Rock Bottom, Part 2

21 Jun

Golf is a funny game. Just when I thought I’d give up the game and just focus on carving, I play a decent game next. This time, it didn’t rain and I opted to wear my Footjoy after the last disastrous game wearing the new Nike shoes. The poor shoes, I should give it another chance.

During the latest game, my shots were good and my putting was impressive despite several near misses. Maybe there’s hope because I had already hit rock bottom the previous game and this game did not plunge any further.

Let’s hope the next game maintains the upward trend.

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What a Day, Part 2

19 Jun

Such contrasting experiences for us for two different days of impromptu day trip excursions…

After the fun-filled Friday at Resorts World Genting, on Saturday we decided on another day trip excursion. This time, we managed to convince Mom to come along as it would be a shorter outing with less walking and more suited for her. Destination: Pulau Ketam or Crab Island.

Unfortunately things did not turn out as well as the day before…

The line for the ferry tickets was horrendously long. It was sardine-packed at the jetty. There was no proper queue, the crowd was loud, the weather hot and yes, it wasn’t pleasant. Finally when we got onto the ferry, there was some respite because it was air-conditioned. The half hour journey was pleasant enough to make up for the earlier discomfort.

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Packed, murky, strange, we saw it all at Pulau Ketam!

 

When we got to Pulau Ketam, it was even hotter and humid and I have forgotten to bring the sunblock, cap or the umbrella. Oops.

We decided to have lunch before exploring the little island. Unfortunately, the lunch experience left a bad taste in the mouth. While we understand it’s the weekend and a public holiday with packed crowds and long waiting time, the lady boss didn’t have to be rude replying us when we asked how come the table that came after us was served first? Was there a preference because they ordered crabs and fish, more expensive items on the menu compared to our choices? Hrmph.

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Expensive for a fish ball soup, steamed clams, mantis prawns and a veggie, all small portions

The thing that riled us even more after the meal was the exorbitant amount that she charged us! The audacity of her… it does not bode well to be rude to paying customers on top of the unethical business practice of over charging. Lady… the consequences can be far more damaging than that moment in time when you were questioned while stressed.

So people, if you ever visit Pulau Ketam, do avoid the restaurant on the left, next to a religious abode after passing the two-storey yellow fire station, you can’t miss it.

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The island village’s fire station with their ‘fire engines’

The mood was spoiled after that. We walked aimlessly towards the village. There were a lot of other open air restaurants and all were packed to the brim. Nothing caught our attention except for a couple of food stalls. There were some dried sea produce to buy like dried anchovies or dried shrimps and that’s it, not even local handicraft on display to admire or browse.

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Two different vendors selling the same thing, clam & oyster omelette

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From freezer to hot wok, this fried ice cream is crunchy on the outside, cold on the inside

The heat was getting to us and we decided to leave. The wait at the jetty was another horrid experience. The sardine-packed place was just a madhouse. There was no queue, no manners, no rule. Everyone was for themselves.

It was shoulder to shoulder and made worse when a group of cocky guys came shoving through rudely and jumped the haphazard queue that was eventually formed. The crowd wasn’t pleased and loudly told them off. They then back-tracked but laughed it off without any remorse. Eeesh. Then people disembarking from the speedboat was pushing and shoving to get out. It wasn’t the nicest experience.

Thank goodness, we managed to get on the 3.00pm speedboat in a somewhat orderly manner and left the island. What a contrast in experience compared to the day before. Oh well, at least I can now add this destination as another ‘been there, done that’ off my checklist. And I’m afraid it will be a long while before we’d consider coming back here again.

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What a Day

18 Jun

Last Friday our road trip to ‘nowhere’ turned out to be the most fun and relaxed day! We decided to head to Resorts World Genting. Located in the highlands at 6,000 feet above sea level, the drive was unhurried and leisurely as traffic was clear. Within an hour from leaving home, we arrived, found parking and started our adventure. There was no time limit, no fixed plans and everything was just spontaneous.

We started off looking for food. Something light to get us going. The Congee and Wantan Mee (not very generous with the pieces of Char Siew) was very expensive but then again, when one is at a tourist spot, food prices are at their mercy. There was no lack in choices I must say. Plenty to eat and plenty to tempt your palate, the only thing holding one back is the tummy’s ability to eat everything.

