Excited about carving again after seeing the Three-Gnome piece evolve, I decided to carve more gnomes, but single pieces instead of a trio. I found three wooden blocks from my stash and decided to work on them simultaneously.
On days when it was too hot to be out on the golf course, I alternated between the four pieces for the past several weeks. It wasn’t a daily process, though, and it took time. And since I completed the Three-Gnome piece last week, my focus is now on the three single gnomes.
The task at hand is very exhilarating, especially with the new carving tools that I recently purchased online. When an unassuming block of wood evolves and becomes something creative, done with love and focus, the satisfaction and joy are immensely wonderful.
I hope to complete the three pieces before the end of August!
Two months ago, the weather was unbearably hot, and I reduced my outdoor activities, meaning my golf games. Being home, I decided to revive an old and forgotten carving project, rather than spending my time constantly on my iPad playing games. I was playing too much!
It felt good to carve again, as it had been ages since I last used all my carving tools. The piece is not new, but a second take on my Three-Gnomes piece. Slowly but surely, I will complete the piece and not leave it sitting there forgotten.
It has been eight months since we started playing pickleball. And I must say we enjoy it very much. It is because we can see ourselves improving with each outing every week. Unlike golf, the more I play of late, the more fatigued and frustrated I become with my golfing ability. And sometimes, unfavorable weather, too hot or wet, makes the golf outing not as enjoyable.
Now pickleball is very interesting. We have a little group where everyone started together eight months ago. And everyone has improved together, so it’s much more enjoyable because everyone’s ability is equal. During the weekly two-hour session, we rotate playing partners constantly after each round.
The best part of our weekly pickleball sessions is the place where we play. After several venues that we have tried, mostly outdoors but covered, we found a comfortable indoor air-conditioned pickleball center, and we have been going to this venue ever since. It’s the perfect venue, especially when it rains, as we are safely indoors and can continue playing without interruption.
And, after four months into the game playing with an entry-level paddle purchased online, hubby and I decided to upgrade and invest in better paddles. He chose the Australian brand Six Zero Black Diamond, while I selected the American Neonic Flare Prime [X]. His choice is more for power, and my choice is because it looked so cute on display, being 14mm! Hahahaha.
Seriously, my paddle is very lightweight, but the spin is deadly. I love my paddle, and my game has also improved by leaps and bounds. Yes, we are being serious about pickleball, hence these purchases.
On the fifth day of our trip, we visited Wulingyuan, a different historical and scenic site of Zhangjiajie National Park. We see so many rock formations that I have lost track of what is what and where. My knowledge of this place is terrible, as I didn’t do any research before coming.
There was another queue for a cable car to the peak to see more rocks! Hahaha. Another long trek day. I was hitting all sorts of records on the Fitness app in my AppleWatch. Yay!
Wulingyuan
That evening, we decided to attend the large-scale musical, the Fox Fairy Show. The live musical performance was very entertaining and colorful. I was most impressed by the outdoor theater setup at the foot of Tianmen Mountain. Costume and character changes were instantaneous without glitches with AI technology. Very impressive!
The Fox Fairy Show
The next day, we queued again (what else is new?) for the Bailong Elevator. Although we paid for VIP tickets to cut down our time waiting in line, it was still an hour before we could go up to the top. The Avatar Mountains were the highlight of this trip, but again, for me, the crowds marred the experience of seeing the floating mountains. I think the depth of the terrain was hardly visible, with so much greenery below. It was hard for me to grasp the sheer beauty of the place.
The floating Avatar Hallelujah Mountains
At all the attractions we visited, it felt like the whole world was there to see what we wanted to see. And if I thought it was the last of the long queues at Bailong, the next day’s attraction at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge was another one for the record!
At the Glass Bridge
We gave up the last tour to visit Orange Isle when we saw the queues again. Hahaha. After so many days of long queue experience, we could not handle another long queue to see the statue of Mao Zedong. Everyone agreed we should go shopping instead.
Mass crowds from every attraction we went to!
All in all, this trip was all about nature, crowds, and queues. I have never been so overwhelmed surrounded by people. The trip culminated in the final two days at Changsha with a colorful cityscape skyline, more people, interesting food, and shopping.
