Should I use Contact Lenses?

Once-upon-a-time, those who wore glasses were labelled as geeks and unfashionable – remember  the classic 'speccy four-eyes' jibe?

Fast forward some years, stick a few photos of celebrities wearing glasses in the news, introduce famous brand names like Gucci and Prada  to the glasses market and volia... suddenly donning specs is seen as a sexy, stylish and sophisticated affair.
 

Celebrities have set the trend, yet an estimated three million people in the UK are prepared to swap their Harry Potter frames for contact lenses. 

The question is, why?

Convenience and flexibility
 

People turn to contact lenses for different reasons. Some may find that wearing glasses for sports such as rugby, tennis and swimming is not an option; some may want to look different for special occasions or nights out, and others might simply want to wave good bye to the embarrassing ‘fog attack’ on the good ol' specs after a cold night out. 

Yes, we’ve all been there…

Lens Type
 

There are generally two types of contact lenses used today – soft lenses and rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP). RGP lenses are usually prescribed for people with high degrees of astigmatism (where the shape of the cornea causes distorted eyesight). 

However, soft lenses are the ones commonly used in the UK; they tend to be more comfortable to wear and easier to fit than RGP lenses. Soft lenses are made of oxygen permeable plastic which contains round 30 to 80 per cent water, and come in differnt types.

Soft daily and monthly disposables
 

Daily disposables are for those who want to pop their lenses in and go; no cleaning, no disinfecting and no faffing around. It is highly convenient as a new pair of lenses is worn and thrown away every day so there is no need for solutions and storage cases.

Those who are interested in giving daily disposables a go might be interested in Johnson & Johnson's Acuvue 1 Day Daily Moist.

Monthly lenses tend to be cheaper than daily disposables and once opened, can be kept in a case with solution for up to a month. Lenses should be cleaned, to prevent dirt build-up, before inserting into eyes every time.

If you want to try contact lenses the economical way to, Ciba Vision Air Optix Aqua  (for a box of three) is a popular choice among monthly contact wearers.

Soft extendable weekly and monthly lenses
 

Extendable contact lenses are perfect for those who want to see clearly from the moment they open their eyes in the morning to the moment they close their eyes at night. Yes, these lenses are ‘breathable’ and designed to allow more oxygen to reach your cornea, so you can even sleep with them in!

Weekly extendable lenses allow wearers to wear contacts for up to seven days without removing them from their eyes.

Some monthly extendable lenses are made of silicon hydrogel and allow wearers to sleep in their contacts for up to 30 days.

Toric lenses
 

Toric lenses are designed for those with astigmatism. These lenses are thicker on the bottom to prevent them from moving around in the eye when the wearer blinks.

These days, there are plenty of choices in the toric lens range from daily lenses to weekly extendable lenses to choose from.
 

Bifocal contact lenses
 

These lenses are used to treat presbyopia (also known as "aging eye"). Bifocal helps to correct vision so that objects can be seen in the distance as well as acting as reading "glasses".

Like toric lenses, there are a wide range of bifocal lenses to select from including daily lenses and weekly extendable lenses.

What's the fuss about Oxford?

My Korean co-teacher would be proud of me. I finally did it. That's right, I finally spent a few days in one of her favourite places in England - glorious Oxford.

Of course, not everyone shares her passion for the city well known for its universities, colleges, hoards of bicycles and boffins. I mean, I received some pretty strange looks when I told work colleagues and friends where I was headed for the weekend:

'You what? Oxford? Why? What's there?'

And:

'Why are you going all the way there when you can find the same cobbled streets down the road?'

What would they know, eh? I wasn't going to be put off by pessimistic remarks; this was one of the places I had promised to visit upon my return from teaching abroad. Needless to say, I had expectations. Very high expectations.

So, after a few days spent in Oxford, what did I think? Well... let's just say it wasn't exactly what I had expected.

Before boarding the 7:50am train from London Paddington I already had a list of places to visit: Trinity College, Christ Church (Harry Potter!), Ashmolean Museum, Oxford castle Unlocked, Covered Market, Alice's Shop, the Bodelian Library and many more.

