Christmas at Longwood Gardens

25-ft Christmas tree with living garland

It was a rainy Christmas. Right after we entered the temperature and humidity-controlled conservatory, the rain started pouring down, slashing and pounding hard on the glass ceilings. At 3:30pm's Organ Sing-Along, the organist asked us to do a medley of "let it rain" after we did "Rudolf the red-nose reindeer". Truly there was no better place to go to on a rainy Christmas day other than the Longwood Gardens. There were so many beautiful flowers to see. Your eyes will never get enough of them.

Amarylis

Amarylis, too, with thinner petals

Five years ago when I first visited Longwood Gardens, I stayed there for a whole day. It was in early May, tulips were blooming. I probably shot several rolls of films, a little worried about running out of them. This year, armed with three CF cards (256M, 1G, and 2G), I would never worry about not having enough memory. In fact, looking at the 100 pictures I took that day, I wish I had done more. How fast technology has advanced in the past few years!

Poinsettias and day lilies

Day lilies

Day lily, close-up

Orchids are my favorite. There are thousands of different orchids at Longwood Gardens. People were snapping shots all over this orchid room where hundreds of them live, and some of them were taking photos with their cell phones. I think that people should bring better photographic equipment when visiting Longwood Gardens.

A lovely green slipper

Close-up of an orchid petal

like butterflies

Twins

Words are not enough to describe the beauty of orchids. Let's leave it to our eyes for the enjoyment.

I learned my photography lesson of the day when I quickly mounted my macro lens in the conservatory. I had left the lens out in the car overnight. It was too cold and water condensed on the glass. Being stupid I wiped the glass with velvet. Things only got worse as I found out that those annoying yellow fibers from the velvet were hard to remove from the lens barrel. It ruined some pictures, but hopefully at this reduced resolution you won't be able to pick up those ugly lines.

椰香土豆饼 Coconut-covered Potato Cakes

I brought these to our Christmas party, and people really liked them. In my opinion, they taste best just coming out of the oven.

3 pounds of potato (~6 large ones)
2 cups of glutinous flour (~0.6 pound)
½ cup of milk
1 egg
½ cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of butter, some vegetable oil
2 to 4 ounces of sweetened coconut flakes

1. Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Boil for 10 minutes until well cooked.
2. Mash the potato. Add ½ cup of milk and 1 egg will help the process of mashing. Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Fold in ½ cup of sugar and 2 cups of glutinous flour (it works well with the potato masher). The dough should become less sticky to hands. Add more flour if it is too sticky.
3. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
4. Place sweetened coconut flakes in a shallow baking pan.
5. Pinch off a small amount of dough, about 1/3 the size of a fist. Work it into a ball, and then flatten it. Press both sides of the dough in coconut flasks to make the flakes to adhere. Brush melted butter on both sides. Place in onto a large greased baking sheet.
6. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the bottoms are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Turn the cakes over and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Serve while they are still hot. I made ~28 cakes. They taste more like sweet-rice cake rather than potatoes.

The Disappearing Bill of Rights Mug

M received an interesting present for his birthday. It is a mug. Printed on the mug are the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, known as the Bill of Rights. It looks just like any other mug.

Until you pour a cup of hot coffee, then:



Well, this mug prompted me to study the Bill of Rights for the first time, carefully.

The Bill of Rights defines the scope of individual freedom and establishes basic American civil liberties that the government cannot violate. The States rectified it three years after they rectified the Constitution, in 1791. The rights provided in the first ten amendments are the cornerstones of democracy in the United States.

The following is the Bill of Rights: (I highlighted the disappearing rights, the liberal ones, red, for your reading convenience.)

Article I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


Article II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.


Article III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Article IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Article V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Article VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Article VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Article VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Article IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Article X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Arcadia, the Play

J putting the final touch on the tortoise shell

M and H inspecting the set

The set lit by a projected slide

Actors on stage before the start of the play.
Thomasina and her tutor Septimus

Thomasina and her tutor Septimus

Charactors from 19th century and present day all on stage in the last act.

This year I was involved in the Longwood Players' production of "Arcadia" as a scenic artist, just like what I did for last year's "Pygmalian". Of course I am not some sort of an "artist". This was all volunteer work, and the skills involved were just some kind of painting, on a large scale.

