why put Coleus or Mayana in your garden

Coleus is one of the easiest(and its cheap!) plants in terms of care and propagation; brightens the 'loneliest' spot in my garden. If you don't want to break the bank but would love to have an eye candy garden, you can never go wrong with this plant. More on care and its medicinal uses here in my Youtube channel >>> Coleus video

Pottery Heaven

One of the downside in the rising prices of plants during this pandemic is it also coincided with how costly the clay pots are now, my favorite planters than those are made of plastic. 

Not only Vigan in Ilocos Sur is popular for its Heritage site Calle Crisologo, but it is also known for its handcrafted earthenware pots. It is known as Burnayan. I made sure to include it in our in our five day roadtrip tour itinerary. I'm glad we visited one last Dec. 2017. I regret that I only bought 2 pots at that time. If only I could go there right now and hoard some..

Here's the video... click! >>>Pottery Heaven

Finally, harvesting Pechay!

I've been attempting to plant vegetables in our small garden. It is true that I love ornamental plants,  especially flowers, but having one's own vegetable patch is a different ballgame. One needs to at least find five minutes a day to inspect one's produce. You need to make sure that it is receiving enough sunlight and watering, fertilization and free from pests. So far I have grown Basil, Pepper, Lemon Okra(it has yet to flower though) and now, Pechay from seeds. I propagated Kangkong or water spinach, Kamote or cassava tops and Alugbati naman through cuttings. The only setback that I had was having leaf miners during the early stages, but through helpful videos I was able to cure it. 

Let me share with you the simple joy of harvesting to add it in our Nilagang(stewed) Pork by lunch time through this video... 🙂

click! >>> Pechay, at last!

my Garden's evolution and a new Youtube channel

Hello! It's been awhile. I hope everyone's good on your side of the world. On my end, like everyone else we adhere to the health protocols as much as possible after almost six months of community quarantine. Manila is still in General Community quarantine. My brother wasn't spared by Covid 19, but thankfully, he just suffered mild symptoms like lack of sense of smell and slight fever. With God's grace, he was fine after three weeks of self-quarantine at home. Plus, my sister who lives with him was also negative from Covid 19 after undergoing a swab test. 

This pandemic really opened up a lot of opportunities for us to cope. One hobby that is making me sane till this time is gardening.

I've always love plants and buy them whenever I see something that interests me. Last year, when my Mom died, I neglected my garden because of grief. I lost the appetite to pursue even my other hobbies, like baking and collecting teacups. But due to the pandemic, I became seriously involved with gardening again. The lockdown made me focused on what was around me, not only inside our home but, including the garden.  

         fresh flowers for Mom+

It is only this year that I researched thoroughly and watched many videos about plants in terms of care and propagation, because honestly, in the past years, a lot have died due to my improper care and not enough knowledge of each plants' characteristics. Nowadays, I even get to try planting veggies and herbs from seeds. I would like to add also that most of the landscaping is done by yours truly.  

I love flowers and evergreens. If I have a bigger area, I would like to add trees too, like a Fire tree, Crape myrtle and a Japanese maple tree. 

This continuous evolution of my garden made me create a Youtube channel  and started vlogging for the first time for inspiration and of course, for my personal documentation. I learned a lot from others so it is now my turn to share my own journey. Please do drop by and subscribe if you find it helpful!🙂 click this 👉🏻 youtube

Quarantine Musings

Aside from prayers and exercise, I do a lot of mind conditioning nowadays to avoid anxiety. You can't help it if your going through this pandemic. It is one way to keep one's sanity and ward off negative thoughts. Blogging(or writing it down) too, surely helps. 

This two month lockdown made me realized a lot of things...

1. I love cooking for my family but hey, I'm just human, I do get tired.  Especially, when you constantly do it twice to three times a day in this hot and humid weather. Kakaluto mo pa lang lunch, iniisip mo na yung preparation sa dinner. Sabi ko minsan sa asawa ko at anak ko, "para akong may canteen ah!" In return naman, we do order and take out food at least once in a week. Pero kapag iniisip ko na it would take a long time before we could dine out again, I feel sad. It is a fave activity of ours- dining out at least twice a week.

