Day 333 - Bikes

Thought of the day: The caliber of photographers on Google+ is simply amazing. Indeed, many of them are professionals doing that for a living. I am following a number of them and the photos showing up in my stream really made me pause before I dared to post anything of my own. My past experience on Facebook was the exact opposite - the quality of most of the photos there were so poor that I felt out of place to post anything with an artistic touch. Similar things may be happening to the non-photo posts as well - the posts on Google+ are often thought provoking and interesting while most posts on Facebook are none of that. It can become self-enforcing after a while - Google+ gets the great shots and profound thoughts while Facebook gets the average, mom-and-pop style shots and random posts. In an ideal world, people would move to one social network - Google+, of course:-), because it's open and less sinister - and use Circles to maintain separate public and private images. You can share your great shots and interesting thoughts with the public and your fuzzy shots and not-so-inspiring thoughts with family and friends as they are the ones who would welcome anything from you. Sadly, the real world doesn't work like that as it's easier not to struggle with something new and it's far less work to just share whatever comes into your mind with whoever is listening and most people would probably do just that. Unless Facebook messes up badly, I'm not seeing people migrate en-masse to Google+ in the near future.

Photo of the day:

Ready to leave - this is not an interesting photo for the public consumption, but this is one of the only photos I took today...

Day 305 - Costume Shop

Thought of the day: This afternoon, Lila rode down to the neighborhood shopping center with us on a tag-along we recently acquired through an advertisement on Google Plus.  She was not tall enough to use the pedals effectively yet and sometimes her body looked off-balanced from the back.  However, she was holding on tight and was clearly enjoying the ride.  We are glad that we have now one more thing to do as a family in the weekend - a bike ride that everybody pedals!

Photo of the day:

Jasmine putting on a mask in the costume shop.  We often stop by this place after having lunch or dinner in the shopping center.  Jasmine and Lila loved to check out all the colorful costumes and toys in the store.

Day 301 - Nap

Thought of the day: This morning I brought Lila to the second open house event of her new preschool.  I knew most of the teachers there already and I met and talked to a few parents today.  Everybody was open, warm and friendly. It felt as if we were having a big family reunion. I am confident this is a safe, loving and nurturing environment for Lila where she would learn to share and enjoy the world with the others.  We are all eagerly anticipating her first day in this preschool tomorrow.

Photo of the day:

Lila napping in a cafe after her preschool open house event and lunch.  She was excited and exhausted and fell into sleep during the bike ride home.

Day 288 - Green Parking

Thought of the day: Since we are here with both kids for two entire weeks, we are really motivated to find other kids in the neighborhood for the girls to play with. So after I heard the sounds of some kids playing in the neighboring yard, I knocked on the door with Jasmine and introduced ourselves.  Lucky for us, a very friendly family lives next door and they didn't mind the intrusion at all.  Their two sweet girls have been playing with Jasmine ever since. We're lucky to have neighbors who are so open-minded and flexible.  Having neighborhood kids to play with definitely makes this place seem more friendly and homey for us.

Photo of the day:

A green and lush parking spot for a bike outside of Amber Indian Restaurant in Mountain View.  David and I had lunch there today.  The food is definitely more spicy and perhaps more authentic but we are missing the Tandoori Grill.  We are still developing our list of favorite local restaurants here and will probably feel more at home once we find a few within walking or biking distance.

Day 280 - Lila

Thought of the day: I felt grateful when I held Lila in my arms for a peaceful moment before putting her to bed tonight. The day scrolled by in front of my eyes like a movie: slow morning, Lila playing on a lawn, our happy ride along the creek to Meadows Plaza with Jasmine and her friend, Lila doing gymnastics, busy but cheerful waitress in the bakery, meeting friends, Lila napping on the bike in a cafe while Jasmine and I played games, our scary ride in the thunderstorm, taking refuge in a neighbor's garage (again),  everybody getting home wet and happy…  This day flew by like so many others.  It was good to stop and think about it for a moment. I never imagined that life could be so colorful and fulfilling.  It's in my thoughts every day that this could very well be the best period of my life and, many years in the future, I may read this blog with a smile on my face and feel envious of this person that I once was.  In the back of my mind, there's always a gloomy voice reminding me that life is brief and fleeting and this too shall not last.  But does that matter?  No, what matters right now is that I have had a great day and I'm happy and grateful for it.

Photo of the day:

Lila playing on the lawn while waiting for Jasmine and her friend to come back from their camp by school bus.

