Coreenna

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you had enjoyed the year-end festivities. I have always loved the month of December becoz there’s such a wonderful mood in the air. Besides Dec’s weather is nice and cool most of the time. Although we have no snow in Singapore, the cool, rainy weather somehow enhanced the Christmas season. I remember stepping out of Mandarin Gallery after dinner at Lawry’s during one of the evenings a couple of weeks back. A group was singing Christmas carols on the sidewalk just outside Mandarin Gallery. It was drizzling slightly and the air felt rather chilly. Throngs of people were milling around and all the Christmas lights were on. And I felt so mesmerized by it all.

Now barely 2 weeks later, we are headed towards Chinese New Year! And boy, I’m looking forward to it (but I still like Christmas better), especially when I’m still entitled to receive Ang Paos…hehe! My mum said that I’ve no shame and should decline the Ang Paos since I’m no longer a child. No way! As long as I’m still eligible for this ‘privilege’, I intend to enjoy it.

1st January 2012 happened to fall on a Sunday. My youngest sis, YJ had received Christ last year during National Day and was baptized on 5 Nov 2011. Praise the Lord! Therefore, now she attends church service with me. It was really special to spend the 1st day of 2012 in church, surrounded by good friends and YJ.

During the service, Pastor Prince revealed the Word for our church this year. He said 2012 is going to be a year of Unceasing Fruitfulness! Amen! Praise God! Verses quoted include Jeremiah 17:5-8, Psalm 1:1-3, Revelation 22:2

To summarize, Pastor Prince expounded on the importance of meditating on the Word of God this year as the key to fruitfulness. Don’t allow the things that are happening in the world or problems to become your focus but rather keep confessing the promises of God as written in the Bible. The Word of God is all powerful and consistent meditating (the Hebrew word for meditating in the Bible is ‘hagah”, which means muttering softly under one’s breath) will release their power and promises into our lives.

At the end of the service, Pastor Prince prayed over our 3 wishes for 2012 and also blessed the entire congregation with a special new year blessing.

I look forward to the fulfillment of my 3 wishes in 2012!

Our priorities change as we move into different seasons of our lives. E.g. in my late teens and early 20s, I was very passionate about creating a great skincare solution for acne. It was like a life mission for me because I wasn’t born with perfect, acne-free skin. I understood what it was like to battle with zits and the ensuing self-esteem issues.

Knowledge is a strange thing. It sounds like a cliche but when it comes to knowledge, it is truly a case of ‘the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know’.

But I guess this is what makes life so interesting and so amazing. If we allow it, everyday can be a new learning experience. Nobody need ever to complain about boredom.  Looking back at all the experiences and stuff I have learnt, and then thinking about the present, and the future, I realize that it would be impossible to contain everything I wish to do and learn in another 35 years or even 50 or 100 years. Coz new things will just keep popping up!

Now in this season of my life, my zeal is turning towards anti-aging. Of course I still love the subject of anti-acne and would love to explore new ideas in this subject but right now, at 36, I’m more keen to discover how to evolve and not age. To evolve means (borrowing a phrase from the Bible) to ‘transform from glory to glory’. Aging, on the other hand, speaks of a process of degeneration.

My goal right now is to look and feel young well into a very advanced age. As a Christian, I look forward to the 2nd coming of Christ. God knows when that will happen but I would like to be alive physically to see that glorious day. And I pray the same for my family, my friends and all whom I love and know coz it wouldn’t be fun or meaningful without them around.

So if Jesus takes another 50 or 100 years to return, I will have to live another 50 or 100 years, or maybe even longer. If this is so, I would like to remain vital, healthy and productive even when I’m  above 100 year-old. By then, I would like to be mistaken for someone many decades younger. I would like to enjoy life even more than now, and have my physical and mental faculties sharpen with time instead of the reverse.

Of course I do confess that personal vanity is a strong motivation for wanting to look youthful and more and more lovely each day.

It’s such a privilege to live in this time and age where knowledge is so readily available to anyone who searches for it. Research is a big part of my job so I spend many wonderful hours pouring over scientific papers , dabbling with the latest active ingredients and concocting skin care formulas that will make my skin stay youthful. Yes, it is fun to create new formulas when I’m one of the ‘guinea pigs’ coz I’m doing this for myself as much as for my customers. Naturally, I want everything to be the best.

However, beauty is truly more than skin deep. While a good skincare regime helps tremendously, it is only part of the equation. LIfestyle, nutrition, and I believe, our spiritual well-being, are contributing factors too.

Will share more in another post.

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It has almost been a month since I came back from a short visit to London. Had wanted to blog about the trip but was too caught up with work upon returning to Singapore. I was startled to read about the riots in London coz these took place just a few days after we left. I pray that the UK and her people will recover quickly from the aftermath.

Main reason I went to London was for this year’s Hillsong Europe Conference. Pastor Prince (my church’s pastor) was a guest speaker at the conference so I really looked forward to it.

I have been to London at least 3 times but never had time to explore the city. It was airport-hotel-trade show-conference-suppliers’ factory-hotel-airport. I  had spent more days in London this time round than all of my previous trips’ sum total.

It’s supposed to be summer now in London but weather was nice and cool during my visit. I enjoyed the cool weather (with some rain thrown in) although a few of the locals whom I spoke to were not too delighted with it.

