Scared by Santa Claus

When I came home this evening, Mommy told me that Sarah was scared by Santa Claus at their play-group chrismas party. Sharon was the same when she was 2-3 years old. Later on, after dinner I played a trick on Sarah. Holding her while laughing loudly with "HoHoHo" like a Santa, and she will grap me very tight and try to find a place to hide her face. I guess that's the only way she feels safe:"if I don't see Santa He won't see me, and I will be safe." Any way, it's kind of fun.

XD's visit

XD visited Brookhaven and gave a seminar on their recent work. It was a nice talk. Afterwards, we had dinner together with JW. Sure, we chatted about what happens now in China. Because XD was traveling frequently back to China in recent years, he is the major source in the converstation. And of course, we were also supprised and amused by the corruption of Chinese government

One interesting point was realized is that more and more people from their generation (they are one generation senior than me) are now leading the country. For example, two young scientists were recently named as presidents of two major Universities. That reminds me one of my friends told me once that the country will soon or later be led by our own generation, and it could be some one you know well (like your classmate) who will be in charge of big things in China. Yes, things change dramatically.

My flight nightmare continues

When I told Mommy that I was already at Phili airport, I was quiteoptimistic about my connecting flight back to Long Island. I was wrong again. This final flight delayed for about one and half hourfor unknow reasons. Actually we already saw the aircraft waiting at the gate, but we had to wait there to get board. Once we got board,I thought OK, it finally got to take off and back home soon. But I waswrong once again. When the aircraft was ready to take off, I mean reallyready to take off. the flight agent already announced all the safty instruction and the door was closed for a while. And suddenly, some body knocked the door (I was sitting in the front arrows, so I couldhear it is really some body was knocking the door), and the flight agentopened the door again, and she said we had additional passenger need tobe aboard. And we waited more than 30 minutes, a big fat woman show upin a wheel chair. Because she can not walk, so they have to bring a special devise to let her board. (This flight is US-Airway-express, and it is a small jet plane. We had to take ladders to get board.) After they fix the devise, and finally the woman sit on her seat, another 20 minutes gone. Anyway, when I got home finally, I found myself delayed by a whole day than my original plan (back home on Thursday). I wasted 24 hours for nothing.

Love stories

The PerfectMom club at MITBBS was poping out many lover stoties. Each of them is special, but all are sweet. Reading these stories reminds me how Hongmei and I fell into love when we were still young. Those memory moments are still shining in my mind. Can't forget the nightswhen we sit beside the unkown-lake and chatted about the Jing-YONGs and Gu-Longs. Can't forget the walk back from Beijing Musical Hall toBeida. But the nice thing is that we are both feeling we are loving each other more than before even we already passed the seven years ich. It looks like a more deeper love on each other. Of coure, now we have a family, two lovely daughters. But that won't change the feeling about each other. We were joking other day, thatafter several (more than 10 though) years, when Sharon and Sarah bothgo to college, we two are alone again, and that's the time we will have to rely on each other. Anyway, thinking about these things, let me feel very sweet, and being loved, although Hongmei may not let me post the above here.

Keep a health body

I host my old friend for a seminar this week. I am very happy to seehe is in good shape physically. He is much slimmer than he was, looksvery health and energic. Unfortunately I didn't manage to ask him howhe made it. I know he used to go to gym every other day when we bothwere at Maryland. Maybe he keep doing it after he moved to Pheonix. When I look back to myself, I feel a little bit unsatisfication. The only moment I feel good about myself is in the morning when I get up and my belly is still empty:).

Scientific research on religion experience?

I read an article at XYS on this subject. It said that scientists arestudying the brain activities for religion people, and could identifywhich part of the brain are actually responsible for all religionrelated experience. It is said that part is close to the forehead physically (I don't remember where it is exactly). The scientists can generate man-made religion experience (like you will experience the Godis with you, etc.) by exciting that part by some devise.

However, I do believe that the existence of religion is far more deeper than the way that normal people (unbeliever) think about it. Religion has been associated with human being along with its whole history. This kind of scientific research still can not answer the question that why human being needs religion, and how this happended in the first place. In some cases, it is so strong, even at current time when the human socity is now so modernlized.

Miseribles continues?

When I got to the airport to check in, I found a line of people waitingthere for something (for normal check in, you won't find many people waiting there). I was worried: is my flight cancelled again? Later on,I heard that it was a flight to other city got cancelled, and thepassengers had to rebook their tickets again.
Still, when I arrived at the gate, there is no sign that my flight willbe on time (no agent at the gate). And later, it shows that my flight delays again. What a horrible thing!

