Friday, March 28, 2014
Crisis Averted
Day 3: I found more than a couple surprises today among the newly planted shrubs which gives me an assurance that everything's going to be more than okay. First up, I found this budding red flower in the Bouganvillea. The first flower I got ever since I purchased it! Yay!
Then there were these new leaves coming out from the Ixora (Santan) plants which means both types are adjusting quickly and nicely to their newfound space in the plantbox! Yay!
There were also these new leaves coming out nicely from the— uh... I have no idea what these clinging vines are called. But the sellers told me they're quite fragile when this young but look at them:
And last, but not least, are the transplanted bouganvilleas with yellow bracts that got me nervous. See how nicely they're recovering under the morning sun:
To think before I didn't think I could develop a green thumb. So, again, YAY!
Then there were these new leaves coming out from the Ixora (Santan) plants which means both types are adjusting quickly and nicely to their newfound space in the plantbox! Yay!
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There were also these new leaves coming out nicely from the— uh... I have no idea what these clinging vines are called. But the sellers told me they're quite fragile when this young but look at them:
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And last, but not least, are the transplanted bouganvilleas with yellow bracts that got me nervous. See how nicely they're recovering under the morning sun:
To think before I didn't think I could develop a green thumb. So, again, YAY!
Labels: aaahh, cool, garden, horticulture
@ 11:32 AM ---> Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Repotting Done
I got to transfer half of the plants I collected from different points of time last year into the newly installed plant boxes (thanks to our all-around handyman).
These are the Santan plants (Ixora grandiflora Ker) that I salvaged from my lola's place in Bulacan before it was torn down and renovated to a gas station. A variegated Bouganvillea plant and a lily-type of plant that was previously salvaged by our former maid thrown out into the street somewhere. In between the Santan plants are the creeping wall plants I also got it Bulacan.
This is the yellow Bouganvillea flowering plants I got from the Manila Seedling Bank early summer last year. Its present condition after repotting has me worried. Hopefully it will live and pick up tomorrow.
Edited (7:54 pm): The condition the tree is in, I just learned, is called a transplant shock coming from the disturbance of the roots. There's nothing much I can do about it now except to tend to it as best as I can. I just pray it won't lose as many leaves as both trees try to recover. Ergh.
These are the Santan plants (Ixora grandiflora Ker) that I salvaged from my lola's place in Bulacan before it was torn down and renovated to a gas station. A variegated Bouganvillea plant and a lily-type of plant that was previously salvaged by our former maid thrown out into the street somewhere. In between the Santan plants are the creeping wall plants I also got it Bulacan.
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This is the yellow Bouganvillea flowering plants I got from the Manila Seedling Bank early summer last year. Its present condition after repotting has me worried. Hopefully it will live and pick up tomorrow.
Edited (7:54 pm): The condition the tree is in, I just learned, is called a transplant shock coming from the disturbance of the roots. There's nothing much I can do about it now except to tend to it as best as I can. I just pray it won't lose as many leaves as both trees try to recover. Ergh.
Labels: aaahh, awesome, cool, garden, horticulture, nature, news
Thursday, January 02, 2014
It's a Jolly Holiday in Antarctica
This was the picture from the i09 article, Strange Historic Photos From Antarctica and Other Kingdoms of Ice that caught my eye as something quirky without meaning to, I guess. Either the penguin doesn't care about the music it's hearing fom this stranger standing away from him or her or it's probably too scared to move. Or both.
But what if the penguins were swayed by the music? What if some birds showed some reaction and inexplicably danced to the music? Not like the ones in "Happy Feet" though. Ugh.
And then there were six:
That was fun.
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| Gilbert Kerr, a member of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition plays the bagpipe for an indifferent penguin during the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, 1902-1904 |
But what if the penguins were swayed by the music? What if some birds showed some reaction and inexplicably danced to the music? Not like the ones in "Happy Feet" though. Ugh.
And then there were six:
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Labels: aaahh, animated gifs, art, awesome, comedy routine, entertainment, funny stuff, movies, nature, new
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Happy(?) New Year
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Earlier tonight while I was going back over the memories of those I've seen outside the window and analyzing my thoughts over the matter the one thing that kept playing in my mind was, am I getting too old too fast for this? Ten years ago I took pride over the fact that I never looked my age and I was constantly aware of the fact that the best years of my life were slipping away. I lived in the past trying to hold on to whatever vestiges of it were remaining. But that was before a whole gaggle of disappointments came and destroyed my rosy view. Plus, being aware that each year seems to suck more and more (of course that's a matter of opinion but I'm basing this on my experience and what I know from everything I read and heard) things will never be the same and it's a bad thing. Society is shrinking thanks to social networking but at the same time these same members of society are becoming more cynical and pessimistic even if they try to deny it and look at every new year as something that brings a new beginning. I mean, realy? Then when calamity hits them they'd start crying and whining like babies because they never prepared for any of it since the start. It's the same cycle as every New Year's resolution. People get excited over the smallest things promising themselves they would stick to a set of list they prepared at the last minute only to forget about it after a week or so.
