Here is a peaceful and calm lake located at the Eldorado National forest in California.  This photo was taken with my little Fuji camera. These roads (highway 88-89) are best traveled during autumn when the leaves turn red, orange and yellow. The beauty of autumn will amaze you.  Make sure to travel on Hwy 89 all the way to Emerald bay. Note: Click photo to enlarge.

From California Dept of Fish and Wildlife:

“The vegetation surrounding Red Lake is characteristic of red-fir and lodgepole-fir forest. Open slopes are dominated by sagebrush with bitterbrush and serviceberry. Forestdale Creek and the other drainages around Red Lake are lined with willows and aspen groves.

Common wildlife species include deer, coyote, jackrabbit, quail, flicker, warblers, red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, golden-mantled ground squirrel, marmot, and beaver.”

Access: The Wildlife Area can be accessed on both the north and east sides of Red Lake. The north entrance is located on State Highway 88, one mile east of Carson Pass. To enter on the east side, take Blue Lakes Road from Highway 88 to Red Vista Road.

I think it’s time to head to the beach and go fly a kite now.

“In summer I can taste the salt in the sea
There’s a kite blowing out of control on a breeze” -

The Rocket, a movie set in modern day Laos is directed by Kim Mordaunt. Mordaunt also made the 2007 documentary , which is about the unexploded cluster bombs still left in Laos.

The movie has only been shown at select film festivals around the world. And winning a few awards too. It recently won Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film’s young leading actor, Sitthiphon Disamoe, received Best Actor honors for his role as Ahlo.

The producer of The Rocket, Sylvia Wilczynski adds that “The film deals with topical themes such as a family who are displaced from their home by a hydro-electric dam development, and impoverished kids who collect those bombs.”

The Sydney Film School gives a good summary of the story:

“The Rocket is about a boy who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone around him, who leads his dysfunctional family and a couple of ragged misfits through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity-filled journey through a land scarred by the legacy of war, to prove he’s not cursed he builds a giant rocket to enter the most lucrative but dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival.”

The film was shot in Laos and Thailand and features local village people as extras. Thai casting director Tanawat Punya auditioned children in schools, markets, temples, drama and youth groups and on the streets to play Ahlo. They casted 10 year-old Sitthiphon (“Ki”) Disamoe who lived rough on the streets until he was adopted. They then cast 8 year-old Loungnam Kaosainam, who plays his friend Kia. Loungnam was born and grew up in Vientiane and is involved in a local drama group. Ahlo’s mom is played by Australian Lao actress Alice Keohavong.

I look forward to watching this movie when it gets released in the U.S.

Smithsonian announced the 2012 Photo Contest 50 finalists on March 4, 2013. Now it’s your time to vote for the Readers’ Choice Award winner. Voting will be open until March 29th at 2PM EST.

I really like this one - tiny yet strong ants holding on to the fruits and each other. And the eyes and those mandibles… yikes. Photo by Eko Adiyanto (Bekasi, Indonesia). Photographed in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia.

For a better look at more neat photos, visit Smithsonian.com and cast your vote!

The 11th annual contest is now open until November 29, 2013 at 2:00 PM EST. On a weekly basis beginning April 2, Smithsonian judges will post the best of the incoming entries to Smithsonian Retina. Finalists will be announced on March 3, 2014.

Smithsonian also notes, “This year we are also looking forward to highlighting the best photographs taken with mobile devices. Let us know that it was taken with your phone or tablet reader and show us the wonders of this new generation of photography.” So that means folks with smart phones and tablets can enter to win too.

Here’s what the judges look for in a winning photo:

“Technical quality, clarity and composition are all important, but so too is a flair for the unexpected and the ability to capture a picture-perfect moment.”

Photo Contest Prize Details

Fifty finalists will be selected, ten for each of the five categories. Smithsonian will notify the 50 finalists by February 28, 2014. Finalists’ entries will be published on the magazine’s Web site on March 4, 2014. At that time, readers can vote online for one readers’ choice winner. The Smithsonian will award eight prizes, as follows:

Grand Prize: $2,500

Category Winners:
The winners of each of the five categories will receive $500

Readers’ Choice:
The winner of the online Readers’ Choice award will receive $500

Mobile:
The best photo in any of the five categories that was taken with a mobile device will receive $500.

One cash prize per person; winners may receive additional noncash prizes. Winners must sign a release and license, declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize.

Photo from Smithsonian.

Cat lovers in London will soon have their own cat cafe.  Entrepreneur Lauren Pears, 30 years old, was able to raise more than $151,000 through project-funding website Indiegogo. She is currently looking for space and will have the cafe opened up in a few months. The cafe idea is based on the popular Japanese cat cafe.

