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Taking It Even Easier

28 Dec

Today we slept in as there’s nothing planned for the morning. I thought it’s nice to give the girls and ourselves a break from eating and waking up early.

Did I sleep well? No because after the Temple Club disappointment, we went to a cafe and drank coffee. So that kept us up! And just when I was falling into deep sleep, the air con in our room started making loud squeaking noises. Haish…

The plan later is to have brunch and then explore Ben Thanh market and the surrounding area nearby our hotel. It will be only 4.30pm that our itinerary for today kicks in.

Affogato

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A Solid Return

19 Dec

Last Monday was a public holiday so hubby and I went to play golf. And we had the ‘bestest’ weather ever despite a constant downpour in the wee hours of the morning during this wet season. I thought we may have to cancel. Luckily the rain stopped and we teed off at 7.43am, taking the slot of a cancellation, eight minutes earlier than our intended tee off time.

Throughout the 18-holes, the weather was perfect – cool and cloudy. The sun did not even peeked out. Even the pace on the golf course was perfect, no flight in front of us to slow us down nor a flight behind chasing us to hurry on. I guess there were many cancellations when the morning downpour occurred. We had the most enjoyable outing and I must say it was a solid return to the game for me.

After all those months of rest and therapy, it has worked wonders. What made this game different from the few that I dabbled with after my doctor approved for me to play? The confidence in striking the ball well with no more fear of pain recurring upon impact. 

This positive mental approach was key and it showed. I played the game so solid, I raked up 6 pars! Never have I had 6 pars in a game in my home club ever. So this was quite an achievement.

My ball striking was good and every department worked out well – the strength, the distance, the short game and the putting. There were some fumbles due to lack of play but overall, I was very pleased with the outcome. The best part – the pain was none existent which was good. 

But I will not play any games for the remaining days left of the year because M1 is back and I’d rather spend time with her.

Well, it’s nice to keep this good outing to heart so that next year, there will be more pain-free games, something definitely to look forward to for 2017 after M1 goes back to the US. 

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Slowing Down

5 Dec

I’ve slowed down playing the two candy games on my iPad for two reasons lately. Firstly, it’s my iPad. Device just does not want to cooperate to launch both Candy Crush and Candy Crush Soda, it’s annoying. Secondly, I am getting kinda tired by the games. 

So I just play them on the laptop whenever I am home or sometimes offline in the car. Maybe it’s for the better that they are no longer an obsession.

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Cloudy with a Chance of Rain

17 Nov

I thought I would go back to golf soon especially after ceremoniously moving my gear to the BMW Golfsport cart bag. But with the weather being cloudy with a chance of rain every single day, I am still waiting for the opportunity.

When will that be, I wonder?

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Ready for Action Again

8 Nov

I have decided to use my BMW Golfsport cart bag to officially mark my return to active golf, weather and office work-load permitting. After all, during the rain-drenched Ipoh outing, there was no major setback. A much improved outing compared to the couple of earlier games. And even after a trip to therapy, all was good. I think I am ready although I still have to take precautions to prevent any recurrence.

I must say the past three months of non-action made me ponder about the many factors of the game of golf. Analyzing how to approach the game better so that injuries do not recur or occur was on my mind a lot. But I also had doubts, that’s why I was not in a hurry to get back and seem to have lost my passion for the game. Thinking too much?

On top of all these thoughts, it made me realized something I often overlooked. I have one beautiful looking golf bag that I won two years ago at the Qualifying Leg to enter the finals of the BMW Golf Cup International. And it’s just sitting there collecting dust. Why? I should use it! Make myself feel good about the game and be passionate about it again. 

So on Sunday, all the clubs and knick-knacks were transferred over to the spanking new bag, ready for action, and the existing Taylormade stand bag will be retired.

  

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The Little Escapade, Part 2

1 Nov

The plans for the ‘Little Escapade’ was a little different from our previous trips to Ipoh. We stayed at Z Hotel this time, a new boutique hotel with an impressive cafe offering a wide range of artisan coffee, tea and cakes. But these drinks and desserts were not on our mind, local food was.

We walked quite a fair bit going on a food trail during this trip. I think Ipoh can rival Penang as a food paradise. We had two dinners at two different locations which were very good. Simple and cheap, we were definitely sated.

 

Day 1, dinner #1

  

Day 1, dinner #2

 The ‘hor fun’ in Ipoh is really, really good. It’s a known fact that it’s the water source at this place that makes the ‘hor fun’ and beansprouts taste different. Besides these two, we find that we also like the local coffee and snacks.

We made many foodie stops, trying a little of everything so that we get to eat as many varieties as possible. And with everything within walking range from the hotel, we did not have to feel guilty with the input.

