Last weekend I went to Washington DC to see the cherry blossom.  I spent Saturday at the cherry blossom festival and will post pictures of the festival later.  Sunday I came back to the area but shy away from the festival to visit museums.  Knowing I had very little time I had planned to visit the Freer Gallery of Art which is a very small museum that displayed Asian Art.  I have been looking for Vietnamese art especially ceramics.  But before I could get to Freer Museum my relative saw a standing display of the 3-D movie Deep Ocean outside the Smithsoninan National Museum of Natural History and suggested we should see the movie.  I went inside and the movie would be shown an hour later so we looked around.  As I looked at all the gigantic sharks and octupus and thought I never could get to see what I had planned some other relatives came in suggested that the group should see National Air and Space Museum.  I was free to roam around and I saw inside the Natural History Museum there was a display of orchids and butterflies. 

The display of butterflies is a live show which cost me 6 dollars while the all the museums in Washington DC is free admission.  In the middle of the floor is a large green house.  Inside the green house are many kinds of flowers which are blooming and numerous live butterflies of various species.  Inside the green house visitors experience feeling of summer because moisture was pumped into the green house, intensive lighting to create artificial sunlight, and after half an hour I felt choked with the heat and moisture although I would like to stay a little longer to take a few more pictures.  Most of the pictures are not very clear because I could not follow these butterfies.  They fluttered and when they perched they often folded their wings.

Butteflies have very short life.  After they become butterflies they can live only 2 weeks and if their wings are damaged they cannot regenerate themselves.  They are attracted to nectar but some of them need sodium therefore they land on people following the sweat.

Visitors are asked to shake loose their sweaters and handbags to avoid butterflies being trapped inside.  One butterfly landed on my sweater and I thought I did not wear perfume or lotion so the butterfly must be attracted to my sweat. 

This blue butterfly belongs to the genus Morpho one of the most beautiful butterfly species.  This kind can be found from Mexico to northern of Argentina and southern of Brazil.  The glittering bright blue of the males are not a result of pigmentation but of diffraction and light interference.  Morpho specimens are often used for making pictures and jewellery and in the past were hunted for that purpose. 

Monarch (Danaus plexippus) also known as milkweed butterfly is famous for long distance migration.  They return to South America such as Mexico in August and travel to North America in the spring.  They tend to return to the exact location after many generation. 

Gaudy commodore (Precis octavia, Nymphalidae).  In the wet season they look brighter than in the dry season.

Bướm

Ở khu vực triển lãm bướm người ta có làm một nhà kính, giữ độ ẩm và hơi ấm cùng với đèn thật sáng như một thứ ánh nắng nhân tạo.  Bên trong có rất nhiều loại hoa mà bướm rất thích, người ta cũng cắt lát những loại trái cây có vị ngọt như dưa hấu, cam để bướm hút chất ngọt.  Bướm rất nhiều loại bay khắp nơi và đậu cả lên người.  Sau khi xem xong, tất cả mọi người khách được người hướng dẫn kêu gọi phải giũ tất cả áo và xách tay để phòng hờ bướm chui vào người vào áo.

Bướm là một loại côn trùng thuộc họ Lepidoptera.  Bướm có đời sống rất ngắn ngủi từ lúc thoát xác biến thành bướm, bướm chỉ sống được hai tuần.  Bướm thường bay vào lúc ban ngày nên dễ bị nhận dạng và làm hại.  Bướm có công dụng gieo rắc phấn hoa giúp cây kết trái.  Tuy nhiên cũng có loài bướm trứng và sâu của nó có thể tàn phá mùa màng.  Bướm xuất hiện rất nhiều trong văn học và mỹ thuật nhờ hình dáng và màu sắc xinh đẹp.  Tất cả các hình bướm dưới đay chụp trong khu vực triển lãm bướm trong viện bảo tàng.

Thông thường, bướm thích mùi hương và vị ngọt của hoa và trái nhưng cũng có vài loại bướm cần chất muối mà mật hoa không có đủ vì thế bướm đậu lên người vì bị mùi mồ hôi của người hấp dẫn.

