We are officially no longer empty nesters now that M2 is back. We are slowly adjusting to having another person in the house as we were so used to being just three. Everything needs readjusting – from my golf schedule, planning meals to cook, to doing the house chores.
Suddenly, there’s an extra person to feed and more laundry to do. But the addition means another person to fuss over with love, and at the same, help with house chores. Nice.
With the children growing up, we need to readjust our schedules to adapt to the changes. And so far, so good.
We did not play golf over the weekend; instead, we went fishing! The last time we did this was probably almost three decades years ago. Gosh, it has been a long time.
The idea to go fishing came about when the family got together over dinner and talked about doing outdoor activities. And since fishing is an activity M1 and my niece never did, why not let them try? A check off the bucket list for them.
The drive took forever. “Are we there yet?” I asked. Hahaha. It was a catch and release fishing pond near the airport, KLIA. The operator guaranteed five strikes per rod for the hour or your money back! Wow, how good is that?
The catch and release fishing pond
So my sibling, niece, and the three of us spent the late Sunday afternoon fishing. And we had such an exuberating time!
Getting ready for some action
Within minutes, strike one occurred, followed by another, and another! We had two rods, and the girls were delightfully having a blast. We adults could not resist the adrenaline rush and joined in the fun in the end. Why not? The day’s fishing haul made the activity look so easy and appealing.
Look at their impressive haul!
I must say my fishing record was never impressive. My biggest catch was a grass carp which was nothing of these massive-sized groupers in comparison.
Our haul and the inside of a grouper’s mouth!
Within the allotted time, the five of us caught 17 groupers! And we had several that escaped because we did not reel in fast enough. It could have been more, but 17 bites were more than what we anticipated.
The unexpected adventure turned out to be an exhilarating experience for everyone. The day was cloudy, the place was peaceful, and everyone had a very satisfying but tiring workout fighting the catch. Will we do it again? We may, but with the other young adults in the family who have not had this checked off their bucket list.
The weather has changed again! It has been wonky and unpredictable. Whenever I check the Weather app on my iPhone XR so that I can plan my schedule if I am doing laundry or going out, it does not seem accurate at times, unfortunately.
On Tuesday, I had a morning golf game at a golf club some distance away. I checked ahead to ensure the weather would be nice for a pleasant outing. The app showed that it would rain only by noon, after which we would have completed our round of golf. But it rained when I left the house and continued to rain before we could tee off.
We ended up playing in the drizzle for the first nine holes. The course was beautiful and challenging, the greens fast, but the condition was most undesirable. We were wet, irritable, and did not enjoy the damp condition! But when we crossed over, the drizzle subsided and was cloudy, so everyone’s mood changed for the better.
With the change in the weather these days, planning is not easy. If you have something to do and the weather is hot and dry, do it. Don’t plan too much in anticipation of the oncoming rain, if any, because plans will go awry, and it can be time-wasting.
But for golf, if it rains before or after teeing off, we either wait it out or play in the rain. Worst case, we have to abandon the game. Luckily, we did not have to do this on Tuesday. I hope the weather will be kinder for my next golf game.
Lately, my putters have not been very good in their performances. Both the Scotty and Peanut Putter have been very frustrating when it comes to short distances. I was so peeved with the unnecessary additional strokes incurred. Ugh!
So, I have decided to change to a third putter! This latest third putter is not a new putter. It is from hubby’s collection of putters, and I am borrowing it for the time being.
My latest putter!
During my first game with it last week, it felt comfortable and converted several one-putts, much to my delight. It is giving my other two putters a run for its worth. Well, I will be using it again for the next few games.
The heat and humidity, my goodness, how do we deal with it? I feel hot and bothered and am profusely sweating every time I move. Maybe it’s a good thing for all my body’s water retention has reduced tremendously.
Ever since the beginning of the pandemic and the various lockdowns we went through, my weight fluctuated but did not increase. We stopped our Intermittent Fasting because there was no need to continue with it, being lockdown at home. Life went on, and my weight was manageable.
But recently, with the unbearable heat, I find myself having no appetite at all. Besides sweating more than a round of golf, the heat is also helping me burn all my body fat! Perhaps this is turning out to be a good weight loss advantage.
As a result, my weight has been on a downtrend. I am now at my ideal weight, thanks to the heat. For this, I am certainly not hot and bothered by it!
The afternoon Interclub game was a blessing because we did not have to wake up so early as the day before. After breakfast and checking out, the entourage was on the way to Ipoh. Again, the journey was pleasant, and we arrived early at Royal Perak Golf Club. We were warmly welcomed and soon ushered in for lunch.
Fishing farms dotting the waters along the Second Penang Bridge
The weather was hot, so the air-conditioned dining area was nice. But one must not get used to it because, after lunch, we tee off at 1.00 pm under the hot sun! Dang, the weather was hot.
Luckily, it was buggy on the course like the previous game, so this helped with managing the heat factor for the game. As this was an Interclub game, playing well was important. How did I fare this time around?