Am I cynical? There's no question about it. But I also know that most people are too even if they say they're not. How else can you explain the amount of celebration over the most mundane of things? Like monthsaries. Please. Don't get me started on the apparent hunger for any type of news people can "scoop" just so they can drumbeat about it on the walls of their or other people's Facebook pages. I can live with one or two posts like it but have a lot of people doing the same thing every minute or so and you have a new kind of pollution to deal with. People "liking" stuff for no viable reason other than what is known only to themselves is also another thing that gets to me but I'm working on it.
So what should we look forward to this new year? Realistically we can hope for the best but still expect things to go worse than before. Other than that, personally, I got my own outlook to deal with, old friendships to rekindle, new people to hang out with and old good habits I left at the side of the road before to pick up again. Other than that, well, like other folks, I'll take things one day at a time
Labels: aaahh, aha, controversial, dilemma, new, new year, pang-asar, reminiscing, sad news, whatever
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Go to P500-bill with Marcos face was never circulated to read the rest of the story.
MANILA, Philippines - The Central Bank once designed a P500-bill featuring former President Marcos, Fe Dela Cruz, Director of the Corporate Affairs Office for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) confirmed recently.However, such banknotes did not reach the circulation stage," she said.
The P500 bills we know from the 80s to this day instead feature Marcos' arch-political rival, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.
Labels: aaahh, art related, controversial, cool, curios, discovery, history
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Interesting debate between FOX News commentator, Bill O'Reilly, and Salon.com editor, Joan Walsh, regarding late term abortionist, Dr. George Tiller. Watch it and then decide for yourself where you stand on this issue.
* Unfortunately since he was gunned down last May 31 Dr. Tiller's website has been indefinitely down but you can read more about Dr. Tiller here.
Labels: aaahh, curios, discovery, events, interview, news, sad news
Sunday, January 04, 2009
I can't remember the last time I donated blood and there's nothing wrong with it but I can't help replaying that opening scene in the Blade II where a group of Czech vampires run a blood bank draining everything from the poor souls (that's until they got their comeuppance). That's what's on my mind on the way to the Philippine Heart Center to donate blood for, Barry, a friend from SKP who sorely needs it (he's getting a double bypass tomorrow). It didn't help much that there weren't that much people inside the building when I got there except for a few guards sitting around and some noise from what seems to be a late Christmas party going on inside one of the bigger offices on the way to the blood bank.
The feeling for creepiness was quickly replaced by a slight awkwardness when I got to the lobby of the blood bank and there was a group of people initially chatting around but stopped a bit when they saw me. It was the same feeling if you're familiar with Spaghetti Westerns where folks inside the saloon stops taking to assess the stranger coming through the doors. I quickly went to the counter, avoiding the stares some were still throwing at me to ask where do I start. I was given a couple of forms to fill up and then I was asked to sit down and wait for my name to be called. I tried my best to be inconspicuous while scanning the surrounding people hoping to catch a dialogue or two that would clue me in to them as either relatives or friends of the one I'm visiting (I even caught some amusing caught some anecdotes from some). I quickly deduced there were at least three groups and none of them seemed to be related to Barry. I haven't sat there for long when I heard the bank calling my name, a short interview ensued, back to my seat and after a few more minutes of waiting I was called back to have my blood tested. That's when I was asked to come back after an hour after checking if I pass the final test or not.
I went to Barry's room to pay him a short visit while waiting for the hour to run out. He was billeted in one of those large rooms where three patients share at the same time. He was doing fine despite the operation coming tomorrow. He was more worried about the bills and missing out on the Christmas parties, SKP meetings, the New Year's eve celebration, etc. We swapped stories and news and on the issue of the delicate operation he was facing, he just plainly said he was ready to go if anything happens. He's already made peace with God and he's got no problems with the Lord calling him home if that's what happens. We had a good time chatting (along with a business associate who also dropped by) before you know it an hour has already passed.
