Xiangdian Chen

New Blog

2007-10-04T01:29:00.000+08:00

Many of my friends and I rarely can open this blog on blogger for months, so I managed to launch a new one at http://emadang.spaces.live.com since July 2007. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. Thanks!

Telling a story in 5 frames

2007-04-27T01:02:00.000+08:00

A creative photographer Matt posted 5 of his very impressive photographs with an inspirational title "Beware the 5 Stages of Grief" in the group of "Telling a story in 5 frames (Visual story telling)" on flickr. Here they are:

1. Denial 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression 5. Acceptance

Then I found it funny to interprete it into a complete different story about a mum and her three kids. So I wrote:

The famiy had been having a peaceful and quiet life till the three rebel kids: red, blue and green decided to make a "Family break":

1st photo: The three kids jumped to escape
2nd photo: Only the green kept rising, the blue and red were caught by mother's gravity
3rd-4th photo: The blue was struggling till exhausted
5th photo: The mother became very angry while the green retuned...

Actually at the beginning, I thought the cup of wine could represent the earth, and the three kids would refer to some typical creatures living on the earth - that would be a real "big family" but too complex to explain in a short story.

Anyway, the simple the better.

Water Town Mosaic

2007-03-14T23:18:00.001+08:00

1. View edThrough... 2. Lying Mirror 3. Quiet Except for... 4. Sweep The River ...

Photographed at Xitang(西塘) water town in Feb,2007, with my new lens Sigma 18mm-200mm for Canon. It might open some sealed memory for travelers...

Finding Method C

2007-02-16T01:35:00.000+08:00

Below is a 6*6 matrix displayed in Shanxi Museum in Xi'An:

It was explained that's to do with an custom of architecture in ancient China: it was berried for good fortune under the ground of a new building to be built, because, the sum of the 6 numbers in every row, every column and diagonal, is the same of 111 - lucky numbers of 6 lead to another lucky number 111. The distribution of the 36 numbers seem in random like the raw materials of a building - so how to fill them in turn to "build up" such a "lucky" square?

Mr. Chen Shu Jie, my respected old classmate, told me that this is the mathematic game of filling numbers from 1 to n² into the n*n square matrix and reach the magic result: the sum in row, column and diagonal is the same of (n³+n)/2. Above, n=6, so the sum is (6³+6)/2=111.

He further explained that there are two methods he has known to fill the numbers, which are depending on whether n is an odd or even number.

If it is an odd number, n=3, for example, below is the 3*3 magic square:

Method A:
Firstly fill "1" into the middle grid of the last row, then fill "2" into the grid of "row+1" and "column+ 1", if the grid is occupied, then go to another grid of "row-1" in the same column.
Same for a 5*5 magic square:

If it's an even number, provided n=4, below is his answer:

Method B:
Firstly, fill the numbers from 1 to 16 in turn from left to right, row by row, then exchange every two numbers on the opposite grids on the diagonal, i.e, 1 and 16, 4 and 13, 6 and 11 etc.
So here is a 6x6 square accordingly:

Then by rotating or reflecting, we know other relative squares.
Now, the problem is: How was the 6*6 Matrix in Shanxi Museum made? There must exist another method? - so what is the method C??

A Quiet Christmas Eve

2006-12-26T02:33:00.000+08:00

7:30pm Saw Andre with inexplicable surprise, in an atmosphere with sort of mystery
7:40pm Went out to buy some flowers, tears almost came into my eyes for unknown reason
7:55pm Bought a bonquet of violet at the gate of Lianhua supermarket
8:10pm Received a phone call from my old classmate and talked on phone about her recent life with laugh and her dilemma in life
8:30pm Came back home and found Andre was asleep
8:40pm Turned on the Haydn's piano sonatas, set the bouquet in the big mouth vase though it doesn't show any 'ikebana"
8:42pm Read the book"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Marktwain, which I read at teenage...
10:40pm Had a simple supper with Andre discussing "bad father and good son"...
3:00am Finished reading the book, Impressed with all that happend on little Hauckleberry in mississippi...
3:10am Felt grateful for my inspirational and peaceful life in the end of this year in cups of drinks
3:45am Went to bed...

Homesick

2006-12-09T18:40:00.000+08:00

Having been out of Shanghai for near a week, now I'm in Xiamen airport, will fly back to SH late tonight, wondering if the flowers "forgot me not"(see right) at home and Mr. Cat are fine?

Well, "homesick" is not a bad "sickness" but that deep feeling of missing the original peace in life. The "home" could locate anywhere geographically but it's always together with love and mental freedom - otherwise what can be missed to be even sick?

Except for the flowers and Cat, I'm enjoying missing my mom, her sweet smiles and her hug too.
I love the feeling of "homesick".

C.A.F.E. on "Altiplan Life"

2006-01-14T14:19:00.000+08:00

C.A.F.E. is a dynamic group on flickr, it's absolutely the treasure of those who really love photographing on disucssion and communication with each other, where I was really inspired and encouraged. Here is one of the discussions about my two versions of photos "Altiplano Life" taken in Lhasa, Tibet.

1. black and white

2. color version

Samurai-style (Copy)

2006-01-08T22:24:00.000+08:00

This chart is a copy from Paul's diary between which the only difference is the direction of the arrowhead on the broken line, I turned it into 180 degrees. I feel this is more directly for me to understand the conflict immediately. ---well, my personal opinion only.

The more important is that I do appreciate this kind of imagination of from the original JT poster to this "samurai style", from cigarette to weapon...it's so cool!

With a specific situation, it may tell a long story... such as in dark forest with gleam moonlight? at the gate of a restaurant hanging with lots of long red lamps?

fd's flickrtoy -Scout

2006-01-04T02:14:00.000+08:00

This is the selected 28 photos by "Flickr Explore Dalily" from my photostream in 2005. Then I found that all of them were taken before May when I joined my current company. A coincidence or a sad fact behind? After the extreme busy working months in the second half of last year, now I miss very much the time in the mountains with adventure - am I losing my creativity or just losing time? Maybe both. Anyway, I made the choice, I have to take the full responsibilities. I'm wondering if I would start with my travel again in Aug., 2006 after I help my company for the new set-up soon this first half of year? Well, no fixed travel plan is better because "time comes soon enough" (by Albert Einstein)

Provided I'm a Little Dragon

2006-01-04T01:32:00.000+08:00

Provided I'm a little dragon, following is the summary of my year 2004 to 2005 and forecast of my year 2006 to 2010:

2004 The dragon was jumping in a pool. She was excited
2005 The dragon was swimming in a lake. She was sometimes excited.

2006-2007 The dragon is expected swimming and jumping in a river, to be free in Autumne.
2008-2009 The dragon is expected swiming and jumping in a sea, very free.
2010 The dragon is tired and expected to have a good rest in a warm forest or a hot desert far away from society...

Then, let's see where have all the time gone?....gone for social responsibility or love and friendship?? Who knows how romantic the little dragon is!

Above self-description is for new year FUN!

HAPPY 2006!