Calamondin or Calamansi in my Garden

I bought this plant at Wal-Mart about a year ago. It was less than $10. This is calamansi or Calamondin, a citrus plant. It is called "acid orange" when it was introduced here in Florida in 1900. Since it flourished in Panama, Florida, the calamondin was also called the Panama orange. According to seminolecountyfl.gov, calamondin might be originated from the Philippines. It might be true you know. There are many Filipinos living here in Florida and they could have brought some seeds here. Citrus thrives in Florida and we have variety of citrus fruits here including this Calamansi or Calamondin.

When I was young and summer time comes, I spent my vacation in Camiguin Island Philippines. I love to stay with my aunt and cousins because I love to wander in the woods looking for wild fruits such as berries and guavas. My aunt has a fruit bearing Calamansi tree. When my cousins and I hang out in a tiki hut, we always harvest a bowl of calamansi and make a refreshing calamansi juice. There were also occasions that we just sliced it in half and dip the calamansi to sugar or salt. Most houses in the rural have fruit trees in their backyard and calamansi is a common tree. When my cousins and I have the time, we gather all the ripe calamansi fruits and make it a calamansi jelly. It was so good.

Eggplant in my Garden

In tropical climate, eggplant thrives in the garden. One gardener said that eggplant should not be planted in the areas previously planted with tomatoes. The pests and diseases from tomato plant may be harmful to eggplants but, look what I have, a healthy eggplant in my garden.

The other day, there are flea beetles and other tiny insects already occupying the eggplant. I sprayed water and soap to take them away. So far, it works.

Did you know that in North America, eggplant is called the nightshade? Eggplant is a flowering plant known as the aubergine in French and British English, brinjal eggplant, melongene, or guinea squash. A member of the Solanaceae family.

The eggplant or aubergine is widely used in cooking and notably one of the ingredients in ratatouille. Eggplant is related to tomato and the potato. So far, there are two big eggplants in this plant. Looking forward for harvest time.

Love of Music

My nephews and nieces love to manipulate anything that creates sound. It could be a guitar, drums or keyboard; they just love to explore these musical instruments. When I was in college, I have a keyboard. It was from my father and even though I don't play with it, I keep it for years until my brother asked if my nephews can keep it. I just gave it to them.

When I was shopping at the mall about a week ago, I saw a nice keyboard on display in a music store. I was tempted to buy it and give it to my brother for his musically inclined children. I was torn between buying a korg keyboards from musicians friend or the one on display. I would probably ask my brother's opinion first. I am sure my nephews would be delighted to have it. After all, they already made a piano recital before so; having the new keyboard would be exciting. It could flare up their music enthusiasm even more.

Happy Mother's Day Mama

What have you got for your mother this year? Your time with her is worth more than enough. If you have the money, give her something she likes. I talk to my mom everyday on Skype. Yep, everyday for the last 5 years. There are days that we skip talking on line but, I made sure that I call her on the phone to inform her where I was. My mom is the most important person in my life and my husband knows that.

A year ago, I treat my brother and his family for a week trip to Manila, Philippines and booked their hotel at Bayview Park Hotel. It was their anniversary and my brother's birthday. Of course, my mom was with them too. They went to the Manila Ocean Park shown in the photo below :-) I never been here you know :-) I was only at the gate when I visited this place.

 
Here is my mom in her usual mood. Charming and serious hehehe.
 

Look at her strides LOL ... she's wearing her red strips and white capri pants. Excited to see what's in Enchanted Kingdom.

I think this is in Museo Pambata. Look at little Nadeen beside her , both of them are tiny :-) .

Here they are on the last day of their Manila vacation at the Mall of Asia. They're just lounging and preparing to have lunch. Ready for their flight back to Cagayan de Oro City.

Here they are ... taking wacky photos LOL.

Even though I am not there with her, she is surrounded with friends and neighbors who treasured her friendship. Most young neighbors in our village calls her Nanay or Lola which means "mother" and "gradma".

Here is another wacky pic with mama and my brother LOL.

This is in Intramurous, Manila a tourist destination in the Philippines. This is the oldest district and historic center of Manila. This place is known as the Walled City and was the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish colonial period. The walled part was called intramuros, which means "within the walls".

 

Here they are again... the "I was there photo" moment LOL. This vacation is significant because its their first time to travel to Manila together. First time for my brother and the kids. With the wife , countless. With mom? Maybe this is her 4th time.

  

Even if I am not there with her, my friends take time to check my mom from time to time. I was lucky to have friends who are so loving and caring. It was actually my birthday and they surprised me for this. My mom was there to say thank you for the effort.

  

My brother and I are so grateful, lucky and thank God for having you mom. We wish you all the good health and we pray that God bless you more years of good health. I wish for the day that you and I will be together with me here in the US. I love you mom.

Meribel Ski Resort in France

I have stayed in a chalet once before and I would definitely stay on it again. The relaxing ambiance, delightfully different, fantastic service and unique settings are reasons why chalets are great lodging alternative for me. My husband and I are planning to visit Europe to visit his daughter. One of the itineraries that we listed is France. Luckily, I also have a friend there who was so excited for our coming. With a little research, I found a perfect place to stay, the Ski Cuisine Chalets in Meribel, Three Valleys.

 Meribel Ski Resort
This place has amazing and breath taking scenic view which are undeniably a plus factor for a great vacation destination. The meribel ski resort in france is located in the biggest concentration of world class ski resorts.

The resort takes pride of themselves as a leading Meribel catered chalet operator. They offer premium and excellent service plus great tasting food. Now, who would not want that? A stress free vacation with superb flexible service is all we want for this exciting travel.

Ski Cuisine in Meribel has six fabulous and catered chalets to choose from. They are available in varying sizes and each chalet has a direct access to the piste so; guests can ski anytime they want.

Things To Do in Meribel

Since Meribel is a ski resort, fun activities are endless. Not only that you will  enjoy skiing and snowboarding, you can also enjoy the following activities:
- horse-drawn sleigh rides
- dog sledding through the forest
- paragliding
- ice-skating
- or, hire a snow mobile

If you want to indulge in pampering, spa, and beauty treatments, Maribel has that to offer as well. For your shopping pleasures, there are charming shops, cafes and apres ski bars available too. The beautiful village of Meribel has a bi-weekly market which you can check out in Meribel centre. 

Hubby and I would definitely try skiing and since this location offers great variation of outdoor activities, we are certain that staying at Ski Cuisine would be fun and exciting.

The Happy Place of Walt Disney : His Barn in Marceline Missouri

When I knew that we were heading to the boyhood town in Marceline, Missouri that day, I was all excited. It will be my first time to have a glimpse of where he grow up. I really don't know what to expect until ... I was there.

There is nothing special about this place really. Just an ordinary farmland, an ordinary barn and the neighborhood still looks the same probably in his time and up to today. I was intrigued!

Caption: THE HAPPY PLACE In 1950 Walt recreated the barn from marceline at his home in california and used it as his personal workshop. It became his "Happy Place" and became the birthplace of "Disney Imagineering."

I would say, Walt really has the amazing minds to get an inspiration out of this place. This place is just an ordinary typical farm land. He loves this place. Sitting here, I was imagining the child Walt running around and playing with the animals in this area.

Caption: "Walt Disney was the age of four when his family moved from Chicago to a forty acre farm in Marceline. Walt quickly learned to love farm life, and the old barn became his and his younger sister Ruth's favorite place to play. 

The barn provided Walt with his first show business experience when he produced a "barn circus" and changed the neighborhood kids a dime admission.

When his audience discovered the circus consisted of a goat, a pig and the family dog and cat dressed in Ruth's doll clothes, they protested. Hearing the commotion. Walt's mother Flora promptly ordered Walt to refund the admission with this admonishment: "If you deliver more than your audience expects-they will never be disappointed." It's a lesson Walt took to heart."

I really find this story amusing. Poor Walt :-) .

Standing here showing you the SON OF THE DREAMING TREE. Behind me is the original tree where Walt Disney used to hang out with his siblings, play around, draw his sketches and observed the nature. The Dreaming Tree where Walt Disney dreams big and his imagination took his name to become an icon in today's generation.

Amazing huh? Remember Mickey Mouse and other animated characters created by Disney? That includes farm life and trains? All those are inspired in this town in fact, the train is displayed in the town here, near the Walt Disney museum.

His interest in trains were developed in Marceline, "a town that owed its existence to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway which ran through it". This is funny facts too that "Walt would put his ear to the tracks in anticipation of the coming train". In Disney World, you can ride the train and see the magical world of Disney. Actually, one of my favorite things to do while at Disney is riding on a train.

