David Tao Concert and Charity

Last Friday was the much anticipated concert of the talented Taiwanese singer-songwriter, David Tao. This was his fourth concert in Singapore for four consecutive years and I've been to all four! First time was because the then-boyfriend liked him and so I went with him. After which, there was no going back. I was bewitched by his captivating voice like honey to a bee and had to return for his second concert. Then I see no reason for me not to go for the third one since he'd chosen to come on my birthday! Heh. Now there were rumors saying this would be his last concert before he leaves the music industry to embark on his movie director career. I hope this is not true (heart shattering). Whether or not he is leaving, I went for his fourth performance anyway. :)

Outside the Singapore Indoor Stadium... The weather was perfect... wind blowing on my face.. Beautiful sky..... (dreamy sigh).

We were there an hour earlier! Yes.. kiasu ('afraid to lose' in Hokkien). Haha. Our seats were pretty far from the stage but not to worry, I was experienced enough (fourth concert) to know there would be two large screens on both sides to give us an excellent view of the performance on stage.

Waiting for the seats to fill up.....

Still waiting.... zzZzzzzzz.......

We got bored....... and started to entertain ourselves......

Argghhh! A snake!! LOL.

And the concert began!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~

Sorry, no more photos! Photo taking is not allow during the performance. I could have done it discreetly and I utterly regretted not doing that! :( Anyway, I'd probably forgot my own name once David appeared on stage, let alone taking photos. His magnetic vocal completely lured me away from any boredness I could possibly feel, for over two hours! David took us back to the 70's and 80's when he sang some of the popular English oldies. What really surprised me was when he showed off his guitar skills and performed the 'Hotel California' by The Eagles. I was impressed! (melting point). If my boyfriend has a voice like his, I will make him sing to me everyday! ha.

Posters for this concert, DT in Space- the Rock and Talk Show.

 

Images from here.

What I respect most about this man is far beyond who he is but what he is about. Many of the songs he composed taught us about life, about love and courage. His attitude towards music is admirable; he stands his ground and refuses to conform to produce what most people perceived as 'beautiful', in other word, 'sellable' music.

In his concert, he shared with us his passion for guitar since he was a teenager. The first thing he did when he got home from school was to play his guitar... even in the bathroom, guitar. Before he went to bed, again guitar. Sometimes he fell asleep and woke up with guitar strings marks on his face! He encouraged that if there is one musical instrument we're really passionate about, give ourselves ten years to master it. Don't give up and we will succeed. This hit home. I can totally relate to what he said because I have a special feeling for piano for the longest time but each time I proceed to learn something new, I felt like giving up after a couple of attempts.. it was really...frustrating. I guess I was too eager to see the result that I failed to enjoy the process. Instead of crediting myself for the little progress I've made, I stressed myself over not being good enough. David's words reminded me to relax and thus be able to fully enjoy what I love. :)

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If you've read my earlier posts, you may remember little Bobby. This adorable coin bank was bought a year ago. I made a promise that I will drop in 50 cents with $20 spent in my shops. All these money would go to the Singapore SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). On the other side, a portion of my Christmas postcards earnings go to ACRES (Animal Concerns and Research Education Society). Here are the two cheques I issued. Yay!~ The amount may not be huge but I have faith it will increase every year! Having said that, I felt really grateful to have the ability to help/give. :)

Is there something you can give today? It may be a helping hand to a stranger... some money to a charity that inspires you or even by just sending out that loving energy to someone... do it. Trust me, it feels really good. :)

''No one has ever become poor by giving.'' -Anne Frank.

Update: See what I told you about giving? The more you give out, the more you will receive. And I just received a blog award from Babalisme! You got to check out her awesome blog because she is always 'GIVING' away (see, giving again!) downloadable prints, cards, dress-up printable.. you name it. Click HERE for some of her fascinating art pieces. Be sure to hold on tight because you will be blown away!

Anyhow, this award is presented to "bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blogworld." Oh my.. I'm flattered! Positive?.. I TRY to be all the time.... Creative? Well.. I got the award so I must be! Or at least to Babalisme. Heh.

Now, time to spread the positive and creative vibes around.. Ready? Catch it, Koralee, Holly, Emily, Jessy, Valerie and Torie!~

2010 Resolutions And A Heartwarming Story

I hope your holiday was great? I've finally completed my list of resolutions for 2010 and I'm so EXCITED to get it started! Right... I haven't start on it yet. -.-

**Resolutions for 2010**

For myself

1) I will learn to be brave when making decisions (no matter big or small).

2) I will learn to be more patient with myself and others.

3) I will sleep before 2am (applies from Mon to Thurs only).

4) I will not curse under my breath when I run into inconsiderate people on the street. I will do so loudly (kidding!).

5) I will learn to be more assertive when comes to 'chasing' late payments (from some shops). Actually I hope I don't have to do this in the new year. Oh give me a break~... zzzzZZz.