I played better. The greens here felt better, and putting was not a letdown. The course was very long, especially for the Red tee boxes. Many a time, I had to pull out the wood or utility clubs for the Par 3s.
Before we knew it, the game ended. The cold shower was refreshing to cool down the body, and the after-game dinner spread was sumptuous. There were some controversies, and the outcome was not what we expected; I will not elaborate on this to mar the positives of the trip.
It has been a fun outing and the Club’s first away trip after two and a half years of living with the pandemic and the restrictions. We will host our opponents at our Club for the return match soon.
We left Ipoh and arrived on schedule at our Club. All too soon, the short golf getaway is another chapter to store away in the memory. I look forward to participating in another Interclub match, home or away.
It’s a mixed-feeling golf trip. Sometimes one can’t have it all.
Although it was nice to play at outstation clubs for a change, waking up early for the trip was not. We had to wake up at 4.30 am and then did a Covid test before leaving the house. The test was to assure everyone was safe to travel together on a bus.
The bus departed at 6.00 am, and the journey was pleasant enough without any traffic woes along the highway, and we arrived in good time. After a simple lunch at the clubhouse, we teed off for a round of social golf among ourselves at Penang Golf Club.
The course is very undulating, and buggies were allowed on the fairway, which was nice. How did I fair for this first game? It’s an unfamiliar course, and there were mistakes or mis-hits here and there. And for this trip, I opted to use my Scotty Cameron putter. Alas, putting was my biggest bane again. Sigh.
Penang Golf Club
After the game, the bus left for the hotel. Soon after checking in, we met with hubby’s sister (and husband) for dinner. It’s nice to catch up with family again after two and a half years of lockdown and not see each other. There was a lot to talk about over a delicious dinner.
Not local Penang food but Dallas BBQ duck!
They brought us to see another side of Penang. Typically, we would be around the town center or Tanjung Bungah area. But as we were in Bukit Jambul, we saw a different side of the island. All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. We parted ways, and sleep beckons after such a long and tiring day. We depart for Ipoh for the Interclub match the next day.
It has been ages since we last participated in an away Interclub golf game organized by our Club. Over the last two years of living with the pandemic, strict SOPs made interstate travel and activities with large crowds difficult. All these are a thing of the past now.
If I remember correctly, interstate travel has been allowed since May this year, and golf tournaments are happening again. There are fewer restrictions, although we still need to mask up, especially in enclosed public areas. So it is nice to represent the Club for the away game, going for the trip via a chartered bus.
We are traveling to Penang first for a social game amongst ourselves. Then on Saturday, the entourage will leave Penang and travel to Ipoh for the Interclub game. Ipoh again – just last week, we were there for lunch!
Well, it is a nice change to play two rounds of golf outstation and not have to drive. I hope the trip will be a good and memorable one. Good outing, good company, good games, and good food!
The short excursion plan continued over the weekend, but this was a little more than a short drive outstation. We decided to visit hubby’s parents up North.
The weekend was yet another festive holiday, and with Monday being a replacement holiday, traffic would be heavy. So, we left on Friday instead of Saturday, which turned out well for traffic that morning was not too bad.
As always, we detoured to Ipoh for lunch. But this time, we opted for something else instead of the usual Chicken Rice and beansprouts that Ipoh is famed for, and it was a pleasant change. Although our Nasi Ganja portion was not excessive, it was just enough for us. I have to say the coffee was excellent.
Nasi Ganja and iced black coffeeCurry noodles and Nasi Lemak for breakfast
For once, we did not play golf and just savored food that was under our radar previously. We even drove to the north-most state, Perlis, which I have never been to in my whole life. But sadly, there was nothing much to see there.
My first time visiting Perlis A quick hello and goodbye
The weekend came and passed quickly. All too soon, it was time to return. The drive home was equally pleasant, without traffic jams on the highway. I’m glad we made the trip to see the folks who are well.
The power of advertising today, especially on social media, has changed advertising from what or how it used to be. It was from a Facebook posting that I found the cafe that served lovely strawberry cakes.
So I convinced hubby that we should drive to Hulu Yam to try the cake, and this was the beginning of our short weekend excursion plans. A nice change from the usual weekend golf game and window shopping at shopping malls.
Two weekends ago, we drove to the Kebun Cafe. The drive was long because traffic was heavy. But when we arrived, it was a pleasant discovery. There was an organic vegetable and fruit farm next to the cafe, and yes, we bought some fruits and vegetables.
The cafe had a small crowd, but we managed to get a table. There were only drinks and cakes on the menu. Luckily, we had lunch already before we drove here! We ordered the strawberry cake and the black sesame cake, and both were heavenly. I’d say it was worth the drive. But as there wasn’t much else to see and do, we left after the short coffee break and sinful cakes.
Doing such short excursions during half a day on the weekend can be therapeutic, and we are convinced to continue with this activity. Away from the hustle and bustle of work and city living or even the monotony of our daily life, this activity discovery is pleasant for our well-being and mental rejuvenation. I look forward to our next excursion!
Angieneering 
Remarks