The flowers with two petal-like bracts are sweet and have pleasing colours in shades of red, pink, light yellow and white but the spiny stems look lethal and that was why I always stayed clear of this plant until I found out its common names a year ago. Now every time when I look at…
The colour red — reminds me of Chinese New Year, which coincidentally happens to be two days away. Almost everything relates to the Lunar New Year/ spring festival (春節) is in red, from the decorations with red tanglungs (lanterns), red peonies and red ornaments, red spring scrolls at the door, red fire crackers, red angpaus…
In a matter of hours we will be ushering in the New Year which will conclude an eventful 2014. Looking back, although there have been many highs and lows throughout the year, probably more lows than the highs globally, nationally and locally, and even personally, I still have many things to be thankful for and…
I love the Christmassy atmosphere overseas and in fact, I have very fond memories of the many Christmases I spent in the UK during my college days; the pure excitement of getting ready for the festive seasons as soon as the month of December arrived, the hassle and bustle of Christmas shopping, the food and…
Dragon’s scale fern is an epiphyte. An epiphyte is a plant that does not take root in soil but grows non-parasitically upon another plant, usually a tree merely for physical support. It uses photosynthesis for energy and obtains moisture from the air or dampness from rain and cloud moisture on the surface of its host.…
One long weekend, 3 days 2 nights, 5 hours plus each way on the road, simple living, close to nature and my first mission trip! A trip that has touched me in more ways than I could have imagined. I came back feeling refreshed (the unpolluted country air is another contributor), renewed, stimulated and that…
I have seen these spiny plants all over the place and many people grow them in their garden including my dad. Despite of the flowers that are quite sweet-looking mainly in red, pink, yellow or white, I always think the plants look ferocious with their sharp spines and I never want to get close to…
I took these beautiful scented frangipani at a beach resort 2 weekends ago when we went for a church ladies’ retreat. It was in the morning and the sun had yet to dry off the remaining raindrops on the flowers left by an overnight of long-awaited rain. When I went for the walk, the wet…
Colourful Threads of Life 