I have been working on DIY project number five for almost three weeks now. And boy, does it have its challenges, unlike the previous projects. One would think that with the instructions in English, it would be a breeze.
Contrary to feeling good, I’m stressed instead. There were signs of problems at the outset, but I chose to ignore them. However, as I progressed along, the issues became more glaring.
There were missing pieces and incorrect sizes of paper in ratio to the corresponding wood. Luckily, I managed to figure out the solutions to overcome them.
Ice cream stick to the rescue again!
The most glaring problem was the lack of an inventory checklist. I had to rely on the pictorial guide in the manual, which wasn’t very clear to figure out things. Most of the packages are labeled ‘A’ – making it hard to find the pieces. When the instructions called for an item from package ‘A’ to paste to paper, I cannot find the said item. It was very exasperating.
Every pack is labeled ’A’!
The instruction manual is another issue. Printed in A4 and 14 points (sometimes 18 points) font-size does not necessarily mean they are clear! The instructions are vague, and I found myself at a loss sometimes.
Sigh. I come across as not enjoying working on this set. Well, I have to finish it regardless.
Just when we think the pandemic situation in the country is under control, things have taken a turn for the worse! Cases are on the rise, and the government has just announced that the CMCO (Conditional Movement Control Order) will take effect for three states by tomorrow until 27 October. Oh, dear.
Schools are closed, parks and places of worship will also be closed during this period. All sports activities, social, cultural, and wedding receptions are also not allowed. I guess this means no golf for the next two weeks!
Sigh. We were anticipating this measure to be taken when there was a sudden spike in Covid-19 positive cases recently. When will this ever end? We are back to square one on our fight with the virus.
We ran out of bird seeds and haven’t had the opportunity to swing by the pet shop to replenish. So the birds are not happy.
In the last two days, our daily visitors had nothing to eat and were disappointed. And curious at the same time, because they can see us but not their food. So much so, they even daringly came into the house as if to inquire about the sudden drop in service!
Hello! Anybody home? We’re hungry
I sat at my carving spot and managed to take a picture without alarming them. It would be utter chaos if they were spooked and attempted to fly off. Luckily the curtains were drawn, and two sauntered off soon after without any incident.
At the beginning of this year, I purchased some mini drill bits from my favorite online shopping site, and they arrived several days later. The last bit to make the whale eyes had broken, and these were the replacement. And I used them a fair bit when I was carving my whales then.
But now that my drill has kaput, it will be some time before the bits see any more action. Sigh. The question to ask should I buy a replacement drill or not?
Seeing that lately, I am more into doing DIY miniature projects and not so much carving and woodworking, a new drill may not be necessary yet. We shall see.
So sadly, the mini bits are just sitting there with the rest of the bits, collecting dust.
It’s been a while since I last used my mini drill. Last week, I decided to use it and inadvertently caused a mini double accident.
The DIY cafe was at the tail-end of completion. I had to drill a little hole for the wire from the table to go underneath to connect to the rest of the wires at the other end. But things did not go as planned.
I switched on the drill and tripped the power in the house. Oops. Initially, I thought it was the adapter plug but on further tests, it’s the drill. Sigh. I’ll deal with this another time.
Immediate attention was on the hole to drill. So I had to poke a hole manually with my carving tools. Luckily, the base wood isn’t that hard. I just had to be patient but persistent.
The hole for the wire that caused the accident
I tilted the cafe at an awkward angle to get a comfortable position. And accidentally tilted a wee bit too much, the whole cafe fell off the table! I was horrified.
Clothes pegs are useful gadgets to use!
Thankfully the damages weren’t too bad. Only the back roof truss broke, the bar stool top came off and a flower fell out of place.
With a little creativity, the roof truss was glued and held back in place, while the other two were glued back without issues. As it was last bit of this project, I finished it without further challenges.
Now that M2 has arrived safely and undergoing her quarantine, we are back to just the two of us at home. And so, the routine is back to normal; in other words, I’m playing golf every other day again.
And in between this routine, it’s the DIY projects that keep me busy. Oh, project #4 was completed a day before her departure, and project #5 started soon after.
#4 – The cafe without lightsNight mode of the cafe
Wednesday was a public holiday, being Malaysia Day, and we took the opportunity to do another day trip excursion. This time, we went to Cameron Highlands.
Mom came along this time for the little adventure. The journey started late as we couldn’t wake up early. But as we’re not in a hurry, it did not matter. The first stop was at Bidor for brunch.
