Small Thoughts Matter Most

Was shopping alongside an elderly Auntie when she commented that the flowers were not nice. I smiled to her and chose this bouquet and left to buy other stuff. As I was choosing fruits, the same Auntie pop by and told me my bouqet of flowers was nice because of the yellow flowers. She mentioned that the one she eventually chose was not as nice.

Earlier, I was choosing between this bouquet and another selection so I thought since Auntie likes it, she can have it. I can take the other bouquet as I find them pretty too. I went to look for her in the queue and offered her this bouquet. I told her I can buy another bouquet but she declined politely and thanked me.

I think being nice to others and making people feel warm and happy doesn't always require big actions. Sometimes, it is the little thoughts and actions that matter most. If you open your heart to kindness, opportunities will come and you will be a happier person, cheers to a more heartwarming community for all :)

Learning to Be More Tolerant

I saw an empty seat on the train and was going to occupy it when I saw someone's bag taking half of the seat. I took the remaining half and when the man turned, I smiled at him and he smiled back at me and removed his bag.

Do I need to be angry with his actions? Do I need to take a photo and shame him on social media? My answer and my approach is "No". Let's have more tolerance over others' shortcomings. Being angry or pissed off is not going to make the situation better.

Another year has passed and as we age, we must all learn to increase our EQ and cultivate inner peace. This way, we will lead more fulfilling lives.

Charity & Risk Part 2

Dear Friends,

There have been a few alleged cases of people abusing the kindness of others, e.g. beneficiaries selling items they collect, fundraisers not being accountable for the donations they raise. I urge caution for everyone and hope that no one has a bad experience while giving kindness. As much as we want to inculcate a loving and giving environment for everyone here in P2P, we must be vigilant against potential scammers. Please do not give when in doubt, even if the initiatives were shared by our P2P admins or myself. I very much welcome anyone to question me until they are assured, on the initiatives I share. The same applies to all our P2P AdminsDerek, Vicknes, JiaJia).

Our group is a public group, so are our posts. This is to facilitate members sharing and creating awareness for various initiatives/ event that need help. On the flip side, what we post here are accessible by anyone on the Internet with a Facebook account. If there should be anyone who PM you to ask for items, please do not entertain and refer them to the admins. For the genuine cases, we can refer them to social welfare groups or volunteer groups for assistance. Please also refrain from posting your mobile numbers on our group, and especially to my dear friend, Susan, please try not to post your parent's residence address, ha smile emoticon

Also, the kind nature inside every one of us sometimes make us very eager to help, whenever a news broke out in the media. I think every case is unique and it will be good to understand more about what is required, why beneficiaries are not getting enough help from the social welfare organizations (Comcare), Volunteer Welfare Org (VWOs) before we decide how we can support with cash or in-kind donation. As I always advocate, keep the cash donation amount small, get more people involved, it is more meaningful as everyone gets to play a part and it will minimize the risk for everyone.

My group of admins will do our best to scrutinize the posts in this group but please be careful on your end. We do not wish for any of your kindness and generosity to be abused or taken for granted. Let's continue to uphold the spirit of kindness and love, while exercise caution as we give.

Thank you !

Read about Charity & Risk Part 1 here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1686153144947011/

Thank You to A Special Person

Dear Friends,

2015 is coming to an end soon, hope it has been a good year for you. No matter how it turns out, I hope you join me to thank a special person, that person is YOU.

In this year, you have worked hard for your cause, you have touched lives, you have helped people, you have brought joy to strangers, you have provided for your family, you have sacrificed for your children, you have cared for your parents, you strived hard to chase your dreams, you are pained by your struggles and loss, yet you have shown courage to overcome them all, you have tried your best to be a better person. While there is still room for improvement, be proud of who you are, what you have worked hard for and all the things you have accomplished this year.

Before we try to love others, lets learn to love and be kind to ourselves first. We sometimes stressed ourselves out with the too much expectations on our shoulders, we compare with others and define our success based on their standards. However, the only person who has the rights to tell you if your life is well-lived or not is yourself. Be kind to yourself, love yourself and thank yourself for being you, you deserve it, cheers :)

$2, The Price of Happiness

I bought this pack of tissue for $2 and it makes me happy. An old uncle who lost a foot was selling it by the side of a bus stop. He looked quite sad initially (maybe biz was poor) but when I bought it from him and insisted on taking 1 out of 3 packs, he instantly become so happy. He was nice to wish me well too.

$2, that is the price of happiness, buy one get one free, his and mine :)

Kindness & Tolerance

This morning, I overhead 2 Aunties asking around for a pen at my void deck. So, I turned and offered them one. They asked for paper to write down a contact no. I tored half a receipt for them to write in the blank space. One of the Auntie asked me to write the name and contact no. for her, which I did. They were very thankful and I felt happy to be able to help.
I was waiting at the taxi stand when a young man appeared in front of me. He seemed to be in a hurry as he was waving for cab. Initially, I wanted to tell him politely that he was cutting my queue but I thought since my appointment was not time critical, he can have the cab first if he is in a hurry. The cab finally came and I asked him to take it but he declined and asked me to board instead. I thought this situation could have easily become an unhappy one if I decided to get angry with his actions and confront him.
If we can have more kindness and tolerance, the world will be a better place and we would be happier people :)

The Power of The Mind & Thoughts

The mind is the most powerful tool we have inside us. The mind can work for us (generate ideas that create an impact) or against us (generate fears, worries which can lead to anxiety issues). Our mind process what we see or hear and generates thoughts, good or bad, constructive or unconstructive. When we give thoughts permission, they become actions.

