This Spring

There should be some kind of recordings for the special weather here in Half Moon Bay for this Spring, because this is the year when I start planting!

I am usually hopeless with plants, because I don't water and take care of them. When my co-worker plus friend Janice, who taught me to play piano, packed for her move to Seattle, she was going to throw her evergreen away. I asked to keep it, figuring maybe I can give it a second chance to live. I watered it whenever I remembered, but not consistent enough. It is still alive after 2 years, but a lot of its leaves die and the root is coming out of the open, so it is leaning to one side.

This Spring, the weather is still cold and rainy in mid-May, but then there has been occasions of warm and sunny days. The sun and the rain wake up lives all over the place. The mountains and the fields are especially lush. There are all shades of green, and the most beautiful and inviting wild flowers.

How can this kind of weather not encourage a black thumb start planting? I don't know.

Since the beginning of this Spring, I have been having the urge to plant ... anything. Like when I cut off the roots of green onions, I would soak them in water for the roots to grow. Then I put them in the pots with potting soil. We had an old potatoes that started growing roots, I put it in a pot and add soil. It started to grow after a few days! I put my plants outside, right in front of my front door, so that I can look at them often. I collect dripping water from the shower, and the water I use to rinse vegetables in a bucket, so that I can use it to water my plants. Sometimes it put a smile on my face when I thought about my plants.

I added some potting soil in Janice's evergreen and started watering it regularly. It is shooting out new leaves now. I am so happy!

Splash in my face

When the first Splash hit my face during my May 2nd kiting session, I realized that my kiting season has officially started!

It was a splendid day, the swells got as high as my waist, and the wind was shifty. I only managed to familiarize myself with the sport again, 6 months since the last time I kited.

I was left with muscle sore all over my body and exhausted. Kiting is a good way to realize ones own existence - the muscles and tendons and fresh - against the nature. It is refreshing, fulfilling and draining all at the same time. It pleases me.

Cinco de Mayo

Yesterday was Cinco De Mayo, as many websites reminded me. Since my birthday is in May, everything about May is just excellent to me.

Work was business as usual. I was cooped up at home all day, working like a mad scientist. At the end of the day, I decided that to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we should have Mexican food from El Grande Amigo. So as to escape kitchen duty.

When we got to the taqueria, it was already 8:40 PM. Jack didn't feel well so he waited for me in the car and sent me to order the food. I ordered our usual: 2 regular barbecue pork burritos. "Do you have tamales today?"
"No, no tamales today." The cashier was a tall and mellow young man. He smiled when he talked. Well, they only have tamales for the weekends, I was just trying my luck.
"OK, may I have a single chili relleno?"
"No, we don't have chili relleno, no more." He started to chuckled slightly. "No tamales, no chili relleno."
"Oh, OK, then. That's it. Extra salsa on the side please. This is for to-go."

I waited in the restaurant for our food. I skimmed through all of the local business cards and advertisements posted on the wall, but there was nothing new.

While I was bundling up, fighting the cold and my hunger, the cashier came out of the kitchen to tell me: "No more beans. Is rice and salsa OK for your burrito?" He was still smiling, and was so friendly.
"Oh, OK, just rice and salsa then. Thanks." I smiled back thinking I've never had burritos without beans before, ever.

We ate our burrito at home, it wasn't bad. I didn't care for beans anyway, all it did was giving me gas. I don't mind having a burrito with no beans anytime.

Jack said: "God knows I like burritos."

Have you dreamed of flying lately?

Yes, I had a great flying dream last weekend. After having a series of nightmares about work for 3 days in a roll, it was certainly a welcome change.

First my mom, John (my bro) and I went on an airplane for L.A. The inside of the plane was like a shuttle bus, but instead of normal 2 rows of seats there were filthy folding beds that you could lay on. 3 of them diagonally in a row. Mom wasn't happy and said something like she wish we were driving to L.A.

Then Jack and I went to this narrowed, swimming pool size in-door physical training camp. Only everyone being trained were young Chinese women, except Jack and I (I guess). Since we were late comers, all these women looked down on us.

In this qualification exam, we were supposed to walk from one side of the room to the other. Jack and I were the first to get to the other side, because we ran. The trainer was impressed. Then the rusty door was opened, and there were a lot of people coming after us from outside.

Jack and I rushed out of the room and started running fast. We ran and ran, then all of a sudden, we started flying. I flew over a big park, high above the green lawn and trees. I could see people playing balls and relaxing under the trees. I just enjoyed it.

There is something about Spring

The abundant rain;

the green grasses and hills;

the lively chirping birds;

the chilly winds or just the air.

Made me want to plant some seeds.

I put the sprouted potatoes in wet soil,

and left it out under the sun and rain.

While I cooked my vegetables at night,

I made big plans for this Spring.

I could also try carrots, cilantro,

green onion, and sweet basil.

Hmm.. can I plant asparagus using its stalk?

I wondered...

My mom and grilled cheese sandwich

Last weekend when I went to hangout with my mom, she told me, with excitement, her discovery of making grilled cheese sandwich.

I said: "How do you make it, you don't have a toaster." She kinda gave the toaster away when she moved from a house to the new condo.

She said (in Chinese, of course): "I didn't need a toaster. I grilled the 2 slices of bread in a non-stick pan, and put a cheese on top of one of them. Then put mayonnaise, lettuce and ham. And the sliced bread is only $1.5 a loaf, it can go a long way. Even your brother liked it."

John said: "Yeah, it's good enough for lunch. That's what some people have for lunch normally."

We are so easy to be impressed and amazed. It isn't a bad thing, I suppose.

An awful dream

I had one of the worst dreams last night.

I dreamed that the earth's atmosphere was going to be collapsed, and we were all going to suffocate. President Obama calmly announced it in his last State Of Union speech. Just like the president in the movie 2012 did. We quietly bit farewell to people whom we cared and loved. We were all so terribly depressed.

As we were watching the last shed of light in the sky closed up, I felt that the air started to become slowly thin up. Many people gathered in one place, waiting for the earth to collapse to form a black hole.