As you know, the UK is steeped in history. Not sure if this is true but some people even told me that it’s one of the most haunted countries in the world. So much so that tour operators in London offer ‘Ghost Tours’ where they will bring you to the most haunted spots in the city and hopefully, sight a few ghosts along the way.  However, we never went on these tours coz they didn’t appeal to us at all. Besides, in the evenings, there were too many musicals to catch (and too little time!). We managed to catch only 3 musicals – Wicked, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera. But looking at the sheer number of musicals running, I daresay even if we were to stay for a month and catch a different musical every single night, we’ll still be unable to complete watching all of them.

The Shakespeare Globe Theatre

One of the most memorable evenings was watching the play, ‘Anne Boleyn’ at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Shakespeare Globe Theatre is a modern reconstruction of 16th century Elizabethan era theaters. Audience either stand around the yard or sit on wooden benches in the gallery to watch the open-air performance. Of course during Elizabethan times, I’m sure the theatre would be even more rustic and perhaps less clean than its modern rendition. Nevertheless, we love it coz it’s as close as we can get to the real thing. Besides, the play itself was hilarious!

Personally, I think the Tudor period was one of the most fascinating periods in English history, due in no small part to the personal lives of King Henry VIII, his 6 wives and 3 (legitimate) children, one of whom has now a cocktail named after her (Bloody Mary) and the other, England’s greatest queen, Elizabeth I. The play, ‘Anne Boleyn’ that we watched was about Elizabeth I’s mother and 2nd wife to King Henry  VIII. Sadly, she was beheaded on the charges of witch-craft, incest and adultery, after the king tire of her. Anyway, I don’t believe any of those charges to be true.

In historical texts and novels, I have often read about Hampton Court, the palatial palace built by Cardinal Wolsey (who was one of Henry VIII’s most trusted advisors but who later fell from grace when Anne Boleyn became queen coz she hated him) just outside London. So it was on my list of ‘must-visits’. Felt really thrilled to be there finally.

Hampton Court

Initially, we set aside just 3 hours to explore the place but ended spending about 5 hours there, and would have stayed longer if not becoz we had a musical to catch back in London. What added to the experience at Hampton Court were the performances enacted throughout the day. The performances were about King Henry VIII’s 6th wife, Queen Katherine Parr. and the storyline, which was played out in sequence at different times of the day, was taken from this particular episode when Katherine Parr was Queen, where she was in danger of being convicted for heresy and treason becoz of her views on religion. We thoroughly enjoyed the performances, the Tudor royal costumes, etc.

Btw, Hampton Court is also a very haunted place as it has seen its fair share of tragedies over the centuries. At a particular gallery, visitors have regularly reported feeling chills go down their spines as though something is watching them. Thank God we felt nothing. Also, a few years ago, it was reported in the news that the CCTV at Hampton Court captured  footages of a strange figure in Tudor-style clothing wandering around certain areas of the palace ground. The face looked really eerie and nobody could identify the figure. What’s more, it all took place when the palace was closed to visitors.

We also took a day-trip with London Walks by train to Cotswolds where we get to spend the entire day exploring the villages, mostly on-foot. Of course there are full day coach tours that will bring you to Cotswolds, Oxford, Bath and Warwick Castle in a single day but that means everything is done at a whirlwind pace as they shuttle you from place to place. We preferred to devote an entire day to just Cotswolds to soak in its beauty. We even managed to enjoy a lovely, leisurely lunch at one of the village’s quaint little restaurants, Eight Bells. Cotswolds is indeed beautiful, everything I have imagined an English countryside to be. Of course, having Richard as a guide added tremendously to our appreciation of Cotswolds.

Cotswolds

Another memorable experience was high tea at the Ritz. Actually for us, it was more of a brunch than high tea becoz even though we had booked more than 2 months ahead, we could only get a table for the 11.30am slot. They have 5 slots daily- 11.30am,1.30pm, 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm and tables are snapped up very fast! So if you are thinking of having high tea at the Ritz, please book as soon as you can.

To be honest, the food was nothing extraordinary. They are standard English tea fare like finger sandwiches, scones and pastries. But it was really the whole ensemble that turned it into a special event. For a start, you know that you are following in the footsteps of celebrities and dignitaries like King Edward VII, Sir Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Judy Garland, who were regular patrons of high tea at the Ritz. Maybe that’s why there’s such an old-world grandeur about the place.

Secondly, besides the opulent Edwardian-style interiors, the whole tea room is somehow bathe in an glowy, ethereal light which gives the place an unearthly charm.  So although it is very elegant, it doesn’t feel stiff or stuffy at all. On the contrary, we felt really comfy.

Third, I guess it’s the guests themselves. As there is a dress code for high tea here, you don’t see people wearing T-shirts, bermudas or flip-flops. Gentlemen put on their coats (and sometimes ties) while ladies wore elegant luncheon or cocktail dresses. We even spotted a few ladies wearing lovely hats (wondered where they got those?) which are usually seen only in fashion spreads. I just wish that fine-dining restaurants and tearooms in Singapore will also insist on proper dress codes too. Somehow, part of the fun in going for fine-dining is the dressing up part where you plan your outfit, hair, make-up, etc.

Therefore, besides high tea at the Ritz, we felt that no visit to London is complete without a night at a fine-dining restaurant. Our 1st choice was ‘The Fat Duck’ but since it’s quite a distance from London and we can’t find enough time to make the trip, we decided on ‘Le Gavroche’ instead.

However, I only had 45 minutes to shower, do my hair and dress-up coz we visited Warwick Castle on the same day we went to ‘Le Gavroche’. I didn’t even had time for make-up although for this occasion, I would like to put on some make-up just for the fun of it. By the time we returned to our hotel in London, it was already 7.30pm. Really, I wondered how in the world do coach tours cram Warwick Castle, Cotswolds, Oxford and even Bath in a single day?!

