Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

February 15, 2021

My Pots and Succulent Plants

I’m not a plantita or a crazy plant lady but we do have a mini garden at home, thanks to my husband. Planting fruits and vegetables became his new hobby during this community quarantine, you can have a glimpse of our small garden in this post

Two years ago, I received a succulent plant as a souvenir so I was happy because this type of plant is perfect for a non-green thumb like me. But I felt sad because, after few months, we went to Norway for a vacation so I already expected that my plant will die because no one will water it. Surprisingly, it survived for almost one month. When my husband went back to the Philippines, he took care of it. 


One year had passed, my succulent keeps on growing so one pot became three pots and then five pots. When my husband repotted my succulent plants, the plants slowly died hanggang sa walang natira. Huhuhu! I don’t know why, is it because of the soil that we used or nasobrahan ba ng dilig? 

Anyway, after several months, my husband bought me a new succulent plant so I was happy na may kapalit na yung nawala sa akin. My husband was so shocked with my reaction, iba daw kasi yung smile ko sa plants compared sa flowers na binibigay niya dati. Now, he finally understood na ayaw ko talaga ng bulaklak talaga. Hehehe! Well, he already stopped giving me flowers since year 2012.  

On the same day, I immediately searched Shopee for ceramic pots. I don’t want to use the old plastic pots at baka mamatay ulit sila. Hehehe Sinisi ko na ngayon ang paso. I ordered from two different stores and I’m glad that my pots arrived in good condition, may free pebbles pa. 



Then using my Cricut Maker, I made some decals stickers. I can’t do this with my old pots kasi hindi sila smooth so ngayon pwede na. I used glossy black and frosted glitter vinyl stickers pero hindi maganda kinalabasan sa frosted glitter so I will remake this project if I have extra time. 

Plant Quotes

Love grows here 
Please don’t die 
Plant, grow, bloom 
Plant your dreams 
Bloom where you planted 



And dahil halaman naman daw pala magpapasaya sa akin, my husband bought succulent plants again. OMG, I only ordered 5 pots so I have no choice but to use the plastic pots sa dalawa, hehehe! Next time na ulit ako oorder kapag naggrow and bloom na sila. I do hope humaba na ang buhay nila. I’ve made some research on how to take care the succulent plants. 

How to Care Your Succulent Plants 

1. Choose the right soil. A mix of gardening soil, sand, and perlite or pumice. 
2. Make sure they get enough sunlight. 
3. Water the soil directly not spray. 
4. Choose a container with a hole or drainage. 
5. Keep succulent leaves clean. 
6. Fertilize 

I asked my husband kung ano name nila, hindi daw niya alam so ireresearch ko pa. Waah! Checking the plants parang I have Echeveria and Jade, correct me if I am wrong.

Where to Buy Pots for Plants

Sharing the links where I bought my succulent pots. 

May 19, 2020

Starting our Own Fruits and Vegetables Garden at Home

Gone are the days when gardening is only for old people. Nowadays, a lot of people are getting interested in this hobby especially now that we have a pandemic concern. We are stuck at home and we need something to relieve our stress.

What nice about gardening is you don’t need a big space because you can do container gardening or vertical gardening. You don’t need to buy a lot of materials because you can recycle plastic bottles and cans. (an excuse to buy softdrinks so we can reuse the plastic) You don’t need to buy seedlings because you can start planting from the ingredients that you have in the fridge or pantry.

I can still remember when I was a kid, I wanted to have a home with a garden. I wanted to have my own space where I can grow flowering plants, herbs, and spices. When we moved to our home, my late grandmother used to give me plants and we bought some bluegrass, plants, and even trees in Victoria, Laguna so we can plant it in our small garden.

After a few years, I realized that gardening is not for me. I don’t have the patience to maintain it, I don’t have a green thumb and I feel sad whenever a plant dies. So I give up my dream of having my own herbs and spices that I can use in my kitchen. I stopped gardening and let my husband maintain our small garden.

For the last several years, my husband tried to plant some seeds like tomato but it never blooms, calamansi but it never bears fruits, sitaw that died after 2 or 3 harvests, and camote. Camote was successful because my husband used to harvest the camote tops. He steamed the camote tops and paired it with shrimp paste.

Last year, when my son and I were on our summer trip, my husband decided to chop our palm trees and pine trees. Wala na kami shade pero at least wala na rin nalalaglag na dahon lalo na pag may typhoon. He hired someone to do this. Slowly, he started his home gardening hobby. He removed old soil and rocks, cleaned, and prepared our garden. He started planting and making his own compost. 


