Introducing Fair Trade....

I got a box of Fair Trade tea for Christmas, when my office were distributing the stuffs in the Christmas hampers.

Fair Trade is cool. Do you know what is Fair Trade? Nah. Its not the NTUC Fair Price. Its this scheme where the profits gained from the buyers go directly to the marginalized farmers themselves, minus the giant retailers.

Fairtrade comes in the form of bananas, coffee and tea. Not sure if there are more, probably...
In the globalized world today, I think most of us have learnt that the rich becomes richer and the poor, poorer. This is due to MNCs and TNCs taking over the place of small businesses and economies, and while hiring people from the third-world countries to do the mass production, the giant companies pay them lowly and shortchange their earnings. So, its the same for the poor coffee farmers in the third-world countries.

With fair-trade, the farmers get direct profits. Sadly, not many people in Singapore know about this movement. It chips in with social responsiblity. I do know that Starbucks and Marks and Spencers sell Fair-trade coffee and teas. So, I can feel less guilty when I drink Starbucks. Cos I know that even though its expensive, the money goes to a good cause.... And above all... you are paying for organic coffee... healthy.

Can you imagine, buying a cup of coffee is not just buying a cup of coffee. You buy into social responsiblity, you buy into goodwill and peace on earth, and you buy into a better global environment. So much for a cup of kopi or teh. Hmmm... maybe too much. But doesn't that cup taste better with its humane flavour?

So, the resolution for the year 2008 will be to drink only Fairtrade coffee and tea!!(I will probably break that resolution...)

Pictures from the last days of 2007....

Finally managed to get my butt down to download pictures from my camera.. random pictures of gatherings, holidays etc...

Pictures of me and Ariel in Phuket 10-13 dec

Our Last day in the hotel at Phuket... Nice and cheap hotel... will never forget the nice decor and coziness...

Woke up one morning and I thought that the colours of the sky were beautiful....

Children dressing up as animals in the church performance. This rooster attire is the cutest I ever saw. Can I take her home?

Sweet little fairies/ angels. So sweet...

Christmas-tree cupcake I baked on Hari Raya haji, one week before Christmas.
Christmas celebration dinner at Sakae Teppanyaki

The 4 guys.... The guys, making roses out of ferrero rocher wrappers... ugghh....

Presenting the guys... again.... Finally.... The ladies... on Christmas night....

What do I have to say above all for this year.....

Situations don't change. But you can. Change for good, not for worse.

Amy has somewhat mellowed. Circumstances made her quieten down.

My friends, thank you for being my friends. Every encounter I have with each friend makes a difference in my life.

I thank God that with His help I always pulled through my circumstances. I cannot imagine living a life without the joy and hope of the Lord. The hope and love that I experienced... is beyond description..

My resolution for next year... is to grow in wisdom and knowlegde, and to know where shall I go forth next....

This is really funny.... thanks Jerlin for the forward on email....

I'm back from a good break in Phuket! Waiting for the photos to come before I blog about it.

Feeling refreshed and recharged after the trip, I can go on the crazy life till next year, then I will need a break again. Ha.

Christmas is next week! Woohoo! I got many exchange presents, including a sash and bath accessories, with a rubber ducky and a scrubby scrub. Scrub all my 'kao kuek' (body dirt) away!!! My cousin gave me a WHOLE load of makeup!!!!

• bio-essence anti dark eye ring gel
• ZA compact powder with very nice casing (can stick jewels on the casing)
• Clarins Lip gloss
• Dior pink lipstick
• Shiseido eyeshadow
• Some eyeliner
• Stella McCartney perfume

Let me die in happiness can? Last time I didn't really apppreciate the beauty products given to me, but now, to even purchase one of the above is like.... ahhhh!!!!

I splurged over $70 on chocolates to give others for christmas presents... Oh how happy those departmental stores are...

Okay enough about my presents, its great to have a season where everyone can come to give gifts and gather together to eat and be merry....

Isn't Christmas lovely? I thank God for Christmas and the joyful atmosphere we experience every end of the year. :)

Need to go wrap stuff now....

How do I describe my working experience:

Walking to work feels like a stroll in the park; with undulating slopes and greenery, holiday-like lodges built sparsely around the vicinity. The cool morning air, with sights of joggers and retirees strolling around the medical-park contrasts sharply with the adrenaline pumping rush hour in the business districts. Going to work is a quiet affair.

As I walk along the corridors, wafts of cheap tobacco smells linger around usual corners as the older folks hide in unseen corners to take a smoke. Time to time, scruffy looking men take their routined stroll along the corridors, wandering aimlessly without a sense of time. Maintaining my straight face, walking with my head held high, I walk past them ensuring a safety radius around me as I pass them.

As I walk further into the blocks of lodges, I noticed huge rain trees that tower grandly alongside the buildings. The branches and leaves swaying lightly to the breeze hypnotizes the environment, drawing it into a state of serenity. Given that fact, however, the peace of the daytime would occasionally be pierced by screams and loud groans coming forth from the lodges. No one bats an eyelid

I began to contemplate my adaptation to this rustic, strange environment. Struggling with stacks of record files in my arms, with the echo of my heels clucking down the corridor, I walk pass people who, on the contrary, are detached from reality; some walking aimlessly, some sitting around like monuments. Time seems to pass at a different pace in society's hidden community.

It doesn't feel like I have worked. To be detached from the mass of office workers, to be detached from the posh and hype of the cosmopolitan city feels unrealistic. For now, I dwell in the unknown but existing realm of an unfamiliar community.