Warwick Castle

By the way, Warwick Castle is beautiful but it felt somewhat ‘disneyfied’ so we didn’t quite like it as much as Hampton Court. There’s an attraction there called the ‘Castle Dungeon’ which I personally feel is too dark and scary for young kids and not very appropriate due to its gruesome content. In fact, we regretted going in too coz it’s all about medieval ways of torturing people and the actors were too good.

On the way to Le Gavroche (my double-eyelid look without glasses and make-up)

Back to Le Gavroche, we opted for the 8 course degustation menu with wine pairings. We thought that the portions were going to be minuscule like all fine-dining restaurants, but we were so wrong! By the 5th course, I already felt very stuffed but more food and wine keep coming. When the cheese trolley came out, I was very impressed by the splendid array but in my mind, I was wondering who on earth can still eat cheese after all those food?! However, when I glanced over at the next table, I saw the diners happily tucking into a whole plateful of cheese. Amazing!

Anyway, we asked for very tiny itsy-bitsy slices and I think the waitress on the other hand was rather shocked that we are not eating more of their fine cheeses. Fortunately, the cheese was served with tart fruit compote so we didn’t feel so ‘jelak’(malay word for ‘overstuffed with rich, heavy foods’). Don’t get me wrong, the cheeses were very good. It was just that we had already been very well-fed with so many courses.

By the time we left the restaurant, it was close to midnight.

With all these eating and drinking, it’s a good thing that we walked a lot in London. Also, I believe the cold weather helped to burn off any extra calories (coz our bodies must fend against the cold by burning more ‘fuel’). I actually lost 2kg after the whole trip despite all the food!

After a week of sightseeing, it was time for us to attend the Hillsong Europe Conference.

Our Room at the Bloomsbury Hotel

As Hillsong Conference was held at the O2 which is located about 45 minutes away from our hotel in central London, we had to move to a hotel nearer to the O2 for convenience. I was really sorry to say goodbye to our central London hotel, The Bloomsbury. It’s located near the West-end theaters and it’s very convenient for dining and shopping. Besides, the hotel itself was beautiful and the room we had was very spacious, comfortable and lovely. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for good accommodation in central London.

Our Suite at The Novotel ExCel

Our next hotel was the Novotel ExCel which is much closer to O2. It is also a nice hotel but in terms of decor, it is definitely on the contemporary side. Very different from The Bloomsbury in terms of ambience and service. The rooms in general are also smaller, even for the Executive category. Fortunately, we received a free upgrade to a corner suite so in the end, our room was bigger than the one we had at The Bloomsbury, even though it was less plush.

It was our 1st time attending a Hillsong Conference and we looked very much forward to it. The excitement was palpable amongst the congregation throughout the entire 2.5-day conference. The praise and worship sessions were totally awesome and it was wonderful to see people from all over the world gathered at here just to revel in the presence of Jesus.

Besides Pastor Prince, we greatly enjoyed Bishop T.D. Jakes’ dynamic sermons. His words have the power to rev up your engines. I love the way he read the Bible too in King James version. Every word from the Bible somehow came to life when he read it and the passage became so captivating that I just wished he’ll keep on reading. Later, I found out that he was a member of the cast who read the audio Bible, “The Bible Experience”.

Hillsong Conference

During the Hillsong Conference, we learned about this amazing organization called ‘COMPASSION’. They are doing wonderful works for the Lord by helping children, babies and mothers living in poverty-stricken parts of the world. Do check out their website at http://www.compassion.com/ to find out more.

We look forward to attend Hillsong Conference again next year (and of course, to holiday in another part of Europe).

www.vitasence.com

Dear Customers and VPC Members,

A BIG THANK YOU for your tremendous support during Vitasence Great Singapore Sale 2011!

A few popular items such as Cleansing Mousse, Revitalising Tonic and Protective Hydrator were sold-out completely. My apologies to those of you who have to wait on backorder until the 1st week of August to receive these items. Truly, this year’s GSS promotion had far exceeded our expectations. We had more than tripled our production output for those three items and still could not meet all orders completely.

My team had worked very hard during the past 1 month to ensure that production, packing and processing of orders went as smoothly as possible. On most days, they even had to work into the late hours of the night. So I thought, why not give them a well-deserved break?

Therefore there will be no deliveries between Monday, 18 July till Monday, 25 July 2011. Also, this period coincides with our annual stock-taking so it is an ideal time. Delivery will resume on Tuesday, 26 July 2011.

Once again, on behalf of the entire Vitasence team, I thank you for your wonderful support! We look forward to serve you again real soon!

God Bless!

Love,

Coreenna

www.vitasence.com

18th January 2011: 7th Day Post-Op (Stitches Removal Day)

I had been looking forward to this day! Those stitches on my lids were getting really tight and uncomfortable by now and I can’t wait to get rid of them!

But first, we had to travel back to Taipei. There were a few options. First would be to take a tour coach that goes direct to Taipei. But the journey would take 4 hours plus and didn’t sound very comfortable. Next option would be to take a bus to Puli, a nearby town and then transfer to another bus that will take us to Taichung Highspeed Railway station. But that sounded like a lot of hassle, given the amount of luggage we had. So finally, I decided to hire an 8-seater taxi (so that we would have ample room for our luggage) that will pick us directly from our resort at Cingjing and send us to Taichung Highspeed Railway station.

The taxi ride took about an hour or so to Taichung. From Taichung station, the train journey took only 1 hour to reach Taipei Train Station. Which was really fast I must say.

Above pics: Taxi to Taichung, Taichung High Speed Train Station, Inside the train

My appointment with Dr Chen was at 3pm. It was kind of nice to be back at the cosy clinic. The nurse greeted us warmly and told me that Dr Chen would be seeing me shortly. I saw a couple of ladies(single-lidded) waiting at the lounge area. They stared at my eyes so I guess they were trying to scrutinize Dr Chen’s ‘workmanship’.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, it was my turn. Dr Chen checked my eyelids and the incision and said that the wound had healed very nicely. He then cleaned my eyelids with alcohol swabs before removing the stitches. My eyes were closed of course throughout the whole procedure.

Stitch removal was in fact more painful than surgery itself. I supposed this is because no LA was used. It felt like sharp ant bites but thankfully, it was quickly over. Dr Chen took only a few seconds per lid. I didn’t know how he did it but it felt as though the stitches were peeled off with a tweezer. Just like that.

My eyelids could move more freely after the stitches were removed. It felt like a huge relief indeed. Dr Chen applied a bit of antibiotic ointment on the incision area and told me to continue to apply this ointment for the next 2 days, after which I can stop. In the meantime, for the next couple of days, I must continue to avoid letting water come into contact with my upper eyelids.

Eye Exercise To Speed Up Recovery

Dr Chen proceeded to give me a ‘lecture’ on the after-care. I should avoid strenuous workout, carrying heavy stuff and bending forward for the next 1 month. He showed me how to perform eye exercises that will help to reduce swelling and strengthen the newly created double eyelid muscle plates. This exercise will also help previously single-lidded people like me to get rid of the habit of raising my eye brows.

Dr Chen explained that single-lidded people have a natural tendency to lift their eyebrows when they try to look up, stare hard or open their eyes wide. As as result, wrinkles may appear faster on the forehead area for single-lidded people. By training the newly created upper eyelid muscle plates (this is the muscle that holds up the double eyelid crease), I will gradually get rid of the habit of lifting my eye brows while staring hard or looking up. Dr Chen did not say this but I was thinking, since this muscle plate is responsible for holding up the double eye lid crease, by exercising it regularly, it should also be helpful for preventing upper eyelid sag right?

Anyway, the exercise is a very simple one. Slowly roll up your eyeballs as high as possible so that you are looking up without tilting your head or raising your eyebrows. Only your eyeballs are moving. You should feel a slight tension on the eyeball and upper eyelid. Hold for a few seconds and and slowly look down by rolling down your eyeballs. Close your eyes and rest for a few seconds. Repeat 20 to 30 times every hour.

Although it sounded very simple, I couldn’t do it all at first coz I kept raising my eye brows while looking up. Dr Chen explained that this is natural coz my upper lid muscle plates were not developed yet. He showed me a trick which I could use in the beginning for the eyeball exercise.

1. Form a fist with one hand.

2. Place the fist at eye level about 10 cm away from my eyes.

3. Slowly move the fist up above my head. Meanwhile, without tilting my head, let my eyeballs follow the upward movement of my fist until it reach a height where my eyeballs couldn’t move further up anymore.

4. Hold a few seconds and then slowly move the fist down to normal eye level, eyeballs following the downward movement.

5. Repeat the above steps 20 to 30 times per hour.

Dr Chen told me that no matter how busy I may be, I must do this exercise faithfully at least once every hour. And if I could find time, I should do it more often than prescribed.

Before leaving the clinic, the nurse gave me a tube of anti-swelling cream which can only be used 1 month after the surgery. She repeated a summary of what Dr Chen said and told me to give the clinic a call anytime I have any question. I must say Dr Chen and his nurses are really thorough and patient in everything they do. Perhaps this is why Regent Clinic is so highly raved among the Taiwanese.

My sisters had been clamoring to visit the ultra-cute Hello Kitty Cafe in Taipei. So after leaving Regent Clinic, we decided to go for high tea there. In fact, Hello Kitty Cafe was only a short 8 minutes’ walk from the clinic.

The place was indeed very girly. It would be strange to see a bunch of macho guys having high-tea or coffee there. The clientele was majority girls and women of all ages. Of the few guys there, they were either with their girlfriend or wife.

Nevertheless, the cakes and pastries here were good although they looked too pretty to be eaten. Fortunately, our hunger instinct took over eventually  and we soon finished off the hello kitties.

16th and 17th Jan 2011: Day 5 & 6 Post-Op

I could feel the wounds on my lids getting tighter and itchier. The swelling had subsided a little.

On 16th Jan, we departed Hualien for Cingjing (清境), which is an idyllic retreat located in the central mountainous zlone of Taiwan, in the province of Nantou.

Mr Li, Tiffany’s husband, was the driver for our 5-hour journey from Hualien to Cingjing. He told us that he would handle long-distance drives while Tiffany takes care of local tours in Hualien. As a matter of fact, I find Mr Li to be a very skilled and careful driver. This is so important because the journey from Hualien to Cingjing took us thru mountain passes and hair-rising bends. What’s more, at certain parts of the journey, it was very foggy. One wrong turn could send the whole car over the mountain cliff.

Dangers aside, this is probably one of the most beautiful drives in Taiwan. We passed by highland vegetable farms, saw snow and icicles and wide span of cloud floating beneath us. I enjoyed this ride thoroughly but both of my sisters experienced some motion sickness. So if you are prone to motion sickness, it would be a good idea to take some motion sickness pills before the journey.

