tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46280644152858807322024-02-20T19:29:45.464-08:00Flying Hippo记录平凡&激越的似水流年Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-22628461502675950852016-02-24T16:22:00.000-08:002016-02-24T16:22:03.880-08:00It took us 8 years: 1+1 = 3! Today it's our wedding anniversary. This photo was taken on our wedding day on Feb 24, 2008. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X4oeXMfhMWnF1VtINTLI8gAaDAT1USPqylNxY4WfR9P2JaRpwIOtgDBljNx67LKMVlnnB_HytxfK5Ir1IrcDa868lw28opdSz9LZyzcTTdK_xdrT_J1U_7k0Dcwo7zW9VsWKJOuyUL45/s1600/_MG_2532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X4oeXMfhMWnF1VtINTLI8gAaDAT1USPqylNxY4WfR9P2JaRpwIOtgDBljNx67LKMVlnnB_HytxfK5Ir1IrcDa868lw28opdSz9LZyzcTTdK_xdrT_J1U_7k0Dcwo7zW9VsWKJOuyUL45/s320/_MG_2532.JPG" width="213" /></a><br />
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You have to say, us hippos are slow-moving creatures. It took us almost eight years for this to happen--the picture was taken on Feb 12, 2016, when our baby Hippo was 1.5 days old. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYiiMVrg9Ae79K0eB9vuXc0DEVK8hJzoqXR4HV1JBDAGWj2XKtfwgbtXwO7H27SqL-KnuXEEjq6mDdABEzuAEA7xJbi-dd2rog0r5-eI838I8Bl8FdtI2qU3DmhWcyJhkq6BblHP6MnM4/s1600/BI252-9072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYiiMVrg9Ae79K0eB9vuXc0DEVK8hJzoqXR4HV1JBDAGWj2XKtfwgbtXwO7H27SqL-KnuXEEjq6mDdABEzuAEA7xJbi-dd2rog0r5-eI838I8Bl8FdtI2qU3DmhWcyJhkq6BblHP6MnM4/s320/BI252-9072.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So many things happened in the eight years, I don't know where to start. But when comparing the two pictures, the most obvious change was how puffy Mummy Hippo's paw had become! That gives you a hint of how nicely-rounded she is today :). But, to her justice, that was more due to 2.5 days of IV injections rather than her actual weight gain!<br />
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(OK, I digressed a bit).<br />
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Eight years down, a new adventure begins, this time with a new member of the family! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-40718110960902370272014-07-17T06:00:00.000-07:002014-08-04T06:11:37.847-07:00Sad, sadder, and the saddest: The Holocaust History Museum, Jerusalem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS5IMScnbvatOmFm_Zeq-z4OM_8xV1zMl38Yt8mUoB531nWwu9bKdYlPne1jQ9RgCu3Ezf20-gXWu70qdqUcCpYb_eCIyPqyoNIE7cgEjorzQYA3iO_-kiAGcXyhIhh0rXvrkmv9h_D4/s1600/IMG_3304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS5IMScnbvatOmFm_Zeq-z4OM_8xV1zMl38Yt8mUoB531nWwu9bKdYlPne1jQ9RgCu3Ezf20-gXWu70qdqUcCpYb_eCIyPqyoNIE7cgEjorzQYA3iO_-kiAGcXyhIhh0rXvrkmv9h_D4/s1600/IMG_3304.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn't visit the Holocaust History Museum during my first two trips to Israel. Being an optimistic and happy-go-lucky creature in general, I chose to see and experience the happy side of the country and the Jewish culture/history first. But <a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/a-taste-of-war.html">the taste of war</a> during my third trip gave me a sense of what people have to live through today, and a visit to the Museum was a reality check for what people had to suffer in the history, possibly the darkest part of human history. <br />
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The Museum is a sad place to be, even before I started reading and learning anything. The interior of museum complex, <a href="http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/museum/architecture.asp">designed by Moshe Safdie</a>, conveys a feeling of struggling to me. The entire structure is made of concrete, and apart from the ceiling light in the main corridor (picture above), there is no single window in any exhibit room as far as I remember. Also, both sides of the wall are tilted, pressing against you, even when you trying to bath in the only source of light in the corridor (picture above). Some of the design is functional, as the exhibit rooms need to be dark for the purpose of multimedia presentations, more likely though, the architect tries to represent the gloomy and breathless feeling for the hundreds and thousands of Jewish people who suffered in the World War II. <br />
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There are plenty of sad texts and numbers to learn about the Holocaust, but for me the sadder part was the story-telling. Almost in each of the exhibit room, there is a TV playing a survivor telling his or her story. Almost each of the story made me feel like crying or shouting out loud angrily, "What was wrong--How could any human being treat a fellow human being like that?!" One of the stories, for example, was a 13-year-old boy watching the Torah that he read during his <a href="http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm">Bar Mitzvah </a>torn apart and burned down in front of him...Being in such a Torah-reading ceremony recently and witnessing how people treasure and worship the Torah, I cannot imagine anything worse happened to that boy. Physical suffering is one thing, but the collapse of belief is a whole different matter. <br />
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The saddest of all though, was the last exhibit room, called <a href="http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/museum/hall_of_names.asp">Hall of Names</a>. The ceiling of the room features a gigantic cone displaying hundreds of photos. Before getting over the fact that all those children, women and men lost their lives in the Holocaust, I saw the wall of the room full of bookshelves, then there were files after files on each shelf. It turns out each of 2.6 million, and so far ONLY the 2.6 million has got <a href="http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/about/hall_of_names/what_are_pot.asp">a page of his/her profile</a> on record, and this Hall of Names have room for six million in total...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-11469765003087086402014-07-13T06:53:00.000-07:002014-08-04T06:13:21.608-07:00A taste of war<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjD7dr-rDln-izHeIcX5Kkjv4kqvY7NM2Exn5KMTek5RBfk4l0qXSYSrsyw9jFc5gtCXcXGOnp3g3GnSr8Fj6f_-cZQ7Y7_wWR4qvSuWKFwXP7jzosqelbsXWg5514-dlDTCPRpYMlZg/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjD7dr-rDln-izHeIcX5Kkjv4kqvY7NM2Exn5KMTek5RBfk4l0qXSYSrsyw9jFc5gtCXcXGOnp3g3GnSr8Fj6f_-cZQ7Y7_wWR4qvSuWKFwXP7jzosqelbsXWg5514-dlDTCPRpYMlZg/s1600/Picture1.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
We visited Mr Hippo's family in Israel recently, in middle of the latest war of the Israel-Gaza conflict. I had never been so close to a war before this trip and experienced the first air-raid siren (and the two following ones in the next two days) in my life.<br />
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This was my third time in Israel and everything seemed to be just fine before this trip, even though I learned that security systems in the Tel Aviv airport, where we flew in and out of the country, are much tougher than other parts of the world. They start to check everybody out even before you enter the airport, and at least two officers will come to talk to you before you reach your airline's ticket counter. After each round of conversation, they will put some stickers on your suitcase, and as a result, you will have a lot more of those after leaving from Israel. I had seven on mine during my first trip there, if I remember correctly. It wasn't they thought me/my suitcase suspicious or anything. Nothing personal, it is just their business as usual. As my brother-in-law said, "Security is a national hobby."<br />
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I have a better understanding of this line during this trip. Every new apartment is required to have a "shelter room," and when the air-raid siren blasted in the air, we dropped everything, rushing into this shelter room and waited until the siren stopped. The same is for any public space. The picture above shows a sign in the Tel Aviv airport, directing people to the shelter, and I took the picture in the morning we left Israel.<br />
