Yesterday was a good day. Two of my favourite things happened: piano and food. I received a huge care package from my parents in the mail yesterday filled to the brim with various mushrooms and other Chinese soup ingredients, a hot water bottle and a small radio. While at first I was utterly revolted by the smell--one of the mushroom bags had sprung a leak and the smell complemented that of my sump pump in a very evil way--I was thrilled to see both the kindness of my parents and the thoughtfulness they put into assembling this assortment of goods. After a brief nap (because I had worked first shift yesterday), I went out and bought some beef bones and I was off to my friend Lindsey's place to play piano... and cook my soup of 冬菇、蓮子、百合、淮山、杞子、元肉、象拔蚌、牛骨. (You won't believe how incredibly long it took me to type that list.) I don't have a pot large enough to cook a lot of soup so I had to resort to other options.

Playing piano has gotten pretty hard for me so I'm always ambivalent when I sit down to play nowadays. I remember I used to be able to sit down and play. Pieces that I played just a few years now seem insurmountably difficult. I've been reassured that this is natural... but it doesn't make it any easier to accept that I can no longer see the fruit of hours and hours of practice in the past. For an occasional fleeting moment, a glimpse of what I sounded like before comes out and I marvel at what I used to be able to play and now so struggle to eke out. Of course, I've probably embellished my skills in my reminiscence. I had a great time, but I still wish I could devote more time to it without sacrificing anything else.

As for the soup, I ate about 2/3 of the pot in one sitting. The soup is good without a doubt.