Terrarium Update

Back in 2012, Jane gifted me with a beautiful terrarium from Plant Story (see the old photo here). I loved it to bits. But eventually, however I took care of it, the plants still withered overtime, the mosses dried and the whole setup lost its original luster and vibrancy. I discarded everything but saved the lovely apothecary jar which held the little garden altogether.

Fast forward to this week, March 2016, I revived the glass jar, sterilized and prepped it to be used again for the same purpose that I initially got it, a terrarium. 

I used three different cultivars of Fittonias (Nerve Plant), three varieties of mosses, slate slabs, and granite nuggets for the garden. It's lush at the moment and would get even fuller with proper care. It's a big leap from the terrarium it used to be four years ago.

The particular terrarium at the top is my third in a series of terrarium-making stunts. I still have one more in line and probably a few small ones in the future.

But for now, let me leave you with my first two projects, the one with a wooden ball stopper has a miniature African Violet in it and the glass decanter is purely a moss terrarium. Both of them are currently more than two weeks old and so far, it doesn't need re-watering. The mosses are starting to show new growth and it's amazing to look at. When you open it, you can have a whiff of the woodlands.

Happy Gardening! Until next time.

Masha and The Bear

I mentioned in my previous post that one of Lia's YouTube favorites is Masha and the Bear. (Russian: Маша и Медведь, Masha i Medved') And if you haven't heard about them, well, this is your lucky day.

Meet this amazing duo and know all about them through their video episodes on YouTube. One of their episodes, "Recipe For Disaster" has received over 1.16 billion views, making it the site's thirteenth most viewed video to date. Most of the episodes are in Russian but because of the brilliant storyline, amazing animation, and adorable characters, you will still be able to follow their adventures, plus the fact that only Masha along with a few guest characters speak the language. 

They are indeed famous and for all the good reasons. Yes, Masha is very playful, mischievous, and sometimes inconsiderate, But hey, she's a happy, thoughtful, inquisitive little girl. And who would not love Bear with his lovely tree house and vegetable garden? He is a retired circus performer (who knows and excels) in a lot of things.

Lemme just share one clip and you’ll get what I mean and know why Lia and the rest of the family love this series. Enjoy!

Plus why we sometimes call Lia the same name, Masha!

About Lia

Lia's four months away from her 2nd birthday.

She's still very active. She loves to play ball, mess her Ate's play kitchen and do dress-ups. She would cover herself with a blanket (like a ghost) and say she's a princess!

The little lady likes to sing her favorite rhymes especially Row Your Boat, Twinkle Little Star, and Bah, Bah Black Sheep and I'm glad she's in tune. Her current YouTube favorites are Masha and the Bear (we call her Masha sometimes), Bada Namu and lately, clips from Frozen. 

"Give me", "Please", "Excuse me", "Sorry", "Thank you", I love you", "Bye" or something that sounds like those words were added to her growing vocab.

And I just love it when I say, "Lia loves... and she'll say "Daddy!"

Container Gardening

I love plants! 

I have been keeping a plant or two since our last rental. But lately, we have started a small garden at home with plants ranging from tropicals to succulents. And since we do not have a real garden to dig and to plant something, container gardening is the only way to go. It is actually practical because each pot can go indoors if needed and it's easy to rearrange.

It all began last year during the time when Singapore was choked by yet another haze situation. We bought pots of air purifying plants to improve air quality and since then, we continue to enjoy the benefits both in health and aesthetically as it branched out to what it is now, a small container garden.

My interest can be seen in my Instagram posts and I have here some screenshots of the Top Posts, featuring some of my plants, of course.

It really gives joy and delight to see them grow a new leaf, spread out a new branch, watch a seed grow and ultimately see a beautiful flower blossom. It is indeed a rewarding hobby.

I think everyone must have at least one plant to take care of, however black his thumb may be.

Ashrie's First Day in Primary School

Happy New Year!

It was January 4, 2016. The first Monday of the year and the first day of school for 2016 here in Singapore for most of the students. It was also Ashrie's first day as a gradeschooler.

I took the day off to assist her on her day. First, in sending her to school, then in checking her up during their recess time, attending the parenting talk, buy more school uniforms and lastly, picking her up after school. I've been very busy running to and fro the school and our house. Thankfully, her school is just across the street.

Maybe I was anxious as she is or maybe I have more butterflies in the stomach than her. But thank God everything went smoothly.

I was relieved the moment I sent her at the school gate mainly because there was an older student who carried her heavy bag and brought her to their designated queue. (Parents were not allowed inside the school premises.) And during their recess where parents can have a glimpse of them, I found out that that each of them had an older student (from higher grades) to be their buddy/mentor as they go to the canteen, buy food, probably lead them to the washroom, and to send them back to their respective classrooms. All the parents, with all their cameras were cordoned off and could only watch from a distance. Fortunately, Ashrie sat close to the sides and I got a view of what she ordered or how she had been doing so far.

Here she is with her school guide, Novita.

First Day is over and I am so glad she enjoyed and did very well. I pray that God will bless her Primary Education, keep her safe, and guide her always. 

Keep it up Ashrie, we're proud of you!