Petit Paris - Pont Neuf

click to enlarge

Hi hi, 

It's been a while after our last chat, right? Cos' I am quite busy these days, to do what? To draw and write this, and finally released on Google Book this week...so...so...excited :D

Although it is only a short picture book that I've started with for this series, I did work onto it seriously, hopefully you can feel it, too!

Our publisher name is Oiseau Distrait (updated on Aug 20240,

you can find me from here also Oiseau Distrait

As a Welcome gift, a discount is offer right now until mid of March, Enjoy!

I am still working on to distribute in other platform such as Apple Book, and will be announced once it is ready.

If you would like to see the "story" of producing the watercolor painting inside, there will be another post in Cocoa Design Life Instagram a bit later, be our guest and hope to see you there :)

To write short, I better tell you "behind the scene" of this book in next post, good day!

P.S.- read book in landscape view to display double pages 

Magic moment at Tsukiji Market

It must be over 20 years of more, this photo was taken at the Tsukiji Market, our second visit to Japan; as far as I've remember, I was still using my Minolta SLR camera and this was scanned from my washed out photograph. 

When we arrived at around 7:00 am that morning, every workers had already finished their distribution work except some small shop like this one. We walked slowly and acted as quiet as possible to avoid disturbance, actually I was a bit disappointed while thought of nothing great would happened due to our late arrival, so I just looked around and wondering what were these guys still busy on?

Suddenly,  a beam of sun ray fell onto them in front of me, it was so beautiful...I just shoot without hesitation. 

Every time when I look at it, all my memories return...the huge high ceiling market, dark and wet, faint light bulbs in yellowish grey swinging above stalls, large or small; aroma of sea water mix with freshly scent of seafood, trucks here and there, noisy but energetic, so busy...and suddenly all gone......

It is still one of my favorite photo that I've ever took. I hope you like it, too.



 

窗外

回想年前當我決定放下室內設計師的工作, 轉換成部份時間教書及全職寫作的時候, 其中ー個原因是享受在家工作, 那時並沒有想過有一天, "外出返工"會變成並非必然的事. 返送中運動再加疫情, 不單打擊我們的心靈和健康, 連帶維持生活也變得格外困難. 每天當我坐在窗邊工作之時, 總會偶爾望望街外的巿民,今天...大家又要為着什麽躊謀?

輪椅上的伯伯打開回收箱搜索他人棄置的鐵罐...找到兩個......
沒帶口罩的一家, 爸爸和兩個孩子等待橫過馬路, 小孩子的笑臉沒有絲毫不安, 父親呢?
拉低口罩吸啜着一口一口香煙的他/她, 在陽光下看似一齊如常.
兩手拿滿生活戰利品的太太, 為什麼在僅見的眉稍眼角之間, 仍然流露著哀愁?
和朋友談得興奮的大漢, 一臉天不怕地不怕的"豪氣"繼續遊走在人群之間;
口罩少年相聚的笑聲夾雜著嬸嬸們交流物資情報的憤怒聲, 你一句我一句地反複迴蘯......

這邊廂陰謀論不停, 怨聲載道, 投訴安排不善, 決策不當; 那邊廂堅拒成為檢疫隔離中心, 原因種種; 囤積、搶購、罷工...同樣, 各有因由. 今天我們在同一個天空下, 是什麼令人類忘記了這一切管理地球的失行, 不都是我們一同有意無意地製造出來的呢?!

群組上仍然散佈的種種訊息, 反映着惶恐、不安、自私、無奈、憤慨和怨恨......但慢慢地開始被愛包裹, 縱然很有限! 但願, 我們能回轉, 

明白金錢權力買不到一刻鐘的生命; 
明白唯有愛能讓人團結, 重新出發;
明白我們的狂傲和自大只帶來無知, 因為
只有神掌管明天!

趁還有時間, 但願我們能回轉!

Cocoa Studio Update

I have to write this post for three reasons:  

First of all, I must say thank you  to a blogger Ms. Emma, without her tutorial in liliflorapretty.blogspot.com 
I am still wasting time to find out a workable solution of building a photo gallery here.

