Summer Blooms of Dendrobium aphyllum 2021

Summer season or dry season in western part of the country was officially declared by the weather bureau. It is when day time temperature would reach between 33 to 36 degrees Celsius or more.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a statement on Friday March 26, 2021 that the “gradual shift of wind direction from northeasterly to easterly over most parts of the country” signified the end of the northeast monsoon.

Dendrobium aphyllum aka fairy, dainty, lesser sanggumay grown on a palm for almost 7 years

Summer Blooms of Dendrobium aphyllum

Dendrobium aphyllum locally known as dainty sanggumay, fairy sanggumay, lesser sanggumay, sanggumay, salome, latigo among others blooming season. It was incorrectly called Dendrobium pierardii or Dendrobium cucullatum for a long time by orchid hobbyists.

This is one of the most common Dendrobium orchid species that is found in many parts of the country. The orchid species can be naturalize in fruits trees like duhat, mango, lansones, macopa, jackfruit, guava, coconut and Manila palms.

Since it rained a few times during its rest period from mid-November 2020 to early part of February 2021. Only a handful of inflorescence were form.

This Dendrobium aphyllum specimen orchid was given to the author last March 1, 2014 at an eyeball of Pinoy Coke Fanatics.

This orchid species is quite hardy and can survive lowland hot and humid condition. This orchid species can be found growing up to about 1,800 meters altitude. The blooming season is during the onset of the dry season in western part of the country up to late May or early June in some parts of the country.

Water and Fertilization

We would alternate slow release fertilizer sewn unto a small cloth, Usually between 20 to 50 pieces depending on size of the orchid plant. The larger the specimen plant, the more slow release fertilizer are included. We normally use 30N-30P-30K then alternately use water soluble fertilizers 10N-30P-30K at weakly weekly solution 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended dosage.

Aside from application of small amount of calcium, magnesium and trace elements at least twice a month during the growing season. We start putting small pack of slow release fertilizer 1 to 2 weeks after the orchid plant had bloomed. This process will be repeated at least two to three time during the growing period of Dendrobium aphyllum.

During the transition from wet (rainy season ) and dry ( summer season) which is usually around middle of September. We would change the fertilizer solution from 30N-30P-30K to 10N-30P-30K, to help prepare the orchid for the blooming season. The slow release fertilizer can last up to 3 months in which watering and feeding the orchid is much reduce.

Fertilization and watering should be minimized or reduce in the hemisphere which also starts the autumn or winter season in the northern hemisphere.

With proper care and applying fertilization techniques, Once can be assured that this orchid species can be a garden centerpiece.

Philippine Toy Convention 2014 Highlights

SM Megamall , Megatrade Hall  1, 2, 3, Mandaluyong City , Philippines

SM Mega Trade Hall #2

It was a privilege that i was invited by the organizer to cover the ongoing 2014 Philippine Toy Convention . I guess this is not just the biggest gathering of toy collectors from different parts of the country but also the biggest gathering of pop culture in this part of Southeast Asia.  There was a long queue line from the second floor of the mall up to the Mega-trade Hall area.

SM Mega Trade Hall #3

The entrance fee is Php 130 and there are discount for senior citizens . What makes it more exciting is that there are a lot of FREEBIES and Raffles for the attendees .

Pinoy Coke Fanatics exhibit

Pinoy Coke Fanatics is a group of about 400 active members which collects Coke and its promotional items from different parts of the world. The group is not connected with Coke Philippines and are just composed of  ordinary collectors . This is also the first time that the group was given a large exhibition area by the organizers of the toy convention. Early birds who went to the exhibition were rewarded with coke collectible items courtesy of the members .

Ms. Roselily Buduan

The group is led by Ms. Roselily Buduan , She was invited as a guest exhibitor at the recent Coke Festival held in Malaysia and was also featured in a Malaysian -Chinese newspaper where her extensive collection of coke and its promotional items were featured .  Fellow bloggers and freelance photographers were busy taking photos and interviewing the members.

Contact : bluewhale_2267@yahoo.com Cellphone 09166077845

Mr. Dwayne Miranda

 Dwayne Miranda is a fellow coke collector , he specializes in miniature coke items , polar bear and  commemorative  Olympic pins. The crowd reception was very warm .

polar bear collection

This are just a sample of the extensive collection of Mr. Dwayne Miranda. He also one of the volunteer member who manned the PCF exhibit booth.

