泳會

今朝Phy 講咗兩次「我哋個swim club 可能要瓦解了」
因為swim club 有幾個core members 都分別即將或剛生了小朋友。

我無正面回答佢 ，因為無論如何我都會繼續游的。
然後佢又補充「可能兩年後啲小朋友大個啲，可以繼續」

but the reality  is 其實phy 呢位當時人，才剛剛生了三個月第二個小朋友；就已經一早來游水。

所以我一啲都唔擔心。

而且佢今朝喺厠所暈咗 (真暈）但都準時嚟。

不愧為我個LPC 同房，所以她是女拔萃嘅ivy league 女子。 (ok 我唔肯定有無關係, just stating the fact) 

怎麼上天賜我一個咁好嘅同房。

而佢老公都有一齊 嚟（佢哋當年中學讀LPC時已經一齊）現在已經有兩個小朋友，其中一個小朋友跟我同一天生日啊。他現在在大學教書。

So, 我哋初初有swim club 時係因為疫情泳池都關了， 我們就一齊約去游海
（詳細故事可以買今期being hong kong 裹面嘅文章 有講 XD )
我一開始無諗過佢哋都會咁認真，以為佢哋只係玩玩吓，貪玩。（i must be temporary disluded, 明明佢哋個個游水都咁勁，又點會係貪玩呢）

但結果 大家是上班前, work from home 嘅lunch hour 都會老遠去游一游。
留意我哋唔係住 喺沙灘邊的。
我們 都會當海灘係大泳池游lap, 也會碰到其他港隊選手，或者係校隊在練水 。

當然也有當時famous (但大家守住嘅秘密）Dave the DWB Dolphin la. 

我和phyllis 都會覺得游完海成個人精神了！！

唔知係唔係因為我哋都係Blue Planet 嘅babies.
Afterall 我哋個世界is made up of lots and lots of water. 

The Earth is a watery place. But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and your dog.

怎麼我的時間總是不夠用 。
很想去探今天在富德樓嘅朋友仔 - 見山, 牛油果，清明堂！！can i squeeze time for that 
（please know I am thinking of you even if I didn't end up having time to do so) 
又想送貨給南叔和puipui (怎麼你連個名都咁可愛）
又要改一啲畫（改改改是工作的日常對不對 :P）
下午還要上一個課。總之仲有好多。
give you all a virtual hug for now. 

河流

我對水的愛還包括行雷閃電

你識得我耐就知我細個好鍾意winnie the pooh 嗰句quote "Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known."

又來了，我自己都唔知點解要畫一次。

明明張相已經好正 好靚

及 其實如果真係好鍾意嗰個experience, 如游水行山爬石澗，最正嘅做法係再去一次。

我自己都唔明點解自己要成日諗呢個無聊問題，可能要justify 係唔係可以用一兩個鐘畫「自己想畫嘅嘢」instead of do many many drawing work.

同埋我成日有呢個無聊struggle (尤其係細個）明明其他人畫水/畫畫都咁靚，我仲畫嚟做乜。

所以也超多謝joey 說 她喜歡我畫水,  有人讚賞還是很開心的 。

究竟係唔係真係好 似anais nin 所講“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

定係因為啲嘢好靚，好想用自己嘅筆觸再「觸摸」一次。

究竟有無原因都無人知。

那天我們森林浴其中一個活動係觀看顏色，那裹的顏色都很和諧，都是啡色綠色， 綠和啡黑色都有很多很多層次。我們都說 可 以在那裹寫 生一整天。一定可以。

那裹是沒有紫色，粉紅色咁滯。

水的顏色當然絕美，我覺得水是窮一生畫都可以畫出很多不同樣子的那種東西。

另外有一個活動我們把手放在流水一寸以上，試試有沒有感覺。

再把手放進水。

在水面時我覺得水是震動的，但當你放入冰凍的流水中，卻只覺得它是很大很大但是靜態的（明明物 理上它在流動）

anyway, 我係超級fascinated by water, 我可以講到下年都仲講緊。so better stop here. 

好想玩水。

餐蛋

周六的正經事：餐蛋麵早餐
很喜歡那街邊快餐店的這個位，有次在那裹食早餐碰見見山老闆穿住小熊衫拿住小菊花經過，太陽佷美，是春日的早上。

雖然兩種畫（故事及地圖）我都一樣咁鍾意畫。 

*但唔係畫緊地圖嘅每一日我都好掛住畫地圖嘅時候*
(呢句話確實會閃過我腦袋everyday) 

 i know i still owe many ppl many maps, i won't forget about them don't worry.
 （圖二）巧合呢兩日見到兩個真文青美女屋企都貼咗梅窩地圖。
 好開心，梅窩地圖我仲有少少（免費的）給真心想要嘅人/或店舖 讓你重新認識梅窩（同埋嗰度嘅小村、farm to table projects, 農地等等） 

係inter-island festival 印的. 上圖文青女子也貼了我畫的東區文學散步地圖(係北角同埋筲箕灣） 也是免費的， 我自己都好鍾意呢張㗎. (咁即係正嘢, 自己都唔鍾意嘅創作就慘)
 富利來的 Uncle Store 話佢哋仲有啲。 等我快啲拎多啲嘢去先。
想起筲箕灣就想起好朋友剛在筲箕灣開了新的咖啡店 - 叫做Lazzy Project, 名稱真好聽，她也來頭不少，是虹吸界冠軍及評委。（突然想起我大多數那個年代識嘅朋友係Fuel/petit cafe, 但她是在PMQ :P hehe, random detail) so proud of her! 

龍虎

很久以前已聽說過森林浴這件事。
我猜跟很多人一樣，都覺得就是跟大自然聯繫，身處在大樹之間抱抱樹吸吸空氣那樣子。
但其實自己沒有試過 ， 我都沒有試過。
在日本時，我的朋友常在有大森林的鄉郊，我的日本朋友 也會邀請我們閉上眼睛吸吸空氣。
我們大概總認為這種活動要在挪威日本做才有用。
但這次我們就在我家後面的 森林做森林浴。
多謝龍虎山自然教育中心的Joanne帶我們體驗，放 下電話，靜下來聽大自然（和城市）的聲音；閉起眼睛用五觀感受一下四周的環境，自己與地上的石頭的關係。
閉上眼睛很久，我還學我家貓狗用鼻子sniff 四周的味道，溫度。
四周有大瀑布的聲音，鳥聲，人聲，蟬鳴，但我最被一條小小小石澗的聲音吸引，聽起來有點像開了水龍頭的清澈流水聲。
我這樣劇透一個森林浴不太好，因為呢啲嘢係要自己experience, 以及會因應每個tour  有不同的活動。
聽說森林浴是日本人因為研究過都市人們的問題後，發現身處和體驗大自然有各式好處而「發明」的。
我們還在山中喝花園自種而泡的茶。
遲些龍虎山自然教育中心也會推出濃縮版本（因為疫情把一切都打亂了，例如有限聚令不能多人，要每次蝕住做，或者唔做。而他們每個活動都超便宜，想任何人都能參加到。）
入到山中就很涼。我常常行這帶的山竟然沒有發現這個漂亮的小澗。 

現在體驗完要工作了 :P 

世界真的很糟，能夠花點時間做這種事真的 很重要。

童話

大人的世界很需要童話

啊！Got my copy of 3rd anniversary Being Hong Kong! 
尋日開心到叫咗出嚟 haha, 都唔係淨係因為裹面有自己嘅畫，
而係我哋每三個月都會期待新一期的Being Hong Kong. 
今期嘅題目係 "The Fantasy Issue" 香港式童年，見到編者的話裹面話「對於《就係香港》來說，過了三年，卻期望未來還有更多的三年，繼續去記錄說 不完的香港故事。只希望，此時彼刻，無論你身在哪一方，《就係香港》都係成為你的選擇，陪伴你共同度過。」
總之喺今時今日有人做咗三年依然期待繼續做三年香港嘅故事，已經成為咗一件好難得嘅事... 
好似見山希望喺太平山街成為一間 百年老書店咁樣。
前幾日先講起另一個朋友本雜誌團隊有五個人，有四個人突然喺呢幾個月移民走了 :O

我都好鍾意最後一個部分連載了彼得故事的插畫故事， 這個繪本畫家曾經在香港 成長，能說流利廣東話，二十年前就開始寫這些冒險故事。
「彼得小話在從前的訪問中說過：童書是一個可以讓人匿藏的地方。出版社形容他的繪畫故事適合八歲以上的孩子，也很適合喜歡魔幻文學的成年人。
無論哪個年齡層，它最適合的是渴望重拾好奇，渴望在浮躁之中自製空間的人，而他們，大部分都是捨不得拋棄童真的一群。」

我都好鍾意尾二各個人推薦繪本嘅部份，香港近年越來越多人喜歡繪本，真係好好。
Aiya, I know many of the people here still don't know what "Being Hong Kong" is even though I have mentioned it many times, and you even follow their IG, but you still didn't know that - 係一本三個月出一次嘅bookazine, 有紙香的紙本. 

好厚，好好睇的, 他們的團隊小小的，但每三個月都會出 到一本咁厚咁有質素，充滿香港故事嘅bookazine, 同埋成日都有好多香港歷史故事同埋相，仲有有趣嘅印刷。
$120 好抵，應該錢都無乜得賺，出於真愛 :P 
他們團隊裹的人都十分之可愛的，總編輯呀，高級嘅攝影師，都是資深的前輩，但都會去年輕人嘅市集擺檔，做埋女工逐本書包裝綁靚靚的繩什至送貨 :O 
我見過幾次是真的，在見山, 興奮得叫了出來。
今期仲有好多好多illustrator 參與. 
Ah forgot to say, 今期有我嘅游水畫㗎，好鍾意呢個游水部份！

跟住就會好多人問喺邊度買度，大多數嘅獨立書店、OK便利店、誠品什至係HKTVmall (online shop) 都可以買到㗎. 

仲可以喺佢哋個website 買返珍貴的 back issue 
例如係2020 年春天有我個訪問的 - 歡迎你重新認識我 :P hahaha joking 但好靚㗎 有地圖㗎
2018-2019 年嗰啲超靚嘅已經賣晒, 話唔定會好似創刊號埔journ 咁俾人抄 @.@" yes.... if you didn't know, that's happening, 完全唔係鼓勵大家咁做，just saying how strange our world is. 唔知開心定傷心.
（昨天收到住在美國的好朋友的信呀，made my day, 另一個post 再講002, still missing sea and kayak) 

(利申：我同jess 都唔係打手 :P 無佣收）

灣仔

事實上真係有好多project 係會橫跨好長時間，唔係本本書都係幾個月就出到。
好似疫症初期 (2019尾?）開始了兩個大嘅project, 就係「龍窯」本書同埋St. James 智障人士生死教育嘅三本書，之前講過好多次，但今日終於攞咗嗰三本書, and has an app that comes along, 同埋一套解釋生同死係乜嘢嘅Monopoly, with a big big dice : ) 終於! 
I know a lot of you has seen these drawings/heard these stories many times, but wanna share once more for those who are new to here. 

。 *.•ABOUT BIRTHDAY CAKES* .
The series of drawings I’m doing is for the intellectual disabled (智能障礙）on the topic - *AM I GOING TO DIE?* Because ID/MR people gets old/sick too. It’s from diagnosis to eventually dying. .
They will also need to make options on, whether to resuscitate or how to understand, celebrate or grief end of life.
There’s one case that has colorectal cancer. He lived in the hostels for more than a decade but had to move to the hospitals and eventually palliative care homes.
He missed dancing and singing (in fact many of them loves to perform) and upon discussing said that he missed his old dorm mates.
.
Under the support of this Intellectually disabled-end of life scheme, they were able to arrange all his previous dorm mates to visit him, and they had a karaoke party.
he drew many many birthday cakes for his friends, because birthday party at dorm was his favourite back then.
He knows he’d die soon but he wanted to prepare the birthday cakes for his friends after he died !!! They said even 中度弱智嘅人都知道死亡是什麼
But in the past nobody discuss with them.
Sometimes their relatives just disappear, and they never knew why....

今個星期開咗好多會，畫咗好多畫，見咗好多人，又教咗繪本班, 好想閉關了(返落海底 :P ) 想要真實嘅hug. 今日仲去咗藝想tim : ) 

開始畫呢本書時，我上一隻狗Rosie 都仲喺度，中間已經出埋另一本書(「獅子山下的黃大獅」）又養了小草 :P 仲有好多其他畫同埋事發生咗。所以經常都係要耐心耐心同埋耐心。

夏夜

A Midsummer's night 

啊，我昨天去了龍虎山環境教育中心開會嘛，發現這裹夏天跟冬天的感覺很不同，樹木好綠好大，四邊圍住白色的小屋。

之前畫過一次冬天，冬天那幅很熱鬧，開派對。
夏天這幅是Alone but not alone, because the nature is teeming with life! 

這種一兩層高的白色小屋在香港到處也有，以前工作也常常會接觸到，但我超喜歡這個scale (細）so intimate, 好似英國national trust 嗰啲Writer's 故居。
你知我是特別深愛戰前白色小屋的.... 還要是自己住的那一區。其實這一帶還有很多。
而我特別喜歡那些舊木門和木地板，通常特別窄的，感覺好像回到另一個時空。

而英國嗰啲故居最最正係個花園，呢樣嘢係我嘅最最愛，尤其係小型嘅花園，有點雜亂，並且有高高古老的樹。
這裹剛剛就有齊了，晚上會有各種野生動物，當然有我們常在附近碰到的大箭豬。

而我之前說過了，好多住在這間白色小房子方圓幾十米嘅朋友都未去過！
並且，唔知道係可以免費去睇展覽的。

由港大山上的門行去這個中心要經過兩分鐘的小徑，這樣剛好，不太exposed. 
是半hidden gem. 後山還有小澗森林等。
不過近年四周都有地盤，本來前面看到海景，即將也會有新的教學大樓 :S mehhh 好慘呀。
不過成間港大嘅spirit 可能都collapse 了.... 

另外，我本來有長的to-do list, 但卻因為太想畫這個，而不務正業了，要游水，今晚也要teach picturebook class <3 所以現在要趕去了。
But it always make me wonder - WHY do we draw, like I already took a very beautiful picture, (even I am satisfied with it :P ) but what is our motivation to make art; purely, not for client etc. I mean part of the time I make art to record, and there's a desire to share beautiful things with others. 

But times like this, I think there's totally no reasons, kinda like what Anais Nin said — 'We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.' 
It's so beautiful you want to feel it once more in detail : ) 

may our days be filled with love and joy x 

地下

I originally wrote another post for today, but facebook and its "memories" pop up again. 
It's from six years ago, when beloved sum sum 小朋友 and I used to do little pop up street side stores selling our own art work. (Which is very similar to what Tung tung and I would still do, on the same alley in 2021) 
That's good, maybe part of me has not grown up, and that's not too bad. 

ALSO, I just realise that we were drawing the undersea world, which is what i am going to draw today as well. I looked through my bookshelf this morning, and found many many great picturebooks, all of different storylines and drawing style, but related to sea-adventures, my bookshelf always surprises me! And it's such a joy - a childhood dream come through, and something that can only be realised when you grow older - to have your own collection of books you love, and be able to create stories from the joy & sorrows you have experienced. 

One more thing, I only notice just how much time I spend sitting on the ground, I truly love sitting on the floor, I can just sit anywhere and draw, and we did that yesterday too, small thing, but.... it's not actually something we manage to do all the time, growing up there were "very conventional" friends who would stare at me and think I am very weird.... 

功課

I got invited by my good good friends/ex-students from rollingbooks & picturebook class to do an illustration on the topic of "It's ok to be not ok" earlier, which more and more people talked about these days, it's certainly an issue I feel strongly for as well. 

There's more and more talk these years, about the phase where you should allow yourself to just rest, relax, and that taking a break is essential. 
But going through real difficult times, (Where you absolutely think there's no way you'd get better...) knowing that it MIGHT pass, and that there were other people who got through and get better, is also equally important. (I know it's super hard) 

On a relevant irrelevant note, this is an issue I have been thinking since 2017 (when i did triathlon)
I always wonder if there is ONE body type for long long run. 
According to my observation there is, (and another half of the people say they are only like that because of their years of training) 
(I have a good sample amount, as many of my friends does long long run) (Adrian, Gi, ah him etc. etc. ) 

TBH, I have no desire to do long long runs, but I always wanted to swim longer, kayak longer, run longer even.

Not because I want to join any competitions, but i have always thought that having a healthy body (even within restriction) which you can run, swim, walk uphill, *whenever you want to* - is a form of true freedom.  

Apart from my serious health goal, 我都時不時認真諗吓點樣可以再fit 啲（it's a question i thought since 2017, 因為覺得健康嘅身體係真正嘅freedom 之一，以前都講過；即係話你可以隨時跑上山呀，游長途嘅水咁樣, not about competition or anything, just so you CAN when you want to)

啲人成日以為我好fit, 但其實我只係做咗10樣嘅其中一樣，所以仲有好多space for improvement (real stretch, do weight, endurance training etc. etc.) 

Seeing Dr. K & Monica & their friends was such an inspiration, ok but they are not normal people < and they will say they are. （Which reminds me of Michelle Obama's autobiography, I think the best part about her book, is that honestly she is one of those super smart student for sure, but her whole book successfully makes her story relatable to the majority of people from different background, ok I digressed) 

Both Friday & Saturday was so much fun, special, happy, inspirational days can create such ripples that quietly wash away the dust that accumulates in our otherwise everyday ordinary mundane lives. 

清澈

帶着冰凍甜甜去沙灘, 聽音樂, 食雪糕, 躺在清清的水中, 從心裹笑出來 (it's in my imagination) 
(真實也有乖的, did swim drills, 做了點工作，貓仔在我桌上熟睡，小狗也乖也可愛）

從我家窗口可以看到今天的天和海是hazy 還是清，海是大浪黑濛濛有垃圾，還是絕對清澈見底。
今日就係藍藍清澈見底嘅日子，令我好想去海裹玩，也在泳池裹做好了今天的功課，所以要是想的話也可以去。
新嘅health goal 來到第二十五天, not sure if this is an illusion, 因為其實一直都應該on this plan, for the past years, 好似係virus 嘅日子打亂了，這二十五天也有一少少點進步，但我總是說呀，這種事情不是linear 的，可能一天做得很好，然後下一天又不小心做得不好，每天都有its own challenge, 好多variables, 雖然知道呢啲ideas, 但不舒服時還是會很難受（因為是確切的不適嘛）做得不好時，還是很不忿（雖然知道偶然能原諒自己) 

春天和冬天時我食了好多好多froyo, 很好很開心, 還有可愛嘅小妹妹生日祝我可以食多啲froyo, 但夏天到來後froyo 店就discontinue 了stevia version 的froyo, 這一個月來，很多很多朋友經過都有幫我問他們將來會不會做返stevia 味的froyo, super big thanks to them, especially Jess, Yvonne & Stanley (仲去埋CWB 分店問） 

比高

之前有天突然收到一個舊朋友Cazz 的message, 問我可不可以幫她畫一本故事書。
（畫一本書是大工程呀，而且很多很多人都常常寫故事，但好的故事不是常常出現的（也所以我們每次繪本研習班的同學的好叻，充滿surprises & authenticity) 

點知原來係朋友仔cazz 的爸爸寫的故事，有天貪玩寫了，然後email 了給女兒。
Cazz 爸爸是醫生來的，但故事是關於自己家裹的Beagle 狗狗，英文寫得很好，也沒有那些sugary 情節，但很有愛又有幽默。
Cazz 想我幫她畫好後，送給爸爸作surprise生日禮物，超給sweet! 

所以就畫了喇，還印了做一本小小的hardcover 書。
So happy also to reconnect with an old friend, they are such an inspiration, so sweet and loving, and also such sports loving, food loving people. 
我告訴Cazz 我也畫得很開心 : ) 是真的. Especially it's been a very hard month for me, but drawing, good stories, seeing animals, and love from friends always brings me joy! 
仲見到Cazz 的standard poodle puppy Alba, 超級大隻，個樣好silly!!