Who Smiled 4 Milo?

Annnnd here's our follow up to what happened last Wednesday - where plenty of eager, milo-addicted James Ruse students queued up and smiled for Milo. Or perhaps it really was me and Lindy's beautiful faces they wanted to see. You don't have to hide it guys :)

So sadly, some of the smiles started out not so great - but I guess its the thought that counts right?


But then we got some beautiful smiles that really made it worth getting up at 6.30 am to make Milo:




Some people were a little bizarre in their smiles:





Even the teachers couldn't resist the smell of freshly made milo and can out to sniff the air...




But I have to say, although everybody flashed their teeth beautifully, my favourite is this smile.



Thanks guys for brightening up our morning! We leave you with our very own smiles 4 milo.


Rock on!

Happiness Equals Bracket =)

The Rocks of our Life

Kids, you know what time it is now... Story time!

Haha hi guys, I'm not sure if you remember having story time in kindergarten or pre-school but I sure do -- it was one of my favourite times of day (that and nap time haha). =D

So, Bella and me have decided that we're going dedicate every Monday to a nice or entertaining (or maybe even both, who knows?) story that will hopefully help you get through the rest of the week. =)

The Professor and the Jar

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up an empty jar and proceeded to fill it with large rocks. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor then picked up a box of small round pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly so that the pebbles fell down between the rocks. He asked the students if the jar was full and they again agreed it was.

The teacher then took some sand and let it trickle into the jar so that it settled between the pebbles and the large rocks. The professor turned to the students and asked, once again, "Is the jar now full?". The students were beginning to become doubtful but the sand had clearly filled all the spaecs and they agreed that it was now full.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured their contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty spas between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your health, your friends, your favourite passions - things that, if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter - like your studies, your possessions, your house.

The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you'll never have room for the truly important things. There will always be time to check Facebook or watch TV. Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled, "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that, no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

Disclaimer - Under no circumstances are we encouraging the practice of underage drinking.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story and that it got a smile out of you. Stay in tune for next week's story. In the meantime, remember Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

Leena the Star and Lindog the Cloud

The other day I was standing on the train, studying (yes, I know this sounds terribly sad but this is what exams reduces us to haha), when this little girl approached me.

She was only about 5 years old and I'm guessing she was attracted by the pretty blue and purple highlighters I was using (though I'd like to think it was because of my beautiful, smiling face haha).

Her English wasn't very good (she'd just come from India a week ago I think) but it didn't matter because a picture's worth a thousand words. =)
So, I want you guys to meet..

When she asked for my name, I spelt it out for her to write...


Attempt #1- "L, i, n, d -- wait, not 'g', D -- d, not 't', D".

After the second attempt, however, I'd formulated a foolproof ingenious way to say it that she couldn't possibly spell wrong.

Attempt #3 - "L, i, n, D for DOG" and when I saw what she wrote I just laughed and accepted my new name as Lindog.


This is what she reckons she'd look like as a cartoon. I drew her what I thought I'd look like in cartoon. I think we'd kick evil-cloud-butt together haha. =)

If kicking the butts of evil clouds sounds like something you'd be interested in, feel free to post/email pictures of what you think you'd look like in cartoon form haha. =D

If she one day becomes a world-renown artist, I'll hope she remembers me and doesn't mind that I posted her drawings up. In the meantime, I hope you appreciate the legal risks I am taking for you guys and enjoy these hahaha. =P

Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

Smiled 4 Milo - Successsss! :)

If you Smiled 4 Milo today, good on you! We hope it left you with a warm, happy feeling (the kind you get when you're all snuggled up in your jammy jams on a cold, rainy day)! I love that feeling. =)

Thanks for making it so fun and enjoyable for Bella and me! Highlights for me were:

- everyone just thinking we were total tubs when they saw how much milo powder we put into each cup (that's just how much we love you guys!)

- this one Mr. Frowny Pants who I couldn't get to smile or show teeth or ANYTHING but then, later on when I looked back at him, gave me the biggest goofiest smile everand I just cracked up. =)

- the smiling competition we had in the beginning where we all just smiled for like 5 minutes straight. This is SERIOUSLY harder than it sounds, you could probably get cheek 6-packs if you did this everday haha.

- when someone offered me what they guaranteed would be the "hug of my life" in return for milo. Of course, I had to decline to maintain professionalism but com'mon, any hug called the "hug of my life" would bring a smile to my face. =)

- Mr. Pronger: who, when we told him to act natural for the camera, proceeded to puff out his chest and pose in a warrior-like stance, claiming this was how he normally stood. Furthermore, when he saw we were giving out hot milo at the beginning, he skipped towards us with a huge smile on his face, adding to his warrior aura. =P Keeping being awesome and manly, Mr Pronger! =)

More smiles and pictures will be posted up soon! =D

We also want to thank allllll the people who helped us today, just from the kindness of their heart. So Dom and your friend (not sure about your name sorry!), Chandrew, Annabelle, Paul, Liz, Na-Young, Loz, Ada and, most of all, Mrs. Connors: you guys are really really awesome! You're welcome to free smiles from Bella or me anytime. =) We won't even ask for milo in return haha.

For any new readers of our blog, keep in tune because Bella and me will be bringing you guys more projects each month! So get the smiles ready and, in the mean time, get your smile fix from our regular (I promise =P) updates.

Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

It's on - Bring your Smile 4 Milo!

Tomorrow morning, the weather forecasts a 30% chance of rain - not such a nice day you may think.
But lindy and I believe its time to combat the windy weather and bring out the big guns - our very own smiles.

And we want yours too! Tomorrow morning at James Ruse Agricultural High school, the canteen area will host our first project here at Happiness Equals Bracket - a Smile 4 Milo.