My friend J was the set designer for "Arcadia", a play by Tom Stoppard. J envisioned that the whole play happened on the back of a tortoise. This was because that a tortoise was referred to several times in the play. So H and I drew a gigantic tortoise shell on 6 3X6 panels and painted each plate of the shell as concentric hexagonals with three different shades of brown. It took us two afternoons. After the first day my legs became very sour from working low on the ground. On the second afternoon we blended the three shades of brown together so that the colors changed gradually. I learned how to do dry brush. Painting on such a large scale is just fun. I also helped M outlining the stones in the stone wall. They look good, don't they?

I was very excited to see the play last Friday. A lot of people came for the performance at the Cambridge YMCA despite of the big snow storm earlier that day. The tortoise shell was tilted on the stage, and on it were a table and several chairs. The play was a complicated one. It happened in the early 19th century and also present day, in a single room. J had to send us an email to explain it before we went so that we would have an idea of what to expect. Still it was quite hard to catch things because every line was important. Characters in this play were all very witty and they talked about the second law of thermodynamics etc. The story was about a young girl (13 years old) in the 19th century who loved science and poetry and dreamed about marrying Lord Byron The Poet, but she died from a fire on her 17th birthday. Decendents of her family in the present time try to figure out what had happened from all the records they can find and they piece together science and literature. The play had a sad ending. Audience left knowing that this girl was going to die that night after waltzed romantically with her tutor.

The following is J's summary of the play, written for our sake:

(for a more complete summary, check out:)
http://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/arcadia/actshead.htm
http://www.sff.net/people/mberry/arcadia.htp

All of the action in this play takes place in a single room in a English country estate called Sidley Park. The play opens in 1809, and scenes alternate between 1809/1812 and the present. In the 1809/1812 scenes (the action jumps ahead three years between Act1 and Act2) a young girl Thomasina is being tutored in many subjects by Septimus. She is really a genius, though, and is fooling around with ideas of thermodynamics (the 2nd law figures prominently in the play) and fractal geometry (which of course hadn't been invented yet).

Meanwhile, Septimus is being called out for boinking the wife of another guest, Mr Chater, Mr Chater being encouraged in the duel by Captain Brice who is in love with Mrs. Chater. Septimus really is in love with the lady of the house, Thomasina's mother (Lady Croom), though, while his friend Lord Byron (the now-famous poet) is basically boinking everyone in sight.

So you're not confused, Mrs. Chater and Lord Byron never appear on stage.

The third plot line in the 19th century involves efforts by Lord Croom (opposed by Lady Croom) to tear up the pastoral grounds of the home in favor of a Romantic landscape, which involves a Holy mess made possible by a "new and improved" steam engine, brought to Sidley Park by the landscape artist, the obsequious Mr. Noakes. The Romantic landscape includes ruins, craggy rocks, and general gloom, along with a hermitage that becomes important in the present-day scenes.

In the present, three scholars are trying to reconstruct the events that occurred at Sidley Park back in 1809-1812. Hannah, an independent scholar (basically a gentleman scholar but she's female), is trying to determine who the hermit was who lived in the hermitage. Bernard, a flamboyant Byron scholar who (unbeknownst to Hannah) panned her last book [note that there is much in the play about the disdain academics have for independent scholars], is trying to prove a theory has has that Chater was killed in a duel, but with Byron, not Septimus, but he doesn't even have proof that Bryon was ever at Sidley Park.

Meanwhile, a Croom descendant, Valentine, is trying to come up with a mathematical model that describes the population flucuations of grouse on the estate over a century. His data comes from the estate's game books, which are a record of who shot what when. These game books are central to the resolution of Bernard's theories. Valentine's sister, Chloe, is not trying to prove anything but falls in love with Bernard.

The final character is Gus/Augustus, who is the brother to Thomasina (as Augustus in 1809/1812) and to Chloe and Val in the present day (where he is called Gus).

Note that Thomasina is 13 at the beginning of the play, and 16 at the end. The play ends the evening of her 17th birthday. That's important. Also, try to follow the fates of Septimus and Mr. Chater.

