We decided to take the days by the horn and keep busy. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Hubby would bake while I worked on my DIY project are the given.
We even started chipping in the garden, trying out the various wedges that we have. And we experimented with new menus for our meals.
The no-cheese pizza was simply delicious last night and the pancakes this morning were so satisfying. Now, if we can keep up the variety and activities, we shouldn’t worry about the remaining MCO days ahead.
I feel this round of MCO is taking its toll on us. It is only Day Five, and we are restless. Although hubby did bake, and I did work on my DIY project, it is not enough. At times, we feel as if we are doing nothing.
Thank goodness for my Apple Watch and the Activity monthly challenge. Without this, I would have been an assured couch potato. The Activity challenge keeps me on my toes to exercise and stay fit.
The days better hurry to go by quickly, for we can’t wait to go back to interacting with people, playing golf, and having more productive days.
On Sunday, after our weekend golf game, we heard rumors of an impending lockdown again. MCO 3.0. Oh dear, here we go again! Well, this enforcement is unavoidable given that there has been a steep surge in cases.
The country has breached the three thousand mark for several days already, and the healthcare system is, again, stressed to the max. So something needs to be done for the healthcare system to cope with the situation.
If MCO 3.0 comes into effect for the usual two-week duration, playing golf is out of the question because it is a non-essential activity. Likewise, going to work is out of the question, as our business is a non-essential service. I certainly would have plenty of time being home to finish up DIY project number 13, or rather, 12A.
I figured out why progress has stalled for DIY project number 13 or 12A – it’s my time management. I have been going to the office daily as well as playing a little bit more golf. As a result, there’s hardly any time to sit down to work on the project.
However, it is also procrastination to get going because of the stage where I am. I’m supposed to put stems for all the fruits and vegetables from the itty bitty beads. And it’s not easy, so I have been putting it off.
Look at the itty bitty pieces! Twirling the paper to make a long stem, then cutting it to make tiny stems. Crazy.
I keep telling myself it is not the superstitious jinx of the project number but simply my time management. As of now, I have set a new target for myself to get the job done. The other DIY sets have collected too much dust already.
I thought it would be a quiet celebration to mark my birthday this year, having to stay put and all. But I was wrong! Hubby treated me to an early birthday dinner; then there was that golf game and luncheon with all the golf buddies.
The best part was the unexpected delivery. The girls surprised me with a dairy-free cake, or rather six slices of different flavors. Delivered a day early, they planned with hubby without my knowledge. A lovely but unexpected surprise indeed that made the birthday all the more special despite the circumstances.
Last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic burst onto the scene, it caused a lot of disruption to daily routines, schedules, and plans. And it was a mess as far as my golf club was concerned with their golf calendar for the year.
Many club competitions had to cancel to uphold the social distancing to curb the pandemic. And being at the club to play golf was also prohibited for the first month of total lockdown.
Luckily, the Iron Challenge, a tournament I participate in every year, was held right before the lockdown implementation. This year, the golf calendar is slightly better, and the club has held several tournaments already, but in strict adherence to the SOP outlined.
The Iron Challenge, initially slated for early March, has been rescheduled to be held on 22 May, and I am excited to sign up for the tournament again.
With a month to go, it looks like I have to change my playing strategy to prepare myself. So all the wood and utility clubs have to make way for the long irons. The long irons being the 6-, 5-, and 4-irons. We shall see how my preparation goes. Stay tuned on this.
Whether I like it or not, subliminally, I think DIY project number 13 or 12A is a jinx. I have not sat down at my little workstation to work on it for almost two weeks. Then again, I have been busy with house chores, office work, and of course, golf games.
Four more DIY sets are waiting in the queue, and it’s a long wait. Thank goodness I have stopped buying more DIY sets from my favorite online shopping site. I have to be more disciplined and forget the superstitious number attachment. Otherwise, I may hold off finishing the set, horror of all horrors to even think this, and jump straight to DIY project number 12B. It will be a first for me to abandon a project midway.
Just when we thought the situation was going well for the little birdie we rescued, things went awry. We had our usual weekend golf game, and as always, I would check with the halfway hut attendant who adopted our feathered rescue on its well-being.
Initially, little birdie was cared for by him, but he gave it to his brother because the brother wanted the bird. And since brother dearest had a birdcage, he agreed.
But he questioned the decision of leaving the birdcage outside the house. Brother dearest explained that it was too hot inside the house for the little bird. And if hung outside, it’s not so warm and more comfortable.
Unfortunately, this proved to be a terrible decision as the birdcage went missing the next day! The little birdie was bird-napped! Dear, oh dear.
While I am mildly upset, I’m just appalled at the fate that has befallen our feathered friend. I hope whoever swiped the birdcage is a true bird lover and would provide for the little birdie with just as much love as the attendant and his brother.
Sometimes when sports equipment is left unused for too long, it will deteriorate in performance and strength – case in point, golf shoes. I have had many different brands of golf shoes. And it does not matter what brand, the rubber outsole, will deteriorate with time and usage or harden if underutilized.
Although I was golfing so much last year, I rotated only the newer three pairs of shoes. The two remaining older Adidas pairs were left collecting dust. Last week, I decided to wear the brown Adidas pair to walk 18-holes on Saturday. Bad idea.
As I have not worn the shoes for a long time, I did not check the shoe outsoles properly before donning them. Right after the first hole, a piece from the bottom fell off! Uh oh. A little unbalanced but still okay. I continued with the game. We were walking 18-holes, hubby using the golf trolley, and myself carrying my bag with 11 clubs. I wanted the exercise.
Eight holes later, the left outsole was flapping! Oh no, this is not good as we are only halfway through the game. I had to save the situation; otherwise, we cannot go on. Luckily, there were rubber bands on hubby’s golf trolley. So a quick DIY and the problem was resolved.
Three holes later, the rubber band snapped! Hmm. Why did it not occur to me in the morning that the shoes may not survive the walk? We’re talking about 8.25 kilometers and about 12,000 steps for the 18 holes. On foot, there is so much more stress to the shoes’ performance. I should have known better.
So there I was, that Saturday morning with a flapping left outsole and some other missing outsole parts on both shoes! On top of this, water seeped in, and my socks were soaking wet. Let’s not even go into details about my pruned toes and my heavy matchplay loss to hubby.
The moral of the story – never assume all unused equipment will still be okay for use. Always do a thorough check, not a quick glimpse, to ensure everything is tip-top before teeing off for a golf game challenge or tournament.
The shoes were immediately retired when we got home after the game.
Ta my Adidas, you served me well except this last game.
I took a few days off working on my miniatures because there was work to do in the office. Even weekday golf has taken a backseat. I now play weekend golf only, although I did play a game last Friday.
And when I finally had the time, DIY project number 13 kicked in. But it has been slow for reasons unexplained. I can’t find the momentum to get going on it being somewhat superstitious on numbers.
The latest DIY project #12A
So I am just wondering if it’s because it is the number 13. Then again, usually, it is the number 14 that Asians avoid for superstitious reasons. Anyway, between the numbers 13 and 14, both are not my preferred numbers.
The pieces that are completed so far
Perhaps I should call this latest project – DIY Project 12A. Hahaha. And when I finish it and progress to the next one, I will call the next one DIY Project 12B, bypassing both superstitious numbers! So clever.
Remarks