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When it first happened, I was pretty much dragged into the shelter room before I realized what was happening, and then I heard clearly about the siren. It was like a sudden entry of some surreal movie, and I didn't feel being scared or worried at all before we had our freedom again. The siren blasted twice in the next two days, and by the third time I reacted quickly without anybody telling me what to do and we also heard loud noise of bombing from Israeli army intercepting Hamas' rockets nearby...Still, children played in and outside the shelter room, during and after the siren periods. The family were together, and Mr Hippo was beside me, so I didn't feel much either. <br />
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My numb feeling finally disappeared when our plane landed in Barcelona, the next stop of our trip. It was more of a relief than anything else--We successfully escaped the war! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-58570246653805224192014-07-03T05:27:00.000-07:002014-09-18T05:29:43.897-07:00Istanbul: A condensed journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mr Hippo and I went to Istanbul for a conference, and we only had three days to tour around before and after the conference. It was a intensive and condensed journey in every perspective. </div>
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As a trans-continental city, Istanbul condenses the distance between Asia and Europe. For us (poor) Australians, we have to fly hours to reach other continents. Yet here in Istanbul, Asian and Europe are pretty much just two neighborhoods separated by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosphorus">the Bosphorus</a>. The other continent is just a bridge/train ride away, and the first time we took the train, we were in a different continent before I even realized it. The picture above shows one of the two existing suspension bridges cross the river, the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporus_Bridge" title="Bosporus Bridge">Bosporus Bridge</a>. I took the picture during our Bosphorus cruise. </div>
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Apart from condensing distance in space, Istanbul also offers a condensed view of history. Residents with different culture and religion have left their own signatures in all forms. The picture above shows Christian and Islamic art pieces in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia#Mosaics">Hagia Sophia</a>, which served as a Cathedral and then a mosque in the history. When Ottoman rulers coverted Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 1400s, they actually plastered over the mosaics of Jesus and Mary. The art piece only started to come back to life after 1935, when the Republic of Turkey re-opened Hagia Sophia as a museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuY8W_Iv8WmNiHrYTGPPljPd1dDGBrOcYTxLhsn1hGzrm3S1reWdQivw9mPlWOCNxLIS7U7_MIIefj-L2fFBkNo_LFTpa7WAdPxf4qRLfwZhPzC1QKJAMIET1vkk9S7qYCfYzXpfgl_s/s1600/IMG_3108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuY8W_Iv8WmNiHrYTGPPljPd1dDGBrOcYTxLhsn1hGzrm3S1reWdQivw9mPlWOCNxLIS7U7_MIIefj-L2fFBkNo_LFTpa7WAdPxf4qRLfwZhPzC1QKJAMIET1vkk9S7qYCfYzXpfgl_s/s1600/IMG_3108.JPG" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
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My favorite form of art though is Turkish lamps. Before coming to Istanbul, I don't remember seeing many lamps with more than three colors, but three becomes a minimum requirement here. 13 is more like an average number. Each lamp is pretty much a shiny and condensed color wheel with different designs and patterns (the picture above shows a collection of them in a specialty store in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bazaar,_Istanbul">Grand Bazaar</a>). I would have bought a couple just for their warmth in cold Canberra winter, if we didn't have to travel to another two countries before heading home.<br />
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My least favorite form of condensed thingy encountered in Istanbul was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava">Baklava</a>, a Turkish pastry dessert. I had tasted it in other parts of the world (the first time was in a kebab shop in the Jewish quarter of Boston?) and never like it, but I thought I should give myself another chance as it is more authentic here. Luckily I just nibbled. As I remembered before, it is SO sweet to the point that, if a bee tastes it, he will be shamed about how bland honey is by comparison! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-22461516818787307522014-06-20T02:34:00.001-07:002014-06-20T02:38:28.230-07:00Waking up from my long hibernation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUgR5jqUYe95XaOWOlZ4OTg1zlBGSoheBhS4LUHnCYz9LLd5Yi4G0iVBWON5-4RAyYR1sQF7LNcYW4hxvyxnastikiDfNwtYXo73DgvTpiUU8r3el-2jDN8zGBGF_j9hX0dr2NkMs-Ms/s1600/387---600.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUgR5jqUYe95XaOWOlZ4OTg1zlBGSoheBhS4LUHnCYz9LLd5Yi4G0iVBWON5-4RAyYR1sQF7LNcYW4hxvyxnastikiDfNwtYXo73DgvTpiUU8r3el-2jDN8zGBGF_j9hX0dr2NkMs-Ms/s1600/387---600.gif" height="320" width="244" /></a></div>
I haven't written a blog for quite a long time, 10 months, almost. Ever since we came back from our exciting safari trip last July (which I haven't blogged about either), I have been in a fairly lazy mood. Not I am lying in bed doing nothing for all this time, I did go to work, garden, feed Mr Hippo and all that. But, I was lack of the energy to engage in non-critical but creative activities such as wring a blog post.<br />
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Call it a long hibernation or mid-life crisis. Whatever the name is, it is not a very satisfactory mode. I did enjoy taking the break, or a mid-life recreation (as termed in the cartoon) but as those who feel tired after a very long night of sleep tells you: Too much rest makes you feel restless.<br />
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Many things triggered me into this mode: Some family drama and its ripple effect last year, fatigue from the exciting trip (I need a vacation after the vacation!), too much international traveling (4 last year), and most likely, hectic tasks at work...I span from fire-fighting activity 1 to activity 2, <b>urgency </b>was my first and foremost criterion of investing my time and energy. In between the activities, I dropped and didn't think much about and act on those things that were <b>important</b>. I read novels but didn't write much of my diaries. I consumed but didn't create enough. I was in a busy-lazy mode, if you know what I meant. <br />
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I think I am finally pulling myself out of this mode, at last. Still yawning, but at least I am stepping out of my cave/burrows (do hippos live in any??) finally...Time to think, act and be creative again!!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-72396491641902409502014-06-20T01:38:00.000-07:002014-06-20T02:39:09.514-07:00Confidence: the stuff that truns thoughts into action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One friend of mine recently talked about how she suddenly realized she had been lack of confidence, after a senior colleague, also female, pointed it out to her. In my friend's proposal, she used the words like "I was lucky to..." as if she didn't deserve all her achievements. <br />
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I, too, have the same issue, probably even more so because of my cultural background. In China, we were taught to be modest and contribute to our accomplishment to some collective efforts (集体的荣誉).... <br />