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The food choices from the two different stalls

Wandering through the indoor mall, the sea of people was bearable. Crowded but not shoulder to shoulder, we just explored and simply enjoyed the mall’s deco, festive attractions and digital display.

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Lights, sights and sound to entertain and dazzle

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The Smurfs on display. Wasn’t quite sure what the red costumed folks were about…

 

The first stop we made was at the Jurassic Research Center. Having watched Jurassic World last week, we thought this would be fun. And it was. Although there were no thrilling rides or popping out dinosaurs to scare you, the docile animatronics giants were enough to make this experience very enjoyable.

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Our combo ticket included entry to Ripley’s Believe it or Not too. And this was just as enjoyable. By the time we finished these two attractions, it was 2.30pm already. So we looked for food again but we got lost going around in circles. The place was practically an intricate maze but nobody got mad or upset about it.

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Channeling my inner T-Rex but at the wrong attraction!

We ended up at a Parisian-themed cafe for high tea instead of lunch. This was quite an experience. Sugar laden from all the pastries presented in the elaborate setup, we had good black coffee to counter all that sweet intake. Our high tea indulgence lasted an hour and a half in total relaxation without a hurry in the world.

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It may not look much but believe me, it was quite a struggle towards the end for us

Pumped by all that sugar, we felt we had to do something more active to burn all those calories. The next stop, the amusement park and we played some silly arcade games – coin tossing, shooting, ball throwing and some serious driving with more shooting. Good workout it turned out. When the amusement park credits were all used up, we moved on with silly grins pasted on our faces.

By now, we decided to leave as it was getting very crowded. Thankfully, the weather outside was lovely and it was very refreshing to enjoy the cool temperature of the highlands. With the much needed short breather (we passed the 10,000 steps mark with so much walking), we felt revived and then made our way back into the indoor maze to try to get to the car park. It wasn’t the easiest because we got lost again.

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Finally the car was located and it was a new challenge to drive down six levels through haphazardly parked cars in the narrow multi-level car park. Eeesh. Driving into the abyss, we bade the highlands goodbye and headed to the Premium Outlet, a short distance away.

The Premium Outlet offered many international brands at attractive prices. Nothing caught our eye but we did buy some necessary items because it was a good deal. We had dinner here and the spicy and salty choices were a welcome taste to overcome the sweetness of the earlier afternoon tea.

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Taiwanese dry pork noodle, salty crispy chicken and spicy beef noodle… yum

By 9.30pm we decided to head home. What a day it has been! Tired and contented, I think this was one of our better escapade and we plan to visit again. It took an hour to arrive home and I clocked in 12,866 steps by the time I opened the front door to the house.

 

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Road Trip!

15 Jun

It is a public holiday today and we decided to take a road trip to… nowhere!

We thought it’d be fun to drive out of the city in search of food and some adventure. Who knows what sort of traffic conditions we will face as most festive travellers would have started their journey yesterday.

We brace ourselves but keep an open mind to have an adventurous unplanned trip.

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Rock Bottom

14 Jun

Last week I hit rock bottom as far as my golfing ability or rather inability is concerned. I have no words to describe. It didn’t even rain and the new Nike shoes which were supposed to help didn’t at all. In fact, it hurt more than helped.

The socks were too thick and caused the feet to hurt, and I couldn’t focus. And then my eyes hurt and I couldn’t focus. My shoulders were so stiff and I couldn’t swing properly. In short, everything did not work out during that game. The only consolation was a few tricky long putts that went in. I know there shouldn’t be any excuses but there were plenty.

Sigh… I can only hope with this rock bottom achievement I should move upwards next because there’s no more room to bottom out even further. If it does at this point, I may just give up golf because there’s no joy in this activity anymore. And carving is looking more appealing because there’s so much more joy to create, see my end results and feel the love when I give them away. There’s no love for the frustration of playing terrible golf.

Will I survive this moment of self-doubt and lack of conviction for the game?

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The Fifth Anniversary

12 Jun

Five years ago on this day, I started this blog of mine and five years has gone by and it is still going strong. What a milestone. Every day except Wednesday and weekends there’d be an entry, and more often if I travel. I have been very disciplined about it.

