Most precious the affection from a child

Meghan was performing as a mouse in the community play of Nutcracker ballet during the weekend of Dec. 4 . Her first public performance.  I enjoyed the show and of course most of all the excitement of the big event.  Elizabeth brought Matthew to join Tom, Janice, Alexander, Margaret,  me, and the big Meghan to see the show.  It was Matthew's first too.  David is still too small and was staying home with his Grandpa Joe.

When a child smile at you from its heart, be grateful for the moment and the opportunity to build a special bond.

Fiscal Responsibility

My secretary Anita thinks that I am an utterly control freak when it comes to fiscal responsibility of retirement.  I used almost every free calculator available on InterNet to estimate if I have enough net worth to sustain myself by retiring next year.  I used calculators to do a budget on my projected monthly cash flow.  I planned out for the next five years how to allocate money to the three buckets:  (1) ready cash and laddered CD, (2) funds for year 5-10 (value stocks, laddered bonds, etc.), and (3) funds for after year 10 through 30.  I also estimated the risk of longevity (use calculators to project when will I die:  it turned out I will live to between 83 - 93.  I guess I did everything I could think of so far trying to be responsible.  Then I am going to leave it to God for the rest of my life.

Now I need to stick to my cash flow budget, and see if the projections and my plan works out well!  Other than that, I just have to be thankful and enjoy life.

The Trip to Hokkido, Japan - Day 1

I joined a tour to Hokkido led by Rita and Paul during Oct 14 - 22, 2010.  I have rather mixed feeling about the trip, mixed with pain and pleasure. But such is life, never a perfect time 100% of the time. It took me a while before I feel like make a record of the trip.

We arrived Sapporo (a word derived from the Ainu - the indigenous residence of Hokkido meaning "a river running along a reed-filled plain") the evening of Oct 15 via connection in Narita Airport in Tokyo.  Following is a picture of the hotel we stayed.

Early the following morning, Joan and I took a walk near the hotel.  I was intrigued to find a graffiti at the lower level by the river.

Otaru is a city and port northwest of Sapporo.  (within 25 minutes of drive).  It has some shopping malls along the canal that were converted from originally stone or brick built warehouses.  An old time charm is provided by the gas lamps along the canal.

Otaru is famed by its glass works and music boxes.

Life Long Learning (LLL)

I have been checking out on various live long learning opportunities that I might engage myself in after my retirement.  Shu-Jen was in Oxford in October, visiting with her husband Simon, was kind enough to obtain a copy of the brochure from Oxford's Internal Study Center. They have a very  attractive summer program.  One can live in the dorm of Oxford with meals included. One goes to classes, and all sorts of programs sponsored by the Center/University.  One can simply soak oneself in the atmosphere of that great teaching institute, and all!  But it certainly is not cheap.  5200 pounds not including air fare and spending money for 4 weeks.  I have to get myself ready (like reading up on a lot more books, etc.) before I can consider going and be able to get the most from the program.  Perhaps this can help motivate me in designing some more specific activities in 2011 in preparation for a possible trip in 2012.

Another interesting program is the Renaissance Institute at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland, which features a pear governed LLL. All members are 55 years old and up.  The annual membership is $385 which is more affordable, and the campus is just on Charles Street, Baltimore.  I can follow-up on this program and plan possibly join them in  the Fall semester, 2011.

Johns Hopkins and Towson University also have LLL programs:
www.osher.jhu.edu
www.towson.edu/outreach/olli
www.osherfoundation.org
www.roadscholar.org
www.peabody.jhu.edu/?pageID=540

Two Paths of Destiny

I was able to visit Teacher Yen, my class (who taught us Math) teacher, Ms. Yen, when I was in Taiwan on Oct 31.  Teacher Yen, who with her younger sister and Mom moved to Taiwan in 1949, while her Father, and her second elder Brother stayed in Mainland.  Her Father instructed a student of his to take the three women to Taiwan for safety.  Her eldest Brother was a student in UK at the time, who actually was mad at Teacher Yen, because he thought she was the one wanted to go to Taiwan.  The three women were cut off from the rest of the family when Communists completely took over Mainland.  Teacher Yen held up the responsibility to find a job, and supported the Mother and the younger sister.  She had a very good teaching career at the First Taipei Girl's High School.  Her eldest Brother at 1950 tried to go back home, and was captured as soon as he arrived Hong Kong, as he was considered high value intellectual (he went abroad for education under the government, although it was the Kuo Ming Dong who awarded him the fund).  During the Culture Revolution, both of her Brothers tried to commit suicide as they could not stand the torture (being beaten and sent to far away farms).  Her second Brother died (he hang himself), but her eldest Brother survived as he could not kick off the Bang Dang underneath him.  After China removed the iron curtain, she was able to see her eldest Brother again, who had once scolded her for wanting to go to Taiwan.

Teacher Yen says that she was never afraid.  not when she was going to Taipei alone to look for a job, not when her husband died of cancer, not now in her 80's.  I guess she is a real tough lady.  BiFang is the classmate who works as a Pathologist in Taipei, a real smart, hard-working and kind lady.

Passionate about okra

I have been eating okra for a few weeks now, using the special way of preparing the drinks before three meals every day.  It has helped keeping my blood sugar level at bay.  I have not seen the effect of weight loss yet, but am remaining hopeful.  So okra drink has become a routine in my life now.

Devils's Postpile and Mono Lake

During Sep. 3 - 8,  I went to SFO for a reunion of my high school.  After the big reunion dinner on Sunday evening (about 170 people), one bus load of classmates went on a trip to Yosemite.  This is the third time I visited the Park.  However, this is the first time I visited the Devel's Postpile and Mono Lake, and was quite impressed by them.  Mono Lake is located to the immediate East of Yosemite, and is the westernmost basin of the Basin and Range province, which stretches across western North America between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.  Mono Lake is a vast inland sea nestled at the feet of 13,000ft peaks of the Sierra Nevada Range to the west, the ancient volcanic Bodie Hills to the North, rolling oceans of sagebrush to the east and the towering cones of the Young Mono Creaters to the South.  The Native Americans who lived in the Mono Basin collected the abundant alkaline fly pupae and used them as one of their main food sources.  These Indians were called Monache ("fly-eaters").  Monoche was shortened to "Mono" and applied to the region and the people living there by early explorers in the 1850.

Devil's Postpiles are columnar basalt, formed by basalt lava from volcanic erupts, vents and cools.  The lava shrinks and then cracks and sometimes form vertical  columns. When homogeneous lava cooled at a uniform rate, it created well-developed columns like those at Devel's Postpile .