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The Garden Choir, Part 2

3 May

There is another group of the garden choir that works during the day. Unlike the frogs performing live at night on rainy days, these birds perform in the morning. And they sure are just as annoying!

The shrill at a sharp pitch is a constant irritation. I do not know why people say birds chirping is soothing and therapeutic – this is the opposite! Occasionally, the tree shrews join the ensemble with non-stop clicking noises that are more argumentative than melodic.

On top of these irritations, the new neighbor behind our house is another strange creature. They have been renovating their house for the longest time ever. They could not do much when the pandemic broke, as renovation activities were not allowed within the estate. It was peaceful for the last two years. Lately, their renovation is in full swing as these activities are permitted again.

Their constant daily drilling and hacking have been driving us up the wall! Let’s not even go into the dust that we have to endure. Between these critters, noise and environmental pollution have become a constant in our lives. Sigh.

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A Welcome Celebration

29 Apr

What a difference with another year passing by for birthday celebrations! The existence of Covid-19 makes it hard for us to predict what can happen with its spread making daily situations so volatile. We cannot plan special occasions so far ahead because things are constantly evolving. Even as I write, the SOPs will change again come next month.

Two years ago, my birthday dinner celebration was a muted affair. We stayed home because of the pandemic and had food delivered. There were scores and scores of containers for the meal. It wasn’t the best in presentation, but being at home made up for it, given the virus fear and lockdown circumstances. Last year, it was a blur, and honestly, I don’t remember what we did on my special day.

This year, things are a little bit different. A spontaneous four-day gastronomic journey that began on Sunday to celebrate instead of a golf getaway like we usually do. Moreover, we just went on a golf trip to Forest City recently, so another trip now is too soon. This mission to discover new food to savor in the run-up to the actual birthday is much appreciated for the chef in me to have the week off from making dinner nightly! Woo hoo.

Lovely fine dining Japanese dinner
We ate to our fill!
We came home to cut my yummy Lemon Pistachio birthday cake
We played a post-birthday round of golf!

The birthday dinner was also a welcome change for various reasons. It was the first fine-dining experience after the many lockdowns we had during the pandemic. Secondly, it’s the first year with M1 joining us, being away for her education, and missing my birthday celebrations for the last six years. All in all, a welcome celebration. A toast to a good year ahead for me, and be in the best of health and mind.

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Big and Cute

26 Apr

As I progress with my new felting hobby, I find that the characters that I do get bigger each time. And they are just as cute. Maybe because I found a bag of beads to make the eyes, the size of the characters has to be proportionate to the beads.

Another cutie pie!

My latest character, another turtle, is such a cutie pie! A large piece does not necessarily mean harder to make – it only requires more material, which I have. I now felt each character with the off-white wool as the base, followed by color wool to dress it up.

It’s been a fun learning experience, and I find myself making a whole range of characters, unlike carving, where I stick to one or two shapes because wood is harder to manipulate. But both have their appeal, and I certainly enjoy felting and carving.

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The Perfect Ball

25 Apr

Last week, a golfing friend scored a Hole-in-One. We were thrilled for him when we heard the news. It got me thinking, when will my turn come for this elusive Hole-in-One? I have yet to achieve this feat despite playing golf for so long.

Perhaps it is the choice of the ball used? I have to admit ball choice was never a priority for me before. I used to play all sorts of brands to find the perfect ball for my game. New balls, used balls, hard balls to soft balls, the Hole-in-One is never within sight.

When I did commit, TaylorMade Distance+ was my preferred choice. But over time, I found the characteristics of the ball not suitable for my ball striking. The TaylorMade Distance+ Soft is no better. So I decided to stop using this brand.

The leading brand Titleist, favored by the pros, is too expensive for a social golfer like me. Although Titleist has a range of balls with different characteristics, it is not my go-to choice. Price aside, it does not suit me because my swing speed does not maximize the ball’s capabilities. In the end, it would only create frustration more than pleasure when playing.

So these days, I play with three brands mostly that are soft in characteristic – Srixon Soft Feel, Bridgestone Extra Soft, and Wilson Duo Soft+, as these soft balls suit my game better. However, I wouldn’t try the different ranges in each brand because, as I have mentioned earlier, my swing speed does not maximize the ball’s capabilities.

Often, social golfers neglect the choice of balls used, like me in the past. The focus is usually on the clubs, especially the driver, to tee off further. Next is the putter, but never the balls for the game. A golfer should understand their swing speed to make the right ball choices, but let’s not get into this. It can be endless and subjective, not to mention very technical too.

When I started to limit my ball choice to the three brands, my game improved by leaps and bounds, and it was gratifying. I have won some side money a fair bit during friendly matches but no Hole-in-One. Yet.

Since my friend struck his Hole-in-One using a Srixon ball, perhaps I should eliminate the other brands and stick to just Srixon, to increase my chances at this elusive achievement? Hmm. It’s a good thought, and hopefully, my turn at this feat will happen soon. And if indeed this happens, I have found my perfect ball for my golf game.