There are reasons why people give permission to unconstructive thoughts which leads to unconstructive actions. It could be due to their upbringing, their social influence or simply because they are bored. Speaking of being bored, it is not always the case of nothing to do. We can be very preoccupied with tasks but yet feel bored. This boredom comes from repeating the same routine over and over again, finding no motivation or interest in the things we do.

Thoughts become actions, which then become habits and soon develops into a lifestyle. Ever wonder why some people spend most of their time feeling unhappy, disgruntled or gossiping about others, while some people are spending the same amount of time inspiring people, changing lives and living life to the fullest? It all started off with that thought in the mind.

The whole kindness campaign that I am trying to advocate is not just about raising the quality of life for others, it's also about making ourselves a better person. When we have kind thoughts, we give kind actions, which eventually becomes a way of life. When we make a difference to the lives of others, we add value in what we do and that increases our self esteem/ worth. When everyone starts to lead the kindness way of life, it will enhance the social influence factor, which could define our culture. We pass this experience to our children as part of their upbringing. We create a positive ring of influence that is so strong that people are influenced/ inclined towards constructive thoughts, actions.

My dear friends, I encourage you to fill your mind with as much kind, positive and constructive thoughts as you possibly can, it will do you and everyone else a world of good, thank you !

The Healing Power of Kindness

Dear Friends,

I am not sure if this makes any sense to you but I believe that the place where kindness thrives produces plenty of positive energy, which would be a source of healing for friends who are feeling negative. This healing ground is right here at our P2P group.

Life can get us down when things are not going our way. We can also be angered or stressed by the actions of others. When you are feeling upset, worried, vexed, angry, stressed, sad or any negative emotions, take some time to browse through our group's posts and see the amount of kindness being spread around. You may find that your problems are not as big as you think (after reading the plight of others) or you may feel heartened to see so many amazing people around (whoever makes you upset probably forms the minority group). Whatever it is, I do hope that our group, which is full of love and kindness, can heal you off your negative emotions and make you feel better.

I wrote this on my wall in Feb 2014 and I would like to share it again here:

"Dear Friends,

If you are feeling down, sad, worried or going through a bad patch in life, try to give a bit of kindness to others, in simplest ways you can; be it an encouragement, a nice compliment, or some simple ways to make someone happy. Not only will doing so get your mind off those nonconstructive thoughts, it might even make you feel better. No harm trying"

I hope P2P can be like the "Tree of Souls" in the movie Avatar, which has healing powers to help anyone who is feeling down or going through a rough patch. I leave you all with this quote from Martin Luther King Jr:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Essence of P2P (Updated on 3 Dec 15)

Dear Friends,

I have done some housekeeping in this post so that you can find the info you need faster. I will pin this post to facilitate quick referral for friends who are looking for kindness/ volunteer opportunities or looking to donate away their preloved items to bless others who are less fortunate. Thank you very much for your support for P2P and for spreading the love and kindness around, please continue to keep up the good work you are doing. We can make our world a better place, through acts of random kindness, one at a time.

heart emoticon Volunteer Groups in Singapore - Learn more about the great work that ordinary Singaporeans are doing locally and overseas and find volunteer opportunities here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1486209361608058/

heart emoticon Donation of Preloved Items
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1509810142581313/

heart emoticon Donation of Children Items to benefit Underprivileged Children (Local and Overseas)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1486449848250676/

heart emoticon Blessing Groups
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1696516543910671/

heart emoticon Social Enterprises
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1699630406932618/

heart emoticon Volunteer Opportunities
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1505192103043117/

heart emoticon The I-WANT-TO-VOLUNTEER Namelist
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1681094808786178/

heart emoticon Recycling Initiatives
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1594372984125028/

heart emoticon What Makes Us Happy In Singapore?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1618414081720918/

heart emoticon Need a Listening Ear?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1654045248157801/

heart emoticon Charity & Risk
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1686153144947011/

heart emoticon For New Members - Welcome to Our Kindness Family
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1674282459467413/

P2P 2.0

I am pleased to share this post from Charlotte, on her experience in taking part in the photo competition to help win an ipad mini for a child from a less privileged family. When I suggested this initiative last week, this is exactly what I hope to achieve, to empower volunteers to become leaders and contribute in their own ways.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1698306513731674/

Charlotte, Yvonne & Jiajia took up this challenge, went on to design their posters and rally their friends to help vote. We faced a very strong opponent but we persisted, change our strategy and we are seeing some rewards now. This teaches us that if we don't even try, we will never succeed in anything. Even in failure, we take heart that we tried our best and we learn something out of the experience. Regrets are more painful for the things we didn't do than the things we did.

Looking forward, I hope this is start of something new for P2P (I called it P2P 2.0), where our members take on a bigger role in fronting initiatives like this to inspire more people to give kindness. I could have done this on my own, like what I have been doing for the past 2 years, but it gives me greater satisfaction if I can empower more people to step out to lead new kindness initiatives.

Dear friends, you must believe that you have as much potential to make an impact on our community and that you can do wonders, as far as your imagination can bring you to. You can start small, one step at a time, and slowly you will create a bigger impact in time to come. This P2P group is not for me to build my legacy, it is made for you, to find opportunities in giving and to find joy while doing so. It is meant to enhance our community spirit as we help one another and thus creating a more positive and loving environment for everyone. It is meant to enrich us in many ways, help us find our meaning and purpose in life, through the service to others. I hope this culture of giving will continue in generations to come. Thank you all so much for being a part of this, cheers :)

Time and Money

If we can use this simple analogy to view life as a whole, will we be able to better spend our time?

