Archive | January, 2021

I Have Been Gardening

29 Jan

I have been busy during this second MCO phase. I have been gardening! Unbelievable. For someone who does not even venture out into the garden, this is an improvement.

Seriously, the weather the last few days have been beautiful. Cloudy without a hint of sun, it is the perfect weather for golf. But alas, with the MCO in place, golf is a no-no. So hubby and I kept busy diversifying our daily activities. Instead of sitting at my little work station working on my DIY sets or him in the kitchen, baking, both of us have been outdoors.

First, we washed the moldy wall in the back garden. Then we relandscaped the front lawn, planting new grass and getting rid of old plants. Then came the big task – excavating the leftover roots of the red palm tree.

Several weeks ago, hubby asked the gardener to remove the old red palms. But he did not do a good job. After chopping down the tree, he left the buried roots still buried. And then, MCO hit and hired hands are not allowed to come into our guarded community.

As we have been working on our garden, hubby wanted to plant something in that particular spot. But with the roots still in there, this is not possible. So we found ourselves doing the excavating task. I felt as though I was either digging for gold or excavating a fossil.

The blob from the excavation site, a foot and a half deep.

For several days, we took turns hacking at the blob. The rotation was in between the landscaping and wall washing chores. Eventually, the massive root blob was reduced to a manageable size and removed. Now, this is just one of three! There are two more blobs to remove. And with the MCO until 4 February, I am sure we can get the job done.

At the end of the task, both of us will have a super strong hacking swing and skills!

MCO 2.0, Part 3

26 Jan

Before the current MCO (Movement Control Order) can end, it has been extended for another nine days! We did not see this coming when it was announced a few days ago. Originally it was from 13 to 26 January for six states. But now, the MCO will be until 4 February.

The rationale for this extension is to synchronize with the other states. They have been recategorized to the MCO phase from their original CMCO status. Yes, cases are alarmingly high. And the government has decided to take drastic and necessary measures to curb the spread.

By 4 February, the pandemic situation is assessed again before another decision on what to implement. We continue with life as is and hope for the best.

DIY Project #10, Part 2

25 Jan
Project #10

Last week, DIY project number ten was somewhat complete. But one cannot tell the difference if I did not say anything. In terms of decoration, I left some accessories out, and I did not glue everything down.

I like the idea of moving the furniture pieces around. There’s interaction involved rather than merely admiring the craftsmanship. I also did not complete a couple of canvases because I wanted to customize using my painting and art collection instead of the art pieces provided.

Canvases were intentionally left blank
These itty bitty art pieces were left out

However, with the MCO in place, customizing was out of the question. There was insufficient time to print (at the office) the pictures that I wanted to include as the home printer ran out of ink. That’s why I left the canvases blank. Well, when the opportunity presents itself, I will complete this final step.

Soon after I finished the set, I started on project number 11 the next day. And two days later, the latest online DIY purchases arrived! With so many DIY projects waiting for me, being restricted under the MCO is not that bad after all.

Giddy Again, Part 2

22 Jan

Before I could finish DIY project number ten, I had a sudden itch to acquire more DIY sets. The stash of three unopened sets does not seem enough for me!

So what did I buy from my favorite online site? Well, I bought not one but two sets this time – an Oriental restaurant and a bookstore.

I certainly enjoy working on these types of DIY sets more compared to bedroom studios or house sets because there are fewer fabrics to deal with. Fabrics are not so fun to handle, at least for me.

Both parcels arrived yesterday, and I’m giddy again. So many sets to work on!

My latest purchases!

A Virtual Celebration

19 Jan

A memory feed popped up on Facebook this morning: M1 turns 18 today, and we celebrated. That was six years ago. Today she turns 24! Dang, time sure flies.

Wasn’t it just yesterday she turned one, and we had friends and family over for a party? Then the next thing I know, we were at her graduation commencement in the Summer of 2019. That was the last time the whole family was together. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree.

With both girls pursuing their education in two different countries, it certainly is hard to have a birthday celebration. Add in the three different time zones that we are all in, a virtual get together is the only way – either a FaceTime or WhatsApp group call for this occasion.

Happy Birthday, M1! Stay safe.

