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| Amaryllis belladonna |
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| Gracie my kitty |
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| Up the hill |
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| Mexican Sunflower |
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曇花Epiphyllum Tánhuā
This flower opens at night time only. It is the first time I got to a white version of it. It smells so good and it's so beautiful.
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| Phalaenopsis |
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Flowers and a Cat
A little nature taste for you guys if you are in need of some.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Fred Weibel Elementary School
Hey guys!
Biking for Two hours in 80 degrees ( obviously Fahrenheit or I be a melted Deborah). Why did I do that?
A little fun fact about me: I went to Weibel Elementary school for kindergarden and first grade. Then I switched schools. On my last day at Weibel, my first grade teacher Mr. Kilby said to come back and visit. That was June 2005. So it took me 10 years and 2 months to come back and visit. Imagine of seeing one's old elementary school only 4 times since one left. Yeah.
So what got me the idea to come back? Well I wanted to for such a long time. And the last time I seen Weibel was last Monday when I was driving home (with a permit and a driving instructor though I didn't know I was actually driving since I was so nervous). When I saw the school's sign, I kinda took my foot off the throttle when I was turning and just pointed at it, smiling. Tip: Never focus on one point when you're driving. That's what the instructor told me. Anyway, since my Thursday afternoon was free I just decide to bike there since school starts in 13 days. That's too close. And I made it a goal of mine to visit Weibel this summer so why not?
When I bike over there ( took me half an hour or so), I felt nostalgic and happy there. I actually remember some of the fun times I have with my friends, where my classrooms were, the multipurpose room, the look of the school (well everything seems smaller until I bent down my knees)...I miss it a lot. I admit it's the first time I miss and enjoy a school, since my other schools are an everyday view and not always full of great memories. And my times at Weibel were not all great, but being there made me happy. A lot has changed and a lot stayed the same when I left. I got lost there in my feelings as I roam around the school ( and attracting the attention of the janitor there. Hi!) Hmm, sometimes I wished I could stayed at Weibel and not move schools and houses...but I did switched schools and houses. I can't change that. But I can enjoy the experience and memories. And there are definitely some great memories I cherish. And I was luckily ( Thank you God!!) reunite with one of my Weibel friends. Soooo....
Happy Birthday Alexander Lee! (Whether early or belated, still happy birthday) Maybe you and I can come back here, visit and make new memories.
Biking for Two hours in 80 degrees ( obviously Fahrenheit or I be a melted Deborah). Why did I do that?
A little fun fact about me: I went to Weibel Elementary school for kindergarden and first grade. Then I switched schools. On my last day at Weibel, my first grade teacher Mr. Kilby said to come back and visit. That was June 2005. So it took me 10 years and 2 months to come back and visit. Imagine of seeing one's old elementary school only 4 times since one left. Yeah.
So what got me the idea to come back? Well I wanted to for such a long time. And the last time I seen Weibel was last Monday when I was driving home (with a permit and a driving instructor though I didn't know I was actually driving since I was so nervous). When I saw the school's sign, I kinda took my foot off the throttle when I was turning and just pointed at it, smiling. Tip: Never focus on one point when you're driving. That's what the instructor told me. Anyway, since my Thursday afternoon was free I just decide to bike there since school starts in 13 days. That's too close. And I made it a goal of mine to visit Weibel this summer so why not?
When I bike over there ( took me half an hour or so), I felt nostalgic and happy there. I actually remember some of the fun times I have with my friends, where my classrooms were, the multipurpose room, the look of the school (well everything seems smaller until I bent down my knees)...I miss it a lot. I admit it's the first time I miss and enjoy a school, since my other schools are an everyday view and not always full of great memories. And my times at Weibel were not all great, but being there made me happy. A lot has changed and a lot stayed the same when I left. I got lost there in my feelings as I roam around the school ( and attracting the attention of the janitor there. Hi!) Hmm, sometimes I wished I could stayed at Weibel and not move schools and houses...but I did switched schools and houses. I can't change that. But I can enjoy the experience and memories. And there are definitely some great memories I cherish. And I was luckily ( Thank you God!!) reunite with one of my Weibel friends. Soooo....
Happy Birthday Alexander Lee! (Whether early or belated, still happy birthday) Maybe you and I can come back here, visit and make new memories.
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| The Blacktop area |
View of the school portable
(next to room 32, my first grade classroom)
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| View of the school |
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| The Multipurpose room inside |
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| The Multipurpose room outside |
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| Beautiful Mural (Why that not there when I attended the school? Pretty) |
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| The Office (Great places to wait for my parents on those days) |
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| The Parking lot |
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| Me in my biking helmet reflecting off a classroom window ( I look weird. L.o.l) |
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| View of the School (It's like a maze. Amazing♪) |
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| Great view to remember |
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| Race ya! |
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| Me feeling euphoric |
One of the most fun summer I had. YAY!
