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Monday, May 25, 2020

Plants Versus Pets: The Challenges of Urban Gardening



Wazzup Pilipinas!

Pahamak yung pusa namin! Nabali yung pinaka main branch ng ampalaya eh ang haba na. Sayang!

Mukhang gugulayin ko na lang yung mga dahon bukas. Munggong may ampalaya leaves?

Ganoon talaga! Ganyan ang buhay parang life. Back to start uli. Magpatubo uli bukas.

Ano naman kayang luto gagawin ko sa pusa? Lol!





Nawiwili akong magtanim ...lahat ng seeds from kitchen scraps like veggies like bell peppers, ampalaya, tomatoes, sometimes iniisip ko pati na rin fruits kaso karamihan puno kaya malabo for a condo type residential unit. No space and soil big enough to grow trees, and the association would not allow it, just as they refused to have us install satellite dishes as they would make the building look ugly.

Halos lahat ng kamatis seeds na itinapon ko sa mga paso ay tumubo kaya siksikan tuloy sila everywhere

Pero yung mga sili from all kinds ay wala yatang nagparamdam.

I joined a Facebook group called Manila Grows Food, which inspired me more to pursue this interest. Then I also joined other groups like Philippine Urban Gardening, the Hydroponics Philippines when I got curious of this alternative way to plant.

I started with Kratky method of hydroponics usings styroboxes as planters containing liquid nutrient solutions instead of soil. There are other types of hydroponics using pumps to circulate water through pipes, then others like aerophonics and aquaphonics, and similar stuff.

Growing veggies using nutrient solution in refurbished styrobox ng grapes would be the cheaper and less hassle method



I started with pechay and mustasa, planning to follow with lettuce, but I guess rainy season is already here. There won't enough sun, and the rain will dilute the nutrient solution, and though the system can be moved inside and use grow lights as a replacement to sunlight, I don't have the space and the investment may not be worth it if the cost of the lighting system would not be justified by the harvest.



Add the fact that our cats will continue to be a threat to our garden. I can't guard the veggies all day and night, and the limited space prevents me to setup barricades to protect the small garden.

Now I got this comment when I posted the styrobox setup:

"for the amount of space your styro box is taking up, you could have 30 normal plants growing in dirt with the same amount of water usage...wasted space...those plants grow upward, consider growing something that goes downward...like carrots"

True, the challenge is soil is not easily
accessible unless we buy, quite heavy to bring up to our floor, and still you have to keep it fertilized and pest-free. On another part of our place are pots with veggies growing on soil. Just experimenting on this setup which uses the liquid nutrient solution, which is tidier, and less work. Though, I'm just doing this to keep busy and learn something new while I let this quarantine pass. Those posts on the urban gardening and hydroponics groups are inspiring.

I also planted some veggies at our other home but this quarantine kept us in just one location. Now I'm wondering if they survived by just getting water from the rain alone.



The other house's fence was padlocked so we couldn't ask the neighbors to water our plants. We'll try to go there one of these days now that they've shifted the Rizal province to General Community Quarantine, but just for a short visit.

The other house does not have any pets so it's safer for veggies.

Stray cats frequent our place in Pasig because we feed them our food scrap. We provided a food bowl outside where we put all our edible food waste that they could eat. Now I'm thinking of stopping so they would no longer come. Am I bad for thinking that?

Five new Pinoy Films to launch on Netflix this June to celebrate Independence Day in the Philippines



Wazzup Pilipinas!

Netflix announced a new slate of beloved and critically-acclaimed Pinoy films across a variety of genres - from horror, comedy, to critically-acclaimed drama. Partnering with leading production studios, including Viva, ERJ Found Films, Black Cap Pictures and Changhe Films, the latest lineup opens Netflix members to a world of diverse storytelling from the Philippines.

“We are constantly amazed by the creativity of storytellers and the quality of talent coming out of the Philippines,” said Raphael Phang, Manager of Content Acquisition at Netflix. “Filipinos are avid entertainment fans, so at Netflix we are committed to bringing the best stories locally and from around the world to our members here.”

“With the world's inevitable shift to digital platforms for content, it is reassuring that Netflix gives us a showcase of Filipino titles for more audiences and markets to have access to,” said Liza Diño, Chairman and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). “Of the five films that Netflix will be releasing, at the FDCP we are especially excited about the inclusion of 'Lola Igna', a heartwarming film from our very own Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino which won Best Picture, and the multi-awarded 2016 film 'Pamilya Ordinaryo' ('Ordinary People') which is one of our Cine Lokal hits when it screened in theaters and a winner in Venice Days of the Venice International Film Festival. This growing slate of Filipino content on Netflix is a true reflection of the diversity of what Philippine Cinema has to offer. And Netflix giving space to more Filipino films is an affirmation that the Philippines has the potential of globalizing its local market."





These films follow the success of other Pinoy titles on Netflix, including Eerie, The Girl Allergic to Wi-Fi, and Miss Granny, which were among the top ten most popular titles in the Philippines in 2019, as well as the December 2019 release of Filipino Netflix Film Dead Kids by award-winning director Mikhail Red.
“I feel very grateful as a filmmaker that my work has reached audiences all around the world thanks to Netflix,” said Director Mikhail Red. “It is my goal to use storytelling and genres to get my message across, entertain, and engage people at the same time. Netflix has granted me the perfect platform to connect with an audience anytime and anywhere. Even my older film, ‘Birdshot’, which has been on Netflix for three years is still getting fresh reactions online from viewers seeing it for the first time.”
The five Pinoy films coming to Netflix are listed below. Images and other assets can be downloaded here. Click here to see what’s New on Netflix in June.


