In 2006, I learnt to

Go with the flow, dive into UNCERTAINTIES
Have more time, more understandings, and more patience WITH OTHERS.
Similarly, have more time, more understandings, and more patience WITH MYSELF.



I remember a quote from Doris Lessing, a British Novelist
“That what Learning is all about! You suddenly learnt something you have known for your whole life, but in a different way.”

PD James

I recently indulge myself into PD James. My dad has been recommending this writer to me for a long time. As an excuse, I only “had” time to read financial books, but not fiction.

PD James, a renowned writer in crime story genre, is certainly not the most prolific writer. But among the 19 books she has written, many were filmed as movies or TV series, as well as earning distinguished prizes.

Her experiences in both Police and Criminal Law departments allow her to pepper stories with believable details and sensible touch.

James only started writing in her late thirties.

Nostalgia of Ganganagar

A city in Chitwan, hundred fifty miles south of Kathmandu,
Lived those who constantly fight against blaze and downpour.
Monsoon washes away homes, living stocks and loved ones.
But you have to go on, Ke Gar Ne!

Unpredictable rhinos appear in the middle of field,
Chasing farmers and playing hide and seek.
Lions’ paws lingering and being relentless.
But you have to survive, Ke Gar Ne!

Wake up at five, have a Del Bat.
Work until my hands shiver, eat another Del Bat.
Hashish - Have A Smoke Happily In Snowy Himalayan!
For life is still great, Ke Gar Ne!


* Ke Gar Ne = "What else you can do" in Nepali

Ganganagar is the village I volunteered in 2003 with INFO Nepal, a non-profit organization.

Wedding Gift

We got them back from the Bay Registry – floor lamp, vases, flutes, glassware, bed sheets, games…. Unwrapping the gift one by one, we envisioned how these will fit into our home, our life, our new venture. Reading the words from our families and friends, we recalled the fond memories from the wedding.

We spent quite a bit time preparing the event, longer than what we thought, but shorter than many couples I know. It’s a special day that you become the center of the world, and everyone has to notice you.

But it’s just a start of the life-long journey!

What's after my writing class

We just finished the class “Creative Writing through Reading” at UoT. As I told my classmates, this was not the first writing class I took. But this was the first one I really did my homework every time. Peer pressure works well this case. Indeed, I learnt so much from all my classmates – all much disciplined, serious writers with excellent quality of works.

We were talking about forming a writing club to keep us writing.
Several of my classmates are on their path to novel and publishing. For me, I do have dream of doing it one day, hopefully soon!

Writing Challenges I wish to take on

I found these two on the web:
Tag You’re It, a place where stories were born in a collaboratively. It’s like the improvisation where one person starts the idea of the story and others contribute to develop the story. No one can predict how it grows and how it ends.

NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Participants start writing on November 1 with the goal to finish 175 pages of novel by midnight, November 30. 50,000 words in 30 days means 1667 words a day. Compared with my 100 words a day (with gaps), I need to ratchet up my efforts!

First Christmas in Canada

We bought my first X’mas tree the other day – small, Balsam Fir and now hanged with various ornaments and lights, circulated with colorful gifts. I thought there were only two types of Christmas trees – the real and the fake. Fact is there are at least ten types, lean versus sprawling, soft needles versus hard.

Christmas in Hong Kong is much different from here. There were parties, Lan Kwai Fong, manjong, karaoke, and large scale of Christmas lightings in Tsim Sha Tsui and Central areas. No place can be compared with Hong Kong in that regard.

Canada offers something different.

Duster

I remember you.
A bamboo stick disguised under of brown-red feather.
Placed on top of the cupboard like a relentless god.
A punishment for a small lie, misbehavior or unsatisfactory report.
You gave me pain, when mom or dad smacked you hard on my delicate skin.
You gave me shame, when classmates laughed at the red-whitish marks you left.

I remember you.
My brother and I annihilated.
We plucked your feathers one by one.
We snapped your body in half.
A tyranny overthrown; a revenge taken; a cruelty destroyed.
Your brother came the next day, more colorful feathers, more powerful stick.

I remember you.
Gradually you did your job, you have disappeared;
You have no role in such family –
Aging parents, grownup kids thousands miles away.
You have no spot in my parents’ mind –
Now occupied with travel plans, health problems and the wait for grandkids.

Now I know that.
I am at my mother’s age.
Adulthood hasn’t become easier with wisdom.
Responsibilities don’t necessarily go with recognitions and rewards.
Parenthood is an aspiration, but also a perplexing function.
The ultimate patience, unrequited efforts and unconditional love

Now I know that.
I should thank you for having developed me,
An overall decent person, I try to only lie for good reason.
Though not everything comes satisfactory, I have used all my excellence.
All the pain reminded me life is bitter when it is not sweet.
All the shame motivated me to aim high to reach.


Now I know that.
When I saw mom and dad waving to me at the airport,
Staggering with their luggage, a silhouette against the sinking sun.
Time has shown on their grey hairs and furrowed forehead.
I am no more a girl, but I still cause them trouble.
Sometimes I forget, maybe I never said, I love you mom and dad.

Discipline

Discipline is easier said than done. I am 2-3 days behind my 100-words-a-day and trying to catch up with random thoughts and cheesy book review. Well, late is better than never, cheesy writing is better than naught writing.

I remotely remember I used to be much more disciplinary - life was only composed of studying, eating and sleeping. When life gets better, it’s easy to become more relaxed. I knew someone, rich and successful, who always delay paying his credit card charges so that he could reminiscent the feeling of poverty when he got the calls from the banks. Irony!

Neverwhere subway adventure

Just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, a fantasy thriller. The main character, Richard Mayhew, was punished by being a good Samarian. He saved a girl from the assassins, who killed her whole family. Strangely, Richard then ceased to exist in the world of London Above. To save his life, he had to join the girl to find out their destiny in the darkest and most dangerous par of the city, London Below.

If there is a story about the subway in Hong Kong, could it be a revolution of Robots who have been collecting profile of human through Octopus card?