Bướm có thể bay rất xa.  Loại bướm Monarch bay từ Mexico đến Mỹ đường bay dài từ 2500 cho đến 3000 miles.

Cánh bướm xanh này thuộc họ Morpho thường thấy ở Mexico (Mễ Tây Cơ), phía Bắc của Argentina (Á Căn Đình), hay phía Nam của Brazil (Ba Tây) là một trong những loại bướm nổi tiếng đẹp nhất trên thế giới.  Màu xanh óng ả của cánh bướm không phải được cấu tạo bởi sắc tố mà do bởi nhiễu xạ và sự kết hợp của những làn sóng của ánh sáng.

Gaudy commodore (Precis octavia, Nymphalidae) Hình bên trên minh họa loại bướm vào mùa mưa.  Lúc trời khô bướm màu nâu sậm hơn.

I went to a meeting in Jersey City.  On the way back I saw a concert right in the City Square by the fountain.  These singers are performing a duet.

After a late lunch I took a walk and met this bird inside the fence.  There is a flock about dozen birds gathering on a large lot in front of a building that I was told belong to FBI, but I did not believe.

Similiarity between spring and fall

One of the bronze plates set upon the walkway around NJPAC to honor performers.

I do not know the tree's name, maybe juniper.  Anybody knows?

Saturday he took me to the charity ball his boss sponsored.  Although I did not like the idea of being among people I do not know well, I went with him.  In this stormy economy, I think we should try to show support for his boss’ cause.  It was a very fancy ball.  People dressed up marvelously.  Men wore black ties and women evening gowns.  I just wore a simple spaghetti strap, swirl pattern mixing of several very pale easter colors, spring dress.  I did not want to impress anyone and did not want to buy anything I would wear only once.  I have several evening dresses but, being a woman, I do not like to wear the same thing again even no one in this ball ever saw me in those dresses.  I could wear a little black dress but I do not think it would matter to anyone.  We won two prizes.  A basket of cosmetic which he gave to his secretary and a gift certificate of a dozen roses which I gave to the check coat girl.  I had fun dancing a few songs.  I did not realize that we were the only couple who danced the chachacha.  The band played a chacha song I did not know at first and then they flowed smoothly into the Sway.  We got some compliments from his colleagues.    

Sunday I watched the movie The Bucket List performed by Jack Nichoson and Morgan Freeman.  The two men got cancer and given only 6 months to a year.  Facing mortality they wanted to live the last part of their lives as fully as they could by doing something they have dreamed to do so but never being able to.  Money was not the issue because Jack Nichoson played a weathy man.  Morgan Freeman is a mechanics always wanted to be a history professor.  A combination of poignancy and comedy.  The movie made me question myself if I have only 6 months to live, what do I want to do.  What legacy do I leave behind?  Hmm. Maybe just this xanga which I wrote lots of junks but not enough love!  Why it is so difficult to say that we love our loved ones?  And to say sorry for the hurt I cause to certain people?  Why can’t I express the regret here for redemption?  What about writing certain stories I need to write say to ask for forgiveness? 

I just finish The White Tiger of Aravind Adiga.  It is a great book which you can read from scribd.com.  You can down load in pdf or in text.  I was curious how this debut novel of a young author could beat The Secret Scripture of Sebastian Barry.  Having read both novels I agreed the The White Tiger deserved the Booker prize for fresh point of view and its originality.  It is more engaging readers than The Secrete Scripture although I love the poetic writing of the Scripture very much.

I was planning to write a review of Catfish and Mandala but I lost interest because I already started to read another book, American Pastoral of Phillip Roth.  Reading about a star athelete is not my interest so I move to a book of Oates.  Will see if I like it or not.

Have a good day everyone.

I was a little sluggish after I ate lunch.  My company website said it was 60 degrees so I took a walk.  I took a short cut passing an empty lot I saw a pair of Canadian geese.  The flock hang around the river bank already returned home only this pair stayed behind.

These buds are ready to bloom in a couple days.  The walkway I usually took was taken today by a strike.

These maybe are police officers who work in the building next to the walkway.

I am not sure but I guess these are red spruce cones

Some cherries are blooming

Around NJPAC

I bet the man did not know that I took his picture.