Language is critical to this play, so pay attention to the wordplay. for example, the beginning lines are a play on words involving the word "carnal" and its root meaning "of the flesh", as in meat, as in carnivore. Also, pay attention to the many parallels between the two time periods, especially lines spoken by characters in each period.

A final note, so you're not confused: in the final scene, characters from both periods are on stage at the same time, with the present-day characters dressing in 19th century clothes for a party. In this scene, Hannah discovers what happens to Mr. Chater by reading Lady Croom's diary, while Lady Croom is speaking the very same lines on stage. It's an amazing juxtaposition, but hard to catch if you're not looking for it.

Other things to watch for:

1. Septimus slipping his letters into a book that will be discovered 200 years later by the present-day scholars. (and note that he burns two of Byron's letters)

2. The drawing of Septimus with his tortoise, kept by Augustus late in the play and later revealed by his counterpart Gus.

3. Note how Lady Croom's description of the events that happen one night differ from the version given to Septimus by the butler.

Finally, there is too much in this play to catch everything, so just sit back and enjoy it!

-J

More on the play from J:

A major parallel in the play between 1809 and the present is the concept of academic review. In 1809 Septimus turns out to have panned Mr. Chater's two literary efforts, and ultimately it is for this, and not for boinking Mrs. Chater, that Septimus is challenged to a duel by Mr. Chater. In the present, Bernard panned Hannah's book but shows up at Sidley Park without knowing that Hannah is already there, so he tries to hide his true identity. Hannah gets over it, at least enough that she and Bernard help each other solve their respective mysteries.

One minor thing that I never understood until I asked Sarah: at one point Septimus is having Thomasina translate a difficult latin passage, which he then translates himself with ease. It's a passage from Shakespeare (leave it to Tom Stoppard to translate Shakespeare into Latin for a play), hence her anger when she realizes the true source.

Okay, I'll shut up now!

-J

M's addition to the explanation:

J promised not to send any more addenda, so I will:

The title of the play, "Arcadia", refers to a part of Greece that, according to legend, is sort of this idyllic pastoral haven.

The famous phrase about Arcadia that appears in the play is: "Et in Arcadia ego"
It appears, most notably, as the title of some well known painting of a bunch of shepards standing around a tomb.

Roughly translated it means either 'I, too, am in Arcadia' or 'Even I am in Arcadia'. The distinction matters because, in the former the idea is that the dead Shepard has made it to paradise. In the latter case, generally accepted as more likely, the idea is that Death (with
a capital 'D') appears even in Arcadia.

There is a bit of playfulness in the play about how to translate this phrase. The implications, though, you'll be able to figure out. There's death in the form of a duel, there's the death of the
landscape after the redesign, there's the death of academic theories, and there is the death of a bunch of people's ideals, all of which can be seen in the context of the title.

Okay, now I'll shut up too!

M

What A Storm

Last Friday Dec. 9th saw the first major snow storm of this season. It started early and when I went on my late morning commute, there were already two inches accumulated. However, we still braved the weather to go to Chinatown for a delicious lunch. At that point, the precipitation changed to rain. An hour later out of Hong Kong Eatery we were greeted by gusty winds swerving larger-than-before snow flakes and lightenings in the sky. Promptly thunders followed. This was really odd that lightening and thunders accompanied a winter storm here in Boston. I soon learned that we were very lucky that we made back just in time to escape from the worst of the storm.

Stata Center, 2:28pm

Stata Center, 2:34pm

Stata Center, 2:56pm
Auto focus on camera stopped working. There was nothing to focus on! I used manual.

Stata Center, 3:53pm

Stata Center, 4:07pm.
Clearing from the west. Sunset.

Campus, 6:27pm

A Mostly Black Sculpture

Festive Lighting

Beauty is only Illusion

I got this in my mail today. Per my friend's instruction: look at these faces closely (real close); then step back, look at them from afar. What do you see?



I was really amazed at the trick my eyes played on me. Then I talked to the friend who sent me this. We took a drawing class together two years ago. She claimed that this perfectly illustrated our drawing teacher's point of "from afar (or when squinting) we see shadows; we see lines when we get closer". How come I couldn't remember our teacher ever said that? No wonder I can't draw well!