Let's say all the time we have in this life is equivalent to a sum of money, some people will have more, some will have less, but no one really knows how much money they have.

We use the money (time) we have to buy food.

Positive thoughts, emotions, actions leading to happy and memorable experiences = buying yummy food to eat

Negative thoughts, emotions, actions leading to suffering & unhappy experiences = buying yucky food to eat

For every dollar we use to buy yucky food, we have one dollar less to buy the yummy food we enjoy. If we spend most of our money (life) to buy yucky food, we will soon realize that we have very little money left to spend to buy good and yummy food.

Every day is our new opportunity to improve and be a better person than yesterday, dwelling on the past or persisting in our bad habits is not going to make our future better. We are unable to change history but there is always a chance to create something better now. Let's strive to make each day better and use our money wisely on good food. We never know when we will be at our last dollar in the wallet, so make every dollar (day) count smile emoticon

Death & Life

I want to share my thoughts on this taboo topic because I think that if we don't understand about death and why we fear it, we would not have fully appreciated life and cherish it.

Why are we afraid to die or afraid to see our loved ones die? The passing of a loved one is often a very sad experience as it marks the end of our physical relationship with that person. There will no more further opportunities for us to do any physical activities with the loved ones who had departed, we will not see them or talk to them ever again. The same goes for the person who is about to pass on, there is little or almost no opportunities to further interact with his/ her loved ones or do the things that he/ she aspire to. All these fear and sadness revolve around another feeling known as regret. We may regret not spending enough time with our loved ones (our parents, family, friends) when we still have the opportunities. We may regret not having the time to do the things we always wanted to do but instead choose to blindly follow others' definition of a successful life. The more regrets we have, the more we will be sad and afraid of death, because death means you have no more chances to undo all your regrets.

Qn: What are the regrets you foresee you will have when you know you are going to die? You have life now, with life comes opportunities for you to reduce as many regrets as you possibly can. Make full use of these opportunities now.

It is interesting to see many associate "how long one has lived?" to "how well one has lived?". Person A who passed on at the age of 30 have not lived as well as Person B who passed on at the age of 90. I can only agree that Person B had more time and opportunities to live the life he wants but it does not necessarily means that he has lived a more fulfilling life than Person A. If Person A has been living every day to the fullest and doing something which he enjoys and finds meaning in, while Person B is always sad and has no directions or drive in life, then a short and well lived life is definitely better than a long life of worries and emotional suffering.

Qn: Would you rather have a long-lived life or would you rather have a well-lived life? While you may not be able to define the length of life that you have, you can still define the quality of life that you want to live.

The purpose of my sharing is not to tell you that I am not afraid to die. That is totally not true because I fear death like everyone else. However, I am not going to start worrying and get sleepless nights over it. Instead, I want to turn this fear into an energy to propel me further, to appreciate the life that I have and to count all my blessings, to bear less grudges, to get angry less and to let go of many things that I can't control. I want my fear of death to remind me that I am not going to live forever and I am not even sure how much time I have left and because of these reminders, I will treasure every day that I have, for every day is my blessing and my opportunity to change my life or the life of others, for the better. The P.A.R.K journey has been very rewarding thus far but outside this "keyboard warrior" role and away from the computer screen, I am reaping much benefits in my everyday life by being positive. For every message that I send out to you that is embedded with love and positive vibes, I give something back to myself, sometimes just a gentle reminder on how life should be.

Care for Your Loved Ones on 10 Nov 2015

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow is Deepavali and public holiday, shall we all pledge to do something nice for a loved one (parents, family, friends)? It can be bringing your parents out for a nice meal, cooking for your spouse or dropping a message to a friend whom you have not caught up with for some time. It can range from anything simple to something which requires more effort, the key is to bring some joy to the people who are dear to us,show them that you are thinking about them and that you care. They will definitely be very encouraged by your thoughts and actions, esp. when we lived in such a fast paced life where everyone is so busy with work and everything else that we have no time to slow down to show more concerns to one another.

Remember that life is too short for regrets so let's start off with just one act of kindness & concern for our loved ones. Oh ya, the reason I suggested tomorrow is for you to have some time to plan something today. Please join me to spread some love around, thank you heart emoticon heart emoticon

Donation of Ring Tabs

Sharing another of Jason Cai's adventure of venturing into the unknown, seeking answers and inspirations when all seems lost and finally finding it all when the law of attraction brings me yet another pleasant surprise.

This thread which I shared last July on donating ring tabs for a good cause was bumped up recently by friends stating that they have collected ring tabs and waiting to donate it away. However, the project "Ring For Lives" have ceased collection due to lack of storage space, high rental cost since July this year. They did not state when they will resume collection.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1509807242581603/

I tried searching a few times on the Internet and found many past projects doing it and but all of them have discontinued. I later found out that it was a lot effort doing the cleaning, storing, packing and then sending over to Thailand to make the prosthetic limbs. I tried searching in Facebook and could find anything other than "Ring For Life" the first few times. I thought I would have given up but somehow I went back to search again and found my friend, Victor Lim, doing a similar project back in 2012. Though he mentioned that he had discontinued the project, I went ahead to ask him if he is still collecting (no harm asking if he knew other sources collecting). I received the confirmation that the project was discontinued but the lead did not end there as he managed to find out further info for me and informed me that NEA is collecting ring tabs currently. I am also thankful that Victor went the extra mile to help me find the contact person in NEA as I tried to contact NEA but there was no reply.