From 8am onwards, we will be giving out deliciously hot milo created with our secret blend of water, milk and microwave (which took days to perfect, we assure you)!

Simply turn up at the location with a smile, and hopefully you'll receive a fabulous, heart-warming, wonderful, invigorating, nice way to start the day - no doubt about it. We'll be taking photos and posting up the very best smiles =)

So keep in mind:
When: Tomorrow 25th August from 8am onwards
Where: Canteen area at James Ruse

We'll look forward to seeing you there!
Remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Celebrating August! A Smile 4 Milo

You may remember the post before the last, where we showed a hint of a special project coming soon from us at Happiness Equals Bracket=) It's about time we revealed our secret. We wonder if you guessed it?

To celebrate the end of winter, we're going to give out deliciously hot chocolate one of these cold chilly mornings. How much, you may ask? It's quite simple - it will cost you a smile.

Yes that's right, we want to see more people smiling in the mornings, and hot chocolate is a fail-safe way to start off a great day - works every time.
Keep posted for the last details - where and when.

A Smile 4 Milo is the first in what we hope to be a line of monthly projects designed to bring a little more happiness into the world. Lindy and I will keep thinking and scheming ways to turn that frown upside-down, depend on that.

And until then, remember Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Pain is gain (no really)

Hey everybody!

I just wanted to tell you about one of the most unique days I've ever had - plenty of pain, but also strangely enough, plenty of pure, genuine smiles.

Yesterday was the 40th Sun-Herald City2Surf in Bondi to run - a scary-sounding 14km run from the city to Bondi Beach. For those of you who've run it and don't find it tough at all - please stop reading right now HAHA.
It was my first time ever attempting such a long run - usually I'm panting like a cow (and sadly, looking like one ==) around the 3km mark.

I was panicking the night before, wondering if I'd have to be carried off in a dead faint on a stretcher, while 80,000 other runners glided by effortlessly. But in the end I guess the odds of finishing the race go up significantly if I actaully ran, so I prepared by wearing my ugliest woollen socks for luck.

And I'm sorry I can't tell you EVERYTHING that happened that day, but let me say that by the time I crossed the finish line (looking my best for the multiple cameras), I didn't even care about finishing the race anymore becuase it had just been amazing.

Smile moments:

- the one where we spotted a white blob in the crowd, only to realise as we ran up that it was a lady in a gorgeous wedding dress - she had married her fiance during the race! Then we saw her feet, clad in scuffed running joggers =)

- the one where music blasted onto the street, and we looked up to see an Elvis impersonator singing loudly on the top of his car =)

- the one where we finished the gigantic Heartbreak hill and everyone started to cheer and whoop collectively =)

- the one where I tripped over and 20 strangers stopped in concern and helped me up =)

- that last km where people who already finished still lined the sides of the road and shouted encouragingly 'Go,go,go! =)

Most of all, even though it became one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, there was this electric feeling of being part of something. Like everybody forgot the normal rules and just shared their kindness with each other, stranger or not. Like it didn't matter who you were, people reached out to you and helped you!

I can't compare that feeling to anything in the world.

A shout-out to Carmen, Annabelle and especially Loz and Sonia who saved me from that dead faint - I love you guys!

And one LAST thing, we were running for the Council Council and we've raised $300 dollars with more coming - if you'd like to sponsor us, click on the link below and give.


http://www.everydayhero.com.au/carmen_tran
Remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Coming Soon...

Haha hi again guys, hope you didn't miss me too much since my last post. I know I know, seven whole days without me. Even I struggled.

BUT I'm here to give you a little peek into Happiness Equals Bracket's first project! To the left is a teaser of something Bella and I plan to launch in a few weeks...

What's in the cup? Why is the steam in the shape of a smiley face? What is the meaning of the universe?

All questions shall be answered soon, I promise! Except for the last question, I don't even know why anyone would ask such a question seeing as the answer is ridiculously obvious. Haha.

So, excited? Me too. ;)

And always remember - Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Day 2 - Your crush

HAHAHAHHA. Sorry but this letter, written by Nayoung Lee (cue rumbling applause)just about sums up the perfect guy perfectly!

Day 2 - My Crush

Dear Crush,

You are so very awesome with your slick guitar skills which can accompany me whenever I wish to J---AAAAM. Your singing voice is even to or slightly better than Zachary Levi's voice. You are not too tall or not too short. Your guns are in between thin and extremely tank. Your eyes are a really really pretty blue or green or just really really pretty. You are smart enough to help me in times of need i.e. when I'm stuck on a stupid parametric maths question and instead decide to procrastinate. You hate talking on the phone like me. You hate all the foods that I like so you can give them to me instead (very important). You can fit my extremely impossible high standards.

Oh dear crush, you'd be perfect if only I knew who you were. Where for art thou?

teehee.


TEEHEE. Happiness Equals Bracket=)

The Happiest People.

Think the happiest people are usually the ones that have it lucky? Here's a story I read recently that might change your mind - or just make you smile.

There were two identical twins:one a hope-filled optimist and one a hopeless pessimist. The concerned parents of the twins brought them to a psychologist, hoping he might be able to help balance their personalities.

The psychologist suggested that on the twin's next birthday, the parents put them in separate rooms to open their gifts.
"Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford, and the optimist a box of manure", he said. The parents did as they were told.

When they peeked in on the pessimistic twin, they heard him complaining, "I don't like the colour of this xbox - it's for stupid people. And that ipod touch will definitely break! PSH someone I know has a bigger jumping castle than this!"

But when the tiptoed across the corridor, the parents saw their optimistic son gleefully thowing manure up in the air. He was giggling as he said:

" You can't fool me! Where there's this much manure, there's got to be a pony!"

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything!
So put a smile on that face and start thinking half-full instead of half-empty. Everyday is a blessing in disguise!

And remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)