Eyes in Focus

I've contemplated having LASIK for some time, but my sister scared me once long ago when she told me that most LASIK surgeons wear spectacles! She was then very serious about undergoing the procedure, but she changed her mind. 

So that was one of the first questions I posed to Dr Natasha Lim, consultant ophthalmic surgeon with the Singapore National Eye Centre. 

What she shared was interesting: In an overseas study on the proportion of ophthalmologists who choose LASIK for themselves, it was found that about 25% chose it. This is significantly higher than the general population. 

Risks? Sure there are, but it's very small. And because it's mainly bacterial infections we're talking about, the risks are not much greater than infections we get from wearing contact lenses!

I had actually prepared a long list of talking points for Natasha, including different types of LASIK currently available, ICL (Implantable Contact Lens) which is touted to be safer, the latest trends in corrective surgery etc. She would know because she spent the last 14 years in the UK, and worked in the prestigious Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, the largest specialist eye hospital in the world.

Unfortunately, we didn't get through even half the list because so many listeners called in with questions for her! The phone was ringing non-stop.  

So I've decided to invite Dr Natasha Lim back for another session, specifically to talk about LASIK and other corrective methods. It's likely to be in mid-March, so do keep posted at our Living Room website where we update you weekly on the conversations we've planned.

A little behind-the-scenes info: Natasha and I were classmates in Sec 1 & 2, and we used to be on the 4 x 100m relay team together and tennis as well. It's good to be in touch again after so many years. But good grief, to think it's because of work! *grimace* Workaholics Anonymous. 

 

In Hard Pursuit

Guys, how hard is your erection? 

Don't laugh! How turgid or flaccid your penis is can determine your sexual satisfaction, your partner's, and your overall satisfaction with life. 

But just how hard is hard? Apparently, we can start by using common foods for comparison. *raises eyebrow in amusement*  I'm guessing the rationale is that we've all touched food with our hands, so here goes:

Score 1 = tofu.  Score 2 = peeled banana.  Score 3 = unpeeled banana. So, do they make the cut? For a change, we've asked two of our colleagues to play testers and give us their verdict. 

According to our colleagues Cassandra Rudge & Evelyn Hon, 

the verdict is "Cannot make it lah!" 

Optimum erection hardness would mean Score 4. And how does that feel? Go find a cucumber now - GO! - then squeeze it hard. There, you get the idea. OK, let's check with the girls...  

AH! Cassandra & Evelyn give the thumbs up for Mr Cucumber. 

According to the Asia-Pacific Sexual Health & Overall Wellness Survey, more than half of men and two-thirds of women in Singapore are not satisfied with sex. And this is strongly linked to erection hardness, says Dr Rosie King, our guest in The Living Room today.  

Dr Rosie King is a renowned sex therapist and relationship counsellor who is based in Sydney, but currently travelling across Asia-Pacific to share the findings of this survey. Rosie is warm, maternal and very down-to-earth. She made talking about Sex, on national radio, anything but awkward. 

To us, Sex is more than just a physical act. It's an expression of Love. And I think we must make it our priority to know our partner better than anyone else, and to go the extra mile to please him or her. As Rosie puts it, sex within a committed relationship is always the best sex. And when there's intimacy & emotional connection, Life just can't help but seem brighter and rosier. 

Who Are You Calling "Geeks"?!

How exciting can the lives of engineers get? Seriously. All they do is sit in front of the computer doing their own thing. Alright. Give them credit for being meticulous, methodological and efficiently mathematical. But who wants to be called a 'geek' or 'nerd'?

Eat your words!!!

Eight engineers in the private sector are standing up and fighting back. They've not only launched an uber cool portal complete with cool and snazzy Manga animation to make a statement about how chic and creative engineers can be, but decided to come on air to debunk damaging perceptions to the masses from our living room.

(from l-r: Pam, Terence, Khai, Justin & Stan)

Our three guests yesterday (two engineers and an engineering undergrad) broke every stereotypical convention and impression one ever had of engineers.

One is an Ironman and finds it thrilling hiking up active volcanoes, another plays the electric and acoustic guitar, and the youngest among them has not only started a club where wannabe deejays are turn-tabling, but was also a Cleo Bachelor last year! They are Terence Swee (Founder & CEO of muvee Technologies), Justin Chiam (Engineering Executive at SIA Engineering) and Mohd Khairudeen (Chemical Engineering Undergrad at NUS) respectively.

If Terence, Justin & Khai decided to take it up one notch, they'd be able to assemble a band in the quickest time. I can almost visualise the concert emcee announcing, "And that's Terence on the keyboard (Editor's note: we forgot to tell you his fingers glide over the ivory on the piano like a hot knife through butter!), Justin on bass and Khai on the effects board!"

Before the guys left us after a most hearty Friday chat, Prisita from Ogilvy turned to me and asked, "Hey, you sing right?" I do, but...that's another story. Almost immediately, they proclaimed me the lead singer of the band. [Thanks guys, but you haven't even heard me sing! If you did, you might have even more stinging remarks than Simon's spewed in all the seasons of AI put together.]

