The Redlands Art Association Gallery opened the “Through A Doctor’s Lens” exhibition with a reception this afternoon. Barbara Hernandez, Director of Physician Vitality, painstakingly put together this collection of photographs taken by doctors at Loma Linda University. “Both creative and altruistic endeavors have long been known to enhance physician resilience…
Launched into space in 1977, the Voyager Golden Record, with a rendition of Flowing Waters 流水 by Guan Pinghu 管平湖, flew past Pluto’s orbit, left the edge of our solar system, and entered interstellar space.
My teacher, Lui PuiYuen 吕培源, reintroduced me to this piece. While dating to some time in remote antiquity, this rendition, with 72 gunfu 滾拂 rolls, is attributed to Zhang KongShan 張孔山 of the Sichuan school from the late 19th century.
I find the middle sections the most interesting. Starting from the beginning, though, the opening measures seem to depict the grandeur of majestic peaks. Then, a flutter of harmonics, repeated in octave intervals, along with glissandi, conjure up images of a small trickle, perhaps from fresh snowmelt. Among the towering peaks, rivulets carve channels. They coalesce into a roaring river, with churning waters bursting the banks. Again, droplets of harmonic glissandi spray the listener who sits near the cascading stream. The music broadens as the river widens into an alluvial fan on its way out to sea.
“Congratulations, you have matched!” That’s what every senior medical student wanted to see this week, and indeed, it has been a chaotic week filled with anticipation, hope, and dreams. This morning, starting with the ceremonial handing out of envelopes, a toast, and a countdown, the graduating class opened their envelopes…
The Chinese plum trees have burst into pink clouds over the past week, putting on a show of fully-double flowers. These blossoms make a perfect accompaniment for this wintry new year season. Over millennia, the plum blossom held captive the Asian imagination. Blooming in winter, it evokes the virtues of…
This is the tiramisu made from a combination of recipes. After sampling many variations, and having a problem with raw egg, this turns out to be the best version without the Salmonella. In a saucepan, whisk egg yolks with sugar; then whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat while whisking…
This is the longest piece I’ve learned. Consisting of eighteen sections, Songs of the Fisherman 漁歌, like many other guqin pieces, portray the retreat to an existence that is immersed in the natural rhythm of the universe. The earliest printed version dates to 1546, and the associated original preface depicts…
As in most years, we all took part in making Christmas dinner. On the menu was minestrone soup, baked brie, pappardelle pasta with puttanesca sauce, and seared cod with asparagus.
For this Christmas Eve, I thought it would be interesting to post star trails taken from Loma Linda. Surprisingly, there were many more visible stars over lighted San Bernardino. Flight paths from air traffic in and out of nearby airports add some interest. This picture was captured last night from…
One of my favorite Christmas hymns, Of the Father’s Love Begotten is based on the medieval plainsong melody Divinum Mysterium, which first appeared in print in 1582 as part of a song collection known as Piae Cantiones. Coupled with the Latin poem Corde natus by Aurelius Prudentius, it takes on…
Once again, it’s that time to gather with friends and family, giving thanks for everything. This year, we had friends from Hangzhou—Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Zhejiang University Children’s Hospital.
Timing, they say, is everything. But that may not always be the case. It’s 4:57 pm—twelve minutes past the agreed-upon time, and only the few cars dot the East Campus lot without a stir. Jackson and friends are late. Bjorn and I had arrived ten minutes ago; we are now…
While this melody is quite ancient, even by the time it appeared in print in 1559, Dialogue of the Fisherman and the Woodcutter 漁樵問答 remains a popular tune in today’s guqin repertoire. Two popular motifs are intertwined in this piece. The title clearly underscores Daoist themes—that one gains special knowledge…
This year’s Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Councilors’ meeting took place in Denver, and this being peak season, both for fall foliage and for the elk rut, I took time afterwards to do some sightseeing. The original plan was to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. The US government shutdown…
Phil and Alexa’s wedding took place in this fairytale setting underneath a canopy of sycamores and live oaks.
Sitting on a large boulder by the waterfall, I recorded this ancient piece—Flowing Spring of Jade Stream 碧澗流泉. Like many guqin melodies that express motifs from nature, this one is supposed to evoke the mood of a gentle brook cascading over rocks. Normally accustomed to playing on a guqin table,…
This short melody, dating from 1549, depicts the fall season at Dongting 洞庭湖 in Hunan 湖南 province. This lake basin is fed by four river: the Xiang 湘, Zi 资, Yuan 沅, and Li 澧. The piece is divided into three parts, with the first and last parts in one…
We had hopes of making it to the summit. Jackson and Corey had planned this trip for the Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group weeks ago, but today, thunderstorms and lightning threatened the exposed peak. We turned around at Little Round Valley, which was just a little more than a mile from…
The next morning, cruise director Dave treats us to a backstage tour behind the Princess Theater. We leave the open ocean and curve back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Suddenly, Andy discovers that we have cell reception! It’s a straight line of sight to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, and…
It’s Alice’s birthday! It will be a day-at-sea celebration. Maître d’ Jean Paul Musiu and executive chef Joel Directo demonstrate curing salmon with sugar, salt, cracked pepper, and fresh dill and making Caesar salad from scratch by whisking together chopped garlic, capers, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, pasteurized raw…
The crew makes up time, getting us to Juneau only slightly later than scheduled. A shuttle bus drops us off at the tramway station, and we walk the rest of downtown. The old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church welcomes tourists like us and worshipers alike. Andy and I make a…
Golden morning light bathes the docks and the town of Ketchikan. We decide to do a walking tour of this first stop in Alaska. We’ve escaped—from the contiguous states and the rocky seas. Turning onto Creek Street, the famous historic red light district of old Ketchikan, the stench of dead…
People, all trying to escape onto the cruise liners, jam pack the Smith Cove terminal. The entire hall swirls with excitement of the upcoming vacations. The process takes a long time, but we finally board the Golden Princess, have a late buffet lunch, and go through emergency drills. Soon, the…
It’s Friday, and we’re off for vacation to celebrate Alice’s birthday! Dad and Mom went up earlier to do some Seattle touring and shopping while the rest of us worked. After a really busy week, we all meet up. It is going to be an escape of sorts—that’s what the…
Long ago, before there was Chinese writing as we know it, before we have the seven-stringed guqin, before the great flooding, a celestial being appeared and warned of the imminent danger. This account is attributed to Emperor Yao 堯 (c. 2300 BC), who received the celestial while he was offering…
So, it’s less than two weeks to Alice’s birthday. Today turns out to be the best day for everyone’s schedule. Like back in 2011, we’re celebrating in the courtyard again.
