This year’s Lunar New Year is happening too fast, way too fast! I find myself not ready in terms of preparation. But I suppose it’s okay given the circumstances that I was in last week.
In my state of being a sloth, the Water Rabbit is hopping in at a breakneck speed! There’s hardly space to catch my breath. Sigh.
The back pain I mentioned at the beginning of the year led to more than what it was. One should not assume and brush things aside when in pain, be it a nagging back pain, pinched nerve, or pulled muscle. Initially, I thought with rest, the pain would subside, and I would be fine. But no, it was far worse.
For more than a week, I experienced excruciating pain five times which had me almost keeling over each time it hit. Something is not right with my body!
I consulted a doctor friend verbally and then saw three doctors for the recurring issue. And I also did several blood and urine tests to identify the problem.
And what a problem it was – I had kidney stones. Dang! By Thursday afternoon, the urologist specialist I visited ordered a CT scan to be done. And that evening, I was hospitalized. Everything happened very fast!
The next day, I underwent a cystoscopy and had the stones blasted to smithereens. Being sedated in the OT room, I could hardly give a first-hand update on the situation then; hence no story on Friday.
I am home now and recuperating well after being discharged on Saturday afternoon. I am thankful all this is behind me by now and in time to get ready to usher in the Lunar New Year of the Water Rabbit!
DIY project number 23 has stalled big time. Right after the Lunar New Year, I was so busy with my golf routine that crafting miniatures was relegated to become a thing of the past – a pandemic lockdown activity to kill time. My initial apprehension at my pace and fear of it stalling came true. Sigh.
I have to admit, I did not set a deadline, nor am I committed to completing the project. Hence, the stall. Occasionally, I find myself felting instead as this activity takes less time. Am I losing interest in crafting miniatures?
Bearing in mind, I still have eight sets waiting for me and a dozen more on my wishlist on the online shopping site that I intend to buy! I need to find the time, stay focused and prioritize my crafting time.
The daily walk routine is not very daily on non-golfing days. The weather has not been kind and disrupts the schedule. Thank goodness, on golfing days, the rain comes down only after the game.
Despite the disruptions, my mission to lose all that fat gained during Chinese New Year has been encouraging. Maybe it’s not just fat but water retention, and I should sweat it out?
Whatever it is, this morning’s walk showed some encouraging numbers as I have lost almost two pounds. Another three to five pounds to shed would be ideal. I have to keep it up, rain or shine, to complete this mission.
I have been snacking a lot lately. Too much, in fact. Two days ago, I stood on the bathroom scale, and the numbers horrified me! I need to do something about it.
Mind you – we have stopped our Intermittent Fasting (IF) regime ever since the pandemic broke. And it’s been a little more than two years already. Initially, my weight was stable, and it even dipped. I was pleased. But it has crept up again recently. I suspect it’s all that after-game beer and snacking on Chinese New Year cookies.
So right after the Chap Goh Meh dinner, I have embarked on a new mission to shed all those extra pounds. On top of playing my regular golf games, I will do a half-hour morning walk on days when I am not playing golf. It will be beneficial for my legs, muscles, and abs.
Let’s see how my number will be after a month on this new mission. Oh, I should also reduce my beer intake after all the golf games. Stay tuned for my progress!
Today is Chap Goh Meh, the last day to celebrate the Lunar New Year. After 15 days of celebration, today is the finale. However, it has been a lack of celebrations again this year because of the pandemic and restrictions. But despite the situation, we are planning a big feast tonight to mark the occasion.
I have to admit I have gained weight over the past two weeks, eating and snacking on all the cookies without any discipline. So after tonight’s big steamboat meal, I will start my diet. From tomorrow onwards, no more cookies, more golf but no beer, and throw in morning walks to shed those extra pounds!
Somehow I don’t feel the holiday spirits of the Lunar New Year even though we are at Day Seven of the 15 days-long celebrations. We are not visiting anyone, nor are we having guests over.
Better to stay safe at this point because yesterday, the Covid-19 cases spiked up to 10,089, a five digits figure again after a few months below this threshold. Not a good sign.
It is back to work today for all three of us, although I have to admit it’s slow for us. I most likely will spend time working on my miniatures to pass the time.
We came home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. And what a journey it was. So unlike the trip when we went, this return trip was so much more pleasant and unexpected.
There was hardly any traffic build-up along the way and smooth sailing all the way home. Another record of sorts as we made it home in five and a half hours with just two stops only. As far as I can remember, we never made it home in this time frame. Usually, it would take between seven to nine hours. And there was once we did it in ten hours.
It is nice to be back and chill at home. I’m not even working on my miniatures. For once, doing nothing at home feels great! Visits to family or friends are minimal, if not none. There’s now the Omicron, and we are being extra careful not to go out unnecessarily.
Unlike past Reunion Dinner gatherings where most family members made the journey, this Reunion Dinner is a simple gathering of just six people for a steamboat dinner.
Even the dinner spread was simple and nothing extravagant. The occasion was more for being with the elders, who are fine and healthy, than the food.
But a trip back to hubby’s hometown is not complete without playing some golf! We managed to play two games. And we had the golf course all to ourselves as there were hardly any other golfers at all. You can tell by the absence of golfers when the tee box has a giant mushroom (in the foreground) as big as the tee box marker (in the background)!
The first game quickly turned into a case of being lucky and unlucky at the same time. My ball landed right on the line in the middle of the fairway for the NTL (nearest to line) novelty, held a day earlier! Oh well, but the thrill of this achievement was pretty exhilarating.
We ushered in the Year of the Tiger without much fanfare – there were no fireworks at the stroke of midnight, which worked out well for us for a peaceful night.
As we welcome the Tiger, here’s wishing everyone ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’, and may you have a roaringly successful year ahead despite the pandemic still being around. Count your blessings, be happy and stay healthy!
On Saturday, we left town to head North to hubby’s hometown. What a journey we had! The highway authorities had advised travelers heading that way to begin their journeys before 10 am to avoid congestion. So we did, albeit a little bit late, at precisely 9.51 am.
And dang, we drove smack into the worst snarl ever! Our past pre-Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner journeys were typically a six-hour drive from our home to hubby’s parents’ home.
This time, it took us 6.5 hours to reach Ipoh! Not even halfway to our final stop. This stretch is usually a 2.5 hours drive, but not on Saturday. It was a terrible drive. I wouldn’t even call it a drive but a crawl.
All in all, it took us ten hours to arrive, a record drive for a journey that would usually take 4.5 hours during the non-festive time.
But we were in good spirits as we had packed all the comforts in the car for the trip. And we knew there would be traffic woes, however, we didn’t expect it to be this bad.
It’s okay, this trip is for a good reason and that is to have the Reunion Dinner with the old folks, an occasion that we have missed out on the last two years because of the pandemic, lockdowns, and travel restrictions.
Angieneering 
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