inverted tomato planter

I've had my share of gardening and I do love to tinker in our pocket garden. I've planted roses, eggplants, chilis, tomatoes, even eggplants. I am even a bit familiar with hydrophonics - where plants are grown with water mixed with the necessary nutrients for growth. So, I'm a bit surprised when I chanced upon this inverted tomato planter.

In this planter the plants grow downward. The hanging stems or vines need almost no attention as fruits ripen in the air (not on the ground) where they wont rot. Plants like basil, parsley, rosemary, and peppers can be planted on top. The top part can hold up to 80 lbs. of topsoil. The compact planter can fit in any space with ample sunlight, even narrow balconies. A hollow base filled with sand (not included) keeps it stable and upright. The plastic planting bed, supported by PVC pipes, has openings for four tomato plants (or any recommended plant recommended by the manufacturer) underneath, with pop-out perforations for four additional openings. The planter is worth $79.95 and can be ordered online at hammacher.

mmmmmasarrrappp!

"In Tagalog masarap means delicious."

On Fridays and Saturdays you will notice some stalls near the entrance (parallel to Ace Hardware) to SM Department Store’s Makati branch. Those stalls sell baked goods to complete meals. You may find tahong (sea mussel) chips, chicharon or crispy pork skin, cakes, pastries, pastas, Japanese meals, and natives dishes like ginataang tulingan.

these ensaymadas are from Moms, i love these ensaymadas. they're so fluffy and soft and freshly baked

sushi anyone?

ginataang tulingan

the best gift

It seems that as time passes even the simplest things makes us really happy. I am happy whenever I am with my kids and happier when our family is complete. My heart overflows with joy with the simplest gesture from my kids and husband.

I would love to keep the rich moments to my memory but I don’t want old age to muddle it. Somehow I want to post it here for posterity (or until it is allowed to have it’s place online). In my last birthday, I did not expect anything fancy from my family. We just hurdled the usual financial duties for the kids’ education – school fees and everything upon enrollment. So I told my husband I wouldn’t mind if I’ll have a small cake only on that day.

When I arrived home, I was happy that my kids stayed late so they can greet me. Their greetings were more than enough to fill my heart with joy and contentment. More so when my son sheepishly gave me his gift.

wrapped in pad paper heheee

It was so simple and yet he made it for me thinking that it would make me happy. And that thought alone made me very very happy! So very happy! I hugged my son soo tight that night, I hugged my kids at the same time so nobody gets jealous, ‘coz I love them equally!

mini bus Cavite style

 

you may take a ride on these buses if you're planning to visit Emilio Aguinaldo's house in Cavite

Here are some photos of the unique looking mini buses of Cavite. I've only seen these type of buses there, that when I first saw those buses, I thought that they look a bit weird.

 

another mini bus along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway

 

one even plastered my name on its back! hehee

pearly memories contest!

Sometimes, the past looks like it happened years ago, more so when you look at pictures. But your memory sometimes makes you feel as if it only happened yesterday. Like my memories of my high school days, most of it are still so sharply etched. How time flies! Really … I smiled when I saw the pictures that Joan Jeanos posted in our yahoo group. I was a lot leaner then. I look sooo different now…

this was taken during Joan's birthday (where do you think was i in this photo? if you can guess it right a pearl string bracelet (white and done by me of course :)) is waiting for the first 2 correct guess! so hurry up! this fun game will last until 30 July 2008) just post your guess thru the comments and please include your email adds and contact number. this fun game (for now) is valid only in the Philippines. the winner will be posted here on 3 August 2008. former classmates are barred from entering the game though hehehee...)

We also have our girlie group. We called it DOMAJOLAVICE! It may sound corny now, but when you think of it naming the group that way was a fad then. It was never corny then to name a group after the first two letters of each member :-) . DO stood for Doreen J., MA for Maritess F., JO for Joan J. A., LA for Lani V. V., VI for Vida, and CE for Cecile. Here’s some of our high school photos during high school at the MMSU-Laboratory High School in Laoag City.

marjune and Irwin clowning before the camera, Joanne with her wave, ...

3 joan's in the pic

smooth sailing weekend

neighborhood kids spending their Saturday afternoon the way other kids want to ... play!

Last weekend while the kids were having a great time with their (neighbor) friends, I took some photos (blurred again, sorry!) of one of our rose plants infront of our house. The locals call it pitimini, I don’t know why.

piti mini blooms

I like it ‘coz it blooms in profusion. All you have to do is to cut the dried flowers for it to bud and to encourage the flower buds from coming out. I also took a shot of Nanay Ila’s (our neighbor) pot of the flowers below. The flowers of this plant usually bloom when the humidity is higher, like these days.

do u know the name of these flowers (plant)?

