止渴

你是不是已經猜到我會寫這樣的一個post.
沒有得每朝游水對病人side of me 好痛苦。每天香港的新聞也令我們很痛苦。
雖然昨天三十幾度，雖然今天烏雲密布，但我還是出去跑個步吧，那樣子會較好，post 完就去。
一陣回來繼續畫練泥的步騷。
我見好多人都時常在IG story做別人的樹洞，可能現在的人都很需要。
這個夏天可能只能看住swimming poster 望梅止渴，在仍然開業的見山和我的etsy store 都有得買。
我一定要大大聲說出來。說出來之後可能會好一點。

玫瑰

Midnight in the city of Victoria
"Rounding the corner towards Hongkong will be seen some of the forts which have been planned on a scale of thoroughness little dreamed of to protect Hongkong in time of need. These are appropriately known as the Belcher forts. Green Island is picture worthy of any film. Here there is a lighthouse directing the course for incoming steamers and on top of its sugar-loaf fern-covered heights is a signalling station.The only inhabitant is the light-keeper and he is "King" of a territory the whole of which can be viewed from its summit. In front of the nearly violin shaped opal green sheet of water known as Pokfulam reservoir...“ (Information for travellers landing at Hong Kong, c.1921)
During first wave, we missed the pool. (But we found the sea)During third wave, sea swimming became illegal. (But we found the ceramics pipe)I was forced to exercise in my beautiful neighbourhood.It is a place of fascinating history, some houses here stood through the wars, they all have names - the ellenbud, alberose, or the bethanie chapel, the Stone Manor. Of course the old village of pokfulam, and the oldest reservoir of Hong Kong too.I spent a lot of time looking into the history of one of the houses in the past, when I was still working in architectural conservation.The house owners, used to be the manager of a silverware trading shop in Central.
they had 4 kids.There were more than one diaries that mentioned them, Maman Rosie in particular, and how they took in people at the house during second world war, also memories of the Japanese tying them up, then searched the house.
.I was only drawing the ceramics pipes for @hongkongdragonkiln yesterday, and I saw one this morning! I screamed.

莘堯

陳莘堯小姐，你究竟是一個什麼的怪人。
她就是那種抬頭望樹，枝椏間有一張鬼臉的小魔怪。那種，連屋企個厠所都係靚嘅嗰種人。
雖然她是小魔怪，但又年復一年，日復一日的在經營一家漂亮的小書店。你要知道在香港做書店是多困難的事，就算沒有什麼什麼惡法，本來做作者，出版社，小書店就是一件..... 怎麼說，傻事。
好多人不知道那間大樹下，白雪雪，兩層高的見山書店是有成二十個店長的，是一件超可愛嘅事。
好多人不知道，見山才是消量冠軍的書店，不是什麼商務誠品（不只我說㗎）
雖然蛇姐姐（就是以上所說那位陳小姐）會坐在地上吃叉雞飯，但也跟很多有名的人好好朋友，也會做好多很有趣，引人思考的讀書會，他們跟茶家的市集是最美麗的。
雖然她跟很多有名的大大師好熟，但對啲年青人都是同樣地深愛，用心的聆聽，不過，她不像媽媽那種vibe, 她像是一個中學嘅女同學，一齊去攪鬼那種。(ok, 只有我同佢一齊搗亂maybe)
他們也不是得個靚字那種小店，反而該說，他們暗中其實係超級熱愛文學那種，只不過湊巧也靚，去郊野公園野餐會帶白色桌布，會在大樹下吃大排檔喝香檳那種。
事實上蛇姐姐好像武俠小說裹的人，她身邊的人都是好可愛的，大概只有她是魔怪，maybe 還有我。完。
題外話，編輯梁先生，我哋找你一齊食日本菜很久了，等到現在兩人限聚令都出現了，你真的要我用一篇日文文章跟你交換一餐飯嗎？
P.P.S 其他店長，愛哭表哥及所有這裹認識的朋友，我們都愛你啊。
P.P.P.S 那有咁長氣嘅人 - 你還是不要跟我比拼扒樹。
沒有見山..... Everything would not have been the same you know 超級眼熱呀（通常其他人在這裹就會加一個粗口字）

