The Painted Veil

The second film I saw on its opening day really impressed me. An unusual western love-after-marriage story set against the beautiful scenic backdrop of Southern China in the 1920s, 'The Painted Veil' emphasizes the emotional development of the main characters. In the end I saw that there was no lack of love between Walter and Kitty; what was lacking in the beginning was the discovery of it.

Unlike any other movies I went to, this time I waited and watched the end credit, and was glad to see China Loafer listed as a Cable Runner. His 'Crying Babies' is a very interesting blog entry.

By the way, the soundtrack features Lang Lang as the solo pianist. But I don't think it showcases his skills.

My First NBA Game

Tonight I went to the TD Banknorth Garden and saw my first NBA Game (or even any basketball game) ever. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed it, even though my home team lost to the Philadelphia 76ers and neither team played that well. I realized why basketball is a favorite pastime:

1) Sportsmanship: work hard to win; work as a team; tactics, etc.
2) Cheerleaders (Celtics Dances) are hot. Many dances and costume changes.
3) Great entertainment:
a)) National Anthem performed by a 4-person choral in Colonial costume (the mic could have worked better)
b)) Trampoline Sky Riders were cool
c)) Aerobatics performed by Celtics Dances and assistants
d)) Really cool to see yourself on big screen, funnier when it's from a fish-eye lens
e)) Junior cheerleaders: girls and boys were great
f)) Everyday Hero: today's was an animal-rescue officer who led a cute black dog to the arena

Other things I saw:

1) Many ads
2) Many kids in the audience
3) Many kids involved in entertainment programs
4) Audience likes to make noise and chant "D-fense"
5) Sports photographers use Canon L lenses (gosh, those are EXPENSIVE)

Last but not least, I learned some of the basketball rules. Thanks to X for being a very patient personal commentator, who also taught me baseball rules.


Will I see another NBA game? Given the chance, sure. Maybe I should go see Yao Min in Houston :)

Great Blue Heron

看了albatross的鱼鹰，我也贴个捕鱼的家伙。

According to our resident bird expert A, this one is a Great Blue Heron. It is a large bird, very elegant, yet stealthy. A good fisher, he caught two fishes in the 20 minutes I watched him.


The bird was so still that I thought it was a sculpture, until it moved ever so slowly and then so fast to catch a gold fish:
and flew to the other end of the lake with his catch:
我的漫漫器材路啊，还很修远。。。

catching another one:
dinner again:



画鸟，就是先画一个蛋，再画一个蛋，然后把两个蛋连起来。

Coverage

Oh no, this is not a post of anti-cleavage :)

Last night when I was walking to my car in the underground parking garage, my cell phone rang. It startled me, because I always lose signal when I enter this garage which is two stories below the ground level. Apparently now it works, and the signal is really good: I got 4-bar out of a 5-bar maximum. I am really happy that my cell phone service provider has improved their coverage where I could benefit from. Then again, this is the underground garage that has enjoyed free wireless Internet service since a year and a half ago. Cell phone coverage is definitely the next thing on the agenda.

Viva technology!

Ambergris 龙涎香

noun
a waxlike substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture.

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French ambre gris ‘gray amber,’ as distinct from amber jaune ‘yellow amber’ (the resin).


An 82-year-old woman sent her 67-year-old sister a Christmas gift, except this one was ugly and weighed four pounds, and she didn't bought it from a store. In fact she found it on a beach 50 years ago and kept it around. The older sister sent it to the younger sister who now lives by the ocean, hoping that she could find out what it was.


So now you guessed it: it might be ambergris, though after the ban on commercial whaling, an expert is still needed to confirm it. Valued at $10 a gram, this Christmas gift could be worth about $18,000. However, the sisters might have a hard time selling it, because endangered species legislation has made buying or selling the stuff illegal since the 1970s.


