Happy New Year: 2015!

Dear Chelle-chelle,

Remember I used to write you a long letter every New Year's Eve?  Haven't done it for the past few years only because I think you have become a mature, level-headed person and you don't need Mama to tell you anything anymore...

Since you are leaving home tomorrow, and because we had such a great time together, I feel the need to write you a few words for you to keep:

1.  We love you deeply and will always be here for you.

2.  Take care of your health and safety, for yourself and for us.  Establish healthy lifestyles without damaging your body or your long-term health and well-being.

3.  Learn to deal with and manage many tedious but necessary details in life, especially when it comes to various paperwork.  Pay attention to instructions and directions and follow them rigorously to get things done properly.

4.  Learn to put down your phone for a certain period of time each day and try to live your life by being fully present.  It is actually a mental discipline that you should practice for the rest of your life.

5.  Whenever possible, start practicing meditation.  It will definitely help you focus, think clearly and manage stress.

6.  Keep your life SIMPLE -- simplify your possessions AND routines in life.  Simplicity is a magical tool to help you focus on the most important things. 

7.  Study hard and continue to grow into a better person.  Do the best you can on every task for everything.  

Love,

Mom

Humans of New York

As always, my little Michelle bought me this thoughtful and tasteful gift for Christmas...  It's a book by Brandon Stanton who got his first camera in early 2010, dropped his "bond trader" job in July 2010 and became a full-time photographer in the summer of 2010.  Over the next 3 years, he covered thousands of miles by foot in New York and created a photographic census of NYC.  In October 2013, he published the book "Humans of New York."  Such an inspiring story of a guy who sucked at photography at first, but eventually became a successful photographer by following his passion and determination.    

When you think about it, it's not about me having a book, it's about the book letting me see possibilities in life...  Pretty awesome stuff!!

 

Humans of New York

By Brandon Stanton

Introduction:

I got my first camera in January 2010.  I was working as a bond trader, so I only had time to use it on weekends, but I fell in love with it.  Every Saturday and Sunday, I'd take my camera into downtown Chicago and photograph everything.  If I found something especially beautiful, I'd photograph it from 20 different angles -- just to be sure that I'd end up with one good shot.  I'd return home each night with over 1,000 new photos.  Almost all of them were awful, but I didn't mind.  I was hooked.  Photography felt like a treasure hunt, and even though I sucked at it, I'd occasionally stumble upon a diamond.  And that was enough to keep me wanting more... 

Here is the first photo in the book.  It reads: "I am just trying to figure out what I want to do, 'cause it ain't this!"

I'm not sure if I felt inspired or ashamed... The truth is, I started my photography journey in February 2010, and I am still sitting here -- without a book!  But trust me, some day, I will have my own book -:))

My Friend Bill (2)

It's been almost 18 months since I posted "My Friend Bill."  It was indeed a memorable event (that birthday party after the shocking news), and I've made every effort to schedule time to visit Bill every 2-3 months over the past 18 months...  It's really hard to explain, but I am glad I did it and I am determined to continue to do so.

I went to visit Bill again today.  Against all odds, he is still doing great, as he has been for the past 18 months.  I told him that he is a living miracle to survive the pancreatic cancer, and I am just so happy to see him being healthy and well.  I can tell you this -- his recovery has everything to do with his high spirit and the current stress-free life style.

He reflected on how he felt when he first got the diagnosis and how he went through treatments worrying about his family...  When you think about it, the chance of surviving an inoperable pancreatic cancer is pretty slim, and he is so lucky to be one of the very few survivors.  Life is indeed fragile and unpredictable.  We just need to cherish every moment we have and live it fully.  

Live the life we love and love the life we live!!  

The explorer...

I remember taking this photo bright early in the morning when there were just me, Rudi and 275 square miles of white sand dunes laying silently in front of us...  At the time, taking this shot was just for fun, nothing more than pure fun.  But after going through over 1,000 photos, it kind of grew on me - I have to say I love this picture!

-- It reminds me of how overwhelmingly massive the world is to each and every single one of us;

-- It reminds me of how everything in life, including beauty and wonders, is to be discovered with our innate curiosity and strong desire to know and to experience;

-- It reminds me of how insignificant human lives are, and yet, how we should all make the best of it during our limited time on this planet;

-- It reminds me of how lonely life's journeys may be sometimes;

-- And more importantly, it reminds me of how, in a way, we can choose the roads we travel to reach the point we desire...

Life is good.  Never stop exploring, experiencing and enjoying it!

White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

November 29, 2014 

    

The White Sands

The largest gypsum dune field in the world is located at White Sands National Monument in south-central New Mexico. This region of glistening white dunes is in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert within an "internally drained valley" called the Tularosa Basin. The monument is about 4000 feet above sea level, and the dune fields are approximately 275 square miles. 

