Christmas Tea for Ti-Ratana welfare home - SOLD OUT!

An hour before:

Dear all,

We've been packing some tea bags over the holiday to raise fund for Ti-Ratana Welfare Society, which is basically a community service society set up in the spirit of compassion to both serve and provide shelter, education and care to the underprivileged members of the community. It is also a voluntary, not-for-profit, non-partisan and non-denominational organisation offering a wide scope of community services.

A good friend of mine is involved in a charity Christmas Party for them on the 8th of December and has been raising funds to purchase the necessities for the home and of course, bring some good old Christmas cheer to the children!  The home, takes care of orphans, old folks and women in need with a community centre and a mobile clinic as well.  That's a lot of work if you ask me and they need all the help they can get.  If you want to join them, click on the link above.  If you can't join them but would like to contribute, we're selling Christmas tea packs (come in a set of three and in three different flavours) at RM10 each pack, aiming to raise RM320 for 29 plain bath towels, 1 pair of school shoes and 1 pack of milk powder.  More donation is of course welcome (then we can contribute more basic necessities).

If you'd like to purchase these lovely Christmas Tea bags, please let me know!  Thank you for being a Good Samaritan today! ;)

Fruity pack: Passion Orange

Herby pack: Lemon Myrtle

And of course, the classic English tea pack.

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

An hour after:

It's all sold out guys!  Thank you so much! xx

Gophers GPS navigation system.

Donated by a Good Samaritan :)

CPU: SiRF AtlasIII AT640C
3.5 inch 65k colour TFT touch panel display
OS: Microsoft WinCE.NET 5.0
Built-in high sensitivity antenna and port for external antenna
3 hours battery operation
High speed USB 2.0
MP3/WMA audio player and MP4 video player
Built-in-speaker
Mapping system: MapKing

Price: RM180

Email for purchase! 

OR

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

A new blog for all things homemade :)

I've started a new blog to sort of organise all my posts about all things homemade :) As such, I've removed the 'homemade and recycle' tabs on this blog.  You're welcome to follow me there too!

It's called 'Made at home with love' for obvious reasons.  Why?  Because to live fully, whatever you intend to do, you must do it with all your heart.  No?  Hope you guys will enjoy my 'trials and errors' and enjoy home-making! :)

New Good Samaritan Project coming your way in 2013!

I've had a pleasant surprise call today.  It all started when I was clearing some of my old books and wondered where I could sell them.  And so I thought and thought and thought.  Perhaps yea, we could give it away instead.  I think the easiest channel would be to homes but ... really?  I think they'd appreciate a slice of meat and a bowl of rice more than books.  To avoid falling into the first instinct trap which is to 'offload' unwanted items into homes, I explored a couple of other channels.  And in doing so, I got connected with a lot of like-minded friends who love books but feel that it's time to give them away.

So I contacted a neighbourhood mall and asked if they're interested in creating a book corner at their customer's waiting area.  I pitched the idea to them over Facebook, they called and seem delighted with the idea!  But of course, although it's a side charity project for me but I understand that they have a business to run and an image to keep.  So we both agreed to draft a more detailed plan and a better designed concept if and should the collaboration come through next year in January.  I'm so happy! :)

Now, you guys who have books that you want to give away, it's time to start packing them nicely and perhaps, donate it to this project?  I'd even love a suggestion for the project title :)

Will keep you guys posted!

x

Aquarium for sale: New home for new fishes? :)

Donated by a Good Samaritan :)

Size: 20cm length x 16cm width x 15cm depth
Price: RM50

Email for purchase! 

OR

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

Uniqlo Boyfriend jeans for girls.

Size: It says waist 25 (63.5cm) Uniqlo size.  Even if your waist is 29, TRUST ME, you can wear this :Pp

Colour and design: Boyfriend baggy jeans with worn details.

Condition: 7/10
Price: RM80

Email for purchase! 

OR

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

MNG 3/4 sleeve denim jacket - SOLD!

Size: S or a small medium :) (I wear an S but it's a little big for me)

Colour and design: Grey soft denim with inner seam piping and 3/4 sleeves.

Condition: 7/10
Price: RM50

Email for purchase! 

OR

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

Thank you message from Water is Life.

Got a lovely email this morning and I thought I'll share Ken's message with you guys :)

***
Dear Sue, 

Thank you so much for joining us on the journey to provide clean water to those desperately in need. Your donation will put filters into the hands of the people that desperately need it. The month of Sept. WATERisLIFE team did filter distribution, hygiene training, drilled two wells in Haiti. Currently we have a team this week in Ghana mapping out a plan for bringing water to this country this year. 

