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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Too Spicy to Handle

4 Aug

The Habanero plant in our garden may not be the Habanero that we initially thought. Hubby says what we have is the scotch bonnet peppers instead, which are slightly sweet in the overall taste. If you’re not a pepper expert, it’s hard to tell them apart because these peppers are cousins. The only difference being the Habanero is about an inch bigger.

The spiciness or heat level of all peppers is measured according to the Scoville Scale in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and both these species are right up there on the chart. But there seem to be contradicting readings I see on the internet.

One site listed our scotch bonnet pepper at 445,000 SHU and the Habanero at 260,000 SHU only while another site says both are on the same level at 100,000–350,000 SHU. Well, it doesn’t matter which exact reading, our scotch bonnet certainly burns the tongue and even fingers if we are not cutting them carefully! Sometimes even the green ones are enough to numb the senses, what more eating the ripe red ones.

Scotch bonnet peppers are an excellent source of phytochemicals and vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), iron, vitamin B, carotenoids, niacin, riboflavin, dietary fiber, flavonoids, and magnesium but I don’t eat them all the time. Too spicy to handle and too much to consume.

Puny green peppers towards the end, so plant #1 had to be cut down.

Hubby had to trim the first plant because it has grown too tall. At more than eight feet, it’s too taxing to produce plump healthy peppers. The puny harvest, evident in its loss in strength. Eventually, the plant was removed.

Plant #2 is out of control, growing tall and wide!

Now we get our supplies from the second and third plants. And the second plant has grown to become such a monstrous blob, it’s rather unsightly. It is now six feet tall, but its yield has been superb. We have had an abundance of scotch bonnet peppers and have been giving them away to friends because they’re too spicy for us to handle.

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I Wanted Cookies

3 Aug

Last week, hubby and I were at our neighborhood grocery store to replenish our food when I suddenly felt I wanted cookies. We were standing in the baking aisle because hubby was looking at a new flour product. And the Betty Crocker cookie mix was staring at me.

I asked hubby if I should pick it up since Betty was calling out to me. I reasoned that he’s never baked cookies so far, and he was aghast that I considered Betty over him. I was vetoed on the purchase with him promising to bake a batch for me.

We then discovered why he’s never attempted to bake cookies all this while – the amount of sugar and butter needed was simply eye-popping! Subconsciously, we knew cookies require these two ingredients a fair bit, but never realized to what extend. Now we know.

The making of the giants. Too making to stack up

Although the 27 three and a half to four-inch cookies were very good, I think this will be the first and last time that we’re getting home-baked giant chocolate chip cookies.

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A Proud Moment, Part 2

31 Jul

The completed DIY cafe now sits at the dining table and I find myself switching on the lights now and then to admire the handiwork. There’s a sense of satisfaction and joy when I do this.

Until now, I still find myself in awe of the tiny pieces that I had managed to put together. I’m glad M2 helped wherever she could since I don’t think I could have handled gluing the teeny-weeny props deftly on my own.

Plants that were so hard to make and glue up

The decor and overall ambiance of the compact cafe are very busy and packed with so many things. There’s always something to discover or a new angle to admire. When I look at the unfinished bungalow to compare especially the first floor, it looks very empty because things are so spread out. Well, I shouldn’t compare because both sets are different altogether.

Once the swimming pool is up and the lights are functioning, I am sure my DIY bungalow will be equally impressive too.

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A Makeover

28 Jul
Chop… chop… and the grass below are no longer shaded!

The two trees in the front garden of the house were pruned a few days ago, together with all the other big trees along our road. Hubby had requested the contractor to do the honors as the trees were getting too tall for his reach.

And in order for them to get the job done, hubby had to remove several of his prized staghorn ferns as a precautionary measure, in case the pruned branches accidentally fell on the ferns and damaged them. Luckily no mishaps occurred.

The ugly gaping hole

But one fern has been permanently damaged by the darn woodpecker, some time back in February. The gaping hole is such a heartache to look at. We don’t think the woodpecker will return to it anymore as it’s rather damaged and unlivable, and most unlikely to provide any comfort. So hubby intends to nurture the fern to a more presentable shape before putting it back on the pruned tree.

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A Proud Moment

27 Jul

It was a proud moment when the lights came on brightly. The DIY cafe project was finally completed over the weekend! Yay.

I must admit I procrastinated on the remaining three hanging plants, thus causing a delay to complete the cafe. I had to push myself. When I finally got going, things were moving.

After glueing the plants, I checked the circuit of the wiring again to ensure all lights were functioning. A quick tab to identify each wire and a proper grouping of all the wires, I beamed just as brightly as the lights the moment I switched on the battery pack.

The items in the cafe are so detailed. I could go on marveling and photographing them, and at the same moment, be totally impressed with my ability to complete this DIY project. All that patience and aggravation were worth it.

Top floor
Ground floor

So now that this set is done, I will attempt to complete the 3-story bungalow which has been unattended and collecting dust. It will be done, I can do it!

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Pesky Intruders Again

24 Jul

Last weekend when we were away, we had some pesky four-legged intruders. They were making themselves at home in the wet kitchen area. How did we know? Put it this way, they left evidence here and there: droppings or should I say, poop. Ugh.

So we had to trap them, otherwise, they’d get too daring and cause a lot of problems. On the first night, however, an unlikely intruder was nabbed! A squirrel. Eeesh… Not the culprit we were hoping for, and hubby lets it go.

Then for two nights in a row, the trap that was set up was successful in trapping a young rat each night. Let’s hope this puts an end to unwanted pesky intruders.

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The Unstable iPad

21 Jul

My iPad Mini has been acting up again. These days I use it mostly for the game Homescapes and it has not been stable. Sometimes when I try to play a level after launching the app, it’d just quit the game.

So much so, I have to resort to doing a hard reset, which is just about several times at each attempt to play. And every time after I do this, it does not help the situation.

The worse part of my Homescapes woes is that the game is not synced with the iPhone XR! The levels on the phone are not updated to the more advanced levels on the iPad Mini, I don’t know why… sigh.

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