Author: sebastianjameswong

Have you ever tried to find a way to de-stress, only to have it not work (or you just stopped trying)? That’s happened to me countless times. 

The cycle is as follows: 

1. Get stressed
2. Ignore the stress
3. Become burnt out
4. Find a destress technique
5. Stress about destressing
6. 🙂

Thankfully, I have found a way for me to destress — gardening! 

What makes gardening so different for me?

Well, I’ve always done some form of gardening since I was a little girl. My mother maintains a well manicured garden in both her front and back yard, but she has never been one to grow any kind of produce. Each summer, I help her plant her haul from a greenhouse, and her garden always looks so wonderful! Large trees, blooming flowers, decorative grasses, statues, bird baths and feeders. When I lived back home, I kept a few Valentine’s Day orchids from my Dad to my Mom alive and blooming inside, which was my first real taste of gardening for myself (my parents never really cared to have anything besides vases of flowers inside the house, which would inevitably die in a few weeks).

When I moved out with my brother, one requirement was that we get a place with a nice balcony! Said balcony is quite long, so fortunately I have the space to have my garden outside. My brother and I have our own parts of the garden; he takes care of the decorative flowers and grasses, and I take care of the veggies, fruits, and herbs. So far, I have two Sungold tomato plants, green chili peppers, Habanero chili peppers, a whole planter of sweet potatoes, chives, green onions, sweet basil, as well as Thai basil.

Here are a few photos of my little balcony garden! I mostly have experience in my mom's decorative-style garden, but this is my first foray into veggies, fruits and herbs! #EXSM3989 #gardening pic.twitter.com/VxCa3EqHAk

— Sebastian James Wong (@SebastianJWong) August 11, 2021

Why not other hobbies?

It might seem a bit silly, since I feel like each time I would “destress” through yoga, journaling, etc, it felt like a strange race to stop being stressed (that is probably just me though). Gardening isn’t a “fast” hobby to take part in. There is a lot of waiting and watching involved. 

I like the routine of having different watering and feeding schedules for more delicate, finicky plants indoors, and being able to watch as the vegetation on my balcony sprouted out from the soil, reaching towards the sun and really begin to develop! 

Better yet, I could harvest from my own balcony the fruits of my labour. Cooking, marinading, garnishing with a few simple and fresh ingredients from my little garden! It has also been nice to be able to share with my friends and family, too. 

I have found that the act of gardening is pretty relaxing. The ability to physically see the progress of individual plants as well as the garden as a whole is a kind of reward I wasn’t getting or seeing with other hobbies/relaxation techniques.

I really recommend trying out gardening if you have the patience for it! Especially if you are like me and prefer to see some sort of physical progress.

If you’re anything like me, you might struggle to create a good, compelling story! Thankfully, there are a few ways to make sure that you are able to succeed.

Some basics to rely on include:

• having a theme or purpose to your story
• giving your story structure
• making your story interesting

Of course the basics are not limited to this list, and there are several other ways to craft an effective story and hone your storytelling skills. These three points are a good way to get started!

Check out the infographic below for an explanation as to why these basics are important!

Lately, my cat has been bothering me. As handsome and lovely as he is, he has gotten into the habit of waking me up in the early hours of the morning (like, 3-4 am early) just so he can have a snack.

For reference, my kitty is the most insistent cat I’ve known! When he wants something, he will not stop until he gets it. Since moving, he has taught himself to open every single closet door type in my apartment, as well as any floor level drawers and cupboards…

He really is very cute when he wakes me up, sitting on me, meowing in my face, and lightly pawing my face with no claws — a real gentleman! But I decided that enough was enough, and I bought an automatic pet feeder to sate his need for snacks at odd hours.

You can click through and read my twitter thread in its entirety about my cat and I getting a feeder!

I decided to get an automatic feeder for my handsome little cat! #EXSM3989 pic.twitter.com/P3D8P9Q6u2

— Sebastian James Wong (@SebastianJWong) July 13, 2021

Does anyone else have pets that always want snacks? I hope you consider an automatic feeder if its feasible for you!

While I never read the novella from Stephen King that this movie is based on, I have read his other works including the Dark Tower series, The Stand, Duma Key, and a few others. This story isn’t otherworldly, or horror inducing like most of his works are. 

This movie in particular has always stood out to me for making me invested in everything about it, from its characters to the storyline. If it is ever on in the background during a family gathering, inevitably me and most of my siblings tend to just sit down and watch. The story follows themes of friendship, injustice, among others that really resonate with me.

Unjust imprisonment

The Shawshank Redemption is a story about Andy Dufresne, a banker who is sentenced to life in prison at Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her lover, though he is innocent. Here, he meets and makes friends with other prisoners, some of whom have been there almost all of their lives. 

Friendship

The story is narrated by “Red”, a contraband smuggler who befriends Andy and helps him get items, like a rock hammer, which Andy ends up using to dig through his cell wall over the years, unbeknownst to anyone else. Andy and Red develop a close friendship that spans over decades in (and eventually out) of prison, with Andy helping Red change his pessimistic views and showing him the light that is hope.

The power of hope

The prisoners that Andy befriends are shown to be more than just criminals — they are people like anyone else. They are relatable and sympathetic. More than that, Andy himself is determined, loyal, and has integrity. He is victimized throughout the movie, subjected to some of the worst things imaginable, and yet he keeps his hope alive and inspires other convicts to find the good in the bad, and to be hopeful.  

Storytelling practices

This story, while certainly not a Pixar one, does follow one of the rules of storytelling, according to the list storyboard artist Emma Coats shared. 

Rule #16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

The stakes for Andy is that he spends the rest of his life in Shawshank, a prison full of corrupt guards, and an even more sinister warden. If he doesn’t succeed, the rest of his life will pass him by, and he will continue to be brutalized by rapists, sequestered in solitary confinement, forced to do taxes for the guards as well as “fixing” the book for the warden of the prison, who at most, sees him as a tool to be used. We want to root for Andy because he shows an unshakeable confidence that he will get out somehow. 

Besides that rule, Ashley Fell’s 4 I’s  – Interest, Involve, Instruct, and Inspire work with The Shawshank Redemption, too. 

Interest

We are interested in what Andy does now that he is in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Involve

The problems that arise from being inside a prison, being victimized, as well having no one believe you are issues that most in the audience can sympathize with. Anyone watching will be invested in seeing what Andy does next.

Instruct

While the movie is focused on Andy with Red narrating, we are taught about integrity, hope, and determination. While there may be moments where Andy despairs?, he always carries a respect for himself, and the hope that he will see the outside world again. His determination to make life better for himself and others inside the prison is always present.

Inspire

Andy’s unending determination to become a free man, and the honest goodness in his heart for his fellow inmates and friends is what makes Andy so likeable and memorable. He is clever, kind, and always has a plan. Those who watch the film would be moved to be both more sympathetic to others, and to have hope in the face of adversity.

Closing

This is a movie that I highly recommend, as it is one of the most engaging and heartfelt I have seen. It’s easy to forget that even in difficult times, hope is one of the most powerful emotions to help see you through your journey.