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A Sudden Burst, Part 2

28 Jun

The carving is at a bullet train pace. The month of June is not even up yet and like a person possessed, I have carved up 26 new Citizens plus a Gnome and a Baby Whale for the township!

There is a reason behind this sudden burst…

A girlfriend was very impressed with my efforts and have ordered some from me. I was reluctant to sell them initially because I felt the storyline for Gigglesville is not perfected yet. I believe there’s still some nitty gritty that I have to iron out.

But she managed to convince me and after much thought to iron out certain details, I agreed. Hence the sudden burst to carve three dozen for delivery! I should remind myself from the perspective that my three dozen Citizens of Gigglesville are mass migrating like the rest who have left and as always spreading their love and giggles, much needed in this sometimes troubled world.

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They can’t fit the tray!

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From a different perspective

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It Must Be the Socks

25 Jun

So I played another game of golf on Sunday, this time participating in my Club’s Anniversary Cup. A tournament in other words. I felt that after the last game which was an improvement, I should be on the upward trend. And I am glad to say I was.

It must be the socks I concluded because I gave the Nike shoes another chance and wore thin socks this time. And everything worked. The shoes held up beautifully in the early morning sogginess – a result from rain the night before, and I did not have pruned toes at all after 18-holes. It felt great. The pair of spare socks that I thoughtfully brought along didn’t need to see any action.

And my golf… it was very encouraging. The tee offs were straight, the subsequent shots too and the shot game and putting all worked. Even crossing the water, something I have always feared especially on what I call my phobia holes, was not an issue! Needless to say I am pleased. Extremely pleased.

From here on, I must remember the socks are equally important, not just the shoes and other equipment. When comfort kicks in, a mentally stronger and confident approach to the game will follow.

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Nothing Goes to Waste

22 Jun

Carving was in full swing two weeks ago. I created a record of sorts when on that Saturday, I carved up seven Citizens of Gigglesville in one seating. Yes, seven! Quite a feat I must say.

And when the tail end of the foot long balsa has an odd height to be a Citizen, it didn’t go to waste because a Gnome was carved out of it.

So after a couple of giant Gnomes, Gnome 13 stands the shortest among the lot. A cute little chappy.

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Rock Bottom, Part 2

21 Jun

Golf is a funny game. Just when I thought I’d give up the game and just focus on carving, I play a decent game next. This time, it didn’t rain and I opted to wear my Footjoy after the last disastrous game wearing the new Nike shoes. The poor shoes, I should give it another chance.

During the latest game, my shots were good and my putting was impressive despite several near misses. Maybe there’s hope because I had already hit rock bottom the previous game and this game did not plunge any further.

Let’s hope the next game maintains the upward trend.

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What a Day

18 Jun

Last Friday our road trip to ‘nowhere’ turned out to be the most fun and relaxed day! We decided to head to Resorts World Genting. Located in the highlands at 6,000 feet above sea level, the drive was unhurried and leisurely as traffic was clear. Within an hour from leaving home, we arrived, found parking and started our adventure. There was no time limit, no fixed plans and everything was just spontaneous.

We started off looking for food. Something light to get us going. The Congee and Wantan Mee (not very generous with the pieces of Char Siew) was very expensive but then again, when one is at a tourist spot, food prices are at their mercy. There was no lack in choices I must say. Plenty to eat and plenty to tempt your palate, the only thing holding one back is the tummy’s ability to eat everything.

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The food choices from the two different stalls

Wandering through the indoor mall, the sea of people was bearable. Crowded but not shoulder to shoulder, we just explored and simply enjoyed the mall’s deco, festive attractions and digital display.

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Lights, sights and sound to entertain and dazzle

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The Smurfs on display. Wasn’t quite sure what the red costumed folks were about…

 

The first stop we made was at the Jurassic Research Center. Having watched Jurassic World last week, we thought this would be fun. And it was. Although there were no thrilling rides or popping out dinosaurs to scare you, the docile animatronics giants were enough to make this experience very enjoyable.

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Our combo ticket included entry to Ripley’s Believe it or Not too. And this was just as enjoyable. By the time we finished these two attractions, it was 2.30pm already. So we looked for food again but we got lost going around in circles. The place was practically an intricate maze but nobody got mad or upset about it.

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Channeling my inner T-Rex but at the wrong attraction!

We ended up at a Parisian-themed cafe for high tea instead of lunch. This was quite an experience. Sugar laden from all the pastries presented in the elaborate setup, we had good black coffee to counter all that sweet intake. Our high tea indulgence lasted an hour and a half in total relaxation without a hurry in the world.

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It may not look much but believe me, it was quite a struggle towards the end for us

Pumped by all that sugar, we felt we had to do something more active to burn all those calories. The next stop, the amusement park and we played some silly arcade games – coin tossing, shooting, ball throwing and some serious driving with more shooting. Good workout it turned out. When the amusement park credits were all used up, we moved on with silly grins pasted on our faces.

By now, we decided to leave as it was getting very crowded. Thankfully, the weather outside was lovely and it was very refreshing to enjoy the cool temperature of the highlands. With the much needed short breather (we passed the 10,000 steps mark with so much walking), we felt revived and then made our way back into the indoor maze to try to get to the car park. It wasn’t the easiest because we got lost again.

