Leafing Around

Imagining self to be some royal princess leafing around in the Imperial Palace's garden 🌳 during the Han Dynasty 2000+ years ago...

It was such a fun and epic banquet experience! Getting all dressed up in the most elaborate Hanfu period outfit and being served like royalties throughout, with each exquisite dish accompanied by a lightshow story projected onto your plate, and breathtaking ethereal performances.

I was truly mersmerized and had fantasised in the moment that supposedly if I was the Emperor back then, I might have picked out some concubines from amongst the alluring dancers or talented singers. And then the poor girl, lets call her Ling, need to abandon her true love who is some lowly but respectable civilian, and be forced into the luxurious life prison within the palace filled with politics, drama and danger as she rose to be the Emperor's favourite, inviting the jealousy of the Empress, Consorts and 68 other concubines. Their jealousy of this lovely Ling united them and they plotted to disfigure her face or make sure her baby boy, a viable contender to be the heir will never make it to his next birthday.

Sorry I had digressed..perhaps remnants of the "Yanxi Palace" drama lingers. If you have not watched this epic drama, please do!

Anyway, this was a truly immersive and cinematic
experience, truly transporting one to a different world. I don't completely understand Chinese but there were subtle English subtitles on the pillars to help folks like me to make sense of everything.

You can choose to get dressed up too. Now I have a deep appreciation for the sufferings of elaborate beauty standards back then, the hairdo is just insane and quite heavy with what feels like 39 hairpins. Even had false lashes glued on to complete the dramatic transformation.

📍Gong Yan (宫宴) Oriental Art Palace
No. 1485, Beijing Xi Lu, near Changde Lu
北京西路1485号, 近常德路

💃Booking weeks in advance via wechat or phone. No walk-ins. Best arrive 1.5 hours in advance if you want to have the full dress, hair and make-up AND take photos😄

💄Tip: bring own make up tools if you feel icky about using theirs.

#plantlover #shanghai #gardening #foodie #travelblogger

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 228

Leafing Around

Head over to @onlyplants channel! See Sean and I as we grabbed our wishlist plants during our epic day out at Plant Convergence here in Manila. I love the first few minutes...it was unscripted and we both nearly cried with joy learning what our work had meant to the people we met here. Phillipines🇵🇭, you guys have the most beautiful hearts, we are so overwhelmed by your warmth and welcome🥰🍃 https://youtu.be/XY3eyL4yFEw?si=2_nLY...

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1 month ago | [YT] | 461

Leafing Around

Hello everyone, a quick note...my KL-Manila plane was turned back two times yesterday due to technical issue, and so I spent 8 hours flying to nowhere. Trying again this morning, taking off soon and hopefully we land in Manila! See you at the Plant Convergence sometime 330pm today 14 Feb I hope!

1 month ago | [YT] | 80

Leafing Around

See you soon Phillipines!😃🇵🇭 Sean @onlyplants and I will be having a Meet & Greet. Please drop by and say hello, I can't wait to see y'all plantitas & plantitos!🌱🌿🫶

When? 14-15 Feb, 10-11am
Where: Flower Garden, Quezon Memorial Circle
Event: Plant Convergence

1 month ago | [YT] | 190

Leafing Around

Mabuhay Phillipines🇵🇭! First I want to say you had been my greatest supporter when I first started out this channel 4 years+ ago. Without your views and encouragement in the early days, this channel would not have come so far. 🙏

Finally I will get to see some of you in person!💃❤️ I am heading to Manila in 14-16 Feb. Can you recommend a fabulous garden that I can film an episode in? Or perhaps you have a beautiful home garden that you'd like to be featured? Preferably in or not too far from Manila. Thank you😘

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1 month ago | [YT] | 249

Leafing Around

Sssss...sliding in to wish you a very Happy Lunar New Year of the Snake! Like the snake that can miraculously swallow and tackle on something much bigger than itself, I send you the boldness of daring to dream big, live each day exuberantly and find joy in all your pursuits!❤️💕☘️😺💰✈️💪🐸🦄📕👙🌴

P.S. this snake was spotted at Mulu National Park

1 month ago | [YT] | 254

Leafing Around

New video out now! Showcasing 10 award-winning gardens! Pick up great ideas and pro tips from the world renowned landscapers and judges on garden designs. Join me in this epic tour at Singapore Garden Festival🌳🌴🌿🌼

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3 months ago | [YT] | 498

Leafing Around

Congratulations to the winners of "A Gardener's Log"!🤩 @crimson4066  @sfcreatives_academy   @ashyash6616  You will enjoy this precious gardening journal of Mins Garden lovingly written by Irene Ngoo's husband, Ronnie Lim.

Thank you everyone for joining us in this award winning garden tour, and submitting your answers. There are indeed 42🦋 in the video!

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9 months ago | [YT] | 464

Leafing Around

The much awaited full tour of Min's Garden is now out! This must watch video is a 2-time winner of the Singapore Best Home Garden Award. It will give you a lot of ideas on how to style a cosy tropical garden and add many plants to your wishlist😄

I had long admired Irene Ngoo of Min's Garden via Facebook and Instagram for years and to finally be able to tour it in person, film and tell her story is my greatest pleasure!

Her husband is a real surprise because I then discovered he was also instrumental in the making of this garden and had in fact written a book about their journey. 🥰 Watch the video to learn how you can win a signed copy of "A Gardener's Log".🦋🦋🦋

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10 months ago | [YT] | 642

Leafing Around

For a high energy and laughter filled tour of my garden, please check out this fresh video filled with my favourite plants just posted in Sam's channel: @umbotaniconoapartamento ☘️ 😃🥰🤗

https://youtu.be/SVaZF4Sc24s?si=-u5OK...

It was so amazing to see Sam in person after seeing him in my phone screen for years. And when we met, it felt like we had known each other since 10 years old 😁.

10 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 412