Please let your friends know about WATERisLIFE. Here are a couple of links to our #FirstWorldProblems campaign on Twitter: 
YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/93qcmr2 
http://adage.com/article/creativity-pick-of-the-day/firstworldproblems-recited-campaign-water-life/237601/
http://creativity-online.com/work/water-is-life-hashtag-killer-anthem/29397 

Thank you again for your help! 

-- 
Let me know how I can serve you, 
Ken Surritte 
WATERisLIFE.com Inc. 
www.WATERisLIFE.com 
www.facebook.com/JoinWATERisLIFE 
www.twitter.com/waterislife

***

Don't thank me, thank y'all! 

#firstworldproblems are NOT problems.

I'm convicted.

Whenever we're inconvenient, we complain.  Because we're so used to having everything at a push of a button, at a single beckon of voice, at a stone throw distance, that we sometimes forget how fortunate we are to already have what we need albeit NOT to our convenience.

Water is Life is a project that aims to bring the most basic of basic needs and we're referring to the extent of survival of human lives, which is water.  It isn't about the next badge I'm gonna drive, the next address I'm gonna move into, the next label I'm gonna wear to the next cosmopolitan event I'm attending.  It's simply put, WATER.  Clean safe water.

The current situation is alarming and critical when we look at the numbers.  The crisis includes inadequate access to safe drinking water for about 884 million people and an even alarming inadequate access to water for sanitation and waste disposal for 2.5 billion people.

Water is Life aims to bring clean water to those in need, both short and long term, saving lives and transforming communities by providing life-giving clean water solutions and WASH programs to schools and villages in developing countries through innovative sustainable water solutions in partnership, to scale their impact globally.

The Good Samaritan Shop wants to help.  The main reason for these inadequate access simply stems from one word - POVERTY.  From here, we will donate $100 to sponsor 10 filtration Straws that would provide 10 children immediate access to safe drinking water.  So I hear you say, 10?  We donated, bought and sold so many items and we're only providing 10 children with 10 straws?

Then let me share a very heartwarming story with you which I've unabashedly picked up from WiL's founder, Ken Surritte's story.

This is the story of the little boy that was on the beach after a storm. There were thousands of starfish washed up on the beach. The little boy started picking starfish up one by one and throwing them back into the water. An old man watching this just shook his head thinking, "One little boy and so many starfish, he could never help them all." So the old man went down to the boy and told him, "Don't you know you will never make a difference? There are too many starfish washed up on the beach." The little boy looked at the old man and then reached down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the water and said, "It made a difference to that one."

If we had known the face of every child of that ten, would it still be just ten?

If you'd been supporting The Good Samaritan Shop, then thank you and I hope it brightened your day to see your dollar (or donated item) in action.  And if you're a passer-by and would like to make a direct contribution to Water is Life, just click on this link.

Watch the story here (credit to DDB New York):

Proof of donation $100 = RM316.94

Fred Perry by S***R ivory moccasins - SOLD!

Donated by a Swag Samaritan :)

Size: UK 6.5 EUR 40 JPN 25.5cm

Colour and design: Ivory.  Laser cut, round toeline with logo details and rubber sole.

Condition: New (bought but never worn before)
Price: Original price at RM486.  Good Samaritan's price at RM200 :)

Email for purchase!

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

M by MNG scarlet corduroy-ish jacket - SOLD!

Size: Small/Medium

Colour and design: Scarlet jacket with corduroy-ish texture but thin enough for tropical weather :) (it's slightly too big for me!)

Condition: Newness level 6, pre-loved.
Price: RM50

Email for purchase! 

 Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

Fred Perry by S***R Limited Edition black shoes - SOLD!

Sold to our first Good Samaritan from Spain! :D

Donated by a Swag Samaritan :)

Size: UK 6.5 EUR 40 JPN 25.5cm

Colour and design: Black.

Condition: Newness level 8.5 (worn only once)
Price: Original price at RM486.  Good Samaritan's price at RM180 COD :)

Email for purchase!

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

Use 'page not found' to find children!

The Good Samaritan Shop supports Notfound.org using 404.html page to spread word on thousands of missing children in the European Union. Click link below and support :) x

http://www.thegoodsamaritanshop.com/404.html

Hami Melon sweet soup.

I normally post things for sale but last weekend, I attempted a Chinese sweet dessert soup and reckon I have to post it somewhere so that I won't forget the recipe/how-to.  And then I remember this blog, which was also meant to share with you guys some really 'kick-ass' homemade stuff.  Because stuff made at home is stuff made with love :)

I actually got the recipe from a book but I did a slightly different variation which I think turned out all right.

