Welcome To My Plantita Life and Journey

 Date Written: July 31, 2021

What do you do during your free time aside from being a couch potato and scrolling on your Social Media feed?

What makes you get up early in the morning?

Let me share with you my away-from-the-Social-Media journey that I have just started in April of this year. 

It all started with 10 pieces of water spinach that we bought in the market. Instead of throwing the lower part  of the stems which we don't  include when we make dishes out of this vegetable, I then decided to just plant it. My husband also picked some cuttings of Kamote Tops near our street.

 

I soaked it in water and let the roots grow from it. One week later, the branches  started to bear another tiny branch with leaves.

Before I planted these stems, I already watched some tutorial videos on YouTube and I learned  how to make self -watering plant containers out of pet bottles. 

I applied what I have learned.

And since we are living in an apartment and we are on the third floor, my greatest challenge was space and soil to use.  Also the plots to use were a problem.

But as they say, if there's a will, there will always be ways; so I asked my neighbors for empty pet bottles and soil.  

And yey! My plantita life finally started. 

I just realized recently what my dreams really are, my retirement plan and one of it is to have my own farmland. I believe that  in farming, we'll have a sustainable life. If everyone knows how to plant, we will never get hungry. 

Also, all the products in the market are getting high due to inflation or different economic situations, and it won't affect us if we have food planted or produced around us.

It was also my dream to harvest my own fruit and vegetables straight from my own farm.

And I strongly believe that this dream has been the trigger for my planting journey.

Currently, the balcony of our apartment already has several plants. I still have my water spinach, then alugbati, bell pepper, tomatoes, rosemary, spring onion, aloe vera, chili,pechay, calamansi, oregano and I also have a pot of snake plant inside our room. It was just so addictive that I kept on adding plants to my collection. 

Planting also keeps me busy during my free time. 

My plants also motivate me to wake up early, get up from my bed and go see them.

Planting time or watering the plants goes first before my cup of freshly brewed coffee. And I'm okay. 

Also, there were times that I was working from home and when I got stressed, I just went to the balcony and looked into my plants. My cloudy mind and emotions became lighter again. 

I also made my own composts as fertilizers for my plants. 

I also bought loam soils and every time I make new plant pots, I mix the soils and compost that I have. Composting also lessens our kitchen wastes. By just properly composting - which I've learned online, there'll be no foul smells of your composts.

By looking at my plants, I felt excited as if I  am one step closer to my dreams. 

I am learning everyday. 

It is also a bonus joy during harvest time!

I don't believe in green thumb. 

I don't even believe that I have that. 

I'm just trying hard every day, I learn from my mistakes, and apply what I have learned.

Experiences will really take us somewhere. 

I was once a starter and I just thought that I'll just give it a try to make something productive out  of boredom. I didn't know that I would enjoy it this much. I have killed plants from the past (until now actually) and then believing that I don't have a green thumb. But because of my future plans that I am strongly pushing to get done, I won't give up planting and never will quit.

For those who want to start planting or just recently into planting, I personally guarantee that you will love the fruits of your labor.

Just don't stop learning, don't give up, and always give time to have peace of mind.

Yes, planting relaxes my mind. 

It's a bit messy but beautiful in the end. 

Even though we have limited space and resources, just start with one and look how far you'll go with your plant life journey.

So there!

This is me and this is my plantita journey. 

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoy my life now with my plants!

#ThisGirlCan

Date Written: March 20, 2021

In celebration of National Women's Month.

We can do this! 

To tell you honestly,

if you were going to ask me

how I am doing,

I will definitely say

that I am not okay.

I have struggles right now.

I do have problems

that I can't resolve immediately. 

And maybe just like you

who are having a hard time also

because of a broken heart

or being a lost soul,

you are not alone.

There are also other girls out there

who are currently lacking

in self confidence,

being too emotional,

having so many self issues, 

family concerns,

financial difficulties,

career challenges,

lost job,

health problems

and a lot more hard situations

that caused them so much pain right now.

Again, you are not alone.

We are all in this together. 

The number one rule

to overcome whatever hardships

we are facing right now

is to never blame yourself. 

Remember that there is no such thing

as failures but only lessons. 

In times of trouble,

we can also depend on others

and it's never a sign of weakness. 