As a dedicated Harry Potter fan, I was especially looking forward to paying a visit to the Great Hall in Christ Church; the setting used for the dining hall of Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But you probably knew that...

I remember my co-teacher gushing about the impressive architecture of colleges and universities scattered around the city centre, and I couldn't agree more. The medieval and grand features of historic buildings such as Magdalen College and Radcliffe Camera were truly jaw-dropping and certainly rivalled famous attractions in London. No wonder the poet Matthew Arnold once called Oxford 'That sweet city with her dreaming spires'.

Still, I couldn't help but feel that I'd seen it all before...

With so many literary links and famous names like Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll - to name a few, it's not surprising the city has gained a world-wide reputation in its own right. Locations in Oxford have also starred in popular films like Harry Potter and The Golden Compass, and landmarks like Christ Church inspired Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll in the creation of Alice's adventures in Wonderland.

I understand why visitors to the city would be bowled over by Oxford, I really do, but it just didn't have the same effect on me. To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting - and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it at all - but my visit to Oxford just failed to live up to my standards. I (not so) secretly blame my co-teacher for setting the bar so high in the beginning.

My favourite part was visiting Christ Church - I was like a big kid running around the place taking pictures of the staircase and courtyard that appeared in the Harry Potter films. I might have also taken some snapshots that didn't actually appear in the film, but hey, who's going to notice, right?

While following signs leading up to the Great Hall, we paused to take pictures of the garden and managed to get into trouble with the old porter who disapproved of me sitting down to pose for pictures. You would have thought the pavements were made of gold judging from the way he reacted.

And then we were there... on the very grounds where Harry Potter and his friends dined in the film... just me, the Great Hall, my camera and... about 50 other people left, right and centre! You can imagine my horror when I realised visitors were to walk through the Great Hall in a single file. I nearly cried when random people appeared in my photos, blocking the familiar lamps and chairs.

Fortunately, I still managed to get a few pictures without any 'randomness' in them. How did I do it? I'm not proud to admit it but let's just say there were a lot of tutting, evil glares, shoving and, 'Er, do you mind?' comments involved. There was just no way of injecting friendliness into it, ok?

So much for spending some quality time admiring the Great Hall!

While I'm on my ranting rampage, I might as well talk about the food in Oxford. Firstly, I've got to point out that having about four Italian restaurants a few doors away from each other on the high street seems rather pointless and secondly - not once did I finish a meal with satisfaction.

The salmon pasty didn't do it for me (apparently this particular shop had won prizes for its delicious pies but you could have fooled me), the Thai food across our hotel was so salty that I woke with a dry mouth and cracked lips the next morning (no joke), the pizzas we ordered were rock hard (good job we didn't break any teeth in the process) and don't get me started on the burger I ordered... I mean, how can you go wrong making a burger, seriously? Alas, the blandest lamb burger I had ever tasted.

Still, I think many others who visit Oxford would be captivated by the medieval architecture, literary links, famous filming locations and ghost tours that are offered on a daily basis. For me, I think I'm just relieved to have finally ticked Oxford off my 'Places to visit' list - more than anything else.

Athens: My big fat Greek holiday

I don't ever want to leave Athena's sanctuary. No, really... I want to stay in Athens for the rest of my life. Sadly, 'wanting' is not usually a good enough reason to get what you desire. Sigh.

Double sigh.

Triple sigh...

On the bright side, the good thing about having friends overseas is they know exactly the best places to take you. One sunny day, Lila and a friend of hers, Aksana, picked me up from the city centre to drive up the steep and winding road to Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in the city centre. I thought I had seen it all from the top of the Acropolis but I guess being that extra bit higher from the ground does have its advantages - views of Athens from Lycabettus were breathtaking.

Never the one to shun surprises and always the one to amaze, Lila drove us to her favourite spot on the hill before pulling out bottles of nail varnish from her bag to pamper ourselves during our sightseeing session.

Maybe Lonely Planet guidebooks should take a leaf from our books: 'While encountering the wonderful views of Athens from the top of Lycabettus Hill, it's also advisable to bring along some nails varnish for optimal experience.'

