Adventures

Thankfulness Friday - Bright Sunny Days

2012-02-17T13:37:00.001-05:00

This has been an extraordinarily warm winter. We've had a freaky snow storm at the end of October and a couple of flurries here and there since. There hasn't been enough snow even to shovel. I look outside my window, and the sky is brilliant blue. The sun is shiny. Birds are chirping. Even flowers are starting to bud and bloom.

Thankfulness Friday - Friday!!

2012-02-10T10:50:00.002-05:00

It's Friday! This has been a very long week. I took Bun Bun into CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) on Tuesday for a full assessment. As expected, she is developmentally delayed in a couple of areas: language and cognitive skills. She isn't as far behind with her physical abilities; her weekly PT sessions certainly take credit for this. The doctors recommended adding occupational therapy and special instructions to help bring up those other skills.

Meanwhile, Waipo has been getting her to do more exercises during the day. We lay a blanket on the floor and help her learn to sit and roll over. She's been loving this kicking coaster seat for a while now. Her legs are now finally long enough to bounce off it for maximum fun!

Except for grunting and crying, she isn't very expressive. Although, for the past couple of weeks, she has been making raspberries.

Thankfulness Friday - Prayer Partners

2012-02-03T16:33:00.001-05:00

I can't remember when I started to pray with Wendy in the early mornings. It must have been at least 10 years ago. We decided to meet at 6:30am one day a week at first. Then, it became twice a week and has grown over the years to include 4 other ladies. Having to get up early was very, very difficult at first especially in the winter time when the sun hasn't even risen yet. It did get easier. With Bun Bun's arrival, I haven't been able to get to early morning prayer, and I miss it.

Recently, I've found a colleague to meet on a weekly basis and pray. This has been an answer to prayer! Hooray!

Thankfulness Friday - Beets

2012-01-27T11:05:00.002-05:00

In the winter months, there aren't many vegetables to whet my appetite. Seems like I always buy same stuff every time I go to the produce market - cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, peppers, potatoes... This week, I picked up some beets. I don't know many recipes that uses beets. So, I ended up cutting one up and throwing it in a pot of boiling water with potatoes, carrots, onion, and some meat balls. It turned out to be a great meal.

Looking forward to the spring and to starting the vegetable garden again with yummy tomatoes, basil, peppers, and egg plants. Last summer, I tried growing beans, but didn't have much luck. Then, being pregnant and with the early arrival of Baby Bunny, the garden was very much neglected. We hope to be more adventurous and ambitious this year!

Smile!

2012-01-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

Can't get enough of pictures with Baby Bunny smiling. She is cute!

Thankfulness Friday - Truth For Life

2012-01-19T23:51:00.000-05:00

I am a self-proclaimed Alistair Groupie. Alistair Begg that is. He is an amazing preacher at Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, OH. I had blogged about visiting his church a few years ago. Most recently (last May) John and I traveled up to the Brooklyn Tabernacle to hear him preach. That was a grand experience which included listening to the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir live and in person. I first heard Pastor Begg preach on the radio as Truth For Life ministries about 10 years ago. In addition to the clear and relevant Biblical teachings, the broadcasts also stood out because of Pastor Begg's Scottish accent. And, when his announcer introduced him, it sounded like Alex Trebek, the host of the TV quiz show Jeopardy. Ever since I got my iPod 6 years ago, I've been downloading TFL podcasts and listening to them in the car. I think even Bun Bun knows Uncle Ali's voice since she's been listening to him in my womb. Alistair's messages are always timely. I credit his sermon series on Ruth to my meeting John. That's a long story for another day.

This has been an incredibly discouraging week. Experiments did not work. I had no confidence going into the start of the new semester. On Tuesday, Alistair's preached from Romans 12 and reminded me to work as if for the LORD rather than for man, to persevere... It was tremendously uplifting!

Check out Truth For Life! You can download podcasts from iTunes or directly from the website, all for free.

Hands

2012-01-14T11:45:00.000-05:00

Ooohh... These belong to me...

Baby Bunny has lately been fascinated by her own hands. She stares at them, plays with them, and twirls them. I caught her looking at them the other night. She was in her crib about to fall asleep.

Thankfulness Friday - Productive Week

2012-01-13T19:57:00.000-05:00

It is the last week before classes start. First day of the semester is next Tuesday. We have an extra day off to observe Martin Luther King Day. This has been a crazy busy week but a very productive one. I started several experiments and will go back to work on Monday to finish them. I hope and pray they were all successful. All in all, this was a very productive Christmas break. Really since the summer, the lab has been cranking out a lot of data. It helps tremendously to have three very hard working and capable students in the research lab. This is excellent since I will have a good amount of results to write up for my manuscript. If all continues to go well, I will have a journal article published this year. Of course, this will alleviate a lot of pressure come tenure review time.

Gotta go... Bun Bun is awake!

Half year

2012-01-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Bun Bun's half birthday. We celebrated by going to the park for a hike. Daddy had to go to work. So, Bun Bun got strapped to Mama for the hiking trail. Up and down hills, over little streams, and through bogs, we saw lots of other walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and doggies. It was an atypically warm day for January. We didn't see any forest animals though, nor were there fish in the streams. It was still a fabulous day. Happy half birthday, my little chunky monkey!

On Wednesday, Bun Bun weighed 12.5 pounds! She's quite heavy, and Mama got a good work out!

Thankfulness Friday - Tummy Time

2012-01-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

I'm working! I'm working!

To help gain head control, build up arm muscles, and firm up the abs, babies do tummy time. They lie on their stomachs, prop up on elbows, and lift up their heads. With practice and lots more tummy time, they'll prop up on their hands, tuck in their knees, and start the crawling position. Baby Bunny has been doing a lot of tummy time lately. She hasn't quite made it to propping on her hands, but I think she's very close. We still have a little bit of time before she gets into the crawling position and thus start baby-proofing the house.

This week, I discovered that Bun Bun has a hot temper. She was already very exhausted from a morning of PT. I took her to the doctors for weight, length, and other measurements. She was NOT happy and started to wail. Not even food or Mama time could assuage her. She wanted out of there. No more doctors. No more nurses. Don't talk to me, don't even look at me! Get me out of here! She cried and cried. Poor girl. She eventually calmed down, had a nice visit at Mama's work, and ate lunch with her colleagues. She even visited Mama's lab and saw growing yeast cells. It was a busy day. She zonked out for the night and the entire next day.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:35:00.000-05:00

Revelers are about in the neighborhood. There are cheers and fireworks. I'm still up, sitting in Bun Bun's room, getting some work done on the computer. I can hear Bun Bun's heavy breathing; she is in deep sleep, and not much will wake her. She'll sleep until the morning when I wake her for her first breakfast. Yep! She's an easy baby. I'm counting my blessings that I can get a good 7 hours of sleep every night.

I am not ready for the new semester which starts in 2 weeks. I missed being away from the classroom this past fall semester. But, I'm not looking forward to the spring only because my last spring class was full of bad experiences. Every class is different, and I really hope this one to come will be more teachable. I am changing up a lot of things. The lab experience will be very different, too.

I look forward to 2012 with some excitement and cautious optimism. This is an election year for the President of the US. I am up for tenure later this year and will be putting together my dossier in the summer. I've got lots to do. I hope and pray for God to strengthen me and help me do all things as if on to Him - being a Mom, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend.

From a rocking chair in Bun Bun's lavender room, I wish you all a wonderful 2012!

Thankfulness Friday - Baker's Yeast

2011-12-30T13:14:00.002-05:00


Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the microscope (40X). They are stuck together after being treated with toxic drug (nocodazole).

I've been working with baker's yeast for almost 10 years now. I use them in the lab to study genetics. They are amazing single cell organisms that share many similarities with human cells. This week was suppose to be vacation for me. For a couple of weeks prior to Christmas, my experiments have not been working properly. One quick email to Brad and a couple more email exchanges with former co-workers, I went into work to retry the experiment yesterday. I think things finally worked!

Happy New Year, Readers! May you find 2012 be filled with great many successes!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:55:00.004-05:00

May your New Year be wonder-filled!

Thankfulness Friday - Bunny!

2011-12-23T10:45:00.001-05:00

Bunny followed me to work one day and took pictures of himself with my laptop.

Bunny was adopted from a gift shop in Louisville, KY. I found him among his brothers and sisters at the Brown Hotel while I was wandering through its gift shop while waiting for the airport shuttle. I was in Louisville for a G-quadruplex meeting back in 2009. (More about G-quadruplexes later) So, Bunny likes to read comic books, play video games, watch TV, and entertain. He is a sensational singer-song writer. He sounds very much like John... sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. He travels with us and came with us to Europe and Taiwan. He loved Taiwan with the celebrations of the year of the rabbit, in his honor, of course. Since Baby Bunny's arrival, he's kind of been neglected although he has made friends with other stuffed Americans in the house, especially those living in the nursery.

Giggles

2011-12-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Baby Bunny had a giggle fest with Grandma (外婆, Waipo) yesterday! I'm sorry I missed it. I tried to make her giggle last night. She was all smiles and happy, but no giggles.

We're still working on her sitting independently. She'll get there soon. She usually shows off to her PT. So, I hope to have good reports this week.

Thankfulness Friday - Chubby Cheeks

2011-12-16T09:43:00.001-05:00

Bun Bun smiling at Grandma (奶奶, NaiNai)

Thankfulness Friday - PT

2011-12-09T09:44:00.001-05:00

Hi, Daddy!

This week, I am thankful for physical therapy and Rachel, our physical therapist. Since late September, Bun Bun has been getting weekly PT sessions to help meet some milestones. We would help her with bringing her hands together, lifting her head up with tummy times, gaining head control, rolling over, and sitting. She's been making great progress. With a little support, she is able to sit and roll over. Methinks we will be baby proofing the house as a Christmas break project. She may be crawling soon!

