Shelter-in-Place

I try very hard to be productive under this historical Shelter-in-Place situation.  Yeah, I don't go out, and when I do, I wear a face mask...

On my endless journey of digitizing life.  Finally scanned 278 photos covering Michelle's life from 1990.6.26 through 1996.12.8 (birth through 6.5 years old).  Driven by my obsession for perfection, all scanned photos must be processed, as if they were taken with a digital camera.

Still have a long way to go, but I see progress!!

 

My Friend B

I got an email today and learned that my friend B passed away on Friday, 4/24/2020, from cancer.  She was the person who offered me the job more than 8 years ago...

It's coincident that I stumbled upon this old email earlier this evening.  It was from 3/22/2013 when B gave me my Year1 performance review.  How many times have I said "Life is short and unpredictable?"  Cherish it with your best ability.  Live the life you love, love the life you live!!

Pei has been a gift to our organization.  She is hardworking, technically rigorous, conscientious, and committed to meeting our organization's needs.  Pei's highly developed analytical and technical skills give me confident that the analyses she produces and/or oversees are reliable.  Pei is a seasoned executive who is thoughtful about how she handles staff.  She has high expectations and is clear about holding staff accountable for meeting them.  Pei has been thoughtful about managing around staff changes, and aggressive about recruiting replacements as well as external experts who can supplement our internal resources.

Pei is a pleasant person to work with.  Her intense commitment to excellence is balanced by a nice sense of humor.  And her dazzling photographs brighten the Inboxes of those who are fortunate to receive them.

40 Days & 40 Nights

https://boydvarty.com/about/40-days-40-nights/ 

By Boyd Varty

My name is Boyd Varty.  I think of myself as an artist of experience.  My passion is to create transformational experiences for myself and others as a way to explore what it means to truly love.

My aspiration is to live on what I'd call as the track of your life. To me, this is to live courageously toward the discovery of what you're called to and to what life asks of you. 

I am following the trail of my own life and reporting back.

When I was a safari guide, I used to have a joke about photography.  Cameras ruin amazing moments in nature.  With a camera, suddenly there is this thing that needs attention between you and the experience.

Solitude recollaborates value and time.

My solitude has helped me understand the difference between loneliness and longing and which one I actually had.  Most of my life has been somewhere else, with more important things to do.  Or thinking it was happening over there...  I like it here where I've finally stopped.  I'd like to stop more often.

Michelle's Teddy Bear: June 2001

Chelle,

Here is where Teddy came from 20 years ago...

Moms Can Be Right

Michelle Zhang

September 18, 2001

“Please let me keep it!” I pleaded.

My dad just bought me a giant air-whale that was meant to be used in water, but I could lie on it on the ground without popping it. It felt like a mini airbed that just happened to look like a whale. I was really upset that my mom wouldn’t let me keep him. Little did I know that returning him would get me the best toy of my life.

“No. We don’t have room for him anywhere in this house. We’re going to have to return him.”

And so we went to Toys “R” Us to return Willy (the whale). While mom was at the return department, I was looking at the cute little stuffed animals. Then I saw it! Something so perfect that it made my eyes pop out and hug it! It was the cutest little Teddy Bear I had ever seen. I ran up to my mom holding the bear that felt like a velvet moon. I literally shouted, “Mom! Oh please, oh please, oh please buy me this cute little Teddy Bear! Isn’t it just the cutest little thing?”

Luckily, Mom thought that the Teddy Bear was also pretty cute. She immediately returned the whale and went to the stuffed animal shelf. We picked out the best looking Teddy Bear and bought it. I was so happy that my heart turned cartwheels.

I played with the Teddy Bear so much. I pretended that he was a real bear. I took him swimming, skating, and he even helped me do my homework.

To this day, I still have my favorite Teddy Bear that I named Teddy. I still play with him and take him everywhere. So through this Teddy Bear, I have learned that although it is hard to believe, moms can sometimes be right. My mom was anyway, returning that whale and getting me the best toy of my life. 

 

2009 H1N1 Pandemic Timeline

It's not helpful to point fingers during the war against the common enemy.  But I couldn't help to wonder why and how things could go so wrong this time.  The only way to remotely gain some understanding is to study the history.  Here (link below) is the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Timeline.  Yes, H1N1 is a different virus... but we will never be better if we keep trying to find excuses for ourselves.

1.  10 days after the first case being detected in California, WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern.

2.  15 days after the first case being detected in California, WHO signaled a pandemic was imminent, urged all countries to activate their pandemic preparedness plans.

3.  20 days after the first case being detected in California, 980 schools in the US were closed.

4.  From 4/2009 to 4/2010, total H1N1 infected cases in the US were 61 million, total deaths were about 13,000.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/2009-pandemic-timeline.html

Digitizing memories...

Wow, it's been 10 years... And I am still on this endless journey!

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Pei Tang <tang_pei@yahoo.com>

To: "tang_pei@yahoo.com" <tang_pei@yahoo.com>

Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 9:41:21 PM CDT

Subject: Digitizing the memories

So, I spent a tremendous amount of time over the past 2 weekends to convert all the VHS tapes of Michelle into DVDs.  A total of 23 tapes (46 hours) of Michelle's childhood from April 1991 to December 2003 has all been digitized -- what a concept!!  In Rudi's words, the entire world and millions of millions of people's lives can be coded by a bunch of "0s" and "1s" in the digital age -- how creepy and amazing is that?!?!

 

In any rate, my little Michelle's childhood has been permanently digitized on 23 DVDs.  As I look back, I see a really happy and fulfilled childhood of Michelle with tremendous unconditional love.  The tapes ended suddenly in 2002-2003 due to her turning into an alien teenager and also because of my crazy job.  I often ask myself this question:  what would a children's psychologist say if he/she studied Michelle's tapes?  Would they predict Michelle to be a normal, productive citizen in her 30s and beyond?

 

Still, as a college student, during spring break, she brought her stuffed animal from Boston to Chicago to China and then all the way back to Boston.  Can you believe it?!?!   Well, someone will always be free spirited and be herself -- that's for sure!

 

可怜天下父母心.

 

Pei

 

 

Covid-19 ICU doctors

My families in China are all deeply worried about Dr. Michelle, who is in her Pulmonary Critical Care fellowship program, one of the top pulmonary programs in the nation. 

Michelle works long hours in an ICU to treat Covid-19 patients.  My families in China nag me every day: “Tell Michelle to protect herself.”  I told them with great confidence: “Don’t worry, we are in America!” Well, I was shocked when I saw a picture of Michelle today.

Picture 1 is a Chinese ICU doctor who is treating Covid-19 patients.  This is the gear China shipped to doctors in Italy 2-3 weeks ago.

Picture 2 is Dr. Michelle at UCSD hospital ICU treating Covid-19 patients.

We still have a long road ahead of us, and the road looks pretty scary to me… I can only hope that our healthcare workers have means to protect themselves!