ad astra

diamond ring
Originally uploaded by c b devgun

Astronomy, a passion that dominated for years, then got buried under city lights. A spark ignited the fire again. The picture on the left is that spark. Recently, my buddies went to Anqing, China, to view the total solar eclipse. I could not. But, I did my bit to add fuel to the fire by visiting an exhibition that celebrated 400 years of Galileo. The masterpiece exhibit was one of the two only surviving telescopes, hand-crafted by the great scientist himself. There was also a fascinating collection of astrolobes. I left Philadelphia with a wish to someday learn to use those instruments.

ps: If you happen to visit Philly, you must try Tinto... truly delicious!

Graduating class

Year after year, the graduating class enjoys the song by Baz Luhrmann from 99: Everybody's Free (To wear sunscreen). Few know that it was based on the column by Mary Schmich in the Chicago Tribune in 97.

Just like the websites of summer resorts get a lot of clicks during the summer, I wonder if this video finds audience in the summer, the graduation season.