Monday, August 10, 2015
Sunol Agpark Experience Week 4 and 5
Hey guys!
I want to say that my Sunol Internship has ended (aww) but I did have a lot of fun over the past few months. And I decided to bring a special over on my last day. Let us embrace the memories and the stories told in these pictures.
July 28, 2015 Tuesday
Later I took a glimpse at the hens clucking behind in the chicken coop. Pretty.
Then I got assigned to water some plants with a hose. Nellie later came back to tell me that I got to work in the peppers fields, picking small yellow green peppers. They're small and a bit difficult to find, especially when there's not a of them out there. But I did to work along with Antony who showed me a praying mantis. Cool.
After we spent a couple of minutes gathering peppers, we finished a row and then took a lunch break. Later I then got to work with Jake out in the squash fields. Our job was to pick some squash with dark green, distinguishable stripes. To pick them, one can clip off the squash's stem or simply pluck the squash off. Well I think having the stems on helps keep the squash's water content more level than having the water leaking out of the squash itself. Oh well. :P
As we picked the squash and put them in baskets, we talked about random stuff like Netflix, schools, our love for languages, Doctor Who ( I'm currently addicted to the show especially the season with David Tennant. Man why can't he stay longer? He's a terrific actor. Oh I'm getting off track.), Detective Conan ( great anime show. You should watch it), ideal careers like game design for Jake, and pets. He mentioned DuoLingo, a free language-learning website which he is using to learn German. He spoke some German and French to me while I spoke some Spanish, Chinese and Japanese to him. 語文很好玩可是我的法文不太好，糟糕。。。
Can you read it Jake?
Thanks for a great time!
August 5, 2015 Wednesday
And I of course brought my camera to share my tale. As we weed, we talked about school since Stanley's off to college and I'll be entering my senior year in a few weeks. We told about the MSJ garden to Will and Kristyn; they told us they'll be hosting a harvest party on September 20, 2015 Sunday at the farm from 2-3pm. We got to try some flower that gives us a tingling, numb feeling ( called Paresthesia ) similar to 花椒 (huā jiāo) or the English name Sichuan pepper. The flower and Sichuan peppers have a bioactive chemical named hydroxy alpha sanshool that gives the numb, prickly feeling. Interesting. And I tried to convince Stanley to eat some nightshade berries, while the notion that nightshade is a poisonous plant. Kristyn brought up that a Korean woman visit their farm and feed some nightshade berries to a baby. " Uhh, I can't beat a baby."- Stanley. Kristyn also mentioned that a group of Burmese tourists said their favorite plant is morning glory, a weed to us but a snack to them. I admit that morning glory tastes a bit bitter, but it all depends on where we grow up since the place and culture influence our tastes. We also talk about our last meal on earth and all of us ( Stanley's was his mother's fried rice I think) were related to Asian food. But I shall add poha berries to my last meal since they are delicious especially during "sneaky" snack breaks when I eat some and give some to B.B. Hehehehe. Fun fact, if you pet a dog, your oxytocin levels will increase. And another thing also increase the oxytocin levels is dirt.
After we were done weeding the area, we took a break and walked towards a picnic area with nice benches and grapes vines growing around the benches. But Kristyn wants to show us an experiment she and Will are doing. The goal of the experiment is to cultivate the plants to survive realistic conditions like not enough water, hot temperatures, and bugs attacks, similar to California's current drought situation. The plants would then pass down the traits to their offspring and later the offspring would survive a bit better than its parents since it's getting used to the environment. Because the demands of the plants are high, some of them don't survive but that's okay since having one plant alive that makes a lot of seeds is already a success. And Will and Kristyn had done this to some broccoli and some poha berries.
However when Kristyn was talking about the experiment, everyone saw a strange phenomenon: a swirling cyclone of dust almost lifting up some mulch into the air. It reached from the the sky and above the plants, so it was a big tornado. But it lasted for a minute or two. Ephemeral indeed. And I did not take a video of it because it is one of the those moments when you embrace the experience and remember it. Hopefully I would remember it. The cyclone did dissipate here.
After we overcome the surprise, Kristyn then showed us a herb garden they and let us try some Korean mint leaves and hibiscus. The air around the herb garden smell so good and fresh. Then Will came over and said, "It's time to [ nod his head sideways to Kristyn]" and she said they are going come back after they get something. Stanley and I relaxed at the picnic while Kristyn, Will and B.B. drove away in their truck to pick up something. Hmm what could it be? As we waited, we ate some green grapes growing nearby and I took some pictures and a video. Stanley also showed me a piggy he made for Aspen, who is moving in the first week of August to a new state. Aww, everyone is gonna miss her. Thank you Aspen and I think we can agree that this piggy is so CUTE!
