It was a hot and muggy week. My biggest accomplishment at work was reviving my studio’s old Etsy shop to make available some hand-drawn artworks for online order. Not really expecting to make many sales, but happy that I was able to check off a Q2 task and wrap up one of my biggest projects for Q2. Revised the Q2 project list and wrote out a new list for Q3, will start working on them next week.

The past week was full of depressing news for the pro-democracy camp. Eight of the exiled members were openly and disgracefully put on a government bounty list, but the move was disapproved by their current residing countries. A day or two after the bounty list was announced, a platform that offer reward programs for many pro-democracy shops (yellow shops) was closed down following the arrest of its owners. The news shook up the small community who had been trying to battle the ongoing political persecution and economic downturn together.

Living in this depressing and deteriorating city, I could do nothing to help other than trying my best to stay productive and healthy. After more than 3 months of weekly calligraphy classes, I’ve completed learning the 100 Chinese surnames in 3 different scripts. And after missing my running practices last week due to rain, I completed another 10k practice on a super hot and muggy Fri. evening. It was one of my biggest personal achievements this week. The dopamine from the run can hopefully help me stay sane in this suffocating city until my next run.

A Canadian friend and his wife was visiting town for a business trip, me and another couple of friends met them up for a dinner buffet at their hotel restaurant last night. Enjoyed seeing and catching up old friends in person. The social energy provided an extra boost of positivity to help me survive a city that seems to be draining my energy without end.