Author Archives: hafong

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About hafong

Hello! My name is (Leung) Hafong alias Lily Leung. You always say the last name first….that is the Chinese way. That is my partner lurking behind me. Since this is my blog, I won’t mention his name. But this is a rather cool picture. You see me and yet you don’t…sort of the way I feel about myself most of my life. So this blog is a self-exploration, an archeology dig of some sort. My tools…..words of a thousand or so at a sitting. I will try for that.

CHALLENGES, RULES and OTHER THINGS

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s Day 7 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I find every day a challenge as soon as I get out of bed. Some challenges are better than others. I do love the writing, drawing and painting of life. They can set my heart a-beating and a-blaze. I am sure I have put in the 10,000 Malcolm Gladwell hours in both of them now. I’ve created this writing space in May, 2012. That makes it 10 years of writing. My first #100dayproject was in April, 2016 – the start of 6 years of my art journey.

Right now the writing poses more of a challenge for me. The Ultimate Blog Challenge has rules, not manybut some. It doesn’t pose any problem for me. I’m a Miss Goody Two Shoes. I like rules and I like abiding by them. But that’s not the case for everyone, it seems. For as long as I have been in this challenge, there’s been rule breakers. And don’t tell me that they don’t understand. Everyone participating is a writer. We know how to write, some better than others. Therefore it is reasonable to assume we can read, too. Most of the time rule breakers don’t bother me that much. But lately, I’ve been quite annoyed. Now, I have to get it out of my system and say the famous words: Let it go!

There, it is gone. It is a small irritant, magnified by my stupid thoughts of the moment. Generally the UBC group is a bunch of good eggs, supportive of each other. I am happy I am in the mix. Meanwhile, I babble on. It’s been mostly a beautiful sunny day. It got up to 12℃. The greenhouse got up to 33℃. I hope the cool loving stuff won’t bolt. I seeded a couple more things – petunias, basil and microgreens. I’m pretty happy with how things are growing. Another week and maybe I can seed some lettuce, spinach and other greens in our raised beds outside. Life is good.

I do have another challenge – the patience to proof read and edit. But, I bit the bullet and edited. Hopefully I’ve caught all errors and words that didn’t belong.

THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS

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Day 6 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It is too early to take a break and skip a post. I will plod on. Over the winter I had taken a beginner’s watercolour course. I learned that the foundation to a good painting is a good drawing. Therefore, my choice for #the100dayproject is to do a daily drawing. According to Malcolm Glaldwell, if you practice one skill for 10,000 hours, you’ll have a good chance at becoming an expert at it. I’ve done day 53 now. I haven’t counted how many hours I’ve put in. Somewhere in the last while I felt I made a somewhat breakthrough.

Practice does make for better. I started out doing everything so carefully, measuring and making a grid. I used a pencil and eraser. I wanted perfect. My drawings turned out well but I felt a bit stifled. I couldn’t start without my grid and measurements. This was the opposite of what I used to do. Before taking any classes, regardless of whether I was using watercolours or acrylics, I drew with my paint brush. No pencil and eraser. That made me scratched my head. I wondered how I did that. They weren’t great paintings but they weren’t terrible either. Some of them were actually pretty good for index card paintings.

I decided to give up the pencil and eraser. I did pen drawings. No eraser needed or of any use. No rulers, no measurements and no grid. I just put down a mark with my pen and away I go. I scratch here and there, adding lines. Somehow it all comes out ok. I astound myself sometimes. I guess I must have more confidence when I know I can’t erase. I better make good or know how to fix it so that it comes out ok. And adding some watercolour sure makes the drawing come alive. Besides putting in the hours of practice, it helps if you have good paint and good paper. And you have to love the object of your creation. When a photo grabs me, I know that I can draw it. Those photos usually hold a story or an emotion. They speak to me and spill onto the page in ink and colour.

DISTRACTIONS – Spammers, Scammers, Movie Stars

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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It rained overnight. There’s water running down the street. The sky is cloudy but the sun is breaking through. It is 4℃ now with a predicted high of 8℃ down from yesterdays 16℃. How strange our weather. How strange our world – full of scammers and spammers. To date, I have won 4 free iPhones on Instagram. The only people that phones me nowadays are strangers with warnings of dire things if I don’t do this or that. Is there anything real or true any more? Just this morning, I learned of a big real estate scam right here in my city of Saskatoon. Can you believe it – Saskatoon, Canada, home of very nice people. Scammed by 2 nice energetic young women.