Thankfulness Friday - Growth Spurts

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-05:00

Same outfits for some perspective

Skinny girl in her preemie cloths (Summer)

Snuggle Bunny with chubby cheeks (November 28, 2011), that's her new Dolly

Even though Thanksgiving is behind us, I want to continue the Thankfulness Friday series through the rest of this year and the next. For this week, I'm thankful for growth spurts. Baby Bunny must be going through one right now. She's been doing a lot of eating and sleeping. She still looks small, especially when someone else is holding her. But, in my arms, she feel heavier. Looking back at pictures of her from the summer, she appeared so tiny. She has grown so much recently that she will soon outgrow her 3mo clothes. I am forced to go shopping for some winter 3-6mo outfits. Normally, I don't mind going shopping for baby cloths. Now that it's the Christmas shopping season, I much rather avoid all the madness. Nonetheless, I am thankful that Bun Bun has a good appetite helping her to grow.

Thankfulness Friday, Part 4

2011-11-25T20:18:00.001-05:00

1. Parents. I don't think I can ever thank them enough for what they've sacrificed for their children. In the early 80's, my parents made a really tough decision to bring us to the US for a better education. Mom would remain with us, and Dad would stay in Taiwan for his job. We lived apart for 12 years with weekly phone calls (no Skype) and yearly visits (almost always in March). Dad passed away in 1995, but I was grateful to have spend a month with him just months before that. I dedicated my PhD thesis to them. I sure can't imagine where I'd be without their unconditional love and support. I see Dad's mouth in Bun Bun and wonder what he'd be like as a Grandpa.
2. Mrs. Thoensen, 6th grade science teacher. I don't remember much from the 6th grade or at least what I learned then. I do remember writing a book report on seals in Mrs. Thoensen's class. She was one patient teacher who noticed how much I loved science.
3. Mrs. Kaulfuss, 12th grade social studies teacher. She was a tough teacher who demanded a lot from her students. I still remember tons of world culture I learned from her. Mrs. Kaulfuss, sadly, passed away this August.
4. Dr. Mbuy, college Immunology and Virology professor. The first time I fully appreciated the wonders of intricate life at the microscopic scale was in Dr. Mbuy's classes.
5. Professor Cullen, college Histology and Animal Development professor. I still remember being completely amazed when I pierced down the microscope and saw the beating heart that had just formed in a fertilized chicken egg. I remember thinking that this couldn't have happened by chance. How does a clump of cells just haphazardly start to beat and form the heart plus the vascular system?
6. Dr. Rossman, my first boss, sure had no business hiring an immature girl fresh out of college. He took a chance and kept me around for two years. I was later told that if it hadn't been Dr. Rossman and his wife, I wouldn't have been given a chance for graduate school.
7. Kate Sullivan, my PhD advisor, therapist, and friend. She believed in me when I doubted if I could ever finish my thesis. I learned much from her how to be a teacher, mentor, and friend for my own students now.

Daddy bought a new camera today!

Thankfulness Friday, Part 3

2011-11-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

1. Birthdays! Today is John's birthday. Happy birthday to the best Daddy and husband in the world. Birthdays are another great day to give thanks and be grateful for another year past and the one to come. Monday is my sister's birthday (Happy Birthday, Heather!).
2. Seasons. Spring is by far my favorite season. That's when everything seems to wake up from deep winter sleep. Everything is renewed. Those new blossoms are always so welcoming besides being so colorful. Summer is wonderful because we get long day light hours. Fall is beautiful when the leaves begin to turn colors and give everything a yellow and orange glow. I can probably do without winter, but I only like it because spring is just around the corner. I suppose if Christmas isn't in winter, it'd be dreadful.
3. Sunrise. I'm not a morning person, but there is nothing quite like driving into work with the sun rising in the horizon. It also reminds me of God's grace and unfailing love that are new every morning.
4. Trees. Not only do they provide great shade, they recycle the CO2 from our respiration and fix them into sugars and other organic goods. Trees and plants complement us so perfectly.
5. Food, glorious food. I live to eat (rather than eat to live). I love foods of all sorts. Living in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, I've tried many of the hundreds of ethnic restaurants from Thai to Ethiopian. I also love to cook. I'm a better baker since it's like doing an experiment - throw everything together and incubate. When Bun Bun was in the NICU learning to suck, swallow, and breath, it really made me appreciate all aspects of eating. We take it for granted.
6. Laughter. I love a good hearty laugh, the ones that makes my stomach hurt. It doesn't take too much to keep me amused. God has surrounded me with people who love to laugh.
7. Tears. We shed tears when we're sad and when we're happy. Even Jesus wept when he was here on earth. I am thankful for them because I am thankful that we have the ability to show our emotions. When we cry with someone who mourns, tears speak volumes. I often get teary when I laugh really hard, so, see #6 above.

Wireless

2011-11-13T15:42:00.001-05:00

Since the day Baby Bunny was born, she was hooked up to wires and tubes. Wires were there to monitor her heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen levels. Tubes and IVs were there to deliver fluids and medicine of all sorts. When we brought her home from the hospital, she came with a monitor that would sound off when it detected bradycardia (slow heart rates) or apnea (low breath rates), both are common in preemies. The alarms were as loud as a smoke alarm, ear-piercing. Once a month, the medical equipment company would have us download data from the monitor that has recorded all the activities. Once a month, the pediatricians would get the results and inform us if we needed to continue the monitoring. This past month, the darn thing kept going off, and I thought for sure we would be stuck with it for another month, through Thanksgiving and perhaps Christmas, too. You see, the wires are attached to sticky pads that sometimes slide off or a felt belt that sometimes come loose. The monitor would go off because it couldn't detect anything. Well, by the title of the blog, you may have already guessed where I'm going with this. When the pediatrician's office called this week and left a message for us to call back, I sure didn't expected them to tell me that there were no pathological episodes detected. That same night, I gave Baby Bunny a bath and said good-bye to all the sticky pads and belts and wires! For as much as it was annoying and an inconvenience to lug around even though it was small and light weight, we were able to sleep better at night knowing that we would be alerted if anything happened. So, thank you modern technology! By the way, for about a week now, Baby Bunny has been sleeping in her new dig, her crib. She looks so tiny in it.

Thankfulness Friday, Part 2

2011-11-04T16:36:00.001-04:00

1. Veterans... Today (November 11) is Veteran's Day. I am thankful for all who served, especially those who served in the Pacific during WWII.
2. Technology... I don't have every fancy gadget ever made and certainly do not wait in line for the latest Apple product. I do own an iPod and an iPad. Both have been wonderful gadgets. I've owned my iPod for over 5 years now. I listen to Podcast sermons during my drive to and from work. When I stay up late at night with Bun Bun, I use the iPad to pass the time and watch movies. I am certainly grateful for computers, without them, I'm not sure what I'd be doing every day.
3. Science... I love to teach and think about science. Best of all, I get paid to do both!
4. DNA... the blueprint of life! See #3 above.
5. Employment... See #3 and 4 above.
6. Weekends... Thank God it's Friday! I look forward to naps in the afternoons and walks around the neighborhood with Bun Bun.
7. Sleep... Something so necessary yet basic is very much taken for granted when we do lose it every now and then. I am grateful that Bun Bun has been sleeping through the night for a couple of months now. In fact, I often have to wake her up in the morning for her first breakfast. This morning, I realized another gift. She falls asleep after that first breakfast, long enough for me to get ready for work. About an hour later, I wake her up again before I head out the door when she gets her second breakfast from Grandma.

Thankfulness Friday, Part 1

2011-11-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

This is the month of the Thanksgiving holiday celebrating the first harvest of the Pilgrims in the new America. It usually means family gatherings to share a meal with turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pies, etc. Secondarily, people think about giving thanks and acknowledge the blessings they have received. On Facebook, several of my friends have begun the 30 days of thanksgiving by listing one thing or people for which they are thankful each day. I thought about doing that in my Blog but realized I probably won't be able to keep up with it. So, I figure I'll do it once a week on Fridays and list 7 specific things and people for whom I am thankful.

1. My savior, Christ Jesus
2. My wonderful husband. He keeps me entertained.
3. Our precious gift, Bun Bun. She makes everything worthwhile and will probably end up teaching me lot more than I am able to teach her.
4. My mom who has been watching Bun Bun while I work during the day. Plus, she makes delicious meals which helps us tremendously. Her latest projects are making sleeping sacs for Bun Bun to keep her warm at night.
5. My friends who send occasional notes of encouragement.
6. My praying friends, many I probably don't even know or have never met, for praying us through the tough days.
7. My work family. I don't think I can find a better group of people to spend time away from my baby.

Cuddle

2011-10-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

Safe and secure in Daddy's arms

Focus on the cute baby, ignore the grinning ogre. Picture was taken by our friend Ilona... thanks for visiting us!

We're well into the fall season. The leaves have changed colors and many have fallen. It is getting cold! Baby Bunny is nice and toasty warm though. It's such a treat to cuddle up with her.

Yesterday, I heard a talk given by my colleague on global climate change due to human activity. It was quite depressing. The drastic weather patterns (severe thunderstorms and record snow falls) we've been experiencing have been primarily due to increase in temperature globally, perhaps better known as the green house effect. We've been burning fossil fuel, releasing the CO2, but also cutting down the forests. Trees complement us so well when they take up the CO2 and convert it to sugars and other organic matters. Glacier ice in the Arctic have shrunken so significantly that it's scary. Where we should all work together to salvage what we are able and reverse the trends, we've sadly made this really important issue very political. Sure hope Baby Bunny will live in a world where we take better care of the resources given us. In the mean time, we are preparing for another rough winter ahead.

Notice I'm wearing my Philadelphia Phillies sweatshirt. Another sad note... The Phillies had the best season ever, winning 102 out of 162 total games this year. They had the best winning record of all the baseball teams, too. You think they would be playing in the World Series right now? Nope! They pathetically lost in the first round of playoffs.

I promise my next post will be more uplifting!

