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Almost a Brilliant Idea

19 Dec

Recently, we bought some round magnets with the numbers zero to nine on them. Hubby thought they would make excellent ball markers on the green when we play golf. With so many available, we will not run out of them! Add in its magnetic feature – it’s the perfect golf accessory.

The perfect golf accessory?

Although I planned to cut down my games for the remaining days of 2023, I played one game last Sunday and brought three magnets with me, numbering three to five. I figured they would make excellent markers for the Par 4s and 5s when I placed the correct number to indicate my strokes upon reaching the green. Brilliant, right?

Then, as an afterthought, I added the number one and two magnets to account for the Par 3s. But things didn’t go as planned!

The fairways were soggy, and it was hard to stand firm. Even the roughs were soggy. We were only at the third hole, a Par 5 when the game went downhill; I could not get my ball out of the rough. Put it this way – I was not hitting my ball but chopping grass and splattering mud on soggy grounds.

It took seven strokes to land on the green, and I did not have a number seven marker. My flightmates had a good laugh over this! It never crossed my mind that the remaining magnets, numbering six to nine, are equally necessary! Hahahahaha. After that hole, several more holes also required a higher-numbered magnet than the ones I had in the pocket.

That morning, the golf game was more of a laugh fest with friends. It wasn’t even a decent round for the four of us – clearly, the course condition was unplayable, with the constant rain making the grounds soft and soggy. Sigh.

The numbered magnet is almost a brilliant idea for now. But it is only possible to use magnets number one to five when the course condition improves. Until then, perhaps it’s best to wait out the rainy season and enjoy the golf downtime.

Better Than Phenomenal

15 Dec

With two weeks left before 2023 ends, I’m cutting back on my golf games for two reasons. Reason number one is the wet weather conditions. It rains daily, and being out on a soggy golf course is not enjoyable. The round of golf becomes more like a field-plowing exercise, chunking the shots constantly on the soft ground instead of playing proper golf.

Reason number two is the festive season of Christmas around the corner. This year, I’m playing more Christmas carols on my Spotify and indulging in Christmas shopping. It’s a fun season, and I am enjoying it.

However, I must highlight the last golf game that resulted in better than phenomenal putting. I’d take this highlight anytime! The score was not the best because of chunk shots on the fairways. Even at the tee boxes that were soft and soggy, I could not stand firm and ended up with several mis-hits. But putting with the TaylorMade Spider Mini made up for all the mishaps.

I made 26 better-than-phenomenal putts! To break that down, it was 12 putts on the first nine and 14 on the back nine. There was even a silly three-putt, but the eight one-putt and a chip-in for a zero putt made up for the lone ugly blemish. The thing that helped tremendously was the short game. I was accurate and gave myself many opportunities to putt well.

I should hold my head high with this new putting achievement for this year and hope this phenomenal putting can continue. Maybe it’s the focus that creates confidence. I look forward to better-putting results next year!

A Welcomed Holiday, Part 2

12 Dec

Just when we thought we were down to one last public holiday (Christmas Day) on a weekday, Monday was the Sultan’s birthday, and thus, a public holiday! Yay. Another welcomed holiday to recuperate from the busy weekend.

But as always, the extended weekend threw off the mind frame, and I thought it was a Sunday. Nevertheless, with the year ending soon, the welcomed break was good to catch up with neglected things, like Christmas shopping and house chores!

Three More Weeks Left

8 Dec

Would you believe that we have three more weeks left for 2023?! To say how fast time flies is correct and sometimes not.

Time flies when one’s having fun. However, time does not fly when one is at home and bored to tears, with nothing to do except count the ants on the counter and listen to Spotify on a loop.

I am not reflecting on my eventful year yet, and I’m sure the right moment to pen down my thoughts will hit as the year draws to a close. Until then, I better make the most of what’s left of 2023. Then, I will have much to say and reflect on later.

A Touring Pro?

5 Dec

Over the weekend, hubby and I attempted to do the unthinkable – playing four rounds of golf like a touring pro! Did we succeed? Well, almost.

The drive in one car with our friends to Sri Menanti Golf Club was pleasant, as there was hardly any traffic. The weather was cooling, and although our one flight teed off at almost 9.30 am, we did not feel any heat.

At 9.00am, the temperature was cool with the low hanging clouds at the clubhouse

The golf course was a gem of a discovery. Narrow, undulating, and unexpected, it was an enjoyable golf course. The best part – buggies were allowed on the fairways. Nice.

