Tag Archives: Holidays

The Blundstone Travels Again

2 Nov

The first thing I earmarked for the impending trip was my Blundstone boots! It’s been three years since they last saw some serious action, having gone to the US for M1’s graduation. But as I was unboxing my boots from the shoe cabinet, I found another pair of boots!

Uh-huh, my Blunnies have a rival in the calf-high boots. I have forgotten about this pair because it’s an impractical pair of boots for hot and humid holidays that I mostly do pre-pandemic time. However, for this upcoming trip, calf-high boots might be suitable. Hmm.

I like wearing the Blundstones to travel because they are super comfortable for walking (even after re-soled), but calf-high boots may be good to ward off the cold! There’s still space in the luggage, and I can always do the last-minute packing. We’ll see how it goes.

Decisions, decisions…

Let the Food Trail Begin!

20 Dec

Last night M1, our firstborn came back from the US for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The flight was delayed two hours and it felt forever before she came out from the arrival hall at KLIA.

It’s a wonderful reunion again after visiting her in June for her graduation. Unfortunately, M2 opted not to return and instead has flown off to London for her Christmas holiday.

Nevertheless, a family get together is always about food besides the bonding time. Thus we will embark on a food trail to attempt to check off all the ‘must eats’ on her list. There goes the 16/8 diet! Oh well, it’s not always she returns, so we will indulge as well with her.

Thosai rawa

Roti bom

Changing My Profession

24 May

It’s been an unusual week with more play than work. As many know, Malaysia has a lot of public holidays. In fact, too many. This week alone we had Monday and Wednesday off, so the masses took Tuesday off as well to maximize their long 5-days weekend to go out of town or abroad.

We did neither but just stayed put to play golf this whole week. So much golf, I think I should just change my profession to full-time golfer and part-time Graphic Designer instead of vice versa.

There were games on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and this Saturday as well. This morning I was supposed to have a game too but at the last minute, it was postponed to the coming Monday. With so many golf games, the 16/8 diet had to be temporarily halted because of timing. There’s simply no proper window to stick to a regime and regular menu.

But I figured it’s okay as there’s exercise and calories burnt during these outings, there won’t be any weight spike even after a hearty meal (after every game) to replenish the energy. In fact, today’s weigh-in more than recovered from last week’s minor setback as the numbers improved. And it’s even better than the target weight achievement two weeks ago. I am now 1.5lbs away from the new target weight. Yay!

Come Sunday, thank goodness I had scheduled ahead a full body massage knowing very well, the tired and battered body would need this deserving therapy to rejuvenate before going at this golf binge again next Monday, and possibly Wednesday and most definitely Saturday. Oh yeah, and sandwiched in between, I guess I should also work…

In Full Swing

24 Dec

As work in the office is slowing down for the year-end holidays with clients being on leave, the carving at home is in full swing because I now have more time, coming home earlier than normal. With so many pieces to do all at once, the table is a mess.

There’s Gnomes and Whales to carve, Citizens and Monuments to varnish and new pieces to think about, it’s a never ending process but fun.

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We Say Goodbye

8 Jan

After almost a month being home, our firstborn M1 returned to the US on Saturday evening. It had been simply a wonderful month, spending quality time together as we did so much or sometimes nothing at all. We had our family vacation in Hong Kong which was really fun.

And we enjoyed a sinful gastronomic journey covering her To Eat List; I think we managed all on the list. Needless to say, my waistline expanded and I gave up standing on my bathroom scale.

But how fast time flew by. My heart broke a little when we hugged her and saw her into the Departure Hall at KLIA as she headed back as a Junior turning Senior for her final year. Sniffle…

Fast forward to today—a Monday but a Sunday for her—she finally arrived, surviving the 3-leg journey with an unavoidable ten-hour layover in Hong Kong. I feel a sense of relief now.

Have a great year ahead M1!

Happy Anniversary!

1 Sep

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Like age, I think an anniversary is just a number but we still do something special to mark the occasion.

A nice dinner is of course a must. It used to be an exchange of gifts to commemorate the milestone. Or a trip abroad. When we reached our 15th anniversary, we inadvertently got the milestone wrong, and went off to Italy for a wonderful holiday.

The next year when we realized it was really the 15th anniversary and not the year before, we had a good laugh and marked the milestone with another awesome trip, this time to Sydney.

This year as we mark 22 years together, I thought a little something different would be nice besides the nice dinner.

Yesterday morning, I carved two cute looking matching owls for hubby and myself. This is to mark our similarities, differences and togetherness. I think it’s an apt representation.

Happy anniversary, my dear hubby!

Being Children

3 Jan

During the holidays, the girls were being children to the core – sleeping late, waking late, eating at odd hours, hogging the computer, being a couch potato in front of the TV and basically, enjoying a stress-free routine. I am not complaining because they were pretty contented.

But now that the school holidays are over, the girls being children has gone back to school. No more sleeping late, no more waking late, no more eating at odd hours, no more hogging the computer, no more a couch potato and basically, back to a stressful routine. I am certainly not complaining because they will be kept pretty busy.

A Belated Gift

27 Dec

It’s Boxing Day and I had gone to play golf in the morning with the hubby. And obviously I did not open the laptop to play Candy Crush considering it’s an early morning tee off and we shouldn’t be late. But for the record, I have been stuck at Level 500 and it has been most frustrating. These pass few days, being the Christmas holidays with the festive mood, I am hardly working so I have been trying to conquer this level at every opportunity available.

Fast forward to the late afternoon. I came home from my golf outing and routine was normal, playing five unsuccessful rounds of Candy Crush on the laptop before moving back to the iPad for Zookeeper Battle and checking emails. Everything was normal; then in the evening, I reached for the laptop again and launched the game for my usual five attempts at Level 500 but suddenly, I find myself leap-frogged to Level 501!!! Surprised, shocked, taken aback, I couldn’t believe it!

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Notice the non-star at Level 500 and question marks for tickets?

Eh? What’s going on? I have been stuck at Level 500 for sometime but out of the blue or is it out of pity, I have been gifted with this! I have gone on to Level 501 without completing Level 500 and without even asking for tickets to go on to this latest chapter, Ice Cream Caves.

A belated Christmas gift? A computer glitch? A loyalty reward? Whatever it is, gee, thanks King.com! I just hope you don’t reverse what you just did for I have gone on to Level 506. A gift’s a gift, no taking back, belated as it may be.

Pre-vacation Get Together

4 Nov

It’s been awhile traveling abroad with friends. My last few travels have been with—let’s see—hubby (Singapore), hubby and sibling (Paris), hubby again (local golf escapade) and hubby & office staff (Bali).

I have various travel groups for different travel categories: ‘all-girls trips’ are with friends since childhood whom I grew up together with; ‘couples trips’ are with married couple friends (sans children) and so on.

Now I have never traveled afar with this group of friends. Not new in the friendship but new in traveling together. As such, it was only the right thing to do to have dinner together to get to know them beyond the usual social golf meets.

Two weeks ago, hubby and I dined with the group whom I will be traveling with for my next destination. While hubby is not going for that trip, he joined us for dinner. Despite the handful who could not make it that night, it was good camaderie as we bonded over dinner, wine, whiskey and homemade cheese cake. I am sure when the group is whole, it will be even more merry-making and one blast of a trip!

Definitely looking forward to it tomorrow…

A Green Halloween!

1 Nov

Halloween came and went, and here we are in November already! My goodness, where did time go? Before you know it, the Christmas decors have to be out and up.

Halloween is a day old already but I’d like to write about it. I had posted several pictures (on Facebook) prior to it but never quite told the whole story, so here goes…

Two nights ago, I decided to indulge M1 and M2 with some Halloween fun. Now, in my country, pumpkins are very expensive because they are imported. Those huge ones specifically for the occasion are even more expensive. But a friend inspired me to use watermelons instead of pumpkins. At a fraction of a price from a pumpkin, why not? What a brilliant idea! Thanks B1, you’re a star too.

So, on our way home, I told hubby to go buy the two biggest watermelons that he can get his hands on. Thankfully, the sensibility in him landed us two decent sized ones, any bigger, we’d end up with watermelon overdose.

The girls were thrilled. We’ve never carved pumpkins nor watermelons before. But the occasion was met with zest. The fruit I must say was much easier to cut being all water inside, therefore easy for the knife the pierce through. The whole process took less than an hour. A quick research, an impromptu set up and not much of a mess was made.

They enjoyed themselves thoroughly and we ended up with 4 liters of fresh watermelon juice! Even Roo, official pet number one, enjoyed some juicy watermelon pieces. Subsequently, there were many suggestions given to maximize the watermelon juice, from making ice cubes to creating vodka cocktails, it sure was creative.

Let the pictures show you our carving efforts for Halloween this year. Given the final outcome, no one would have guessed our creations were made from watermelons and not pumpkins if it was not mentioned. Nonetheless, it’s the result that matters. Happy Halloween!

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The two unassuming eventual stars.

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M2 scrapping her melon.

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M1 outlining her melon.

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Off with the head for M1’s red melon!

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M2’s melon is complete!

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Work in progress for M1’s melon.

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Ready to be lighted.

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Tadaa… our creations!

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M2’s work of art.

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M1’s work of art.