Day 355 - Bear!

Thought of the day: When I biked with Lila to her climbing class this morning, we rode past a prairie dog territory in the eastern plain of Boulder. Lila was beyond excited when she spotted the little furry creatures standing on their mounds. There's something about kids and animals. Jasmine is only interested in taking pictures of either people making silly faces or the animals. We are born with an insatiable curiosity in other living beings and we express our curiosity in different ways at different ages. I look forward to going to the zoo with jasmine this week and see what kind of images she would take with her camera there.

Photo of the day:

Bear in our backyard! First the sighting of a mountain lion outside of Lila's preschool in the day, and now the sighting of a black bear cub in our backyard at dinner time. He plunged right back into the bush when I pointed the lens at him. He paid more visits to our backyard tonight. Apparently he was after the delicious apples in the apple tree. It was a cub so the mother was probably hiding in the bush nearby watching out for his safety. One of the threats, and rewards, of living close to open space is be the next door neighbor of wild animals of all kinds - coyotes, mountain lions and bears.

Day 144 - Jumping

Thought of the day: One thing we learned today was that Sunday was not a good day to take a bus to Pearl Street.  The bus ran less frequently and we waited for quite a while to get on a return bus. We were in a hurry because it was late for the kids to go to bed and tomorrow was another school day.  In addition, it was getting a bit chilly.  The upside of all that was - we must have set a new record by running most of the way home after we got off the bus.

Photo of the day:

This morning, a group of kids came for breakfast, watched a movie, and then rehearsed for a show.  They were running and jumping and I was glad that the house didn't just explode with so much energy inside.

Day 143 - Rolling

Thought of the day: My in-laws are here to visit for a month.  They come twice a year and we always have a good time together.  They have the vitality and open-mindedness that are enviable traits for people of any age.  And they are completely comfortable with who they are, wherever they are.  I recently read on a book called "Geography of Bliss" that the Swiss people are among the happiest on the earth.  It has less to do with their material wealth - Americans are not poor in comparison but Americans are not among the happiest in the world - and has more to do with their connection to the earth, the nature, and the community.  My father-in-law hikes a couple of hours every day regardless of the weather.  The public transportation in Switzerland is superb and it takes them to visit many beautiful areas whenever they want to.  They live in the same community for many years and have developed friendships that last for a life time.  The majority of their relatives also live close by or are within a train hop or two. What's a better place for people to retire and grow old than in their own well-beloved close-knit community? Another reason for the Swiss to be happy may be that they are less obsessed in fame, money, or any other worldly possessions.  For them, it's a lot less important to have a bigger car, bigger house, bigger yacht, bigger plane than to have a happier family and a happier life.  All these factors combined make them a more grounded, and thus, happier people.  Perhaps for similar reasons, I feel more grounded and happier in Boulder too than in the Silicon Valley.  The valley is great for ambitious people as one can practically feel the vibe and creative synergy in the air which make the valley an extraordinary place but at the same time also make one feel restless, unfulfilled and a constant need to "do" something.  In Boulder, I feel comfortable just to "be" who I am and enjoy day-to-day life and my family.  At the end, it's probably just a matter of balance between the "do" and "be".  If you don't let your drive to succeed overrun your pursuit of happiness, you will much more likely to be a happy person.  My in-laws are good examples of that.  I admire them for who they are, I am happy for them, and I am happy that they are staying with us.

Photo of the day:

Lila playing inside a tube.  She was rolling around all over the floor and was as happy as happy can be.  I can't help thinking that the little beings are more connected to the secret source of happiness than the rest of us.

Day 135 - Running

Thought of the day: Airport is one of my favorite places to photograph.  Unfortunately I don't get to take many pictures there as I'm usually trying hard to make it to a flight, or holding the hands of a little one, or doing both at the same time.  When I do have the luxury to photograph, it's usually really fun.  The light, the architecture, the travelers of all sizes and shapes, and everything else are so different from what you encounter in your daily life that certain things, or in fact, many things are jumping out at you all at once and crying to be photographed.  Airport is indeed a strange and unusual place.  It's chaotic yet orderly, colorful yet bland, imposing yet insignificant, trivial yet vital.  When you visit an airport the first time, it seems vast and impersonal, but over time, you would have developed your list of favorite bookstores, coffee shops, sandwich places and you feel more at home.  Since I spend so much time in small, quiet cities, visiting the airport gives me a taste of big city living, express style, without actually having to set foot in a big city.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine running on the moving walkway of Denver International Airport - don't ask me at which direction she was running or how the bag got to the other end before she did...  She was very excited to fly to the bay area again to visit the grandparents, so we let her get a little wild, perhaps a little too wild!