Last week, I thought I had a break from Homescapes when I could not progress beyond Level 15350 – the game released the new levels the next day! Uh oh. So, building miniatures is a no-go again.
I try to limit my time on my iPad Mini, keeping the activity to just reading the news and watching videos on YouTube. But, as far as Homescapes is concerned, it’s hard not to play it.
I am now at Level 15398. Will I complete all the latest levels before I hit a snag again and stall? We will find out.
Yesterday, my blog site turned 11 years old. Wow.
I am most impressed with myself with the longevity of this. When I started this in 2013, I wanted to write better by keeping a journal, not just for me but also to share my adventures. Never had I envisioned that it would go on for so long.
I want to thank my readers who have joined me on my adventures and experiences. Without you and the support, it would never have gone on. Happy anniversary to me, happy reading, and thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Nowadays, we see people staying connected with their devices all the time, regardless of location. It’s so bad being so attached and dependent on our devices 24/7. If it wasn’t for staying updated with news or social media, it is for games, music, or movies. It is as if a minute of not being connected, one will be so out of touch. Isn’t this terrible?
I confess I am just as guilty, but only at home, with my attachment to my devices. The iPad Mini is mostly for games and movies, and the old iPhone 5S or iPhone XR is for my Spotify music on loop. I leave my iPhone 14Plus for communication and occasional news updates. Separately, I have a Kobo eReader for reading my novels, sparing my eyes from the glare of the iPad.
However, when I travel, I abide by the airline rules and don’t fuss with my devices, keeping them in the bag and turning on the flight mode. After all, the airline does offer some entertainment as an alternative, especially the long hauls. And anything less than a three-hour flight, I have learned and can live without my devices for that few hours being airborne.
On my recent return journey from Hanoi, the passenger in front did not put away his iPhone as he was deeply engrossed in watching the sitcom “Friends.” I couldn’t help but admire his clever hack of using the Air Sickness Bag to feed his sitcom fixation.
The tray table had to be closed, so he used the bag to hold his phone in place to watch hands-free! So clever. But clever as it seems, you won’t catch me doing this for my trips on a flight and leaving the bag intact for its actual usage.
This cough is taking its toll on me. I feel so sapped of energy despite resting at home. Could it be listening to music, reading, and being on my iPad for nine hours daily does not count as doing nothing and tiring me out?
I have not played golf for ten days now, and it’s a bit concerning because I have signed up for various golf games next week! I’m unsure if I have the energy to lift my clubs when walking up and down the stairs has been so tiring.
Sigh, a speedy recovery it has not been despite having seen the doctor and being on medication. Maybe I should stay away from the iPad and do nothing. Really. With the mind at rest instead of plotting the next game move or constantly on alert watching and reading, it may be the right thing to do. Hmm. Discipline is essential to less iPad interaction; otherwise, I will continue to limp weakly into the year.
The weather, of late, has been wonky again. It constantly flips between being hot, like a furnace, and cold, like being in the highlands when it rains. Unpredictable is what the weather is.
Playing golf in the afternoons is very taxing on the body when it’s hot. I find myself drinking more water than ever to stay hydrated. However, not all afternoons are hot, and there are days when afternoon golf can be a washout.
I’m glad I rested the last few days to allow my body to recover. Regardless of the conditions outside, I have been indoors chilling and doing nothing. It’s nice as I caught up with my reading.
Recently, there have been reports that the haze is back! The heat is on and gets to me. It becomes unbearable and uncomfortable. Sigh. I hope this won’t last; otherwise, we have no choice but to be indoors more than ever. We will have to monitor the situation.
It has been unbearably hot lately. The heatwave is just too much to handle. But it rains also, and when it rains, it floods. We are going through a spell of crazy weather now.
I try to do less, play less golf, and move less. The thought of sitting down and starting the next miniature does not even appeal, likewise using my brain to think, read, or write. Ugh.
The heat does crazy things to the mind, and my sloth lifestyle is returning! I hope this will not last because it is not productive.
Lately, I find myself playing a lot more games again on my iPad Mini. It’s not good because it’s very unhealthy, especially for my eyes and time management. Being obsessed with my games, reading the news, and watching YouTube or Netflix derails me on more important matters, like house chores or crafting my miniatures.
So at times, I have to put the iPad aside to focus on those things because I tend to forget the time amid a game challenge. I am distracted by the latest game downloaded recently. These things happen when free ads promoting new games appear amidst my regular ones.
Piqued, I would check them out, and the next thing I know, the game is downloaded. And before I know it, I am playing a new game. Sometimes, the interest would wane, but the appeal is quite lasting for this latest download, Brick Out.
I find myself playing it until the wee hours of the night. Even Gudetama, the Netflix series I am watching now, cannot hold my interest as much! I should detach myself from my games and be more disciplined in putting down my iPad Mini when it’s time to sleep.
I had a notification from WordPress this morning – congratulating me on the ninth anniversary of my blog site! Wow. For nine years, I have had this going. Wow again. I am speechless that I have kept it going for so long.
But this would not have happened if it wasn’t for all you readers supporting me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Keep reading, and of course, I will keep writing.
The bread that I baked last week was an out-of-the-blue decision. I called it the accidental bread. I was set to bake a cake in the beginning, the instant cake-from-the-box easy peasy one of course. Then I decided why not bake bread too? Since we have all the time in the world.
Also I wanted to give the Kenwood Rapid Bake bread maker another chance but the bread maker tripped the electricity in the house again. This reaffirmed that it’s a machine problem and wasn’t a user problem the last time when I used the machine.
So Plan B had to be kicked in because we had an unbaked bread in hand.
Rather than wasting the dough because the trip occurred when the bread maker went into the baking mode, we managed to salvage it. With some modification – adding more flour to the unusual watery mixture (don’t ask me how it became like that), we let the dough sit for a bit.
Then into the conventional oven it went. The final outcome turned out pretty good despite its appearance! A pat on the shoulder for the both of us.
Do I look forward to baking my next loaf of bread in the oven? I’m not too sure, we shall see.
Besides these self-discoveries and time-consuming activities, I caught up with my reading, finishing several titles and I started watching a Netflix series, something I never did previously. It’s certainly interesting times with the days of my MCO life.
We are now a week into Phase Two of the MCO. What this means is that the rules are stricter and anyone caught going beyond 10km from their home will be arrested if they don’t have a valid reason. Well, I don’t have to worry as I have not ventured out even to the front lawn of the house.
Being confined to the house for so long during this MCO, I found myself doing things that I’ve never done so much before within a certain time frame.
Like cooking. And constantly at it, twice each day, trying out all sorts of recipes sourced from the internet. It’s the most logical thing to do and besides, I have all the time in the world for the preparations.
Then there’s the carving. I’ve carved so many Whales in March and these would all make lovely gifts for my friends when I see them.
All these carved during the MCO
There’s also another homely thing that I found myself doing every now and then. Baking! Although it’s the instant out-of-the-box, it’s a good variation from the cooking routine. Twice I baked and once I even baked a loaf of bread! Surprise… surprise…
The second cake – Lemon Cake with poppyseeds of course!
Angieneering 
Remarks