Tag Archives: Hospital

Practice Makes Perfect

12 Jan

The second golf game of the year yesterday was a practice round with just my iron clubs. The Iron Challenge tournament is nine days away, and I have to prepare for it. Last year, I missed out on participating because of the timing. I was recovering from surgery.

Thankfully, there are no major medical issues this year, only the tail-end of the lingering cough. I should recover by then. Anyway, using the 4-iron takes some getting used to again. This club is only in the bag once a year for this tournament.

This time, I am also trying out the 3-iron, something I hardly use! I guess practice makes perfect, for I should put in another game or two to get used to them. Besides these two irons in the bag, I’m generally pleased with how I handle the other irons. The ball striking is good, and the short game is coming along, but the putting needs further fine-tuning.

All in all, I have to remember practice makes perfect. I look forward to the next few games to sort out my issues before the tournament.

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Goodbye 2023

29 Dec

We have two days left of 2023 before we bid the year goodbye. It has been another eventful year for me. As we count down to the New Year, I reflect upon the past 12 months, and here are some highlights of the good times and not-so-good moments.

The biggest highlight would be the two weddings in the family! My only sibling’s twins got hitched within three months of each other. It was a very happy occasion for the family.

Before the weddings, I started 2023 with a bang, getting myself hospitalized for kidney stones. I thought I pulled a back muscle from gardening, but it was more than that. I can laugh about it now!

After that scare, my diet changed to one that is low-oxalate. It took a while to adjust, but I have gotten used to it now. It is always best to stay healthy than to have a recurrence.

The year also saw me having a constant battle with putting. I suffered putting yips every so often with the many rounds of golf I played this year. The musical chair with my Peanut Putter, Scotty Cameron Squareback, and TaylorMade Spider Mini putter choices was a regular practice. Towards the end of the year, I had to retire my Peanut Putter because the grip was disintegrating. Boo hoo hoo. For now, the Mini is in the bag.

There were no family holidays this year as both girls are working, but I’m okay with this. Instead, hubby and I made several golfing trips with friends, locally and abroad. As a result of the constant golfing, my craft work suffered. I slowed down building miniatures, and the latest DIY project, number #32, is incomplete and collecting dust at my workstation. Sigh. Perhaps I can revive it at the beginning of the new year. We shall see.

2023 was not all fun and happy or frustrating. There have been scary moments that I wish not to be repeated. We experienced two spine-chilling episodes with friends after golf, but quick thinking and action saved them. However, no amount of action could save the loss of others due to other issues. Unexpected and untimely, this is the cycle of life, and we have to accept it. I avoid elaborating much on these occasions because I feel it’s best to remember these people in happier times than upon their deaths. Peace be upon their souls.

What will the new year bring for me? It would be materialistic to wish for this and that. I will be practical and say better health more than anything else. With each year passing, the body cannot take the strain regardless of what I do. This dinosaur is getting old!

Well, 2023 has been happy and sad all rolled into one, to sum it up in one sentence. Goodbye 2023, thanks for the memories, and a toast to the year, now stored away as I await the New Year with an open mind.

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Change for the Better

19 Oct

After my health scare in January, I had to manage my diet to avoid a recurrence. For the first three months of the year, I avoided alcohol. And I was very conscious of my food intake, and I am still until today. I have omitted quite a fair bit of food with my new low-oxalate diet.

Everything I cooked was bland, but it had to be this way. Salty food was a big no-no for me. The biggest give-up was nuts; I had to give up most of the nuts I typically snacked on, among other things. Spinach, a healthy vegetable full of calcium, is my biggest enemy these days – who would have believed such a thing?

Now, nine months later, with a follow-up appointment with the doctor yesterday, I am pleased to say I am all good and clear. The diet change has been for the better; no new traces of a recurrence inside me. Yay!

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A Year Wiser

28 Apr

The days leading up to my birthday went by so fast! We had an early birthday dinner celebration last weekend with the girls. It was such a gastronomic indulgence.

A toast to a good year ahead!

Then hubby and I played a round of golf at Royal Perak Golf Club on Wednesday. I had the shot of the day on Hole 5, a Par 3, landing my ball a foot and a half away from the cup for a birdie. Perhaps my Hole-in-One shot is coming soon?

Prelude to my Hole-in-One soon?

But the actual day of my birthday, the day went by so slowly. We were back in Alor Star and it was like a furnace. I could feel my body fat melting away, which was good because I’d been feeling a bit chunky, eating so much leading up to my special day.

And then it rained, no, it poured and poured and poured! Mother Nature was relentless. The outside perimeter of the house was flooded. Oh no! It was sometime before the rain subsided, and we had to clean up the place. Not the ideal activity to do on one’s birthday but it had to be done.

I was sweaty, I was tired and hungry. Sigh. It could be worse because look at the bright side – I am healthier now after my recent hospitalization, and I feel the love of my family and friends for their good wishes on my special day. That’s all that matters. Happy birthday to me regardless of the circumstances!

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Relocating Itsy

17 Feb

Three weeks ago, we decided to relocate Itsy from our garden. The initial thought that a Golden Silk Orb Weaver spider would be of good luck has not been accurate at all.

