Fiery Flavors!

3 Dec

Once in a while, some spicy food is good. Day in and day out, we eat the same thing – it can be mundane and predictable. Even when I don’t cook and eat out, we go to the same restaurant and order the same thing! Life is such when you are a creature of habit.

Over the weekend, we decided to be more adventurous and try something new. A different location from our usual spots to a new restaurant with rave reviews. Why not? Let’s be a bit more adventurous, right?

The Indian curry house turned out to be a gem of a discovery! But goodness me, the fiery spicy flavors had us sweating profusely and our mouths burning! Everything on the table was oh-so spicy.

So many bowls, quite a spread, isn’t it?

Luckily, the four types of curry were served in individual bowls instead of the typical method of dousing the rice on the banana leaf. I think we wouldn’t be able to take the heat! Despite it all, the best discoveries were the crab curry and fried lamb, not grilled. Both were very flavorful and, of course, spicy!

It was good to be adventurous with the pleasant discovery, and we look forward to returning.

Tags: , , , , ,

Abundance

26 Nov
The towering papaya tree in our garden

The papaya tree towering next to the frangipani in our garden has been fruiting in abundance! Whee. Maybe the rainy season has contributed to the spurt and growth. This means we will have papayas again after a dry spell.

In the early stages, we put up nets to protect the fruits from the garden squirrels, and it worked when there were fewer fruits. However, as there have been more fruits, the netting protection could not cover the whole lot. So, hubby resorted to covering only the bigger fruits.

Two days ago, one rascal managed to eat a fruit on the tree. Ugh. So, hubby placed a trap on the ground to snag it, using the half-eaten papaya as bait.

This morning, the rascal was nabbed! Yay. We will relocate it to another area. Hopefully, it will stay away and won’t return to help itself to the abundance of fruits available.

I look forward to having papayas again from the garden.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Pickleball Anyone, Part 2

19 Nov

We play pickleball once a week now. I find myself looking forward to it more than my regular golf games. Uh oh, does this mean I have lost my passion for golf?

There are various reasons for this new sentiment. It is the end of the year, and we are facing the rainy monsoon season! Golf is not enjoyable when the round is interrupted by rain and thunder. Then we have to wait out the rain. By then, the body has turned cold, and the momentum and mood are lost. Ugh.

It is even more unenjoyable when the siren does not go off, and collectively, everyone wants to continue playing in wet conditions. Ugh. I find wearing my raincoat to play very uncomfortable, but needed to stay dry. Then there are other challenges – wet gloves, slippery grips, heavy shots, and soggy fairways. The list can be endless! Ugh.

As pickleball is an indoor activity, covered and not subjected to crappy weather, it is a better option than golf, especially during this time of the year. And the best part is I can play with my left hand without aggravating my tennis elbow! Yay.

So, if I play less golf, it’s okay because I have an alternative activity to sweat instead of being a couch potato at home and perpetually glued to my iPad Mini.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pickleball Anyone?

12 Nov

Two weeks ago, hubby and I decided to try a new game, pickleball! And boy, what a fun game! A combination of three racket sports—badminton, tennis, and ping-pong—I find the sport low-impact and great for a good sweat.

So far, we have played twice in a covered but open-air sports complex. It’s a good thing the group plays doubles on a rotational basis instead of singles, and everyone works up a sweat in less than half the duration compared to a round of golf.

I chose to play using my left hand to avoid aggravating my tennis elbow. And it’s okay! I’m surprised at my agility. The only thing I have yet to master is serving the ball. Other than this, playing with the left hand has been enjoyable.

I’m glad we picked up this new sport to vary our sports activity, as golf has been very exasperating with no improvements but more injuries. So, pickleball, anyone?

Tags: , , , , ,

Derailed Again

5 Nov

Last Thursday was a public holiday, and I got derailed. We opted not to play golf and went out instead. It felt like the weekend, so much so that Friday felt weird. I was thrown off balance and was not in the mood to write. My mind was blank because of the weekday public holiday. I was too much in a lull to think about writing.

Then the weekend came, and we played a round of golf on Sunday. It was not a good round. The elbow hurt. Boo hoo hoo. What am I going to do? The mind has slackened, the pain has not subsided, and the body is protesting. Sniffles.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Time to Reset

29 Oct

After returning from Japan and taking a few days to rest, we went to Malacca with some friends for two rounds of golf. I wondered if I would play well after laying off for over two weeks. Well, I found out.

My tee-off was terrible—I kept pulling to the left most of the time for both games. And putting – oh gosh, it was exasperating. I didn’t play my best with such errand abilities. The only plus point for the short getaway was the group. We laughed so much, and it looked like this was what we did more than playing golf. Hahaha.