The amazing thing about this journey was the constantly changing weather. Some parts were misty, some really foggy, all of sudden it became really bright and sunny with clear blue skies, and then it became snowy, as if we were at the height of winter. We even saw icicles hanging from the mountainside. The lowest temperature we encountered was at Wuling (2 degrees celsius), after the snow mountain, Hehuanshan which happens to be the highest point on Taiwan that can be accessed by road. Anyway, all that cold was good for my eyes. It was like having an ice-compress on my eyelids without having to lie down and close my eyes.

Above: Pictures of our road trip from Hualien to Cingjing

We arrived at our minsu in Cinjing at around 4.30pm in the afternoon. I felt kind of sorry that the journey had ended coz it was really a lovely journey with plenty of stops along the way to enjoy ourselves. After dropping us off, Mr Li had to drive all the way back to Hualien. But he said the return journey would be much faster as he need not stop at all. He was such a kind man and I would not hesitate to vote for him if ever there’s an award called, “Driver-of-the-year”.

Our minsu turned out to be a beautiful European-style resort. The  bedrooms were sort of decorated in European Baroque-style but the bathroom was a bit strange as it was only separated from the bedroom by a curtain. As our minsu was located on a rather high elevation, the view from our balconies was lovely. We could see mountain ranges, and even a not-too-faraway field with horses grazing in the field. We certainly don’t feel as though we were in Taiwan.

Lovely rooms at Florence Resort Villa in Cingjing

As evening fell, the weather became very cold. We didn’t feel like venturing anywhere so we decided to have our dinner at the resort’s restaurant. Turned out to be a great idea coz they serve really fresh and tasty steamboat. The veggies were all grown here at their farm (the resort has a vegetable farm) and no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides were used, and they were very crisp, sweet and fresh.

Pic on the right: My eyes were looking less swollen and more natural

After dinner, we decided to have an early rest as there’s nothing much to do after nightfall at Cingjing.

We spent the next day exploring Cingjing. It is really a lovely place for a short retreat. Make sure you taste the local produce(fruits, tea, honey, milk, veggies) if you ever visit this place coz they are really fresh and  delicious.  Many visitors have commented that Cingjing has a European alp-vibe about it. And I think so too.

We went in winter, that’s why the grass have turned brownish. If you go in spring or summer, the hills will all be green and lush, and  the scenery will have a different kind of beauty.

www.vitasence.com

15 Jan 2011: Day 4 Post-Op

Today turned out to be quite a physically strenuous day, given my ‘condition’, coz we spent the day trekking!

Tiffany, Mr Li’s wife, was our driver-cum-guide for our sightseeing tour of Taroko Gorge. She picked us up from our minsu at 9.30am. Like her husband, Tiffany is a very warm and chatty person. I’m really glad we found them.

Btw, Bu Lao Hai Yang minsu serves simple and healthy breakfasts of sandwiches, fruits and cakes/pastries. We found the portions to be huge but this was probably because we were not very hearty eaters.

Top Pic: Our minsu’s breakfast room  Bottom Pics: Our Breakfast!

Although we spent the whole day at Taroko National Park, we were only able to cover a small portion of it coz it is such a massive place! We explored the usual tourist route of Shakadang Trail – Eternal Spring Shrine – Swallow Grotto Trail – Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail – Tzu Mu Bridge – Holiu Suspension Bridge – Tienhsiang. That’s a lot of walking so if you ever come to Taroko, make sure you have on a pair really comfortable walking shoes. My sis, Erin, wore her fancy boots and had trouble climbing over the rocks coz the soles of her boots didn’t have good grip.

Taroko is perfect for hiking. In fact, if one so wishes, one could spend a few days trekking deep into the gorge. But if you wish to do that, you must come well-prepared with mountain-climbing gear and equipment as the paths further in could be extremely steep and treacherous. Tiffany kept telling us stories of people who ventured alone into the depths of Taroko and were never seen again. She speculated that they might have been captured by spirits etc, but I would think it’s more likely they had fallen into some deep ravines (like what happened to that guy in the movie,”127 hours”, which is, by the way, a true story).

By 5pm, our feet were sore from all the trekking so we decided to call it a day. Anyway, it was getting dark (the sun sets early in winter) so that kind of put a stop to our trekking.

www.vitasence.com

14 Jan 2011: Day 3 Post-Op

My eyes still looked swollen today. Guess it’s my fault coz I should be using the cold compress more regularly. But because of all the sightseeing and activities, it was really hard to find time and a place to lie down during the day. Also, my eyes felt even tighter than yesterday(maybe becoz of the swelling).

Today, we left Taipei for Hualien. Usually from Taipei, people travel to Hualien via train. But since I was advised by the doctor not to carry heavy stuff and I heard there’s not much space for luggage storage on the Hualien-bound train, I decided that we should hire a driver to send us to Hualien.

I found a husband-and-wife driver team, Mr Li and his wife, Tiffany. Tiffany was the one whom I corresponded with via emails to make all our travel arrangements. They are both based in Hualien, so in order to pick us up from our hotel in Taipei at 11am, Mr Li had to start driving from Hualien at 7 in the morning.

He drove a 7-seater Toyota Wish so there was plenty of rooms for our massive luggage. Thank God!

Mr Li told us that the weather will clear up once we leave Taipei county coz everywhere else was clear and sunny. Sure enough, as we drove towards Yilan(宜蘭), the skies gradually turned a clear clear blue and there was no more rain! The sun came out and the air became fresher and cleaner too. Gone were the fog, smog and rain. Yay!

On the road from Taipei to Hualien

Mr Li drove at a leisurely pace so that we could enjoy the scenery. He’s a very warm and chatty guy and regaled us with stories of Taiwanese politics, geography, history, etc throughout the journey.

