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Long Weekends

16 May

We seem to be having long weekends of late. Two weeks ago, there was that long stretch of a five-day weekend with the Hari Raya break. This week, it’s another long stretch, albeit shorter, with a three-day weekend.

It was Wesak Day yesterday, but as it fell on Sunday, the replacement holiday for it is today. It makes no difference to us, but we are not complaining. The good thing about this is that the renovation at the house behind us—yes, that’s still ongoing—is not allowed today. So there’s some peace at home.

We should enjoy these breaks whenever they occur, for it will be some time before the next long weekend comes around!

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Wrapping Up DIY Project #23

13 May

DIY project number 23 has been such a challenge. After five months, I’m glad to say DIY project number 23 is a done deal. Well, almost. Not so much of it is hard to construct, but more because of my commitment to staying focused to get it done. When there are other things to do, crafting miniatures takes a backseat.

DIY project number 23

The structure and furniture pieces were all completed some time ago. However, I left things unattended, diverting to felting Miffy rabbits and cute tortoises in between playing golf. The finishing details were the schoolbags and ceiling lights which I decided to skip doing for practical reasons, or call it customizing, if you may.

The opted out pieces

The set will sit in the Ikea display cabinet with the other completed miniature projects. So being in the display cabinet, ceiling lights are pointless because it is too tight a space to touch anything in there. In other words, I have not turned on the lights of any of the sets for some time already. As for the bags, well, I find them too tedious to make, so I’m leaving them out now, but I may change my mind. We shall see.

I have also decided not to take a long break and will jump right into DIY project number 24, which is a much smaller set; hence, the time to complete it will not take so long. I hope I will be more focused on it once I get started.

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A Bag of Air

10 May

We love snacking on chips, and now and then, a bag of chips would be out, and we’ll be munching away. It’s not the healthiest snack, but we’ll close one eye on this.

Recently, M1 brought a bag of chips home for us to try. And try we did. When I opened the bag, it was a bag of air more than chips! Eesh, I was irked to encounter this! The audacity of the manufacturers to puff up the bag to make it look plentiful when in reality, two-thirds of the bag contains more air than chips.

The bag of air

But certain brands are a little better, packing less air and more chips. So either we eat and not complain, or not eat at all to avoid being irked.

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Oh My Hedwig!

9 May

We were out at the mall one day, and the display caught my eye. An owl specifically, Hedwig, the owl from the Harry Potter Charms Collection Series 1. How cute it looked! Although I love owls, I am not a Harry Potter fan per se, so I took a photo of it instead of making an impulse buy.

A few days later, I looked at the photo again to admire the cutie pie and thought, why not try felting it? And within days, my version of Hedwig came about. I think mine looks as good, if not better than the original!

My cutie pie Hedwig

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A Fairy Tale Setting

6 May

It looked like a scene from a fairy tale fable. It was not too late when we came back from dinner earlier this week. The frog was sitting so upright and rigid in front of the tree. Three mushrooms were growing next to the tree trunk, making the scene more fabled. I think the street light played a role in the dreamy scenario.

My feeble attempts with my iPhone XR

The frog did not even flinch when hubby crouched so close to it to take its picture. He managed to capture a few spectacular shots with his Samsung phone. I did not go as close as I was afraid the frog would jump. My photos taken with my iPhone XR pale in comparison to his attempt.

Hubby’s shots with his Samsung phone
Night and day difference for the three mushrooms

Once in a while, it is okay to appreciate a frog if they could sit there quietly, and create a surreal fairy tale scene, instead of being in the garden choir ensemble.

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The Garden Choir, Part 2

3 May

There is another group of the garden choir that works during the day. Unlike the frogs performing live at night on rainy days, these birds perform in the morning. And they sure are just as annoying!

The shrill at a sharp pitch is a constant irritation. I do not know why people say birds chirping is soothing and therapeutic – this is the opposite! Occasionally, the tree shrews join the ensemble with non-stop clicking noises that are more argumentative than melodic.

On top of these irritations, the new neighbor behind our house is another strange creature. They have been renovating their house for the longest time ever. They could not do much when the pandemic broke, as renovation activities were not allowed within the estate. It was peaceful for the last two years. Lately, their renovation is in full swing as these activities are permitted again.

Their constant daily drilling and hacking have been driving us up the wall! Let’s not even go into the dust that we have to endure. Between these critters, noise and environmental pollution have become a constant in our lives. Sigh.

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A Joyous Time

2 May

The announcement caught us all by surprise. Hari Raya was assumed to be tomorrow, but last night, the news broke that the first day of Hari Raya is today. It is a long stretch of holiday for this festive occasion regardless of this. Given that May 1st is Labor Day, but as it fell on Sunday, the next day is the replacement holiday.