大嶼

このウイルスがどのように終了するかは想像できない。特に貧しい国ではやめにくい。
伝えたいことが沢山ありますが、日本語が苦手なのでゆっくり返答している。ごめんなさい。みーちゃんはいつも私の日本語を訂正しますね：P
私は本当に日本語をもう一度学ぶ必要があります。

香港はとても天気がよく、暑いです。前、日本人は、時々外国人を歓迎しないと言ったことを覚えていますか？
香港の村でも時々起こります。 最近は小さな島まつりをやっていたい。 （瀬戸内海に似ていますが、実際は同じではない）

香港では、今年は、とても面白いアーと祭りが始めるよ。でも、もし10月も、コロナがあるは、始めるかどうか、わからないよ。瀬戸内海見たいのアート祭り。香港もたくさん綺麗小さい島がある。でも、政府はよくその島をdevelopしたい、とても悪いのプラン「明日大嶼」「明日のランタオビジョン」と銘打ちランタオ島の東側に１７００ヘクタールの人工島を建設する構想が盛り込まれた環境破壊や莫大な投資への懸念を示した・香港が8.8兆円をかけて世界最大の人工島建設したい。そのところで、香港の若い方は、アーと祭りをスターした。とても小さいと、短いフェスタです、でもわたしも楽しみ。
島のひとつはとてもきれいです、祭りの規模が小さくて3日間だけなのに、地元の村は人が来るのを望んでいないそう。
私たちが一緒に行った書店思いますか。その本屋さんSharonととても良い友達になった。彼女はとても特別な人です。
コロナウイルスとニュースはどちらもクレイジーです。
国家安全法と中国の国家反逆罪、中国国外にいる外国人も対象にしている、実はとてもおかしい -_-"
多くの人が香港を離れたいと思っていますが、同時に、最後まで物事がどうなるかはわかりません。
絵本と木の実の美術館での新しい展示派なんですか。
友たちと、来年の越後妻有の提案をしているが、私たちを選ぶとは思いない（笑）。

芝麻

*It couldn't be only me that feel touched right" 
(English version of my previous post) 
(This is for self-record purpose, but ok, read till the film twist at the very end) 
I was a little sad, as I wasn't sure whether I was the only one on earth who feels excited about all this. 

My editor said good children book isn't meant to teach kids this and that, but to be able to stand shorter, at kids' height, and even for very difficult issues, be able to find an angle where they'd be interested in. 

I feel like it's the same for advocacy/art - how to touch people. 

Remember I mentioned the Inter-Island Festival that'd take place in October, it's connected by the "Inter-island ferry line" in Hong Kong, that ONLY goes between Mui Wo, Peng Chau, Sesame bay & Cheung Chau. 

The curator (three neighbours at Peng Chau) has always wanted to do a little festival around island life, he only knew about the inter island ferries after moving there, the ferries are older, the passengers were few, but he emphasised, that the view around this part of Hong Kong's sea, is extremely beautiful. 
And now haunted by all the "Lantau, Tomorrow" plans (the most absurd expensive, manmade islands on EARTH) (which nobody in HK supports) He said frankly, "seeing how brutal the way govt insist pushing this development plan, made him think it's time to act and start the festival" 

They received MANY proposals for the festival. (So proud!) 
So ytd, we went to 1 of the 4 sites together, took two ferry rides, visited the Buffalo auntie. 

She started rescuing buffalos, because people dumped her a three legged, wounded one to take care of, they said they'd support her, come back in a week, but they disappeared since then. So she had to learn from the scratch, from washing wound, to what to feed. Through this buffalo, she met many other buffalos. (and the decade long fight with AFCD vets LOL) 

I learnt that they have considered cancelling this site from the festival, i was SO SHOCKED that i almost cried. Among the four places, to me this is the most worthy one to share. 

It is beautiful in itself. 
The other three are already well-known. 
It has strong multifaceted history stories. 
Even the buffalo stories are worthy to share.
There used to be a refugee camp there. And now an abandoned prison.

Of course we don't want to turn it into a very touristy place, but if we never talk about this, then one day, this place might be erased from the map forever, nobody would notice.

