Wednesday, November 07, 2007

秘鲁第二天

今天我们去Colca Canyon。旅行团的中巴到旅馆接我们出发啦!沿途的风景有:

在近郊看火山太太(Volcano Chachani, 6075米)
火山先生(Volcano Misti)呢
绿油油的庄稼地,这里现在是春天。不过昨天我已经看到人们忙碌地收割了!

对郊区的平凡人来说,平凡的一天开始了。
西北郊,看起来象平民区。这里全是火山岩。导游解释说,房顶上裸露的钢精是为了省税用的,表明房屋仍未竣工,就可以少交很多税。所以这一片一片的都是未竣工的房屋呢。据说此举在秘鲁很多地方流行,但在大城市里却万万不可。

接下来的很多天里,我认识到,秘鲁的狗是自由的狗,全部都是散养!它们都很可爱,虽然都是杂种(此处毫无贬义)。

山路绕啊绕,绕到了火山后面的高原地带。我们进入了高原生态保护区(Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca)。常见的景色:
忽然间,guanaco(红褐色美洲驼)出现在我们眼前:
它们可是纯野生,为了保护它们,每只都带标记的。来一张背影,俗称ass shot:
漫步在火山先生背后:
漫步在火山太太背后:

很快就看到了guanaco的亲戚alpaca(也就是我们昨晚的晚餐)。它们是驯养的,和guanaco一样生活在高原(真的是高,我的头已经开始痛了,虽然三天前我就开始吃高原药了)有水的地方。据说苔藓作为食物可使它们的毛质提高。所以你的高级的baby alpaca毛衣可能就是苔藓变成的。多么优雅的吃相!注意,alpaca的尾巴是朝下的,这一点和以后将上场的Llama不同。灿烂的并蒂仙人球花:

道路交叉口有趣的岩石造型:青蛙。这里我们要前后经过三次,请记住。
道路交叉口厕所屋顶上的鸟。我不象V一样为鸟痴狂,所以我的鸟影极为有限,而且不能识辨。将就看吧!

高原沼泽地
远处的guanaco群:
高原沼泽地上飞翔的鸟儿。
跋涉的鸟儿:高原上的路:
这种顽强的植物可以在4500米生长300年!
这个丑丑的动物也很顽强:
导游在路边摘的野草chachakoma缓解了我在4900米关口的头晕气喘现象。好东西!
山谷里就是今天要住的Chivay:
耶稣的势力很强大:

旅馆对面是个学校。多么可爱的孩子们!可是,记住照过相后要给她们钱,最好每人一份,以免分赃不均。你的钱出手后,10秒内就进了校门口小摊贩的手里了。要我怎么说这些孩子好呢?
每家每户的泥土垒成的院墙上都种着仙人球,以防盗:
农家可爱的小羊羔:
山间的雪水化做清泉滋润农田:
温泉里消遣的人们:

晚餐饭店里的小乐队:(左一为游客)

民族舞蹈员:
小小民族舞蹈员:

我又吃了羊驼肉。

这篇真够臭长。我要开始精简了。

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

秘鲁第一天

当飞机在凌晨破晓前按时降落利马机场的时候,我忍不住说了出来:“我终于到了南半球了!”这真是我一生的夙愿。我好激动,最近老是想,南半球的星空会有什么不同呢?就期待着会有晴朗的天气等着我。

接下来的一个半小时象是冲锋打仗:先是边检,然后取行李,过海关,在长长的机场大厅找Lan Peru的柜台排队托运行李(在最远的地方,人们还只说西班牙语),交机场费$6.05(这一点很象中国),安检,终于在飞机起飞20分钟前顺利登机。

天将破晓,利马是个阴天。

接下来一个半小时的航程有一段特别颠簸,愣是把我从睡梦中颠醒了。睁眼一看,啊,好美的峡谷啊!会不会就是明天我们要去的Colca Canyon呢?不得而知。

慢慢的,就出现了绿色的农田。
还有路。这张风景看起来象火星,不过绝对真实,没有ps过!