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To some degree it is soothing to know that this issue of lack of confidence is almost universal for women, not only me and my girl friend. <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/04/the-confidence-gap/359815/">This recent article in the Atlantic </a>claims research after research shows the same result.<br />
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What is the solution then? The article doesn't really offer much but it does point out "<b>The natural result of low confidence is inaction.</b> when women hesitate because we aren't sure, we hold ourselves back..."<br />
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So, stop thinking too much and just ACT!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-25117581681678894782013-08-13T06:44:00.000-07:002013-08-13T06:44:06.248-07:00Prepare for the 1st election in lifeMy 1st election in life is coming up! <a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/became-australian-citizen.html">I'm a citizen now</a> and Australia has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting#Enforced">the system of forced compulsory voting</a>, so I will be casting my votes in the coming <a href="http://www.aec.gov.au/">Federal election on Sept 7</a>. <br />
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Mr Hippo sent me the link to this <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/votecompass/">Vote Compass</a> on ABC's website, which is a great tool in mapping my position relative to that of the three Party. Here is my overall result:<br />
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The tool also shows my positions on each of election issues (Health and Climate change etc) relative to those of the parties. <br />
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I just<a href="http://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/How_to_vote/practice/"> practiced voting</a> as well with the help of Mr Hippo, so I am almost ready to go! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-26467508361700202052013-03-31T02:53:00.000-07:002013-04-01T03:09:49.949-07:00The downside of diversity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6127/1543.summary">An article in the latest Science</a> explains why traditional way of cancer treatment has not been as effective as they should be. Tumors are recently found out to contain subsets of mutated cells that are related but genetically distinct, which explains why drugs and therapies stop working after a while.<br />
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One would think the problem of diversity demands a solution of diversity, but currently, it seems to be too daunting a challenge to keep up with the speed of mutation. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-13329594734915996402012-12-30T04:54:00.000-08:002013-01-12T03:14:42.478-08:00Ms Hippo's 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJTkT2WV4OU386pEBL9qTgFwkAa5Vk_yBTFONm_qi0D44cwDpTQ5dXgb6HW9e5lpn3KKeFFUAHflwOQ0UxOZtO8ie5cCJJS3moPG-X-ADZferVuLzbJs71o6edFK1uHH4fya3cFXfsI4/s1600/together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJTkT2WV4OU386pEBL9qTgFwkAa5Vk_yBTFONm_qi0D44cwDpTQ5dXgb6HW9e5lpn3KKeFFUAHflwOQ0UxOZtO8ie5cCJJS3moPG-X-ADZferVuLzbJs71o6edFK1uHH4fya3cFXfsI4/s320/together.jpg" width="320" /></a>又是一年了。真的是时间在洗洗手,喝喝茶的不经意间就悄悄地流走了。老公前几天也说,"When I was rather small, 21 century sounded like FAR away, but now we are going to step into its 13th year!" <br />
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好在2012还是有几个小小进步的, 比如说<a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/indinite-position-as-research-scientist.html">我申请到了个永久职位</a>,<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01843.x/abstract">在个相当不错的杂志上发了篇文章</a>,<a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/became-australian-citizen.html">成了澳洲公民</a> (so called top-three achievements :)。 还<a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/ohakune-new-zealand.html">去了个以前没到过的国家玩</a>(虽说并不远),<a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/house-hunting-structured-decision.html">我们也开始慢慢的找房子</a> (so called worth mentioning :)...<br />
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当然也不是没有遗憾的。年初的时候信誓旦旦的要减肥和锻炼身体来着 (至少体重没增加:),还有就是在写papers 上的时间用的不够 (这个blog也有好多想写而没有实施的pieces)...<br />
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不过,这一年里最大的变化还是心境上的吧。如今,最能描述我心境的一句话是“择一城终老,携一人白首,此生足矣 (这是 <b>'</b>长着翅膀的大灰狼' 说的). <a class="l" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4628064415285880732"><b> </b></a>也许是因为事业和生活都渐渐稳定,又或是最近颇有些对生老病死的感悟和体验 (看了个关于瑞士安乐死的纪录片, 国内有家人忽然被确诊为癌症...), 现在觉得人真的没必要太贪心, 有个爱人和你一起慢慢变老, 有份自己喜欢也对大家有益的工作, 再有片可以惬意生存的天地, 就真的很幸福了.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-5578313863247840962012-10-25T21:30:00.000-07:002012-11-09T02:50:51.480-08:00Became an Australian citizen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I became a citizen today. </div>
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The last step of becoming a citizen is to attend a ceremony where I pledge to be a citizen. My non-religious version of the pledge goes like this:<br />
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"From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey."<br />
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Reading the pledge aloud (with others) was probably the most serious part of the hour-long ceremony. The rest of the time it was more like a party. We walked into the room with a happy version of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda"> Waltzing Matilda</a> playing at the background, and the ceremony ended with everybody singing the National Anthem together (the official one). Of course, it is still not very up to the happiness standard of real Australians. One of my colleague asked me afterwards, "Did they give you a couple of beers in the end?"<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-17415560463238929712012-10-20T23:30:00.000-07:002012-11-09T04:42:12.276-08:00Spotless or Business as usual?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrHt_RZkE1kSoSwhx_0Aaoo609_MNIZs_Ec7FE5x6kB2s37HiEVPd4_me9xjdbzGhyphenhyphence6GyCL1pSUfRUv3qzrJyRhFoigNfJqPsKxFW7xzAVB7Yf4xMmeFBzmPmShcZ7uhO2C7OzKM4g/s1600/table+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrHt_RZkE1kSoSwhx_0Aaoo609_MNIZs_Ec7FE5x6kB2s37HiEVPd4_me9xjdbzGhyphenhyphence6GyCL1pSUfRUv3qzrJyRhFoigNfJqPsKxFW7xzAVB7Yf4xMmeFBzmPmShcZ7uhO2C7OzKM4g/s320/table+set.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
My Hippo and I have different opinions regarding how much efforts we should put into cleaning before inviting friends over. I like to try my very best and make our place spotless (or as close as we can), Mr Hippo, on the other hand, thinks there is no need to try that hard and some improvement over the business as usual is enough. <br />
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Obviously we are not the only couple who disagree on such a matter. According to Mr Hippo, his parents argued about it too when he was rather small.<br />
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It seems to me that the difference is more of a cultural origin. In general, I am a messier person than Mr Hippo, so it is not because I had a higher standard to start with. More likely, it is because I am from a culture where people will give their best to guests. In the case of my parent-in-law, Papa Hippo was from Germany, and Mama Hippo is from Australia--now you see my point?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPpc7qic9PZQ2Q6QDKv2Rdbhu6bIXCDofV4AYa-GdwAfNHcqldT6q0PVgGhbobLYgUijebfZKDn6208haNy4aHsCaOuVAMF8nqouzK_neadcWObsAnc-Ujguc37qEoOLYxqJc-HytSyk/s1600/tea+pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPpc7qic9PZQ2Q6QDKv2Rdbhu6bIXCDofV4AYa-GdwAfNHcqldT6q0PVgGhbobLYgUijebfZKDn6208haNy4aHsCaOuVAMF8nqouzK_neadcWObsAnc-Ujguc37qEoOLYxqJc-HytSyk/s320/tea+pot.jpg" width="240" /></a>At least we agree on when to invite friends over--rightly after our house inspection. We are still (happily) renting, and once in a while (six months?), our landlord will send an agent to check us out, which means we will have to clean the house, whether we will like it or not. Over <a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/we-have-been-together-in-australia-for.html">the course of five years</a>, we have formed the habit of turning the lemon into lemonade and inviting friends over rightly after the inspection. This way our friends will enjoy a cleaner and more orderly environment (at the condition halfway between spotless and business as usual?).<br />
