17May2024

After the previous two days tight mountain hiking schedule, yesterday we have a rest day to review the visit in terms of our emotion stimulated on what we have observed and resonated from the life style of the ancient accessors who lived in the dark caves thousand and thousand of years before our time. Yet their level of intelligence was in no way behind ours’ when scientifically and technically were not as developed as those in our society we live in the present. Wearily I seemed to have the jet nag remained and felt tire all day long. So in order to wake myself up I talked with the two other colleagues about our lives we live within our own regions. In despite to the political distress and injustice accusation, matters related to the recent political gesture seemed to be an endless and thrilling story to tell. Besides we also discussed about our feedbacks upon the visit to the various caves. Due my weariness has dragged me on with the draft of the annotation and the accumulated late nights, I have no notion to prepare a presentation for the meeting with the mentors, who wished us to begin with our emotions raised upon the impact on the past history, which was started from the era of the humanities. Since the other two colleague speaks Spanish except me, and accordingly they found more comfortable and confident to present their emotions in their mother tongue, though I understood not even a word from their aspects, yet I have no reason to object upon their preference. This morning I decided to make a change, therefore instead of turning to the left hand side I turned to the right when I set off my journey to do the morning painting. After the past few day’s adventurers lost on the way returning to the residency, I gradually learned to find my nearest route to assess the playa(beach)Punta Ballota, where I could see the sun rises behind the cliff. Meanwhile I followed the slope down the hilly pathway and go pass a row of dense pine tress planted in front of a residential house. On its right hand side I saw cliffs behind, where a mountain range stretched across the horizon. Though there was neither shelter nor a place for me to sit down to do the morning task, I laid out the large plastic bag on the floor to prevent the material to become wet. And then I realised that I have the bottle of water, for water color mixing, left behind. Feeling anxious of not finding a clue, I was lucky to have found some peeled tangerine in my bag. And then Ignoring to the fact that the acidic quality consisted in the fruit might cause harmful effect to both of my brushes and hues, I quickly squeezed some juice, on to the lid of the palette box, from a few coves of tangerines. Without much of a thought I picked up a large brush to dilute the paints with. Meanwhile a few guys were walking down the pathway with their dog, he made a stop at a distance to cautiously observing me I guessed he might wished to find out what I was doing on the ground in the middle of the pathway. Until his masters approached to greet me nicely, the dog walked by the side of the path seeming to stay from me. After about half an hour’s time, I made a pause on the sketchy picture because the high humidity of the wilderness has made all the things damp and subsequently disallowed the damp paints on the picture to accept extra paints atop. So I packed to get ready to leave without realising that drizzle has begun to fall on my picture. Meanwhile the embarrassment happened again that I have not got my umbrella with me. So by the end of the day the plastic bag I used to lay down on the pebbled path, opened with its cap sided position, has become the most helpful tools wrapping to protect me, at the same time accompanied by the friendly map guide I was able to arrive to the residency safely.

