Meh, it's my life :)

Just over a week ago, I had a bake sale to raise money for children who were orphaned in the Japanese tsunami last year. All the recipes for these cakes come from my wordpress blog: Wake Me Up With A Smile

In my opinion, the most rewarding, least expensive and most warming way to feel good is to do something for somebody else. That’s why I like Hands on Tokyo, a bilingual volunteering organisation that sets up volunteering projects in Tokyo for anyone to participate in.

On Saturday, I went with two lovely friends to Hakujoso Senior Home to take part in an activity session with the elderly residents. There were different ‘stations’ including a beading area, origami area, games area, nail painting area and balloon modelling area. We were at the beading station, and made the residents necklaces, bracelets and hair clips. One dear lady started crying when I gave her a hair clip, which nearly made me well up! They were so interesting and wonderful to spend time with, the two hours felt like half that. Due to security, we couldn’t take any photos but it was a great experience and well worth a Saturday afternoon.

We can learn a lot from the elderly, after all some of them looked like they’d been alive for centuries…

As those stalkers of mine would know, today I took part in a volunteering activity with Hands On Tokyo in Akebanebashi. The activity was setting up a schoolyard/gymnasium for a Tohoku Quake Victims fundraiser that is taking place tomorrow. 

I spent a couple of hours putting up tents, carrying chairs, tables, electrical equipment, and table weights. It was hard work in the hot sunshine but totally worth the pleasures of physical exercise, the social interaction with Japanese, English and Malaysian individuals, and the satisfaction of volunteering.

I even got given a Hands On Tokyo t-shirt! :)