OUCH my back!!!

I'm not a great fan of injections, so the thought of having needles pricked all over my body didn't go down too well with me. Unfortunately, with the state of my back, which left me motionless for a good 2 hours before I was wheeled into A&E, I had to give accupuncture a go......

So at the clinic, the physician first tried to determine the source of my pain. Then, satisfied that the problem was caused by strained back muscles as well as nerve supression caused by a slightly dislocated spine bone, he started inserting 4 needles onto the top of my hand. It wasn't as painful as anticipated, but I still hate needles..... And to reallign the dislocated bone, he started cracking my back and began sucking the 'bad air' from my battered body. I wasn't too convinced that the back cracking and the air sucking could work (and Sham would definitely freak out if she was there), but it did work! I felt a lot better immediately, and I walked out of the room much straighter and humanlike than when I first walked in.

I went back for another round of acupuncture a few days later cos my back was still sore. This time round, I had about 6 needles down my spine, 1 in my hip and another in my calf. This exuded a nice warm sensation on my back, and it felt really good. The needles were then pulled out, and the physician started 'scraping' the warm spot, turning it all red. The redness apparently, I was told, indicated poor blood circulation. So for that, and for my weak back muscles, I was prescribed some Traditional Chinese medicine.

Fortunate for me, this pharmacist wife of mine has no qualms about me taking safely prescribed TCM, but unfortunately, they tasted as bad as they smell.......
So for now, I'll stick to the needles and suction cups and give the TCM a miss....

The Bangkok Trip

It's 1 week post Bangkok, and we're still reminiscing our trip there...Land of a thousand smiles indeed.....

It was a sponsored trip for just the two of us. No kidz on tow, heheh. And that, if you think was good for us, it wasn't.....at least not for the first few hours. We had the 'kids withdrawal syndrome'........


The sudden lack of 'noise' and 'chaos' threw us off guard, and as we slowly grappled with the sad reality (and guilt) of going on a holiday without our kids, we were also constantly reminded by our parents' pleas, so to speak, to enjoy ourselves and not worry about our poor 'left behind' offsprings. Afterall, they said we "deserve a break for our uncompromising perseverence and unrelentless effort in bringing up and nurturing our juniors". Ahhaha, paiseh.....Oklah that was very encouraging and sweet and all, but Hazrin and I have been parents longer than any of our friends and cousins have been, and we have also been the busiest cos we decided to have all our kids almost all at once (Why that is so, calls for another post altogether, heh). So this holiday, kids-free, naturally unleashed the skeptics in us, and the both of us couldn't help but feel lost. We had forgotten how not to be parents! And when OUR PARENTS insisted that 'the two of us enjoy this trip and have fun', I had to raise an eyebrow.

Ok before anyone thinks Hazrin and I are gonners in the 'romantics' department, let me reiterate that we are fine. We know how to enjoy ourselves, and we know when to have our retreats together. We can talk gibberish all day long and not bore each other, restassured. But we've never had sooooo much time to ourselves before. It's just that with our busy schedule and big but young family, we're so used to handling so many things all at once, and quickly too, that we suddenly didn't know how to slow down. Not good. Not good at all.

So going by our normal pace, we made our way to the departure gate only to be greeted by a certain Phil "You are the first team to arrive!" O.k lah Phil was a figment of my imagination, but we were really the first ones to arrive, hokay. Moral of story is, without the kidz, our 'normal pace' was probably too fast for the 'non-parenting' world. So slow down we did........Hazrin got himself a National Geographic magazine, and I got myself a less nerdy version of a mag.


We took Thai Air Asia and Hazrin indulged in a bowl of instant noodle......He enjoyed it very much. Nothing beats eating instant noodle in an airplane, he said. And that was to be the beginning of our many cherished moments in Bangkok.

We sort of consoled our guilt-ridden selves with plenty of shopping for the kidz.......and ourselves.


Then, as soon as we got used to slowing down, we pampered ourselves to massages and plenty of unrushed dining.

The service and warm hospitality of most of the Thais we met there were superb. And that livened up our moods and helped us unwind. You don't want to unwind in a country where service is very frustrating and people are very cold. Jams and hot weather, for which Thailand is notorious for, were not so bothersome either.....I think they more than make up for it with their smiles.