Day 273 - Violinist

Thought of the day: It has been a crazy day with a lot of driving for me.  Between the summer camps and errands, I spent a good four hours on the road today.  I am spending way too much time driving this week.  That reminded me of the mundane, mind numbing and exhausting activity that driving really is. When I lived in the bay area, I was more used to driving - of course, I still didn't like it a bit.  Now, after spending a car-less, blissful month in Europe and many bike-only days after returning home, I have found driving particularly distasteful. I look forward to the days when I can finally hop back on the bike and feel the wind when I speed down the hill with Lila squealing with delight behind me.

Photo of the day:

A violinist playing for children in front of the Chautauqua Dining Hall.  Boulder summer can be delightful with festivals, visiting musicians and free play time for the kids.  Despite of all the driving I had to do today, luckily, I managed to experience some delightful moments in Chautauqua Park in the middle of the day.

Day 255 - Puppy

Thought of the day: Today I covered the familiar grounds of Boulder Farmer's Market, Pearl St,  Zhou Mama's and Trident Cafe with Lila.  It was another hot day and a thoughtful friend equipped Lila with a spray bottle before we started out on the bike.  Lila sprayed watery mists generously on flowers, trees, dogs along the way. On Pearl St, people asked her to please spray on them to cool them down. She was quite a hit by just being herself and carrying on her favorite activity of proudly dispensing water. I was thankful to the cheerful and indulgent pedestrians on Pearl St. They helped us make this into another blissful and laid-back summer day in a tiny paradise we called Boulder.

Photo of the day:

On the way home, we took a break outside of Cafe Sole as Lila felt fast asleep on the bike. I saw this cute little puppy sitting at a table with his new owner. He was just adopted this morning. Lucky puppy - I think he is in very good hands.

Day 254 - Auditorium

Thought of the day: Jasmine and I biked to Chautauqua this afternoon to attend a family woodwinds concert. The narrator told of a story called "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship" as accompanied by a bassoon, a clarinet, a flute, an oboe and a cornet.  Each instrument played a piece of music that represented a character in the story. It was a fun, albeit short, program.  In fact, it was way too short according to Jasmine, but that did leave us plenty of time to linger in the dining hall afterward over some desserts and a nice view of meadows and mountains. Jasmine earned every bite of her dessert as biking up the hill in the middle of a hot July day had been challenging. I am glad that we spent this beautiful summer afternoon the way we did.

Photo of the day:

Inside Chautauqua Auditorium where the concert was held this afternoon.

Day 243 - Lugano

Thought of the day: We are once again in Ticino, one of my favorite places in Switzerland. When it's rainy and gloomy in the northern part of Switzerland, you can hop on the train, head south and cross the Gotthard tunnel, you will often find yourself under a blue sky. We all need a cure for rainy day blues, be it a pot of tea, a favorite book, or an escape to a place with abundant sunshine. That's where the Swiss people get their sunshine remedy in the south, short of crossing the border all the way to Italy. For me, Ticino has the magic power of drawing me over regardless of the weather in the north. I'm up for a leisurely walk along the Lake of Lugano any time, any day.

Photo of the day:

A biker coming up a steep, narrow street in the charming Lugano old town in the early evening.  We're staying here for two nights.

Day 189 - Tree and Bike

Thought of the day: Today I went out and shot some of my favorite flowering trees.  They didn't come out exactly the way I'd like, but at least it was a fun experience.  After all, what's a better way to spend a sunny day then spending it outdoors?

Photo of the day:

This is one of the flowering trees that I shot this morning along the Broadway bike path.

Day 186 - Girls

Thought of the day:  PBS Newshour is broadcasting a 6-part series called Autism Now reported by Robert MacNeil.  Robert came out of retirement to do the series because his grandson had autism so he had seen the ailment and the impact of it on the family first hand.  The story of his grandson was told in part-1 of the series and it was deeply touching. Autism is definitely on the rise.  It's now affecting 1 in every 110 children in America - that's a large number of kids every year - and it has been declared a national health emergency.  One part of the series explored the plausible causes of the rise of autism.  Only a small part of could be explained by a better detection and reporting of this disorder.  The main plausible cause for the rise lied in the toxicity of the environment - the 70,000 commonly used chemicals, some of which used directly on our bodies, could have an accumulative, unexpected effects on our health starting from the moment we were conceived, and in some cases long before that.  The long term effect of Agent Orange on Vietnamese kids is one dramatic example, but there could be many other not-so-obvious interactions between the environment and our body that we're not aware of.  One expert attributed autism to a genetic predisposition triggered by chemicals in our environment that broke down or overwhelmed our immune system.  The same thing could likely explain the rise of allergies, asthma, food sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities, infertility, cancer, and other ailments that we hear more and more of every day.  Our individual genetic make-up is playing a Russian roulette with the chemicals we are exposed to every day - it's scary to think about it this way but I don't see any positive way of describing the situation.  We can try our best to protect ourselves and our families and push through environmental regulations.  However, there's a lot that we don't have control of at this point in time, and the consequence is a human cost of development that is just impossible to bear.