Turn to your loved ones and friends.

Share your grief with them.

We can also even talk to strangers

to lighten the burden that we have. 

It's okay to ask help from professionals as well. 

I personally write down

all my worries and doubts in my journal.

In this way,

I am replacing all those thoughts

with positive ones.

Affirm positivism. 

Claim that all your problems will pass eventually. 

What we think is what we attract. Remember that. 

It's not easy to clear our thoughts

but consistent practice will make it easier.

Prayers and meditation

can also help us clear our mind.

We can re-focus on our goals.

Let's do something

about that childhood dream.

Take action

on the plans towards our goals. 

As girls, yes we can!

Let's take the challenge of doing something new

or even trying again

after the lessons we have currently learned.

Our plans may change but never the goal.

We can reroute but our destination stays the same.

After all,

it's the journey that really counts.

We can because we can!

Jack Ma

Date Written: February 20, 2021 

By listening and watching to Jack Ma's speeches, I got goosebumps.

His humble beginnings were totally relatable and worth the amazement.

I was also amazed by how he started his business with the goal of helping his poor community. 

Before, most of the people lived in rural areas who had far to no access to the modern world.

He believed from the past that the internet will be accessible for all people including the poor, not just for the big companies.

He believed that everyone can take advantage of modernity. 

He's also proud of his country. They may have experienced poverty before but they know how to save for the future.

Americans used to have loans where they use money's future and Chinese may be poor now but they save money for tomorrow's because they know that they will really use it in times of trouble or during challenging days. 

China was mocked for being poor but as days went by, they even topped the US. 

He also believes in the voices of the youth. 

He's excited what the future will bring.

I'm starting to see the value of how Chinese think of money.

Short and Fast

Realizing that time swiftly passes.

And that life is short.

So make it happen now.

What dreams and goals we want to achieve, let's do something about it because we only have a limited time to make it come true.

When I was a kid, I was scared to get old and die. Especially my loved ones. I even prayed to God before that we should never get old.

I imagined being an immortal with my loved ones because it scares me leaving this world.

Love and feeling alone made me feel this way. 

Also the fear of the unknown. I don't know what would really happen next. 

I dreamt of my father and Tita who already passed away last night. I don't know why. I'm not sure what my sub consciousness is telling me. Maybe life is short so don't waste it?

I'm thankful each day for every morning that I've still got to witness. It's already a big blessing that we usually take for granted.

Gratefulness and Mindfulness. Two things we should always consider doing every day. 

Maximize the short time we have by nourishing our mind, improving ourselves, expressing to our loved ones how much we value them, helping others, being kind and fulfilling our goals.

Easier said than done, right?

But as a human, we have the special power to 

do it. We have this brain on top of our head and we have the heart as the center of our body. 

Let's use them both wisely.  

Hara

 March 7, 2021

 

I have this sweet little god daughter whom I truly cherish and love. Her name is Empress Johara or Hara for short. I usually call her as Ate Hara because she’s now a big and kind sister to her younger sibling, Akira.

Hara is celebrating her 7^th birthday today. I was not able to attend her birthday party but we had a video call with her along with her other ninongs and ninangs.

Hara’s mom is one of my best friends since college. Hara’s mom has been one of my confidant and closest person to run to whenever I have problems and rants about life and love. Sleepovers, out of town trips, coffee shops, resto and bar hopping, her mom is my greatest company. We shared each other’s dreams and heartaches, even passion in writing and books. We had wasted nights, crying nights, and wondering nights together.

And when Hara was brought into this world, I was one of the few people who first knew about it. I’m thankful for the trust and reliance her mom gave to me.

I witnessed her growth and also her mom’s struggles and pains while bringing her up.

I’m happy to be her somehow second mother. From her baptism up to her previous birthdays, I usually make time to be with her and run errands with her mother.

Only this time that I didn’t make it to her birthday due to some personal reasons. Nevertheless, I still had time to have a video call with her and greet her on her special day. Also, I’ve got to see her a week ago when we did her birthday photoshoot.

Also, together with her parents, we always have a reunion at least once or twice a year. And that usually happens every Christmas. I always get to see her grow taller and prettier!

