Posting was not a priority yesterday because I was so exhausted and anxious. Anxious because my refrigerator is acting up again and I would have to call the Panasonic service center. They would have to pull this out again and we will be living on Food Panda/Grab Food again for a week. 😔
Another issue is Kimchi. I need to bring her to the vet because she keeps peeing in places she shouldn’t be. I don’t know if she is doing this to mark her territory because Gorilla and Socks are encroaching in her territory or it is something medical.
I’m physically exhausted from the travel and I’m overwhelmed with household issues. To top it all off, I had to do a lot of cleaning. 😢
I went around Wan Chai Computer Center last Saturday to see if there are stuff that I can buy that are worth packing in my luggage.
I was tempted to buy a mirrorless compact but I realized I no longer carry my Fujifilm, so that means any camera purchase would just be a waste of good money. After going up and down three floors of the computer center, I went to CN Square in Yau Ma Tei.
Hong Kong is home to almost 400,000 Filipino domestic workers. They use to converge in Victoria Park on Sundays after church service but since the pandemic, people weren’t allowed to go there en masse. So they had no choice but to lay cardboard boxes to use as picnic mats along the foot bridges in Central that they made into a substitute park—from Hong Kong Station to several connected buildings in the CBD area, like World Wide House where a lot of Philippine banks and stores are located. It’s their version of Singapore Lucky Plaza. This is also the reason why Hong Kong has 19 Jollibee stores; Jollibee follows the Filipinos.
Anyway, I arrived at CN Square fully equipped with my armor of prudence and financial safety checks. Because that dang area is a money pit for a stationery addict like me.
They weren’t any cheaper compared to Manila but they have a much wider selection. The Japanese brands are there and other obscure names. I also didn’t know that Pierre Cardin licensed fountain pens and inks. If my father is still alive, I would have gifted him a Pierre Cardin or a Waterman from here.
On the second level… I almost bought a set of inks for ink painting. The output of some of the teachers and students in their works deluded me into thinking I could also do what they do… 🙃
They’re all so pretty. ❤️
I tried dabbling in it, to see how difficult or easy it is. Nope, I can’t control it. It’s like watercolor but it’s much more difficult.
It’s like once it touches the paper, it’s there and I wouldn’t be able to manipulate it anymore. Maybe I’m an idiot but I could no longer change how it behaves on paper. Sometimes with watercolor, I could still adjust the color or transparency. With inks, however…
I tried it again, this time with more transparency. It’s hard.
They also have classes for watercolors but I didn’t see any watercolors for sale.
This one is by a teacher who is also an architect. He does this art lessons on the side.
I almost bought ink painting and calligraphy sets. Almost. I realized I do not have the time to indulge in these hobbies nowadays. 😭
The only time I was able to color my sketches done at the airport was before I checked out of my hotel last Saturday.
I wanted to go to Tsim Sha Tsui to take photos of Victoria Harbor for reference for future sketches or paintings. But it was a Saturday and I knew it would be teeming with tourists.
It’s hard to find a spot. 🥲
The photo above is good for wave painting exercises.
This one is for perspective sketching.
I should have visited the HK MoA but I didn’t have enough time. The last time I visited this museum was in 2007.
That’s it. I’ll probably come back to HK in November.