This pine tree is in front of a historic house to be used as shelter for women.

The marble sculpture on the fireman insurance building which has four massise marble corinthian columns. 

This is the picture on my wall calendar.  A wine yard in Ponoma.

Deer visited my back yard.

Today is warm, around 60 degrees.  I took a walk at lunch time opposite to the usual route.  The old clock is on Broad Street opposite to the Federal building.

The dom of Federal Building.

Lampost adorns the Federal Building

I passed by two old churches on Broad Street  

The windows of an abandoned building which was once Central National Bank

I met two kids on the steps of the Federal Building.  They happily posed for me.  However, their dad looked at me disapprovingly. 

Women check each other out.  Why?

I notice other women, because they have something I admire.

Jane works in my company.  She is very pretty.  She looks very young.  Judge from her skin and her shape one may think she is in her thirty.  However if she misses an appointment with her hair stylist some of her gray hair will appear like being highlighted.  She is well dressed, always in business attires: dark color pant suits or skirt suits.  Even when she dresses down for Friday or goes to the field, she still looks very proper.  Simple but elegant, feminine but not frilly.  Her facial features are delicate.  She looks like Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve got mail.  She looks like the models in Talbots catalogue.  She works for Planning or Finance I am not sure.  She says hi back when I say hello to her.  I always secretly look for her in company function to see what she wears.  Her appearance is very eye pleasing. 

A woman often checks another woman out, but not always with admiration.  The person to be checked out may resemble to someone the checker does not like or she may bring back an unpleasant memory, or she carries an attitude, or the checker sees what she dislikes about herself.  So many reasons I can only guess.

There is an Asian woman who takes the same train with me.  She is very short, even shorter than I am.  When she sits on the bench in the waiting room her feet do not touch the ground.  She swings her legs like a little girl often does.  She makes up heavily.  Her brows are tattoed two dark brown arches, too prominent on her face the arches make her look mean.  Her skin is medium dark.   Two deep creases like a pair of parentheses cup around her bright red lips.  She likes strong color and loud patterns.  She is not heavy but her limbs are chunky.  Her wedged shoes makes her legs seem thicker and shorter.

She watches me and I watch her.  I can tell she does not like me.  I once attempted to make a small talk but she slighted me.  After that I ignore her the same way she has ignored me.  Once I saw her selling handmade crafts in an art fair with her Caucasian male companion, I browsed the art fair without acknowledging her. I do not know why she dislikes me.  Although I am quiet I do talk to people from time to time, saying hello and talking about weather.  Sometimes looking at her from distance I think she will look nicer if her make up is not too heavy. 

She always leaves the waiting room a few minutes prior the train time to stand on the platform.  Doing that can help her board the train faster although there is no need to fight for a seat because there are plenty of seats for everyone.  I, on the other hand, sleepily wait inside until the train come.  Once I stood next to her.  The train came and the man in front of me hopped on first.  I followed him then she pushed ahead of me.  Perhaps she felt entitled to board ahead of me because she waited there longer.  If you ride the train you will know the train does not always stop at the same place.  So even someone comes to the platform later but stand near the yellow line in different location may get to board the train earlier if she is near the door.

Last week, the train stopped and its door was opened right in front of me.  She was pushed me from behind, got on first and glared at me.  I was about to say excuse me but the hostility in her face made me think she might stretch her claws right into my face.  The imagination of two short Asian women holding each other hair and rolling on the ground was not very civil so I being a gracious loser said nothing and let her win.  I was a little upset and that incident bothered me a whole day.  She glared at me as if she showed her fangs.

This morning was very cold and the wind was burning. The train came into the station much faster than normal.  Perhaps the driver was not familiar with this platform.  By the time the train was able to stop it went farther than normal.  This morning I stood a little farther than the normal crowd.  The door popped open in front of me.  Life has a lot of unexpected moments.  Sometimes a careful plan did not give the planner the expected result.  Sometimes people get lucky like being able to steal a parking lot while other people waited.  As I boarded the train I thought of her being mad at me for being able getting on the train before she.  Silly like a bad kid, I felt as if I was winning a stupid game.  I thought of her glare and fangs.  I wanted to tell her: "Lady, you look like a WOLF!"

