Continuing my series, this post is about the Bougainvillea that we recently bought.
Bougainvillea is a vibrant, fast-growing ornamental plant known for its explosion of colorful, papery bracts that surround its tiny, white, inconspicuous flowers. Native to South America, it’s widely cultivated in warm climates around the world for its stunning display and hardy nature.
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is perfect for adding bold color to gardens, balconies, and landscapes. With minimal care and the right sunny spot, it rewards with vibrant, long-lasting blooms almost year-round. It is one of the most striking flowering plants you can grow, prized for its vivid, paper-like bracts that bloom in bold colors throughout the year in warm climates. Though often mistaken for flowers, these bracts actually surround the plant’s tiny, white blossoms and are what give Bougainvillea its unmistakable appearance.
Continuing my series, this post is about the Dracaena Sanderiana, commonly known as the Lucky Bamboo.
Dracaena sanderiana is a popular houseplant. People know this for its elegant, slender stalks and its reputation for bringing good fortune and positive energy. Despite its name, Lucky Bamboo isn’t a true bamboo—it belongs to the Dracaena genus, which is native to Central Africa.
This resilient plant is often used in Feng Shui to promote harmony and prosperity. Its stalks are frequently arranged in decorative groupings, with each number symbolizing a different kind of luck. For instance, two stalks for love, three for happiness, wealth, and longevity, and eight for growth and abundance. Ours has eight stalks.
So what if it’s tiny? It deserves a post.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena Sanderiana)
I keep this plant in shade all the time, on our dining room table.
The Lucky Bamboo requires no maintenance at all, making it perfect for those who may not have a green thumb. Although, to be honest, I personally don’t like such hands-off plants.
I water it twice a week & drain/change the water every month, as the pot doesn’t have a drain hole; basically a bonsai.
After the painful (and unstable) experience of using Windows 95 and Windows 98, Windows 2000 Professional came as a breath of fresh air. It was the first version of Windows I used, based on NT technology. While going through the process of running it on my NAS, I tried to recall what I felt the first time I installed it.
This was almost 25 years ago, and I was apprehensive about moving to a new platform. When I consulted my friend Vishal Chopra about it, his simple advice was “2000 is a higher number than 98, so it is better”.
Windows 2000 Professional: Setup
The first phase of the setup process resembled Linux more than it did other Windows versions.
Windows 2000 Setup: Setup is loading filesWelcome to SetupWindows 2000 Setup: To continue Setup, press C
Yeah sure, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
Widows 2000 Licensing Agreement
Oooh, a shiny, new, modern file system.
Windows 2000 Setup: Unpartitioned spaceExisting PartitionsWindows 2000 Setup: Format the partition using the NTFS file systemWindows 2000 Setup: Setup is formatting
The part of copying files was extremely fast.
Windows 2000 Setup: Setup is copying filesPlease wait while Setup initializes your Windows 2000 configurationWindows 2000 Setup: This portion of Setup has completed successfully
The first boot screen was less modern than Windows 98. The second boot screen was more modern than Windows 98, showing a progress bar for the first time.
Starting WindowsMicrosoft Windows 2000 Professional: Built on NT Technology
The second phased of setup felt as if it was running within Windows.
Windows 2000 Setup: Please wait…Windows 2000 Setup: Welcome to the Windows 2000 Setup WizardSetup: Installing DevicesWindows 2000 Setup: Regional SettingsSetup: Personalize Your SoftwareWindows 2000 Setup: Date and Time Settings
Networking was pretty robust in Windows 2000 Professional. I always felt (maybe placebo effect) that my dial-up internet worked faster and was more stable on it.
Windows 2000 Setup: Please wait while Windows installs networking components
Windows 2000 Setup: Installing DevicesSetup: Please wait while Setup: Installs Start menu itemsWindows 2000 Setup: Please wait while Setup: Registers componentsSetup: Please wait while Setup: Saves settingsWindows 2000 Setup: Please wait while Setup: Removes any temporary files usedSetup: Completing the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard
The first version of Windows I used that encouraged you to configure a login password.
Welcome to the Network Identification WizardNetwork Identification Wizard
Windows 2000 Professional: Out of Box Experience
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional: Loading your personal settingsMicrosoft Windows 2000 Professional: Applying your personal settings
The first order of business was disabling the terrible “getting started” screen forever.
Getting Started with Windows 2000
believe this bubble was redundant, as people were already familiar with the Start menu for many years by now.
Click on the Start Button
Second order of business was enabling web content for the desktop and exposing hidden files and folders.