Ambergris starts as a waxlike substance secreted in the intestines of some sperm whales. The whales eventually expel the dark and foul-smelling blobs to float the ocean. In essence, ambergris is just whale vomit. Then waves, wind, salt and sun do their magic to the whale vomits so they may wash up as solid, fragrant chunks. Ambergris is a rare and often valuable ingredient in fine perfumes.


So next time when you apply a fancy perfume, think that one whale might have helped bringing that fragrance to you.


To see a picture of this ambergris, click here for the NYTimes article. (The link might expire very soon.)

Cleavages

SPB and JL on the hit TV series CSI:

CSI : Las Vegas = CSI : Guts

CSI : Miami = CSI : Cleavage



So in this vein, Director Zhang Yimou's new movie "Curse of the Golden Flower" (《满城尽带黄金甲》) can be summarized as

"Curse of the Golden Cleavages".

How People Find My Blog through Google

Random thoughts:
1) People search for anything.
2) 山楂树之恋 proves to be popular over a long time period.
3) People don't linger around my blog. Number of pageviews per visit is usually 1.
4) How come people searching for webtroubadour  ended up clicking my blog?
5) How many pages do you have to go through to get to my blog when you search for 狂犬病治疗?

Thanks to M and V for their help in data-mining.

Also thanks to my readers from google search for this interesting dataset.

#--------------------------------------------------------
# Date Range: 8/1/2006 - 8/31/2006
#--------------------------------------------------------
Keyword Visits P/Visit
山楂树之恋 2 1.00
美女 博客 1 3.00
"aol data" 1 1.00
cassatt+Portrait of the Artist's Mother 1 1.00
文 美食博客 1 1.00

#--------------------------------------------------------
# Date Range: 9/1/2006 - 9/30/2006
#--------------------------------------------------------

Keyword Visits P/Visit
美食博客 1 1.00
mit fire truck 1 1.00
丑瓜美食博客 1 1.00

#--------------------------------------------------------
# Date Range: 10/1/2006 - 10/31/2006
#--------------------------------------------------------
Keyword Visits P/Visit
http://liebestraum.blogspot.com 2 1.00
liebestraum 1 1.00
莱克星顿中学 1 1.00
Liebestraum sms 1 1.00
liebestraum photos 1 1.00
"how much does a musician" 1 1.00
valdez, ALaska photo -exxon 1 2.00


#--------------------------------------------------------
# Date Range: 11/1/2006 - 11/30/2006
#--------------------------------------------------------
Keyword Visits P/Visit
set up wireless router for comcast 1 1.00
Out of Africa  Clarinet Concerto A 1 1.00
"malcolm lowe" 1 1.00
北桥诗社 1 2.00
ieva jokubaviciute 1 1.00
山楂树之恋 1 1.00

#--------------------------------------------------------
# Date Range: 12/1/2006 - 12/31/2006
#--------------------------------------------------------
Keyword Visits P/Visit
rivalry between lang lang and yundi li 1 1.00
山楂树之恋 1 1.00
webtroubadour 1 1.00
狂犬病治疗 1 1.00

Carrickfergus -- Charlotte Church

I wish I was in Carrickfergus
Where the castle looks out to sea.
I would swim over the deepest ocean
For my love to be with me.
But the sea is wide and I can not swim over
Nor have I the wings to fly
I wish I had a handsome boatman,
To ferry me over, my love and I.

I wish I was in the land of Eire,
Where the mountains reach the sea.
Where flowers blossom as I do remember.
Where my true love came to me.
But the sea is wide and I can not swim over.
Nor have I the wings to fly.
Ahh to be back now in Carrickfergus
To be together .. my love and I.
To be together .. my love and I.

I wish I was in Carrickfergus,
To be together my love and I.

I wish I was back home again.

___________________________________

Disclaimer: I did NOT write this.

I'd rather be in Anchorage today

10:50am, Dec. 8, 2006

Am I Tonedeaf?