After our The Farm at San Benito trip, he planted tarragon, peppermint, and another type of mint plant. Then last holiday, we went to Tagaytay to buy dragon fruit cuttings and poles. When Community Quarantine started he bought this Sinigang Veggie Seeds, the pack includes okra, sitaw, tomato, radish and kangkong. So far, we were able to harvest Kangkong na and use it for Sinigang na Buto-Buto.




I know this is just a small thing compared to other home gardens but I would like to celebrate small wins. At least, may naharvest na rin kahit papano. Gardening takes time but it can relieve stress, it is a good family bonding and you can save money too. My husband spent most of his free time in the garden and when he has a business trip (before lockdown), nireremind pa niya ko na diligan ko halaman niya. Minsan nagseselos na nga ko sa halaman. Hehehe!


"Watching something grow is good for morale. It helps us believe in life" Myron Kaufman

Update: July 2020

After two months, here is the look of our mini garden at home. We've drunk a lot of softdrinks in the past few months so my husband can use it for his plants. Instead of buying expensive pots in the market, we reuse or upcycle the plastic bottles or pots. We already have a metal trellis where we could hang the plants. Aside from the Chinese kangkong, we already harvested pechay, okra and basil.



August 21, 2019

Day 3 in Copenhagen

August month was so overwhelming, there were so many life events happening from left and right. In addition, I enrolled in an online class last month so since July I have been busy studying and finishing my project. Today, I received an email that I passed my final exam. Yey, at last makakahinga na rin ko. To keep me sane, let me reminisce about our travel to Copenhagen last summer. I already blogged about our Day 1 and Day 2 so let me share our Day 3 in Copenhagen.

Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen 
Day 2 in Copenhagen 

Day 3 in Copenhagen 

It was snowing in the morning so we’re praying for good weather because it is so hard to walk if it is so cold. And because of that, we left around 10AM so it is a little bit late but we’re thankful that we were able to visit 5 tourist places kahit naligaw-ligaw pa kami sa paglalakad. Hehehe! From Urban House, we just walked to the City Hall then the Strøget Shopping Street until we reached the Round Tower.

Read: Where to Stay in Copenhagen

The Round Tower 

If you are reading blogs or forums, then you are familiar with The Round Tower. It has been a popular structure in Denmark since 1642. King Christian IV built the tower for astronomical observatory purposes and to continue the Tycho Brahe research. It is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe.


Now, The Round Tower is famous because you can enjoy the 360-degree view of the old part city of Copenhagen. You need to walk around the building until you reach the spiral staircase. It is about 209 meters walk to reach the top which is only 36 meters tall.


Halfway to the top, there is a Library Hall too which was a university library until 1861. Today, it accommodates art exhibitions, souvenir shops, and restrooms. Han Christian Andersen, the famous Danish writer used to visit this library too.


We’ve been to Copenhagen City Hall Tower so I can say that The Round Tower is an easy climb, hindi kami napagod dito. We were not able to try the telescope in the observatory because it was closed. The panorama view was nice but I prefer the bird’s eye view of the City Hall. You can also visit The Church of Our Saviour if you like to see some views too. I’ve seen that church during our Canal Tours in Copenhagen.


Admission Price 
Copenhagen Card - Free
Adult - 25.00 DKK
Children (5-15) - 5.00 DKK

The King's Garden 

From The Round Tower, we went straight to The King’s Garden or Rosenborg Castle Garden. It is the oldest royal garden in Denmark which was established in early 1600 by King Christian IV. The garden is home to a large herbaceous border, a rose garden, a lime tree (Knight’s Path and Lady’s Path), a cherry blossom tree, and some famous statues. The King’s Garden is popular for tourists because there is no entrance fee.



I’ve been meaning to revisit Japan because of Sakura so I was really happy when I saw the cherry blossom trees in The King’s Garden. My husband even told me, hindi na tayo pupunta ng Japan, meron naman pala dito. Hehehe!

Rosenborg Castle 

You can already see Rosenborg Castle from The King’s Garden, we just had snacks at the garden then we went straight to the castle. Denmark does not have many castles and I think the majority of the castles are free using the Copenhagen Card.


It was 400 years ago when Rosenborg Castle was built by King Christian IV as a pleasure palace and became the King’s favorite residence. Now, it is where you can see the oldest, finest, and rarest objects of the royal family. Visiting the castle is like traveling back in time and having a glimpse of wealth, status, and how the royal family lives their life.


