilet haha! Fortunately, I managed to navigate myself back home on my own and I went to sleep straight away that night.

We were given this protective sunglasses to be worn for one week after the surgery. 
I know it looks really ugly but when my classmate asked me if I had just gone for a new pair of glasses, I just nodded to him haha!

The next morning, I woke up and guess what? I could see my room so clearly, without the need for glasses or contact lenses. In fact, my vision was much clearer than how it used to be.

During the first few days, there was the usual dryness on my eyes. I had to refrain from showering on the first two days to avoid water from entering my both eyes, which were still in the process of recovering. However, things are getting better and the red spot on my eyes is beginning to disappear now. The two periodic check-ups that I have gone to reassured me that I am recovering fine.

Celebrating Bao Cong's birthday at his place.

It has been more than a fortnight since my IntraLASIK surgery. Life is so much easier without glasses or contact lenses. Unlike last time, I would have to spend some time to put on my contact lenses just before I go out, or to worry about carrying long a bottle of solution whenever I go traveling. I can also now do sports without glasses or contact lenses.

Malaysia might not be able to achieve its vision of Wawasan 2020 by the year 2020, but I can proudly say that I have achived my own version of Vision 20/20 haha!

Shibazakura & Cherry Plucking Trip

One-day trip to Yamanashi with Hato Bus.

From the two gatherings in the two previous days, my next outing during the Golden Week holidays was joining the gang for a trip to Yamanashi prefecture. Literally, "yama-nashi" (山無し) means "no mountain", but actually, the place we went has a different kanji character - 山梨. We had to board the bus from Shinjuku station, which means we left our place in Inage at half-past five the morning! Sounds very early but during this time of the year in Japan, it's already bright by that time.

The journey to the first location took us about two hours. Although we had feared that the traffic would be congested along the highway, as it was still the Golden Week holidays, we were lucky to reach there according to the schedule.

Stopped at a rest area. Guess what are these? Canned bread, which looked more like canned food for pets lol!

The first location we went was to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival at Motoyoko Resort. I have seen pictures from some of my friends before this who had visited this place. Looking at their pictures of colourful pinkish shibazakura carpeting the garden, with Mount Fuji and the green  mountain range in the background on a clear day with blue sky, the bright and contrasting colours it provides will make anyone amazed.

That is why the moment I got to know about this place, I made it a point to visit it sometime while I am still in Japan. Finally, I got the chance to visit this festival, which is held for only the third time.

A lake (竜神池) at the middle of the garden.

Rows of colourful shibazakura which just started to bloom.

The temperature this year was colder than previous years, which explains why the flowers weren't in full-bloom yet, it was only forty percent from being fully-bloomed.

Just like sakura, rainfall and temperature are two main factors that determine how fast or slow of the blooming rate of the shibazakura.

There's a temporary observatory deck in the background for visitors to get a better view of the whole place.

The reflection of Mount Fuji (逆さ富士) at Lake Motosu (本栖湖) is actually the image printed on the old 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen note.

This is the 1,000 yen note and the real thing. The phenomenon can only being seen once or twice a year, on a sunny day without strong wind and the lake would act as a mirror to reflect the image of the mountain.

Mount Fuji and the shibazakura, another poscard-quality shot.

A closer shot of Mount Fuji, the symbol of pride for the Japanese.

We are the symbol of pride for Malaysia lol!

A macro shot of the shibazakura, with the blurry image of Mount Fuji in the background.

There are five kinds of shibazakura planted in this garden, and this is one of them.

So far, I have seen the longest river in Japan - Shinano River from my three years of living in Nagaoka, and the tallest tower in Japan - Tokyo Tower just before the end of last year. And now, I have finally gotten the chance to see the tallest mountain in Japan - Mount Fuji, after more than three years living in Japan.

But to be honest, I have lived in Malaysia for more than twenty years, yet I have still to see Mount Kinabalu or Rejang River in real lol!

Try guessing what is this thing.

A drum which uses human head to beat it?

It's actually a traditional Japanese taiko, made of raw wood, aged more than 800 years. It's not used for performances but for the visitors to get inside the drum and feel it when the drum is beaten.