 

The long breakfast queue for dim sum

  

Day 2, breakfast #1

  

Day 2, dessert after breakfast #1

  

Day 2, breakfast #2

 The peanut snack is one amazing snack. We found ourselves queuing up twice to buy it. On Saturday we were in line for half an hour only to abandon the attempt because it would derail our golf plans. So the next day, we went again and ended up queuing for an hour and a half! A friend asked was it that good and worth the wait? Yes I would say. The taste is definitely unique.

  
On Sunday, we had two breakfasts so lunch was not even on our mind. Working off the breakfast, we walked and discovered Concubine Lane, an interesting lane that has quirky shops as well as street vendors selling trinkets and snacks. With such wonderful discoveries, Ipoh is fast becoming the choice option for a getaway for us.

 

The little boy with his ice ball

 
By mid-afternoon, it was time to leave and head home before the traffic built up. And with a car full of food and snack purchases, I think this ‘Little Escapade’ was a deserving one. I sure look forward to our next destressing trip!

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The Little Escapade

31 Oct

Last week work in the office was very trying. I was kept so busy, the iPad was ignored as in managing my virtual games. Instead I had to manage my design projects with my team on the challenges we faced. Initially I thought I would set up my canvas over the weekend and exert some creative energy into painting but when a friend suggested an impromptu overnight getaway with them, we readily jumped at it without hesitation.

The destination? Ipoh.

For all my life, I have never frequented Ipoh as much as the last two years. All this due to friends, food and golf. This trip was termed the ‘Little Escapade’ simply us to getaway from the work stress. With Saturday being a public holiday, the thought of a possible traffic crawl did not even deter us to make the trip.

We had a really gastronomic time and a wet golf outing over the weekend. The weather did not stop us and we ended up playing in the rain, and being totally soaked. The wrist felt good, there was no nagging pain and the condition was not that hot with the clouds and rain.

There were many firsts as far as golf was concerned. My raincoat was totally utilized throughout the game. And for once, my umbrella was used to shield me from the rain instead of the sun. Despite such measures, everything was soaked – the golf bag, the shoes and socks, the cap, myself, right down to the sports bra and undies. But I didn’t care nor felt any discomfort. In fact, I was having the time of my life!

We were also very naughty, sneaking in three cans of imported beer. But we drank only the 12% ones for we felt if we did the 16%, everything would go downhill. So we decided to tell the flight behind to bypass us to save ourselves some embarrassment. However, when the rainy condition persisted and no siren sounded to abandon game, not many flights stayed on to continue like us. We basically had the place to ourselves. It was a really fun outing.

We completed 16 and a half holes before calling it quits. Not so much from the rain but rather due to darkness. We could hardly see our balls flights. We really had a blast and after a nice hot shower, a good dinner capped off the day.

 

Day 1 lunch before tee off

  

The beer choices

  

After the rain…

  

 

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Rainy Season

28 Oct

The weather has changed. I would say it’s the beginning of the rainy season. And when it rains in the evening, official pet number one does not get to come out to play in the garden, like last night. Poor fella. 

If it rains during the day, neither does the tortoises. The birds would also not get their food. Sad. Golfers too, do not appreciate this kind of weather. Hubby has had a couple of morning games delayed due to rain. I would be agitated too if caught in this situation.

But it sure is nice for me to be horizontal on the sofa in the living room. With a nice read in hand and my hot tea within reach, I actually enjoy such days because the temperature is just so comfortable to relax and not move. Most of the time, I would fall into a slumber.

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Brand Loyalist

25 Oct

I am a brand loyalist I must say. If I buy a product of a particular brand and like it, I will continue to buy it as long as I have a need and use for it. Like my handbags for example. It has to be Salvatore Ferragamo. Different sizes and shapes for different occasions, all my handbags–save for one Furla–and two pairs of shoes are Ferragamo. Brand loyalist. Let’s not even go into the other stuff… 

Recently the loyalty in me acquired yet another Thermos to my collection! There’s already five flasks (six if M1’s unit is also counted) of different sizes and there I was purchasing another. 

It could have been a simple thing but I suddenly needed my coffee to be always hot. So a sipper lid was required. But I didn’t fancy having to use my flask every morning for my coffee because the flip-top is too tedious to flip plus the flask does not have a handle like a mug. And frankly with this criteria, there are not many choices out there, that’s why I ended up with yet another Thermos product.

The purchase was a mug, the ThermoCafe serving this different need. And I love it.

  

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Feeling Detached 

21 Oct

My iPad Mini is failing me and I am feeling very detached from it. I simply cannot play my Candy Crush Soda on it for weeks and this frustrates me! Ugh. But the funny thing is, I can launch and play the game whenever I am in the car, on the way home, without any connection.

In fact, on Monday evening I did just that and managed to pass two levels during the journey home! So I concluded if I want to feel attached to my device again, I should just disconnect when I am at home or in the office, do the five lives and then reconnect again. Easy peasy and I don’t have to feel any frustration.

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