UAAP promotional coke bottles

chucky dolls

 Charles Lee Ray (also known as “The Lakeshore Strangler“, and nicknamed “Chucky“) is a fictional character although he was modeled after the true life story of Robert the Doll and the titular antagonist of the Child’s Play  series. Chucky is portrayed as a notorious serial killer whose spirit inhabits a Good Guy doll and continuously tries to transfer his soul from the doll to a human body.

Ms.Alyka Binuya

Ms. Alyka Binuya is one of the gorgeous and friendly staff / model of  Retro Toy Collection: https://www.facebook.com/retrotoycollections

I have known Mr. Dennis Kho for several years and he had been collecting toys since year 2000, while his younger brother Mr. Derrick Kho also started collecting toys since his childhood days. They started joining toy conventions and toy fairs for several years .

Ruroni Kenshin cos players

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story

The manga initially appeared in  Shueisha ‘s Weekly Shonen Jump from April 11, 1994, to November 4, 1999.

Sonosuke Sagara costume

born Higashidani Sanosuke, is a main character in the Rurouni Kenshin  series. A former member of the disgraced Sekiho army  in his youth, Sanosuke spent the years after the Meiji revolution  taking out his frustrations as a “fight merchant” under the name Zanza, all the while hating the Ishin-Shishi that framed and murdered his comrades as well as the flawed Meiji government that they created. After meeting Kenshin , however, Sano is able to put his feelings aside and end his fighting merchant days – instead taking up with Kenshin’s group at Kamiya dojo.

The Rurouni Kenshin manga has sold over 55 million copies in Japan as of 2012, while its anime has ranked among the 100 most watched series in Japan multiple times.  There will also be a movie version to be released on September 2014 this year in the Philippines.

Mr. Alfredo Alcala

There is a small gallery of comics where Mr. Alfredo P. Alcala  (August 23, 1925 – April 8, 2000)  He was born in  Talisay , Negros Occidental Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation  Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United States. Alcala garnered awards in science-fiction during the early part of the 1970s. He also had illustrated some Batman comics.

batman figurine and toys

One of the special highlight of the convention is the special exhibit area dedicated to Batman’s 75th anniversary . There are limited batman t-shirts raffles, merchandises and exhibits.

vintage toys

There are also groups of vintage toy  collectors from matchboxes, tomica, tonka , barbie dolls and among others.

guardians of the galaxy

Philippine Toy Convention is not complete with its own roster of cos players , band players and sexy magazine autograph sessions  .

UNO magazine

But having a large multitude of people does have its downside too, It is crowded and in some areas you cannot feel the air-condition. The second day crowd and attendees reach over 13,000 visitors!

exhibitors

toy sellers and exhibitors must be very happy for they are having a big exposure and brisk sales! A visit to toy convention is incomplete without having some sort of a loot of the day. I have bought some hot-wheels toys (carborator 2014 edition)  , coke die-cast toy and some comics .

Ms. Nina Ricci Alagao- Flores ( Bb. Pilipinas- Universe 2000 )

Note: Those coming to the toy convention are advise to come early . There are a lot of sellers which sells affordable items.  I cannot wait for the Philippine Toy Convention 2015 edition!!!!!

4th Pinoy Coke Fanatics Anniversary and Swap Meet

154 Ipil Street , East Drive Marikina Heights, Marikina City- Philippines

group photo

It was a hot day yesterday when over 50 members of the Pinoy Coke Fanatics and their children went to the home of . The original schedule was planned on February 25, 2014 but was moved to March 1, 2014 .

group photo of the hosts

The eyeball and swap meet is line with the 4th anniversary of the organization.

There were swap corner, swap meet and informal grouping . Some of the members came from as far as Lipa, Batangas, Quezon province, Rizal, Bulacan, Novaliches, Manila, Quezon City , Laguna , Makati , Marikina . One member traveled more than 8 hours just to attend the anniversary!

The gracious host is Mrs. Adelina Almerol

She started to collect coke since 2003 and had accumulated a big number of coke collectible items such as bottles, tin cans, die-cast toys, mugs , key chains among others.

dining area

coke items for raffle

There were a lot of FREEBIES , SWAP ITEMS, SALE items not to mention foods brought ( pot luck) by members .

 contestants sipping coke

Mr. Jose Arcenas brought a vintage 1941 bottle  ( bring me oldest coke bottle contest) and he had the oldest coke bottle . He started collecting coke items in 2002 to 2006 then resumed collecting coke items in 2012.