Look at it! It is so CUTE!!!!
Anyway, as we were reading a worm anatomy chart that was left on the bench ( the chart was for teaching some students about worms earlier), Kristyn, Will and B.B came back. As they walked toward us ( and B.B. ran around the place), I flashed them the worm chart saying, " As you can see this is a chart of the worm. Over here is the.." as Will was holding out two red popsicles. POPSICLES!!! (Thank you so much you guys! It's so sweet and really thoughtful). As Stanley and I ate the strawberry flavored kind, Kristyn ate some mango version and Will ate a fruit blend kind. Relaxing time indeed.
After our popsicle break was over, we then help Kristyn collect some burdock seed balls from their burdock tree. It turns out the burdock seeds and roots are full of phosphorus, which can be made as tea and used as a fertilizer for plants making their seeds. Collecting the burdock balls were fun, especially when you stick them to your shirt like so. Where else can you find an amazing porcupine at the farm?
But collecting the seeds can be frustrating. It's not that the seeds are hard to collect. It's just that the fibers that surround the seeds are quite skin-irritating like a fresh hair-cut kind of feeling. Oh well. As noon approached, Stanley and I waved goodbye to Will, Kristyn and B.B. On the way to Stanley's car, we snatched some poha berries and enjoyed the view we have. Breathtaking isn't?
After Stanley drove me home, I then think about how the summer passed by. Today was really fun. Memories are made here and I hope to come visit the place next year. We'll see.
Thank you guys for helping make my internship so fun and wonderful. I hope you enjoy the blog posts and I can't thank you guys enough.
Keeping working hard, Do what you love and you guys are wonderful.
:D
I want to say that my Sunol Internship has ended (aww) but I did have a lot of fun over the past few months. And I decided to bring a special over on my last day. Let us embrace the memories and the stories told in these pictures.
July 28, 2015 Tuesday
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Today I worked at Fred's farm, located near the back of the Agpark. I got to meet some of then interns who worked like Nellie, Jason, and Antony, Fred, and his stepson Jake. My first task was to pick some of the Nasturtiums (aka squash blossoms) off the plants and place them into containers. Some of the squash blossoms have mixed range of colors like orange, maroon red ( Maroon 5 ,jk), yellow-orange splashy pattern like the one below, and more. After Nellie and I plucked many of them off, we packaged them into plastic boxes that will be send to a fancy S.F. restaurant, dipped in chocolate. Yummy and edible and pretty. What more can you ask for?
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| Nasturtiums |
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| Hens! (They like Nutella sandwiches apparently) |
Then I got assigned to water some plants with a hose. Nellie later came back to tell me that I got to work in the peppers fields, picking small yellow green peppers. They're small and a bit difficult to find, especially when there's not a of them out there. But I did to work along with Antony who showed me a praying mantis. Cool.
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| Praying Mantis |
As we picked the squash and put them in baskets, we talked about random stuff like Netflix, schools, our love for languages, Doctor Who ( I'm currently addicted to the show especially the season with David Tennant. Man why can't he stay longer? He's a terrific actor. Oh I'm getting off track.), Detective Conan ( great anime show. You should watch it), ideal careers like game design for Jake, and pets. He mentioned DuoLingo, a free language-learning website which he is using to learn German. He spoke some German and French to me while I spoke some Spanish, Chinese and Japanese to him. 語文很好玩可是我的法文不太好，糟糕。。。
Can you read it Jake?
Thanks for a great time!
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| Jake Shepard and Me |
August 5, 2015 Wednesday
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
My last (well for now) day at Sunol Agpark.
To celebrate this fine day, I invited my friend Stanley Gu who was an intern last year and told me about this internship in the first place. Thank you Stanley!
I was surprised to see him driving in a car with his father when he came over to pick me up. We both started laughing out aloud for some reason and tried to suppress our giggling during the car ride. The detour he drove ( Niles Canyon, I believe) is beautiful but scary with all the tight space and the incoming cars. But we're alive and happy! :D
To celebrate this fine day, I invited my friend Stanley Gu who was an intern last year and told me about this internship in the first place. Thank you Stanley!