6) I will continue to go for my weekly jogs and workouts.

7) I will try not to buy clothes that I'm sure I won't wear more than 3 times.

8) I will snack less... :(

9) I will commit to learning my piano well this time. Yes I WILL make it to... grade 2 this year (See I even make a blog banner to remind myself. Heh!).

10) I will.... erm.... learn to drive again... (shudders ..cold sweat.....).

11) I will touch up my nail polish more often.

12) I will shave my legs hair more often (what!? They're not as thick or long as you imagine okay!).

13) I will learn to ask for help when I need one (I don't mean shaving my legs hair).

14) I will not squeeze my pimples or blackheads even if I find them annoying.

15) I will tidy my room more often.

16) I will always be trueful to my feelings and voice out how I really feel.

17) I will not try to 'act tough' when all I want is to cry.

18) I will learn to say 'NO.' 

19) I will learn to improve on my social skills.

20) I will continue to norish my soul with great books and music. Yay~

21) I will continue to count my blessings and say my affirmations everyday! :)

Family and friends
22) I will continue to spend more time with them.

23) I will visit my grandparents more often.

24) I will cuddle Nono more more MORE.

25) I will be patient with Nono even when he pee and poo all outside the newspaper.

26) I will stop pretending that I didn't see Nono's pee or poo and leave the mess for my brother to clean up (Ssssshhhh...)

27) I will stop forcing Nono to go for a walk if he doesn't feel like it (he is getting lazy).

Work
28) I will continue to share nice stories, photos and interesting stuffs in my blog (with people who bothers to read).

29) I will continue to come out with art pieces that inspire people.

30) I will conduct art classes for children this year (already in the planning. hee. excited??!!!)

31) I will continue to do my bit for SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), ACRES (Animal Concerns and Research Education Society) and WorldVision. Last year I didn't manage to adopt any child.. I hope I'm able to do so this year.

Okay, I'm sure the list is long enough to last a whole year. You may ask why are some of them in pink and others in purple? Pink = I'm sure I will be able to accomplish them. Purple = I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

As I was doing this post, Nono tested out point 25. Guess what I did? I cleared it up and responded with point 24! (not 26). Heehee.

Before I go, here's a video I've been itching to share. I'd watched it the upteem times.. and it still make my eyes watery each time. This is a powerful (true) story about love and... detachment.

''In 1969, two friends, Ace Berg and John Rendall, purchased and adopted a lion. At the time, Christian was a 35 pound cub. He had been borned in a zoo. The friends raised Christian in their London home. All three became great friends.

Within a year, Christian grew too big, Rendall and Berg realized they couldn't keep him much longer. The two decided to release Chritian back ino the wild. Christian was released into a conservation system in Africa.

Almost a year later, Rendall and Berg decided to visit Christian one last time despite a friend telling them that it was too dangerous because Christian might not even remember them. The two friends flew to Kenya, anyway. When they finally arrived at the reservation, Christian showed up for a heartwarming reunion:

"He ran towards us, threw himself onto us, knocked us over and hugged us, with his paws on our shoulders.'' said John Rendall."






Full story can be found at HERE. :)

Eggthree and Christmas Lightings at Orchard

Last night I attended the flea market held by ACRES at Loof. It was raining cats and dogs.. in the midst of a mad rush, I left my camera at home! And very unfortunately, the camera of my handphone has a lousy night mode function, so no photos taken :( Apart from that, it was a fun experience. We bought a couple of second hand clothes (donated by lovely folks) and guess what? The 32 cards I contributed were left with only 7 pieces at the end of the day! Thank you everyone who were there last night to show your support for ACRES and for my works. (If you're scratching your head right now, pls click here for my previous post).

Talking about photos, below are the ones I took at my lastest consignment store. Eggthree is located at Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Road #04-26, Singapore 238859.

There is every reason for you to swing by now because the whole stretch of Orchard Road is so beautiful! I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss these...

Oh I'm so looking forward to Christmas!!!!!!!

*pls do not use any image(s) from my blog without my permission. thanks!*

Christmas Postcards and Charity

Sorry for the long wait, my Christmas postcards sets are finally available in stores now. Each set comes with 6 different lovely cards, printed on premium 300gsm paper. I really like how the cards turned out.. smooth with matt lamination on the front and a rough texture for the back for easier writing. There are only 500 sets up for grabs. I've decided I won't be printing more for next Christmas. There goes to say, if these 500 sets are sold out, you won't get to see them anymore. Not only that, I'm going to drop 50 cents into my 'teddy bank' for every postcards set purchased. These money will then go to the ACRES (Animal Concerns and Research Education Society). Some of you may be aware that I've been making donations for every $20 spent in my shop to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) since day one. Now you can spend less than $20 to do just the same! I'm sure no matter where the animals are, they will be grateful for a generous Christmas.

