The Rubik's Cube

When I was in China back in February, my cousin's 10-yr old grandson Li gave me a 3x3 Rubik's cube as a gift. It was lined up so perfectly for all 6 sides and was placed in a fancy plastic box.

Little Li is one of the top cube players in his elementary school. He used his cube to show me all the patterns and moves - so elegant and smooth; so fast and incomprehensible... Apparently, all these patterns and moves need to be memorized. I showed real interest while watching his quick hand moves, asked adequate questions, and promised to study it when I have time.

It's been 56 days since I got back home. Today, I made time to study the cube. I considered it as a great opportunity to CHALLENGE myself; to beef up my "declining" learning capabilities; and to start a new memory exercise. Wow, it took me over 3 hours to learn from scratch, and finally, I MADE it!!

My goal is to practice it often; fully memorize all correct moves; and improve speed. Once I can master all above, I'll record my performance and send it back to little Li, my cube teacher -:))  

 

 

Greenland

Wow, for so many years traveling to so many places, I've never felt that planning a trip can be so unbearably difficult.

Greenland has been on top of my travel list for MANY years. No, I'm not looking for a cruse-ship trip circling along the shorelines. I wanted to stay on the island and take the small vassal out at night to Disko Bay - the pure arctic - to photograph the biggest icebergs in the world under the midnight sun... Just imagine that!! And - if needed - the attached photos can help you imagine.

My first planned trip to Greenland for 7/2020 was cancelled on 4/19/2020 due to the global pandemic. I posted attachment 1 on my Facebook to document the heartbreaking event.

Since 2020, I have been searching for photography groups that can organize similar type of trips with the same amazing scenery. After exploring all possible itineraries of National Geographic expeditions (my only other unwilling option), I decided to go with the group that can take us on a small vassal to see the BIG icebergs!!

The exciting trip is in early August 2025, and I booked it in 2024! Guess what happened this time? There are no tickets for my scheduled arrival and departure dates. In addition, the hotel accommodations are very limited outside of the group travel dates. Wow, what a bummer!!

After countless struggles with a different combination of less desirable traveling schedules, finally, today, 4/19/2025, I cancelled my 2nd Greenland trip. At this point, I don't know if I still have the courage to say: "Some day, Greenland, some day, I will go visit you!" Maybe I do need to downgrade my dream trip to a Greenland expedition by National Geographic.

Let There Be Snow, Japan

Yamagata, Japan

February, 2025

Red-crowned Crane - Hokkaido, Japan

The Japanese 丹顶鹤 (Tanchōzuru, 丹顶鶴), also known as the Red-crowned Crane, is a symbol of longevity, good fortune, and fidelity in Japanese culture. The Red-crowned cranes are native to Hokkaido, Japan, and can also be found in parts of northeastern China, Russia, and the Korean Peninsula.

In winter, many cranes gather at feeding grounds in Kushiro Wetland on Hokkaido, Japan, providing a spectacular view for bird watchers.

February 19-20, 2025

Hokkaido, Japan