Archive | September, 2026

Double-whammy, Part 2

15 Sep

The haze has worsened this week and is posing health issues for me throughout the day. I did not fully recover from my nasal congestion after the Bandung trip, as a tiny bit of phlegm seems to have taken up permanent residence at the back of my throat.

I blame the haze for giving the phlegm microscopic ammo to do me in, as the itty bitty sucker is bothering the heck out of me daily. At least I haven’t had a sore throat while trying to cough it out—thank goodness for that!

Then my eyes are the next target. They are constantly dry, blurry, or irritated, just like my mood. Ugh. This is another level of double-whammy compared to last week’s environmental double-whammy.

As such, I have decided to take a two-week break from writing because these health challenges are making me unable to think properly! The haze has gotten to my brain. Double ugh!

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Double-whammy

8 Sep

The hazy conditions have not improved, leaving visibility blurred and colorless, especially on the road. To make matters worse, Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia erupted last week, disrupting air travel and posing further health challenges on top of the haze.

The reported 25-hour continuous eruption sent massive ash clouds and lava fountains into the air. Ash plumes were recorded reaching heights of 50,000 feet. As a result, airports in Indonesia and surrounding ASEAN countries had to close or delay flights until the situation improved.

I can’t help but feel incredibly thankful that we returned from Jakarta just a week before the eruption! Imagine if we had been stranded there. We would have likely been worried sick, wondering when we could safely depart for home.

What a double-whammy environmental hazard!

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It’s September?!

1 Sep

I seem to have lost track of time! Suddenly, September is here, but I am still in August, reminiscing about my recent golf heroics in Bandung. We have an impromptu public holiday today (in the state of Selangor and not the whole country), on top of yesterday’s Merdeka public holiday, resulting in an extended weekend; that’s why I have lost track of time.

Monday was a significant day for us too as it’s our wedding anniversary; I feel like a dinosaur many times over. Typically, every year, we would go away, just the two of us. However, this year, the Bandung golf trip with friends—not just the two of us—counts as our annual going-away anniversary celebration. It was a fun time except for the nasal congestion.

We decided to mark our anniversary with a hearty dinner at Hard Rock Cafe in the city centre, and had a good time listening to the live band. The evening culminated with us driving around the city to enjoy the sights of landmark buildings lit up to mark the Merdeka celebration.

Happy anniversary to us, and a toast to good health, more golf trips, and playing better golf! Cheers.

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