This dune field is very dynamic, with the most active dunes moving to the northeast at a rate of up to 30 feet per year, while the more stable areas of sand move very little. The pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) that forms these unusual dunes originates in the western portion of the monument from an ephemeral lake or playa with a very high mineral content. As the water evaporates (theoretically as much as 80" per year!), the minerals are left behind to form gypsum deposits that eventually are wind-transported to form these white sand dunes.

Many species of plants and animals have developed very specialized means of surviving in this area of cold winters, hot summers, with very little surface water and highly mineralized ground water.

White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

November 28, 2014

Picture 1 = white sands at sunrise

What I learned is - during sunrise and sunset, the white sands look very similar to regular (yellow) sand dunes due to the low angle of sunlight.  Only when they are under direct sunlight, you'd see their pure white color.  So, against all photography teachings, I took some wonderful shots in the middle of the day under the bright sunlight.  Throw away your photography books and ENJOY life!

Morning Symphony

We spent 5 days during Thanksgiving in New Mexico.  Our initial focus was to go visit White Sands National Monument.  Spent 3 days there, and then we went to a wildlife refuge and spent 2 days watching the annual snow geese migration.  To my surprise, the snow geese touched me so deeply that I went back and visited them 4 times during a 2-day period.  The visits involved 2 early morning ordeals to arrive at their lovely home (a cozy little pond) before 6 AM in 26F weather.  Sunrise with snow geese is spectacular.  These little birds would sing and dance and circle around the skies to create this incredible morning symphony for the world.  The event is overwhelming and stunning to say the least.  After putting out the magnificent show of the day, the snow geese would finally take off and start their day in the free world, where only the sky is their limit...

When you think about it, these little guys each looks rather ugly.  But together, they bring so much beauty to the world -- they show us the power of unity! 

Morning Symphony 

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
New Mexico

December 1, 2014

A Philosophical Concept

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Zion National Park, Utah

So, get this - I drove by this famous bridge where 20+ photographers lined up waiting for something. I know it's an usual sunset spot. But given the weather, you would think people can apply common sense to conclude that there wouldn't be sunset tonight, right?  NO!! They were all standing there as if they knew what they were doing... Finally, around 6:15 pm, I couldn't help to ask: "Could you educate me on what you're waiting for?" One guy replied: "Sunset! The rock would glow and the clouds would turn red..." "But there will be no sunset tonight." I said. He replied: "We are just hoping there will be..." Do you find this encounter interesting???

At 6:26 pm, I was the first person leaving the precious spot on the bridge, and 2 people immediately took my spot. This is an interesting philosophical concept. All of us, in one way or another, blindly follow others. And when our rational minds tell us we should do otherwise, our emotions would still question our logical decisions. I can tell you I am one of those fools! When I left my spot tonight, somehow I was led to believe that I would miss something significant. Close your eyes, and I am sure you can relate to what I am talking about!

Life is like a box of Chocolate... (3)

I got my favorite chocolate yesterday...

Sunday night was really cold.  When I woke up yesterday morning, the entire canyon valley was filled with fog and low clouds -- they were literally everywhere, moving and dancing around the canyon peaks.  I immediately entered into a frantic mode trying to capture the magical moments.  But for future reference, don't even try to ran around and chase nature's wonders with a camera.  No matter how good of a photographer you are, the true beauty of mother nature can never be recorded 2-dementionally!

The morning clouds left me much sooner than I had hoped.  Honestly, the disappointment of not being able to adequately capture those moments was enormous.  But I decided to let it go and move on with the rest of my day.

I spent more time with my little Virgin River.  She was so lively and full of unpredictable beauty...  Here are 2 images I captured for you just so you can meet her!!

Pictures 1 and 2 = Let The River Sing...

Zion National Park, Utah

November 3, 2014

     

Life is like a box of chocolate... (2)

The chocolate I picked for today was bittersweet.

It rained on and off all day.  There were times I wish I brought my rain gears; there were times I wish I could just forget about the heavy camera gears and be fully in the moments; there were times I literally told myself it's okay to NOT work, it's okay to simply sit by the river and listen to the river sing...

All in all, it's been a great day to be in the canyons -- to walk deep into the trails and reconnect with my lovely little Virgin River.  Even when raining, the air was so fresh, the leaves were so bright, the water was so clear -- in light gold, pure green, reflective red and bondy blue colors. 

It's a wonderful place for soul cleansing!

Life is like a box of chocolate... (1)

So, I have been traveling for the week and decided to drive to Zion for the weekend. 

