BONSAI, TRUE and BLUE

BONSAI PLANTS are difficult to cultivate. They need extra TLC, attention and constant trimming. The whole thing becomes doubly discouraging if one is a novice in BONSAI cultivation. THE FIRST time I've seen BONSAI up close was in last year's Hamanako Plant Festival. It was pure luck that I was able to go with Naoko. She brought home two tickets, actually complimentary ones, given by her boyfriend. She asked me to go and who wants to refuse such an offer? BONSAI PLANTS from the collection of famous horticulturists in Japan were assembled in a special guarded building. The display included ones from the Imperial Palace which date back from several hundred years ago. As one pass by the collection, "0ohs and Ahs" are common, and rightly so. Almost all on display that day were labeled: the name of the palnt, the owners, and how much each costs. I tell you, some ran as much as several thousand hundred yens! [Translation: kahit ilang Chedeng pa ang kapalit, kulang pa!]. I HAVE never seen such an array of BONSAIs in my life. Not even the ones I've seen displayed at a train station near my place can compare with the exquisite beauty of these plants. The lines were graceful, and each piece speak volumes. One can look at them and feel that inner peace, the tranquility of the surrounding...and the serenity the plants seem to convey. LOOKING at them, one would not suspect that behind the beauty lies painstaking labor and patience. In fact, some plant lovers vow that BONSAIs are "labors of love". Cultivating a BONSAI is like building a building : one must have a master plan and the tools to put your plan into action. One also needs patience as BONSAIs can survive hundreds of years, if properly handled. I FOUND that the majority of BONSAI afficionados are old men. And most men are knowledgeable in horticulture. Most men project love of their culture and always sport the Japanese KIMONO. Does this mean that you've got to embrace the culture to be able to grow one BONSAI plant? Hmmm...I wonder. I WAS thinking along that line when I saw some BONSAI plants in JIJI's garden. There were two, but quite small. Since no one seems to take care of them, I looted these two and placed them in front of my door. I have been taking care of them since. BONSAIs may be small, but they are big when we count the good things they give the beholder. They give happiness and contentment to the onlooker and to its care-taker. I myself experience serenity envelop my entire being whenever I look at them. [>>>>MAY ALAM akong isa pang BONSAI na sa halip na kagiliwan eh, kinaiinisan ng lahat. Halos walang EQ at hindi makangiti. Ngumiti man, pilit palagi. Marami ang hindi nasisiyahan kapag nakita ang BONSAI na ito. Sa totoo, nanggigigil ang lahat at kumukulo pa ang dugo ng iba. Palaging nakabusangot at maraming desgrasya sa kanyang 'handlers. Tinaguriang PEKE o FAKE ang BONSAI na ito. Kontrobersyal masyado ang nasa paligid niya.<<<<] BONSAI, anyone? I love one!...THE REAL ONE, I MEAN.