About this project/festival, i immediately called one of my friend, who's supported a lot of animal rescue, farming, art, publishing projects in Hong Kong.

I was so excited, telling her that I would like to do something here at the three days festival, drawing the 22 buffalos, creating a local map with visitors; and selling vegan sesame ice cream under the tree.

And then, she told me......
"That little house, right next to the tree, was my grandpa's home, it still is owned by our family"
Buffalo auntie, is her real auntie.
Her grandpa used to be the village chief of this tiny village.
She had real fond memory of the place "Whenever we visited our grandpa, we would climb onto a stranded fishing boat, and pretend to be pirates, thinking back it's quite dangerous, or maybe it seemed bigger only cuz we were kids, we used to call it the haunted boat"

"My grandpa loveddd cats, he fed the cats with newly caught sea fish, but he eats canned fish himself"
On retrospect, perhaps sea fish was the cheaper option, back in those days, just put your hands into the water, and you get them.

And i thought, Hong Kong is so big, this village is so small perhaps only 10 people lives there now, and I only told 10 people about this. She's one of them, and she happened to be from this village. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!

The now abandoned prison at this same site, used to be a closed-off refugee camp, between 1975 and 2000, a total of 223,302 Vietnamese asylum seekers passed through Hong Kong.
It’s a history that is complex, difficult and astonishingly overlooked.
Back then, with fewer countries accepting them as refugees, the HK govtadopted a policy it called “humane deterrence.” Starting in the summer of 1982, all new arrivals were placed in one of three closed camps. Ringed by barbed wire and patrolled by guards from Hong Kong’s prison service, these were essentially maximum-security penitentiaries, only their inmates were not convicted criminals, they were ordinary people, including families and children.

But it reminded me that once, the man next to me on the plane to Tokyo started talking to me, he is gwai lo but speaks fluent cantonese.
He originally intended to go to Beijing as exchange student at 1989, but all student visas were cancelled.
He ended up working for Vietnanese refugees in Hong Kong for UNHCR, he now lives in Lantau, maybe i shd reconnect with him.

雲圖

謝謝上天，派了他們來我的生命 - 喵喵小虎、Rosie, 小草。
每個夏天我都會想起 LAP 第一次打電話給我那天，問我可否暫託一胎可能即將會死的小貓。是兩個颱風之間，三隻濕透了，瀕死但被人困在室外的一個籠中的貓BB，要找個地方過夜，否則怕捱不過那天了。
最後只有我家喵喵沒死，弟弟經過很多天在醫院，最後也要PTS，我和喵喵也有陪住他的弟弟安樂死，那時我家喵喵死要想排往弟弟那裹。
後來我就成為了這個機構，專門負責打電話找人做狗狗暫託家庭的義工（這裹全部人都是義工）真的很辛苦呢，我常常說不想再做，因為總是好last minute, 有人突然要放棄自己的狗狗，有人突然在街上找到狗，這一刻就要找個暫託家庭讓他有地方去，有時他們是滿身跳蚤、有傳染性皮膚病；或者就是充滿未知。但每次看看我家的貓狗，腳子跛跛的Rosie、唐貓貓喵、害羞的小草，想想若果當天有人懶了，沒有救他們.... 所以還是繼續做這個工作。
我家貓貓病了很久，自從Rosie 離開至今，一直未真正好起來，希望他只是不開心，慢慢會好起來吧（有看過獸醫驗過身食過藥等等了）
昨天寫到大嶼山水牛的故事，我知道實在太長了，但也很想大家可以讀。這些都是很有靈性很溫純的動物。
也每天心裹面也謝謝好朋友，在各地方認識的人，愛我和我愛的。
近日天色很好，怎麼說，不只是藍天白雲而已，直情很空氣清澈得像北歐一樣（不過三十四五度）家寶今朝問我做乜近日香港人咁鍾意影個天，成個面書都係，我話因為靚呀。
記得三四月大家去游海時，都說水清得前所未有咁清，還天天跟海豚游水嗎？現在天空version.
大家都說，為什麼每次總是lockdown 天空才這麼清？係囉，點解嘅。
今天跟別的日子一樣，做好了一些東西，但還有好多東西未畫 :P
小草，那個很抵人錫的驚青妹，有時在她不為意時摸她，她依然會急急跑走，縮起，真是可憐的。希望他們都感受到安全和愛吧。

