This is what I learnt about GOUT.

(Not my leg).

From the internet.

The scenario is common: the patient goes to sleep then around early dawn, he is awakened by severe pain in the big toe followed by fever and chills. This is almost always the symptom of a gouty attack!!!! This condition affects the age group 30 to 50 years old and is the most common cause of joint pain among men.

Hyperuricemia or an excess of uric acid in the blood is the culprit for gout and is very common among diabetic patients. Likewise, in general population, gouty arthritis due to high uric acid commonly manifests as pain in the joints especially the big toe. Unfortunately people always mistake any form of joint pains in the body as due to uric acid and therefore wants to avoid food associated with gout. To be sure therefore if your joint pains are due to this disease, a simple blood test called uric acid can easily be determined in any lab.

NO NO if You Have GOUT or High Uric Acid:

• The NUMBER ONE on my list is ALCOHOL!!!!
• Anchovies
• Gravies
• Herring, Sardines
• Mussels or Tahong
• Internal Organs like liver, kidney
• Dinuguan, Chicharon Bulaklak
• Mackerel
• Patis and Soya Products
• Bacon and scallops

Use in Moderation:

• Crabs, Oysters, Shrimps, and eel
• Poultry and Meat including soup and broth
• Oatmeal
• Certain Veggies like asparagus, spinach, mushroom and cauliflower
• Legumes like beans or lentils

Once given a diagnosis, it is prudent that one takes care of it since the condition can recur and if not treated well may lead to other complications like kidney stones! Yikes!

Taking simple steps starting with our diet can go a long way in improving our health….

Eat To Live and Not Live To Eat!

To my fellow senior citizens and comrades out there:

Here me…..loud and clear!!! Look at the food being serve and think twice before consuming them. Go moderation. Control the food that has high uric acid content. The foods prepared nowadays come along with several chemical additives to make it even tastier and if we are tempted the percussion is ours to bear. The last thing that we want is condoning to the wheel chair and life would never be the same anymore. It’s far better to sacrifice the temptation rather than observing the world goes by on wheel chair.

I have now opened my eyes wider since the mild stroke in 2003 and the recent pain on my left toes when I woke up one fine morning. Now I am monitoring my BP and Diet.

AWANG.

After zohor yesterday, Azhar Ibrahim called me informing that our kampong mate Kamaruddin Zainuddin @ Awang passed away suddenly due to cardiac arrest at Tuanku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang. I was shocked as I don’t seem to know that Awang has a heart problem. Awang was 51, a bachelor and a non smoker. We often met at the Mosque during Maghreb and he looked healthy.

His body would be lying in state at the family resident and would be transferred to the Mosque at 1800 hours. I decided to pay my last respect at the Mosque inclusive participating of solat jenazah. I was glad to meet most of the kampong lad who had resided elsewhere that came to attend to late Awang’s funeral.

The program was a little out of schedule and Awang’s body arrived at the Mosque at 1815 hours. I was disappointed that the Mosque Jenazah Room was having a blackout and the Mosque Committee did not address the problem even though it was well informed. The light was flickering on and off. The Committee Member in Charge was immediately notified.

I was also disappointed and saw with my own eyes the Van Jenazah road tax had expired on 04 May 2011. No renewal was made; it is already a month over. Was it overlooked or mere incapability of the Bureau? They should at least monitor or tracking record of expiry dates. Registration book on the Van had been handed to the Bureau the moment they wanted to take over the Van Jenazah administration. In fact the Mosque Nazir and OTK went to the former Bureau Chief’s house and demanded that the Van Jenazah to be handed to them. The Van Jenazah Bureau is directly under the Mosque Committee and the Nazir is supposed to oversee that all Bureaus should function effectively.

I was also surprised to see Haji Mahmud Kelantan was driving the Van Jenazah and Haji Mahmud is not a member or associated with the Kereta Jenazah Bureau. What happen to the Bureau normal / appointed Drivers?

Unfortunately I did not attend the burial as Maghreb was closing by.

After Isyakh prayer, I jokingly told Haji Mahmud that the Police was looking for him for driving a Van with expired road tax. He laughed.

Anyway I am going to miss the quiet and friendly Awang who was a regular in the Mosque during Maghreb. As told by his brother, late Awang did not believe in going for medical checkup or going to the Clinic. He only had his brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces to mourn his departure to meet the Almighty.

I pray (Doa) his soul to be in the congregation of the Almukminin in the Kingdom of Barzakh.

