New Year's song remains ingrained in public mind

Auld Lang Syne

The first published version of the lyrics were written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in the 1700s. It wasn't until the 20th century that the song gained popularity as an anthem to the new year.

The song recalls the days gone by and says we will always remember them. "Should auld acquaintance be forgot?'' it asks. No, the chorus replies: "For auld lang syne (for times gone by), we'll tak (drink) a cup o' kindness yet.''

"It's a song about loss, but also about love -- a hope that you'll see the same people you love next year.''

Really?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Movie)

Even Captain Jack and his rotten grin can't keep 'Pirates' sequel from sinking

This second film is pretty much all thrills, special effects and nonstop action -- but with virtually no cohesive or compelling story line. Epics don't come about through sheer willpower, by someone deciding to make an epic and then stuffing a weak story with a lot of junk.

It's an amalgam of many of the modern cinema's worst tendencies and modern filmmaking's most unfortunate misconceptions. The film has an epic scale without an epic story, epic characters, epic ideas or epic emotions. The conversations are without wit and often without purpose. Much of the acting consists of mugging and empty gestures. Scenes are stretched out for no reason but to give the illusion of importance, so that the story is buried under rubble.

It is a major disappointment, a bloated, flabby, overwritten noisemaker that takes all the goodwill generated by the jaunty, inventive first installment and squanders it by throwing swash and buckle to the wind and cranking the volume up.

Business Should Spread the Love

Employers need to work harder at inspiring their workers’ loyalty, thus promoting continuity and reducing turnover. Pro or con?

Pro: Valuable Human Resources

Managers today often complain about a lack of employee loyalty, wondering why employees just don’t want to commit to staying in one workplace instead of always looking for their next gig.

But the fact is, many companies do little to inspire anyone to stay for longer than a few years. Between expecting workers to finish projects in their off hours, cutting benefits and perks solely to meet numbers, giving tiny salary increases, and using layoffs as a budgetary tool, companies are demanding more and more from their workers while giving them back less and less. Employees are feeling overwhelmed, alienated, and disposable.

Do you, as a company, really want a workforce living in fear—and your most experienced and accomplished employees leaving with a wealth of knowledge that will take years to replace?

Con: New Employment Model

Once upon a time, a model employee was someone who stayed with the same company for decades, climbing through the ranks and building an entire career with just one or two employers.

But that was then. Today’s economy requires people with a wide array of skills, and the only way to get those skills is to work in many companies. Employers aren’t mentors and caretakers anymore. They’re trainers and launch pads for ambitious and talented individuals. Rather than boasting about how many people spent their entire careers with you, you should boast about how many successful managers and executives started out in your offices.

Whether we like it or not, the world has changed and with it, the relationship between employers and employees. To get the most out of their chosen professions, workers need the freedom to roam, experiment, and acquire new skills. And to get the most out of its employees, companies need to hire people with a diverse background. Trying to hold on to your workers for 10 or 20 years today actually does them a disservice.

The Greatest Game Ever Played (Movie)

Francis Ouimet--Father of Golf in America

American amateur Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) takes on a 1913 U.S. Open field that includes the formidable British golfer Harry Vardon.

I am not a golf fan but found "The Greatest Game Ever Played" absorbing all the same, partly because of the human element, partly because Paxton and his technicians have used every trick in the book to dramatize the flight and destination of the golf balls.

In the main role (played by Shia LaBeouf) nailed it wonderfully, bringing the audience into his heart and dreams. The cute little side-kick caddy(played by Joshua Flitter) added the comic relief and catalyst that makes the whole movie really come together.

Nice clean entertainment.

Arranged (Movie)

Teachers United

In "Arranged" two devout Brooklyn schoolteachers clutch hands across the religious divide as their respective families prepare to marry them off.

Packed with the stereotypes it aspires to challenge, director's well-meaning but oblivious film presents ostensibly modern young women who are nevertheless defined solely by their faith. Too seldom do we see characters so real and performances so sincere. Zoe Lister Jones and Francis Benhamou are enchanting -- they glow with life and beauty!

However, except for the two main characters, the movie stereotypes most of the adults within the religious communities, essentially portraying them as ignorant bigots. Certainly, each community contains its share of narrow minded individuals. However, in portraying entire communities in this manner, the movie was offensive to Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and anyone who intimately knows them.