All in all, the trip had served its purpose. We both had plenty of rest, fun and laughter, and we came back home with a year's supply of clothes..................

PS - More pics in our 'Bangkok Trip' Photo Album

Land of a Thousand Smiles

Here we are (just the 2 of us) blogging from the departure gate of T1, on our way to Bangkok. Unfortunately we only have 15 mins at the terminal. So stay tuned and watch this space.

Special guests this Eid

This year, Eid started pretty early for us........

It started with Kak Linda's homecoming. The twinz welcomed her at the airport with their homemade birthday cards - which they proudly displayed, much to everyone's muse. I thought the both of them looked like professional travel agents, fetching an important client by the name of 'Aunty Mas'.

As always, the kidz were all bashful when Aunty Mas finally came out of the arrival hall. And as always, they would insist on following Aunty Mas (a.k.a Aunty Santa Claus) back to Mama's place to check out their presents.

Unfortunately, this time round, she couldn't stay long. Probably because she had a lot of patients waiting for her back in London, or maybe it was because she had to rush off for a holiday in San Francisco (how cool is that ?!). Whichever the reason was, we were still glad she came back. And before she left, the kidz managed to show off their messy room to her, and gave her some farewell hugs to last her till her next visit here....

We also had another special guest - Syazana. Mak used to babysit her when she was just a baby, but when she made a surprise visit on the eve of Eid, she was a full 16 years older. Mak was so happily surprised, thanks to Mariah. It was a simple reunion, and we spent the night reminiscing her childhood antics and rummaging through Mariah's box for some old photos. It was like opening a pandora's box cos my old photos were really almost ghastly! But it was a good night nonetheless, and a very good start to a good Eid.......

And last but not least, we had our much anticipated reunion with Lin, my long lost cousin, when we invited her over for steamboat two Sundays ago. I had expected the reunion to be rather awkward, but the contrary was to be. Everything was, much to my relief, so casual and natural, almost as if we had never separated. And the best thing was that we could still 'connect', although she's got too good a head on her shoulders now for me to bully around anymore. She's all grown up now, and though she came across as a strong and independent person, like all the girls in our family, she's still full of dreams.....

And the kidz......they actually warmed up to her almost immediately. Lin even got herself a fan in Faiz. He followed her around like a paparazzi and took plenty of shots of his newly found Aunty Lin.

The reunion, as intended, renewed our long lost 'cousinship', and more than ever, our relationship is set to grow stronger and better, as we once wished it to be, Insya Allah

And oh yes.....the kidz also had a special guest. They had their own Eid gathering with Danial in their room........They had a great time, baby talking and eating the night away!

Our White castle

To our friends and relatives who couldn't make it to our house this raya, here's our white castle. Step right in.......




Our Dining Room






Our T.V and Computer Room





Our Living Room





Our Dining Room




Our T.V and Computer Room




Part of our Dining Room




Our Reading Corner





Our Dining Table




Sufi's Room







Kitty in Sufi's Room

First Day of Eid Mubarak

Here's just a peek into our first day of Eid Mubarak. As it is, we're not done visiting juz yet, so watch this space......


Mak & Ayah's Place





Mummy & Pak's Place












Kakak and the kidz













Yaya, me and some of the kidz















Abang Nazif, Shabana and Danial












Najwa, Nur and us again





Danial, and Azfar being attacked....

When Chico Met Kitty

Chico was all hostile towards Kitty when they were first introduced. Having been the only cat in the family, Chico felt threatened by Kitty's presence. His jealousy and anxiety made him puke all over the house, and he ended up hiding all day long, even refusing to eat and drink.















However, being a mak nenek that she is, Kitty was adamant in her attempt to win over Chico's heart. She repetitively approached the big guy ever so casually, and was not deterred by his growls and scratches. We were so worried for her, but she was unstoppable! Call her naive, but her persistence actually paid off, cos Chico finally gave up being hostile. If you can't fight her, you might as well just join her....heheh
Well, good for him cos he's gotten himself a cute 'lil playmate. Hazrin now calls him Abang Chico......

