Seeing Pink: Cherry Blossoms (Philippine version?)

“I wonder how , I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree”

- Fool’s Garden

A beautiful sight greeted us at the start of the week. And it is not a yellow lemon-tree but a pinky-cherry tree (well, almost). The trees behind our staff dorm rooms turned all pink with all of its leaves gone and replaced by small lovely blooms.

I first saw this while taking a bath last Monday. A branch of flowers can be seen through the bathroom window and at that time only a few flowers were yet in bloom. As the week progresses so did the profuse blooming of the trees.



They look really pretty. Almost like a huge cotton candy amidst all the greenery. The branches have clumps of small 5-petal pink flowers with yellow centers.
I look forward to seeing them outside our window every morning when I wake up.


These were taken right under the canopy of flowers. There are so many flowers that it is actually hard to take pictures because there are also lots of bees.


It is weird though that none of the locals ever noticed this tree blossoming before. Also, they do not know what’s it called and if someone planted it there or Mother Nature planted it herself.
We have foresters in the company, however, this is also the first time that they saw a tree like this. I even asked them to figure out how this tree can be propagated or grown, if we can get a seedling of it or if we can grow it by cutting. I wanted to plant a tree like this for my backyard. Imagine, resting under the shade of pink flowers, oh so relaxing and pretty!
But we are not successful. It appears that the tree does not drop any seeds since no small plant is near the main tree.
Also, I tried to google for Philippine cherry blossoms or flowering trees in the Philippines or trees that shed leaves then blooms with small pink flowers but I did not find anything similar. I only found the Palawan Cherry but in the pictures, the flowers look white and the leaves are not the same. Also, one of our foresters used to work in Palawan and she said that this tree is different from the Palawan Cherry. Sigh.



We can’t figure out how we can obtain seedlings of the tree so we were left to admire the flowers while they last while spending all day not doing anything for the remaining days of Holy week.


Beautiful right? I guess they bloom only once a year because I haven’t noticed it blooming in the last months I was here. Maybe the start of the summer months.
Hey, if you’re an expert on Philippine trees or if you’ve come across this tree and know its name and how I can grow it, can you please message me or leave a comment? Will greatly appreciate it.
That’s it. These little flowers inspired me this week. Hope you’re inspired as well by the little things that are beautiful around you.

Love,

Pleasant Surprise: Portable Travelling Trolley

Know the feeling that you thought something is of no use to you and then you found out later you need it and it’s just the right one for you? How about giving up on solving a puzzle and then going back on it again after some time and finally solving it? Well, this post is about both.

We had this portable trolley in the office since Christmas. My officemates who were assigned with the gifts and prizes committee on our company’s Christmas Party happens to be three sweet and funny girls as well. While shopping for these gifts, they convinced the owner of the store to give them gifts as tokens of appreciation for blessing their store the opportunity to be the source of all the company giveaways. And so they were given these trolleys.

Problem that time is none of us can actually figure out how to fully use this thing. It was such a mystery to us. I ask them if I can have one since I always travel (1 in every 4 weeks). They happily (and most willingly) gave it one to me.

Work in progress. First we figured out that you can extend the handle (o well, that’s obvious). After a month or so, I figured that you have to slide the nut on the back to spread out the wheels. Really, it was like the life cycle of a grasshopper.

Tough nut to crack. It’s like getting trapped in a middle of a sudoku. So, itinabi na lang muna sya. Almost forgotten.

Earlier today I though, I was browsing thru google for places in Manila to buy a cheap 4-wheel luggage and suddenly I remembered this trolley. I restarted the google search, this time on how to use the trolley but there are no helpful documents. Di ko matanggap na hanggang dun lang ang kaya nya, somehow I know that there is still something to this trolley that still needs to be cracked! I decided to look for the box. After rummaging thru the christmas box of presents in the storage area I found its box. So, it is called “portable folding traveling barrow”.

It was easier to look it up after that. This is the most helpful picture I saw in the internet.

