Count Your Blessings!

With love and passion, everyone can have a nice garden...Elaine Yim

Count Your Blessings!
Count The Garden By The Flowers, Never By The Leaves That Fall.
Count Your Life With Smiles And Not The Tears That Roll.
..... Author unknown.

Knowing me, Knowing you..... Aha.....!

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Monday, November 1, 2010

Me, My Brother, Our Pomegranates and My New Camera


Recently, when I went back to Ipoh, I discovered that my brother's pomegranage tree has grown by leaps and bounds. It is full of flowers and pomegranate fruits at different stages of ripening.


Like many Chinese who believe in fengshui, my late father has placed the pot of pomegranate plant outside the house, just beside the entrance gate. As you can see, there is little land here but the height of the pomegranate has reached the top of the house. The seedlings for my brother and me were purchase at the same time and randomly selected by us. Even the flower pot is the same size as mine!

Why is his plant so much bigger and more productive than mine?

Height about 8 ft tall.
Productivity: 10 or more fruits, flowering throughout the year
Fertilizer : none, except for the occassional add-on soil taken from the rubbish dump nearby.
Soil: soil from the roadside
Watering: twice a day, directly spray from a hose
Gardener: my brother


This is my pomegranate plant, also grown from a flower pot.  For a few years, I had placed a dish below the pot to prevent roots from growing out. Now, I have taken out the dish so that its roots can grow deep into the ground. Hopefully the plant will grow bigger.

Height: about 5ft
Productivity: 1 - 3 fruits, flowers
Fertilizer: organic chicken manure pellets, liquid organic fertilizer
Soil: mix of organic compost and burnt clay soil
Watering: twice a day, use a watering can with sprinkler, water is declorinated.
Gardener: me

“Me, My Brother, Our Pomegranates and My New Camera”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on November 1st, 2010.


A macro shot of the pomegranate


Pomegranate seeds are used to make a dessert drink (tong shui). The ingredients used here are barley, green cendol, starch, fu-chok (soy bean skin), beaten egg and fresh pomegranate seeds. To know more about 'cendol', click on the link.


Starry, starry night!

Some night scene shots at i-City, Shah Alam.
For further details, i-city's official website is here and details at Tourism Malaysia, here.


Its a magical wonderland of colourful, glittering lights!

I went to i-City, Shah Alam to test out my Casio Exilim EX-Z16 camera for night scenes. These are artificial trees made from eco-friendly LED lights. This place with state of art technology is a tourist attraction among foreigners and locals. It is very popular for photography enthusiasts.



Autumn in Malaysia!

All the shots in this post are taken with the Casio Exilim EX-Z16 compact camera.
Good points: The auto focus is fast and sharp and the shutter speed is very fast, even for night shots. I do not use/need a tripod. It is also very user friendly. The battery is compatible with my old Olympus FE-4000 so I can use my spare batteries for both cameras. The macro shots and zoomed pictures are clear too.

I discovered that the offer price in Malaysia for Casio Exilim EX-16 camera is RM 399.00 or USD 89. Very good buy for entry level compact cameras. I like this camera very much.

Note: This review is purely personal and I am not paid anything for my views.



I have since change to a Panasonic Lumix DMC FH-1. The offer price of this Lumix DMC FH-1 camera in Malaysia now is RM 550.00

Reason: It is the same 12 mp with intelligence auto (iAuto) mode and stabilizer but the colours are more vibrant. The macro shots are clearer and can be taken at a nearer distance. The wide angle (28mm) is larger, zoom better (5X optical) and clearer. It has HD movie recording feature and uses Leica (German technology) lens, which My Dear has high regards for. The rechargeable Li-Ion battery can last about 200 photos. I first saw a higher end Panasonic Lumix FZ-100 camera that I like from Diana of Elephant Eye. Then I was very encourage with positive feedback by commenters of my previous post, e.g. Bom of Plant Chaser blog, my daughter and also a few anonymous blog readers who wrote to me.

My next target will be the Canon Powershot S95 or S90, a high performance compact camera. The Canon S90 price has dropped to about RM 1,200 with FOC extra battery and comes with 8G memory card, waranty 1+2 years (until 31 Oct 10) due to introduction of new model S95 at RM 1,500 but it has exceeded my current budget.

Thank you so much for your pointers and valuable feedback from real personal experiences.

I am joining Noel of A Planatic Blog on The Hot, The Loud and The Proud #8, the link is here.

24 comments:

  1. I love pomegranates, and I think the trees are really pretty. Hopefully yours will catch up with your brother's!

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  2. cool! Is your name printed on your pretty little camera?

    Those artificial trees are soemthing else!

    I can't believe your brother's tree sits in a pot! I didn't know about the feng shui. My father's little tree also sits just to the side of the front entrance...

    I learn so much from your blog!

    The tong shui looks great. I still need to make some time to work with a recipe in the book you so kindly sent me! I'm excited to make some things in it especially as it gets colder here.

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  3. Hi! Is your brother's tree outside the house compound? Do male dogs add fertilizer around the pot every now and then? That could make a difference. Not having the plate beneath would make a lot of difference too.

    Sorry, I haven't mention this yet. Your photos are all very sharp and beautiful. It was a good camera with a good photographer. How much did you spend for the old camera?

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  4. Welcome to Lumix Lovers. LOL! Thanks for the mention and you are welcome for the feedback. Those artificial trees are amazing. Makes me want to go visit Malaysia again with the children. Are these all year round? I want to try the tong shui too.