Well, you may say why not using the "converting apps" from the market? After spending two whole days to test those apps and discovered, either they are not working smoothly inside Blogger, or with additional tons of codes that we really don't need, but the only reason to insert them is for their promotion banner. 

In fact, Emma share the simplest code and effective way to complete this job, the result is nice and sustainable without third parties control. Thanks again!

Secondly is the discontinue of Your Shot of National Geographic, a platform that we used to share our photos and learn from others. It's sad because it was a really good platform gathering professional & amateur photographers. So many good quality and amazing photos there to enjoy, comment from the supporting team are valuable; we were always longing for the "Photo of the Month". Although you can still find them in Instagram, most of us miss the Good old days.

Finally, as an amateur, to share what we captured in our own blog is the perfect place that we always wanted, but time...time...time...and now, this moment in Hong Kong, we are "trapped" at home, what a perfect time :P and so we did it.

If you do have a minute, why not visit our updated Cocoa Studio page, hope you'll like it.

A little prayer

God our Father in Heaven

please be with us

whatever the situation is

Forgive our pride

as 

human beings

the wish 

to control everything

which far beyond our knowledge & ability

Let us be humble

to learn

we were made

not create

to listen

the one who is still

waiting for us to return 
to His love and kindness

Don't wait 

before it's too late!

Pray in the name of

Jesus Christ

Amen

小休三分鐘

短缺、維生、危險、生死猶關...

快人一歩、搶購、囤積、備用... 

三天?一週?一月?一年?

邀請你小休三分鐘...

分享、守望、互補不足...

世界變得大了一些,

支援多了一些,

關愛多了一些...

此刻不再撕裂 

一心一意

畢竟

我們也是共同生存在地球的過客

願大家平安!

Bonhoeffer Dietrich 潘霍華

BONHOEFFER by Metaxas

 2020年1月1日, 我終於把這本書看完, 斷斷續續地, 歷時四個月. 自從看完昂山素姫( The Lady and The Peacock) 之後, 便開始對一些能持守特定信念的人物事蹟有興趣; 接着看馬拉拉 (I am Malala) , 德蘭修女 (Come Be My Light), 現在是潘霍華 (BONHOEFFER Paster, Martyr, Prophet, Spy).

四本書的四個人物背景, 文化, 經歷各有不同, 但書本完結時, 同樣地令我心情迴蕩, 再次反思人生特別是作為基督徒的意義, 尤其處身在今天的世代.

潘霍華: 德國人, "不幸"地生存於納粹時期, 本身有着優秀的生活及學養條件, 卻選擇成為牧者, 懷着對神一份單純的信念及對公義的追求, 成為暗殺希特拉組織内的一員; 他們的行動, 並沒有成功阻止猶太人被淸洗的慘劇, 甚至為自己帶來被囚和死亡.

"...He was one of the very few men that I have ever met to whom his God was real and ever close to him...his soul really shone in the dark desperation of our prison " - 這是在最後囚禁時期認識他的 Mr. Payne Best 對潘霍華牧師的憶述.

或許有不少人也會對他的選擇有不同意見,  甚至他也會為自己的一些軟弱行為而内疚...當你發現人的限制, 對現况的無力感, 我們可以選擇玉石倶焚, 以死控訴; 又或者選擇持守神是終極掌權者, 讓他使用來成為不可能的可能, 而無悔.

"......anyone who lays violent hands on man here is infringing eternal laws and taking upon himself superhuman authority which will eventually crush him."- 潘霍華牧師在一篇演辭中講述當領導者漸漸扮演上帝的角色時同時也在摧毀自己. 我想, 這也同樣地對我們一群要反抗不公義政權的人民, 有着重要的提醒.


潘霍華: 德國人牧者, "有幸"地生存於納粹時期, 在黑暗世代中的任何時刻, 將安慰和希望帶給身邊的人, 作鹽作光, 成為持守主道的美好見證. 但願今天的我們, 不忘初心!