Archive | August, 2021

Vaccinated

31 Aug

After waiting patiently for weeks, the three of us, hubby, M2, and myself, finally received our second Covid-19 vaccination dosage yesterday. This second time is so much faster and more efficient compared to the first.

We were in and out of the vaccination center within ten minutes. There was a smaller crowd, no long queue, and hardly any wait time. A much better experience, I would say.

But being fully vaccinated after 14 days from the jab does not mean we should let our guards down either and go gallivanting everywhere freely. Yes, we are safe, but we still have to be careful and aware.

We will continue to stay home and go out only when necessary. And we will wear either a 4-ply or double mask—even though we are fully vaccinated—if we go out. Keeping our social distance from strangers and friends will be automatic without a reminder whenever we are out. Face it – this is the new norm to be safe than sorry.

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A Different Quarantine

30 Aug

M1 arrived safely after a long journey that took forever. But all’s good now. Several weeks ago, the government announced that people who are fully vaccinated and returning home to the country are allowed to home-quarantine. We decided to go with this option. Unlike when M2 returned in June, this option was not available.

So M1 gets to home-quarantine instead of being at a hotel. And as we have an extra room, the arrangement is perfect. At home with us but separate from us for the mandatory two-week quarantine duration.

We are just glad everything worked out well after all that initial travel anxiety and arrangement. Two weeks will pass by quickly, and before we know it, the quarantine is over! And when that time comes, we will have one big celebratory dinner together. I can’t wait!

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Anxiety and More Anxiety

27 Aug

After six and a half years and two degrees later, our M1 is finally coming home. We are, of course, thrilled with her decision. There was quite a fair bit of anxiety for her trying to book her flight home because of the pandemic.

She had two previous bookings canceled by the airlines because of limited flights and transiting countries having strict regulations to deal with the pandemic. What was supposed to be an 18-hour one-stopover journey became a two-stopover and much more than that. Way much more.

The two-stopover flight with Air Canada did not go as planned! The delayed first leg of the journey caused her to miss her connecting flight to Narita Airport for the second leg. Dear, oh dear. And she could not wait for the next available flight out with the same airline as the Covid-19 test would become invalid after 72 hours from testing. Throw in the immigration restrictions of no more than 24 hours for transit.

It’s so stressful to add to the anxiety dealing with new issues like flight timing, and immigration, on top of health.

Thankfully, she found an alternative airline for the same day, but the journey is longer. Oh well, an extended flight is better than being unable to return at all. With cases on the uptrend again, there isn’t much choice. I will be tracking her path on flightaware.com as always. We have to wait another day until she arrives.

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Too Cute to Resist, Part 2

24 Aug

The tiny DIY miniature beckoned, and I could not resist. And as I was struggling with DIY number 17, calling for me to use clay to shape some cakes and bread, I decided to put number 17 aside and go with the latest micro set.

DIY miniature number 18 took me only five days to finish, although one of the days does not count because I did more house chores than crafting. The set was a joy to work on and utterly cute when complete; such satisfaction I felt.

Cuteness overload

To complete the homey kitchen look, I placed one of the little people, and the little one looked right at home! Ah, such joy again. This set is too cute for words.

Feeling right at home!

With its completion, I will take a break for a day or two before jumping back to DIY set number 17 or perhaps, continue carving the second Gnome Trio piece.

Garden Games

23 Aug

We’ve been finding new things to do to keep busy at home. There has been a change in government in the country over the weekend when the prime minister resigned on 16 August. But there is no change to our status of staying at home. So, we have to have new activities to vary our daily routine.

Online shopping has played a big part in our lives with all sorts of purchases to keep us busy. I even bought golf training balls from my favorite online shopping site, of course, for us to practice. So hubby and I have been creating all sorts of challenges with the new balls and our old chipping net. The perfect setup for this is in the garden.

It can be pretty fun having the challenge with each other. And if the weather is good, it makes the activity even more enjoyable. We need to be fully vaccinated before we can go back to playing golf with our friends. Until then, we have this to keep us still sharp with our chipping and pitching skills. So let the garden games begin!

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Too Cute to Resist

20 Aug

With nine DIY miniature sets waiting in line, I thought I’d be fine and not buy anymore for a while. Well, I thought wrong! I bought another two micro-miniature sets recently, which I have to admit, were too cute to resist. They just arrived.

My latest purchases to add to my stash!

How can an ardent miniature builder resist these two? They are the latest release from the same manufacturer, and I just had to have them in my collection.

Never mind the big stash that I have. I might jump the queue and work on these ahead of the others. I may even bypass the current DIY number 17 and work on one of these irresistible sets!

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A New Gardening Project, Part 2

17 Aug

The latest gardening project is coming along slowly. The okra plants have settled well in the planter’s box. Out of the nine seeds, one didn’t make it at the start, and one didn’t survive after the transfer.

Growing well these babies!

And the mini brinjals in the little nursery have started to show some progress as well. Nine out of nine seeds survived! When they are more stable, we will transfer them into the other planter’s box.

Coming along albeit slowly

However, the remaining herbs and plants in the nursery have not shown any progress. These are the long okra, blue pea shoots, thyme, and bitter gourd. Oh well. Two out of six species made it, so I cannot complain.

Separately, the chilis are thriving in abundance. We have been giving them to our neighbors because it’s too much for us to eat. And finally, the second papaya tree has some fruits to show; we harvested several fruits last week. The first papaya tree is still settling down after being cut down in size.

Now, if only we have some chickens to have fresh eggs to complete our little farm! Hahaha.

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Alternating Between Projects, Part 2

16 Aug

I seem to be fickle-minded. At one point, I concluded that it was not good to alternate between carving and building miniatures, and the next thing I know, I was doing it. Now, I find myself at this juncture again.

Working on two projects at the same time

DIY project number 17 has started in tandem with carving another Gnome Trio. What am I thinking? As if managing the vegetable patch is not enough, alternating on two projects again? I must be very restless.

DIY project number 17

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A New Gardening Project

13 Aug

The lockdown this time is endless! So much so, we have decided to do sustainable things, like recycling used items and growing our food. Besides having hobbies to keep busy, we have embarked on a new gardening project to complement our baking and cooking endeavors.

The pandan leaves, chili, and curry leaves are not sufficient to make a meal, for they only complement the flavors. Only the bean sprouts can make a meal or two. The new papaya tree has just started fruiting, while the pineapple patch still has a long way to go. So we decided to grow some vegetables that can make a meal.

Recent harvest of chili and papaya

The planter boxes, seeds, and garden soil were purchased, and we started a mini nursery to get started. A few days later, the okra sprouted. How exciting! Eight out of the nine seeds made it. The next thing we have to do is ensure enough nutrients and sunlight, and proper care to deter the snails from coming at them. So far, it is rather rewarding to see some results.

The latest gardening project

The other seedlings are taking slower to sprout. We will have to monitor to ensure success with them. And when that happens, the sense of reward will be even greater. I can’t wait!

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No Difference

10 Aug

Today is a public holiday, and it makes no difference. Frankly, I don’t remember when was the last time we looked forward to having a break with a public holiday.

This lockdown since May has been one long extended public holiday for us. The only difference being, we cannot go anywhere, unlike all previous public holidays. The furthest I have ventured out is the front lawn to sweep the leaves. Sigh.

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