Live, Love, Smile!

2011-10-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

Smile, Baby Bunny!

Huh?

Smile? Like this?

This better? Like my little dimple?

Baby Bunny has been smiling! No giggles yet. We're working on it!

By the way, at 3.5 months old, Baby Bunny has more than doubled her birth weight. She now weighs about the same as a gallon of milk. Yup! We're getting a good workout picking her up and holding her. Soon enough, we'll have to move her out of her bassinet and into a real crib, now all ready to go with bedding and lady bug mobile. Don't grow up too fast, Baby Bunny!

Neglected!

2011-10-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

Poor neglected Doggie! Going anywhere with the baby takes a lot of planning ahead. Before she arrived, our Sundays composed of going to church then to Mom's house for lunch. That's when I get my fill of Doggie. She gets a quick rub down and her teeth brushed. We haven't been to church in about 3 months now. I've seen Doggie here and there since we've been to Grandma's house several times, but sporadically. Doggie and Bun Bun haven't officially met. Hope they'll be the best of friends.

Grandma

2011-10-08T11:55:00.002-04:00

There are pictures of Grandma back in 2006 when we visited Taiwan to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The last time I saw her was just this past January. She passed away a few days after Baby Bunny was born. Grandma celebrated her 101st birthday in May. Baby Bunny would never know her great grandmother. But, they kind of have met. I was barely 3 months pregnant when we visited in January.

Most of what I know about my grandmother are stories my mom told me. She raised seven children, lived through the Japanese occupation & WWII, was grandmother to ten grandchildren and great-grandmother to two great-grandkids. I got to spend one whole week with her in 1995 when I visited Taiwan after college graduation. At that time, she still walked to the market and grocery store; I had a hard time keeping up with her! She spoke the Cantonese dialect and had a thick Mandarin accent making her hard to understand sometimes. That was a fun week nonetheless.

She is greatly missed.

Globe Trotting

2011-10-03T10:28:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite preachers is Chuck Swindoll. His sermons are broadcasted on radios and available on podcasts. He loves to tell stories and jokes during his sermons. One that I will always remember is his retelling of a Christmas gift he received when he was a child. He had wanted and begged his parents for a basketball. Come Christmas morning, he saw a round package under the tree. When he unwrapped it, it wasn't a basketball but a world globe.

I thought of this story when we first learned that Baby Bunny has Down syndrome. During the pregnancy, John and I talked about the hopes and dreams we have for our daughter. She would rather be smart than pretty and a nerd just like her parents.

When I was pregnant, people always asked if the baby was a boy or girl. Before we found out, we really didn't have a preference as long as the baby was healthy. I thought then, well, even if the baby wasn't perfect, we would still take him or her home. Perhaps I had a premonition that something maybe wrong. After all, I am older, nearing the end of my child bearing years. Children bore to older women have higher incidences of chromosomal abnormalities.

God gives perfect and good gifts. Baby Bunny is none other. We have no idea what her future will be like. Down syndrome is exhibited differently in different individuals. We are fortunate that our daughter does not have many of the physical ailments that often come with the diagnosis, like heart defects and gastrointestinal issues. One of the biggest challenges is low muscle tone which makes daily physical activities difficult, even something as simple as sucking. Baby Bunny actually has pretty good muscle tone. The other biggest challenge is low mental capacity. But, there are some Down syndrome individuals with fairly average IQ. At this point, it's difficult to assess how Baby Bunny will do as she grows. We're enjoying this wonderful gift God has given us for now and savor each moment.

Chuck Swindoll may have wanted a basketball, but his parents knew better how much more he needed the globe.

Over the river and through the woods...

2011-09-28T11:19:00.001-04:00

There was a bad thunder storm the day Bun Bun came home from the hospital. Thunder storms have increased in frequency and severity recently, most likely an effect of global climate change. This summer, we've gotten most of our rain water from thunder storms. We live in an area with lots of very tall trees and power lines, not so good mixed with heavy down pours and gusty winds. So, soon after we got our daughter settled at home, the power went out! If the power went out today, we would have just winged it. That day, being on our own for the first time, without the help of NICU nurses, we started to panic very quickly. The last time power went out after a thunder storm, it didn't come back on for 4 days! No more time to lose, we packed up our preemie, grabbed the essentials, and literally over the river and through the woods, we all spent the night at Grandma's house. In lieu of a crib, Baby Bunny slept in a cardboard box lined with a heavy wool blanket. She was a trooper!

Picture of Baby Bunny at 10 weeks. She's starting to react to faces and sounds more and more.

NICU

2011-09-25T20:06:00.001-04:00

Olivia stayed in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for the first 25 days of her life. By the way, we rarely call her Olivia. So far, she's been Baby Bunny, Bun Bun, and Little Monkey plus a bunch of other nick names in Chinese. Born on a Thursday, she didn't have a name until Sunday. John and I couldn't settle on a name for a long time. We had a list, but I didn't want to pick one until I had met her. I was to be discharged from the hospital 5 days after delivery and go home without the baby. We had to name her and fill out paperwork before we left. So, she was officially dubbed Olivia Anne. Olivia was one name on our list. Anne Shirley is one of my favorite literary characters-Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables-Anne, with an "e"!

It was hard having to wait to bring her home. The NICU nursing staff was fantastic and so supportive. They pretty much taught us everything we needed to know about babies and particularly preemies. For ten days, Olivia lived in an incubator. For seven of those, she underwent phototherapy to bring down her bilirubin levels. It was almost like tanning under the blue light. The nurses would put shields over her eyes which she would promptly rip off. They fed her intravenously until she was able to take in a few drops of breast milk by mouth. It was a good day when she was moved out of the incubator and into an open crib where we could see her, touch her, kiss her, and change her diapers! Oh, how tiny were those preemie diapers! We visited her everyday and tried to hit the hours when we could feed her. Preemies are very sleepy little creatures. Technically, they should still be growing in the womb, not quite ready to eat on their own, maintain they own body temperature, and even breathe on their own. Some days Olivia would sleep through our visit, and it was heart-breaking to watch breast milk being pumped down an NG (nasogastric) tube. It's heart-breaking, because for her to come home, she needed to take in ALL of her nutrients by mouth. On the visits when she was alert, her huge eyes darted around the room. The nurses had nick named her the Mrs. Kravitz of the NICU. Mrs. Kravitz was a character on an old TV show, Bewitched; she was an extremely nosy lady who would sometimes peer through the her neighbor's windows. I guess Olivia liked to know what's happening around her. Day by day, she learned how to coordinate suck, swallow, and breathe. Day by day, she would gain a little more weight. On August 1st, we brought her home. Even then, she wasn't suppose to be born yet for another 12 days.

God is good, and He is sovereign! The chromosome test confirmed the Down syndrome. Reality has sunken in, but by that point, we were smitten by our little girl. Everyone we talked to and confided in were very encouraging. We immediately got the ball rolling in seeking help and resources for Olivia. In this day and age, there are tons; a lot more is known. What a blessing to be living close the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the best hospitals for kids in the world; we got on the wait list for the Trisomy 21 Program. We signed up for Early Intervention that provides infants with physical, occupational, speech therapies. God is good, and He is sovereign! The adventure begins!

10 Weeks, Part 2

2011-09-23T12:01:00.001-04:00

Ten weeks ago today, we found out we are about to embark on an adventure. We knew we were headed for the new world as we looked forward to parenthood. John and I talked about giving our daughter music lessons, teaching her how to play video games on the Xbox, and taking her all over the world. We will still do all of these things, but the adventure was going to be different than what we had expected.

When they wheeled me into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to meet my baby for the first time, one of the neonatologists wanted to speak to us. He had suspicions that the baby may have Down syndrome. He ratted off hallmarks of the syndrome, the mongoloid eye folds, brushfield spots in the iris, large protruding tongue, wide space between the big toe and little ones, and single crease on the palm. He went on to tell us about the chromosomal abnormalities, three sets of chromosome 21 instead of 2, trisomy 21. I had to cut him off and explain that I do know a thing or two about chromosomes and trisomy 21. I teach this to my students. I study DNA and chromosomes in my research lab. My PhD thesis and post-doctoral projects were in molecular genetics. During meiosis, for the generation of ova and sperm cells, the chromosomes separation events malfunction. Instead of two cells getting one of each set of chromosomes when they divide, one cell gets both of chromosome 21. Each cell in a Down syndrome individual has 47 chromosomes instead of 46. The doctor told us that nothing was definitive until the chromosome tests are done. Blood sample would be send out the following Monday, and results won't be back for another week to ten days.

I finally saw her. It was so very bittersweet. I touched her through the armholes of the incubator. She was so soft. She was much smaller than I thought and had a head full of soft dark brown hair. She had all sorts of wires and tubing attached to her tiny body, IVs, monitors... She had phototherapy to reduce bilirubin levels. I called it the blue light special. I studied her features and tried to explain away all the Down syndrome symptoms. Her eyes are the typical Asian almond-shaped eyes. I've got a big space between my big toe and the little ones; she inherited that from me. I've met normal people with single creases on their palms. This was going to be a long wait until the test results came back. I was hopeful and was cautiously optimistic.

Even so, all sorts of questions went through our minds. What will her life be like? What sorts of needs will she have? How do we tell people about her? Do we tell people about her? I thought about Becky and Sue Sylvester's sister on the TV show Glee. I thought about Sarah Palin and her son. Reality started to sink in even though I still held out hope that the test would come back telling us that she's normal. It was a very long week. The congratulations people offered us for the newborn seemed to sting. But, how do we then tell the well-wishers about our daughter? We smiled and nodded thank-yous nonetheless. Most people didn't need to know. Besides, the tests haven't come back.

10 Weeks, Part 1

2011-09-22T16:44:00.000-04:00

Ten weeks ago today, Baby Olivia arrived. I haven't had much time or inspiration to write about her arrival until recently.

