Tag: appreciation

Hey everyone, I drew sadness.

Trying something new to improve my skills.

WintaLeave a comment

I used to be good at art. Now, after years of letting go, holding a pen (and the fact that I’m using a pen, not pencil) to draw art makes me feel like a newbie.

I don’t really know why, but I felt very motivated to draw “Sadness” from the movie inside out.

And I don’t really know why I chose to draw something sad, which was what I searched up on Bing. I just started a new job, so it really should be a good thing going on for me.

Maybe it meant that I’m not doing all the I have the potential to do? Like, what is a hobby?

As a resolve to change my busy bee way of life, I’ve decided to take a picture of something I enjoy doing at least once a week (I’ll try for once a day, if it works out).

img_1284

By the way, sorry this picture is so bad. I thought about redrawing so that it looks better to put on my blog, but I wanted it to be authentic.

My family is pretty artistic, and by “pretty” I mean that my brother and sisters put my newbie drawing to shame. Seriously, they’re, like, 10 and they have a Youtube channel with animated videos. Feel free to follow them!

My sister, 12 years old, animated this one:

She is literally obsessed with art. She spends 10 hours a day in the summer, just drawing. And when we come home at night, she still wants to draw.

My brother, 10 years old, animated this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU7z5W_bUVY

He has lots of talent, which I think is such a waste that he spends most his time watching Youtube videos.

My other sister, 15 years old at the age of drawing this, is super talented. It’s a pity she’s so ambitious and is boggled down with 6 college and high school classes in a semester. I’m really pushing for her to continue drawing, but we’ll see.

I wonder if it’s the commute that’s bringing me down. For the first time, I have to commute 30-45 minutes by CAR. New York doesn’t count because at least I got to sit down in the subway train, and read a book. /sigh/

Well, thanks for stopping in!! I really appreciate your reading my blog. 🙂

 

 

A Year in Photos Review

Winta3 Comments

Another year goes by, the time comes to recount the things we’ve accomplished.

A successful year marks a time where we let our imaginations take us where we’ve not been before. We can fight of monsters if we stand together. halloweenwithmybrother

This year, we started on our path towards having a better body and health, discovering the beauty of mother nature in the process.  waterfall

Developing relationships can be pretty difficult sometimes, but definitely not impossible. Once we surpass it, we make the strongest team in the world! Nothing will stop us from going on adventures together.

I hope that next year will be another year of improvement, making meaningful pursuits, and fun travels!peace

@ Photo Challenge: 2017 Favorites

 

Thanks for stopping by! Here are some life appreciation posts I think you might like:

What are your year’s highlights?

Parent Appreciation

Winta3 Comments

It’s not easy to fully give credit where it’s due. And sometimes, it really is easier to understand once I’m older. Parents have to be open enough to realize their kids don’t have the capacity in their emotions to understand what they have done. Kids have to be open minded enough to empathize with their parents regarding their decisions. 

My family is different. We’ve come a very, very long way to get where we are today. 

In the early 1990s, my parents fled in the middle of the night on a boat in Vietnam, destination set for the Philippines. A week long, they sailed through days and nights on open water. I don’t know how they did it. Stories tell of people whowent crazy, people died. My parents survived. They took refuge at poor conditioned camps in the Philippines. 

My parents learned their trade at the camp. My dad took up goldsmithing. My mom studied languages and learned how to sew. Because of corruption within the administrators of the refugee camps, funds that were donated weren’t delivered to the cause of helping the Vietnamese refugees. 

In 1994, my parents have already met each other in the refugee camps. I was born in the camps, surrounded by a knit of refugee community. They took care of me. 

We were in Philippines for almost 15 years. My parents have since ran away from their refugee camps. I remember being left at home alone at 5 years old; my parents were out selling household items on the streets. I remember our house flooding and I jumped around on top of the furniture as if playing a game. The electricity cut out again, we pulled out chairs to stargaze at the night outside; we had hand fans to fan each other and many candles to light the way. 

In 2004, we lived in a one bedroom. We had a small outdoor kitchen. We washed all our laundry with our hands. I walked to school, though whenever I have a few extra pesos, I would rice a tricycle to school. Our small knit Vietnamese community took care of each other, and built our life on relaxation and hard work. 

In 2005, December, we arrived to a small apartment in the United States. I missed my friends in the Philippines, I might never see them again. Iowa was cold and lonely. Employers had taken advantage of my parents, paying them below minimum wage because they didn’t know better. My parents moved our family through several unstable cities, states, work, and school. 

In the next decade, my parents became tired of working for demanding employers and unsatisfying jobs, they set out their path to accomplished what they needed to do for their children. They have moved, built up their small business, forged their path to take care of their four children. My parents rarely stopped working, but I can’t blame them as they’re doing this for us. We have been taking more vacations the past year, and I’m hoping to take plenty more as my parents deserve them. 

Today? In 2017, my parents have built up a thriving small business, are homeowners, own four cars, and have enough to care for their four children. We take small trips once in awhile to hang out as a family. 

I admire their resilience and ability to thrive. It takes a lot of courage to leave your country, your family, and life in search for a future that they didn’t know was there. It is terrifying to go through the displacement from political unrest. I’m not sure if I could do that myself. My heart goes out to those who are fleeing their home in search of refuge. 

Everyone appreciates their parents at points in their lives, perhaps some more than others. I’m fortunate enough to learn how to appreciate them early versus later. 

What are some of your thoughts and feelings about being a parent or child? 

The More I Know…

Winta22 Comments

It’s true, what they say. You don’t truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone. Despite having travelled across the oceans, I have never fully explored my own back yard. Time to go back and walk the path I’ve never walked. 

IMG_5144

I’ve always wanted to leave the small towns.

I grew up in a small town, lived in one for most of my life. I never appreciated the autumn colors, the mild weather, the beautiful scape.

I’ve always wanted to move to a big city. When I had the chance, I left.

For a long time.

It’s been years since I’ve come home for more than 3 weeks. I guess it would be over five years now? I’ve looped around the world, and now I’m back.

I’m so thankful to have the time to come home, be with my family, have a productive time of my life where I can sit and think. I’m appreciating things I’ve never had before. We’ve been walking a section of the green way every day, seeing landscapes we’ve never seen before. It’s so beautiful. My mountains.