Wendy is a Doctor at Rockefeller!

Yesterday morning at 7:55 am, my brother in-law drove Paul and me to Manhattan. Wendy, his daughter and our oldest niece, was ready to defend her Ph.D. thesis based on her new findings on protein at Rockefeller University. The agenda was she would present her project, followed by a Q&A session. Afterwards, she would go through a closed-door defense of no more than 2 hours. My niece who I baby sat in May-October 1989 was really grown, calm, logical, and systematic in her presentation. She used clear and easily understood words and phrases to summarize the process of what she was doing in her 4 years of intensive lab work.

Shortly after 11:00 am, we left her with the grilling committee and went out of the auditorium, together with her close family consisting of her boyfriend, parents, younger sister, and future in-laws. We toured Rockefeller University, a private university founded in 1901, neighboring with Weill Cornell and Sloan Kettering to make a tri medical research center on York Avenue. After the tour we gathered at the open outdoor patio of the cafeteria and waited for the results of her defense.  It was one of the longest two hours that I had ever undergone in my life, all but like the birth of a child or country. My anxiety was triply shared by her mother and mother in-law to be.

Eventually, a text message was relayed from the boyfriend, "Wendy is Doctor!" We all cheered and then joined her in their lab kitchen for sandwiches, cake, and champagne. We met her PI (Principal Investigator) and lab colleagues, an unusual group devoid of jealousy and competitions, because of the abundance of opportunities and diverse research foci in this particular environment. The campus seemed to be a true oasis not only for us humans but also for animals. A miniature mouse scuttered around us on the floor for food, so did a couple of fearless sparrows invite themselves later on our picnic table. Such an oasis is not impossible to reach. It takes near-perfect scores all the way through one's high school onwards. In our niece's case, it also needs intellectual dedication and parental nurturing from a dedicated Cornell father and Regeneron mother.

Go, girl! There are more challenges awaiting at Cornell. But there will be more opportunities as well.

A Quiet Goodbye to Jack O'Neill

Right after Sunday dinner at 8:00 pm, Paul and I said in unison that we should take a walk since it was still light. Where to? Either Capitola Village or East Cliff? As we did not manage to see the ocean over the weekend, with the First Friday event downtown and Saturday dinner at a friends' in Felton, we need to breathe more sea air, so East Cliff was decided upon.

Pleasure Point was unusually moody with the rolling fog and eerie quiet after the busy celebration of Jack O'Neill's life in the morning at eleven. We did not make it for various reasons. Perhaps we preferred a quiet goodbye to the local legend.

As usual, we passed by Jack's oceanfront house. But unlike our usual walks, we stopped by and recollected ourselves to pay our respect to Jack O'Neill, one of the celebrities who have done their utmost to benefit people and environment.

Courtesy of Paul Titangos Photography

O'Neill was born on March 27th, 1923 in Denver, CO and died on June 2nd, 2017 in Santa Cruz, CA. In the span of 94 years, he was a surfer, wet suit inventor, and founder of the world renowned O'Neill surf company. The proudest invention to him is the founding of his O’Neill Sea Odyssey, a marine and environmental education program. So far, the program has educated over 100,000 school children, to continue O'Neill's belief that, “The ocean is alive and we’ve got to take care of it.”

Give Alley Flower a Chance

We tend to write off the late bloomer or Ugly Duckling too quickly. Sometimes we even dismiss the potential of our staff with just one question or a message. It is truly deplorable, for I have come across many an instance that hidden treasures are often in disguise.

 Courtesy of Paul Titangos Photography

Nineteen years ago, we moved ourselves, along with some gladiola bulbs, across the street to our new house and planted them along the sidewall. After Paul had cleared all of the sidewall path where purple iris and calla lilies used to reside, a green plant shot out next to our side-door step this spring. It looked like a unwanted thick weed growing not straight up but sideways. For some reason, we left it alone. Partly because of our sympathy for oddballs or physically challenged creatures. Partly because of our being burned-out by too much growth around us after the wet winter and spring. Surprisingly, the sideways plant has started to bloom since last week. It turns out to be a pink-white-yellow gladiola, one of the bulbs planted nearly two decades ago! Despite years of anonymity, it is blooming anyway.

I cannot help but think how close we came to killing a beauty, just because of its ordinary, even  distressed, appearance. Such an instances are abundant in our life. Take for example our adoption of Chippy, a kitten weeded out by both her original owner and future adopters, due to two strikes against her: a runt's drowsiness and white fur, which could be a problem for white cats. No one would have anticipated that she made it to Baker & Taylor's 2014 cat calendar.

The sojourn on the earth is short and limited for everyone, and every living thing. We should not deprive them of opportunities to grow to their full potential, because of differences. Give an alley flower or animal a chance; the late bloomer or Ugly Duckling might contribute to society more than we dare to think.

Working Goats Back at Neary Lagoon

 Courtesy of Titangos Photography Studio

 Last Friday at noon, we paid an annual visit to our old friends, the goats, at Neary Lagoon. We spent an hour there, watching them grazing, resting and walking around. There were about 300 goats, male & female, kids & mothers, and with goatee or goatee-less. They were surprisingly peaceful and content.

Since we arrived at noon, I was a little concerned about the heat and that their drinking tubs were unreachable on the wood ramp. But there was ample shade along the long fence; before long an attendant came by with a hose and started to fill three empty tubs. Quite a few goats gathered as soon as a tub was filled.  Comforted at the thought that they were being well-taken care of, we left those lovely and hardworking goats with a quiet wish that we would meet again in 2018!

  Courtesy of Titangos Photography Studio

We never went back to see them after June 16. Maybe last year's melancholy of missing their presence, and seeing only well-grazed grass left, is still hovering in our thoughts.

The following shows more photos chosen from over 200 iPhone photos Paul took to show how happy and harmonious they are. The last photo here displays the grass before their work (on the right side of the walkway) and after (on the left). Enjoy!

 

Courtesy of Titangos Photography Studio

So long, ISS

The month of June is an ISS (International Space Station) month. Paul and I had three viewings since last Saturday with varied experience. The best advantageous viewing belonged to 10 June 2017. ISS appeared promptly below a building roof on East Cliff Drive, and climbed above our heads at an angle of about 85° and then disappeared into the sky according to the schedule.

We drove to the same location again on June 11, Monday night. As the sky was covered with patches of dusky clouds, with only a narrow blue opening over Moss Landing and Monterey, we missed ISS entirely, but kept up the good spirit and finished our evening walk.

Yesterday, we did not go anywhere after dinner, as I had to stay later at work to finish my self-appraisal and later workout. Unexpectedly we had an excellent viewing right in our neighborhood. As it was still very light at 8:57 pm, we did not see ISS until it was up in the sky. Seeing it proudly marching forward, we were simply happy to see our old friend again. We realized  that it might be the last viewing until the fall, but felt comforted at the thought that it could be viewed and shared by people in other parts of the world. So long, ISS, for the Summer!

 

Happy Birthday, Chippy and Elijah!

Both Elijah and Chippy turned 15 yesterday. What a turbulent decade and half for all of us! Fortunately we have had this pair of siblings living with us side by side since the moment they stepped out their adoption basket into our arms, on the steps of Main Post Office one midday in July 2012. They stayed temporarily in our Pacific Avenue HQ office until they could go home with Gail and me. So many people passed through admiring Elijah's blue eyes and Chippy's pinky ears.

The brother was so happy with his sister next to him, but totally lost and heartbroken after she was picked up by Paul towards the end of the day. The siblings met once when we organized their 5th birthday party. Chippy was surprisingly calm but Elijah was scarred.

They have been our true love and companion all these 15 years and many years to come!

Chasing ISS Two Days in a Row

Last Friday and Saturday (April 15-16), two days in a row, Paul and I went to East Cliff to watch and chase ISS' route over Santa Cruz. They were different experiences for us.

The Friday's chase was such an easy one with a dark and clear sky at 8:55 pm. As the route was advantageously high, we spotted it right away the moment it appeared below a treetop, and watched it disappearing into the sky minutes later.

The Saturday's chase was an entirely different experience with big patches of clouds all over the dusky sky at 8:05 pm. It was Paul who spotted ISS, but it was already over our heads then. It did not disappoint us though. It shone over the cloudy darkness and moved forward, with a resolute and clear goal.

At that moment I wished that our life would be like ISS' clearly charted routes. Strangely speaking, life is almost similar: sometimes it is easy, sometimes it is not. But we always need a goal in mind, without which we will be headless and rootless.

Spotting ISS in March

Right after our dinner at 8:00 pm, Paul and I drove to Pleasure Point to spot the International Space Station (ISS) over Santa Cruz. 

Both of us were excited about the sight, even though we had observed it many times. For one thing, it was the most advantageous position in the months of March and April, 2017. For another, it was like greeting an old friend that might not been there anymore, in the time of budgetary cuts.

At exactly 8:29 pm, the faithful ISS appeared over the starred sky at the maximum height of 75°. Normally, five minutes are just a blink, but now, an eternity. It passed over us proud and determined along its charted course. Wish we could do so with our life and future.

Because of our optimal observing position at the corner of the 38th and East Cliff drive, ISS was visible longer than usual before it finally disappeared in the sky. We finished our night walk and went home feeling accomplished.

SightingLocation

Leaflet | Powered by Esri | National Geographic, DeLorme, HERE, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, increment P Corp.

Location: Santa Cruz, California, United States

The following ISS sightings are possible from Monday Mar 27, 2017 through Tuesday Apr 11, 2017

Date	Visible	Max Height	Appears	Disappears	Share Event
Mon Mar 27, 8:29 PM	5 min	75°	10° above SW	18° above NE
Tue Mar 28, 9:16 PM	2 min	23°	22° above NW	17° above N
Wed Mar 29, 8:23 PM	4 min	40°	34° above WNW	11° above NE
Thu Mar 30, 9:08 PM	2 min	13°	12° above NW	10° above N
Fri Mar 31, 8:15 PM	3 min	20°	19° above NW	11° above NNE
Sun Apr 2, 8:07 PM	2 min	11°	11° above NNW	10° above N
Fri Apr 7, 10:14 PM	< 1 min	11°	11° above NNW	11° above NNW
Sat Apr 8, 9:22 PM	1 min	14°	10° above N	14° above NNE
Sun Apr 9, 8:31 PM	< 1 min	10°	10° above NNE	10° above NNE
Sun Apr 9, 10:06 PM	< 1 min	15°	15° above NNW	15° above NNW
Mon Apr 10, 9:14 PM	3 min	25°	10° above NNW	25° above NNE