Tuesday 13 May 2008

Speaking from the other side

“He has got high cholesterol… also a bit overweight. But he loves seafood and he will eat so much! And… he doesn’t exercise!”

That was what my colleague told me the other day when I was sharing with some of them about my kidney condition. How many of us are like him?

Yeah, the condition that I have is probably a result of my eating habit. I believe that as long as I workout sufficiently, there shouldn’t be any problem with anything going into my mouth and coming out from my anus. But what I failed to comprehend is not about things going into my mouth and coming out my ass but it’s fact that those things actually went on a passage inside my body.

I told my colleague that I understand how her husband feels. So long as we are still healthy and have not got anything seriously wrong with us, we will continue to live our lifestyle as though we are invincible. That char-siew ‘pun fei sau’ (half fat half lean) was just too yummy to resist isn’t it? That semi burnt satay, no problem is putting the entire thing in our mouth isn’t it?

We all know what is good and what is not good for us. But yet, we always indulge in things that damage us and will only stop when we are damaged. One would really wonder was the journey worth it. Well, I can tell you that your answer would be yes before you are damaged and no after you are damaged.

So long as you are on the ‘before damage is done’ side, you will continue to live and eat as though you are un-damage-able. I have been there, I know. But now that I am here on the ‘damaged is done’ side… I truly believe that we should have been a little more respectful to our body.

And mind you, it’s not just about food. It’s about that cigarette you smoke, that extra glass of beer that you drink and … (AZAIG’s favourite)… that extra hour you put in for your underpaid job. We all know they are harmful. Yes, haven’t you read before that being overwork can kill you? And yet, we still do it.
Some will say that if we live a life with so many restrictions, we would not be living life to the fullest. No argument there. But if you live life without control, you will probably be living life to the foolest instead of fullest.

Others will quote the famous saying… “Don’t drink, don’t smoke, eat healthy… die also”. Well, it’s not about dying… it’s about how you die… and in the light of things… when you die.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Adding on to your last paragraph...

"Life is a great surprise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one." ~ V. Nabokov ~

MikeM said...

bro zewt... agree with your tis post... seems like tis post is written for me like tat... doing a check list of wat u wrote... FAT - checked, DRINK - checked, SMOKE - checked... sigh....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for creating the awareness. Sometimes it seems like every single food nowadays can kill us one way or another unless they come from our backyard. Merely fresh veges and fruits are no longer sufficient, they gotta be organic. Seriously, the shitload of pesti/herbicide, chemical, etc in regular goods are no laughing matter. Take care.

Anonymous said...

Sex can or not? ROTFLMAO!!! Sorry...can't help myself! Gosh!!! I'm doomed! Guilty on all counts!!! Wait a minute!! I don't drink!!! No liquor! No fizzy drink!...Just lots of water and a couple of Kopi-o(-peng) a day!!! Hah!!! Got a bit of hope liao!!! LOL!!!

Observer said...

i luv ur last quote

myop101 said...

dear zewt,

i am very fat...:(

don't really have time for gym nowadays...:(

btw, i will be working in a office near you soon...:)

we can meet up for lunch sometimes...:)

Seaqueen said...

Yes. I totally agree with what you said in the last paragraph. It's how you die that makes everything and anything that you've done not worthwhile.

Huei said...

now that's something new..i like ur last sentence

oh well..i guess humans r "fan jin"

n sometimes it's not about one's own health that matters..it's people around one..gawd nobody likes second hand smoke, especially in a sheltered area on a rainy day!

Anonymous said...

Agreed. It's not that we die (we all do, eventually) but how we die, and more importantly how we live. For eating fried stuff may be yummy, smoking and drinking may be fun, but for how long? They do take their toll on our daily lives, long before death.

It's about balance... having a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be difficult or boring... Make a game of it, see how many fruits and veges we can eat this week, get the whole family on it... small actions like this can beget larger things, such as true changes to our habits, methinks.

It's never too late to change, after all. :)

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

time to do another community service announcment over at my blog where i ASK PEOPLE TO EAT!

Tunku Halim said...

Not just what you consume that's important . . . but also EXERCISE. The body needs to move, whether yoga, the gym, martial arts or pilates . . . or just walking around your neighbourhood. The more I eat, the more I try to exercise!

Purple~MushRooM said...

Whats the meaning of life when we have to watch out about everything we eat and do? My motto is just eat whatever you like, but don't over-eat, don't over-do, don't over-work, don't over-everything because it will end up an over-kill. Live life and be happy! Those who eat healthy will not necessarily live a longer life. It all depends on your meng-sui.