I received a confirmation email today from the in-charge from NEA that they are still collecting and that donors can send to the ring tabs at the b/m location.

Contact Person: Coral (not Carol)
Contact no: 68546462
Address: 4545 Jalan Bukit Merah
Time to send collection 12pm to 6pm

Victor also shared with me that the operational model of Prostheses Foundation of H.R.H The Princess Mother (Thailand) had changed slightly. Instead of the ring tabs being used directly to make prosthetic limbs, they would be melted and made into aluminium blocks to sell to aluminium factory, with the proceeds being used to buy titanium metal, which would make lighter and more durable limbs.

Thank you very much for making the effort to collect the ring tabs, though you may not know where you can donate them. Thank you all for your support and kindness!

P2P Hits 8,000 Members Mark

Everytime our group hits a new milestone (in terms of member count), I like to share this post. I wrote this when we have 4,000 members and today we have almost doubled that figure. We have come a long way and every word I wrote still stands.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1674282459467413/

What brings us all here? Kindness. By the law of attraction, we are all gathered because of the kindness we give. What are we trying to create? Hope. We want to create hope not just for the needy, but for everyone, and that in the unpredictable future ahead, there will always be a group of kind friends, who is ever willing to help you when you are at your lowest point and need help the most. This is the better future we are creating together now.

Thank you everyone for being part of our big kindness family. Every one of you is like a droplet in the ocean, without which the ocean will dry up, so every one is important to us. Thank you for all the love and kindness you give and please continue to keep up the awesome work, cheers wink emoticon

Helping Baby Aden

Dear Friends,

This is another heartbreaking case that I just came across today. Baby Aden was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and will be currently undergoing stage 1 chemotherapy treatment, at the tender age of just 3 months old. The treatment will take 2-3 years and is estimated to cost up to S$400,000. Baby Aden family is seeking for our kind support to help them cope with the high medical bills, as they are in a tight financial situation with minimal savings.

Baby Aden's dad is the sole breadwinner for their family of 4 and he is working as a driver. Aden's mum, Angel, is a stay home mum taking care of him and his 3 yrs old brother. The medical worker helping the family is able to get financial assistance (medifund) to cover 40% of the inpatient bills while the family needs to pay the rest by medisave, cpf and cash. For the outpatient bills from the regular follow ups and scans, Aden's family will to need to pay off by cash. This is worrying as they have a series of checks/ scans upcoming as Baby Aden is currently having a throat infection, which doctors fear may spread to his eyes, heart, stomach and brain. The suggested treatment for his leukemia is as follow, stage 1 (2-3 months), stage 2 (3-4 months) and stage 3 (bones marrow transplant).

If you would like to support the family by making a small donation to encourage them, you can make a transfer to:

Baby Aden OCBC Young Savers Account
Ng Kang Le Aden
553-7-114703

Kindly indicate the amount of your contribution for tracking purpose if it is convenient for you. Thank so much for your blessings.

For donation of children items (bb clothing, milk powder, diapers), we are in the midst of checking what is lacking so we do not give more than necessary, we will update all once we have the items and quantity required from the family, thank you everyone for your patience on this. Pls refer to this thread for the latest update:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1692689660960026/

For visitation of Baby Aden, the doctors have advised no visiting for the time being as Baby Aden has low immunity at this moment.

For all well wishes and encouragement, pls leave a comment in this thread (so we don't flood her inbox), I will let Angel know of your concern and kind thoughts.

Thank you everyone for your kindness !

Let's Help Baby Yujia

Dear Friends,

If you have watched Channel 8's Joy Truck last night and touched by Baby Yujia's story, I would like to seek for your kind support to help Baby Yujia and her family reach their fundraising target, to send Baby Yujia to US for treatment and live a normal life thereafter. If you have missed the episode, you can watch it here:
http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/the-joy-truck-s3/ep1/347216

Some background on Baby Yujia's condition:
At a tender age, Baby Yujia had already gone through numerous surgeries to fix a rare birth defect, esophageal atresia (esophagus not connected to her stomach). She had spent most her time in hospital and had multiple tubes connected in her body, which lead to infections to the lungs and further complications to her condition. She has yet to be fed through the mouth and her saliva needs to be suction off every 2-3 hours, which cause her more suffering. The local doctors have tried their best to fix the problem but to no avail and the only hope lies in seeking treatment in Boston Children's hospital. The medical fees will cost around $1.75M and Baby Yujia's parents are seeking kind donation to help reach this target to send Baby Yujia over for treatment.

I first shared about Baby Yujia's story back in June and we managed to pool together some donation to help her. Since then, I have discussed with Yujia's mum, Jamie, on how we can raise more funds to reach the target to send Baby Yujia to US for her operation:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1647960595432933/

Why is Baby Yujia always on my mind and why I am always looking out for opportunities to help her? I think every child deserves a happy and memorable childhood and if it is within our means to help, we should do it, because we never know where our efforts can bring us to. A million dollars may seem a huge amount but with a million friends giving just $1 each, this amount is achievable. What we are giving to Yujia is more than our donated amount, what we are giving to her is a lifetime of opportunities to explore her dreams and lead a fulfilling life, when she eventually recovers from her condition. It is unfortunate and sad that a child so young has to go through so much pain and suffering at a young age, but we as fellow members of the community, can do our part to bring some solace to the family by supporting the fundraising campaign. Baby Yujia has been such a strong fighter since birth and let's help spur her further by supporting her in this journey to recovery.