I was surprised to see him driving in a car with his father when he came over to pick me up. We both started laughing out aloud for some reason and tried to suppress our giggling during the car ride. The detour he drove ( Niles Canyon, I believe) is beautiful but scary with all the tight space and the incoming cars. But we're alive and happy! :D
When we arrived at the farms, we walked over to Namu farm where Will, Kristyn and B.B. are. B.B. started barking out loud and was running to towards as Will stand up from a row to greet us. We all started talking and laughing out loud and then Kristyn walked towards us saying, " I remember that giggle." ( referring to Stanley). After we all greeted each other, Stanley and I helped out Kristyn and Will weeding out the peanut and squash rows with the trowel hoes they have given us. And we weed for a long time, which is a great time to exchange stories and jokes. What happens at the Namu farm stays at the Namu farm, unless I blab on this blog and I will. :P
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| Will and Kristyn |
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| Stanley Gu |
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| B.B. lying in the field |
After we were done weeding the area, we took a break and walked towards a picnic area with nice benches and grapes vines growing around the benches. But Kristyn wants to show us an experiment she and Will are doing. The goal of the experiment is to cultivate the plants to survive realistic conditions like not enough water, hot temperatures, and bugs attacks, similar to California's current drought situation. The plants would then pass down the traits to their offspring and later the offspring would survive a bit better than its parents since it's getting used to the environment. Because the demands of the plants are high, some of them don't survive but that's okay since having one plant alive that makes a lot of seeds is already a success. And Will and Kristyn had done this to some broccoli and some poha berries.
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| Broccoli |
After we overcome the surprise, Kristyn then showed us a herb garden they and let us try some Korean mint leaves and hibiscus. The air around the herb garden smell so good and fresh. Then Will came over and said, "It's time to [ nod his head sideways to Kristyn]" and she said they are going come back after they get something. Stanley and I relaxed at the picnic while Kristyn, Will and B.B. drove away in their truck to pick up something. Hmm what could it be? As we waited, we ate some green grapes growing nearby and I took some pictures and a video. Stanley also showed me a piggy he made for Aspen, who is moving in the first week of August to a new state. Aww, everyone is gonna miss her. Thank you Aspen and I think we can agree that this piggy is so CUTE!
Look at it! It is so CUTE!!!!
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| Piggy! |
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| Will and my popsicle |
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| Kristyn and her mango Popsicle |
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| A Porcupine |
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| Paradise |
Thank you guys for helping make my internship so fun and wonderful. I hope you enjoy the blog posts and I can't thank you guys enough.
Keeping working hard, Do what you love and you guys are wonderful.
:D
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Stargazing and A House
Hello people!
If you have noticed, I have worked on the Sunol Agpark farm and today was my last day. So I'll be working on that blog post soon.
But I want to show you guys some amazing pictures I took from last Friday's blue moon (July 31, 2015 9:45 pm to 9:56 pm) and one of the new houses on the block last Sunday (August 2, 2015 2:15 pm-3:00 pm). Pretty random but beautiful. Enjoy!
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| Blue Moon |
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| Blue Moon with an airplane streak |
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| Me with binoculars |
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| The art of Space |
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| Library |
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| Kitchen table |
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| Family Room |
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| Living Room |
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| Bedroom |
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| Dining Room |
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| Kitchen Decor |
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Cats!
Hello!
I would like to say that this post is dedicated to my father who have shared with me many stories of the time he raised many stray cats in 臺北,臺灣 and his love for cats (just not the allergies part). Most of my friends know that I love cats and sometimes show them pictures of the wild cats I have outside my house. My father and I agreed to daily feed them with water and cat food bought from Costco because we cannot resist their adorable faces whenever they are hungry and strolling around the front yard. But guess what? I actually have a kitty named Gracie or Neko or Mao Mao who follows me everywhere/ She's so CUTE!!
Currently we have five, six cats outside ( three are kittens), one inside the house named Gracie, and a lot of cat pictures that I took.
This cat is this white, gray, brown streaked cat. Usually we call the cat 白貓咪, but I decided to name him Jeremiah.
Another cat who is now pregnant is named Paprika because her coat reminds me of the color of paprika ( I now learned that paprika is actually orange while her coat is more brown) and I was thinking of the character Paprika from Blue's Clues. Yes, I did named a cat based off a cartoon show from ten years ago that my brother and I enjoyed watching...Also I named one of the jumpy cats, Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh because I like Tigger and Winnie the Pooh, and that cat does have beautiful strips.
I would like to say that this post is dedicated to my father who have shared with me many stories of the time he raised many stray cats in 臺北,臺灣 and his love for cats (just not the allergies part). Most of my friends know that I love cats and sometimes show them pictures of the wild cats I have outside my house. My father and I agreed to daily feed them with water and cat food bought from Costco because we cannot resist their adorable faces whenever they are hungry and strolling around the front yard. But guess what? I actually have a kitty named Gracie or Neko or Mao Mao who follows me everywhere/ She's so CUTE!!
Currently we have five, six cats outside ( three are kittens), one inside the house named Gracie, and a lot of cat pictures that I took.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Sunol Agpark Experience Week 3
Hello everyone!
News Flash. If there is there one thing you should eat before you die, it should be ground cherries aka poha (well that's what Kristie said. I think I ate the Hawaiian kind). The scientific name of these ground cherries are Physalis. It's sweet, small, cute, delicious, and addicting. Really addicting since I ate like fifty of them; I don't think I'm exaggerating on that fact. They're so GOOD!