七月

昨晚跟卓姿談電話，她告訴我在香港孤兒的情況。她跟他們做藝術治療，也告訴我有些孩子在家舍的難處。我家舅父以前也是做家舍「父母」的。發現身邊有幾個朋友都有興趣成為人類的暫託家庭。真好。
她想找我一起做一個project, 當然好啦，但說真的，cold call 參加嘅成功率真係十分低，但我哋都會試㗎。
又令我想起另一件事，就係kit 之前找我做香港的船到橋頭生活節，是一個香港小島的藝術祭.
芝麻灣、坪洲、長洲、梅窩。
由他問我那刻我已經很想做，只係想不到一個好題目，but it has always been on my mind。當然一直想做坪洲，但又過晒deadline了，總之，今早我跟kit 說我終於想好了，他說他們已經到selection尾聲，所以坦白說機會好細，不過碾轉傾談後，可能現在有機會了！
他給我的那張相太漂亮了。
我就立刻做了一份proposal - 是認真的啊。
另有人問我做另一個類似社區地圖嘅小project。

今天的海和天都好美。
我已經遲了幾天未punch 另一邊的medical device, so insane.

今日又有兩個人問我可唔可以幫佢畫一啲private commission嘅小畫.... 還有另外兩個我未畫的。
又見到一年前畫嘅小松隊poster, 又有新嘅seminar喇。
有一隻貓仔慘死了；有朋友有好怪嘅感情問題；有好多狗狗要找foster。
今天還印好了兩大幅大嘅canvas 畫，係兩個客人訂製的。

我哋龍窯本書用了三天就達到眾籌目標了，但其實我哋最想唔係要多啲錢，係多啲人覺得they are part of it. 畫呢本書都幾唔容易，因為好多嘢好niche, 網上無reference.

也畫了一點花園大廈啦，一面聽了有趣嘅podcast.
有人要做抗疫包，叫我幫佢畫illustration. 聖雅各做智障人士生死教育嘅朋友也打電話給我，要畫多兩幅畫在app用。

其實我長期處於覺得自己係唔會做得晒自己啲嘢嘅狀態.... 如果唔係今年covid 19 我唔知點可以死到咁多嘢出嚟，上半年，畫好了南豐紗廠本來春季要用的社區地圖，深水埗地圖，教了六堂繪本課，完成了兩本繪本，畫咗兩本（係兩本）跟智障人士解釋生死嘅書，開始了畫龍窯。
每天當然都要幫小狗找暫託家庭等等等啦。
唔寫低我怕自己忙了什麼。

砵甸

前天畫過龍躍徑終點 - 大浪灣，昨天就畫起點- 小西灣；真巧合呀。
Dragon Back 咁出名，其實呢條沿海嘅trail 都好靚㗎，仲好易行添。
我爸媽有朋友以前住大浪灣，每天行路出去小西灣揸的士！
又記得有人說自己以前住香港仔，每天攀山經灣仔峽到灣仔工作，oh maan, 怪不得以前啲人唔使做Gym.

昨天早上畫砵甸乍山 (pottinger peak) 望出去的風景，想起香港第一任港督砵甸乍，以前我哋office 其中一個restoration project  係中環嘅French Mission Building, 而FMB前身曾經係佢屋企。
當時做呢個project, 差啲要借啲意飛去英國Public Record Office 同埋法國Société des Missions étrangères de Paris 個Archive 搵資料。外方傳教會在法國有好完整的檔案庫，存有當年香港神父跟法國總部的書信。

他住在炮台里的紅磚屋（現在長江中心後面，成日塞車都會見到㗎呢）時，曾經被打劫，所以決定要成立警隊。
又想起當時地庫係酒窖，據說外方傳教會投資有道，他們在香港的建築物全都有好大個地下酒窖。
講咁耐幅畫根本唔係畫嗰度，係維多利亞港嘅東邊入口，小西灣同埋對面嘅將軍澳。
聽說小西灣以前是英國情報中心，是遠東最大規模的情報中心，八十年代後才變成一個住宅區。