I went back to the blood bank just in time to hear my name being called. I passed the stringent exams! There were five of us in the room, I got first pick for the bed and the first prick for the donation while conveniently watching Goin' Bulilit on the small screen they provided for the room (first time I saw it and got a good laugh out of the comedy sketches). We finished after about thirty minutes and got to watch the first part of The Singing Bee with the PBA greats like Jerry Codinera, Alvin Teng, Ato Agustin, Johnny Abarrientos, Ronnie Magsanoc, Bong Alvarez, etc. with their wives and kids gamely trying to carry a tune on national television for moolah. I wanted to stay and watch but I had to go. These pictures below were taken on the courtyard behind the buildings on the way to the exit. I know that traditionally Christmas ends today but I sure wish the cold air could continue on for 6 more months.
Got home around 8 pm, fed the dogs after which there wasn't enough time to check out the malls so I just went out to eat across the road. There wasn't much of a budget to speak of so that limited my choices to the smaller food places scattered around the call centers. I settled for Mang Pedro's Chicken Inasal, ate my dinner while being greatly entertained by their TV ads being looped on the hanging TV screen near the counter.
I went home after that hearty repast.
The feeling for creepiness was quickly replaced by a slight awkwardness when I got to the lobby of the blood bank and there was a group of people initially chatting around but stopped a bit when they saw me. It was the same feeling if you're familiar with Spaghetti Westerns where folks inside the saloon stops taking to assess the stranger coming through the doors. I quickly went to the counter, avoiding the stares some were still throwing at me to ask where do I start. I was given a couple of forms to fill up and then I was asked to sit down and wait for my name to be called. I tried my best to be inconspicuous while scanning the surrounding people hoping to catch a dialogue or two that would clue me in to them as either relatives or friends of the one I'm visiting (I even caught some amusing caught some anecdotes from some). I quickly deduced there were at least three groups and none of them seemed to be related to Barry. I haven't sat there for long when I heard the bank calling my name, a short interview ensued, back to my seat and after a few more minutes of waiting I was called back to have my blood tested. That's when I was asked to come back after an hour after checking if I pass the final test or not.
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I went to Barry's room to pay him a short visit while waiting for the hour to run out. He was billeted in one of those large rooms where three patients share at the same time. He was doing fine despite the operation coming tomorrow. He was more worried about the bills and missing out on the Christmas parties, SKP meetings, the New Year's eve celebration, etc. We swapped stories and news and on the issue of the delicate operation he was facing, he just plainly said he was ready to go if anything happens. He's already made peace with God and he's got no problems with the Lord calling him home if that's what happens. We had a good time chatting (along with a business associate who also dropped by) before you know it an hour has already passed.
I went back to the blood bank just in time to hear my name being called. I passed the stringent exams! There were five of us in the room, I got first pick for the bed and the first prick for the donation while conveniently watching Goin' Bulilit on the small screen they provided for the room (first time I saw it and got a good laugh out of the comedy sketches). We finished after about thirty minutes and got to watch the first part of The Singing Bee with the PBA greats like Jerry Codinera, Alvin Teng, Ato Agustin, Johnny Abarrientos, Ronnie Magsanoc, Bong Alvarez, etc. with their wives and kids gamely trying to carry a tune on national television for moolah. I wanted to stay and watch but I had to go. These pictures below were taken on the courtyard behind the buildings on the way to the exit. I know that traditionally Christmas ends today but I sure wish the cold air could continue on for 6 more months.
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Got home around 8 pm, fed the dogs after which there wasn't enough time to check out the malls so I just went out to eat across the road. There wasn't much of a budget to speak of so that limited my choices to the smaller food places scattered around the call centers. I settled for Mang Pedro's Chicken Inasal, ate my dinner while being greatly entertained by their TV ads being looped on the hanging TV screen near the counter.
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I went home after that hearty repast.
Labels: aaahh, curios, reminiscing
Friday, January 02, 2009
Had a full day today with friends going around the malls. It's two different sets of friends actually in two different malls capping the celebration of the New Year. First round was during lunch with a really good friend (and fellow geek) from college. We went around SM North eating lunch at the still cramped food court, eating fake meat in Bodhi (we're not vegetarians but a medical condition prevents my friend from regularly indulging himself with real meat). The food court's not a total loss with the small improvements done here and there.
Then it was off to the newly opened Annex part of the mall. My friend informed me previously that there wasn't much of anything to see since except for the grocery store which is the only one open inside but he relented later and took me on a tour. As you can see from these pictures, and if you go there yourself, that statement was a tad exaggerated.
The 4th floor's the one that interests me the most with its floorspace and interiors:
Do try to see it before its occupancy by future CD/computer peripherals stalls, internet shops, and snack bars.
