Pink Crown of Thorns

A neglected Euphorbia on the sidewalk.  

Euphorbia milii is technically a succulent and a tough plant that can take just about anything but I guess it needs some water, too.  I believe once upon a time, somebody took care of this plant because it was planted  in a nice pot.  I'd like to think this flower is being heroic, blooming for passers-by.

Happy Easter!

 

Linking to
Floral Friday Foto
Today's Flower

Coleus, Lampunaya

Coleus, locally known as Mayana, Lampunaya, is a native of Java and wild-crafted in the Philippines.  It is an erect, branched, fleshy, annual herb, about 1 meter high.  Stems are purplish and 4-angled.  Leaves are variously blotched or colored, usually more or less hairy, ovate, 5 to 10 cm. long, rather coarsely toothed in the margins; and in the most common form uniformly velvety-purple.  Flowers are purplish, numerous, and borne in lax, terminal, simple or branched inflorescence, 15 to 30 cm. long.  Calyx is green.  More here.

 

Linking to Floral Friday Foto

Today's Flower

Most recognized Sign

At SM...we've got it all for you!

If there is a survey for the most recognizable sign in the Philippines, this will be it.  SM is a chain of shopping malls in the Philippines, with 43 malls across the country and 6 more under construction.  The owner, Henry Sy, now 89 years old, opened the first SM (or Shoemart) in Manila in 1958 and expanded his shoe store chain in the 1960's.  Now, Sy is the retail king of the Philippines--he and his family, have interests in retail, hospitality, banking, mining, education, real estate, and healthcare services.  In 2011, Forbes Magazine listed him as the no. 1 billionaire in the Philippines.

SM City North Edsa is the largest shopping mall in Southeast Asia and third largest in the world in terms of leasable area (496.878 square meters).  The second largest mall in the Philippines is SM Mall of Asia, the 3rd largest mall in Asia and the 4th largest mall in the world.

Even my niece, a toddler, recognizes the SM logo.:p

Note:  This is not a paid ad.

Linking to Signs, Signs

Jagged/ABC Wednedsday

J is for Jagged

These are jagged granite cliffs of Coron Island, one of the 80-plus islands in the Calamianes in northern Palawan.  The craggy cliffs have been slowly shaped by the elements over millions of years, they jut out of sea like some mythical creatures.  The caves in northern Palawan are also home to balinsasayaw (Collocalia whiteheadi), a species of swift endemic to the Philippines that produces a prized saliva---bird's nest, a delicacy for Chinese diners.  Price of bird's nest is no joke---a jaw-dropping P80,000 (roughly US$2,000) a kilo.  But the jolting fact is, the bird is endangered...so please stop eating bird's nest soup even when you have the money to pay for it.

The mysterious Coron Island is an ancestral domain to the indigenous Tagbanua.  The island and the rest of the Calamianes attract thousands of nature lovers every year. There are  lakes, coral gardens, rocky coves, cave systems and sugar-white sandy beaches.  For the adventurous, there are about 12 dive sites around this area, mainly Japanese shipwrecks sunk in 1944 by US Navy action.   It was a joy visiting this slice of paradise.

Busuanga Island is the jump-off point to anywhere in the Calamianes; Coron Island is just a 20-minute boat ride across the bay.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Abaca lamps/Monday Mellow Yellows

Hanging lamps made from abaca fiber exhibited at the Manila F.A.M.E.

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows

By the fountain/Monday Mellow Yellows

Yellow and orange sanchezias by the fountain in Fort Santiago.

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty, also known as Creeping Wood Sorrel and Jeepers Creepers are durable perennial plants.  Their low spreading habit makes them ideal for use as a ground-cover, lawn substitute, pathway or edging plant. Some types will even tolerate foot traffic!  A diminutive, spreading ground-cover, blooms all-year round and makes a superb plant in humus rich soils.

“What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.” ~ Suzanne Collins

 

Linking to:

Floral Friday Foto

Today's Flowers

Smile/Signs

"Smile...the town's convenience store"
I didn't notice products for sale here except for bottled water and prepaid phone cards.

Linking to Signs, Signs

Yellow Lantana/Monday Mellow Yellows

A bright and cheerful Lantana to start your week right.

I've always thought people would find a lot more pleasure in their routines if they burst into song at significant moments.” ~ John Barrowman

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows