Transit of Venus

Last night, I was at home trying to find the binocular. Since a few months ago, I got this information from National Geography, I marked it on my calendar of this events. I love  astronomical phenomena since I was a child. This morning, after I found the binocular, research result of the safety disappointed me. It is not safe at all to use sunglasses on top of the binocular. It can only block certain light. The remaining part can still cause severe damage. I felt sad and assumed that the only thing I can do is to read news and watch the video on line.

Dramatically, five minutes later, I got an email from school, the Physics & Astronomy Department will set up three solar telescopes for public viewing. Around 3:00pm, I can not sit in lab and went tot the Bell Tower to check it out. They were not there.

Two hours later, I tried again. This time, out of my expectation, I saw a huge line. There are lots of student even having they own eclipse glasses. Some of them even tried to use X-ray films. They were all so excited, discussing about it. Finally, I got a chance to look through this telescope to look at the Venus. Unfortunately, I can not take a picture from the telescope since there were still lots of students waiting to see it this special phenomena.

The secret world of Arrietty

This movie released in Japan in 2010. The reason it attracted me is that it released in US market on my birthday in 2012. From the picture, I can feel the peace theme as usual as Yonebayashi san's style. 

I finished this movie on a quite tired day. However, it gave me fresh air and peace energy.  Although the story is quite old fashion, speed is slow, and there is no fancy CG, the peaceful country style and the beauty of the spirit shrined the movie as the famous movie "My Neighbor Totoro". 

Maybe this world really exist this species. We are just too busy to stop, listen, watch, and find them.

My mystical orchid

Orchid is one of my favorite flowers. Some says it is hard to maintain, while others opposites. I got this chance to own one. However, due to the long distance shipping, after I separated it from the package, I found some flower buds dropped down struggling to blossom as the rest of them. In the end, they still did not make it. Then, the situation got worse. The flowers on the whole branch started to dry and fall down. I thought I might lose this stem.

Due to the internship in another city, I came home every week to water them as the instruction indicates. However, the weather in Riverside is as what it suppose to be - dessert. One week, after I got home, the first thing I saw is the other branch totally cracked and lingered along the supporting stick. Sad is the only word to express my feeling. This is the last health stem. Due to the dry and hot weather, the flowers on the branch became the burden of it due to the lack of water . Eventually,  the branch lost the fight again the gravity and paid the price of life to support the flowers. I hope I have a chance to help them. However, all I can do is to use a small clip to rest the stem on a supporting stick and gave them some water.

I always believe all plants just as animals have their own spirit and strength to fight for life. The following week, I saw it gave up some leaves, all flowers, and drained up the branch, to provide new life. A small branch slowly stretched out from the middle part of the stem, right below the golden dried branch. While the branch with empty flowers on the other stem grew some small flower buds. The new form of life restarted.

I was amazed by the speed of recovering and growth, the spirit of life, just like phoenix's nirvana and rebirth out of ashes. Sometimes, when we were at a cross road, we need to learn to give up somethings and be patient.