inspire me.

so here's the ruby&kristina question of the week:
how do you get people to care about the world?

we've ruled out:
1. physical and emotional force ;p
2. guilt-tripping them

we've ruled in:
1. icare project (tbd)
2. by caring ourselves (c/o megan chan)

earlier this year when taimur forced me to talk to sol guy, i managed to hold the conversation past "omg, you're amazing, it's so nice to meet you!!". through wobbly knees and a fluttering heart, i asked him that exact question "how can i get people around me involved, engaged in social issues?"

his response: just focus on what you're doing and people will follow. keep doing what you're doing and that will directly effect those around you. don't worry too much about them. they'll come around.

and he's right. i can't tell people to care, but i can show them how to care. it's not my part to go around telling people that they should care, but it is my part to care for other people.

thanks sol guy. you inspire me (he's another one ruby!)

any other ideas?
i like comments (:

swirls, hearts and butterflies.

lets lighten it up a bit (:

cupcakes for change has been going extremely well and requiring days of mass baking in the house. we usually bake, stuff and box for 6hours and make about 200 cupcakes. on baking days, our entire kitchen is covered with cupcakes. behind the milk, by the rice cooker, if there's a 2"x2" of free space, it will soon be occupied by a cupcake!














thanks to CT, and my quality assurance girls who constantly taste the cupcakes to make sure they're of utmost quality. they eat the ones that are too big, crooked, not red enough, or have too much icing =P also thanks to jef and MW, there's no one better than engineers to make my boxes.












cupcakes are getting better and better by the batch. last week, i made the BEST batch ever! they were so red and moist, and the icing was mixed to perfection. finally. now is the best time to order! we're also getting more creative with the designs: swirls, hearts, and springtime butterflies.













i gave up cupcakes and chocolate until Easter, and despite the hundreds of cupcakes i've baked, it was never too difficult until charlene made her vanilla cupcakes with a chocolate and condensed milk icing :O mMmm they looked AMAZING!

above fundraising, my baking skills have gone from amateur to expert (my very first batch in february produced brown cupcakes...not red) and i've also been able to reconnect with old friends. thanks everyone :) for anyone back home, i'll bake when i get home, i promise.
for anyone in waterloo, order now or forever hold your peace. i will take exam time orders if you tell me now. they're a great way to keep your sugar levels up.

total collected: $550
total ordered: $750

for the jane's in the world.

because i need a break and a little inspiration every once in awhile, i turn to TED.

renjie got me the blue sweater when he went to the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference earlier this month. it's a book that presents a solution to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor in an interconnected world. i have only read: 1) renjie's encouraging inscription, 2) the prologue, and 3) two pages of chapter 3, BUT it's already been one of those reads that i feel has been written solely for me.

so as a break, i decided to watch jacqueline novogratz's ted talk. she tells the story of a young woman, Jane, who was born in the slums of Nairobi and dreamt 2 dreams:
1. to become a doctor
2. to marry a good man who would take care of her and her family

as jane grew, her mother fell ill and had to pull her out of school because she could no longer afford it. she married at 18, and after giving birth to her 2nd child, her husband left her for another woman. however, jane's aspirations remained. she began a business re-selling dresses and has recently moved to the suburbs. when asked if she would miss her home, jane responded with a definite "no." and when asked about her dreams, jane responded with the following of how her dreams have changed:
1. yes, she wanted to be a doctor, but more than that, what she really wanted to do was serve and heal people. so now she spends 2 days a week in therapy with other HIV/AIDS patients and provides them not will pills or medication, but with hope.
2. yes, she dreamt of a great man, but more than that, what she really wanted was a family filled with love. and now, she has children that she loves piercingly.

"when systems are broken...it's an opportunity to truly build a world where we can extend services and products to all human beings."