Life is simply amazing to give me so much to write about. While mostly it’s happy and memorable experiences worthy to share, there were sad and painful moments too, even fear at some point. Such is life.

Humbly, I’d like to say “Thank you” to all my readers out there and “Happy 5th Anniversary” to me and my blog. It means a lot to me that people, friends and strangers from all over the world, have an interest in what I have to say about my children, my travels and my life.

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The Cycle Continues

11 Jun

The habanero chillies were all eaten. We had to share them with some golfing friends as it was too hot for us to handle. And boy, were they fiery hot! While some people avoided out of fear, some enjoyed the taste and kick immensely.

Mom, unaware of the habanero’s killer heat, called to say her hands were on fire immediately after cutting them. All sorts of remedy did not help to quell the pain and heat. It took some time before the agony subsided. Oh dear…

Hubby is now preparing the next batch of seeds to plant. He left a couple of chilli on the branches to ripen even more before plucking them. Then both chillies are left to dry to become like the original he still has. From here, the seeds will then be planted.

And the cycle continues… plant, harvest, consume.

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These killer habanero chillies are more potent than any killer tomatoes…

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A Sudden Burst

8 Jun

I have forgotten what it is like to carve balsa having worked on Meranti so much last month. Last night I pushed myself to go back to my Citizens on balsa instead of Meranti Gnomes. And my goodness! It’s so effortless.

So much so, the sudden burst resulted in four new Citizens – one in the morning before going to work and three in the evening after dinner. Yay. Maybe I should stop the Gnomes series for the time being and just focus on Citizens of Gigglesville. After all, their population count remained stagnant at 132 since Apr 24th.

Honestly, working with Meranti wood has aggravated the tennis elbow again. Not a good sign especially if I want to go back to playing golf. I shouldn’t allow this to flare up and if I want to also continue carving I should stick to balsa, a much softer wood. This may be the best balance to have the best of both activities.

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Unfinished and ugly for now but that’s the process

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Identity Crisis

7 Jun

Now that my Gandalf-looking Gnome is painted up, I feel it has an identity crisis! When it was all white with the gesso base, it looked like Gandalf. Now with the lavender shade, it’s looking more like a Wizard.

I was at a crossroad on the color choice. Believe me, it wasn’t easy and I even debated with M2 and hubby on the matter. In the end, I picked lavender.

While it’s a gnome and lives in Gnomie-wood, I felt it shouldn’t don the red cap and blue outfit because it’s of a different shape from the rest. And if it’s all red, it may end up looking like Santa. God forbid if it’s all green, it will look like a leprechaun!

The signature feature of my gnome series with the cone cap covering the face and eyes, and just the nose sticking out maintains the gnome allure despite the color difference.

I guess a variation is good for the gnomes of Gnomie-wood, just like the Citizens of Gigglesville with the many different species either still living in Gigglesville or have migrated to spread love and giggles.

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The Shoe Queen Strikes Again

5 Jun

Guess what? It looks like the Shoe Queen has struck again! It was only in February when I bought a new pair of Footjoy golf shoes and exactly four months later, on June 1st, I bought my umpteenth pair of golf shoes. Honestly, I have lost count but there’s a reason behind this newest purchase.

Lately, it has been raining more often than I can remember for around this time of the year. Despite such weather conditions, I have gone back to playing golf. And sadly, my shoes are a disappointment. They don’t hold up well as claimed and neither do they dry on time before the next game.

The Footjoy has held up only slightly better than both the Adidas pairs. Water still seeps in but toes are not as pruned. The same cannot be said for both the Adidas spike and spikeless pairs. They have failed me with water seeping in midway through the games. By the end of 18-holes each time, I’d end up with soaked socks and pruned toes. Not a nice feeling. Ugh.

Then again, it has been raining cats and dogs every single day and any waterproof shoes would not be able to withstand the soggy conditions on the golf course. I don’t even bother to wear the canvas Skechers golf shoes because I know they would be totally done in.

So I hope this new pair, a Nike this time – waterproof, leather and semi-spiked, will fare better under those extreme soggy conditions. We will find out when I wear it for my next game.

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