14 days to Christmas- hope for the poor.

i always reason that i'm buying inspiration. so every month, i'm well-equipped with uk, aussie and well (i'm sorry to say this; it's so awfully unpatriotic of me!) not-so-up-to-par local magazines. at the rate i'm going, you wld think that i'm gunning for a career as a fashion buyer or stylist or sth. while my peers digest the real deal like John Milton's epic Paradise Lost, i am so ashamed to say that my appetite favours say, Shop til you drop. i mean, that's just me. i don't like challenges. a fashion spread is so much easier to take in cos it's brainless. but ok, i suppose if you give me an ultimatum i would give up all this trash for the complete works of Shakespeare (hand on my heart).

today, my aunt called. she said the dec issue of Her World that i lent her 'has nothing'. and funnily enough, although she borrows my copies every month, she NEVER fails to say that i should instead be donating the amount spent on the mag to charity. today, i heard sth different. she found her worthy cause. hallelujah for that. i mean, the vast amount she has; the beneficiary will definitely be blessed. she says that she read in the papers that there was a report of an old man who doesn't switch on the lights at night. cos he's afraid he might not be able to pay off the electricity bills. i do have a very soft spot for old people (i think they deserve some dignity in their last years) and i erm, was a little bit surprised and sad. i always thot that even the poorest in singapore can blend into society (read: not-that-poor). it's not an excuse for my ignorance i know, but living in this part of the city, i can't say that i have ever seen poverty with my own eyes. i'm sure many of you haven't too.

and you know, it's embarrassing cos my parents and sis always use this stupid strategy of personifying electrical appliances/devices to make me aware of my wastage. i always hear:
1. rebecca, the lights are calling you
2. jie, the heater is waiting for you

i decided today to also contribute to the same cause as my aunt. i think sometimes we love excessiveness because we cannot keep our wealth to ourselves. don't you think so? short of just pasting dollar bills on our bodies we live lavishly instead. if we can afford to why not? if the poor are not our responsibility why should we care? reasonable on both counts. but. i think i want to be able to splurge (occasionally) without guilt. knowing that i have more than others but i have given so that others can live decently.

you heard it here. i'm giving up my monthly dose of local magazines from now (that is to say, elle, harper's bazaar, cleo, her world). that is twenty dollars to an old man somewhere. because i think for him i can sit in the comfort of Borders and browse instead.

i'm sure i have some friends laughing right now. and thinking that they can catch me some day going back on my word. time will tell. and by then, i'm sure said old man will not have to worry abt his bills anymore.

enjoy the holidays.