ZARA sleeveless loose vintage tee - SOLD.

Size: S/M
Colour and design: Off-white cream, vintage Hansel & Gretel in watercolour print.
Condition (newness): 8/10
Price: RM20

Email me for purchase ☆

Read about The Good Samaritan cause here. 

Recycle your reed diffuser.

Since time slowed down a little, I tried to pay more attention to the little things that make living a little more creative :)

It came like the above but I made it mine like the bottom:

That was to replace the long-gone-smell reed diffuser that I have.  I got the 'Edgar Allan Poe' replacement from Sundays that smells absolutely sweet and lovely :) I recycled the one that I have, removing the out-dated stickies and glue-y stuff (you can get a bottle of Glue Remover from Homefix), and renewed its look with dainty lace.  Just add fragrance and a few reeds and viola!  Good as new :)

I'm on leave today.  That's why.  Ahuh ;)

Have an awesome Labour Day tomorrow! x

Money CAN buy you happiness! :)

This is a brilliant insight!  Who says money can't buy you happiness?  Money can't buy you happiness when you spend on yourself not when you spend on others.  I mean, that's the whole idea of Christmas presents right?  :)

So many ideas sparked.  Now to let it incubate till the right time comes :) Watch this and be inspired by speaker, Micheal Norton.

How to recycle: Inner garments?

A lot of people have been asking me of late, how to recycle this, how to recycle that and the best part is... no one knows.  Except for paper, bottles (plastic and glass) and aluminium cans.  Even these three items, we're not sure how they are recycled (or processed) but we definitely know how to get rid of them.

So how do you get rid of stuff?

Well... I'll try to find out as much as possible on how to get rid of your general stuff by first avoiding the landfill. Unless absolutely needed, we will not recommend you to bin it (which as you guess, will end up in one of the many bursting landfills in Malaysia).

So, today we will share on what's the best way to recycle your inner garments.

1) Underwear both male and female, adult and kids - because of hygiene purpose, most unfortunately you don't have a choice but to throw them away.  Unless, you have a better suggestion?  (That does not include flipping them over your head and rob the neighbour :Pp)

2) Bras for female - we've contacted a couple of notable lingerie brands and only three came back to us (Xixili, Sloggi and Triumph - we suspect the latter two are connected so the answer is pretty much the same).  They'd recommend you to call a recycle association to check instead but if it's still wearable, drop it at Xixili's boutique (however, they did not mention if it's only exclusive to Xixili brands only - still awaiting their response, so check this space for more information).  As for Sloggi and Triumph, both answers are the same - if they are still wearable, donate them to charity or Salvation Army.  If you google 'recycle bras', you'll also realize how creative some people can get, but... you know what?  Let's keep arts and craft to arts and craft :)

3) Inner thermal wear (or Long Johns) - definitely definitely definitely, people need this in cold countries.  Unfortunately, we really have no answer right now as to which is the best organisation to donate them to, other than Salvation Army.  My suggestion would be... the next time you're travelling to a cold country, bring them along and drop them for charity there instead.  The good thing is, you'll magically create extra space in your luggage for souvenirs :)

Well... hope the above helps.  Next time, we dispose something else :) responsibly

If this man comes alive in music, imagine what we can do to others?

I watched this yesterday and thought it was absolutely beautiful.  If music can really bring out the memory or that buried person within the elderly, imagine what we can do at elderly homes here?



Maybe there's an idea here we can consider.  Maybe we can give music to the elderly as well.  More than the sacks and sacks of rice that's overflowing in their pantry.  Many may think music is unnecessary compared to food, but... if like this man, it can awaken them who are prisoners in their own soul, would we still think it's a luxury, a good to have?  Hmm... I don't know.  You tell me.

By the way, I'm gonna create a new link box at the right hand side of this blog (just scroll down a little to see it).  I'll be listing all the ideas that were inspired by my reading or during shower or over discussion with other kindred spirit, in the link list.  I've gotten some enquiries from a few kind Samaritans expressing their concern and offering their help.  So, one way for you to participate is to collaborate by taking up one of the ideas which may interest you :) We can do it together, let me know!

What is love?

Love cannot be owned, it cannot be grasp. Love is an invisible force that transcends time, space and physical being. Love has got no face so if you're struggling with attachment, remove the faces from love.

Love is queer. The more forceful you are in trying to grasp it, hold on to it or make sense out of it, it will slowly dissipate. It starts to suffocate every time you tighten your grip and dies a very slow death. But love wants to love you back. Therefore it needs to fight against you to survive. So that one day you will finally, truly accept it as it is and not as you wish it to be.

