Are you the friend who will help me make a difference?

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Go to www.healthychild.org for more info! If you are keen to borrow the book, holler.

I couldn't handle those footprints....

Okay so here's a video you HAVE to watch.

CLICK ON THIS LINK

It's about the making of disposable chopsticks in China - - enough details to turn you off FOREVER from ever using another pair. Strangely, I could almost accept the use of toxic chemicals (*gasp*) but it was the pair of dirty feet that I couldn't stomach. So glad, there's another reason to convince people to start bringing their own utensils out and to stop accepting these freebies when they buy takeaways. Watch it, then share it! Finally, incontrovertible evidence to convince my dad to stop bringing these home!

Avatar Mess

What can I say? It was the IXUS 130, not me. This is the 'I can't take enough photos of my cute kid' post.

Grounded by the haze, we stay home and get into a mess

Val narrates his painting: This is the sky, that's the ground, here's an aeroplane.

And then he kinda mashes up all the painted blobs into one coloured mess.

Self-portrait: I love the marbled purple ink effect and the Ah Pek expression on his face

He whistles nonchalantly like a true Master at work. LOL

More brushstrokes of purple...

He likes them mixed up

Transforming into a Na'vi (in blue, then red, then purple)is more fun than just printing hands on paper.

Supporting fair trade & organic, wisely

I've been a keen supporter of fair trade, organic, and natural products for some time now. It's not that I have plenty of cash to throw around, but it's that I realise I need to put my money where my mouth and heart is. So whenever I can, I try to buy these products but always wisely. And when you hunt in the right places, you realise that fairtrade and organic products are not always more expensive or priced exorbitantly.

Case in point: Tea from Marks & Spencer. These are Extra Strong Fairtrade tea that beat Lipton's weak brew hands down. I first discovered them about 1.5 years ago and have never looked back. Cost wise, depending on how many you buy, they range from $0.086 ($6.90 for 80 bags) each to $$0.066 each ($15.90 for 240 bags). The miserably, watered-down brew from Lipton? Last I checked from NTUC Fairprice's online site, its price ranges from $0.084 ($2.10 for 25 bags) to $0.053 ($5.30 for 100 bags) each. Given the huge difference in quality - honestly, the M&S tea is full-bodied and really shiok - I am willing to pay a wee bit more and support the Fairtrade movement at the same time.

Another favourite of mine are the Yummy Earth lollipops. Comparing them to the grossly-sweet Chupa Chups would be an insult. These lollipops have 100% natural flavours, no artificial dyes, 100% vegan, GMO-free, and no corn syrup. I like them too because you can really taste the subtle flavours. They cost $5.50 for 15 pieces, or $10.50 for the 30 pieces which comes in a reusable container. They work out to be about $0.36 each. Chupa Chups cost about $0.28 each, when they're on offer, or $0.33 each otherwise. And please don't try to compare by weight, cos that would be crazy. I don't think lil kids can tell that Yummy Earths are slightly smaller, and flatter, as long as they have a lolly in their hands!

So don't be so quick to judge and say that fairtrade and organic are priced out of range. Not all are, if you look carefully.

If you're keen to know more about fairtrade, you could start off reading a piece I wrote last year: Changing the world with ethical shopping

a Meltdown and a rubbery mouth

A friend N sweetly asked how he could celebrate my birthday with me. Without a thought, I said Zoo! So off we went last Sunday, a day after my birthday. It was my first time doing the gimmicky feed-the-animals thing, but it was Val who hankered to feed the rhinos and after one try (the zoo keeper shoved Val's hand along with his right into the rhino's wet, slobbering gap), he refused to do it anymore. So there I was shoving bananas (unpeeled) and papayas (sliced and peeled!) into the pachyderm's rubbery, grey crevasse of a mouth which looked weirdly alien, as it chomped greedily away, saliva dripping copiously. We couldn't wait to wash our hands after!

Although Val's older and can appreciate the zoo better than the two times before, I somehow had a harder time with him. More often than not, he was more enthralled with the seats in the amphitheatre and with driving a stationary tram than the animals. To cap it all off, we had a mother of all crying fits at the end, when the tired boy refused to stop "driving" the said tram. Very embarrassing end to the day. Oh well, let's hope the next trip will be a better one! (I'm not sure N would come along!)

Woody toy blocks

Aren't they beautiful (and ain't he handsome?) These are vintage toy blocks circa 1970s (or 80s?) that my sis and I used to play with. My sentimental mom had kept them in mint condition, somewhere in the dark recesses of the storeroom. We wiped them down and they were good as new for the boy. Somehow, toys from the good ole days give me a sense of reassurance that new toys these days don't.