2. I miss going to the wet market/grocery twice a week with no restrictions. Before, I do this after my Zumba because our gym is just a few steps from the grocery. Nowadays, going out and doing this is already a major production. You have to wear a mask, goggles or glasses, a hat and gloves, for some. In my belt bag, aside from money, phone and keys, I need to have my quarantine pass and an alcohol spray. Once you get to the grocery or palengke, you have to wait in line for quite a while. Inside, I have this sense of urgency to finish off my errand. I tend to become paranoid. Nagiging germophobic na yata ako. And this is supposed to be a stress busting activity on my part dapat. I love going through the aisles and check even those things that I don't need without thinking that I might pick something na full of germs. Iba pa yung pagdating mo sa bahay, ako rin ang mag-di-disinfect or maghuhugas ng pinamili ko. I got traumatized(or just tired) yata once, I didn't go out talaga for two weeks straight.

3. I don't miss the mall at all- well, initially. But every time I thought of buying something that I need like a simple kitchen utensil(ex. spatula), or a piece of furniture or an appliance that I thought before wasn't an immediate necessity, I do want to head out and proceed to the nearest one. I need to re-paint or do a makeover DIY but all the hardware stores nearby aren't in operation. Sa mall, may Ace hardware, True Value or Handyman.

4. I need to go plant shopping again. Some of the ones I bought last February went to plant heaven na. I also regret that I didn't buy pechay seeds when I had all the time to grab one in my many trips to the supermarket or hardware store.

5. A roadtrip or a plane ride isn't gonna happen soon. I miss the beach and I wanna go back to Japan.

6. 'Nagtatampo' na yung make-up, alahas, sapatos at damit ko. I miss wearing them. Sometimes, I put on perfume kahit nasa bahay lang. When I do my grocery and wet market errands, yung brows lang ang pwedeng ayusin di ba. One time, I put on some lipstick, pero mag-ma-mask pala ako. Face palm moment.

7. This is not the best time to get sick and be hospitalized. Boosting one's immune system and having a healthy diet(the hardest part) should be prioritized now more than ever. Alam mo yung yung feeling na may sore throat ka lang, then Covid-19 comes to mind. If there's an urgent medical attention that I need siguro oral prophylaxis by my dentist. The last time I had was January or February yata. It is due na by June.

8. If there's one big financial advice you need to hear from me and if I could nag you just like how I am to my son- don't forget to save up for the 'rainy days'. It may sound too cliché, but even there's a pandemic or not, CASH IS GOLD all the time. You may all have the fanciest things around you, but if you don't have the liquidity to spend during an emergency, everything else won't matter. Of course, you may sell them but it will buy you time. Iba yung meron ka na agad at your own disposal whenever, wherever. I don't need to elaborate more, but, it is one BIG worry off your mind.

9. Rough times bring out the best and worst in people. Doon mo malalaman HOW a person will face an adversity head on. It is one true test of character and....values, if I may add. Makaka-adapt kaya siya o tatakbuhan niya ang realidad? 

10. I'm beyond thankful that my family isn't experiencing a major trial(health concerns, death, family feuds, etc.) alongside with this pandemic. I pray that it won't come in the nearest future. Have mercy on us and many thanks, Lord. 

coping up with Covid 19

So how is my family coping up during this pandemic? After almost two months, we somehow managed to have a routine, household chores and all. On my end, I still do Zumba with the help of Youtube. The Internet is really a powerful tool during this days. Ang daming videos that we could use for our exercise regimen. Apart from Zumba, I sometimes do Yoga or Hiit exercises, too. 

I regularly chat with my siblings thru messenger, same as my husband with his. My son is working from home and regularly streaming live as a gamer. 

I also joined the bake-your-bread bandwagon weeks ago. At the start of the quarantine period, there was a time the neighborhood groceries ran out of bread. Kaya naisip ko, I can try baking it naman. At first, I want to try making the Hokkaido Milk bread, but it requires a longer period of time, so will try it next.

It was my first and it wasn't bad. Yun lang talaga you have to consume it for two days because wala naman siyang preservative.

Madali lang pala gumawa ng tinapay. Bakit ngayon ko lang ginawa ito? Kung hindi lang talaga mainit sa Pilipinas, mas madami na akong nasubukan.

I cooked Oven Roasted Lemon Garlic Chicken Rosemary for the first time, too. Madali lang din siya.Thankfully, it was a hit for my boys. 

Watching Korean dramas is still a part of my routine. I recently finished Black Knight, Pasta, Beauty Inside,and Big. I'm currently watching Lee Min Ho's The King Eternal Monarch and Suits. 

Attending to my plants is another stressbuster for me. When this ECQ is finally lifted, I will buy new ones even in this oven like kind of weather. 

I'm glad I 'salvaged' this plant from dying...

plus this Colosseus, too...

