CROCODILE BATJAY, THE BUSHMAN FROM ANTIPOLO

batjayhat-06

eto ang binili kong driza-bone na sombrero sa airport. it’s a bush hat really. eto yung kadalasang suot ng mga aussie diggers pag pumapasok sila sa mga gubat. eto naman ang isusuot ko pag nag aayos ng garden. ayos ba? minodel ko nga ang sarili ko… pinagusto ko yung nakalabas ang dila. parang pang romansa ang dating.

EVERY FLOWER TELLS A STORY

every flower tells a story. ang bulaklak na ito ay galing sa orchid na bigay sa akin ng isang kaibigang es-pulis. minsan kasi nagkainuman kami sa bahay ng kumpare niya malapit sa amin at kinaplog niya ang halaman na ito. ang bulaklak na ito ay may kwento. ito’y galing sa orchid na bigay sa akin ng kapitbahay kong ex-pulis na dating reporting sa isa ring ex-pulis na ngayo’y tumatakbo ng presidente. marami akong tsismis tungkol sa ex-pulis na ito, pero di ko sa inyo ikukwento. i-ping nyo ang site ko at baka mapilitan ako. mwahaha. masipag itong mamulaklak (yung orchid ko ha, hindi yung tumatakbong presidente). almost year round. ang tawag nga pala rito ay phalaenopsis (yung orchid ko ha, hindi yung tumatakbong presidente). ilagay sa parte ng garden na may shade (ayaw niya kasi ng direct sunlight) at kaunting dilig ng tubig. pwede mo na siyang pabayaan.

malapit ko na ulit makita ang mga halaman ko’t bulaklak. uwi kasi kami ni jet sa mayo para sa 13th 14th anniversary ng aming kasal. at siyempre, para sa 80th b-day ng mommy ko. isang linggo lang kami pero alam kong sulit ito. miss ko na kasi ang pamilyang naiwan. miss ko na rin ang bahay sa antipolo. miss ko nang matulog sa sariling kama sa sariling kwarto sa sariling tahanan. anim na buwan na pala kaming di nakaka uwi. ang bilis ng panahon.

PLANT YOUR LOVE AND LET IT GROW

nip, cut, trim and simplify. gardening is so much like life. less is more. the main objective is to reduce the garden to it’s simplest form until only the essential remains and a sense of order emerges. however, some plants are born to be wild (like me) so don’t forget to let loose a few and let it grow semi-gubat. you don’t want your garden to be all organized and proper. that’s too boring. did i mention simplify?

read all the gardening books you can find to get a few tips. you’ll soon find out however, that experience is the best teacher. some plants will live, others will die (ok ka lang? ganyan talaga ang buhay). those that thrive however will show you the way. a garden is a perpetual work in progress where everything evolves and grows. add new plants from time to time but pay attention to the older ones. especially the ones that you had when you started. these plants are special and more often than not will stay with you till the day you die.

before i forget, don’t spend too much time under the family tree. life is so much richer out in the open with the wind at your back and the sun turning your skin into golden brown (like my kutis betlog). did i fail to mention simplify? nip, cut, trim and simplify. gardening is so much like life.

LADY CHATTERLY’S LOVER

i want to be a gardener. that’s my calling… well, maybe a part-time engineer on the side (for the extra cash). this is my dream job – but i cannot apply for it now because i am not qualified. to qualify for the position of gardener, one must have a sustainable retirement fund. this is only possible if i save up while i’m here in singapore. and it could take me 5 to 10 years.

let’s do the math… 5 to 10 years in singapore will guarantee me a good enough amount of cash for an early retirement. that will put my age to around 40-45 years old. i don’t think i’ll live to be 70 or 80. so, 45 plus 20 years is 65… a good enough age to permanently call it quits. it will give me 20 or so years to enjoy my retirement. not bad…