Boo Hoo

I'm so easily depressed nowadays. My mind keeps on straying to the weird sensation at the back of my neck. Guess it will always be there and I have to get used to it. Macam ada belangkas melekat di belakang.
I went to a well-known Chinese Dr last Sunday. He took a look at my x-rays and gave a sigh. Saya pun ikutlah...sigh....my heart just went down further into the sinkhole.
He asked me 1 question ' How old are you? ' and I told him. 'If you are having pain at this age, how will it be when you are 50?' I just smiled. He is actually a nice old gentleman but at that time I just felt like I was slapped right across the face. Sedih bah..
I have to keep on having therapy every week and I should refrain from bending my head down too much. Macam robotlah jadinya....

For months I kept on looking over the web trying to find the answer to my condition. I got the answer this time. Klippel-Feil Syndrome. It is an uncommon congenital fusion of the Cervical vertabrae, whether it involves 2 segments (like mine, which is C4 and C5), or the entire cervical spine (which is most severe). Congenital cervical fusion is the result of failure of normal segmentation of the cervical bone precursors (called somites) during the third and eighth weeks of life. Majority of patients are female with a prevalence of 1 in 42,ooo births.
Hmmm...talking about luck.

Patients of this syndrome can be identified at any age. Cosmetic deformity that is associated with massive fusions is usually noted in infancy or early childhood. However, cervical fusions at the lower level (like mine), considering as non-massive, often do not present until later in life (30's +), when degenerative changes or instability of adjacent segments develops.

The website post this warning. Apalagi tambah sejuklah si kawan ni.

All patients with congenital cervical fusion should avoid body contact sports as well as any recreational activities that may put them at risk for head trauma.
The potential of catastrophic outcomes with this structural abnormalities is very real and must be kept it mind throughout the life of the affected individual.
Long term follow up is highly recommended. Patients and his/her family must be carefully and fully counselled.

I kept on thinking of all the activities I did during childhood and teens. All of them actually was risky to me but I'm glad I did them. No regrets at all.
Still, I am sad, but for today only.
Lantaklah! Life is short, I better stay happy.

Special visitor

I'm a lagger, I know. I have no idea what strucked me a couple of weeks ago. I stopped surfing the net, I stopped FBooking, and I hit the sack early everyday. Must be a stay-at-home mom symptom. I'm totally unmotivated. Hmm...but a day trip to Penang last Monday was a refresher.

Started the day early with breakfast and off we went. Stopped by Bukit Tambun for a rest so Edric can have his porridge. We reached the island in the afternoon and had seafood for lunch. We basically drove around make a few stops here and there.. nothing bombastic.
Alden was the one who had the most fun coz he get to ride on the ferry across.
We reached home at around 10 p.m. When I opened the main door, I felt something amiss.
The dustbin was ransacked and there was a certain smell in the house.

Told hubby of what I saw and walked slowly towards the back of the house. All the detergents in the bathroom were toppled down. Haiiii...biawak lagi...

Of all days the fella chose this day to enter the house from the bathroom drain. We were all so tired already and Edric was wailing coz it was his bedtime. I just dumped him in the playpen and asked Alden to keep him company while we searched for the annoying reptile.

The next thing I heard was hubby scolding me. 'You didn't close the door when you left the room!' 'Haiyah...I don't rememberlah...I was in the rush this morning' (The usual me...I started to get defensive each time there's a conflict..and yeah..I sound a bit like Makcik already...I know..)

'Let's hope it didn't end up in your room!' Get me the torchlight! (Bark bark bark...yalah yalah)
True enough, the 2 and a half feet lizard was hiding under my bed...isssshhhh..of all places...

Hubby and I had to clear everything from the floor so it would be easier to catch it. This time hubby macam crocodile hunter oh...ha,ha,ha...he attached a noose to the broom pole and caught it.

It didn't even crossed my mind to take pictures because of all the commotion. We let the lizard off the hook again this time. Lain kali dia masuk lagi, sia masak sup herbalah dia ni.
I had to air the room for 2 days before we got rid of the smell. Yuck!

Eja?

Saya sakit belakang lagi ni. Went to acupuncture 2 days ago. Just feel a little relief on my shoulder. Pinggang pun kena ni kali. Sakitnya....

For the past two weeks, I've been trying to get Alden to memorize the spellings of 5 Malay words. The kid's head must be made of stone coz he won't cooperate to learn.
I've tried so many ways to get his attention; from the conventional write and read out loud to game cards.
The words required by the teacher for him to spell : Api, Ayam, Bapa, Buku and Cili.

Api took a week. Ayam... jadi aym..selalu hilang tu 'a'. I asked him where it is, he said sudah telan masuk perut...haiiiiii....
He always got confused between bapa and buku....bila suruh eja bapa...he said b a ...'ba'...a u 'ku'.....bikin pening kepala saya ja dia ni...
I asked him what he remembers, he said 'dunno'. 'Your head must be full of stars!' and he just laughed away...
The funny thing is the fella can remember poems as fast as trains. Maybe the poems are more fun to learn than the boring spellings.