Val's now having much fun with them but the brute that he is destroyed the cellophaned-window panes the first day he laid his hands on them. He still can't seem to stop poking them. Frustrated, I asked him why he was intent on destroying something that had survived years of play, he said:"I just want to see if i can open them."

The curious boy loves fiddling and taking things apart if he can - many of his cars (thankfully the cheaper ones) are wheels-less because of the insatiable curiosity to see what is there.

I do hope he doesn't destroy anymore of the blocks, cos last I checked, there ain't anymore of these kitschy 70s-era blocks in the market no more!

Rain Oculus by Ned Kahn

We came across this huge bowl-like sculpture at Marina Bay Sands recently. The Rain Oculus by Ned Kahn is apparently incomplete: when it is 100%, there's supposed to be a "whirlpool motion above the promenade level with the water falling 2 storeys through a hole at the center of the Oculus, creating a dynamic water skylight feature at the heart of the retail mall", says the IR's website.

But it was still good enough for us, cos if you stood at one end of the bowl and spoke in a normal tone and voice, another person right across this ginormous bowl can hear you, like it's coming through a pipe! The sound is probably carried by the tubular steel structure - I don't know cos the website doesn't tout this fun fact. I felt a bit like Superman, having to sift through the myriad conversations taking place at the bowl to pick out the voices of my friends from amidst the babble. Superman must have a tough time doing this every second of his life!

It was fun talking this way, with a bemused ang moh listening to our inane conversations, cos you know, when you can hear it across the bowl, it ain't private anymore!

Touched

Some of you know that I spent 3 months in the Chilean wilderness in the magical year that was 1998. During that time, I trekked, chatted, cooked, and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with some Chileans, and also witnessed the incredible beauty of the long strip of land on South America's left shoulder.

"In the beginning of time, God created the wonders of the world.
When he was finished, however, he saw that he had many leftover pieces. He had parts of rivers and valleys, of oceans and lakes, of glaciers and deserts, of mountains and forests, and of meadows and hills. Rather than to let such beauty go to waste, God put them all together and cast them to the most remote corner of the earth. This is how Chile was born."
- A Chilean Legend

Perhaps this is why I am somehow connected, and very much riveted and touched by the ongoing rescue of the 33 Chilean miners from the depths of San Jose mine, 700m underground. The resilience of these Type A guys completely overwhelm me. Imagine 33 of them cloistered in confined space for 69 dyas: they saw no sunlight, had little food and water (until rescuers reached them), no sanitation, suffered extreme humidity and heat, and yet, when it came to deciding who would go up the rescue shaft, the ONLY contention reported was that the team had argued who would go LAST.

Did you see how exuberant and euphoric Mario Sepulveda was? He impressed me with his energy - the way he whooped and led cheerleaders. Wow.

This is what gives us hope about the world. That, in our fast paced, relentless world that's intent on becoming more self-centred each day, that in times of adversity, the true spirit of humanity can still shines through. Their situation could have become a scene from "Battle Royale", or "Lord of the Flies" --- they could have descended into a mess of throat-throttling, and yet, they surprised us.

Thank you God for the blessed rescue of these brave men. AMEN!

The islander...

Heading for the beach: so chuffed to be cycling there for the first time that he agrees to wear a cap!

He has a great time but insists on cycling onto the sand. I think he'll get into extreme biking in the future.

This could be anywhere huh? There's a place I wished we were at. Nostalgic scene for me, with loads of deja vu.

He pokes at the ground, unearthing treasures: shells, seeds, leaves, and ugrh... sometimes the unmentionables that irresponsible adults leave behind! yucks!


He decides to go through the underground passage way, and explores the playground across the expressway.

My mission Imp(ossible)

We return to the beach and he starts to get cosy with the sand, and sea. He "swims" with delight.

He gets more adventurous, though Mama is totally unprepared for a wet day out.

The islander in him suddenly strips off his shirt and declares that he's going swimming! He wades in, unafraid, and meets the sea. My heart melts, seeing my boy in nature's embrace.

This is a particularly nostalgic shot for me. To me, this should have been somewhere else, not East Coast Park. A place where I had once been a sun-kissed babe myself.

HAPPEE DAY @ Hort Park

Daphne of Mother, Inc is organising a day out for kids with cancer at the Hort Park on October 31. If you're keen to volunteer or to donate, please go to her website to say "I wanna make some kids happy!" Kudos to all those who have already stepped up to help out.