Message In A Bottle

Dog Wish

2007-01-02T23:56:00.000-08:00

I wish that my dog would stop eating its own shit and will never grow any bigger- Lin Lin

END WORLD HUNGER

2007-01-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

There are an estimated 1.08 billion poor people in developing countries who live on $1 a day or less (Global Poverty Monitoring, World Bank). Of these, an estimated 798 million suffer from chronic hunger, which means that their daily intake of calories is insufficient for them to lead active and healthy lives. Extreme poverty remains an alarming problem in the world’s developing regions, despite the advances made in the 1990s, which reduced "dollar a day" poverty from (an estimated) 1.23 billion people to 1.08, a reduction of 12.2 percent over the period. Progress in poverty reduction has been concentrated in Asia, and especially, East Asia. In all the other regions, the number of people in extreme poverty has increased. -Food and Agriculture Organization 2002).

Of Consumption and Consumerism

2007-01-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

… Inequalities in consumption are stark. Globally, the 20% of the world’s people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures — the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%. More specifically, the richest fifth:

Consume 45% of all meat and fish, the poorest fifth 5%
Consume 58% of total energy, the poorest fifth less than 4%
Have 74% of all telephone lines, the poorest fifth 1.5%
Consume 84% of all paper, the poorest fifth 1.1%
Own 87% of the world’s vehicle fleet, the poorest fifth less than 1%

-Human Development Report 1998 Overview-UNDP

More often than not, we become slaves to consumerism: I'm sorry I dont get excited over an LV bag, or long rebonded hair pimped from excessive expensive chemical-pumped Vidal Sassoon formula, or fancy cars or OPI nail polish, or expensive Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. I'm sorry I can't answer questions hurled at me for not grooming myself to look like some ornament/vase/pretty picture. I wish that people would smarten up and stop adopting this consumer culture. I think those people come off as looking rather fake/pompous than being an elite class.

Eradicate Poverty

2007-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.
The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined.
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day)- GlobalIssues.org

END THE WARS

2007-01-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

I hope all the wars in this world will come to an end... immediately- Endroo G

About Hope

2006-11-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

For some reason, the word hope always reminds me of two quotes from The Shawshank Redemption:

The first one was from Red (Morgan Freeman) warning Andy (Tim Robbins) about hope:
Red: Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

But at the end after escaping, Andy tells Red another quote through his letter:
Andy Dufresne: Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And a good thing never dies.

I believe in the latter. Keep on hoping ;)

- CASh

karmic effects

2006-11-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone would cultivate some form of mindfulness in their actions and realise the karmic laws of cause & effect. A good deed goes a long way ... and so does an evil thought

- from a Buddhist

Baby Wish

2006-11-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

"I hope that my baby stays healthy..." - from Kyra's Mummy

Street Children in India

2006-11-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

Do you know that 1/3 of the world's poorest children are in India. I wish that the street children in India can enjoy a proper shelter and not have to live in the streets no more. Get them to school!

stop the giggles ...

2006-11-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

I hope that asian women would stop giggling unnecessarily ...

superiority

2006-11-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

I hope that people would stop thinking that their race/religion is superior to that of the others ...

my dog

2006-11-06T04:14:00.000-08:00

I hope that my dog will NEVER grow old and die ...

Angkor Kids

2006-11-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

My experience in Cambodia would forever change and inspire me. The charm of this Angkor kids, busy entrepreneurs and vendors, in hardship and poverty they endured and strived on. I only hope they'll have a better life in this somewhat dark world.

Tsunami Hope

2006-11-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

Tsunami Hope -A website dedicated to Tsunami efforts in Phuket. This is a picture of a surviving Tsunami baby in Phuket. Has everyone forgotten that fateful day that will forever change some of the lives of people in various parts of Asia. Here's just a little reminder.

Hope Here

2006-11-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

Recently I received a mini message in a bottle trinket from a friend. Simple and yet makes me think of how in this decade, how many hopes we hold on to just to get by every single day. I hope for more salary, more massages, more life experience, health, it's endless. Some desperately hope for things others take for granted-life a shelter, a love-shelter, food, water. And sometimes we hold grudges and feelings for people we don't want the other to know. Here's a channel I hope, to post those messages in a bottle, well, in this case our blog. Perhaps by doing so, we can help each other to lead each other towards our hopes. Who knows?