25 Years and Counting
18.02.2015 § 1 Comment
During my adolescent years, there was a popular song with lyrics that went something like this:
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, “What will I be?
Will I be pretty, will I be rich?”
Here’s what she said to me“Que Sera, Sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future’s not ours to see
Que Sera, Sera”
In those years, I vaguely dreamed of becoming a writer (in Chinese, of course). I still dream of it, vaguely! I also loved to draw when I was young, but I never trained until college. I started ballet at age five, stopped for a while, and then spent almost all of my spare time outside of art class practicing modern dance during my college years. « Read the rest of this entry »
Grey Cat
11.02.2015 § Leave a comment
My sister-in-law adopted a stray cat that is very shy. I visited her house during Christmas and saw the cat for the first time. She had beautiful, grey fur that was the perfect color inspiration I was looking for. So I took a close up picture.
Boarding Gate Concert
16.12.2014 § Leave a comment
I was on my way to Washington DC via the Midway airport at 5:30 a.m., and there was a concert going on across from my boarding gate. Three singers wearing Army side caps were singing old-timey songs in front of a full house audience in the waiting area. A whole bunch of people in orange shirts pushing wheelchairs were gathering at the concert, and I asked a lady wearing a green shirt what it was all about.
She said that 92 World War II veterans were going to Washington DC. The trip was sponsored by Honor Flight Chicago, a privately funded organization. « Read the rest of this entry »
Quote of the Day ~ 5
05.11.2014 § Leave a comment
“A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, Nothing else.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Bodhi Blossom
22.10.2014 § Leave a comment
It is said these are blossoms from the Bodhi tree. I have never seen them in person, but I think they are beautiful.
The Bodhi Tree […] was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi. [It is after the enlightenment of Guatama Siddartha that the tree is called the Bodhi tree.] In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. Bodhi trees are planted in close proximity to every Buddhist monastery in India. « Read the rest of this entry »
Phoenix Origin
10.10.2014 § Leave a comment
I wonder if the Chinese saw birds like these and were so fascinated that they created the legendary phoenix? In Western legend, the phoenix looked more like an eagle—or a swan? The Chinese phoenix sometimes also had an eagle-like head, but the wings and tails were more like a peacock or pheasant. Maybe there really was a bird like that, but it went extinct like the dinosaurs? Otherwise, how did both the East and West develop a similar legend?
Anomite
02.10.2014 § Leave a comment
I was searching for a color name and ran into the word “anomite,” got intrigued and looked into it further. I started amassing photos of these amazing fossils and also discovered an amazing museum, the Museum of the Earth. Although it’s out of the way, I will definitely try to visit the museum the next time I find myself in the area. If I had known about it when my children were young, I would have gone during our trip to Niagara Falls. What a great children’s camp opportunity! « Read the rest of this entry »
Ota, Japan
18.09.2014 § Leave a comment
In Japan, my sister and I visited the hot spring place called Ota. Ota is in the countryside and was beautiful. It’s well known for its miso too, so we had miso ice cream there, and it was delicious! « Read the rest of this entry »
Rangetsu Ryokan
15.09.2014 § Leave a comment
Ryokan means “inn” in Japanese. Usually it’s a tatami place with shoji doors. It’s popular to stay in Ryokan at the hot spring resorts in Japan. My sister and I went to one called Rangetsu. It had a private hot spring opening to a small garden as well as a public one (where we went) which also had an outdoor hot spring pool.
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