Spring... Is Finally Here!!

Lombard, IL

May 8, 2022

 

Wind Gust = 52 MPH

Yeah, I went back there again yesterday -- with 52mph wind gust.

The pier was life threateningly dangerous, as if the wind and waves could suck me into the wild sea...  

What would you say to someone who drove 240 miles for 2 pictures? 

Lake Michigan  

April 14, 2022

 

The Unforgotten Trip

Yeah, this trip was supposed to happen on Jan 9, 2022, when it was freezing cold with ice-covered lighthouses...

Then, on Jan 8, 2022, I managed to break my wrist and subsequently had the first surgery of my life. It was a 3-month ordeal. For the sake of a 90-day anniversary, I went to St. Joseph to complete the unforgotten trip.

I didn't care about the weather conditions for today -- rain or shine, boring or not -- I needed to be there, to take 2 photos with my disabled hand, just to prove I could!

Lake Michigan 

April 9, 2022  

 

2022-2-22 @ 2:22

Not sure if you've ever experienced a moment when you consciously tell yourself: "This is it. This moment will never come back to this life again!"

For me, it only occurred a very few times before. However, none of them could compare to the acute sense I got yesterday when I snapped a photo on my phone at 2:22pm. Initially, it was just for the fun of it -- to record 2022-2-22 @ 2:22. But the vivid feeling of trying to hold on to the minute and NOT letting go was immense... I wish it happened more often; to urge us to really, truly, consciously cherish every moment of our lives. 

Naperville, IL 

2022-2-22 @ 2:22pm  

 

Covid-19 Records

Not sure if you've ever faced a similar dilemma, but I am at the crossroad of my endeavor of keeping track of daily Covid-19 cases for the past 696 days.

My records started on 2/24/2020, when we only had 53 confirmed cases and no death in the U.S. Since then, I have been diligently keeping track of the new cases and deaths every day, with only one 10-day gap in June 2021 when we were out in the mountains of Glacier National Park.

Per Johns Hopkins, as of today, 1/29/2022, the recorded stats are as follows:

Global Total:

Total confirmed cases = 370,389,005

Total daily new cases = 3,662,115

Total deaths = 5,652,122

United States:

Total confirmed cases = 74,067,514

Total daily new cases = 639,081

Total deaths = 882,881

United States as a % of Global Total:

Total confirmed cases = 20%

Total deaths = 15.6%

United States as a % of Global Total in 1918-1919 Spanish Flu:

Total deaths = 1.4% (with US deaths at about 675,000)

Not sure what I should do next. Right now, it seems unthinkable to abandon the historical database at this point. However, does it make sense to keep on going -- when Covid is transitioning into a flu?

Have you encountered similar situations where you started a project and couldn't let it end because you've become so attached to it???  

Nonetheless, the above tally will go down to my history book.

Good-bye BlackBerry

The BlackBerry, once cutting-edge technology that allowed executives and world leaders to send emails from the palm of their hand for the first time, has died.

First launched as a text pager in 1996 by Canadian company Research In Motion Ltd., a BlackBerry phone came a couple of years later. It started to look outdated in 2007, when Apple released the touch-screen iPhone.

Former President Barack Obama, who used a BlackBerry while campaigning, kept using it until at least 2016, his last year in office.

Andrew Balfour long dreaded January 4, 2022, the day when he had to say goodbye to his beloved BlackBerry Classic forever. Even though Mr. Balfour’s BlackBerry couldn’t summon an Uber or stream a Netflix show, it could last days without needing a charge. And typing emails on its keyboard was a breeze.

When everything fades out to the distant past, BlackBerry's legendary keyboard will continue to shine in our precious memories.

 

Naperville, IL

January 4, 2022

 

"Social Death"

Due to recent scandals in China, I've learned a new Chinese phrase called "社会死亡."  The English translation is "Social Death."  It means: to avoid the spread of the scandal, the person involved has been blocked by all social media channels. Therefore, socially, the person is considered "dead," as no one can find or contact her. 

In my case, I have been practicing voluntary "social death" periodically over the past 7 years. The first time was the most dramatic. I spent a 3-day weekend (5/2/14 to 5/4/14) without a cell phone, a computer, a TV; without my car, or any other modern devices. I simply stayed home -- made tea, cooked meals, read books and walked around the neighborhood... It was a profound experience, with a lot of inconvenience, of course.

Since then, to avoid too much disruptions in life, my "social death" experience has been limited to only shutting down social media for 1-2 weeks. Each time, I loved the serenity it brought to my soul... 

Well, I just did it again for the past 20 days, which was the longest time of all. The calmness was incredible!!

Social Death is really not as horrifying as many have imagined. You live in your own world and mine your own business -- the simplicity of life is lovely. When you finally decide to reemerge, you'd realize that you haven't missed much after all. In my case, over hundreds of headlines and stories for the past 20 days, maybe only two things were note worthy: Omicorn and Inflation. 

Omicron: I've gotten my booster shot, what more can I do?

Inflation: My little strategy is attached. The rest is out of my hands. Why worry???  Haha!