Change of Format

For the past 3 months or so - in fact, soon after returning from the Desaru trip - I have been nursing a bad shoulder and upper arm. It is quite like a stiff neck, except that there is constant pain in one form or another. Having experienced it twice before, I thought a simple visit to the clinic would help me get over it. But that was not the case this time. The pain, lingers on longer than I had thought it would.

The pains I have been suffering are constant throbbing felt on the bone of the upper arm; sharp searing pain on the top of the shoulder joint; burning sensation on the muscles of the upper arm; lingering tiredness on the elbow; and unexplainable uncomfortable feeling at the shoulder blades. Any sudden movement of the arm would cause any of the above, or a combination of 2, to reach excruciating level, and finding myself writhing in pain and screaming with a voice that is inaudible.

About 2 weeks ago while at a hypermarket, I involuntarily raised my left arm trying to catch Emak's attention. The sudden movement caused a sharp pain rushing to my brain. In reaction to it, I raised the arm further up only to hit the bar of the trolley I was pushing. Double whammy! And I found myself on my knees screaming the pain out with a voice that just would not come out.

It is not that I have not been trying to remedy my mysterious ailment, I have. But it irritates me that whenever I speak of it to someone, they would relate it to coronary. It is not! Otherwise, the doctor at the clinic would have been the first to say so. Further, as I mentioned above, this is the 3rd occurrence. And I have been searching someone trustworthy in the art of massage, fearing a half-baked masseur would only aggravate matter. Alhamdulillah, I found one.

Haji Reduan is an Indian Muslim running his own business of car workshop in Padang Jawa. However, he and is wife seem to be gifted with the healing touch. When seeked by a person in need - normally recommended by those who know Hj Reduan or his wife - they would tend to the patient but only after Isyak prayers, in their house in Kelang. Having been informed of him by an acquaintance, I found myself at his place last Monday night.

Hj Reduan's treatment is simple, but not necessarily painless. Apart from massaging the affected area, he also uses heat treatment in the form of 'tuku', using a heated riverstone. This is a timeless form of treatment and is widely practiced throughout the world. Heat treatment, that is. What is used though, can vary from one place to another. Anyway, alhamdulillah, after the first sesssion, the pain has subsided considerably. Unfortunately though, the 2nd and 3rd session will have to wait till Hj Reduan recovers from a sudden bout of fever. Oh dear! I sincerely hope it was not due to me as my pain, his wife said, is merely flatulence, or 'angin' as we Malays say it.

By now, a mind might begin to wonder why I'm blogging about my pain here instead of My Neverland. Well, it is related in at least one way. Another is that I do not mean to, nor be seen as wearing my heart on my sleeve. Seeking sympathy from friends, is not my intention.

While shooting a new landmark in Kota Damansara last Sunday, I stumbled upon a sight I was searching for, not knowing it lies less than 2km from my house. Within the banks of what was once a stream, and now a monsoon drain - Sungai Damansara - I found the flock of egrets I once shot and uploaded at My Neverland. But I also found out another thing: that my left arm quivers quite a bit leading to shaky handling of the camera, and leading to blurry pictures such as the one below.

Yes, the pain in my left arm is always there. But to let it rule over me would make me a defeatist. Stumped and stymied I may have found myself in the past, but a defeatist? Never. InsyAllah. Anyway, the pain is only at its worst when I find my arm locked in a position for a long duration. Which is why, I seldom make an entry of late at any of my blogs. And which is why I'm taking my time making this.

Back to Hj Reduan, before going to his house, I found myself driving down to Banting and...I wouldn't believe it had I not been me, but I drove straight down to Tanjung Sepat! Well, OK, its only about an hour or so from my place. And though I did have the malicious intent to do so, I had quite forgotten the distance (not to mention the petrol!).

Dissapointed that the so called Birdwatchers paradise could not be found, I wound myself to Morib Beach for some sunset pics. Sadly, the sunset was not at its best that day, as can be seen from the first 5 shots. I did take more but while many are not worthy of uploading or repititive, several more are being held for other purposes. Anyway, it got me thinking that it is time for me to change the format of presentation.

With a varied mixture of pictures and no longer merely flowers and insects, I thought I ought to just upload something like 10 to 15 per entry and then at month end, recap all in a slideshow. Apart from headache of naming each entry, it would give me ample time to build up on the stocks. Well, not that I spend a lot of time snapping like a mad fella just out of an asylum, mind you. But yes, I would be able to pace myself especially in view of my still hurting arm. Anyway, 'kemaruk' is just another word for mad or crazy, is it not? (smile)


ps. As in the picture 'Need Better Timing', insyAllah, I will stalk the egret flock for a better shoot. The scene where something like 40 or 50 white birds flying low and heading directly towards you, is an awesome sight to behold. MasyAllah! And I do want to share that experience with my friends.