9×9

I had always thought that pomegranate trees are all tall, just like apple trees, until recently I noted some low, bush-like pomegranate trees along my way to work.

I must have seen pomegranate trees before. But these little bushes look so alien to me, almost like an entirely unknown species. I only realized what it is after seeing its fruits hanging off its branches. They are the new high light of my daily commute.

Life is still a mystery. Today, I got an email from SEVP saying that my 12-month STEM OPT report was past due, which I had definitely submitted almost a month ago. I don’t understand why such bad thing had happened to me — what did I do wrong?

Also today, I randomly got reminded of my own wedding. It was more than three years ago, on a sunny Wednesday, a rocky beach. The sky was so blue, the ocean was so blue, and these were all true. The sand, is white now in my memory, but it isn’t real. The more details I forgot, the more dream-like that day feels. I could still remember the disappointment, when we were sitting on the Santa Barbara pier, watching the sun sinking at the end of my wedding day. But the day seems just perfect now.