1 small quiet somewhere

hamster meditation

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 10:37:07 -0400

Transcript

Page 1: hamster meditation - a 1 small quiet somewhere minizine. [A pair of hands cup the hamster-like Little Yì who is sitting demurely with folded paws, looking up.]

Page 2: Find a comfortable sitting position on a mat or a cushion or lie in bed surrounded by pillows and buried in a blankie. [An ink brush-style heart draws an ink path around a simple blobby person as they meditate on a cushion, then lie cozily in bed tucked into a blanket. The ink path continues to the next page]

Page 3: Just try to keep your back as comfortably straight as you can, to help your breath flow with ease through your entire body. [Side view of a simple standing waist-up person, hands resting on its belly, breathes out in a puff of breath while maintaining a gentle straight posture.]

Page 4: Place your hands on your belly and feel your belly rise up and down [Front view of the person, eyes closed, with a translucent heart shape overlapping its hands that rest on their belly.]

Page 5: Picture in your brain a tiny soft hamster running all day and night its hamster wheel [A sequence of panels zooming in on the brain of the person, showing that inside is a wheel with Little Yì running furiously inside it.]

Page 6: But now, little hamster, it's OK to rest [Little Yì leaves the hamster wheel, walking towards an outstretched hand with a heart above it. Another hand gently pats Little Yì on the head.]

Page 7: and be a pancake hamster, just resting and feeling and being. [Little Yì lies in the palm of the hand and is gentle stroked by the other hand, its shape becoming a flatter and flatter fuzzy pancake. A blobby ink heart closes the page.]

Page 8: Maiji/Mary Huang - smallquiet.humangray.com [Little Yì now resting in its final pancake form in the cupped hands, a large heart floating above it.]

Author's notes

Debuted at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival June 6, 2026. At one point fellow artist/zinester Meghan Thompson came by, flipped through it, and said to me: "I would like to buy your hamster... and give you one of my hamsters" and handed me a minizine about a conversation with a hamster-in-a-wheel mind. We had a good laugh - perhaps there should be a club of people who make art about their hamster brains!

After I shared the above story with my friend Antonio, he told me: "In Mexico there's an expression that translates to something like 'their hamster runs fast', and it is used to express admiration for someone smart. And yet, at times the hamster can run a bit too fast for comfort!"

Little Yì heart stamp

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:59:55 -0400

Glowing forehead~

dragon king's daughter

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 20:35:53 -0400

Transcript

Page 1: 1 small quiet somewhere - "dragon king's daughter" by Maiji/Mary Huang. Five fish of varying sizes and shapes swim alongside a sea turtle; only the large flipper of the latter can be seen.

Page 2: A glowing sphere surrounded by five smaller glowing spheres emerges. Closeup of a feminine face with plump, smiling lips as the person sees a small temple (the small quiet somewhere retreat) just a short walk away. The temple is nestled in trees, just past the swaying leafy branches of willows.
?: Ah—There it is! It's just as I remember it!

Page 3: Leafs falling from a tree as Kanthaka strides by with Little Yì on his shoulder. They look up as a voice calls out to them.
?: Kanthaka! Little Yì!
*They look over to see a cute little girl wearing a crown, with with bows on the sides of her head and dressed in long Tang Dynasty style hanfu, waving enthusiastically. She has a halo, is radiating sparkling light, and is surrounded by five fish swimming in the air*
Kanthaka: Princess Ruìzhū! If it isn't the daughter of the Dragon King and her brave attendants!
Little Yì: *leaping off Kanthaka's shoulder and into Princess Ruìzhū's open arms*Welcome! Welcome welcome welcome welcome welcome! (whee~)
Princess Ruìzhū: *cuddling Little Yì in a cheek-pressing embrace* Aww big hug!!
Little Yì: Big hug!!
*They chat as they walk, the fish floating along.*
Kanthaka: Thank you for these wonderful kelp snacks! How is your family? Is everyone in good health?

