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An Enchanting Moment
Love to sit in the yard at dusk, doing nothing, emptying the mind so I can have space to soak it in with all my senses. It’s the most tender time of the day, watching the sky slowly darken, like the stage curtain lowering before switching to next scene. Solar lights flicker on one by…
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A Date with Spring
Friday night, there’s still light outside, daylight is getting longer, and it’s warmer. Rarely, I am caught up on all the things on my to-do list, and decided to sit in the yard. For a moment, I felt guilty, even grabbed a book to read. As if I’m wasting time if do nothing, just sit…
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Making Sourdough
While watching the Blue Zone documentary, I got inspired for baking my own Ikaria sourdough. Then I watched Saana Vaara, a Finland girl baking her own sourdough in a cozy room during the polar night, a frozen dark world outside, warm and cozy inside. I decided to learn how to bake my own sourdough. I…
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Simple is the New Rich
I love cooking now, Baba would be proud of me. In the book “Keep Sharp” by Sanjay Gupta, he mentioned to keep your brain sharp, one thing you can do is to plan meals ahead. That is such an obvious piece of advice yet it needs to be reintroduced. Our ancestors practiced that for hundreds…
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Zen Master
In our front yard, a feral cat whom I named “Dirty Face” buried herself in the newly grown grass, napping peacefully. It’s in-between the storms this week, and she finds herself a cozy spot to doze in. The grass was washed by the rain, getting greener; Dirty Face is whiter too, making quite a contrast…
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Timeout
I started jogging a while ago, not sure about my consistency yet, but so far still love to run, so rewarded myself with a pair of jogging shoes. I run slow, not much faster than fast walking, though I still get good sweat. I guess still in zone 2, as I can still talk. I noticed during…
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Party
I was invited to a party, a totally different social circle and background. I was nervous to accept, what to talk about, hesitating… I went after all, and enjoyed the party very much. Meeting people from different backgrounds is like opening up different horizons, there’s so much more to talk about beyond our comfort zone.…
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Street Vendor
I had my first street vendor experience. Every time when we drove by always see people lined up, with smoke and flames flaring up, lighting up people’s faces and the dark night sky. I always wanted to try it, the crowds seem so excited, and the smell is really tempting too. I can see the meat…
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Heaven is at the Moment
Saturday morning, the sun is brewing spring in the yard: peach trees starting to blossom here and there, like a dancing note composing music. A sleepy cat is sunbathing on the fence, her favorite spot. Back on New Year’s Day, she had a pink jacket on, stunned me with her new look. Now whenever I see…
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Valentine’s Day
Yesterday was Chinese Lantern Festival, lunar January 15th, which marks the end of Lunar New Year celebration. In ancient times, the towns would be all lit up by hundreds of thousands of lanterns, locals all coming out at night to appreciate the lanterns, making for fun crowds and fun night life. Naturally it created such a…