Folder Options : Enable Web content on my desktopFolder Options : Show hidden files and folders
Thankfully, Windows 2000 did not put Task Scheduler in the system tray by default, disabling which was also an action item with Windows 98.
The shut down experience was also much better on Windows 2000.
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional: Saving your settingsWindows 2000 Professional: Windows is shutting down
Luckily, most of the games I played back then worked well on Windows 2000; although DirectX did not come out of the box.
Continuing my series, this post is about nine succulents that I recently bought.
Dog-Tail Cactus (Strophocactus Testudo)
The Strophocactus testudo, also known as Dog-Tail Cactus is a fascinating succulent that boasts long, trailing stems resembling a dog’s tail. This unique growth habit makes it a popular choice for hanging baskets and terrariums. It is the favourite of all my succulents.
This succulent is native to Central and SouthAmerica, found abundantly in Brazil.
It needs careful handling, or bits of it can fall off.
Lophophora williamsii, commonly known as peyote, is a small, spineless cactus native to the southeastern United States and northern Mexico. This unique cactus is renowned for its psychoactive properties, particularly due to the presence of mescaline, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound.
Lophophora williamsii (Peyote)
Indigenous peoples in North America have used this plant for thousands of years for religious and spiritual ceremonies. It is a sacred plant that facilitates introspection, healing, and connection with the divine.
The African spear plant, also known as Sansevieria cylindrica or Dracaena angolensis, is a striking and low-maintenance succulent native to Angola.
Its gray-green leaves often grow in a fan shape and can reach several feet in height. Some varieties are braided or trained into patterns for a decorative effect. Like other members of the Sansevieria family, the African spear plant is incredibly hardy—thriving in a range of light conditions from bright indirect light to low light—and needs minimal watering, making it perfect for beginners or busy plant lovers.
The Jade plant (Crassula ovata) is a popular succulent known for its thick, fleshy leaves that resemble small jade coins—hence the name. Native to South Africa and Mozambique, it’s often seen as a symbol of luck and prosperity, making it a common gift for housewarmings or new ventures. Easy to care for, the jade plant thrives in bright light and needs only occasional watering, making it ideal for both beginner and experienced plant lovers. Over time, it can grow into a small, tree-like shrub with a sturdy trunk and branches.
The Bird’s Nest Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Hahnii’) is a compact, rosette-forming variety of the classic snake plant. Its short, broad leaves grow in a tight, nest-like cluster—hence the name—and feature striking green variegation with lighter horizontal stripes. Native to West Africa, this plant is incredibly hardy, tolerating low light, infrequent watering, and a range of conditions.
The Pies from Heaven plant (Sedeveria ‘Blue Elf’) is a charming hybrid succulent, a cross between Sedum and Echeveria. It features compact rosettes of chubby, bluish-green leaves that can blush with pink or red tones under bright sunlight or cooler temperatures. This drought-tolerant plant thrives in well-draining soil and lots of sunlight, making it a favorite for rock gardens, containers, and succulent arrangements. In the spring, it produces cheerful, star-shaped yellow flowers that attract pollinators and add to its appeal.
Pies from Heaven (Sedeveria)
Zebra Plant (Haworthiopsis attenuata)
The Zebra Plant (Haworthiopsis attenuata, formerly Haworthia attenuata) is a small, eye-catching succulent native to South Africa. It’s named for the white, horizontal stripes that decorate its dark green, pointed leaves—resembling a zebra’s pattern. Compact and low-growing, this plant forms rosettes and is ideal for containers or small indoor spaces. It thrives in bright, indirect light and well-draining soil, requiring only occasional watering. Easy to care for and visually striking, the Zebra Plant is a favorite among succulent enthusiasts and beginners alike.
The Monk’s Hood Cactus (Astrophytum ornatum) is a striking and slow-growing cactus native to the central highlands of Mexico. It gets its name from the curved, hood-like shape of its ribs, which give it a somewhat monastic appearance. Its tall, columnar body is often ribbed and covered in small white speckles and spines, adding to its visual appeal. In summer, it may produce large, yellow, daisy-like flowers near the top, making it even more eye-catching. Hardy and drought-tolerant, the Monk’s Hood Cactus thrives in bright light and well-draining soil, perfect for arid gardens or sunny windowsills.
All 9 succulents thrive in bright sunlight in our south-facing balcony.
I water all of them twice a week, allowing the soil to dry out completely between watering sessions.
Succulents in the balcony
During the summer growing season, a light fertilisation every month can promote healthy growth, but it’s important to refrain from this during the dormant winter months.