16May2024

Yesterday we have had a tight schedule on visiting the caves of the most magnificent amongst those on the plan. Before the visit I went for a morning trip. Having not an aim where to go I tried the cliffs located on the beach, which seemed to be visually accessible. And then I thought cutting the route short across the vast green pasture might allow me to reach the cliffs faster. Contrastingly it has created an unnecessary long route to walk without arriving to the destination. Meanwhile I was being naive to carelessly stride into an unseen mash, which was covered with tall bushes of an invisible depth like a snare. Helplessly having no way to get rid off the place I needed to keep on searching through the immense area of the pasture, which seemed to have no reachable edges within the surrounding, Besides my pair of shoes has immediately become soaking wet, the dense morning dews accumulated among the bushes have wetted my jacket and my pans as well. I suddenly realised my ignorance caused my by greediness was the result of not paying serious attention to the advice given by the mentor. Helplessly, though it was not an easy task, yet returning back to the main road was the only thing I have to do. On the road looking down at an elevated sight from the hill I began to see the cliff with a visual sight where I followed the road to find a junction, which has led me to turn into a pebble path. The path has a row of grass remained in the middle indicating that it is the pathway for vehicles, and towards the end of the path was a hut, which I tried not being nosy to neither find out the location of it nor the access to the cliff. I kept walking down the road beyond the row of the tall bushes grow along on the stone stub on my left hand side, where more details of the cliffs was visible. Meanwhile the sky began to turn gloomy while clouds gathered above my head. And then I thought I should make a quick sketch before the clouds might condense into rain. Amongst the materials weighted on my shoulders, I quickly took out the sketch book and a pad of markers to depict the cliff as well as the bushes grown on the pasture in front of it. In regard to the possibility of rain, I found some of the linear marks made on the paper were dissolving and I realised drizzle has been falling unnoticed. To prevent the sketch to become a mass of unidentified images, I hold the umbrella on my shoulder for protection so that I could carry on with the work in my right hand. However the unfavourable condition has persisted and the drops gathered to smash the fragile images while the lines has been drawn vaguely, therefore I decided to make a pause. Meanwhile it was another endeavour for me find my way back. I tried to walk on the road towards the direction of the cliff at the same time to locate the houses painted in blue, which have been seen repeatedly when travelling with the mentors heading for the residency. However the design of the blue house seemed identical on all sides, which has proved to be an unreliable land mark for me to follow. Without knowing the name of the place I was standing, I tried the google map. Luckily I met a lady jogged by-passing me, she has helpfully taught me how to use the map. When I was getting near to the residency, I realised that I was actually walking round and round the area without turning to the appreciate junction where the residency was just a stone mile within the final destination.

13May2024

In regard to the trip has begun with a nightmare when my sister was helping me to carry the heavy baggage to the night bus station heading for the coach check point, the clear and blue sky has waken me up from the sleepless night when the flight has landed safely on to the runway of the Santander airport from London Stansted. Knowing that I was not familiar with the local transportation by means of using the apps net-work process, in order to make sure I could be able to reach the airport by myself when most of the transit transportation was not available beyond midnight , my sister has accompanied me to take a ride on the route in advance accordingly. However, when we arrived at the entrance of the tube station trying to go through the tunnel, where is the only access to cross the rive for the night bus station, then we realised that the gate was closed when the tube stopped running after midnight. Distressfully my sister has to wake my nephew up for help to order an umber taxi for me, which has costed me a fortune for a short distance to arrive at the coach station. Meanwhile the airport was crowded with the regular travellers and the baggage checking started immediately upon my arrival, which has subsequently taken me the whole night to get onto the flight. When I arrived at the destination it was early in the morning while the sun was shining beautifully at the carport, which has attempted me to stay behind at the to so some sketches instead of browsing around the city centre while waiting to be picked up to the residency beyond midday. Meanwhile I sat on my suitcase outside the airport I made a sketches on my iPad…

10May2024

Yesterday was another busy day again. I actually stayed at home in the morning while my sister and her son went to meet the banker to deal with the banking matter. Since it was a disappointment with the banker that they returned home for lunch. To spend the afternoon my sister accompanied me to find the route to the coach station so that via travelling on the coach by myself I might get on the flight on time. Missing the junction buy grocery at the Eastern supermarket for vegetable and some cooking ingredients. Meanwhile it was almost time to meet my niece for dinner downtown, but my nephew was late when we were engaged to met up at the MTR platform g. After a rushy day, we have had a joyful evening together. In May dawn has begun to break as early as four, but then I wearily lingered on bed until five in the morning. This morning I continue to depict the scene of bushes and plant bed along the canals, where the highway by the side began has become busy with speedy vehicle…

