It’s Friday and the weekend is here once again.
We hope you all had a great week.
If not, at least a not so good week has come to an end.
Allow yourselves to wind down, and contemplate on the week’s past events.
Should we have not been so mean?
Should we have done ‘this’ another way?
Should we have made ‘that’ phone call or email?
Should we have simply returned a frown with a smile?
Fret not, we have another week to improve ourselves to make the world around us a better place.
*dusting cobwebs*
Hello 
Am feeling a little guilt because I have been gone for so long.
I feel a sense of responsibility because you are all such wonderful people we have been most fortunate to be acquainted with.
Richard has been saying to me, ‘post? post!’… ‘people are missing you’… ‘post? post! you need to post something, anything’… (LOL)
Am sending out my love to Mari (ilovegreeninspiration) and Julia (kalicouture) now, thank you for thinking of me ~ am really really REALLY touched ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Dreamcatcher by SmallTalkStudio
So what has been going on in our lives?
Apart from balancing work from our print+web projects and beading wholesale, life still manage to sneak in to stimulate our usual hum-drum.
And charity seems to be presenting itself to us ~ giving us the opportunity to do someone else a favor. We are all here to do someone else a favor.
When was the last time you did charity?
There were 3 incidents we experienced in this short-span of time.
1. A pretty girl of about 13 to 14 years came running from behind, calling out to us. She told us her mom needed help. Mother comes running with 2 other younger children, humbly asks if we could help her with a little spare change. She gave the reason that she lost her wallet and that she has no money for all them to go home, and she was almost in tears with humility. Of course, the thought of them being conmen did cross our minds.
Richard eye-motioned me, I gave a nod, and Richard gave $10. She left with much kind blessings to befall upon us. But to us, whether she was conning us or not, was not for us to conclude. The probability of her in need is something we cannot deny her of, and it is in God’s judgment.
2. We usually do not donate to school students who are flagging for organizations, especially those with government backing. However, we stopped for two indians selling keychains. We wanted to hear their story. They were ex-convicts and had license to show they are authentic. I could truly empathize them ~ to be discriminated by society.
We talked with them and motivated them to keep it strong and not let what others think of them to deter them on their path of righteousness. They were drug peddlers and did 10 years in jail. But in that 10 years, I told them it was a blessing in disguise because they found God. They were so happy and motivated and we were happy to help them be rejuvenated in the soul. That someone in the thousands that just pass them by with dirty looks do understand and wish them the best. It is not an easy journey, it is a very fierce struggle within, the demons constantly taunt and haunt.
We occasionally see them, and they will always stop to greet us, it is strange to have them call us sir and madam when we are about the same age but we grateful that we serve as a reminder of strength to them. We truly respect them more than any other person because they truly know what it feels so do right.
3. I don’t normally stick around in Twitter. I don’t really read tweets. I don’t check for messages there. I just randomly pick what’s on the screen and check the connections and mentions so that I can return my heartfelt thank you. I would also check who is following us, and @Centralshule was a new follower. Click to read their profile and learnt that they are from Melbourne and they were on a mission to raise $200k in 20 days for the building of their shule (synagogue).
I was thinking, why the heck are they following us?? I mean, I mostly tweet about our jewelry, about fashion, retweeting other fashion posts, randomly making rants and thought tweets. These are two very separate worlds and then I remember, I tweeted about Rabbi Shlomo’s do not fool yourself principal. That must have attracted them. Visited their website and they need bricks – 1 brick is AUS$9.
So why not? We donated what we could. Their deadline is July 14 and to my dismay, since the day we donated, no one else has donated and they are far from reaching their goal.
Wild and Precious Life by TheWheatField
As a child of 4 years, I would always feel a deep sense of guilt when I see a beggar or a crippled begging or an old person selling tissue packets for a dollar. I hated the sight of it not because it was an ugly sight to the environment, but because the dignity of the person was stripped and has to lower themselves because of circumstances that we cannot judge or imagine. Even if they had deserved it, it is not for me to pass judgement. I only do what God has says – charity.
Today, despite how the media portrays how affluent the society here has become, I really beg to differ. There are the usual 3 blind men at the train station. They are not related to each other. Two were busking, one was selling tissue standing in the middle of nowhere. We see them everyday but I always see their guitar cases and tin box empty. They are licensed to do so, everything in Singapore requires a license, even to “beg”. We give when we can but I always say to Richard – there are so many people walking up and down the train station. And I see them with their noses up high, rushing and banging into each other, giving each other dagger stares, teenagers hogging the way – laughing and talking loudly. All oblivious to the needy. If everyone of them just give 10 cents, 50 cents, or a dollar coin, at least 100 people out of the thousands… it would really help them in their daily living. They are the less fortunate and instead of us being condescending, can’t we just have a heart and give a little? So how affluent are we when we don’t have a heart?
Live well but always remember to share our blessings with the needy and less fortunate ~ XO JR ❤
As we age and live life with all it has to offer, whether we like it or not, to experience different sensations that compels one to grow, and thereafter becomes an act of impelling oneself through what has been learnt. We build our own set of beliefs by learning from our own history and mostly through the history of others and life.