September Songs (book by Maggie Scarf)

Longer lives have added "bonus years" to marriage.

A century ago, when brides and grooms vowed to stay together “till death do us part,” the average life span was just under 50 years. Today, couples walking down the aisle can look forward to a far longer future together.

These “bonus years,” as Maggie Scarf reassuringly calls them in September Songs, offer rewarding possibilities at a time when those in their mid-60s can expect to live another 20 years or more in retired togetherness.

Now, like all husbands and wives with children grown and careers winding down or finished, couples have arrived at a point where they must “refind” each other. That involves focusing on what and who really matters to them at this time of life.

No one pretends that the bonus years are perfect. Couples still disagree about retirement, the emptying nest, sex, and of course money, the prime source of marital tension. Some also face serious health issues.

With the highest divorce rate in the world, American couples need all the encouragement they can get to weather marital storms and hang on until the clouds break and the sun shines again.

Noting the pleasure he takes in this time of life, the once-frenzied David Sternberg says, “We are two people in an equal deal and not a man and a woman in an ongoing futile quarrel over who is in control of the relationship. Right now we’re basically trying to figure out how we can get the most out of each day.”

That could be a recipe for a satisfying relationship for couples at every stage, both those in their bonus years and those at the altar, solemnly promising to stay together “as long as we both shall live.”

Water (movie)

"Water" is set in 1938. Even then, laws existed in India that gave widows the freedom to marry, but as one character observes, "We do not always follow the law when it is inconvenient."

It sees poverty and deprivation as a condition of life, not an exception to it, and finds beauty in the souls of its characters. Their misfortune does not make them unattractive.

The unspoken subtext of "Water" is that an ancient religious law has been put to the service of family economy, greed and a general feeling that women can be thrown away. The widows in this film are treated as if they have no useful lives apart from their husbands. They are given life sentences. That a film like "Water" still has the power to offend in the year 2006 inspires the question: Who is still offended, and why, and what have they to gain, and what do they fear?

Holiday Greetings!

As we enter the holiday season, our customary hopes for happiness and prosperity are tempered by concern about violence in many parts of the world and its effects on those least able to protect themselves, about the fragility of peace and civic order in many nations, and about the global economic realities that have affected all of us. Our realm of interest and concern encompasses all members of our global community — certainly in this hemisphere but also elsewhere.

In times of uncertainty and apprehension, we can perhaps best understand that the creation and transmission of powerful knowledge remains our best hope for improving the human condition and ensuring freedom.

We are grateful. As the holidays commence, Wu-Liang and I send warm season's greetings to all who care about and love this planet and its people.

Humming Birds in my Front Yard

A day at Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park

It's been a great while since I last visited Knott's Berry Farm and it's my honey's first time. One thing we realized is that we already passed the age for roller coasters. You should see B.A.'s expression riding 'Sidewinder' with his eyes tensely closed all the way. Still, we did enjoy 'a Charlie Brown Christmas' and 25th anniversary of 'Snoopy's Cool Christmas on Ice'. It's a place for family fun.

The Recession is A Year Old

Yes, we have been in a recession for a year—even though real GDP is up. The current downturn began in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Part of the reason why we are in this mess is that GDP and productivity growth looked reassuringly high in most of this decade. That helped convince banks to keep lending—even as real wages were falling—and reassured the Fed that everything was okay.

For the foreseeable future, globalization will distort real GDP growth so much that it is no longer a reliable guide for policy. If it feels like a bad slump, it is—even if GDP says differently

Internet Routing in Space (IRIS)

"By the time astronauts make humanity's next giant leap, they may well be getting their e-mail via a dot-space address. "

Internet Routing in Space, also known as IRIS, is a project being conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense to place an IP (Internet protocol) router on a geostationary satellite. The project is intended for military communications but may eventually be used by the private sector as well. If widely implemented, this technology has the potential to dramatically increase flexibility and traffic handling capability compared with existing satellite Internet systems.

In the IRIS system, the satellite will receive packets directly from the source and transmit them directly to the destination, eliminating all intermediate surface nodes and requiring only one round trip to the satellite. This will reduce the latency, simplify the system, improve reliability and lower the overall maintenance cost.

The IRIS project is scheduled to be completed and the satellite launched in 2009. Cisco Systems is designing the software for the on-board router. The hardware is being built by Intelsat, the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. Overall coordination will be done by the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency.

你可以成佛，卻不能成為悉達多: 吳九箴

佛法在世間，不離世間覺。

修行是你個人的功課，關佛什麼事？

人生是苦，這是佛陀的體悟，如果你沒有自己去人生苦海裡痛苦一番，你永遠不知苦是什麼滋味，佛陀的苦是佛陀的，永遠不可能是你的。同樣的，佛陀的覺悟和快樂，也是屬於佛陀自己的，如果你不自己去體驗、觀照，你永遠不知道佛陀的悟和快樂是怎麼一回事，頂多是多唸幾次經，根據佛經的描述，自己用頭腦想像罷了。

也希望大家一起推廣「自力覺醒」這個理念，不分宗教、種族、國籍或身份，人人可用，人人都可覺醒，因為，佛說的眾生皆有佛性，是真實不虛的真理，如果你也看見這個真理，就先從自己開始，去找回自己的本來面目吧！

Petaflop, Transforming Science

"Breaking the petaflop barrier, a feat that seemed astronomical just two years ago, won't just allow faster computations. These computers will enable entirely new types of science that couldn't have been done before."

A new crop of supercomputers is breaking down the petaflop speed barrier, pushing high-performance computing into a new realm that could change science more profoundly than at any time since Galileo, leading researchers say.

In June, 2008, IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer was the first to break what has been called "the petaflop barrier." In November 2008, when the annual rankings of the Top 500 supercomputers were released, there were two computers to do so. At 1.105 petaflops, Roadrunner retained its top place from the previous list, ahead of Cray's Jaguar, which ran at 1.059 petaflops.

Petaflop computing will enable much more accurate modeling of complex systems. Applications are expected to include real-time nuclear magnetic resonance imaging during surgery, computer-based drug design, astrophysical simulation, the modeling of environmental pollution, and the study of long-term climate changes.

Today's computer scientists can barely contain their excitement as they imagine what is now possible. "It's very exciting to be alive today and doing computer science. Now we can do some spectacular things."

Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring (Movie)

A stunning tale of now and Zen

A Bumpy road to adulthood -- and to enlightenment

It's a Buddhist fable made to last, a masterful portrait of the seasons of a life. Combining visual luster and stunning emotion, it endorses the heartening idea that a spirit needs not be pristine to be worthy. The film is as spare and unvarnished as a wooden temple floating on a lake, but its reflections run deep, and it can ripple your thoughts for months.

The plot is deceptively simple. Each season is a chapter in the young monk's life, separated by a decade or so.

In Buddhism, we know the "noble truth" that desire is the root cause of suffering, that craving nothing is the path to everything. The young monk learns this the hard, human way, leaving the island and returning years later, still carrying that invisible stone. As the symbolic door represents self-respect more than religious reverence. By circumventing it, the young man is ultimately betraying himself.

Shot in the environs of a 200-year-old man-made body of water in Korea's North province, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. . . and Spring" has a rural beauty so timeless that it's a shock when the director drops hints that we're in the present day. The images turn pungent, hyperreal, and mythic over the course of the decades: The boat that ferries the elder monk to shore becomes both a symbol and a plain character in its own right, as does the ornamental gate on the shore, and the wintry ice that chokes both. A cat's tail becomes a calligraphy pen; a foundling child becomes a savior; the seasons swing 'round as cyclic existence in samsara.

Gettysburg (Movie)

Fate made them soldiers;

War made them brothers;

Courage made them heroes.

"Gettysburg" avoids all of those war movie cliches. This is a film, pure and simple, about the Battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863, about the strategies, calculations, mistakes and heroism that turned the tide of the Civil War decisively against the South.

With stars such as Martin Sheen (Robert E. Lee), Jeff Daniels (Joshua Chamberlain), and Sam Elliot (Kentucy-born,Union Calvary General Buford), there's plenty of talent on board to pull it off. Sheen's Lee is surprisingly convincing, and Daniels is outstanding as the principled Chamberlain. Yes, it's long but it's also very engaging.

And most of all, we experience the horrifying reality of battle itself. What Lee called on his men to do was walk a mile across open ground, in the face of withering fire, and engage Union troops who were fortified behind a stone wall. That they would do this - that they still had the will to fight when they got there - is evidence of the deep, almost fanatical conviction that both sides brought into the war.

