When you feel like you're being carried away by the hustle and bustle of life.

Lately, I've been thinking about...well, the lease to my flat ends in May, you see.

This might sound silly but, it's my first time living on my own. As I worried about this, I figured that I should re-read the lease agreement.

But the thought of reading it felt intimidating…so much cold, formal and legal jargon.

*sigh*

Anyway, I read it. 😤

Well, it is possible to renew and extend my stay here, but since a friend suggested that I look around for other flats, the idea's been floating around in my head.

Sometimes, it's so easy to get carried away by the hustle and bustle of life.

This metro escalator is STEEP.

You know - trying to make ends meet and do well at our jobs and personal lives - that the next thing we know, one year has passed and now we gotta file our taxes, and the end period of the lease is coming up.

I know, I'm already an adult, but sometimes, thinking about these…grownup things that we gotta do (some of these we weren't taught at school, or by anyone)... It feels jarring at times.

For instance, when I look back at that D that I had in Math on my high school report card that I was so terrified to tell my Mom -- it now pales 10x in comparison to what I'm faced with at this point in my life.

And the irony is, if we look at a photo of the Milky Way, we're really just specks in the galaxy.

And then eventually, we're outta here.

I guess the existential theme in the movie Everything, Everywhere All at Once (2022) is still stuck in my brain, you know? XD

Yesterday, I read a wlw manga/comic for the first time in a while. In that episode, the main characters (both girls) go outside to the balcony of their apartment to light some small fireworks.

<Ok in case you're interested: it's about two friends who promised to try out being a married couple if they're still single in 5 years. They meet again 5 years later and fulfill that promise!>

"Oh my gosh, she has THAT LOOK!", I said.

In one frame, one of the main protagonists looks at the other girl LIKE THIS.

And somehow that makes me stop for a few seconds - the worrying, the calculating, thinking about work…

In a sense, going back to that theme in EEAAO - despite how things may seem pointless and that we're all running around in circles...

there are moments in life that are filled with beauty, that make us stop in our tracks and soften and warm our hearts.

Joy: […] Here, all we get are a few specks of time where any of this actually makes any sense.

Evelyn Wang: Then I will cherish these few specks of time.

('Everything Everywhere All at Once' by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinhert, 2022)

Have a great week ahead! :D

Much love,

Rose

Why a short snow hike can be good for you

Last Saturday, I went hiking on a trail a few minutes outside of Prague.

My former teacher, Ms. G., invited me, along with 6 other people. She brought her dog, Tony, too!

It was 1°C (35°F)! The snow was falling. We walked and talked for a few hours, enjoying the scenery.

"Whoops!"

My legs gave out.

I took a deep breath and picked myself back up.

To be honest, I fell a couple of times. 🤣 I didn't have hiking boots on and it was hard to find my footing sometimes.

That's how life had been feeling for me lately. Hence the lack of posts!

Sorry about that, fam.

I was feeling frustrated about how it's been 9 months, and yet I wasn't where I wanted to be.

I thought that I should just keep going and be more solution-oriented, that's why I didn't write to you about it.

And this snow hike was an opportunity to get out of my head and into nature.

We arrived at a lake.

"So how's it going?" Ms. G asked.

We hadn't seen each other for months since the TEFL graduation. She's a sweet, considerate and generous lady, and I felt that I could tell her about my situation.

"From what I've experienced, 2 years is a good time to give yourself. You've already experienced what it was like during your first year, so at least by the 2nd year, you have an idea of what to expect." :)

I realized that I'd been expecting so much of myself, again. XD

"Snowy Hike" (2023, watercolor & brushpen, size A4) buy art print / original

This piece was made after the hike.

It's painted using watercolor, and there wasn't any plan on how I wanted it to be. I just wanted to express whatever I felt in my heart.

For some reason, I felt that there should be a solid blue color in the middle. I used a Prussian Blue brushpen, which is one of my favorite colors to use. It looks like a river. :)

We reached a restaurant at the end. It was warm and cozy, and we all sat down on a table, family-style.

We had a glass of beer, and I ate a plateful of schnitzel with potato salad. We still had a lot of time to wait for the bus, so we played a card game.

My legs were sore.

But I found myself smiling and feeling content. "I will persist until I succeed. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. " -The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mendino Much love, Rose

Happy New Year! 2023 🥳🎉

Dang, what a trip 2022 has been! 🤪

Looking back, it had its ups and downs, of course.

But this time, instead of just focusing on the best moments -

- I also want to look at the moments when I cried and struggled

and see them as something that happened for me, to learn and grow.

For example: financial hardship, as stressful as it was (and is sometimes), helped push me to be resourceful.

So aside from my art business and my day job teaching English, I started teaching basic Japanese every Saturday.

I also started reading books on how I can get my finances in order and applying them.

e.g. paying myself first (set aside 10% of your paycheck for your savings/retirement - even a dollar helps) before the bills.

It's not just to have something for a rainy day, but also good practice on valuing myself and appreciating what I have.

And somehow, although I'm not a devout Christian or the type who quotes passages from the Bible,

the psalm "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" helps me feel better.

It also reminds me that I don't have to shoulder everything on my own.

For this, I'm also thankful to my Patreon fam.

Knowing that they have my back helps take a lot of the worry away, so that I can focus all my energy onto my art.

And as for the best moments of 2022,

one of the highlights is definitely meeting Adèle Haenel and being able to thank her in person.

And showing my art to her!

It's a fricking miracle!! ✨

It's gonna be 2023 tomorrow!

For sure, it's gonna have its ups and downs like the other years...

But let's keep going.

We have the capabilities - let's persist until we succeed!

May you have a new year that's bountiful with joy, good health and wealth. 😌

Sending you a biiiig hug and lots of love!

Rose

This post is brought to you by my community on Patreon! Special thanks to Chok, Big Sis Maryann, Randall and Tresha, Baby D., Ros H., Nina L., Anny S., Natasha H., Mary R., Melissa L., Richard T. ❤❤❤

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