The past Sunday was a warm sunny day. The first thing that came across my mind was going to the Golden Gate Park! Volleyball playing, frisbee throwing, and people watching are all very fun. When tired, I laid down on the grass, picking up the book "Observing life peacefully" (《静观人生》) to read. It is a collection of essays written by painter and writer Feng Zikai (丰子凯). In one essay, one of his friends was telling him that "it is easy to paint the unpredictable of life, while it is not to paint everyday life" (“画无常易，而画有常难”). Paraphrased, it is like saying that it is easy to describe, and also to remember, the dramas of life -- good things like promotion and wins, bad things like break-ups or loss of close people, but it is challenging to record, and perhaps to enjoy, your daily life. In a way, to live life is to learn to live both the dramas and the humdrum.
The "drama" of my recent life is that I have been to Hawaii. Another line on my wish list crossed! I booked my ticket way back in January, which gave me something to look forward to for three months. I got excited immediately when I saw the tropical plants at the little garden of Honolulu's airport, like the banana trees and the elephant ears. This excitement lasted through the whole trip, from buying my own Aloha shirt, to watching the Hula and the Tahitian grass skirt dances, to visiting the local favorite Waimanalo beach, and to hiking in the rain forest and sea kayaking. T did a great job on planning the itinerary. We did everything he planned.
There are so many things I love about Hawaii, obviously, and probably like many people do. One of them is that Hawaiian people seem to be very laid back. Just like their life philosophy: Hang lose. The speed limit for driving is 35 to 45mph. Nobody honks at each other, which is really rare for San Franciscans. In a safeway store, it took one server five minutes to make me a sandwich, whereas in San Francisco, it may take only ninety seconds. People there seem to imply, "take your time; no hurries".
The trip was only a bit short. Three full days plus two half-days. We haven't got a chance to climb the Diamond Peak and visit the Pearl Harbor. Well, there is always another time, no hurries.