On the early morning of July 5, I went into the doctor's office for a routine weekly check-up. There, I learned my blood pressure had shot up almost twice higher than my normal. It wasn't a complete surprise since my ankles and legs have been swollen for several weeks prior.

"We take blood pressures very seriously around here" was what my doctor told me. He immediately marched me up to the Birthing Center for blood tests and monitoring. Mom was with me that day. She had another appointment at the health complex.

That was a Tuesday. On Tuesdays, I meet with a group of ladies and pray. We pray for just about everything under the sun. That particular morning, with Wendy and Renee, I remember praying for the baby that she'll grow up to be a great woman of God. That morning, a theme ran through the meeting.

"God is good. God is sovereign!"

Renee even had a song; Renee always has the best songs for the moment. It was just a typical morning that day until the doctor's visit.

I got to the Birthing Center. One of the nurses made me change into a hospital gown and took several tubes of blood for analysis. I asked her, "Will I be able to leave in a couple of hours? I need to get to work." She chuckled and answered, "If you're lucky..."

By noon, I was hooked up to magnesium solution by IV to prevent seizures. Nope, I was there to stay. I was coming down with preeclampsia. I was to be induced. The baby will have to be delivered to cure me. I called John, "We might have ourselves a baby by the end of the week." I called work, "Don't think I'll be in for the rest of the week." I called Wendy, "God is good. God is sovereign!"

From noon on Tuesday to the afternoon on Thursday, I was hooked up to saline and more magnesium. Except going to work, John stayed with me in the hospital, through the beeping machines and the nurses stopping in every hour. He's a trooper. By noon on Thursday, my water broke, I was in labor and in intense pain. By around 3pm, the nurses were having trouble monitoring the baby's heart beat. She was going into distress. Through the pain and grogginess, I heard, "Emergency C-section." More doctors and nurses swarmed into the room and whisked me away into the OR. The last thing I remember was betadine being poured on my stomach.

When I woke up, John was there looking relieved. They had a hard time reviving me. They told me the baby was fine and she was very cute. I was relieved.

So, Olivia was born on July 7, 2011, the year of the rabbit, at 3:25pm, weighing 3 lb, 10 oz and measuring 16.5 inches long. She was born almost 5 weeks premature.

Still groggy from the magnesium and very uncomfortable from the C-section, I had to wait until the next day to see my baby. That's OK. Daddy had already gotten to hold her and take pictures of his little Bunny.

Miss Olivia- 5 weeks

2011-08-11T15:09:00.001-04:00

Here she is!

Six more weeks to go!

2011-06-30T16:35:00.002-04:00

Images of the little girl who will make her grand entrance in 6 +/- 2 weeks. From my perspective, she'll make her exit. Her little legs have been busy kicking me. These images were from early April.

It's a girl!

2011-04-04T20:02:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy winter! Trek through Taiwan in early January was spectacular. It was wonderful to see relatives (Grandma especially, aunts, uncles, cousins). It was great fun to show John around the Island and take him to the old homestead.

It wasn't so much fun to be in the first trimester of pregnancy though and traveling through Taiwan at the same time where it's an island of food, glorious food. It was actually quite miserable to have no appetite when there was so much good food to eat at all times of the day and everywhere! I still took in as much as I could.

This spring semester has been hectic. The students either have spring fever or senioritis. It's been hard to engage and motivate them.

Today, the baby is about 21 weeks old. The first ultra sound revealed that it's a girl! Here's looking forward to pink bows, puffed sleeves, and tea parties! I think she's going to look like John and will have lots of hair when she's born.

Autumn

2010-10-15T15:56:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since my last post. I had a pretty busy summer, mostly at work. I had 3 research students in the lab... technically 4 but only 3 were actually there. This semester, I am teaching 2 courses again, one with a weekly lab. The students are very motivated and seek help when they need... always a good sign.

It's been 7.5 months since the wedding. Everything is going very well. We had a blast playing with our vegetable garden. We had a tremendous harvest of tomatoes, peppers, and basil and tried lots of recipes with these items. Next summer, more varieties will be added. Aside from bunnies helping themselves out of the flower bed, there was a hungry groundhog that helped himself to our tomatoes. Some home improvement projects will start over the autumn. In a few days, another advanced degree will be added to the family. John will earn a Masters in something related to computers.

Most exciting of all, we are planning a trip to Taiwan in the first 2 weeks of the new year!

Hungry bunny

2010-06-06T09:19:00.003-04:00

The previous owners of our house planted a row of lilies. They are all getting ready to blossom, and I looked forward to seeing the radiant colors. Every morning, though, we would notice the stems of the lilies becoming bare one by one. Earlier in the spring, I planted sunflower seeds; as many as 15 seedlings emerged up from the ground. I looked forward to the brighten mammoth sunflowers. Day after day, I noticed the leaves gnawed away one seedling after another; some were plucked out of the ground completely.

On Friday, my dear husband drove into the driveway and caught this little rascal red-handed!

March 6, 2010

2010-04-06T07:44:00.001-04:00

Even more snow!

2010-02-11T19:24:00.004-05:00

Round 3... for the winter of 2009-2010! How appropriate that exactly 17 years ago today, we arrived in the US for the first time, welcomed by the blizzard of 1983! This storm is the 3rd this season, dumping over a foot of snow. School canceled classes for the 2nd day in a row. We've well surpassed the most snow accumulation in a season at 71.6 inches, previous record was 65.5 back in the winter of 1995-1996!

More SNOW!

2010-02-06T18:58:00.004-05:00

Another big snow storm this weekend. We got about 2 feet all together!

Winter!

2009-12-28T21:56:00.003-05:00

One week into winter! The weekend right before, we got about 10 inches of snow. (The picture above is from 3 years ago... but they all look about the same anyway.) This past weekend, we got tons of rain which melted everything.

We're on Christmas break right now. I'm on a condensed break this time. The new spring semester will start on Jan 18th. I may have just enough time to get prepare for it.

68 days until the big day!

Whirlwind

2009-11-19T21:15:00.003-05:00

This has been a whirlwind of a semester. Lackluster students and very apathetic under-achievers are very discouraging. I am looking forward to the end of the semester, now just 3 weeks and 2 days until the week of final exams. We get 3 days off next week for Thanksgiving. I'm preparing a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

I am in the slow process of cleaning, down-sizing, and decluttering. I found the old floppy disks from my college days that still had readable documents. Some were lab reports I had written. I must say, I did a pretty good job with them.

Here's the abstract to one of them:

ABSTRACT
In this experiment, respiration patterns during and after various activities were investigated. As the subject remained at rest, after open hyperventilation, after closed hyperventilation, after rebreathing, during speech, after breath holding, during obstruction of respiratory passageways, and after exercise, inspiration and expiration cycles were recorded and analyzed. The rates of respiration increased significantly after open hyperventilation, closed hyperventilation, rebreathing, breath holding, and exercise. Slight increases were observed during reading aloud and obstruction of the nasal pathways. Chemoreceptors detecting changes in gas concentrations and baroreceptors detecting changes in gas pressures, among other factors, could have stimulatory effects on the rates of respiration. Respiratory volumes and capacities were determined along with forced expiratory volume within the first second (FEV1.0) in two subjects. There were clear differences in these volumes and capacities between the male subject who exercised regularly and the female subject who did not. Since FEV was measured incorrectly, the extremely low FEV1.0 could have no significance in clinical diagnosis of diseases of the pulmonary system.

Unfortunately, I didn't keep the title of the report. But, it was for Animal Physiology that I had taken in the spring semester of 1994.

House O'Dreams

2009-10-01T21:10:00.002-04:00

Pears, Chicken Little, & Fox urine pellets

2009-08-17T21:15:00.002-04:00

We're getting a good crop of pears this year. This summer has been very wet and a bit colder than usual. Even this August, there hasn't been too many sweltering hot and humid days. The squirrels have stayed away from the pears for the most part. We've been sprinkling fox urine pellets to make them think that there's predator near by.

We've also acquired a chirpy Chicken Little. He's kind of cute, but very noisy.

Uncle Howie

2009-07-20T22:02:00.005-04:00

About a month ago, I spent a week at a workshop to learn a new technique to teach students. I was in Ashburn, VA and at the Janelia Farms Research Center of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. If you've seen "The Aviator" with Leo DiCaprio, you'd know who Howard Hughes was. This is a biomedical research facility build with the money he left behind. It is a state-of-the art, no expense too large, glass-walled structure that costed about $500 million! To receive a research grant from the HHMI means you are or well on your way to induction into the Academy of Science or winning the Nobel Prize.

Even though we were there to learn, we were pampered by stays in rooms that were beyond luxurious and food that was glorious. I gained 5 pounds in one week!

There are labs in there!

Beautiful sunset over the building and a small pond

A great blue heron lives by the pond in front of the research building.

May 25 London (Last day)

2009-07-09T19:04:00.005-04:00

The British Museum is the home to perhaps the world's most extensive collection of artifacts from all corners of the world. In its height (around 1920), the sun never set on the British empire that covered a quarter of the world.
Many pieces were probably taken (stolen or robbed) unjustly. This is one chamber that housed many Chinese bronze urns dating back to 3000 BC, jade carvings, and various ivory items.
Jade horse

Mummified kitty cats (Sorry it's blurry)

Kitty replicas were also encased with the dead.

This is probably the most valuable artifact in the museum, the Rosetta Stone. Its discovery allowed archeologists to translate hieroglyphs. Top left corner shows 2 or 3 lines of hieroglyphs followed by large section of Egptian Demotic then Greek (bottom of picture).

Westminster Abbey

Houses of Parlament

Big Ben

You can bearly see the London Eye on the left, a ginormous ferris wheel. The view of London is suppose to be spectacular, but ticket to ride it was too expensive to tempt us.

Our stow-away makes another appearance.

Gate to Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace looks a lot bigger on TV. We missed the changing of the guards.

