Tag Archives: quarantine

On a New Mission

18 Feb

I have been snacking a lot lately. Too much, in fact. Two days ago, I stood on the bathroom scale, and the numbers horrified me! I need to do something about it.

Mind you – we have stopped our Intermittent Fasting (IF) regime ever since the pandemic broke. And it’s been a little more than two years already. Initially, my weight was stable, and it even dipped. I was pleased. But it has crept up again recently. I suspect it’s all that after-game beer and snacking on Chinese New Year cookies.

So right after the Chap Goh Meh dinner, I have embarked on a new mission to shed all those extra pounds. On top of playing my regular golf games, I will do a half-hour morning walk on days when I am not playing golf. It will be beneficial for my legs, muscles, and abs.

Let’s see how my number will be after a month on this new mission. Oh, I should also reduce my beer intake after all the golf games. Stay tuned for my progress!

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Chap Goh Meh 2022

15 Feb

Today is Chap Goh Meh, the last day to celebrate the Lunar New Year. After 15 days of celebration, today is the finale. However, it has been a lack of celebrations again this year because of the pandemic and restrictions. But despite the situation, we are planning a big feast tonight to mark the occasion.

I have to admit I have gained weight over the past two weeks, eating and snacking on all the cookies without any discipline. So after tonight’s big steamboat meal, I will start my diet. From tomorrow onwards, no more cookies, more golf but no beer, and throw in morning walks to shed those extra pounds!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

14 Feb

It’s Valentine’s Day today, so Happy Valentine’s, people! A day to celebrate love and all things mushy. But has it been a bed of roses lately? I’m afraid not.

Cases have been on the uptrend the past few days – it’s alarming! But we have been staying home as much as possible, minimizing the need to go out.

So rather than going out for a romantic dinner, it’s nothing of that sort for us. We will be staying home for a home-cooked meal on this special day. Regardless of the occasion, I cannot stress enough, better to stay safe than sorry.

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A Clever Hack

11 Feb

Straws have become such a no-no to use over the years because of their detrimental characteristics. Like everyone else, I do my part and try to minimize my straw usage. The one pack of straws that I bought from IKEA years ago for the girls to use for some high school project has been left unused, but I never threw them away. Ages, I would say, as both girls are all grown up now.

But straws sometimes can be used for home hacks to fix things. Recently I broke my golf umbrella, and it took me a while to figure out how to fix it. Then it dawned upon me that perhaps a straw could resolve my problem.

The clever hack with a pink extendable straw

True enough, I fixed my umbrella by using a straw as a joint to hold up the broken arm. What a clever hack, isn’t it?

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On the Last Stretch

8 Feb

Wiring work is never fun when it comes to crafting miniatures. I am on the last stretch of DIY project number 23 and facing the wiring work for the lights. Even though I have almost two years under my belt doing this activity, wiring work and handling fabrics are still two big banes for me.

And this project’s fabrics, being felt and leather, are quite a task to handle! There are four bag packs that I have to do as this kit is about going back to school. This task looks even more challenging than making pillows, sofas, or bed quilts!

I have to be brave to face this; otherwise, DIY project number 23 will be incomplete and left sitting to collect dust.

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Holiday No More

7 Feb

Somehow I don’t feel the holiday spirits of the Lunar New Year even though we are at Day Seven of the 15 days-long celebrations. We are not visiting anyone, nor are we having guests over.

Better to stay safe at this point because yesterday, the Covid-19 cases spiked up to 10,089, a five digits figure again after a few months below this threshold. Not a good sign.

It is back to work today for all three of us, although I have to admit it’s slow for us. I most likely will spend time working on my miniatures to pass the time.

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What a Journey! Part 2

4 Feb

We came home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. And what a journey it was. So unlike the trip when we went, this return trip was so much more pleasant and unexpected.

There was hardly any traffic build-up along the way and smooth sailing all the way home. Another record of sorts as we made it home in five and a half hours with just two stops only. As far as I can remember, we never made it home in this time frame. Usually, it would take between seven to nine hours. And there was once we did it in ten hours.

It is nice to be back and chill at home. I’m not even working on my miniatures. For once, doing nothing at home feels great! Visits to family or friends are minimal, if not none. There’s now the Omicron, and we are being extra careful not to go out unnecessarily.

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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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