Tag Archives: lockdown

A Simple Reunion

1 Feb

Unlike past Reunion Dinner gatherings where most family members made the journey, this Reunion Dinner is a simple gathering of just six people for a steamboat dinner.

Even the dinner spread was simple and nothing extravagant. The occasion was more for being with the elders, who are fine and healthy, than the food.

But a trip back to hubby’s hometown is not complete without playing some golf! We managed to play two games. And we had the golf course all to ourselves as there were hardly any other golfers at all. You can tell by the absence of golfers when the tee box has a giant mushroom (in the foreground) as big as the tee box marker (in the background)!

Look at that mushroom!

The first game quickly turned into a case of being lucky and unlucky at the same time. My ball landed right on the line in the middle of the fairway for the NTL (nearest to line) novelty, held a day earlier! Oh well, but the thrill of this achievement was pretty exhilarating.

Right on the line!

We ushered in the Year of the Tiger without much fanfare – there were no fireworks at the stroke of midnight, which worked out well for us for a peaceful night.

As we welcome the Tiger, here’s wishing everyone ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’, and may you have a roaringly successful year ahead despite the pandemic still being around. Count your blessings, be happy and stay healthy!

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What a Journey!

31 Jan

On Saturday, we left town to head North to hubby’s hometown. What a journey we had! The highway authorities had advised travelers heading that way to begin their journeys before 10 am to avoid congestion. So we did, albeit a little bit late, at precisely 9.51 am.

Heavy traffic in both directions

And dang, we drove smack into the worst snarl ever! Our past pre-Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner journeys were typically a six-hour drive from our home to hubby’s parents’ home.

This time, it took us 6.5 hours to reach Ipoh! Not even halfway to our final stop. This stretch is usually a 2.5 hours drive, but not on Saturday. It was a terrible drive. I wouldn’t even call it a drive but a crawl.

All in all, it took us ten hours to arrive, a record drive for a journey that would usually take 4.5 hours during the non-festive time.

But we were in good spirits as we had packed all the comforts in the car for the trip. And we knew there would be traffic woes, however, we didn’t expect it to be this bad.

It’s okay, this trip is for a good reason and that is to have the Reunion Dinner with the old folks, an occasion that we have missed out on the last two years because of the pandemic, lockdowns, and travel restrictions.

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A Symbolic Growth

28 Jan

The preparations to usher in the Lunar New Year are almost complete! We finally put up the red cloth for the entrance this morning. And we got it right this time, having measured the hanging points and having two ladders to put up both sides in one go.

I had a pleasant surprise this morning when I was in the garden. There was a new pineapple fruit growing! How fortunate as a pineapple signifies prosperity and its timely growth is symbolic of welcoming the Year of the Tiger on a good note!

With two days left to the Reunion Dinner, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all travelers a safe journey, and to everyone, a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year!

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Indulgent Shopping

25 Jan

The Lunar New Year is next week, my goodness! There are a lot of last-minute preparations to usher in the Year of the Tiger. Like shopping for new clothes, for instance!

The last two years, with the pandemic and lockdowns, we were homebound and did not venture out to the malls at all. There were grocery runs to our local grocer nearby, and basically, essentials but not indulgent shopping.

During the MCO phases, online shopping was my go-to if I wanted to buy non-essential things. And even then, it was mostly to buy my miniature sets and carving tools. But no clothes.

So over the weekend, we took the opportunity to go on a shopping spree to buy new clothes as it is the last weekend to shop. With no more restrictions on interstate travel, it will be a traffic nightmare next weekend when city-dwellers begin the exodus for Reunion Dinners with the family and loved ones afar.

I, for one, who usually buy golf clothes, suddenly find myself buying Chinese New Year clothes. I bought not one but two Cheong Sam outfits! It must be the festivity in the air or the sudden freedom to be able to go out and try clothes on.

My two lovely and elegant outfits

For someone who does not wear or buy dresses often, the purchases were an incredible feat by my standards. Well, lockdowns change people and their outlook in life, I suppose. I look forward to wearing the outfits to welcome the Year of the Tiger with good vibes and have a roaring celebration, pun intended.

Lion Dance at the mall

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DIY Project #23

21 Jan

Towards the end of last year, I was not in the mood to craft miniatures and took a break from this activity. I was playing a lot more golf and ended up taking a much longer break than intended. Besides the circumstances, I was side-tracked with felting which was less time-consuming but equally enjoyable.

But now, I am ready to indulge in crafting miniatures again and have started on DIY project number 23. Yes, number twenty-three, but the first for 2022. That’s a lot of miniature sets I completed in the past two years during the lockdowns we had when the pandemic disrupted lives and created new routines.

DIY project #23 kicks off!

This latest set is a classroom setting, different from what I have done thus far but apt to kick off the new year as schools are reopening again under strict SOP after two years of disruption.

I hope I will not take too long to complete the set. It should be fun.

