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Day Trip: Cameron Highlands

18 Sep

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 Plantation
The 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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An Early Surprise

15 Sep

I was pleasantly surprised when my online purchase arrived yesterday. I certainly did not expect the parcel to arrive so soon this week. But it did, and I’m pleased.

So, what did I buy? Yet another DIY set, of course!

DIY project number five! 😍

This will be my fifth set, and from the looks of it, the biggest and heaviest by far (1.682kg according to the parcel description). But even without the weight mentioned, the package felt heavy when the delivery man handed the parcel over to me.

Ooohhhh… I can’t wait to get started on it. However, I have to finish project number four first before I can even open the individual packs inside this latest DIY set to get a feel of things.

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Knock! Knock! Let Me In

11 Sep

It’s been a while since my preoccupation with the caterpillars in our garden. Ever since the various MCO phases, I’ve hardly ventured out to the garden because I’ve been busy cooking, carving and crafting inside the house.

Knock! Knock! Let me in… 😅

So it was a surprise when we discovered one adventurous caterpillar on our front door! Is it trying to come in? Hahaha… It amazingly made the long trek from the lime tree in front of the house, a good ten feet away, and four feet up the door. How? Why? I don’t know.

We also spotted another one on the same lime tree. While it’s nice to have them around, just to observe their growth and transformation, they’re actually detrimental to the plants.

Nonetheless, we didn’t have the heart to harm our little adventurous friend, so hubby relocated him to the garden. It certainly looked happy chomping away on the leaves when I checked on it the next day.

Relocated to the garden

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A New Tray

8 Sep

The mood for online shopping struck a few weeks ago. And I purchased a silicon baking tray, not for me obviously but for hubby. He has been baking a lot during the MCO, so we thought it’d be fun to vary the bread shapes and sizes.

Now, this is our first silicon tray for baking, and it took hubby a couple of bakes to get it right as far as the temperature and timing control are concerned. On the first attempt, I was left in charged to watch the loaves in the oven because he had to leave for the office.

Obviously I cannot bake! 😅

And the mini loaves, under my watch, came out a little burnt! Oops. I had followed the temperature and timing accordingly though…

Second attempt using a wheat bread recipe

So hubby had to make some adjustments. On his second and third attempts, using a wheat bread recipe, the loaves turned out okay. And by the fourth attempt, the mini loaves turned out lovely. All these attempts, I wasn’t roped in to help, thank goodness.

A tad too little (dough) that resulted in skinny minis?

We love the new tray and the breads.

Lovely mini loaves by the fourth attempt

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Celebrating the Silver Anniversary

31 Aug

It’s that time of the year again to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This year, it’s supposed to be a special milestone because it is our 25th silver anniversary!

Alas, flying off to somewhere far and exotic is out of the question. It used to be we would traverse the world for significant wedding milestones but not this year. With the pandemic still raging on uncontrollable, it is best to shelf any big plans that involves flying.

However, we did go away on a short local self-drive trip for some golfing fun rather than sticking to our weekend golf routine. And when I say short, it was just 2D/1N. The shortest trip for the most significant milestone!

Happy anniversary, my significant half! We have had an amazing journey for the past 25 years. I certainly look forward to the next 25 to come. And we will weather through this weird and trying year together.

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Taking Over

18 Aug

I have taken over M2’s two-story DIY set because she has given up working on it. She has lost interest and has no patience at all. For me, I just cannot bear the thought of it staying unfinished, and collecting dust. So I find myself working on it everyday.

The ground floor is almost complete except for the living room’s sofa and pillows. However, much effort is needed for the first floor that has yet to be put together.

Every night, as I walk past the dining table and seeing the two completed projects, I’d play with the lights to admire the structures. The lighted pieces spur me on to stay focused so that this third set can join the other two to be displayed. But it has been slow.

There are more pillows in this set to work on, and it takes time for the glue to set. I’m not complaining though as I have gotten it down to a pat to do the pillows properly.

I’m sure there will be further progress this week. With Thursday being a public holiday, and I am not playing golf for once, I can focus on this.

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Road to Recovery

17 Aug

It has been two weeks already since my mishap missing the last step on the flight of stairs. The donut on the left ankle subsided, but the bump on the right ankle is still evident, albeit smaller.

Bump has reduced on the right ugly foot

I have gone back to playing golf after resting for five days. And I played one of my best games ever, coming back with two under my handicap! I guess the break was not only good for the ankles but the body. However, to be safe, I wrapped my right ankle for protection. The weather was excellent, and the game was exceptional. And I didn’t let the ankle bother me.

Since then after that personal best, I have played three more games. And I’m pleased to say the ankle held up okay. I hope by the end of this week, the bump will subside and the ankle back to looking normal. The road to recovery can sometimes be an arduous track, but I’m hanging in there with exercise and positive thoughts.

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Day Trip to Malacca

11 Aug

As I’m resting from my weekend golf to allow my injuries to heal, we decided to do a day trip to Malacca to keep busy, and not just stay at home. M2 had read about a dog cafe and thought it would be a good idea to check it out. And so we did on Sunday.

The drive was pleasant as traffic was not too heavy on the highway. We arrived at 11.30 am and decided to have an early lunch. Approaching the junction, we had a good laugh over the welcome signboard. Mamee Monster is a snack everyone grew up eating, my girls and I included.

Welcome to my hometown says Mamee Monster!

Hubby took us to Baba Ang, a Nyonya restaurant. He had dined here with his friends before, so he thought this would be a good choice rather than somewhere unfamiliar. However, we couldn’t order a lot as there’s only three of us compared to his big group of friends.

Nyonya lunch stop

The sambal on the okra was very good with a hint of dried shrimps in it. Likewise, the Assam Fish looked fiery but wasn’t too spicy for the taste buds. But the Tamarind Prawns was a letdown. It was expensive for only five prawns that weren’t even big ones. The Cendol dessert rounded up the meal.

A hot day and no crowd

After lunch, we drove around town. We were glad we took the sights from inside the car than on foot because the weather was extremely hot. I was happy I didn’t have to walk to stress the ankles. Sadly, most shops along Jonker Walk were closed due to the MCO restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic virus that has besieged the world. There were some tourists but not in overwhelming numbers.

Soon it was time to head to the dog cafe, The Huskitory. We had a delightful time mingling with all the Siberian Huskies and vying for their attention with treats. The dogs are very well trained but picky. They’d only come close to you if you have a treat in hand. Clever furballs.

It was called a Husky tsunami when the dogs rushed in
Simple dinner at the end of the day

The allotted hour went by quickly, and it was time to leave for home. Although traffic was heavy, we were in no hurry and simply enjoyed the drive back. The pleasant Sunday day trip ended with a satisfying dinner and a lovely sunset.

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An Unfortunate Mishap

10 Aug

Last week, I had an unfortunate mishap that resulted in unnecessary injuries. It wasn’t even clumsiness and totally my fault. I was looking at my iPad Mini and not the stairs when I was walking down, and I missed the last step. The iPad went flying, I took a tumble and both landed with a thud. Ouch!

Quickly, I hobbled to the sofa and iced the right ankle because it was throbbing the most. Icing was a good precaution to reduce the swelling. But somehow, a good bump still developed. Strangely, the left ankle had a donut effect which I’m sure was not there before. Hmm… Thankfully all other body parts were intact and no bruises. Phew.

A week ago: a lovely donut and a bump!

While I should rest, I played golf the next two days because firstly, I didn’t feel too uncomfortable after the mishap, and secondly, they were games that I couldn’t cancel.

The Tuesday game was out of sorts because I was very conscious not to put weight on the right leg even though I wrapped the ankle, and hobbled pretty much throughout the game. The next game on Wednesday was slightly better as I was more relaxed and didn’t focus too much on the ankle which was wrapped again. I hobbled less and played so much better.

To be safe though, I stopped playing golf for a week after that. The donut on the left leg is less pronounced now but the bump on the right leg is still there albeit smaller.

I find that at certain angles when I walk down the stairs too fast, I can feel a pinch in the nerves because the movement compresses the ankle area. So I have to remember to descend slowly or sometimes move like a crab, sideways.

Ankles aside, I discovered to my dismay two days later, some discomfort on my left wrist! Yikes… I just hope nothing too serious.

It’s been a week already since the mishap. I try to ice the right ankle whenever possible, massage the left ankle and left wrist daily, and hope for a speedy recovery. I play my regular game tomorrow and we shall see how I hold up.

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Happy Ants

7 Aug

It is often said whatever that has been planted and cared for without using pesticides will be evident in the harvest; there will be worms enjoying the fruits of the labor.

This round, mostly green ones

Our scotch bonnet pepper plants have been very healthy and we have had non-stop supplies. And sometimes worms included. On and off, I’d find tiny worms in the container holding the basket of peppers. And I’d just wash the icky worms down the sink.

Bumper supply of worms too! Five altogether

One morning, I saw a worm on the kitchen counter top instead! Eeek… it had somehow escaped from the container. Before I could do anything, the ants got to it first! They were quickly maneuvering the worm to their nest for the rest of the colony as food. I didn’t have the heart to thwart them. It would be too vicious.

One, two, three… heave! One, two, three… go!

So I simply took a picture of the action but missed the rest of their journey to their lair when I turned away. Dang! They sure are fast but they sure are happy ants with the unexpected bounty.

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