Hello, Kitty

Kitty joined the pack last weekend, thanks to Melati. She's a cross between a British short hair and a Tabby cat. Was told that her father is very friendly, and her mother, being a tabby, is presumably intelligent. Guess that's why she's such a mak nenek...

She's so full of life, but when the energy is zapped out of her, she can suddenly slump and fall asleep....while playing!!!.
She was busy playing with Chico and me (read : not Sham) the other day when she jumped into a basket and fell asleep almost instantaneously, head hanging out of the basket and all! How cute is that?!

Shhhhh....artist @ werk

The twinz are beginning to show talent in drawing and colouring...

Here's our family portrait...

Faris's aeroplane

Faiz's robot

and not to be outdone, Fazli also wanted to show off his artistic talents as well...

unfortunately he chose to express it on our wall...looks like a graffiti artist in the making...

Iftar at Nizam's

The NIE Dipedders gang met up for iftar at Nizam's new place. We've been together eversince we were in NIE, struggling with our assignments and staying overnight at the old Bukit Timah campus, to book our electives for the new semester. Over the years, one after another got married, had kids, moved house, bought cars and had more kids....

It was nice meeting up with the guys again.....reminiscing bout the times we had back in NIE. However, more intresting were our other conversation topics. We now talk about places to get the cheapest milk formula, diapers and even ready-made curtains. We still do talk bout other more macho stuff, like our cars, however we do run the risk of getting the evil eye from our significant other...

Two sets of twins

Only 10 months apart and relatively of the same size, Sufi and Fazli end up looking like unidentical twins....something like Brandon and Brenda of Beverly Hils 90210 lah.















Here, flanked by the genuine twins, Sufi and Fazli enjoy as much 'twin attention' as their brothers, if not more.

"Ooooh look so cute......two sets of twins!!!!"
"Eh so cute ah got boy-boy twins and boy-girl twins"
"Wah so many kids....all 4 yours ah? All oso twins ah?
No wonder strangers are called strangers...they say strange things.
And after sometime, you just won't bother to correct them anymore......heheh.

But if you ask me, twins or not, all 4 of them have their own unique qualities and preferences.
So ya, although it's fun to have two sets of twins, I'd prefer to think that I have 4 very different and unique children.....

Happy Birthday....eh belum...eh dah???

Yeah yeah dah birthday....
Mak n Pak said we were gonna have our birthday party in school, but according to our BC our birthday is not till 3rd Oct....pening lah

Wait let's check what's going on...

Apparently our birthday falls during bulan posa, so we can't have it then, that's why we are having it earlier...Baru pakcik tau....







Our classmates...or should we say our very HUNGRY classmates











Kalau ye pun tunggulah sampai cake dah potong....









Errr, siapa eh belum dapat???









Dah dapat cake and goodie bag baru HEPI.....

Plastic Heads

HAHA if you think this is a costume party, you're not exactly wrong.... Here, the kidz are all 'dressed up' to carry on their cycling trip. But nope, that's not their safety helmet....It's their 'mak-and-pak-innovative-rainy-day' survivor kit.

Heavy shower didn't dampen the kidz spirits to complete their cycling expedition. So, as adventurous parents, we reciprocated their willpower with a bigger-than-life attitude. We made them each wear a 'shower cap', and trudged on through the cold and heavy rain right till the end.......

Too much for the kidz to handle? Not at all......They enjoyed every second of it, and at the end of the journey, everyone (including Sufi and Fazli!) was overjoyed.


For the kidz....

Lesson #1 - Finish what you started

Lesson #2 - Make the best of every situation

Lesson #3 - Innovate. Necessity is the mother of invention

Lesson #4 - As long as it's not detrimental and not haram, have fun

Keep it up kidz!

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Our cycling trip in East Coast recently had been very heartwarming.

With only 3 bikes left to rent, Fazli couldn't get his own.
So Faris came to his rescue. He came down from his bike, literally carried Fazli onto the bike, and painstakingly pushed his little brother around.




But Fazli's contentment was shortlived.

He started throwing tantrums, and that spurred Faris to come to his rescue...again.

This time, we placed Fazli on the small 'passenger seat' so that Faris didn't have to give up his bike again.

Although that slowed his ride down, Faris didn't complain.
He even made sure that Fazli's grip around his waist was securely tight. And everytime he sensed Fazli's grip loosening, he would grab hold of his little brother's hands.