I wonder if the coffees are served up like this?  Photo via CoffeeStencil.com

Lauren’s already found 10-15 cats from the animal shelter to staff the cafe. She’s also received 300 prospective job applicants and more are coming in each day. She plans to charge about $7 per hour for customers to enjoy coffee in the company of cats. Or in the company of other cat lovers.

Lauren will have a volunteer program so people who can’t afford the cover charge can actually come in overnight and look after the cats. For hygienic reasons, the cats are to be kept out of the kitchen.

Vienna, Austria also had their first cat cafe open up last year and it seems to be a hit among locals and tourists. Cafe Neko (”neko” means cat in Japanese). The cafe was opened by Vienna resident Takako Ishimitsu, a 47-year-old woman originally from Nagoya, Japan, who moved to Vienna some 20 years ago.

If there was a cat cafe near where I lived, I would definitely check it out. Although I already have enough cats in my life, I wouldn’t mind having coffee with a few new cats.

BBC News Report on Youtube here - Vienna cat cafe with strict no dog policy.

The Dead Sea, which is located between Jordan and Israel, is nature’s perfect health resort. And it’s Dead Sea Mud and Dead Sea salt is nature’s perfect health and beauty product.

The Dead Sea is also referred to as “The Salt Sea” and has attracted visitors for thousands of years and is also the first health resort. People flock to this special place for it’s many healing properties.

It’s especially beneficial to those with skin disorders such as psoriasis, eczema or acne. Just being wrapped in the mud is also helpful for those suffering from arthritis.

The dead sea mud has a high concentration of salts and minerals. As it evaporates each year, the salt and minerals are absorbed into the bottom of the sea.

The mud contains minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, bromine and calcium. And when applied to the skin it helps to detoxify and improve circulation.

I got this from Cleopatra’s Choice. I have used it as a face mask and really like it. It leaves my skin feeling fresh, clean and much softer. Instruction: leave on face for 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water.

I’ve seen lots of Dead Sea mud soap in the market now. Ahava, Adovia, and One With Nature all make Dead Sea mud soap. Now I think I’ll have to at least try making some myself. Just need to find the time!

Another interesting fact about the Dead Sea is that you can float in it. So no worry if you can’t swim, you’ll be just fine.

For further reading, check out Ruth’s Jordan Jubilee. This place looks like a dream vacation for me… if not for it being in the Middle East and all the chaos going on around there.

Here is the last set of photos from the SF Conservatory of Flowers. Most of these plants were found in the Aquatic room with a lily pond.

These were in bloom. The Plumeria or , or in Lao called Dok Champa.

Aquatic pond provides a view of the bottom part of the pond.

There were lots of interesting looking orchids. I’m not sure what are the official names, but these look like pitchers. Note: They are pitcher plants! The ‘Nepenthes’

Another exotic looking orchid. They almost look like seahorse.

An orchids with long petals.

More orchids.

Another interesting plant with curly leaves.   Sometimes I peel my oranges like this just so the skin would curl.

Some kind of plant that resembles a turtle!

Aquatic pond.

And these must be taro plants.

If you love plants and plan on being in SF, please check out the conservatory. It’s well worth it!

It’s been a while since I’ve been back to the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park. Not much has changed but it was still a nice visit.

The Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that contains a collection of rare plants. Design influence of Victorian architecture and built in 1878, it is the oldest wood and glass conservatory in North America.

On this particular summer day, the weather in S.F. was very chilly. The fog was hanging and the ocean breeze was strong. So imagine coming from the cold outside air into the humid and hot greenhouse.

Upon entering the potted plants room you are welcomed by this decorative statue. Reminds me of French gardens.

I have to mention it felt really small and cramp in the Conservatory. Especially on days when there are many visitors too. And this fruiting banana tree was very popular with everyone wanting a photo of it or with it.

Rare flowering plants such as this desert rose are potted in a simple terracotta pot. Other orchids and flowers were also planted in decorative urns and containers.

These would make great houseplants.

As noted by the Conservatory, “These containers include a historic urn from San Francisco’s 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, an assortment of beautiful copper containers with parrot-shaped handles from Karnataka, India, tall and slender Javanese palm pots, hand-incised ceramic pots from Burkina Faso and many, many more.”

Flowering potted tropical plant.

Fancy flowers!

If you enter from the side you’ll be greeted by colorful garden of Dahlias.

My favorite part of the Conservatory is always the aquatic plants, which I will post the photos later.

I rarely write editorial or opinion pieces. Once in a while some things are worth the mention. In this case it’s the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony.

Ever since I was a kid I loved watching the Olympics, especially the “Parade of Nations”. I loved seeing the smiling faces of people from all around the world. My favorite was always Andorra, the tiny county with a cute name that sits between France and Spain.

But most of all I looked forward to seeing the athletes from Laos. Being that our family left the country when I was only a year old, I have no real memory of the country. So it was always exciting to see our country being represented.

My mom and I was happily anticipating the entrance, only to see less than 10 seconds of airtime. Or was it less than 5 seconds? Anyway, if you blinked, you would have missed Laos. I think there were maybe 5 people walking out with the flag. But it went by so fast I couldn’t even count. That didn’t seem fair as other nations with even fewer athletes got more airtime.

This is so disappointing for a game that is meant to bring the world together. The only good part was when Bob Costas said something like, “Here is Laos, but the people pronounce it Lao with the “s” being silent.” At least he had something useful to mention.

As for the opening ceremony itself. That too was the most tedious thing ever. Robert Bianco of USA TODAY sums it up much better than me.

Maybe the British have their own humor, but the whole thing felt like a bad play you got dragged into attending. Or more similar to drinking flat soda.

Especially with dancing NHS (National Health Services) nurses and doctors. And they are suppose to be real hospital workers too. Later on I couldn’t tell if the story was related to Harry Potter or Peter Pan. Definitely nothing like the Beijing ceremony. Nothing can be better than 2,008 synchronize .

Another thing, since Laos was barely mentioned in the Parade Nations I had to go online to get more info. I found this from the UK Telegraph:

“No athlete has ever gone further than the first round of any Olympic competition.”

I know Laos has never won any medals. And I accept that.

“The country’s history in six words: Obliterated during ‘Nam. Tourists still impressed.”

And to person who is most likely trying to funny and sarcastic… well you are not funny! Let me just tell you a bit more about our country.

Tourist like Laos because Laos is still a country with many natural and beautiful landscapes. People greet each other with smiles and forgiveness is not far. The people my parent knew and left behind were some of the most generous and kind people they ever met.

It’s true that Laos was heavily bomb, but we were not “obliterated”. The “secret” bombings were done high up in the mountains near the Vietnam border. Our capital city was unharmed. Maybe you need to remember what happened to England in World War II:

“Between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941 there were major raids (attacks in which more than 100 tonnes of high explosives were dropped) on 16 British cities: London was attacked 71 times London. Bombs were dropped by the Luftwaffe for 57 consecutive nights. More than one million London houses were destroyed or damaged, and more than 40,000 civilians were killed, almost half of them in London.”

Thankfully England persevered despite the bombings. And the war was over, the Germans lost. Still many people were killed.

Laos may be a small country but it is growing in it’s own way. And many Laotians are now scattered around the globe because of the Vietnam War. A war that our country did not want to be in. We wanted to remain neutral, but no thanks to the U.S.

Now the country still has “bombies” that are still left buried in the mountains. But I am not one to live in the past. And I hope to see the day when people from all over the world can live in peace. Because when we are up in space, looking down on Earth, we can see that we all belong to one planet.

Side note: Even if I don’t find the current Lao flag very appealing, at least the Lao athletes are proud to be Laotians and took the effort to participate in the Olympics. At least be nice enough to give them some airtime. I am so disappointed at this point, I don’t even care to hear about anything related to the Olympic.

Since the beginning of this year, strange things have been happening in nature. From birds falling off the sky to dolphins found dead on Peruvian beaches.

Photo by Susan Scott, 2012 Hawaii News Now

In Hawaii this week, strange purple little creatures have been found washed ashore along sandy beaches. They’ve been getting reports of the pea-sized crabs from Kahala to Ala Moana.

Beach goers describe it like little purple berries that look good enough to eat. Of the thousands of little purple crabs washed up in the surf, many of them are dead. Some that are alive are being kept to study at Waikiki Aquarium.

Norton Chan, a biologist at Waikiki Aquarium think they are some type of crabs still in the larvae stage. Scientist still aren’t sure what type of crab since they’ve never seen anything like it. Waikiki Aquarium officials are saving some and hoping to keep them alive long enough to see how they grow. Maybe they will grow to be big purple crabs.

And exactly what caused them to wash ashore is a mystery. Dr. Andrew Rossiter, director of thinks it “Could be storms although we haven’t had any, it could be a flux of warm or cold water coming in but I don’t have any signs of that either. It could be some kind of pollution, but if it was pollution it would have affected other species as well. So we really don’t know,”

Another possible reason, a biologist with the Department of Land and Natural Resources speculates that when the seas get rough, air bubbles can get caught in the crab’s carapace (shell) and they cannot dive so they get caught in the tides and wash up on shore.

Poor little baby crabs, makes me wonder if this has anything to do with last year’s nuclear disaster in Japan. Whatever the reason, it goes to show we have to take good care of our ocean. There are many neat life forms and gems that we have yet to come across. So let’s hope we can keep it clean and pristine.