Month: November 2021

Hi Everyone, welcome back to another entry of Astronomer in Shanghai. I hope that you are all enjoying lovely fall weather (fall weather is a little different in Shanghai) and that you are looking forward to having a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. As you read this, I hope that all of you, your family, and your friends continue to stay safe and healthy. If you have children, I hope that you’ve been able to get them vaccinated and if you’re eligible, I hope that you’ve been able to get your covid-19 booster shot, as well.

From observing as part of DESI to the Kehilat Shanghai retreat, his has been a very busy and eventful month, so there’s a lot of fun and interesting things to share with you!

Astronomy in Shanghai

I’m still working on 5 different projects (all moving at varying speeds). My DES paper on the evolution of the Stellar Mass – Halo Mass relation should be resubmitted to the Astrophysical Journal referee soon, so hopefully that process with be successful. I’m also making headway on some of my other projects, most notably, my work on different halo mass proxies and the Luminosity Function analysis. So, I hope to have some interesting updates on those in future entries as well.

The main Astronomy highlight of this past month was that I got to do remote observing for DESI (the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument)! Unlike Emmet, this was my first time doing remote observing. For those non-Astronomers, remote observing means that I was looking at the telescope controls, monitoring the data, checking weather conditions throughout the night. All things that can be done remotely without actually being on site (which is why SJTU has made a big emphasis on post-doc and graduate student participation). I was acting in the role of data quality scientist (another Astronomer onsite was in charge of operating the telescope, which is located at Kitt Peak, in Arizona). For 4 days at the end of October/beginning of November, I was on duty. The benefit of being in China is that instead of it being in the middle of the night, my shift ran from 9am – 3pm (with a planning meeting at 7am). So, it was definitely less tiring than my observing runs back in the US. 🙂 Overall, it was a really cool experience! Below you can see some of the different computer screens that I was looking at, including the night sky viewer (it was dark time, when the moon wasn’t out, so you can see the Milky Way) and read noise display. I was also on communication with the other Astronomer on Zoom the entire time.

And yes, that is my cat-friend Solo, who joined me for observing (more on that later)! 🙂 Prior to this opportunity, I didn’t have much experience taking spectroscopic data, so it was really neat looking at the data and provided me with a much better sense of the DESI observing process. I’m already signed up to do it again in March! 🙂

In addition to observing, this past weekend, there was a partial lunar eclipse. Thankfully, it was clear in Shanghai and we had a spectacular view of the moon!

I hope some of you were also able to see it around the world as well!

Life in Shanghai

Although my Astronomy research has unsurprisingly been occupying almost all of my time (that’s what happens when you’re working on 5 projects with collaborators in both China and the US), I still make time for myself. I’ve continued going to F45 ~4 times per week and then running ~2 times per week. It’s now getting cool enough (mid 60’s most days), that I can run very comfortably in Shanghai so I’m working that back into my routine as well. I’ve also made time for some fun activities, as well.

Last weekend, my friend Hannah Maia and I made Cranberry relish. Although not jam, this is one of her family traditions that she makes every year. It’s a mix of cranberries, applies, brown sugar, raisins, and walnuts, which makes for a very tasty and sweet cranberry spread!

Since I was doing remote observing during Halloween, I didn’t go to any Halloween parties that weekend. For those of you who are curious, Halloween does happen in Shanghai, entirely because of the large expat communities. There are some decorations up at restaurants and one of my favorite import stores was even selling cute pumpkins, that I had to get! The two Halloween events that I went to were our Halloween themed trivia night, with rounds including Name that Superhero and Superhero Origin stories and Moishe House’s Halloween cookie decorating. You can see my two cookies below!

This past weekend, I also attended another anti-racism discussion led by my friend Clem. It was a really interesting discussion, as always. This time the participants were much more diverse (globally), so I really appreciated hearing everyone’s perspective about racism and the systematic inequalities that exist in countries other than the US. With the continued turmoil in the US surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial and the trial of the three men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery, I think that it continues to be paramount that all of us try to be better human beings and make our world a more just and equitable society.

Though not related to anti-racism, the venue featured some really awesome art by black artists living in China!

