Pilgrimage & Eid

My kids watching Quban in Kota Bharu.

Here is my opinion regarding Haj Pilgrimage. I would suggest anyone to do Haj at their younger age, than what had been a norm to the past generation. They went for Haj after years of pension which is in Malaysia the pension able age 55 or 56, quite early compared to States, where one will be thinking of 60 or 65.

Why younger? The trials have been very different for the past generation and today. In the past the trials have been the journey itself, where it took weeks to cross the Indian Ocean. By today’s standard, if Concorde is allowed to fly, flying faster than mach 1, the speed of sound, you will be walking anywhere in Hijaz in less than five hours after boarding the aircraft.

Those day they used huge ships. I recall Sanusi Junid, the former minister, used to talk in our school hall about buying ships and when it hits the sea with the potential Hajjis , it will sound Shammelinn, shammelinn. He was a great believer in Koperasi (Co-op). The trials those days were on the ship. There were quarrels, break ups, divorces, marriages not to mention the sea sickness. Well if that is my argument, we can get there older now! But that okay there is room for everybody.

Those days, once yet get to Mecca, you are okay. There were much lesser people and to do the rituals were much easier. Now is the reverse, when you get to Mecca, then the problem start to come. It is better to get there in the beginning or towards the end of the Haj period. At the peak there will be millions wanting to do the same thing at the same time. So you can imagine the havocs and the amount of garbage created included. Without the Bangladeshi doing their morning run with the huge bulldozers to pile up and collect them, the Haramain will sink in the rubbish dump.

With that size of crowd wanting to do the same thing at the same time, crowd control is not going to be easy and accidents do happened. That’s the reason we heard of death and near death occurring almost every Haj period now. It is due to these challenges that I proposed Haj to be done at a younger age so that one can carry oneself smoothly during the rituals.

I salute the Saudi’s authorities on this score, their control of situation and prevention of epidemics are excellent. So do not blame them for denying you rice, sold by the “Meccan Malays”. They are doing their job preventing unwanted outbreaks of diseases.

My congratulations to those relatives who have sacrifice their wealth and time to do their Haj. I came to know that Sue Zak, Sue Den and Che Nab left for Haj on Christmas Eve, 24 December. May their efforts be extremely well rewarded and come back with Haji Mabrur.

I also take this opportunity to wish Selamat Hari Raya Qurban to all family of Keluarga Haji Wan Ishak and a happy and bless future in the coming year 2007 Masehi too. Do pass my Salam to those who will not be reading these wishes and prayers.

Hari Raya Poole Technical College, UK 1976

The Hajj: concluding remarks

Wed, 2007-01-03 07:40

Dr. A.R.M, Imtiyaz

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims circled the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, for a final time today in Mecca, bringing to a close what may have been the largest hajj ever. Several thousand faithful remained behind in Mina, some 5 kilometers east of Mecca, to stone pillars representing Satan for a fourth and final day. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, passed this year without the deadly incidents that have marred it in the past. Many pilgrims admired new safety measures taken by Saudi authorities since a stampede in 2006 killed more than 360 pilgrims during the stoning ritual.

On Somalia - the start of a new slaughter

Sally discharged

Sally was discharged from HKB yesterday after lunch. According to the surgeon he had wanted to do both eyes. One is out 5 degrees and the other was out 35 degrees. Since both Sally and her mum had expected to do only an eye. They did only the serious one.

Sally’s therapy:

This is the forth anak-cucu Wan Som undergoing surgery. This one if Wan Som should would have voted “No”. But Wan Som would probably be out voted by her house hold looking from the perspective that they are all western educated and would view therapy from the eyes of western medicine, sometimes ironically termed as allopathy, especially with believers in homeopathy – a science of issuing allopathic medicines.

Yaya - Sally's youngest Sister

In sally’s case it is just lazy eyes (is it Strabismus in medical term?) or “juling” known here. It is basically just a muscle correction operation. She was schedule to enter the HKB surgical room at 11 am this morning. Her mum called and Alhamdullilah it was successfully done at 3.00 pm. The result proper the operation may not be known until 2 or 3 days time after all the observations been done.

Ø A snip from answers.com

Amblyopia

Definition

Amblyopia is an uncorrectable decrease in vision in one or both eyes with no apparent structural abnormality seen to explain it. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that when a decrease in vision is detected, other causes must be ruled out. Once no other cause is found, amblyopia is the diagnosis. Generally, a difference of two lines or more (on an eye-chart test of visual acuity) between the two eyes or a best corrected vision of 20/30 or worse would be defined as amblyopia. For example, if someone has 20/20 vision with the right eye and only 20/40 with the left, and the left eye cannot achieve better vision with corrective lenses, the left eye is said to be amblyopic.

Description

Lazy eye is a common non-medical term used to describe amblyopia because the eye with poorer vision doesn't seem to be doing its job of seeing. Amblyopia is the most common cause of impaired vision in children, affecting nearly three out of every 100 people or 2-4% of the population. Vision is a combination of the clarity of the images of the eyes (visual acuity) and the processing of those images by the brain. If the images produced by the two eyes are substantially different, the brain may not be able to fuse the images. Instead of seeing two different images or double vision (diplopia), the brain suppresses the blurrier image. This suppression can lead to amblyopia. During the first few years of life, preferring one eye over the other may lead to poor visual development in the blurrier eye.

Causes and symptoms

Some of the major causes of amblyopia are as follows:

• Strabismus. A misalignment of the eyes (strabismus) is the most common cause of functional amblyopia. The two eyes are looking in two different directions at the same time. The brain is sent two different images and this causes confusion. Images from the misaligned or "crossed" eye are turned off to avoid double vision.
• Anisometropia. This is another type of functional amblyopia. In this case, there is a difference of refractive states between the two eyes (in other words, a difference of prescriptions between the two eyes). For example, one eye may be more nearsighted than the other eye, or one eye may be farsighted and the other eye nearsighted. Because the brain cannot fuse the two dissimilar images, the brain will suppress the blurrier image, causing the eye to become amblyopic.
• Cataract. Clouding of the lens of the eye will cause the image to be blurrier than the other eye. The brain "prefers" the clearer image. The eye with the cataract may become amblyopic.
• Ptosis. This is the drooping of the upper eyelid. If light cannot enter the eye because of the drooping lid, the eye is essentially not being used. This can lead to amblyopia.
• Nutrition. A type of organic amblyopia in which nutritional deficiencies or chemical toxicity may result in amblyopia. Alcohol, tobacco, or a deficiency in the B vitamins may result in toxic amblyopia.
• Heredity. Amblyopia can run in families.

Barring the presence of strabismus or ptosis, children may or may not show signs of amblyopia. Children may hold their heads at an angle while trying to favor the eye with normal vision. They may have trouble seeing or reaching for things when approached from the side of the amblyopic eye. Parents should see if one side of approach is preferred by the child or infant. If an infant's good eye is covered, the child may cry.

Diagnosis

Because children with outwardly normal eyes may have amblyopia, it is important to have regular vision screenings performed for all children. While there is some controversy regarding the age children should have their first vision examination, their eyes can, in actuality, be examined at any age, even at one day of life.

Some recommend that children have their vision checked by their pediatrician, family physician, ophthalmologist, or optometrist at or before six months of age. Others recommend testing by at least the child's fourth birthday. There may be a "critical period" in the development of vision, and amblyopia may not be treatable after age eight or nine. The earlier amblyopia is found, the better the possible outcome. Most physicians test vision as part of a child's medical examination. If there is any sign of an eye problem, they may refer a child to an eye specialist.

There are objective methods, such as retinoscopy, to measure the refractive status of the eyes. This can help determine anisometropia. In retinoscopy, a hand-held instrument is used to shine a light in the child's (or infant's) eyes. Using hand-held lenses, a rough prescription can be obtained. Visual acuity can be determined using a variety of methods. Many different eye charts are available (e.g., tumbling E, pictures, or letters). In amblyopia, single letters are easier to recognize than when a whole line is shown. This is called the "crowding effect" and helps in diagnosing amblyopia. Neutral density filters may also be held over the eye to aid in the diagnosis. Sometimes visual fields to determine defects in the area of vision will be performed. Color vision testing may also be performed. Again, it must be emphasized that amblyopia is a diagnosis of exclusion. Visual or life-threatening problems can also cause a decrease in vision. An examination of the eyes and visual system is very important when there is an unexplained decrease in vision.

Treatment

The primary treatment for amblyopia is occlusion therapy. It is important to alternate patching the good eye (forcing the amblyopic eye to work) and the amblyopic eye. If the good eye is constantly patched, it too may become amblyopic because of disuse. The treatment plan should be discussed with the doctor to fully understand how long the patch will be on. When patched, eye exercises may be prescribed to force the amblyopic eye to focus and work. This is called vision therapy or vision training (eye exercises). Even after vision has been restored in the weak eye, part-time patching may be required over a period of years to maintain the improvement.

While patching is necessary to get the amblyopic eye to work, it is just as important to correct the reason for the amblyopia. Glasses may also be worn if there are errors in refraction. Surgery or vision training may be necessary in the case of strabismus. Better nutrition is indicated in some toxic amblyopias. Occasionally, amblyopia is treated by blurring the vision in the good eye with eye drops or lenses to force the child to use the amblyopic eye.

Prognosis

The younger the person, the better the chance for improvement with occlusion and vision therapy. However, treatment may be successful in older children—even adults. Success in the treatment of amblyopia also depends upon how severe the amblyopia is, the specific type of amblyopia, and patient compliance. It is important to diagnose and treat amblyopia early because significant vision loss can occur if left untreated. The best outcomes result from early diagnosis and treatment.

Prevention

To protect their child's vision, parents must be aware of amblyopia as a potential problem. This awareness may encourage parents to take young children for vision exams early on in life—certainly before school age. Proper nutrition is important in the avoidance of toxic amblyopia.

Ø end of snip

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Counting on your doa for cucu Mok Ngoh well being!

What we hope from the operation is that Sally would used her lazy eye and that usage according to doctors is important, to prevent deterioration that may ultimately lead to blindness. At the moment she is using the eyes when she has her glasses on. She would probably keep her glasses on until her vision improves.

Worried Sally's mum when she was younger

A stomach for Academics?

UPSR (that’s Malaysian, Primary School Exam) performance by schools around Machang.

Pangkal Meleret did well this year from their normal numbers of student scoring all A’s jump from their norm which is 4 or 5 students to double digit 11 students scoring all A’s, for the first time in their history. SK Temangan keeps the norm of 4 students getting all As.

Overall in terms of number of students scoring all A’s drop in most school around Machang. The school that did well before did not hit the figure of more than thirty.

The school where my children go to, SK Hamzah 2, had 24 students scoring all A’s. I was informed that the best school is SK Pangkal MokWan, second SK Pulai Chandong, third SK Hamzah 2 and forth place went to SK Pangkal Meleret, probably by percentage of students getting all A’s.