What an utterly wacky bunch of engineers!

From henceforth, let it be decreed that engineers shall be stripped of geekhood and be celebrated among the pride of this land!

Frances Yip on our couch!

Today, there was quite a mayhem outside our 938LIVE studio. People were milling around the radio building lobby, where our "fish tank" of a studio is located. And when our guest was done with her interview an hour later, they surrounded her to request for photos. 

It's been a while since we've had such a crowd. Even with Miami Ink's Chris Garver in the house, there weren't as many fans loitering about. It surprised me a little that veteran songstress Frances Yip still has such an amazing pull ~ even after 40 years in showbiz. And it also pleasantly surprised me that so many people within MediaCorp tune in to The Living Room! *laugh*

Pam is secretly thrilled to meet the iconic Frances Yip 

I must admit that when MediaCorp VizPro - who brought Frances in to Singapore for a Valentine's Day concert - contacted us about a possible interview with her, I was secretly thrilled. I immediately SMS-ed my parents: "Mum! Dad! I'm going to interview Frances Yip!" *sheepish* 

Frances started singing in 1969, and has released over 80 albums, and performed in more then 30 countries across 5 continents. Stan remarked that she must have done millions of interviews, and we wondered if there were indeed any questions she had not been asked! 

Despite the fact, Frances was the most amiable, warm and attentive interviewee we've had in a long while. She came across as being fully present with us, very engaged in conversation, and so nurturing. 

At one point, I ran into difficulty with a word while reading the news bulletin. Frances, who was at the time taking a break between interview segments, overheard me asking Stan how to pronounce the word 'Mea Culpa', and she volunteered, "It's pronounced 'mia koo-par'. It's a Latin word. We use it at Mass [church service] to say we're sorry or repentent," she explains, adding that she's Catholic. 

Her simple gesture spoke volumes to me. I mean, she needn't have bothered. But she did ~ out of a spontaneous, genuine willingness to help. And you know what? Pamela Ho will never, ever forget how to pronounce 'Mea Culpa' ~ because Frances Yip taught it to her! *grin*

And it's not surprising that Frances is so nurturing. She's a mother of a grown son, who is now living & working in Sydney, and a grandmother of a one-year-old grand-daughter! It didn't take her long to bring up the subject of her grand-daughter. And when I asked her if she had a picture of the little girl, Frances dug into her wallet and pulled our 2 photos of the cutie. Here's a photo Frances carries in her wallet... 

Frances Yip is a doting Grandma! 

Can you believe Frances is 61? I definitely can't. She looks 45! And we found out that she bikes everywhere in Sydney, goes to the gym several times a week, and eats very healthily. All this, after a breast cancer scare that became a turning-point in her life. 

Well, as Frances is set to woo the crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Saturday night, we wish her all the very best. And yes, 3 of our lucky listeners won a pair of tickets each to catch her 'live' in concert. Congrats Anthony, John & Liz! *applause*

Our phone lines were busy from the moment Stan mentioned he had free concert tickets in hand. I practically missed the entire second-half of the interview because I was picking up phone calls! *sob* But it warms my heart that Frances still draws such a fanatic response from Singaporeans after 4 decades ~ and the good news is that she has no plans to retire! 

Heart for the Arts

I read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis many moons ago, and I must say it remains one of the most powerful & enlightening books I've ever read. 

It's basically a collection of 30-odd letters written by a senior devil called Screwtape (who's a master of deception) to his nephew Wormwood. In his letters, Screwtape instructs the youngster on the finer points of tempting his human.

What's eerie to me is that I recognised from the book the many ways I've been toyed with, and how I've inadvertently tumbled into temptation. It's usually in the small & subtle ways; and always in areas that are "grey". 

So when Stan told me that The Parables Company, a new theatre group founded by 3 passionate young people (pictured below), was staging 'The Screwtape Letters', I was thrilled. It's not an easy story to script for stage, so it will be interesting to see how they've managed to retain the literary flair of C.S. Lewis, yet make the story come alive. Catch them on 27 & 28 Feb @ Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. Tickets available via Sistic. 

Bringing parables to life: Ethel Yap, Ronald Wong & Matthew Crawshaw.

Also in The Living Room today were some talented artists who live & work in the quiet, charming estate of Wessex, off Portsdown Road. That's where the iconic Colbar is, but recently, more yuppie F&B outlets have sprung up in the vicinity, including a chocolate bar & Italian restaurant. 

But Wessex is known also for its colony of independent artists. And it's really a case of the United Colours of Benetton here ~ with artists from Europe, Asia, the Americas & Middle-East, living & working alongside each other as neighbours.  

Well, just two months ago, a few of them who meet occasionally for afternoon beer, thought it might be a cool idea to get together and put up an arts festival ~ complete with art, music and good food. And from passing the word from one neighbour to the next, An Arts Affair @ Wessex was born!

Here to tell us more about this very unique event were our 4 very unique & culturally-diverse guests: Singaporean ceramist Zech Goh, Middle-Eastern illustrator Rasha Eleyan, American artist Kelly Reedy & Romanian painter-designer Sepi Velariu. 