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We invited four people over today, two visiting from Sweden and two of our American friends from ANU. The top picture shows how neat we set the table for a change (um, minus Mr Hippo's glasses). Someday when we buy a house with a proper-sized kitchen, I will buy a set of serving plates with more than four. For now, Mr Hippo and I get to use our special <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin">Moomin </a>set to disguise our identities (you have to know the Moomin story to get the joke). <br />
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What kind of food did I serve? That is always a bit challenging to summarize...OK, how about "Hybrid Swedish food with an Australian theme?"<br />
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I prepared Swedish main course because our Swedish friends had been away from home for a while and they were going to have dinner with a Chinese colleague tomorrow night. The main course was grilled ocean trout with asparagus, tomato, pine nut and potato salad in home-made pesto sauce. I used <a href="http://recipes.coles.com.au/recipes/1712/citrus-and-herb-crusted-ocean-trout/">this recipe from Curtis</a> to prepare ocean trout (minus Buk Choy part) and it turned out pretty good (it would have been more Swedish, if I had added dill to the herbs though). <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSrR0CsbGWs">Gordon Reamsay's video </a>also helped but it was more about how to intensify tomato's sweetness by roasting it first.<br />
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My cooking is always hybrid because I enjoy mixing things together and creating a symphony of flavors. For Hors d'oeuvre we had home-made guacamole and hummus. I was happy when one of the American food commented how great the guacamole was. I was even happier when Mr Hippo, who lived in Israel for years told me the texture of the hummus was about right; I had worried it was a bit too dense. The only Chinese touch of the meal was the Chrysanghdmum and Goji berry tea as shown in the middle picture. It is not tasty but supposed to be good for tonight's crowd, who sit in front of computers most of our days.<br />
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Last, the dinner was of Australian theme because I tried to stick to Australian ingredients as much as I can. I also bought a beautiful bunch of native flowers (the last picture). For dessert, I served three OZ cheeses (Mr Hippo's favorite triple-creamed brie, my favorite goat cheese, and an aged Cheddar from Margaret River that was appreciated very much by our Swedish friends), along with three types of fresh fruits (strawberry, kiwi, and mango), three dry fruits (date, fig and prune) and three nuts (macadamia, pistachio, and walnuts). In theory, there were 81 combinations of flavors and the idea was people might found another crazily fantastic combination such as bacon and milk chocolate (dark chocolate is a no-no, according to one of the American friends) . Not sure that was accomplished, but people were certainly quite into the three of a genre thing, because they were very disappointed when I told them there were only two kinds crackers to choose from! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-65754907168193236972012-10-13T18:10:00.000-07:002013-01-13T18:11:03.850-08:00Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We always take friends visiting from overseas to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidbinbilla_Nature_Reserve">the Reserve</a>, because it is the best place to see kangaroos, heaps of them, near Canberra. Today, we impressed a couple of Swedish friends again; they were amazed by how close they could approach the cute creatures. I think the nearest point they got was about 2 meters. <br />
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It is spring time, so there are lots of newborns sticking out from their mum's pocket. Here is a picture I took from the trip. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-33603519218197355712012-09-15T06:33:00.001-07:002012-09-16T04:45:45.321-07:00We have been together in Australia for 5 years! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We arrived 5 years ago, today, from the US and started our life together down-under. It is two anniversaries in one, really. Sept 15 2007 was the date we landed in Australia. We also started living together from that day on!</div>
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The trip to Australia was grueling physically. Flying from the East coast of US to Canberra, we had to change flights four times. Yet, the 30-some-hour-journey was also uplifting, simply because there is a new country (at least for me) and a new life waiting ahead. </div>
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We each started our trip at our home city and merged at Chicago airport. I still remember the happiness bursted into my chest when I finally spotting Mr Hippo. He was looking out of a window at the time, still, it took me no time to pinpoint him from the crowd--apart from the fact that he is tall, you don't see many people carrying an umbrella in an airport terminal either ("I cannot fit it in my suitcase," explained Mr Hippo). </div>
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I patted him on his shoulder and greeted in a mixed American and Australian way, "What's up, Mate?!"</div>
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From that point on, our <strike>miserable </strike>long-distance relationship ended and a new page of our life began. Here are the top three achievements in the past five years. </div>
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<li>We got married in Feb 2008! </li>
<li>We each secured a permanent position (Mr Hippo in 2011 and Ms Hippo in 2012, and we both like our jobs. </li>
<li>We had numerous adventures together, Australia and aboard. We camped at Kakadu national park and cruised the Great Barrier Reef. I took Mr Hippo to China in 2008 and introduced him to my family. In 2010, we toured 10+ countries in Europe and Asia, including visiting Mr Hippo's family in Israel. Last year we had Authentic Korean food in Seoul, and early this year we visited New Zealand. </li>
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Looking forward, here is a list of what might happen for the next five years.<br />
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1. Buy a Hippo house<br />
2. Start a family?<br />
3. Make significant progress in our career<br />
4. Continue our adventures and visit places we haven't been to, Africa, for instance...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-37824123515361940912012-07-24T01:37:00.001-07:002012-07-24T01:37:54.624-07:00Riding the herd mentalityEverybody who takes a train in China knows the scale of rubbish/waste treatment issue that China has. It is a great idea for <a href="http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/5057-Guangzhou-s-rubbish-charge-struggle">Quangzhou to charge excess waste</a> (still a trial though), not only because people will produce less garbage, but also because <a href="http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/07/20/garbage-and-the-herd-mentality/">people litter more in a more littered environment</a>. <br />