My latest Gumamela bloom after I pruned it a few months ago...

My Pothos plants are thriving. One of the easiest plant there is, just lots of water and tender loving care.

I just wish that my Snake plants to be just as productive...

Even though it's extremely hot during the summer, I would not exchange this view from anybody else's...

I find it comforting to just gaze on my exclusive every day view, be it sunrise, sunset or anytime of the day during this forced stay at home period. I'm very grateful. 

day 56 Enhanced Community Quarantine

It's been almost a month since I posted an update. I hope you're comfortable and on the pink of health right now. 

This flower bloomed just in time for my Mom's death anniversary. Incidentally, she gave me this plant a couple of years ago. 

Last April 24 was my Mom's first death anniversary. My family could not commemorate it the normal way because of the quarantine. We agreed to pray the Novena for the eternal repose of her soul for nine straight days in the comfort of our own homes na lang muna. We miss her so much even a year has already passed. Parang kahapon lang nangyari, but knowing that she's with our Dad now makes it less painful for us. I know that they are constantly guiding us from heaven.

It's already known that our quarantine here in Manila was extended for another month. Ang dami nang nangyari tulad ng nagupitan ko na ng buhok si Hubby. Another achievement unlock for me. Puwede na pala akong hairdresser. Si Husband ang dami na ring nagawa. He gave our roof a fresh coat of paint. Nalinis na niya Man cave niya at bodega namin. We are also thankful that we were given cash aid by the government thru the Social Amelioration Program. This was a surprise to us since we didn't expect that we would be qualified and it came right on my son's birthday, too. 

Tonight, we are waiting with bated breath if the President will announce our transition from ECQ to GCQ(general community quarantine) after almost two months of quarantine. Of course, once we move on to GCQ, there will still be restrictions and guidelines so that a second wave of infections won't happen. We don't want to overwhelm our hospitals and frontliners, which is also the reason for extending the quarantine period twice. 

The last weekend was eventful. We celebrated my son's 27th birthday last Saturday and Mom's day yesterday. Just like my last birthday, I cooked the pasta dish(Baked Macaroni this time), and the rest of the food, we just bought from Landers care of my husband. Nairaos din, even quarantine style. I feel grateful that we are healthy and Covid-free, there's a roof over our head, food on the table all the time and no one close to us is sick or dying. Our prayer, just like everyone's, is for this disease not to inflict further havoc to the world anymore. Please heal our land, Lord.

Buti na lang two cakes(Chocolate and Vanilla) yung nabili ni husband, bigla akong nagkaroon ng Mom's day cake. He totally forgot daw kinabukasan ang araw ng mga Ina. 

Day 32 Extreme Community Quarantine

How are you all? I hope you are comfortable and in your best health while reading.

My mornings always start with "sun worshipping"....

Twenty minutes of Vitamin D, good for fighting off the deadly Covid_19 virus. 

The supposed to be 4 weeks "lockdown" imposed by the government was extended for another two weeks. A lot have happened since Day 1. We cannot go out anymore without a quarantine pass because the number of persons infected are increasing daily, 200+ on the average. The number of deaths are alarming, too.

Some of the past weeks' highlights below...

• I usually go out once a week to buy fresh produce. I go to our neighborhood wet market and mini groceries. I visited Hypermarket twice and Landers Superstore once. 

Of course, we always do the necessary precautions like donning face masks, using alcohol spray and social distancing. Before we enter our home, we wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water outside in our dirty kitchen, remove our shoes and sanitize them, too. I take a bath and disinfect afterwards everything that we bought. Mabuti na ang praning kesa magsisi sa huli.

• We were given aid twice by our local government. I promised to give all of our family's share to my cousin who needs it most.

 

from the baranggay captain...

 

from our Mayor...

• My son works from home while our small business isn't operational during this time. Alongside others in the business sector, we are suffering a huge loss because of this pandemic. Naaawa din ako sa mga empleyado namin. Tapos ang dami mong makikitang pasaway, may nagsasabong at nagpapa-boxing o kaya naman parang namamasyal lang sa mall sa kalye yung iba. 

