2020, what a year! How do we even describe it? For starters, this Christmas is a very different one in all aspects – the mood, the celebration, and the people.
The mood is muted, the celebration toned down or none at all, and people are socially-distanced to stay safe.
For the first time, both our girls are away from home during this festive holiday time. The house feels bigger because our domestic helper returned to her homeland in January, and official pet number one went to pet heaven last year. So it’s just the two of us.
Thankfully, there’s the extended family to have a simple, joyous Christmas Eve dinner at home. We count our blessings and are thankful for the close-knit bond.
Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Stay safe.
Hubby baked an apple cinnamon cake for the occasion, and the turkey was the main course.
Well, well, the CMCO was extended again until the end of the year! It certainly wasn’t a surprise and expected. What can we do? Life goes on with my routine revolving around cooking, cleaning, golf games, and DIY miniatures. Oh yeah, and the occasional design work to do in the office.
The last nine months went by rather quickly. When we went into lockdown in March during a global pandemic, we thought how dreadful life would be. But as I reflect now, it wasn’t that bad. Instead, we should be thankful that we are healthy. Along the way, both hubby and I discovered new skills and hobby.
If the CMCO phase continues to usher in the new year, so be it. We need to continue to contain the spread of the Covid-19. Stay safe, folks!
I find myself admiring and playing with project number eight instead of finishing it up. Every evening, I would place a Citizen of Gigglesville on the sofa chair and giggle at the scene before me. It’s very entertaining!
Citizens visiting the StudyLooking very contented!Citizen #118 doing a balancing act
I am finding excuses to procrastinate and not to start on the lights. There’s the fact that I have work to do in the office this whole week, and I don’t have the time because I’m also playing golf and cooking. It’s becoming a mental block.
Honestly, I find reading instructions is not something I enjoy. But doing up the lights requires focus, and I need to be more disciplined about this if I intend to wrap up project number eight before Christmas. So, no more excuses!
Hubby, the green fingers, has done it again! This time, it is a pineapple, a cute one that can rival SpongeBob’s pineapple house. As I do have SpongeBob’s pineapple house bought from Hong Kong a few years ago during one of my travels, I could not resist comparing both.
Which pineapple, SpongeBob?
And dang, the real one does rival the fake one. SpongeBob can almost come live in our pineapple! Hahahaha.
I must say there was much progress on project number six, the Japanese restaurant, in the last few days. I managed to complete making all the sushi and set them up on the tables and conveyor belt. The whole setup is very colorful and detailed.
My little Japanese restaurant
Food aside, the entrance is almost complete with most of the pieces in save for the stones decoration left to place. With just the main structure and some puny decoration pieces left to do, I should be able to finish this project soon.
The entrance with lights on
Project number six, by far, has been the best DIY set to work on, I have to say.
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down and worked on the tiny trays and plates of sushi for my little Japanese restaurant. My goodness, they sure are tiny. Nano more like it!
The first two tiny platesSushi anyone?
I am halfway with what I have to do and if all goes well, I should be able to complete this task by the coming weekend. Yay!
Project #6 started well two weeks ago but has slowed down because of circumstances. Number one being my golf schedule. Last week I played four times, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I would have played on Sunday too if it wasn’t for the rain and the course was closed. Then I also had to work.
I should be thankful that we are getting design work from our clients, and I have been going into the office daily with hubby. Even on golfing days, after lunch, I was in the office instead of staying at home. So in between the golfing days and the office, there was hardly time to focus on the DIY set.
And by the time we get home, prepare dinner, eat and clean up after that, there’s no more energy left. It is too tiring to sit at my station to concentrate on the set.
Well, the first floor of the main structure is up, and my little Japanese restaurant is starting to look good with what I have managed to complete so far. I’m just saving difficult tasks for later when I can sit down without interruption and focus.
Furniture and decor pieces are done! Itty bitty pieces
We ran out of bird seeds and haven’t had the opportunity to swing by the pet shop to replenish. So the birds are not happy.
In the last two days, our daily visitors had nothing to eat and were disappointed. And curious at the same time, because they can see us but not their food. So much so, they even daringly came into the house as if to inquire about the sudden drop in service!
Hello! Anybody home? We’re hungry
I sat at my carving spot and managed to take a picture without alarming them. It would be utter chaos if they were spooked and attempted to fly off. Luckily the curtains were drawn, and two sauntered off soon after without any incident.
I was cleaning out the closet last year and found a forgotten bag of Snoopy collectibles from my Happy Meal days. Ah, the things we did when we were younger.
McDonald’s meals are not for everyone for various reasons. But there was once, a long, long time ago, both hubby and I ate a lot of McDonald’s, particularly the Happy Meals as I wanted to collect the Snoopy figurine that came with it.
I adore Snoopy, and I would go to lengths to collect anything and everything to do with Snoopy. Even if this means eating Happy Meals, I will do it.
After that bout, there were other Snoopy series, but I stopped the Happy Meals. Now, during this pandemic and the various MCO phases, we did eat McDonald’s occasionally when we don’t know what else to eat, or I don’t feel like cooking. However, no Happy Meals choice since there’s no more Snoopy offered.
Wednesday was a public holiday, being Malaysia Day, and we took the opportunity to do another day trip excursion. This time, we went to Cameron Highlands.
Mom came along this time for the little adventure. The journey started late as we couldn’t wake up early. But as we’re not in a hurry, it did not matter. The first stop was at Bidor for brunch.
Wantan Noodles for brunch
I was disappointed that I did not get to eat the Duck Noodles because the order taker was not very clear when she spoke in Cantonese to us. Nor was she attentive to recommend. We all ended up having Wantan Noodles instead.
After the quick meal, the journey continued towards Cameron Highlands. Traffic was not that heavy, and the drive was pleasant enough despite the winding road along the hillside. Along the way, we stopped to buy local produce – bamboo shoots and stink beans, or commonly know as petai.
Buying bamboo shoots and petai
By 12.30 pm we arrived at the Boh Plantation. The weather was cloudy, windy, and a wee bit chilly. Nice though. However, with the pandemic and SOP enforced, visitors had to be controlled for social distancing; we couldn’t stay too long, enough only for a quick tea and scone break.
The picturesque hills of the Boh PlantationThe scone
I felt the scone paled in comparison to hubby’s home-baked scones. It’s good to know though the quality and standard of hubby’s baking skills. As the factory tour has ceased due to the pandemic, there was no reason for us to linger. We left shortly for the Bee Farm, which was not too far away.
Bees and strawberries, and masks on!
It was a short visit as there wasn’t much to see. There was only one strawberry plant worthy to be photographed, and I did just that.
Vegetable farms on the hills
We left for Cameron Highlands for Raju’s Hill Strawberry Farm next. By now, traffic began to build up. Before we knew it, it was like every other car on the road was also going to Raju’s farm! The traffic crawl was a good hour or so. Not nice.
Look at the sky and traffic! It was like a long arduous drive into the abyss
By the time we arrived at the junction to turn towards the farm, the long queue in front change our minds. We decided to leave before the traffic built up again when everyone decides to leave the place.
Along the drive back, we stopped at the roadside to buy some fresh vegetables and more petai! The rest of the journey down wasn’t too bad as there weren’t that many cars yet.
More petai and fresh vegetables
We arrived in Tapah by 5.30 pm and had an early dinner. We were all ravenous as I realized we didn’t eat lunch!
A satisfying meal after a rather long and tiring day
The rest of the journey home was pleasant without much traffic build-up, and after sending Mom home, we arrived home safely. A wonderful day trip indeed.
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