Take a closer look

Hey everybody!

A few people have requested some closer shots of our flowers so I just went and snapped a few in my room. Don't judge me on the dodgy lighting haha, I'm no professional :D








Enjoy!

Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Six Thousand Word Post

HELLO I am the picture girl yay! PICTURES FOR EVERYONE!

Don't mind the fact that we happen to be in almost all the photos. The camera just loves us. =P





























Bella and I hope to do this again some time - with more flowers and definitely with creative ways of handing them out! Some ideas we've brainstormed so far:

- successfully throwing a flower through the open window of a car driving by
- sneaking a flower into someone's bag/purse without them noticing
- doing a trade with another person giving out free samples
- leaving one in someone's garden for them to find

If you guys have any suggestions we would definitely love to hear them!

Hope you guys enjoyed these as much as we did! Thank you to all our readers, old and new, who've supported us. =)

Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Your September Flowergirls!

It was today LIndy and I (with the help of a lot people) braved the scorching sun, raging winds and stony stares to bring Flower Power to the Hills area!
After days of intensive flower-making in the library (believe me, the librarians gave us more than a few strange looks), we were finally ready to give out our handmade flowers to the crowds of public.

And of course, as with everything we do, the cost of the flowers was a smile =)

Our first chosen victim refused Lindy's 'Hi! Would you like a flower?' politely before walking away. We were all shocked, and slightly downcast - were our flowers that BAD?

But during the course of the day, we realised that it was because people thought our flowers cost money, or that we were begging for donations for charity. It was a little saddening to see some people so suspicious of our free flowers - because it kind of shows how trust and kindness has broken down in our society.

That's okay though, because there were so many smilelights that all our hours of flower-crafting were very, completely worth it :) Some were:


- the many kind people who bothered to stop in the shopping centre, and ask us why we were giving out flowers. The way their faces changed and lit up with pleasure as they exclaimed over the pink and white bloom was something I never got sick of seeing. =)

- Lindy trying to throw a flower into the backseat of a passing car... and missing. Also, Lindy later offering a flower to a motorcyclist at red light. He accepted it, posed for a picture for this blog, and slotted the flower on his bike, all before the light turned green! Very cool indeed =)

- walking tentatively into the Police Station and offering around flowers to the stony-faced people sitting on the seats. We approached a hardened-looking, suited man (presumably lawyer) expecting to be rebuffed, only to have him reply jokingly 'I'm too ugly for flowers!' He then proceeded to kid around with us for the next 10 minutes before slotting the flower Hawaiian-style above his ear, and letting us take a picture. People who break stereoptypes are awesome =)

- the tall boy who took a flower, and without hesitation offered it sweetly to the girl whose hand he was holding =)

- giving a flower to our first supportive aussie teenager in thongs, only to see him walking around with it in his hair half an hour later =)

Of course there were so many more, and we only wish we made more flowers to give out, but sadly we had time restrictions. Thank you so much to Ling and Nayoung, who helped immensely with the crafting! To Yun, Adrian, Will also for helping us get resources :D And Chrishan for photographing us in all our glory.

Lindy will show you a little of how our day went with photos, but we think that our September project was a success!

Flowergirls out!

Remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

A Spring in Your September

Hey guys!

We've been working busily for the past few days - cutting, gluing, cutting, gluing and then some more cutting and gluing - to bring to you our September project!

To celebrate Spring, Bella and I will be giving out hand-made flowers today. So if you see two brightly-dressed girls handing out flowers at Castle Hill, you'll know who it is! Feel free to come say hello. =)

Hope everyone's smile is well-oiled and ready for today 'cause Bella and me can't wait!

Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

From Flaws to Flowers

Some of you may have noticed today's story was posted exactly 1 minute before Tuesday. In case anyone was wondering, no, it wasn't because I was not bothered to post one earlier.

It's because I like to live on the edge.

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, fulfilling the purpose for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. One day, after two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it up. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side?

That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day you have watered them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

I guess, in a way, we're all cracked pots. No one's perfect in this world (thank goodness!) and each of us have our own flaws. Yes, even me. I, too, am prone to being lazy, getting annoyed, being messy, making long lists...

