Introductions

I never know how exactly to start introducing myself. Of course it depends on context, I wouldn’t begin by listing my academic achievements at a friend’s birthday dinner or by detailing my family background on the first day of work. But the safe option of “Hello my name is … and here’s what I do” sounds so unimaginative.

So I thought it would be fun to come up with a list: what are some unexpected ways that you can introduce yourself?

1. State some things that you dislike.
2. Describe yourself using adjectives you wouldn’t use for dating apps.
3. Share some positive observations you have about the people around you. (How you see other people can reflect a lot about yourself.)
4. Tell the story of your most recent failure. And what you learned from it.
5. Talk about what you want to do in the future instead of what you are doing now or what you have done in the past.
6. Sing or rap your way through your spiel. Dance moves optional.
7. Be concise and engaging, but don’t mention your name.

And that’s all she could think of tonight! Trying to post daily, whatever content that might be.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

5 things I learned from the pandemic

1. You can’t take anything for granted.
   There was a time when sitting down for a morning coffee at the local cafe, dancing in the night with friends in crowded rooms, and planning travel to distant destinations were common things for a young person to do. Then it became common trying to recognizing people just from their eyes and hair, swerving from oncoming foot traffic to maintain a six foot distance, looking forward to grocery runs as they were one of the activities that changed the least. In one swift email back in March 2020, we were told the university would be closing and that all activities would resume online, including graduation. Fast forward one year and it has become a privilege to go on neighbourhood walks and to have a job that can be done remotely. Just like life, circumstances and things can be taken away at any moment, so the optimal mindset is to always expect change, while being grateful for all the little things.
   
   
2. It’s ok to chill out.
   There is only so much to do when stuck at home, and it can easily feel like not much is getting done when each day feels relatively the same. But I have realized that busyness does not equal productivity. On the contrary, to use time and energy the most efficiently during work hours requires amounts of resting hours as well. Silence and boredom give space to think and reflect on motivations and perspective, allowing for a fresh outlook and newfound creativity to inspire further work. Even though I have an itch to continually achieve and do, I am trying to also be ok with waiting for regular activities to return and enjoy the down time while it lasts!
   
   
3. I’m more extraverted than I thought.
   Thank goodness for video calls and the internet – imagine the isolation everyone would have felt even more of without them. I always thought I was more introverted, content with staying at home and entertaining myself, until I realized I was going on walks not just for exercise, but to just be around people. Social belonging is a huge factor in happiness and stress reduction, so it is easy to feel down through lockdowns. Although in some ways I have found technology has made connecting with others more convenient, seeing faces being turned on and off the screen and hearing distorted voices due to bad wi-fi just isn’t the same. And hugs! Weird to have to change greetings keeping a six-foot distance. I wonder if handshakes will become obsolete?
   
   
4. Creating is important for the soul.
   What quarantine hobby did you take up? I remember when lockdowns started in Canada, people were baking, painting, crocheting, singing, cleaning – and many still are today. I believe that every person is a creator in one form or another, with an innate drive to make something, anything – art, food, music, space… Despite being very excited to graduate, I ended up taking a UX course for fun to learn about the process of designing digital interfaces. And after feeling the vacancy lockdown after lockdown I decided to revive this blog which has been fun so far.
   
   
5. Don’t have too much faith in the government.
   Pretty self-explanatory. How ill-prepared the majority of governments of the world were to handle this crisis has made me very doubtful of their efficacy and competence. It makes me wonder about how future problems especially those stemming from environmental damage and global warming will be handled, if at all.

Not to end on a negative note, I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and finding the silver lining of the pandemic situation wherever you may be. It has been a difficult year affecting everybody in different ways, and I recognize I am very fortunate to be able to take this time to learn new things and reflect on the important things in life.

(Art by maureenkat on Redbubble.com)

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Autumn Leaves

Source: theglamoroushousewife.com/2013/09/inspired-by-autumn/

“When we look and enjoy the colour of autumn leaves we are admiring death.”

“The way I see it, the vibrancy is a last defiant showing against the cold of winter, it represents a sacrifice from a sheer will to survive.”

I guess it all depends on how you look at it.

Pencil Update: Poem

Funny and very true. Source: 9Gag

With my green pencil as a lucky charm,

Scribbling through papers in calm alarm,

Arthropods, hemoglobin, and evolution,

Ranting about post Of Mice and Men depression

The clock ticks faster when things get tricky,

Got dizzy from the little thing called stoichiometry.

Tomorrow after math will feel like I’m in heaven,

Finished (and hopefully graduated) from grade eleven!

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I haven’t written much because my mental pencil has been used up making review notes and writing exams this past week. I cannot wait to start reading the pile of books on my to-read list, and of course, to write! Just a few more days until summer!

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Walks ’til Magic Hour

Source: photok12.org/?q=node/11

Oh glorious day!
Sunshine blazes through canopies of green, crowds filter into High Park
A blackbird calls, its red and white marks peeking through the brush
Algae foams above the pond, where breezes sweep through the gardens
Strolling a maze of hedges and wading pools
Sit with face to the sky, indulge in quenching fruit salad and gelato
Hike hidden sandy trails imagining a place without city noise
Emerge into picnics, lawn bowling games, and playground cheers
Snapping photos and laughing chats all the way
Have a mini barbecue in shady grass, with softened rays of the dying hours
Contemplating why we work so hard to seclude ourselves from nature,
When we love so much to wallow in it?

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Perfect way to end the long weekend: had an absolutely fantastic time with my family and my only regrets are that I had homework nagging the back of my mind and that I didn’t reapply sunscreen, not because of sunburn, but because it is too soon to already get this tanned. Summer feels so close but so far away, and I am feeling very unmotivated to go back to school and don’t-even-mention exams. I just have to remember to live every moment because before I know it, grade 11 will be finished.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

What Now?

