new moon of October 2025
I've tried using neem soap on my itching skin. It has been two nights so far, and it does seem to soothe the itch.
Why haven't I heard about it earlier in my life? I asked Jill, my friend from England, and she said that the Chinese people do not usually hear about neem because the tree simply does not grow in China.
However the medicinal effects of neem appear to be well-known – or, dare I say, even ubiquitous – in India. (according to Wikipedia: “Margo soap uses margosa [also known as neem] as its main ingredient.“)
snapshots
Warning: image-heavy content follows.
Someone gifted an Ibanez guitar, and someone else gifted a graphics tablet (a Huion HS64).
I put the two together, and used this one tablet to sketch the other guitar.
But I realise that using a graphics tablet is a strain for my body though – I guess humans simply did not evolve to use computers and gadgets.
If we agree that the earliest civilisation is Mesopotamia – and Wikipedia contributors suggest that the earliest recorded history of said Mesopotamia is 3100 years Before Christ (B.C.)– then, when I do my math, it's been five thousand years since a human started strolling up and down the face of this good planet – and computers arrived only on the scene in, what, the 1980s, (Anno Domini (A.D)!), maybe. You do the math. I should tell my boss that my body was wired for fishing in rivers instead of hunching over a glitchy “smart”-phone.
As an aside, I used JS Paint to make the above sketch. Over at: https://jspaint.app/
The above is a e-postcard that my Internet-friend sent me, from her travels in Sikkim.
According to Wikipedia contributors:
“Sikkim is the least populous and second-smallest among the Indian states. Situated in the Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity, including alpine and subtropical climates, as well as being a host to Kangchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third-highest on Earth.”
I attended a conference, titled: “Intermission: Well-being for artists”. The gist of it is: as an artist, you cannot make art without giving yourself sufficient care. No art without care.
You have to think about how to get your body and mind into your Window of Tolerance. (diagram below).
Thanks, Ms. Nikki Disney, (from Artist Wellbeing company) for flying all the way to South-east Asia, and thank you, Richard Bamford Therapy, for the handy diagram above.
bookshelf
I've flipped through the following books.
- The Souls Of China: The return of religion after Mao. by Ian Johnson. (2017).
- Designing Coffee: New Coffee Places and Branding. by Lani Kingston. (2023).