I have to tell you, the world of desert is unpredictable!  As always, the morning drive involved high drama where I went through gusty winds, desert sand storms, amazing golden sunrise, rain storms, rainbows, double rainbows...  And the canyon mountains were covered by thick clouds, thin clouds and dancing clouds! 

All of this was not in my plan.  I came here with one thing in mind -- follow the calm, lovely little Virgin River and capture the golden leaves in the canyon valley along the river under the warm sunlight.   

It reminded me of what Forrest Gump's mom told him: Life is like a box of chocolate, you just don't know what you're going to get.  It is so very true!  But one of my friends wisely told me today: "It's a box of chocolate, whatever you get, it can't be too bad.  So, just enjoy it!"

With that, I thoroughly enjoyed my first day at Zion.  I love autumn, and I especially love Zion's autumn -- the mix of golden leaves with red rocks holds special beauty of this world!

Rain in the forecast for tomorrow, and it will be colder than today -- but the chocolate is STILL going to be sweet.

  

Fall 2014 (Cont.)

Monday, 10/20/14

 

8 years ago when I worked and lived in Reno, I had a drama about an apple from my little apple tree outside of my house. 

What I learned from that experience was -- life's moments are to be recognized, captured, cherished and fully enjoyed!

To that end, after 2 weeks vacation, I took another day off today to chase the amazing fall colors!  It was a gorgeous day in Chicago, so I drove to Starved Rock State Park.  I picked today in hope that no one would be at the park.  It was great -- there was me and the golden trees, the rolling hills covered with colorful leaves, hundreds of birds singing happy songs and gentle winds making the leaves dance...  Pure joy!!   

Pictures = Fall 2014

Starved Rock State Park, IL

October 20, 2014

 

 

The Yellow River

I had a chance to spend a few days in Shanxi province while in China, and visited the ever-so-famous Yellow River.  The reason the river is so yellow is because it flows through the loess plateau in China.

The Yellow River is the third-longest river in Asia, following the Yangtze River and Yenisei River, and the 6th longest in the world with the estimated length of 3,395 miles. Originating in Qinghai province of western China, it flows through nine provinces, and it empties into Bohai Sea in Shangdong province. The Yellow River basin has an east–west extent of about 1,180 miles and a north–south extent of about 680 miles. Its total basin area is about 286,659 sq miles.

The Yellow River is called "the cradle of Chinese civilization", because its basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and it was the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. However, frequent devastating floods and course changes produced by the continual elevation of the river bed, sometimes above the level of its surrounding farm fields, has also earned it the unenviable names China's Sorrow and Scourge of the Sons of Han.

The Yellow River is one of several rivers that are essential for China's very existence. At the same time, however, it has been responsible for several deadly floods, including the only natural disasters in recorded history that have killed more than a million people. The deadliest was a 1332–33 flood that killed 7 million people. Close behind is the 1887 flood, which killed anywhere from 900,000 to 2 million people, and a 1931 flood that killed 1–4 million people.

Yellow River, China

October 8, 2014

 

 

Fall 2014

Feels like work has taken over my life lately... It took away most of my time, my mind, and more importantly, my sense of artistry.  Believe it or not, I have not taken any vacation time off since April when I went to China -- go figure!  I am soooo tired!!

Since I will be out of the country on vacation for 2 weeks starting this weekend, I sneaked out last weekend and took the one and only autumn picture of 2014.  Not sure if the leaves will still be here when I come back, but I am keeping my fingers crossed -- really, truly hope I could see more of the amazing fall colors...

You have no idea how much I regretted for not being able to spend more time at that sweet little pond, but I hope the colorful sentiment has been captured!

Woodward Lake, Michigan
September 27, 2014  

Chinese Moon Festival: 2014

It's Chinese Moon Festival today.  It's on August 15th each year based on the lunar calendar.  For some unforgivable reasons, I did not take any pictures of the "full" moon yesterday, and obviously, the name of the game today is work.  So, I don't have any full moon pictures for 2014 -:(((.

However, I found a picture taken last year when I was visiting Inner Mongolia in China.  It was a full moon on 10/18/2013, and the skies in the desert were unbelievably clear.  I remember being taken to this famous "dead tree forest" in the desert, where hundreds of acres of dead trees laying around silently with different sizes and shapes.  I was deeply touched by the deadly quiet surrounding and started to imagine the place from a hundred years ago when the trees were all alive... It was the golden season there in October, the trees, the leaves, the water, the soil, the grass, the birds, and everything -- so harmoniously composed, like a beautiful poem.

Now, a hundred years later, water disappeared, trees died, leaves gone, only the lonely tree trunks are still standing -- in the wind, in the rain, in the cold and in the heat...  The moon would rise and set every day and turn full every month -- this is the circle of life, circle of the world, and circle of the universe!