On another outing with Lila and Aksana, we went to the beautiful Piraeus Port, Europe's largest passenger port, where ferries and boat cruises had either arrived or were about to deport to different Greek Islands or beyond. We took the Hellas Flying Dolphin to one of the smaller islands close to Athens where we sunbathed on the beach and indulged in seafood.

Another hotspot in the city centre just under the Acropolis is Plaka, the oldest neighbourhood in Athens. Colourful buildings, street entertainers, tourist shops and restaurants galore dominate this section of the city. If you ever happen to find yourselves wandering the streets of Plaka, do indulge in some tasty Souvlaki, a popular Greek snack - but whatever you do, don't call it a kebab!

Of course I can go on and on about other amazing attractions I visited like Monastiraki Flea Market, Syntagma Square and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers; where I saw the weird but wonderful changing of the guards ceremony. Again, what I found most fascinating about walking around the city centre is that you just never know when you will stumble across ancient crumbling buildings among modern architectures like the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus (pictured) and Hadrian's Arch.

Like the Acropolis, I was appalled and saddened by the fact that Athenians walked past these significant jewels without even a glance of admiration. But I guess people could say the same about Londoners who tut at tourists jumping up and down with excitement over the sight of the Big Ben or raise their eyebrows at those climbing the lions in Trafalgar Square like school kids.

If you're dieting or planning to go on a diet, don't bother in Athens because you just won't be able to resist the delicious Greek food and Tavernas. I lost count of the amount of Greek salads (with massive blocks of feta cheese on top), spinach pies, feta cheese pies, Souvlaki and pitta bread with Tzatziki dip I consumed during my stay.

I really didn't want to leave...

I guess what made it even more heart-breaking to say goodbye were the Athenians I met. Judging from the laugher, jokes and laid-back attitude of Lila and her friends, the economy crisis was the last thing on their minds. That's the thing I love about the Greeks, instead of moping around and feeling sorry for themselves, they try to make light of a situation. Clearly there's nothing that can be done about it, so the Greeks do what the Greeks do best - chill, relax, have a glass of wine (or two) and most importantly - smile and brave all.

I have a feeling I will be seeing my beloved Acropolis while sipping on a lovely-jubbly helping of Greek Frappe Coffee and surrounded by my favourite Athenians again. Let's just hope it's going to be sooner rather than later.

Love at first site

Something unexpected happened during my stay in Athens... I fell in love.

It was a blazing hot day as I set foot outside Syntagma station in the city centre. The streets were buzzing with masses of people; some seemingly dancing around crowds like pros with their impressive footwork (Athenians) and others consulting their larger than life street maps, squabbling amongst themselves while pointing here and there - don't you just love tourists for being so... touristy? =)

I ring my friend from university who I haven't seen since those glorious days when my only responsibilities included dumping my dirty laundry into a bag, ready to hand to my mum during a visit home. Ah, those were the days!

Somehow Lila and I had managed to end up in different places. She gave me directions in her (extremely cute but) perfect English. I walked through alleyways, zigzagged through mobs of tourists and that's when it happened. My eyes widened, my pulse quickened, a bead of sweat broke out on my forehead, my knees buckled... Ok fine, I'm exaggerating. Just a tiny bit. Basically, I was pleasantly taken aback by what I saw.

Towering over the city, on a hill in front of me was the most impressive monument I had ever seen. The Acropolis. Of course I had expected to see crumbling buildings in Athens but I wasn't aware of the impact of seeing an ancient landmark displayed smack bang in the middle of modern day Athens.

It felt somewhat surreal to see angry taxi drivers honking their cars, Athenians walking around in suits with their mobile phone plastered to their ears, individuals sitting on benches while sipping their coffees with their eyes glued to their books or magazines... and all this time they didn't stop to admire and appreciate the extraordinary view that stood high in front of them. Are these people insane? If I could I'd pick a perfect spot to gush over the incredible landmark for days on end!

From then on, tanned, macho-looking and facial-loving Greek men just couldn't compare with the ancient jewel that looked down on us. My heart solely belonged to The Acropolis.


I had only been in the city for two days but drinking Greek Frappe coffee at the foot of the Acropolis while catching up with my Greek friend was definitely the highlight so far. Not to mention the feta cheese pie Lila had strongly recommended along with the coffee... absolute heaven!

