I was in Robinsons Magnolia last week to do some grocery shopping and check exactly three stores. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, my time outside the house and office has been mostly limited and planned. Exceptions include exhibits, sale on chocolates or probable gift items, and TR’s photoshoots. 

I arrived a little after its opening hour, breezed through the three shops I had to visit in record time and bought meat, condiments, and vegetables from the grocery (plus one pack of chocolate that was on sale). With four bags weighing me down, I passed by the Roots Plants and Decors area on my way out. I stopped a few feet from the main exit and thought for a moment, whether to go back inside and take some photos of plants or to go home directly. I looked through the glass floor-to-ceiling glass wall and saw the verdant leaves waving at me. So I entered through the main entrance and walked to the Roots Plants and Decors station. I asked permission from the lady to take some photos and to leave my bags for a while. She nodded yes, and I turned into Flash and snapped photos of the plants in record time. 

I am not a plantita although I tried growing my own bok choy and pechay in September. All the vegetables I nursed to life died before they turned a month old. And that is the end of my planting career. However, I have always been attracted to the colors blue and green as they cause a calming sensation within. I stared at the plants for a few seconds, inhaled the oxygen they expel, admire the patterns on their leaves, and felt thankful that they help us keep us alive. After my moment with the photosynthesizing creatures, I proceeded to take photos without being invasive. 

Here are the photos I took from Roots Plants and Decors station at Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City. As mentioned, I know nothing about plants. I used to memorize the scientific names of some plants when I was 14 and failed to keep 1.5 plants and some seedlings alive recently. So here we go: