Deeper Depths and Higher Heights

[itsannebytheway]

On growing up in a conservative household

I live in an über-conservative household where wearing shorts outside the house is strictly prohibited. My father is so traditional, that every time my sister and I would go out of the house wearing shorts, he would give us this look that meant to say, “I have disowned you”. It, honestly, is like Gandalf saying *cue the British accent* “You shall not pass!” That’s not the worst part. My childhood was spent mostly on just staying at home after school. I get off at 2-3PM and when I’m not home right away, it’d be like a scene in crime movies where the guilty ones sit with nothing but just the spot light on (”Where were you the night of February 13th?”). We were not allowed to drink alcohol. We were not allowed to do sleepovers unless the sleepover is at home. I mean, c’mon. Kids need their space away from the ‘rents too, right? But I never had that--unless the school would require a camp-out or there’d be a retreat to some far away place that you’d never want to go home. I’d be like William Wallace shouting “Freedom!” at the top of my lungs all the time. I think sometimes now that I’ve grown up, these are the reasons why whenever I go out with friends, I’d feel like a wild girl. I literally felt like a late-bloomer when I was in college and I still feel like it up to this day now that I’m 31. It only goes to show that these are definitely pointers on how NOT to raise a child. Give them the freedom that they somewhat deserve. When things turn to shit, at least they’ll realize how much they need their parents beside them and who knows? They might never leave the nest because they love you so much.

[itsannebytheway]

“When Life gives you lemons, make a tree out of it.”

I was inspired to have my own lemon tree all thanks to a movie I recently saw. And since I, myself, love lemons in my tea, water, and in even in my desserts (lemon squares and Limone Santi), I decided, “Hey, why not have my own lemon tree here at home?”

So for any of my friends who are also planning on having their own lemon tree, here are some useful tips (which you can also Google, but it’s better to read it here):

1. You can plant them indoors. But they need to be put near any window that has good sunlight.

2. Lemon seedlings (or any other citrus fruits in general) thrive in acidic soil. There’s a device you can use to check on the soil’s acidity and dryness levels.

3. Lemon trees can survive in a dry soil (at least water once a week or when you see that the soil is dry). The sprouts, however, cannot. Water them babies at least once a day, every other day, preferably in the morning.

4. If the soil is alkaline, you can mulch it. I used coffee grounds to acidify the soil. The best soil pH for growing lemon trees is 6.5 so, again, test the soil to make sure it’s not too acidic.

5. Do not overwater. Lemon trees are much like cats—they hate having “wet feet”.

So far this is all I’ve researched since my lemon tree is still a lemon sprout. It usually takes 3-6 years for a tree to bear fruit and when that happens, I can have unlimited lemon squares. For now, though, I’ll share a picture of my baby limón.

[itsannebytheway]

Welcome to my new (and improved) blog! I have been meaning to make this one live and fully-functional and life kept getting in the way. But hey, here it is now—alive!

In case you missed my name, “it’s Anne, by the way”. I have a tendency of forgetting to introduce myself to people so I thought, heck, I’d better make it my new blog’s name. I’m a writer, a poet, a philosopher, an artist, an art enthusiast, a bibliophile, and the most important of all, a Virgo. And the latter means, you can only expect great things here.

So here’s to more inputs, more poetry, and more art. Hope you like what I write/have written; if not, your loss! :D