One of the other highlights of this month was that I had a return visit from Solo! During the days surrounding my remote observing run, my friend Anton had a work trip, so I got to have Solo stay with me again! Having already spent so much time at my apartment, Solo adjusted incredibly quickly and returned to all of his favorite spots (though I don’t think he was a fan of the monitor I brought to my apartment for remote observing) since it was blocking his view out my window.

He’s such an adorable cat! Plus, he made it a lot more fun to sit in front of my computer for 4 straight days!

Additionally, I saw a lot of other cute cats and my favorite dog, Pina!

However, even with Halloween, the most truly bizarre thing that I have ever seen in Shanghai (and very possibly in my life) was on one Friday night a few weeks ago when I saw a woman walking her llama!!! I at first did a double take assuming that it was a big dog, like Pina. However, I was stunned to see that it was a llama. I didn’t realize that anyone had a llama as a pet and I was not the only person stopping to take photos of it.

In addition to all the cute (and interesting) animals, I also saw a lot of other really cool things that I wanted to share with you. To first follow Emmet’s example from his blog, I’ll start by showing you a bunch of the cool anime and comics things that I saw. Some of these are out in the wild and the rest are from the XII toy store that I visited this weekend.

And now some photos of other cool things in Shanghai!

As well as some gorgeous photos of Shanghai. A lot of the ones at night are on the SJTU campus. I love the way the clouds and the moon look!

Food in Shanghai

I’ve mentioned this before, but my absolute favorite street food is a Jianbing. Jianbing are similar to crepes filled with a thin layer of egg then sauce and veggies. However, Just Egg, a vegan egg substitute has been partnering with local Jianbing sellers, which was when I first tried them (since I don’t eat eggs). I’ve been a big fan of Jianbing ever since! Below, you can see the process of how they’re made. First the dough is spread, then a thin layer of egg is added. After that, veggies and a cracker are added. I had potato shreds, scallions, and tofu skins. After that it’s folded and cut in half! Plus I was even able to ask for the price in Chinese! Even though my mandarin still isn’t very good, I always try to use it when I can (and resort to google translate when I fail).

Jianbing makes for a delicious lunch and special thanks to my Mom for encouraging me to get one to celebrate her birthday in October (Happy Birthday Mom)!

Additionally, during the past month, I got lunch at a new vegan restaurant with one of my friends! We got seasonal vegetables, ma po tofu, vegetable tempura, and a make your own wrapper with pickled veggies and fried mushrooms!

Overall, this was a really delicious meal! I’ll definitely be back for a return visit!

Jewish Life in Shanghai

The main highlight of this month was the Kehilat Shanghai retreat! At the beginning of November (it’s still warm enough in Shanghai in November to do outdoor activities 🙂 ), a group of ~ 25 members of the Kehilat Shanghai community spent the weekend at the Shanghai Yacht Club, which is located at a lake on the outskirts of Shanghai. We did all kinds of community and team building activities from Jewish rituals, to discussions, to fun outdoor activities! This was the first real trip that I’ve had (for those of your concerned, I have taken breaks from work, just ones that I stayed at home) since my trip to Harbin! Overall, it was a lot of fun and my friend Ha did a fantastic job organizing such a fun trip. Below you can see photos from some of the highlights.

On the first night of the retreat, Friday, we began by doing the Shabbat blessings and then I lead some songs (special thanks to my Dad for sharing some of his favorites with me). After that we grilled up a bunch of delicious food (lots of veggies and tofu for me to enjoy)!

The benefit of being at the Shanghai Yacht club was that it allowed us to do a lot of fun outdoor activities on the water. Though we weren’t able to go swimming (a little to cold for that). We did get to go canoeing, which was a blast! You can see the different bridges and beautiful trees that we were canoeing around. It’s been a long time since I’ve done any kind of rowing, so it was a little difficult to steer and control the boat at first, but after a while I was able to get the hang of it!