The millions of steps leading to the Acropolis were steep and uneven, but it was worth every moment as we got closer to the attraction. The Parthenon (pictured) is the largest and main temple on site, and truly inspiring.

Close up and personal, the architecture and detail in the carvings give you a real sense of the ancient Greeks, mythologies and the Gods and Goddesses that once (supposedly) walked the grounds of the city. Away from honking cars and the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's really easy to forget reality and drift into the magnificence of the past.

Talking about Goddesses... the Acropolis was actually built as a sanctuary for Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Skill. Once upon a time, Athena competed with Poseidon (God of the Seas) to be the patron deity of the city. While Poseidon offered a spring of seawater to the people, Athena offered olive trees. King Cecrops (the first King of the city) was so impressed by Athena's gift that he chose her to be the guardian of the city. Thus the city was named Athens.

It's not just the Acropolis that will take your breath away; as it's located in the middle of the city centre, you'll get to see the wonderful panoramic views of the city - apartments, other landmarks, countryside and sea. Be careful though as you might find yourself lost in time snapping away at carvings, views, architecture and all sorts before realising that you've spent pretty much the entire day there.

I know there's more to Athens than the Acropolis and I'm looking forward to unearthing more of the city's ancient jewels and getting to grips with the Athenian culture. With the help of my friend Lila, I plan to be all cultured out by the time I have to wave goodbye to my new found love.

Madrid. Who needs landmarks?

There was no time to recover from my nattering marathon as the day after the English Conversation Programme ended, I was thrown back on to the coach to the centre of Madrid. Fortunately for me, I was talking again with a speed of 100mph in no time!...

Now, they say never believe everything you read, so I was trying to take what I had read from a traveller's book about Madrid with a pinch of salt. According to this publication, Madrid isn't a 'beautiful' city because it doesn't have a particular landmark to 'wow' tourists like the Big Ben and Buckingham Palace does for London, or the Eiffel Tower for Paris.

Accurate or way too harsh? I was on a mission to find out.

It didn't help that the scorching Spanish weather had me constantly yearning for a siesta but I was on a mission - you didn't see James Bond complaining about the weather or Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible sprawled out on his bed doing nothing all day, did you? It was time to get tough!

First things first - I wanted to see the Royal Palace, or Palacio Real, which is the official residence for the Royal family and is the biggest building in Madrid. It also happens to be the largest royal palace in Europe with a massive courtyard that seemed to go on for miles. Once inside, the lavish rooms and huge banqueting halls were so captivating that I felt like I was walking around in a daze for the most part. The desire to touch marble tables and silk curtains within my reach nearly sent the guards into a frenzy, at which point I felt like 'Jane' Bond, the secret spy, with the King's guards keeping a suspicious eye on me throughout my two hour visit.

As impressed as I was by the Palacio Real, I was not convinced this was the icon I was looking for. I also checked out Museo del Prado and Retiro Park, both of which were highly recommended as top attractions, but again - it would be treacherous of me to claim that either were Madrid's main attractions. Retiro Park may have wowed those who are not used to the likes of Hyde Park and St. James's Park, but it really didn't leave that much of an impression on me.

I knew I wasn't going to discover any magnificent icons at the Flea Market of El Rastro on Sunday morning, but it was still a pleasure to join in with fellow punters hunting for bargains and hidden gems. Maybe that's what's it's all about, simply mingling with new friends and the locals whilst indulging in Sangria, Paella and Churros (fried dough dunked in hot chocolate) and enjoying the weather (in the shade). Who cares about not having significant icons to show it off, right?

Still, I was curious to see what else Madrid had in store...

One extremely hot and sticky day, I gave in to temptation and had a lengthy nap to find it was almost sunset when I woke. Had I not promised to meet a friend later that night, I might not have discovered how beautiful the city is at night. Some people say some things look a lot nicer in the dark, and I'm not saying Madrid is an ugly city (far from it) but attractions seem to stand out a lot more at night.

The Alcala Arch (pictured left) and fountain, which I walked past a dozen times without so much of a glance during the day, took my breath away as bright lights illuminated the beauty of the statues and architecture that stood in the middle of busy roads. The sights in front of me were so stunning that I took the time to admire them, snapping away to find the perfect shot.

Another attraction definitely worth visiting at dusk is the Ancient Egyptian Temples and Tombs, better known as Templo de Debod (pictured right). Built in the 4th century BC, it was dedicated to the God Amun and goddess Isis and once stood in the Nile alley of Egypt before being given to the Spanish. The authentic Egyptian temple itself seems a bit out of place in a city like Madrid, but that's what makes it an even more intriguing attraction to visit.

Of course, situated in Puerta del Sol is the 'Symbol of Madrid' - a statue of a bear eating strawberries from a tree. The female bear is said to symbolise the fertile soil of Madrid while the tree symbolises the aristocracy. Chances of the statue winning any awards next to the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben are slim, but it still manage to attract a decent amount of fans queuing to take pictures with it.

The author of the publication might be right about landmarks in Madrid not being the most beautiful and scenic in Europe, but it certainly doesn't mean the city lacks any charisma and character because of this. In fact, friendly people, bustling lifestyles, stunning icons like the Alcala Gate and Templo de Debod, shopping districts like Puerta del Sol and Gran Via as well as people-watching locations like Plaza Mayor makes Madrid one of my favourite cities to visit of all time.

Non-stop nattering in Madrid

I've just returned from an English speaking programme designed to help teachers in Madrid improve their English. It was all on a voluntary basis but in return for dedicating our time to the programme, we were offered free accommodation and food.

So, making conversations in English for a whole week (and trust me when I say I can speak for the whole of UK) in exchange for luxury accommodation, three-course meals and learning about the Spanish culture sounded pretty decent.

Except life's never that simple...

On the day of the programme, my fellow native speakers (there were about 12 altogether) and I were escorted by coach to the secluded 'English Village' not too far from the city centre. In order to improve the Spaniards' English, the idea was to ban speaking and listening in Spanish altogether - hence the programme was to take place in a secluded area of Madrid.

Native speakers (or Anglos) were a mix - the middle-aged American teacher, the twenty-something Hungarian who seemed to shy away from the rest of the group, the ageing Brit who spoke with such pride about his improved life in Spain, the mysterious-looking Aussie who's eyes sparkled like the sea, the Scottish couple who no one seemed to understand... but we all shared a sense of excited uncertainty.

A coach pulled up and we were introduced to about 18 Spaniards, all female bar a young guy who looked like he'd rather stick pins in his eyeballs than stick out like a sore thumb amongst the ladies. Poor thing.
The programme leader quickly got us talking to one another and I found the level of English from the teachers to be pretty impressive. Everyone seemed friendly and I found it easy to strike up conversations - once they got past my 'weird but wonderful' Essex accent.

The daily schedule had us up on our feet at the breakfast table from 9am, it was always necessary to talk and include the Spaniards as much as possible. Simply minding your own business and ignoring everyone while tucking into your meal was a big no-no - from breakfast onwards, speaking (even when you didn't feel like it) was essential.

After breakfast, we flocked to the reception to check who we were paired with for our hourly one-to-ones exercises. I liked the fact that once we found our partners, we were free to roam around the hotel grounds and chat about whatever tickled our fancy - I even gave a pilates lesson!

At lunch and dinner, the rule of not talking with your mouth full completely flew out of the window as we were still expected to chat. Honestly, the programme leader stared at everyone like a hawk, waiting to pounce on a table that fell silent even for a split second.

The food was average and I was always surprised to find the soup was cold and the bread rock-hard. According to the teachers, this is traditional of Spanish culture - soft bread just doesn't cut it. Red wine was always present at the table but mysteriously remained untouched for the most part.

I never thought I'd say this, but I was starting to tire from talking after only a few days into the programme. And the Spaniards had double the work-load as they weren't used to thinking and speaking in English all day.

The only time we had free was a two-hour siesta after lunch. As many Spaniards and Anglos flocked to the pool, I opted, rather antisocially, for the comfort of my bed where I recouped my energy for round two.

The most entertaining part of the day for me was 8pm where presentations and theatres, that involved the Spaniards acting out in English, took place. It was also the time my stomach started talking in 'hunger language' - did you know that the Spanish eat a large lunch and then opt for a snack / lighter meal for dinner around 9 / 10pm?