It looks like it alright. And I have manage to stretch out the wheels like that. But why does it have dimensions at the bottom. That’s the part I haven’t seen before.
So I got the trolley and examine it once again. I noticed that the nut is not pushed to the very end of the slot. I pushed it and then I heard a click. I turned to look at the trolley and there! May pangil s’ya!! nyarrr!
That’s what we’ve been missing. This is how you will be able to put a bag on it. I happily showed it to officemates and 1 boss. (I’m sorry but I was really that excited. Finally!) Boss even said that I should keep on working on it, baka mas marami pa syang hidden talents, baka nagiging airplane..
This portable one is ideal if you don’t want to check in your baggage like I do.  It can easily be folded to your bag when it’s time to put the bags at overhead compartment. It is easily folded and unfolded without the need for struggling and wrestling. Also, there’s no need to strain your back or shoulders with your bag as you can just pull away your bag to your heart’s content. But wait, there’s more, according to their website it weighs only 1kg on itself but can carry as much as 20 kilos. Now it’s not a grasshopper but an ant!
Now I don’t have to buy a trolley travelling bag after all. This little gift (for free) saved me some thousands there. I can’t wait to use it this Sunday for my trip back to Manila. I love it!
And that’s how the mystery of the chinese travelling trolley was solved. Case closed.

Toes Socks for my sleep, sugar for my honey…

Every one I guess have something weird going on when they sleep: some talk (my mom does, it runs in the family, actually), then walk, others laugh, or fight, or kick or wrestle their bedmates (I swear I got a good dose of kicking and/or wrestling from my ate back in the days) if not the weirdo-circus-contortionist inspired positions while they’re off to dreamland.



As for me, I tend to sort-of  break my neck..bending it in such an angle that almost scared one of my best friend-officemates during a sleepover. Also, I don’t rest my head on the pillow, I like to put the pillow on the top of my head (just barely touching the top of my head) that it looks like I am pushing the pillow to the headboard with my head. And that doesn’t even include the socks.
Yes. Socks. I do wear socks every night to sleep. I don’t know if it counts for weird (my roommate sure does think so. ) And it is not for vanity (like sealing moisture after putting lotion on feet. I read that somewhere). It’s more like a “can’t-live-without-thing”, like how, for example, a friend of mine can’t sleep without a mosquitero (kulambo, mosquito net.) at her feet. (She likes feeling the texture of mosquito net at her feet and she can’t explain why either.) Well, as for my case, it’s the socks.
Maybe it’s because I tend to get cold-feet (literally.) That might be the reason. Sleeping without socks to me is like being naked in the middle of Ayala Avenue. Never EVER comfortable. And cold.
All I know is that I love the feeling of some cover for my feet. In fact, pag natutulog and walang socks, kahit paa ko na lang ang magkumot, ok na ako.
Sad pag walang socks, buti na lang I have these cutesies as bedtime buddies.

Matagal ko na gusto magkaroon ng socks na may 5 toes. I think they’re super cute.

I got these at the general merchandise store/shop downtown. Di ko alam ung tawag sa socks na to until last Thursday, while window shopping nakakita ko ng similar socks na may tag na: toes socks. Bingo! Araw-araw talaga may bago tayong natututunan.
Each costs 55 pesos. I think mahal s’ya at 55 and di pwede tumawad so I only got 1 at one time and 2 the last time. Meron pa naman akong isa (not pictured), the overused one, a foot sock given by my aunt. It is made out of cushion-like material..super comfy kaya overused talaga!
So that’s it for me. How about you? Do you have some sleeping weirdness to share? Or some sleeping buddies you can’t live without other than dear Teddy? Maybe a pillow or blanket you have since childhood that you refuse to send to the laundry at ayaw mo palabhan? Haha. I am dying to hear each and everyone of them. Please feel free to write your thoughts.
“Til next time. On your positions. GO(odnight)!
the pinay bargainista

Toe Socks, 55 pesos each. Local store

Wishful Thinking: Sad Ending

I never got the treasure I was talking about on the last post. So allow to me just tell you what is this treasure I am lusting over last week.






I was walking downtown last week when I saw a vintage-looking wrought iron display. It was ornate with two birds perched on each end of a vine and leaf design. Much like the picture below.