Awesome artists from Wessex neighbourhood: Rasha, Zech, Kelly & Sepi.

So if you're looking for something to do this weekend, why not head down to Portsdown Road and check out the works of this cultural potpourri of artists? Tip: Begin at the Village Square (where Colbar is). There's an exhibition there, plus some 'live' performances. Then from there, take a stroll to the various independent studios. 

And if you're not big on walking, we're told there are golf buggies to take you around the estate! For more details, click here. Well, the weekend is here ~ have a wonderful one.  

Enthused & Ignited

Hope you didn't miss our chat with our guests in The Living Room today! If you need to be reinvigorated for life and reignited to love, both our guests today were the perfect people for the job!

One is the sort of person who would come alongside you and hear you out and help you help yourself figure your way out of your predicament. The other has the capacity to create within you a fiery passion for life (a healthy risk-appetite is needed!).

The Living Room's Aunt Agony, Wendy Chua K. Wand, took her rightful place on our couch once again to help us relook at what love is all about. Wendy who's a trained psychologist and life coach put love under the microscope and like cheese on a grater, slowly shaved off the cake till you saw the innards of love and what festers inside. Pretty as the picture may be as the movies and Valentine's Day commercials paint it, love is tricky and you've got to know your capacity to love and be loved.

Pam chimed in brilliantly how we shouldn't say we can't love our partner/spouse because of our differences, rather, to say we love that person BECAUSE of our differences! What a refreshing way of looking at relationships when they hit a bump.

After a lovely chat with Wendy, our doorbell rang. It was Landy! Landy Eng, Executive Director of Youth Challenge Singapore. I'd read a short note about him in NVPC's bi-monthly magazine SALT recently and was bowled over by his eclectic experiences in work, life and contributions to the community. If a paragraph in a magazine about this guy could inspire me, I thought to myself, "Gosh! How many more people could he inspire with his story on a radio talkshow like ours?!" So there he was on our couch today.

The New Yorker who'd worked in more than 30 cities across 3 continents, had climbed the corporate ladder to quite a height before becoming an entrepreneur and a business angel. Passionate about sports, enthusiastic about the Arts (especially Broadway musicals) and with a healthy appetite for food, he's aware of leading one life to his fullest. That last bit explains his blog and why his many entries are food-centric.

Don't miss more inspiring personalities visiting The Living Room!

Our door bell never stops ringing!!!

Didgeridoos & Menopause Blues

"Singapore Has Talent!" ~ that's what I'm tempted to exclaim each time I meet local musicians who take a leap of faith and do bold new things like these. That's how I felt today when I sat there listening to Jamal Nasser play the didgeridoo.

Well, if you just went "huh?", join the club. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument from the aborigines of northern Australia. And Jamal is part of a home-grown ethnic instrumental band called Earth Modes Sanskrit. The other band members who joined him were darbuka player Bryan Lucas, and composer-lead guitarist Eddie Ibanez.

Earth Modes Sanskrit share their unique music: 

(L to R) Jamal Nasser, Eddie Ibanez, Bryan Lucas. 

They'll be performing their very unique brand of World Music at the upcoming Heartlands CLAP! this Sat 7 Feb, 7.30pm @ Toa Payoh Hub. And CLAP! is an initiative of the Central Singapore CDC to make the arts accessible to the masses. In 2006 alone, they managed to reach out to 58,000 people in the heartlands. I think that's mighty commendable! 

What's captivating for me is not so much that Earth Modes Sanskrit uses rarely seen & heard instruments such as the didgeridoo, darbuka (goblet-shaped Egyptian hand drum) & djembe (percussion from Ghana, West Africa), but that they're bringing them together to create a new fusion sound through original compositions. I don't think it's like anything you've ever heard in Singapore before, so do check 'em out!

But local talents weren't all we had in The Living Room this morning. We had some imported from the US of A as well. And Stan & I had a roaring good time chatting with two cast members of Menopause The Musical, which will begin its run this Friday 6 Feb @ DBS Arts Centre.  

From Menopause the Musical, Megan Cavanagh & Christopher Callen.

If Megan looks familiar, it could be because you've seen her on the big screen with Madonna, Geena Davis & Tom Hanks in the hugely-successful 1992 movie, A League of Their Own. Remember the one about the all-girls professional baseball league during the World War? Gosh, that movie made me cry so hard I just had to take a pix with Megan! 

It's a curious thing that women don't talk openly about menopause. It's almost like we see it as a disease. So while this musical is funny & light-hearted, to me it also serves to throw open the doors for women to talk candidly about this biological inevitability. It's like The Vagina Monologues in some ways, isn't it? A topic that's taboo, but which a play was able to bring to society's dinner table as a conversation piece.

And if you're a man, you'll love it more than the women ~ so say Chris & Megan. "The musical cracks men up even more because they recognise these characters in their mothers, wives, sisters," Chris explains with a chuckle. So men, no pause! (no pun intended) Grab your tix at Sistic.