Tag Archives: public holiday

Back-to-back Breaks, Part 2

16 Sep

September is a month of public holidays! We had another four-day weekend to chill and relax. So, we decided to do a KL city staycation to avoid driving along the Plus highway outstation with the two million travelers. However, the plan did not pan out.

A little past midnight on the night before our staycation, I received a WhatsApp notification informing us that our host had canceled our booking. Unfortunately, I did not see the message until the next morning. It was unbelievable, as it was the first time I had encountered such an issue on booking.com!

The poorly written message stated that the air conditioning in the apartment was not functioning. Upon testing, the electricity sparked and caused the main switch to shut down. Although the caretaker tried to fix it, the service provider decided to replace the air conditioning unit. However, they are unable to do so because it was a public holiday. Hrmph! What an elaborate reasoning! Or should I say, excuse?

By the way, I feel I need to write a bad review for this experience on the Booking app to highlight the incredulous last-minute reason and cancellation by the host. I need to navigate my way through the app or website to do this. What if I came from another state? All my plans would have been up in smoke!

We decided to still stick to our plans for all the activities and brush aside the disappointment. After all, there was a full refund for the cancellation. It was them who initiated the cancellation, not me after all.

In the end, the weekend turned out pretty relaxing. We ate, we walked, we braved the crowds, and we saw interesting things. The difference is that we came back home to sleep in our rooms, not in an apartment overlooking KLCC with faulty air conditioning.

Sunday’s eats and sights
Monday’s sights. Wait was too long Ho Kow, so we went somewhere else.

Back-to-back Breaks

2 Sep

Time has flown by so fast, suddenly. September has arrived with several public holidays for the month. Over the weekend, Malaysia celebrated its 68th National Day. Since the auspicious day fell on a Sunday, Monday was a replacement holiday. The coming Friday is also another public holiday, making the work week the shortest with only three days in between. 

I could get used to this short work week/long weekend schedule, because it is so relaxing and I have ample time to do things at a leisurely pace. But I chose to immerse myself in a new game on my iPad Mini. Silly, as it takes so much of my time, and I could have done more productive things instead! 

The game I normally play, Homescapes, has become so routine that there is not much challenge any longer. Yet I’m still at it, I don’t know why. And I wait patiently for new levels to open every single week. For the record, as of today, I am at Level 18292.

So, a few days ago, I downloaded Tasty Travels innocently, thinking to just try it for variation, but I found myself hooked on it, playing it into the wee hours of the past few nights! Terrible, isn’t it?

Will I continue to be hooked by it with the back-to-back breaks? We will find out.

Another Long Holiday

2 Apr

I’ve lost track of the days during this Hari Raya festive holiday as my weekend and weekday seem to have merged into one long stretch. As a result, my activity schedule has become quite disorganized. Throw in a lunch get-together with friends that stretches into teatime – it’s no wonder I’ve lost track of time!

Recently, my golf game has not been going well, so I’ve decided to cut back on playing to focus on recovering my mental strength before I tackle the sport again. In the meantime, I’ve been playing more pickleball!

My usual twice or thrice-a-week golf has been reduced to once a week, while my pickleball has increased to twice a week. I find that the latter sport is less of a mental challenge. Although I’m still new at it, I’m making progress. The two-hour pickleball session can be tiring but not as draining as a round of golf that lasts four hours or more.

Golf has always posed a mental challenge for me to play better. And at times, I worry that I may aggravate an old injury or acquire a new one. Unfortunately, it has not been as enjoyable for me lately. I’m surprised I’ve reached this point with a sport I’ve enjoyed all these years. Perhaps the long holiday or my disorganized schedule is contributing to these feelings? Or simply, I’m just overthinking things!

P/S I have really lost track of time! This post is out on a Wednesday instead of the usual Tuesday. Eeeks.

A Break in Between

11 Feb

Although tomorrow is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration, there is an overlap of festivities today, hence, a break in between with a public holiday. Nice.

It is Thaipusam, a Hindu festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. Typically, during this holiday, we would sleep in or do nothing. However, being a couch potato may not be a good idea, what with eating all those festival cookies and meals for the last two weeks.

