One of my favorite melodies, Three Repetitions at Yang Pass 陽關三疊 captures the essence of the poem by Wang Wei 王維. His work, titled Seeing Yuan Er Off to Anxi 送元二使安西, depicts two friends about to part ways: one staying within what was then civilized China, and the other leaving…
It seems ironic that this song—Tune of Utmost Joy 極樂吟—sounds the most melancholy as set in a minor key. It isn’t truly in a minor key, but the guqin is tuned to the RuiBin 蕤賓 mode, where the fifth string is tightened a half step. In the modern tuning tradition,…
Forty years ago, at this time of the year, my parents spent their honeymoon in Japan. We brought them for Japanese food to relive their memories.
Forty years ago today, my parents got married! Their marriage has been a wonderful one. We celebrated this amazing milestone with a dinner at home: grilled vegetable stack, quinoa pilaf, and asparagus.
It’s almost the Fourth of July, and our vegetable garden has overgrown this year. Much of the produce for the menu came from the yard: field greens, broccoli, green beans, beets, onions, rosemary, lemons, and limes. With all the vegetables, we made: Roasted beet salad with goat cheese and field…
Very early on Wednesday morning, I leave home for the airport and arrive with the usual lead time to find the security line going across the entire baggage claim area and almost out the door. I nearly miss my flight. After transit through Dallas-Fort Worth, I make it to Reagan…
Congratulations to the graduating orthopaedic seniors: Chad Brockardt, George Gendy, Ray Grijalva, and Mark Mikhael. Also, congratulations to the research award recipients: Ben Chen and Ray Grijalva. The senior residents awarded Eric Lim Teacher of the Year. Paul Burton gave a nice salute to the seniors, taking snippets from their…
Steve and Laura Nyirady invited me over to their home for the Inland Koi Society potluck and general meeting. The guest speaker gave a presentation on koi herpes virus and how to vaccinate against it. I didn’t know such a virus exists. As usual, the Nyiradys’ garden is beautiful, with…
It has been months since putting the gazebo together. Last year, I also started the zig-zag bridge over the pond. I finally got some lumber and began the railing construction this weekend. After that’s done, the next goal is to make seats and backrests.
While this is one of the most ancient of guqin tunes, it is also one of the most popular in today’s repertoire. Wine Madness 酒狂 dates from the third century and is attributed to the poet Ruan Ji 阮籍, who was one of the seven sages of Bamboo Grove. His…
Arriving in Portland on Tuesday gives a slow transition to the next part of this extended time away. Activities for the Western Orthopaedic Association starts on Wednesday. I spend most of Wednesday morning touring the Portland Chinese Garden 蘭蘇園, taking time to follow the self-guided tour explained in the brochure.…
Just after getting back from the Western Orthopaedic Association, our family went to celebrate with Dad. Happy Fathers’ Day!!!!
On this last day in Canmore, we make comfort food for breakfast, mainly out of leftovers. The rice became zhou (porridge); and the eggs, deli slices, ginger, garlic, and green onions became toppings and condiments. Also, we have the rest of the pancakes with syrup. We arrive at the airport…
The leek asparagus quiche that Andy worked on last night, served with breakfast patties on a bed of romaine and topped with fresh salsa, turns out to be amazingly good. The trip today takes us to Yoho National Park and Icefields Parkway. Enroute, we stop at an overlook to take…
This morning, we have tater tots, scrambled eggs, and fruit. Again, it’s more like brunch, rather than breakfast. Most of the snow melted off during the night. At the entrance to Banff National Park, there are two snowman, looking like what witches might look like when they’re splashed with water.…
Now, it’s apparent why the resort advertised heated indoor parking. Last night, what was light rain turned into a mild snowstorm, and it’s getting heavier while we have pancakes and French toast for breakfast. Soon after breakfast, which is more like brunch, we peek outside to see that everything is…
I’m the first to get up. Daylight hours are long here, and although a cloud layer covers the dawn sky, it’s already bright outside. I make coffee and take in some early morning fresh air from our balcony. Everyone sleeps in. For breakfast this morning, we have omelettes stuffed with…
It’s yet to be bright outside, but we’re all wide awake. I’m the first to have breakfast, and a few of us skip it for the time being. We all met up by the pond and load up the Expedition, ready to head to the airport. This is going to…
The melody to Prelude to a Serene Evening 良宵引 dates to 1614. The piece is divided into three sections. The first 起, beginning with harmonics, is introductory. The second section consists of two parts—承 embarkment and 轉 transition—characterized by unison series, one note of the pair sounding as a pure…
Commencement is, and has been, the highlight of Memorial Day weekend. This is no different, and luckily, cool weather settled in for the few days surrounding graduation to give us all relief from the unusually early heat. Joan Lunden gives the commencement address—titled Creating a Legacy of Purpose—sharing from her…
Today’s Baccalaureate for the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy started outside on the lawn. Faculty members arrived at 8:15, lining up by the Good Samaritan Statue. Students congregated just to the south of the church’s front entrance. The program started with the Sanctuary Brass and Organ playing Campra’s Rigaudon for…
One of the more meaningful events for graduation weekend is the Hooding Ceremony. After the welcome by Dr. Thomas, Dr. and Mrs. Hadley presented the baby cups. The class showed photos from their medical school experience followed by an appeal to participate in their adoption of La Loma Luz Adventist…
In my third lesson two weeks ago, Master Lui gave me the piece Returning Home (歸去來辭). The lyrics of this guqin melody are written by Tao YuanMing 陶淵明 (365–427 AD). When an arrogant official was sent by the provincial government to his home district, Tao, who then served as magistrate,…
A solar eclipse happened late this afternoon. The maximum was at 18:38 local time. The path of totality passed through northern California, where viewers would see an annular eclipse. Here in Loma Linda, we only observed partial occlusion.
The Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery honored Dr. Patzakis at a tribute dinner at The Langham Huntington—for his 43 years of service to USC and 21 years as Chairman. Excerpt from his biography: Dr. Patzakis received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from…