From those windows you can see a good view of the surrounding areas including the present construction of the future site of the Sky Garden down on the second floor:
Here are some more pictures on the same floor and a view of the groundfloor showing the glass ceiling of the Ace Hardware down in the basement level:
And some pictures of the funky escalators from above and below:
We went home after that extensive tour for me to feed the dogs and cats and to get ready to go out again to meet the Artists' Den people for our regular Friday meeting. Syeri suggested earlier we all get together for an early dinner at the newly constructed atrium in Megamall. At a place called:
"Factory."
Nice place at the second floor, somewhat pricey for regular dining but good enough for our first meeting of the year. I haven't figured it out if it's Persian or Indian cuisine they serve, they have a lot of curry dishes with mild to moderate spiciness, but the interiors betray none of its identity. Maybe it's both. Topics over dinner ranged from the trivial to more or less disgusting, as far as conversations with close friends go peppered generously with laughter:
We went to the fourth floor to Crepes and Cream after that for dessert and for the actual meeting. This place has a more affordable, but strange, set in its menu. We usually associate crepes with sweets but C & C took it further to include main course in their offerings (enough to give you the "crepes." Haha!).
This was the one I picked:
Strawberry Crepe with almonds, Raspberry Ice Cream and Strawberry sauce
After a very short meeting with agendas pending the approval of some issues that still need to be cleared with the resumption of work next week, half of the group delved into playing Magic: The Gathering to pass the time. And I still can't get how it's played. All their talk about hit points, strategies, magical creatures went sailing over the heads of those of us who doesn't play. We broke up the meeting after one round, roughly around 9 pm. We went home, but having nothing else to do back here at home, and getting antsy for going home well before the time I'm accustomed to, I went to the Shang and whiled away the time browsing in the lone bookstore inside the mall (National Bookstore doesn't count as one) before sitting down to read the free newspaper and magazines in Starbucks to slow things down. That's where I took a picture of this nice view:
With the mall now closed, I went back home and settled in for the night after checking everything's okay with the pets.
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Then it was off to the newly opened Annex part of the mall. My friend informed me previously that there wasn't much of anything to see since except for the grocery store which is the only one open inside but he relented later and took me on a tour. As you can see from these pictures, and if you go there yourself, that statement was a tad exaggerated.
The 4th floor's the one that interests me the most with its floorspace and interiors:
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Do try to see it before its occupancy by future CD/computer peripherals stalls, internet shops, and snack bars.
From those windows you can see a good view of the surrounding areas including the present construction of the future site of the Sky Garden down on the second floor:
Here are some more pictures on the same floor and a view of the groundfloor showing the glass ceiling of the Ace Hardware down in the basement level:
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And some pictures of the funky escalators from above and below:
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We went home after that extensive tour for me to feed the dogs and cats and to get ready to go out again to meet the Artists' Den people for our regular Friday meeting. Syeri suggested earlier we all get together for an early dinner at the newly constructed atrium in Megamall. At a place called:
 |  |
"Factory."
Nice place at the second floor, somewhat pricey for regular dining but good enough for our first meeting of the year. I haven't figured it out if it's Persian or Indian cuisine they serve, they have a lot of curry dishes with mild to moderate spiciness, but the interiors betray none of its identity. Maybe it's both. Topics over dinner ranged from the trivial to more or less disgusting, as far as conversations with close friends go peppered generously with laughter:
 |  |  |
We went to the fourth floor to Crepes and Cream after that for dessert and for the actual meeting. This place has a more affordable, but strange, set in its menu. We usually associate crepes with sweets but C & C took it further to include main course in their offerings (enough to give you the "crepes." Haha!).
This was the one I picked:
Strawberry Crepe with almonds, Raspberry Ice Cream and Strawberry sauce
After a very short meeting with agendas pending the approval of some issues that still need to be cleared with the resumption of work next week, half of the group delved into playing Magic: The Gathering to pass the time. And I still can't get how it's played. All their talk about hit points, strategies, magical creatures went sailing over the heads of those of us who doesn't play. We broke up the meeting after one round, roughly around 9 pm. We went home, but having nothing else to do back here at home, and getting antsy for going home well before the time I'm accustomed to, I went to the Shang and whiled away the time browsing in the lone bookstore inside the mall (National Bookstore doesn't count as one) before sitting down to read the free newspaper and magazines in Starbucks to slow things down. That's where I took a picture of this nice view:
With the mall now closed, I went back home and settled in for the night after checking everything's okay with the pets.
Labels: aaahh, awesome, barkada, cool, curios, discovery, events, feast, happy gathering, new year, reminiscing