一座看似破落的城市出现的眼前。这就是今天的目的地,Arequipa,秘鲁的第二大城市,美称“白色之城”,因其建筑材料多就地取材,使用白色火山岩。
我们的飞机在火山太太(Volcano Chachani, 6075米)前。
火山先生(Volcano Misti)呢,就在旁边。不过看这里:
这是武器广场(Plaza de Armas),或称市长广场,每个秘鲁的城市都有。Arequipa的,有一个大天主教教堂,耸立在海拔5822米的火山先生前。

这个是城中著名的Santa Catalina修道院,以浓烈的色彩著称。以前是西班牙裔富家女首选的职业,常常有好几个佣人一同陪修。

长长的巷道。
修道院里还可以研习音乐,虽然生活条件看似艰苦了些,不过有佣人做饭,洗衣:

还有自己的独立空间:院中有院

还可以欣赏火山:
和花卉:
这样的生活也够惬意了。

看完修道院,到大教堂后巷子里的饭店楼顶用餐。今天的晚餐:

我的羊驼肉酿辣椒,可惜一点也不辣

V的羊驼肉排

H的煎鳟鱼和M的蘑菇汁羊驼肉排


晚餐后踱回武器广场,拱廊沐浴在夕阳的余晖里:
还有这大教堂:
多么美好的一天啊!

哎呀我的天,不知道这样的游记我还能写几天!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Forever Young

This orchid's name is Winay Wayna (Forever Young).
It grows in mountains like this:



Dear readers, I am back!

ps, do you see the Inca Trail on the mountain? Except THE Inca Trail I hiked is 10 times more difficult than this one!

Sunday, October 07, 2007

落后很多事情

又要写阿拉斯加游记,又被人催写李安新作的观后感,还要积极锻炼身体,还要完成第三回业余婚礼摄影师的后期制作,还要去买雨披和hiking专用袜子,还要务正业,还要当我tech的tech,我,

真是太忙了。

哎,谁下一个结婚?我当业余婚礼摄影师上瘾了,因为得到很多赞美。blush。

Monday, October 01, 2007

Time Flies

A year has passed, and I still haven't finished writing about my Alaska trip of 2006!



Coming soon! Stay tuned!

Friday, September 28, 2007

想当年

体育从来不是我的强项。

大一那年夏天,我们全班爬泰山。我很不争气,落在最后一位。一步一步象蜗牛一样地爬,简直生不如死。我当即开始怀疑人生,一如上周六的一个teenager boy,"Exactly, what's the point of this?"然而,在山路上,我就不停地发誓,我下山以后一定加紧锻炼,下一次登泰山一定要比这次轻松,不能再落后。

可是在逆境当中发的誓往往不能被我实现。而且,我现在总结出来,登山远比跑步耗体力(我有5公里27分25秒的纪录,比较慢,我知道,但我有耐力)。上一次略微让我自豪的是在优胜美地,我爬了一大半的Half Dome,高差800米,颇为炫耀了好多年。

这一次,三周后我就要去Inca Trail,三天半的徒步旅行,在第二天要攀登高差1200米的Dead Woman's Pass。最近工作繁忙,疏于锻炼,体能欠缺,所以我有些担心。为了重新体验一下登山的感觉,上周六我去爬一个高差500多米的山,又是气喘吁吁,汗流浃背,上山(2.5hr)下山(1.5hr)总共花了4个小时,可书上说,3小时就可完成。我哭啊!不过又想一想,那第二天的Inca Trail并不需要下很多山,所以8个小时我应该可以完成。

回来后超级红袜子迷听说了我的业绩。我表达了征服Dead Woman's Pass的信心,却被告诫说:“那可是海拔4200米的关口啊!想当年我在科罗拉多登山就感到空气稀薄,呼吸困难。那还没有4000米呢!”言下之意是:“我很担心你们变成dead women啊!”

我立刻意识到了局势的严重性,所以我已经开始了我的训练:爬楼梯和跑步交替进行。今天我要爬四次楼梯,一次36米。慢慢要逐渐增加负重,以适应我的摄影器材。

希望通过这次锻炼,可以将几磅肥肉换成肌肉,这样就一举两得了。

Friday, September 21, 2007

The Answer

to a crazy experiment:



It worked! The phone is back again, and it completed one call while we were watching.

Seeing is believing. I am convinced that miracles do happen.

(Sorry for the blurry pics. An Image Stabilizer would be so helpful here.)