Picadilly Circus, London version of NYC's Time Square

May 24 London

2009-07-09T18:51:00.003-04:00

Peter Pan, memorial to his creator J. M. Barrie

Swans in Hyde Park

The famous Harrods department store where everything is over-priced

Near the end of the afternoon, we ended up back at the Victoria and Albert Museum. This was an interesting display in the main rotunda. The blue and yellow glass piece hung in the middle.

May 23 London

2009-07-06T20:51:00.003-04:00

Today's tour included Tower of London! It's one of the main attractions in London.

This is St. Olave's Church. The gate had some morbid sculls on it I found interesting. We couldn't enter it to explore, just sat in its courtyard and ate some lunch. Lunch included French baguette from a couple of days ago. Even stale French bread tasted good!

The White Tower inside the Tower of London. The Tower of London was built in the 10th or 11th century by conquering Normans. It was more of a fortress and later used as a castle. Parts of the castle was used to imprison traitors. One most famous prisoner was Anne Boelyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth's mother. Anne was imprisoned and later beheaded. She's buried in the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula within the Tower.

Traitor's gate was where prisoners were brought into the Tower from the River Thames. Two excellent movies with scenes at The Tower are "Elizabeth" with Kate Blanchett and "A Man for All Seasons" about Sir Thomas More.

Front entrance to the Tower. The grassy area would be where the moat was. Inside the Tower also houses the Crown Jewels. I didn't find them nearly as fascinating. The little gem on my ring is worth more to me than all the diamonds, rubies, saphires, and gold, and silver in that collection of coronation regalia.

London bridge... intact... not falling down

Engaged! May 22nd

2009-06-30T19:40:00.005-04:00

By this little gate, I got engaged!

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -Jane Austen

This entire day was specially crafted by my betrothed to be a Jane Austen/"Pride and Prejudice" kind of day. First, Blenheim Palace that served as Mr. Darcy's Pemberley; then the Cotswolds that served as Lizzy Bennett. "P&P" is one of my favorite novels.

At Burton-on-the-Water, we strolled along this little foot trail (on the right and along a shallow creek) with sheep gates. Sheep gates are meant to allow only pedestrians through and nothing else, including bikes and sheep.

From the trail, we saw sheep frollicking in the distance, if sheep can frollick that is. OK, maybe they were just busy snacking on the fresh grass.

Yes, this was a very special day!

May 22, Back to London!

2009-06-29T22:16:00.004-04:00

Back in London (Over a month ago! See, I told you it would take me several days, now it's become several weeks!)!

On this day, we joined another tour group and left London for some sight-seeing. Our first stop was Blenheim Palace, the mansion where Winston Churchill was born. The place was grand, although not quite up to the scale of Hampton Court. There was a exhibit about Churchill that I found fascinating. I'm now inspired to read a good biography about him. My favorite story about him was how much he loved his wife. Someone once asked him what he would like to be if he was reincarnated after his death. He answered, "I would like to be Mrs. Chruchill's second husband."

Blenheim Palace was beautiful! It sat on a spectacular plot of land as far as the eye can see, with gardens! In one of the many gardens was where Churchill proposed to his future wife, Clementine.

One of the cute statutes in the garden was this little guy. His facial expression was priceless.

A little shop in Stow-on-the-Wold... This is a little town in the Cotswolds, about 3 hours west of London. Many rich people buy property out there. For hundreds of years, it's been farm lands, people still raise sheep and cultivate canola for the oil. Canola fields are spans of majestic yellow!

This old home is now a hotel and restaurant in Burton-on-the Water, a small town with a quant river running through it, also known as the Venice of England.

A beautiful home in Burton-on-the Water very near which a monumentous event occurred... to be continued.

London/Paris Slide Show

2009-06-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

Thursday May 21 Paris

2009-06-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

Day 2 in Paris was Ascension Thursday. Many stores were closed, but not museums and restaurants. Ascension Thursday celebrates 40 days after the resurrection and Jesus and His ascension to heaven.

We hopped back on the tour bus and rode around for another drive through some parts of Paris. Our final destination was Musee du Louvre. This is the art museum that supposedly beats all museums. Di Vinci's Mona Lisa lives here, so does Venus de Milo (artist unknown). These and several other renown paintings and sculptures make this one of the most visited museums in the world. There were galleries and galleries full of naked statues, sculpted by really famous artists. Truthfully, I was more impressed by the art collection at Windsor Castle.

Before we left Paris, we stopped back at Rue Cler, a little street lined with grocers selling various food items, including the aromatic baguettes and formage (bread and cheese). For dinner the first night, we ate at a little bakery shop. For the second day, we ate at a Chinese restaurant (gasp!!). Everything in Paris is expensive! A hamburger would have costed 15 Euros or almost $20 USD. Contrary to what most people say, I found Parians to be very friendly. The lady who waited on us at the bakery treated us to a little scrumptous chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse. It reminded us of a Hostess big wheel, but 100X better. If you say "Bonjour" and "Merci", people were super nice.

Looking out from the glass pyramid...

The Mona Lisa was actually very small.

One of the museum's gallery

Aphrodite, known as Venus de Milo

Bakery shop in Rue Cler with the really nice store clerk, standing but bent over on the far right

Chinese dinner in Paris with a stow-away, Bunny.

Eiffel Tower, May 20-21 Paris

2009-06-04T19:14:00.000-04:00

Of course, everyone who goes to Paris must see and take pictures of the Eiffel Tower, even though Paris is SOOO much more than a tall Erector set structure. Like an ordinary tourist, I took tons of pictures of it. You can purchase tickets, ride up the elevators, and go up to the top for a grand view of the city. We decided to just admire the structure from the ground. Besides, it reminded me of "Superman 2" when Lois Lane went up and was almost killed (were not for Superman who flew there to save her in the nick of time).

Because we only had less than 2 full days in Paris, we decided to get around the city on one of those double decker tour buses. We saw the Tower on the first day and decided to wait for sun set to see it lit up. That did not disappoint. Paris isn't called the city of lights for nothing. By the time it was compeletly dark, the Tower was lit with what looked like sparkling diamonds.

Wednesday, May 20 Paris

2009-06-03T18:43:00.000-04:00

We got on an EuroStar high speed bullet train, went under the English Channel, and arrived in Paris 2 hours and 15 minutes later. Out first stop was Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris. The construction of the cathedral took nearly 200 years to complete. Seeing the delicate carvings and statues, I can easily understand. The interior of the cathedral was just as magnificent. None of the pictures I took inside came out clear; it was too dark, and flash lights were prohibited. While we were walking around inside, someone broke out in a beautiful song about the Virgin Mary, who is very much revered in the Catholic Church. I was tempted to break out in "Victory in Jesus", if only I had more confidence in the lyrics of the hymn.

Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris... looks deceivingly small from here!

10th century architecture used flying buttresses to sustain the height of the building (probably at least 5 stories tall).

Ornate entry way into the sanctuary

Statues of saints and/or apostles guard the entrance to the cathedral.

Many of the buildings in Paris, such as government buildings and museums, were adorned with gold-plated sculptures and statues. This appeared atop the Opera Galeries Lafayette, a music hall.

Full view of the "Opera house"

Midway between the Arc de Triomphe and Musee du Louvre was the Place de le Concorde. Within the large plaza sat two very extravagant fountains and this tall Egyptian Oblisque.

Avenue des Champs Elysees leads up to the Arc de Triomphe.

Arc de Triomphe

London, Tuesday, May 19

2009-05-30T23:07:00.000-04:00

On this day, we joined a tour bus and traveled to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court.

Windsor Castle is the Queen's residence outside of London. It is only about 45 minutes - 1 hour away. The nearby town is Eton, where the prestigious boarding school is located. Both Prince William and Harry were educated there. It is a gorgeous castle. Here are some pictures.

Queen wasn't home when we visited. The castle was large enough that we could tour a good portion of it. We walked through several state rooms (or apartments) that housed hundreds of paintings, many I remember seeing in text books. There were exhibitions of armors, swords, shields, emblems, etc.

Within the walls of the castle was St. George's Chapel. It is really a fairly grand cathedral. King Henry VIII is buried in it; we actually walked over the spot that marked his grave.

Hampton Court originally belonged to Cardinal Wolsey, King Henry VIII's right hand man. The Cardinal fell out of the favor of the king when he returned from Rome failing to have secured permission from the pope for the king to divorce his first wife.

After the king had his Cardinal executed, he took over Hampton Court and made some improvements upon it. This year marks the 500th anniversary of King Henry's coronation. Several museums in and around London had on exhibition many of the king's personal effects.

Hampton Court is known for its beautiful gardens.

The River Thames runs along the grounds of Hampton Court. A good movie to watch is "A Man for All Seasons" about Thomas More and King Henry VIII. Parts of the movie were filmed at Hampton Court.

London Monday, May 18

2009-05-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

It's going to take me several days to blog entries and document my trek through London and Paris. Here we go:

Our first stop was the Science Museum where there was a special exhibit of "Wallace and Gromit". If you have never seen "W&G", you have indeed missed much. Wallace is the man, and Gromit is his pet dog. They are the cheese-loving clay creations of British film-maker Nick Park. Most recently, they had their own full length feature film out back in 2005 entitled, "Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit". Wallace is an inventor of sorts, and much of his adventures involve an invention or two of his.

The theme of the exhibit was inventions and patents.

Here are couple of inventions (not necessarily Wallace's) that didn't quite make the cut:

The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum is across the street from the Science Museum. It 's housed in a very ornate building with these beautiful tall columns. It was on the list as one of my must-see museums in London. Queen Victoria reigned the United Kingdom (Great Britain = England + Wales + Scotland; UK = GB + Northern Ireland + all other territories around the globe) from 1837 - 1901. Her reign was during the height of Britain's power where the kingdom spanned all over the world. The collection in the Museum (and many others we visited in London) showcased this. There were specimens from every culture and nation. Prince Albert was, of course, Victoria's husband. When Albert died after only 20-some years of marriage, Victoria supposedly mourned for her husband for the rest of her life.