He can be reach (0917-5332990)

smallest coke item

Mrs. Adelina Almerol won the grand prize donated by Mr. Arjay Mendoza

( coke monopoly board game)

Note: We left the place at around 5:00PM and he hitched ride our way to Cubao on our way home. To all Pinoy Coke Fanatic members . Mabuhay Tayong Lahat and Happy Anniversary!

Pinoy Coke Fanatics Eyeball and Field Trip in Santa Rosa , Laguna

Santa Rosa, Laguna province-Philippines

It was a sunday mid-morning 10:30 am when i rode a bus  from EDSA Makati going to San Pedro – Laguna province ( Pacita complex) Php 55.00  then i took another jeepney ride Php 11.00 passing  Biñan then Balibago .The eyeball is our Christmas party too.

group photo

The jeepney driver only passed the main highway and i  have to walked for a few meters . I bought some local pizza along the way before i took a tricycle ride to  Villa Esmeralda Subdivision  ( Php 70.00 Special Fare ) which is located near Enchanted Kingdom.

L-R Ms. Roselily Z. Buduan , Mr. Nico Bazarte and Mr. Fernando “Nanding” Enriquez of Tagcauayan , Quezon province

I arrived shortly after 1:00PM , where almost all of the participants have eaten their lunch.  Some of the early birds arrived in the morning , while one member had to travel all the way from Quezon province just to attend this important eyeball and Christmas party.

Everybody brought different kinds kinds of foods, from pancit bihon, pancit bato ( flat noodles with quail eggs and pork liver ) , barbecues, sugpo , fresh mangoes, watermelon , cassava cake, pata tim,  sliced pineapples, dinguan , yema, pastillas , coke candies , ice cream and a whole array of different home cooked meals. The event would not be complete without a bottle of Coke products like Coca-Cola , Royal and Sprite 1.5 liter . The group like to spread the happiness to everybody .

 raffle committee and members

Then , all the attendees name were gathered.  The committee have a short raffle of coke collectible items, mostly donated by fellow coke collectors from different parts of the world. . There are all sorts of items being traded, swap, sold during the meeting. Since i was a little bit LATE for the swap meet, i just got a sneak view on what items the members took home.  There are also regional coke managers who brought some FREEBIES !!!!

coke items for  SALE

Mr. Dranreb Recio – collector of coke

Mr. Danreb Recio is an avid coke collectible collector since 2009 . He had been collecting coke items for about 4 years . He specializes on coke glasses  and mugs.

After the first round of raffle, there are still a lot of items to be given away. Hence there was another set of raffle to all that were present .

I got 1 coke glass,1 plastic tumbler, coke posters, 1 cherry flavored-coke in can from  the United States and I was very lucky to won a coke speaker during the second round of the raffle. The gracious host also gave away 1 pair of Coke postcards from Belgium.  Mr. Nico Bazarte gave me 3 coke trading card packs   ( I decided not to open them and keep them as MINT condition ) .  Maraming salamat sa lahat na nakadaupang palad ko . Thanks.

Coke Polar Bear collection of Mr. Fred Dimal

 The tour did not end in one house, the group decided to visit another coke collector from nearby Laguna Bel Air Subdivision, a few kilometers away from Villa Esmeralda .

Mr. Fred Dimal is an artist and photographer  before he went into collecting coke items . He started his passion for coke collecting in 2009 .  He proudly showed us the limited commemorative Coke Book ( 100 years ) in special box. We decided to visit the house of another coke collector a few blocks away.

Mr. Joey Bulatao’s house

Mr. Joey Bulatao

 Mr. Joey Bulatao – a former coke employee . Our group was amaze with the size of his house which stands on a 900- square meter lot.

276 pieces of coke bottles transformed into chandelier

Due of his architectural and interior design skills . His house looked like it had several floors . He had 2 unique chandelier made from several hundreds of pieces of coke bottles .

coke bar lounge

The coke bottles were salvage from ship wreck in Bantayan island , Cebu province in 1990’s .  Most of the coke bottles were made at the San Francisco bottling plant from 1942 and 1944 .

It was intended to be  given to the American forces which liberated the island .  The Japanese  bombarded the ship until all the supplies eventually got lost .

coke glasses , mugs, bottles, tumblers, toy truck

He started his passion for collecting coke items  in 1993 and even had built a separate room ( basement ) for his coke collections. His 20-year coke collecting passion led him to join the Pinoy Coke Fanatics . Kuya Joey gave us some coke items .

wooden coke cases with empty bottles

We then went to another coke collector a few kilometers away , the husband and wife collector started collecting coke items in 2006.  Due to time constraints and  some renovations , I opted not to feature them here.  Their large coke collections are an eye to behold. I would like to ” Thank” them for their warm hospitality and for the coke bottle opener that they gave to the visitors.