His dictation is today. So fingers-crossed. I won't have a high expectation. Just hoped that the days that I put in to hammer the words in his head are worth it. Kesian juga sia tengok, selalu ja kena marah. Hope I can build up more patience when teaching him.
It's really scary how a five year old's syllabus can be quite extensive nowadays. Really can't imagine how is it going to be like when he's in primary school. Now I know why the children are so stressed with their school works.
Oh..well, better not worry too much. I prefer to let him enjoy his childhood.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

When I went back to KK last year, I dug up some of my childhood favorite books and started to scan the pages. I was bored while recuperating from my surgery and trying to find something to do without my mom shouting at me 'don't do this, don't do that. You're going to hurt your neck again'.
She finally consented to let me do some light reading provided I don't look down. hmmmm...with the neck brace on, it was impossible for me to look down eh mom..

I stumbled on a book of poems, mainly from Mother Goose. As I look at them, I found Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I never knew that there are 5 verses in this poem.
Most of the children's books nowadays only showed the first and most famous verse and that is what being sung by the kids today.

Here are the 5 verses and the title is different.

THE STAR
by Jane Taylor

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveler in the dark,—
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Objects of my camerafection..

Poor Edric had a viral fever last week. The fever lasted for a couple of days and right after that, he started developing rashes all over his body. Apart from loss of appetite, the little guy was still upbeat and cheerful going about his business of exploring cum wrecking of the house.

Both of us are confined at home up till today. Mom in-law said that he shouldn't be exposed to wind. With the haywired weather we are suffering nowadays, I really don't mind staying home at all..kejap panas kejap ribut..Almost everyday, we get heavy doses of rains and strong winds in the late afternoon.

Edric's red dots are all gone since yesterday and he has gained his fondness for food. So I'm relieved. But both of us are still stuck at home coz our garden is still in repair. For the past couple of days, while the workers went out for lunch and Edric napping soundly in his cot, I went around the house having a little exploration of my own. Betul-betul keboringan sudah sia ni....kesian kan? LOL Never thought I was in such dire need to entertain myself.

But still, I'm delighted with what I found...


Found this little guy resting. Guess he's having a little afternoon nap too...

More of Objects of my camerafection.

Pokey needles...

I went for acupuncture for the first time of my life last Monday. Geezzz...got about 25 needles stuck on my right shoulder and back. It didn't hurt much. I actually enjoyed that session especially when heat was applied on my back and a mild electrical current was passed through the needles to relax my muscles. But the most excrutiating pain I felt was when the acupuncturist poke and twist a 21G needle ( equivalent of a toothprick) on 4 of my sore points, the neck, in between my vertebraes and my shoulder. 'Tiao Ching', that was what he told me and I can't find a word in English to explain it. My version of explanation - The needles was administered to sensitize my problematic nerves and ligaments so the pain can be alleviated once they are healed. Uhhhh...hope you can understand.
Almost couldn't turn my head to the right after the first session. Had a hard time for the first 2 days.

Second session on Thursday was just almost like the first. But this time I got more 'Tiao Ching' than I expected. Ended up having 6 plasters on my back. Sigh...Hope the pain is worth it.

Alden's Sports Day

Sunday, 1st of March, was Alden's first ever sports day. He's attending a chinese kindergarten, Tadika Chung Shan at Ipoh town area.

The whole family was there to see him in his group race. It was a fun day, albeit missing his father who was stuck in a wintery China for a week. Talking about temperature, it was a sunny sunny day, if you know what I mean. Orang pun boleh masak. Thank God Edric didn't throw any tantrum except giving lots of verbal complaints to his grandpapa, probably complaining about the weather.
Alden's group was leading in their race but at the final end, the other team manage to grab the lead. Thus, the kids have to settle for the silver cup. Each of them got one. By the way, the merry Alden got a gold cup instead. When we asked him how did he end up with it, he said he exchanged it with another kid.

Ehhh??? Like that oso can ah? Ya loh...teacher said the bag with the gold cup has my name on it. Sure or not? Really. You didn't force the other kid to hand over the gold cup to you. No no no...the bag has my name on it...really...'blink blink'...the eyes said I'm innocent...I'm innocent!!!

Both mom in-law and me just accepted his explanation, after we have questioned him for 2 days in a row. We were just worried that the other kid's parents will complain that the teacher gave the wrong cup to their kid. What do you know, we didn't get any complain up to this day so the cup stood in our showcase permanently. He,he....



Alden, sitting in his class row, watching performances and other races, while waiting for his turn.


The opening ceremony. Up went the balloons.....


Performances and races...


Now, who was that making faces...


We got loads of balloons to take home and Edric was as eager as a beaver to play.