Archive | February, 2022

Mixed Yield

28 Feb

It has been raining a lot, unusual for this time of the year, and it’s creating a lot of havoc for our garden. It gets flooded when the rain comes down fast and hard and does not drain away fast enough.

The two attempts to plant vegetables, feeble as it is, have failed partly because of the rain. The moist habitat has been attracting mealybugs and is detrimental to the overall garden space.

The eggplants have not seen further yield since the last puny harvest. As for the lady’s fingers, hubby got rid of them because he did not want the mealybugs to contaminate the other plants. So he planted some shrubs to utilize the area while figuring out what to grow next.

On a brighter note, the papaya tree next to our frangipani tree has been in abundance! So much that sometimes, the garden squirrels help themselves to the fruits. We’re not complaining as there’s plenty for everyone, but we wouldn’t want to encourage the squirrels to keep eating the fruits on the tree.

Our mixed yield garden

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Stalled for a Reason

25 Feb

DIY project number 23 was moving along well until Mom came over to stay recently. She was very fascinated with all my earlier felted characters.

So I deviated from crafting miniatures to show her the felting process, and she was very impressed with my ability.

My felted Miffy family

From there onwards, I decided to continue felting and made more Miffy rabbits. This change turned out well as these characters fit nicely as students for the school setup of DIY project number 23!

DIY project number 23

Funny how things can fall into place nicely. Once all these ‘students’ are ready, I guess the school has to be done up quickly for the back-to-school in-person learning.

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On a New Mission, Part 2

22 Feb

This new mission to do a daily half an hour walk on non-golfing days is coming along well. But I find that half an hour is insufficient for me to even break out in a sweat. By the time I get my engine revved up, time is up, and we’re home.

This morning, I decided to do a little extra, clocking in 47 minutes and covering a distance of 3.93 kilometers. Sweated, I did, and it felt good.

Perhaps from here forth, I should walk at least 45 minutes or more; maybe even try to hit five kilometers. I believe the distance is achievable, and the set walking duration will surpass. Good progress within such a short time, I’d say.

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A Clever Hack, Part 2

21 Feb

My clever hack to salvage my broken umbrella arm was not so practical after all! The straw held up only when the umbrella was not in use.

When I did use my umbrella during my golf game, the sharp edge of the metal arm cut through the straw and compromised the strength. In the end, the hack fell apart. Oh well.

So, instead of repeating the same hack and facing the same issue, I cut away the two protruding metal pieces for safety reasons. The longer metal piece was almost poking my head when I used the umbrella.

With this modification, my umbrella now has a second lease in life. I hope this time, it will last a little longer than the initial hack. Otherwise, I’d have to replace my golf umbrella.

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On a New Mission

18 Feb

I have been snacking a lot lately. Too much, in fact. Two days ago, I stood on the bathroom scale, and the numbers horrified me! I need to do something about it.

Mind you – we have stopped our Intermittent Fasting (IF) regime ever since the pandemic broke. And it’s been a little more than two years already. Initially, my weight was stable, and it even dipped. I was pleased. But it has crept up again recently. I suspect it’s all that after-game beer and snacking on Chinese New Year cookies.

So right after the Chap Goh Meh dinner, I have embarked on a new mission to shed all those extra pounds. On top of playing my regular golf games, I will do a half-hour morning walk on days when I am not playing golf. It will be beneficial for my legs, muscles, and abs.

Let’s see how my number will be after a month on this new mission. Oh, I should also reduce my beer intake after all the golf games. Stay tuned for my progress!

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Chap Goh Meh 2022

15 Feb

Today is Chap Goh Meh, the last day to celebrate the Lunar New Year. After 15 days of celebration, today is the finale. However, it has been a lack of celebrations again this year because of the pandemic and restrictions. But despite the situation, we are planning a big feast tonight to mark the occasion.

I have to admit I have gained weight over the past two weeks, eating and snacking on all the cookies without any discipline. So after tonight’s big steamboat meal, I will start my diet. From tomorrow onwards, no more cookies, more golf but no beer, and throw in morning walks to shed those extra pounds!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

14 Feb

It’s Valentine’s Day today, so Happy Valentine’s, people! A day to celebrate love and all things mushy. But has it been a bed of roses lately? I’m afraid not.

Cases have been on the uptrend the past few days – it’s alarming! But we have been staying home as much as possible, minimizing the need to go out.

So rather than going out for a romantic dinner, it’s nothing of that sort for us. We will be staying home for a home-cooked meal on this special day. Regardless of the occasion, I cannot stress enough, better to stay safe than sorry.

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A Clever Hack

11 Feb

Straws have become such a no-no to use over the years because of their detrimental characteristics. Like everyone else, I do my part and try to minimize my straw usage. The one pack of straws that I bought from IKEA years ago for the girls to use for some high school project has been left unused, but I never threw them away. Ages, I would say, as both girls are all grown up now.

But straws sometimes can be used for home hacks to fix things. Recently I broke my golf umbrella, and it took me a while to figure out how to fix it. Then it dawned upon me that perhaps a straw could resolve my problem.

The clever hack with a pink extendable straw

True enough, I fixed my umbrella by using a straw as a joint to hold up the broken arm. What a clever hack, isn’t it?

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On the Last Stretch

8 Feb

Wiring work is never fun when it comes to crafting miniatures. I am on the last stretch of DIY project number 23 and facing the wiring work for the lights. Even though I have almost two years under my belt doing this activity, wiring work and handling fabrics are still two big banes for me.

And this project’s fabrics, being felt and leather, are quite a task to handle! There are four bag packs that I have to do as this kit is about going back to school. This task looks even more challenging than making pillows, sofas, or bed quilts!

I have to be brave to face this; otherwise, DIY project number 23 will be incomplete and left sitting to collect dust.

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Holiday No More

7 Feb

Somehow I don’t feel the holiday spirits of the Lunar New Year even though we are at Day Seven of the 15 days-long celebrations. We are not visiting anyone, nor are we having guests over.

Better to stay safe at this point because yesterday, the Covid-19 cases spiked up to 10,089, a five digits figure again after a few months below this threshold. Not a good sign.

It is back to work today for all three of us, although I have to admit it’s slow for us. I most likely will spend time working on my miniatures to pass the time.

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