We hitch ride with  Mr. NorManila until we reached Cubao area .  Mommy Roselily , Mr.  Dwayne Miranda and I  rode a public bus going to NORTH Avenue terminal station where  we rode an Asian Utility Vehicle  on our way home.  It was such a wonderful experience  to spread Happiness to ALL !

Pinoy Coke Fanatics eyeball at Arjay’s Collect Zone

Arjay’s Collect Zone , Holy Trinity Parish Church corner Santisima Trinidad, Calabash Rd. Balic- Balic, Sampaloc, Manila

tarpaulin poster

An invitation was send thru Pinoy Coke Fanatics Facebook page by Mr. Jay-Ar Mendoza. A fellow coke collector. I quickly grab the opportunity to attend this monthly meeting.

Arjay’s Collect Zone

 coke delivery truck circa mid- 1980’s

I am not new to the field of collecting coke and their promotional items. I got my first coke truck when i was about 4 years-old when my aunt went to the United States of America and gave me a coke truck as a gift ( pasalubong)  . The truck was kept at a display cabinet in which my younger sibling and playmates played it almost everyday . Now , the coke delivery truck is almost worn -out with its  stickers , some coke accessories were missing  as time passes-by.

Coke 2008 Olympic Glass – promotional items from Mc Donalds

Eventually years later ,  coke pog and coke playing cards were the -in thing . I have collected several hundreds of pieces . Most of my coke pog collection where thrown away by my father who thought they were TRASH!

There are some coca-cola-promotional items that i participated , from the miniature coke bottles in exchange for a coke bottle caps with logos to coke toy trucks , coke playing cards etc…

coke truck still in box- mint condition

completing some of the miniature coke bottles and plastic toy trucks. Unfortunately some of my personal collections were either thrown away, given away by my younger sibling or taken as a souvenir items by our playmates.

Mr. Jay -Ar Mendoza

Mr. Jay -Ar Mendoza is a  coke  , stamp, coin, banknote, toy , figurine, object d’art collector. He has a day- time job and he only engages in trading excess collection during his spare times. He had several coke catalogs which he purchased from his recent trip in the United States.

Mr. Jay -Ar Mendoza showing -off a limited edition 1984 commemorative Los Angeles Olympic pins ( the pins had all the countries which participated at  the 1984 Olympic)

The pins was issued by Coca-Cola which was one of the official sponsors of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.  The flag pins comes in a set of 3 . It is very hard to complete a set.

stuff toys

Another hot items during the eyeball was the stuffs toys with coke logos . Most of the items were imported from the United States.

Ms. Millet Aguirre

Ms. Millet Aguirre is one of the early bird during the eyeball. She arrived at around past 10:30am . She bought some Coke collectible items and Santa Clause .

Ms. Roselily Z. Baduan

The members called her Ninang ( God Mother) . Since she is one of the founders of the group. Her primary aim is to foster a camaraderie among Filipino Coke collectors. The group had already evolve starting from yahoo groups, multiply , friendster and now Facebook.  With more than 300 members and sympathizers the group is still a close group in Facebook.

coke trailer trucks in pristine condition

There are close to a dozen members which showed-up during the eyeball. Unfortunately Kuya ” Amazing ” Betong ( television host and comedian) was not ale to show -up during the eyeball due to an earlier commitment .

Mr. Jay -Ar Mendoza and his wife prepared  sumptuous early afternoon snacks which consists of spaghetti, fried chicken , bread , ham and cheese.

  I got a special coke key-chain , coke folder and coke straw as FREEBIES , Maraming Salamat  ULIT sa Inyo ! Hanggang sa Uulitin

ARJAY’S Collector Zone

Location: In-front of Holy Trinity Parish Church – Calabash Road corner Santisima  Street , Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila

Operation Hours:

Monday to Sunday 9:00am to 9:00pm

Contact Person : Mr. Jay -AR Mendoza ( 0917-539-6701) GLOBE

Items for Sale:

Collectibles

Hobbies and Supplies

Die Cast

Vintage Toys

Trading Cards

Coins and Currency

Stamps and First Day Covers

Coke collectibles

Note: A prior appointment must be set since he had a regular work . He is only available during weekends.

Full disclosure policy: The author is not a business partner .  I just happen to be a coke collector and blog about the store .

Arjay’s Collect Zones Facebook: Store/534049933344197

Pinoy Coke Fanatics: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181768268510715/