I had medical issues right after discovering Itsy in our garden. The girls said it was Itsy’s fault! Her spider powers were too much for me, sucking my energy as I took some time to recover after my medical procedures. Whether you choose to believe it or not, well, it was such a coincidence.

So, for me to get well faster, Itsy had to go. But killing it was not an option, and we decided to relocate her to the trees at the perimeters of our housing area. Thankfully, hubby managed to move her without issues using the long garden rake.

Several days ago, I went to check on her. And my goodness! I was shocked at its size, for she is now humongous!

A plump Itsy compared to her looking skinny in our garden

The new environment seems to be well-suited for her as insects are abundant. With the web being so big now, she can trap easily and eat to her fill. And with so much foliage and greens to camouflage, she is in a safe place from danger.

Good for her, looking healthy and plump. As for me, I am getting healthier too (thankfully not plump!), and good for me too! A win-win situation.

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An Impressive Return… Not!

10 Feb

I finally played my first golf game after laying off for a month due to my recent medical issues. All’s good with me now, and off to the golf course yesterday. Although it was only nine holes (I did not want to exert myself too much), put it this way – it certainly was not an impressive return! Hahaha.

All the muscle memory to hit the little dimpled ball was gone. The tee-off was wayward, and the second and third shots were all short. I have lost the power and strength to compress the ball to fly it. Hmm, a few more games should suffice to fix this, methinks.

The short game was decent simply because I started chipping in the garden for distances between three to 10 feet several days ago. Putting with the new TaylorMade Spider Mini putter was not too bad. There were more one-putts than two-putts, so this is good.

The outcome of my first game post-medical procedure is expected, non-impressive, and trying. I should not be demoralized and take heart that at least the short game and putting saved me some blushes. I should be back on track after a few more games!

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Red Putters and Me, Part 2

7 Feb

Every day I was on the prowl looking for the TaylorMade Spider Mini putter. I was determined to get it, come what may. Perhaps it can bring better fortune and lesser or no three putts?

Thankfully, my search did not last too long. I stumbled upon the Spider Mini on a Singapore buying/selling site instead of a location further, thus saving time and shipping costs. The condition of the pre-loved putter is almost mint. Wow, what a godsend find!

My new baby! 🥰

I enlisted my cousin to close the deal on my behalf, and bless her; we lucked out with an additional 20 percent discount off the listed price. Yay! Every dollar counts because the Singapore dollar is much stronger than the Malaysian Ringgit.

And my dear cousin brought it along when she flew in to visit during the Lunar New Year festive holiday break. So now I have another beautiful red putter to add to my collection. The best part of this latest acquisition, it’s a 32-inch putter, just like my Peanut Putter. I love it!

It’s been a month now since I last played golf. I am sure my muscle memory is all gone for the game. Oh well, better be healthy than risk any further problems.

When I am fully recovered and able to play golf again, this latest red Spider Mini putter will be in the bag instead of the Peanut or Scotty putters. I can’t wait.

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Red Putters and Me, Part 1

3 Feb

I seem to have a thing for red putters. They are not only eye-catching, but they are also gorgeous, in my opinion. My Peanut Putter has a red two-way putter head and grip, while my Scotty Cameron has its iconic three red dots and a red plus symbol on the top of the blade head. It used to have a red grip, but I have since changed that.

My two red putters

Recently, before my medical problem, I had the itch to acquire another putter. Yes, a red putter but a mallet style for variation from what I already have. The Peanut and Scotty putters have been demoralizing, with many three-putt performances when I alternated them to get the putting mojo right. So a change would be good.

Sometimes it is not the equipment but the user that the problem exists; however, we choose to ignore this. Hahaha. Nevertheless, a change would be nice, and I have my eye set on the 2018 TaylorMade Spider Mini. It doesn’t matter that it is not the latest model, it is a beautiful and cute red putter!

And so my search began.

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DIY Project #26

31 Jan

Feeling inspired that I finally completed the last miniature, I started on the next one immediately, project number 26. It should not take so long since I have to be home to continue my road to recovery from my medical issues.

DIY project #26!

I have yet to play golf, so it’s a matter of allocating enough time to the project daily. Then there will be progress. I find these DIY miniature sizes more enjoyable to do. Also, the completed set does not take up much space in the IKEA display cabinet. Nice!

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Iron Challenge 2023

27 Jan

Sadly, I will be out of action for this year’s Iron Challenge, scheduled for this Sunday at my golf club, a tournament I play annually. I am disappointed. Boo hoo hoo.

Towards the end of last year, when the tournament date was open for registration, I was one of the early birds to sign up for it and was looking forward to it. I even started preparing myself for the challenge, playing my last few games using only my irons, no woods or hybrids for all my second and third shots save for the tee-off with the driver.

But alas, all the preparation has come to naught because of my medical condition recently. Sigh. I am supposed to be on the road to recovery, but I had a setback on Tuesday; it’s disheartening.

I don’t have the strength to move about; what more attempting to play golf? Swinging my irons like a warrior on the fairway will need Herculean efforts. And being a strokeplay tournament, I’m simply setting myself up for disaster if I participate.

So best not to be a hero when I am not ready physically and mentally; I should stay home to rest and get well faster.

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