Jorji said...

its not how u fall..its how u land-La Haine.

stay healthy!

Sharon said...

well my mum's most favorite quote is "eat, die and become full stomach ghost better than dont eat, die and become hungry ghost" -_- thats why she's in such "huggable" shape now LOL

Anonymous said...

"I choose to live well", that's the button I put on my blog. Was previously overweight (BMI says so), but now I am trying to lose to a healthy weight. Foodwise, I have to say that coming from a country with real good and affordable food, it is hard to resist. But trust me, we all can make a difference!

Jun said...

hey zewt, if wat u told me was rite, ur condition isn't a result of ur eating habit, so rest be assured. BUT, having that condition does require u to be a little bit more restricted when it comes to food choices.

took me yrs to grasp it, but being in the hospital setting has made me realise wat my parents told me is true: everything in moderation.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes life can be unfair. I got to know a friend's friend who was a health freak. He didn't smoke, exercise regularly, did not eat fried food and slept at 9 pm every night. He was diagnosed with lung cancer. He gave up. Three months later, he died.

A colleague of mine, is always on healthy diet. Fruits, veges and oat. Sometimes you see her eating plain porridge in the afternoon for lunch. She said to detox. She is diagnosed with colon cancer third stage and now, undergoing chemo. She is optimistic of recovering. I surely pray for her.

My hometown neighbour ate salted fish with soya sauce and plain porridge every day in his life. He lived up to ripe old age of 90.

Sometimes, when we heard of such news, we don't really what to do.

Sicknesses and diseases do not necessary hit people who do not take care of their health. I feel it's all in the genes and probably pure bad luck.

What we can do is, eat moderately, exercise moderately, work moderately, don't be too stressed out and pray very hard shit doesn't happen to us.

Anonymous said...

*Hugs* Zewt.Haven't been here awhile so I dropped by only to read this. :(

U know, I've made small changes to my life from March. I wasn't diagnosed with anything. but i was having a sedentary lifestyle with no let up in rich food.

So i cut down on rice n fatty, sweet n high-salt stuf...and started swimming again.

If nothing else...i sleep better at night after 10 laps in the pool.

Find something to do...like that. U need help? get in touch.

Cherry Popcorn said...

Its so hard to live healthily especially if u live in Malaysia. There are just soo many great food there. But I know what you mean. I am so stubborn when it comes to eating what is healthy. I love food and wont sacrifice on food anyday! My dad always say that I "eat to live, not live to eat". Boohooo..

sharlydia said...

I really really LOVE the last 2 para and i'm gonna paste them in an email to my bro! He's one of those who ALWAYS eat & smoke without control coz he wants to live life to the fullest! I guess u'r right, it's more foolest than fullest!

CK said...

balance i think is the word. though it's not easy.

zewt said...

Jemima - hahaha... it is always a surprise isnt it?

Michael Song - everything in moderation my friend.

sooi sooi - yeah, i heard even water is bad. well, we just have to know what is good for us.

suituapui - hahaha... that one... as often as possible.

freethinker - i love it too :)

myop101 - sure... and hey, better check out your high BP... dont ignore it!

seaqueen - yeah, a painful death is no good... sigh.

zewt said...

huei - yeah... 'fan jin'... that's the right word. sigh... have to change that attitude.

Kenny Mah - make a game on how much fruits u can eat? wow... i wanna join! count me in!

constant craver joe - hahahaha.... well, everything in moderation.

Tunku Halim - i go for the hardcore stuff.... football and gym! hahaha...

purple mushroom - yeah... actually it's controlled moderation. well, i guess we are all responsible for our lives, if you choose to live like a hero... then no one can stop u.

j or ji - thanks bro... and man u!!!

Sharon - hahahaha... are u going to follow that motto?

bongkersz said...

i am all for moderation :P drink a little bit, smoke a little bit, eat a little bit, sex a lot.. ROTFLMAO! too little of things is boring, too much is taxing...

zewt said...

lynnx01 - yup... we dont need to indulge in unhealthy food to enjoy food... i have learnt that already :)

Jun - yup... we all will reap what we sew at the end of the road...

gina - i guess everything in moderation includes being a health freak as well... your friends are quite extreme but you're right, at the end of the day, life is such. and all we can do is have faith... He has a plan for us, a plan to prosper us and not to harm us... right?

galadriel - hey... welcome back. well, i guess that's the lifestyle i want... and the lifesytle we all need. i hope i will have no problem at all :)

princess shin - hahaha... yeah, i blogged about that before actually. and it's also very expensive if you wanna eat healthy food. but for the sake of our health....

sharlydia - amen to that.

