Live and Defy the Lies

My 30 Days project had many reasons and many beginnings. I talked about the immediate inspiration on day 1. The reason I focused on posters is because I had experience designing posters for fun last year. At the time, I was completing my final accounting class for a professional certificate. Since I read the material before the lecture, I rarely paid attention in class. Instead, I doodled ideas on posters for supporting runners at races or giving out free sunscreen during Dyke March.  Since posters are disposable, making them did not stress me. Rather than trying to perfect every detail, I have fun with posters. Ideas were easy to generate and to execute.

A year later, I'm doodling and painting posters again for Dyke March. I had squeezed out too much paint and used it up on this poster. This question is from a discussion with a friend from a few months ago. Considering my mindset at the time, it is a fair assumption the topic involved existential crisis. At one point she asked me, "What lie are you telling yourself about yourself?"  I didn't understand her question at the time. I thought I always honestly assessed who I am and what I am capable of.

I am actively a positive person; I focus on the positive and present the positive side of everything. Life is too short to dwell on the negatives and I'm happier when I can see the joy in everything. However, sometimes one needs to understand the negative to move forward. In the past few months I realized that my lie is "I am not enough." I am not active enough, I am not thin enough, I am not social enough, I am not smart enough, I am not talented enough, I am not queer enough, I am not nice enough, I am not empathic enough, I am not caring enough, I am not engaging enough. Because I am not enough and I fail the standards in everything, I belong nowhere and no one enjoys my company.

Those were lies that had been internalized without my awareness. Now that I know what my lies are, I no longer believe in them. I share this with you so you can understand what I mean when I ask you:

What lie is society telling you? Live and defy it.

Day 32: Siesta

Day 32

Sleep deprivation is standard in our fast-paced and tightly scheduled society. A lack of sleep is exalted as proof of one's passion, ambition, and dedication. I, however, require eight hours of sleep to be fully functional. I loved vacationing in a country where afternoon naps are customary.  Even though the tradition of the siesta has declined in Madrid, I napped every day. The afternoon sun is very hot and a nap is the perfect way to wait for the heat to break. After my afternoon naps, I visited art museums during their free hours.

Museo Nacional del Prado, post-nap

This concludes my trip and my 30 day challenge. I hope the posters made you laugh or inspired you. Thanks for reading! 

How many hours of sleep do you need to be fully functional, and how many hours do you actually get?

Day 31: Chocolate for breakfast

Day 31: Chocolate

Breakfast is the smallest meal of the day in Spain. The typical breakfast is a cup of coffee and a roll. Tourists are encouraged to eat hot chocolate and churros. Churros are long pieces of fried dough; they are dipped into the hot chocolate. It is similar to eating a chocolate covered doughnut for breakfast, but the chocolate is really good and comes on the side. While I rarely eat doughnuts at home, I happily consumed churros with hot chocolate for breakfast in Spain. One adjustment to being home is not drinking chocolate every day.  I loved the thickness of Spanish hot chocolate. It reminded me of the fancy hot chocolate served in places such as San Francisco's  Dandelion or New York City's Jacques Torres. It is amazing.

After breakfast in Granada, I watched bullfighting in Madrid

What is your typical breakfast at home? How does it change when you vacation?

Day 30: Plan Nothing, Enjoy Everything

Day 30

Granada was the least planned portion of my vacation and it was my favorite part. I decided to visit Granada when I was in Madrid. Booking only a hostel, I arrived in Granada with a hope of seeing the Alhambra, a beautiful Islamic palace with a fortress and gardens. General admission tickets and the more expensive guided tours were sold out online. A select number of tickets are held for sale every day. When a hostel mate said they planned to wake up at 5:30am to stand in line for tickets, I asked to join.

Four of us left the hostel at 6:15am and lined up at 6:45am to wait for the box office to open at 8am.  Seeing the entire Alhambra takes about four hours. I love symmetry so I loved the palace. It was the Islamic artitecture I had hoped to see but did not see during my Morocco tour. The details are amazing and everything is beautiful. I was so happy to have people to share the experience.

Although traveling solo has its advantages, I like sharing experiences with people. Being spontaneous allowed me to do so. If I had been able to purchase tickets before Granada, I would have gone alone. Instead, I met people at the hostel and we spent the entire day together.

After lunch we walked along the water and up to the caves where gypsies live.  The path is hilly, gravely, and not apparent. I would not have done or found that walk on my own. The view at the top was amazing. MJ pointed out graffiti that stated "el mundo todos a los pies", the world is at our feet. The view caused B to blurt out "It's a good thing that none of us had our shit together." I agree.

Granada, as viewed from the Alhambra

What has been your experiences with hostels, good or bad?

Day 29: Wine

Day 29

My travel destinations are based on my stomach because I like to experience local food and drink. Even though I rarely drink alcohol at home, I drank wine twice a day in Spain. During lunch restaurants offer a menu of the day which consisted of a starter, entree, dessert and a glass of wine for a set price. Spain also offers tapas, small snacks, with drinks. When I checked into my hostel in Granada, which is well-known for its tapas, the owner told me that some places provide a dinner plate of food. My first night in Granada was spent walking in the streets and drinking tinto de verano at bars. Tinto de verano is a refreshing cocktail made of lemon soda and red wine. It is the perfect drink for a lightweight drinker.  

Spain: View on the bus from Madrid to Granada

What food or drink do you consume on vacation that is not usual in your daily life?

Day 28: Night walks

Day 28

Based on American schedules, Moroccans and Spaniards eat their dinner late around 10:30pm or 11pm. This makes the nightlife a different experience. Nightlife is not prioritized on my vacations. I tend to wake up early, visit sites before other tourists wake, and then go to bed early. Spain allowed me to stroll around late at night among people who were out to dinner rather than to get drunk.  I enjoyed how the streets felt lively and safe. By the time Madrid's nightlife started for the partiers, I was asleep in my hostel.

Madrid evening

How do you spend your evenings on vacations?

Day 27: Spice Drink

Day 27

People talk about being a morning bird or a night owl. I am both and neither; I am an awake person. I love the way the sky lightens with the rising sun in the morning. I love the quiet and calmness of the dark in the evenings. The Marrakesh souks have different stages of the day as well.

The mornings are quiet as the merchants prepare to open their stands. The orange juice vendors are already open and ready to sell you a glass for fresh juice for 4 dirhams. In the hot afternoons the markets are busy. You can rest in the shade created by the stalls and buildings, but be prepared to engage in bargaining if you look at anything with interest. In the evenings entertainers are present in the square in front of the souks;  snake charmers, musicians,  gamblers, roosters. Be prepared to pay if you take pictures of individuals. I loved the liveliness of the evening market. Since evenings are cooler, the vendors sell a hot drink made of 8 spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise, clove, ginger, cardamom, galangal, and mace. As a spice lover, it was my favorite drink of the trip. I hope to recreate it at home.

Day 7: Marrakesh, the streets are lined with orange trees

What is your favorite drink on vacations?

Day 26: Thumbs Down

Day 26

Quad biking is not an activity I thought about doing before this trip. It was offered by my group tour. I did it because I was scared at the thought of it. It turned out to be easy, especially since our bike guide took care of turning on and off the bike. My only task was to keep my thumbs down on the gear so the bike moves. At one point, the bike ahead of me got stuck on a small hill. They had stopped to allow room for the guide to advance in front of them. I had no issues with the hill as I allowed them enough of a head start that I did not need to stop at the bottom of the hill.

Quad biking showed me another side of Morocco. The first part of the ride involved seeing movie sets. I have not watched the movie Kingdom of Heaven, but I rode by the castle featured in it.  The ride felt as though I was in the middle of nowhere. The second half of the ride allowed us to see the every day life of Moroccans as we rode through a village. It was my favorite part. We saw people working in the fields, school children exercising outside, and donkeys carrying loads. Living in San Francisco, I rarely wave back to random tourists who wave to me. On this ride I waved to everyone and they all waved back. Now I understand know why tourists wave. It is a connection.