  

Does anyone of you know how important Marceline Missouri in the life of Disney?  I bet few only. I lived in Orlando and Disney World is truly the magical place on earth but, when Walt was a boy, this barn is his Happy Place. Next post, I will show you what's inside the barn. If you come to visit Walt's barn in Marceline Missouri, make sure you bring a marker pen :-)

Feel The Sports Fever Through Exciting Online Betting

With all the numerous sports events these days, you would not want to miss a single game especially if it is on the championship series. Bet on sports is one of the most exciting things that could ever happen in a championship game especially if you're very confident on the capacity of your team to win. Betting can also be fun among family members and even more exciting with your friends. Just make sure that you have enough funds to avoid conflicts and quarrels. 

For those who want to bet online, you can easily find several lists and from there you can choose among the best sports betting site and be assured that you're dealing with legit sports betting enthusiasts. 

Betting in major sports event is not gambling. It isjust one of the fun activities that could enhance the sports fever. Your desire for your chosen team to win increases because of the fact that you've spent something for it and expects the money to double after the game. 

Before entering into any betting activity, make sure that you are in a legit and guaranteed authentic site. Read several reviews and feedback before cashing out and only bet on amounts that you can afford to lose. Betting comes with a risk and not all the time you are going to win. Just don't look at it as your source of income but a rather a favorite activity that could happen from time to time. Winning is just an extra bonus and what matters most is the satisfaction of seeing your team win the game.

NASA Rocket Launch: ATLAS V I GPS 2F-4 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Living in Brevard County in Florida gives the residents the opportunity of FREE viewing of ROCKET LAUNCHES even right on their property. We can hear the thunderous roaring sound from our place in Port Saint John but; if we choose to experience the magnificent sight of lift off, we usually go to Banana River area where thunderous sound of engines are most exciting to hear.

The ATLAS V Rocket will lift off from the Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Mission: GPS 2F-4 (Block 2F Navigation Satellite)
The Vehicle: Atlas V
The Launch Site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
The Date: May 15, 2013 , Wednesday
The Launch Window: 5:39 p.m. – 5:58 p.m.

SEE YOU THERE!

Stay at the Hershey Lodge at Chocolate Town USA

Have you been to Hershey Pennsylvania? This town is known as the “Sweetest Place” on earth and popularly called the “Chocolate Town, USA”, another awesome destination that should be in the top of your travel list. Interesting and educational places to visit are the following: the GIANT Center which is home of the Hershey Bears; the Hershey's Chocolate World which is open year-round; Milton S. Hershey Mansion which is in the National Historic Landmark and the Hershey Museum which is about the life and legacy of Milton S. Hershey.
 
To do all these itineraries, a relaxing place to stay is the grand hershey lodge shown in the photo below. What a great serene view isn't it? The resort has 665 guest rooms and can accommodate a large event for it has a huge function space.If you are looking for value, convenience and easy access to all the attractions that I mentioned above then, this place is a great resort to spend a fun vacation with your family and love-ones.

 

All over the resort, they have braille signage which is very heart-warming to know. Now, how many resorts offer this type of pleasant amenity? I tell you that it is very rare and I applaud them for having the braille signage in the resort. They offer valet parking and if you need anything, their concierge will handle it professionally for you.

 

Hershey Lodge guest rooms and deluxe suites have the great ambiance, cozy, relaxing, and have the amazing chocolate-themed decors and artwork. Guests can choose from either a king size bed or two queen size beds and I always prefer the latter. How about you? Do you find this guest room relaxing and soothing to stay?

 
Start planning your vacation today and take Hershey Pennsylvania as a must travel destination this year. 

Canvas Bowie Wedge Sneaker by ASH

In the world of trendy fashion, here is a great item that will tease your appetite of shopping, the Canvas Bowie Wedge Sneakers by ASH. Oh yeah, among this season’s hottest silhouettes, is this gorgeous wedge sneaker's with Velcro band at the lace-up closure. This product is a covered wedge, a high-top and is part edgy.  If you have, you totally of-the-moment.

High-top Lace-up with Velcro band 3" covered wedge heel , an imported suede with a  cotton canvas upper and rubber sole. Check it in the market today. Prices vary from $195 and up. If you are a big shopper, I am sure that you know where to find great deals!