At around 1pm, we arrived at  the township of Suao (蘇澳), known for its fishing port and cold springs. It was supposed to be a lunch stop but since none of us were hungry, we decided to explore the town and take a bubble tea break.

Township of Suao

We set off again shortly. Mr Li told us we’ll be driving thru mountainous roads from this point. It was a good thing we travelled after the typhoon season coz just a few months back, part of the Suao highway was destroyed by typhoon and the highway was closed for a couple of months as a result.

I must say the Suao highway is a very scenic drive because we could see the Pacific ocean shimmering below on our left. After about an hour, we reached the renowned Cingshui Cliff. This is one of the most spectacular sights along the highway connecting Hualien and Suao. You could see vertical cliffs rising majestically above the Pacific ocean. The water near the shoreline is a sight to behold coz you can see two distinct shades of blue embracing the coast.

Beautiful views at Cingshui Cliff

After getting our fill of Cingshui Cliff, we continued on our journey. Mr Li said he will bring us to Qixing Tan (七星潭) next, another scenic spot close to Hualien.

The nurse at Regent knew that I will be traveling by car to Hualien. She had advised me to buy cold cans of soft drinks at rest stops along the way and use them as cold compress over my eyes. I thought that was a great plan but between chatting with Mr Li and taking in the amazing views, there simply wasn’t time to work that plan!

As my eyes still looked as swollen as the day before, I didn’t take any close-ups today. Here’re a couple of pictures of me taken on Day 3 post-op:

Sorry, not a very nice pic coz I was stuffing my face with food. You can see that my eyes were swollen though.

Another pic taken on Day 3 post-op

Qixing Tan is actually a beach in Hualien. The waves were quite strong so I don’t think it’s a safe place for swimming. It’s a nice place to chill out and relax in the late afternoon though. We saw many locals who came with their dogs. I think Taiwanese really love their pets.

Huge waves at Qixing Tan

Cute Dachshunds at Qixing Tan

It was close to 5pm when we finally reached our minsu (民宿), which is a Taiwanese Bed & Breakfast place, in Hualien town center. I heard that one can reach Hualien in 3 hours from Taipei with non-stop driving. But Mr Li drove slowly in the winding mountain roads coz he was concerned that we may get motion sickness since we were not used to mountain roads. Also along the way, we had plenty of rest stops and sightseeing stops. Actually the sightseeing stops were not part of the itinerary but Mr Li kindly threw them in for us coz he felt it would be a pity for 1st-timers like us to miss out on the beautiful sceneries.

The minsu where we stayed in Hualien – Ai Shang Bu Lao Hai Yang(愛上不老海洋)

It was the first time we stayed in a minsu and I must say, it was a lovely experience. Taiwanese are very warm and hospitable by nature and staying at a minsu is a great way to experience local hospitality.愛上不老海洋 is a very cozy and homely place and the rooms and public areas are all lovingly decorated. The owner told me that she redecorates the place regularly so that returning guests will experience something fresh and different each time they visit.

13 Jan 2011: Day 2 Post-Op

Today, my creases seemed less red but the swelling remained. My right eye was visibly more swollen than the left so my two eyes looked a little asymmetrical. Dr Chen had told me this would be the case for at least 2 months so I wasn’t worried. I also noticed from the pics that the knot from the stitches on my right eye had disintegrated somehow and was hanging down. In addition, my wounds felt a bit tighter than the day before.

Day 3 since the double eyelid surgery

My mum and my other sis, Erin, joined us in Taipei today. So in the late morning, YJ and I went to the airport to fetch them. I wore my large sunglasses to protect my eyes. This attracted a quite few curious glances as it was a cloudy, slightly rainy day.

I had expected my mum and Erin to be all over me, clamoring to see my ‘new eyes’ the moment they arrived. But no. They didn’t even utter a word. And when I took off my sunglasses to show them, they merely smiled politely and nodded. Strange right?

Anyway, we had a lazy day as the 2 newcomers were tired from having to wake up super early in the morning for the flight to Taipei. Went shopping for good walking shoes for my mum after lunch at 永和豆漿大王. After that we went back to the hotel to rest. Finally, I had some time to apply cold compress over my eyes.

I’m relaxing with the cold compress while my sis had nothing better to do

By the way, here’s how I kept my face clean and pimple-free throughout the ‘no-water-contact-on-wound’ period:

My skincare kit:

* Ultra Gentle Cleansing Milk

* Revitalising Tonic

* Pore Clarifying Essence

* Acne Detox Serum

* Enhancing Eye Treatment (I used this on my face, not my eyes during this period)

* Deep Whitening Treatment

* Protective Hydrator

* Boiled distilled water

* Large facial cotton pads (7cm x 8cm)

How I cleaned my face:

Since splashing water was out of question, I had to use Ultra Gentle Cleansing Milk instead of my usual Cleansing Mousse.

I bought large facial cotton pads for cleansing as they are nice and thick. The smaller ones are flimsy and disintegrate easily which are fine if you are just applying toner.

1. First, I boiled some distilled water and mixed it with cool distilled water to get warm water. The warm water was poured into 2 separate bowls (these were borrowed from the hotel).

2. I soaked a large cotton pad in bowl no. 1 and squeezed out excess water. Then I wiped my face gently with the damp cotton pad. This was repeated a few times so that the warm, moist cotton pad can soften my pores and open them up for more thorough cleansing.

3. If my palms were cold, I rubbed them until they felt very warm before pumping out some Ultra Gentle Cleansing Milk. I then warmed the Cleansing Milk between my palms before applying it to my face.

