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6 of my lotus seeds have sprouts, while 2 more look like they've gone bad. 2 of my sprouted seeds are missing the top part (coin leaf) of the stem: one of them seems to be doing okay and continues to grow without it, while the other one seems to be stunted. besides not growing, the stunted seed seems to be fine otherwise, so maybe it will eventually grow.

i went back to chinatown again, this time to actually buy some plastic wash basins after i took careful measurements last weekend. i didn't even eat lunch, figured i'd get some takeout from chinatown cafe (and if they were closed, there's still plenty of food in the house). i left a little late, around 12:45pm, waiting for the temperature to warm up a bit into the upper 50's. though sunny during the first half of the day, it grew increasingly cloudy as the afternoon wore on.

i went to super 88 first, figured if they didn't have what i wanted, i would then go to ming's market instead. i was surprised to see there was actually a line and i waited a few minutes before i was allowed inside. i made a beeline to the plastic bins aisle, they didn't have any translucent basins of the size i wanted but they had plenty of opaque ones. i then started shopping, coming back for the basins before checking out. right away i discovered that all the produce prices were higher than normal (like baby bokchoi for nearly $3/lbs). my original idea of collecting kimchi ingredients were quickly dashed when i realized how much it'd cost me. super 88 also didn't carry some of the jarred items my mother wanted, like a particular brand of fermented tofu or enoki mushrooms in chili sauce. i ended up just getting myself some korean rice cake, the rest things either my mother or sister wanted. as for the basins, i picked two large and one medium.

i really wanted to visit ming's market as well but i was already hauling so much stuff it'd be inconvenient trying to bring everything inside and not have them think i stole them. so i bailed on that idea, figured i could come back again next week. instead i went to chinatown cafe. they were open, a sliding window on the side of the store for both ordering and receiving. i got my R45 porkchop with rice, now at $9.90. ordering this way is actually a great idea, means i didn't have to dismount my bike and could leave all my stuff already packed in my baskets. i brought along an insulated bag for my order so the food would stay hot by the time i got back home.

i didn't get back until 3:40pm. while putting away some stuff in the fridge, kevin told me he went out for a run. why does he make a point of only leaving the house when i'm not around? but hopefully he makes a habit of it and will be out of the house more often in the near future. i finally settled down to eat my lunch by 4pm. i managed to eat half, saving the rest for dinner.

later i went to star market to get some frozen orange juice for my father. by that point i could already feel a few raindrops falling, and i swear i even saw a snowflake or two.

i didn't have dinner until after 10pm. i ate while watching ozark (episode 5) on my laptop.