Today is Chap Goh Meh, the last day to celebrate the Lunar New Year. After 15 days of celebration, today is the finale. However, it has been a lack of celebrations again this year because of the pandemic and restrictions. But despite the situation, we are planning a big feast tonight to mark the occasion.
I have to admit I have gained weight over the past two weeks, eating and snacking on all the cookies without any discipline. So after tonight’s big steamboat meal, I will start my diet. From tomorrow onwards, no more cookies, more golf but no beer, and throw in morning walks to shed those extra pounds!
It’s Valentine’s Day today, so Happy Valentine’s, people! A day to celebrate love and all things mushy. But has it been a bed of roses lately? I’m afraid not.
Cases have been on the uptrend the past few days – it’s alarming! But we have been staying home as much as possible, minimizing the need to go out.
So rather than going out for a romantic dinner, it’s nothing of that sort for us. We will be staying home for a home-cooked meal on this special day. Regardless of the occasion, I cannot stress enough, better to stay safe than sorry.
We came home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. And what a journey it was. So unlike the trip when we went, this return trip was so much more pleasant and unexpected.
There was hardly any traffic build-up along the way and smooth sailing all the way home. Another record of sorts as we made it home in five and a half hours with just two stops only. As far as I can remember, we never made it home in this time frame. Usually, it would take between seven to nine hours. And there was once we did it in ten hours.
It is nice to be back and chill at home. I’m not even working on my miniatures. For once, doing nothing at home feels great! Visits to family or friends are minimal, if not none. There’s now the Omicron, and we are being extra careful not to go out unnecessarily.
Unlike past Reunion Dinner gatherings where most family members made the journey, this Reunion Dinner is a simple gathering of just six people for a steamboat dinner.
Even the dinner spread was simple and nothing extravagant. The occasion was more for being with the elders, who are fine and healthy, than the food.
But a trip back to hubby’s hometown is not complete without playing some golf! We managed to play two games. And we had the golf course all to ourselves as there were hardly any other golfers at all. You can tell by the absence of golfers when the tee box has a giant mushroom (in the foreground) as big as the tee box marker (in the background)!
Look at that mushroom!
The first game quickly turned into a case of being lucky and unlucky at the same time. My ball landed right on the line in the middle of the fairway for the NTL (nearest to line) novelty, held a day earlier! Oh well, but the thrill of this achievement was pretty exhilarating.
Right on the line!
We ushered in the Year of the Tiger without much fanfare – there were no fireworks at the stroke of midnight, which worked out well for us for a peaceful night.
As we welcome the Tiger, here’s wishing everyone ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’, and may you have a roaringly successful year ahead despite the pandemic still being around. Count your blessings, be happy and stay healthy!
On Saturday, we left town to head North to hubby’s hometown. What a journey we had! The highway authorities had advised travelers heading that way to begin their journeys before 10 am to avoid congestion. So we did, albeit a little bit late, at precisely 9.51 am.
Heavy traffic in both directions
And dang, we drove smack into the worst snarl ever! Our past pre-Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner journeys were typically a six-hour drive from our home to hubby’s parents’ home.
This time, it took us 6.5 hours to reach Ipoh! Not even halfway to our final stop. This stretch is usually a 2.5 hours drive, but not on Saturday. It was a terrible drive. I wouldn’t even call it a drive but a crawl.
All in all, it took us ten hours to arrive, a record drive for a journey that would usually take 4.5 hours during the non-festive time.
But we were in good spirits as we had packed all the comforts in the car for the trip. And we knew there would be traffic woes, however, we didn’t expect it to be this bad.
It’s okay, this trip is for a good reason and that is to have the Reunion Dinner with the old folks, an occasion that we have missed out on the last two years because of the pandemic, lockdowns, and travel restrictions.
The preparations to usher in the Lunar New Year are almost complete! We finally put up the red cloth for the entrance this morning. And we got it right this time, having measured the hanging points and having two ladders to put up both sides in one go.
