Creativity during the pandemic

With the pandemic confinement, many of us have taken the opportunity to focus on projects 

we never had enough time for.  A surge of productivity is brewing among those

 who are keeping busy and creative at home to beat Covid,

and I'm eager to see and feel it all when

we're over these rough times.

I'm hopeful that scientists and health care workers will help us overcome this virus, 

but we all have to do our share to contain it. When we go crazy indoors, 

the outdoors is always there to welcome us.

No matter how cold it is, if we're dressed warm, and wear our masks, 

we can go for walks to connect with family and friends 

and let nature soothe us and inspire us 

to be better and kinder.

winter sunset warms

up hearts filled with fear and doom

so love will prevail

The Coral Heart and Coeur de Corail at University of Mauritius

I am very honoured that Sachita R Samboo, Senior Lecturer at University of Mauritius, chose The Coral Heart and its French translation, Coeur de Corail for her 3rd year students to study as part of the BA (Hons) French with Translation Studies.

Thank you Sachita, and congratulations to you and all your students who graduated on November 17, 2020 in the BA (Hons) French with Translation Studies.

I hope my books as well as the other books they studied, inspired them, and I wish them the very best in their future careers.

Fall at Guild Park and Gardens

It was so uplifting and magical to stroll through Guild Park this fall.

The dazzling colours and earthy scents were intoxicating

as we stepped on the crisp carpet of leaves

the sun sparkling through the trees.

I'm so grateful that we have large parks in Greater Toronto  

where we can socialize safely and enjoy nature.

despite Covid restrictions.

It was also a precious treat to see Toronto's history scattered throughout the garden

in the remains of old buildings with exquisite sculptural details.

For more information on Guild Park 

check this trip guide and the Guild Park site

Écrits sur Maurice 1708-2019

I'm so thrilled and honoured that an excerpt from my book is included in Écrits sur Maurice 1708-2019, an anthology of 105 authors who wrote about Mauritius. The book's aim is to highlight and preserve the rich cultural history of Mauritius and the literary legacy of the island.

Thank you to Barlen Pyamootoo for the conception of this book, and thanks also to his amazing team of editors who worked on this anthology and made it happen.

Unfortunately, I can't be in Mauritius for the launch on November 5th. I hope that friends in Mauritius will be there in great numbers. Looking forward to reading the other authors in the anthology.

C'est un grand honneur pour moi d'être inclus dans Écrits sur Maurice 1708-2019, et d'être parmi les 105 auteurs dont les écrits sur Maurice sont dans cette anthologie. "Ce livre a pour but de mettre en lumière, de faire connaître et d'aider à sauvegarder notre riche et unique patrimoine culturel."

Merci à Barlen Pyamootoo pour avoir conçu ce livre et merci à son équipe d'éditeurs pour leur soutien et collaboration  sur cette anthologie.

Je suis navrée que je ne pourrai pas être à Maurice pour le lancement le 5 novembre. J'espère que les amis à Maurice y seront en grand nombre. J'ai hâte de lire les écrits des autres auteurs dans cette anthologie.

Live Music

I love the magic of live music, the thrill of connecting with

the musicians' creative energy and emotive flow.

I miss dancing to the blissful rhythm,

and forgetting everything else. 

I'm grateful for the few safe venues where musicians can play.

I was thrilled to be at my first backyard concert this summer

at The Canopy Music Theatre run by Josh Piché,

a talented singer and guitarist who welcomes

artists to perform there.

Even though we were all sitting far apart and could not dance,

it was such an amazing treat to be at a live performance

under the cool shade of the canopy of trees.

Sharing the enchantment of live music in this photo montage

Let your heart's rhythm

dance wild and free, chords swirling  

in rapt melody

Keeping safe in nature during Covid

It's frustrating that we have a new wave of Covid from large indoor gatherings 

when there is so much we can do outdoors in summer.

Toronto has so many parks where we can socialize and keep our distance safely.

I was at the Evergreen Brickworks the other day with a very dear friend

and it felt so wonderful to immerse ourselves in nature, and

enjoy the peacefulness of the pond and the greenery.

Let's dress warmly and extend these nature walks in fall and winter 

and do our best to beat that darn virus.

Photos taken at Evergreen Brickworks on Bayview

Nature's offerings

soothing, healing, protect us 

from persistent plague

 

Reflections on layers

It's therapeutic to put my creative energy into photo collages 

when I'm emotionally distracted and can't get the unruly mind to focus on writing.

I enjoy the playfulness of overlaying images and love the serendipitous surprises.

Shapes and colours of underlying images meld and appear through each tier 

to form a coherent and visually pleasing, yet intangible whole

and only the person who creates it sees all the layers.

Similar to the multiple layers of experiences that mould us into who we are.

Past shades and lights are within us and seem intangible to others.

Each of us is the only one who can peel the layers 

to perceive the facets of his or her real self.

Let go of your fears

Look deep into the layers

untangle yourself

Toronto at dawn

Sometimes I wake up early and for a few precious minutes, I'm under the spell of nature

as I watch these breathtaking colours painting their way across the sky.

I love the peaceful lull, the quiet hush before cars and trucks start spilling onto the street 

and Toronto suddenly roars, hisses and clatters into a demented traffic rush.

Dawn in the city

sweeps away the grey slumber

stirs a new day's fire

Summer chaos and blooms

Feeling optimistic despite all the horrible things happening in this world.

No matter how bad things are, human kindness and solidarity

pop up in heartening ways to renew hope.

Expressing the feeling in the photo collage and the haiku below.

Blooms above chaos

pour over pandemic gloom 

scents of summer bliss 

The Power of Kindness

I'm grateful that most of us are doing our share to help Canada reopen

and we're keeping the social distance, wearing masks

and staying home as much as possible.

The long days on our own have been challenging but also an opportunity

to slow down, reflect on our needs, become resourceful,

and be kind to ourselves and to others.

Practicing self-kindness is great way to overcome the negativity of such an awful time.

It's been wonderful to gradually reconnect with good friends 

in backyards, parks, ravines, and with dear ones at home.

Sharing some photos taken on a nature walk.

Kindness of nature

lush, enchanting, mystical

 reflections of love

Rainbow of hope over Toronto

On the day Toronto goes into stage 2 reopening, a rainbow of hope appears on the skyline.

Hope in all colours

hard times softened with rainbows

love and compassion

The true voyage of discovery

The only true voyage of discovery would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.

Le seul véritable voyage, ce ne serait pas d'aller vers de nouveaux paysages, mais d'avoir d'autres yeux.

This insightful quote of Marcel Proust has so many layers of meaning. 

If we look at nature with new eyes, we can discover art in unexpected places, as in this photo.

On a more profound level, to view from others' eyes not only opens up new perspectives in seeing the world, 

but also enlightens us about others' values, lifestyles, cultures, 

which fosters open-mindedness and acceptance. 

Seeing with other's eyes opens our hearts so we can empathize with others' hardships 

and pain, as well as discover the wonders in each of us. 

It's not easy to possess other eyes, as we all tend to think of our views as best, or we get stuck 

in one way of thinking, but it's a worthwhile endeavour to bring more humanity within us.

Close up of a tree bark spattered with lichens and moss

Abstract art in nature

Spring into summer

A photo collage to celebrate summer's exuberance. 

What a wonderful surprise to enjoy this glorious weather in May.

Much needed cheer from the stress of the pandemic

to give us strength to keep going.

Keep safe everybody.

Spring into summer

Sunshine blasting its brilliance

warms the air with joy

Love through the pandemic

Spring is here

hovering with fear, anxiety 

but love is in the air, in the fresh blooms 

in the sunlight, in the exuberance of unfurling leaves

In the caring and courage of frontline heroes

the warmth of strangers offering their help
the renewed closeness of our dear ones

all who stay home to stop the spread.

Love seeps into our confinement 

 the strained beats of our hearts

deep into our reflective state

it embraces our aloneness

bolsters our togetherness

 to heal our brokenness.

Love weaves past physical distance

it whispers across wavelengths
attentive, patient, hopeful, 

lingers through all seasons

survives any pestilence

it is timeless.

It's fun superimposing images and letting them flow into each other for this photo collage.
I love the random melding of colours and their magical effects.

Low-cost ventilator to help patients suffering from Covid-19

My brother, a biomedical engineer, and the director of University of Florida's Centre for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies, designed with the help of his colleagues, a low-cost ventilator that can be assembled from parts bought in a hardware store.

Please pass this around if you know any person, preferably with engineering background, who can volunteer to build it in any part of the world that is running out of ventilators. It will save many lives.

