Josh Groban, A Beautiful Voice

The first time I heard Josh Groban was on one episode of Ally McBeal. That was the December after 9/11, and the episode was dedicated to its memory. Josh sang a most beautiful song, To Where You Are, at a memorial service for the fallen firefighters of this little town. It was very very moving and I had to watch the song again and again. I really love his voice. It is pure and powerful. Over the years I came upon his duet with Charlotte Church, The Prayer, which is also very beautiful. I hoped I could hear more of his songs, and yesterday I found not only one, but two albums from my local library! I was very very happy!

Looking through the CD inserts, I learned that "To Where You Are" was written by Richard Marx. No wonder it is so romantic (remember his "Right Here Waiting"?)。 一如Jade语，“浪漫地撒狗血“（出自Jade's post 一天生活流水账)。To hear his songs, you can go to his official website, and click Music to play a song on the upper right side, or you can go here.

Isn't he great?还是帅弟一名啊！

Added on March 31, 2006: I found myself hopelessly fell in love with Josh's voice. It is so romantic and powerful. It is the best crossover between classical and pop.


"To Where You Are"

Who can say for certain
Maybe you’re still here
I feel you all around me
Your memories so clear

Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You’re still an inspiration
Can it be (? )
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you’re there
A breath away’s not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn’t faith believing
All power can’t be seen

As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
’cause you are mine
Forever love
Watching me from up above

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you’re there
A breath away’s not far
To where you are

I know you’re there
A breath away’s not far
To where you are

我的第一幅山水

又学了六堂山水课，终于画出了一幅东西。只能算半成品吧，因为觉得缺了点鸟儿啊，船什么的。过几天再画吧。

山水真是比花鸟难很多。功夫都花在基本功上了。前四堂课画了四礼拜的树，从枯树的树干画起。这两周画的是石头，下四周要把它们放一块了。

My 360 Pixels on Nature.com

This picture is linked directly from Nature.com. It is only 60X60 pixels. I can't make it to display any smaller here.


Ok, this is actually about Milan's Graduate Journal in Nature, the most prestigious science journal that every scientist dreams to publish in (ok, there are also Science and Cell). I only found out that Milan has a column in Nature today, and he has already published two journals! Mmm, I wonder why I am always the last one to know this sort of things.

Milan is a very good writer. I had enjoyed reading his blog (Milog on my sidebar) back in the days when he regularly updated it. I remember telling him, "Maybe you should make a career in writing or editing or publishing." So I heard that Nature saw his blog and then asked him to contribute to a column. Well, I need to confirm this with the author, but for now, we'll believe that it did happen that way.

Checking out the page I saw a familiar picture. It looks like a portrait of Milan I took last year. And I remembered that he asked for that picture about two months ago. It all came together just like that! It is confirmed by the author that his picture on Nature.com is my work.

Oh wow! Now I have 360 pixels published on Nature.com. Too bad it is not credit to me. Too bad it is not my scientific contribution to the human kind. Still a long long way to go!

A Man Among Orcas

Orca
n : predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas [syn: killer whale]

Picture: Courtesy of David Reichert

David Reichert and Friend

Wildlife filmmaker David Reichert befriends an elephant seal during shooting for A Man Among Orcas. The Crozet Islands are so far removed from human civilization that many of the animals living there have never seen a person before. With no reason to fear this peculiar, two-legged creature, the seals reacted to David with nonchalance and even curiosity.

Checking my email at 5:30pm, I found a new message from V, my first roommate when I started graduate school. She wanted us to watch a documentary on Animal Planet about a wildlife photographer filming orcas (and other wildlife) in the Crozet islands. Then she said, “That photographer happens to be my brother.” She apologized for the late notice. She was in Australia. Things were a little crazy before she left. She sent the email at 5:19pm EST, and the premiere of the documentary was 7pm.

I hurried to finish my work and got home in time for the program. I’ve heard from V that her brother is a photographer and makes films, but today is the first time that I saw his work and saw him working. The documentary started from David’s preparation back home in Jackson Hole, WY, for the trip to Crozet Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Eleven suitcases were packed including three cameras and underwater housing, among other things. Everything has to be in the best working condition. David would stay on the island for 4 and a-half months.

The Crozet Islands are a volcanic archipelago belonging to the subantarctic island system. It is extremely and constantly windy and no trees can grow there. The weather changes dramatically and it rains almost everyday. However, the islands host a lot of wildlife found in this remote area of the world. David settled down among the king penguins, elephant seals, sea birds, and orcas. This documentary reminds me of “March Of The Penguins”, which I really love. But unlike the best documentary of the Academy Awards, David’s documentary did not overly portrait penguins as humans (such as “love is the only thing that concurs all”). He simply showed us how beautiful these king penguins were, and how cute their chicks were. But they, as cute as they are, are still below in the food chain for the orcas.

Another prey for the orcas are the elephant seal. I have to say that I find male elephant seals ugly. I especially don’t like their trunks that earned them their name. But I do like their pups. With their big watery eyes, long whiskers, chubby bodies, and wrinkly skin, they easily win my heart over. One pup’s mother abandoned him early, because she herself was starving. Desperately seeking another mother for nursing, the pup was only turned down and thrown out every time. The poor pup looked at David for help. But the human being had no way to help it through. This was just like one of those heartbreaking moments in “March Of The Penguins”. Nature is sometimes so cruel.

Orcas live in small, close-knit family units called pods. A pod usually has a matriarch, who can live up to 90 years (Wow!). They hunt together and sometimes they would deliberately strand on beach in order to catch prey. To get close to the orcas, David waded through the marsh, climbed up the cliff, and found the best observation point. David also dived to shoot footages of orcas. It was amazing to see him only feet away from the pod of killer whales. Maybe he really gained their trust by observing them for months.

I am always fascinated in programs of Nature. This one is very special, because it features V’s brother. It reminds me of not only how hard life is for the animals out there, but also how much the filmmakers had to endure to make documentaries. The trip from Wyoming to the Crozet Islands took David 3 weeks. After that it was 4 and ½ months among the animals. This is hard work. I really enjoyed the program. My many thanks to David and V.

George Washington’s Dentures

What's wrong with his mouth?

One thing I learned this week is about Washington’s dentures. While reading the February issue of National Geographic one evening, I became totally fascinated by one fact in a short article about reconstructing Washington’s image: he owned some dentures that were made from not wood, but human teeth!

Talking to my colleagues the next day, I was surprised to find that the myth of Washington’s wooden dentures is widely spread. After researching online about this subject, I learned more about Washington’s serious dental problems in his lifetime. By the time of his inauguration as America’s first president in 1789, he had lost all but one tooth. He was only 57 then. He had many dentures made but none of them really fit. That is why you see him pouting in most of his portraits – because he had to close his mouth shut to keep his denture in. And the human teeth in his dentures are most likely his own.

Oh that makes me feel less awful! How could you keep someone else’s teeth in your own mouth? It is just weird. I’m all for heart transplants, kidney transplants, to name a few. But I am just not ready for human teeth denture yet.

Luckily I have good teeth. One physician saw my teeth and commented: “they grow good teeth in China.” Of course this is all my parents’ credit. Besides, my grandpa, who is 91, also has good teeth. It seems I have the good tooth gene. I shall not worry about human teeth denture.

To see a picture of GW's dentures, click here.

Word of the Day -- Dilettante

Word of the Day for Friday March 3, 2006

dilettante \DIL-uh-tont; dil-uh-TONT; dil-uh-TON-tee; -TANT; -TAN-tee\, noun:
1. An amateur or dabbler; especially, one who follows an art or a branch of knowledge sporadically, superficially, or for amusement only.
2. An admirer or lover of the fine arts.

Dilettante comes from the present participle of Italian delittare, "to delight," from Latin delectare, "to delight," frequentative of delicere, "to allure," from de- + lacere, "to entice."

What a coincidence! It sounds just like ME!