It has drama, action and character development. An important movie which also happens to entertain! Although it gave me chills with some war scenes, I still highly recommend it for movie-goers.

Noise Violators Sentenced to Listen to Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs" may begin with the line, "I've been alive forever,"' but for noise ordinance violators, listening to Manilow may feel like forever.

Fort Lupton Municipal Judge Paul Sacco says his novel punishment of forcing noise violators to listen to music they don't like for one hour has cut down on the number of repeat offenders in this northwestern Colorado prairie town. About four times a year, those who plead guilty to noise ordinance violations are required to sit in a room and listen to music from the likes of Manilow, Barney the Dinosaur, and The Platters' crooning "Only You".

"These people should have to listen to music they don't like," said Judge Paul Sacco. Sacco began the program years ago when he noticed that many of the repeat offenders simply showed up at his courtroom to pay their fine with cash.

Fantastic idea. Don't you think?

KOST 103.5 FM is in full holiday mode

Need some holiday spirit? If you are like my sweetheart, then you'll love station KOST 103.5 FM. You should see him jumping ups and downs when his expectation of Xmas music finally arrived. They are playing their Christmas Music now 24 hrs 7 days a week. It's great. We both love this time of year!

Next thing I look forward to is the Xmas tree, plus the joy of decorating it. If you think me as a fanatic, think again. Our former neighbors' habit of putting out Xmas lights as early as October each year cheered us.

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. It's the most wonderful time of the year regardless of the economic slow-down!

Chinese Dance Festival 2008

Chinese American Dancing Group presented Bravo! Chinese Dance at San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in November 2008.

I joined the group in March this year after my retirement. This group has the reputation of capturing the beauty of Chinese dance, skillfully combining the rhythms of basic movement and the graceful choreography of Chinese dance. In two performing nights, we showcased some of the best performances in the culture and lifestyles of various Chinese tribes with beauty.

The two programs I danced were From the Yellow River's Plateau (陜西風情) and Dance of the Yi Tribe (彝族的都火與搶親). Both are traditional Chinese folk dances with spectacular costumes and unique tribal music. It was a blast!

To Work With or Against China?

China is stepping up its computer espionage attacks on the American government, on defense contractors and on businesses, according to a report by a congressional advisory panel published Wednesday.

The United States-China Economic and Security Review commission said in its annual report that China’s military modernization and its “impressive but disturbing” space and computer warfare capabilities “suggest China is intent on expanding its sphere of control even at the expense of its Asian neighbors and the United States.”

In addition, Beijing’s “continuing arms sales and military support to rogue regimes, namely Sudan, Burma, and Iran, threaten the stability of fragile regions and hinder U.S. and international efforts to address international crises, such as the genocide in Darfur.”

Champagne Phones in a Beer Economy

The recent release of the Vertu $10,000 Ferrari phone left me wondering who buys these things, and will they still be buying them in the tanking economy?

And of course there has been the pricey Prada Phone, Armani phone, and who knows how many others. “I think a lot of those sales are drying up right now,” said mobile phone analyst Avi Greengart. “From what I am seeing conspicuous consumption is going out of style.” You think?

But perhaps the best reason? You are looking at it. “If you look at the publicity they generate,” said Mr. Greengart, “it’s almost a marketing expense.”

Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint (Movie)

"Milarepa" is the story of a young man in the 11th century whose initial search for vengeance leads him to singular enlightenment as one of Tibet's greatest mystics. "Singing Saint" Milarepa was a sinner in early life, but he began to regret his action and became a Buddhist. Milarepa joined up with a Buddhist wise man called Marpa. The pair founded the Kargyupa school of Buddhism, and Milarepa became Tibet's greatest saint. He wrote down thousands of Buddhist songs and became a teacher of other holy men.

Bhutanese director Neten Chokling's fantastical biopic dramatizes the early years of Milarepa (Gimyan Lodro), the 11th-century man who would become Tibet's preeminent mystic. Born into privilege, Milarepa (Thöpaga) is plunged into a life of darkness when greedy relatives stage a power grab after his father's death. The young man learns black magic to seek vengeance, but some unexpected life lessons along the way steer him onto a more spiritual path. In the end, however, Thöpaga realizes that revenge is a dish best left unserved. His enlightenment guides him toward the path that will make him Tibet's great poet, mystic and cultural hero.