I haven’t been writing much since the end of NaPoWriMo and to be quite honest with you, I don’t know the answer to this question myself. What I do know is that I cannot wait for summer and that I hope to continue writing in at least these ways:

1. Living up to my name
Posts regarding ballet as an art form, experiences of a dancer, and book reviews will return. An amazing week of a dance festival with 18 different ballet schools has left me inspired, and I am also working on reviews for two graphic novels as well as a funny biography.

2. Scholarly Series
Works I’ve written over the past few years in high school will be shared for anyone in the midst of studying Shakespeare, Lord of the Flies, Paradise Lost, literary devices, and things of that sort. Oh, and I just love the word scholar. I thought it a better replacement for the word ‘school’ or ‘student’.

3. A Big Awards Extravaganza!
It is exactly what it sounds like. Just to give you an idea of just how big, it will take at least 4 parts to be completed. I think it is only fair to share the support and generosity that I’ve received; I have many to thank and spotlight, so stay tuned!

4. Life is unexpectedly surprising
Since starting, I’ve realized that I am inspired to write about everyday occurrences and random thoughts as much as from dancing and reading. Each day can be wonderful, stressful, exhilarating, or serene, and I want to capture some of these moments. So some personal stuff will be scattered around. And yes, that heading title was repetitive.

5. Creativity continues
As I’ve said, my first NaPoWriMo was a lot of fun and I will be writing poems, though inconsistently. I love writing short stories but due to limited time, poems are often a more efficient and equally expressive choice. Creative writing is my favourite kind of writing, and I want to do more of it in the near future.

So as I’m rummaging through a box of themes and ideas, I thank you for your interest and patience in the meanderings of this blog. I know the closer we get to the end of the school year, the busier I will be, but I’ll do my best to write a post every few days.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

TEAL (NaPoWriMo #28a)

Source: atoo.co.uk

Trendy piece in confident fashion
Endless skies and sparkling coasts
Anticipation brewing under cool demeanor
Lost soul floating aimlessly in blank pondering

Intermediate, like a light switch balanced between on and off
Bold yet changing with the ebbs of time
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Teal also happens to be the colour of my ballet uniform.The prompt for a colour poem was too good to resist. So now I’m two poems behind. Oh well. Maybe I will be able to post another one tonight. Congratulations to everyone who has successfully completed the NapoWriMo challenge today!

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Fortune Cookies (NaPoWriMo #21)

So they hired me as the replacement. Here you go. Some are helpful, most aren’t:

You will acquire a lemon. Most likely yellow or possibly one with wheels.

The next time you face indecision, trust your gut feeling. Unless you’re drunk.

You will almost say “funnest”, realize how gramatically incorrect you would be, and use “most fun” instead. Which isn’t fun at all.

Kindness goes a long way. A slap in the face sometimes does too.

You’ve wondered about who writes these fortunes anyway and how the paper is put inside. You were hoping for an answer.  And are now disappointed.

You will find a pair of really cheap and cute shoes. Someone will grab them before you.

For someone in this world, you are the rainbow after a rainstorm.

For someone in this world, you are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (This can be taken symbolically or charmingly literally.)

You are the key to your future. So just eat me.

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So, I tried my best. It gets easier to write the fortunes as you go along. I know this is a late post as far as the official prompts are concerned, but I always say, better late than never. Also, has anyone else ever tried to get the fortune out without breaking the cookie?

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Just Another Angel: For my grandfather (NapoWriMo #6)

Calligraphy by my grandfather. The first character is “silence”, the one in the corner is “beautiful”. It translates to English: “Silence is golden.”

though you are not here in total, and never will be again

you linger in my heart, and in my memories
no more conversations, or sitting by the tv
it is hard to accept that

i am sorry we didn’t spend our time like we should

with me around the globe, it’s hard
yet you traveled all this way once
and here we are now with everyone
but, it was too late

though your spirit soared, and your mind fought so much

you were leaving behind the air needed to breathe
no more medications to swallow or needles piercing through your skin

and you now fly high, i am pretty sure about that

but you leave us behind, with tears to shed and splinters of the past life you had

and we have to gather up the memories that lay broken on the floor
but you live always, in those whose very existence depended on you
those like me
you are up there with all the heavenly bodies

just another angel

watching our family peacefully

but to me, you are not another one of them

you were my grandfather,my one and only, and always will be

i love you

“To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Thomas Campbell

Published from September 1st, 2009.

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My grandparents flew to Canada once from Indonesia, and in 2009, our family from all around the world flew in to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. My grandfather had been ill, and his condition worsened while we were there. It was a very bittersweet trip and shortly after we landed in British Columbia, we received the news that Kong-Kong, as we called him, had passed away. I wrote him this poem. Today’s prompt to write a valediction, or poem of farewell, reminded me of it.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Triduum (and Happy Easter!)

Enter a hall of candlelight and incense
A gentle chant emerges from a circle crowd of bowed heads
Old melodies float through smoke-enveloped prayers

Readings stir memories with hymns that haunt the heart
Minds remember a well known story brought forth from its dusty shelf
Trembling eyes watch it unfold, in awe of history and hope

Candle flames passed from hand to hand,
a sweeping tide of flickering lights
In a sea of little orbs, illuminated faces glow,
chasing cold night’s air away
As acapella voices break the silence of darkness

After long preparations of solemn reflection in Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil, we can finally say, HAPPY EASTER! The biggest celebration of Christian religion is now truly joyful and we can now indulge from our Lenten restrains (churches must also heave a sigh of relief after that marathon of services). Today, I believe in miracles.

Regardless of your faith, I wish you all a wonderful Easter holiday and a great weekend to spend with family and friends!
Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead