Amelia has started running again, doing it every other day for half an hour. On the days she doesn't run, she walks for an hour. Her colleagues have joined her, and after work, the two of them run on the Ma On Shan promenade. They feel relaxed and happy after each run.

I've made plans to meet her several times, but almost every time, she cancels due to rain or personal reasons. It was pouring in the morning, and she once again apologized for not being able to come. However, at noon, she told me she had lunch with her mother at a restaurant on the island and then came to visit me at the bookstore.

The island was quiet after the rain, with few tourists around. There were small puddles on the road, and she brought her paintings with her. Her mother went off on her own to explore the island. Amelia sat down on a bench in front of me, but I kept my distance as I was still recovering from a cold, sitting behind the desk. Her gaze fell upon the bookshelf, specifically on "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind." She told me that she had read many articles and books about taking care of one's mental and emotional health, and almost all of them mentioned that regular exercise can maintain physical and mental well-being and improve focus. That's why she took up running again.

Thinking back to the first time I met her, it was somewhat similar to our meeting in the bookstore. On that day, I was setting up an exhibition in a cultural center's corridor when Sabrina, the person in charge of the center, came to say hello. She mentioned that she had arranged for a young artist to meet me and invited me to take a look at her paintings. Amelia arrived with her artwork, small pieces neatly placed in transparent folders. She flipped through them one by one. Sabrina liked her indoor scenes series, while I was drawn to the "Gateway to Childhood" and "Botanical Pointillism Drawings" series, which were actually quite contrasting. The "Gateway to Childhood" series was vibrant with swirling gases and smoke in different colors, and the roads were winding and dizzying, as if one was falling into the center of childhood memories.

The "Botanical Pointillism Drawings" series, on the other hand, was primarily in black and white. She first painted the flowers and then used pointillism techniques with a pen to depict the background. Some paintings took her twenty-four hours, countless dots, as if each dot was a release of pain, and through that, the pain took shape and blossomed into flowers. This series was inspired by the flower photography of Irving Penn and the photography of Benjamin Bouchet. Irving Penn's photos always captured the beauty of life and still objects. In his flower series, he presented the dynamics of flowers through different visual languages like form, color, and pattern. Amelia used the pointillism technique to capture the details of petals and shadows, getting through countless sleepless nights.

This series began with photography, painting decadent flowers inspired by the photographs and then looking at life to do still-life sketches. Eventually, colors emerged, and the series came to an end. She gave a few pieces from this series to the monk who had accompanied her through her black and white days.

For the exhibition, one of Amelia's paintings was selected as the poster. Photography was a language that had also inspired Amelia. Therefore, "Fleur de la Douleur" set aside the camera and listened to their stories, getting to know each other, from strangers to friends. Through photography, it presented their exploration, thoughts, creations, and transformations in the midst of pain, which were like flowers blossoming out of pain. The photographers were no longer just behind the lens but came out and engaged in the stories. They communicated with the subjects, understood them, and formed the first conversation. The resulting works were exhibited, leading to a second conversation with the audience. During the exhibition, the audience could take a piece of paper and leave a message for any of the participants, creating a third conversation. While facilitating these conversations, the aim was to build a bridge of understanding.