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I painted this some time ago, not sure if I ever posted it though..

Here's my most recent oil painting. I gave this one away as a gift to kind friends.

This is a cool site. Check it out. http://digg.fotoflexer.com/ Although I'd prefer that the images were of higher resolution..at least the few I clicked all looked pretty grainy.

Here's a video of our dance to "Edelweiss"! The steps are: a. Box x2 b. Progressive Basic x2 c. Left and Right 3/8 Combo Turn x2 d. Box x2 e. Underarm with left quarter turn x1 f. Back to Back Box x1 g. Box x1 h. Underarm to Sweetheart turn x1 and forward x4 i. Sweetheart Box x1 j. Both Turn x1 k. Progressive Basic x1 l. Both Turn x1 m. Progressive Basic x1 then Rejoin n. Progressive x2 o. Left and Right 3/8 Combo Turn x1 p. Progressive x1 q. Dip x1 We choreographed the dance by ourself!

I just concluded a very nice, fun semester of dancing lessons. Here are the dances in the order learned and the moves for each dance! Shag: Setup Basic Break Ending Variations a) Rock Step b) Hitch Kick c) Swivels Lady's Outside Turn Lady's Inside Turn Man's Underarm Turn Wrap Arm Slide a) Over the Neck b) Two Hand Pivot Foxtrot: Basic Promenade with Underarm Turn Left Ad Lib Turn Outside Turning Basic Left Turning Box Box to Cuddle Twinkle Arm to Arm Twinkle Cha Cha: Basic Progressive Basic Single Cross Over Double Cross Over Cross Body Lead Open Break Natural Underarm Turn Two Way Underarm Turn Chase Turns Cross Triples American Waltz: Box Progressive Basic Left Quarter Turn Underarm Turn Balance Steps (forward, back, side) Left and Right 3/8 Combo Turn Back to Back Box Rumba: Basic Underarm Turn Forward Rock Steps Underarm Turn to Cuban Walk Fifth Position Breaks Cross Over Offset Breaks Tango: Basic Promenade Turning Left Corte Rock and Corte Open Fan Valentino Right Si

I found this to be fun. Composed or/and performed by a Nobel Laureate too! http://www.theory.caltech.edu/people/politzer/SHO.mp3

Last week was Thanksgiving. The most important thing about Thanksgiving, which is on a Thursday, at least in America, is the big sale after on Friday! Seriously! The second most important thing of course is the Turkey, then comes the mashed potatoes, etc. anyways, giving thanks is really quite low on the list of importance. Heh. I wanted to mention that we bought a GPS system during the biggest sale of the year. It's a Tomtom One, and actually they have this model in Taiwan. You can even purchase Taiwan maps and install them. I think it was a good purchase. GPS systems are indispensable these days, especially if you're traveling to somewhere you've never been. The paper maps of old are really going obsolete, and that's good and bad. It's good because GPS is just so much easier to use. It's bad because nobody will ever REMEMBER locations anymore, and we won't have beautifully drawn detailed and intricate maps like those from the 1600s, since everything is acc

Here's a nice poem I read recently. Strange Attractors /Robin S. Chapman/ How to find them, those regions Of space where the equation traces Over and over a kind of path, Like the moth that batters its way Back toward the light Or, hearing the high cry of the bat, Folds its wings in a rolling dive? And ourselves, fluttering toward and away In a pattern that, given enough Dimensions and point-of-view, Anyone living there could plainly see-- Dance and story, advance, retreat, A human chaos that some slight Early difference altered irretrievably? For one, the sound of her mother Crying. For this other, The hands that soothed When he was sick. For a third, The silence that collects Around certain facts. And this one, Sent to bed, longing for a nightlight. Though we think this time to escape, Holding a head up, nothing wrong, Finding a way to beat the system, Talking about anything else-- Travel, the weather, time At the flight simulator--for some The journey circles back To those stran

I was fortunate to be able to hear the Tokyo String Quartet with Leon Fleisher tonight. If you don't know who Leon Fleisher is, he is a very famous pianist. He won many awards as a youth, only to lose the ability to use his right hand in his prime. For the next 30 or so years, he performed essentially with only his left hand, on pieces that were more or less specifically written for a single hand. Recently, with the advance of medicine, someone realized that by injecting botox he could regain control, albeit this is not a full cure, of his right hand. So tonight, at the age of 79, we saw him perform, and it was still quite a performance. The Tokyo String Quartet is also very well known. They have fine control over the music, and play with such clarity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Fleisher

I've progressed to oil painting, and I love it. Oil is very different from water colour. Water colour seems more 2D, in the sense that you apply the paint, and dilute it to spread. Oil is thicker, and there's a third dimension to this, because sometimes you can have thicker parts of the painting, and thinner parts! Don't know if I'm making sense. This painting is somewhat similar in colour scheme to previous works of mine. I promise to try something more drastically different next. Also, this photo was taken before the piece was completed. I filled in the white spaces..