Don't be afraid of your flaws - acknowledge them (I know this can be scary but bear with me) and turn them to your advantage. Turn them into something to make your Mum proud. Turn them into flowers that will grow and blossom.

Turn them into something to make you smile.

Sneaky hint for our September project: Bella and me have been busy these last few days turning our cracks into flowers. We hope you guys are ready for Spring! ;)

Until then, Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

Surprise!

I found this video and started watching it because the title sounded interesting. Halfway through though, I also realised something else interesting - I was smiling! And thought 'When did I start doing THAT?'!
But this video does that - it will sneak up behind you and tap you on the shoulder,and before you even notice it, you'll have a smile on your face. I'd thought I'd share that smile with you guys. Enjoy!



The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lVS22y4uoU&feature=related

Note the asian tourists at 3.20 haha! That's right, make us proud =)
Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

I Scream, You Scream...

We all scream for ice cream! =)

You guys will hopefully learn two lessons from today's post.

1. Don't pull all-nighters and consequently forget to post up a story on your blog (though this can be split into sub-lessons e.g. don't leave your work until the last minute, don't bake until 2am, don't start eating aforementioned baked goods at 3am in the morning and so on).

And the second lesson is...

The Tip

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?"

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

"How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired.

Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies - her tip.

If you see the connection between this story and Bella's previous post, gold star for you. =)

I really am sorry this story is late guys, hope you managed to keep a smile on your face anyways. It's spring, it's almost holidays and Bella and me have a new project coming up! What's not to smile about?

That was rhetorical, no need to answer that question haha. But feel free to comment about anything else - something that made you smile, what you had for breakfast, what you're doing in the holidays. Bella and me love hearing from you guys. =)

Stay in tuned for the launch of our next project!

In the meantime, always remember Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

Knock knock, who's there?

Since I was lazy and left fundraising for this year's 40 hour famine to the last moment possible, yesterday I scrunched up my courage and desperately pulled out my last resort: doorknocking.

Let me say that doorknocking to raise money is not for the faint-hearted - when standing behind a screen door, even the smallest kids suddenly seem tall and intimidating, not to the mention the adults that peer at you suspicuously through the mesh screens. And yes, there are ruthless people who will close the door in your face. Yes, even my irrestible baby face :(

Luckily the hills area is the nicest area in the world, and I only dealt with one or two of those. People usually took an interest and donated $3 - $5 and one friendly man even gave me TEN DOLLARS, which sent me ecstatically skipping down his driveway LOL. No wonder people looked at me strangely.

But I'd like to tell you about one of the last houses I came to, as the light began fading and my feet began dragging. The asian women who answered the door listening to my spiel patiently, but then gestured to the old man in a wheelchair behind her.

'This is a disabled household and I just work here. We have no money.'

I went pretty red in the face and apologised before turning to leave. Then a frail voice from behind the door told me to wait.
It was the old man, who looked at me intently before asking the woman to bring him an envelope from his room.
'My daughter told me to use this well,' he said, hands trembling as he handed the envelope to me. 'And I hope I am.' After that he suddenly wheeled back and the woman bade me goodbye before shutting the door.

I waited til I walked back to the main street before tearing open the envelope. And when I saw the contents, I almost cried.
It was a fifty dollar note.

Giving to others despite your own circumstances - that's something that definitely makes people smile, and I really learnt something from the actions of one old disabled man.

Did you?

Remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

The Tadpole and the Tower

I know you've been waiting for this Monday with bated breath :) Are you comfortable on those cushions? Have you brushed your teeth? Good! Let's turn the page - it's storytime.


There once was a bunch of tiny tadpoles who were bored out of their minds.
'Let's arrange a competition!' said one eager tadpole. They all agreed, and decided the goal would be to reach the top of a very, very high seaweed tower.
A big crowd gathered around the base to cheer on the contestants and watch the entertainment.

The race began, and the tadpoles furiously began to swim upwards. Yet deep in their hearts, nobody in the audience really believed anyone would reach the top - after all, it was the highest seaweed tower any of them had ever seen...

When the first tadpoles began struggling, the crowd began to murmur loudly.

"It's just impossible! And foolish!"

"They will never make it to the top.".

"Not a chance they'll succeed! That tower is just too high!"