I’m thankful that I’ve got to stay connected with her and with her mom as well because I still get the chance to see her grow into a kinder and more loving girl. Currently, she has a lot of stories to tell and I pray that she will never stop being close with me and to her parents as well. May she never run out of wonderful stories to share with us.

I pray that she will be the best woman she could ever be. I also pray that she will remain kind, God-fearing, family oriented and she’ll be full of dreams that she will do her best to reach all of it. I will always believe in her and guide her with the best that I can. I also love being her personal photographer until she grows up.

I am also looking forward to a strong woman just like her mom that she will become. I do hope that she’ll be a true friend because her mom is just like that to me.

Happy 7^th birthday, Hara! Ninang always loves you!

Knowing your parents very well, you’ll be just fine and for sure, you will grow up being the best that you can be.

Love,

Ninang

A Glimpse of Eastwood

March 7, 2021

A sleepless city with full of bars and restaurants, call office centers or BPOs, high rise buildings, condominiums, malls and parks, coffee shops, churches, murals, and a lot more. I would personally relate these words to Eastwood City. This humble yet classy 18.5 hectares business center is very close to my heart as I’ve lived here since 2012. Located in Quezon City and was established by the Megaworld Corporation last 1997. It’s a literally work-play-dine-shop all in one kind of an urban place.

I’ve got the chance to capture its beauty through my lens one fine Saturday right after we had a church visit. We walked around Eastwood and capture everything that I can. I’ve never been yet to New York but I somehow picture it in my mind that Eastwood is a miniature version of my dream place.

Whenever I have time to roam around, I usually walk along Eastwood, appreciate every restaurant’s beauty, sit in the park and just watch people. It felt peaceful. There were also times before that I’ve spent nights on different coffee shops just to write. I usually get home by 2 a.m. It is safe to walk around here even if it’s already too late like that. Don’t worry guys because it was safe to walk around anytime of the day plus the fact that it was literally a kind of city that never sleeps – pre-pandemic days. 

Speaking of pandemic, when the Enhanced Community Quarantine aka lockdown started last March 16, 2020 – of course we know that the whole world has changed. Everyone was anxious, in doubts and in fear, worried and uncertain of tomorrow. Eastwood City became a quiet one. From a jam-packed party place, Eastwood has turned to an almost ghost town for several months. Many has lost their jobs.

And due to the pandemic, many restaurants and shops close their business. Every time we go to the grocery, we could see closing establishments then be replaced by another one while some remain vacant up to now. 

It’s almost a year since the lockdown and everyone including me hope that the “old normal” will be back. 

And just like every business and establishments now, Eastwood is slowly recovering. And trying its best to bring back its former glory. I just hope that it will be so soon. 

Eastwood is part of Barangay Bagumbayan in Quezon City. This simple and ordinary barangay is where I currently live. This is just adjacent to the kingdom of Eastwood City. It felt like I am living in the woods or in the community of commoners and Eastwood City is the castle that I can go inside just to roam around and appreciate its royal beauty. 

During the ECQ period, this rich community aka Eastwood City and my simple and ordinary community Barangay Bagumbayan has joined force to fight against Covid-19. 

We supported every small business that started to blossom due to the pandemic through the Facebook Community Pages. We also informed everyone about Covid updates and make sure that everyone is following protocols. We didn’t judge nor discriminate those who were infected and just showed empathy as if we are part of a one big family. It still felt safe living here during this challenging time.

Just like the sunrise I always got to witnessed on our balcony, there’s still hope and new beginnings waiting for us. To better days ahead! 

Thank you, Eastwood for giving me a home away from home. The soonest, everything will get back to normal.

Our Intimate and (Mostly) DIY Kind of Wedding (worth 30K)

(This is Our Wedding Journey and Budget)

Date Written: January 16, 2021

Hi! I’m officially Mrs. Regaspi and this is our wedding journey. 

We’ve decided to be practical yet still fulfilling our dream wedding so most of the things we need for our wedding was DIY and some were even sponsored. Thank you, loved-ones!

Current global crisis and a bit of a hard financial situation made us do it this way. He-he!

We got engaged last July 2020 (our 12th year of being together) and had our wedding in December 2020. It was a five-month preparation and we’re happy with the outcome. After all, we consider that being content is one of the keys to stay happy.

