Day 328 - Reflection

Thought of the day: Lila appears to be a natural climber. She just had her first climbing lesson yesterday and it was as if she had woken up and discovered a whole new world in front of her. I have been taking her to a climbing gym twice a week for Jasmine's climbing lessons and Lila loved one of the easier routes there. Today she somehow figured it all out and free climbed all the way to the top. She was so excited about her new accomplishment that she kept doing that over and over and over again. I had to literally peel her off the wall so she won't overexert herself.  The way things are heading right now, I am spending more and more time in the climbing gyms with the girls and it won't be long before I might be motivated enough to sign up for climbing lessons myself!

Photo of the day:

A wall display inside a cafe with the reflection overlaying the original image. I keep returning to cafes just like Lila keeps returning to the climbing wall. Her temptation is riskier but much healthier than mine.

Day 294 - Beach

Thought of the day: Today we did one of the things we like to do when we visit the Bay Area - go to the beach!  Palo Alto was sunny but Half Moon Bay was shrouded in a mist as usual.  The water was cold but the girls didn't mind a bit and had a fun time playing with the waves and digging in the sand.  Jasmine and I also took a guided horseback riding tour while we were there.  The most exciting part of the tour was to ride through a small stream and the most relaxing part was to trot slowly on the beach.  We were lucky to ride with a few experienced and very friendly people in the trip and I learned a few tips from them on horseback riding. It was an interesting day spent on the beach with the family.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine and Lila on Half Moon Bay's Venice Beach.

Day 270 - Toy Truck

Thought of the day: In the summer, there're always some events going on in downtown.  This weekend we had the Boulder Arts Festival.  We spent a few happy hours there in the middle of the day.  Jasmine found a pair of cowgirl boots which were both blinky and very pink for her horseback riding camp next week and she was very happy about them. Both girls got an oversized rainbow shape from the balloon man and proudly carried it with them everywhere. I am glad that they can be entertained so easily by such little things like getting their hands wet in a water fountain or carrying strange shapes made of balloons. I hope this will be so for a while longer.

Photo of the day:

Lila playing with her toy truck before leaving for the Arts Festival.  This is one of her favorite toys -  it is only friction powered and can still go pretty far in a single run.

Day 228 - Reflections

Thought of the day: We spent the day in Swiss Museum of Transport in Luzern.  The museum has several separate sections for cars, trains, boats, airplanes, etc.  All sections surround a large common square where a number of fun activities are available for kids while the adults can sit down and enjoy a well-deserved, quiet moment of coffee break.  Time and again I have found that Switzerland is truly a paradise for kids (and parents) as many things are designed with the kids in mind to ensure that they will have a good time. Of course, during brief visits like this, I can only get a glimpse of the surface of everything.  The experience of growing up here must have its hidden costs as the suicide rate remains pretty high.  Perhaps a unhappy person in paradise is a truly unhappy one as he has nobody to blame but himself, so as a result he is less likely to find sympathy and more likely to sink into despair.  The paradox of paradise?

Photo of the day:

Color reflections on the wading pool in the center square of the Transport Museum.

Day 204 - Chair Reflection

Thought of the day: My undergrad college in China just celebrated its 100 year anniversary.  It was a big event that was broadcasted on TV.  Some of my classmates participated and were kind enough to share their photos.  I haven't been back for many years and going through those photos tonight brought back a lot of memories.  Most of the dormitories, buildings and scenery looked oh-so-familiar.  Everybody looked a tad older but I could still recognize them.  Of course, there seemed to have been a lot of changes too.  There were a few ultramodern looking buildings that were not there before.  The cafeteria were posting calories, proteins, and other nutrient information for each dish instead of just a name and a price tag.  Students were studying in the classrooms with laptops instead of notebooks.  Going back there must make one feel a sense of history and a sense of progress, a sense of kinship and a sense of loss, all at the same time.  If I had attended the event, I would probably have been proud that I had spent a good five years there, and would probably also have been glad that I left when I did.  Looking back after all these years, I think I owe a lot to my college.  The relationship to one's college can be a complicated one, but I think there isn't a more apt description than the conventional alma mater - "nourishing mother".

Photo of the day:

Dining chairs.  It was another day of staying at home nursing my illness.  It offered a great opportunity to reflect on the past, and, to study the reflections of a few chairs on the floor.

Day 203 - Wet

Thought of the day: I caught something over the weekend and it was getting worse, so today I took a day of bed rest.  I seem to be more prone to illness lately which made me wonder if the lack of sleep can make the immune system less effective.  So I probed around a bit and, unsurprisingly, every article that turned up linked sleep to the immune system.  So it's not just an old wife's tale, it's proven by research that good night sleeps promote immune response and when you're ill, the immune system makes you feel sleepier than usual so you will rest.  Our body works amazingly well when you give it the respect that it deserves.  It's really something, isn't it?  OK, time for bed!

Photo of the day:

It was wet and cold - a perfect day for resting.

Day 149 - Open Gym

Thought of the day: We woke up to snow covered landscape.  By noon, all the snow had dissipated and it looked and felt like a spring day again.  This is Colorado for you.

Photo of the day:

Lila in South Boulder Rec Center's open gym.  This was the last open gym day for this winter.