Memories & Dreams

"Mommy, what do you want to be when you grow up" ?

You think thats funny, huh? But B was serious when he asked me this. While I checked out the different summer programs and classes B can take, I also note down the classes I planned to enroll myself in specifically the Arts. I may not have the talent to do something worthy of a space in the walls of museums but I can paint a bit. And I’m grateful to God for including that in my genetic make-up -:) I can do a bit of watercolor, a little bit of one stroke painting & Chinese brush. Also, I have been trying to take artsy photos but I am never very good at any of these mentioned. There are still a lot of things I need to learn before I can be called "good". Currently, I'm taking Chinese brush painting, I’m not too bad at it but I definitely need loads of practice to perfect my strokes. Ms Dong Shang my Chinese art instructor tells me to copy the work of the master referring to the book we are using. When she demonstrates it to us, she makes it look all too easy of course! The strokes I can follow but controlling the amount of water in my brush, is kinda tricky because if I don’t get it right messes up your painting. And it can get frustrating at times! One time I was doing my "assignment" for that week, to practice on doing the branches of a tree, the whole weekend all I did was that alone and for the life of me I just couldnt get to look right! I tossed all my rice papers aside in frustration and thought of giving up. I told myself "why did I even think I have the talent to do this?" So much for positive autosuggestion, right? But early one morning before my class, I tried it again, and lo & behold, I was able to do not just one but four (4) in just 30 min! Exactly the same thing I tried to do for three days! Praise God! I went to my class with this wide grin on my face!

My being stubborn can sometimes be put to good use, when I set my heart on doing something I don’t give up so easily. So instead of doing the laundry, I practice, on our dining table, in our little apartment, leaving no space to put the food which I didnt have the time to prepare anyway! So B must have noticed all of these that he just couldn’t resist asking, "Mommy, what do you want to be when you grow up"? Like what I am doing now is not that of a grown up yet -:( hahaha!

Well, aside from being a Mom & teacher to you, I also want to be a painter and a photographer! Being a "grown up" shouldn't limit anyone from learning and discovering new things. For me God created the world so beautifully, that I just want to capture them in canvass or photos, be it a flower, a butterfly or the laughter of an innocent child. After all, we are a work of art. Isnt the world God's masterpiece? Each one is handpainted, unique in its own way, that even the tiniest living organism is carefully thought of & has importance in the circle of life. All I want to do is copy the master!

Here are samples of my "practice" pieces, I hope to do better in my next attempt.