First Shot

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

豆腐盒的妙用

Reading NY Times' Tech Innovation today I found this picture:



The familiar green/white round tofu container sits right in the middle of a somehow cluttered bench in a biotech lab here in 'home, sweet home' Cambridge.

What is going on?

I and EPA would both consider that a safety violation: No food wrap or food container should be allowed in a lab! :)

ps, I bet the biotech lab is right around the corner from the tofu factory :)

pps, it's bad PR to let such a tofu container appear in a story in New York Times.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

I Love My iMac

It's very beautiful!

Today is the first day I am using it. Migration from my old Mac was painless. All my files and applications got copied over within an hour. It can't be simpler. In addition, I have already discovered new functions on my brand new computer. I have video-chatted across the wall, and over the land. I feel achieved.

But I do have a suggestion for Apple: get a better lens for the camera. My face looks too fat in iChat!

Sunday, September 02, 2007

My Hollywood Connections

数一数,好像还有两三个。

当年李安拍《喜宴》的时候,S去做群众演员,出现在饭店的大场面。这个景并不好,根本没有可吃的东西,还要假装吃喝,还看不到S的面容。不过,在女主角机场迎接准公婆的场景里,S被安排站在女主角身后的显眼位置。为此,我把《喜宴》看了两次,每次都很兴奋地等待S出场,并且很精确的目测了女主角金素梅的身高。但是李安拍《喜宴》的时候,还不算好莱坞的导演吧,现在已经是大导了。

H为《面纱》做助理, 在片尾冠上了Cable Runner的美名,还根据经历,写了数篇博文。H也为《谍中谍III》做过双语翻译。我没看过片子,不知道他是不是也被鸣谢了。

现如今,M也要在好莱坞影片里扎一角了,已经定下本月底和Steve Martin一起拍戏。我好奇地问,他们能让人探班吗?(我也想尝尝探班的滋味。)M说,好像不行。

哎,我的好莱坞联系还是不够紧密。

Thursday, August 30, 2007

A Crazy Experiment

E accidentally spilled orange juice on her AT&T LG cell phone. The phone was not happy after that: basically it refused to turn on. Thinking that they have nothing more to lose, C and E decided to soak the phone in the purest water they can find, Milli Q water. Their reason: water might be able to remove the juice from the phone and thus fix it. However, M was critical about that reasoning. He thought the acidity of the OJ had already killed the circuit. I am curious and doubtful as whether this would work at all. After all, my friend X lost her phone after it had a brief accidental bath in water.

Do you think C and E's experiment will work or not?

I will provide an answer if I get enough feedback on this post.

Now to prove that THE phone was really soaked in water:

E retrieving the phone from water as C, M, and A look on:

The serial number on the phone (notice water drops on the phone):
C and E are smart as they only soaked the phone but not the battery or the SIM card.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

His Royal Highness

Radar in his self-fashioned poncho.

A really long train.


"I chewed this hole myself, and put my head through it."


The cat walk.

Monday, August 20, 2007

《色,戒》

我那热爱娱乐八卦的脑袋今天晚上拜读了张爱玲的短篇小说《色,戒》,很为作家的功力所折服。短短的篇幅力透纸背,人物刻画和心理描写都恰到好处,还有这故事,非常的惊骇。张爱玲在我的心中,已然不再是个chick lit的作家了。

我准备要赶这不过时的时髦,做一个张迷。

另外,不知道李安能把这故事拍成啥样的片子。期待。

Monday, August 13, 2007

Donkey Tail in Bloom



My 7-year-old Donkey Tail surprised me this summer. This plant can actually bloom!

Read more about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_morganianum

Stargazing Last Week

It was confirmed today that the shining, fast-moving celestial object I saw last Wednesday or Thursday night was a Perseid meteor. The criteria:

1) It was heading south from north by north-east.
2) It was too fast to be an airplane.
3) It was too bright to be International Space Station (I don't even know where its orbit is).

So even though I was too tired to gaze last night (its peak time), I still saw the meteor shower, just in that 30 seconds I happened to be looking :) With this luck, I should go and buy lottery.

Last Saturday, I also saw the Milky Way with naked eyes, and many many more stars than any star chart could show. I remember that I was more than once told the story of Vega (织女) and Altair (牛郎), and Deneb (鹊桥). The thing was, I never really learned those stars until recently. But they are really prominent in the sky. They make a great Summer Triangle.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

J. K. Rowling

Must be a stargazer.