After the game, we had a hearty local lunch near the course before heading to Malacca for the night.

Come Sunday, the rest of the group arrived, and our second game was together with them at Ayer Keroh Country Club. Yet another round with the buggy on course, I didn’t feel the pain of walking because I didn’t walk that much! Such conditions help the body not to exert too much and be able to go on pain-free the next game.

The third game at Tiara Malacca Golf & Country Club was a taxing one despite being buggy on the course as well. The fairways were dry, the roughs were nasty, and the sun was a scorcher. Everyone felt the heat to the core.

I was constantly going into the bunkers, and it annoyed me to no end. Adding to my frustration was my erratic putting with the Spider after doing so well with it for the past few games. Sigh.

The three-day schedule pales in comparison to a touring pro’s. I hardly felt like one anyway when we had buggy on-course games. Despite this advantage, the will to go on was there, but the body and mind could not. We gave up the last game. Sigh. On a brighter note, we had good food each time and plenty of friendship bonding time.

Professional men and women golfers are remarkable athletes. While I aspire to be like them, playing several games in a stretch, if I cannot even handle three days of buggy on-course games, what more walking long golf courses for four days in a row? Hats off to them!

New Fruits

1 Dec

After waiting for what seems like forever, the new papaya tree has finally matured and is fruiting! Yay. I miss eating home-grown papayas, and papayas bought from the stores can’t beat the taste of the home-grown fruits.

Before this new tree, the old tree gave us a lot of fruits to enjoy. It was a bumper harvest period until we had to give away to family and friends. But once that phrase was over, we were papaya-less for some time.

The wait period is over now that the new tree has stabilized and fruiting. Unfortunately, the garden squirrels got to the first fruit ahead of us. Hrmph. Looks like we have to start protecting our papayas from the uninvited guests. Otherwise, we will not have the opportunity to enjoy the new fruits.

Rainy Season

28 Nov

It is officially the rainy season, and playing golf during this time is no fun. It rains almost daily, and the fairways at our golf club cannot dry on time. We could opt out, but resistance is weak.

The fairways are soggy and become messy from the soft grounds whenever a contact shot is not good. The mud would splash all over, and it’s icky with the splatter onto the pants or the shirt!

Last week, my player partner wore white pants, and he did not have a good shot and got mud on his pants from the knee downwards. I had a bad shot as well and got splattered on my white shirt! Ugh.

Although dark-colored pants are ideal in such conditions, it is not a guarantee from the mess. Evidence of mud residue at the cuffs is still visible. Sigh.

The rainy situation will continue until next year. I wonder if other golf courses are just as soggy. Hmm. Well, the only way to find out is to play at these courses, regardless of the rainy season!

Spidey Power

24 Nov

The TaylorMade Spider Mini putter has been in my bag now for several games. And surprisingly, I am handling it well.

The putter feels right, and it’s doing a good job. So far, I have been recording 31 or 33 putts. And this is with one or two three-putts incurred.

There was one game where I did only 12 putts after nine holes. It was such a confidence booster with six one-putts and the rest, two-putts. The Spider Mini was on fire! Unfortunately, at the turn of the game, the weather changed. The rain came down, and we had to abandon the game. Shucks!

Well, there are so many more games to play, and I hope the Spider power will continue to give me good putting results.

No New Purchases

21 Nov

I have to admit I am surprised that during the recent 11.11 sale on my favorite online shopping site, I did not buy any DIY miniature sets! While I did purchase other things, I did not add to my stash of miniatures to craft.

Am I losing interest in crafting miniatures? The latest piece, DIY project number 32, has stalled for several weeks. Maybe I am going through a phase. I’m sure I will get back into the groove.

After all, my stash is still sizeable, and there are still many sets available online that I’d like to acquire. We’ll see how long I can last, making no purchases of DIY sets.

Fifth Bag of Free Rice, Part 2

17 Nov

I finally achieved the fifth bag of free rice from the online game! Whee. It took so long, especially the last twenty percent. Initially, I thought of not continuing after the achievement because I had received so many bags of free rice until now.

But the game changed its rewards, and I felt enticed again. Why not? Something different would be nice. Instead of going on for my sixth bag of free rice, the other choice was tissue paper. So, I am midway to getting my first delivery of free tissue paper!

Harvesting for tissue now!