The tiny tadpoles began collapsing and dropping away. One by one...

... Yet a few were still enthusiastically labouring on, swimming with great energy.

The crowd yelled to the tadpoles.
"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tadpoles, visible tired, stopped swimming until only one lone tadpole was left.

This tadpole continued swimming relentlessly, and inched on and on
- until he reached the top with a triumphant grin! All of the other tadpoles had long given up.

Naturally, when he came back down, all the other tadpoles, clustered around the winner. One contestant asked, 'How did you have strength to spare near the end?'

The winner only smiled confusedly and shook his head, pointing to his ears.
It turned out....
That the winner was deaf.

Negativity from others plays a bigger part then we know. Even J.K Rowling was rejected numerous times before a publishing company finally bought Harry Potter alive.

So don't get discouraged! Put a smile on that face and swim on - because we believe you can do it.

Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket=)

'Do you know how big a javelin is?'

I'm not sure about you, but I'm an keeper not a thrower.

I absolutely hate throwing out all my old possessions - you never know when you might 'need' that 2007 english exam paper one day! And how could I throw away my Hello Kitty sharpener? Clearly it's of a timeless value.

So I was looking through my drawers, which is always interesting since it's an odd jumble of things I've kept over the years, when I found my old diaries.

Every year since high school began, I've kept a detail of my everyday experiences and thoughts. I really should have grown out of that phase along with ponies and barbies, but even now I still keep a glossy book titled 'JOURNAL' on the desk - and no sir, you may NOT read it xD

But out of all the things we throw out, I realised memories tend to end up tangled in there too, because no matter how smart we are, theres always something we'll forget.

When I opened the page of my year 7 diary, I started reading and then couldn't stop laughing, so I'd like to share a few excerpts with you guys. Please don't judge me LOL.

1/1/05
New Years Resolutions
1) Learn to like sport
2) Stop hunching over
3) Make friends in high school
4) Find a witch or wizard (they must exist!!)
5) Stop growing so tall

31/1/05
I HATE HIGH SCHOOL. Dad took me to school and I stared at the gates of James Ruse, feeling a bit like kindergarten six years ago. There was this thing called rollcall, then we filed into the lecture theatre and Mr. G, our year advisor waved a porfolio around and went on and on. Thankfully he soon stopped.
But guess what? FOUR pieces of homework to do when I got home. On the FIRST day! Are they crazy???

14/3/05
On Monday we had to run 1.6 km in 10 minutes. Take that, person who said JR was a bad sports school! I hope we don't have to do it next term because it was painful. But generally speaking, yesterday was the worst day of my life. Mrs C my asian maths teacher caught me 'talking' and yelled out 'DETENTION!'in front of the whole class. My first ever! So I made a pack with my friends to see who could stay 'good' the longest. More than two forgotten homeworks or detentions, and you are subject to dares!!!

P.S do you know how big a javelin is? I found out in sport. It is huge!

12/4/06
We have CAMP! We're going to Visions Valley to do fun, sporty things tomorrow and my group is going to own them. I can't wait for tomorrow! While the rest of the school is slaving away, we're going to be having fun. SUCKERS!


19/10/06
Something really embarrassing happened. I was leaning back on my chair when I lost my balance and reached out to grab something - only to flail wildly and go down in a painful and ungraceful manner. What's embarassing was it happened right in front of Tyson, Richard, Nick and William! My face was on fire and I heard Tyson say 'Bella is so unco.' HAHA as if I am.

----------
I think I'll stop here and although I could go on for quite a while I'm not sure you guys want me to haha! It's really embarrasing to read, but it definitely made me smile.

Did you keep a diary in year 7, or a blog? Maybe you should start a journal now, because not only is it good mental therapy, imagine your forty-year-old self laughing back at how silly you once were.

Happiness Equals Bracket =)

How Do You Use Your Chopsticks?

Haha, I'm on a rolllllll. Two posts in two days, I spoil you guys. =P

Anyways, as promised, here's your weekly story. =)

Chopsticks

A woman who had worked all her life to bring about good was granted one wish: "Before I die let me visit both hell and heaven." Her wish was granted.

She was whisked off to a great banqueting hall. The tables were piled high with delicious food and drink. Around the tables sat miserable, starving people as wretched as could be.