So colorful!Array of street food. Bottom right: bowl of cut chili is called a dipping sauce
Nine days were rather long, and although there were more downsides of crowds, queues, and packing the wrong clothes as far as the weather was concerned, I am taking the positives from this trip, checking off my bucket list, and cherish the time I had with the friends I grew up with.
Lately, my golf game has not been the best. I have to confess the games played in Vietnam were underwhelming, especially putting. Then again, the erratic putting was due to using a new and different putter. I have to elaborate on this next time.
However, I was not too bothered by my performance. After all, the trip was more about enjoying the company, the sights, the food, and the weather. As an afterthought, if the weather during the three games had been more comfortable and not that cold, would the results have been different? Oh well, that’s golf for you—filled with ‘what ifs’ and ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves’ thereafter.
Subconsciously, I was careful not to aggravate my tennis elbow, so the shots I took were more cautious or held back. It’s interesting to note the cold weather may have helped prevent further flare-ups, so I am grateful for this!
However, upon returning to hot and humid conditions, I couldn’t strike the ball well for the few games I played. It was as if I didn’t know how to play golf anymore! What is happening? Sigh.
I hope I can fix my problem soon; otherwise, any upcoming game will be more down than up!
I love my Blundstone boots, and this is my second pair. Like the first pair, this pair had a change of sole. Hydrolysis occurred on the soles, disintegrating them to smithereens as the boots were left unused for a long time.
Despite this change, the current pair of boots are still comfortable. I would wear them daily if I had the chance. However, the weather at home is not suitable for such footwear. So, I only wear my Blundstone when I am off for a holiday at a cold climate destination; hence the motto “Have boots will travel.”
Where are we off to this time? Tokyo, Japan! Whee. Tokyo reminds me of my college days, dinosaur years back when I had to layover at Narita International Airport for my flight for a few hours before continuing the journey. But technically, I cannot say I have visited Tokyo because I never left the airport to see the city. Back then, there were no Blundstones as well. No Blundstones, no travel. Hahaha.
I look forward to experiencing the city during this holiday. There will be a lot of walking, but I’m not worried because I have my comfortable Blundstone boots! We fly tomorrow morning. Happy travels to us!
I feel like my schedule has been the same of late. Same old, same old, you know? But the week goes by so fast, even though the routine is predictable with the golf games, the chores, and the weather.
I find that there is no new excitement in my life. I even started playing a new game because the levels in Homescapes are released too slowly. I am always ahead of them!
For now, the most exciting thing thus far is seeing a new eatery review on social media, and we will make plans to try out the place. Like tonight, and I’m glad I declared the kitchen closed. Otherwise, it’s the same old, same old again.
I have not recovered from last weekend’s event exhaustion and have been under the weather for the past few days. On Tuesday, when my golf group resumed our weekly game, the weather did not help as it drizzled, but the siren did not go off. So we played in the rain.
Bad idea. The wet and hot situation sealed my fate, and I’m sick now. Sigh.
Maybe I am playing too much golf? I think so.
I played yesterday because I volunteered to replace someone—before I fell sick—who withdrew several days prior. Oh well. I hope to recover on time before the next tournament on Sunday. Fingers crossed.
My goodness, it is August already! And it’s so freaking hot, my brain is so numb being in this scorching weather. Not only am I feeling the heat, but the ants as well.
🐜 🐜 🐜 and more 🐜
There has been an increase in ant count on the kitchen counter lately. We think they are taking refuge indoors, away from the heat outside. Poor critters. As much as I find them a nuisance, I don’t have the heart to eliminate them. Maybe my brain is too fried from the heat and humidity to reason.
After several months of waiting, the new papaya tree in the garden is fruiting in abundance again! Yay. There was a time when we had papaya fruit to eat daily. As time passed, the tree grew old and stopped fruiting – we had to chop it down. Hubby decided to plant a new papaya tree.
Months passed, and the new tree flourished well with the weather that we had been experiencing. But it has also attracted some unwanted critters to our place. No, it’s not the garden squirrels but the civet cat!
The civet cat has helped itself a few times to the exposed and unprotected fruits, as there had been evidence of half-eaten papaya on the tree or fruit droppings on the ground. We must protect our fruits!
Yesterday, we put our plans into action by wrapping the fruits on the tree with the new PVC netting mesh. I think I did a good job. But we will only know in the next few days to see if the fruits are well protected.
Angieneering 
Remarks