Evidence:

Sirius (the dog star. the brightest star in the night sky)
Regulus ("prince" or "little King". Brightest star in Leo, the Lion. It is very close to the ecliptic plane.)
Arcturus (brightest star in Boötes, the Herdsman. Arc to Arcturus, speed to Spica.)
Andromeda (our closest neighbor galaxy M31 lies in this constellation.)
Draco ("dragon". the large constellation that wraps around Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper.)

etc.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Hectic Life of Mine

Early Sunday evening I settled down to read HP VII after some professional & social obligations. Finally I got to enjoy the book and find a closure. Life was so good.

The book must have cast a spell on me, for I dozed off on Chapter 4 around 8:30pm and didn't wake up until 4:30am. I read for another hour and went back to sleep for 3 more hours.

A good night's sleep prepared me for a long battle yesterday. Same professional obligations kept me up until 3:30am and made me up and running again at 7:15am.

As of 10:30am, it's out of sight, out of mind.

Now I can really enjoy the magic world of HP VII.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

云南的味道

这两天想的都是云南的味道。上个月在亚超买到了干的鸡棕菌(我一直都不知道这个棕字怎么写,问我妈,她这半个云南人也不知道。我怀疑这个“棕”字也是不正确的),今天炸了油鸡棕。自己琢磨的,先泡发,洗净,挤干,切小丁,用七成热的油中火煎到快脱水,中间加足够的盐,真的就做出了美味的油鸡棕了。多亏我在吃的方面勇于探索,也幸运地取得成功。要是浪费了这些鸡棕,我就要后悔为什么没问我妈怎么做了。

现在我是可以用油鸡棕下面或是拌凉菜了,可想起其他的云南美味我就只能咽口水。另一种我印象深刻的云南食品是牛干巴,也就是腌制的晒干的牛肉。切成薄片,用油煎过,很有滋味和嚼劲,可以做下酒的小菜。还有一种是茄子干,和碎米一起腌,吃的时候用油炒过,非常下饭。

下次回云南,一定要吃个够。

Friday, July 06, 2007

云南米线

忽然想起了多年前坐公车去中缅边境的小城看姨妈。车子颠簸一整天,要转无数的弯,才能翻越一座横断山脉的高山。在半山腰上的一个小到不能再小的小镇,一个毫不起眼的小店里,我吃了一碗最美味的云南米线。没有鸡汤,不是过桥米线。小锅里煮好的米线捞起来放到一碗盛着些咸菜的汤里,只要一毛五分钱,却让我觉得,云南米线是天底下最好吃的东西。

现在去姨妈家,已经不需要再坐三天的汽车了。高速公路上只要一晚上就能从昆明抵达。已经二十一年没有去过云南了。这个我生活过一年的地方,还能让我再次体验这米线的记忆吗?

Monday, July 02, 2007

Commutation

I think this is a better choice for Word of the Day:

commutation |ˌkämyəˈtā sh ən|
noun
1 action or the process of commuting a judicial sentence. • the conversion of a legal obligation or entitlement into another form, e.g., the replacement of an annuity or series of payments by a single payment.
2 the process of commutating an electric current.
3 Mathematics the property of having a commutative relation.
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [exchange, barter,] later [alteration] ): from Latin commutatio(n-), from commutare ‘exchange, interchange’ (see commute ). Sense 1 dates from the late 16th cent.


Suddenly P. Hilton seems to be a better person. She actually DID and finished her prison time.


-----------------------------------------------
附:每日一笑

Food Thief in Koch Building

Dear Koch Building Faculty, Researchers, Staff & Students,

For the past week, we have had a food thief eating his way through
the refrigerators in the Building 68 Tea rooms and leaving a major
mess behind him. Campus Police has stepped up their patrols of the
building. In the meantime, we do have a description of the thief:

Male, Caucasian, 5'10", short light brown hair, late 30's

There is no pattern to the time of day that he raids the fridges. If
you see him, please call Campus Police. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Mary

原来米国也有偷东西吃的贼。

Sunday, July 01, 2007

KFC

Today I ate at KFC for the first time ever, in my whole life, which includes more than a decade in the States.

Finally. Been there. Done that.