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On the other hand, I found myself a neater hippo after living with Mr Hippo, who has a lower tolerance for a messy environment :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-67084868235771775982012-04-26T08:17:00.001-07:002012-04-26T08:20:26.566-07:00Cook a chicken like Heston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mr Hippo and myself are very into a cooking show called "<a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/how-to-cook-like-heston">How to cook like Heston</a>" these days, where Heston Blumenthal, the magician chef, explains how to cook simple and complex dishes at home with a key ingredient for each episode.<br />
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I missed last week's episode on chicken because I was running a workshop and had to work till late that night to prepare for the next day. But I immediately got the point of Heston's roast chicken recipe, which takes 12 hours plus, when Mr Hippo told me over the phone.<br />
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The idea is to maintain the maximum amount of juice and flavor by slowly roasting the chicken at 90C for 3~4 hours first and then by browning the bird as quickly as possible (t<a href="http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/heston-blumenthal/roast-chicken-recipe">he recipe</a> actually says "Turn the oven temperature <u>as high as it will go</u><b>, </b>" and that was worrying--I'd never turned my oven above 220C). A Chinese recipe called "<a href="http://redcook.net/2009/07/08/chicken-clay-grill/">Beggar's Chicken</a>" has pretty much the same idea but uses clay to form a crust for slow cooking. <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25630">Jamie Oliver</a> used a crust made of salt and eggs. <br />
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Anyway, we decided to give the recipe a shot this weekend and here is the picture of our joint-effort. According to Mr Hippo, this recipe produced better leftovers than <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348">my usual recipe</a> but the chicken is not necessarily more desirable at the first meal. This is because the leftover is more succulent due to slow-cooking, but bone joints still looked red/uncooked when the chicken was first served, which was not very appetizing. The chicken was also more salty than we like, but that is probably because we left the chicken in brine for too long (16 hours or so).<br />
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In conclusion, Mr Hippo recommends we stick to the old recipe in the future. I concur because 12 hours is simply too much, especially when I am in a rush. A Hippo-house tradition has been before I leave for a business trip, I roast a chicken for Mr Hippo so that he does not have to cook when I am away, and <a href="http://flying--hippo.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/spin-like-yo-yo.html">I have been on the road a lot lately</a>... <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Canberra ACT 2601, Australia-35.2819998 149.1286843-35.2949618 149.1089433 -35.2690378 149.1484253tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-43481052616810891382012-04-25T11:08:00.000-07:002012-04-26T08:19:15.727-07:00Pickling time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2ZKmzVUi5i14JioNZr1G8m_F_IfK40vFqjRQPEScQ-HgbChd0WMsELqfqT_gacp3oc6dq6Ug1RTw67IkmGCONs44RRhHZoLXLmgY66zm-F7r8YunVBCDWSqbZaZqjh1pgzmseskItV4/s1600/Pickling+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2ZKmzVUi5i14JioNZr1G8m_F_IfK40vFqjRQPEScQ-HgbChd0WMsELqfqT_gacp3oc6dq6Ug1RTw67IkmGCONs44RRhHZoLXLmgY66zm-F7r8YunVBCDWSqbZaZqjh1pgzmseskItV4/s320/Pickling+time.jpg" width="240" /></a>With plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable around, autumn is the peak time for pickling. I've picked hot chilly peppers and eggplants so far, and today I did lemon and ginger. <br />
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I pickled lemons in Moroccan way. It is actually quite easy when you get started. The most time-consuming bit is to prepare lemons by <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5972591_remove-wax-produce.html">removing their wax</a>. <a href="http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/tipsandtechniques/ht/make_lemons.htm">This recipe</a> is perfect because the jar I used can just about fit five lemons with intensive squeezing. I am not going to open the jar and compressed more juice out though, which seems to be a recipe for introducing bacteria. Hopefully, time will do the trick as <a href="http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/2007/03/04/citrus-season-pickled-lemons/">this other recipe </a>says. I did shake and flip the jar whenever I remembered.<br />
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<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-pickled-ginger-gari/">Pickling young ginger the Japanese way</a> is slightly more complex, because it involves dissolving sugar in rice vinegar over heat. When the sugar-vinegar solution meets the ginger, it magically turns into a pink/reddish color--very pretty!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-73822593212843402822012-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:002012-04-25T05:02:33.126-07:00Rest well<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4oORxUKhlhEannAzAxyfQzx_Yw6ncC6xXIISNgsrujw3wX65x8NcCu85ArNMTghVaKLBn3NeQLHXsZadUa0C2ex4D0Fl4UQewnnIz-R4Fc7P3lN6BzDbCMq4H4RmvL9JhyM1EvYhEtA/s1600/White+chry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4oORxUKhlhEannAzAxyfQzx_Yw6ncC6xXIISNgsrujw3wX65x8NcCu85ArNMTghVaKLBn3NeQLHXsZadUa0C2ex4D0Fl4UQewnnIz-R4Fc7P3lN6BzDbCMq4H4RmvL9JhyM1EvYhEtA/s320/White+chry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Winter is here, and it is getting colder every day. This morning I found a dead bird on our balcony, and it is a female <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Blackbird">Common Blackbird</a> (<i>Turdus merula</i>) just like <a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/common-blackbird-turdus-merula/female-was-perched-above-her-feeding-area">this one</a>. There is often some bird touring on our balcony, probably attracted by all the plants there; but I don't think I saw this one before.<br />
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I buried her in our community garden, under a tree. <br />
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Rest well; I am sorry I didn't get to know you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-5677663771727208382012-04-24T16:30:00.000-07:002012-04-25T04:36:51.644-07:00Citizenship test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY2Kul4JifgoQFd5CUs7MnqXBG3AG6g9vyI6BoXxaACxwJMjBtttA9I_7mMyhPUhYoFrDTl3mMkg5KemRQ8SZFL4lNVMS94TyyQZhw3BS_EvHRCC_i11acLIrIwWHNt5gQNAjUsGFb9A/s1600/coatofarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY2Kul4JifgoQFd5CUs7MnqXBG3AG6g9vyI6BoXxaACxwJMjBtttA9I_7mMyhPUhYoFrDTl3mMkg5KemRQ8SZFL4lNVMS94TyyQZhw3BS_EvHRCC_i11acLIrIwWHNt5gQNAjUsGFb9A/s1600/coatofarm.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I finally took citizenship test today, which is the last step of becoming an Australian citizen. The test was quite easy, and there was only one question that I wasn't sure about. In the end, I got all 20 questions right, using about 1/5 of the time required. It was more like a test for English rather than for knowledge, really; that being said, yesterday I did read a guidebook and prepared for the test for a couple hours.<br />
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Nothing unexpected, I should hear from the Immigration in 2~3 weeks. Then I will have to attend a ceremony in June, where I vow to become a citizen...<br />