Filmed in India's Spiti valley near the Tibetan border, the movie's spectacular scenery and compelling message counterbalance the somewhat plodding pace and wooden performances by a cast of non actors. Like other aspects of the production, we overlook the problems because of the sincerity and import of the film's message.

If you'd like to learn how Milarepa got enlightened, expect the sequel in 2009.

Asia's Economic Lessons for the U.S.

The U.S. is mortgaging its future by outsourcing technological inventions in exchange for short-term cash. The current economic crisis should be a wake-up call that the U.S. needs to boost its productive capacity and win in global markets—something we've been neglecting for the last 40 years.

Outsourcing is necessary when the technological and manufacturing investment required of these businesses is too high for any nation, let alone an individual company, to handle on its own. The question is not whether or not to outsource, but are you outsourcing to advance your competitive position in the industry or are you really just on your way to exiting the business altogether?

In the case of the VCR, the TV industry, and most consumer electronics, U.S. companies chose to exit each business. Better profits were available elsewhere. But the price paid by the U.S. for this choice relative to its industrial competitiveness is enormous. For the last 40 years the U.S. has reduced its productive capacity and its ability to innovate, all for the sake of short-term profits and cash flow.

Without giving it a second thought, the U.S. has been willing to trade long-term national competitiveness for short-term cash. If this continues, the present may be ours, but the future will in the hands of someone else.

Life List?

After seeing the movie 'The Bucket List', my ex-coworker Bill Murrell told me that he put his life list to paper. His is currently 69 things long. And he also encouraged me to make my own 'life list' and work on it. Here is my reply:

There are things in life that we can never imagine ourselves doing, but we celebrate those who do. My list includes bungee jumping, jumping out of an airplane for "fun," running into a burning building and being a professional educator.

I understand the rush that you feel when bungee jumping or sky diving is awesome; I'll take your word for it. I am awestruck by the many men and women who risk their lives every day in service of our country, whether in the military, law enforcement or fire services. As a Buddhist, now I want to focus on the one and only goal, which is, 'To be enlightened before I hit the bucket'.

John Goddard was an exceptional to make 127 things at age 15. I only had one thing in mind at that age: 'To be a successful ballerina'. Nonetheless, dancing is still my favorite hobby. I just finished our annual Dance Performance last weekend and it was a blast for me.

Endeavor on your life list, my friend. I'll share your glory.

Mantis from my backyard

SCAL TFGH Annual Banquet, September 2008

Chaos Theory -- Part 2

Strange Attractor:

An attractor is informally described as strange if it has non-integer dimension or if the dynamics on it are chaotic. The term was coined by David Ruelle and Floris Takens to describe the attractor that resulted from a series of bifurcations of a system describing fluid flow. Strange attractors are often differentiable in a few directions, but some are like a Cantor dust, and therefore not differentiable.

The recognition of strange attractors fed the revolution in chaos by giving numerical explorers a clear program to carry out. They looked for strange attractors everywhere, wherever nature seemed to be behaving randomly. Many argued that the earth's weather might lie on a strange attractor. Others assembled millions of pieces of stock market data and began searching for a strange attractor there, peering at randomness through the adjustable lens of a computer.

For now, the excitement went beyond pure science. Ruelle, for example: "I have not spoken of the esthetic appeal of strange attractors. These systems of curves, these clouds of points suggest sometimes fireworks or galaxies, sometimes strange and disquieting vegetal proliferations. A realm lies there of forms to explore, and harmonies to discover."

....to be continued

Wedding Banquet Slideshow August 2008

Guru Yoga of Milarepa Retreat by Shangpa Rinpoche

We had a two-day retreat of Guru Yoga of Milarepa by Shangpa Rinpoche in August at M.B.A. The assistant sitting next to Rinpoche is Lama Jampa.

Nudibranchs - Living Color

National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com

Chaos Theory -- Part 1

Introduction:
I'm currently reading James Gleick's best-selling book in 1987, Chaos: Making A New Science, and chaos theory has become an increasingly popular metaphor in management literature, regarded as the "new science" of administration. While Gleick did not invent the idea of chaos, nor did he contribute to its scientific principles, he did help lift it from obscurity in the pages of scientific journals and put it into the mainstream.