"Why are they like this?" she asked the angel who accompanied her.

"Look at their arms," the angel replied.

She looked and saw that attached to the people's arms were long chopsticks secured above the elbow.They would bend their arms and desperately aim their elbows at the food, attempting to use the chopsticks to feed themselves. After missing every time, however, they sat hungry, frustrated and miserable.

"Indeed this is hell! Take me away from here!"

She was then whisked off to heaven. Again, she found herself in a great banqueting hall with tables and tables of delicious foods. Around the tables sat people laughing, contented, joyful.

"No chopsticks, I suppose," she mused to herself.

As she continued to look about, she began to notice long chopsticks attached above their elbows - just as in hell. Here, however, the people had learnt to feed one another.

-----

We have all been given the same things essentially. But, it really is up to you to decide how you will use them (I am very tempted to say "for the greater good" here but will refrain haha).

So, tell me, how will you use your chopsticks?

Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

Happy Every Day!

As you guys probably know (I'm hoping that you do, at least!), today was Father's Day. I'll admit, however, that my family isn't big on special events usually.

For example, for my brother's 18th, both my parents forgot it was his birthday. I, on the other hand, had scored a free $50 Tarocash voucher that week and planned to buy his present with it. My ingenious scheme was to leave the price tag on so that he'd see how much I'd 'spent' on him and buy me an equally expensive present for my birthday. Don't judge me, I like presents haha.

However, for Father's Day, my brother, mum and me decided to cook my dad a special meal. When he saw the creamy cabonara pasta, his steak cooked just how he liked it and the red wine ready for him, he told us he felt so lucky. He said it'd been so long since he'd had a proper Father's Day and that he was really glad he'd chosen to come to Sydney all those years ago.

So, that's a little insight into my family. We're definitely not perfect and we've had our ups and downs. But its little things like this that make me realise how just dedicating a little bit of your time to someone can make them so enormously happy.

Hope you guys did something nice for your dad today! And, if not, it doesn't matter - there's still 364 more days to a year haha. Treating someone special shouldn't be confined to just one day of the year. Father's Day and Mother's Day and Birthdays should just be called Every Day haha. =)

P.S. If you wanted to know, my ingenious scheme didn't go quite to plan. When I gave my brother the $50 Tarocash belt for his birthday, he was like "I saw the Tarocash voucher on your table, you cheapo!!" Hahaha, lesson learnt: Don't leave your vouchers lying around. =P

Anyways, always remember guys! Happiness Equals Bracket. =)

It Gives Me Hope.

I have to admit, one of those sites that always make me laugh is www.fmylife.com because when things aren't going that great, listening to other people's funny misfortunes somehow cheers me up. Yes i know, what a sadistic person I am, fee-fi-fo-fum! :)

On the other hand though, the fact that so many people in the world think their life is such a mess makes me wonder if there is any hope for anyone at all to live happily? And while I'm sure there's a few of you that already know about this one, it made my day when I discovered quite literally the opposite of FML (thank you Nayoung!):

http://www.givesmehope.com

It's not as funny, and I'm not sure if it makes me smile either (shock! horror!). But there's something else about this site - something brimming with emotion that makes me come back to it again and again.

Anyway, it's worth having a click so if you feel like a break from your 4 hours of maths homework (which I'm sure you've all been doing).
Some of my favourite GMH:

-I'm a doctor.

Across the ward from me, a young couple was told that their baby would have down syndrome.

The lady goes "Did you hear that? Our baby is going to be perfect'.

Couples like that GMH

- To the man who stopped me from jumping: THANK YOU!

You stopped me from ending everything on the night I received word my fiance was killed in action. 6 years later, and I'm marrying you tomorrow.

Tommy, your being there and loving me in spite of how messed up I was GMH.

- Today, I went to In-N-Out with my friends like we do every week.

The cashier I always see took my order: a drink. He handed me my receipt, and wrote on it.

"Please eat something. You're beautiful and should stop doing this to yourself."

He noticed what I was doing when no one else did. He GMH.

* * *

Sometimes life is amazing. It really is.
And I realised just being able to wake up everyday should put a smile on my face =) Hopefully it does the same for you!

Remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)