Here’s the list of things needed for our Special Day and how we did it:

Requirements

Legality needs papers so basically, it’s the first thing that we processed. Due to the pandemic, most of our transactions were done online. Same with getting our documents. 

These are the basic requirements needed (for a civil wedding) 

1. PSA Birth Certificate of the couple – 1 copy each

2. PSA CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) of the couple – 1 copy each

These documents were delivered to us in two weeks right after we registered and paid online. 

Wedding Officiator

We looked for a wedding officiant on-line and luckily, we found Reverend Jay Arvin Mangilinan. He’s the one who processed all our documents. We just gave him the original copies of our birth certificate and Cenomar. Marriage License/Marriage Certificate will be just delivered to us after the wedding. Hassle-free it is. Yes. 

Wedding Theme/Motif

Well, my favorite color is orange so most of our stuff during the wedding was in this color. I just mixed it with white to be neutral. We requested our guests to wear any semi-formal with a touch of orange and white. And we required our entourage to wear white. White long sleeves and black pants for gentlemen while white, knee-length dress for ladies. We just provided orange suspenders and bow ties for men and orange head dresses for ladies as accessories. 

I am also fond of Baybayin, an original Philippine alphabet system so we’ve decided to include this on our wedding theme.

Wedding Venue/Catering

We looked for the most affordable but still with high quality catering services. We’ve found Lin’s Catering! This was recommended by a close friend of mine. They also offer free use of their venue for three hours so we eventually grabbed their promo package. Their venue also has bridal rooms that we can rent. We rented one room. 

Here’s the inclusion of our package: 

• Food (of course, He-he! 1 set of vegetable dish, chicken, fish, beef, pork, juice, rice and salad) – buffet style for guests and plate served for Principal Sponsors

• Free use of air conditioned wide venue for three hours

• Basic sounds and lights system

• Wedding cake and wine

• Tables and Chairs following our motif

• Basic table design with flowers

Our add-ons (with extra charge) 

• Lechon – sponsored by my Mum

• Rental of Bridal Room for 24 hours

• Rental of projector for the AVP

The venue is located in Sta. Ana, Manila. Our bridal and groom's prep, wedding ceremony and reception all happened on this event place.

We were only 30+ pax.

Venue Design

Venue styling was provided by our catering service. We just requested for a white and orange theme. And we just added some designs. 

Souvenirs for Guests and for Principal Sponsors

Some of my friends sponsored this. I personally requested these to them as their gifts for our wedding. 

We gave heart-shaped alcohol spray for guests and wine for principal sponsors as souvenirs. I just designed and printed the Thank You note with Baybayin words and we just bought ribbons to match our wedding motif. 

Gown and Suit

One of our Principal Sponsors gifted us my wedding gown. Thank you, Tito and Tita! 

For my heeled shoes and earrings, they were all borrowed. Thank you, Ate Joy! I still bought flat shoes because I am more comfortable in wearing flats. 

For the groom’s attire, we borrowed his suit from a friend. My mum bought him his long sleeves and blue handkerchief. We just bought his black slacks and white shoes. We also bought his orange bow tie and dried flower boutonniere

Wedding Ring

To follow our wedding theme, we ordered a personalized ring online with Baybayin words at a very affordable price. They were set of black rings with Baybayin words engraved to it on top and our wedding date engraved on the inside. We skipped a fancy ring as of the moment and we’ll just get it next time once we have the funds. 

Bridal Bouquet

I ordered it online. I bought two bouquets (one for me and for the bouquet tossing) and one boutonniere for my groom. It was affordable and the seller is very kind and accommodating. Shout to Ms. Mina of Fiorella by Mina. Thank you so much for the beautiful arrangement I personally requested. It was a preserved flowers bouquet!

Photographer / Videographer

We were so grateful to my cousins who served as our personal photographer and videographer! 

But we still looked for a photographer for the ceremony. Thank you, Snaps Ave! We hired Ms. Fil for two hours. 1 hour for the prep and 1 hour for the ceremony.

Hair and Makeup Artist

Shout out again to one of my cousins who made my hair and make-up for free! She’s also one of the bride’s maids. She even did my mum’s make up. 