4. All areas of my face, except for the upper eyelid  and brow area were thoroughly massaged with the Cleansing Milk. After a minute or so, I soaked the cotton pad again in bowl no. 1, squeezed out excess water and wiped away all traces of the Cleansing Milk.

5. I repeated step 2 to 4 a second time. This is called double cleansing. I wanted to make sure my skin was thoroughly cleansed as I felt rather insecure without the usual foam.

6. I threw away the cotton pad and took out a new one. The new cotton pad was soaked in bowl no. 2. After squeezing out excess water, I wipe my face thoroughly, again without coming into contact with up upper eyelid area. Then I discarded the cotton pad. This step was repeated a 2nd time with another cotton pad.

7. I took out a fresh cotton pad and dampen it in bowl no. 2. After squeezing out excess water,  I poured Revitalising Tonic liberally onto the cotton pad and wiped my face. The lower eye area and the corners of my eyes were gently wiped too as the antibiotic ointment sometimes gathered at these areas. Btw, Revitalising Tonic totally enhances the skin cleansing process as it has mild antibacterial and astringent properties which are great for removing any remaining traces of oils and grime. Plus, it is alcohol-free so it didn’t stung my eyes at all when I used it to clean my lower eye area and the corners of my eyes.

8. After  step 7, I applied the remaining skincare products in the following sequence: Pore Clarifying Essence, Acne Detox Serum, Enhancing Eye Treatment(on my whole face for its antioxidant and anti-aging properties) and Deep Whitening Treatment. If it’s day-time, I would used Protective Hydrator in place of Deep Whitening Treatment.

Yeah, I know the cleansing process sounds tedious. It took me longer than usual to clean my face as I had to be careful and take care not to tug at my eye area or let any water come into contact with my upper lids. Fortunately, I don’t use make-up at all. Otherwise, goodness knows how much longer it would have taken!

12 January 2011 (Day 1 Post-Op)

The first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was to check out my eyes in the mirror. There wasn’t any pain but I could see that my eyes were slightly more swollen today as Dr Chen had predicted. I could also see that my creases and the outer corner of my eyes were slightly reddish. Also because of the swelling, the creases looked higher than they were yesterday. I asked my sis to take a pic of me with my eyes closed so that I could check out the wound.

Pics of my eyes taken on the morning after my double eyelid surgery. The blackish line seen on my creases in the 2nd pic was the stitches. (Sorry if my skin looked kinda greasy. Haven’t washed my face yet in the morning when this pic was taken. On hindsight, I should have washed my face first but it’s too late to think of that now! Was too excited to take pics 1st!)

The initial plan for today was total bed rest in my hotel room as Dr Chen said I must apply cold compress to my eyes for 15 minutes every hour. However, after breakfast, when we returned to our room after breakfast, the housekeeping lady was tidying up our room. When we saw that, my sis and I were struck with an inexplicable urge to explore the city and check out Taipei’s wonderful MRT system. Besides we had to be somewhere right? Otherwise, we would be distracting the housekeeper from her duties.

Since the weather was invigoratingly cold at 9 degrees celsius(which felt icy to my skin) and I felt pretty normal, I knew that I would be fine. However, I put on my sunglasses so as to protect my eyes from the rain and pollution, and also to hide my eyes in case I scare anyone (coz my eyes were slightly more swollen than the day before).

Again, what I did is NOT RECOMMENDED in case you plan to go for double eyelid surgery. The correct thing to do is to give yourself complete rest at home. Dr Chen told me that many of his clients took 7 to 10 days’ leave from work so that they could rest at home and apply cold compress to their eyes regularly. Also, you should apply cold compress to your eyes every hour for 15 minutes each time as this will help to reduce swelling.

Me enjoying the amazing MRT ride in Taipei

What I did to prepare myself for double eyelid surgery:

1. I booked my consultation and surgery date 3 months prior to 11/1/11.

2. Over the phone, the nurse had told me to stop taking chinese herbs and supplements that have anticoagulation and blood thinning properties 3 weeks before the actual surgery as these will increase bleeding during the surgery and bruising thereafter.  The supplements include Vitamin E, Co-enzyme Q10, Grapeseed, fish oil, high dosage Vitamin C (moderate dosage not exceeding 1000mg per day is still ok). Also no alcohol 1 week before and 1 month thereafter.

3. I put myself on a more healthy diet 1 month before the surgery so that my body’s healing power will operate at its peak. This means no junk food and fried stuff but loads of fresh, wholesome foods like lean beef, fish, veggies and fruits. I drank lotsa collagen-rich soups like beef bones with carrots, celery and onions and chicken feet with peanuts. I also avoided ‘toxic’ food like shellfish, prawns, crabs, lobsters, pork, etc as Pastor Prince had said in one of his sermons that the reason why these foods are considered ‘unclean’ in the Old Testament is because the aforementioned creatures(prawns, crabs, pig) are scavengers of the earth which God created to keep the sea and land clean. Scavengers survive by feeding on waste materials and rubbish. That’s why these foods are forbidden to the Jewish as God knows they are not exactly the most healthy choices. In other words, my diet was quite kosher during that 1 month preparation period and 1 month post-surgery.

