Sometimes a change in the weather can be a blessing in disguise. We were supposed to have our usual weekend golf game, but it rained the whole of Sunday morning. We decided to go home and not wait around because this type of rain will not cede.
Very yummy effort!
Hubby, of course, baked while I decided to finish up DIY project number 12. I must admit it took some effort because the cool weather was perfect for doing nothing. He attempted a Pineapple Upside Down Cake again because the first attempt failed sometime back. I only had the three lanterns and the last two baskets of the dim sum left to complete.
Dragon Gate Inn is such a cute setThe interior, no patrons now due to Covid-19
And when I finally did, the sense of accomplishment was just so rewarding. I even put together the display dust cover as this set came with it. As the Ikea display cabinet is already full, the dust cover is perfect for keeping the dust out of DIY project number 12, which I anticipate, I will put on the table.
The first miniature with a dust cover
So now, I have a dozen miniatures completed! Wow. Project number 13 will be next soon.
In a blink of an eye, the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is ending. Today is Chap Goh Meh, the 15th day of the Lunar calendar. It has been a very uneventful Chinese New Year for us. No Reunion Dinner with our family and no ‘Yee Sang’ to toss as we avoided lunch and dinner gatherings with friends.
Under normal circumstances, we would have done several lunches and dinners with friends and family by now. The ‘Yee Sang’ dish would be the main attraction besides friendship, chatter, and food. But alas, this is wishful thinking for this year.
Given the current MCO status, none of the get-together and celebrations happened, despite the SOP having eased. I miss the boisterous New Year merry-making. I miss the lunches, dinners, get-togethers, and my friends. Sniffle.
I can’t wait until the day comes when we can all come together for a proper sit-down meal and interact freely. But until then, guards up, mask up, and stay safe!
I love my salt and pepper shakers. The piggy-shaped shakers are just too cute. But recently, one of them has been ‘traumatized’ – the salt shaker in particular. All these years, the shakers were fine, then this happened.
My poor traumatized piggy!
So I washed out the insides of the salt shaker and decided to retire the little pig. Somehow, even after emptying the salt, washing, and left to dry, the situation is no better. Every other day, the salt remnants are evident on the surface.
Could it be that salt has absorbed into the clay all these years? Or is it a material problem of the shaker itself? Or the humidity in the air? My poor traumatized pig! What do I do?
Just when we thought we were going to savor Spongebob’s pineapple because it was riped already, someone else beat us to it! Darn.
Caught in the act!
It was just a day before that I took a picture of the pineapple with the fake pineapple. The next day, it was gone, right down to the core. The garden squirrel had helped itself to the fruit! Hubby was surprised when he looked out the kitchen window and found the pineapple missing.
The scene unfolding before our eyes!
The culprit was still busy devouring the sweet fruit when I came downstairs, in time to snap a few pictures of the scene. The squirrel must be hungry, or the pineapple must be very tempting. There was nothing left, mostly the skin only. And after the first squirrel left, a second squirrel came around to enjoy what leftovers there were still.
The second culprit eating what’s left
Hubby was not too upset because he said during Chinese New Year, these creatures needed to eat. And we must be kind towards them during this time. Don’t shoo them away. But once Chinese New Year is over, he will do whatever is necessary to protect the remaining two pineapples that we still have.
He then recalled the last time we managed to harvest and eat one pineapple because he took measures to protect the fruit. He placed a wire mesh around the fruit. So we must remember this, or we’ll be asking again, where’s the pineapple?!
The lockdown situation eased a little, and it was indeed good news when outdoor activities were allowed last Friday. Even eat-in, albeit two per table, was allowed but following a strict SOP. The eat-in rule has further relaxed this week.
When the news broke, we were ready for some golf and played our first game last Saturday morning. But we found ourselves having forgotten the routine to prepare after a month of no golf and took a while to readjust. The hardest part was waking up at 5.30am. Nonetheless, it felt good to be out on the golf course; the greens were in superb condition. If only we played better.
Then on Valentine’s Day, we took the opportunity to dine-in at one of our favorite restaurants, as this was also allowed. A welcome change and we had a good dinner with a couple of pints. Our decision also helped the restaurant owner to recover from its lack of business during these trying times.
A cold pint each, crunchy gizzards, marinated pork strips, Wagyu beef, and although a bland-looking paella, it was good and an enjoyable meal overall.
On Monday, we played our second golf game on the Hills course. Unlike Saturday’s game on the buggy, everyone used a golf trolley for the afternoon game. And it was a scorcher because typically, the Chinese New Year weather is hot and dry! By the 15th hole, everyone decided to call it quits because not only the heat got the better of us, physically, the will to walk with the trolley for the last three holes was not there. The stamina is off for everyone with a month’s lay-off from the game during this MCO.
The heat was unbearable!
It is nice that there is some sense of normalcy returning when dining-in at restaurants for occasions and outdoor activities are allowed. And this week, the 10 km travel limit restriction has been lifted, but interdistrict and interstate travel is still off-limits until further notice.