Morocco day 6: Ouarzazate

Have you tried quad biking or other motorized bicycling?

Day 25: An Extra Layer

Day 25

Packing light is my goal whenever I travel. When I showed a friend my suitcase, she said she did not know anyone who would travel internationally with a single carry-on. I managed to do so even though I packed more than needed. International flights include one free piece of checked baggage, but I was taking a budget flight between Spain and Morocco. Budget airlines have smaller and stricter size restrictions than US airlines. Also my preferred type of accommodations rarely have elevators or bell hops. I need to be able to lift and move everything myself. Lastly, the group tour goes to a different location every day. Less possessions means less items to remember and repack.

Although Spain and Morocco would be hot, I had packed a windproof jacket, fleece jacket, and wool undergarments based on my tour company's recommendations. They said warm layers were necessary for the desert. Thus I was irked to learn from the tour guide on day one that extra layers were unnecessary. The Sahara stays warm enough in May that we would only need the blankets provided by the tour. I groused about carrying the extra items until day 5. On day 5 I was sick with a fever and chills. I became grateful for the fleece jacket as I sat shivering on the tour bus. Once we arrived at the hotel for the day, I slept for the next 12 hours and recovered. The jacket was necessary only for a day, but I was glad to have packed it. Pack as light as possible, but an extra layer is worth the extra work.

Morocco Day 5: Sahara sunrise, before I was sick

 How have you dealt with becoming sick on a vacation?

Day 24: Breathe

Day 24

On day 4, we rode camels into the Sahara. Camels are easily trained so they are docile and peaceful to ride.  The desert is quiet, surreal, and gorgeous. My spontaneous spring trip was well-timed as summer is unbearably hot, and winter is cold enough at night to require a sleeping bag. After we settled into camp, our tour guide revealed that on rare occasions the wind has been strong enough to cancel the camel ride. I was grateful that our ride was uneventful as I love being in the desert.

In my daily life, I like to stay busy. When my body is not physically active and engaged, my mind is busy with worrying about the future. I constantly strive to be present in the moment, and the desert allowed me to do so without effort. Sahara sand is fine, red, and gorgeous. I spent an hour playing with it. Take a fistful of sand, open hand, allow it to drift away on the wind. Repeat. It was meditative and inspired this poster.   

Morocco day 4: Sahara

What do you do to be present in your daily life?

Day 23: Lean Back

Day 23

Physical education was my least favorite school subject. Basketball, softball, volleyball, football; the balls hit my head more often than I hit them. I was always jealous that when my sister took PE, they offered archery and rock-climbing. My PE class spent a quarter on bowling and pickleball. Bowling is fun but it is not as bad-ass as rock-climbing.

After years of envying my sister's rock-climbing skills, I finally rock-climbed on this trip. It was less difficult than I expected. Like running, rock-climbing can be thought as a series of small steps. The common mistake among beginners is to cling too closely to the rock. Space is needed to allow room for your limbs to bend and climb. Scrapping your knees and elbows is more likely if you're too close to the rock. Getting down required leaning back to abseil. Even though I clung to the rock, I made it to the top of the rope and back down. Next time I will lean back for ease of movement and a better perspective.

Morocco day 3: Todra Gorge

What was your least favorite subject in school? Has your feelings towards that topic changed?

Day 22: Swimming

Day 22

For years I stayed in the shallow end during pool parties because I did not know how to swim. This limited my socializing and made pool parties rather boring. I recalled those years when I learned the tour included swimming pool breaks every day. The swims were an unexpected bonus because they were not on the itinerary.  Every swim exhilarated me: I can do something now that I had been unable to do for years.  Many of the pools had spectacular views too. It is amazing to come up for a breath and see a gorge.

Morocco: The view while swimming in a pool

If I had not learned how to swim last winter, I would have missed out on an amazing experience every day of this trip.  If something interests you, learn how to do it.