This gigantic drum fits about 12 children or six adults at a time.

A kawaii-looking food ticket machine.

Stalls selling the normal food and souvenirs.

The only group picture of all six of us, taken with the guide, who told us to call her C-chan haha!

Our next stop was at Fuji View Hotel to have our buffet lunch.

The traffic from the shibazakura garden to the hotel was so jammed, that it took almost twice the normal time needed. So, we took the chance to recharge ourselves first before the makan session begins. Remember, it was a buffet, so nobody is better than Malaysians when it comes to buffet haha!

Kok Hong, at the "chocolate fountain" haha! Don't worry, I know the correct name for it - we call it "chocolate fondue", right?

This is just the first round. Guess how many rounds we went during the lunch?

Went up to the observatory floor at the highest floor of the hotel to get a better view of Mount Fuji.

A lake at the opposite end.



 The hotel, seen from across a lake.

The next destination was to the sakuranbo farm for さくらんぼ狩り (sakuranbo-gari), or literally, plucking the cherries.

During the journey there, C-chan explained a little bit about the cherries and how to pick the cherries which are sweeter and taste better. Basically, the redder the skin, the sweeter the cherry is. So, she advised us to go for cherries which are from the higher parts of the trees as the fruits are exposed to more sunlight, hence the skin is redder.

Yamanashi prefecture is well-known for its high-quality grapes, which makes it the number-one wine producing region in Japan.

Momo (桃) or peach, which will be harvested in the summer.

JA Fruits Yamanashi (Iwade Branch), the location of the cherry farm.

After we were given some brief explanations, we entered the green house.

The Japanese in our group had already started plucking away, but we were more busy taking pictures lol!

These are a bit sour.

One the other hand, these cherries with red skin are the best! Sweet and juicy.

Steel ladders were provided for us to climb up to the higher parts of the trees. So, we turned orang utan and had fun plucking and eating the cherries non-stop up there lol!

Our initial plan was to smuggle in a few plastic bags so that we could ta pao some of the cherries back home. Typical Malaysian attitude, isn't it? Haha! Too bad however, because the staffs were standing around us all the time when we plucked our cherries. Mission failed! In the end, we had no choice but to cancel that plan lol!

But, being kiasu like the Singaporeans, we wanted to make sure that our trip there was a worthwhile one. So, we just plucked and ate and plucked and ate for non-stop, that we realised that we were the only ones remaining inside the green-house at the end lol!

My hands were too big for the cherries.



These are just a small fraction of our harvest. 

Cherries on sale outside, for people who wish to buy them back as souvenirs.

Just take a look at how expensive the cherries are? I think we ate the cherries worth more than 8,000 yen for each person lol!

Another group shot at the cherry farm.



One of the two guides who was with us for the day, distributing some jelly to everyone. 



It was something jelly-like thing, grape flavour.

Our initial fears that the traffic on our way back to Tokyo would be jammed was eased, as it wasn't as bad as we first expected. We were supposed to reached Shinjuku station at seven in the evening, and guess what? We reached there at seven sharp! Nobody will beat the Japanese when it comes to punctuality.

We hanged around the area around Shinjuku station, while looking for places to have our dinner. Everywhere was full-house and after 965356789 attempts, we finally found a restaurant haha!

"Relax and unwind in cozy private space and Japanese modern floor."

A touch-screen menu for ordering.

I guess the Japanese guy who took this picture was a bit drunk, judging by the blurry photo.

There's a story behind that group picture taken at the restaurant. It has a bitter-sweet memory to me personally, because it will always remind me to the day that my camera bid farewell to me. I initially tried to place it on a wooden divider and set it on self-timer.

My action however, shocked the Japanese sitting next to our table. Perhaps the camera felt shy on my behalf, hence it decided to commit suicide; just like the Japanese lol! The camera now has a dent on its lense and whenever I turned it on, its eyes just won't open fully haha! That story was brought to you by Shei Pien.　

Anyway, here is a random siao photo we took when we stop at the rest area, on our way back to Tokyo.

Tokyo is to the left!

That sampat pose earned us weird stares from several people who walked by haha!