Continuing my series, this post is about the Mexican Heather plant that we recently bought.
Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) is a charming, low-maintenance ornamental plant known for its fine-textured foliage and delicate, colorful flowers. Despite its name, it’s not a true heather but gets the nickname due to its similar appearance.
I generally grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and wide, making it perfect for borders and ground cover. It is a pollinator-friendly plant, attracting bees and butterflies. The flowers are tiny, trumpet-shaped blooms in shades of purple, lavender, pink, or white, appearing almost year-round in warm climates.
With its dainty flowers and tidy growth habit, Mexican Heather adds soft color and texture to gardens almost year-round and is a favorite for beginner and seasoned gardeners alike.
This plant is native to Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Central America. It thrives in warm, tropical to subtropical climates and naturally grows in open, sunny areas with well-drained soils.
I keep this plant in direct sunlight. On our south-facing balcony in winters & north-facing balcony in summers, where it receives bright sunlight 2-3 hours a day.
Continuing my series, this post is about the Garden Croton plant that we recently bought.
The Garden Croton (Codiaeum variegatum) is a vibrant, tropical shrub known for its bold, multicoloured foliage. Native to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, it features leathery leaves in a dazzling mix of green, yellow, red, orange, and even purple, often with dramatic veining or spotting.
While they’re often grown outdoors in tropical climates, they also make striking houseplants. However, keeping them indoors turns the leaves dull and green, so I refuse to bring it indoors.
It is known for the variety of leaf shapes it offers—ranging from broad and oval to long, narrow, and even twisted or lobed.
I keep this plant on our south-facing balcony, in indirect sunlight. I plan to move it indoors during the winters, so prevent it from getting hit by the direct sun.
This plant requires low maintenance.
I water it three times a week, but will reduce the frequency once it is indoors.
I fertilise it every 2 months or when it shows signs of growth.
I had been using my Synology NAS for a few months now. However, as I started to do more and more with it, its inherent lack of processing power started to irk me. The CPU was too slow, the RAM too limited. More than that, its ugliness on my living room shelf disgusted me. Eventually, I decided to replace it with a Mac Mini.
Synology DS224+ next to my Mac Mini
Since I was anyways using the NAS more as a computer than for storage (a measly few hundred GBs), the choice was not difficult. I got a good deal on a used Mac Mini M2 Pro and went about migrating my data and services from the Synology.
Remote Access
Since I planned to use the Mac Mini as a headless server, the first thing I needed to do during setup was enable remote access. I used my TV as the initial display. Luckily, macOS has built-in VNC & SSH servers and enabling them was as simple as checking a few boxes.
Remote Management and Remote Login, macOS
Remote Management, macOS
With an Apple only environment, you can have better security by
Selecting the “Remote Management”, not the “Screen Sharing” option
Not selecting the “VNC viewers may control screen with password”
Using VNC over SSH when connecting with clients over the internet
The above will break compatibility with most commercial VNC applications. I like Screens 5 & Termius for VNC and SSH respectively. Both apps are paid, but quite powerful.
After verifying that remote access was working, I disconnected the TV, keyboard and mouse for good & haven’t needed them since.
Docker & Threadfin
The service I was most worried about was Threadfin, because it is not natively supported on the Mac and I need to run it within docker.
Thankfully, docker desktop works quite seamlessly on the Mac and the settings & environment variables look similar to container manager on Synology. My only problem was, I couldn’t get the container to auto-start after reboots, using environment variables in the GUI. Eventually, I could get it to work via the terminal
docker update --restart always <container_id>
Once it worked, I could clearly see the performance difference. While on Synology, the container took approx 2-3 mins from start to being usable, on the Mac, it takes less than 10 seconds.
PS: You can’t fetch new images from docker’s repository till you click on the verification link sent via email, if you have created a new account.
CloudflareTunnel
Cloudflare tunnel is installed via homebrew. It is as simple as copy/pasting a few commands via Terminal. Since the configuration of the tunnel is handled from the Cloudflare dashboard, there are no further steps required on the Mac itself.
Bonus feature, Cloudflare also allows you to setup VNC & SSH connections to your device, exposing a web interface to any browser you want to use it with. Over the same tunnel.
Plex & Homebridge
Plex is supported natively on the Mac and installing it is as easy as mounting the disk image. It detected Threadfin as a DVR fairly easily.
At first, Plex refused to detect media content from my external SSD, which was an APFS encrypted volume. However, after erasing it and setting it up as un-encrypted, it was detected fairly quickly. Funnily, once I encrypted it again, it continued to work, so I am not sure what the original problem was.
