More Hibiscus....

There are many flower buds on the Hibiscus plant that we bought the other day, we simply could not resist to get one. We love Hibiscus because they love sunshine and we got way too much of it in our terrace. I love the fact that the leaves barely drop, that means I don't get to do too pick leave picking.

People said that they are easy to take care of, but most of all, its flowers are big, gorgeous and this plant that we bought are going to bloom in no time. I guess, that makes it okay for us to buy again. I am now really tempted to get different colors. Maybe white? Or yellow?

Can't Resist....

It's Lenten, folks. If I were to give up buying plants, it would be a grand failure. So far, I have been good in keeping myself away from Coffee and Beef. Despite telling myself that I should not have more plants, as the existing ones have taken much of my time, I keep on failing from keeping myself away from doing it. We went to a few nurseries to get bigger pots for the plants that had outgrown their space and getting some bags of soils. They were done, we got them. We, however, also got ourselves more plants. Three of them to be precise. The reason why the above periwinkle was chosen is that I want more variety of colors in our garden. That's a very valid reason, I suppose.

Plan B

I am not where I was supposed to be. It's Spring break. The plan was to visit South Korea and to enjoy, if we could, the cold Spring weather in Seoul. We may not be able to see the Cherry blossoms as the weather would be too cold, but we are sure there would be things for us to do there. Well, that was just a plan. A plan that was never implemented because we thought it would be safer to stay away in the wake of the massive 9.0 recent earthquake and nuclear problems in Japan. A plan that can change to.... we basically do not know where to go. We have only a few days and we could only go to nearby places. So, DH went overseas for work and I stay back for.... work too and try to catch up with some works that I am behind at while one kid is away for her camping trip.

Talking about plan, being sick is not one them. It's bad being sick. It's worse when the timing for being sick, falls on the weekend or Monday. You either have to run to A&E of some hospitals or go to your doctor, which is potentially very crowded. It happened to me yesterday. Without going into details, I must say that I needed a doctor urgently. I called my specialist and he was fully booked on the day and unable to see me. It was not a matter of life and death, he would not make the time for me. In desperation, we went to our family doctor, as he does not take any appointment. Just turn up during operating hours and wait. We waited indeed, there were 12 patients ahead of me.

There was not a place for me to sit down inside so DH and I wandered outside. There were some restaurants and shops around. Right next door to the clinic, interestingly, is a fruit shop. It was nearly 12PM and the shop just opened. The delivery vans came in and the shop opened. They sell durian too! It's hard to miss it when the smell is really strong.



We waited for around an hour before I was called in to the doctor's office. Outside, apparently, DH surrendered to the evil's temptation. After not eating durian for many long years, DH finally bought one to bring home. Thankfully, the seller helped him open the fruit and removed the pods and put them in one container to be brought home. The strong smell was contained. Here's $18 worth of durian. Not so cheap, but DH said they were really good! I only watched.

Less Costly Version....

Hainanese Chicken Rice here is like national dish. They are available all over the place. They are served at food stalls, food courts and restaurants. We recently re-visited the most expensive chicken rice place in the country that we know of, i.e. Chatterbox at Meritus Mandarin Hotel and paid $28 per serving. Earlier on, in January, we went to eat at one famous stall near China Town called Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. It was only $3 per serving and it was yummy. Both of them are equally satisfying to both DH and me.

Over the weekend, we were really busy and decided to buy back Chicken Rice from another popular Chicken Rice branch Outlet called Boon Tong Kee. This one is priced slightly above the food stalls' chicken rice at $4.60 per pack. The pack includes a piece of pork ball and a little jar of pickles and the sauces. Whether which is the best, I am truly convinced that everyone has different opinion. I am fine with this one too. It's not too hard to please me when it comes to chicken rice, especially when I am hungry.

Now Cancelled!

Okay. The "constantly updating me on iPad2 status" Miss P, passed me the link that said that iPad2 will be available in Singapore and Hong Kong in April and also there's a chance that there might be a delay in her returning home to bring the item to me. So. I guess it is only right that I cancel my order from the US website and will re-order from the website here when they become available. I could go the Apple stores and buy, but I might get it online and have it delivered right out to the door. I just hope the price is reasonable.... Keep my fingers crossed.

Surprised Kitty

In case you need a smile, play this. Adorable. This video has more than 44 million views as of today. I posted the same video back in 2009, it remains one of my favorites.

Match Them...

Wherever I go, it seems that smoked salmon is always put together with cream cheese. I like the combination, that's what I order sometimes. With bagel though. At home, I did not have any bagels left when I have the other two components. I went ahead and made myself a ssalmon and cream cheese sandwich for lunch. Delicious, as always!

Someone Turns 20!

It was 20 years ago today, DH and I rushed to the hospital early in the morning after discovering that my water bag broke. We lived in Jakarta and our area was having a blackout, but we knew where the important things were, the bag that was packed a while back and the car key. The hospital was nearby and without traffic, as it's merely after 4AM in the morning, we probably arrived some 10 minutes later. No drama, no panicking like those in the movies. We were calm and everything was in order.

The only thing was that it was our first child and I had no first-hand experience. I did not know what sort of pain that I had to endure and how intense that could be. At some point it was really unbearable and the OB/Gym came so late, at least to what I believe. I was so ready to pop up the baby and he was not there yet. Came 9:40 AM, our first born and our first new love was born. God knows, I did not what to do with her. She did not come with any manuals and for 20 years we constantly learn by trials and errors on how to look after her and how to be good parents. We had our ups and downs but we endure. There has been so much that we are thankful for and she is one of them, on the top 10 list!

She is 20 years old today. It is so hard to believe how time flies. Happy birthday Miss P! XOXO

Blooming!

What I like about Bougainvillea is the fact that I don't have to worry about not giving me flowers. Not long ago my plant lost all of its flowers and most of its leaves. But they are all back and it is now blooming again, looking so great. I never pay attention how long the cycle is, but those smart people say that it is around 4-6 weeks. I hardly notice.

When Least Expected....

I like Marigold. They have beautiful flowers that last for a long time and they have many of them. In the recent months, I tried to plant their seeds and had been failing, again and again. I worried me a bit that I got no new Marigold plants to replace the dying ones. Despite the high rate of failure, I kept on trying, but not expecting much. Of course, when I had no expectation, I saw many of them grew. So many new plants are also growing by themselves in the garden. They are still tiny at present, but hopefully they grow into strong plants that give me plenty of gorgeous flowers in the coming months. Hope!