Visit my Etsy store HERE for more details on the cards. They will also be available in local bricks and mortar stores I've consigned my merchandise at, within the next few days.

As mentioned, the ACRES aims to create a caring and socially responsible society where animals are treated as sentient beings and where the environment is preserved for future generations. They will be holding a flea market cum Christmas party (open to public) at Loof on 5th December 2009. I've contributed 32 greeting cards for this event. All proceeds will go to the Wildlife Protection Programme. If you are in Singapore on that day, I hope to see you there.

You may ask, ''Why help animals''?

''Like us, animals have biological needs and experience pain, stress and discomfort. Many are intelligent and feel complex emotions like joy, happiness, depression and distress. Studies show that they have family bonds and feel true compassion for each other. But what they can't do is speak for themselves. So humans feel justified in treating them as mere objects.

By pretending that animals don't suffer, that they can't feel pain, that they have no real need or desire for freedom, it is easier for people to use them purely as commodities and ignore their suffering. So every year billions of them are captured, imprisoned, neglected, abused and slaughtered for human ends. They are used for everything from entertainment and sports to consumer product testing and food. If animals don't have a say in their treatment, then it is up to all caring human beings to give them a voice, speak up on their behalf and end their abuse.'' -ACRES

Sadly, these cruelty happen all around the world... I'm sure we can do our bit to help. For donation or other ways you can help, pls click on HERE. I thank you for your kindness and support on behalf of the animals. :)

  

*All images are taken from ACRES website.

Cute Cute Cute!

Checkout SPCA Singapore's latest Ad campaign! Aren't they sweet/cute??? The last pic makes me giggle out loud. Picturing my Nono doing that to me, I think I will freak out. lol









Many dogs today are purchased and abandoned later when the novelty wears off. Worse still, some of these poor dogs are being abused. Look at these cute faces once again and tell me how can anyone be so heartless to our best companion? I hope these people get tortured by dogs in their next life! Opps sorry.. didn't mean to curse, I just can't help it.

If you are an animal lover or you have a pet yourself, don't you think it's time you do your bit to help these poor creatures? For more information, please visit SPCA International site here or SPCA Singapore here.
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"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ~ Martin Buber

"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans" ~ James Herriot

"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." ~ Anonymous

"The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too." ~ Samuel Butler

I couldn't agree more with these quotes.

To my beloved Nono: ''Even though you really drive me nuts sometimes, I LOVE YOU all the same! (just try not to poo/pee too many times a day).''

Charity Art Quilt Project

This is the quilt I've done for the Charity Art Quilt Project hosted by Heidi to benefit the Strive For Life Foundation. Artists from all over the world are contributing one quilt square each with a gypsy theme. She will then assemble these squares and auction off to raise money to help the street kids of Romania.





I had a hard time working on it since this was the first time I'd ever sewn a quilt. Luckily for me, I have some basic sewing skills... so it wasn't too bad afterall. Hehe. Though I did screw up on my first attempt and had to ask Heidi for more time to make a 2nd piece. This was what the lovely Heidi responded, 'Please do not be overly critical of your work - remember we judge ourselves far more harshly than others ever could. I am sure your square is beautiful, and it is ever so appreciated, especially because you are stretching outside of your familiar art medium to help out.'' Touched... :') Thank God I didn't let her down this time. Hope my 2nd attempt was good enough.

If you think you might be interested to take part in this meaningful project, please visit Heidi's blog for more information. I'm sure she will be very happy to have you on board. :)

Spread The Love~

Meet little Bobby! :D Few days ago I bought this lovely 9'' tall teddy bank and name him, Bobby. I think the name suits him perfectly. :) The 2nd pic of him is taken on my bed. Love the stripe effect. Haha.





The reason for getting a coin bank is to do my bit for the SPCA society. For every $20 purchase on my product, 50 cents will be dropped into Bobby and at the end of the year, I'll donate all to the SPCA Singapore. Of course I hope as my business prosperous, I could increase the amount. :)

Everyone out there especially if you have pets at home, I hope you could spare a thought for those poor animals out there and do your bit for them too. Look into the eyes of these lovely animals, don't you wish you could care for them or at least give them a cuddle? Sometimes it really makes me wonder how some cruel owners could abandon their pets like that. So, if it is within your ability, please help them. For more information on how you could help, please visit www.spca.com



Another organization I would like to mention here is the World Vision. I'm sure most of you are aware of this humanitarian organization dedicated to working with families of the poor and helping them to build a sustainable future.

What is $35 to most of us? But for only about $35 a month, we can help not only a child but his/ her entire family. With this money, the family gets clean water, nutritious food, health care, educational opportunities and most importantly we bring them HOPE. Oh, and we'll get to connect with them by writing or even visiting them. My goal for 2009 is to adopt one or more children. What about you?



Now that I've set my goals for the new year, production becomes more meaningful. Because I know that with each product made, a few cents are set aside for the less fortunate.
~Spread the LOVE everyone! :)