Nice as it is, the MCO is extended again until 4 March! I think we are immune to the extension already, having lost count. So adhering to the strict SOP rules at all times is the best way to keep things nice and stay safe.
Hubby’s attempt at planting pineapples is starting to bear fruit, pun intended. The last time I compared the young pineapple to Spongebob’s pineapple home, both were about the same size.
Now, the real pineapple has grown and outsizing the fake one. Pretty soon, we have to take ownership of it and deny Spongebob a new home! Hahaha.
Three homegrown pineapples!
Not only do we have this pineapple, but there are two more pineapples that hubby has nurtured. Green fingers indeed! I look forward to the day we can enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year or the Lunar Year of the Metal Ox. A very muted occasion for us because our status remains under lockdown, with no place to go or family to visit. Honestly, it is no different from the past 12 months. There’s nothing to celebrate. Sniffles.
We did, however, made an effort to liven up our situation for the Reunion Dinner. Instead of having dinner at the kitchen counter like every other night, we chose to eat in the garden patio last night! And have a barbeque while we were at it. We even had some feathered guests joining our party, but they ate earlier than us because bird seeds didn’t need grilling.
The birdies having a feast on the newly painted wall!
I thought we had to take precautions against the evening mosquitoes but there were none thankfully. We set up the table plus a side table at the patio and cooked up an eight-item BBQ menu for the occasion.
Typical Reunion Dinners are either six or eight dishes to signify abundance, but since it’s just the two of us this year, the eight-item course is more than enough and equally meaningful. And even though the dinner was technically not a Reunion Dinner, we enjoyed the change in ambiance.
Not the typical and traditional menu, I labeled it as an eight treasure platter.The colorful spread on our Barbecook grill
Both of us laughed about whether the dinner qualifies as a Reunion Dinner because, firstly, we are always together, and secondly, it’s more like a garden barbeque party. The lengthiest duration that we are separated so far this past month has been five minutes? Having long showers does not count, though. Whether it is indeed a Reunion Dinner or just a garden party, we need to inject variation and humor into our lives to keep sane. Let’s hope the current MCO status will revise for the better come 18 February.
Until then, steer the Ox by the horns towards having a happy and safe celebration during this Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai folks.
There have been several extensions to this year’s MCO, originally termed MCO 2.0. How do we categorize these extensions? Typically it’s a two-week duration, but the second nine-day one threw things out of order. Do we say version 2.3, 2.2.1, or part three for the latest extension for 14 days until 18 February? Sigh. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure, the coming Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year on 12 February will be very different with the latest MCO enforced.
No interstate travel back to hubby’s hometown up North to see his folks, no Reunion Dinner even with my Mom, my brother, and his family because we are well beyond the 10km distance allowed for in-state travel. Other secondary no-nos include the customary New Year golf game with hubby. The list can go on. A very muted celebration, if one can even call it a celebration.
Despite the bleak outlook, we have put up the customary red cloth at the house entrance to brighten the situation. And we will have to find a balance to keep well for the remaining MCO days until further notice.
It’s coming to a week already that we are under lockdown in the MCO 2.0 phase. I must say this time we are better prepared. There was no panic-buying for grocery on our part because it feels normal, like what we have been going through. The only difference being no golf outing and no need to be in the office.
We have been good staying home this time because there are things to keep us busy. Hubby baked while I worked on my DIY project. There is also much to catch up on as far as house chores are concerned. I even washed all my golf shoes to the point of removing all the laces to bleach them white.
Giving the shoes some sun to dry!
Before this latest MCO, I did not have time to clean my golf shoes. I just rotated them because I was playing so much. Now, with this two-week break, the shoes are getting a makeover. Other than this effort, I am, of course, working on DIY project number ten. It’s coming along swell. I reckon I can complete it before the end of the week! Yay.
The year-end golf schedule was a crazy one. It was packed! I had games on the 26th, 27th, 29th, and 31st of December 2020. And as if that was not enough, I ushered the New Year in with games on January 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
Only rain thwarted the game on January 3rd, and instead, we had a lazy day at home on that wet and chilly Sunday morning. It was too troublesome to go out, let alone move. The temperature was perfect for doing nothing. Hubby did bake, though – a sinful cake that was enjoyed thoroughly with a small scoop of coconut ice cream.
I had to go easy on the ice cream or else suffer cramps because of my Endometriosis problem
Initially, I was not supposed to play on January 2nd because I wanted a break, having lined up so many games already. I even declined an invitation to a game on December 30th. But an unexpected problem cropped up that day.
A friend had pulled out at the eleventh hour after inadvertently being exposed to a Covid-19 positive person. He had to self-isolate, and I replaced him.
Well, this year, the golf games may not be so packed as the holidays are over. And I do have to be in the office. So the weekly Thursday game is out, keeping only to Tuesday and the weekends for me.
Angieneering 
Remarks