Bomb holes from the WWII German raids were kept on one of the walls along the V&A Museum.

London!

2009-05-18T05:39:00.000-04:00

Yeah! Europe!

First day in London. Haven't seen much yet. We were in Piccadilly Circus (London version of NYC's Time Square). Having a marvelous time so far. Will write more later...

The home stretch!

2009-04-22T22:34:00.001-04:00

Here's Miss Doggie in her hot pink winter-wear, looking very chec! We are well into the spring, of course, so she is cozy and warm in her own natural coat. At first, without her pink sweater, she looked oddly naked. Then, after a bath, she was so soft to pet and even smelled good for a couple of days.

We're in the home stretch with the semester, just 7 more days until the week of final exams. I didn't count weekends. After commencement on May 16th, I am off to London for vacation! Woo-hoo!

Spring break

2009-03-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

My spring break was last week. Instead of staying home for some rest or working in my office to catch up on some work without student interruptions, I decided to go on a trip. This was not just any ordinary trip or vacation of any sort. Some students at the college spend their spring break somewhere warm, like Florida or Mexico, where they rest a lot and drink a lot. Some students choose to go on service trips. I was a chaperone on one of such trips. Our group, 23 in all (I was one of two adult chaperones), spent the week in Alleghany Highlands, in the western end of Virginia. We did lots of painting - indoors, outdoors, sheds, window panes, pillars - picked up trash, and built a step for a porch. I got to know my students outside of the classroom which was a great experience (they also got to know me). Only two students in the group are also currently in one of my classes this semester. It was a tiring trip, but very rewarding. We loved all the people we met there.

I did not take any pictures, maybe someone will send me one or two of theirs.

Snow, grant proposal, and baths!

2009-02-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

We haven't had any big snow storms this season. So far, the most snow fall we've had was about 5 or 6 inches of accumulation. It was one of the prettiest. Here are a couple of pictures from the University, right outside of the science center that houses my office, lab, and classrooms. Grounds crew had already cleared the paths around campus. These pictures were taken about 2 or 3 weeks ago, I've lost track...

Until this past Tuesday and since returning from Christmas break, I've been hard at work, putting in long hours, and getting a grant proposal submitted. It was finally submitted today! I've decided to take a day off tomorrow to celebrate, catch up on some sleep, get some chores done including taking my car in for scheduled service maintenance and giving Doggie a bath. Miss Doggie is quite stinky at the moment, but tomorrow she'll be lavender-fresh! You see, the last time she got a bath was Thanksgiving, about 3 months ago. She's long overdue for a bath!

Monkeys!

2009-01-18T21:07:00.001-05:00

Monkeys have always been my favorite animals. They have funny mannerisms and facial expressions. I think God created them so we can laugh at ourselves when we see how similar we are to them. Monkeys in picture above have been in my possession for over 20 years! White monky (Bean Bean 3) on the left is similar to what the middle monkey (Bean Bean 2) looked like new. Bean Bean 2 was always brownish gray; he's become skinner and balder over the years. Momma Monkey recently had her tail reattached; it was hanging by a thread for a long time. Baby Monkey got his full smile back, too; he had lost it in a fight with Lifu.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-22T20:33:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, blog readers!!

Less than two more days until Christmas and the celebration of the Savior's birth!

I am happy to have some time off after a difficult semester.

Christmas!!

2008-12-15T21:29:00.000-05:00

Ten days until Christmas!! My colleagues at work have been of special holiday cheer this year and have decorated the doors of the offices. Mine is the one with the Nativity scene... Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and a donkey.

Snow!!

2008-11-21T19:41:00.000-05:00

We got our first snow of the season. It's another month until it's officially winter. But, early this morning, we got a nice 1-inch blanket of snow. It caught many people by surprise. Traffic going to work was pretty bad. I was sure thankful for my 4-wheel drive! I wonder if this is an indication of a long, cold winter ahead...

Phillies & a new President

2008-11-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, the entire city of Philadelphia erupted in jubilation! Our beloved Phillies won the World Series! Two days later, 2 million people gathered in Center City and celebrated with the players, coaches, and management. Nothing quite like this has been seen in Philadelphia since 1983 when the Sixers won the NBA championship. The last time Phillies won the World Series was 1980!

Philadelphians and baseball are deep in superstition. A statue of William Penn, founder of the city and for whom Pennsylvania was named, sits on top of City Hall. No other building in the city was taller than he until 1987 when Liberty Plazas were built. It is thought that when no more Philadelphia professional sports teams had won major championships since 1983, William Penn had placed a curse over the city for being overshadowed. A new building is nearly finished in Center City, taller than any other. On the top of this building, a new, albeit much smaller, statue of Mr. Penn has been placed. Perhaps because of that, the curse has been reversed?

About 24 hours from now, this country will have a new President awaiting to take over the Oval Office and reside in the White House. These are interesting days! Stay tuned!

Random...

2008-10-21T21:51:00.000-04:00

Picture of my office... looking out. It is a nice size office with 2 large desks, 3 book shelves, 6 chairs (one for me, one for my stuff, and the rest for students). I can't complain! It could be more homey, with a nice rug, more pictures on the walls, etc.

The Philadelphia Phillies have made it all the way into the World Series. The city is buzzing with excitement. The Series will begin tomorrow (Oct. 22nd) in Tampa Bay, Florida. They will play 2 games there before moving to Philadelphia for 3 more games. The first team to win 4 games will win the Championship. If necessary, they will play 2 more games in FL. If it weren't for the Presidential elections in exactly two weeks, there would be tons more ado about it.

Speaking of the elections, I think the entire country is sick of all the campaign, candidates vying for votes on TV, radio, every media possible. Since Pennsylvania is a swing state (it could go to either McCain or Obama), both have been campaigning around the Philadelphia region. We've seen an avalanche of advertisements trying to convice the people how good or how horrible one candidate is over the other. I've already made up my mind.

Mushrooms et al

2008-09-29T21:17:00.000-04:00

We've had lots of rain in the last few days, between Northeasters and hurricances (or reminants of them). Huge mushrooms have popped up in one corner of the backyard. These are huge!! They are almost as big as Doggie's head! I tried taking some pictures with her in them for perspective. But, it was getting dark and Doggie wanted nothing to do with them.

Here she is, happy as a clam, indoors, and getting very sleepy! She's not going to like the winter. She won't have the nice fluffy carpets to lounge around on. Carpets throughout the entire house was recently replaced by hardwood floors.

Doris, part III

2008-08-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

Doris returns!!! For the last two night, Doris came back and weaved her web. On the first night, she was munching on something (or someone... I didn't want to get too close to find out). On the second night, she was idling in the center of her masterpiece, probably waiting for her dinner to arrive. Tonight, I haven't seen her yet. But, I have my camera ready, batteries fully charged, and will snap some glamour shots of Doris if she makes an appearance tonight. Now I know what it's like to be a Paparazzi. Doris is so interesting and her web is so beautiful!

Doris, part II

2008-08-18T20:37:00.000-04:00

Doris set up her web twice more before saying good-bye. She was most likely a garden orb weaver. Spiders like Doris weave fancy webs for the night to catch prey, then pretty much eat back the web before dawn, including what they caught. One night, I saw what looked like a male garden orb weaver idling at the edge of Doris's web. She might have mated with him, then ate him, too! Such is the circle of life! That following night, I saw Doris twice more, but she didn't weave anymore webs and was just hanging on to the siding of the house. She was probably resting from her gluttonous buffets. I haven't seen Doris since... The weather has been on the cold side, rare for August. With some heavy storms that followed, Doris was smart to pack up and leave.

Doris

2008-08-05T22:53:00.001-04:00

Meet Doris! She's a spider camping out over our back patio. I met her last night when she weaved a really impressive web and was looking forward to the morning so I can take a picture of her and her web sprinkled with the morning dew. To my dismay, she was gone with her web, nothing was left behind. Tonight, however, she returns with an even more intricate web. She's about the size of a large marble; her belly is mostly orange colored with some black spots. Because of the flash light, I couldn't capture her true colors, unfortunately. I think she'll pack up again in the morning. I hope she returns tomorrow night.

New Car & Flowers

2008-07-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

My new car...

Another Volvo...

Summer lillies blooming in the front of the house. They send fragrant and sweet aromas into my room day and night.

Stargazer lily

Poor little car...

2008-06-13T22:26:00.001-04:00

I got into a pretty bad accident this morning driving into work. The grey car was making a left turn from the oncoming traffic right in front of me. I didn't even have time to take my foot off the gas pedal to hit the breaks before I hit it. Before I knew what had happened, the airbags deployed and I was in shock. Thank God that He protected me! I walked away from this with only a gash on my neck from the seat belt. Thank God for Swedish Engineers for making good, safe cars! The insurance adjusters will get an estimate on the damages on Monday. It is possible that my poor little car is totaled! I just bought new tires for it!!!

2008-06-05T21:51:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite pictures (I confess I didn't take it). It shows nicely the creatures that adorn the roof edges of almost all the buildings inside the Forbidden City. The very end is always a little man riding a bird of some sort. The largest hall within the City has the most number of these creatures, at 11. I wish I knew what each of these creatures represent, especially the chicken guy (as we have endowed him).

Beijing (d9) Flea market & Soap opera

2008-05-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

This is our last full day in this exciting city. It will also be my last blog entry; the next one will be from home! We will leave for the airport tomorrow soon after lunch.

Today was souvenir day. We headed to Panjiayuan flea market across town. It is a giant flea market with thousands of vendors selling "antiques", jewelry (lots of pearls, jade, and amber), and an assortment of knick-knacks. It's a great place to bargain. Even haggling the price down 50% is not enough. I read that vendors will jack prices up 10 fold! It's not a place for amateur treasure seekers because one has to be an expert in antiques and Chinese history not to be fooled. I'm guessing 99.9% of the stuff they sell is fake. It was fun to walk through and experience the sights and sounds.