Friends, I appeal to you to join me to help make a difference and help the family reach one step closer to their target, every dollar counts and is a step closer to their target, let me start the ball rolling with the first pledge:

Pledge for Fundraising to Help Baby Yujia

1. Jason Cai: $20
2. Tan Candylanmylo: $50
3. Liana Rosnita: $20
4. Susan See: $100
5. Jia Jia: $30
6. Kris Teng: $20
7. Baby Chloe: $20
8. Vince Ang: $20
9. Lin Blurbur: $20
10. Yvette Chan: $20
11. Tan Eng Kiong: $30
12. Nickmoon Lum: $20
13. Betty Lau: $50
14. Janet Koh: $50
15. Lina Yeo: $30
16. Chin Yin: $20
17. Kenneth: $10
18. Ivan: $10
19. Phebe Poon: $30
20. Zen Lim: $50
21. Shirley Ong: $50
22. Sandy Lee: $50
23. Xuan Vynce: $100
24. Pong: $50
25. Candie Tan: $100
26. Pong Cheong Lye: $50
27. Ivan Ho: $100
28. Han Chien: $50
29. Jean Ng: $200
30. Anita Ang: $100
31. Ellen Huang and Family: $1000
32. Alicia Kingsley: $50
33. Iris Lee: $50
34. Tan Wen Xiang: $20
35. Victor See: $200
36. ML Lew: $50
37. Angeline Wang: $30
38. Stephanie Chan: $100
39. Patrick Poh: $20
40. Doris Lai: $100
41. Jocelyn Foo: $30
42. Ning Theekhamongkhon: $50
43. Nancy Yap: $100
44. Janice Tan and Family: $100
45. Annie Lim: $100
46. BiBi Sim: $20
47. Iryna Estelle: $120
48. Wendy Lim: $100
49. Jessie Sxl: $50
50. Jamie Maguire: $100
51. Iris Lim: $100
52. Youyu Lim: $50
53. Joanne Ng and Eileen Ng: $100
54. Tiffany Toh: $50
55. Lily Moh: $900
56. Iris Chua: $50
57. Josephine Lai: $100
58. Eng Qiang: $10
59. Christina Lee: $100
60. ShuyingVan: $100
61. Victor Lim: $100
62. Jolyn Teo: $30
63. Evelyn Tan: $50
64. Jolene Chen: $50
65. Wen Yi Ho: $50
66. Kristy Kwek: $200
67. Shuhua Huang: $50
68. Ying Ying Phng and family: $100
69. Kenny Hii: $50
70. Yeo Pock Jin, Clarice Ho and Florence Wong: $100
71. Celia Tham: $100
72. Pei Rong Lim: $50
73. Valerie Koay: $100= $6450
74. Tianming: $50
75. Edlyn Chua:$50
76. Feby Suharto: $150
77. Lily and Guo Guang: $200
78. Darren, Chloe Chua and Mavis Han: $50
79. Vivian Yap: $50
80. Laraine Ng: $25
81. Clement: $25
82. Corrina Tay: $20
83. Ivy Zeng: $50
84. Rachel See, Eddie Lin and Leighton Lin: $100
85. Andy Koh: $100
86. Chris Aw: $20
87. Wendy Foo: $30
88. Perlin Chan: $100
89. Pelicia: $100
90. Yeo Chit Ming: $100
91. Jeremy Ong: $100
92. Kelvin Koh: $40
93. Joyce Tan: $30
94. Joyce Teo: $50
95. Adeline Tang: and Hubby: $50
96. Winnie Lee and family: $200
97. Ong Chin Liap: $50
98. Tan Bee Chin Joyce: $30
99. Alan Teo: $20
100. Jasmine Tai and Hubby: $30
101. Lim Wee Liang, Alice Koh, Adeline Yeo and Ming Hao: $80
102. Ivan: $50
103. Carol Ho: $50
104. Fang Wee: $100
105. Franneth Lee: $100
106. Edward Ckf: $100
107. Pup Tan MY: $20
108. Lydia Jia Xin: $30
109. Chung Chung Sing: $20
110. Max Tan: $10
111. Kris Lim: $100
112. Angeline Chua: $50
113. Cynthia Su Xinyi: $10
114. Kristin Su: $5= $8995
115. Jo Wee: $100
116. Meiyan, Weitang and Baby Marky: $100
117. Irene Lee: $100
118. Jorrynn Liu: $100
119. Connie Chia: $50
120. GLS: $5000
121. Vivien Chan: $50
122. Alicia Chew: $100
123. Ong Rayson: $100
124. Florence Kho and Alan Tii Family: $50
125. Yanrong Yang: $50
126. Irene Ng: $50
127. Jacqueline Ang: $20
128. Alloysius Tay: $20
129. JS Chan: $10
130. Sharon Leong: $30
131. Bee Ping: $20
132. Trixia Chua: $50
133. Blossom Lian: $50
134. Kevin Kang: $50
135. Ericia Yeow: $100
136. Lee Na Ng: $50
137. Yvonne Tan: $500
138. Karen Goh-Ng: $100
139. Christine Sim: $30
140. Rachel Ker: $150
141. Belle Yu Xi: $100
142. Gina Chua: $100
143. Raydebelle and Family: $100
144. Wayne Tan: $60
145. Beijing Low: $100
146. Joanne Tan: $50
147. CY Chan: $50

Pledge amount so far: $16585

How do donate to this cause?
Giveasia portal:
https://give.asia/movement/help_for_baby_yujia

Or Yujia OCBC Young Savers Account:
589-8-099527
Xie Yujia

Thank you all very much for your love and blessings !