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  5. Your brother's pomegranate tree is so tall and productive, i wont believe it sits in a pot if you don't show. Did you make that Tong-Sui? Looks yummy! Btw, your photos are sharp. What will you gonna do with your old camera? I forgot where i dumped mine... lol.

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  6. College Gardener, thanks for the good luck wish ;P

    Wendy, actually I typed my name on the picture as a watermark, lol.

    One, the plant is outside the house compound. Your explanation sound very logical and I love the mention about the dog, haha. But, I haven't see any dog hanging around there. Morever, his immdiate neighbours are muslims and they don't keep dogs. I paid RM 599 for my old camera, the Olympus FE-4000 last year.

    Bom, i-City is open every day throughout the year. I will insert their link in my post in case you need to get more info.

    Milka, I don't believe a pomegranate can become a little tree when grown in a flower pot too. Mine is more like a shrub. My old camera is still functioning but need to be sent back to service centre for maintenance. Then it will be used as a spare camera. The tong shui is available at All Inn Cafe, just oppoisite the famous Kong Hin coffee shop in Ipoh old town. I didn't make this tong shui. I'm only good at eating!

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  7. Oh lovely nite pixz of the LED lights taken with Casio Exillim boleh tahan what. Sorry me not good in photography but they are a beautiful..

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  8. Is it possible for the pomegranate tree to grow so well in a pot? Unbelievable! Think the magic is in the Ipoh water they say even the taugeh grows better in Ipoh .."Beleaf It Or Not"!!!.. haha..

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  9. I-City sounds interesting to me.

    May visit if possible during this coming Deepavali Holiday.

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  10. Congratulations on your new toy. Lumix is sometimes compared with Olympus, which i have. MIne is E-620 and i like it for the the weight and the capability of changing lenses. Just some guess why your pomegranate is a bit slower than your brother's, maybe yours do not receive full sun, meaning from sunrise to sunset!

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  11. It looks like your new camera handles night shots very well! I love the artificial trees. It is easy to see why this is such a hit with tourists.

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  12. Hi Everyone (and especially Autumn Belle); Does anyone have any photos of Ipoh they could publish? Although I am British and live in the UK, I was born near Ipoh and have happy memories of my childhood there. Terima Kasih!

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  13. Wow, your brother's tree really grows so well, considering it is in a not so big pot. I grow one in the backyard from the seed, more for the colorful bloom. It is about three feet tall, and no bloom yet. Hmm, maybe I should find out if it is is a fenshui-favored location :)

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  14. Those artificial trees are so awesome, I hope to be able to visit it in December, if my plans to go KL materialize. I used to have Casio, Sony...now I'm using Canon S5, a bit bulky than the compact , with super zoom. I love it.

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  15. What fabulous tree lighting! I love pomegranates too! They dry wonderfully too. Symbols of long life. Great post Autumn Belle! ;>)

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  16. aloha,

    love the post and all the colors, trees lit up like this really brings in the holidays so nicely.

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  17. MKG, I'm so sorry this DIY gardener don't know much about my own soil ph, also don't have ph meter :(

    Bananaz, I like your explanation about magic Ipoh water. It is the same water that produced the tasty pomelos, bean sprouts and even beautiful ladies like Bond girl, Michelle Yeoh.

    Aaron, Rainfield. It is great for night photography. There are food outlets and shops selling glittering lights too. The entrance fee is RM 5.00 per car per entry, so maybe more economical to car pool.

    Andrea, you are doing great with your DSLR. I enjoy your beautiful scenery shots very much. My pomegranate is at the front yard with full sun but still can't compete with my brother's :(

    Shirley, I am surprised with the clarity of night photos from this entry level point and shoot. My old olympus can't do night shots.

    Mark, I have done some posts about Ipoh. You can click on the label 'Ipoh' at the bottom of the page.

    Amy, the pomegranate flowers are really pretty and they will definitely brighten up your yard. I like their shade of bright red. I notice that my pomegranate will fruit when the weather turn dry and hot.

    Jama, I hope your next trip to Malaysia will be an enjoyable one.

    Carol and Noel, thanks a lot for your comemnts that brighten up my day!

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  18. Glad you have a new camera! Have not been to I-City yet! Your brother's pomegranate tree is really lush, and without him doing any additional attention! Maybe this plant doesn't like fertiflizers!

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  19. It's interesting to learn that pomegranate can be added to our tong shui. I have only drank pomegranate juice while in Xinjiang. Learnt that it is high in nutrients.

    Great that you have a new camera now. Looking forward to seeing many macro shots of your plants soon.

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  20. Hmm...learning something new today! I didn't know that pomegranate seeds can be added for tong shui! May your potted plant flourish and bear more delightful fruits.
    So, you're Ipoh mali, I see...Ipoh girls are noted for their beauty, right, A.Belle? :-)
    Congrats on your new camera...wow, hot pink, huh!

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  21. What a lovely post! Congrats on your new camera...delicious colour!! And the images are great!

    I'm stunned to see the pomegranate plants (both yours and your brother's) in a pot. Love the macro shot too! The fruit must be delicious! Now I'm inspired to try growing pomegranate in a pot. I have also put my Spicy Jatropha plant near the front door after reading your comment on my blog. Thank you so much! Have a great day!!

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  22. Morning! Could you pls tell me where to buy pomegranate plants? I'm interested to grow them myself. I'm located in KL. thx.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous, you can try the nurseries along Selangor Green Lane in Sg Buloh. It that's too far for you, try asking the one near your home. Pomegranate plants are available in many nurseries. Ask them. Some nurseries sell ornamental pomegranate plants which are dwarf plants that bears many flowers but no fruit.

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