Unfortunately, my tennis elbow still hurts. Maybe that’s why I was conscious of the pain and was careful when golfing to avoid aggravating it further. But it was futile. Sigh. I should take a proper break to reset the body. And it’s a long road to recovery as far as the elbow is concerned. Boo hoo hoo.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Goodbye Japan, Part 2

22 Oct

It is always wonderful to be back home after a holiday. Japan was enjoyable, but home is where the heart is. On the last day at the airport, while waiting for the check-in counters to open, I overheard a tour group leader telling her entourage they would need three days to recover from the trip.

Three days?! Wow. If this is true for an hour’s time difference, no wonder I take longer to get over my jet lag when I return home from countries with time zones that are more than an hour. However, I don’t recall needing such length to recover when I returned from Bangkok, Hanoi, or Jakarta this year. Hmm. Recovering from golf trips and non-golf trips could be different.

We departed from Narita International Airport on Friday at 10.30 pm with good memories and touched down at KLIA the next day at 5.00 am. Whether I liked it or not, the next few days were a blur, and I felt like a sloth. So yes, I did take three days to recover. Dang! The lady was correct.

Homeward bound!

How fast the holiday went by! Japan was fascinating, fun, and enjoyable. We lucked out with substantial savings for our flight tickets and a good travel deal when we signed up for the Omakase package to Japan, where we didn’t have to follow a fixed itinerary but customized to our preferences.

We had a comfortable MPV and a driver to drive us around to see what we wanted to see, stop to buy things if something caught our eye, and eat whatever we fancied. There were places we spent longer than intended, but our driver patiently waited for us. Such is the beauty of customizing a travel package.

The weather was excellent, contributing to our enjoyment for the first few days. Rain was predicted only for the last two days, but it never happened. Eventually, it did rain when we were already on the aircraft, ready for departure!

Now that the family holiday and recovery are over, it is back to routine, and I’m happy to be home until my next trip!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Goodbye Japan

18 Oct

Today is our last day in Japan. How quickly a week went by. We had an incredibly fabulous time with great weather and mouth-watering food. Even the McDonald’s here tasted good! Hahaha. 

A McDonald’s dinner

After the many shrines, temples, and landmarks, it was time to explore the city. However, we did not see much as shopping got the better of us!

Crazy crowd at the famed Shibuya Crossing

At Ginza, Shinjuku, and Shibuya areas, we spent two hours or more at each stop on our checklist: Don Quijote, GU, and Loft, to name but a few. I bought several knick-knacks to add to my wanderlust collection while the girls did a little better than me.

We leave Japan this evening with good memories of what we saw and ate and plans to return to this spectacular Land of the Rising Sun again.

Tags: , , ,

Cute and Compact

17 Oct

So far, the one thing that fascinates me most about Japan is the compact cars. They are everywhere! So much so that I have started compiling pictures of them whenever I see them on the move slowly or parked.

Some models are repeated or from different angles

The compact size is so versatile and cute despite looking rather boxy. I have seen some parked in the narrowest alley and short driveway. Such parking skills! I would have had trouble aligning evenly on both sides. The beauty of these cars is that the sliding doors can open easily in the tightest spot.

Would this make me consider a compact for myself? Err, no, I like my car for its size because it is about carrying the golf bags, my number one priority, and not maneuverability. Hehehe.

Tags: , , ,

Japan 2024, Part 3

15 Oct

The past few days, our excursions have been very leisurely paced. We stop to see what we want to see within the original itinerary and eat what we want. If we stop at an attraction that mesmerizes us, we stay longer. Our tour group is only the four of us with a dedicated MPV and driver, hence this flexible schedule.

The journey to see Mt Fuji was arduous as traffic was heavy. Holidaymakers were leaving for their escapade for the long weekend because Monday was a public holiday.

Mt Fuji was very picturesque and worthy of many pictures from different angles. But could it be the distance, seeing it from afar, that I don’t feel moved? It was rather odd.

Hi! Mt Fuji is behind us!

Nonetheless, it was enjoyable as we had lovely weather, and it was not too crowded at the places we covered – Oshino Hakkai and Arakurayama Şengen Park.

Lovely colors

We stayed at a whimsical accommodation called the Bunny Villa, where everything in the villa was bunny-themed. Even the plates had bunnies! I would have loved to stay longer, but we had only one night.

Of bunnies and Miffy at the Bunny Villa

The next day, we checked off more places of interest before returning to the city.

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →