The Final Curtain

"Crossandra Infundibuliformis"...
Having a hard time saying it?
Yeah..me too.
Try this then..
"Kros-AN-druh" "in-fun-dih-bew-LEE-for-mis"
Hahaha..be careful,
Don't wanna get all tongue twisted :)

Also known as the Firecracker Flower or the Orange Marmalade.

A tender tropical perennial which originates from Southern India and Sri Lanka.

Its 5-petals flowers are unique.

Just love its coral-salmon color.
A welcome change from the many pinkish collection in my garden right now.
Its fragrance is lovely too,
Faint scent of jasmine when you run your fingers over it.

Somehow this plant reminds me of a lady...
No offence guys.
It has that 'graceful' look being 'tall and slender'.
And with flowers coming out from the spiked stalks.
Which looked like a lady wearing a big hat!
Hehe.. my imagination can go wild :)

The flower is named the Firecrackers for a reason.
See this seed pods..

Seedpods appear after all the flowers have withered and dried up.
These matured seedpods will 'explode' with a POP sound when it rains.
I thought that is so cool!

It has been raining very heavily the past few days.
And the thunder may have drown the POP sound when it burst opened.
All I see is seeds strewn all over my white floor.
Hhmm..better luck next time I hope.
But then again, I'm afraid of thunder..
I'm always in my room on rainy days.
So, no way will I be able to hear it POP! :(

The thing I like about this plant besides its lovely coral-salmon color and "lady" look,
And besides being tolerant to sun and shade,
Is that it is always flowering!! :)


Well my friends,
I suppose this is my last post for the year.
The end of 2012 is very very near...
And what better way to face the final curtain of 2012 than,
Than by saying thank you to all my friends
For their lovely thoughts and heartfelt comments :)

May You All Have A Blissful Year Ahead!!

Here's wishing you

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU

AMEN.

'Tis the Season!

Christmas is in the air!!

Tra-la-la-la  la-la-la-la...

For those celebrating Christmas,

Still busy with last minute shopping,

For gifts and food, I suppose.

Well, don't forget the flowers!!

I saw Poinsettia the other day at the nursery.

It was truly bright red and beautiful.

I almost picked it up when I thought,

Poinsettia doesn't do well with tropical weather.

Those red leaves will turn green in no time.

But guess what I saw next to it?

It has the colors of Christmas too!!

Red and green..

It is Azaleas!!

Simply outstanding.

And this is the first time I am seeing Azaleas.

Barbara Cartland was the one who introduced me to this beauty.

Through her romantic novels, I mean.

Azaleas were mentioned in most of her garden and courtyard settings.

She must have loved this flower so much! 

After witnessing this beauty, I'd say why not.

I thought it looks great in a galvanized pot :)

And it makes a perfect setting on any table top for this special occasion.

Get those with plenty of buds,

So you will get full bloom on Christmas morning!

Azaleas are so easy to maintain.

No need to water everyday.

Only as and when the pot feels light.

And no direct sun either.

So what say you?

Wouldn't Azaleas make a good alternative for Poinsettia?

Of course, there's no replacement for Poinsettia.

But, it is a beautiful choice :)

Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas

And a Happy Holiday!!  

The Holiday!!

A dear friend from Russia, Nadezda has asked me,
What does Christmas mean to me..
Or what is the scent of Christmas for me?

Before I could answer it
I need to share something.
I am witnessing a new trend on traditional celebration in my country.
More and more people are going away on vacation with their family
Instead of celebrating it the traditional way at home.
Is this happening in your country too?

Many of you, I believe, have heard about Malaysia.
You may not know much about her.
That's okay, I'm here to tell you...

Malaysia is a peninsula surrounded by waters..
There's the Straits of Malacca on the west
And South China Sea on the east of her.

Not to mention the many islands surrounding her!
And guess what?!
My family will spend our Christmas holiday on one of the islands!!

To all my blogger friends,
Welcome to Malaysia!

Check out the pristine clear water..

A familiar sight on all her islands!

Here is a brief about my vacation plan.
The Pangkor Laut Resort,
Which is situated in the state of Perak,
Is chosen as our holiday retreat!

The Sea Villas

Close-up view of the Sea Villa..

A private suite on stilts.

Imagine sleeping with the cool breeze from the sea.

And wake up in the morning for beach activities,

Or simply soak in the sun..

And rejuvenate at The Spa.

Just what I need :)

Reading a good book under a tree

And then after a short snooze...

And water activities later..

Lastly some aromatherapy...
In a pool of fragrant Frangipani flowers!
Just before the sun sets.

The kids will be busy with snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing.
And jungle trekking activities.

Now to answers queries on my holiday retreat :)

What is your favorite flower for this holiday?
Frangipani...
It is found everywhere around the resort.

Which preparation for this holiday you never miss?
Packing and unpacking later..
It's a mom's job :(

What is the scent of your holiday?
The smell of sea...
Not to forget the aromatic scent after the Spa.

Which song makes your celebration?
I don't have any..
But I do have a favorite movie though..
"The Holiday"!!

Last but not least..
Look who was here before!

Maestro Luciano Pavarotti with the owner of the resort, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh.

So my friends,
My question to you is..
When are you coming over :))

Have a lovely weekend!

Note: All photos are courtesy of the resort.

Pretty in Pink..!

Simply gorgeous.
The Dwarf Mexican Petunia in pink.
Exquisite purplish-pink colors!

In her best bloom at noon time.

Each one showing off her dainty and ruffled flare skirt..

Early morning look..
Each bloom sneaking its way out from under the leaves.

After the rain look..
Towards the evening,
As it entangles itself for the day.

Calling it the day..
In exquisite style and beauty.

It is after all an "am-to-pm" flower.
Colors like this make me lost track of time,
Just by admiring its natural beauty.

May you have a beautiful week too :)

Liebster Blog Award

Another award for me?!!!
How is that possible?
That's how surprised I was when a dear friend, Nadezda (click to view her blog),
Broke the news to me one beautiful morning.

So what is this Liebster Blog Award anyway?
I did a bit of research and here is what it is :-
"Liebster" is a German word which means "favorite"
Hence, the award is literally a "favorite blog award".
And it is awarded to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.


According to Nadezda, the rules say that I must answer 5 question about myself and pass on the award to 4 other bloggers.


Here are my questions and answers:

1. The most influential person in my life? My mom.
2. My breakfast drink? Tea.
3. Favorite ice-cream? Pistachio coated with chocolate and topped with nuts.
4. Love of my life? My husband.
5. Where do I prefer watching movies? At home.

Now comes the difficult part.
Passing the award to others.

Some bloggers whom I have loved reading their stories very much are quite reluctant to receive any award. 

Here's my best list and I hope they will receive this award warmly :)

The nominees for the award are:

1. Rosemary Danielis of Tales From My Garden.
2. Autumn Belle of My Nice Flowers
3. Lisa of Creating Beauty
4. Jorunn of A Wondering Star

Congratulations!

Have a wonderful weekend :)

"Say goodbye..." on Medinilla Astronioides

This is it.
Time to say goodbye.
The show is ending...

These are the last of it.
Notice the pearly petals glimmering under the sun?
It wasn't there before..

Now that it is ending,
Even the pearly pink buds too,
Were showing off their glimmers..
Under the shimmering sun.

All that remains..
The 'skeleton',
Which held the magnificent beauty that was once there.

What a graceful way of closing its curtain..

"I'm crazy for you.." on Medinilla Astronioides

The craze continues..
For my friends who are loving this flower as much as I do.
This is for you.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ruellia Brittoniana

"Ruellia Brittoniana"...
What a lovely name.
And why not..
It is after all, a lovely flower..

Commonly known as the Dwarf Mexican Petunia.

This plant is known to tolerate heat and drought.
Yet it bears bigger and brighter blooms under shade.

Comes in three colors viz. white, pink and purple.

I was told that white color is rare around here.

I guess I was lucky to get hold of it :)

The flower buds which comes in a bunch are attached to the stem.
And at that same point grows the thin and long sword-shaped leaves.

This is one of the most fragile flower I've known.
Its ultra thin and soft petals feel like Kleenex rolls.

I love to see these flowers competing with each other just to be seen!
With so many buds bunched together there,
It is fun to see which one gets the first peek and attention :)

Love the stem!
It reminds me so much of a palm tree trunk...
In a miniature form.
Those marks are actually the part of the leaves and flowers which have withered and fell.

Aahh..here is the lovely part.
From pure white the flower gradually changes to pale peach color as it withers..
All in one day!

Before it entangles itself..
Such magnificence from a tiny plant!

This plant is an evergreen perennial.

And with so many buds in various blooming stage,

It gives a succession of new blooms everyday :)

Before I sign off, my thoughts are with my friends living in Italy right now.

Especially those who are affected with the floods yesterday.

We are experiencing peculiar weather everywhere.

Stay safe.. 

The Continuation..Medinilla Astronioides

If this is your first visit to my blog, you may want to see this before you continue reading this post.

As for the rest who have been waiting anxiously... lets move on!

Picking up from where we left, the 'Christmas tree' continued growing...

The pink color intensifies with each passing day and red ants were clambering all over the buds.
Could it be sweet?
Maybe not...
I know red ants have 'unthinkable' and unimaginable palate,
They eat anything including clothes!

Oooppss..the first peek!
Can you see it?
Only one bud..lazily opening up its petals.

Suddenly the next day...walla!
5 buds bloomed!!..
Much to my surprise!
And what a lovely surprise it was...

Just look at it...
Those tiny fingers or stamen in purple and yellow is spectacular!

Close-ups..

The peculiar thing is that, there's only one bloom from the cluster of buds.
Obviously, the rest look immature and not the right time to bloom, yet.

This is how the blooms look like today..
After patiently waiting and observing for about a week..
Just one bloom from each cluster.

This may sound funny but..

Could it be the buds refused to open just because they are being watched? LOL!

I was told that plants have 'feelings'..

Or maybe this is the way Mother Nature wants them to be :)

Either way, this is a unique sets of flowers.

And I am intrigued and excited with each blooming stage.
And you know what?
I was told the flower looks more fascinating when they are dying...
Really? We shall see about that :)

Have a great weekend everyone!
And thanks for being together with me in this 'journey' :)