Really, really beautiful AND, as it turned out, very much expensive!!! Argh.
It was really sad but of course I wouldn’t buy something that:

a.)I decided will need a fresh turquoise paint (see, I  already have a plan for it?) and,
b.) will probably cost me more to send back to Manila (this though, I do not have a plan yet. hehe)

for a maddening price of 7,500 pesos!
Really, that price is the saddest part. So I decided (with convincing from roommate) that it’s not worth it. It is way, way, way, above the budget, and this is all about salvaging almost forgotten things to a thing of beauty at almost no cost at all.
I will just have to move on and find other treasures friendly to my wallet.
“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
And, as part of moving on and letting go, I can’t help but put here a compilation of lovely vintage bird decors I found online. Forgive me, and enjoy!


the pinay bargainista


P.S.: I have a feeling these vintage birds are going to be my perk me up-inspiration/obsession for quite a while.

If you love what you see here, you can check out more photos at my Pinterest Vintage Bird collection here.

Wishful Thinking

I saw a piece of treasure while in town the other day. And for the last couple of days kept thinking whether to buy or not to buy it. I will sure be sorry not to have it. I have to admit I am obsessed. I can’t tell yet what it is. Element of surprise for next post.
I talked to my roommate and beg her to come with me to check back this afternoon. Hope it’s within my budget (cross fingers here). I also hope that the store I described to her was the one owned by her good friend.
I’m so excited. Here, a picture as clue/inspiration.

I’ll blog the soonest I got the treasure.

the pinay bargainista

Pleasant Surprise: Black Clutch / Wristlet

Don’t you just love surprises? I went to this local “shopping center” in town yesterday and boy I was blown away, first by the giant electric fan by the entrance and second, by this beautiful black clutch/wristlet.





The studs caught my eye, it’s leathery and it does not help that it has lots of pockets and card slots. It is just the right to hold my plane ticket and boarding pass on travel. And, when I looked inside one of the pockets look what I found:



Aldo? Could it be? Di siguro pero kebs.
Buying it, I said.
I checked for the price pero walang price na nakalagay. But I saw the wallet beside it that looks tacky and plastic but the same size as it is and the price tag is 120. So I thought baka same same lang ang price. Not bad so I decided to go to the cashier and pay. Gulat ko nung sabihin ng cashier na “one-three-one po lahat”. Maygahd! I even asked kung one-three as in one thousand 3 hundred pesos and she said 131 only. HUWAT?! including all the other stuff I bought which is impossible to be just 11 pesos (The kabuki brush was already 70 e)? So I brought out the clutch and asked the girl how much is it. And it is..wait for it..wait for it..(gosh.barney!)…legendary 20.
20. Bente. Manuel L. Quezon.
Say whaaaat!
Yes. Yes it is. Wow. I had the impulse to buy the nude colored one as well but decided out of it in the spirit of pagtitipid. Pamasahe din un. :)
Happiness.
Aldo or not Aldo, I really don’t care. Aldo with it! (nyenyenye..showtime!)

The Organized Life Part 2: The Closet Queen

That was a mouthful! Anyway, this post is dedicated to my loooooong search for the most coveted hanging closet organizer. Play song here: The search is over…you were with me all the while…tananan tananan…
As I was saying, I was in a long search for these hanging closet organizers (paulit-ulit?). I saw them first at Daiso some years back and though I found it cool I really don’t have any use for them at the time so I did not buy, just admire. hehe
But when I started living at the staff dorm at work, given the limited space for my things and clothes, the benefits of having a hanging closet organizer dawned on me. And that’s when I knew I have to get one.


And so, everytime I was on vacation in Manila, we’ll scour the malls, Daiso Festival, Daiso Galleria, Daiso Greenhills, Japan Home, Ace Hardware, True Value, Robinson’s Department Store and so on…but to no avail were we able to find one. Ubos na. Tagal na kasi nun.


Then last Christmas ( I gave you my heart..joke), we saw one in Festival Mall at one of the kiosks near the food court. Silly me, I told bf that we’ll just return  the next day to buy it, and the next day it was gone.