Do You Love Me?

(Tevye)
"Golde, I have decided to give Perchik permission to become engaged to our daughter, Hodel."

(Golde)
"What??? He's poor! He has nothing, absolutely nothing!"

(Tevye)
"He's a good man, Golde.
I like him. And what's more important, Hodel likes him. Hodel loves him.
So what can we do?
It's a new world... A new world. Love. Golde..."

Do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I what?

(Tevye)
Do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I love you?
With our daughters getting married
And this trouble in the town
You're upset, you're worn out
Go inside, go lie down!
Maybe it's indigestion

(Tevye)
"Golde I'm asking you a question..."

Do you love me?

(Golde)
You're a fool

(Tevye)
"I know..."

But do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I love you?
For twenty-five years I've washed your clothes
Cooked your meals, cleaned your house
Given you children, milked the cow
After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now?

(Tevye)
Golde, The first time I met you
Was on our wedding day
I was scared

(Golde)
I was shy

(Tevye)
I was nervous

(Golde)
So was I

(Tevye)
But my father and my mother
Said we'd learn to love each other
And now I'm asking, Golde
Do you love me?

(Golde)
I'm your wife

(Tevye)
"I know..."
But do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I love him?
For twenty-five years I've lived with him
Fought him, starved with him
Twenty-five years my bed is his
If that's not love, what is?

(Tevye)
Then you love me?

(Golde)
I suppose I do

(Tevye)
And I suppose I love you too

(Both)
It doesn't change a thing
But even so
After twenty-five years
It's nice to know

Song from the musical play Fiddler on the Roof

Có một buổi sáng tôi lấy xe lửa Path vào Jersey City đi họp.  Sáng hôm ấy xe lửa rất đông, tôi không có chỗ ngổi nên phải đứng.  Ngay cả đứng cũng không có chỗ.  Mọi người đứng chen chúc vào nhau, trời rất lạnh.  Trước mặt tôi là một thanh niên người da đen chừng hai mươi lăm tuổi.  Hắn có vẻ rough.  Đứng dựa vào cửa khi xe lửa đang chạy là một điều nguy hiểm nhưng hắn có vẻ bất cần.  Phía sau tôi là một đôi tình nhân người ngoại quốc, có lẽ là người Argentina hay một trong các xứ Trung Đông.  Họ ăn mặc theo kiểu Tây Phương nhưng nói chuyện với nhau bằng ngôn ngữ của họ.  Hai người rất đẹp dáng và đẹp đôi.  Cô gái người cao lớn không thua gì người thanh niên.  Anh chàng có vẻ yêu chiều cô gái cẩn thận trông chừng để cô không bị ngã.  Phía trước mặt tôi hơi xéo về tay trái có một đôi trai gái người Mỹ da đen.  Cô gái cao chừng 5ft6.  Người đàn ông cao cở 6ft.  Cả hai có vẻ là dân nghèo thành phố.  Người thanh niên trông mặt hiền lành còn cô gái nét mặt rất hung tợn.  Đầu cô trùm một cái mũ dính liền vào cổ áo, loại sweatshirt có hiệu của một đội banh.  Da cô đen nhưng không đen sậm mà có màu như tro xam xám.  Môi dầy.  Hàm răng hô bị mất một cái gần răng cửa.  Mỗi khi cô cười thấy chỗ trống giữa hàm răng.  Hai người nói chuyện với nhau rất thân mật nhưng người thanh niên đứng đắn hơn không cợt nhã lả lơi.  Cô gái thì trái lại.  Cô đầy vẻ mời mọc khiêu khích nhưng phải thú thật là cô không mấy xinh xắn hay ưa nhìn.  Cô cứ lợi dụng xe lửa lắc lư và dúi mũi mình vào môi của anh chàng như chờ đợi một cái hôn trông rất chướng.  Có lẽ cô đang yêu nên tự thấy mình rất là quyến rũ?  Tình yêu có ma lực của nó.  Nó có thể làm người ta mang nhiều ảo tưởng về chính mình.  Nhưng nếu tình yêu có thể làm người ta cảm thấy mình xinh đẹp hơn thì điều này cũng tốt.