This year is a meaningful Hari Raya because Covid-19 SOPs are now relaxed, and people are traveling again. Due to the pandemic for the past two years, interstate travel was very restricted, so this is a welcome change.

As for us, we are staying put because we don’t want to get caught in the traffic snarl. To those celebrating the festive occasion, here’s wishing you Selamat Hari Raya and happy holidays! Have a joyous time together with your loved ones.

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A Welcome Celebration

29 Apr

What a difference with another year passing by for birthday celebrations! The existence of Covid-19 makes it hard for us to predict what can happen with its spread making daily situations so volatile. We cannot plan special occasions so far ahead because things are constantly evolving. Even as I write, the SOPs will change again come next month.

Two years ago, my birthday dinner celebration was a muted affair. We stayed home because of the pandemic and had food delivered. There were scores and scores of containers for the meal. It wasn’t the best in presentation, but being at home made up for it, given the virus fear and lockdown circumstances. Last year, it was a blur, and honestly, I don’t remember what we did on my special day.

This year, things are a little bit different. A spontaneous four-day gastronomic journey that began on Sunday to celebrate instead of a golf getaway like we usually do. Moreover, we just went on a golf trip to Forest City recently, so another trip now is too soon. This mission to discover new food to savor in the run-up to the actual birthday is much appreciated for the chef in me to have the week off from making dinner nightly! Woo hoo.

Lovely fine dining Japanese dinner
We ate to our fill!
We came home to cut my yummy Lemon Pistachio birthday cake
We played a post-birthday round of golf!

The birthday dinner was also a welcome change for various reasons. It was the first fine-dining experience after the many lockdowns we had during the pandemic. Secondly, it’s the first year with M1 joining us, being away for her education, and missing my birthday celebrations for the last six years. All in all, a welcome celebration. A toast to a good year ahead for me, and be in the best of health and mind.

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Big and Cute

26 Apr

As I progress with my new felting hobby, I find that the characters that I do get bigger each time. And they are just as cute. Maybe because I found a bag of beads to make the eyes, the size of the characters has to be proportionate to the beads.

Another cutie pie!

My latest character, another turtle, is such a cutie pie! A large piece does not necessarily mean harder to make – it only requires more material, which I have. I now felt each character with the off-white wool as the base, followed by color wool to dress it up.

It’s been a fun learning experience, and I find myself making a whole range of characters, unlike carving, where I stick to one or two shapes because wood is harder to manipulate. But both have their appeal, and I certainly enjoy felting and carving.

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The Perfect Ball

25 Apr

Last week, a golfing friend scored a Hole-in-One. We were thrilled for him when we heard the news. It got me thinking, when will my turn come for this elusive Hole-in-One? I have yet to achieve this feat despite playing golf for so long.

Perhaps it is the choice of the ball used? I have to admit ball choice was never a priority for me before. I used to play all sorts of brands to find the perfect ball for my game. New balls, used balls, hard balls to soft balls, the Hole-in-One is never within sight.

When I did commit, TaylorMade Distance+ was my preferred choice. But over time, I found the characteristics of the ball not suitable for my ball striking. The TaylorMade Distance+ Soft is no better. So I decided to stop using this brand.

The leading brand Titleist, favored by the pros, is too expensive for a social golfer like me. Although Titleist has a range of balls with different characteristics, it is not my go-to choice. Price aside, it does not suit me because my swing speed does not maximize the ball’s capabilities. In the end, it would only create frustration more than pleasure when playing.

So these days, I play with three brands mostly that are soft in characteristic – Srixon Soft Feel, Bridgestone Extra Soft, and Wilson Duo Soft+, as these soft balls suit my game better. However, I wouldn’t try the different ranges in each brand because, as I have mentioned earlier, my swing speed does not maximize the ball’s capabilities.

Often, social golfers neglect the choice of balls used, like me in the past. The focus is usually on the clubs, especially the driver, to tee off further. Next is the putter, but never the balls for the game. A golfer should understand their swing speed to make the right ball choices, but let’s not get into this. It can be endless and subjective, not to mention very technical too.

When I started to limit my ball choice to the three brands, my game improved by leaps and bounds, and it was gratifying. I have won some side money a fair bit during friendly matches but no Hole-in-One. Yet.

Since my friend struck his Hole-in-One using a Srixon ball, perhaps I should eliminate the other brands and stick to just Srixon, to increase my chances at this elusive achievement? Hmm. It’s a good thought, and hopefully, my turn at this feat will happen soon. And if indeed this happens, I have found my perfect ball for my golf game.

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