Smiling after SMILE Surgery

After more than a year of making sure my eyes were stable enough to be eligible, and a very difficult 2 weeks of wearing glasses for the final measurements, I finally got the clear and went through with SMILE (small incision lenticular extraction) surgery at Insight Eye Clinic with Dr. Furness.

I'm now about 1 month post surgery, and while my eyes are still improving each day, it's been an incredible experience being able to be free of contact lenses, and wake up being able to see (after the initial panic that I've forgotten my contacts in passes of course).

Darrell got me a great xmas present, a daily pun calendar. What are the chances of this being the daily pun on the day of my surgery? Unbelievable.

The width of the "lenticule" they extract is about the width of 2 red blood cells, and the incision, made by hand is around 2mm, mind boggling. The whole surgery took about 30m, and most of that was waiting for the valium to kick in (they give you this to ensure you don't move, but they need you awake to be able to look where they tell you). They put in anaesthetic eye drops so you don't feel anything other than pressure occasionally, but the whole thing was painless, both during and after. For the next two weeks there's a schedule of anti anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eyedrops, along with lubricating eye drops. The recovery is definitely two steps forward, one step back, with the step back being highly correlated to how much (unavoidable, due to work) screen time I'm having, but overall the trend is upwards, and I can expect to have the final result after 3 months (so 2 more months to go); blinking to smooth your newly shaped cornea is the longest part of the healing process!

The team at Insight Eye Clinic film the whole thing (with your permission of course) and I was actually really interested to watch it back. The speed and precision of the process is really incredible, and I'm so glad I hadn't watched anything like this before the surgery. Watch this video absolutely at your own risk, it's incredible, but also incredibly gross.

If you're thinking of doing it, start the investigation now since it can take a long time to even know if you are eligible, and I can definitely recommend Insight Eye Clinic!

Start of 2026 - Birthdays and Music Galore

NYE At Besk

NYE at Besk was really fun as usual. Of course being around friends is the most important thing, but it makes such a huge difference having great food and drinks! I literally got zero photos, except for my makeup and outfit, whoops! Hopefully it continues to be a sign of being more present in 2026.

Birthdays!

Amy's boat 40th was just SO much fun! I had a great time putting together her present; a pillow with all of the signoffs from cards she'd given me over the years, and a Lakes Estate map necklace. There may have been enough fruit, not sure.

Mina's 103, I cannot believe it, she is so amazing.

Music Galore

There has been so much music in 2026, and we still have tickets to more. I think live music might be our favourite thing, alongside travel, to spend our money on. So far we've seen:

- David Byrne

- Bleak Squad

- The Soweto Gospel Choir

- Fanny Lumsden

- Makoto Ozone

- Pendulum

- Basement Jaxx

- Bad Bad Not Good

David Byrne (from the Talking Heads) was in one word, joyful. We went along with my dad and Andrew's parents and sister and had a ball. Burning down the house!

Bleak Squad at the East Perth Power Station was the perfect band/venue match.

The Soweto Gospel Choir at the Rechabite was glorious, well picked by Jan! Not an obvious fringe show choice, but I can see why they sell out every time they come.

Fanny Lumsden at the Rosemount was such a fun surprise; not a genre (country music) that we normally listen to, but the band was really fun and high energy. Fanny did cartwheels and danced on tables, and there was also a pumpkin giveaway situation that we enjoyed not understanding!

Makoto Ozone at the Perth Town Hall was the best jazz show I've been to. The location and seating were perfect for the intimate and powerful show. Great find by Andrew.

Pendulum, oh my god, they absolutely blew my mind! I am so happy to finally have had to see them live, the show was everything I hoped for. I actually got teary during Propane Nightmares and Witchcraft, and loved seeing the new album played live (Napalm was probably my favourite).

Basement Jaxx at the Fremantle Prison was one of those once in a lifetime experiences. The dancers, the costumes, the energy, and the nostalgia (felt right at home with the age of the crowd) were all impeccable.

Finally (until the next show!), Bad Bad Not Good at the Astor Theatre were fantastic, such a fun band to see live (this is our second time). So much amazing music coming to Perth, it's been an expensive but fun start to the year!

Other Bits and Pieces

I've had a few more art attack moments, and also found the best named beer that will ever be named.

Amy and Dermot finally came to see The Room! Spoooonnns!!! We knew they'd love it, and I'm so happy they finally understand what the hell these memes are we send them all the time. Don't worry about it. We also tried the new local Leederville darts place, super fun, and squeezed in a girls night at Little Brother.

GLAMRDiP

And of course more GLAMRDiP, still loving it. Reflecting back, it seems I'm due something bright or glittery next!