3. I continued to read up about the procedure from various online resources. My research led me to discover this wonderful supplement called Sinecch. It’s a homeopathic preparation of arnica extract which is highly recommended by many cosmetic surgeons as it helps to minimize post-surgery bruising and swelling. One box is all you need it contains 5 days’ supply from pre-surgery to post-surgery. I bought mine from www.makemeheal.com

4. I practiced washing my hair with my sunglasses on and my head tilting backwards 1 month prior to the surgery. For me, this took practice coz the natural tendency is to get water into my eyes while shampooing. The other option, as the nurse had told me, is to get my hair washed at the salon. However, I have an idiosyncrasy. I don’t like to step outdoors again for the day(or night) once I took my shower and shampooed my hair coz most outdoor environment has got smog(from cars), pollution, dust, etc and I like to feel completely clean before I sleep. So getting my hair washed at a salon is not an option for me.

5. I prepared my skincare routine. Using Cleansing Mousse is out-of-question as I can’t splash my face with water. So I have to rely solely on Ultra Gentle Cleansing Milk and Revitalising Tonic to keep my skin clean and pimple-free. Alas! I’m not born with perfect skin and if I don’t clean it properly and get rid of excess oils regularly, I will still get pimples and clogged pores.

6. Learn what to expect after the surgery. I prepared myself mentally. Over the phone, the nurse had told me that many clients couldn’t accept their new look initially. Throw in the bruising and swelling, some people may even experience anxiety, worry, depression etc. I had very realistic expectations. What I wanted was natural-looking enhancements to my eyes, and not transformation into someone else. I also resolved to keep myself happy and relaxed even if I looked like a panda bear after the surgery. This is because when one is relaxed and happy, the body’s healing mechanism is then able do its job properly.

7. I exercise regularly. My exercise regime comprises a mix of pilates, ballet conditioning and callanetics. Exercise produces endorphins and endorphins keep a person happy and relax. Also, since I will not be able to perform any of these exercises during the one-month healing period after the surgery, I thought I better make up for lost-time by exercising more before the surgery.

8. I pray everyday.

The Night Before Surgery:

1. Sleep early. Don’t do anything too strenuous or stressful.

2. Pray.

On the day of the surgery:

1. Have a lazy day. I did feel quite nervous so I went shopping and eating with my sis to keep my mind off the surgery that’s going to take place in the afternoon. Don’t dwell on what’s coming next.

2. I took a shower and wash my hair before the surgery. Somehow this made me feel more prepared.

3. I took the pre-op Sinecch capsule at 1.30pm, 2 hours prior to the surgery.

During the surgery:

1. Whenever I felt tensed, I breathe deeply and prayed.

2. I kept my eyelids as gently closed as possible. This is very very important throughout the whole process, including at that point where the local anesthesia is administered. Try your best not to tense up your eye area or shut your eyelids too tightly as our eye area is full of micro capillaries which will rupture easily during the LA jab and surgery when there’re too much tension. So keeping the eyelids gently closed and entire eye area relaxed is an important key to minimize bruising.

3. Listen and follow closely to the doctor’s instructions. Keep as still as possible and pre-warn the doctor or the nurses if you feel any sudden urge to sneeze or cough. Don’t even move your hands to scratch any part of your body(this was what Dr Chen said). Just speak out and the nurses will attend to you. Speak out if you feel any pain or discomfort.

Post-Surgery:

1. During the 1st 10 days, get as much rest as possible. Don’t allow water to come into contact with the eye area. If you are going outdoors, protect your eyes with glasses or sunglasses.

2. Take the antibiotic capsules prescribed by the doctor. Actually I don’t like to take antibiotics but since that was a surgery I just did, I thought I had better take it. Mine was a 2-day, 3 times daily supply. Also, my sis applied the antibiotic ointment 3 times a day to my wound. As the ointment is oil-based, it helps to ‘waterproof’ the wound to a certain extent. It also helps to prevent any infection to the wound so that healing will take place faster.

3. Avoid bending your head or upper body forward for at least one month as this will increase blood flow to the eye area and cause excessive pressure on the eye area.

4. Avoid carrying heavy objects or doing strenuous exercises.

5. Continue to avoid supplements like Vitamin E, Co-Enzyme Q10 and fish oil for one month.

6. Avoid eating ‘toxic’ foods like the ones I mentioned above during the 1st month healing process. Don’t drink any alcohol or take hot, spicy food either. Drink warm fluids and avoid cold water.

7. Reduce your salt intake coz too much salt will cause more swelling in the eye area.

8. Use cold compress on your eye area every hour, 15 minutes each time.

9. Continue taking Sinecch as per the instruction stated on the box. I’m not sure whether is it Sinecch, Dr Chen’s skills or my obedience to keep my eyelids relaxed (or a combination of all 3), I experienced very very minimal bruising and relatively mild swelling compared to what I had in mind prior to this (panda + goldfish eyes for the 1st 2 weeks).  Praise God!

10. I didn’t experience any bleeding or pain after the surgery. But Dr Chen had told me that I may experience those so there’s no need to panic if it happened, as long as the bleeding is just light bloody fluid that stops easily and the pain is slight. What I did experienced was slight tightness in my eye area and mild itching on the 6th to 7th day as the wound healed. Other than that, I was able to carry on my daily activities and enjoyed a holiday around various parts of Taiwan (Hualien and Cingjing) before going back to Taipei on 18th Jan to remove the stitches. I did took special care not to carry anything heavy so my sisters gotta handle my luggage for me. Hehe…:)

11. I’m used to sleeping on my right but for at least 2 weeks post-surgery, I slept on my back. I also added another pillow so that my head was elevated higher.  makemeheal.com sells wedge pillows which are supposedly good for post-eyelid surgery uses but it would be too cumbersome to pack a pillow into my luggage and bring it around. So I got by with borrowing an additional pillow from the hotel. Dr Chen told me some people even slept in a sitting position but I found that very uncomfortable.