Tag Archives: lockdown

A Break From the Usual

3 Apr

Whenever we traveled up North to hubby’s hometown, we would stop at the same place and eat the same thing in Ipoh. You could say we are creatures of habit.

On this trip, we decided to break from the usual. So we stopped at Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok) in Pasir Pinji instead. The last time we ate here was before the pandemic broke, four years ago, if I recall.

At the stop, we decided to try new food choices, deviating from our usual and typical. Suddenly, we are so adventurous. Hahaha.

We had Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun, something we hardly eat. It was very smooth and bursting with flavors with all the different sauces on top.

The mouth watering choices of Chee Cheong Fun (top left), porridge (top right) and Popiah (bottom).

And we also had Popiah, which was just as good. Rounding up the spread was a Pork Porridge with Mixed Innards and Iced Black Coffee each. Yum, so good. How come we never considered these choices before?

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Oh My Ferragamo!

17 Mar

Recently, at the wedding, I decided to wear heels to match my outfit, but I was in a bind. I didn’t think I could balance on either the black three-inch or the bling-bling four-inch dinner stilettoes. It’s been ages since I wore these!

So I decided to don my Ferragamo shoes instead. It was either the classic Vara pumps or the Artiste block heels. I prefer the Vara over the Artiste, and the ever-reliable Vara pumps have held up after all these years. Perhaps a tad hardened on the insides that I have to grit my teeth when I walk, but what’s a little pain for a night of glam?

However, the other pair of Ferragamo has suffered a terrible fate. With two years upended by the pandemic, traveling and meeting people was out of the question. Furthermore, there have not been many new business opportunity meetings, so wearing good shoes were not required.

Anyway, my Artiste Ferragamo shoes suffered massive hydrolysis on the bottom. It’s like a replay of my Blundstone boots, only this time, it’s my designer label heels. The rubber underside of the shoes exploded to smithereens! The only consolation is that the shoebox contained the mess.

The awful state of the Artiste

I am not upset, but wondering if I bring the shoes to the Ferragamo store, can anything be done to save them? Would I be accorded a solution or a replacement (wishful thinking here) like Blundstone Australia did? Hmm.

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Double Happiness

14 Mar

Double happiness is when two people discover each other for a lifetime together. Double happiness also means during the wedding, the extended families can gather merrily for a happy celebration.

Two nights ago, my nephew tied the knot. Congratulations to him and his beautiful bride! My heart is bursting with love for the newest member of our family!

It was a heartfelt, joyous occasion for everyone present. The younger twin of my only sibling is now a married man and will be starting his family soon. There was so much love and affection throughout the Chinese tea ceremony, which was steep in tradition. A boisterous close family affair that morning.

Then the wedding dinner that night was equally a heartfelt and joyous occasion for the family. I was ecstatic when I reconnected with my cousins again, having not seen them for ages. It was such a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we caught up, reminisced, squealed, and giggled like teenagers until we teared up about the growing-up years with our grandpa around.

Grandpa was the center of our universe, but there was so much fear in us whenever we visited him and Grandma. Nonetheless, my cousins and I have happy childhood memories. Now only our memories remind us because, during the dinosaur era, smartphones to record every moment did not exist yet. Today, the wedding is a memory filed away but captured in print, video, and almost everyone’s smartphones.

As I have said, there was double happiness for everyone during the wedding dinner – not just for the newlyweds but for all the aunts and uncles meeting up again. Many a time, I felt emotionally moved to see the elderlies hugging each other affectionately and catching up, something we all could not do, especially during the peak of Covid. It takes a happy occasion to reconnect with everybody again. And it takes a pandemic to reevaluate the importance of family and being in touch.

A cousin lamented that the clan should not meet only for weddings and, sadly, at times, for funerals, but it should be more frequent now that there are no longer lockdowns and restrictions. Time is precious, likewise family members and our extended families too.

As such, efforts are underway to spur the next generation of cousins to get to know each other better and ensure their bond grows, just like it has been for my cousins and me. As for the newlyweds, a toast to their happiness and the start of a beautiful life together.

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2020 – The Year That Was

30 Dec

Well, another year has come and gone, almost. With another day left for 2022, it’s time to reflect on the year that was.

I have seen on the web that touted 2022 as ‘2020 Too’ and not 2022. Get it? A repeat of the year that upended everything. To a certain extent, it was true. But I think the good things that happened far outweighed the unpleasant, at least for me.

The highlight of the year for us was M2’s graduation, and we had the opportunity to travel to Dublin, Ireland, to attend the Commencement Ceremony. During that time, travelers no longer needed to be quarantined upon arrival, so that was good. It added extra days to our plans, and we added London to the itinerary to stretch the holiday.

The downside of such a long holiday was the weather! It was cold to the core, and at times, the numbness from being in the cold made the experience unpleasant. But we took it in stride, and it was indeed a wonderful time.

2022 was somewhat of a year of new beginnings for us. Regrettably, we gave up our office space and officially worked from home. However, it was a good decision and a blessing in disguise. We no longer have to stress over traveling to/from home/office and have more time and flexibility. And as far as work is concerned, well, there have been ups and downs, but we prevailed. Let’s hope the new year will be better.

2022 was also a year of medical concerns. With Covid cases on the uptrend, people I know were positive at an alarming rate. It was only a matter of time before I contracted it. True enough, I tested positive in June and had the most miserable week of my life battling it. I was in no mood to share my episode then and, as time passed, forgot about my ordeal. However, in the aftermath, I notice I frequently experience brain fog and memory loss! Yikes. And I lost distance when golfing. Double yikes!