ALFATEEHAH!!

KRU New Mosque as at 27 June 2011.

The status of the Main Prayer Hall.

The unfinished right entrance.

Fixing Courtyard Spotlight.

The black spots - spotlights to the Dome.

The Courtyard and the Main Prayer Hall.

Passageway of Muslimah from Wuduk Area to the Prayer Hall.

Muti Purpose Hall from the stage.

The Stage.

Main Septic Tank - work to commence?

Anjung Utama.

The Mosque seen from Rear.

Muti Purpose Hall.

The last posting was on 08 June 2011. Few development and glad to see several workers were busy attending to their chores.

Spotlights had been installed for the Dome, Main prayer Hall and the Courtyard. I observed couple of nights ago the Contractor tested the spotlights and the rest of the lighting systems. Certain parts had been roofed and insulation in placed whereas some still open to the sky.

Work on the mehrab and mimbar have not commenced. The main septic tank remains status quo, no work going on. Painting work is not fully completed and the minaret is half painted. Sides fencing completed but the front and rear brick walling is only about 25%.

It’s about a month away from Ramadan and I don’t think it is ready spot on. My estimate it would take another four (4) months to full completion. It’s a bonus if the New Mosque is ready for solat sunat Aidiladha (Hari Raya Haji).

If it’s behind schedule, I don’t have the answer. However late, I don’t care. I’m just an ordinary kampong resident that belongs to the kariah which frequent the current Mosque and follow up the latest development of the New Mosque to record its status by the calendar.

I agree and prefer the Contractor laboring on meticulously so that the workmanship can come out perfect to the full satisfaction of the kampong residents. In the first instance the kampong residents should be grateful for getting a magnificent grand Kampong Mosque. The standard given is equivalent to a District level Mosque.

What else to complain? My only hope to those who are going to manage this New Mosque can do it professionally. Knowledgeable on financial budgetary control is the call of the day as the New Mosque is totally more complex compared to managing the current Mosque.

I think I have Gout.

There is a sharp pain on my left toes and I thought the bedroom air condition was too cold and had adjusted the flap down. The pain persisted and I got to trouble shoot what’s the bloody problem. Could it be gout? I checked on the internet about gout and I think the pain is inclined to gout.

If I have gout, I tried to recall what I had consumed the couple of days to get the bloody pain. On Friday for lunch and dinner I had sambal jering and anchovies. On Saturday in the afternoon at a wedding I took cuttlefish sambal. At night I had nasi lemak for dinner and it came along with anchovies and sambal. Sunday afternoon lunch and dinner I took cuttlefish masak lemak. I had over consumed anchovies and cuttlefish over the weekend which exceeded the limit and increased the uric acid in my system.

The last I had this aching pain when I was in Beijing China and now it reoccurred. I consumed a lot of seafood in Beijing, the safest Muslim diet. I remember the Doctor back home scolded me for running my foot with the Hotel Room hot shower. That aggravated the pain. Temporarily, ice should be applied to ease the nerves.

Hopefully the same Doctor can relief and eradicate the pain. Now I can target on that I have gout and to avoid food that’s forbidden to gout sufferer.

US Vows To Arm Philippine To Fight China.

The Spratly Islands.

Clinton Calls for Restraint, Announces More Weapons Transfers

by Jason Ditz, June 24, 2011.

With the disputes over the unpopulated Spratly Islands continuing to grow, the Obama Administration has announced that it is preparing a major increase in arms shipments to the Philippines to prepare the nation to fight a war with China.

The announcement came at a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who is pressing for the US to lease equipment to allow them to modernize their navy.

The islands have historically been irrelevant, but are believed to contain large amounts of oil and natural gas. They also are viewed as strategically valuable for both China and the US, as the South China Seas are heavily trafficked.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged “restraint” on all sides over the region, but the promise of more equipment and “defensive” help for Philippines troops to back up claims in the region are likely going to convince all sides that the issue is getting more serious.

My Comment:

The Filippinos must be joking. They want to start a war with China? The 1.6 billion Chinese pee on them, they will all drown. Unless the Americans equipped them with atomic bomb or nuclear arsenal, there’s no way they can start a war with China over scatters of small islands.

The reason is simple – US wants to have a complete control of the Spratly Islands and they want to marshal the South China Sea. US are going to make use of Philippine to stir the region stability. Once it’s unstable, US will gladly come in.