MCO 2.0, Part 2

18 Jan

It’s coming to a week already that we are under lockdown in the MCO 2.0 phase. I must say this time we are better prepared. There was no panic-buying for grocery on our part because it feels normal, like what we have been going through. The only difference being no golf outing and no need to be in the office.

We have been good staying home this time because there are things to keep us busy. Hubby baked while I worked on my DIY project. There is also much to catch up on as far as house chores are concerned. I even washed all my golf shoes to the point of removing all the laces to bleach them white.

Giving the shoes some sun to dry!

Before this latest MCO, I did not have time to clean my golf shoes. I just rotated them because I was playing so much. Now, with this two-week break, the shoes are getting a makeover. Other than this effort, I am, of course, working on DIY project number ten. It’s coming along swell. I reckon I can complete it before the end of the week! Yay.

Almost done with project #10!

MCO 2.0

15 Jan

We were all expecting it, another lockdown. True enough, on Monday, the announcement came that MCO (Movement Control Order) 2.0 will be enforced from January 13 to 16, 2021. However, not the whole nation will be under MCO, only states with a high number of positive Covid cases. And where I live, we are affected, and thus, we have to follow the MCO rules. States that are faring better will be under either the CMCO or RMCO phases.

This lockdown is inevitable as the public healthcare sector cannot cope already with the surge of positive cases in four-digits for several days now. During this MCO phase, SOPs are more strict going out and being out in public areas. If possible, don’t go out.

So for the next two weeks, golf outings are out of the question. Maybe this is for the best. I can rest and focus on DIY project number ten that has stalled.

Design work in the office picked up a little during the last two weeks. As such, I couldn’t devote too much of my time to my whimsical project because I was tired-out when I got home. But now, with this forced break and no golf, I can focus on it. Perhaps I can complete DIY project number ten before the two weeks are up? We shall see.

Coming along swell!

My New Game

12 Jan

Soon after deleting Cat Condo II from my iPhone XR, I was experiencing a slight withdrawal symptom! It felt odd that when I woke up, I did not have to check on my cats. And this feeling continued throughout the day when there was no alert on my Apple Watch Series 5 to collect my rewards or check what my cat brought back from its adventure. Am I missing the game to the point that I felt incomplete?

So I decided to fix this by downloading a new game to take my mind of Cat Condo II. My new game to play now is Water Sort Puzzle, besides Homescapes. It’s not mundane or time-wasting like Cat Condo II. Although Water Sort Puzzle looks simple, it requires a lot more logical thoughts to advance.

The idea is to sort colored water in test tubes until all the same colored water is collected. There is no time limit for each round, no race to reach the end, nor a need to collect rewards. You play at your own pace. There are also no reminders to check-in, and I play the game whenever I feel like it. I just completed Level 100.

Before and after screenshot of Water Sort Puzzle

DIY Project #10

11 Jan

With the dawn of the new year, DIY project number ten kicked in. It’s been 11 days already that I have been working on it, albeit slowly. After the big disappointment of project number nine, this was a welcome change. I am taking my time on this project because I want to customize certain things.

Project #10

I learned from my Facebook DIY group about customizing miniatures. These die-hard fans changed colors, materials, and props in all the projects that they did. Spurred by their creativity, I experimented on project number eight. But it was only a color change on the wall, nothing too elaborate or drastic. That was as far as I went, and no other changes or additions in terms of materials and props.

So this time, I want to push further to see how much I can customize. We shall see as I progress along for DIY project number ten!

Slowly but surely coming along!

Problematic DIY Project #9

8 Jan

DIY project number nine was a big disappointment and not worth gushing about it. The instructions were incomplete and vague at times, and the text prints were so small, with no color contrast for readability when placed over a picture. It was a struggle to figure out what to do. I went through the motion to get it done and completed the project on the last day of the eventful 2020 year.

Project #9. Tiny red text over brown pictures is horrid.
Quite a challenge to align and glue at 90 degrees

I customized certain things and did not bother fixing up the lights because I felt so let down after the high of completing project number eight. Looking back, I’m glad I finished it quickly and took a few days off doing miniatures before starting on project number ten.

Model is different on box and instructions!
The completed project #9