HortPark is tough to beat

By Sharon Siddique

MDS President

Some 50 MDS members and friends gathered at the Fruit Room in HortPark for an afternoon of  “togetherness” on Nov 6.  This is the first time we have tried a four-hour programme and based on the feedback received, it was a great success.

Perhaps partly due to our eye problems, venturing out to new venues and experiences is not something many of us do.  In fact, most members who participated were going to HortPark for the first time.  Fruit Room was easy to find.

Lunch, which was catered by ChilliApi Catering, was really delicious.  Pineapple rice, bee hoon, prawns, chicken, veggies, and really some of the best yam cake…

After lunch we had a good time discussing  the reasons why protecting our eyes from harmful UVA and UVB light is so important.   It was a very interactive session, with everyone experimenting with the effects of various shades of yellow, orange, red, and, more commonly, amber, on enhancing contrast and reducing glare.  Words like “scratch resistant”, and “polarized” finally had practical meaning for eye care.

Next on the afternoon agenda was a tour of HortPark at 3.30pm.  For a full hour around 30 of our members and friends trouped around the HortPark, learning loads from a very enthusiastic professional guide.

At 4.30pm we met back at the Fruit Room for welcome glasses of cool water, and at 5.00pm we again all went our separate ways.  I think those of us who participated in the outing found it a a meaningful, enjoyable, and enriching experience.

Thanks to Exco for organising the event, and to Novartis for so generously sponsoring the costs.  We can begin now taking suggestions for next year’s  venue.  But HortPark will be tough to beat!