Season's greetings!

DAAAAYYYYUM my friend Samson makes me look good. Check out all his amazing work at www.7braidstrong.com or follow him on instagram @7braidstrong.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I absolutely love the holiday season for all the shopping, lights and decorations, Christmas tunes and FOOD!

My sister, her husband and her baby will be flying back to Singapore for Christmas, as will my two favouritest cousins and I'm excited for the reunion! There's really just so much to be happy about and thankful for, so it's hard for me to indulge in my usual snarky 'tude. Is it super old-timey that I referred to "attitude" as "tude"? GAH.

Before we get too caught up in the festive season, do take some time to think about the less fortunate. I hope you will be stirred to take action to help those in need. Even if you don't have much to give, don't forget that kindness is free. Treat people with respect and courtesy, and stand up against hatred and injustice. Okay now that I've gotten the preachy-ness out of the way...

WHAT'S UP FRIENDZIES!?!

Speaking of doing good, I'm totally heading into brag town today but it's adjacent to actual-message city:

I was at the gas station buying some milk, when a young boy, maybe 8 years old, wearing dirty ratty clothes with holes in them, comes up to me and asks if I have $2. I reply "yes" and he asks me to give it to him. So I say "ok, but why?" to which he responds, "I'm hungry". So I give him the $2 but think, what could he possibly buy with just $2.

So I walk up to him, I ask him if he's been fishing in canal and he says "yes, but never catch any fish, that's why I'm hungry." Feeling unusually charitable, I offer to buy him a sandwich. He gladly accepts, then asks if I'll buy one for his friend. I agree. Suddenly 1 boy turns into 3 boys and each boy wants 2 sandwiches because I guess they are hungry and growing. I buy the 6 sandwiches. In the meantime, they are choosing the sandwiches like "hmm eww this one is fish, I'll change it for chicken". I think, 'beggars (not that they are beggars per say but he did ask me for $2 right?) can indeed be choosers.'

I go off on my way, having spent $20 bucks at the gas station on 6 sandwiches and a carton of milk. I feel good but also a little silly for spending so much. Plus those kids kept calling me "auntie". Amazing that I didn't just throw their sandwiches on the floor and say "AUNTIE?!? I'll show you auntie!!!!"

However, the kicker is that I saw them again recently - they were fishing by the canal and as I walked past, I glanced at their fishing rods and gear. That stuff looked high-tech and pretty fancy! And they were fishing with a guy I assumed to be their older brother who most certainly didn't look dirty, ratty-clothed. They most certainly weren't beggars as I had so quickly assumed. So the moral of the story is, while it's nice to buy sandwiches for the less fortunate, it is also really nice to not be totally punked by some hungry free-loading kids with amazing fishing gear. Also, I guess 8 year old boys' clothes will get dirty and ratty and holey because they are 8 year old boys after all.

Happy holidays and thanks for reading!