9May2024

Looking forward to shop at the fresh fish market, we arrived there at almost half an hour earlier than the day before. Meanwhile the traffic was almost occupied by frozen trucks in white color. When were arrived many people, holding large and small plastic bags containing loads of purchases, were leaving from the inside of the market. So entered in fast paces to anxiously see what was on sell inside on the wet floor. Meanwhile the market has less customers and guessed the regular purchaser has left much earlier than we arrived. We have greedily bought a vary large lobster, a crab, a dozen of clams in discounted prices. We tried to returned home early, after a classy meal down town, to prepare a grand meal with the rear purchase. Which has a great due to cook when none of us has experience on handling raw see food when while they fought to subsist when being slaughtered on the chop board. However it was an extreme endeavour before an economic and delicious meal was finally presented on the table, and then a clean up the kitchen has become an endeavour to strive for a late night. Therefore the subsequently excuse to get up late on the following morning seemed reasonable. The morning, though it might be dangerous to stick out the iPhone for to take snapshots from a high rise building, however in order to capture a more clear and appreciate images I did and painted the pasture in a rear distance stretched along the over rail as I was able to depict through the closed window…

8May2024

We went to the fish market, which opening hours begins at four o’clock in the morning. When we arrived to see all the entrance gates were closed, we thought we were late. Since the place was unusually as quiet as a graveyard, we asked for the reason of retarded activities. Somehow we were told that inactive condition of the market was due to no goods were available, when the finisher men were off duty on the day before, which was a national bank holiday. Having no load of shopping to take home, my nephew suggested to give us a tour guide at the nearby area. We took a boat voyage on the canal to see the royal observatory, and the recent developments along the deserted wharfs, where has gradually redeveloped into a classy high raise residential zone. After a morning tea, followed by a disappointing meeting with the local banker, we went to the Museum with a booked entrance permit. Nonetheless the exhibits displaced for the public to see was limitedly uninterested, so we left after a couple of hours, and ate afternoon tea at a Korean opened “Fish and Chips” restaurant.

6May2024

Sunday was free of activities that my sister took me to do sight seeing in the central capital. Though the capital was somehow familiar to me but not the tourist parts. Then after visiting the major churches, we walked along the shore approaching from bridges to bridges, and then we reached an areas assigned for youngster to release energy by scribbling graffiti and driving scooters games. Meanwhile we were hungry, so we headed for the famous market where fresh seafood and groceries were sold directly from famers in fair prices. Besides, cheese was also one of the major items for either whole sale or retail selling. Simultaneously I have located my favourite bakeries, where they sold fresh loaf of bread and desserts cakes baked skilfully in good quality and of course sold in good prices. We bought a bag of them and went to the most crowded area for cooked food. After having the Italian mushroom risotto and Spanish seafood rice, though we were almost full, yet in regard to the “must eat” localised favourite “fish and chips”, we were in no doubt the queue was the longest. After satisfying our hungry stomach it was time to go home. We wearily walked along the bank and saw the Tower bridge, we thought visiting the boundary moat of castle might be the last tourist spot we approached, but then it has elongated the route to go home. Exhaustingly instead of squeezing with the crowds to get into the castle, we prefer to read the information posted on the stands along the moat of the castle. Meanwhile we have learnt more information indicated on the map so we crossed the bridge to the other shore of the river and reached the nearest MTR station to go home. Walking along the bank we saw a lot of cranes sticking up above the rooftops of the famous and stylist architectural buildings and behind the domes of churches. Nonetheless the overwhelming vision between the ancient immemorial and the modern development has somehow created an impact more than compact to the contemporary site. In despite to the clear indication of the speedy development of the city, the controversy for the town establishment was not for the civilian to dialogue but simply take it for granted. Thought I was extremely tire after a long day, however sniffing the cooking odor through my permanently stunk nostrils has kept me awake throughout the night unit the daylight slipped in through the slit of the thick window blind. I jumped out of bed quietly and prepare to paint the morning picture. Without seeing the vast seascape at my rooftop,I sat in the middle of the sitting room facing the large window pane of a high rise, I tried to depict the magnificent sun rise scene on the dinner table…

5May2024

On the second day of my arrival, we met up my another younger sister to have a lunch gathering in her house. So early yesterday morning we brought along some fresh seafood to her house to cook lunch. Then after walking the dog in the nearby park, we participated the workshop she runs for the migrated families. This week they ran a language class for the migrated children for them to maintained the mother tongue speaking, and an oldies group’s general gathering. Closing the workshop at the late evening, we went to a restaurant for dinner with a couple of her helpers. In despite to my “jet lag” I did not join their chats during dinner time, and then even dropped off in the car when my sister drove us back to the nearest station to go home. Meanwhile the jet lap continued to wake up throughout the night, I jumped out of bed at dawn when seeing the sun has risen to cast sun ray upon the “high rises” at the rear of the landscape. So immediately I chose to paint the vibrant clouds reflected from the rays of the sun. Since I have no intention to change the position of the worktop and actually I was depicting the same scene as the morning before, and therefore the crane has appeared again as highlight to the picture…

4May2024

Due to the time zone difference when I set off the journey for the over sea trip, which has happened a couple of days ago, I felt a sense of indulge on my working spirit especially the will to escape the burdening thoughts to resolve the problem when I have been away from the site of the incident. However when I saw a message sent from the FEHD appeared on my iPhone, which has instantly led me back to the status of distress caused by the awful neighbours’ cooking nuisance. Simultaneously the afflictive sickness caused by the neighbours cooking fumes was still lingering on my body since the air flight lifted off the ground of my home town. Meanwhile my nephews was too excited to show off his cooking skills, though the rain was still falling with wind blowing hard, together with my sister we went shopping at the nearby supermarket. After an hour’s cooking a proper and delicious meal has paved a way to indicated a good beginning on my trip. After dinner, we have had an early night. Unfortunately that the stink of the wilful smell seemed to have adhered in the inside of my nostrils, which has subconsciously disturbed my sleep throughout the night. In despite to the continuing tummy pains and release the stool at midnight, I kept checking the time on my iPhone and eventually woke up at ten minutes to five in the morning. Meanwhile through the window of the bedroom I saw daylight has already intensified showing the entire landscape of the city. Thence when I was hesitating about what to do with the morning task, through the window of the high rise apartment, I saw thick clouds suspended to almost touching the high rise of the city at the rear of the landscape, which has instantly reminded to what I have been depicting at my rooftop, which has provoked my attempt to depict a scene, I was familiar with, in a strange place. Without being irritated by the cooking fumes, I patiently finished a clouds scene, and to highlight the picture I added one of the cranes appeared at the frontal window of my nephew’s apartment, rather than the mountains that I used to depict at home…

2May2024

Since May first is the Labour’s day and is in general a public holiday that the part time maid asked me for a job in my house. Though her recent working attitude was not appreciated, I asked her to come early because I needed someone helping me to put away the stuffs at the rooftop into save places so as to avoid damage might be caused by typhoon if it might happen to arrive when I have left for an overseas trip. So I quickly finished writing a short essay and upload it together with the morning picture to my website before she arrives. Meanwhile I spared time to guide her to work, which of course not her desires to be watched. So after assigning her jobs in the bed room and toilet I went up to the rooftop to put the pots of plants under the air conditioning unit and shifted both the metal plates and plastic sheets on the floor to the wall of the hut. And then she reached the rooftop when the job was almost done. I guessed the rearrangement and water sweeping has taken me much less time to finish than her. Since I could not spare the whole day to work with her and asked her to clean the porch at the door, but the nasty woman at the opposite door got annoyed while the maid has spread all the stinky suff extended to her door. Meanwhile I tried to keep her work quietly and neatly, but she was not with me until I stood at the door to guide her how to work with consideration to the neighbours. In order to settle my nerve down to continue packing my luggage, I asked her to leave early. After dinner I did not bother to watch the Korean film with my sister but set off to the park to do the stretching exercises and went home to sleep hopping for an early night. However, besides the oily fumes I also sniffed petrol gas wafting from the neighbours below. Instead of calling the hotline 1823 to complain, I chose to yell through the window, though they pretended not heard but turn the fire high. I got up immediately after stretching my legs a few minutes and went to the toilet. This morning neither wind nor rain met me at the rooftop but the pollution remained, I wanted not to choose the view to paint but instantly sat down on the low chair to paint the clouds…