Enough of my cravings for such exotic food, moving onto my reflection over the past few days.
Today I walked over to Kristyn and Will's Korean farm at the end of the Agpark. I came just in time for the tour that she was giving to her friend Steve. They shared something interesting stories about Korea and some of the plants to all of us. I got to learn about different types of herbs and veggies as I learned about their characteristics and their link to the Korean culture. I also got to try out some long beans, special herbs, ground cherries, and nightshade (not the deadly kind, the edible kind that tastes sweet and delicious. I already read the deadly nightshade symptoms and I have not experience any of them since I have eaten them). Kristyn also showed me the burdock which inspired Velcro. As we see the farm, Kristyn continue to show her crops like peppers, beans, okra, sorghum, winter melon, squash, etc. They all look wonderful and delectable.
When the tour was over, we come over to the longbeans and continued to build trellis for them to grow on. I already experienced building trellis for the MSJ garden, so the job was simple for me. You take a long piece of string, tie to a horizontal string at the top, and tie to the next string below until you reach the bottom. Meanwhile Kristyn and Will placed the longbeans on the string, making sure they have ample space to grow. To pass the time, we share some pretty interesting stories with each other. I started off with interesting questions like so.
"If you have one last meal on earth, what would it be? It can be like what my friend said of having crab with butter on top and a steak and such," I asked.
"Are desserts included?" asked Steve.
"Yes, desserts do count," I replied.
"Well, what would you have?" asked Kristyn.
"炒麵! (aka the chow mein)" I quickly said.
"Wow, that was quick," replied Kristyn.
"Hmm. I would have to say corn dogs," answered Steve.
"Really, huh. Corn dogs. I never knew that. We're been friends this long and thanks to you I now know that," replied Kristyn.
"What would you have, Kristyn?" I asked.
"Umm. I go with rice, like the one I have when I was little," replied Kristyn. ( She specified the dish, but I can't remember what she said exactly.)
"Nice choice. I like that one too," commented Steve.
And we continued to talk about random things especially noodles and movies, ranging from the ones that made us cry and the ones that made us leave the movie theater. Meanwhile we play with B.B. Kristyn's Chihuahua. Her original name was Beyonce, but when Kristyn adpoted her B.B. responded to B.B. more. After a while, we had a snack break and Kristyn made a herb tea drink for everyone and it was minty and delicious. Also she shared some more poha berries and I ate the rest of them. I also mentioned to Steve some business ideas for his Ramen shop: have a wax mannequin of himself, invent a phone that allows it to grow plants in it and harness its photosynthetic energy, and place a poster of his face on the shop's window if the latter two are expensive.
He-he-he...
Today I walked over to Kristyn's farm again and met her other friend Will Santiago. She told me that Will and her had noodles in the honor of me, since I'm a noodle fanatic. Yet when I came, I heard some news came that the energy company next door are planning to take over three more acres of the Agpark so its workers would "work more." A bit suspicious, I may say. Matt and Helena were taking with Kristyn about what they should to fight back by contacting their supporters and the organizations they work with, the mayor, and more people. I suggested they could refer to The Grapes of Wrath as historical and literature backup. Still I'm worried about them, but they are strong.
After Matt and Helena walked back to their Happy Acres Farm, I followed Kristyn who showed me the activity today which was weeding. But how she and Will weed are different from simply pulling it from the ground or using a knife to cut the roots. What they do is they use a hoe-trowel tool to to break up the soil by prodding the trowel up and down close together. Later we pull out the weeds and then smooth out the soil flat around the plants. With the hoe-trowel, the soil uplifts the little weed sprouts and letting them be exposure to the intense sun. It's slow but it prevents future weeds from growing and puts off more weeding in the future. The soil felt smooth, crumbling and fine.
However I did some thorns in my right hand and Kristyn applied some homemade balm on it. It eventually came out and as I waiting for the pain to subside, Kristyn showed me a tub of eucalyptus branches and told me that these branches have a growth hormone that can give a boost for young plants not just for eucalyptus. o.0
(I'm thinking of those eucalyptus trees near my home...)
Later we took a lunch break as the sun continues to rise. I ate my Nutella sandwich and we all chat with each other. And I recommend Will South Legend Szechuan Cuisine's Dry-Braised Fish with pork in spicy sauce as a dish he should try as his last meal on earth, or this week. :P
And Kristyn gave me some spicy Korean garlic. Yummy.
