Michelle's Math Homework at Age 5

I am continuing on my long journey to simplify life -- trying to throw away just about everything that I haven't touched for 3 years...

I was standing by the garbage can to dump a whole stack of books when I found this old little notebook -- it was for Michelle's math homework from 1996 when she was only 5 years old...  Apparently, as noted on the cover page, it was the 4th book already (we might have started this torture when she was only 3, haha!).

Attached is the cover of the notebook and the first 2 pages of her homework on 1/29/1996.  She'd get 12 problems on 2 pages every day, and believe it or not, I'd literally write the problems for her every day -- wow, I am impressed -- I was a good mom, once!!  

And it reminded me of the essay Michelle wrote for her med school applications back in 2011, when she talked about her homework at a young age... (see below)

P.S. Only the blue section was submitted for her application, the black section was the note she wrote to me.

 

_________________________________________________

From: Michelle Zhang
To: Pei Tang tang_pei@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 4:10 PM
Subject: Diversity Essay

"My mom understands the value of liberation coupled with principle; of freedom grounded in strong values. Consequently, she raised me to embody an interesting juxtaposition of Chinese, American, and independent ideas. My mother gave me homework before the American school system ever introduced me to it – she wrote pages of math problems for me so that I could get a head start on arithmetic and develop a solid work ethic early on. Figure skating and playing the piano took up much of my free time: my mom enforced a strict schedule of training and practice and spent hours watching me, making sure I always put in my best effort. She would often lecture me on the importance of a good education, building a successful life, and planning for long-term happiness. This was the foundation that my mother wanted me to have; beyond this, she gave me very few boundaries and never pushed me in any particular direction. In fact, she has always encouraged me to explore ideas with an independent mind and to form my own opinions, find my own passions, and make my own happiness. This freedom has allowed me to invest myself into things that I find genuinely interesting and worthwhile – medicine, philosophy, clinical volunteering, writing, physics, poi, etc. I have been encouraged to experience the world on my own terms and this has allowed me to meet some fascinating people at places like Children’s Hospital in Boston, Sunrise Senior Living in Illinois and music festivals in Tennessee. Thus, while I carry with me strong, traditional Chinese principles and values regarding how to live my life, I also carry with me a curiosity and an open mind that help me develop a balanced and diversified prospective on life."

********************

And mom, for the record, I am genuinely thankful that you raised me in this way. Even when times were tough and my worldview differed drastically from yours, you never placed constraints on my mind like many other parents would have. I think that has allowed me to build a solid character of my own, not for anyone else but truly for myself. And yes, this has also led me to get tattoos, etc. (which I know you are not fond of), but I think that on the whole, more positive has come out of your parenting method than negative. I hope that you continue to approach my life with an open mind - as stated in the essay, you have given me a solid foundation that I carry with me at all times, and you should trust that I can make good, quality decisions for myself. 

--
Michelle Zhang

Tufts University '12

Philosophy

Supermoon 2016

The closest suprmoon since 1934, and we won't see it again until 2034.

The story about taking this moon shot was pretty sad, so I won't tell you...

Chicago, IL
November 13, 2016

My PTSD

It's over, but it really isn't.  It's just the beginning of a long, difficult, uncertain journey! 

No words from me, but I'd like to share with you my little Michelle's Facebook posts.  It shows how reality was anticipated, processed, digested - and - how rational, calm and clear perspectives were formed!  I am grateful for the mature young minds.

11/8/2016 at 8:09am:  Friendly reminder to NOT DESTROY OUR COUNTRY today :-)

11/9/2016 at 5:47am:  Waiting for someone to say "just kidding"

11/10/2016 at 7:27pm:

Three things:

One, I am inspired and uplifted by the breadth and volume of thoughtful, passionate posts written by my peers over the past few days. I am amazed at and humbled by the intelligence and heart that went into each and every one of your thoughts and words. Thank you.

Two, I only hope that those of you who have decided to shut out alternative perspectives will reconsider. There is nothing to be gained by narrowing your view of the world to a pinpoint, and nothing to be gained by denying those with a different dogma the chance to hear your beliefs. The only tool that we have for effective change is open conversation.

Three, I leave you with this song (Wider Circles), which leaves my soul with a gentle reminder of how to conscientiously walk through this world and this life - because at a bare minimum, that's what we can do.

Fall Colors

I believe fall colors are very difficult to photograph. But I always tell myself to just go out, enjoy nature and capture beauty as defined by yourself, not by some other big-name photographers...

So, here they are - fall colors of 2016!

Photos taken with my iPhone 

Hoffman Estates, IL

November 5, 2016

Autumn Mist

Finally… I didn’t have to travel far to capture beauty.  This was in my backyard -:))

Naperville, IL

October 22, 2016

A teacher asked her students...

I saw the attached on Facebook last weekend.  It brought back lots of memories and tremendous amount of guilt because when Michelle was little, I was always so busy at work and I traveled a lot on business... So, I sent the photo to Michelle, and it triggered the following exchange.  I am glad Michelle was a strong-willed little child and was not traumatized by my absence -- I hope...

The truth is, often times, we thought we should sacrifice our own interests/lives to behave certain ways for the good of our children.  But our children might be far more mature than we anticipated and they would turn out to be okay regardless of what we do. 

Me:  My dear little Chelle, even the handwriting looks like yours -:((

Michelle:  My handwriting was never that bad.

Me:  Did my absence traumatize you?

Michelle:  Not even a little bit.  I am not a needy little child.

Me:  But Chelle, when I saw that little note, I thought about you and it almost made me cry...  a lot of guilt because I wasn't always around.  I wish I could be a better mother.

Michelle:  You were around all the time.  It was fine.  What, you wish you were a stay at home Mom?  What kind of influence would that be?

Me:  I am glad you turned out to be great.

Edith Cavell Meadow

The truth is -- the entire bottom of Angel Glacier fell off the cliff in 2012, after I visited it in September 2011. As you can see in picture 1, the bottom of the glacier is gone.

For that reason, due to safety concerns, travelers are not allowed to hike down to the Edith Cavell Meadow to be close to the glacier. I found that out after driving 1.5 hours and hiking 2.4 miles to the edge of the mountain... It was impossible for me to mentally process the fact that I came all the way here and would not be able to go down to the meadow.

Without telling the rest of the story, here is the Edith Cavell Meadow, along with chunks of the glacier ice laying everywhere.

All photos were taken with my iPhone -:))
 
Jasper National Park
Alberta, Canada
September 17, 2016