It’s a Monday, a public holiday, and a rainy day. The weekend has stretched yet again to a three-day, with today being a replacement public holiday.
It is perfect for a sleep-in with the cool weather and doing nothing, and the thought of working on my miniature pales to the lure of the sofa. The Weather app is showing a rainy day until this evening. Going out feels like a hassle with the wet condition. So it looks like staying put is best.
You know it’s back to reality when the alarm rings, and there’s so much to clear and unpack upon waking up. I was in denial over the weekend upon returning from Bali, even going for a movie, before I tackled the things left in the bags or scattered in the house.
Well, no more trips for the time being. I need to get back to my routine. Speaking of it, I’m not too sure about my golf game as I have gone a month without playing. We will see when I tee off on Thursday morning. Perhaps I better prepare with more golf balls in the bag.
It seems like the holiday is never-ending! It has been extended with a public holiday today. Unexpected but anticipated (because of the General Election results) and appreciated nonetheless.
From Ku De Ta to local delights, we tried everything!The must-eat dish when in Bali
Bali was fun, and I was doing things, not up my alley, which was nice for a change. I got to know my high school friends better, and we did things together.
Throughout the week, we indulged, ate, drank, laughed, shopped, swam, and luxuriated in our private apartment and villa (we stayed at two different places) together. We also pampered ourselves with not one but two three-and-a-half-hour and four-hour spa sessions.
Our private villa
There was no golf, no playing tourist but merely enjoying the presence of each other and having a good bonding time to catch up. I am thankful that, at this age, I still have such friends. It was as if we were never part despite all these years.
After this trip, we understood each other better, with our friendship forged to a deeper degree. I look forward to the next trip with this bunch of besties.
Sometimes we lose track of time, having forgotten today is a public holiday. It rained in the early hours of the morning and woke me up. But I was thankful I did not have an early morning golf game in this situation and went back to sleep. It’s nice to relish the break.
Tomorrow will be a busy day being a short four-day work week. And before we know it, the weekend is here! One could get used to a four-day work schedule and a three-day weekend. Wishful thinking, ha ha ha!
I think we have too many public holidays. While it’s nice to have a break now and then, having it too frequently disrupts the momentum and routine. Today is a replacement public holiday, and as such, it is a four-day work week ahead.
This month alone, there are two three-day weekends – this week and another in two weeks. I shouldn’t complain and instead should relish the four-day work weeks. We are more productive when there’s a shorter time to get work done – house chores or design work because then we are left with more time to play!
Over the weekend, we visited hubby’s parents for a quick escape. The trip also became a discovery for new food along the way. Typically, we would stop over in Ipoh for lunch, but this time, we opted to stop in Taiping instead.
We went to a new restaurant as the one we had in mind was closed. It was a pleasant discovery – the lunch was very yummy even though they were simple choices!
Fried mullet and seafood porridge. Yummy
As for the drive, it was tedious because there were a lot of cars on the road. It’s strange, considering the weekend was just a normal one, not a long public holiday stretch.
Heavy traffic on the way up North!
And it was the same tedious drive on the return journey the next day, albeit a little longer. It was akin to driving during the festive holiday, clocking in six hours towards North and eight hours on the return. Nonetheless, the visit was good.
Return journey was worse! Flavorful dinner at Tapah.
We stopped at Tapah for dinner and discovered new dishes at our regular stop. The choices were very satisfying for the palate and easy on the wallet too! Before we knew it, the weekend was over, and here we are, back to another busy work week ahead.
Having a break from golf is good and bad at the same time. While it’s nice to sleep in, sometimes I lose track of time. I am in this little bubble of my own without any rush. I am getting complacent, and it’s not healthy.
Day in, day out, there’s only the mundane routine. And today, it’s a public holiday, but here we are at home! Our plans for a getaway did not materialize. And we are lulling time away without a purpose. Sigh.
Well, the tattoo has healed well, so I will go back to playing golf next week to break away from this complacency. And at the same time, get back to a more meaningful and healthy routine, moving out from the unhurried bubble that has enveloped me the last two weeks.
The short excursion plan continued over the weekend, but this was a little more than a short drive outstation. We decided to visit hubby’s parents up North.
The weekend was yet another festive holiday, and with Monday being a replacement holiday, traffic would be heavy. So, we left on Friday instead of Saturday, which turned out well for traffic that morning was not too bad.
As always, we detoured to Ipoh for lunch. But this time, we opted for something else instead of the usual Chicken Rice and beansprouts that Ipoh is famed for, and it was a pleasant change. Although our Nasi Ganja portion was not excessive, it was just enough for us. I have to say the coffee was excellent.
Nasi Ganja and iced black coffeeCurry noodles and Nasi Lemak for breakfast
For once, we did not play golf and just savored food that was under our radar previously. We even drove to the north-most state, Perlis, which I have never been to in my whole life. But sadly, there was nothing much to see there.
My first time visiting Perlis A quick hello and goodbye
The weekend came and passed quickly. All too soon, it was time to return. The drive home was equally pleasant, without traffic jams on the highway. I’m glad we made the trip to see the folks who are well.
The do-nothing day yesterday turned out to be do-everything-you-can! How wrong I was envisioning the day ahead.
As much as I wanted to lay in bed, I couldn’t because the morning was not those rainy-weather situations that beckons you to stay in bed. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and the neighbor’s noisy dog was barking endlessly.
So we did everything we could in the morning, from doing the laundry and hanging the clothes out under the sun, washing the cars, and cleaning the garden mess – it turned out to be a busy day instead. Hubby even baked a loaf of bread!
The public holiday turned out to be an extension of the weekend, and whatever chores we couldn’t get to on Saturday and Sunday, we completed them on Monday.
When it’s a do-nothing day, you should abide by it and do nothing. If not, you’ll do things and tire yourself out by lunchtime. By then, it was a do-nothing day for real. Hahaha.
It’s a Monday and a public holiday yet again. We seem to be having a lot of Mondays off lately, be it an actual public holiday or a replacement one. Today is an official public holiday. It feels like a Sunday, only it’s not, and it disrupts the usual start-of-the-week schedule.
I have decided it will be a do-nothing day. A sleep-in morning, a lazy afternoon, and perhaps a leisured do-nothing evening to pass the time. There will not be any hurried things to complete nor any plans to keep busy. Hmm, I kind of like it. If only every Monday were like this.
Remarks