Page 4: They continue the conversation at a table full of diverse cups of steaming tea and small dishes and trays of snacks. The fish hover over everything, eyeing them.
Kanthaka: And how is your good friend Emmie from the red dust world?
Princess Ruìzhū: They're very well! Always so full of energy and cheer! It's too bad they can't come to visit…
Kanthaka: It can't be helped, not everyone can travel the way you and your attendants can…
Little Yì: What happened with those princes who came seeking your hand in marriage?
Princess Ruìzhū: Oh, that was all just a misunderstanding! They got some confusing advice. But it's sorted out now! And one of them is staying with us. He makes wonderful pancakes! *An image of plates of fancy berry and sauce-drizzled souffle pancakes can be seen, with stacks of flatter crepe-style pancakes in the background.*

Page 5: They decide to play a game of cards.
Princess Ruìzhū: How about a game of Connect Dragon?
Kanthaka: Oh, yes. We haven't had enough people to play in a long time!
Little Yì: Yay! I want to make dragons!!
*Kanthaja shuffles the cards and deals them.*
Wǔyùn: I have the seven of swords.
Princess Ruìzhū: *pouting* Wǔyùn, you're so lucky! Well, you do have the aggregate luck of all five of my attendants…
Wǔyùn: *five fishes combined* (Hahaha)
Little Yì: *sweating as it looks over its hand* (No sevens…)

Page 6: They assist each other as they play.
Kanthaka: Little Yì, do you have six or flowers?
Little Yì: Eight flowers…
Kanthaka: Here you go. *puts down a 7 of flowers
Little Yì: *full of hearts* Yaaay! *puts down an 8 of flowers*
Kanthaka: I have one more card I can play and then I might be stuck…
Little Yì: I'll save you next time!!
Someone else: Do you have anything here or here…?
Princess Ruìzhū: Oooh, I'm stuck! I'm gonna be stuck!!
Wǔyùn: Don't worry, Princess. I'll save you.
Princess Ruìzhū: Ohh you saved me!! Thank you!!

Page 7: All four of them gaze down at four columns of cards.
Princess Ruìzhū: Whoohoo!!
Wǔyùn: We did it!
Little Yì: Hooray!!
Kanthaka: We made all four dragons without losing any pieces!
*Princess Ruìzhū claps her hands. The cards begin to move, each column with the cards connected like vertebrae on a spine, rising and spiralling into the air.*

Page 8: The four columns of cards manifest dragon heads and legs and rear up, facing each other. Then they take to the skies, circling above the players, before separating into individual cards again, and forming a neat pile in Princess Ruìzhū's hands.*

Page 9: Princess Ruìzhū lovingly clasps the deck of cards. The scene changes to a view of everyone strolling along a lush riverbank with grasses, flowers and weeping willows.
Princess Ruìzhū: Ah… that was so much fun!
Wǔyùn: *standing next to a smiling Princess Ruìzhū and bowing deeply* Thank you for hosting us. *Princess Ruìzhū, still smiling, looks over at him as he vanishes and five fish manifest in his place*
Princess Ruìzhū: *waving cheerily* See you soon!
*A loud sploosh and splash into the water, surrounded by five smaller splashes. Shot from below looking up at Kanthaka smiling and gazing out over the river with Little Yì on his shoulder.*
End.

Page 10: Kanthaka, Wǔyùn, Princess Ruìzhū and Little Yì all holding fans of cards while a dragon made of cards swirls around the page, chuckling.
How to play Connect Dragon! A classic card game in my family. You can play cooperatively, or adversarially. You need at least 4 players or the distribution of cards can get skewed.

1) Shuffle and deal all cards. The person with 7 of spades goes first.

2) After that, each player puts down either another 7, or a card that connects with the cards in play:
The 7s are like the centre of each dragon. Connect cards to build out the head and tail!
Four columns of cards are in play. Spades: 6, 7, 8. Hearts 5, 6, 7. Diamonds: 6, 7. Clubs: 7, 8, 9.
Little Yì looking out at the cards in play and checking its hand: Do I have 5 or 9 of spades? 4 or 8 of hearts…? 5 or 8 of diamonds…? 6 or 10 of clubs…?