The Rosenborg Castle is indeed an art treasure, the castle has five floors for you to explore. Take time to visit each floor because the entrance ticket is not cheap.

Read: Rosenberg Castle 

Admission Price

Adult - 115.00 DKK
Child (0-17) - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free
Park Museums - Free
Student - 75.00 DKK

After our visit to Rosenborg Castle, we moved to the Botanical Garden because according to the map, it is near Rosenborg Castle but we could not find it. I was so tired looking for it and was already hangry (hungry and angry, hehehe!) so I suggested to my mom to let go of the garden and we just go to Amalienborg Castle.

Lunch at Diamond Rice Restaurant

Of course, we had to eat first so we just walked and walked until we saw the Diamond Rice Restaurant. At last makakapaglunch na rin, is one of our dilemmas if we are traveling abroad because rice is life so we always look for an Asian restaurant.

Read: Food Trip in Copenhagen

Amalienborg Castle 


After lunch, we went straight to Amalienborg Castle and we were surprised that we only have less than an hour to explore the castle because their closing time is 3PM. I’m not aware that they changed the schedule because the last time I checked, 4PM is the closing time. But we’re still thankful that we’ve made it, sa dami ng nilakad at ligaw namin from Rosenborg Castle. Hehehe!



We saw this castle too during our Canal Tours Copenhagen. Amalienborg Castle is a sister museum of Rosenborg Castle and it exhibits the royal history from the mid 19th century until today. It is the continuation of your journey through time from Rosenborg Castle. The museum is not that big so we were able to finish it before 3PM.


Admission Price 
Adults - 0 DKK- 95.00 DKK
Children - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free

Frederik's Church or The Marble Church 

Frederik’s Church is just few steps away from Amalienborg so it is impossible that you will miss this church. It is also known as the Marble church because the church is made of Norwegian marble and Danish Faxe marble.



The Marble Church is a regular parish church, part of the Danish State Church, and an Evangelical-Lutheran church. During the summer months, you can go to the church dome every 1PM to check the view. We did not experience it because we visited last April so it is not summertime yet.

Admission Price 

Visits to the Dome (Child) - 20.00 DKK
Visits to the Dome (Adult) - 35.00 DKK

Tycho Brahe Planetarium 

After the Marble Church, my companion wanted to go back to the hotel but I told them that we could still visit Tycho Brahe Planetarium but nobody agreed with me and nobody allowed me to go alone. So goodbye Tycho Brahe Planetarium, we went back to our hotel and rested. We packed our stuff because we would be going to Stockholm, Sweden the following day.

Read: Cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen
Day 4 in Copenhagen

December 06, 2016

6 Days in Hongkong and Macau

Hong Kong is on my bucket list and I was happy that I finally ticked it off on my list. Whenever there’s international seat sale, I always check Hongkong but I wasn’t lucky in booking a flight. It took me years before I was able to score a cheap fare during P1 seat sale and would you believe it was only P2000+ for 3 persons. 



One way fare only because I booked another flight from Macau so I could save time and ferry fare. I'm sharing with you, our Hongkong and Macau itinerary when we went there last November 2012, I’ve revised it so many times because of the weather but still, we enjoyed our stay especially in Hong Kong Disneyland


They say one week is not enough to enjoy Hongkong but since we want to do Hong Kong and Macau in one trip, I need to choose the tourist spots that we’re going to visit in four days. 


Hongkong


Upon Arrival in HKIA, we immediately went to Yiu Fai Guesthouse to check-in our luggage before starting our tour. We rode A21 bus going to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) fare is $HK33. From bus stop we walked to the Golden Crown Building where the guesthouse is located. 


Day 1 City Tour at Tsim Sha Tsui and The Peak


We visited 1881 Heritage, Clock Tower and Avenue of Stars which are all walking distance from TST area. 




From TST, we took the MTR going to Central Station and head to Exit J2. We just follow the signs going to lower Peak Tram terminus where we will ride Peak Tram. We rode the Peak Tram to reach “The Peak”. My husband was not interested in Madame Tussauds so we did not buy package ticket just a roundtrip Peak Tram ticket. 


Day 2 


Chin Lin Nunnery

Nan Lian Garden
Ngong Ping Village   

We woke up early on our second day because we will visit Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden. It was surprising that there is a garden in the midst of a busy city.
 




After that, we proceeded to Ngong Ping Village




Shopping is not included in our itinerary but we did a quick visit in City Gate Outlet because we need to buy some clothes. We need warmers to survive the coldness of Hongkong weather. 