I’m so easily distracted. One scammer phone call and I’m falling off the track. I guess it’s in our nature. They know human nature and use it well. I try not to hold it against myself and give myself some slack. I always get hooked, thinking I’ll just click it once, but you know what happens. Pretty soon one click after another I find out the whole story about Bruce Willis, Annette Funicello, so on and on. I have this urge now to go back and read what Anne Lamott has to say about being 68 years old. But I can wait till I finish this post. I do have some will power. I’ve reschedule my Wordle time from morning to later, too.

I do wonder how much time I do spend on things that are of no consequences. I’m taking this as a cue to review and refresh my goals for this Ultimate Blog Challenge, #the100dayproject and April Love. It’s nice to get ‘likes’ and more traffic for these challenges but it is not my #1 goal. My writing space has always been a breathing, meditative space for me. It continues to be that during the UBC and the opportunity to improve my content and writing skills. Content is about what resonates with me and hopefully helpful to others. It is tempting when time is short and I am tired, to cut corners and plop anything down, just to fill the page. If that is the case, it would be better to take a rest and skip the day.

As for #the100dayproject, I have to remember that a daily draw/watercolour is also to improve my skills. I have finished day 52. It can become a habitual activity. I can forget my purpose and not focus on working on my problem areas. The same with Susannah Conway’s April Love. I have to say though I do have an eye for taking and choosing a photo. They tell me a story just as words can paint a picture. Not every day, post, painting or photo are equal. Some are better than others but if I do my best for the day for the effort, it will be enough. I can live with those results.

A PAIN IN THE NOSE

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The days are marching along. The temperature is rising. I had to open some windows in the house. The temperature in the greenhouse was 36.4℃ with 3 vents opened at 12:45. We had to open another. Now it is 26.5℃. I feel a little pressured. There’s so much to do. I’m thinking of the boxes of seeds sitting on the dining room table. I have to stay on my program plus a little more to get things done. I am sweating it. I will have that glass of wine with supper.

I am reacting to the crazy weather. Can you believe it went up to 16℃ today? My nose is throbbing like crazy. I had surgery on it years ago because I had a cyst growing into the bone. I know it sounds far fetched. It has caused me much angst even years after its removal. The first time I had it drained. I was too impatient to wait for surgery and the procedure sounded scary. I looked unsightly with a bump sticking out the side of my nose. I had a trip booked. I didn’t want to tour Australia with a bumpy nose. It was a quick fix but it came back seven years later. The second time I had surgery to remove it. The plastic surgeon made an incision under my gum line, peeled my lip back, cut and scraped the cyst off.

Being ‘just a bump on the nose’, I never got much sympathy or understanding. I had no visible scar. But the pain was constant and gnawing, long after my surgery. I never believed the pain was real myself either until I couldn’t handle it any more. At the appointment with my surgeon, he looked at me kind of weird when I told him I still had a lot of pain. Then he held up his thumb and said that the cyst was the size of his thumb, meaning it was BIG. He wrote me a prescription and told me where to to press on the side of my nose to ease the pain. It would have helped if he had explained things more and better post-op. All that I was told was the cyst had grown into my nasal bone. Nothing about the recovery or what to expect.

No matter. I have survived and am thriving. I worked things out over the years. Pain does that to you. It pokes and prods you to find solutions and remedies. It does not let you to stay in the same old, same old. That’s what it’s doing now. So I took a plain tylenol and am sipping on a glass of wine. I have to chill, relax and pamper myself a little. Just to let you know, my pain has much improved over the years. It acts up a little with weather changes. I also have arthritic pain on my left side from scrunching my face, clenching my jaw and tensing my muscles with the pain. I’ve been working on not doing that so life has much improved. Yay!

This post is a painful write. Hope it is not a painful read. It was not my intended write but I got sidetrack. So ends this 4th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

HAPPY FOR NO REASON

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I’m happy for no reason on this 3rd day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. A good night’s sleep and a walk in the park always help. It is a warm sunny day – +10℃ outside and 27.9℃ in the greenhouse with 3 vents opened. The greens are doing very well. So are the 3 Red Alert Tomatoes and the 2 cucumbers. I’m looking forward to happy gardening and fresh salad greens. Maybe there will be a tomato or two at the end of May. Cross my fingers and toes.

Talking about feet, my left heel pain is gone. It’s a good reason to be happy. I’ve had that pain for months, if not for a year. It doesn’t hurt all the time but I sure feel it when I get up from sitting or laying. I would hobble around for it a bit before it would ease. I’ve been doing heel stretches for weeks at a stretch with no result. I’ve lived with this pain for so long that it’s part of me. I hadn’t noticed the exact moment it left. I am sure it was the functional exercise class Friday that did it. It’s such a good class, seemingly easy and simple with no heavy breathing or sweating. This is the set of exercises. We did it for 8 minutes or so.

