Maybe I will pick up astrology as my new hobby.
Will call the temple and see when the dharma assemble starts today. If it is in the afternoon, I will adventure to the safeway grocery store this morning.
update: 5:30 am. I think I will get use to this open air living soon. Still, the sound of the water pushing against shore could sound like taifong. There are moments I wish I can "turn off" the sound just for a while. What could a moment of quietness sound like? Then I remind myself that people would spend big bucks to come here for what I am enjoying. So count the blessing and enjoy the view, the sound, the smell, and the fresh air.
In a little bit, I will walk 2 miles (have no idea how long that is since I am so used to driving) to the closest safeway grocery store (the kind for the locals, not for tourists) and get something to eat. Some fresh fruits sounds good at this point. Most importantly, however, is that the moment I turned on my laptop, my wireless card picks up this unsecured wifi signal. :-)
update: 9:30 am. Adventure out to Safeway supermarket. It is a 2-mile walk. I could ride the bike but I would rather walk to see the route. About 15 minutes into the walking, I realized it was a hot day. Half way into the journey, I came to clear realization that this was a bad idea to walk. The first half of the route was scenic - along a huge park full of vibrant outdoor activities and people. Forty-five minutes later, I arrived at the market, tired. I spent a lot time inside the market because spent a lot of time walking back and forth reading the price tags again and again. Sticker shock was not something fun! I almost took out my camera and took some shots of the price tags but I was afraid that people would think I am crazy. I noticed right away that if you have a club card, you can get certain discounts on some items. Heck, I am going to get a club card.
Even though I was kind of prepared for the price difference, at the check out, I was still shocked when the cashier said the total is $63.38. Over $60 for as little as I got? I was mindful of the fact that I had to backpack them back to the apartment so I did not get too many things. To prove I was not kidding, here is a picture of the receipt. Let's go through it item by item.First 2 items are pastas - I like wheat pastas and I think their prices are about one dollar more expensive. The pasta sauce is also about one dollar more expensive.
Under produce, the first item is grapes. Oh my goodness, it costs over $7 for less than 2 ponds of grapes. They are fresh and good looking. At $3.99/per pond, I don't remember ever buying any grapes that cost this much in Houston. They are only good for 3 consumptions.
The next item is kiwi. The good time of three-for-one-dollar is history.
Lettuce, in Houston probably $0.99 or even cheaper, costs $1.69 in Hawaii. It did not taste better though.
Fuji apple, my favorite apple, priced at $2.99 per pond. I bought 4 big ones and they ring up to be $6.70. On my goodness, that is more than $1.50 per apple. I thought Hawaii is closer to Japan!
Avocado is $2.oo each, a little more expensive.
The next item that reads produce. It is a kind of mushroom that I used to find in China town supermarket for maybe $1.99. It costs $4.59 for that small package of mushroom. I cannot see how Hawaii is a paradise!
Then I bought a packet of three bell peppers - yes, there are only 3 in the package even though 1 is green, 1 is yellow, and 1 is red. The price is $6.99. It might cost $3.oo in Houston.
The last item is a boxed spring mix, priced at $7.49. I know it is $5.99 in Houston since I buy it all the time.
Okay, here is the run down of my first visit to the grocery store. After backpacking it all the way back, I actually cooked. I used up all the food items. It is an extremely uncomfortable feeling to know that food costs this much more. Maybe I really should practice not eating after lunch!Here is a picture to prove that I actually cooked. The spring mix, avocado and kiwi are for breakfast.
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