Nothing endures but change.

I find myself pretty nostalgic these days as my final days in New York fast approach. Will this be the last time I ever go over the George Washington Bridge ? Considering the traffic, that might be a good thing! I am DEFINATELY ready for a new change and having taken part in the social experiment that is New York City will always be a part of me. I have lots of family on the east coast and will certainly be back from time to time and as I look forward to life on the West Coast I see nothing but blue skies with an occasional shower or two. You know the rain makes the grass greener and yes the grass is greener on the other side. My final day of work with my current employer is on Friday and I am looking forward to a new more complex problem set to solve. Working for a fortune 500 company has its strengths and weaknesses and I am a better person having had the opportunity to study and grow in that culture.

My list of things to do before I leave next month :

1. Meet Dr Wei for dinner and talk about anything and to soak in some wisdom. (done)
2. Visit the tibetan furniture dealer. (done)
3. Visit with the priest from the parish I attended as a child. (done)
4. Goto Washington Square Park in the East Village because its the place where I spent allot of time while at university, where I graduated, where I proposed to my wife, and where I started to develop my first complex framework to understand the world around me.
5. See Nick before he starts his around the world trip. I'm proud of you and Hong Kong just might be in the cards! (done)
6. See Sam and maybe goto to Chinatown for old times sake.
7. Goto the Met and 8th street in the Village and sit in the crazy light restauraunt.

What I am looking forward to most about life on the West Coast :

1. My new job, a chance to impact a change in a new place, and an interesting problem set that I can help solve.
2. Our first house and Simmy and I being out there on our own.
   
3. Exploring the the Pacific North West - Oregon, Seattle, Nor Cal, and Vancouver.
   
4. Hiking and trekking, Mt Hood, the Oregon coast and having that balanced with urban living and the pluralism and variety of culture that I love.



5. Easy access to Asia and some new uncharted territory for Simmy and I to explore. The pictures are ones I took when we visted Thailand and the ruins in Ayutthaya .
   


6. A socially progressive place and being around people that are not always in such a rush or too busy to offer up a smile.
7. A wealth of new experiences that will awaken my senses like only a new place can.
8. Powells Bookstore seems like it has some interesting knowledge for the curious student.
9. And most importantly -- all that I don't know, and may learn on my journey.

Heraclitus said 'nothing endures but change' and I think I know what you mean. 'Everything flows, nothing stands still' - I'll see you then through the changes.

Centre for Quantum Computation

I saw this image on Oxford Centre for Quantum Computation site this morning and it made me smile. Yes it is both in state 0 and 1. Picture aside, qubit.org is a great resource on quantum computation, communications, and cryptography.
A qubit is in a superposition of both the 0 and the 1 states. Of course, measurement of the qubit will collapse this superposition and the wave function.

Tibetan Cabinet

I returned from Oregon early this morning intent on not falling asleep during the daylight hours. I was hoping to head off any jet lag I may experience with waking up for work todmorrow. I went home after the airport and caught up on my emails and payed some bills and just as my eyes started to feel heavy -- I remembered that Robert, a local Chinese furniture dealer, opens up his shop on Sunday afternoons. It has been some time since I had visited and his prices are are very affordable and he has a good variety of Chinese and Tibetan furniture. I've wanted a Tibetan cabinet for a while now and was just waiting for an excuse to drive out to Queens and for the right opportunity to present itself. Tibetan cabinet are tiny by most standards and most are barely 2 1/2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Tibetan furniture is typically hand painted with floral or animal motifs and the smaller pieces usually appeal to me and my wallet. I picked up a small end table and cabinet with a mixed floral and dragon motif. Both pieces are from Tibet and are probably from the 1970's. There is some writing on the base of the cabinet (see closue-up below)that I am assuming is in Tibetan. It doesnt look like Chinese although I do not know for sure. If anyone could translate, it would be greatly appreciated.

Leif Erickson Trail

I had a chance to explore the Leif Erickson Trail in NW Portland this week and escaping from the city to the calm of the forest in a matter of minutes was a surreal experience. Although the city is bustling below, the sounds of the forest are all you hear. It was unlike the redwood groves in northern California because of the proximity to a relatively large metropolitan area. I choose a shorter trail called Dogwood and that lead to another called Wild Cherry and after winding through the hills for a while, I found myself back on the main road leading to Thurman. I highlighted my hike in red on the adjacent map. I think I am going to like it here.