Aug 21, 2008, Ao Nang, KrabiYati, Alia, Baizura & Izmir
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Dec 16, 2008 Peace Laguna, Ao Nang, KrabiIzmir with his helper Yati
We have a good helper, Yati, who came back 5 years ago from 'retirement' when she heard that Izmir was not well. All in, she has been with us for 15 years. May Allah bless her and her family with His barakah. In no way can we ever find it enough to repay her for the love she has given Izmir and the rest of our children. God bless her.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Dec 16, 2008 Peace Laguna, Ao Nang, KrabiIzmir - living with duchenne muscular dystrophy
A picture of Izmir in front of the pond where some of the chalets are located. Our next trip may not be driving any more, unless we are planning to do it like Bob and his family. It is getting to tiring for Izmir and the rest of the kids, or probably more so for the mother. We'll find more interesting vacationing to do for Izmir. His next scheduled stemcell transplantation (and the third) will be on Mar 8, 2008. I hope somewhere along the way, something will reverse his condition. I have been keeping tabs of all latest developments in researches towards finding the cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is a devastatingly debilitating genetic disease that renders the muscles necrotic gradually, starting from the waist down and would later move upwards from the waist. So it will affect his pulmonary functions. The stemcell transplantation has somewhat slowed down the necrotic process but is still a long way from reversing it. There is one method done by Prof Zang Xi at the Sun Yut Sen university 5 years ago which may get closer to the solution but the risk is higher because it involves the administration of immuno-suppressive drugs before carrying out the stemcell transplantation. Stemcells here are obtained from fresh cord-blood. The stemcells given will migrate and take-over the marrow functions thereby producing new blood with a different genetic structure thus eliminating the defective genes. But I have to first see the 2 boys who went through the research 5 years ago. If they were successfully treated, I will ask for the procedure and do it on Izmir. the risk is not so much in the stemcells themselves because, contrary to most believes, cord-blood stemcells are without antigens or markers which means that the is no problem of rejection. The risk is in the administration of the immunosuppressive drugs which I believe is 'chemo'. Ideally, I should wait when the risk of the disease outweighs the risk of treatment but that may be too late to reverse the disease. So, I am at a loss here because I cannot find any literature related to this.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday Dec 13, 2008 JuassehArrival of the bride and bridegroom. They've had a lot of practice already...no longer nervous or shy. I mean look at him, grinning all the way!! And look at their attire...it must be freaking hot. So I told them that if they want to make a lot of money, design or create some kind of air-conditioning for these wedding attires.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
tonsai bay, krabi
I mean look at this picture...this place is so beautiful! It is a picture of tranquility...how can you not fall in love with a place like this?This is Tonsai Bay, just next to Ao Nang, Krabi which is actually behind me just around the promontary. There a thousand rooms just here alone in Tonsai and far left to the end of this beach is a mountain climbing school. Before sunrise these ardent climbers are already gathered to take their turns and they are so religious about it.
Tonsai enjoys about 60 - 70% occupancy ratio for their rooms which means that every day, you have an average of 600 to 700 rooms occupied. If every room accomodates 1.5 people, then you will have about 1000 people. Each one of them spends an average of RM200.00 per day, so that brings the total earning of this place, Tonsai Bay, to about RM200,000.00 per day! Wow! That's a lot of money!! Now this is only Tonsai Bay. I have not shown others yet. Just the other side of this bay beyond that promontary in the left, on Railay Beach, is a resort with a room at about USD7,000.00 per night! There's a lot of money to be made here...
The more I think about it...and the more we keep coming back here for our holidays, especially now made easier with Air Asia...the more convinced I am about building a home and a business here.
Izmir in Krabi - Aug 18 - 25 2007
It seems like we just can't avoid Krabi. Perhaps it is because we are already familiar with the place...like I can't resist not going over to Fa's place for a plate of pancake and a glass of cha-ron. Her pancake must have evolved from our roti canai albeit a lot softer and tenderer and it is served with honey, maple syrup or even just condensed milk. I asked what she added to the tea to make it taste and smell so good. She added 'bunga kerak nasi'. You know those tiny white flowers whose plant creep and scale bigger trees. But I would only do that after 11.00 pm when the rest of the family have gone to sleep when as always, the night still seems so young. It is so nice to be out there sucking in the fresh sea breeze blowing in from the sea, almost tasting the salt in the air...so fresh and so refreshing.Another reason why I like to take my family here is because people are genuinely friendly and kind. They don't harass you to buy whatever they are selling and are very helpful. Food is so good and it is amazing how fish, crabs, and prawns could be cooked in so many different ways and variations. Best of all, most of them are halal. But watch your tastebuds!! They are really hot, very very hot. And I love it.
This is Izmir's second trip to Krabi. He was walking and running around the last time. This time around, he is no longer ambulatory. He has to be wheeled around in a wheel chair. The progress of the disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, DMD seems unstoppable. We have tried so many therapies, different types of acupunctures, herbs, lingzhi and we are spending so much money...but I am not giving up. One option is still open to him, ie., stemcell transplantation. I have been doing a lot of reading on stemcells and I think this may help him, or at least slow down the necrosis of his muscles. That's going to be even more money but I don't care as long as he can get well...I am sure he will.
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