お久しぶり〜

It has been some time since my last blog entry. Time sure flies!

I am sorry for my brief (or not so brief) disappearance as I was out of town for a period of time and was also bogged down by a severe bout of cough for a good 3 weeks. And of course there were also some other personal issues which really caused me to feel under the weather.

Life is never easy but sometimes we have to learn to make the best out of life's uncertainties. And human relationships are probably the most complicated jigsaw puzzles we would ever have to piece together. 

Nonetheless, living is beautiful. Just being able to breathe is beautiful.
The magnificent trees and dainty flowers surrounding us are beautiful.
All sentient beings are beautiful.

Having said that, in my next blog entry, I will share pictures of some really delightful and charming creatures that dwell quietly in my backyard. And this calls to mind what the most beautiful thing in life really is.

Mother Nature.

The Rise Condominium @ Sukhumvit 39

UPDATE: Condominium already rented out~! 


New condominium available for rent at Bangkok's prime area @ Sukhumvit Soi 39! 

Please note that I am not earning any commission or whatsoever as this is not a commercial advertisement. I am just helping my friend out of pure goodwill. However, I must say that this is indeed a very beautiful apartment and in terms of location, it is super convenient too (close to the BTS, major shopping complexes and restaurants). Do scroll down for more details. 

THE RISE CONDOMINIUM 
Address: 5 Soi Phrommitr 1 Sukhumvit 39, Klongtan-Nua Wattana, Bangkok 10110 
Official website: http://www.therise39.com/ 

Location Map (click on the picture for a larger image):

Condominium Facilities:
1. Fitness Center
2. Swimming Pool
3. Children's Pool
4. Jacuzzi
5. Sauna, Steam
6. Library
7. Meeting Room
8. Indoor multi-purpose area

Information on Rental Unit:     
Unit Size: 101.74 Sq.m. 
Facilities:
- Corner unit
- Newly and fully furnished, ready to move in 
- Fully air-conditioned with 2 bedrooms and attached bathrooms (installed with Bidet toilet seats)
- Walk-in closet in master bedroom
- 42" LCD TV, mini home theatre system, washing machine, refrigerator, microwave, cable TV, internet access
- Open terrace with pool view

* The unit has never been stayed in and ALL furniture and electronic appliances are 100% NEW and UNUSED

Actual photos taken from the rental unit (click on the picture for a larger image):

Kindly send an email to tabobo88@gmail.com to enquire should you be interested in renting the above condominium unit. You may write in English, Chinese, Japanese or Thai. Thanks!

Plants in Kiccoro's Garden (Part 1)

Welcome to Kiccoro's Garden. This is the first official showcase of just some of my plants. Enjoy the photos!

Nymphaea (Water Lilies):

                                                

Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus):

Nelumbo nucifera 'Momo Botan':

Amorphophallus asterostigmatus:

Passiflora:

Citrofortunella microcarpa 'Variegata' (Variegated Calamondin Orange):

And there you go..... this is part 1. I will post pictures of other plants (e.g. my cacti and succulents collection) some other day. Cheers!

Longan Experiment (Update)

Unfortunately, some 'bug'-ger ate my longan seeds!!!! I found only empty holes where my longan seeds used to reside. I have no idea what could have eaten them. Davidia, if you are reading this, any idea? The last time I sowed various flower seeds they were gobbled up by birds. But longan seeds are humongous! Maybe rats? Bats? Bugs? *shrug*

Anyway, all is not lost. I think I still have about 3 or 4 seeds left untouched by the 'bug'-ger who perhaps decided to take pity on me by leaving some seeds behind for poor me. Let's see what happens next.... to be continued again.

Longan Experiment

I was snacking on some longans (as part of my dieting plan which never fails to fail) one fine afternoon when I found several seeds already showing obvious signs of germination:

I thus decided to kickoff a 'Mini Longan Farming Project'. First of all, I collected several seeds which made it to my A-list of potentials (don't they resemble little bombs?):

Then I dug out the 'egg trays' which I bought from Daiso eons ago. (Interestingly, Daiso in Thailand is more expensive @ S$2.40 per item compared to S$2.00 in

Singapore. Hmmm... I have yet to figure out why):

At this juncture, I must say that I really miss Horti's Seed and Potting Mix that I usually use back in Singapore. It contains vermiculite and peat moss and always secures rather good germination rates. I intend to bring back several packs the next time I return to Singapore. Anyway Horti or not, in went the soil and the mini bombs:

Please return to Kiccoro's Garden again to check on the progress of this project... to be continued.

You will fly again

I had a shock when I walked into my garden this morning. I found a lifeless bird lying on the stairway to my deck. It was a mid-sized, black and white bird. At first I thought it was a pigeon, but on closer look it was not of a species I could recognize. It did not look like it had been dead for too long, as its body was still soft. But the army of red ants marching all over it was a disturbing sight to behold. I decided not to post any picture here as I believe that the bird should be treated with due respect and accorded with absolute dignity as it rests eternally.

I have no clue as to how it ended up there. After careful observation, I could find no visible injury on the bird. Anyway, I decided to give it a decent burial within the parameters of my garden.

Rest in peace and you will fly again, this time to heaven.

I think, therefore I am

Most people think I am a rational person. And I agree that I am indeed a rational and realistic person, at least it appears to be so most of the time. But people who know me really well also understand that there is another side to me. No human can be human just by being rational. The truth is, we all have feelings and experience emotional changes. This is something we cannot avoid, whether we like it or not. We do not choose to be born and we cannot choose to do what we want to do in life all the time. And we certainly cannot choose the way we would like to die.