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Finally the car was located and it was a new challenge to drive down six levels through haphazardly parked cars in the narrow multi-level car park. Eeesh. Driving into the abyss, we bade the highlands goodbye and headed to the Premium Outlet, a short distance away.

The Premium Outlet offered many international brands at attractive prices. Nothing caught our eye but we did buy some necessary items because it was a good deal. We had dinner here and the spicy and salty choices were a welcome taste to overcome the sweetness of the earlier afternoon tea.

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Taiwanese dry pork noodle, salty crispy chicken and spicy beef noodle… yum

By 9.30pm we decided to head home. What a day it has been! Tired and contented, I think this was one of our better escapade and we plan to visit again. It took an hour to arrive home and I clocked in 12,866 steps by the time I opened the front door to the house.

 

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Rock Bottom

14 Jun

Last week I hit rock bottom as far as my golfing ability or rather inability is concerned. I have no words to describe. It didn’t even rain and the new Nike shoes which were supposed to help didn’t at all. In fact, it hurt more than helped.

The socks were too thick and caused the feet to hurt, and I couldn’t focus. And then my eyes hurt and I couldn’t focus. My shoulders were so stiff and I couldn’t swing properly. In short, everything did not work out during that game. The only consolation was a few tricky long putts that went in. I know there shouldn’t be any excuses but there were plenty.

Sigh… I can only hope with this rock bottom achievement I should move upwards next because there’s no more room to bottom out even further. If it does at this point, I may just give up golf because there’s no joy in this activity anymore. And carving is looking more appealing because there’s so much more joy to create, see my end results and feel the love when I give them away. There’s no love for the frustration of playing terrible golf.

Will I survive this moment of self-doubt and lack of conviction for the game?

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The Cycle Continues

11 Jun

The habanero chillies were all eaten. We had to share them with some golfing friends as it was too hot for us to handle. And boy, were they fiery hot! While some people avoided out of fear, some enjoyed the taste and kick immensely.

Mom, unaware of the habanero’s killer heat, called to say her hands were on fire immediately after cutting them. All sorts of remedy did not help to quell the pain and heat. It took some time before the agony subsided. Oh dear…

Hubby is now preparing the next batch of seeds to plant. He left a couple of chilli on the branches to ripen even more before plucking them. Then both chillies are left to dry to become like the original he still has. From here, the seeds will then be planted.

And the cycle continues… plant, harvest, consume.

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These killer habanero chillies are more potent than any killer tomatoes…

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A Sudden Burst

8 Jun

I have forgotten what it is like to carve balsa having worked on Meranti so much last month. Last night I pushed myself to go back to my Citizens on balsa instead of Meranti Gnomes. And my goodness! It’s so effortless.

So much so, the sudden burst resulted in four new Citizens – one in the morning before going to work and three in the evening after dinner. Yay. Maybe I should stop the Gnomes series for the time being and just focus on Citizens of Gigglesville. After all, their population count remained stagnant at 132 since Apr 24th.

Honestly, working with Meranti wood has aggravated the tennis elbow again. Not a good sign especially if I want to go back to playing golf. I shouldn’t allow this to flare up and if I want to also continue carving I should stick to balsa, a much softer wood. This may be the best balance to have the best of both activities.

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Unfinished and ugly for now but that’s the process

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Identity Crisis

7 Jun

Now that my Gandalf-looking Gnome is painted up, I feel it has an identity crisis! When it was all white with the gesso base, it looked like Gandalf. Now with the lavender shade, it’s looking more like a Wizard.

I was at a crossroad on the color choice. Believe me, it wasn’t easy and I even debated with M2 and hubby on the matter. In the end, I picked lavender.

While it’s a gnome and lives in Gnomie-wood, I felt it shouldn’t don the red cap and blue outfit because it’s of a different shape from the rest. And if it’s all red, it may end up looking like Santa. God forbid if it’s all green, it will look like a leprechaun!

The signature feature of my gnome series with the cone cap covering the face and eyes, and just the nose sticking out maintains the gnome allure despite the color difference.

I guess a variation is good for the gnomes of Gnomie-wood, just like the Citizens of Gigglesville with the many different species either still living in Gigglesville or have migrated to spread love and giggles.

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The Shoe Queen Strikes Again

5 Jun

Guess what? It looks like the Shoe Queen has struck again! It was only in February when I bought a new pair of Footjoy golf shoes and exactly four months later, on June 1st, I bought my umpteenth pair of golf shoes. Honestly, I have lost count but there’s a reason behind this newest purchase.

Lately, it has been raining more often than I can remember for around this time of the year. Despite such weather conditions, I have gone back to playing golf. And sadly, my shoes are a disappointment. They don’t hold up well as claimed and neither do they dry on time before the next game.

The Footjoy has held up only slightly better than both the Adidas pairs. Water still seeps in but toes are not as pruned. The same cannot be said for both the Adidas spike and spikeless pairs. They have failed me with water seeping in midway through the games. By the end of 18-holes each time, I’d end up with soaked socks and pruned toes. Not a nice feeling. Ugh.

Then again, it has been raining cats and dogs every single day and any waterproof shoes would not be able to withstand the soggy conditions on the golf course. I don’t even bother to wear the canvas Skechers golf shoes because I know they would be totally done in.

So I hope this new pair, a Nike this time – waterproof, leather and semi-spiked, will fare better under those extreme soggy conditions. We will find out when I wear it for my next game.

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