August 4, 2011

Are you filling your life with mistakes and miracles?

“Life is only worth a damn because it’s short. It’s designed to be consumed, used, spent, lived, felt. We’re supposed to fill it with every mistake and miracle we can manage, and then we’re supposed to let go.”

- Pierce’s mother on Community, “The Psychology of Letting Go”.

Absolutely love this quote. Puts life in an interesting perspective when you think of it as filling it with mistakes and miracles. So often you stop yourself from saying what you truly feel, doing what you would absolutely love to do – and for what? You put yourself in this box and hold yourself back because you tell yourself that’s something you should do. There is no right or wrong in life. You can go through your whole life with walls put up all around you, to protect yourself from falling or failing, afraid to venture away from what you are comfortable with. But with those walls, you also block out the exceptional that can happen to you. There’s something quite beautiful in the saying that “You gotta give a little, to get a little”. It’s only when you let go of the boundaries you’ve set up for yourself, that you open yourself up for the next great thing.

August 3, 2011

Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake … for China!

If you’ve been following any of my tweets or Facebook posts for the past year, you would know that my latest volunteer venture has been with the Mon Sheong Foundation. They’re a Canadian, non-profit organization promoting awareness of the Chinese culture, caring for the elderly and providing leadership opportunities to youth. Supported by a strong team of young volunteers, I’m co-chairing our third Trip to China this year, leading a group of twenty youth aged 18 – 30 for an eye-opening experience halfway across the world! We’ll be visiting Shanghai, Xian (ancient city of China), Jinan and Beijing over the course of 15 days from August 18th – September 1st. The trip is all about taking Canadian-born-Chinese youth out of their comfort zones, and enlightening them through an entire program throughout the summer jam-packed with pre-departure workshops, Mandarin lessons, and a full-blown business challenge with all proceeds directed to restoring the Lord Mengchang Mausoleum.

Sweetest surprise ever from our participants presented to us at our Trip to China Appreciation BBQ!

Inspired by Impact Microcredit, our participants were split into teams and given $50 in seed money with the goal of turning that over 10x into $500 each. With the goal in mind, the five different teams have been working tirelessly to raise as much money as possible during the month of July. We saw events from painting studios, to photography lessons, to mix and mingle events, night out at the Comedy Club, Beach Volleyball tournament, bowling night, you name it – we got it! I learned so many new things such as how to 3D Chinese bead, got a chance to spend a day in the sun, painted two of my very own paintings and practically rekindled my love for perler beads :P July was not an easy month for the participants or the organizers but I’m so proud of everyone for pulling through the blood, sweat and tears (literally). We’ll be sharing the results with everyone soon but suffice to say, this year’s participants have already blown it out of the water with their dedication, commitment and team work!

Beach Volleyball Tournament Day @ Woodbine Beach!

Even though the Development Challenge is now over, our fundraising efforts are still going STRONG! We’re lucky to be teaming up with Amy’s Food Adventures, an up and coming foodie blogger based out of Toronto who makes absolutely delectable cupcakes. Amy has generously agreed to donate her time to help us sell cupcakes with 75% of the proceeds going to the cause and we can’t thank her enough! Described as Fluffy Matcha Green Tea Cupcake with a Honey Cream Cheese Frosting, or  Sponge Vanilla Cupcake with a Fresh Strawberry Frosting or even better, Moist Chocolate Cupcake with a Coffee Buttercream Frosting, how could you say no!? Try one, or try them all at only $10 for half a dozen order! For more details, check out our Facebook event at Cupcakes <3 China.

Cupcakes <3 China

If cupcakes aren’t your thing (who ARE YOU?!), we’re also accepting donations on our website at www.thecraize.com. Any amount and support is much appreciated!

14 days left until we go to China.. I can’t believe it’s almost here!!!

November 30, 2009

Monday Inspiration for All

Today is the beginning of yet another post-it filled week in my agenda. After an uber relaxing weekend spent at the Embassy Suites in Niagara Falls, feels surreal to be back at the office on Monday morning. Somewhere in my mind, I’m still floating on cloud 9 and sleeping in the most comfortable beds you can imagine. I was pleasantly surprised to see in my email sent by my Impact colleague, Alex Shipillo, a short story that may change your gears on how you approach things.

A genie goes up to a poor boy and tells him, “take as many pebbles as you can and put them into your backpack. Tomorrow you will be both happy and sad.” The boy obliged and he put many pebbles in his bag. The next day, every pebble in his bag had turned into a diamond. He was happy that he had so many diamonds, but sad that he didn’t take as many pebbles as he could have.

Moral of the story: How many pebbles do you not pick up every day that could turn into a diamond?

I’ve always been someone that has wanted to do everything, and be everywhere at the same time, often taking a lot more on my plate that seems impossible to handle, but somehow making it through at the end of it all. But as my schedule is seemingly becoming more and more demanding, I’ve been holding myself back on certain things and trying to prioritize my time on more important projects/work etc. This short story makes me realize that no matter how occupied you are with other things going on in your life, it’s important to always keep your eyes peeled with an open mind for opportunities that may be right in front of you.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

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