Thanks, Shan!

 Event Host

One of my best friends since college served as our event host and he’s also one of the coordinators. 

Thanks, Bessy! You’re the best!

the one who's holding the mike. He's our host. ha-ha!

On The Day Coordinators

Two of my cousins served as our wedding coordinators. While my brother’s girlfriend played the projector and sounds during the wedding march. Thank you, Girls!

The following list are the things that I personally planned, designed or created.

AVP / Projector and Sounds 

Aside from the program flow that flashes on the screen, I also created a slideshow of our journey as a couple. We also compiled some video greetings by our friends and watched it at the event. 

Songs to Play

I personally chose songs for the wedding march and directed it to our coordinators. 

Song for Entourage: I Was Born In Loving You by: Tori Kelly

Song for the Bridal March: Sa Bawat Daan by Ebe Dancel

My mum and bro walked me down the aisle

Program Flow

By searching online, I found a program flow and some traditional wedding activities for the wedding. I used it as an inspiration to do our own program. We actually fit all the activities in three hours. Shout out to my best friend Marky aka our host who helped me with this plan.

Here’s the program flow that I made:

Time	Program
5:00 AM	Wedding Prep
	Photo op  (Pre-Wedding, Prep)
9:00 AM	Couple Photo op at the venue
10:00 AM	Arrival of Guests
	Seating Arrangement of guests - care of Coordinators
	Guest List / Dedication Book
10:45	Wedding March
11:00 AM	Wedding ceremony
	Exchange of vows and ring ceremony
	The signing of the marriage contract
	Presentation of the newlyweds
	Bridal kiss
	Photo Op per group
	Newly Wed Exit
	(post photo op - bride and groom)
12:00 NN	Wedding reception
	Welcoming of guests by the host
	Acknowledgments of the following: Reverend, Parents, Principal Sponsors
	Acknowledgment of the newlyweds, their brief history, etc. (with MVR)
	Re-entry of newly weds
	Words from parents (done during the ceremony)
	Speech of Bestman and Maid of Honor before the toast
	Wedding Toast
	Cake-cutting
12:30 PM	Prayer before meal; Serving of food/buffet line up
	Newly wed’s rounds for the photo op per table
	(distribution of money pin)
	Song number for the wedding dance – live song by the maid of honor
	Father’s Dance with the bride - (we skipped this)
	Couple's First Dance and Money Dance
	Souvenir distribution - care of coordinators
	Well-wishers - Principal Sponsors / Video Messages from family and friends
	Couple Game (Who's the Most)
	Bouquet passing game
	Garter passing game
	Speech from the newlyweds
	Closing remarks by the emcee
2:00 PM	End of Program

Wedding March

Here’s the wedding march order list that I made:

• Wedding Officiant

• Bestman 

• Groom Parents (stop in the middle – wait for the groom)

• Groom 

• Principal Sponsors (by pair)

• Secondary Sponsors (by pair)

• Bride Parents (stop in the middle – wait for the bride)

• Bride

We skipped the kids (flower girls, ring bearers, etc.) in the entourage as it is still pandemic.

Photo Ops Order

Since this is DIY, I also made some photo order that our personal photographers can follow: 

Wedding Preps

With Bride

Bridal HMUA and prep

With Matron of Honor

With Cousins and Friends

With Family

With groom

Groom Prep

With Bestman and Friends

With Family

Ceremony Photos

Wedding March

Couple Photos, Vows, Contract Signing

After Ceremony, group photo

Couple Photos

Couple with Reverend

with Family - Lain's side

with Family - Rish's side

With Principal Sponsors

With Friends

With Relatives - Lain's Side

With Relatives - Rish's Side

Reception

Introduction of Newly Wed

First Dance

With Parents

With Principal Sponsors

With Bestman and Maid of Honor

Cake and Wine

Games

Couple with Friends and Family

Group Photo

Reception

With Couple per table

-end of photo ops list-

Prenup Shoots

Our prenup shoot was done in BGC. It was mostly street and park photoshoot themes. Shout out to my cousins and friends who served as our make-up artist, stylist, photographer and director.

Guest list

We opted to have a maximum of 40 guests only. And for the wedding day, I made a scrapbook like a guestbook wherein guests can write their wishes for us. 