• My routine pre-Covid didn't change much since I'm a stay at home Mom, bukod sa di lang ako makapag-grocery at gym anytime I want to. This is in contrast with my husband who feels restless and anxious minsan. Ako din naman nai-stress, but I always try to brush the negative vibes off kapag nararamdaman ko na lalo na kapag naglalabas ng daily updates about Covid-19 here in our country. In addition to that are the non-stop bickerings and politicking about the current situation. So, how do I address it? For my mental health's sake, I usually stay out of social media or any news on TV, cook, watch my Korean dramas(finished Itaewon class, Black Knight, Single Cunning Lady), tend to my plants, listen to music, exercise via Youtube, and most important of all, pray to avoid unnecessary anxiety. 

I do understand him because he has a lot on his mind regarding his work and all. Hindi rin siya sanay na hindi nagtra-trabaho. Most of the time he keeps himself busy watching series on Netflix, de-cluttering, doing cardio exercises 2x a week, or cleaning our backyard. He also gave a fresh coat our house's roof by spray painting it three weeks ago. 

He also goes to the market for some errands using one of his trusted bikes.

He even gave himself a haircut last week. I gave him a hand to trim the hair beside his ears and at the nape part. Today, he cleaned his collection of action figures by vacuuming them one by one.

• I celebrated my birthday last Monday Quarantine style. I thank God that my family and nearest kin are healthy and Covid free. Yun lang masaya na ako. My husband went to Landers early morning and endured the long lines just to buy me a cake, a big pizza and a few groceries by himself. I cooked Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta in addition for my birthday noodles.

Cranberry cream cake...

My son ordered KFC chicken thru Grab food. Yun na daw ang gift niya. He later on paid for the pizza, too. Thank you, anak.

My birthday wish is that this pandemic will be over soon and wish that the families who lost their loved ones will be embraced by God's love and grace for them to endure the sadness and grief they are experiencing right now. 

Day 1 Community Quarantine

March 15

The capital region of the Philippines was put into community quarantine today. It is not a total a"lockdown" which is like that of Hubei province in China and the whole country of Italy. 

Napansin niyo ba mas magastos at madaling maubos pagkain sa bahay kapag 'nakabakasyon'? Feeling ko tuloy yung pang two weeks na food supply namin pang one week na lang.

I went out briefly to buy some fresh produce. It' s a Sunday kaya siguro kapansin pansin na halos walang tao nung lumabas ako, around 3-4 pm. We are lucky that the wet market, mini groceries and supermarkets are just five minutes away from where we live. I bought bangus, gagawin kong daing para mas matagal ang 'shelf life'. Sa grocery, I bought spaghetti sauce and Zonrox bleach. 

I dropped by at Mercury for my husband's maintenance meds pero wala pa ring stock. I noticed that they don't have alcohol/disinfectant at the entrance, unlike sa ibang stores. No thermal scanner either. Ironic because it is teeming with people most of the time. Afterwards, I bought Halo Halo at the adjacent Chowking branch and Chicken Nuggets, McChicken at McDonald's. Good thing, these fastfood chains are practicing social distancing and provide alcohol and disinfectant for their customers. Sorry, I didn't bring my phone kaya walang pics for proof. 

When I got home, I immediately took a bath so that whatever germs I caught, I hope natanggal lahat. Better be safe and clean than sorry. 

Samsung Galaxy A71

February 29

It wasn't intentional. We came from our weekly work Southern part of Manila and dropped by on our way home at Estancia Commons in Pasig for lunch. Also, my husband needed to change his reading glasses na after two years in his favorite Owndays branch. We ate at Pepperlunch, Salmon Pepper rice and the Beef variant for him. We proceeded to Owndays and for some window shopping afterwards. We decided to have merienda later on at Mary Grace. 

Fortunately, I had this last shot from my almost five year old Iphone 6(this May) before it died on me.

My husband may have pitied me that much that he accompanied me to the nearest Memo Express branch(buti na lang meron!) and asked me to choose what Samsung phone I would like to buy. I chose Samsung Galaxy A71 in the end. It costs p22,000+($440) and just came out last February 15. Not bad na with its specs. If you're curious, click this...

Actually, we nearly bought one last November but due to some circumstances that I don't remember na, hindi natuloy.

 

Since I find Iphone now impractical(says the frugal side of me), I caved in to the Android world after a decade. At first, I was ok na with Oppo. My son has a two year old one and he keeps on raving about it. Naniniwala ako sa kanya because he's an IT graduate. Why Samsung? Maybe due to my Korean drama series exposure? Hehe. Kidding aside, maganda naman ang reputation ng Samsung in terms of gadgets.