I haven't posted much lately as I'm trying to do a lot of work. That, and this is not necessarily good, takes away a lot of time for contemplation and writing. I was able to get away for a bit from the lab today by going to my first hockey game this evening. I originally viewed hockey as a violent, and don't get me wrong because it still is, sport for knuckleheads. But watching the game up close gave me a whole new perspective. The best part about hockey is the speed and intensity that is unmatched in sports like basketball and football. It's exciting to watch players speed down the ice rink chasing the puck that you know is there because they are chasing it but you can't see yourself because it's going too fast. We watched the hometown Carolina Hurricanes whoop the Washington Capitals 5-0. I got to see all the things that should happen in a hockey game, a hat trick (that means a single player scores three times in a game) where the fans in attendance all threw

Steve Jobs gives Stanford commencement, 2005. This was a great speech.

I saw somewhere this quote attributed to Dalai Lama, ***** Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can. *****

Yummy cake made by Debby!! It does reflect like a mirror!

Here .

More water colour experimentation. This is titled, "Music."

My attempts at watercolor. This is titled "Andlecs." The other photo is just Yoda juxtaposed.

http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=2350&source=rss

Not terribly good, but I'm learning to play around with my camera..I liked how the squirrel was looking right at me, and also the purple of the flower in a murky pond.

The bug is just a regular bug. At first I thought the spider was an extremely poisonous kind, especially since it has such a bright neon color. But checking online, it's called a yellow garden spider, and is essentially harmless to humans. Very very colorful though.

The strangest thing happened. We went to watch the latest Bourne movie, and upon returning home, I found the pineapple swordtail lying on the carpet...!?!?! I really have no idea how it got out. Fortunately I saw it where it was and soon enough. Apparently a spider was lurking around preparing to do something with it (I didn't see the spider), but got scared off as I picked up the fish. I put her/ him back into the tank, and within ten minutes she was off movie again. But I think she's pretty much brain damaged...

This has been out since May, but I would like to direct your attention to it. I thought it was a great interview. Heck, anytime you get Bill Gates and Steve Jobs TOGETHER on a stage, it's going to be a great interview. http://d5.allthingsd.com/20070530/d5-gates-jobs-interview/ I really liked listening to how these two men interact and answer questions; it's apparent that they are very different in their philosophies, and perhaps aesthetics, but they do share some common ground. From listening to them, one can gauge each individual's strengths and weaknesses, and it's interesting to see how their character has directly impacted their companies, Microsoft and Apple. One thing is apparent though, and that is they both have a deep respect for each other despite the differences. I can also see how Bill Gate's has in many ways, been the more successful businessman because of who he is. Microsoft is without doubt the bigger company. Gates has a strong personality like Job&

Got an aquarium for my new apartment..it's nice! Gonna slowly build up that collection of fishies. Right now, I have a Red Hifin Platy, a small tiny Rasbora, an orange and white Pineapple Swordtail, and a white, yellow and black pristella tetra.

http://www.luckywhitegirl.com/2005/11/medium_rare_ele.html I saw this post via Digg.com. Apparently someone cooked their laptop in an oven...and the ending is quite, unexpected.

This is nice.. NY Times article .

http://jayisgames.com/archives/2007/07/gravity_pods.php

I forgot proper credits: These were taken by photographer Debby!

Saw this link through Digg..http://www.bountyfishing.com/blog/2007/07/24/something-is-fishy-in-hollywood/

Two tries, on different photos, with different skin settings...at least the hair came out the same! Me Simpsonized! You can too at http://www.simpsonizeme.com/index.php

Here's an on Business Week about people with creative ideas posting on the Internet, and eventually getting paid for the content they output. For example, YouTube has agreed to share revenue from ad sales with content providers who bring the most Internet traffic to YouTube's website. In return, apparently as based on the article, content creators are required to debut their work on YouTube solely for a certain period of time, after which they can move the work to personal sites, for example. So there's a contract, and the distributor who essentially provides a venue for storage of content, or YouTube, takes a large chunk of revenue and profits. Somehow this seems to be just a more modern rendition of the relationship between artist and distributor, more concretely let's say, musician and music label. The music companies in the past recorded the music onto CD's and sold them to customers, taking alongside a large chunk of the profits. Musicians certainly became we