  • leaning hands on wall for support at an angle, lift heels up 20 times
  • then leaning with back on wall at an angle, lift toes up 20 times
  • walk a straight line on toes x 10 steps then walk backwards on toes
  • walk a straight line on heels x 10 steps then walk backwards on heels

I hope my happiness lasts or is a frequent visitor. My get-with-the-program is going well. I am on my 50th day of #the100dayproject. I’m drawing/painting my memories and history. I am learning and understanding more of myself and life. How’s that for killing a few birds with a pen/pencil and a paint brush?

University Days
Graduating Nursing
With Friends in Japan

I think this is enough for today. I have to admit that I am a little distracted and frazzled with my projects. I have to save some time and quiet for myself. I lost on Wordle today. It’s a good thing we can play only once a day. Otherwise, I might not get here having this conversation.

NO INSPIRATION TODAY

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This time of the day is lowest of energy for me. My eyes and body are droopy with sleep. It didn’t help I was low on sleep last night. I like it to blame it on the weather. It seems I am sensitive and affected by any change in the barometer. Rather than laying in bed, tossing and turning, I my put restless energy into my art project and did 3 pen drawings. I will watercolour some other time. Then I took a little helper to lull me into dreamland. You can say I’m a little hung over but not severely handicapped. I’m a little sapped but relaxed.

I’m still on top of the game. This post is the last item of today’s ‘must do’ list. I might even have time for a bit of recreational reading later. I’ve decided it’s stupid to fuss about my Tax Return for a whole month. I have my documents gathered. It will only take part of a day to get into a knot over it. I will leave it for the last week of April. So on with the month. I will make good use of the days.

The days are not warming up quick. It’s good in a way. I’m not warming up fast either. I can take my time with my seeding. I feel as slow as molasses in winter. My dining room table is still littered with seeds and my art clutter. There is no fire so I shalt sweat it. I can still find everything. Everything in its time. I will develop a system by the end of the challenge. Isn’t that what I said, too, the last time? No worries. In the meantime, I have 3 bitter melon seeds soaking and the lunch dishes done. I do still have a pan with a burnt bottom soaking with vinegar sitting on the stove. It will take a bit more time yet.

This is not exactly an inspiring post for a challenge. I’m not feeling inspired but tired. But I am putting my best foot forward. I am not complaining. I’m putting down the last sentence and period. Maybe someone else can inspire me today.

THE CHALLENGES OF APRIL

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It’s April Fools’ Day, an annual custom of practical jokes and hoaxes. According to Wikipedia, mass media can be involved in these pranks. I don’t think we are in need of any more pranks and hoaxes. We’ve had 2 years and probably more of pranks, hoaxes and conspiracy theories. Enough is enough. I am not a lover of pranks or light hearted stuff. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt me to lighten up a little though.

Today is also the first day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’ve neglected my writing space since the last challenge. I’ve been warming up the last few days to get back in shape. However, I don’t feel in great shape at the moment. I will give it my best shot though. I’ve been doing this challenge for quite a few years now. I enjoy writing/tapping. It’s my therapy of choice. I come to my keyboard and have a conversation/workout with myself. After I have unload, laid it all out on the page, I feel better. I can see clearer if I have a problem. It’s just good to get it out and not harbour the stress in my body.

Though I share freely here, it is not a confessional booth. I do have discretion, good taste and judgement. I do not reveal any secrets, sins or crimes – mine or other people’s. I share thoughts, feelings of every day life. I don’t have big stuff. My life is full of mostly little things that bring big joy and a sense of accomplishment and worth to me. I share my gardening experience and my other hobbies. We built a passive solar greenhouse last year. This spring is our 2nd year. I will be sharing alot about that. Last year I started planting tomatoes and cucumbers on March 9th. I lost a few but most survived. I’m not such an early bird this year.

I’ve just finished a watercolour art class. I’m presently embarked on #the100dayproject. I’m doing a sketch/watercolour a day. I will be sharing some of that also. This reminds me I have another challenge – April Love created by Susannah Conway. I have my work cut out for me. None of this is a must. I have taken them up. I want to have a serious go at each and every one. Oh, yes, I forgot one other challenge – Tax Return. And that is a must.

THE THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

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It is a cloudy afternoon. I am looking forward to a cuppa and my book. I thought best to put down a few words before that or I’m apt to be a no show for today. My eyes are feeling droopy already. I have laundry to hang after this. I wisely tended to the greenhouse right after the lunch dishes. Afternoons are tricky. The sandman tends to come – way before bedtime.

Mornings are my best bet. I always look forward to waking up, getting my morning cup of tea. Then I like to meditate for 20 minutes with Mark Williams. These days I got the NY Times Wordle game bug. I look forward to tackling it after my meditation. I am often distracted during my being mindful time thinking about it. I am an obsessive person. I need to use it in ways helpful to me. Too bad I am not obsessive about tidying and putting things away, especially my paper stuff.