That's just so Faris. As the eldest, he's always naturally protective over his younger siblings.

On one occassion, Sufi wandered off on her own, and we realized it only after hearing Faris's shouts. When we found them, Faris was crying. He said he cried because he knew he had to lose us to go after Sufi. So, when asked why he went after Sufi if he was scared himself, Faris said he had to cos if he didn't, Sufi would be all alone, and she couldn't shout loud enough for help...

As parents, we are thankful to God.

"Faris, when you read this one day, I just want you to know that pak and mak are very proud of you"

Cuzzens Special Part II

Another group of people I would like to introduce in this blog are my cousins-in-law. I'm inordinately fond of them and they ARE a force to be reckoned with. More like brothers and sisters to Hazrin, their closeness is irrefutable.

Hazrin once told me that Azfar is like the younger brother he never had ( to bully around, that is, hehe). But seriously, he loves Azfar like a brother. But who doesn't love Azfar? Everybody loves Azfar........ He's our children's favourite uncle Bob! He's witty, funny, talented and above all, interestingly unique. All I can say is that if you haven't met him yet, then you probably won't know what you're missing!

And Nur, Azfar's big sis, is another personality you may want to get to know better. She's also utterly witty, funny and intelligent (I think their parents brought them up really well.....). She has good looks to her credit, but I sometimes wonder if she even knows it! Easy going and friendly by nature, I warmed up to her the very first time we met. And the kidz simply adore her. Sometimes I think Hazrin and I took advantage of her love for the kidz and subjected her to much of the kidz endless whims and fancies. But she still showers them with attention and gifts, all obstacles notwithstanding.
Of late, she's been following her Abg Hazrin's footsteps - she's rock climbing too.
But guyz, if you think she's cool, too bad cos she's taken lar.....

Hana of the ever popular Izadnhana blog is another cousin of Hazrin's. We used to be college mates. So when I found out he was Hazrin's cousin, I was pleasantly surprised. She's pretty, witty and popular. Maybe she needs no introduction. Seems like everyone knows her! With a celebrity look to boot, she's still brimming with style even after becoming a mummy herself. Imagine the powerful combination of trendiness and motherliness!
And married to this fashion goddess is Izad. He's one interesting guy cos he doesn't talk much, but is warm and friendly nevertheless. I mean, how may quiet people out there can get away with being warm and friendly? And I've heard he's also one superdad.

Ming is Hazrin's chinese cousin, and he's also one great guy. Our children love him (and kidz are the best judges of human character). Handsome, intelligent and a man of principle, he's nothing less than a fine gentlemen. But oblivious of his wholesome appeal, he is always so non self-indulgent. I want my kidz to emulate these good qualities.

These are juz some of my new found cousins. It would be an injustice not to introduce all the other cousins, but I think that will have to wait till the next subsequent posts.

At the end of the day, all I want to say is that when people get married, they also get married to their spouse's family. I'm glad I married a great family.......

Cheacher Slack Day

The usual suspects turned up for our operation - cheacher slack day.
We've been together since our first year at NIE, and we meet up once in a while to catch up on things.
So what do cheachers do when they meet? They complain, rant and rave to destress and keep themselves sane.....But then again, doesn't everyone else, for that matter?















Bride to be (Wak), Tongkat Ali, The Last Boy Scout (Saiful)

Happy Cheacher Day 2006

The twins are celebrating their first teachers' day this year. Having 2 teachers in a class is no joke. It's bad enough that we have to get two of everything for the boys, now we also need to get 2 of everything for their teachers.

Strangely, the boys wanted to get for their teachers a necklace and a bag. Go figure! Somehow or another, Sham managed to psycho them into getting soap from Crabtree and Evelyn and a small wallet each for BOTH teachers.

The presents look so cute that Sham wishes she was a teacher, just for tomorrow and during the school holidays, then when term starts, she can go back to her own job.

Study Buddy part II

Told ya he's a loyal study buddy. Here's another one of those last minute 'die die must finish assignment' sessions.....Chico's there to make sure Hazrin doesn't fall asleep. But how to concentrate? Chico's too cute and distracting...