When we were not venturing around town today, I caught some TV shows. There's this soap opera that ran at least 10 episodes from morning until night today. It is set in modern Beijing, very sappy, and the story a little pathetic. The story weaves around a woman whose husband wants a divorce so he can marry his mistress. The wife refuses and hangs on to this un-reciprocated marriage. She relents eventually after seeing her husband's display of affections to his mistress and hearing that he never loved her. But, the mistress gives her husband-to-be an ultimatum sensing that he is still really devoted to his ex-wife and daughter. Before the news came on earlier tonight, the family appears to be reunited after the doctors reported that the man's suspected tumor is really benign. How's that for a synopsis of 10 episodes of Chinese soap opera.

Beijing (d8) JinShan Park & Dumplings

2008-05-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

A pagoda sits on top of a giant pile of dirt that came from the building of a moat around the Forbidden City.

The pagoda is the highest point of the city. A giant buddah statue resides in it with a mini-me buddah on its lap.

A rose garden adorn the picturesque Jinshan park.

From the pagoda, smog can be seen blanketing the northern section of the Forbidden city.

Our Beijing vacation is winding down. We hadn't much on the agenda other than heading up to Jinshan Park where the view from the pagoda on the top of the hill offered a panoramic view of the city. We couldn't see much because the city was blanketed in smog. We were able to catch the red roof tops of the Forbidden City and take some pictures. Today was fairly hot and humid. We found another shopping plaza that had a much better and more authentic food court. We'll be going there again tomorrow for lunch and/or dinner!

Earlier tonight, we met up with a friend who was also visiting Beijing. We had dinner at a dumpling restaurant that was rated the top 10 restaurants in the world by the New York Times!The food there was indeed delicious. The dumplings just melted in my mouth. Even the dessert, mango over ice shavings and almond jello over ice shavings were terrific!

Tomorrow is souvenir day and packing up to head home!

Beijing (d7) Wal-Mart

2008-05-22T10:54:00.000-04:00

Today was to be a low-key day, a break from the Forbidden City excursion that made our feet sore! We headed to this Wan-Da Plaza that housed an international movie theater, some stores, the Sofitel hotel, and Wal-Mart! The movies being shown were disappointing... everything we had interest in seeing were dubbed in Chinese. So, instead, we took a tour of the Beijing Wal-Mart Supercenter. It was HUGE! There was a full supermarket with meats, vegetables, and all sorts of goods.

The Wan-Da Plaza was in the center of the business district in Beijing. It was perhaps the first place we were at where the people didn't blatantly stare at us. Everywhere else we went, people stared (not short glances!) as they walked pass by us. I didn't think we looked that strangely, but maybe we did. I think it was more amusing for me to study the Beijing people and learn the culture of a people in a very different country. The generation gap is vast. The young people seem stylish and sophisticated while the older generation are stoic and apparently weather-beaten!

We will head to Jin-Shan park tomorrow. If it's a clear day, we might be able to get a really spectacular panoramic view of the Forbidden City and Beijing.

I will upload pictures when I get home!

Beijing (d6) Forbidden City

2008-05-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Entrance to the Forbidden City. You still have to walk about half a mile to get to the ticket office to see the Halls.

Carving along the slope is one single piece of stone weighing over 250 tons.

Female lion has a baby cub under her paw.

Male lion has a ball under his paw.

All the roof edges are adorned with these little animals, the bottom-most is always a man riding a chicken/phoenix. The Hall of Supreme Harmoney has the most, 11 of them.

Today was Forbidden City day. What architectural wonders! I was most impressed by the 250-ton stone carving, the brass sculptures of phoenixes, lions, turtles, and the little animals (including a man riding a chicken/phoenix) that adorn the roofs edges. The palace was huge! It was another exhausting day to walk around the compound. Our feet screamed in angry protest. We decided to rent an audio guide to accompany our tour which explained many of the things we were looking at. Many buildings or halls had poor explanations plaques or were just too crowded to carefully read through them. The doors to each hall were heavy and thick; each door had 99 round pins representing "forever" and "longevity". Porticos in each hall made the buildings quite cool in the Beijing spring breezes. We were also able to recognize several spots where "The Last Emperor" was filmed. Disappointingly, the main hall, "Hall of Supreme Harmony", was scaffolded for renovations. Several other less significant buildings were under renovation.

Dinner was at the KungFu diner/fastfood joint in the Oriental Plaza. Images of Bruce Lee decorate the KungFu place. My meal was very tasty and homey.

Today was a great day! We will rest tomorrow and head to see the Olympic park and perhaps the Summer palace in the next few days.

Beijing (d5) Hutongs and duck

2008-05-20T11:34:00.000-04:00

Prince Gong's mansion

Prince Gong's mansion

Siheyuan courtyard house

Hutongs are narrow alleyways weaving through neighborhoods of Beijing. They've got lots of character and charm. Most of them have been renovated and modernized since the wooden construction could not have withstand centuries of man-made and natural disasters. They still led to courtyard homes of wealthy as well as common folks. We toured a hutong this morning west if Qian Hai. The mansion of Prince Gong was there. He was the second in command to Emperor Xianfeng (Qing dynasty 1851-1861). His mansion was quite extravagant. There were 9999 bat figurines throughout his home in his desire for longevity. The most charming part of the tour was really the siheyuan courtyard home where we had tea (in paper Dixie cups) with a young woman whose family has lived there since the late 1940's. The rickshaw ride was delightful in the almost perfect Beijing spring weather.

That was an exhausting morning! We spent the early afternoon converting currency, buying some groceries, and taking a nap. In the late afternoon, we decided to head back to Qian Men, the southern most edge of Tiananmen Square to visit a night market. Night market was under major renovation, but we did find a restaurant serving Peking duck (the fried rice was far better than the duck!). Heading back to the hotel with the sun had just set, we noticed how pretty Beijing city is lit up in lights. This is a very beautiful city. What a showcase for the world in August!

Tomorrow... Forbidden City...

Beijing (d4) Tiananmen Square

2008-05-19T08:03:00.000-04:00

Front Gate to Tiananmen Square. You can see Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall through the opening.

Monument to People's Heroes

People gathering chanting patriotic slogans to support and encourage the earthquake relief efforts.

Gate of Heavenly Peace and the entrance into the Forbidden City.

Today was suppose to be an easy day, no agenda, nothing to have to get done. Yet, it was an exhausting day. We're still recovering from the Great Wall excursion yesterday. All we really wanted to do was explore the subway system which was fairly straight-forward. We ended up riding it to Tiananmen Square, just 2 stops away from the Beijing Train Station. The country is commemorating those who lost lives in the Wenchuan earthquake by having a 3-minute silence at 2:28pm (one week to the minute of when the earthquake set off) and closing down all forms of entertainment for 3 days (no theater, no movies, no celebration, etc, and suspension of the Olympic torch relay). A group of young students passed out little white flowers. We decided to head to Tiananmen Square to see the activities, but missed it by a few minutes. The entire country is in solidarity to support and encourage those affected. It was quite amazing to see.

Tiananmen Square is a huge expanse of open space... very impressive. There were people everywhere! We will head back in the next few days and see the Forbidden City near by.

All this walking has made my feet very sore even with good hiking shoes. I'm putting my feet up for the rest of the night and get to bed early. Tomorrow is the Hutong Tour where we'll be riding in rickshaws and drinking teas in some one's courtyard house.

Beijing (d3) Great Wall

2008-05-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

Spectacular view of the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall

Some portions of the Wall, especially areas less touristy, remain in ruins

Approaching Simatai section of the Wall where it looks like the back of a dragon

View from a tower

A short cut had taken us through a small farming community.

A very simple farm had livestocks with goats, chickens, one horse, and donkeys.

Simatai section of the Great Wall looking back to where we had come from

My tired and aching feet

We woke up at 6am this morning to ride for 3 hours to the Great Wall of China from Beijing. The Great Wall is an impressive structure. We joined a tour that dropped us off at the Jinshanling section of the Wall to hike about 10km (I think about 6.2 miles and 4 hours) to the Simatai section of the wall. These are the least touristy area of the Great Wall because it is also the furthermost away from downtown Beijing. There were sections with very steep staircases (up and down) and very dangerous (some parts remain unrepaired and crumbling), not too different from the ones Frodo and Sam climbed on "Return of the King". We were exhausted! We actually had to take a short cut, led by some Hebei farmers/peddlers trying to sell us souvenirs (these Hebei farmers reminded us, then, of Gollum). The view along the hike was spectacular! We're taking a break from heavy sight-seeing tomorrow and have nothing planned but to look for a place to do laundry (apparently, these probably do not exist in the country...). Dinner tonight was Papa John's Pizza and corn flavored ice cream!

Beijing (d2)

2008-05-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

Today was still a very tiring day from the jet lag and traveling. We decided to take an easy and just walk around the city a little bit, at least a few blocks from the hotel. We had good intentions to walk to Tian'anmen Square, but was just too tired. We found a really posh and ritzy shopping center-Oriental Plaza (more like the Court at King of Prussia in PA) with the latest fashions and really high end merchandise. This definitely does not resemble the China most people know from text books. I think the world will be quite surprised when they are welcomed here in August. After all that walking, we came back to the hotel and took a 4-hour nap! Even the loud trains outside my window would not wake me up from my slumber. I was dog tired!

Meals are always interesting ventures. It is trying to figure out what to eat that is the hardest part. So, tonight, it was hot pot. At least, we know the food is well cooked! We were tempted to try the Chinese version of Papa John's Pizza. But, after wandering around the mall (another one that is not as posh) for some time and not finding it, we settled on the hot pot place. It was almost perfect since it was as light (more veggies and not as meaty) as we can make it, and we can be really filled.

Tomorrow is off to the Great Wall. It will be an all day excursion!