Article in NYT about Taiwan's manufacturing ability and metamorphosis from computer related technology to communications.. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/technology/18taiwan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Here's a segment from the article. ***** “The iPhone is a great example of where Taiwan is still strong: reliable sourcing, leading technology and complex integration,” said Allen J. Delattre, chief of the electronics and high-technology practice at the consulting firm Accenture. “Does the average person who buys an iPhone know it’s from Taiwan? Maybe. Do they care? Probably not. But if you look at the companies in Taiwan, they are behind the scenes, and that’s a good place to be because that’s where the value is.” The key for Taiwan companies, Mr. Delattre and other analysts said, is to invest in next-generation products early. For example, companies here are fast becoming important players in the development of WiMax wireless and fiber optic broadband equipment. They are again

I've finally gotten the dilution fridge to run, and I'm pretty happy with the results so far. Although I don't have a definitive way to prove that the system base temperature is 5 mK, I'm pretty sure I can hit < 10 mK. The most conservative statement is that temperatures below 20 mK have been attained. So lab work has been keeping me busy for most of the last few days, though I did take opportunities during meals to hang out. I went to a delicious restaurant, the Piedmont, in Durham downtown to help celebrate a friend's birthday. The food is essentially French, and for the second course I ordered ratatouille. This is largely because I watched the animated story Ratatouille a few weeks ago, which was an entertaining and delightful movie. I truly believe in the message, "Anyone can cook," which can be shortened, or rather generalized, to "Anyone can." Perhaps some day we may look forward to mice cooking for us? Perhaps they already do, though th

Can you feel it? The magic!? I just saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight, and did I enjoy it! I'm a sucker for stories like these, with magic and fantasy and wonderful creatures. I can't wait for the last and final book to arrive: The Deathly Hallows...I did feel that the ending of Phoenix was a little too, abrupt. It tried a little too much to be Hollywoody with an uplifting "If we stick together, we're gonna be ok" kind of ending. Actually that's not what really bothered me. It's knowing what happens next, and having to wait another year. I guess what I'd like to see is after the last book is released, the remaining movies be filmed immediately all together, and released, perhaps with a month in between each premiere. Wouldn't that be nice, and they'd certainly make the same amount of money based on ticket sales! It would be a serious case of Harry Potter overdose though, with the public on severe withdrawal afterwards. I fin

July 4th Fun!

PaiGuFan and me!

No modifications.

Actually original photo is not this dark. I modified the RAW file to get this more bloody look...criticism and pointers welcome.

I got my SLR! It's a Canon Digital Rebel Xti, or 400D. Looking to play around with more controls than a point and shoot. The Xti is the third generation in a line of good digital cameras from Canon. Although Nikon's most recent entry level camera is really good, I decided to stick with the Canon family, because choosing an SLR is more about the lens. Over time I can always switch the body. For now though, I only have two lenses, one is the kit lens that came with the Xti (18-55 mm), and another is an older lens from my Canon film SLR. I'm really looking forward to getting out there and taking some photos!

What can I say....hrm..entertaining, but definitely geeky..

More sophisticated online videos? Here's a list of them (from WSJ article here ) PBS.org Fora.tv ResearchChannel.org UC.Princeton.edu www.Research-TV.com TFAOI.org page (click on "Catalogues," and then on "Online Video on Demand.") TotalVid.com (It costs $9.95 a month for access to a huge library of how-to and documentary videos) EnergyPolicyTV.com UVu.Channel2.org (offers videos that emphasize the art and culture of the Miami and South Florida area) TED.com

News coverage by CNN on Bilingual/ Immersion program in SF. The leading teacher is Debby's sister! Check it out here .

My beloved Mac died on me. I noticed it had started running a little slow, and I was worried I hadn't done a virus check in a long time. So I ran McAfee virus check. I went away to do some lab work, and when I returned, I saw a frozen screen, with a very nasty "click-click" sound seemingly coming from my hard drive. I quickly pushed the on/off button to get the computer to shut down, and after that, I could never start up again. Boo hoo.. I made the switch after years of Windows use. I fondly remember waiting for Windows 95 to come out, and I bought a copy (rather asked my dad to buy a copy) a few days after it came out. Back then I had to install Windows using 12 (or thirteen?) floppy disks! But the recent years and plagues of viruses really got to me, just as Yong has been complaining about. Actually Linux is not a bad idea, but for the less techy savvy, maybe a Mac has a lower learning curve. Anyways, I haven't had a chance to take my Mac in for some diagnostics t

Unfortunately, two errors...

