Tag Archives: quarantine

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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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 Struggle Continues, Part 2

6 Dec

Besides my golf game struggle, my DIY miniature crafting has also struggled over the past few months. I have not sat down at my little workstation for so long, and my last project has stalled to the moon and never came back! Hahaha.

It would be nice to finish it up and not leave the set incomplete and collecting dust. I have gone so far with crafting miniatures for the past three years already. And this being DIY project #25, it would be great to wrap it up before the year ends.

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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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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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Hot and Bothered, Part 2

25 Jul

The heat and humidity, my goodness, how do we deal with it? I feel hot and bothered and am profusely sweating every time I move. Maybe it’s a good thing for all my body’s water retention has reduced tremendously.

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic and the various lockdowns we went through, my weight fluctuated but did not increase. We stopped our Intermittent Fasting because there was no need to continue with it, being lockdown at home. Life went on, and my weight was manageable.

But recently, with the unbearable heat, I find myself having no appetite at all. Besides sweating more than a round of golf, the heat is also helping me burn all my body fat! Perhaps this is turning out to be a good weight loss advantage.

As a result, my weight has been on a downtrend. I am now at my ideal weight, thanks to the heat. For this, I am certainly not hot and bothered by it!

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Hot and Bothered

22 Jul

The weather lately has been unbearable, making me all hot and bothered. I’m sure I am not the only one.

There are days when the Weather app will show a lower temperature, but in reality, it is hotter. Like this morning, for example, the Weather app reading says 31 degrees Celsius, but it feels like 37 degrees with the humidity. Two days ago, it was 36 degrees, but it felt like 42 degrees!

The heat issue is not just felt here but all over the world. The situation reaffirms that global warming is real. To combat this intense heat and humidity, I try to stay hydrated and be indoors if I can. Better still, I will minimize my movement and be a sloth for the next few days!

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Golf Getaway, Part 3

19 Jul

The afternoon Interclub game was a blessing because we did not have to wake up so early as the day before. After breakfast and checking out, the entourage was on the way to Ipoh. Again, the journey was pleasant, and we arrived early at Royal Perak Golf Club. We were warmly welcomed and soon ushered in for lunch.

Fishing farms dotting the waters along the Second Penang Bridge

The weather was hot, so the air-conditioned dining area was nice. But one must not get used to it because, after lunch, we tee off at 1.00 pm under the hot sun! Dang, the weather was hot.

Luckily, it was buggy on the course like the previous game, so this helped with managing the heat factor for the game. As this was an Interclub game, playing well was important. How did I fare this time around?

I played better. The greens here felt better, and putting was not a letdown. The course was very long, especially for the Red tee boxes. Many a time, I had to pull out the wood or utility clubs for the Par 3s.

Before we knew it, the game ended. The cold shower was refreshing to cool down the body, and the after-game dinner spread was sumptuous. There were some controversies, and the outcome was not what we expected; I will not elaborate on this to mar the positives of the trip.

It has been a fun outing and the Club’s first away trip after two and a half years of living with the pandemic and the restrictions. We will host our opponents at our Club for the return match soon.

We left Ipoh and arrived on schedule at our Club. All too soon, the short golf getaway is another chapter to store away in the memory. I look forward to participating in another Interclub match, home or away.

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