I had a pleasant surprise this morning when I was in the garden. There was a new pineapple fruit growing! How fortunate as a pineapple signifies prosperity and its timely growth is symbolic of welcoming the Year of the Tiger on a good note!
With two days left to the Reunion Dinner, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all travelers a safe journey, and to everyone, a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year!
A short staycation is just what we need to get away from the daily routine. I have been playing golf for almost the whole week. A game on Tuesday followed by a stretch from Thursday to Sunday – I need a break!
It’s a good thing M1 had her work leave approved on Monday. And today is a public holiday – we took advantage of the situation.
We went off to Awana Genting yesterday. But being in Awana, how can we not play golf? So we decided to play a game, my fifth in a row.
Cable car ride and our customary game selfie
Thankfully, I wasn’t too tired because the weather was not hot, and the pace was very leisurely. We had the golf course to ourselves, save for a few holes when the monkeys came out to watch us play.
Overall the holiday destination was not very crowded, which was good to maintain social distancing. We were, of course, being very careful and had our masks on the whole time.
An indulgent dinner at Burger & LobsterVertical soil-free farming at the hotel
It was a short break but a much-needed one. With good food, some shopping, and cool air, it was a wise decision to have this short staycation.
Our garden is full of plants and edibles. But I have to admit I am not the green fingers person managing our garden. It was only during the lockdown phases the last two years that I learned to appreciate it. I can identify Creeping Charlies and unwanted weeds and even made an effort to plant vegetables for our consumption.
You can find the usual air plants, stag horns, and bromeliads that hubby has besides some other plants, small trees, shrubs, and the one big frangipani tree that we love very much. Then there are the edibles like chili, curry leaves, fruits, herbs, and some vegetables spread out here and there. The space is balanced between plants to appreciate and food to eat to be sustainable.
When M1 came home last year, she brought back some corn seeds, glass gem corn, to be precise. At that point, we were not sure whether the corn could grow in our environment. Hubby, being the green fingers maestro, tried. After almost five months, he has successfully grown some glass gem corn! Wow.
Glass gem corn from our garden!
It does not matter that they are small and puny in size upon harvest. The fact that the species can grow in humid and wet conditions is good enough. Both corns are not as colorful compared to what we see on the internet. Nonetheless, they are very pretty looking, and we are most pleased with this new thing from our garden.
After several mishaps that have befallen me, there is light at the end of the tunnel. But this is as far as the garden yield is concerned, and not so much on my well-being.
The second papaya tree yielded a large fruit last week. At 2145g on the scale, it was the heaviest fruit by far. Then two days ago, we harvested another big papaya. The second one was a whopper. At 2294g, I believe this latest fruit is the heaviest papaya we’ve had from the garden.
Papaya galore!
Perhaps with this good fortune, it is a break in pattern from all the terrible things that have happened.
I can’t seem to shake off this terrible start to 2022, for it has continued! Dang. It was after dinner when the latest mishap happened.
It’s been a long time since I last rewarded myself with a piece of dark chocolate. I find that I will be alright eating dark chocolate but not milk chocolate because of my Endometriosis problem.
Two nights ago, I thought a piece or two of chocolate to reward myself would be nice after such a mentally draining day.
So there I sat at the kitchen counter and popped a piece of chocolate into my mouth. As I was chewing, I felt an unusual and solid morsel suddenly. It did not taste like honey brittle pieces or hazelnuts as the texture was different and felt more like a tiny stone. Dense and hard as a rock!
That is a one huge chunk off my molar!
I fished out the tiny stone-like morsel, and lo and behold – it was a chip off my molar! I was aghast. The last time I chipped my tooth was when I was eating crabs and attempted to bite the shell. It was not the smartest thing to do. Oh well.
But this, a piece of chocolate that pales in density compared to the crab. Could my year get any worse than this? Geez.
Angieneering 
Remarks