Sometimes I say it was the booster jab that compromised my health. But then again, I should say the booster jab saved me from complications or worst. So I should be thankful in this sense. My golfing distance has since returned, but my brain fog is still there. Perhaps this is purely due to age instead? I have to monitor further on this.

The year also saw a decline in my miniature crafting. Weirdly, I have so much time, yet no time at all. We played golf often and ate out more, yet no progress for my miniatures. DIY project #25 has stopped for the longest time! Maybe 2023 will see a revival of my interest? We will find out.

So what do I envision for the new year? Well, nothing too extreme, better health would be good, after all, I am a year older. In short, let there be peace, harmony, and good health. Here’s wishing all my readers a very Happy New Year!

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The Big Fat Truth

21 Oct

I will not lie when I say I am getting fat. It sounds demoralizing, but it’s the truth. Even though I am more active these days with more golf games, it does not sound like I’m burning calories to stay fit. It’s the opposite.

I suspect the after-game food and drinks are the reason for the sudden spike in my weight because my bathroom scale has been on an alarming upward trend. Perhaps I should be more disciplined with my food intake or reduce my carbohydrate intake. Then again, could it be we are eating out more these days because there are no more lockdowns?

Nevertheless, golf is supposed to be healthy, being out there sweating and working the muscles, burning the calories, and getting all the exercise. However, all these efforts will become naught if there is no discipline, especially with the after-game food and drink intake. And the terrible truth of getting fat will hang over my head. Ugh. I need to be more disciplined!

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Growing the Fig Family

17 Oct

If there’s one thing besides patience I discovered during the pandemic when we were under lockdown, it was online shopping. One can buy just about whatever we fancied at the click of the mouse.

In the last two years, during the lockdowns, my favorite item to buy from my go-to online shopping site was DIY miniature kits. But hubby is different in his purchasing choices. He buys plants!

Although he has bought plants in the past, they are mostly air plants, nothing heavy. These days, he continues to buy plants online instead of from the nursery, even though there are no more lockdowns. The last two purchases were fig plants, which are far heavier than air plants! The most recent one was rather large trees, in my opinion.

So now, we have nine fig trees and growing the fig family. It should be interesting.

The latest five fig plants!

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Battle of the Weeds, Part 3

14 Oct

I have not ventured out to the garden lately. There is just too much to do inside the house besides my being out for golf. Separately, the monsoon season has started, and it has been raining quite a bit, so there’s no reason to go to the garden.

Yesterday morning, I went out to the garden because it was nice and cloudy. To my horror, the place was a mess with leaves scattered everywhere caused by strong gusts of winds. Leaves aside, I see the Creeping Charlie growing everywhere too! It has sprouted in places that they’re not supposed to be.

Be gone you creepies!

So I had a field day, battling with the weeds. When we were under the MCO (Movement Control Order) last year, external helpers like gardeners and domestic cleaners were not allowed to come into the estate. But now, with no more lockdowns in place and our gardener coming regularly, I don’t understand why we still have the Creeping Charlie growing in abundance. Sigh.

It will be quite a chore to get rid of them because I cannot wait for the gardener to sort this out. I hope I will win this round of the battle.

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Fast Food is Not Fast

19 Sep

With no more lockdowns or strict SOPs enforced these days, the economy has opened up, and we are eating out a little more than ever. And sometimes, when there are choices, cooking takes a backseat.

However, when faced with so many choices, we are at a loss to decide what to eat. So at times, in this situation, we would opt for the occasional fast food, McDonald’s.

Our recent McDonald’s meal does not live up to be fast food. On the contrary, it was pretty slow with a long queue regardless of the time. And we had to wait further before the meals were ready to be picked up.

The bottom line, fast food these days is not fast at all. Also, fast food is not cheap either! So if you think having this is a quick and affordable choice, you ought to think again; it is neither.

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Dinky, Meet Snoopy!

9 Sep

Wednesday was an eventful day because I was finally getting my tattoo. Although I anticipated pain after my last experience with Dinky, I didn’t feel any during this inking session.

It was only after the session that I felt a tad painful, but the sensation lasted for just two hours. I must laud the tattoo artist, for she was very gentle and good, putting me at ease. The health and hygiene measures were very impeccable to feel assured and safe.

I’m very impressed with the work. I guess there’s no explanation required on my choice this time nor introduction, except perhaps only to say, “Dinky, meet Snoopy!”

My latest!

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Big Day Tomorrow

6 Sep

The time has come for me to get my tattoo finally! After waiting almost a month for my appointment, tomorrow is the big day. Woohoo!

The procedure is rather stringent, although we are now in an endemic stage. The tattoo parlor requires me to take a Covid antigen test before the session. I will be doing this at home with a doctor looking on via Zoom, and they are covering the cost of the doctor, which is nice.

This extra step of having a doctor ensures that the test process is proper and the result is mine, not someone else’s. This particular parlor imposes this added requirement (of a doctor’s presence), unlike other parlors that only require one to test on your own before the tattoo session. Oh well.

So what am I getting this third time? Hah! I will reveal it later, not now. Be patient. I’m ready for the test shortly but psyching my mind for the pain tomorrow. I have to remember, no pain, no gain, or in this case, no pain, no tattoo!

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