Beijing Arrival

2008-05-16T17:05:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Beijing! It is now 5am; I am up and about from the jet lag. This is an interesting city, very similar to the old Taipei I remember as a kid. People are everywhere! There are tall & modern skyscrapers interspersed by really ancient neighborhoods with narrow alley ways (hutongs). There are new constructions everywhere as well. The city is teeming with excitement for the upcoming Olympics. Our first impression of the city was the Beijing International Airport. How impressive that was! It's got the reputation for being the largest airport in the world (so far). We're staying at a hotel near the Beijing Railroad Station. The window to my room overlooks railroad tracks. It's a bit noisy, but didn't really keep me awake. I think I was just really tired from the traveling the day before. We were trying to find a place to eat last night in the Station, but couldn't get into the building at all without a train ticket. Wow... what a sea of people there! We'll be exploring the city some more today, at least figure out the best way to roam around.

Spring, Taxes, and Beijing

2008-04-15T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today is April 15th! Taxes are due today. I'm never good at putting things off until the last minute. So, I've actually already gotten my refund... over a month ago!

We are well into Spring here in Eastern PA. You can really begin to smell, see, hear, and taste Spring! In another week, new crisp green leaves will blanket the dry tree branchs. Tulips and daffodils are already abound. So beautiful!

In exactly one more month, I am Beijing-bound! Great Wall of China, here I come!

Kitchen, II

2008-02-25T20:01:00.001-05:00

More pictures of the kitchen. Top 2 pictures show the new oven/range (left) and the sink with dish washer (right). To the left with Doggie is the breakfast island no more! These were confusing times for Doggie!

Kitchen

2008-02-22T18:40:00.000-05:00

Mom's new kitchen! Gates are to rein in Miss Doggie. New ceramic tiles are very nice but cold. Roses were for me, from someone special.

Happy New Year, Part II

2008-02-10T14:22:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, year of rat! This is the Simpsonized me! I think I look better being a Simpson character. Doggie doesn't look anything like Santa's Little Helper; but, they don't Simpsonize pets.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! The brand new year welcomed us with blisteringly cold weather. Brrrr... It is nippy out there! We'll only get 2 days of really chilly willy weather, then it's in the 50's for the next few days. I hope the trees and bushes aren't confused again. Last winter, the cherry blossoms in Washington DC set out their blooms in January because we had a week or so of unseasonably warm weather. Enough about the weather...

It is 2008! I spent New Year's Eve roosting at home! I even missed the count-down and decided to go to bed with ear-plugs around 11! I much rather snuggle nicely in bed with a good book then sit in front of the TV watching a whole lot of nonsense. Currently finishing up Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods". It's an account of his journey through the Appalachian Trail, a hiking trail over 2100 miles stretching from Georgia to Maine. He is a terrific writer, and his narrative is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Today being January 2nd is my first day back to work after about 2 weeks break between semesters. The new semester doesn't start until January 14th (actually a week earlier this year). This also means the time to get the semester ready is shorter. So, as much as I savored each second of my break, it's good to be back to work today to be able get a couple of to-do list items checked off!

Happy 2008! May your 2008 be wonder-filled!

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!
Here's wishing you all an awe-filled 2008!

Goodbye!

2007-11-21T16:07:00.000-05:00

We bid farewell to "Silver" last Sunday. Silver was Mom's 240 station wagon. It was finally retired, at least by us. It is now in the possession of Purple Heart, and will hopefully get a second life after some repairs. It will now at least bring some money for a worthy cause, benefiting war veterans.

We sure had some fond memories in that car. We drove it down to Florida in 1991, to Pittsburgh and Chicago in 1993 (I was not on that trip... was interning in NYC that summer), to Cape Cod in 1999. It brought me back and forth from college and home. It moved me to West Philadelphia in 1997 and home again in 1999. M rear ended another car on the way to the airport picking up Dad. Among other trips in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, it served us well. It was sad to say goodbye to it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-20T19:05:00.000-05:00

Thursday is Thanksgiving! Being in academia, I got Wednesday through Friday off... a marvelous 5-day vacation! The semester is quickly coming to a close. Two more weeks after this break before the week of final exams. Then, it'll be Christmas break!

Thanksgiving is traditionally time to gather with family and friends and offer thanks to God for His many blessings. Although in the post-modern world, it's just gathering with family and friends and feasting on turkey. I will be spending my Thanksgiving with my family and friends and fitting in there giving Doggie a bath and raking leaves. I am thankful for my MANY blessings: family, friends (old and new), my job, my health, joy and contentment that could only have come from God above!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Fall

2007-11-02T19:14:00.000-04:00

We're in the thick of fall. It is finally getting seasonably cold. For most of October, the temperature had been relatively warm. So, just this week, the leaves have finally begun to turn the beautiful gold, yellow, and red colors. It is pretty! I, for one, don't like the fall as much as I love spring. With the leaves falling, animals disappearing, birds not singing as much, and no more crickets chirping, it's kind of depressing. It's also hard not to think about the deadness of winter that is right around the corner. Yes, snow is pretty but it is few and far in between. Now, spring is what I live for when the birds sings again, the leaves burst out in majesty, and the everything is green again. There's life! Everything is seemingly new again!

Chagrin

2007-10-16T15:26:00.000-04:00

Chagrin [she grin'] n. embrarrassment and annoyance due to failure, diasppointment, etc -vt. -grined', -grining to cause to feel chagrin (Webster's Dictionery)

This is Chagrin Falls. It is also the name of a little town outside of Cleveland, OH. I assume the town was named after the falls. The falls were chagrin because this is it. A couple of friends and I were in Chargin Falls for the weekend attending the Truth for Life Conference at Parkside Church. The conference was most definitely NOT chagrin. It was a mountaintop experience to be fed from God's word via a pastor who isn't afraid to speak the truth even though it is very difficult to hear.

As for the little town of Chagrin Falls, it has a fabulous popcorn/ice cream shop. Yum!!

Sigh...

2007-10-07T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Phillies road to the World Series has ended. The Rockies swept them to continue on to the National League championships; they will play the AZ Diamondbacks, who swept the Chicago Cubs. I'm not sure who I will root for now. I always root for the underdogs. In this case, I'm not sure who that is.

I am glad I was at the last game of the Phillies regular season to see them win the Division title. That excitement will stay with me for a long time!

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to going to Cleveland at the end of the week for a weekend trip to the church of my favorite radio preacher, Alistair Begg. He has invited his radio listeners to a "Truth for Life" weekend. I will be traveling with a couple of friends from church. It will be exciting! The Cleveland Indians are also in the playoff's, but they are in the American League. So, there's also lots of baseball excitement in that city!

They did it!

2007-10-03T19:31:00.001-04:00

The Phillies won the National League East Divison! They actually made it into the playoff's! I am still so excited that I was at that last game of the season to witness this clinch! All the players celebrated along with the entire stadium of fans! For the first time in 14 years, they get to play more baseball and perhaps even compete for the World Series title. Of course, those New York Mets imploding helped out the Phillies a lot! The playoff's started today, for the National League championships. The Rockies are in town and they won the first game this afternoon. I think it's best out of 5. Keep your fingers crossed!

Baseball

2007-09-26T20:16:00.000-04:00

This is the final week of the regular baseball season. Of course, living in Philadelphia, one automatically roots for the Phillies. This is also the team that is the most heart-wrenching to watch and follow. The Phillies are known for being "almost" there or "almost making it. Three or 4 seasons in a row now, they "almost" make it to the playoff's. They always seem to miss it by a game or two. Very frustrating.... This year is no different. So, in order not to get our hopes up and to have them shattered to tiny little pieces, it's best just to be indifferent. Maybe they'll pull out surprise. I'm not counting on it!

Winter Melons Galore!

2007-09-13T18:01:00.000-04:00

These winter mellons popped out from nowhere in our veggie garden. They weren't planted, and were probably from the compost. They are quite huge, bigger than an average person's head and very heavy. Tasty!

Back to work!

2007-08-24T22:31:00.000-04:00

With vacation well over, it is back to work! The students have mostly returned to campus. The university is coming to life once again. The freshmen class has orientation on Sunday. That's when we'll meet them for the very first time. Many of these students enter their freshmen year with all good intentions, but only about 1/3 to 1/2 will graduate with the major they had originally declared. How many 18-year olds really know what they want to do for the rest of their lives anyway? Classes will start on Monday!!

Sun!

2007-08-10T18:10:00.001-04:00

Sunflowers abloom at the homestead! These are Russian Mammoths. They are so tall, about 10 feet! Third picture is sun setting from the perspective of a restaurant bench.

Vacation has been just grand! Today is the best day of all. I started the day with prayer meeting, than a 2-hour nap. I decided to get my hair cut since the long hair was starting to look unkempt and scary in the reflection. By the way, I only recently realized that I needed a full length mirror. I figured I should not only look more professional, but at least my outfits needed to match and the collars turned out correctly. So, off the IKEA where I found a really pretty mirror. Back to vacation, I took a second nap in the afternoon, on the sofa, dozed off with the TV on! Ahh... this is just perfect! Maybe I'll go meander through the woods tomorrow!

VACATION!!

2007-08-05T18:33:00.000-04:00

I am officially on vacation!! It feels wonderful! I have even begun to prep the living room for a fresh coat of paint. It will be hot and humid for the first half of the week and suppose to cool down a little the second with lots of rain. We sure can use lots of rain here. At least, it won't be as hot as when I was on vacation last year during this same week in August. It was so dreadfully hot that I had to go to a friend's house to bake cookies; she has central air conditioning at her house.

Counting down to vacation!

2007-07-27T23:26:00.000-04:00

5 more days! It's going to be the best kind of vacation, going to stay right at home... sleep in late, watch lots of bad TV plus some better movies, eat lots of ice cream, go to bed even later...

I might even finish painting the living room and start the dining room. The paint job really started in 2003! No flashy colors. Just plain white... at least the paint manufacturer creatively named it Vienna Coffee/egg shell finish.