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I do have a mixed feeling of becoming an Australian citizen, because China does not allow dual citizenship. Even though I have lived outside China for over 10 years, and every time I went back it felt more foreign to me, I still hesitated and did not move on to apply for the citizenship as soon as I could (one has to live in Australia for four years and two of which he/she was granted permanent residency). I cannot explain exactly why, apart from my par for the course laziness. But I know there is more to it; perhaps it is the education I received when growing up, the word "homeland (祖国)" still carries a lot of weight, somewhere down under...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Canberra ACT 2601, Australia-35.2819998 149.1286843-35.2949618 149.1089433 -35.2690378 149.1484253tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-56557283831326703512012-04-23T14:08:00.002-07:002012-04-25T03:56:50.923-07:00Spin like a Yo-yo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiIGqEIrLcVnHGPtAIBcaa3yJMNIB1-0p203n9HiM0quhAXjh4jnxds19qX-4Ja0zMrUxC3FvM56TMoezSaS_pz5VzTHHitn9dbY5xf3aNXa3Usqf6HmhG3viuHGoGipTNM4eAkHmLdo/s1600/dancing_hippo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiIGqEIrLcVnHGPtAIBcaa3yJMNIB1-0p203n9HiM0quhAXjh4jnxds19qX-4Ja0zMrUxC3FvM56TMoezSaS_pz5VzTHHitn9dbY5xf3aNXa3Usqf6HmhG3viuHGoGipTNM4eAkHmLdo/s320/dancing_hippo.gif" width="280" /></a>I know it is a bit challenging to imagine a hippo spinning like a Yo-yo, but that is exactly how I felt in the past 1.5 months. Most of the time I managed to do it as elegant as a ballet dancer; occasionally, however, I found myself being a clumsy figure skater, losing my balance and cracking the ice at the same time... <br />
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It was definitely a busy (and dizzy) period, so my sincere apology for those of you who has been eager to read my new posts ;). I just realized the last one was dated March 7, although it felt like not long ago. <br />
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So what kept this hippo spinning? Let's see, where should I start?<br />
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Aha, travel. Somehow I managed to travel to Melbourne three times, Sydney once and New Zealand once during this period. Even though most trips had multiple destinations, in total I spent about 3.5 weeks away from home... Surprisingly enough, I haven't picked up any flu virus yet (knock, knock...). But I wouldn't have had time to be sick anyway :( <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZulouLEaAVe2PTxGQLeK51Ma7sJ6vVmk84eVTxWtWhDg7k5uR1fu8SZFbZka4OSPWErC47beMkQZFsxD-ii1RUdaXquRvn9D8iFnn3au8SrIfGxC7MoRBCcFzZJV4_jahWK9yPZmzbE/s1600/Skating-hippo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZulouLEaAVe2PTxGQLeK51Ma7sJ6vVmk84eVTxWtWhDg7k5uR1fu8SZFbZka4OSPWErC47beMkQZFsxD-ii1RUdaXquRvn9D8iFnn3au8SrIfGxC7MoRBCcFzZJV4_jahWK9yPZmzbE/s320/Skating-hippo.jpg" width="320" /></a>I spent the majority of the 1.5 months organizing a workshop, whether on the road or at home. It was the final workshop for a research project I've been working on in the past two years, and 25 people from all over Australia attended it. I pretty much organized everything logistic for the workshop, including things as minor as printing name displays and as major as setting the agenda for the two-day workshop. I was also the contact for all the attendees, who had to come to me for their flights and accommodation. This logistic side of the workshop turned out to be very time-consuming, and I finally understood why "event organizer" could be a full-time job.<br />
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The research side of the workshop was not as demanding time-wise, but it was definitely a lot more challenging and stressful. 50% of the stress came from the fact that as the facilitator of the workshop, I was the one who had to face and react to participants' immediate responses. The other half of the stress originated from the new tools and techniques we used, including an instant <a href="http://www.turningtechnologies.com/">audience response system,</a> a Structured Decision-Making model constructed with a new software, and a spatial-explicit bioeconomic model that produced some wrong numbers the day before the workshop. <br />
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In the end, the workshop went fairly well, even though there was half an hour or so on day two, I lost most of the participants when trying to explain how to do swing weighting...oh well, something to work on in the future!<br />
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I am still recovering from the workshop and the spinning period, but I will try to blog (and back-logging) industriously at the mean time...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-66233803419399511272012-03-17T16:56:00.000-07:002012-04-28T17:24:19.520-07:00Day 2 in NZ: from Ohakune to Taupo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCn-hp5-3CPx0KpI8KfaolNfoO-j1ESK59GrKLhIxkkw058ElPz12F1sJ5TrJgzqcaGfNg9Ufmf54E5KxHS9pRv_YEO0Z30x0O4lN4Q0WkLlPFERRRZsXciqJEnD4laXHPhJM2tL5WGU/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCn-hp5-3CPx0KpI8KfaolNfoO-j1ESK59GrKLhIxkkw058ElPz12F1sJ5TrJgzqcaGfNg9Ufmf54E5KxHS9pRv_YEO0Z30x0O4lN4Q0WkLlPFERRRZsXciqJEnD4laXHPhJM2tL5WGU/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
After leaving Ohakune, we headed for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongariro_National_Park">Tongariro National Park</a> on Day 2 of our adventure in New Zealand.<br />
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We stopped for lunch at a town actually called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park,_New_Zealand">National Park</a>. Obviously hungry, only did we notice the giant kiwi sculpture on our way out. Some artist wired bunch of branches together to recreate the national symbol! Even though we did not see any kiwi in real life during our trip (Kiwi are shy and usually nocturnal. They are also endangered), their images are practically everywhere. We even sent a fluffy toy one to my mother-in-law in Israel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79BSGDKji2XCMGjwSxCL0j3Pc4p45lmG1WjPfhzoaVULgQ3FbsMYLGTNHepd9S1eljGTamvB2eLBFO-68QVmMnLfQRN33NZgWUsIorixc86z7g1bDnEa0m7-ZAKYMJA0aO27XaujRtgk/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79BSGDKji2XCMGjwSxCL0j3Pc4p45lmG1WjPfhzoaVULgQ3FbsMYLGTNHepd9S1eljGTamvB2eLBFO-68QVmMnLfQRN33NZgWUsIorixc86z7g1bDnEa0m7-ZAKYMJA0aO27XaujRtgk/s320/IMG_0269.JPG" width="320" /></a>We continued to drive northeast and visited a Maori homestead by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Rotoaira">Lake Rotoaira</a>. The Maori people lived there certainly picked a very beautiful spot to build their home: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tongariro">Mt Tongariro</a> is just on the other side of the lake. Imagine you wake up in the morning, and look out of your window and this is the view...<br />