CK - yup... balance... i always like that word.

bongkersz - sex a lot is not taxing? hehehehe....

Seaqueen said...

Come on. Don't keep sighing. Now's never too late. You're not in your 50s yet. So start taking care of what you eat from now onwards. Remember everything in moderation.

Anonymous said...

With your condition, I hope you're aware of this danger: Starfruit Intoxication in Chronic Kidney Patients Might be Due to The Neurotoxin Oxalate

bongkersz said...

er.. if you have the stamina.. sure not :P kakaka! it is supposed to be fun!!!!! haha!

Arena Green said...

I'm starting to seriously consider cutting out my daily coffee fix ...

24yomummy said...

I just want to hug you.
*warm hugs*

Anonymous said...

If kidney fail...

The manhood also follow suite!!

missironic said...

i reckon to what you have said in your entry. it's true tat when someone have not inflicted with anything that is lethal, they wont even give a damn. but once they got it, regret starts to come in. Ain't humans like tat?

yeah, we shud live life healthily and not foolishly. once awhile we loosen ourselves is ok but not alwiz, ya?

i tink death is not a big deal but the way we die really differs alot..if possible everyone wants to leave this world in a peaceful manner but question is..how many of us able to?

but neway, u do take care there, ya? *hugs* =)

Daphne Ling said...

Hey Zewt,

I agree 120% that we have to be careful. I hate it when my friends, both young and old, get on my back about eating healthily.

I have always been very careful with sugar, and when my friends (again, young and old) see me cutting down on sugar (like adding lots of water to all sugared drinks), they will say things like: 'Why you dieting? So skinny samore want to diet meh?' (from younger people).

The older people will quip: 'You so young samore want to be careful meh? Young people can eat as much as they want. Stop being so fussy lar'...

And I'm like Eh? Can't I not eat so much sugar in peace?

Same goes for food...

When I go to the mamak stall and only order vegetables, the workers will actually tease me 'kenapa makan sayur saje? sudah cukup kurus lar'...

Haih...Difficult-nya just to be healthy...

Anyway, you keep well now! Take care...

PS: I eat meat ar, just in moderation...I'm no vegetarian...=)

rainbow angeles said...

can i be bold and ask about your condition? it's ok if you are not comfortable going in-depth :)

there are ppl who live a very healthy life and yet got infected with the big C... aihhh...

zewt said...

seaqueen - haha... will do, will do.

LC Teh - thanks, i know that... will certainly stay away.

bongkersz - hahaha... agree!

anak merdeka - coffee... you MUST cut down.

pauline yap - :)

Edi神 - shite!

missironic - yeah, this is what chinese called, dont see coffin, dont cry. it's real... we all live as though we are heroes...

Daphne Ling - yeah, that's what my aunties like to tell me... always say so young so young... well, look what happen to us? let's just ignore them.

rainbow angeles - exactly... i will probably talk more about my condition in the near future...

Rashikaps said...

I had gone to a health spa last year for about 5 days. The Dr. there used to say that the pleasure that eating junk food brings lasts only till you're eating.. after that the punishment starts.

missironic said...

ya..probably we tink we only live once..so wat the heck..better enjoy it rather than regret later when we're 6 feet under..but sad to say..when consequences come later, the regret really weighs alot..

i tink we shud be reminded of tat consequences alwiz..so tat we dun do foolish stuff that can be harmful..hmm..*reminding myself now* ;)

Anonymous said...

I think most of us is like that. Never cherish before we lost it.

Ninja said...

You know i have the same kind of thinking in that i am all for living life to the fullest so i tend to stuff myself silly. Which is also why i joined a gym...so that i can balance off eating with working out

I know that this unhealthy lifestyle will only lead to a quicker death but death is inevitable anyway so no point in being afraid of it

If only we could all just spontaneously explode when our time is up instead of having to suffer with all the diseases :p

zewt said...

rashikaps - there's much wisdom there isnt it? :)

missironic - well said. we need to be constantly reminded. else, no effect, right?

jam - u dunno the value of things until u lose it isnt it?

sabrina - hi there, welcome to AZAIG. hahaha... very nice idea there. but that would amount to suicide isnt it?

kyliemc said...

but if dont put in an extra hour or hours, cant meet the deadlines. haiz..... but my firm doesnt pay OT yet still we have to do OT to meet the deadlines. tough life...

zewt said...

kyliemc - and i wonder which firm is this... hmmmm....