Tag Archives: Rain

The Rainy Season is Here

8 Dec

The rainy season is here since November, and just about every other day, it would rain, thwarting plans for golf games especially. But rain or shine, games are on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday for me. Occasionally, hubby joins in on a weekday game.

Last week, we decided to walk 18-holes instead of taking the buggy for a change. And it rained, a spoiler to the outing. But we were all die-hard golfers and played on in the drizzling condition. Three of us carried our bags, and one used the golf trolley.

My golf bag umbrella bought on my 2012 trip to the US came in handy. It shielded my clubs from the rain while my regular umbrella protected me. Thankfully, after three holes, the rain let up, and the die-hard golfers in us managed to complete 18-holes.

It was a wet morning but an enjoyable one

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Winged Critters

22 Sep
Critters in the house

It’s been raining a lot these past few nights. And we’ve been getting a lot of of winged critters coming into the house. Looking for a warm shelter?

Last week, we had a dragonfly that M2 and I called a big-assed dragonfly because the wing markings made it looked big at the bottom. Bottom heavy, hence big-assed. Heheh…

Last night, it was a big moth that was unfortunately a little injured. Poor thing was flapping about near the living room sofa but ended up perched on the ceiling light tray.

I wonder what we will get next. Hmm…

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A Very Short Trip

1 Sep

Over the weekend, it was our first time doing a really short anniversary trip. Just two days and a night away, given the circumstances of the pandemic and protocols to contain the spread.

We decided to visit Malacca again after the last trip there to check out the Husky cafe with M2. This trip, sans M2, it was simply a round of golf at A’Formosa Golf Resort, food and playing tourist at Jonker Walk.

The front of Aava Hotel. The back entrance faces the riverfront.
The lobby, breakfast room and waiting area. Room was big and comfy.

We stayed at Aava Hotel which was very strategic and within walking distance to the attractions. On Saturday evening, after golf and checking in, we explored the street market on Jonker Walk before and after dinner. People were all masked up and it wasn’t too crowded.

Pre-dinner was Cendol and Satay
Lovely anniversary tapas dinner

The next day, we even had time to do a morning walkabout again after breakfast. To our delight, we stumbled upon a morning antique market. Not as big as the night attractions, it was very interesting nonetheless. Some of the items on displays brought back memories of things both of us had seen or used when we were young. Lovely.

Colorful rickshaws on the road!

By eleven, we checked out and bade Malacca goodbye, to head for lunch in Seremban. Unfortunately, the famous Beef Noodle at the market was too long a queue, so we opted for something else instead. Oh well, next time…

Clay pot Loh Shi Fun

Next stop was Seremban International Golf Club (SIGC) for an afternoon round of golf before going home. It was windy, the fairways were hard and the greens were horrid to putt. Then it rained. Haish… we had to wait out the rain for about 20 minutes before we could resume our remaining seven holes.

All in all, the trip was short, sweet and very enjoyable. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be far and foreign or exotic but doing what we enjoy most together is best.

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First Road Trip Post-MCO, Part 2

20 Jul

The weekend’s post-MCO road trip was nice. The drive up North was pleasant and didn’t take too long. As always, going away is about food. Our first stop was in Ipoh for lunch; we had Chicken Rice and bean sprouts.

The must-eat choice when in Ipoh

After lunch, it was smooth sailing all the way and we arrived by mid-afternoon. The folks are fine and doing good. But weather-wise, it rained a lot so we couldn’t go out. Anyway, with social distancing still in practice, we didn’t want to and was contented just to laze at home.

Before we knew it, it was dinner time! We decided to have Thai food at the restaurant that we visited the last time and discovered the restaurant has changed its name! Despite the change, the food quality was still good.

Previously it was called Khun de Thai

Saturday was our customary golf day. We make it a point, every trip to play at Darulaman Golf Club, which is a short drive away. And I am pleased that this round, I played so much better than all previous games.

After the game, we got boba teas!

The weekend quickly passed with another sumptuous dinner on Saturday night with the parents and an Aunty before we left on Sunday morning. On the way home, we opted for noodles instead of the usual crab porridge at Nibong Tebal and I must say, they were good choices.

The dinner spread for six
Lunch at Nibong Tebal

The journey home was peppered with rain now and then, but not too heavy until it made the drive tiring. It was a good weekend away.

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My New Normal?

26 Jun

Last weekend’s plans to walk 18-holes was derailed by the rain. On Saturday, my flight had three holes left to play at the Hills course when the skies opened up. Luckily the halfway hut was close by and we got there on time to wait out the downpour.

When the rain lightened and there was a slight reprieve, we quickly made our way back to the clubhouse. It certainly wasn’t comfortable with the pants and socks all wet. Luckily, the weather on Sunday was better and we completed a full round but I had a terrible game. I am very inconsistent. Sigh…

Despite being another slow week at the office, I played only one game (on Tuesday), giving the Thursday game a miss so that I could sleep in. And today, I will be in the office.

I now wonder if this will be my routine for the next few months. Once or twice to the office, an additional Tuesday game on top of the weekend games and an occasional Thursday game thrown in. Welcome to the new normal.

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Borderless Love, Part 2

13 Mar

It was drizzling and gloomy when we got home. And I had dinner to prepare in the kitchen, so I got things going. Hubby went to the garden and our adopted pet, the Golden Retriever from next door heard him somehow.

