Scuba Diving and SF

SAN FRANCISCO I'M BACK!

It has almost been three years since I moved away to Chicago and this trip really took my by surprise as I realize all the things I have forgotten about my hometown. The culture of the city seems somewhat foreign to me these days. I had forgotten how slack people in SF dress and am not used to being immersed in a city with asian faces everywhere. 

Whenever I come home, I always stick to going to the places I know. I realized that I don't really venture to new restaurants often because I worry about the hit or miss factor when my time in the city is so short and all I want to do is stuff my face with my favorites while I am in the city.

The default activities my friends and I do when I am back is, cooking, karaoke, and eat at Enjoy Vegetarian. It's almost like a tradition now. 

The most exciting activity my friends and I tried out this time was archery! It's pretty neat that they have a place in the park that's free for people to use recreationally to play with bows and arrows. I liked it so much I suggested doing it in Chicago but for some reason everything is twice as expensive and in the suburbs in an indoor facility. I suppose the one thing I like much about SF is that finding activities to do is much cheaper there.

 

Shooting arrows in the morning takes a lot of energy so we went back to my parent's place to make a hearty superbowl pizza. We all finished a quarter of the pizza.

 

 

This trip, I spent a lot of time with Derrick. I reviewed his resume and cover letter, went to the Exploratorium with him, squeezed in volunteering for the MS walk in SF with George, and last- went to an Ingrid Michaelson concert in Oakland with his dragon boat friends.

 

 

For me the trip was too short! I didn't get to spend as much time with people as I would have liked. I felt most sad leaving my dad when he has health issues. He stayed home to take it easy when I left for the airport.

 

SCUBA DIVING- I WANT TO SEE WHAT'S UNDER THE SEA

 

Or ocean! My friend Julian asked if I wanted to get scuba certified and I jumped at the opportunity to try something new. Back in college I remember talking to a guy who was a scuba instructor and thought about how cool it would be to try it some day. I suppose that time is now.

 

 

We finished the confined dive class in a weekend. Now we have to try it in open water! The worst part about getting the certification is reading something like a textbook for the class. Luckily we don't need to do again for the open waters.

The Never Ending Winter

The beginning of May is in full swing and it feels strangely like San Francisco on average with the drizzling rain, fog, and cool temperatures. The weather in Chicago is so crazy this year that the tulips down Michigan avenue are struggling to bloom. They popped out of the flower beds and started to wither when odd 30 degree weather hit on and off in Chicago. Surviving the long winter made me want to fly back to the west coast where it is strangely warmer this year.

MACY'S FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW- THE SECRET GARDEN

The flowers may not be blooming outside in Chicago but that doesn't mean I can't find gardens indoors in the city. This year's flower and garden show was called the secret garden. It sounded like a British theme but it was hard to tell sometimes. They added garden sculptures of horses and deer's, chess pieces, a self portrait of a man in an impressionistic style, some porcelain garden sculptures, a bike with a piano, a dining table, and some colorful lanterns, with the highlighting piece of the whole show being a mannequin in a flower dress. I think of all the shows I have been to, Brazil was the best since the toucan was made of flowers itself.

 

 

TATTOOED..... TEMPORARILY

I got a henna tattoo during one of the Navy Pier's festival of the world event. It was interesting watching those ladies work with a frosting pipe on your hand. It looked like chocolate frosting until it started to dry out and crack off.

TOO MUCH MEAT

I come from a meat loving family, so not having meat during lunch and dinner is a hard habit to break. Lately I feel like I need to cut down on the animal protein and replace a portion of it with GREENS!

Xiao is a little picky about his vegetables but he will usually eat it if I put it on a plate for him.

ABSTRACT ART???

For the past year I have not done anything art projects in my studio. These days I have been thinking more about painting abstract art pieces. I haven't made time for this but would really like to.

THE GYM

I don't know what happened here but I basically stopped going to the gym. Why? Probably because I want to spend more time with Xiao. Gym is an hour and a half process. With tutoring eating my Wednesdays, time spent as a couple, time spent with friends occasionally, and domestic duties like cleaning and cooking, I find it difficult to make time for anything else. It sounds like an excuse for sure so I have been thinking about trying to hit the gym before work. I cringe a little at the thought of waking up early, but I heard doing something good for yourself really early before doing things for someone else (work) makes you more efficient throughout the day. Plus it would free my evenings up to hang out and do things. With Xiao temporarily living with me, my bed time is unfortunately earlier and my first wake in the morning is much earlier.