PINOY SUNDAY (Changhe Films Ltd)
Synopsis: Inspired by a 1958 Roman Polanski short, this lighthearted examination of modern life in Taipei follows two Filipino immigrants, Manuel and Dado, during their day off from work, when the chance discovery of a discarded couch leads to adventure.
Director: Widing Ho
Cast: Bayani Agbayani, Jeffrey Quizon, Nor Domingo, Dave Ronald Chang, Meryll Soriano, Alessandra de Rossi
Release date: June 5, 2020
Quote from the Director: “I never thought the feature debut I made ten years ago can have a second life and finally get shown to the Philippine audience, thanks to Netflix. It is a tremendous honor to have my second movie after ‘Cities of Last Things’ to be included on a platform which has done so much to promote filmmakers' works from around the world to a global audience. I am lucky to be part of the family.”



SUNOD (Black Cap Pictures Inc)
Synopsis: As the medical expenses for her daughter stack up, a mother takes a demanding call center job where the building's sinister secrets begin to haunt her.
Director: Carlo Ledesma
Cast: Carmina Villarroel, Mylene Dizon, JC Santos, Kate Alejandrino, Krystal Brimner, Rhed Bustamante, Susan Africa
Release date: June 14, 2020
Quote from the Director: “Having Sunod screen theatrically during the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival was an incredible experience, and now I'm excited for the film to find a new audience online, especially on Netflix, which has the best streaming. Speaking on behalf of myself and my crew, we took great pains to make the movie look and sound good, so it'll be a rush to see it stream in high quality.”



LOLA IGNA (ERJ Found Film Production Co.)
Synopsis: An elderly woman finds her life disrupted when her family and village realize she has a chance at a world record for being the oldest grandmother alive. (Lola Igna was awarded Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Musical Score and Best Actress at the 2019 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino Awards Night)
Director: Eduardo W. Roy Jr.
Cast: Angie Ferro, Yves Flores, Meryll Soriano, Maria Isabel Lopez, Royce Cabrera, Jojo Riguerra, Armando A. Reyes
Release date: June 18, 2020
Quote from the Director: “I felt flabbergasted when I got the news from Netflix that the team loved my film, not just one but two of my films. I’m personally thankful to Netflix for introducing ‘Lola Igna’ and ‘Ordinary People’, to a larger audience, not only in the Philippines, but to the whole world. Now my films can be easily accessible anytime, and anywhere around the world.”



UNTRUE (Viva Communications, Inc.)
Synopsis: Mara moves from the Philippines to the country of Georgia, where she meets a mysterious man, Joachim. They develop feelings for one another, until Joachim claims to hear peculiar sounds and see visions of a strange woman.
Director: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo
Cast: Cristine Reyes, Xian Lim
Release date: June 22, 2020

ORDINARY PEOPLE (ERJ Found Film Production Co.)
Synopsis: Barely making a living as pickpockets, a teenage couple in Manila resort to desperate measures when their one-month-old child is kidnapped. (Ordinary People was awarded Best Film, Best Editing, Best Actress, Best Director at the 12th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, as well as Best Actress at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and FAP Awards)
Director: Eduardo W. Roy Jr.
Cast: Ronwaldo Martin, Hasmine Kilip, Maria Isabel Lopez, Sue Prado, Ruby Ruiz, Raymon Lee, Karl Medina, Erlina Villalobos, Menggie Cobrarrubias
Release date: To be announced

To make this Independence Day even more special, Jo Koy: In His Elements, will premiere globally on Netflix on June 12, 2020. For the first time ever, comedian Jo Koy takes Netflix to the Philippines in his new special, Jo Koy: In His Elements. Koy celebrates his heritage by telling jokes about life as a Filipino-American while highlighting the culture of Manila. Koy uses this opportunity to shine a light on other Filipino-American performers by welcoming to the stage famed breakdancer Ronnie, Grammy-winning producer !llmind, singer/songwriter Iñigo Pascual, and comedians Andrew Lopez, Joey Guila, and Andrew Orolfo.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Are we ready for the " New Normal"?


Wazzup Pilipinas!

For those that don't have a clue and spewing the term 'new normal' out of their mouths, take this situation as a reset button
It may be a deadly button, but we all must push it for all of us to live. We can never go back to the normal that we’ve use to lived but I hope we can start a new normal, where we respect nature, we respect each others’ status symbol, opinions and lives. Take care of ourselves and the people around us and remember to give thanks to God everyday. Masks can save us for a limited time but being “makatao” will help us go a long way.

We have to embrace the “new normal”. We don’t have a choice but to accept and adapt. For all we know, the so-called new normal is a lot better, a lot kinder.

I believe there is really no normal. What we have are traditions, like what we use to do or how we choose to bring up our children (straight man & woman). As Morticia Adams said it, "Normal is an illusion. What's normal to a spider, is chaos to a fly".

Definitely.. with what we learned from the pandemic is a new norm.. and the message should reach out to the lowest demographic class of our society. We are hoping for a society that will be friendly to nature and the rest of the animal kingdom.

I hope that after this pandemic, all govt projects should take into consideration the environmental impact and not just the economic side.

We're flattening the curve so we can let the people go outside, the car is slowing down so I can let go of the brakes. No vaccine, no peace of mind.

Maybe its right that we move forward instead of wishing to go back to normal.

Whatever the previous was, it was “that kind of normal” that got us in this “mess”. Never going back to that.

Like what they say, change is inevitable kaya wala talagang normal. Ingat mga kababayan and keep going. 🙏🏻
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