The adorable fluff ball dashed out of his house for a quick love pet and exchange.

However the fleeting moment was interrupted. His mom called out to him and reprimanded him for the sudden escape into the drizzling condition. I guess she doesn’t know he’s sneaking out for love pets from us. Heheh… So the poor fella had no choice but to go back indoors. Awww…

But he got his happy love exchange, hubby did too and I didn’t. Shucks.

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Revisiting Some Attractions

28 Dec

Since we came to Matang for lunch, we thought visiting some of the local attractions would be a good experience for M1. The last time we were here, M2 and my mom was with us while M1 was still in the US.

We covered the Charcoal Factory first as it was the closest. The place despite being hot and humid, was a nice revisit for me at least. To see the giant kiln again and although understanding only 70% of the process because the guide spoke in Mandarin and I’m not so well versed in that language, it was sufficient.

One kiln can fit 1,500 pieces of mangrove logs and they would stay in there for 24 days to be smoked and dried. After 24 days, they’d remain inside for another eight days for the heat to dissipate and the logs to cool down before being removed. There’s actually more to the process but as the guide went on and on in Mandarin, I lost him towards the end. Oh well.

We left the place to head for Taiping next and it rained. Heavily too! Haish. How to see the giant rain trees surrounding Taiping Lake?

The giant being propped & the road perpetually closed

We almost gave up but luckily the rain dwindled and we managed to come down to take some nice photos. Once the photo ops were done, we decided not to stay the night in Taiping but drive home instead. It will be late by the time we get arrive but it’s okay, we’re in no hurry and it’s been a good getaway.

Local fruits at the rest stop along the highway

More local fruits! Can you name them?

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Garden to Plate

25 Oct

It’s the wet season again but this has not stopped hubby aka Green Fingers from working the garden well. Besides the habanero chilies that are holding up despite the rain, all of a sudden the papayas sprouted too. Or maybe it’s been growing healthily but I never knew considering I hardly venture out to the garden.

The pesticide-free care for the papaya tree has yielded two fruits so far and we ate one already – so sweet I tell you. We await the second fruit to ripen before enjoying it.

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Top: eaten with satisfaction; Bottom: measured, weighed and waiting for it to ripen.Yum!!!

As I write this, the third fruit, by far the biggest one is just a matter of time before it can be harvested. It’s so nice to have a garden to plate from our own efforts, or should I say his effort mostly and none of mine.

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More Online Shopping

19 Aug

Lately, I have been doing quite a fair bit of online shopping. Somehow the urge to buy something has gotten to me, so I bought a range of things. It certainly saves time clicking on the mouse to discover what appeals rather than walking–sometimes mindlessly–at the mall.

Purchase #1: insole arch support. I thought this was necessary given the plantar fasciitis problem that I have now. And so far, this purchase has worked out well with the insole stuffed into my Skechers and golf shoes, the only two types of shoes I wear these days. Some may question why couldn’t I just buy this from a physical shop? Well, there were more choices online.

Purchase #2: anti-slip waterproof shoe covers which I thought could be useful. This purchase came about because it was raining a lot at one point and I wanted to be prepared. If we were caught outside in this wet weather, I didn’t want my Skechers to get soaked when I have to get down from the car. Remember the last time I did this and I ended up with cold toes at the bar? Not a nice feeling. But after the packages (there were two types) arrived and whenever it rained, we just don’t go out. Oh well. Nevertheless, the packages are left in the car in case it does rain and we are out.

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Right foot with the waterproof shoe cover, left foot without for comparison

Purchase #3: extra MiBand straps because the last two broke for the MiBand 2 wearable that I am still using. A practical buy I must say.

Purchase #4: a mini bubble spirit level device to aid my carving. Why the need for this suddenly? Well, prior to this mini one that just recently arrived, I had actually bought another one which was too big to use but I had no choice. The recent few whales did not look too level at the top (it’s not very obvious to others, only to me) and I did not feel good about it. The imperfection happened when I joined two pieces of Meranti wood that are of different heights. So a bubble spirit level was necessary after using the flat plane to level the surface. Now with a smaller one, it should work better on the small surface over the bigger level unit.

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Accuracy is compromised with the difference in size so obvious

Purchase #5: some golf accessories which are taking the longest time to arrive. I think this delay, which is unusual, is due to the unrest in Hong Kong recently. Oh well, this purchase falls into the nice-to-have category and not the critical-must-have, so I am not too bothered by the delay. They will be delivered in due course.

So online shopping can be fun with some purchases silly, mundane or practical, it just depends on your needs and wants.

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Heavy Heart Again

29 Jun

The inevitable has come. We are leaving today…

Yesterday, it rained on and off the whole day, adding unnecessary gloom. And I was told it hardly rains in Summer! But has it really been Summer? Save for the first couple of days, it has been cold for us throughout our stay.

Our flight departs at one but we left for the airport by eight in anticipation of heavy traffic. And for the first time, the sky was mostly grey. Dull, sad and not a single cloud or blue, a reflection of our feelings?

It stayed grey for the first 45 minutes of the journey to the airport before the sun managed to peek out.

Despite the heavy heart, we leave knowing M1 will be okay. She has started working and undertaking her graduate program studies at the same time. All grown up and doing good, we are really proud and totally in support of her next path in life.

Maybe knowing this fact, I can sleep well on the flight home.

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