Don't Give Reasons Not To Help

Was rushing off to my intended destination when I saw an old frail hunching elderly pulling a luggage that was higher than half his height. I walked past him as he walked towards where I came from, an overhead bridge. I thought to myself, "This old Uncle can't possibly want to cross that overhead bridge, is he?" Out of curiosity, I turned and saw him indeed trying to cross the bridge. I went over to offer to help him carry the luggage and realized it was not light at all. I cant imagine how is he going to carry it over himself or how long he will take to cross over. When we reached the top of the bridge, I asked Uncle why he didn't want to use the pedestrian crossing, he mentioned that the traffic lights junction was too far. We finally reached the other side and Uncle was very thankful.

It is easy to turn a blind eye to someone is need of help. I can tell myself that I am already late, next time then. I can say that my back isn't too good and not advisable to carry the heavy luggage (without even carrying it to see if it's light or heavy). I am not going to tell anyone that I did not help when I could have, since there was no one around anyway. However, for every reason I gave myself not to help, is actually a proof that deep down, I can help, I should help and I want to help. Otherwise, I would not be thinking of reasons to justify my actions of not helping.

There are many people around us who need our help and kindness, it is not difficult to spot them if we keep a lookout. When the time comes, are we going to give ourselves reasons on why we can't help when actually we can and want to?

Complaining

I come to realize that complaining is a powerful tool to gain empathy and it is always nice to see our loved ones offering their concerns and support to help make our situation better. However, we should be careful in using this tool because it can be a double edged sword, it can suck us down in a downwards spiral. The more we complain, the more negative we can get, the more we feel sorry for ourselves, the more we magnify our problem and the more we feel our life is so miserable. What starts off as a small issue can slowly escalate into the the biggest "crisis" we ever face.

There is a difference between complaining and trying to solve an issue. We all face issues in life, no matter at which stage of our lives, that is part and parcel of this journey. If we approach a problem with a positive mindset of wanting to solve it and discussing our loved ones to find a solution, then I think we will eventually get this problem solved. However, if we start to let the problem define us ("my life is so miserable because of this issue") and we are focusing on how the problem affect us ("because of this issue, I cannot do this and that"), then we are building a negative mist around us and the only way we are going is down.

I am not against people complaining about their issues in life, I think it is human nature to do so, I have in fact complained about many issues I face to my friends and family members, all my life. However, the important point to note is not to get carried away, dwell on the negativity and let the issue define and destroy you, via complaining. Focus on the solution, not the issue, and always stay positive, cheers smile emoticon

Sleeping Well Every Night Is A Blessing

Last night as I lay on my bed about to fall asleep, I am reminded just how fortunate I am to be in that position; a nice comfortable bed, a clean environment and most importantly the ability to fall asleep.

Disregarding the international context where we compare ourselves with people living in 3rd world countries, there are people in Singapore sleeping without mattress and there are a lot more who simply couldn't sleep, due to insonmia issues.

If you are able to sleep well every night, I believe we are all lucky ones and with this gratitude, we are also the happy ones smile emoticon

Sending this msg to chase your Monday blues away, have a fantastic week ahead, dear friends !

"Just when you thought your world was over..."

To friends who are facing issues in life or at your lowest point, I want to share this inspirational quote with you.

Under the facade of happy pictures posted on social media, there are many facing real life issues which they are not comfortable to share with anyone. Some of these issues could be social stigma which made it more difficult to confide in anyone. Some people could experience sadness, loneliness or losing directions and meaning in life.

If you are not facing any issues and are very contented with life, I am very happy for you. If you are facing issues and possibly at your lowest point, I hope this message brings some encouragement to you, and may this encouragement grow into strength and courage for you. Keep the faith that things will change for the better and there is light at the end of the tunnel. When the ball hits the ground (lowest point), the only way it can go is higher and higher after that.

This is my simple act of kindness to you. If you think this is meaningful, pls post something inspirational for your friends too. While we may not be able to show concern directly as we don't know what they have been through, our message will bring some comfort and hope to them. Let's help to spread more positive energy around, be it on cyberspace of in real life.

Here comes my motherhood statement, "With love and kindness, we can make the world a better place", cheers smile emoticon

Charity & Risk

Dear Friends,

I have always wanted to write about this topic but due to it's sensitive nature, I procrastinated for quite a while. I thought it is timely for me to share now, especially when we have helped to publicize for a few fundraising/ crowdsourcing campaigns lately.

Firstly, I am deeply honored and grateful for all the trust you have given me, in all the initiatives shared on P2P, it is evident from the wonderful response you gave. With this great amount of trust comes big responsibilities, I know I owe it to all our members to ensure that all these campaigns are genuine and that donations/ sponsorship are really going to those in need. My worst nightmare is to have people losing confidence in giving kindness due to one unhappy experience happening in P2P, the very place we encourage giving love and kindness.

I list 3 areas which could contain some risk when giving and I shall explain them one by one.