Another month passed and I was back again in Manila, and again in Festival Mall (sorry, it’s near our place and I miss going to the mall after a month of being stuck in a far far away island) when lo and behold, the rare closet organizer, there hang in the air. I told bf that we should get it to which he replied “let’s just return tomorrow”. I had to look at him to “are you freakin’ serious?” him. haha. No.He.Is.Not.Serious. Buti na lang.





And so, above are some of the photos of my closet before and after the organized life ( I keep on taking pictures of my closet even without finding the hanging organizer yet, somehow I always knew I will find one.) and below is how I was able to organize it to make Pinky teddy happy.

I originally wanted one without the plastic cover/enclosure but when I got this one I realized it is better with cover than without. It’s a really good way to organize my undies, socks, hankies and towels. I also used one of the nooks/shelves for my accessories. I put them on the nook just between the chest and eye level (based on my height, as pictured) so I can easily browse through everything.
And oh, trivia, Pinky teddy is actually a pencil case or something. She has a zipper at the back. (in case you want to know, that is.)
So there you go. One organized closet. I had fun sa pag-aayos d’yan and with this post din. Hope you had fun too.


the pinay bargainista

Hanging Closet Organizer, 260 pesos. Festival Mall, Alabang ; Hanger with clips, 69.75 pesos. Ace Hardware.

The Organized Life: A Bag Special

Have you ever been lost in the jungle that is your bag? Check out this solution from Bag Org. and no, it’s not a map.


“What’s in her bag?” is one of my top favorite sections of beauty/fashion magazines: celebrities sharing what items they can’t leave home without, letting us peek into their bags. Curious lang kung ano laman ng mga bags nila, di ba?
Here I  tried to take a “what’s in her bag?”-picture. It looks easy in the magazines. Kahirap pala gawin in real life!





Come to think of it, even si Dora the Explorer may “what’s in her bag?” section din. (sing: backpack, backpack, backpack, backpack…)
Pero, have you ever wondered how these celebs (yes, including Dora.) put all these stuff they show in the magazine without their bag looking like a jungle?
I don’t know about them, but for me, it’s my long time struggle with my bags since time immemorial. I feel lost when looking for something that I just put inside the bag a minute ago. (Buti pa si Dora, may map.)
Then came: Bag Organizers. One of the best secrets a girl could ever keep. As in keep. Secret lang kasi you don’t have to show everyone you have one but it’s there. And it’s such a joy to have.





So, why is it good to have one?


It multiplies the space in your bag with lots of pockets and compartments.
There’s a place for your phone, wallet, journal, comb, make-up, lip gloss, pens, etc. Where in a regular bag you would have one zip pocket on the inside and maybe two compartments for your things, the bag organizers gives you spaces to stash your things times over. My bag organizer (shown above) has 8 pockets + 4 penholders. Plus, the pockets are of different sizes so it’s easier to decide where which of which and this and that will fit.


It keeps the shape of your bag so your square bag would not have a bulging tummy and bilbil.
This is inevitable lalo na if your bag is made of soft material or cloth. It sure doesn’t look good if you’re bag ended up shaped like patrick starfish when it’s supposed to be as square as spongebob. With your bag organizer holding your stuff inside neatly, you can be sure na walang transformation na mangyayari sa bag mo.


It organizes your things so you can find stuff easily.
Dahil marami ka ng lalagyan ng gamit, it’s easier to organize your stuff. The beauty of bag organizers is that it holds your things in place that once you open your bag you can immediately see where your things are. Di nagkakapatong-patong.
I love the penholders on the side. It’s very useful, malay mo manghiram ng ballpen si crush, ang bilis mo bumunot! :)


You can change bag in seconds!
Specially for those on the go, the bag organizer is a breeze. Simply lift the bag organizer and lipat sa kabilang bag. You don’t have to go through the tedious pag-aarrange ng gamit sa bag, we know how OC you are. Lift and lipat lang, go na! Mababawasan pa ang  chance na may makalimutan ka.


It’s very affordable.
150 lang. San ka pa?
Gusto na n’ya ‘yan..yiheee.. I got mine at Festival Mall. Meron din sa Landmark (in different sizes, prints and fun colors.)
Sa susunod ulit. Abangan: The Organized Life Part 2: The Closet Queen
the pinay bargainista