Photo of the day:

Girls on the bike on Greenbriar.  Lila was napping on the bike seat.  The concern for our children can turn each one of us into an environmentalist like nothing else can.

Day 180 - Jayden

Thought of the day: It has been difficult to put Lila down for an afternoon nap lately.  On some days she didn't need a nap, but on the days when she really needed one she often refused to nap anyway and ended up with a dinner time meltdown.  Today I found a solution which may not be recommended by a pediatrician but it worked out well, at least for one day.  I took her on a bike ride around nap time and she fell into sleep on the way.  I parked the bike securely and made her more comfortable by lowering the bike seat.  She continued napping on the bike for another hour or so before waking up happy.  So this might just be the solution: take her on a bike ride and let her decide whether to fall into sleep or not.  That way I will get in some exercise and she will get some outdoor air, do a little sightseeing, and maybe even get in some sleep once in a while.  Difficult time calls for desperate measures and this is one that I am willing, or maybe even happy, to try.

Photo of the day:

Little boy Jayden in Zhou Mama's restaurant.  He was not tall enough for the table and his chin barely rose above it.  I don't know if he was amused by the sitting situation but it was really cute to watch. Lucky for his mom, he is still too little to let go of the precious daily nap.

Day 173 - Tea and Sandbox

Thought of the day: It was a sunny and beautiful day.  I was out and about with Lila on the bike for much of the day and felt incredibly lucky to be able to do just that.  On the way I had been thinking why biking made people happy as I saw a lot of smiling bikers but not too many smiling drivers.  The hormonal impact of sunlight and physical exercise on our mood can definitely be a factor.  Also, being out in the open air gives you a feeling of connectedness to the universe and to other creatures that you will not otherwise experience boxed inside a car.  In addition, biking gives you more freedom and flexibility - you can "park" pretty much anywhere and don't need to worry about feeding the meters - and as a result I often end up stopping by more places than I have originally planned.  All of these contribute to a good mood that can be positively reinforced through interactions with other people as you will inevitably carry your good mood into the interactions and thus affect a more positive and happier outcome.  Yes, I do believe that happiness begets happiness and it's easy to get it all started by simply getting on a bike.

Photo of the day:

We stopped by Trident Cafe where Lila played with a few other kids in the sandbox, while I got to relax and did a bit of reading in the company of a pot of green tea.

Day 154 - Jasmine

Thought of the day: I had a good conversation with Jasmine tonight.  We were walking home from dinner in the dark.  It was chillier than expected so we cheered each other up with stories.  She retold the story of Stone Soup, which she learned in preschool. When I asked her what she learned from the story, she said "Sharing makes people happy."  Indeed, fearing your neighbors and, in general, being too self-defensive can make your life bleak and miserable.  On the other hand, opening up your heart and sharing with your community can make your life richer and happier.  Sharing may even save your life during an emergency, as manifested by Japanese villagers who were trapped and isolated from the outside world in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.  Apparently people in the trapped communities promptly organized themselves, shared their supplies and duties, bended together and survived until they were rescued.  In a way, in the face of the emergency, an entire village came together to make a big pot of stone soup so everybody can share and stay alive.  These real life stories warmed my heart and made me admire the human spirit and gave me hope for our collective future.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine on the way to dinner, with grandma, daddy and Lila in the background.  It's another sunny, beautiful spring day in Boulder.

Day 138 - Dessert

Thought of the day: Today I biked with my dad to their old townhouse which was for sale.  The realtor did quite a bit of work before putting it on market.  We were surprised when we entered the door - it felt as if we had just stepped into an Ethan Allen showroom.  It even used my favorite color palette.  But it didn't feel like home any more and it made me really miss the simplicity and familiarity of their old home.  Moving can be difficult because you will inevitably leave a part of your history, and a part of you, behind.  It's hard to reckon with the fact that some things that you have gotten so used to and taken for granted are not yours any more.  It could be a tree that you climbed on, a pool that your kids swam in or the view from a window there was special to you.  It's even harder to move when you grow older.  Luckily for my parents, they didn't have to move very far this time and their old friends could still visit them in their new home.  But I know that they are not interested in moving again any time soon.

Photo of the day:

Lila got a special treat after eating dinner well tonight.  She really, really, I mean really, enjoyed the apple strudel from Ester's German Bakery and devoured it within a minute.  She demonstrated to us the reason why we humans came equipped with ten fingers.