China Pictures

It never rains in southern california

This is the title of a famous song.

I have lived in southern california for about five years. Its warm breeze, golden sunlights always keep my heart full of joy. This is no other place like southern california, never rains and the whole year is Spring.

I had complained about this, wishing there would be four seasons.

I came to northern california. Yeah, it has four seasons. Long raining periold in the winter without outdoor activities. I think somehow I missed southern california, the beautiful sunlights makes it really hard to get any depression.

It is nice to be able to come back for a visit. The familiar atmosphere and city scene refreshes so much of the memories. Both kids are really happy to see their birth place ----Irvine. It is a relatively new city, have a very good population density and friendly environment. Local residents is pretty relaxive living there. The hi-teched northern california is too crowded, if I have to say.

Well, Let us just sing the song ---

"Got on a board a west bound 747
Didn't think before deciding what to do
All that talk of opportunities, TV breaks and movies
Rang true, sure rang true.
Seems it never rains in Southern California
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in California
But girl, don't they warn ya
It pours man it pours.
Out of work,
I'm out of my head
Out of self respect
I'm out of bread
I'm under loved
I'm under fed
I wanna go home
It never rains in California
But girl don't they warn ya, it pours, man it pours.
Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it
Had offers but don't know which one to take
Please don't tell them how you found me
Don't tell them how you found me give me a break
Give me a break
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in California
But girl, don't they warn ya
It pours man it pours
Seems it never rains in Southern California
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in California
But girl, don't they warn ya
It pours man it pours"

How to raise the next generation?

There is a new article in the Deccember 16, 2006 issue of "Time" magazine:
" How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century ? "

It talked about the current American schools --- they are not up-to-date and doesn't educate students to meet the globalization requirements of the 21st century.

The following listed are several key points that our next generation need to survive in the information era:

(1) Knowing more about the world. Global trade literate, sensitive to foreign cultures, conversant in different languages.

(2) Thinking outside the box. Kids need to learn how to leap across disciplines because that is how breakthroughs now come about. It's interdisciplinary combinaitons --- Design and Technology, Mathematics and Art ---that produce YouTube and MySpace.

(3) Becoming smarter about new sources of information. In an age of overflowing information and proliferating media, kids need to rapidly process what's coming at them and distiguish between what's reliable and what isn't.

(4) Developing good people kills. EQ is as important as IQ for success in today's workplace.

(5) Master the real knowledge in the Google Era. They don't need to remember all the river names in South America besides Amazon, just look them up at Google.

This is a good article about education. As parents, we need to think about these points and not just blindly follow the current school systems. We need to figure out a good way to provide combined global education to our kids although obviously they have advantages here as second generation immigrants.

烹调秘诀？

老想做些好吃的，但做出来的东西总和自己想象的差得太远。有时看看美食论坛，那些菜做得可馋人了。也基本上在自家厨房做的呀。我怎么就做菜不开窍呢？

去餐馆吃饭，似乎也吃不到什么好吃的，有些烧的还不如我。是不是我的味蕾特别呢？总之好久没快过朵颐。而且很多中餐好油腻，看着就没胃口。美餐基本上是填肚子。

好在老公手艺不错，见我实在馋了往往会卷起袖子，烧一两个我爱吃的菜。不过一顿饭也就那么一个菜。我需要满满一桌好吃的菜，哪怕就看着也好呀。刚到美国那阵，我经常做满满一桌菜，好看不好吃的。老公说其实这也不容易，稍不小心就会做得比那些菜好吃。

看来饮食方面创造性并不需要太多，经验更重要。有时我的心里，象渴盼九阴真经一样想得到本烹调秘诀呢。也有菜谱，但总没耐心那么慢慢烧，也许这是我真正的毛病吧。如果天下真有阿拉伯神话里的桌布就好了。一个咒语就行了。

快过节了，各位节日愉快！有烧菜妙招的，可要拿出来切磋哦。

五十周年校庆

是在２００８年吧，不过，大家也开始活动了。

在科大生活了六年，对她谈不上热爱， 但最好的青春时光都在那里度过的，人非草木，孰能无情 ？

科大的校园，文化氛围并不强。刚进校还在适应环境呢，就面临强烈的竞争，然后是埋头苦学，四级六级，考托考G,四二三分流。同学之间的关系基本很淡的，见面能打个招呼就不错了，根本谈不上了解。但大家对学习都很上心的，卯足了劲要拿个前几名。我这个不爱苦读的人，身处其中，往往觉着苦不堪言，甚无趣味。特别是又学了数学这个专业。

不过，后来的事实证明，我在科大打的这些数学抽象功底还是很有用的，一旦和实际的应用结合起来，相当管用。和美国同事讨论起来，他们在数学或者算法方面的思维和逻辑，是远远比不上我的。就为了这个，我想，我也应该好好感谢我的母校和母系。人文方面，就略过了吧。现在也许不一样了。

铁打的营盘流水的兵。没发财，谈不上能为母校做些什么。谨以此小文献之。希望抛砖引玉。

黄梁美梦

昨天对老公发感慨：＂觉得今年眼睛一眨巴的工夫就过去了。＂他戏谑道：＂眼睛一眨巴？ 你再眨巴眨巴眼试试。＂

当然，一年的工夫和一瞬还是有很大区别的，我说的是一种感觉。这里有一典故，讲的是一书生上京赶考，住在破庙里，小和尚在灶间煮黄梁米饭。 恍惚间到了京城，考试中榜，头名状元呢。为官作宰几十年，期间又娶妻生子，娇妻美妾， 每天的生活历历在目，就和我们过日子一样的。慢慢地老了，行将入土之际，他闻到了黄梁米饭的香味，新炊刚熟。

人世间的事和黄梁美梦又有多大区别呢？一种人生，就是一个梦境。很虚无但又实在。