The other really awesome activity that we did was dragon boat racing!! For those of you who are unfamiliar, dragon boats are somewhat similar to crew boats. However, you sit side by side with another person. A full boat seats ~ 20 rowers (each responsible for a single side). In addition to the coxswain, who actually steers the boat, there’s a drummer at the head of the boat who sets the pacing. If you recall, I was unable to watch the dragon boat racing during this past years dragon boat festival, so I was super excited for this! As you can see the dragon boats themselves are really cool to look at! However, I will admit that dragon boat racing is really hard. You use a lot of pull from your legs, which I didn’t expect and my right arm was pretty tired afterwards. However, even though it was hard work, and my team lost, it was great fun and definitely something I’d love to do again!

In addition to the two fun water activities (done on Saturday and Sunday, respectively), we also did other enjoyable activities. During the day on Saturday, the adults had a fascinating discussion on Jewish history (particularly with relation to different geographic parts of Israel) as well as a discussion on how we can engage with Judaism as a community in our world today. Later that evening, I led a lovely Havdalah and then we ended the night with a bonfire and more campfire songs!

Below are a variety of photos from the Shanghai Yacht Club grounds, which are absolutely gorgeous, especially in the sunlight. It was really nice waking up each morning and walking by the water, seeing the waves, and feeling the cool breeze. Though parts of the marina (not a lot of photos of that) reminded me of Saratoga Lake, seeing the pagodas and other architectural marvels brought me right back to China.

Overall, it was wonderful to escape from work and downtown Shanghai for a few days and spend the weekend in nature. Getting out of the city every few months is definitely something I need to try to do more of. It was such a wonderful experience getting to spend more time with different members of the Kehilat Shanghai Community. I’m so glad that I was able to participate and look forward to our next retreat!

On top of all the fun at the retreat, we also had all our other regular Kehilat Shanghai events (which I sadly forgot to take pictures at). However, I’ve continued to enjoy leading the monthly Community Shabbat services. Plus, in an effort to be more green, we’ve decided to no longer get utensils (when we order food) and instead got sets of reusable silverware that we can use at Community and Family Shabbats! Glad that we’re trying to Green!

I hope that you all enjoyed hearing about my observing run, seeing more of Solo, and seeing the highlights from the Kehilat Shanghai retreat and my many other photos. This upcoming month we have both Thanksgiving and Channukkah celebrations. So, I wish all of you a healthy, happy, and safe Thanksgiving. Even amidst some of the chaos of 2021, I hope that you, like me, have a lot to be thankful for. Additionally, for those of you who celebrate Channukkah, I hope that you enjoy the festival and are able to indulge in some delicious latkes! I know I’ll have a lot of fun stuff (and hopefully some Astronomy news) to share with you next time and I hope you all continue to stay safe, happy, and healthy!

In peace,

Jesse

Trivia

Superhero/villain Origins

ž1). In the original origin of this character, done by William Marston, this hero was brought to life when her mother sculpted her out of clay.
2). In this manga/anime, young hero Izuku Midoriya, gains his quirk, his superpower, when his idol All Might gifts him his own powers.
3). This villain/anti-hero’s tragic origins include being imprisoned in a concentration camp for being a Jew.  Later using his powers to free himself.
4). žOne of Aquaman’s greatest enemies is this villain, who swore revenge upon a young Arthur for killing his father, while his father was robbing an ocean vessel. 
5). This group of heroes gained their powers while being exposed to cosmic radiation in a space mission that ended disastrously. 
6). žThe alter ego of this version of the Flash gained his powers when he was struck by a bolt of lightning and doused with chemicals when he was visiting the lab of Barry Allen. 
7). žThis anti-hero and veteran’s violent war on crime was sparked by the tragic murder of his wife and children.
8). One of the versions of this villain is Basil Karlo, a B-list actor, who began abusing an industrial makeup, that ultimately transformed him, after being disfigured in a car accident. 
9). žThese two mutant brothers who lost their parents during a plane crash, were saved by the activation of their mutant powers.  Later on, these brothers would both become leaders of the X-Menž.
10). žIn the Watchmen Universe, scientist Dr. Jonathan Osterman, become this all-powerful cosmic deity, following a nuclear accident. 

Answers: 1). Wonder Woman 2). My Hero Academia 3). Magneto 4). Black Manta 5). The Fantastic Four 6). Wally West 7). The Punisher 8). Clay Face 9). Cyclops and Havok 10). Doctor Manhattan