I think once Chap Goh Meh is over, full-swing exercise, or better yet, full steam ahead to play golf. With all that time away from the golf course, I think I had enough rest to allow my tennis elbow to recover.

Reunion Dinner 2025

28 Jan

Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve and the Reunion Dinner night. This year, we will have our Reunion Dinner at home because of circumstances. In other words, we did not return to hubby’s hometown and avoided driving a long and arduous journey. Phew. Nor did we gather at my sibling’s place for this auspicious celebration.

Nonetheless, the Reunion Dinner, here or otherwise, is a time to be thankful for our family’s unity and bond. As both girls are now grown, I am most thankful they can be with us to usher in the Year of the Wood Snake together!

We count our blessings and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous Year ahead. Gong Xi Fa Cai / Kong Hey Fatt Choy / Kiong Hee Huat Chye!

This year, we added this festive decor besides the customary New Year red cloth at the main entrance to the house.

Derailed Again

5 Nov

Last Thursday was a public holiday, and I got derailed. We opted not to play golf and went out instead. It felt like the weekend, so much so that Friday felt weird. I was thrown off balance and was not in the mood to write. My mind was blank because of the weekday public holiday. I was too much in a lull to think about writing.

Then the weekend came, and we played a round of golf on Sunday. It was not a good round. The elbow hurt. Boo hoo hoo. What am I going to do? The mind has slackened, the pain has not subsided, and the body is protesting. Sniffles.

Sunday Thrice Over

17 Sep

We have yet another long holiday, stretching from the weekend until today. And it feels like Sunday thrice over. The weekend golf differed from the usual schedule, with a Saturday game and a tournament on Monday.

The four-day weekend was due to two overlapping public holidays on Monday. But Tuesday is considered an optional holiday for some. For us, if it’s a holiday, enjoy it!

Since we had a round of golf on Monday, we opted to sleep in today and skip the regular Tuesday golf. The cool weather added to the comfort of a lazy Tuesday that feels like a Sunday. Nice!

The Gaming Sloth, Part 2

16 Apr

Thank goodness the two-day public holidays are over, and I return to my routine. During those two days, I was such a gaming sloth at home, being horizontal at poking away at my iPad Mini nonstop. What was the game? Hexa Sort. It’s such an addictive game!

I had to discipline myself to only three rounds after that because if I went on, I would not stop, and nothing gets done at home. And what’s terrible about this obsession is that my iPad heats up so fast, it’s alarming.

My other games do not create such intense heat on my iPad. So, to preserve my device and manage my time, I have to limit my time playing Hexa Sort.

Maybe I should delete the game because it’s taking up too much of my time. Hmm? I should not be a sloth at home, or worse – a gaming sloth.

The Gaming Sloth

12 Apr

We had two days of public holiday on Wednesday and Thursday because of Hari Raya celebrations. And this threw off the weekday routine. I was the ultimate sloth on Wednesday as I opted not to play golf. Instead, we stayed put to enjoy the coziness of the home.

I hardly moved and was on my iPad Mini the whole day. What made it worse was I downloaded a new game and was on it from sunrise until sundown. By the end of the day, I clocked 11 hours and 30 minutes on the iPad, playing this new game! I think a real sloth would not be so diligent at gaming.

The next day, thank goodness, I had a game with friends. Otherwise, the addiction to the new game continues.

A Quiet Public Holiday

26 Jan

Malaysia is a country with a lot of public holidays within a calendar year. Yesterday was the first of the many – Thaipusam, the Hindu festival to celebrate Lord Murugan’s victory over the demon Surapadman. Typically, I welcome such weekday holidays and would do something enjoyable.

However, it was nothing enjoyable or any different for me. I was a sloth the whole day! I had to give up my golf slot because my horrible cough turned out to be tonsillitis! Ugh. I have no choice but to rest, having already given up the Tuesday game earlier.

I should not complain as this is for my good, health-wise. Any extra quiet days to recover are much appreciated. I have a game lined up on Saturday, but most likely, the outing will be a half-hearted effort. I don’t feel my strength returning yet. We shall see.