Last Saturday was Malaysia Day, and it was a good reason to celebrate the occasion. We opted for a meal in the city center so that after dinner, we could drive around town to see city skyscrapers lit up.
We were not disappointed, as KLCC was illuminated in the Malaysian flag colors beautifully. The iconic towers never cease to take my breath away each time we go into the city, and that night was a sight to remember. A toast to my country, and Happy Malaysia Day!
During the pandemic, when we were under lockdown, I learned new recipes to cook our meals to pass the time. I also accumulated a lot of spices to experiment with. When there were no more lockdowns after the pandemic, I cooked less as we went out more often to eat.
Recently, I decided to make Tandoori Chicken with the spices in my pantry instead of using a Tandoori ready-mix. I have most of the ingredients required, and it was effortless, but I did not realize I ran out of chili powder. So, I improvised and ground some dry chili as a replacement.
It did not quite work out, as my effort resulted in a Spiced Chicken instead of a Tandoori Chicken. Taste-wise, it was good, albeit a tad spicy, but the color was off, brown instead of red. It was the chili powder that made all the difference.
Apparently, Kashmiri chili powder is preferred because it gives the red color without the spicy taste. I managed to buy a box online, and I can’t wait to try the recipe again with the correct chili powder!
It was a good decision to change my putter to recalibrate my putting. The TaylorMade Spider Mini did its magic, making seven one-putt this morning. From seven three-putts in the previous game to this, it did wonders for the mindset. Overall, I recorded 30 putts.
There was one three-putt blemish because I rushed to hole out as the flight in front allowed us to bypass them. So I’m not too irked by this little flaw. I’m happy with the outcome, and things will remain as is until a new putting disaster comes around! Golf, especially putting, is so unpredictable.
The latest bag of free rice arrived earlier than expected. I was pleasantly surprised with the speed of the delivery this time. The last two times, it took a much longer time.
It is not so much of an addiction to playing the game on the online shopping site, yet I am up to bag 13 out of 15 for the game within a short time to get my next bag of free rice. Do you reckon I can complete the task before the end of the month? It’s possible with my dedication to it.
You know it is time to change the putter again when putts go left and right instead of into the cup. Yes, my Scotty Cameron has been very erratic of late. For the last few games, there were several three-putts. But I brushed the stats aside because they did not bother me so much.
However, when several missed putts resulted in seven three-putts for the most recent game, I was ready to switch the putter! On one of the Par 3 – my ball landed and rolled to stop at two feet from the cup. A chance for another birdie! Alas, the putting was a letdown again! The ball rolled past the hole to the right, then left, and before finally third time lucky for a bogey.
This frustrating scenario repeated itself seven times throughout the game. Seven times, unbelievable! I scored a ‘hat-trick’ three-putt on three Par 5s, being on the green on four but three-putted to hole out. Grrr!
Why is putting so hard? Is it me or the putter? Perhaps it is the green speed or the terrain? Well, I have decided to switch my putter to recalibrate myself again.
So, out with the Scotty, and in its place will be the TaylorMade Spider Mini for my next game. Sometimes, a change and a refresh in equipment can build back the mental prowess to confident putting.
On a brighter note, my tee-offs were good, the woods and irons were also commendable, and the short game was sharp: a small consolation for myself here. It is the putting that needs to be better. So, I hope the Spider Mini will fare better from here on.
We will find out, as I have a game later today.
This morning, the first thing I did when I woke up was to water the rice field to ensure the last stalk bloomed. I knew I was getting my third bag of free rice today from the Free Rice game. Sure enough, my one kilo of rice was on the way the minute the 15th stalk was harvested! Whee.
I am now going for my fourth bag of free rice. Within a short period, I have harvested eight bags out of 15 already! With seven more to go, it is towards the end that needs more patience than ever. I can do it.
I am almost at the end of the Free Rice challenge! My third attempt after playing the game for some time now. Initially, after completing the second challenge, I wanted to stop. But at the start of the game, it lures you in and goes by very fast.
Before I knew it, I was raking up bags of rice quickly and halfway into the challenge. It is only towards the end, getting the 15th bag, that takes forever to complete. I should be able to complete the task by tomorrow.
Will I continue after this? It may look mundane and feel mindless, but when a kilo of free rice is sent to you, why not?
Every year, when our wedding anniversary comes around, it is a public holiday. We chose the date to coincide with the country’s Merdeka Day celebration, 31st August, so we don’t have to work on this special day. When Malaysia celebrates her birthday nationwide, we celebrate our anniversary with a trip or a dinner.
This year, we decided to have a low-key dinner. We didn’t even order a bottle of wine to pair with our meal, just a glass each. But it was just as lovely despite the boisterous ambiance of the restaurant.
I have lost count of the years, but does it matter? Happy anniversary, and a toast to us!
I find myself constantly second-guessing Mother Nature on her mood as far as the weather is concerned. It is a silly battle. The rain and sun are always giving me grief in planning my day. I’m talking about laundry days and not my golf games.
When the sun is out, it’s a good laundry day. But sometimes rain clouds would unexpectedly creep in. This situation then spoils the after-wash drying conditions. I love sun-dried clothes because they feel fresh and have a lovely sun-baked scent. Non-sun-dried clothes pale in satisfaction.
So, over the years, I have learned to look at the sky and gauge the cloud formations before I do laundry, although I could rely on the Weather app on my iPhone XR for better planning.
Yet, despite my efforts, Mother Nature still wins. Yesterday’s laundry load did not have enough sunshine to smell good. They will be out again today to catch some rays. Hopefully, it will stay sunny.
It looks like a silly battle, but instinct and technology cannot compare with Mother Nature.
DIY project number 31 is coming along slowly. Besides building, there are pieces of furniture and accessories that require painting to complete the composition. Otherwise, the set will look different from the picture on the box unless I want a total change. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy building my miniatures, I find customizing tedious.
Whenever a set requires a paint job for the loose items, I use my acrylic colors. Sometimes, the DIY sets do provide little pods of colors to use. So, I use those because they are of the right colors instead of having to mix the shades myself.
Recently, I discovered a new trick to shortcut this step. Instead of painting, which requires several layers, I use a color marker! And since I have two brown shades, typical for pieces of furniture, it has been okay. The pieces look just as natural. However, I need to replenish my markers soon because they are drying up fast!
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