1. Donation of Preloved Items (local or overseas)
I have friends asking me if the beneficiaries are really in need and not reselling the items. I based my assessment on a few guidelines when reaching out to families in need:

- Is beneficiary living in a rental flat?
- Is beneficiary getting any assistance from Comcare/ social support group?
- Family background of beneficiary, single parenthood? Low income family with many children? Elderly with no kins and are unable to work?
- Why are they unable to afford all these items?

For friends who have asked for support to collect preloved items for underprivileged children/ adults overseas, I would try to find out more on their cause, their past experience and the people they are reaching out to. Basically, I will keep asking until I am convinced of what they are doing. Thereafter, I will think through on how to put the message across to our potential donors. As this concerns donation of used items that donors may not need anymore, I feel we can manage the risk well.

2. Sponsorship of Groceries/ Gifts/ newly purchased items to Charity Events

This is an area where sponsors buy new items to support charity events whereby these items will be given to the disadvantaged groups that the event is reaching out to. For most of the volunteer leaders whom I have helped to publicise for their events, I have known them for quite a while, seen all the good work they have done and trust their integrity in ensuring every cent is used for charity purpose. Also, the charity event often calls for volunteer support, donors can witness for themselves that the groceries/ gifts are being distributed to the beneficiaries. Therefore, I think we can manage the risk in this area of giving too.

3. Fundraising/ Crowdsourcing for Families with Great Financial Difficulty

This has to be the type of initiative which face the most scrutiny, especially on the intent, transparency and accountability. Just to share, I started P2P group in early 2014 and till now (late 2015), I have never allowed a single cent to be transferred to or through my personal bank account to the intended recipient. There are many friends who told me that they trusted me and wanted to transfer to me first and for me to consolidate before passing to the organizer. I have always politely declined this arrangement because I wish to remain as neutral as I can. Before sharing any fundraising campaign, I spent a considerable amount of time checking with the fundraiser to understand the objective of the fundraising, explore whether there are other ways to help besides seeking donation from public, before we finally conclude that that is the only way to go. I always try to be cautious but yet not jumping to the other extreme end of being paranoid, else we lose the whole purpose of giving, when we over-question the intent. However, I will not share any initiative for sake of sharing, if I am not totally convinced of their cause. For every initiative which I helped campaign for, my name is usually the first on the donor/ pledge list. If we (touch wood) get cheated, I will be get cheated together with you.

I know that despite the above measures, nothing is foolproof. I sometimes wonder what is going to happen when shit really happens. However, dwelling on the "worst case scenario" is counter-productive and we may miss out on many opportunities to reach to those who are really in need. In the end, I always tell myself this, our intention to help a fellow human being is pure and our conscience is clear, whatever happens in the event of a scam is never the fault of ours. We may learn a painful lesson and get bruised but we should always be proud of our spirit of giving, it is a blessing that makes our world brighter and brings more hope to humanity. Because of that, we should never extinguish this light that is inside every one of us. Thank you for being in good smile emoticon

Give the Gift Of Hearing

Dear Friends,

I wish to share with you the story of my friend's niece, Baby Jeralyn, who was born with hearing impaired on both sides of her ears. It was left unnoticed until she was much older, when she couldn’t speak like a normal child of her age and shouted extremely loud whenever she needed attention from the adults at home. She was brought to see an ENT specialist and diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss, the recommended treatment is cochlear implant surgeries on both ears and the estimated surgery cost was RM200,000 (excluding any scan and tests, pre and post-surgery). As the condition was congenital, her parents are unable to claim the surgery cost from any medical insurance.

Despite all the financial challenges, the doctor had advised for the surgery to be done soonest possible (in Nov 15) as the delay in speech does not only affect her future learning, but would also lead to the disability to talk, and she will need to adopt sign language as a way of communication if this has become a habit.

The surgery cost of RM200,000 (or SGD66,000) is definitely too much to bear for a normal income working family like Baby Jeralyn's parents. However, if we have many people coming forward to help them, using the divide and conquer strategy, then it may not be such a big amount after all. E.g. P2P has 7,000 members now and each member just help to donate $2 each, we would have gathered $14,000 or 20% of the total cost. This is the impact of the multiplier effect, we can do more if everyone come forward to contribute a small amount each.

I appeal to all our kind friends here to give a small amount (an amount within ur means) and pool together our efforts to give this precious gift of hearing to a young child, who has yet to hear a single sound in her life. I may be giving up on a trip to my favorite restaurant for this month but it is okay, because what I am giving up on for one month can translate into a lifetime of opportunities for Baby Jeralyn when she regains her hearing. The future will be bright for her if we come together to help her.

I once asked a friend, who is a very active volunteer, why she is so enthusiastic in helping others. She told me that years ago when she was broke, people around her helped her, donated her furniture and it is now time for her to pay the kindness forward. The people we helped today are not going to be needy forever, someday they are going to stand on their feet and pass the kindness forward. Who knows, we or our loved ones may be on the receiving end of it smile emoticon

Friends, if you can join me to make a pledge to make a difference, pls leave a comment in this post. Your contribution, no matter the amount (even $1), is your biggest encouragement and gift to Baby Jeralyn and her parents. Every dollar received is one dollar closer to the target.

I start the ball rolling with my humble contribution:

Pledge List:
1. Jason - $20
2. Myrna - $10
3. Xinlei - $20
4. VJ - $5
5. Sonie - $11
6. Vivian Yap - $10
7. Geri Yoong - $50
8. Jenny Tan - $20
9. Gwendolen Lim - $50
10. Malvin Chiang - $10
11. Shin - $50
12. Betty Lau - $20
13. Cecilia Ang - $50
14. 秀玲梓瑄 - $20
15. Agnes Loh - $10
16. Chitra Cyn - $30
17. Siti - $20
18. Chriss Tan - $20
19. Wen Xiang - $20
20. Cindy See/ Jaden Tong - $10
21. Vivian Cheah - $20
22. Raymond Ho - $50
23. Dovan Ong - $50
24. Jo Lum - $10
25. FH Chan - $20
26. Josephine Tang - $20
27. Joyce Tan - $20
28. Feby - $20
29. Shi-ann - $100
30. Jasmine Tham - $50
31. Trixia Chua - $50
32. Albert Poh - $50
33. Miluna - $50
34. Ellie - $50
35. ML Lew - $50
36. Ignatius Ong - $100
37. Sandra Yeoz - $20
38. Chitra Cyn - $30
39. Jin Yeo - $20
40. Sharon Leong - $20
41. Vicknes - $25
42. Jo An - $20
43. Elsie - $20
44. Lijuan - $20
45. Anonymous G - $20
46. Sandy Lee - $100

Total amount: $1461

The account number to transfer to is:

Bank: DBS Singapore
Account Type: DBS Current Account
Account Number: 163-000252-8
Account Name: Chee Geik Kooi

Rest assured that all donation will managed in the most transparent way. Should you have any queries, pls feel free to ask as well.

Thank you all very much for your love and kindness !

More info at:
https://www.facebook.com/FundRaisingForBabyJeralyn

Happy 2nd Birthday, P.A.R.K !

A few friends asked me recently what do P.A.R.K. and P2P stand for and why I started this project 2 years ago. I wrote the b/m article one year ago when PARK turned 1 year old to share why I am doing this and what I hope to achieve:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1542927539269573/

Some pointers that I would like to add on:

I started PARK also because I see a lot of negativity on cyberspace. The Internet boom makes us all connected on the virtual space and without a physical presence, people become bolder and use their words/ texts to hurt people, incite hate and spread anger. The amount of damage we dealt to a fellow human being is equally as much, be it on cyberspace or in real life.

There is another group of people who use the Internet to shame unkind behaviors, showing how unkind fellow Singaporeans can be in not giving up their seats and being inconsiderate in public places. I do not believe in dealing negativity with negativity. I think only love, tolerance and respect can heal all the sufferings, hurt and hate in this world. Therefore, why not show people the right thing to do, rather than condemn them on doing wrong things. There is a lot of healing energy in giving love & kindness and being positive; on the other hand, I don't think people ever feel happy by being negative (angry, sad, hurt, demoralized).

I think everyone has a part to play in creating a better world for all of us. If we think that this is the job of the government, the welfare organizations or some religious leaders, then we may need to re-think again. The ordinary folks like you and me, when we come together and give a little each, can achieve extraordinary results, through our collective efforts. We have proved this many times with the amazing support for the initiatives shared here in our group. This is really what we should do, help one another (within our means), so that no one gets left behind. I feel that this is our moral responsibiliy to the society/ community we live in.

The future holds many new challenges that you and I cannot predict for our children and their children. However, if we teach them kindness and encourage them to help and support one another, we can be rest assured that no matter what challenges they face, they will overcome it together. We cannot be there for them forever but we can pass on the knowledge and wisdom for them to help themselves in the future.

Lastly, the things we do today, be it in real life or cyberspace, have an impact on the people around us, esp. on our children, who are learning as they grow. If we continue to spread hate and anger, then I am sure the world will be a messier place 50 years from now. If we can spread love and kindness (at least within our circle of influence), we can make the world a better place, for us and for our future generation. I urge everyone to consider the words you say and the actions you do today, for it will have a repercussion effect on fate of tomorrow. If you cannot be kind, at least don't hurt others. If you ask me, my philosophy is always "Be kind, be positive, be happy"

Happy 2 years Anniversary to P.A.R.K. and happy 2 years of friendship to all my friends in this amazing journey, cheers smile emoticon

Well Done, My Dear Friend

I am very proud of my friend, Mahita Vas, for starting this initiative. This is another fine example how an ordinary person can do something within his/ her own capacity to make life better, happier and in this case healthier for others, regardless of their race or nationality.

Few months ago, I bought too much grapes and gave one box to two foreign workers who were painting a corner under my block. They were very happy to receive the box of grapes. I thought how nice it would be for individuals all around Singapore to start similar initiatives to distribute fruits to these foreign workers on a regular basis, because their diet is mainly rice (carbo) and meat (protein), and lacking in fruits and vegetables (fiber and vitamins). It is heartening to read about this article and I do hope that this initiative can inspire more friends to do likewise. Your act of kindness will definitely go a long way as our foreign friends will feel more appreciated of their contribution in building up Singapore.

Excerpt:
"Once a week, housewife Mahita Vas gives out fresh fruit to foreign workers she spots in and around her neighbourhood in Holland Village. She hands out the fruit, along with a "thank you", to small groups of foreign workers hard at work in the HDB estates, by the road or near construction sites.

The 53-year-old has been going on such rounds for half a year and has reached out to at least 100 workers so far from countries such as China, Bangladesh and India."

http://news.asiaone.com/…/sporeans-give-back-foreign-workers