Flight delayed, cancelled, delayed, rebook,...

This is the first time I ever experienced: got stuck at the airport. My original flight delayed, and got cancelled, and I had to rebook my flight three-times. I had been at the airport for five hours for nothing. The reschedule process is so complicated, and less efficient. There were only three (two later) agents working at the check-in station for reschedule. It took long time for every costumer to get their flight rescheduled. I was standing there for two-hour for my turn to rebook my flight. Finally, I had to stay one more night at the nearby hotel, and my flight was rescheduled to the next day afternoon. I have to admit it was a bad experience. I wish I will never have it again.One funny thing happened when I waited my flight is that the previous flight to Philidophia before mine indeed took off, and arrived at the Phili, but only in air. It circled around Phili several times, and couldn't manage to land because of low visibility (heavy fog cross the area), and it turned back. The passengers in that flight were quite happy when theyfinally landed at airport because they were worried about the fule may not be enough for the jet plane to make a return.That was a quite experience.

Nothing special

I took a cab from JLab to the airport, and the Tax driver is very talktive. After I told him what we are doing in research, he respondedwith religion's answer to all the scientific questions. I was tellinghim that the scientific activity will have no end, and we have to keepgoing to seek the answer of the nature mystery. And I was saying thisfamous parable about scientific research: it is like drawing a circle,inside the circle is what we learned so far, and outside the circle iswhat we don't know; what scientists do is to expand this circle as big as possible; but, when you expand the circle, the unknown area is even bigger; so, there is no end of scientific research. You know what he said. He responded the following: you guys scientists are doingthe wrong direction. You should focus on the inside of the circle, the obvious things, not the outside of the circle. His reason is based onreligions. He further explained that the GOD created the whole universe after he created himself which He doesn't know (what does that mean?). Any way, he continued to say that after the GOD created everying he went to sleep, and then the Devil took control of the universe. However, GOD will wake up after 6000 years, and then he willsweep up everything. I must admit what he said is quite specular.

Dec. 15, 2006

On other day, I read a post in the PerfectMom club at MITBBS, wherea mom was showoff her 2-years daughter can name and speak 77 objects. We don't count how many things Sarah can name. But I believe it is far more than 100s, and she can also sing many songs. It really supprised me one day she sang the second verse of "Rockbye Baby on the tree top",which I even didn't know how to sing. She is sweet girl. Everyday when I came back from office, she always cry out loudly "Daddy! Daddy!"and sure, she will hug me afterwards.

Sharon is really a big girl now. She likes drawing recently. Normally,she draws a picture of her and the whole family who are doing something, with some notes on the picture to describe the content. For example, like Sharon is saying something, Mommy will response, andso will Daddy and Sarah. In most cases, Daddy is just nodding there, like, "yes", "OK", "that's it".
Some of her drawings are for purpose. For example, she wrote a sorry-card few days agao, saying that she was very sorry to be madat us the day before. There was of course a picture in this note,showing that sharon was saying "I am very sorry", and Mommy responds"it's OK", and Daddy says" yes" or something like that.

I believe in all these paintings and drawings and notes, she is trying to tell a story, like most of her reading books.

I still want to keep a record of this. Two weeks agao, we had paretingmeeting with Sharon's teacher. Of course, everything is great for herschool, and she is in advance in all aspects in her class. That notsupprised me. What supprised me a lot is that she can calculate25-18 by mind. She doesn't do much math in home. I don't know how she could do that.

I got stuck at the airport, so I found time to write the above stuff.

Motivation

I am not good at writing. The main purpose of this BLOG is to recordthings happening everyday. Therefore I will regard all these the postings as more like a dairy-note.

a test

test the picture function
http://quark.phy.bnl.gov/~fyuan

pictures

The first post

Today is freezing cold, never been such cold at this time in the last few years. I still remember when we firt came to Long Island two years ago, when we took the bus trip to New York city, which was around the chrismas time, the temperature was above 40F. And that was a big drop (about 10F) from previous days. But it is 20F outside. Everything is freezing.

I went the science learning center at the Lab to grap some holiday gifts for kids. They really have cool stuff. Unfortunately, some of the cool things are only for teens or pre-teens. Luckly, I did get some interesting gifts. I hope they will like them.

I talked to Xiangdong, and arranged his visit. I also got the title and abstract of Andrei's talk next Tuesday. Also sent out all the application letters, and asked my friends to send their recommendation letters.

It's close to the holiday time, and I feel little bit tired of doing anything. Hope I will get back soon.

-- Feng