February 2020

Every year the month of February always seem to pass by swiftly. Ang bilis ng panahon. Most especially this first quarter of 2020. But the turn of the decade seemed to be very stressful for a lot of us in terms of disaster. Hindi pa tayo nakakahinga sa Taal Volcano eruption dito sa Pilipinas, heto naman ang Covid 19 disease. Lahat affected worldwide. I just wish everyone to be healthy. 

I refuse to be stressed over things na I don't have total control of. Instead, I try to be proactive. I took advantage of the cool weather temperatures of Feb. I decluttered, did general cleaning in my entire home and re-potted my plants after a year of neglect. 

Bought new ones, too...

Apart from my regular zumba classes for my me time, I still watch my Korean drama series(one series a week for me). I told my husband to end our cable subscription because wala na naman NBA channel and most movies na pinapalabas sa cable we can watch na on Netflix, plus, I don't have to go to Greenhills just to be able to download my Korean series. Honestly, we don't watch local shows anymore. It would be a total waste of money if we still continue with it. Eventually, we downgraded our subscription to basic from p690 to p290 a month and subscribed to Netflix. Now, everybody is happy.

Vertigo hits

My curse decided to visit me again. I woke up last Thursday with a headache and spinning visions. I couldn’t get out of bed like I used to. I stayed in bed the whole day with bathroom breaks in between. Haist, this is in contrast naman of how I was during the past few days; I did zumba last Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Good thing I did my grocery shopping na rin last Wednesday. Plus, my son was with me all night because he’s on a break from work after working over times the past few days. My husband took care of me during the day.

Yesterday, I was feeling much better and did the laundry and cooking for lunch and dinner. I don’t know if my menopausal period has got to do with this also. Luckily, I didn’t experience panic attacks this time. This, too, will pass.

Cafe 80’s

I thought I’m done reconnecting with friends over the holidays. You see, when my Mom died last April 2019, I wasn’t able to see them. After eight months, I came out of my unintentional self-imposed hiatus. I met most of them in different occasions last December.

When the Camellia blooms review

Last week, I just finished watching this 2019 Korean drama series(Netflix original). Sometimes during the course of watching it, I would say to myself pang Mother’s day presentation dapat ito. Heart tugging ang scenes for a parent and even for a child, 

When the Camellia Blooms is a must watch. It shows the struggle of a single Mom, who is also an orphan, thereby labeling her instantly as an outcast in a small town in the countryside known as Ongsan. 

what a perfect shot! an ep 2 scene when Hyeung sik(a smitten police officer) was trying to persuade Dongbaek(Gong Hye Jin) to allow him to follow her for protection

I enjoyed the series ‘coz how they present the story iba talaga; beautifully written melodrama with an injection of a comic relief and a detective sub-plot. I was hooked from the beginning. When I say I enjoyed it, it means I wasn’t bored, it isn’t too dramatic, story isn’t a giveaway(twists and all), great setting and the cast’s performance is 100% well-portrayed. The main leads have an on screen chemistry. Tawang-tawa rin ako kay Kang Ha Neul(as Hyeung Sik) as a goofy, goody, goody police officer who is head over hills in love with Dongbaek. He was a revelation and he became an instant fave of mine. This is his first male lead role, unlike in The Inheritors/The Heirs where he was only part of the supporting cast, alongside with Lee Min Ho and Park Shing Hye.

How could I forget Gong Hye Jin, one of my fave Korean actresses, both in comedy and drama. It isn't a surprise anymore that she delivered another masterpiece of a performance. This is her latest back from her 2016 series Jealousy Incarnate. I liked her even before in Pasta, The Master's Sun and the Producers. Parang all her Korean dramas are worth watching, script and acting-wise. So whenever I spot a drama wherein she's a main lead, I knew it would be worth the binge. 

The supporting cast also, ang gagaling din, especially Pil-Gu as Dong baek’s son, Kim Sun Young as one of the ahjummas that sells crabs and often picks on Dongbaek being a single Mom, and Lee Jeong Eun as Dong Baek's mother.

Go ahead and watch it for yourself. You be the judge if it is a typical Korean melodrama or not. 

Korean drama fan

You know what one thing that made me sane during my grief journey after my Mom died? Watching K dramas or Korean novelas. I was a fan na before of Meteor garden and Lovers in Paris but never in my wildest imagination that I will really succumb to my weekly binge watching that really eats up a lot of my waking hours. :) Instead of being depressed and lonely, I entertained myself by watching how a beautiful story unfolds before my eyes. Yung dialogues nila para ka minsang nagbabasa ng libro, beautifully written. I wonder, what more in their language no? 

Reply 1988

Reply 1988