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The More, the Merrier!

22 Apr

The itch to buy something from my favorite online site surfaced not too long ago. Although there are more than a dozen DIY miniature sets on my wishlist, I thought it was not a good idea to buy more yet. I have to be sensible and not give in to impulse buying.

Besides, I already have eight unopened boxes waiting for me – acquiring more does not seem practical. Let’s not forget the current DIY project number 23 has not seen any progress since January.

But the itch had to be addressed. So I bought covers for my golf clubs, specifically, my three utility clubs. As the driver, 3- and 5-woods already have the same family type of covers, I bought similar ones to match. The more, the merrier to make them one big family!

My doggo covers and three with tags!

The only difference is size and color, and tags for easy recognition. I love my golf set covers – they look good, and I feel good.

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Another Public Holiday

19 Apr

Today is a public holiday, yet another one. Malaysia has lots of public holidays, and sometimes it is a disruption. Typically we do not appreciate it because it disrupts the work schedule.

But of late, work is sporadic, so a public holiday is perfect for golf. What this means is that the DIY project is untouched yet again! Oh well.

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DIY Project #23, Part 3

18 Apr

DIY project number 23 has stalled big time. Right after the Lunar New Year, I was so busy with my golf routine that crafting miniatures was relegated to become a thing of the past – a pandemic lockdown activity to kill time. My initial apprehension at my pace and fear of it stalling came true. Sigh.

I have to admit, I did not set a deadline, nor am I committed to completing the project. Hence, the stall. Occasionally, I find myself felting instead as this activity takes less time. Am I losing interest in crafting miniatures?

Bearing in mind, I still have eight sets waiting for me and a dozen more on my wishlist on the online shopping site that I intend to buy! I need to find the time, stay focused and prioritize my crafting time.

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Protecting Our Fruits, Part 2

11 Apr

The wire mesh protection on the papaya tree is not good enough to deter intruders from eating the papaya fruits. Even with our tall ladder, I cannot reach the top to cover all the fruits on the tree because the tree is too tall.

Last week, hubby discovered one slightly eaten fruit. The squirrel is getting clever as it managed to get inside the mesh to bite the papaya! The mesh protects only the outer fruits, and since there are still gaps to some exposed fruits and access from the top, it’s only a matter of deft agility to get inside for a feast.

One fruit is intact but the other is bitten slightly.

Oh well, at this point, we cannot do much. If the fruits ripen, we harvest them. If we don’t get to them first before the squirrel or otherwise, we should share and shouldn’t be too upset about it.

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Phenomenal Putting, Part 2

5 Apr

The phenomenal putting streak has ended. When the going is good, it’s too good to be true for it to last. When I thought my Scotty Cameron putter was stable and doing wonders for my confidence and game, it let me down last week.

I had just recovered from my food poisoning and opted to play the prearranged game. But I think, psychologically, my mental strength was not quite sharp. I was more tuned to my tummy than my putting. Call it a distraction or an excuse – the putting performance was erratic and inconsistent. There were flashes of one-putt brilliance, but it wasn’t enough.

For the record, there were five holes that I three-putted! I am appalled at my sudden unbelievable inability to putt, achieving this horrendous statistic after such a good run with Scotty. To add salt to the wound, I also had one four-putt at the Par 5. The putting warrior in me was so bruised and battered.

After the game, when I got home, I removed Scotty immediately from the bag, and the Peanut Putter went into the bag. Let’s hope the putting fortune will turn around for the better for future games.

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Lady Luck Strikes Again

1 Apr

Sometimes when we join golf tournaments, it is not just the will to want to play well but to gain competition experience to be a better player. How to manage our emotions on the golf course, have good course management, know our ability and hit shots sensibly, yet at the same time, play without fear. To win a club-organized tournament is icing on the cake and a booster to our confidence.

But being social golfers, our competitive drive is not quite at that level to win tournaments. So we aim for the next thing, which is to win the lucky draw during the prize presentation after the game.

Last Sunday, after returning from Forest City a day earlier, I participated in the Greensome tournament organized by my golf club. My partner and I started well but faded midway. It was a case of could-have and what-if. Our combined handicap was 15, and we returned with a three-over for our net score, far below other pairs that played better and scored well under their combined handicaps. Oh well, it was a good experience.

But all is not lost as there’s the lucky draw after the prize presentation! There is still hope to win something. And win we did, woohoo! Lady luck has been kind to me, this being my second time in three months winning something at the lucky draw during competitions. The first time was iron covers; this time, a golf travel bag.

And now that borders are opening for most countries and traveling abroad is picking up, the travel bag will come in handy, not that I don’t have one already, for a golfing trip abroad. But my recent experience at Forest City Golf Resort has superseded any travel ideas abroad for golf. Then again, we’ll keep our options open. Thailand?

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