This week's Sciece Times featured the art of instrument design, specifically violin design. M made me listen to the online clips of recordings on two violins, one on a 1721 Stradivarius and the other on a violin by today's violin maker Schleske. I have to say that the difference was very subtle, and upon listening many times, with the help of a good headset, I could only tell that the new violin sounded a little fuller.

This made me worry that I might not be able to tell the subtle difference of tones. So I did the tonedeafness test again. The first time I did it (about two weeks ago), it was at 1:30am and I was really tired. I got 75% correct and ranked just around the average. I blamed that to my fatigue. I always thought I had a good sense for tones though I had no official musical training. Today I did it when I was not as tired. I scored 80.6% correct, and was ranked 69th percentile. (Well, I thought I could have done better!)

I had some interesting findings analyzing my responses from my two tests. Today I made 2 less mistakes than last time, while I made the same 7 mistakes all over again! I was correct on one question that only 23% people got correct, while I could be wrong when 72% people got correct! What is going on?

I think I have some memory deficit while taking the test. I tried hard to focus. But sometimes I just can't.


To help you better understand the scores:

>90% correct: exceptional performance
> 80%: very good
>70%: normal
>60%: low
<55%: possible pitch perception or memory deficit

PDA

The PDA I had known was a "personal digital assistant", thus I was at a loss when the lab gossiped about two first-years PDAing. My boss explained that PDA meant "public display of affection". That was about three years ago, and now after encountering so many PDA incidents I almost forgot the first meaning of PDA.

The one that annoyed me was a couple in my Chinese painting class. Eventually I sent an anonymous email to the guy two weeks before the class ended, and they stopped doing it. I wasn't sure my email worked, for the girl simply stopped coming to class.

Earlier this week I bumped into the PDA couple from our floor in the lunchroom again. They've been PDAing for more than a year. I wish I were brave enough to tell them, "Hey you, get a room!"

I should consider myself lucky. At least I had not been shocked by a most intimate act of PDA like poor M experienced one fine Saturday at the early hour of 2am when he returned to work. I leave it to your wild imagination as to what could be the first thing he saw in the same afore-mentioned lunchroom after he happily stepped out the elevator, contemplating his next move in an effort to push the scientific frontier.

From Urban Dictionary, on PDA.

仍是最爱菲

这么多年以后。美妙的声音，真挚的情感。欣赏她的勇气和坚强。祝她幸福。

高手如云

如题。

另祝各位火鸡节快乐！

差距

看到了差距，是一件好事:了解了自己,定下目标,向前冲吧.

就像Z说的,我们大家都是斗士.

Bon Voyage

I met J by chance four years ago. One Tuesday afternoon I was running downstairs to go to the colloquium for I was a little late. On the fifth floor I met a pretty girl with bright eyes who was apparently looking for something. “Do you know where Building 10 is?” She asked me very politely. “I’m going that way. I’ll show you.” I thought she looked like a long lost friend. On our way to the colloquium, I found out that she was a friend of my long lost friend at PKU. Having similar background easily bonded us. I had fun talking to her about science and work. Sitting next to a new friend during the colloquium, I actually found that I followed the speaker perfectly, which is kind of rare I have to say.

History has a tendency to repeat itself. This Monday I found that I was sitting next to J again at her last colloquium. Four years have passed and the colloquium had changed time and venue, to a brand-new building which is much closer. J is now ready to be on her own, to start a new lab down south. I am so proud of you, J! I know you will do great, no matter how hard the transition might seem to be. You’ll be very brave. You have family and friends to count on.

我希望你会以“挥一挥衣袖，不带走一片云彩”来告别这个康桥。

'One Dog' Policy

Yes, you guessed it right: this is a policy of Chinese characteristic. Authorities in Beijing announced this one-dog-per-household policy as part of an effort to eradicate rabies. I have no intention to make fun of this policy, but I don't think it deals with the root of the problem. Currently only 3% of dogs in China are vaccinated against rabies. I don't see how limiting the number of dogs a family can have will help eradicating rabies if we don't focus on vaccination.