Life is not about making choices. Life is simply about living.

Deep inside, I am a sentimental person. But harsh experiences in life have moulded me into a seemingly rational being. I have to learn to be strong in order to live on, in order for some others to live on. No doubt I look independent and tough. But it is tiring to be strong at times. I am not infallible and neither am I invulnerable. Not shedding tears on the outside does not mean one is not crying on the inside.

A strong person is often a lonely person. Because people forget you are only human.

Ironically, the person who probably knows me best in life is someone I have known for one and a half decades but never met. Maybe it is because we have never met that we could listen to each other's heart at close proximity without passing quick judgement based on how one appears to be. Sometimes, everything becomes more distinct and less complicated when you watch from a distance. Therefore, we should at times take a step back and look at life again from a different angle. And we should do the same when we deal with the people in our lives.

Life is short and it may be gone before we even realize it. I treasure everyone who has walked into my life. Our paths may have crossed only momentarily, but all of you have come into my life, sent from above.

The best things in our lives are free... no amount of money can ever buy them.

Awesome Pork Satay in Thailand!

Stall name: ตี๋ หมูสะเต๊ะ (Di Pork Satay)

Location: ท่าดินแดง (Tha Din Deang)

I had the chance to visit my favourite pork satay stall in Thailand again last week. Every trip to this stall sets my heart thumping to the beat of sheer anticipation of its mouthwatering หมูสะเต๊ะ (Pork Satay).

In fact, the pork used at Di Pork Satay is in itself so sweet, juicy and succulent that I love eating the satay without dipping them into any of the sauce provided.

Did I just say 'any of the sauce'? Do I mean to say that there is more than the standard thick peanut dipping sauce? The answer is YES. At Di Pork Satay, other than their oh-so-yummy but not so oily aromatic peanut sauce, they also offer a concoction of pickled cucumber slices, chopped onion and chilli in vinegar or dark sweet sauce which double up as refreshing complementary alternatives.

As you can see from the picture, they have grilled pig liver too. This is my must-have whenever I drop by the stall. Unlike in Singapore where we can get chicken, mutton and beef satay, only 2 types of satay are offered here - pork and pig liver. However, the satay at Di is so finger-licking good and lip-smacking delicious that it more than makes up for its lack in variety.

Interestingly, instead of the usual kueh tupat (rice cake steamed in pandan leaf), you can order a plate of plain but delectable grilled roti (bread) to go with your satay or peanut sauce. I usually do not leave the stall without buying a few packs of Di's peanut sauce to bring home. And what do I do with the sauce, you may ask. Visualize cuttlefish, cockles, prawns, kang kong vegetable and bee hoon. Pour the satay sauce over them and voila! You get a plate of heavenly satay bee hoon!

Byebye My Baby Plaakard

It is raining cats and dogs outside right now. And this weather reflects thoroughly how I am feeling at the moment. Sorrowful. Because my pet Plaakard (Betta splendens, or more commonly known as the Siamese Fighting Fish) passed away this morning from a horrible disease known as Dropsy. This disease affects the fish's internal organs, causing its abdomen to become swollen and is mostly always fatal. I realised something was wrong a few days back when my Plaakard appeared off-coloured and was not feeding as readily as it should on its fish feed. Though I must say it was still devouring mosquitoes with its usual vigour. Who knows, my darling Plaakard might have saved me from potential dengue or malaria.

The little one joined my home on 25th January 2009 (Chinese New Year). He wasn't the most handsome fish on sale when I found him, but nonetheless he was the one who first caught my fancy and to me he is the most majestic looking crown tail betta ever. Here are some pictures of him settling down in his new home 4 days after I adopted him from a 100 year old market. The 2nd picture shows him with his gills all flared up into a fighting stance as yours truly agitated him on purpose so that he would produce the best colours for the photo shoot.

The sweetie was my first pet here in Bangkok. He was a complete glutton. The silly one always follows my finger thinking I am still holding on to the food when I have already dropped the food right next to his nose. I have to direct him by pointing my finger right above the food before he realises that his lunch is there.

Such fond memories.

I will always remember him in my heart. He now sleeps in peace in my garden, beneath my Jasminum. Be happy, my baby, wherever you now may be. I love you and will miss you dearly.

What on Earth

OK! I finally took the time to set up my very own gardening blog space. I am a born procrastinator, which means I already planned to create this blog since ice age, but only managed to get things going after the sun has risen about a thousand times. Actually I do have another blog, but that is super private and not appropriate for public viewing (no no, trust me, I guarantee there is no nudity involved).

I am basically a lazy bum. There are so many things out there I wanna do. I have great ambitions and big dreams (e.g. I wanna be a farmer), but I usually end up just staring into nothingness or sitting on the garden deck watching my toenails grow. Sometimes I wonder what on earth I am doing and also what I am doing on earth. My existence seems pretty redundant and I am contributing absolutely nothing to society at the moment.

Therefore, before I risk rotting my life away, I decided to focus my mind and time on an online gardening journal. Of course I expect myself to include other boring and uninteresting details of my life. That is provided that I do not stop adding entries after the one you are reading right now. I might just decide to give up and continue my toenail watching escapade.

(to be continued.... maybe)