Interesting article on how Google works. http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html

From Ed's camera... http://www.flickr.com/photos/masteredo/sets/72157600182020276/

NYC 5/8/07 10:02 PM

I went and got a second hand beginner's keyboard to practice!

It's getting hot in Durham! Summer time may finally be arriving. So it's time for some "chwah bing"!!!

Although I don't recommend trying any of these, apparently these specials are real! Found from here . ***** In-N-Out Burger has a secret unpublished menu for insiders who are In-The-Know. Next time you're at In-N-Out (i.e. tomorrow . . . or maybe tonight), order a bag of these off-the-menu specials: "3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese. "4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese. "2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese. *Note: You can get a burger with as many meat patties or cheese slices as you want. Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how much cheese you want and that is what you'll get! For instance, if you want 6 pieces of meat and 10 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "6-by-10." "Double Meat" = like a Double Double without cheese. "3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese. "Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried

Enjoy!

Track it! This is a pretty fun website, though it looks like not many people have used it. Basically keeps track of bills ($1 or other) and see where they've been!

Some recent pics to share.

Check this out. Created by Yong.

Four Quartets by TS Eliot. Read! http://www.tristan.icom43.net/quartets/

Pics and Video... Carnivore Preservati on Trust

And that's the end for now!!

of dumb photos of myself. First just a normal one.

Ok, as promised, here is the picture in the proper orientation.

Let me see if this embedding of Atom Film short works:

Today we had a surprise birthday party for Debby at my place. I arranged to have friends come over around 630 pm, and before that her roommate came to help prepare some food. It was sort of a potluck dinner, so other people also brought food over too. Debby and I were studying at a coffee shop, trying to make keep in the normal routine. Around 7 we left the shop and headed home. Surprise! Unfortunately, I think she sort of sensed something was going on. At the coffee shop I had to come up with several excuses to leave to go back home to help, and also to make calls to make sure things were going smoothly. All in all, it was a fun evening, with people staying and chatting well past midnight. Here's photos of the cake. They spelled her name incorrectly; fortunately I had bought these mini decorations!

Prof. Meyer in our department was very kind and gave me tickets to two chamber arts performances at Duke. These season tickets are actually from his friends, also profs. at Duke. I made a small thank you card for the original ticket holder. The image is of the front and back of the card. The first performance I already went to, and it was a group called Opus One, with violin, viola, cello and piano. The performance was great technically, and we also got to hear in the second piece a work written by composer George Tsontakis specifically for Opus One. It was very funky and modern with a classical bent. Apparently the lead violinist, Ida Kavafian, was friends with Tsontakis while they both studied at Julliard. The next performance I look forward to, and it's the Emerson String Quartet!

In high school a couple friends and I founded a computer club called BitSmart. Our job was to run the computer lab and host websites. We also handled outsourced webpage design for local university departments. Here's a pic of the five of us and my mom. Which one am I? Hehe, I'm not telling so you'll have to guess. By the way, the web has grown so much from what it was back then. I still remember having an ICQ number in the mere 5 digits. There's tons of new technology out there. This looks cool. I saw it on Cataclyst's blog, and it's literally, pipes to wire up your web. http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/

Debby and I took a quick one day trip to DC on Sunday to see her friends from California who were in town for the weekend. We went to see the Botanical Gardens and walked around the Mall. Doesn't the first plant look so yucky!

Taken by my mom. More to come..

I've recenhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giftly started using a one file wiki called Tiddlywiki . It's really cool and indicative of where things might be headed in the future. I think computers are heading for a revolution in terms of how to manage information, content, files and stuff. The usual file folder method is going out. Powerful search engines and techniques to cross-link or lateral thinking (as opposed to conventional vertical thought processes) will emerge.

Here's a book I plan to check out..The Meaning of Tingo. Here's a word. bakku-shan(Japanese): a girl who looks as though she might be pretty when seen from behind, but isn't when seen from the front. kucir(Indonesian): a tuft of hair left to grow on the top of an otherwise bald head. There's more..I'm going to check it out!

I apologize for not updating more frequently. A quick Happy Chinese New Year to all! Oink!!

Took a short trip to Hanging Rock Park on Saturday. It's near Winston-Salem, NC. To get there from Durham, we drove I40-W all the way until Greensboro, then switched to the 52N and then 8N. After arriving at the park, we had a tasty sushi lunch homemade and packed by Debby! Yummy! With our tummies full and spirits rejuvenated (especially after the two hour drive), we headed up the trail. It was a good half hour walk up some pretty steep inclines. But getting to the top was worth the sight. What a view. Enjoy the pics.