The inevitable has happened! The long chain of constantly going into the Candy Crush Soda’s Daily Bonus finally snapped on the iPhone. I guess I was too fast to click when the phone was just connecting, thus the 358 days streak was broken! Boo hoo hoo…
Upon realization, I was slower with my actions for the iPad and thank goodness, this one’s record is still intact, at 560 days. Phew.
Back to Day 1… boo hoo hoo.
After the completion of the Giant Gnome, I began experimenting with the new Meranti wood. And I find its density to be in between the balsa and basswood that I have been working with all this time. It is rather nice and different.
The balsa, despite being too soft and porous, and sometimes comes off easily in chunks if I apply a little bit more strength, has its plus points I must say. After all there wouldn’t be 128 Citizens of Gigglesville, a handful of Superheroes, Gnomes and Monuments to show.
As for the basswood, it is rather hard and needs more effort to carve and shape. So far, I have only three finished pieces with this wood type: Halloween Owl, Dinky the Dinosaur and Giant Gnome.
Now the Meranti wood is something else. Soft yet not too soft, and hard but not so, it is rather easy to work with. Within one hot Sunday afternoon at home, I carved up two familiar characters but with slight variations. A Citizen perched on a tree and a Gnome with a super tall cap. The only thing with this wood is the depth. The width is fine but lacking depth, so the two finished pieces have rather flat heads. That’s why it’s an experiment.
Next project in the pipeline is glueing two Meranti pieces together to give it depth and let’s see how this will turn out! Another Gnome in the making before I plan what new species or character to come out with. With the workbench in place, I don’t mind a drop in my social life as I stay at home nightly to work on my carvings.
Three weeks after my diagnose of Infectious Colitis, I started on probiotics supplement to strengthen my innards. And I am not sure whether it can work because I felt the biggest battle in my tummy on a Sunday night.
Now the thing is, the reaction could possibly be from the spicy Kimchi fried rice that M2 cooked and I tried some. It would be rude if I didn’t at least try a little of her first time attempt. So a little I had…
That night, I felt as if there was an epic good versus evil bacteria battle in my tummy. The abdominal cramps were not just the worst but the ‘worstest’ ever. No word can describe the pain, that’s how bad it was. To add to my misery, the backache also kicked in and painkiller I popped didn’t help at all. Surely it can’t be the probiotics as it’s supposed to be a good thing. I can’t imagine what I would go through had I ate more Kimchi fried rice. Shudder…
I have been very, very careful with what I eat and to suddenly experience this awful pain looks like a major setback to recovery. Looks like I may have to have another round of antibiotics. Sigh…
It took me awhile to figure out what should I carve out of the four inch basswood block and finally I decided it should be a Gnome, a Giant Gnome. I felt that to do a Citizen, on this big scale, it would be a ‘waste’ as most of the wood would be shaved off to shape a Citizen.
Citizens generally are shorter, averaging about 26mm, compared to a Gnome that is about 50mm except for Gnome 2 who is 43mm. The Gnome’s height especially the cap is determined by how much balsa wood is left without wasting any of the wood upon carving.
If I had a 50mm piece left, it is better to carve a Gnome than to carve two 25mm Citizens because it’s just too short and hard to hold. So in essence, Gnomes came about because I did not want to waste my precious balsa wood.
This chunky short adorable fella definitely stands out from the other three Gnomes.
And Gnomes will also grow in numbers like the Citizens of Gigglesville. Maybe they should have their own hamlet. Gnomesville? Hmm…
I didn’t expect my workbench to arrive so soon! It was ordered only on Sunday and arrived two days later. The other two items (for Rooney and M2) which were ordered earlier are still being processed. Nonetheless, this is another box of happiness. Work space has shifted from the living room to the terrace that Tuesday night itself. So exciting!
We came across the strangest thing last weekend. Marimo Moss Balls. These things are deemed as pets, can you believe it? It is not a plant but algae.
And we bought two of them, naming them Pete and Kate Moss. Heheheh… not very creative but such apt names. Pete and Kate will stay in their enclosed glass jar for now to settle in before we transfer them to a mini aquarium that we have to suit their size. The medium-sized aquarium vacated by the crayfishes a while back is just too big in relation to these half an inch in diameter aquatic furry balls.
We gave up on pet rocks and pet water because they are not fun after the last crayfish went to pet heaven and since then, the medium-sized aquarium has been rather lifeless. The spot it’s at now will be perfect for the mini aquarium to be, for Pete and Kate don’t like the sun too much.
Now these Marimo Moss Balls are strange yet fascinating things. We were told we can even keep them in the fridge because they like a cool, if not cold, environment. After all, they are from Japan. They will also have babies and one can even travel with them. If I read up more on them, I am sure I will find more fascinating information.
Well, it will definitely be interesting with Pete and Kate in our home as our new pets.
It is awesome when my Aunty gave me a box full of Meranti (Shorea, Parashorea) wood pieces, excess or rather off-cut pieces from her factory. It’s more like a box of happiness. Imagine the carvings that I can do with all of them!
All the more reason to get that workbench. I went to the store, Ace Hardware to check out the Black & Decker WM225 model that I have identified but decided to order it online instead because the online price is a better deal. So over the weekend, the order was made. Yay.
My box of happiness awaits the new workbench. This is the beginning of something new. The Citizens of Gigglesville are now seeing a new growth, in size besides the numbers.
I have said several times in the past that online shopping is fun. I recently ordered a toy for official pet number one, Rooney, and ear sticks accessory for M2. While browsing, I stumbled upon something which I don’t really need but would want to have nevertheless.
It’s a workbench.
Why?
Well, my carving has taken up a lot of space in the living room. And at the same time, it’s leaving a lot of fine dust especially when I file down the carvings. I know I shouldn’t do this indoors but sometimes when one is in the thick of things, it’s hard to move.
And each time after I am done, I have to put things away so the living room don’t look so messy. Now if I had my little workspace at a proper location, the living room would look much neater and I don’t have to go through the tedious tidying up. Hubby argued that the round table at the garden terrace is good enough but I don’t think it’s sufficient.
His tools and plants are hogging that space and I wouldn’t want to make it any more crowded. So I need my own table or work station, hence this urge to get a workbench which I think is practical and not crazy.
I am slowly discovering the pain of things that I should not eat. This Infectious Colitis business is a bit more tricky than I thought. Sure I have avoided coffee, alcohol, wheat, milk, onions and just about everything. But along the way, there’s more!
Last week, it was turnip. I think I cannot eat turnips for the time being because right after I had some, I had difficulties breathing! I didn’t have the awful nausea effect like what the onions did to me but more of feeling so gagged; and had to be horizontal for some time. Sigh…
And last night, I couldn’t pin point what it was I ate. Had a mild attack on the tummy, upsetting my system – a little different effect than the onions and turnips. By the way, I love onions and regrettable have to avoid them for now.
I am keeping track of the days to this abstaining act. Three months until May 6th is what I am giving myself. It better work.
Of late my iPad Mini has been lagging and not compatible with my usual games – Candy Crush Soda and both the Monster Busters. I can launch the apps, collect the daily rewards and that’s it. Just can’t play and it’s exasperating.
So prior to Chinese New Year, I diverted my attention to a new interest, jigsaw puzzles. A mundane game, if you can even call it a game but at least there’s more interaction with it than the others. I’ve completed five puzzles already, and started on a 560-piece puzzle this morning.
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