July 15, 2015 Wednesday
Today I walked over to Will and Kristyn's farm and helped them weed the sorghum beds as they prepare the beds adjacent to sorghum and mulch them. Kristyn told me that she felt happy when I said the soil feels so good and have a lot of bugs inside. She said she have been irrigating the soil for months and covering the bed with mulch so that there's least possible exposure to the air and sun for the soil. A healthy soil has bugs inside, air equally disperse, moisture, and life. Kristyn explain that instead of using only chemistry by providing the minerals the soil lacks, she and Will use biology by helping the bacteria grow and provide the nutrients for the plants. Their process is slow but worthwhile since the soil is amazing♪.
Anyway I continued to weed out the Amaranth, nightshade, morning glory, and thistle with dandelions. It took me a while clear out the area but it does take perseverance to continue and finish the job. I see that determination in Will and Kristyn and it motivates me to weed on even though I have been weeding almost every time at the farm. I don't blame any of the farmers since there are numerous weeds growing everywhere. During our lunch and water break, we were discussing random topics like choosing rice or noodles.
I replied, "Well it's like choosing between air or water. You need both. "
Kristyn replied, "Thank you, that's exactly what I mean. You know what. I'm going to say that next time someone asks me that questions. "
We all later talk about how common Filipinos like sing karaoke ( I still don't why), the existence of K-rage (which does apparently), which led on to K-pop which also sounds like cake-pop. I then told them that my friend made cake-pop of pink piggies' heads for his English project, which is based on Lord of the Flies.
I said,"That's a scary book. I mean those British kids lost their innocence. They like killed like two people. I imagined my two friends would be on island with me and them and I would like choose to tell what the kids to and have my friends as my bodyguards or die. I think death is a better option."
Kristyn commented, "Huh, so you can choose to enslave everyone and have your friends as your bodyguards or die. I don't blame you. Like being in traffic makes me want to kill someone."
I look at my watch and realize I have to go.
"Uhh, bye!"I shouted as I quickly walked away. Will and Kristyn started laughing out loud as they waved goodbye.
'I'm okay if you kill Will, Kristyn. Bye!" I said as I walked all to my mom's car.
Fun times.
And I grabbed a few poha berries on the way. They're okay if I do that.
July 16, 2015 Thursday
I came to the farm around 8 to work on Emily's farm, Root and Bloom. But I couldn't find anyone except for Kristyn, Will and Vinnie (Helena and Matt's dog). I waited at Emily's farm as I pet Vinnie like he's my kitty. Later he followed me as I looked over the farm and reviewed a bit of my Pre-calculus notes. Yes, math. I then decided to walk over to Kristyn and Will as Vinnie slowly followed me. I waiting for B.B. to bark out loud, but it turns out that it was her day off. I greeted Will and Kristyn who were preparing to transplant some eggplants and squash, I believe. I watched as I checked my text message from Aspen and realize that I messed up the time, which was 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Whoops. I spent the last 15 minutes studying math and snacking on some poha berries. Later Emily came and so did Aspen who came to check up on me.
Aspen then left to help guide a cooking camp of kids around the farm. Emily and I then went over to her peppers and tomato beds to remove all the weeds that have growing there. I borrowed her trowel to remove the deep-rooted weeds and it was rewarding to remove the weeds that almost suffocated the peppers and tomatoes. While we were weeding, Emily gave a quick shout and asked me to come over. I walked over to where she was pointing and I thought it was garden snake. But instead she pointed to a caterpillar. We couldn't figure out what kind of caterpillar it was so we walked over to Aaron (after we took a lot of pictures of it). Aaron then said it is a tomato horn worm as Emily was reading some description of it. I so decided to name the moth caterpillar with seven V's shapes on its back Emily. And as a surprise, Aaron called over to the camp of kids to come over and look at the bug. So I was surrounded by little children who were petting the caterpillar and want to touch it more. Good thing it lasted for a minute because I don't like being crowded. Afterwards, we took pictures of the worm and placed it in a coffee cup of tomato leaves.
Later we fixed some of the hose that are part of drip irrigation system used at the farms with some electrical tape. And then we weed the flowers and some eggplants until we have a water break. But I got to say "茄子" to one of the supervisors named Jiang Chi. After our break, Emily decided to make another bouquet and cut some sunflowers, stasis, cosmos, and more types of flowers as I stripped the leaves of the flower stalks. Later I arranged the flowers and have Emily tied it up with chicken wire. She then cut the stalks to make sure they're level to make sure they get enough water if they are placed in a vase full of water.
To pass some time, we took some pictures like the horn worm and the swallowtail who visits her arm.
By the time it was 1:00 pm already, so we all walked near the entrance. I talked with Aspen who was chatting with one of the cooking camp counselor, Caroline. I like her Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. Go Percy Jackson! (or Perseus Jackson if I'm a monster...) We already brought Emily the horn worm and Emily said, "Deborah gets to be the beautiful swallowtail and I got to be the ugly tomato horn worm. Thanks."
I said, "Well whoever find it and find the name of the bug should name the bug after herself."