I was often surprised at how deep some conversations turned out to be, and re-telling my life story about twenty times started to make me think about what mattered in my life.

The first three days of the programme were the most painful but after that, the days seemed to fly by and before we knew it, it was time to pack up and go our separate ways. I should have been happy about turning my back from the programme but something rather strange happened during the closing ceremony.

I didn't expect it but instead of feeling relieved, I felt a wave of sadness sweep across me. I realised that although I was tired for the most part, I did thoroughly enjoy getting to know everyone.

Some Anglos and Spaniards had joked that it was starting to feel like a prison, but what we didn't expect was that it actually brought us closer together. Thinking back, we had bags of laughter and fun times. I'm definitely planning to keep my promises of keeping in touch.

Camping it up

When my sister asked me to join her and a group of friends for a camping trip in Hastings, I hesitated slightly before accepting the offer. You see, I've only ever been camping once before and that was way back in secondary school when I was 'forced' to do so by my teacher.

Ah, memories...

It should have been fun, hanging out with friends and being away from home for a few days but all I remember from the school trip was feeling dirty and miserable for the most part. While it may be the whole purpose of camping, it really didn't help that I had to share a tent with a girl (the name has long been forgotten) who was obsessed with waking up at the crack of dawn to take pictures of me looking my absolute worst...

So, not such sweet memories from past experience but I was determined to give camping another go and see if I could survive without the luxuries of life. Make-up and 'proper' food included...

The weather decided to be civilised on the day we headed out to Hastings. Traffic wasn't bad and it didn't take us long to reach our destination. The camp site was almost full when we arrived but we managed to find a spot near the edge of the woods to set up our tent. My sister and I were designated the task of pumping up the airbeds as the guys went to work setting up the six-man tent (the fun part). Still, the beds didn't take long to inflate as a fellow camper kindly lent us his impressive rechargeable pump.

For those with dirty minds - shame on you!

I guess that's the whole thing about camping in a secluded area; almost everyone is about ten times friendlier than they probably would be in reality. Fellow campers would share a smile as they walked by or even paused to chat as we - or the guys, rather - set up our temporary home.

As my sister and I kicked back on the airbed and soaked up the glorious British weather, I watched without a care in the world at the sight in front of me. To my left, my friends were laughing and joking around as they tried to fix our 'lopsided' tent while children ran around with glee chasing each other with water guns. To my right, teenagers sprawled out on blankets reading books or chatting and the smell of breakfast filled the air as sausages and eggs sizzled on mini stoves across the campsite... this was a whole new experience and total contrast to that school trip.

After our tent was (finally) set up, we explored the woods and took some stunning photos before heading back for a mini BBQ. Sitting around in a circle, nattering away with plastic cups and munching on delicious food, I realised that the stress from everyday life seemed to fade into the air like the smoke from the BBQ.
I could have easily been lounging on a Seychelles beach, cocktail in hand - the contentment I felt was that good!

Night times were especially fun when we used our lamps to get around and giggled as we bumped into sign posts and tripped over random lumps and bumps in the ground. Onsite showers meant that 'roughing it' didn't end up being so bad after all, and the whole thing about being quiet and respecting fellow campers after midnight made us feel like school kids all over again as we tried to keep the volume down to a minimum while whispering ghost stories around the bright lamps.

We woke as we desired each day and although food (which mainly consisted of cup noodles) weren't great, energy levels were always high as the sun made an appearance every day during our two-night stay. Fishing was our main activity throughout, and although the camp owner showered us with leaflets of the wonders and joy of Hastings, we were quite happy to stay on-site.

The lake was close by so dragging our chairs and fishing rods to the location was no problem. It was my first time fishing and I managed to catch a total of four fish - patience really is a virtue! Ok, I admit - it's really nothing to write home about (compared to my friends who caught up to 40 fish during the three days), but I found the whole fishing thing to be rather therapeutic. It's one of those things where you switch off from reality for a bit because it's just you, the fishing rod and the fish... but there's no use in me trying to explain it because you really must experience it for yourselves!