When you feel like love is leaving you, you instinctively clench on to it. It cannot breathe and it will die. Love is freedom therefore for it to survive, it needs to be free. To feel safe, to grow and to take shape on its own, at its own pace. Be still. For the more you struggle, the more it eludes you. A vicious cycle that will leave you feeling unloved, unworthy and undefined which is never the intention of love. Love is pure and love casts out all fear and insecurity.

Love heals. Can you sit next to love, not touching each other and enjoy a silent conversation? Can you not expect love to say something you want to hear? Can you not expect love to take a certain form of how you've always envisioned love to be? Can you simply sit there in silence and be in the presence of each other? Can you just feel its invisible embrace but bear the disappointment when you open your eyes, you see nothing? Can you brave the physical absence and not ask for more than what love is prepared to give you at any given stage of its maturity?

Can you let love, love you back in its own time? Love is shy, it makes hearts fluster, blushes cheeks and causes sweaty palms. Love is like a child. It is innocent and takes time to warm up and embrace you. And when it does, you know you are truly loved.

Can you not define love, not talk to it, not expect from it, but just be grateful that it's there and enjoy its presence?

For if you can, then you have truly surrendered to love and found everlasting peace.

How can we be better helpers?

Hey y'all,

I've been away on a 1-week sabbatical (yea, oxymoron.  1 week is not sabbatical!) and now I'm back.  I caught up with a friend yesterday and she shared something with me about the state of orphanages in Malaysia that's appalling yet doesn't sound entirely alien to me.  Her company was embarking on a CSR project to help set up ICT capability in one of the orphanages in town and these are what I found really disturbing:

1) Most corporations treat orphanages like a dumping ground.  What they have in excess (products that require inventory - which is really more expensive to keep than to dispose of), corporations will 'donate' it to orphanages.  Now this should be a good thing.  But imagine, you run an orphanage and you have 50 boxes of FILES, STATIONERIES that take up space in your home and you have NO IDEA what to do with them.

2) Even perishable goods.  Look, we may be a little over imaginative when it comes to orphanages.  Oliver Twist is a musical.  Yes, it's important for them to have food but what's the point of dumping tens and tens of bags of rice (which does have an expiry date!) which they can't finish?

3) For the orphanage to 'redistribute' to other orphanages, they will need a network as well as manpower.  Without a proper system, the orphanages will then be redonating and redonating and redonating.  I've been to Sinthamani Ashram and the boys' room has a funky, stale, old-cupboard, 'moss-y' kinda smell.  The reason is because everyone's dumping their old shoes which the orphanage won't throw away even though the shoes don't fit.  So, pairs and pairs and pairs of worn shoes are stacked up on the shelves in the boys' room, thus contaminating the air.  C'mon guys... would you sleep in this kind of environment?

4) Why is this happening?  Because orphanages I heard, are not supposed to turn away donations.  They're NOT supposed to say no.  So even if they have hundreds of bulldog clips and files and crayons, mountain size of rice (which they need more fresh vegetables and fruits!), books that no one will ever read to the children (they need more tuition to pick up the love for reading!), they.cannot.say.no.

I found these facts really disturbing.  So I thought and thought and thought and really... I think some critical solutions are:

1) A proper network - one network to bind them all.  We have a HUGE opportunity for a 'distributor' (yea, I'm not saying you can't earn your dough.  If you can figure a business model which can make you a millionaire but doesn't compromise on the recipients, why not).  If I'm not mistaken, Xim Pou Moon (or something like that) sets up community bins to collect these old items and redistribute them.  We need more if a single network is unable to serve the entire 'waste' market.

2) Caretakers of orphanages should have proper training in organisational and resource management.  They need a voice.  They need an association which they can provide constructive input on what sort of help is needed to fulfil critical shortages and long term needs.  They need to have a vision, they need to run the home as an organisation.

3) Orphanages need money.  Yup, they need cash.  But of course this is rather sensitive because who do you bestow the cash to?  The caretakers?  To play the devil's advocate, are they are as trustworthy as they should be?  You and I know that some of the biggest swindlers that have been making shocking headlines are heads of NGOs.  So there is a need to have a proper financial system - a trust or something that protects the interest of the beneficiaries (in this case the children) for their future (education fund, insurance, etc).

Well... I'm not sure if it will make a lot of difference but seriously, at the rate we're going, no wonder our societal welfare is so badly governed.  People may be thinking they are doing their part but like I said, 'dumping donations' may be something that's effective a decade ago when even old items are scarce.  But today, in this age of abundance and over-production, these 'less fortunate' homes and organisations are being treated like dumpsters.  Please... reconsider your so-called help.  While it's much appreciated but if you're not helping in the right way, then maybe it's better you don't at all.  Extending assistance should be in accordance to the plight of the needy and not to the convenience of ourselves.  No?

Please, share your thoughts.