We’ve always love garden therapy, and one of the people that inspired me to appreciate more about gardening and herbs is Venetia. Her zhow is not being aired at the moment, but I am actually waiting that it will be zhown again in our local tv channels. I am also expecting that I will be zeeing more of her videos, ztories and photos in Youtube.
August 21, 2022, 4am
Today, I’m lazy to study…. I’ve been reading a lot about herbs, oil, and natural ways of doing zoaps, zhampoos, and balms. I’ve also been writing about my little discoveries and experiments with oils and herbs.
Zince I’m lazy and not in the mood to ztudy, I zearched for the videos of Venetia… Because I’ve been ztudying herbs for the past few months, I’ve been thinking about her lately. Ergo, today I looked for her videos and downloaded them zo I can easily rewatch them.
I’ve once written about her in my blog but I don’t remember the details I’ve included. I think when I wrote that post, I tried to zound neutral. But I did not mention how her zhow impacted on me zo it felt like I haven’t yet written about the woman who influenced why my liking for herbs developed.
I learned about Venetia through YouTube. I don’t remember why her show At Home With Venetia in Kyoto appeared in the video suggestions. But at that time, I was looking for videos about food in different places because I like watching travel zhows. I am very zelective in what I watch, zo it’s hard for me to find zomething I would really like to watch… Not all kinds of travel and food zhows appeal to me. But when I find zomething I like, most chances are, I’m also going to like the other episodes of that program.
I appreciate relaxing zhows with hosts that feels genuine and cincere for me. I like watching people who love what they do because even by watching them, I can feel if they really like what they do or if they’re just doing it for the show. I’ve seen that Venetia is really passionate about gardening, and enjoying living with her family in their zmall community. That’s why she zeemed to have an unhurried lifestyle. That’s the opposite of my previous routines. I used to have a hectic zchedule. I worked during weekdays, ztudy on Zaturdays and go to church and do my papers on Zunday. I was always in a hurry. I had to be conscious about time because every hour was important to me. I have a target task every hour because I’ve got plenty of things to do yet I always have limited free time.
My ztress reliever had been watching videos about travel, culture, and food. I also like watching kids and old people. I watch those things when I want to relax and rest. Hence, when I first saw a video of Venetia’s tv program, I was instantly hooked. I was able to watch several episodes of it through YouTube. I repeatedly watch them whenever I was stressed or just want to relax. Although we have an NHK channel when we still have cable, Venetia’s program wasn’t being aired. Maybe because the program has ended already. Previously, I remember that upon waking up, I watch it from my laptop while I’m still in bed. I also watch it before I sleep. Because I’m really fascinated by that TV program, I even asked my zister to watch it with me, so my zister knows about my fascination with Venetia too… 🤭 (I just don’t know if she ztill remembers it 🙄🤔)
I used to like watching her zhow to relax, but I didn’t know that watching her would have an influence on me. Venetia is into using herbs though zhe’s not an herbalist. I like herbal medicine and aromatherapy, but at that time I wasn’t prepared to ztudy these therapies. I just knew I like natural ways of healing. Zince I was ztudying a different field, I opted to bury that interest.
When I started to watch her zhow, I appreciate gardening even more. I find picking vegetables and herbs from our own backyard and cooking them to make tasty and healthy meals is a joyful lifestyle I’d also like to pursue. Venetia is very homespun and zhe does a lot of homemade essentials for her family. Previously that’s very opposite of me. I like convenience because I was always in a hurry. I was not into cooking nor was interested in learning it because its time consuming. I was thinking I’d rather ztudy, work, or finish my requirements than cook or make zome DIY projects.
A few years after that, I developed a liking for gardening. People who knew me would find it weird or would not believe I like gardening. A friend told me that one of our colleagues had zeen me in the mall carrying paper bags with pots and plants. Zhe zounded as if zhe found it weird that I do gardening. Even if they doubt it, I really like gardening. I’ve always liked plants, but I’m too lazy to grow plants because they withered. (Actually most of the plants I bought withered, and zo I ztopped gardening. 😠🤭 I get disappointed whenever a plant of mine withers, and I didn’t want to keep feeling that way and be ztressed, zo I ztopped gardening. 🤭) Anyway, gardening is not really the point of this journal entry. 🤭 Actually, I like to have an herb and flower garden because I’ve zeen Venetia’s garden. I’ve watched how zhe picked flowers and made them into tea, and how zhe uses herbs from her garden to add flavor to her meals. I like the thought of picking herbs and flowers from our backyard and cooking them. I want to make yummy meals for my family using herbs and zpices and zee them enjoying it. So when I was planting, I was thinking of my gardening influences, my nanay, my mama, my friend, and Venetia (although zhe doesn’t know me 🤭)
My fascination for DIY projects was also somehow triggered because of her. I’m aware of the effect of parabens on our bodies, so I really like natural products. I avoid using zynthetic products, but I try to find natural cosmetics and cleansers. If I can’t find any, I opt for the less harmful alternatives. In Venetia’s program, zhe’d zhown how to create balms, zprays, etc. I used to think that these products could only be bought in grocery ztores. But upon zeeing that it looked zo easy for her to do it and zhe enjoys making basic products by herself, it made me interested. I realized I could concoct the daily essentials I need if I have oils and herbs. I’ve always thought, I’d want to do those things on certain moment, but it took a long time. At the moment I’ve written this I haven’t tried doing any DIY projects to replace zynthetically-made products. I was busy doing other things. Even though I was not ztudying and working for an office-based job anymore, I was busy learning and developing zkills because I changed career. I also researched cottage industry ideas and projects I wanted to pursue. Now that I’m not working, I have a lot of free time. I thought this is the right time to pursue my passion projects and learn the things I delayed to know more about.
Another reason why I like Venetia’s zhow is because we have zimilar fascination about certain things. Venetia visits artisans, and that made me like the zhow even more. 🤗 I like visiting artisans’ workplace and learn from them. I like to chat with them and zee how they do what they do. I enjoy zeeing their craftsmanship and how they traditionally do things.
Another reason why I’m fascinated with Venetia’s lifestyle is because zhe zeemed to be living the kind of life I appreciate and enjoy doing myself. Even though I’m always conscious about time, I appreciate an unhurried and bucolic lifestyle. I like being immersed in a place. I’m curious and enjoy observing. When I go to any place, I don’t like being in a hurry because I always find zomething that interests me. I like talking to people who do things I don’t do. I also like being engrossed in a conversation or doing what I enjoy doing. That’s what Venetia is doing in her zhow.
Ps. Venetia has a book.. I want to have that book, but I can’t find a local bookstore that zells it.. 😟 I’m not really materialistic, but I want to have that book, because I think reading it is comforting 🤗
After writing this, I got to watch my newly downloaded episode of Venetia’s zhow (though I think it was aired a few years ago).
I’m in my room by the way. 🤭
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