Later I told Aspen and Emily a joke that the horn worm can go to the great beyond by being eatien by a bird which will fly to the great beyond. We all laughed and Aspen told me," I don't know if its's the school or the people but you guys are amazing. Once I see someone from Mission applies, I'm like yeah a Mission student." She later asked me about the previous interns who went to Mission like Stanley Gu and Samuel Sze and where they're going to college. Such a small world. Later I ate some yellow watermelon (the inside is yellow. Wow.) and some quinoa and salad made from the little kids and it was delicious. I wish to go to this kind of camp and I go to to this kind of cooking camp when I was little.
Fun.
News Flash. If there is there one thing you should eat before you die, it should be ground cherries aka poha (well that's what Kristie said. I think I ate the Hawaiian kind). The scientific name of these ground cherries are Physalis. It's sweet, small, cute, delicious, and addicting. Really addicting since I ate like fifty of them; I don't think I'm exaggerating on that fact. They're so GOOD!
Enough of my cravings for such exotic food, moving onto my reflection over the past few days.
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| The Poha Berry |
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| The Wrapping of the Poha Berry shapes as a flower |
July 13, 2015 Monday
8:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Today I walked over to Kristyn and Will's Korean farm at the end of the Agpark. I came just in time for the tour that she was giving to her friend Steve. They shared something interesting stories about Korea and some of the plants to all of us. I got to learn about different types of herbs and veggies as I learned about their characteristics and their link to the Korean culture. I also got to try out some long beans, special herbs, ground cherries, and nightshade (not the deadly kind, the edible kind that tastes sweet and delicious. I already read the deadly nightshade symptoms and I have not experience any of them since I have eaten them). Kristyn also showed me the burdock which inspired Velcro. As we see the farm, Kristyn continue to show her crops like peppers, beans, okra, sorghum, winter melon, squash, etc. They all look wonderful and delectable.
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| Burdock |
"If you have one last meal on earth, what would it be? It can be like what my friend said of having crab with butter on top and a steak and such," I asked.
"Are desserts included?" asked Steve.
"Yes, desserts do count," I replied.
"Well, what would you have?" asked Kristyn.
"炒麵! (aka the chow mein)" I quickly said.
"Wow, that was quick," replied Kristyn.
"Hmm. I would have to say corn dogs," answered Steve.
"Really, huh. Corn dogs. I never knew that. We're been friends this long and thanks to you I now know that," replied Kristyn.
"What would you have, Kristyn?" I asked.
"Umm. I go with rice, like the one I have when I was little," replied Kristyn. ( She specified the dish, but I can't remember what she said exactly.)
"Nice choice. I like that one too," commented Steve.
And we continued to talk about random things especially noodles and movies, ranging from the ones that made us cry and the ones that made us leave the movie theater. Meanwhile we play with B.B. Kristyn's Chihuahua. Her original name was Beyonce, but when Kristyn adpoted her B.B. responded to B.B. more. After a while, we had a snack break and Kristyn made a herb tea drink for everyone and it was minty and delicious. Also she shared some more poha berries and I ate the rest of them. I also mentioned to Steve some business ideas for his Ramen shop: have a wax mannequin of himself, invent a phone that allows it to grow plants in it and harness its photosynthetic energy, and place a poster of his face on the shop's window if the latter two are expensive.
He-he-he...
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| B.B. lying in a pile of dirt |
July 14, 2015 Tuesday
8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Today I walked over to Kristyn's farm again and met her other friend Will Santiago. She told me that Will and her had noodles in the honor of me, since I'm a noodle fanatic. Yet when I came, I heard some news came that the energy company next door are planning to take over three more acres of the Agpark so its workers would "work more." A bit suspicious, I may say. Matt and Helena were taking with Kristyn about what they should to fight back by contacting their supporters and the organizations they work with, the mayor, and more people. I suggested they could refer to The Grapes of Wrath as historical and literature backup. Still I'm worried about them, but they are strong.
After Matt and Helena walked back to their Happy Acres Farm, I followed Kristyn who showed me the activity today which was weeding. But how she and Will weed are different from simply pulling it from the ground or using a knife to cut the roots. What they do is they use a hoe-trowel tool to to break up the soil by prodding the trowel up and down close together. Later we pull out the weeds and then smooth out the soil flat around the plants. With the hoe-trowel, the soil uplifts the little weed sprouts and letting them be exposure to the intense sun. It's slow but it prevents future weeds from growing and puts off more weeding in the future. The soil felt smooth, crumbling and fine.
However I did some thorns in my right hand and Kristyn applied some homemade balm on it. It eventually came out and as I waiting for the pain to subside, Kristyn showed me a tub of eucalyptus branches and told me that these branches have a growth hormone that can give a boost for young plants not just for eucalyptus. o.0
(I'm thinking of those eucalyptus trees near my home...)
Later we took a lunch break as the sun continues to rise. I ate my Nutella sandwich and we all chat with each other. And I recommend Will South Legend Szechuan Cuisine's Dry-Braised Fish with pork in spicy sauce as a dish he should try as his last meal on earth, or this week. :P
And Kristyn gave me some spicy Korean garlic. Yummy.
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| Row of Beans! |
July 15, 2015 Wednesday
8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Today I walked over to Will and Kristyn's farm and helped them weed the sorghum beds as they prepare the beds adjacent to sorghum and mulch them. Kristyn told me that she felt happy when I said the soil feels so good and have a lot of bugs inside. She said she have been irrigating the soil for months and covering the bed with mulch so that there's least possible exposure to the air and sun for the soil. A healthy soil has bugs inside, air equally disperse, moisture, and life. Kristyn explain that instead of using only chemistry by providing the minerals the soil lacks, she and Will use biology by helping the bacteria grow and provide the nutrients for the plants. Their process is slow but worthwhile since the soil is amazing♪.Anyway I continued to weed out the Amaranth, nightshade, morning glory, and thistle with dandelions. It took me a while clear out the area but it does take perseverance to continue and finish the job. I see that determination in Will and Kristyn and it motivates me to weed on even though I have been weeding almost every time at the farm. I don't blame any of the farmers since there are numerous weeds growing everywhere. During our lunch and water break, we were discussing random topics like choosing rice or noodles.
I replied, "Well it's like choosing between air or water. You need both. "
Kristyn replied, "Thank you, that's exactly what I mean. You know what. I'm going to say that next time someone asks me that questions. "
We all later talk about how common Filipinos like sing karaoke ( I still don't why), the existence of K-rage (which does apparently), which led on to K-pop which also sounds like cake-pop. I then told them that my friend made cake-pop of pink piggies' heads for his English project, which is based on Lord of the Flies.
I said,"That's a scary book. I mean those British kids lost their innocence. They like killed like two people. I imagined my two friends would be on island with me and them and I would like choose to tell what the kids to and have my friends as my bodyguards or die. I think death is a better option."
Kristyn commented, "Huh, so you can choose to enslave everyone and have your friends as your bodyguards or die. I don't blame you. Like being in traffic makes me want to kill someone."
I look at my watch and realize I have to go.
"Uhh, bye!"I shouted as I quickly walked away. Will and Kristyn started laughing out loud as they waved goodbye.
'I'm okay if you kill Will, Kristyn. Bye!" I said as I walked all to my mom's car.
Fun times.
And I grabbed a few poha berries on the way. They're okay if I do that.
July 16, 2015 Thursday
8:00 am to 1:30 pm
I came to the farm around 8 to work on Emily's farm, Root and Bloom. But I couldn't find anyone except for Kristyn, Will and Vinnie (Helena and Matt's dog). I waited at Emily's farm as I pet Vinnie like he's my kitty. Later he followed me as I looked over the farm and reviewed a bit of my Pre-calculus notes. Yes, math. I then decided to walk over to Kristyn and Will as Vinnie slowly followed me. I waiting for B.B. to bark out loud, but it turns out that it was her day off. I greeted Will and Kristyn who were preparing to transplant some eggplants and squash, I believe. I watched as I checked my text message from Aspen and realize that I messed up the time, which was 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Whoops. I spent the last 15 minutes studying math and snacking on some poha berries. Later Emily came and so did Aspen who came to check up on me. |
| Aspen Kvicala, Emily Finkel and me, Deborah Chen (left to right) |
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| A Tomato Horn Worm named Emily (Whoever finds the worm should have the worm/caterpillar named after her.)l仁,l什麼?分 |
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| My bouquet |
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| Deborah Chen with my bouquet |
To pass some time, we took some pictures like the horn worm and the swallowtail who visits her arm.
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| Flowers in a flower |
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| Swallowtail (I named it after myself since I knew the name.) |
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| A Dahlia |
I said, "Well whoever find it and find the name of the bug should name the bug after herself."
Later I told Aspen and Emily a joke that the horn worm can go to the great beyond by being eatien by a bird which will fly to the great beyond. We all laughed and Aspen told me," I don't know if its's the school or the people but you guys are amazing. Once I see someone from Mission applies, I'm like yeah a Mission student." She later asked me about the previous interns who went to Mission like Stanley Gu and Samuel Sze and where they're going to college. Such a small world. Later I ate some yellow watermelon (the inside is yellow. Wow.) and some quinoa and salad made from the little kids and it was delicious. I wish to go to this kind of camp and I go to to this kind of cooking camp when I was little.
Fun.
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| Aspen and Emily admiring Emily the tomato horn worm. |
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