Away from Home

My brother just moved to New Zealand. This is his first time living away from home. It’s also his first time being away from all things familiar – family, friends, parents. Everytime we talk, I realize how different each person’s life experiences are. Granted, my brother and I have always been polar opposites. However, even if two people are living in the same place at the same time, I think each person tend to have a different take on things. Afterall, no two people are the same. We’re all unique individuals with unique perspectives on things, outlook on life and motivations. Truth is, we each have our own journeys to walk; our own choices to make, our own destinations to arrive at. And the journey is different for each one of us. Perhaps that’s what’s most important. The journey and not the destination. That journey can make or break our spirit. Being an avid traveller and having lived in three different countries and multiple cities, I've met all kinds of people. The more interesting ones, the ones I find myself drawn to, the ones who inspire me are, ironically, not the ones who are successful; it's not the ones who've made big money; it's not the ones who think their life is over. It's the ones who know their lives are not perfect. They live very ordinary lives but are honest with themselves. Rather than be crippled by their failures, they see opportunities to improve themselves. The make me realize no matter what happens to me, all I need to do is to have the right perspective in life and to keep going. They remind me that eventhough life's not perfect, it's the little things that matter. Being able to laugh, knowing I'm learning everyday, bring able to contribute to something worthwhile, making a difference and being the best I can be for myself, life can be great, nomatter what happens. 

Chiku germinating

Chiku is a small brown tropical fruit the size of a large egg. It's also spelt Ciku in Malaysia and is widely found in South East Asian countries. It has the texture of a grainy persimmon and is extremely sweet. Sometimes, almost like a rotten sweetness. I used to enjoy eating this food growing up in Malaysia but I've never been able to find it since moving to the States so I've really missed it as an adult. It's true the saying, the more you don't have, the more you want! It's one of my must-have items everytime I visit Malaysia. So I was delirious when I found some in Chinatown here in Hawaii about 3 months ago and seeded 8 seeds, hoping some would grow out. To my utter disappointment, nothing has happened. I've read that it's a very slow growing plant so I've been very patient. But 3 months is a long time to wait. Elton's has long given up hope and taunts, "I can't believe you're still waiting for those chikus to grow!" Today, I decided to give up. But as I started digging them up, I discovered that 5 of the seeds have actually germinated! There are roots growing out! It really made my day. I suppose it pays to be patient when it comes to farming! Good things are worth waiting for. I've repotted them. I guess all there is to do now is keep my fingers crossed and hope they keep growing.

some of the chiku seeds which have germinated

Ewa Beach

I stumbled upon a beach close to the house today called Ewa beach. It's pronounced 'Eva'. Really beautiful place with powder soft sand. The neighborhood actually looks quite sketchy and perhaps a little like a ghetto area with messy homes, unkept yards and pockets of nicely kept houses in the midst of low income looking houses. The backyard however is one of the most pristine untouched beaches I've seen. I had to jump in for a dip.

the beach exit between houses leading to the beach from the street

I love this sign posted on a house by the beach

Plants fruiting

Our plants are finally fruiting! I get so excited watching them sprout and growing bigger by the day. Feeling like a proud mother! Besides learning how much water the plants need at different stages of growth, I've also learnt that they flower first and only when germinated, does the fruits grow out as the flowers wilt away. However, the melons and squashes like the bittermelon, cucumber, winter mellon and zucchini have male and female flowers. At the early stage, all the flowers blooming are males and only break off without fruiting. It's the pollenated female flowers that turn into fruits. Plants like the okra and snow peas have to be constantly harvested for more to sprout. I can't get over how beautiful these fruiting plant's flowers are! But the best part is actually seeing how the plants of these vegetables look like!

Beefsteak tomatoes

ripe Box Roma tomato

Japanese Mici cucumbers sprouting on our hydroponic table

Bell pepper

Manoa Wonder string beans

Snow peas

Okra

Zucchini sprouting

Wintermelon

Bittermelon

Bok Choy

Zucchini flowers which can be eaten deep fried or sauteed

Snow pea flowers are so dainty and pretty

Okra (Ladies finger) plant flower

Bittermelon flower

Jalapeño chili pepper flower

Tomato flowers before they turn into tomatoes

Red Bell pepper plant flower. That light yellowish center is a budding bell pepper

Caught this amazing shot of a honey bee hovering over the Thai Basil plant flowers

Cucumber flower

Wintermelon flower