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Technically speaking, the lake is not part of the National park because it is privately owned. But the homestead was open to the public and we saw a big group of people just packing up after their picnic. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3sinmoE5lHqan9dSdyFQsPq3vENICtebJz0SzgQGo4abNGOOXIltlwyqEqdrGX6RKMvMaO-QOJHVxpCtFY8HrS-EESyFqzwoJe2ksUPuw43dLam6p7DKk8UGi0I8gE2e5b2nvsjfGf14/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3sinmoE5lHqan9dSdyFQsPq3vENICtebJz0SzgQGo4abNGOOXIltlwyqEqdrGX6RKMvMaO-QOJHVxpCtFY8HrS-EESyFqzwoJe2ksUPuw43dLam6p7DKk8UGi0I8gE2e5b2nvsjfGf14/s320/IMG_0293.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We stayed at <a href="http://www.clearwatermotorlodge.co.nz/">Clearwater Motor Lodge </a>in Taupo for the night. The lodge is literally on the edge of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Taupo">Lake Taupo</a>, the largest lake in the country. Our room has a view of the lake and even better, we can appreciate the natural beauty of it when soaking in the jacuzzi in our room. The water in the lake in warm, or should I say, pleasantly hot to touch due to hydrothermal activities. In fact, the next morning, we saw steam floating over the water--can you see the white steam In the picture? Mr Hippo was enjoying his morning steaming treatment...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Taupo, New Zealand-38.6856924 176.0702098-39.0823339 175.4384958 -38.2890509 176.70192379999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-23347520427273181672012-03-17T13:51:00.000-07:002012-04-29T04:31:54.815-07:00Day3 in NZ: Tokaanu and Mt. Ruapehu (Part I)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnFKisFITRn3gT3LlC_Ult4iIzCYIP_sKzeThRD9AToBwzG-xLjGEYyg1qzRz8JxUmHHNwRwoM3FRm1cKul-BwWKfz5I69QXw22BDayBWnFp0_Io9s0Rm5s9mTrU7m2Nxnu8gFZjlA7Q/s1600/hotspring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnFKisFITRn3gT3LlC_Ult4iIzCYIP_sKzeThRD9AToBwzG-xLjGEYyg1qzRz8JxUmHHNwRwoM3FRm1cKul-BwWKfz5I69QXw22BDayBWnFp0_Io9s0Rm5s9mTrU7m2Nxnu8gFZjlA7Q/s320/hotspring.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Our journey continued on Day 3 and the first stop was hot springs at the tokaanu region. We took a 20 min loop walk outside <a href="http://www.nzhotpools.co.nz/hot-pools/tokaanu-thermal-pools">Tokaanu Thermal Pools</a>, and it was amazing to see steaming hot mineral ponds set in sinter basins and spluttering mud pools amidst the native bush. It is hard to tell the actual temperature of the water by just looking at the ponds, although it is obviously not a good idea to test it by sticking fingers in--some water are actively boiling, some produces steams as shown in the picture, and others emits a slight smell of sulfur. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasc_p2wY-0F1DpxzYkq2ScsVD-FPUHTZL9bdfoYO_D7balaXZ4HaLphGSUCvxglB0ROBaSCA_KtSVgm6biRjczfiJBR1EGxENQa9lgeD-u-h1G6tadEjnTqYcVexXhGsDg0ZzU3BwaD8/s1600/hotbath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasc_p2wY-0F1DpxzYkq2ScsVD-FPUHTZL9bdfoYO_D7balaXZ4HaLphGSUCvxglB0ROBaSCA_KtSVgm6biRjczfiJBR1EGxENQa9lgeD-u-h1G6tadEjnTqYcVexXhGsDg0ZzU3BwaD8/s320/hotbath.jpg" width="240" /></a>Maori people in the region has used this hydrothermal energy for hundreds of years for bathing, cooking and even dyeing of clothes, and hot thermal springs are famous for their therapeutic uses. We <a href="http://www.nzhotpools.co.nz/hot-pools/tokaanu-thermal-pools">hired a private pool</a> for 20 minutes (picture on the right--can you see Yoyo? She looked sad because she was not allowed to jump in), which is their default length of time. I suppose it is probably not a good idea to soak in hot water for much longer? After all, the temperature of the natural mineral pools is somewhere around 39~41 C. During the 40 minutes, we had to jump out several times to take a break--it reminded me of our sauna experience in Sweden...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9NhyM3OBOU4JEQ4oh21RFBpYPWTjX3UuklK-Xs8dSMDypBpxf5ZQb8Qngrcz8w20SV57oCWPxLHJGiAb4O8uhuGvKv_c3sRXBKrH_6ILT5nPFPR-wHxtMZ3a3-rb9NuAQklaVGsbBjE/s1600/IMG_0364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9NhyM3OBOU4JEQ4oh21RFBpYPWTjX3UuklK-Xs8dSMDypBpxf5ZQb8Qngrcz8w20SV57oCWPxLHJGiAb4O8uhuGvKv_c3sRXBKrH_6ILT5nPFPR-wHxtMZ3a3-rb9NuAQklaVGsbBjE/s320/IMG_0364.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
We stayed at <a href="http://www.nzhotpools.co.nz/hot-pools/tokaanu-thermal-pools">Discovery Lodge</a> for the night. The experience of staying at our studio chalet at Discovery Lodge is the best I've ever had for adventurous accomodation. Not only we had a view of Mt Ruapehu (hiding behind the clouds between the bush on the left and the tree on the right in the picture) outside our window, the room is so perfectly designed and we got everything we need in this 20 m², including a hot plate for cooking a proper dinner. <br />
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After checking in at early afternoon and having a nap, we headed to Mt.
Ruapehu for a hike in later afternoon. The hiking trip deserves a post
of its own.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Tongariro National Park, Whakapapa 2650, New Zealand-39.1947805 175.56121-39.391682 175.245353 -38.997879 175.87706699999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-52231302294307183572012-03-15T17:34:00.000-07:002012-04-27T18:50:57.925-07:00Ohakune, New Zealand<br />
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Mr Hippo and I are going to be in NZ for about 10 days. He is here <a href="http://stochastictrend.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/new-zealand.html">to attend his IPCC conference </a>and I come for a <a href="http://www.catalyze.co.uk/products/hiview">software </a>training course, both in Wellington. We scheduled three days to tour around the Northern Island before getting down to our business.<br />
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We hired a car from Wellington airport and drove all the way to Ohakune yesterday. This small town locates at the southern end of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongariro_National_Park">Tongariro National Park</a>, which we will be visiting next. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATNP_WIADdmE-TeRvoCoKUmSbYBynbwIXIOhRvuGlVk05kItpWV_JMUfrKKCTbL5lqTHFZcHhyphenhyphengYS138j44lQo__uCG919cKWqfkopE8AmixxRVvhALKzvjig-GAGNlW6CDzT32VnMXw/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATNP_WIADdmE-TeRvoCoKUmSbYBynbwIXIOhRvuGlVk05kItpWV_JMUfrKKCTbL5lqTHFZcHhyphenhyphengYS138j44lQo__uCG919cKWqfkopE8AmixxRVvhALKzvjig-GAGNlW6CDzT32VnMXw/s320/IMG_0212.JPG" width="240" /></a>Ohakune is a base for skiers because it close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ruapehu" title="Mount Ruapehu">Mount Ruapehu</a>. It is not peak skiing season, so there are not many visitors around now.<br />
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We stayed at <a href="http://www.powderhorn.co.nz/">Powderhorn Chateau</a> last night. The place is built around 1919 homestead of a family who owned a timber business, so not surprisingly, everything here seems to made of wood. The current owner managed to create a magically attractive atmosphere by combing traditional and modern elements: photos of New Zealand's
saw milling and timber era on the walls, candle-shaped lamps everywhere, and heavy wooden doors that unexpectedly opened in front of us...<br />
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Another landmark of Ohakune is the world's largest carrot on the eastern side of the town. Obviously, once upon a time, the town was famous for its production of carrots! I have to admit, the giant carrot suddenly makes me feel very homy, as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%27s_big_things">Australians are very into big things</a> as well. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvGJxSSYS3WF-o5ciM-bl9_FE7z5n53xKYgB0xI2Ii8_mCsakKR7bObIXu5L8TWcCHcaNQmBmrW7iZGdYb2BEYz0AohxllrXSKLc4XjxML3Cgr4iahqqWqPtr_2ByFQTvl-bYEjR83MQ/s1600/IMG_0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvGJxSSYS3WF-o5ciM-bl9_FE7z5n53xKYgB0xI2Ii8_mCsakKR7bObIXu5L8TWcCHcaNQmBmrW7iZGdYb2BEYz0AohxllrXSKLc4XjxML3Cgr4iahqqWqPtr_2ByFQTvl-bYEjR83MQ/s320/IMG_0241.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The sign near the big carrot fits us just perfectly, "Ohakune, where adventures begin." In the next couple of days, we are going to check out volcanoes and hot springs before heading back to Wellington.<br />