Meldy likes the pitimini flowers, she kept on telling me that. Even my daughter loves to pick ((&&%^$#@!#$) the flowers...

on my way home

That is how the Emilio Aguinaldo (EA) Highway looks like, still too far away from home...(this was taken in the Imus, Cavite part of the EA h-way)

Traveling from our home to my work each day is so stressful. Maybe my aging muscles are making me dislike it more (huhuu, is this how to accept the onslaught of old age?) I am still in my early 30s and I DON’T think that I am in that phase! Yet…! Heheee…Well… When you often see something you tend to dismiss it as another one of those things. Other passengers would read, play with their PSPs and other portable gadgets, or gaze into their sweetheart’s eyes – PDA galore! Quesehoda na makita ng ibang pasahero!

Not me! Even when I’m too sleepy, I try to keep my eyes open while I’m on my way home specially during weekends. We only live once and life is just TOO short. So I try to take in everything that I see whenever I’m on the road. I would like to share here some of the photos I took last Saturday (19 July 2008) afternoon. I took the ordinary bus so I can take better photos along the road. You will see from most of the photos how enterprising Filipinos can be.

A lot of shops like these abound along the EA h-way (in Talaba, Bacoor)

These men are fried peanut sellers, the adobong mani they sell is a taste apart from the peanuts being sold in Metro Manila. It has a distinctive and crunchy taste.

These pedicab drivers are waiting for passengers (Bacoor area)


This stationery shop which makes invitations for different occasions and also sells souvenirs for any occasions is in Bacoor Cavite along EA highway of course, heheee...


This shop sells second hand automobile parts, also in Bacoor

This man is selling bananas and other fruits infront of the entrance to Camella subdivision. On the other side of the highway is the Revilla's ancestral house in Imus.


Shops selling second hand cars has mushroomed around Cavite, this one is in Imus

Maybe because these are affordable and the demand is high in Cavite so there are also a lot of motorcycle stores (shop is in Imus)

wired to work

These bracelets were the last that I did last summer (these days it starts during the hot days in February until the rains start in May). My hands are itching to do other styles in wire jewelry but I had to stop for awhile ‘coz we are currently overloaded at work. I also would like to do some earrings and rings. I just am too tired these days…

travelling woes

I am a daily commuter and our house is almost 2 hours away (due to traffic congestions) from my work. I take the bus every time, and thankfully I don’t have much problem in finding a seat whenever I go to work. Yup, some passengers who want to be at their respective works on time prefer to travel in standing position.

An overcrowded bus during the morning rush hour

Not to mention that some selfish passengers prefer to balance themselves beside you, which is sometimes irritating 'coz you often get sandwiched between the standing passenger and the one who seats beside you.

getting sandwiched!

That’s too much stress on you and you’ll feel tired even before you start the work for the day (I guess). Securing a seat comes up only in the evening whenever I go home. The bus takes longer to show up sometimes (it may take to more than an hour) and the line is so long that some people at the end of the line sometimes prefer to go to the nearby shopping center and wait until the line is shorter.

strange...

When I was in college I had to stay for the night at a university dorm where Wilma (a BSBio classmate, I forgot her surname) stays. We were working on something, I can’t recall now, but I think it was a class report or something.

The dorm stands on farm land inside the University. Although the University Staff Housing is a five minute walk away and some of the University buildings can be seen (about 20 minutes walk away to the nearest building – Administration Building). When you can feel other strange presences like some people you’ll know that there is something unusual with the place (always damp and dry at the same time, there are places where one can feel as if it isn’t frequented as if there’s some presence that can’t be seen). That’s how I felt whenever I go to that dorm.

the admin bldg.

Wilma was fast asleep and I was fidgeting on the next bed (she told me earlier that maybe because it was the first time that I slept there). Then I fell asleep. I was roused when I felt a heavy hand passed on my face as if the hand was wiping my face. I thought it was Wilma trying to wake me up. So I opened my eyes and I saw that she’s still fast asleep on her bed which was two steps away from where I sleeping. I was a bit surprised and afraid that time so I covered myself with my blanket, mumbled a prayer, and forced myself to sleep and tried not to think of “others.”

The next morning I recounted to Wilma what happened to me in the wee hours of the morning. She was not surprised at all, she said things like that has occurred at the dorm.

Wowweeeee! Yuck! That was my first paranormal experience and no more of it please!

That experience came to mind while an officemate (Macoy) and I were talking about unusual occurrences. Macoy said one of the writers at the publication he once worked for saw something sitting on Macoy’s lap while he was waiting for the writers to finish writing something. The writer said it was wearing an old dress from the Spanish era and was just sitting there on Macoy’s lap! As if she (it) likes Macoy! Hahahaahaaaa!