Wedding Vows

The day before the wedding, we wrote our vows on this handmade card made by yours truly. 

Invitation

Shout out to Canva for the available templates and designs that I used for our digital invitation. I just printed one set for photo ops and remembrance as well. We have just sent this online to our guests.

Breakdown of Budget 

Here’s the total breakdown of expenses that we had for the wedding. We initially allot Php 30,000 as our budget for the wedding but we actually exceeded. He-he! 

Description	Amount
Requirements	1,500.00
Wedding Officiant	5,500.00
Food, Venue, Bridal Room	44,000.00
Personalized Wedding Ring	2,000.00
Bouquet/Boutonniere	1,000.00
Wedding Attire:
Black Slacks	500.00
Long Sleeves	500.00
Men's White shoes	500.00
Bride’s Flat Shoes	300.00
Entourage Accessories	1,000.00
Photo and Video	2,800.00
Prenup Expenses:
Prenup Shirts	600.00
Grab and Food	2,200.00
Wedding Transpo	900.00
Photobook	540.00
HMUA	-	Care of my cousin
Wedding Gown	-	Care of Tito and Tita
Souvenirs	-	Care of Friends/Cousin
Grand Total	63,840.00

PS. My mum sponsored a total of 19K; My hubby’s family sponsored a total of 10K. 

So all in all, we personally paid Php. 34,840.00

We still have stuck to our initial budget! Wow. 

Thank you, Fam and friends! We all love you!

So, there you have it. 

Additional Tip: Make an Excel File for all your plans and checklist. It helped me a lot!  

Message me if you want a template. I can give it for free! From list of guests, things to buy/prepare, needed stuffs, budget (especially), program, updates, etc.; Excel Sheet is a life-saver! 

Our intimate wedding was far from perfection but we loved it just the way it was. It was simple, nothing fancy, nothing costly, just pure love and joy.

And what truly matters most was our promise and commitment to each other plus the fact that we celebrated it with our closest family and friends.

We wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

To my now husband, here’s a short message for you. 

I love you, my better half. Thank you for letting me reach one of my dreams and that is to marry you in the presence of the people we love and who love us. 

On this day, we honored our parents with our vows to each other. 

On this day, we fulfilled one of our dreams together and that is to marry each other. 

On this day, we celebrated with our closest friends and family. 

On this day, I saw you with tears of joy as you saw me walk down the aisle. 

On this day, we strengthened  our bond. 

Thank you and I love you, my forever roommate, housemate, ex-boyfriend, dream buddy, best friend, husband and lifetime partner.

Insert song of Ebe Dancel, “Sa Bawat Daan”. This was my bridal march song. 

Sa pagkumpas ng iyong kamay

Aking landas, ginagabay

Nag-iisang tiyak sa isang libong duda

Silong sa iyak at pagluluksa

Kung puso ko ay imamapa

Ikaw ang dulo, gitna't simula

Nahanap din kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Nahanap din kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ohhh

Maligaw man

At mawala

At umikot man

Sa kawalan

Sa bawat kailan

Sino't saan

Ikaw lamang ang

Kasagutan

Bawat kanan

At kaliwa

Kung timog man

O hilaga

Ang bawat... daan ko

Ay patungo (ay patungo)

Ay pabalik (ay pabalik)

Sa 'yo

Kay tagal nang lumulutang

Walang pupuntahan, walang dahilan

Parang ulap na, walang dalang ulan

Kamang walang kumot at unan

Bihag ako ng pagtataka

May saysay ba ang paglalakbay

Ngunit

Nahanap din kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Nahanap kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ohhh

Maligaw man

At mawala

O umikot man

Sa kawalan

Dahil sa bawat kailan

Sino't saan

Ikaw lamang ang kasagutan

Bawat kanan (Kay tagal kong naghintay) at kaliwa

Kung timog man (Kay tagal kong naghintay) o hilaga

Ang bawat (Kay tagal kong naghintay) daan ko

Ay patungo (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ay pabalik (Ay pabalik)

Sa 'yo

Sa iyo

(Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ooh ohh

Kung ang puso ko ay imamapa

Ikaw ang dulo, ang gitna't simula

Ikaw...

Ikaw...