Day 3 and 4 Hongkong Disneyland 


From Yiu Fai Guesthouse we transferred to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel for our next accommodation. We spent our two remaining days in Hong Kong Disneyland. We let go the Ocean Park because we’re more interested in Hongkong Disneyland and my son really adores Mickey Mouse. 




Read: Disney's Hollywood Hotel  

Day 3 Hong Kong Disneyland
Day 4 Hong Kong Disneyland

Tips:  If you are on a budget you can eat at Chef Mickey’s Restaurant for breakfast but if you want the meet and greet experience with Disney characters, book your breakfast in Enchanted Garden


Read: Chef’s Mickey Restaurant


If you are looking for affordable fast food in Hong Kong, you can try Cafe de Coral, they have branches everywhere. 


Read: Cafe de Coral  


Now I know why people always go back to Hongkong, if only I have the budget, I will go back again. Bitin ang 4 days. 


After Hongkong Disneyland, we went straight to the Sheung Wan Ferry Pier. We refunded our money on the Octopus card and bought a ticket at TurboJet Counter. 


Read: Travel Guide: Hongkong to Macau


Macau 


We stayed in Hotel Sintra, I chose this hotel because of the location. It is walking distance to New Yaohan Mall, Tourist Spots and Hotels. 


Read: Hotel Sintra


We had two whole days to roam around. Macau is not only for people who love casino because there are several things that you can do in Macau. Sharing with you our Macau itinerary. 


Day 5 Macau City Tour


Walking Tour




We visited the famous tourist spots such as Senado Square, St. Dominic Church, Ruins of St Paul, Macau Museum and Monte Fort. Then we went back to our hotel to rest. 


Then we went to Michael Jackson’s Gallery in Sofitel, no entrance fee. We're not really a fan of MJ but since this is a free museum, we paid a visit. We went back to Senado Square for night photo. 


Day 6 Fisherman’s Wharf and Hotel Hopping


We woke up early to finish our itinerary. We were not able to watch Prosperity show because it was under maintenance so we went straight to Fisherman’s Wharf. It is a tourist spot near Macau Ferry Terminal.




Then we started our Hotel Hopping, we visited Grand Lisboa, Wynn Hotel, City of Dreams Hotel and Venetian Hotel. We watched Bubble Show at City of Dreams. We only experienced Bubble Show because Dragon’s Treasure, Prosperity Tree and Fountain Show are under maintenance. 




Finally, we went to Macau International Airport. Back to Manila, Philippines. 


Tip: Take advantage of the free shuttle bus of different hotels. We did not spend any money for our transportation in Macau. We just walk or ride shuttle buses. 


There are free food tastes on your way to Ruins of St Paul. This is also the place where you can buy pasalubong. 


Do not forget to taste the famous Portuguese Egg Tart and Lechon Macau


Read: Food Trip in Macau


Hongkong and Macau Itinerary


Day 1 City Tour at Tsim Sha Tsui and The Peak

Day 2 Chin Lin Nunnery
Nan Lian Garden
Ngong Ping Village 
Day 3 Hong Kong Disneyland
Day 4 Hong Kong Disneyland
Day 5 Macau City Tour
Day 6 Fisherman’s Wharf and Hotel Hopping

December 10, 2012

Hong Kong Day 2: Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden

Instead of visiting the most visited tourist spots in Hongkong, I chose to visit Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden. I really included this in my itinerary to discover and explore some parts of Hongkong. Hongkong is not merely for shopping and theme parks but there is a place like Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden where you can rest and relax. It is a garden in the midst of busy city.




It is a public park so there’s no entrance fee. It is so easy to go here, just take MTR from Tsim Sha Tsui all the way to Diamond Hill Station. Then exit in front of Hollywood Plaza and you will see some signs going to Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden.



I was really amazed seeing this 3.5 hectares scenic garden and would you believe that every hill, body of water, rock, timber structure and plant has been placed according to specific methods and rules.




Every corner is picture perfect but tripod is not allowed so it is difficult to take family picture. I was thankful because one guard volunteered to take our family pictures.



From Nan Lian Garden we went straight to Ngong Ping Village

Chi Lin Nunnery

Address: 5 Chi Lin Drive, Diamond Hill, Kowloon
Tel:  +852 2354 1888
Website: www.chilin.org

Nan Lian Garden
Address: 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Kowloon
Tel:  +852 2329 8811
Website: www.chilin.org
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