Urban Gardening 30 Storeys Up and Lessons in Sowing & Growing

Growing Genovese Basil from seeds was worth it

It's not the first time I sowed seeds ever since I've moved abodes last year but this is the first time I did so with the earnestness of before when I had a thriving ledge garden patch. The weather's like scorching hot the past month or so but there has been some rains and a typhoon (Betty aka Mawar) lately. Judging from my experiences last year when I was sidelined for almost four months by Long COVID that the adjacent buildings create a funnel effect that make what can be somewhat innocuous winds be blustery and at times, a bit of a concern. 

Typhoon Betty may have missed making landfall but even then, we felt the effects of the windy conditions here in Metro Manila. My 20-year old hulking ZZ plant, the only survivor of my former ledge garden, got toppled by the wind. My insulin plant showed some signs of weariness. Even if my young basil plant tended to dance with the wind, it nearly dried out because of the windy, drying conditions. Even then, I sowed some seeds of hope -- upland kangkong (water spinach), ampalaya (bitter gourd), sage, lettuce, pepper, and even a narra (genus Pletocarpus) seed I found stashed in my cache. My weekends have turned into back to the earth episodes which I really miss.

Spoofing ChatGPT: My CatGPet Logo

  One of my past times is drawing/sketching and at times, I do spoof layouts using Adobe Illustrator. Even without a Wacom tablet, I've gained enough proficiency to sketch using an ordinary wired mouse.  Here's my take on ChatGPT, paying homage to one of my favorite pets, the cat.

Pigeon Birdspotting: A Close Encounter of the Bird Kind

Avian visitor on the ledge

I wrapped up work on a Friday, my first week on my new employment, when I heard some flapping of wings from outside my window.  There were two pigeons on the ledge of the building opposite where I live, high up on the 30th floor. I wasn't able to take a clear picture of the white one but her (I presume they were a couple) flecked companion is handsome. I won't ascribe to a heavenly cause since I've seen them before but it sure is nice to get a visit from these birds especially at the tail-end of a busy work week. Besides, I love birds and I miss birding. With my recent employment, it's gonna take some time before I can go out of town to the forests and boondocks to go birding so I relish these encounters I jokingly call "Close Encounters of the Bird Kind".