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Something New from the Garden

11 Jan

Our garden is full of plants and edibles. But I have to admit I am not the green fingers person managing our garden. It was only during the lockdown phases the last two years that I learned to appreciate it. I can identify Creeping Charlies and unwanted weeds and even made an effort to plant vegetables for our consumption.

You can find the usual air plants, stag horns, and bromeliads that hubby has besides some other plants, small trees, shrubs, and the one big frangipani tree that we love very much. Then there are the edibles like chili, curry leaves, fruits, herbs, and some vegetables spread out here and there. The space is balanced between plants to appreciate and food to eat to be sustainable.

When M1 came home last year, she brought back some corn seeds, glass gem corn, to be precise. At that point, we were not sure whether the corn could grow in our environment. Hubby, being the green fingers maestro, tried. After almost five months, he has successfully grown some glass gem corn! Wow.

Glass gem corn from our garden!

It does not matter that they are small and puny in size upon harvest. The fact that the species can grow in humid and wet conditions is good enough. Both corns are not as colorful compared to what we see on the internet. Nonetheless, they are very pretty looking, and we are most pleased with this new thing from our garden.

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A Break in Pattern

10 Jan

After several mishaps that have befallen me, there is light at the end of the tunnel. But this is as far as the garden yield is concerned, and not so much on my well-being.

The second papaya tree yielded a large fruit last week. At 2145g on the scale, it was the heaviest fruit by far. Then two days ago, we harvested another big papaya. The second one was a whopper. At 2294g, I believe this latest fruit is the heaviest papaya we’ve had from the garden.

Papaya galore!

Perhaps with this good fortune, it is a break in pattern from all the terrible things that have happened.

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A Terrible Start, Part 3

7 Jan

I can’t seem to shake off this terrible start to 2022, for it has continued! Dang. It was after dinner when the latest mishap happened.

It’s been a long time since I last rewarded myself with a piece of dark chocolate. I find that I will be alright eating dark chocolate but not milk chocolate because of my Endometriosis problem.

Two nights ago, I thought a piece or two of chocolate to reward myself would be nice after such a mentally draining day.

So there I sat at the kitchen counter and popped a piece of chocolate into my mouth. As I was chewing, I felt an unusual and solid morsel suddenly. It did not taste like honey brittle pieces or hazelnuts as the texture was different and felt more like a tiny stone. Dense and hard as a rock!

That is a one huge chunk off my molar!

I fished out the tiny stone-like morsel, and lo and behold – it was a chip off my molar! I was aghast. The last time I chipped my tooth was when I was eating crabs and attempted to bite the shell. It was not the smartest thing to do. Oh well.

But this, a piece of chocolate that pales in density compared to the crab. Could my year get any worse than this? Geez.

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A Terrible Start, Part 2

4 Jan

It looks like the negative vibes coming into the New Year have continued. Boo hoo hoo. When will I shed this?

On New Year’s day, we caught a rat, only for it to escape the next day! How did the rat manage to open the cage door? What stumped us was the unexplained fact that the cage was across the garden and on its side, and not at the original spot where we left it? Did the rat have assistance from the garden squirrels or otherwise? Creepy.

Lucky rat, it survived this round, but we will get it next time.

My first golf game for the New Year was a disastrous outing. Strange, considering just a week ago, I played one of my best games. And as if this was not demoralizing enough, I slipped and fell on the second hole. Although I was not injured, the mishap was enough to wreck the mental approach to the game. It was a downhill performance for the rest of the 16 holes. Sigh.

And last night, the aquarium pump started acting up with strange noises! It’s a brand new unit, hardly a year old, and this happened. I can cry with all these unfortunate happenings.

To top off the terrible start, my golf game this morning was even worse than Sunday’s game! I hope this is now rock bottom because when you’re right at the bottom and cannot go any lower, moving upwards is the next step.

I can only hope this belief will hold when I play my next game on Thursday. Let’s hope this terrible start to the New Year ends by then.

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A Terrible Start

3 Jan

My new year got off to a terrible start. On New Year’s Eve, I scalded my fingers while preparing dinner. Ouch! We decided to eat at home than be out somewhere crowded to usher in the New Year. It was the beginning of more misfortunes.

The yummy cheese board

The dinner spread was simple and easy to prepare. The ham and cheese board especially was good, and I ended up eating a little too much cheese than I should. Tsk, tsk.

Then right before the countdown began, I started feeling nausea. Oh no. My Endometriosis problem of not agreeing with dairy has suddenly resurfaced. It must be the cheese more than anything else! I threw up half my dinner right when the fireworks went off!

It was spectacular, my retching and not the fireworks. In my moment of discomfort, the external background noise and celebration were happening! What a terrible start to kick off the new year. Could it be any worse?

Well, right before dinner, I found out I had one outstanding traffic summon that I never even knew! The comforting consolation was settling before midnight to enjoy the discounted rate.

Sigh, what a start I am having. I can only look upon these misfortunes as clearing all the negative chi to face the year better.

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