Very so often, we are inspired by another who has lived through life in their own right. We connect with their thoughts, their ideas, their beliefs. And we as interconnected beings, continue to spread this light in the world of darkness.
One of the many things I belief is being true to oneself.
It’s a form of self-respect ~ with it, it helps us to keep check of our own actions, because what we do affects another entity. We should be true to oneself and in that, it ripples out with how you act, think, and behave. But at the same time, we should not be callous with our words and actions.
I find the following words spoken by 1Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch who told his son before his 2bar mitzvah one of life’s fundamentals of being a responsible adult in a nutshell.
“Three things you must know to be an adult:
1. Don’t fool yourself
2. Don’t fool others
3. Don’t let others fool you
– and do it all without trying to impress anybody.”
Have yourselves a wonderful and fulfilling weekend with your loved ones!
XO JR ❤
Footnotes
1 – Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch, fifth leader of Chabad-Lubavitch;1860-1920; founder of the Tomchei Temimim yeshivah in Lubavitch in 1897, famed for his profound analytical treatment of Chabad chassidism
2 – A Jewish boy who reaches the age of thirteen, the age of adulthood in Jewish life, thus becoming religiously responsible for his own conduct; also refers to the event marking this milestone
“Do not be deceived by what you perceive.”
We live in a world of constant “black magic” of optical illusion.
Will this so-call ‘technology’ make us subconsciously loose our innate ability to discern what is real, and what is not.
With the daily drowning from the screen, one never knows.
Never forget who we really are, in God we trust.
Boardwalk Empire VFX Breakdowns of Season 2 from Brainstorm Digital on Vimeo.
We all hope that the world would change to become a better place to live in.
What does the word ‘world’ mean to you?
I always think that nature is perfect and there is nothing of it that needs change.
It is the inhabitants that make what the world is today.
Thus, should we not start from ourselves, the world within us, to make those changes?
Let’s start seeding goodness, just as how the sages have long advised…
“Just as a tiny seed awakens the infinite power of life hidden within the earth, so an act of caring and giving buried quietly in the ground can ignite an explosion of infinite light. Charged with that power, all the world is changed.”
Based on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson
And some very intriguing interpretations of self-portraits by the very talented Yann, a professional photographer from france.
Enjoy ~ XO JR
A beautiful short film by Jean-Sebastien Monzani.
Sit back, take a breath and relax...
We subscribe to the Chabad Daily Dose which emails us once a day quotes of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe. This one is something we love to share It helps to remind us because it is so easy to forget of who and how we should be as finite beings on this temporal world.
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Based on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson
From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman.
He has an opinion of how each person should be, how each thing should be done. Those who follow his choreography are his friends, those who dare dance their own dance are his enemies; and few, if any, are left without a label.
In truth, he has neither enemies nor friends. He has only himself, for that is all that exists in his world.
“If you don’t want to be so lonely,” we tell him, “make some room for the rest of us.”
It is John Legend for us today… and especially Ordinary People.
We’ve all been through our ups and downs and this song is so very beautiful written – the lyrics is the epitome of today’s relationships around the globe.
Reminding us how important it is to treasure each other, that what we do affects the person who standing behind you all the while.
Especially love the swell of the strings and the soul-wrenching harmonica…
Love the way John sings it, love the way his eyes (soul) goes into another world, his own world… every note, every word released into the world… hits every (emotional) string in our heart.
Another one of our all-time favorites – P.D.A (we just don’t care).
For those of your who don’t know what P.D.A. means, it stands for Public Display of Affection, yeah! ;D
Alright, another great track by the most talented writer of today, let’s end with a High…
Enjoy ~ XO JR
In today’s society where emailing, texting, messaging, iChat, Facebook, blogging, et al of all things digital communication, we seem to be lost in a world of virtual emotions where we use these social network tools and emoticons to represent our words and emotions.
Most of the time, we would read them and unconsciously believe in them and fall into the virtual world where not everything is what it seems. We tend to use these social network masks to hide our true emotions. We can be screaming and cussing under our breath while typing our polite replies to the person on the other side of the “screen”. And that person receiving your “polite” reply would then perceive that this person is really nice.
Hmmm.
So what’s the point here? Intentions.
What is intention? According to the Webster dictionary, it states:
(1) a determination to act in a certain way;
(2) what one intends to do or bring about;
(3) the object for which a prayer, mass, or pious act is offered;
(4) a process or manner of healing of incised wounds
In hebrew; כונה pronounced as kavanah.
But how does one ever be able to read or tell a person’s intentions? Even when you are face-to-face? Well, through experience and discernment developed from your own life’s experiences. So be smart, open your eye within you and comprehend from within and not with just your external orifices. Understand with your soul.
With that said, one of our favorite phrases by Baal HaSulam, one of the most prominent and revered kabbalist has said:
“The end of an act is in the preliminary thought.”
A simple statement but goes a long way of profound thought, action, sensory perception and experience.
The Strawberry Sticker from the Small Trades self-portrait series by Yann, Photography Dream, art print for $15