-j. novogratz

maybe she's right. maybe this whole economic downturn is not a downturn at all. it presents an opportunity to revamp this system, this world that has become corrupt and has lost focus. maybe the goal is not to "return to how things were pre-recession", but to fix the brokeness. maybe this is our opportunity to start all over and help others start fresh. because we know that it's only in times of crisis, that one's true character shows.

will our generation step up?
i will. for the jane's in the world.

sharing is caring.

this past sunday, i went to creekside and ken talked about affluenza. we went to 8:30AM service and between all ken's points, the one thing that resonated with me was:

there's a reason you have this much.

sometimes i just sit and marvel at how blessed i am. with food on the table, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head, i sit in the richest 25% of the world. whether or not i actually deserve to be here is not an issue that i want to wrap my head around. instead of wondering if there is also a reason that there are millions of people that live in poverty in our world, the important thing is to realize just that. that today, in the world that i live, there is an incredible gap between the affluent and those living in poverty. and instead of focusing why and how this happened, the important thing to focus on 'what can i do with all this?'

share.

because it's not fair that i get the choice between dasani, aquafina, nestle, vitamin or tap water when women in africa filter their water through their dresses to get rid of leeches (scott harrison's latest charity: water display).

when i say 'share' i dont mean that i'm going to fill 2 suitcases with all my material possessions and give every last item away to the people i meet in Malawi (however if a woman really really wanted my grey long hoodie that has travelled the world with me, it's all hers). a big misconception is that people in poverty are not happy with what they have. it's a well-known fact that money does not have a direct correlation with happiness. just as billionaires can be depressed, those in poverty can also be joyful. i want to share the knowledge i've gained, the education i've acquired, the passion i have for a better world, and all the material goods i've been blessed with to in turn bless others. i want to share what i have, not in hopes to provide a "better life" but to provide a life in which 10-year-old girls are not orphaned and left to care for 4 siblings, a life in which towns can experience the freshness of clean water, and a life where teens worry about how to celebrate their next birthday instead of worrying if they'll outlive hiv/aids to get to their next birthday.

please share (:

world water day

for the 1.1 billion people in the world that do not have access to clean water
for the 4500 children that will die today due to water-related illnesses
for the women and young girls that walk over 3h a day to get water for their families

world water day

HELP is coming.

do what?

despite the months of research and applications, and years of desire for missions, it only dawned on me the other day that i'm going to africa. i was a bit shocked and responded to my own thought with "i'm doing what?!"

so what am i doing?
simply put, i'll be heading to malawi to lead programs and to monitor projects being done. The programs will range from teaching English to teaching HIV/AIDS awareness and education. The projects will range from water sanitation to agriculture to microfinancing, depending on what is available. i'll be doing field visits to these programs and also do some marketing to attract volunteers to Malawi and update others on the status of these projects.

but really, what am i doing?
i'm travelling over the Atlantic to a place where I know no one and know nothing about (except to greet others with "Moni") in an attempt to "help". it sounds like i have my work cut out for me.

and what do i want to do?
i've really been questioning and wondering what exactly it is that i hope to accomplish while in Malawi. after days of contemplation, i was hoping to have an intellectual and inspiring answer, but i don't. i don't think i will know what it is i'm meant to do or why i'm going there until i get there.

i'm constantly being bombarded with criticisms of aid in developing countries. criticism that monetary donations will not be put 100% to the cause; criticism that volunteering is not sustainable, that 2 months is not enough time to be affective, and criticism of the North American mentality that our way is the right way. so the question remains: "how does a girl like me effectively aid the issues of poverty in developing nations?" by beginning with an open mind and heart. by simply following God's plans for me and just going. just go. that's the first step and He will fill in the details.

cupcakes for change

Last thursday I began fundraiser #1: Cupcakes for Change. One week later, I have collected $200 and have orders for $590(I will start a counter on the side once I learn how to..Ruby?).

The response has been truly amazing and motivates me to put everyone's money to good use. I promise I will not disappoint.

I baked from 4:00-10:00PM last night and made a remarkable mess of the kitchen, but managed to make about 200 cupcakes. Thank you to the girls for all the help (LC, MW, CT).

Fundraising tip of the week: Grocery stores are usually willing to donate some ingredients if you tell you are fundraising and bring a letter. But don't expect to walk in with your letter and out with your stuff ;p

(:

moni (hello).