3) When it's your turn, if you don't have 7s or connecting cards, discard a card. Do not reveal what you discard to anyone. It will, of course, mean that any unplayed cards connected to that card will no longer be playable, which potentially affects other players.

4) At the end, count up all the cards that were discarded based on their face value. (Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13).

5) The person with the lowest score wins… unless there is a player who managed to discard every single card in their hand . Then that person wins.

As you can see, you can try to play very evilly, holding back 7s and cards other people need, or even discarding cards that affect yourself to increase your chances of being able to achieve a full-hand discard.

You can also play collaboratively, putting down all your 7s, and playing cards where you don't have any of the connecting cards knowing that this will allow other people to connect. This is how they are playing here, trying to successfully build out all four dragons without losing a card/piece of a dragon.

Have fun!

Author’s notes

If you know Now Recharging, you may find the princess and her comments a little familiar... Yes, this is Miss Princess Turtle! She's inspired by a number of famous East Asian figures, in particular: Nagakanya (literally "Naga daughter"), also known as Longnu (literally "Dragon Woman/Girl") from Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra. She's the daugher of Sagara, the Dragon King of the East Sea, and an enlightened being. Her sea turtle association is inspired by Otohime, the daugher of the dragon king who manifests as a turtle in the legend of Urashimataro. The name I have given her here, 瑞珠 Ruìzhū, is "fortuitous jewel".

The name of her attendant, 五蘊 Wǔyùn, is based on the five skandhas (aggregates): form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

Retreat entrance/foyer

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 22:25:40 -0400

Transcript (main entrance/foyer)

Broom, cleaning & repair supplies [against the left wall]
Large slabs of wood as benches [to the left of the ramp]
Mat or ramp (rest of area is sunk into the ground) [in the centre of the foyer leading up to the rest of the retreat main corridor and rooms]
Large flat rocks as benches [to the right of the ramp]
Glowing plants for light [on either side of the foyer]
Pair of matching scales [flanking the path down the centre of the retreat] - left: 般若 bōrě Prajñā (wisdom); right: 慈悲 cíbēi Karuṇā (compassion)
Shelves & hooks for storage [against the right wall]

Author's notes

I actually sketched this out back in December 2023, and never got around to finishing and posting until now. I could read a lot of my notes and had to do my best to guess, but it's good enough!

The wall scroll is based on the Buddhist concept that wisdom and compassion are the two wings of the bird of mindfulness practice (or enlightenment, or the path of bodhisattva). Both are necessary for the bird to be able to fly.

Princess Ruìzhū and Wǔyùn stylesheets

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 15:13:36 -0400

Transcript

Princess Ruìzhū: Youngest daughter of the Dragon King. Cheerful, short, plump and cute. Her big lips, eyebrows and cheek blushes are her signature features. She should give off a warm, happy and friendly feeling, like the personification of a hug.
She glows, since she's a bonafide bodhisattva. [compared to height of Kanthaka, Little Yì, and Wǔyùn in princely knight form: She reaches about Kanthaka's waist, and is about a head and a half shorter than Wǔyùn]
Frequently surrounded by her five fish attendants.
She has magical sleeves that can hold/hide lots of handy things!
She has little bows on the back of her shoes.

Wǔyùn: Attendant/bodyguard to the youngest daughter of the Dragon King. Noble, gallant, handsome princely knight. Is actually five fish.
Dark spotted fish with lots of fins / Silver-white fish with fancy tail / Chubby goldfish-y fish with splotches / Sleek gold fish / Tiny white fish with a spot on its forehead.
Armor is based on Asian lamellar.
Soft-spoken, kind, very cool and powerful warrior. Yeah!
Sword manifests at will.
An excellent swimmer, obviously.
Also pretty good at cards.