Homebridge is also natively supported on the mac and is installable via homebrew. Thankfully it comes with backup/restore functionality out-of-the-box, which worked seamlessly. Just had to keep in mind 2 things:
The plugins are not backed up and restored, so these need to be installed on the new machine manually before restoring the backup
I had to delete the bridge from my home app and add it again for my device status to work properly.
Backblaze Backup
Unlike my NAS, there’s no disk redundancy on the mac, so I chose to subscribe for Backblaze’s backup service. It is quite cheap, allows unlimited storage and if you need, they can even send you a USB drive to restore your content from.
Backblaze backup on macOS
It took around 2 days for the client to upload all my data in auto-throttled mode.
qBittorrent
For macOS, most people recommend Transmission to download torrents and the app itself is rock-solid, however, it is lacking support for RSS feeds. One can use add-ons like flexget to enable this, but I couldn’t get it to work.
Eventually, I settled for qBittorrent, which, although dated, has all the necessary features and works quite well. Its web UI is near-unusable on mobile phones, though and I couldn’t find a client on the App Store which works well, yet.
qBittorrent v5.0.5 on macOS
Resource & Environmental monitoring
I use TG Pro to monitor environmental parameters like temperature, fan speeds. It is a paid app, but is quite cheap and requires a one-time-payment only.
I use stats to monitor the CPU, GPU, Memory and bandwidth utilisation on the Mac. It is open-source and installable via homebrew.
Stats & TG Pro on Mac Menu bar
Summary
Overall, what I miss most from my Synology is its easy-to-use web interface and cloud connectivity features, which worked seamlessly. Even after a lot of effort, I cannot achieve the same level of integration on the mac, as all the services are from separate providers & lack cohesion.
However, the sheer computing power and the lack of physical ugliness more than makes up for it.
Continuing my series, this post is about the Split-Leaf Philodendron that we recently bought.
Philodendron bipinnatifidum, commonly known as the Split-Leaf Philodendron, is a stunning tropical houseplant popularly prized for its dramatic, deeply lobed leaves that can grow quite large.
This plant is native to SouthAmerica.
This plant is known for its air-purifying qualities, but I myself am skeptical if this has any practical impact, even in indoor spaces.
I keep this plant in partial sunlight, near our south facing windows, where it receives sunlight 2-3 hours a day in the late afternoons. We keep it inside a cane basket, propped up on a metal stand.
The Split-lead philodendron requires no maintenance at all, but it is important to watch out for signs of pests on the leaves.
I water it twice a week. It’s essential to keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy, as overwatering can lead to root rot.
I fertilise it every 2 months or when it shows signs of growth.
It is important to note that these plants are highly toxic to animals (and humans, to a lesser extent). Its leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals which can cause vomiting and swelling of the throat if ingested.
Continuing my series, this post is about the Candelabra spurge that we recently bought. Although it is a succulent, I thought it deserved its own post.
The Candelabra spurge, also known as the Euphorbia lactea is a fascinating and sculptural succulent native to tropical Asia, particularly India and Sri Lanka. It features upright, triangular stems with wavy, jagged edges that are often streaked with pale green and white—giving it a marbled, almost bone-like appearance. The stems, which may be mistaken for leaves are actually quite hard, despite its fragile appearance.
The plant’s name “lactea” refers to the milky sap it produces, which, like other Euphorbias, is toxic and can be irritating to skin and eyes.
My second run of the year was the Bangkok 21k park Run 2025. This was my second time participating in this run, having done it in 2024, too. This is one of my most favourite running events in Bangkok.
Like before, the run was in the scenic Suan Luang Rama IX park. Like last time, it was raining the entire week, but surprisingly didn’t rain on the morning of the race.
Bangkok 21k Park Run 2025 Race Map for 10k
Since this is a race I did twice with a gap of 1 year, it is a good opportunity to compare the metrics.
1 Year Metric comparison
Bangkok Park Run 2024 vs 2025 statistics
As you can see, I was able to shave almost 10 mins off the race time.
Bangkok Park Run 2024 vs 2025 splits
As you can see, there’s an improvement of approximately 1 minute for each split, consistently. This time, I was able to maintain sub-6 minute splits almost throughout the race.
Bangkok Park Run 2024 vs 2025 HR Zones
This time, I seem to have much less time in Zones 3 and 5 and more time in Zone 4. Also, post-workout recovery seems to be much better.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the improvement in performance and hope to improve more by next year.
Bangkok Park Run 2025 MedalBangkok Park Run 2025 Medal