Please be aware that this product is not fully tested. It's being shared because of the current state of emergency due to Covid-19, and the predicted ventilator shortage worldwide. Updates are available on the site:

https://simulation.health.ufl.edu/technology-development/open-source-ventilator-project/

More info about this DIY ventilator in his interview here:

https://www.gainesville.com/news/20200325/uf-researchers-design-low-cost-diy-ventilator

Let's all do our share in helping to stop the spread of this virus. 

Keep safe with social-distancing and self-isolation. 

A video of Sem speaking on behalf of University of Florida Health faculty to explain the concept.

New update on the ventilator on April 8, 2020

Spring hope, renewal and love

On a walk by the ravine, 

keeping six feet apart from others,

reflecting on the horrors of the pandemic flu,

the long weeks of social distancing and self-isolation,

I saw hope in this constellation of white buds

eager to sprout from the chaos of dead leaves.

I saw life renewed in spring sunshine,

felt the warmth of those dear to me,

their silent presence 

in my heart.

Lin Fengmian: the uncle I wish I had met

In the last week, I saw a few documentaries about the life of Lin Fengmian, a cousin of my father. He is hailed internationally as the artist who started modern art in China by blending western techniques and traditional Chinese art.

I wish I had met this incredibly talented uncle whose work and life fascinate me. But we lived in different countries, and a generation gap, and cultural differences separated us.

He had already passed away by the time relatives showed me the wide range of his work. I was sad that I never had a chance to meet him. As an artist, I felt an immediate affinity for his watercolours, and the moods he created with the harmonious movements of his brush.

I learned from the documentaries that traumatic events marked his life. I imagine painting was a healing force that helped him express his pain, and make life bearable, and even enjoyable.

These documentaries are in French. For those not familiar with French, and interested in his art, you can see samples of his work in those films.

Lin Fengmian: Combattre pour l'art

Lin Fenmian: S'approcher de l'art pur

Lin Fengmian: Hanté par calvaires

Lin Fengmian: Lady in Blue Dress

Light and Shadow

When the sun spreads its light over the bare trees in winter
the transient shadows on the snow never cease to amaze
infusing depth and beauty to the landscape.

Same with the light of self-awareness that exposes
our shifting shadows, bringing insight, depth
so we can appreciate our wholeness.

Authors' Afternoon ending ... passing the torch to Aiesha Bristol

Hello writers and book lovers, I would like to thank you all for participating as featured authors, and guests at the Authors' Afternoon, and making it fun and inspiring. Thanks also to Tony Merante of Stella's Café for providing the charming and cozy venue.

It's been wonderful connecting with you all while hosting the Authors' Afternoon for 2 1/2 years. Sad to say goodbye, but every good thing has to end or take on a different form. The café is becoming a restaurant. I'm moving on to other personal projects, but will keep supporting writers and artists in all creative fields.

Happy to announce that Aiesha Bristol, also known as SoulSis, the talented musician, and enthusiastic, friendly host of Flow Friday at Amp Studio Café (154 Oakwood Ave near St. Clair Ave W) will feature a writer on the 3rd Friday of each month.

Flow Friday runs from 3 pm to 9 pm every week. Writers who are interested in being featured can drop by any Flow Friday to chat with Aiesha, and be part of this welcoming community for creatives. It's best to arrive before 6 pm for a discussion. 

On February 21st, the 3rd Friday of this month, Oz Phills will be the featured writer from 6 pm. There will be an open stage for all forms of creative expression, a drum circle, and a jam afterwards. For more details on Flow Friday, check the event on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/amp-studio-cafe/flow-friday-creative-community/2468801046732976

Thank you all for your support. Looking forward to seeing you this coming Friday, February 21st at 6 pm at Amp Studio Café for Oz Phills' talk about his book, "Blessed By Rhythm".

Love always

Wishing you love today and always ...

We have lots of room in our hearts to love, not only those dear to us, our family, friends, partners, but also, all those who come into our lives. It is in our nature to spread love ... it is free and limitless.

An interesting article that discusses the benefits of spreading love: 6 Reasons to Spread the Love

This article explains the various aspects of love beautifully: What is Love and What isn't? From it, some quotes that I can relate to:

Love does not come with conditions, stipulations, addenda, or codes. Like the sun, love radiates independently of our fears and desires."

Love does not say, "If you want to be loved, you must be nice," or "Do what i want," or "Never love anyone else," or "Promise you'll never leave me."

Love cares what becomes of you, because love knows that we are all interconnected.