What you need is:

• 3/4 Hami melon cut into bigger pieces (palm size is good, by the way I have a small palm, so you judge) because once you cook it, it will shrink and melt into the soup.  I cut it into slightly bigger than bite size and kinda regretted because the longer you simmer the soup, the more the melon will melt away.  
• White fungus which you need to strip to smaller pieces and cut away the yellow hard stems.  You need to cook this a lot longer if you like it soft.  Note: A handful will do!  I was greedy and chucked in two handfuls and boy, do they grow when you soak em' in water! :Pp
• Lotus seeds - now this is the tricky one.  I threw a handful into a bowl of water to be soaked and was able to use only half of what's left.  After soaking, I decided to blanch them for 10 minutes, and it really helps getting all the dirt and skin and impurities out.  Now, the icky part is... you've got to be careful because inside these seeds, there are a lot of bugs :S So even after you de-seed it (the green colour core is bitter), you have to remove the bugs painstakingly one by one.  This is the most time consuming part of the cooking.  If you chuck em' all in without picking carefully, your loved ones will get extra nutrients in their soup ;) nice Halloween trick tho'.
• Lily bulbs - soak a handful in water to remove the impurities.  Lily bulbs are very hard when they are dry but when they get cooked, they become really delicate.  So it's really important for you to put it last before the melon, otherwise they'll disintegrate and make your soup really chalky and cloudy.
• Yellow cane sugar

What you need to do is:

• Cut melon and set aside
• Soak all the other ingredients but blanch the lotus seeds, de-seed and worm out all bugs (eeyuck!) and set aside
• Bowl water in the pot - how much is really up to you - my rough gauge was the ingredients should take up about 1/3 space of the pot.
• Once the water is boiling, throw in the white fungus and yellow cane sugar.  I only used one 5cm diameter size cane rock sugar because I wanted the ingredients to absorb some sweetness but not have the entire pot to taste diabetic.  
• Boil for half hour then add in the lotus seeds and continue on medium heat for another 40 minutes.
• Then add in the lily bulb for 10 minutes and then add in the Hami melon and bring to simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat.  Avoid stirring so that the melon doesn't disintegrate.  At this point, you can add in more cane sugar, depending on how sweet you want it to be.  The Hami melon which I got was really sweet and yummy so I kept it light.
• Then tada!  Good to go!  Personally I think this makes a really light and refreshing cold drink even though you can have it hot.  It's up to you :)

What health benefits you get?

• Hami melon: Vitamin A and C
• White fungus: Improve blood circulation, and strengthen respiratory system. It is also said to have cancer fighting and anti-aging properties.
• Lotus seeds: Good source of protein, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus with cooling properties with calming effect and reduce blood pressure.
• Lily bulbs: It can soothe a dry throat, relieve a cough and aid with heart palpitations. Good for dispelling body heat. Awesome for someone who's recovering from a cold :)

That's all folks!  Make it and make it with love :) x

Promod grey dress with tie-string bow.

Size: Small/Medium

Colour and design: Cute dress in grey with hem details and tie-string bow :) (it's too big for me!)

Condition: Newness level 7, pre-loved.
Price: RM30

Email for purchase!

Learn more about us: The Good Samaritan Shop project!

Help impoverished children to be seeds of change.

This video absolutely breaks my heart.  Poverty has always been something very close to my heart.  The idea of having nothing, makes everything significant.

I've been thinking for awhile now to be more focused on a certain cause.  And I think, from today on.  We will only be focusing on causes that help reduce poverty.  The impact of an individual life is too great on the society.  Though it's never too late to help, but in order to avoid many crippling social and individual issues that we're currently facing, we must intervene starting from childhood.

Join our cause by supporting The Good Samaritan Shop.  Your donation, purchase, word-of-mouth, every like, every share and every retweet mean everything to us.  And to those of you who have been fans so far, I cannot thank you enough.

We, you and I, sow the seeds today to see the change we want to see tomorrow.  Thank you and big loves x

Soft brown handcrafted vintage shoes.

Donated by a Good Samaritan who got it from Etsy, which unfortunately did not fit her.

Size: UK 4 EUR 36.5 JPN 22.5cm

Colour and design: Little cobbler nails in the toes and have all the details that tell that they were custom made. They do have a bit of wear, but the heels are only slightly worn and the soles are leather. Made by "Woolf Brothers, Kansas City" "Design by Evins".

Condition: Vintage, worn.
Price: RM50 COD

Email me for purchase!

Learn more about The Good Samaritan Shop project!