The sky is grey. I feel a storm or/and snow in the air. This kind of weather makes me sleepy, achy and droopy. I had to force myself to get up, go downstairs and hang up the laundry. Well, all the items on my program are almost done. I can afford to droop all I want.

I got in my reading/cuppa time. And it did snow. I’m happy I got everything done, including writing this post and my daily draw/watercolour for #the100dayproject. I was especially tickled with today’s drawing result. It’s from a photograph of a trip to Japan with friends. I didn’t think I could draw a group of people. I didn’t think I had it in me but I remembered what my art instructor told us. Draw/paint what you see. It worked!

So the day is done and I can look forward to tomorrow. It will be another new day and new things to look forward to.

GETTING TO A BETTER PLACE

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My head is all a-dither now. I should have listened to myself and put down a few words before life messed it up. I’ll just sit back and take a breath. I’ve been chopping vegetables to throw in with the left over roast beef to make a stew for lunch. I was listening to an episode on feeling overwhelmed on Tapestry. It helped me to identify what I was feeling – moral distress. Yes, I do see that there are so many things wrong in this world of ours and those in power with the power are not addressing them. And so I feel helpless and distressed.

I am not sure if the podcast offered any ideas of what we can do to get to a better place. My mind wandered and meandered. It seems like I cannot chop and listen at the same time. I am feeling less distressed knowing and having a name for what I am feeling. Tapping and seeing the letters, words and sentences march across the screen has always ease whatever angst I am feeling. I am feeling the rhythm of the keyboard. It is a soothing dance for me again. My drawing and watercolour do the same for me. I am a little stuck this morning. Not every thing or every day flows quite the same. That’s how it is.

My third order of seeds arrived this morning. I better stick with my program and do a thing or two daily. Every spring I would wonder how those tiny and not so tiny seeds would grow into the vegetables we eat. It is a miracle. I am glad that it is still a wonder to me. It is almost April and I’ve just used the last butternut squash from last year’s harvest. There’s still a spaghetti and 2 Sweet Mama squashes. We have carrots, beets and potatoes yet. We hope to do better this year. There’s always room for improvement. Growing our own food is our way of getting to a better place.

It snowed overnight. The ground is covered in white again. But our passive solar greenhouse is doing well with the help of a little heater at night. It is our second year. I am a little more experienced and organized. This spring I seeded the beds mostly with cool loving greens. We will get an earlier edible harvest. By the time the heat lovers are ready, the raised beds outside will have the salad greens growing in them. That’s how I’m thinking anyways. The weather have a lot to say about what we do. We will have to work with it. Isn’t that how it is with everything in life – co-operation and working together?

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER POST

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It’s that time again wherein I sit down, get down to business and write. What should I write about? Should I tell you about my day, my humdrum every day? I’m a morning person now. Been so for quite a few years. I look forward to getting up between 6 and 7. Seems like there’s a lot to look forward to – even in these times. Though I’m feeling a little stressed, cranky and a bit down in the dumps, I haven’t lost that looking forward feeling. Thank God. I do have a bit of attitude but I don’t want to have nothing to look forward to one. I have standards.

I am trying to break loose of ‘stuck’ with nowhere to go and no stars to reach for. It’s not a good feeling and I don’t want to stay in it. Exercise has always worked great for me. I was looking forward to heading back to the YWCA pool and swimming. The universe has other plans for me. The pool needs ‘fixing’. It’s been out of service for a couple of months already. So, it’s back to the AM ENERGIZER. It really is one. I’m feeling so much better already after one session. I’m sure I will feel it tomorrow, not having used those muscles for quite awhile.

I decided it might be a good exercise to visit the library again. It was one of my favourite places before Covid. Why can’t it be again? I am disappointed that it is not the same. It does not have the same scope of material it once did. Seems like the city politicians are slashing the wrong budgets, not seeing the importance and scope of the public service the library provides. It’s good for education, socializing and mental health just to name some. Should we just throw up our hands, accept and say. Oh well? Or are there things we can do? It is something to think about while we are stuck here in this Covid time.

Having come back to my keyboard and tapping my heart away, I am not feeling as overwhelmed. I think I have all my tax receipts gathered. This month’s bills are paid. I am doing my daily drawing and watercolour. My desk and dining room table are littered with papers, pens, paint and whatnot. They are a disaster but there is no emergency. I’ve set a goal that I would date and label my creations each day. I would find something/somewhere to hold them in one place. Baby steps as one might say. I really hate that term because I am no longer a baby.

Well, there you have it. Another day, another post. No Pulitzer Prize here. Just some words. They still count.