My favourites from 2010

Before heading off to a new mission for 2011, here are my 12 favourites from 2010. 
I'm glad and proud to say that 9 out of these 12 are original works!  No more painting from guidebook!

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Direction and Plan

I recently read an article in a magazine about “direction and plan”. The columnist was quoting the famous singer Faye Wong answer a question posted to her by a journalist about her plan. Faye’s reply was “I’m a person with no plan but only direction”. The columnist went to express her viewpoint about direction and plan which I somewhat felt deeply about. Direction is an ultimate goal, a place or a situation one wants to be whereas a plan defines the steps needed to be taken in order to get to the ultimate goal, place, situation or wherever it is. This reminds me of the business plan we do every quarterly and yearly. This doesn’t sound very interesting, does it? But this also reminds me of what the Legco member, Audrey Yu, once said in the “century debate” with the CEO Donald Tsang last year. “If we deviate from the plan / steps, we will then forget what the direction is, and we will never gonna to get there”, said Audrey Yu. I find this very true as well. Still a boring topic, right? Well, I was about to start my 2011 painting mission and plan. And only had I done that, did I realize I went off the tract in 2009!


At the beginning of last year, I set myself a mission “to paint at least once a month and have 12 satisfying painting by the end of 2009”. I also listed out a set of painting objects or items and techniques which I asked myself to do in 2009. Well, a year has gone by, I have 13 paintings which I am really happy with. But I had not tried out all the techniques which I said I would nor had I completed the list of objects to be painted. I had not painting once a month either, one every now and then, and in pulses in terms of production!

Painting is my hobby, a pass time. So, I will not go too serious about failing it or as such. But it does bring out an interesting point for debate (as least for myself) and that is can a direction be reached even if a plan is not completed. Oh well, I am now starting to get a bit confused. If I had to do it absolutely right (from a correct principle perspective), may be the mission should had been “to have 12 satisfying paintings of particular objects and techniques by the end of 2009” and the plan would then had been a list of items or technique to be tried according to month so that it is progress and “achievement” can be tracked”.

By the time if you are still reading this article, you must think I must be think nuts! Why so serious? Why make a personal life so business alike? Maybe you are right. I should forget all about this.

Hmm……but then, I really want to grow myself in watercolor painting and be a spouting artist (at least in my own little world”. This will make me happy and felt contented. So …… here is a second thought, I will think and plan more carefully about my 2011 mission and plan. Stay tuned, I hope you will.