Dogs just don't get cherished enough in China. Earlier this summer I read news about mass dog killings as an attempt to put rabies under control. One county killed 50,000 dogs in one month. I saw pictures of a dog being beaten to death in front of its owner. It was so cruel, inhumane, shocking and disgusting. I tried to make myself believe that I never saw those pictures and it never happened. But I couldn't help thinking: who is more dangerous, we human or dogs.

I simply do not understand how the policy makers would be so naive in making such a clueless policy. Even a high school student can see where the problem is. Often times if a dog is problematic, the owner is the one to blame. I believe education of dog owners and dog vaccination are the way to go. But who am I to the authorities?

I may need to become a famous dog whisperer first.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this policy also bans large dogs (taller than 35cm or 14in). That means Radar, a Vizsla (Hungarian hunting dog), will not be allowed in Beijing.

Early October at Mt Auburn

Four weeks ago in one sunny afternoon, I stopped by Mt Auburn Cemetery. This is a garden cemetery. On a good day, it attracts many visitors.

This is a huge cemetery. Some of its residents are quite famous. Among them are:

• Winslow Homer (1836 - 1910), artist
• Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840 - 1924), art patron
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), poet
• Josiah Quincy (1772 - 1864), Mayor of Boston

(I can find Winslow Homer's grave without a map! He rests next to his parents.)

But that day what moved me was ordinary people's graves. Chrysanthemum and pumpkin paid tribute to the dead.

Remembering someone:


Walking through all these beautiful flowers of remembrance in full bloom, I read one epitaph on a newly interred tombstone:

Our Dear Anna:
We always love you
Adieu
1983-2006

Tears began to well in my eyes.

A Stained Glass Window

Window Art

The Artist

Artist at Work

You Calling Me?

The fact is, Radar is not going to start a blog any time soon. But he sure is showing his artistic talent to the whole world through this window! See how the smudges are somehow organized and related to each other!

Alaska Day 3: Denali NP (Express Publication)

Before Denali becomes deep frozen, I'd like to e-pub my Day 3 which I have been working on for the past 7 weeks. I hope you understand this is a big project, as there is so much to show. OK, now enjoy the views through my camera lenses:

Polychrome Pass
人在画中游

（山顶上的雪，头一天还没有呢）

Reasons why I will visit Alaska again:
1) I didn't see Mt McKinley. I didn't drive the Denali Highway.
2) This trip was a little too wet.
3) Cruise could be fun.
4) I had only covered less than 1/6 of the biggest State of the US.



Today (Aug. 19, 2006)we had to get up really early (5:30am) to catch a Denali Wildness bus tour departing 6:30am from a hotel 8 miles north from our place (We got pushed to this bus late yesterday. Thanks to Cingular, we got the voicemail). I looked out from our small east-facing window, and saw an overcasting sky lit low by the rising sun. Being an optimistic person, I thought the clouds were clearing up. On our way north, we saw sunlight breaking though clouds. To me, it was a good sign.

Our tour bus was an old-fashioned school bus. Our tour guide was a school teacher. He had been driving tour buses in Denali in the summer for more than 20 years. We came a little late, and had to sit in a row where the wheel was. It got uncomfortable only after a short time.

The view kept changing as we drove into the park. It was thick coniferous woods (taiga: northern evergreen forest) at lower altitudes. Our tour guide explained to us that usually moose-sightings happened here. But it turned out to be a moose-free day. We also learned about fungus infections in spruces, and some animals that fed on pine barks in one extremely cold winter that eventually killed the trees. Our tour guide was very knowledgable, as it turned out. He kept telling us things about Denali during our 13-hour trip. His topics ranged from flora and fauna, to geology, and to local history, especially mountain climbing at Mt. McKinley. He also told us a folk story on how Mt. McKinley came to life. He loved his job a lot. I could easily see. He also teaches at Healy High School. He pretty much teaches all the subjects. He also couches women's long distance running team.

Our guide told us that we were looking for the Big Four today. They are Moose, Dall Sheep, Caribou, and Grizzly Bear. We were lucky enough that we saw three of the Big Four, and we even witnessed the encounter between caribous and Grizzly bears.

Grizzly bears: mother and cubs

herd of caribou

close encounter

run for life

close view

Denali is beautiful in its mountains and waters, in addition to its wildlife.


Braided river (it might be Savage River), Denali NP

Toklat River ?

Polychrome Pass

The road looks dangerous:



looking down from our bus:

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Opposite of Dr. MacDaddy D’s Legacy

“Wow, your computer room is really clean! I guess it must have been Dave who made a mess in it.”

--Jackie
Oct. 30, 2006

Fugue

noun

1 Music a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.
2 Psychiatry a state or period of loss of awareness of one's identity, often coupled with flight from one's usual environment, associated with certain forms of hysteria and epilepsy.

Learned the second meaning from today's NYT, as in "dissociative fugue". Still can't understand why it is a 'fugue.'

Maybe this helps:

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French, or from Italian fuga, from Latin fuga ‘flight,’ related to fugere ‘flee.’

Dirty Job DIY

Tool:

• 15-ft drain auger ("snake")

Cost:

• $7.99 at Home Depot

Time spent:

• 15 minutes consulting a friend about "snake"
• 15 minutes shopping at Home Depot
• 15 minutes learning how to use it + finishing the job (It takes some strength!)
  

Result:

• Clear drain

Psychological effect:

• invaluable
• comforts my poor router-beaten mind
  

I, in fact, am very handy!

Sorry about this disgusting picture. But it was my biggest achievement on Sunday!

How Much Does It Take To Set Up A Wireless Router

Well, apparently it takes a LOT. They claim that Easy Installation will only take three minutes, but today I have been struggling to re-install my two-year-old 54g wireless router since 3:30pm to no avail (that's 3.5 precious hours). I called the router maker three times, and every time a new service agent would make me do the same things again and again. They also suspected that my internet provider had some problem, too. So I called my internet provider. Of course they blame the router maker, saying that the router would make a lot changes to the modem.

Well, I think the first service agent with the router maker is correct: the router is broken. It is just very hard to convince the other two to believe it. I believe it because my old-fashioned wired router works perfectly fine (but where am I gonna find two 40-foot cables for it?).

Oh, it's so frustrating! I could have used my time better!

By the way, judging from the service agents' accent, I believe the router maker's service center is in India.



Added 12:13am Oct. 24:

Now I am online, wireless, and it has been working fine!

Of course, this was only after some 30 minutes with the guidance of a very knowledgeable friend of my new roomie: unplugging and plugging the power cord to the Comcast modem, and eventually resetting while powering on the modem worked.

The following is just a record of what I have done, what could be the reason etc. It serves as a reminder to myself, in case I face the same problems again.

1) I bought a new wireless router, and it failed installation. Yes. That told me that it definitely was not the router. It must be the connection between the modem and the router.
2) Comcast modems are one of a kind: they don't like routers. They think they should only connect to ONE computer. So when setting up a router, the router might have difficulty finding the internet (because the modem refuses it).
3) In order to make the modem forget its default settings, it has to be power-cycled, or reset, or reset-while-power-cycled.
4) Access the router via web configuration page. Make sure WAN connection type is DHCP client or fixed IP. Under Status, if WAN connection is disconnected, do DHCP release, and then DHCP renew. It should work.

It is easily said than done. I'm so very grateful to my roomie's friend. More knowledgeable than Belkin and Comcast technical support.

Hmm, I am not sure that my two-year-old Belkin is dead after all!

