A New Green

9 Jul

Last week, I bought a new green color to add to my acrylic color palette for the Citizens of Gigglesville. I must say I have several shades of green, accumulated throughout the years and more added in recent months.

However, lately I felt the choices that I have are a wee bit too dull and predictable. And some of colors are even too old to be used. The Liquitex brand is most obvious having lost its strength (for lack of a better word) because it does not stick well or smoothly upon application. Then again, even the new Neon Green from Apple Barrel does not do too well on wood and I am not sure why. In essence then, only four shades are used on a rotational basis.

I like the new Martha Stewart Crafts’ Granny Smith green choice for a brighter and more refreshing look to add some zest to the Citizens of Giggglesville. Looking forward to using it soon!

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Seeing green!

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The 2.1 Tracker

6 Jul

Recently in mid-April, I replaced my activity wearable the Xiaomi Mi Band2. All was fine and dandy but soon, there were problems. Within two weeks, the battery drained at a pace that was not normal.

Initially I didn’t think too much of it and attributed the quick drain to the setting whereby everything was turned on. So I disabled this and that but to no avail. It came to a point of being useless to wear a tracker that was unable to track anything.

Within half a day, the band would be drained to 40% from a full charge. Oh dear… I sat on the problem for a while but in the end I decided to do something about it.

I contacted the vendor and she suggested that I should go to a Xiaomi Customer Service Centre as she cannot help me, being just a reseller. So over one weekend, I went to the new Xiaomi retail shop that just opened, hoping that the service crew there can help me.

But no, they were not too helpful nor too pleasant. Hrmph. Maybe they were too busy attending to potential new buyers? After all, the shop just opened. Whatever it was, I was not impressed with their service attitude. But I did get confirmation of their Customer Service Centre located not too far away.

The next day, I followed up on this. Unlike the retail shop, the Customer Service Centre was helpful. They said the battery drain issue was not an unusual case and as the device was still under warranty, they will just replace the unit one-for-one instead of fixing the battery. Wow, I didn’t expect that.

With just an hour’s wait after the paperwork submission and device handover, I had a brand new replacement for the Mi Band2 wearable; call it the 2.1 tracker if you may because it replaced the second unit. And it has been working fine since. The first charge lasted three days shy of a six weeks duration.

As long as the one year warranty is still valid with a show proof of the purchase receipt, the Xiaomi Mi Band2 can be replaced if there’s any manufacturer’s problems with it. Just remember to unpair (luckily I remembered to) so that the new one can be paired with the smart phone. Here’s towards happy tracking of my activities!

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What Can I Eat? Part 3

5 Jul

I have never in my wildest dreams thought I would be in a coffee- and alcohol-free situation. I used to live on Coke and Oreos for the caffeine and sugar kick in college and later, thrived on coffee in my professional working life. Then there’s alcohol, a totally different story but not now.

It’s been three months since my laparoscopic surgery and five months since the colonoscopy. Life has resumed with normal activities and recently, I have even gone back to an occasional alcoholic drink or two but not as much as before. Moderation is the key.

Somehow for coffee, I just can’t get back to drinking it on a regular basis. I am not complaining though, I am happy with my decaf Earl Grey.

Health wise, I have maintained my weight which is good but I find I have lost some core strength. Lack of gym sessions to build this back? This is especially very obvious when I play golf because all my distances are off by 10 meters! To compensate this, I have to use a club stronger. Oh well, as long as I can still play golf, I should be thankful.

Initially, within a month from the laparoscopy, I felt fine and pain free. But now, three months later, my pain problems have returned.

One is never cured from Endometriosis unfortunately. I suspect it could be a new round of build up because I have been careful with what I eat. I guess I need to be even more careful all over again if I don’t want to suffer.

The immediate thing to do is to manage the diet by eliminating food that will imbalance the oestrogen. And when the chemical reactions are reduced with a controlled diet, it curtails the Endometriosis the chance to grow and reduces the many symptoms linked to it.

Also I checked again on the list of food to avoid and found out I got my info incorrect on soy products the last time. It’s unfermented soy based foods (like soy milk and soy cheese) that are not good for me, so actually tofu, miso and soy sauce are okay. Thank goodness.

Don’t be surprised if I lose another kilo or two the next few months because it looks like I  shouldn’t be on an in-moderation diet but a restrictive one all over again to manage the pain levels. Sigh…

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So Embarrassing

3 Jul

The inevitable has happened. In my haste to reply to an SMS from hubby, I inadvertently sent my reply to a different channel, a WhatsApp chatgroup instead! Unbelievable.

I have heard several stories of friends sending their replies to the wrong channel and I never thought I would do the same. Usually I am very careful about it but this time, sigh… It was a case of being too efficient and too fast that the error occurred.

Thankfully the chatgroup was just the family (Mom, my sibling and his family) before I realised the error and quickly deleted it. It could have been worse and much more embarrassing.

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My Baby’s All Grown Up

2 Jul

Last Saturday my M2 turned 17! My goodness, where did time go? Wasn’t it just yesterday when I was still breast-feeding her? And here she is all grown up, 17 years old. Sniffle…

We celebrated with Mom with a simple dinner and the most awesome Lava Cake.

We are truly blessed that our youngest is turning out so sweet, sensible and responsible especially towards her obligations (education), following her sister’s footsteps. Although proud parents we are of her, she is still our little baby. Happiest happy birthday indeed, my all grown up baby. Love you to the moon and back!

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The chocolate came oozing out like lava and it was oh so good!

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An Early Halloween?

29 Jun

It was a late night and we were out. Whilst waiting at the traffic light, something caught our eyes and I quickly took a picture of it!

The van in front of us had a hand sticking out from the vehicle and resting near the number plate! My goodness. Surely it cannot be Halloween now in June with such a morbid decoration. Or heaven forbid, a kidnapped person’s hand. But the hand was not waving frantically for attention, moreover the van had big clear windows and it would be darn obvious if situation was not okay.

Whoever was sitting in there was just placing the hand in a comfortable position for grip. Why can’t the person sit properly up front instead of in the boot?

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A Sudden Burst, Part 2

28 Jun

The carving is at a bullet train pace. The month of June is not even up yet and like a person possessed, I have carved up 26 new Citizens plus a Gnome and a Baby Whale for the township!

There is a reason behind this sudden burst…

A girlfriend was very impressed with my efforts and have ordered some from me. I was reluctant to sell them initially because I felt the storyline for Gigglesville is not perfected yet. I believe there’s still some nitty gritty that I have to iron out.

But she managed to convince me and after much thought to iron out certain details, I agreed. Hence the sudden burst to carve three dozen for delivery! I should remind myself from the perspective that my three dozen Citizens of Gigglesville are mass migrating like the rest who have left and as always spreading their love and giggles, much needed in this sometimes troubled world.

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They can’t fit the tray!

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From a different perspective

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What Are the Girls Up To

26 Jun

The school holidays have ended and M2 is back in school. During the two weeks, we didn’t do much except for that two day-trip excursions. And although on break, M2 would still go to school for cheer practice when we went to the office. It became a routine albeit a short one and not too cumbersome.

As for M1, she has finished her Junior year at University and is now having her Summer holidays. She has opted not to come home though but to work for her Professor at the Lab on campus instead. It will be a good experience. Come Fall, M1 will start her Senior year and M2 will be in the final stages of preparation for the year-end big exam.

Dang… they grow up so fast.

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It Must Be the Socks

25 Jun

So I played another game of golf on Sunday, this time participating in my Club’s Anniversary Cup. A tournament in other words. I felt that after the last game which was an improvement, I should be on the upward trend. And I am glad to say I was.

It must be the socks I concluded because I gave the Nike shoes another chance and wore thin socks this time. And everything worked. The shoes held up beautifully in the early morning sogginess – a result from rain the night before, and I did not have pruned toes at all after 18-holes. It felt great. The pair of spare socks that I thoughtfully brought along didn’t need to see any action.

And my golf… it was very encouraging. The tee offs were straight, the subsequent shots too and the shot game and putting all worked. Even crossing the water, something I have always feared especially on what I call my phobia holes, was not an issue! Needless to say I am pleased. Extremely pleased.

From here on, I must remember the socks are equally important, not just the shoes and other equipment. When comfort kicks in, a mentally stronger and confident approach to the game will follow.

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Nothing Goes to Waste

22 Jun

Carving was in full swing two weeks ago. I created a record of sorts when on that Saturday, I carved up seven Citizens of Gigglesville in one seating. Yes, seven! Quite a feat I must say.

And when the tail end of the foot long balsa has an odd height to be a Citizen, it didn’t go to waste because a Gnome was carved out of it.

So after a couple of giant Gnomes, Gnome 13 stands the shortest among the lot. A cute little chappy.

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