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We are also starting to pick up New Zealand accent, where they don't seem to differentiate "e" and "i." For example, they will say "ig sandwich" rather than "egg sandwich," which could be rather confusing...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Ohakune, New Zealand-39.4180401 175.3984651-39.5161751 175.2405366 -39.3199051 175.5563936tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-30845329621262217172012-03-12T14:20:00.000-07:002012-04-29T02:31:55.533-07:00An unexpected vistor to our garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCxBEYAF11qnVpFK-MCjo3cyB4pwpQBjDndeJ8mvByBRPpqjYi5Jgj1_796iwPIJjozrJcIlWFELydDAeuIRX-Kn9YjPK-LwTeGE9Oda1RxDP1knKTtaRBKwBqTQq7fLpGaPLqnyWLXk/s1600/IMG_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCxBEYAF11qnVpFK-MCjo3cyB4pwpQBjDndeJ8mvByBRPpqjYi5Jgj1_796iwPIJjozrJcIlWFELydDAeuIRX-Kn9YjPK-LwTeGE9Oda1RxDP1knKTtaRBKwBqTQq7fLpGaPLqnyWLXk/s320/IMG_0429.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I spotted the expected visitor on my basil today, when trying to snip off several leaves for salad. Mr Hippo said he had not known that there were mantis in Australia. But a quick Google search showed that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis">they were common here and even have a reputation of striking fear amongst the native Australian gecko! </a><br />
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<b>Update on April 23:</b> We found a mantis on our dinning table today! Not sure whether it was the same one. It is getting colder and colder these days and we turn heater on from time to time , so maybe he/she tried to migrate to a warmer climate? Mr Hippo carefully relocated the fella back to nature.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-4468684015739985052012-03-07T22:28:00.000-08:002012-03-11T05:33:48.978-07:00Almost perfect focaccia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts5vSDyc2S1hMdNgH-zXAtAu_J8QF7qFeiozS5MFPTMOLJ5ujT8o8oQGGysvVQrrOCCLHlQ5wE7oh9PQmLNIzhSj7YHBPTfme4xQTWv2O2YonGd4a3f2D9Zk03vb_yDcgCWOoK6wSaM0/s1600/IMG_0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts5vSDyc2S1hMdNgH-zXAtAu_J8QF7qFeiozS5MFPTMOLJ5ujT8o8oQGGysvVQrrOCCLHlQ5wE7oh9PQmLNIzhSj7YHBPTfme4xQTWv2O2YonGd4a3f2D9Zk03vb_yDcgCWOoK6wSaM0/s320/IMG_0416.JPG" width="320" /></a>I always like focaccia for several reasons. First, it is very tasty. Second, <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/health/study-scent-rosemary-make-you-smarter.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">the scent of rosemary can make you smarter</a>. Last, but not the least, not every bread still tastes nice after a day or two like focaccia does. I like to slice it, toast it, and then make a sandwich with grilled eggplant (using garlic-infused olive oil), feta cheese, and sun-dried tomato. Of course, the prerequisite is that you have some left-over of the bread at the first place. <br />
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We probably wouldn't have had any crumbles left today, if we weren't both on diet. Of the two bread I baked, the round one mysteriously disappeared even before dinner was served! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DjIHTfpUQyYhJwUbnt2vlYSuaB2TnFeZuPkFWYRE3_4Rj7u4n48fieeCU0vL7Y5bXQvts5eC13P-pS9Lun5R_ZA45x0C_WtK6vPnzQqrIelntgRNnrXo6TjUbu5WDEN24Dbd1-A0JPg/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DjIHTfpUQyYhJwUbnt2vlYSuaB2TnFeZuPkFWYRE3_4Rj7u4n48fieeCU0vL7Y5bXQvts5eC13P-pS9Lun5R_ZA45x0C_WtK6vPnzQqrIelntgRNnrXo6TjUbu5WDEN24Dbd1-A0JPg/s320/IMG_0417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have been using <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/11/05/focaccia/">this recipe</a> for baking focaccia for quite a while, and today's result is the best. My focassia is almost perfect, though it is still a bit moist in the middle when eating fresh. I am sure it won't be a problem anymore tomorrow.<br />
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The trick was to add a bit more water then the recipe says, about 30ml more. This extra amount of water resulted in two improvements. My dough was less thick, which makes it easier to spread when being poured from my mixer to baking pans (no worries if there is still unoccupied space though, during proof the dough will gradually invade empty space anyway). In addition, the extra water made the bread less dense and more puffy (hence more popular then usual...). <br />
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The other thing I did differently was to omit sprinkling salt on top of the bread--I found it was not so desirable to bite into coarse grain of salt. There is enough salt in the dough to make it tasty, and I wonder if the extra salt on the surface was only supposed to make it pretty?!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628064415285880732.post-53739181439264244612012-03-05T19:24:00.006-08:002012-03-05T19:41:09.410-08:00We might be able to swim in our garage soon!<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIl_snbA_PP5uQcyQtlkqz7ua_1o-Z3pGEe4k1TNOE7ykIbdonbH0mQRfbjv4K0-JRZkRo99jcp3VlPL5ulqjHRzg6L6G8JKJIt0FeWLavdRqFstJZAhZOS79Ln_8f5ys3NYvgvSw9hDA/s1600/wet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIl_snbA_PP5uQcyQtlkqz7ua_1o-Z3pGEe4k1TNOE7ykIbdonbH0mQRfbjv4K0-JRZkRo99jcp3VlPL5ulqjHRzg6L6G8JKJIt0FeWLavdRqFstJZAhZOS79Ln_8f5ys3NYvgvSw9hDA/s320/wet.jpg" width="320" /></a>I haven't blogged for more than two weeks, partially because I was busy with work--I was in Melbourne the week before last, but more because I don't feel like doing a thing...it has been so rainy and gloomy in Canberra and I struggle to even pull myself out of bed. </div><br />
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Never lived in a rainy area, I finally got the feeling of "<a href="http://www.idiomsite.com/undertheweather.htm">under the weather</a>" last Saturday, the fifth wet day in a row. Bad weather can certainly make me sick, and the only constructive thing I managed to accomplish on that day was to make hot chocolate for Mr Hippo and myself, twice. We did plan to go out, looking at a couple of houses, but it was too much work to keep warm and fuzzy...so stayed in.<br />
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Grown up in London area, Mr Hippo feels perfectly happy when it rains. He enjoys watching thunderstorm on our balcony and taking his umbrella out for a leisure stroll when it calms down a little. "This is just like home," he often says with a big smile on his face. "Actually it is a lot warmer," he added, in an effort to make me feel better...<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_0OTmgEje2ITI8g6WTsZ3iYFYSjFiwpteqvYc1q2o1zApaSSEVEya7sZ1GXOHYvyfF_taqde06r8Xn5o6vSRV0BHNkii-RNTjW5OTM38IZ3cAAlfAign7az3pO3LrghaX8rH869dtu4/s1600/Chocolate-hippo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_0OTmgEje2ITI8g6WTsZ3iYFYSjFiwpteqvYc1q2o1zApaSSEVEya7sZ1GXOHYvyfF_taqde06r8Xn5o6vSRV0BHNkii-RNTjW5OTM38IZ3cAAlfAign7az3pO3LrghaX8rH869dtu4/s320/Chocolate-hippo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Oh well, at least one of us is happy when it rains. Um, let me try again. At least Mr Hippo is extra happy when it rains, with an umbrella in one hand and a cup of "decadent" hot chocolate in another. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday, the sun finally appeared in the sky. The last time when it had such a seven-day-long-leave was 60 years ago! In terms of rainfall, the ACT hasn't had as much in seven days since 1950 (<a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/record-equalled-as-sun-finally-shines-20120305-1uelg.html">details</a>)! If that is not enough, <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/act/forecasts/canberra.shtml">the Bureau of Meteorology predicts</a> sodden days for Canberra in the next five days as well!!! </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this rate, we might be able to swim in our garage soon and by then Mr Hippo will be in heaven.<br />
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I am on way to get more hot chocolate... </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0