坚强地面对现实

我检讨，我对科学不够关心。我的这个小领域最近出了学术丑闻我到今天才得知。其实，八月底就察觉到有什么不对劲：一篇文章EPub了两天就被作者撤回。当时我就有疑问，为什么要这样做呢？EPub之前干什么去了？

今天才知道，这件事（还涉及到其它的文章）的whistle-blower，这个日本实验室的助理教授，在告发了正教授作假之后，在需要到调查委员会前作证前两天，选择了自杀以结束自己的生命。多么的可悲及可惜！

想到前些日子J着迷的日剧《白色巨塔》，见习医院里副教授和正教授的明争暗斗，以及日本学术界的等级森严，都压抑地让我喘不过气来。没想到比这更戏剧性的情节却在现实里上演。是什么样的压力使得Kさん不得不选择那样的结局呢？

我们每个人都面临大大小小的压力。如果我是Kさん，我会选择坚强地面对现实，为真理而奋斗。生命是如此珍贵，不可以就这样结束。

题外话：今天才发现，J欣赏的柳田充弘教授是如此的精力充沛：他的每天更新的博客有日文版和英文版，而且还有闲情逸致种菜养花！有兴趣的请看他对作假事件的看法。

The World Out of the Window

It's fascinating...

Radar's got a thing for chairs these days. He is very good at climbing them. Today he learned to put his front paws on the back of the chair. He stayed up there for more than 5 minutes. Long enough for me to get my camera out for this shot.

Christmas Cactus in October

蘸满颜料的笔尖

蝶

很多蝶

《疯狂的石头》

好看！名不虚传！当然，除了前面一半我猜得出的情节，后面一波三折之后的四折五折就很让我称奇了。尤其是结局，每个人都各得其所，很让我满意。

要是国产电影都这么拍就有得救了。谁还要看什么大片，无非是把《哈姆雷特》《雷雨》之类搬到华丽绚烂的古代中国，除此之外，还有什么新意？哼，记得毛主席教导过我们，文艺是为人民服务的。这帮大导们，都是怎么学的？

中秋月

应个景，贴个今晚的月亮。
月升六点整，这是六点三十六吧。

天公不作美，一会儿成了这样。


祝大伙儿中秋快乐！


Bonus:

昨儿的景。

这谁谁

原来是有人给我做广告了。

我现在心情很复杂，一言难尽。特以此博记之。

另：知道大家都在等我的游记呢。近期较忙，各种杂事。腹中饥饿，垫了点小米同学送的刚做好的奶酪，感觉好多了。又有了力量。游记稍候付上。

新文化现象

中国作家协会会员，国家一级作家，诗人赵丽华的诗：

《一个人来到田纳西》
毫无疑问
我做的馅饼
是全天下
最好吃的

Red Moon, Oct. 27, 2004

I was archiving my old photos and came through this one, taken on Oct. 27, 2004 during a total lunar eclipse. This was the natural color of the Moon during the totality of the eclipse when it was moving through the Earth's shadow. Guess what? The Earth's shadow is not completely dark! The reddish hue of the Moon was caused by the sunlight scattered and refracted by the Earth's atmosphere.

That night, the Boston Red Sox became the World Series Champion after 86 years. And I also became a baseball fan in the last two weeks of that season.


The moon before the eclipse:




Now a professional shot of the red moon:

Red Moon Triple
Credit & Copyright: Fred Espenak

Music in My Head

My favorite this week:

Franz Schubert 1797-1828
Piano Quintet in A Major, D667 'The Trout' (1819)
Movement IV Theme & Variations: Adantino (7:30)

This Quintet is named 'Trout' after the Schubert song which provides the theme for the fourth movement variations. Isn't it lovely?

Analemma

Analemma of the Moon
Credit & Copyright: Rich Richins

I love astronomy!

I came across this photo today, and I learned what an analemma is! For an explanation, click here and follow the links within.


Added Sept. 16, 2006: This person is amazing! Check out his photos of analemma at different hours of the day, taken as a multi-exposure on a single piece of film. I especially like this vertical one:

Jan 12, 2002 - Dec 21, 2002
12:28:16 UT+2
Athens, Greece (38.2997° N, 23.7430° E)
Copyright © 2001-2005, Anthony Ayiomamitis.