Guzmania Bromeliad

Guzmania Bromeliad, Pineapple Plant

Guzmania Bromeliads are native of tropical and subtropical forests of south and central America.  Their vivid colors brighten a garden, a room, or in this case, a mall.  Bromeliads are long-lasting bloomers, require lower light levels, and according to my aunt, easy to grow.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.


~ Albert Camus

@ the Greenbelt 3 mall

Celebrate life with flowers at Macro Flower - Saturday and Today's Flowers

Drunken Shrimps

Drunken shrimps or Nilasing na Hipon---a perfect match to an ice cold Tanduay Ice.  The shrimps were cooked in beer, battered and deep-fried, and served with garlic-vinegar dip.  This was at a girls' night out in Masas-Greenbelt 2.

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Mellow Yellow Monday # 43: Thai Fried Rice

I have a yummy yellow to cheer you up today---Thai fried rice with shrimp paste, pork adobo, scrambled egg, fresh green mango and sliced fresh onion.

Chase your Monday blues at Mellow Yellow Monday

Blue Trumpet Vine

Blue Trumpet Vine, Laurel Clock Vine (Thunbergia laurifolia) 

A popular ornamental vine in tropical gardens, Blue Trumpet Vine is a fast-growing perennial plant and can become invasive.  This plant flowers almost continuously throughout the year with flowers opening early in the morning and fading in the evening of the same day.  Flowers are not scented although bees are frequent visitors.    Rang jeud tea from Thailand comes from the leaves of  Blue Trumpet Vine.  It is said to detoxify the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.

"The immortality of Flowers must enrich our own, and we certainly should resent a Redemption that excluded them..." ~ Emily Dickinson

In the open world

 the sun comes and finds your face,

Remembering all.

~ Carl Sandburg

Celebrate life with flowers at Macro Flower Saturday and Today's Flowers

My sweet camote

You can always tell when I'm on diet--I got a hungry look on my face.:p  Recently, a friend told me that camote (sweet potato) is a good substitute for rice so I bought a kilo to try it out.  But boiled camote and sinigang na baboy?    It's a weird combination.  Grilled fish and boiled camote---they just don't taste good together.  I ended up eating boiled camote with my coffee, and my nephew said he feels sorry for me!   So I mashed it (with feelings :p), added some condensed milk and grated cheese on top and chilled it.  It was a hit!

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Signs: Polite Notice

@ mirandablue

This sign at the gate of a seminary caught my eye when I visited San Agustin Church a few weeks ago.  I was looking for the church museum entrance and I made a wrong turn.  I wonder what the priests were doing inside.:p

Translation:  Reminder No Entry

More at Signs, Signs

Panama Rose

Panama Rose, Bush Penta, Rondeletia leucophylla

A tropical shrub with star-shaped flowers in bright pink that grows up to 5 feet.  A native of Mexico, this flower is  widely cultivated in the Philippines.  The flowers attract butterflies, it is sweet and fragrant, especially after sunset.

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does.  Love is a battle, love is a war; love is growing up. ~ James Baldwin  

More beautiful flowers at Macro Flower Saturday and Today's Flowers

Thai appetizer

I was back at Jatujak recently with two girlfriends.  We got this appetizer combo of fried and fresh spring rolls and shrimp cakes.  These gave our taste buds a kick.

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Mellow Yellow Monday # 42: Mango smoothie

A tall glass of mango smoothie to chase your Monday blues.

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Yellow Cosmos

Yellow Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) is a perennial and native of Central America that grows abundantly in the Philippines.  A relative of sunflowers, asters and daisies, it blooms over tall, feathery foliage all summer long.  Cosmos attracts birds and butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly.  It has anti-malarial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. ~ Joseph Addison

Celebrate life with flowers at Macro Flowers Saturday and Today's Flowers

Killing Me Softly

Foodies are continuously finding ways of reinventing dishes.  I call this salad "Killing Me Softly"...it's not new, really.  This is your humble Ensaladang Talong (eggplant salad) with chicharon (pork cracklings) on top.  It's a vegetable dish---pretend the crunchy chicharon is just a figment of your imagination.:p

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