Archive | Activity RSS feed for this section

Nothing Goes to Waste, Part 2

26 Nov

When I carve my pieces using Meranti wood, the wood blocks are all at different sizes. As such, I have to cut them to the proportions I want and there’ll be wastage. Hubby felt that it’s such a waste to throw away all those excess odd pieces.

So he experimented with the leftovers, using them as a prop or base for his air plants. And with just coat of acrylic paint, no gesso, they became simple and eye-catching tabletop pieces.

I wonder if the next piece should be a bit more elaborate. Hmm? Well, there’s plenty of wood to fine tune the overall look. From balsa where the odd ends become little Gnomes, and now Meranti as props for air plants certainly nothing goes to waste.

img_5940img_5939

Tags: , , , , ,

Ciabatta No More, Part 2

22 Nov

A couple of weeks ago, the effort reworking the second Gnome Home sapped me and I left it unattended for days after the first coat of colors. Eventually, despite a gruelling gym session where—in my trainer’s words “She went mental and gave it to us”— we were depleted of strength, I somehow managed to muster some energy to apply the final coat of acrylic to the roof and chimney.

The Fire Engine Red is obviously darker than the Cadmium Red but I think there’s character as well. I think the Gnomes like it.

Now in between mulling another home but a towering one for variation, I carved four phone holder whales, seven Gnomes and a Monument. So much carving to do, so little time.

img_5891

The Gnomes standing proudly in front of the two new Gnome Homes.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Yet Another Public Holiday

20 Nov

Malaysia is known to have a lot of public holidays. Sometimes it’s nice but sometimes it can also be disruptive, depending on one’s workflow or timetable. Yes, today is a public holiday in the midst of being busy and having a big exam.

For us, it’s disruptive because we are busy. But for M2, it’s a welcome breather allowing her an extra day to do more preparation.

Well, we can’t fight it so we make use of it. It will be a day of carving for me of course. I have completed the second phone holder whale and have two more blocks in the pipeline to continue for this range.

Only left with the varnishing step

Two blocks coming up soon!

Tags: , , , ,

Whale of a Time

19 Nov

Sometimes doing the same thing over and over again can be quite mundane. I am not saying Citizens, Monuments and Gnomes are getting boring but once in a while, I’d like to do something different for variety.

That’s why there are Superheroes, Dinky the dinosaur, Halloween Owl, giant Citizens, a couple of Gnome Homes, an Apeach and whales in the collection. My latest challenge was carving another whale but a much larger one than the four that I have carved.

Larger because it will double up as a smart phone holder as well. The idea came about after a dim sum meal with a girlfriend. I totally had a whale of a time (pun intended) carving this new baby on a glued two-piece Meranti. So much so, I started another one in between some other efforts.

img_5903

img_5886

Hubby’s Samsung A6+ sitting on the whale

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

A Little Scare

16 Nov

Yesterday morning I couldn’t launch Candy Crush Soda on my iPad Mini! Eeeks. I was like “Nooooooo!” my Daily Bonus record is going to be broken. The app kept saying to log into Facebook to continue and when I did, it couldn’t go on. Aaaargh…

I restarted the device and said a little prayer because my record was at stake. Thank goodness, after several attempts, I managed to launch without further problems. It was Day 815.

An unnecessary little scare that was. And today? Without a hitch that I could even play three rounds before the app quit on me! The iPad is dying a slow death.

img_5859

Tags: , , , ,

Treating the Wrist Tendonitis

15 Nov

I finally got around to seeing a physiotherapist this week after consulting the sports doctor last week to treat the Wrist Tendonitis. It looked like the ‘damage’ is not that extensive although the left hand looked slightly atrophic. Gosh.

The tendon along the thumb to the wrist hurt only when probed. The rest and minimal usage has been effective although I must admit I have been carving but being very careful not to aggravate the situation.

Immediate measures to take besides rest are four sessions of ultrasound therapy within a month and regular strengthening exercises which I must do twice daily. And I should continue using the Acupuncture Meridian Pen for added self-treatment.

With these steps and proper care, healing and recovery will be faster. The good news is I don’t have to sit out the year from golf. Then again, with the weather being so wet until year end, I don’t think I am missing out.

For now, I should apply KT Tape to the affected area for support and at the same time protect the tendon from further injury. Otherwise I wear a wrist thumb brace which works just as well.

I am thankful this turned out much better than I had anticipated. Phew.

img_5844

Tags: , , , ,

Embracing Change, Part 2

9 Nov

These days I am wondering if my decision to update to iOS12 was a good one. While I have gotten used to the new iOS now, I think my iPhone5S has not and cannot handle the change or something is not right with the phone. The battery drain problem has gotten worse.

It may last a day if I don’t use it but such a scenario is highly unlikely in this age of constant connectivity. And with minimal usage, it can’t even last half a day. Note half a day!

There was once the battery was down to 54% and I was at the grocery store. One quick snap of a picture and a phone call, the battery power plunged drastically to one percent!!! One percent, how is that even possible with a conversation less than a minute with M2 just to confirm the choice of cereal?

And that wasn’t the first time it happened. Then two weeks ago, the phone had 54% (again) and I was updating some apps. It was fine, the next minute, it dropped to 16%. Something is obviously very wrong.

I was hoping not to jump the gun to wish an early death for my beloved iPhone5S but it looks like now, this decision has been taken out of my hands. Sigh.

I am contemplating whether to just change the battery to resuscitate and save the phone. Hmm… Something to really think about. Otherwise, I may have to upgrade to a newer model sooner than later, something I am not keen to do yet. We shall see. For now, the powerbank is a must have.

Tags: , , ,

Ciabatta No More

5 Nov

I managed to rework the second Gnome Home and am pleased to say that it’s a ciabatta no more! I added more Meranti wood pieces to the top and sides to give it more height and volume.

Then I painstakingly carved and filed down the addition to blend with the ‘roof’ so that the overall look is proportionate to the base. Areas where I couldn’t get it to look smooth, the wood putty did the job.

And after adding gesso to the overall shape, you can’t tell that the whole piece is actually made up of big and small pieces. Once the final touch of colors are added, my Gnomes have another home. Yay.

img_5590

img_5594

img_5628

 

Tags: , , , , ,

800 Days

1 Nov

Yesterday I reached Day 800 with the Candy Crush Soda’s Daily Bonus! It’s like an obsession and a mindless morning routine on the iPad Mini for me to reach this crazy number .

The iPad Mini…. big sigh. Sometimes the device works, sometimes not and it bothers me depending on what I do. If I do need to play Soda for the heck of it, I will play it on the phone because on the iPad, the app can’t go beyond the Daily Bonus.

I get more riled up when I am on Sticky Hands’ apps – Solitaire Cooking Tower and Age of Solitaire because the iPad Mini is just too laggy with these new games but this is not the focus here. It’s the Candy Crush Soda’s milestone.

And as I have said previously when I reached Day 700, for every 100 days you’d see a post on this crazy number of a milestone. Next aim: Day 900. I think I can do it.

img_5713

Next milestone to reach: Day 900!

Tags: , , , , ,

Is Golf Really Healthy? Part 2

30 Oct

My earlier assumption of burning 200-400 calories during a round of golf was off by a whole lot! I used to be able to hit such numbers but these days, it’s not even close.

Two weekends ago, during the Saturday morning golf game, I clocked 5.9km with 9,993 steps but burned only 127 calories. This was according to my Xiaomi MiBand2. Hmm… has my metabolism slowed down?

Anyway true to my earlier take on the after game plans, the four of us (plus a friend) had lunch but skipped the alcohol. The spread may not look or feel heavy but I believe the calories tipped over what I burned. Oh well…

I shouldn’t be too nit-picky with such things if I want to enjoy the company of friends during a round of golf. Do note these days, it’s more the company than the game for me because of the nagging pain on the left hand.

Speaking of left hand, I have decided to go get an x-ray done to assess the situation and see where do I go from here. I am so not looking forward to this I must say…

img_5607

Noodles, vege, fruit vege, more vege, anchovies & onions plus a fish porridge, nothing too heavy…

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →