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A Terrible Start

3 Jan

My new year got off to a terrible start. On New Year’s Eve, I scalded my fingers while preparing dinner. Ouch! We decided to eat at home than be out somewhere crowded to usher in the New Year. It was the beginning of more misfortunes.

The yummy cheese board

The dinner spread was simple and easy to prepare. The ham and cheese board especially was good, and I ended up eating a little too much cheese than I should. Tsk, tsk.

Then right before the countdown began, I started feeling nausea. Oh no. My Endometriosis problem of not agreeing with dairy has suddenly resurfaced. It must be the cheese more than anything else! I threw up half my dinner right when the fireworks went off!

It was spectacular, my retching and not the fireworks. In my moment of discomfort, the external background noise and celebration were happening! What a terrible start to kick off the new year. Could it be any worse?

Well, right before dinner, I found out I had one outstanding traffic summon that I never even knew! The comforting consolation was settling before midnight to enjoy the discounted rate.

Sigh, what a start I am having. I can only look upon these misfortunes as clearing all the negative chi to face the year better.

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The Year That Wasn’t Again

31 Dec

The never-ending year 2021 finally concludes today. I look back, and what a year it has been! I feel history has repeated itself, with the year being another year that fell short of expectations like 2020 because the pandemic has dragged on.

When the nation went into lockdown again in May, we were short-changed for several months to have a good year. And the lockdowns implemented under the Movement Control Orders (MCO) had so many versions, I lost track of it all.

But life goes on. With what we had experienced in 2020, we handled 2021 a little better. We became more accepting of the situation and were more productive, and the hobbies picked up in the year before continued. We also got vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, and it was our passport to venture out (if needed) without hassle.

Towards the end of the year, I picked up another new hobby – felting. What fun this turned out to be! Felting is immensely enjoyable and therapeutic when I am not carving or crafting miniatures as it is a short and fast activity to complete.

Looking back, being home this time around wasn’t so bad because there’s so much to do at home, and I love it. There is no rush or fear but simply comfort and ease. As long as there is good time management, the days go by quickly.

M2 came back for her Summer holidays, and it was great to have her home. My cooking skills improved from last year, and there were many great mealtimes together at home as a family since we couldn’t go out at all.

Then M1 came home for good after completing her Master’s degree, and both of us are very blessed to have the family as a complete unit. But soon after, M2 returned to Ireland, and M1 started working. By the third quarter, we were juggling work, albeit not much, and playing golf when the country reopened to more activities.

But just when we thought things were improving with vaccination and economies opening everywhere, the world saw a new virus variant! The Omicron. The pandemic management globally was sucker-punched with this new development. Travels, activities, and economies were restricted once more, and many countries faced fresh lockdowns. When will this onslaught of the unknown ever end?

So we start 2022 with uncertainty again. I see no point in toasting the New Year for better fortune and goodness. Just brace yourselves to stay negative (Covid-wise) in a positive way, stay healthy, and stay safe. Goodbye 2021, I wouldn’t say it was the best, but we survived. Happy New Year, folks!

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Forgetful Me

27 Dec

Last Friday, I inadvertently gave an inaccurate account of the previous year’s Christmas Eve Dinner. My bad. We DID have a family dinner together, but I honestly forgot about it. Was it so insignificant that it slipped my mind?

Or could it be with the last two years being in constant lockdown with the various Movement Control Orders (MCO), I lost track of time. I think the fact that it was just the two of us at the dinner sans both girls stuck in my mind more than anything else.

Or, in all honesty, I have become a tired and forgetful dinosaur more than ever!

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Christmas Eve Dinner 2021

24 Dec

This year, we are thankful that we can get together with the family after missing out on the Christmas Eve dinner last year. It was the pandemic that derailed everything-from travels to gatherings-throwing festive occasions into disarray, and both of us had a quiet two-person dinner at home instead without much camaraderie.

This year, the SOP’s have changed with most adults in the country, all of us included, being fully vaccinated. So it is great that we can gather to celebrate Christmas.

I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Be safe, stay safe, and be healthy.

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New Growth

26 Nov

It’s been raining a lot lately, and as such, I hardly venture out to the garden. However, today it’s cloudy, and I just so happen to be out. And boy, things look neglected. Weeds were everywhere!

On a brighter note, the vegetables that we planted have shown results. And no, it’s not the lady’s fingers but the mini brinjal this time.

The two mini brinjals

Two-round mini brinjals after so long. Hahaha! At least when we harvest them to eat, I don’t have to cut them into tiny morsels for the three of us.

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The Other Baker

19 Nov

It looks like hubby is not the only person who bakes in our home. M1 is quite a baker too. I supposed this came from her lockdown periods when she was still in the US. With nothing much to do, baking was an outlet to keep busy.

But our other baker bakes adorable stuff. She baked these cute little bear cookies not too long ago. Pretty to look at, delicious to eat too. I hope she will continue to indulge in this whenever she has the time.

Want some bear cookies?

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The Slow Garden Yield

5 Nov

The vegetable patch in the garden is slowly showing some yield. It is one okra at a time! The last time I checked, there was one almost ready for harvest and another coming soon.

Our second okra and the third coming soon!

Then two days later, we harvested that first okra. At almost five and a half-inch, it is a good size. As the plant is healthy and fruiting often now, we should see a constant yield.

It doesn’t matter whether it is one at a time – as long as we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor, that is, by far, the most important thing.

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DIY Project #21, Part 2

2 Nov

I decided to work on the micro-miniature-in-a-box for my 21st DIY project. After the experience with project number 17, which resulted in me deviating to several other projects, a small and easy miniature is logical to maintain my interest in crafting these little things.

And so far, it is going well. Although I stopped a couple of days for golf and even went out for meals and shopping, the pace is not lost. I should be able to complete the set before the weekend is here! Yay.

Slowly but surely, it’s coming along!

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One Great Harvest

22 Oct

So we harvested the okra, and it was one great harvest, literally.

Our first harvest!

The three of us had a small bite each of this first lone harvest. Being pesticide-free, I must say the five-inch long okra was very crunchy and yummy.

Well, I can only hope to have more soon. Patience is key here.

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Five Months Later

12 Oct

Over the weekend, we had our first dine-in at a restaurant after five months of staying home in a lockdown state. And it was a strange feeling yet, at the same time, liberating.

We chose to have Japanese food because this was one food that we never ordered for delivery nor prepared at home. Sashimi is something one must eat fresh and served on a mountain of ice to stay fresh. To even think of having it delivered is out of the question – what more attempting to prepare sashimi at home. So it was a good choice.

I downed half my beer before remembering to take a picture! Oops.

Getting into the restaurant at the mall was according to the protocol: face mask on, check-in with the locator app for contact tracing, taking our temperature, and being seated one meter away from another table.

It was nice to sit in a restaurant, instead of at home, with a cold beer and enjoy a different menu, but will we do it again, eating out, that is?

I guess we will as cases are on the decline and most of the population are vaccinated already. The government has also declared that the country is now in an endemic stage. With the economy fully opened and interstate travel now being allowed, dining out in fear is a thing of the past. Life must go on with as much normalcy as possible from here on.

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