Butterfly Effect:
A meteorologist, named Edward Lorenz, proved the butterfly effect in 1961. The amount of difference in the starting points of the two curves is so small that it is comparable to a butterfly flapping its wings.

The flapping of a single butterfly's wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month's time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn't happen. Or maybe one that wasn't going to happen, does.

The Butterfly Effect acquired a technical name: sensitive dependence on initial conditions. And sensitive dependence on initial conditions was not an altogether new notion. It had a place in folklore:

"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of a horse, the rider was lost;
For want of a rider, the battle was lost;
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost!"

In science as in life, it is well known that a chain of events can have a point of crisis that could magnify small changes. But chaos meant that such points were everywhere. They were pervasive. In systems like the weather, sensitive dependence on initial conditions was an inescapable consequence of the way small scales intertwined with large.

....to be continued

Saving Lives in the Swimming Pool

Strolling the backyard has been a morning routine since my retirement. Smelling the jasmine and listening to the birds chirping aren't all I do. Refilling the water into the pool and using leaf skimmer to lift up debris and/or worms become chores. You'll be surprised how many lives I have saved. Sometime it mounts up to 10 plus. Today, one bee and a worm got picked up to the pool side and jumped right back into the pool water in no time. It reminds me of what we understand the moth's suicidal for the fire, which is his duty-bound mission in his life span. As for our human body, we are repeating the same scenario day in and day out without knowing it. The first Noble Truth from Buddha Sakyamuni explained to us "Life entails suffering" and "suffering stops when attachment does".

佛寶歌
人天長夜，宇宙黮闇，誰啟以光明？
三界火宅，眾苦煎迫，誰濟以安寧？

A Small Gathering at Jenny Van's House

To Welcome May's visit from Taiwan, we girls had a charming time together at Jenny's house. Jenny(史屏華) was my elementary school classmate and we picked up our acquaintances at 30-years-high-school reunion 6 years ago. This was my first time visit her house in Irvine. She is still the same demure, feminine lady as I remembered.

Eight of us are all from the same high school, different classes though. We still shared a bunch of stories from old times. May(何美頤) told us some behind-the-scene episodes of President Ma(小馬哥) in Taiwan. All the husbands formed their own ring of talks. And don't forget to mention the delicious meals, plus yummy deserts. I had a blast at the get-together.

Art of the Dance

PHOTOS: Solar Eclipse Seen Around the World August 1

Get a global view of the rare solar eclipse witnessed by a small fraction of humanity around the world on August 1. Check out this!

兩軸、三面:剛柔相濟的藝術

中國古典舞的體態講究“兩軸、三面”的子午線，即頸和腰這兩軸，頭、胸、腰這三個面不在一個運動平面上，而互相錯位，形成不同角度配合的造型美。

中國古典舞強調“手到、眼到、步到、身到”，即“形神兼備”。這要求表演者以手、眼、身、法、步互相配合，連貫一氣，做到“心與意合、意與氣合、氣與力合、力與形合”。

中國古典舞要求表演者在做任何一個動作時一定要“形未動，神先領，形已止，神不止”。除了特定的情緒外，更主要的是要包含一種潛在、深刻自覺的意識或意志感覺。即使是一個簡單的“順風旗”，也是藉助“呼吸”來完成。從而表達出應有的神韻。

Kaiser Friends Visit Slideshow July 2008

Wedding Banquet Slideshow July 2008

張肇壯老師感言:什麼是中國舞蹈

他說近十年來﹐模糊的中國舞蹈表演風格﹐以戲曲舞蹈﹑芭蕾舞﹑現代舞﹑甚至雜技與武功來詮釋的中國舞蹈﹐其代表性也引發南加州中﹑外舞蹈界的疑惑與思考。如果認為大陸得獎作品及學院派舞蹈﹐為典型的中國舞蹈﹐那確是令人擔憂﹐對長期推廣與發展中國舞蹈而言﹐會帶來潛在的危機﹐並使人輕易放棄與忽略老祖宗遺留下來給予我們寶貴遺產。　

張肇壯認為﹐舞蹈是一門綜合藝術﹐為健全整個推廣系統﹐不論是管理﹑道具﹑服飾與燈光等幕後工作人員﹐在南加似乎尚未有計劃的培訓﹐市場經理人員亦未積極開發﹐尤其注意的是﹐藝術不應受政治的影響﹐「遠見及前瞻」是推廣中國舞蹈不可缺少的理念。

