The Power To Change May 29
HP launched a global environmental campaign “POWER TO CHANGE” just few days ago. Being part of the development team from its agency, I am actually very proud that the team (both HP and my agency) has the common aim of creating a better environment.
I am not an environmentalist. But because of this project, I have started to pay more attention to what I usually do. This campaign encourages people to turn off their computer when they are done for the day. Exactly the action that I don’t usually practice everyday! Haha. Well, it’s different now! Hehe. I have turned off my work laptop diligently everyday. I feel relieved and “powerful” that I AM actually playing a part (albeit small) to help make the world a greener place.
While reading findings and reports for this project, I have also noticed that environmental initiatives are not very popular and well received in the Asia region. Therefore I really hope that with this campaign, the community will be more receptive with the idea of “protecting the world”.
Really, I really, truly believe that everyone has the POWER TO CHANGE, and make the world a greener place.
Hop over to our campaign website to find out why we are doing this. There are also tips to teach us how to purchase and use IT items responsibly.
Below are some printscreens of the site for a sneak peek. And how good the desktop widget looks on my wallpaper! *grin*
You can view global statistics and see how each country fares in terms of turn off rate. Pretty interesting!
This Power To Change widget is free for download. It tracks the idle time of your computer and calculates your contribution correspondingly in terms of C02 reduced, energy saved and cars off the roads.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
You have the POWER TO CHANGE.
Toys! May 23
I love and start to observe toys lately, thanks to some of my toy-craze colleagues.
Here’s some I love.
From top: Cannibal Funfair, Heroes Of Burgertown, Treeson
Treeson is so popular and cute that it has a Flickr group! I’m so going to get one next month!
Painted Together May 19
This is probably the oldest post pending. But here it is now!
Sucker and I painted together on Valentine’s Day at The Artppies. I thought doing something different together is better than blowing money on expensive romantic food and gifts. So with Eco-Taleban’s encouragement, I booked an art jam session with Yoshi, the owner. Needless to say, Sucker was resistant and kept saying that he doesn’t know how to paint etc. *grin*
Yoshi is a very patient and helpful teacher. She suggested for us to paint dogs after finding out what we both like. She also taught us how to start and paint; while Eco lurked around, snapping photos and serving us drinks and titbits. We both liked the atmosphere there. At first, we were (ok, at least I was) actually quite stressed because we wanted to paint a perfect picture. Yoshi was quick to notice that and kept reminding us to relax. Although we enjoyed the session, we didn’t manage to finish our paintings…
Drawing on canvas, bickering on whose drawing is nicer *hehe*, discussing which colour and what brush to use, the samples that we base our paintings on
We came back one month later to complete our paintings. NOT because we were lazy though. Yoshi’s weekend sessions are always filled up with kids parties etc! (So my friends, contact her quick if you are interested to attend a session!). This time round, we enjoyed ourselves better because there’s only Yoshi and Eco. We painted, chatted like old friends while listening to some techno musics. We left the studio feeling totally happy and proud!
Our paintings took two sessions to finish because we were slow and kept peeping at other painters!
Take a look also at the environment (image below)! Tons of colours, mediums and brushes for you to choose from! Yoshi has a coffee machine that makes the most fragrant coffee and I love the espresso! For non-coffee drinkers, there are all sorts of teas and titbits.
What art offer is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit.
- by John Updike, spotted at The Artppies
Give yourself a try! You might fall in love with your own paintings!
The Artppies
#02-27 Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road.
Call Yoshi at 6468 3356
The Trips Back Home May 5
I always feel like I’m taking a trip to Malaysia* whenever I go back. Maybe it’s because of the short days I could manage to spend, or just the feeling that I must achieve/do as much as possible before making my way back to Singapore again.
It’s kind of weird, Singapore has become more of a “home” for me because I have most of my current belongings there. In fact, I have shifted some of my precious “treasures” from home as well - my yearbooks and cross-stitching stuff for example.
It’s always a contradictory feeling. When I am in Malaysia, I will yearn to go back to Singapore so that I can get connected to the online world, listen to my musics, laze on my bed, spend time with my friends (it’s a more selfish reason I know). When I am in Singapore, I will yearn to go back home so that I can spend time with my family, eat good and cheap food, meet up with old friends, have a shopping spree (hmm… seems like this is a selfish reason too!).
Sometimes I feel that my comfort zone is actually Singapore, the place where I am familiar with and have no fear of getting lost (blame it on its size and good transportation!). On the other hand, feeling handicapped at times (because I lose the courage to drive), Malaysia is the place where I rest and rejuvenate and talk to parents without any barriers. Sometimes by just staring at blank space, I will feel at peace and ready to face any challenges back in Singapore. During the times when my mental and physical states are bruised, Malaysia is my sanctuary to nurse wounds and rebuild faith and confidence.
Of course with all these sudden random thoughts, I also start to appreciate my parents more. Their effort and time spent to make sure we grow up in a good environment and receive the best we could are unimaginable, and their responsibility unquestionable.
It’s probably a bit early to decide anything now, but I hope I will be able to create a home warm enough to nurture my own family, just like how my parents created, and is still maintaining a home for me and sis to go back to.
* refers to home in Ipoh and sis’s place in KL