Wantan Noodles for brunch
I was disappointed that I did not get to eat the Duck Noodles because the order taker was not very clear when she spoke in Cantonese to us. Nor was she attentive to recommend. We all ended up having Wantan Noodles instead.
After the quick meal, the journey continued towards Cameron Highlands. Traffic was not that heavy, and the drive was pleasant enough despite the winding road along the hillside. Along the way, we stopped to buy local produce – bamboo shoots and stink beans, or commonly know as petai.
Buying bamboo shoots and petai
By 12.30 pm we arrived at the Boh Plantation. The weather was cloudy, windy, and a wee bit chilly. Nice though. However, with the pandemic and SOP enforced, visitors had to be controlled for social distancing; we couldn’t stay too long, enough only for a quick tea and scone break.
The picturesque hills of the Boh PlantationThe scone
I felt the scone paled in comparison to hubby’s home-baked scones. It’s good to know though the quality and standard of hubby’s baking skills. As the factory tour has ceased due to the pandemic, there was no reason for us to linger. We left shortly for the Bee Farm, which was not too far away.
Bees and strawberries, and masks on!
It was a short visit as there wasn’t much to see. There was only one strawberry plant worthy to be photographed, and I did just that.
Vegetable farms on the hills
We left for Cameron Highlands for Raju’s Hill Strawberry Farm next. By now, traffic began to build up. Before we knew it, it was like every other car on the road was also going to Raju’s farm! The traffic crawl was a good hour or so. Not nice.
Look at the sky and traffic! It was like a long arduous drive into the abyss
By the time we arrived at the junction to turn towards the farm, the long queue in front change our minds. We decided to leave before the traffic built up again when everyone decides to leave the place.
Along the drive back, we stopped at the roadside to buy some fresh vegetables and more petai! The rest of the journey down wasn’t too bad as there weren’t that many cars yet.
More petai and fresh vegetables
We arrived in Tapah by 5.30 pm and had an early dinner. We were all ravenous as I realized we didn’t eat lunch!
A satisfying meal after a rather long and tiring day
The rest of the journey home was pleasant without much traffic build-up, and after sending Mom home, we arrived home safely. A wonderful day trip indeed.
I was pleasantly surprised when my online purchase arrived yesterday. I certainly did not expect the parcel to arrive so soon this week. But it did, and I’m pleased.
So, what did I buy? Yet another DIY set, of course!
DIY project number five! 😍
This will be my fifth set, and from the looks of it, the biggest and heaviest by far (1.682kg according to the parcel description). But even without the weight mentioned, the package felt heavy when the delivery man handed the parcel over to me.
Ooohhhh… I can’t wait to get started on it. However, I have to finish project number four first before I can even open the individual packs inside this latest DIY set to get a feel of things.
DIY project number four has been coming along at a good pace until a slight hiccup several days ago. Or should I say, a big stumbling block? I discovered that some pieces were missing! Uh oh.
Unfortunately, I discovered two important elements missing only now after working on the set for some time. I guess I couldn’t have found out earlier as the focus was on the bigger and individual pieces. These two missing pieces are essential for the itty bitty decorations.
Missing item #1: labeled K10, it is a bunch of plastic leaves for the flowers. I sat on this problem for several days, wondering how to overcome this. In the end, I bought a pack of leaves and improvised from there, cutting them down to fit. And they did, thank goodness.
Missing item #2: labeled K09, it is an 80cm length of wire for making the stem/stalk of the plants/flowers. I took some garden wires from hubby’s supplies, and trimmed them down to make the plants and flowers. And they came out good. Phew!
Sometimes we need to improvise and DIY a DIY project. I hope no more discoveries of missing pieces from here onwards.
It’s been a while since my preoccupation with the caterpillars in our garden. Ever since the various MCO phases, I’ve hardly ventured out to the garden because I’ve been busy cooking, carving and crafting inside the house.
Knock! Knock! Let me in… 😅
So it was a surprise when we discovered one adventurous caterpillar on our front door! Is it trying to come in? Hahaha… It amazingly made the long trek from the lime tree in front of the house, a good ten feet away, and four feet up the door. How? Why? I don’t know.
We also spotted another one on the same lime tree. While it’s nice to have them around, just to observe their growth and transformation, they’re actually detrimental to the plants.
Nonetheless, we didn’t have the heart to harm our little adventurous friend, so hubby relocated him to the garden. It certainly looked happy chomping away on the leaves when I checked on it the next day.
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