Last of the Finger Grabbers

I just realised that Fazli will be the last of the finger grabbers, much to Sham's relief. I can still remember how badly dependent he was on us, and how our fingers were always a source of comfort to him. Now he grabs it as and when he wants to, and even crisply says, 'Na nak!' when I offer him my finger. It won't be long till he is 'weaned' off this finger of mine. So I must enjoy it while it lasts... cos who knows when we'll get another finger grabber...

Cuzzens Special

A few days ago, I was surprisingly reconciled - thanx to Izadnhana's blog - to Lin, a long lost cousin whom I've always cherished. It was a very very wonderful experience , but more wonderful was the fact that she had grown up to be the woman I've always envisioned her to be - beautiful, articulate, intelligent, funny and so full of life.

So for the last 2 days, I had been busy blabbering to Hazrin about Lin, my other cousins, our childhood antics, and how his cousins are friends of my cousins and how my friends are cousins of his friends, and how his friends are friends of my friends.......you get the picture!

My enthusiasm was so unmistakably contagious that Hazrin got excited too, and suggested having a barbecue or a gathering of some sort.

So anyway, when we were young, we used to spend our school holidays together. Lin always had that quiet strength about her that made her very mature and composed, even by adults standards. Then there were Melati and Yaya who were the cheeky, crazy but mood enlightening ones, and then there was me, the wicked elder cousin who always subjected her younger cousins to her nonsensical ideas. Kak Yani, when she occassionally joined us - seeing that she lived so far away in woodlands - would most often than not, be the bullied one (So poor thing. She was probably just soft hearted, and not sensitive - as we thought her to be).
And the male cousins? Well, they were always the 'pengacau' and the spares.

The funny thing was that eventhough everyone was different, we made a great team cos we complemented one another. Hopefully, when we do gather again one day, we can still complement each other (although all of us have since grown up and gone our own separate ways) so that we can rekindle the spirit of, as Lin puts it, our good-old 'cousinship'

Study Buddy

Meet Chico, our 7th member of the family, and Hazrin's loyal study buddy.
He's so loyal a study buddy, he may just end up graduating with Honours too....Heheeh

Nak SKATEBOARD!!!!!

Skateboards are the twins' new craze now. They've been persistently bugging me to get them one each.
Problem is, they're a tad bit too small to pick up skateboarding just yet.
I've been relentlessly turning down their requests, but I wonder if my patience will last.

For one thing, I've been the only one refusing them......Cos everytime I needed Hazrin to back me up, all he could afford was a wicked grin.....
An avid skateboarder himself during his teenage years, he emphatized with the twins' interest. And that wicked grin was a testimony to his great desire to relive his younger days, and bond with his kidz in the way he knew best - Skateboarding!
He was seemingly flattered that the twinz have inherited his love for that sport, and was unadmittedly wishing that he could teach them (or show off, rather ) all the tricks of the trade, unperturbed by the fact that they may get hurt.

But then again, we've always brought our children up to be adventurous. Rock climbing, swimming, cycling, jungle trekking and other impromptu adventure outings have always occupied our weekends anyway, and getting hurt has been part and parcel of their growing up.

So maybe I should just let them have the boards..... Afterall, I know they will be in the hands of a professional.......

Sometimes I wonder why some creatures get to lay eggs, and mammals like us have to go through all those birthing woes. It would be neat to lay eggs......Then you wont have to worry about bursting water bags, contractions, endless pushings and breast engorgements.
All you have to do is wait for the egg to hatch.


And if hatching is a long time coming, daddy can always use his light saber......

Cycling trips are still manageable now, but we expect things to be more kecoh when Sufi and Fazli finally graduate from their first class seats. Imagine the whole lane hogged by this family of six



We'll see how it goes..... If cycling gets too rowdy, we can always go back to child labour HAHA

Why First Aid is essential.....

Movies at the Padang

After 2 hours, the sun went down and it was time for Movies at the Padang.

The kids were hounding us, 'Apasal lambatnyeeeeee??? No reasons we gave were good enuff for them.So when the movie finally started, we thought they would be satisfied and finally quieten down but....NO. This time it was, 'Tak nampak lah. Orang tu besar sangat lah!!!' Our picnic neighbours were sort of amused with our antics cos we were all constantly shifting from one end of the mat to the other. We were sooo busy!Apparently, the twinz discovered that the best seat was on my lap. So Faiz ended up perched on my lap for the good next 2 hours, and Faris had an even better seat on Sham's lap. As for the 2 tounger ones, a packet of chips did the trick.....They ate the night away, lost in their own world.

Eating Tips 101

Having kids who have started eating proper meals can be quite painful on the wallet, not to mention the amount of food that's wasted, especially when we eat out. As necessity is the mother of invention, this is what I have come up with....

Ta da...

Chicken Rice Noodle

Lucky for us, one likes chicken rice n the other chicken noodle and lucky for me I'm not a fussy eater (my wife says at least not any more) so the best of both worlds for me...

So feel free to mix and match your meals and who knows this may just catch on. For all you know I could start my own restaurant....

Since we are at the topic of food, we decided to try something different for a change. We brought the kids to a Peranakan Restaurant, well not different for us, more for the kids.

This small restaurant is located somewhere near Katong Mall. We had their popular Ayam Buah Keluak and to our suprise the kids loved it, well that was after convincing them that it was Ayam Masak Kicap. Important thing was that they liked it. Look out for more food adventures....

Juz last week, Hazrin made a nonchalant remark over dinner, and it couldn't come at a weirder time.... He said he's known me for ten years, but I still look the same!!!
My first reaction was one of blatant confusion....He was telling me either one of two things : That I still look young after 10 years, or in all likelihood, that I still look as kental as ever.
So while I slowly gobbled down his words along with that spoonful of chicken rice, I asked.
All I can say is that after 10 years, he's all the wiser now...Heheh....He picked the right answer.

So that got me to thinking. Ten years and 4 kids later, we're still having fun. Sure enough, like all marriages, ours come with ups and downs aplenty. But with all the little rascals around to keep us going, we never had a chance to grow old.... yet. So I guess that was why he thought "I still look the same". I suspect I dont look as young, what with all the occasional eyebags and all!

Anyway, the big 30 is lurking just around the corner, and while I dont expect to "still look the same", I intend to encapsulate all the bitter sweet memories of our younger days, up to now and beyond, so that our children can appreciate the raw energy of our youth, and the triumph of our journey ahead....and understand how they have brought more sunshine into our lives......