幅畫係有人特別訂製，送給即將離開香港的朋友的。這是他們家後的行山徑，充滿一起共渡過的許多愉快回憶，相信他離開香港後都會「掛住」香港。

順便post 了咁多張以前份工嘅相，你知嘛，以前份工是修復古蹟，成日去啲荒廢咗好耐嘅建築物，又多cockroach 又熱又多蚤，但還是我真心喜歡的工作。雖然離開了那份工，後來在動物機構當義工，每次new intake 還是又熱又多蚤 :P

心地

You know I don’t have work pressure from drawing right, but sometimes I want to cry when there are too many dogs asking for help. 

Sometimes our centre is in full capacity or has issues where we cannot take in more, so we need to find foster homes (temporary homes) for the doggies, which means I will need to call many many people on the list, and it could be so exhausting : ‘( 

Today, we took in 5 breeder throw-out dogs that were in miserable conditions. 

- Left outdoor all their lives in cage

- full of skin problems, malnourished, and stinking so badly

Words cannot express just how thankful I am towards the people who stepped up and help, 35 kg doggies caged all their lives stinking so bad require carrying in their laps for 1 km, (yes indeed many don’t know how to walk on leash!)

Poor Sterac who really expressed all his reluctance but went to vet and took two broken 9 years old breeder poodles. 

But still there is many many more in queue asking us to take in 

-  2 disabled dogs abandoned AGAIN because of human pregnancy

- two poodles puppies, one fatal distemper survivor but has permanent damage

- one purchased by a family but surrendered at two months old, for kids but regretted 

- 4 pups (and endless more) 

But you know what, ALL I WANT TO KNOW IS WHY DO PEOPLE STILL PURCHASE, and Why do you not stop people around you purchase!! There is really no excuse when we put to sleep 10,000+ animals in this city annually. 

On a happier note, Yan took the adult black dog big thanks to her - which is a suepr super happy dog, even though caged in toilet by a drug addict all his life. 

Today we have 5 poodles right, all 9 years old, and another 2, 11 years old needing transfer foster; NOBODY said yes to fostering!!!!!

Then the two months old poodle appeared, all those people who gave me whatever excuses all rushing to say yes. Called  me at 10 pm…. 

I understand, young dog is great, I really do, but I think sometimes it still disappoints me, makes me really disappointed in humanity :’( Nothing too bad, onlyl 呻吓 

But on a positive note, there were all the wonderful people around me, also helped took care of a beautiful kitten our rescuer spent NIGHTS, and so much effort to rescue them from misery, he still came to me covered in fleas…… 

花園

What is "home" really?
All that has happened yesterday, the past year, was so depressing. Of course we shouldn't be surprised, right, we knew all this is coming, but still, it depresses all of us.
It feels like we are now in one big prison.
然後，無眠夜過後，連身邊也有好多努力在警署內外支援的朋友，今天日出突然到了2047年。
2047年第一天，我們又在舊區跟街坊談天。走進一家中西藥行，同行的地區工作社工竟然即席睇起醫生來，背後有說流利廣東話的一個少數族裔叔叔來買東西。
地區的老麵包店外有一條長隊，他們都在等五點鐘減價，那裹有小時候才見過的大型圓型蛋糕盒；還有那裹的麵包大得像枕頭。
這裹每家每戶都種很多很多花樹。
這裹好多家庭都像時光凝結在五十年前。
我坐在中庭的大印度榕樹下畫畫（因為正在畫這區的故事地圖）有好多小朋友來看，他們實在帶給我太大驚喜了。你知嘛，無論我幾努力畫畫，有一半嘅人都估唔到我畫緊嘅係乜嘢區- 佢哋個原因係「平日無從這個角度睇自己嗰區」ok.... make sense, 但小朋友全部都估中！
我跟bowie 卻竟然發現這小區最舊的那家士多酒莊要結業了。
我出來工作的第一份工，就是常常要面對人們的家園消失。雖然是這樣，但也不會習慣。有些東西是不會習慣的。
我有好朋友也在過去一年因為不同原因離開了，然後也有很多犧牲走不了。