What skill are you interested in that you have not learned? What do you hope to do with that skill after you learn it?

Day 21: Follow

Day 21

My plane landed in Morocco a few hours before the group tour began. I wanted to explore Marrakesh but I was reluctant to leave the hotel as I did not know where to go.  Rather than giving into my fearful side, I left the hotel and started walking. One of the biggest tourist attractions in Marrakesh are the souks or the markets where you can buy anything. A seasoned traveler travels in the opposite direction of the tourist horde. Being on my first solo trip, I followed the tourists. Luckily, I picked the correct direction and ended up at the markets.

Morocco, Day 1

After walking around for a bit, I looked for lunch. The food places near the markets are pricey and cater towards tourists. For example, many places served shawarma which is a Levantine food and is not Moroccan.  I wandered away from the markets and walked around until a random person gestured me into his place. He could probably tell I was about to expire from heat stroke. Living in San Francisco, I am unaccustomed to heat. Also, I was covered from wrists to ankles in observance of local customs. I learned later that I didn't need to cover up as much as I did because Marrakesh is very touristy. It is more important to cover up in rural Morocco. At a minimum women need to cover up from shoulders to knees.

In American slang, the place was a hole-in-the-wall. Small, dingy, and patronized by locals, it was the exact type of place I was looking for. My first meal in Morocco was a bowl of lentils with bread. It was filling and cost a tenth of what was being charged in the markets. When you have no plans, follow the crowd until you figure out what you want to do on your own.

Morocco, day 1 lunch

What was your favorite hole-in-the-wall discovery?

Day 20: Be Flexible

Day 20

Like the majority of Americans, I rarely take vacations. Vacation planning overwhelms me with choices. Vacations happen only when I am unable to accrue more vacation time. This year, I chose to book an 8-day group tour for Morocco. The tour company was based on a friend's recommendation. I did no planning beyond purchasing plane tickets and booking the tour.

Since tickets to Morocco are expensive and require a layover in Madrid, I added an extra week in Spain. Flying in a day early to get my bearings in Spain first, I spent the first half of the day with my hostel's free walking tour. The tour made me realize that 6 days in Madrid would be too long for me. Prior to leaving the States, I asked advice from a friend who used to live in Spain and she recommended southern Spain. I vaguely remembered her mentioning Sevilla or Granada. Travelers who stay at hostels love discussing travel plans. They enthusiastically chose Granada when I discussed my plans at lunch. Although no one had visited Granada, everyone had heard good things about it. After lunch, I used the hostel's free computers to research logistics on how to get there. Travel by bus took 5 hours and cost €18 while the train took 4 hours and cost €70.  Saving an hour is not worth an extra €52/$72 so the bus was chosen. Following other travelers' advice, I selected and booked a random hostel on hostelworld. With prior vacations I have been trapped in certain cities because of pre-paid bus tickets and housing. This vacation's lack of prior planning allowed me more flexibility. Although making plans while on vacation was stressful, the impulsive visit to Granada would become the highlight of my vacation.

When have you changed vacation plans while on vacation, and how did it turn out?

Day 19: Sunrise

Day 19

The only sketch during my two week holiday. The first leg of my international flight was early enough that I had the opportunity to watch the sunrise. I loved how the airplane wing contrasted against the colorful sky. When I took out my camera to photograph the sunrise, the following message appeared on the camera: "Memory card needs to be formatted."  With a five-hour flight ahead, panic would have been useless. Instead I sketched the sunrise and boarded my plane. When something unexpected happens, don't let it ruin your present moment. Enjoy the moment, and then find a solution. Of course, I immediately purchased a memory card when I landed at the next airport. I like to joke with people that only two items are essential for travel: a passport and a credit card. In this case, it was true. No memory card, use the credit card.

Have you experienced a memory card failure during an important event, and what did you do?

Day 18: Travel

Day 18

This is what I will doing for the next two weeks so this project will be on hiatus until I return. It is my first international solo trip.  While nervously searching for reviews of my already booked tour, I found this travel blogger's photo essay of my tour company. Her posts calmed my nerves, made me more excited, and inspired this poster. Expect to see a new poster Sunday May 18th at the latest, or Thursday May 15th if I have the energy.

