another year marches on – 2024

I started this year with the intention to write a reflection every month. I found myself to have failed – it takes too much energy to routinely tap into a reflective energy, and too much to wind down. A month isn’t a long time; a month launches you into the next. However, I do find the idea of compounding a year’s worth of living into a single post somehow more palatable. The end of a year is a comfortable time to weave a basket of memories.

☆*:.。. Jump to .。.:*☆
JAN • FEB • MAR • APR • MAY • JUN • JUL • AUG • SEPT • OCT • NOV • DEC

january

Living

• Bedridden with a high fever (~40ºC) that didn’t ease up after 4 days. Called 111 and they told me to sleep, said they’ll check on me after 5 hours, they didn’t. Had a pit stop at A&E and they told me it’ll be fine. Lovely start to the new year.
• Visited Sharon at Colch, which I wrote more about here.

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• I continued going to Sketch & Café sessions, which is always lovely. There’s no pressure to perform and no need to reintroduce yourself – the lines one makes on paper make one legible.

february

Living

• Got really lonely, which made my constitution weak. Went to TCM to get some expensive meds (where I didn’t feel cared for in a way that mattered) and cried on the bench outside Manchester Library.
• Another Chinese New Year away from home, which is always a tricky paradox in the feelings department. On the bright side, Chinatown Manchester had loads of festivities: young kids singing in a choir out-of-tune, playing pop-pops that went for £1 a box, sounds of cymbals in rhythm with a lion dance’s steps.

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• My work got exhibited in Affleck’s Micro-gallery exhibition, produced and curated by HappeninginMCR. It’s a digital print of a gouache painting depicting plushies from my final year of university.
• Following from that, I joined HIM as a graphic designer! One of the cases where I’m grateful that I sent a cold email, with a simple ask.
• Made a little flip book as Min’s gift for our anniversary. Had a major fun time making, thinking, figuring out where to print and bind (Ryman’s…).
• Managed to get a fresh grad graphic design role in-house in the UK, which has been challenging as an international graduate.

march

Living

• Balik Bristol, macam kampung di UK.
• Following a flash of curiosity, I found out that great-great-family members from my Dad’s side come from a town in China named Sunyi (信宜市). With the knowledge that sunyi in Malay means quiet/solitude/empty in a melancholic and sombre way, it made me feel like something clicked. Yet, I haven’t been able to put that something into words.

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Designed my first trophy at day job, super cool stuff. Love physical objects and media. It makes you humble as a designer, having to take into account costs, material, size, how it feels in your hand.
• Facilitated a RISO workshop at Underbank Studios – courtesy of Heather. I’m grateful for the opportunity. It didn’t occur to me that I would have enough knowledge on risography to facilitate a workshop on it, but I did. Despite hiccups from an old riso machine, it went well. An intimate session, but it made me connect with people better.
• Travelled down to Bristol to table at Zinezilla with Claire and Suelyn! My first time tabling with this trio – it was an energising time. Very busy day with a lot of creative energy bouncing around. The Zinezilla team’s enthusiasm was contagious. Mostly, I’m glad it gave me the chance to meet dear friends, doing what I enjoy.

april

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Had a half-table at Derbyshire Zine Festival’s debut! Organised by Charlie from Derbyshire Zine Library.

may

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Went to a couple networking/event launches as part of the HappeninginMCR team.
• Completed an editorial design short course offered by RCA London, a gift to myself. The wrap-up project was to conceptualise and design a magazine. With ongoing cultural conversation revolving around collecting/trinketing, it inspired me to do one about collecting and gathering – titled “savekeeping”. [planing to write a post on the course & projects]

june

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Attended Birmingham Design Festival under Don’t Panic alongside the creative team. Two first times that I appreciate through a lens of wonder: attending a design festival and going on a business trip. I did fall flat on tarmac and scraped my knee in public. Also took the opportunity to meet up with Ellie, Kei, and Emily.

july

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• HappeninginMCR launched their first Life Drawing session in collaboration with Portico Library. Tying into the Portico’s folklore exhibition, life models incorporated sound and music to portray a folklore narrative of their choosing.

august

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Celebrated the 2nd anniversary of HappeninginMCR!! The team of 5 did fresco painting at Jasper’s painting class, held at Saan1. Kan gifted us champagne and I accidentally dipped my painting brush into it….
• Tabled at Multitudes Zine Fest, where Jasmine was co-organising. Location lended itself to busy footfall (Sacha’s on a weekend), which brought in so many lovely interactions and conversations. I also had a box that asked the public to answer a question: What are you grateful for?

september

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Facilitated a second workshop at Underbank Studios, introducing an element of collage to riso printing.
• Third and last Life Drawing session for this leg.
• Attended Magazine Street. Stuck on a train for 8 hours on this day as the route North to Edinburgh was interrupted by a fell tree. Felt crazy.

october

LIVING

• Went back to Malaysia for two weeks. Had a lot of thoughts about it. harhar

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• Was invited to a casual artist hangout at an old condominium in the heart of KL, abode of a forward-thinking Malaysian artist. Clearly another instalment of placing myself in social positions that are outside my own depth. The general group was so much older and so much wiser in terms of their creative career and in Malaysia’s art scene, I knew I was given a great opportunity to just absorb. People have returned, people want to leave; in the end, everyone’s just making (it) work.

november

LIVING

• Min got called to the Bar 🙂 “I hereby publish you as Barrister”. The whole ceremony I was enchanted by the use of “publish”. I found it so interesting to be “published” into being, from years of preparation and to continue living from that point of publishing onwards. It was a line of transformation. Made me think: how could the publishing of books/texts exist to be continuously transformed? How can I be published?

creatiNG/COMMUNITY

• What happened in November….

december

Living

• Started working F&B again, this time at a Malaysian restaurant. It helps that I enjoy serving in hospitality, that my experiences so far haven’t crossed the line of traumatic.
• I have been once again, plagued by the Thought of Two Choices. I have to believe that life shape-shifts and morphs into what ever decisions made, there is no “alternate route” and “what-ifs”. I might be limited by the thought that there are only two paths.

CReating/COMMUNITY

• Spontaneously tabled at Fly-by Fair with Charlie, organised by Caterpillar Press. Weather was shite so it was a little quiet. This gave me some time to have a proper chat with Charlie.
• Made another short interactive reading piece – this time, about KL (what a surprise!). Used Super Videotome, which during this project, I’ve come to enjoy writing in.