my plan from 7th November on...

Today, I had a 25 minutes talk with my supervisor after a long long time. I am glad that finally I could meet him regularly. I am also glad that he asks me to make use of the academic environment, meaning staying 8 hours at least a day in the office. So, my plan: 7:30-9:30(information-news, journals, great minds), 10:00-12:00(skills-maths, game theory), 12:30-13:30(woods walk), 13:30-15:30(input-papers), 16:00-18:00(output-thoughts, literature review), 18:00-19:30(dinner and piano), 20:00-22:00(meeting deadline). Special activities: Monday (5-7pm Badminton, 7-8pm dinner at home); Wednesday(6-7pm dinner at esplanade, 10:15-11:15pm Squash); Friday(4-5pm Jogging, dinner at esplanade). Starting tomorrow... 8th November...till 8th December to have my first evaluation!-Good luck, Ting. Thanks, Eric.

Halloween 2007

霍夫曼的故事

这个歌剧很值得一听：http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9C%8D%E5%A4%AB%E6%9B%BC%E7%9A%84%E6%95%85%E4%BA%8B
（故事内容)

birthday day

my birthday is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month-the Double Ninth Festival
Origins: The festival began as early as the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC). According to the yin/yang dichotomy that forms a basis to the Chinese world view, yin represents the elements of darkness and yang represents life and brightness. The number nine is regarded as yang. The ninth day of the ninth month is a double yang day, hence the name "Chong Yang Festival". (Chong means "repeat" in Chinese.) The ninth month also heralds the approach of winter. It is a time when the living need warm clothing, and filial Chinese sons and daughters extended this to make the festival a time for providing winter clothes for their ancestors. The Double Ninth Festival, therefore, also became an occasion to visit the graves of dead family members. It is an occasion to remember one's ancestors, the sacrifices they made and the hardships they underwent.
I want to celebrate hence my birthday by writing about my granduncle-Jiang Dong, whom I always admire, follow and love, someone I dream of, think of all the time-
想念叔公

将近一年了，时间为您的离去而从此变得踟蹰不前。在独处的时候小亭我一如既往地给叔公您写信，亦一如往常，有的写了一半就暂时搁下了，写完了的却又不知道地址栏该填哪里好。偶尔会天真地想象着时间如果倒流的景象，想象着您微笑着回答我一个又一个天真的问题，从人生的困惑到世间的万象，从如何克服迟到的坏习惯到什么是人类的终极目标。偶尔会因此格外羡慕爸爸拥有那么多聆听您教导以及与您朝夕相处的机会。为什么我的时空和您的时空交叉就那么少？不知道这一切变换又是谁在安排，没有人能自己选择融入哪段历史，历史也并不会点名选择谁与谁活在他的空间里。而叔公您，现在又会是在哪个时空里呢？它与我所处的时空是否已经如风筝断线般，还是其实您在云端，只是太遥远太遥远罢了？
每每我享受着人世间的种种幸福时，我总是在想，叔公您会知道这一切吗？您会为我的成长而欣慰吧。每每看到自己极不愿意看到的众生苦难，我知道，叔公您曾经如何无保留地帮过其中一些人。而我又岂能撒手不管呢？又当我开始审视自己作为一个炎黄子孙的身份时，您的言行思想便历历在目。情不自禁地， 我为中华民族能有这样高贵的灵魂而满心自豪。
还记得去年12月10日的那个难忘的日子，那一天我握着您的手，不肯放开，带着对您高贵灵魂的所有的敬意，心疼着您受尽苦难的身躯。您的双眼过了好一会才吃力地慢慢地睁开，从来您都是那么精神抖擞，但那一刻，尽管您的眼光里还是充彻着力量， 您的身躯是显得如此虚弱。 而您平时严厉的表情此时却换成了无限的慈祥和笑意。我的两行泪水完全停不下来了。爸妈大概怕我伤心过度想把我带走了，后来您咳起来了，呕了，我走出病房后又循声而回，轻轻的慎重的揉揉您的背，您似乎觉察到了，咳嗽声慢慢平静下来了，我当时感觉到的是一丝的欣慰却又万分的不舍……这么危急的关头我又如何舍得让叔公的身影离开我的视线一步呢？后来，我没能留下，留下的是永远的遗憾。于是那一天，那痛苦的一天，我无一刻不在想您，离开医院后的每分每秒都让我觉得没有意义，那么难受。不记得看到和听到什么，只记得自己一直回忆着最后短短几次见叔公的情景，想象着叔公是不是喝水了，是否还在咳嗽，医生会怎么诊断。正如我担心的，那天的见面，竟然成了，永别。
世间有千千万万美景，可是景色再美我也从未留恋而不返过。唯独叔公的病房，曾经如此让人难以挪步离开。每每我走进那间病房，我感受到的是一种从未有过的幸福，一股从未有过的力量，您的病房是一个我从未如此向往过的地方。病房里常常还不只我一人，旁人和我说话，一不小心就会走神。我的目光总是难以离开您那孱弱而刚强的身体，我知道，在那个身体里面，跳动着一颗不平凡的心。而这颗心不可能永远跳动。为什么我不是医生，即使与叔公您非亲非故，至少可以名正言顺的守在您的身边，照顾您，敬仰您。那天晚上，您就走了，我似乎是知道的，但是当见到无法坐直的您，我是那么震惊，英勇无敌的您终究是要回归大自然的。
虽然我也知道，您的脚将不会再因为疼痛而抖动了，您的肚子将不会再饥饿难忍了，您还是会拥有着以往的宁静， 只是， 作为庸庸碌碌的世人， 却再也无法聆听您这位智者的教诲了， 也再也无法亲身感受您灵魂的伟大了， 这样的罕见瑰宝，是造物主的恩赐，赋予了您高于万万人的人格，赋予您威慑红黑界的正气，赋予您超卓的才智，赋予您关心国计民生的博爱。从被诊断为肺癌晚期到您离开人世，为期十个月，却从未发一句呻吟，从未叫一次过痛，从未叹过气。到了最后的一个月，书本对于您来说已经太沉了，您已没有无力捧起，您就读读参考消息。在最后的日子里，您还忍痛完成了《马克思主义﹒爱国主义﹒佛学》……
还记得您给我爷爷的挽联，"爱日常忧年岁迈，招魂何处云天遥！"而现在的我，仰首长叹，声声叩问："叔公，您在哪里？云天为何就这么遥遥……"

what can I do?

Often enough I asked myself, what can I do? Not that I have a problem and I am looking for a way to solve it, but for the things worth doing by me, as an individual. I must have been endowed with some characterized abilities that it is preferred for me to do certain things and not the others. Recently, I find the list of things shorter and shorter, I am getting disappointed and less confident. If you ask me now, "Hi Ting, how are you doing?" I would say, "doing what first?" Would I be able to walk out of this "doing what" crisis, I dont know. It really depends on if I succeed in the next few things that I would be engaged in. Would I be able to succeed, I guess then it depends on whether I would stop writing this blog right now and get started...then I start...