Picture 1 = Full Moon in Twilight (the reddish colors of the tree trunks and the sky looked totally unreal -- but that's the way it was)

Picture 2 = Same kind of trees today (胡杨林) -- 20 miles from the "dead trees forest" 

Inner Mongolia, China
October 18, 2013

Saturday Morning

I've told myself over and over again -- photography is largely not about technical skills, it's about being out there to see the world.  Even if it's the same part of the world, you are likely to see different things each time because nature is a wonder and the world has its endless beauty...

Downtown Chicago, IL

September 6, 2014

5:51 AM

Lake Mead in History: August 2014

Traveling for work this week so I had a chance to visit Lake Mead near Vegas.  Many thanks to my friend James who took me to this historical site.

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead is 112 miles long when the it is full, has 759 miles of shoreline, is 532 feet at greatest depth, with a surface elevation of 1,221 feet above sea level. When filled to capacity, it has 28 million acre-feet of water. However, the lake has not fully reached this capacity since 1983 due to a combination of drought and increased water demand.

The part of the lake I visited earlier this week has completely dried up, and this is a 70-year historical record.  I am thankful to be able to see a piece of the history where a trace of the struggle between human and nature can be found...

Picture 2 shows where people used to dock their boats, and the white line on the side of the mountain indicates the water level from 30 years ago -- pretty incredible and unforgiving stuff !! 

Lake Mead, Nevada
August 27, 2014

Hawaii, the paradise... (11)

I would not have done justice to the Big Island had I not showed you Kona Village -- the west side of the island.  So, here it is -- the desert side of the paradise!! 

We didn't have enough time to go back there for the 2nd time during our last trip, but I would like to visit Kona Village again next time.  When you drive to the west side of the island, it feels like you're in a totally different world.  The land is covered by the lava rocks, deserts and those tiny little grasses.  Human "intervention" is significant there, as evidenced in Picture 1, where expensive resorts have been built on top of the lava land!

Wish I could go back to take photos of the little grasses under the setting sun.  They grow under harsh conditions, but to me, they look as attractive and beautiful as all other green grasses...  I am sure that during each sunset, they get to show off their unique beauty in golden color...

Big Island, Hawaii

December 2, 2013

Hawaii, the paradise... (10)

I am still on my long journey of processing all the Hawaii pictures.  It makes me wonder if I can ever afford to go to Hawaii again, as the time required to process all the pictures is enormous!

The attached photos were taken in the mid morning of 12/5/2013 at the Mauna Kea on the Big Island.  I remember going up there in the dark that morning to catch the sunrise, and I saw one of the most amazing sunrises -- the sun was rising from the "ocean of clouds..."

These photos were captured when we came down the mountains, and we actually went to the same level as the volcanic craters. On the second photo, you'd see some white dots on the left side of the mountains.  Those were goats.  When you sat there in the open land next to the craters and listened to the soft voices of goats from the remote mountains, you'd feel like in heaven -- it's more than GREAT!

Volcanic Craters in Morning Clouds

Big Island, Hawaii
December 5, 2014

 

My Facebook

In this "information age" and the era of social media, I feel the need to take a minute to touch on my relationship with my Facebook.

1.  I joined Facebook on 3/13/2009 because one of my friends "friended" me.  I still remember making a statement on my profile, not particularly social media friendly. 

2.  Over the past 5 years, I was able to successfully secure 4 valuable Facebook friends:

       My little Michelle (age 24)
       My little Larry (my nephew, age 17)

       Steve Chen (my cousin's son who came to the U.S. for college and graduate school, age 24)

       Jeremy Cai (my good friend's son who went to college last year and is living his BIG dreams, age 19)

3.  There are MANY "friends" pending in the que.  If you are one of them, please accept my sincere apology.  I did not mean to offend you... but fundamentally, I want to preserve my Facebook only for younger generations.

4.  After 5 years, my Facebook page contains (only) the following lovely entries --        

11/26/2011:  Pei Tang became friends with Michelle Zhang

12/22/2012:  Tagged by Michelle -- Courtesy of my mother who spends all of her free time traveling to beautiful places and taking amazing photos at strange hours.

05/12/2013:  Tagged by Michelle -- Mom, you are the coolest. You can tell by the sunglasses. Happy Mother's Day, I love you! (This is not the cool picture Michelle referred to).

03/25/2014:  Tagged by Michelle -- Because while I am here struggling to maintain my sanity, my mom is off in California taking pictures like this.

08/15/2014:  Tagged by Michelle -- Courtesy of my mother, who somehow can make even Naperville look amazing.

5.  I must tell you, every time my pictures got tagged by my little Michelle, I felt like I won a big photography award!!