執子之手，與子偕老

是的，經過十一年愛情長跑後，終於2008年6月30日，完成了我倆的終身大事。

武亮是顆開心果，發生事情或心情低潮時，只要有他在旁邊，不只是找到支持的力量，更有歸屬感，是那種可信任、可依賴的朋友。我們一同快樂地唱歌，去戶外爬山，愉快的旅行，享受美麗的溪水，寬廣的步道；或是回味一下小孩的童言童語，另一半的愛意與溫暖。當然，唸經修行以及去大方廣共修也是必要的功課。

「生死契闊，與子成悦；執子之手，與子偕老！」我們瞭解到最快樂的人不一定擁有最好的東西. 他們只是珍惜人生道路上遇到的每一樣東西。在未來的婚姻歲月裏，風雨同舟，惺惺相惜，互相體諒和包容，還有永遠的一心一意和不離不棄。讓相濡以沫的感情蛻變成血濃于水的融融親情時，我們將成為了不能分割的彼此，注定了相扶相携平静地走向下一個驛站……

Wedding Ceremony Slideshow June 2008

Wedding Reception with M.B.A. Friends Slideshow June 2008

每日省思

人身難得

生命無常

因果不爽

輪迴過患

是日已過 命亦隨減 如少水魚 思有何樂?

Arcadia, My City

Community Profiles & Demographics

Population: 53,054
Population by composition:

• White: 45.6%
• Asian: 45.4%

Median age: 40.5

Housing:

• Household: 19,149
• Owner-Occupied Dwellings: 11,932 (62.3%)
• Median Owner-Occupied Dwelling Value: $477,449
• Average Household Size: 2.74

Income: Average Family Household Income $112,478

Business/Employment (By Type)

• Retail Trade: 606
• Finance, Insurance and Real Estate: 283
• Services: 1,322

Land Use Acreage: 11.3 Square Miles

Education:

• High School: 21.58%
• College, 1-3 Years: 31.23%
• College, 4+ Years: 35.26%

Wedding Invitations for M.B.A. friends

·          ·          ·          ·          ·          ·          My Account  |  My Contacts  |  Log out

Wedding Reception for M.B.A. friends  Print Invitation Your complete invitation is viewable for 30 days after the event.    View Evite Details    Add Event Photos Host: B.A. & Carol Location: Vegetarian Wok 529 E. Valley Blvd. #128 San Gabriel, CA 91776 US  View Map When: Sunday, June 22, 12:00PM   Phone: 626-462-9739 Dear Dear M.B.A. friends, After 11 years of dating, we finally decided to tie the knot. We sincerely invite you to be our honorary guests to share the joy. All the blessings are welcomed, and present in any form  is not necessary. Please RSVP by June 18, 2008. Send a Message  | Copy Event  Post on Facebook Options GUEST LIST Who's Coming? As of March 15, 2011, 7:07 am. 16002 YES  (16) ·        B.A. & Carol (+ 1 guest) (The Organizer) ·        sjchen (06/20) Congratulation on this wonderful news and best wishes to you! Sorry to reply late since my email address had been changed to sjchen@charter.net. ·        Dorothy Shui (+ 2 guests) (06/18) ·        pienchiou (+ 1 guest) (06/15) Congratulations. My sister Shuen and I will be there. ·        Lynn Yang (+ 2 guests) (06/14) Way to go, guys!! So so happy for ya~~ Definitely will be there, three of us ^_^ ·        Chuchu Chou (+ 1 guest) (06/14) Ben and I love to join in on this special occassion with SUPER POWERFUL blessing. ·        ktcyrusjl889 (06/12) Congratulations! Cyrus ·        cybeleyang88 (06/12) ·        doreenlf (06/12) Congratulations!!! With my best wishes for a happy and wonderful life together! NOT YET REPLIED  (2) ·        howardyang (Viewed On Wed. Jun. 11) ·        johnsonchang68 (Viewed On Tue. Jun. 17) View by: Reply Date | Alphabetically View All Invited by Guest REPLY HERE This event occurs in the past. Replies are no longer required. Add your photos from this event Top of Form Bottom of Form