How do you feel about traveling solo?

Day 17: Cut your Own Apple

Day 17

This is my first time working with watercolor pencils. I went over it with actual watercolors. Below is a quick colored pencil sketch on how to make attractive apple slices. Like the pineapple, I learned this from a college friend. I only do this when I'm sharing an apple with a friend and want a nice presentation. Otherwise, I eat apples whole.

Day 17: how to cut apple slices

How do you cut your apples? With an apple corer, with a knife, or do you eat it whole like I do?

Day 16: Resistance

Day 16

I used to think that if something wasn't difficult, then it wasn't work and it was a waste of time. If I was struggling, it meant I was growing. This mentality ruled all areas of my life.

Then I went to a spinning class designed for triathletes. I was the only one who had not completed a triathlon before. So I expected to work really hard and struggle. As always, when I got on the bicycle I cranked up the resistance. More resistance means more work which is good. Lower resistance and easier movement means I'm not working.


To my surprise, the instructor motioned for me to turn down the resistance so I could match the correct pace. It was a revelation to be encouraged to go at a lower resistance. Even though a lower resistance feels like less work, my legs got stronger over time because I was pedaling more. Also sustaining a pace at a lower resistance turned out to be more work than at a higher resistance. Starting fast at a low resistance means it's noticeable when you slow down. Starting slowly at a high resistance, means the resistance can be used as an excuse to remain slow. Once my legs got stronger, then it made sense to increase the resistance. When I pause to think about it, it's odd that I did not realize this before. The same thing happens in running: start with a walk, then a jog, then a run, then slowly add distance.

Not all activities need to be difficult to provide growth. Sometimes, starting easy will take you further than starting hard.

Have you taken a spinning class? Why do you like or dislike it?

Day 15: the Way Through

Day 15

Inspired by a run which explains its eloquence. Running makes me a philosopher of dubious merit. The phrase is rather silly but it has become a mantra for me. I say it every time I face a new challenge that scares me. I've said it during strenuous hikes, high-altitude races, and most recently, snowboarding. Any friend who's been on a mountain with me has heard this silly phrase.

The phrase can be serious too. One summer I planned a trip to Utah's national parks. My research on the parks emphasized safety such as carry enough water, have a good map, know where you're going, and tell people your plans. These are standard safety tips. I also read a news article regarding the roles of park rangers. Most visitors to parks mistakenly think that if they get lost, park rangers will swoop in and rescue them. This can be a deadly assumption. The role of the park ranger is to protect the park. While they provide guidance such as which trails are safe and which are closed, their role is not search-and-rescue.  Once a visitor ventures into the forest, the onus is on the individual to find the way back.

When my roommate learned of my plans to visit Utah, she shared her experience. Utah is a gorgeous state with amazing national parks and she had a great time. On the last night, however, four people in her group had not returned by sunset. The remaining party expressed concern to the park ranger. He said this was a usual occurrence, and everyone would show up fine the next day. My roommate was rather upset by what she perceived as a brush-off of her concern.  His statement was accurate. The missing people showed up the next morning. They were fine and had learned a lesson about taking too many pictures while hiking. Her story highlighted the fact that missing people do not always equate urgency for the park rangers. If you get lost in a national park, you must find your way out. The only way through is to continue through.

Disclaimer: do not take this poster literally. One rule of hiking is the half-point rule. Set a time that you expect to be half-way done with your hike. If you are not half-way by that time, turn around to return. (Um, learn from my mistakes.) Do your research and hike wisely. Sometimes being safe means to continue and sometimes it means to turn back. Do not make foolish decisions with the expectation that someone else will rescue you. They may, but they may not.

What is your silly mantra to help tackle challenging tasks?

Day 14: Drink Water

Day 14

Drink up!

How many glasses of water do you drink daily? How do you make water interesting to drink?