TLC Archive

Let me recount my weekend.

On Friday, I was in Penang as i was invited by my girlfriend to attend “Altera Family Day”–the place where she works. I have lots of fun where i was given a girlfriend-guided tour of the facilities.

It was my first time chilling in her cubicle…

Check it out. She has dual monitor for her to do her job.

I rock out at the game room..

The game room is equipped with a digital electronic drum set, a keyboard, and a mic for employees to sing the work blues away.

I showed off my button-mashing skills to a bunch of seven year olds…

“Now press this button to run away from my combos…”

I checked out the skills of other employees at pool and air hockey…

and i checked out my girlfriend’s flirting skill…

She still has it!

and had lunch like a king at the cafeteria….

*droooolllll*

It was a great Family Day organized by Altera. With soaring spirit, i head back to KL in preparation for the great outing i have been waiting for–fulfilling Izzul’s wish to ride the cable car at Genting Highlands.

Thanks Altera!

With less than five hours of sleep, i woke up feeling energized and ready for a full day of fun with the most cheerful boy I have ever met. Encik Azam gave my friends a tour of the orphanage and i was glad to know that children are very well taken care of.

30 children! A glance on Rumah Aman website shows that the kids aspires to be teacher, firemen, and mostly (you guessed it WRONG!) army and navy.

Are you ready Izzul? Urfah (in black) is the guardian and makes sure that there is nothing wrong going on in this trip.

At 10 am, we head out to One Utama to buy tickets to the cable car ride and to have lunch as we were all famished. “Prince for the day” Izzul chose MacDonald’s.

Izzul ordered Ayam Goreng MacD. The good boy only ate one and kept another piece for dinner. He even threw away his empty coke cup and fries box. According to Urfah, the boys are thought to not over eat and clean up after themselves. The boys are independent from a very young age. I think it is a valuable lifelong lesson and character building in the world of naughty brats!

After lunch, we decided to take a little “detour” and test out Daytona first.

“I just overtook you dude…”

We arrived at the Sky Park lower station around 1pm. Because it was a weekend AND a school holiday, the cable car queue was out of this world. It was pure madness.

We waited for over 45 minutes….

Izzul’s wish: FULFILLED!

I wanted Izzul to feel the blast of cold fog and enjoyed the view. We were at 6,000 feet above sea level! It was a moment Izzul would cherish as we sit and have a nice cup of hot cocoa with a slice of strawberry pie while enjoying the view and feel the cold almost winter-like breeze.

Izzul also had the fun of his young life–going for thrilling rides. We’re talking crazy swings and pirate ships!

But it was a shame that we could not ride the roller coaster as Izzul wanted to ride it, but it was already closed. Nevertheless, Izzul head home safe and sound. Oh did i mention that Izzul vomited on the way down from Genting because of the steep road? We stopped by a gas station to buy some minyak angin and a piece of sandwich to hold the stomach, and for Izzul to clean up. Such a brave independent Navy-to-be!

After excluding the expenses for the trip, we managed to make a donation of RM358.00 (out of RM470.00) to Rumah Aman.

I then rushed off to an event at Sunway Giza. At 11.45pm, off i went to Sri Pentas to host 8TV Nite Live from12:45am to 1:45am.

It was a long, long weekend. But i was happy that i get to go beyond Izzul’s  innocent wish of soaring 6,000 feet above sea level. To see his face lights up when he rode the cable car for the first time was totally priceless. To this day, i still recounts his expression as we had our hot cocoa and light refreshment and gazed at the  magnificent mountainview and the rainforest scenery. And how about seeing Izzul’s face flushed with happiness after riding the rides at Genting Theme Park? Unforgettable.

A heap of thanks to my manager Julian Lee, my PA Cheryl, and my friends Emily, Alex, Elaine, Danyal, and Ben for your support and time to make the Genting trip more exciting. Thank you TLC for the opportunity to get to know the staffs and children at Rumah Aman, Izzul, and this wonderful life changing experience. With God’s blessing, i hope to continue on this selfless journey.

After successfully fulfilling its promises made four months ago to the less fortunate, disabled and underprivileged, The Truly Loving Company’s TLC Promise Me campaign officially came to a close via a Recognition Ceremony on the 10^th November 2010, in honour of all its participants.The campaign in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and Bernama TV as its Official TV partner saw 70 wishes granted from TLC’s four charity partners such as The Handicapped & Mentally Disabled Children Association Johor Bahru, Hospis Malaysia, National Stroke Association of Malaysia and Rumah Aman

(TLC Founder and CEO, Julia Chong)

The ceremony saw all TLC Promise Me participants receiving their certificates of appreciation from Julia Chong, CEO and Founder of The Truly Loving Company. “We are extremely delighted with the levels of engagement of our youth participants such as AIESEC Malaysia, ELC International School and Nuffnang together with caring corporations. Collectively we surpassed our expectations of our initial campaign goals and won over the hearts and minds of our respective communities by our actions”. Chong added. She later presented certificates of appreciation to the campaign’s media partners and cited that their participation enabled the campaign to highlight extraordinary stories of how youths were helping the less fortunate regardless of race, religion or creed.

(AIESEC Malaysia President Mohamad Alif)

(Nuffnang blogger Kimberly Low)

(Divya Kolakada and Thariq Rudy of ELC International School)

The audience was also treated to a story-telling session, where three selected youth participants shared their TLC Promise Me moments with the audience. Mohammad Alif, President of AIESEC Malaysia, Nuffnang blogger Kimberly Low and ELC International School head student Thariq Rudy collectively described the sense of empowerment they received by taking charge of their respective pledges and successfully fulfilling it. Ms Low aptly summed up her experience, “I am still overwhelmed and touched by the amount of support shown by not just friends but complete strangers. I’ve promised myself that whenever I feel jaded or disappointed with people, most often than not over petty, silly issues, I will always think about this amazing display of generosity, kindness and selflessness to remind myself again that there is good in this world.”

The Recognition Ceremony concluded with Chong’s remarks that TLC’s Promise Me had demonstrated to the nation that via the courage, tenacity and warmth of all its participants that lending a helping hand to the underprivileged in our society is rewarding and ultimately strengthens our ties to the communities that we all belong to.

When about her personal wish from the campaign, she replied, “As we Malaysians move together in transforming our country into a high-income nation, my personal wish is for us all to develop a culture of caring for our communities regardless of race, religion or creed. That way, the wealth of our nation’s soul is not only measured by the size of its coffers but also by the warmth of its people and its willingness to help others in need.”

This was probably the hardest and most audacious pledge – to fulfill Hospis Malaysia’s 15 wishes for medical equipment to ease the suffering of their patients. Our journey wasn’t easy as we quickly found out that fulfilling many of their patient’s wishes is both difficult and intangible. It breaks our heart when some of the wishes were for the patients wishing to be in less pain or a father wishing to live a little longer so that he would be able to see his daughter attend her first day of school.

There was also the fact that it would be irresponsible of us to expose youths to bereavement during this campaign. After much brainstorming,  we arrived at a solution where we replaced the 15 wishes of individuals to become 15 pieces of medical equipment which Hospis Malaysia needed. As a charity which provides palliative care, Hospis Malaysia also loans medical equipment without charge to their poorer patients. Unfortunately there is a constant shortage and a long waiting list for items such as nebulizers and oxygen concentrators.

We felt that this was the most appropriate action that would benefit Hospis Malaysia but were equally shocked by the amount we need to raise – RM34,400! It looked like a very long road for us, especially when this campaign was the first-of-its-kind and we had to find a way (or many) to deliver on our pledge!

That was when we had to spread the Hospis Malaysia pledge to just about everybody we knew and ask them to help us fulfill it. It was a nerve-racking journey and at the end of the day, everybody pulled together to make it possible and we actually overdelivered on our initial pledge! Can’t believe it till this day!!!

Making it possible were the kind folks from Bald4Good (by Wit Ink Creative), AIESEC Malaysia, Bernama TV and TLC’s own Wonderladies. Their individual stories can be found throughout the website and it serves as an inspiration to the dreams and wishes we can achieve together in helping the less fortunate!

Work can get a bit dull? Not at M Moser Kuala Lumpur!

We had great fun and learnt so much in this journey of discovery. Thank you TLC for this opportunity. We look forward to the next cycle of TLC Promise Me!

Hi all,

I’m so sorry I’ve been away from blogging for so long. I know, I know, the word “Busy” is just too over-rated.

As you can recall, the official date for me to bring Izzul to ride the Cable Car at Genting Highlands were October 23rd, two days after the closing period for the donation (October 21). Unfortunately,  the Genting Highlands cable cars were closed to public due to maintainence from seven weeks and would only be available for rides from November 21st onwards.

A little hiccup there. Therefore, the pledge were postponed to December 11th 2010.

So as promised, here is the list of donors and the amount donated. A huge thank you to my friends and family who sharing my pledge and to make it come true

Donors:

1. The charitable Ismail sisters–Alina, Emily and Emilia Ismail: RM 150
2. Ong Bee Kim: RM 50
3. Martin Chew: RM 50
4. Gooi Yi Ling: RM 50
5. Alex Ooi Beng Keat: RM 20
6. Urbane Ethos: RM 100
7. Arif Alias: RM 50

The grand total for this pledge is RM 470, that was collected within 14 days.  The collection will go to Izzul’s Genting Trip. After the trip, I will blog about my day of fulfilling the pledge and how the money was spent. The rest of the donation will then be channeled to Rumah Aman through TLC.

Again, thank you Alina, the twins Emily and Emilia, Mrs. Ong, Martin, Yi Ling, Alex, Arif and Urbane Ethos for sharing this pledge to fulfill Izzul’s wish to ride the cable car.

We had a Jukebox Friday last week!

Fundraising-At-Work No. 3: Everyone pledged a contribution in return for a chance to get DJ Ernie play their favourite numbers. From Saturday Night Fever to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, we grooved to a good cause!

2nd December 2010 – Malaysian Today (Promises fulfilled with Tender Loving Care)

17^th October 2010 – Sin Chew Daily (TLC’s Promise Me Stories)

10^th October 2010 – Sin Chew Daily (TLC’s Promise Me Stories)

6^th October 2010 – Bernama (Sharizat fulfils her pledges under Promise Me campaign) (URL Link)

3^rd October 2010 – Sin Chew Daily (TLC’s Promise Me Stories)

3^rd September 2010 – The Sun (Orphan’s Dreams fulfilled) (URL Link)

30^th August 2010 – The Star (A shutterbug’s wish) (URL Link)

30^th August 2010 – News Straits Times (Joining forces to fulfill the wishes of orphans) (URL Link)

30^th August 2010 – Harian Metro (Kibar Jalur Gemilang)

30^th August 2010 – China Press (Mohd Hatim Photography Exhibition)

27^th August 2010 – Nanyang (Mohd Hatim Photography Exhibition)

27^th August 2010 – China Press (Mohd Hatim Photography Exhibition)

26^th August 2010 – Malay Mail (Santokh Singh + AIESEC Chess) (URL Link)

24^th August 2010 – Oriental Daily (AIESEC Malaysia – Chess Game for Mr Teoh)

19^th August 2010 – Malaysian Today (TLC’s Promise Me Stories) (URL Link)

14^TH August 2010 – The Star (Bald4Good Announcement) (URL Link 01) (URL Link 02)

11^th August 2010 – The Sun (AIESEC Malaysia Chess Game for Mr Teoh) (URL Link)

6^th August 2010 – The Sun (Thoughtful retail therapy for two stroke victims) (URL Link)

4^th August 2010 – The Sun (Truly Loving Youths)

20^th July 2010 – News Straits Times (Chong’s Tender Loving Care) (URL Link)

16^th July 2010 – Malay Mail (Shower them with your love) (URL Link)

15^th July 2010 – Malaysian Today (Architect of Change) (URL Link)

13th July 2010 – The Sun (Making Wishes Come True) (URL Link)

9th July 2010 – Komunitikini.com (A promise for charity)

9th July 2010 – Red Tomato (TLC and Promise Me)

7th July 2010 – Nuffnang.com (“Promise Me” by The Truly Loving Company)

7th July 2010 – Voize.My (Make your Promise)

6th July 2010 – Marketing-Interactive.com (TLC says “Promise Me” )

6th July 2010 – Sun2Surf (Fulfilling the wishes of the underprivileged)

5th July 2010 – Adoi Magazine.com ( Pulse gets some TLC )

29th June 2010 – Oriental Daily (TLC’s Promise Me)

25th June 2010 – Voize.My (TLC Promise Me campaign – Are you game? )

17^th June 2010 – The Edge Financial Daily (TLC’s Promise Me)

(Group Picture of Cheque Ceremony to Hospis Malaysia)

Various community groups from TLC’s Promise Me campaign fulfilled their pledges to Hospis Malaysia and presented a total of RM42,150.70 to the charity’s general manager, Puan Rosehayati Ahmad Noordin. The proceeds will be used to buy a variety of medical equipment such as syringe drivers, oxygen concentrators, nebulisers, wheelchairs and ripple mattresses. “By providing us a wide range of new medical equipment, Hospis Malaysia is now better placed to deliver a better quality of care to our patients especially for the individuals who cannot afford such equipment” said Ahmad Noordin. She added that the equipment will greatly bring comfort and ease to their patients.

The four groups involved used a variety of ways to deliver on their promises. Bald4Good, a social media campaign by Wit Ink Creative dared 11 brave individuals including two sisters to go bald for charity. By leveraging on its network of clients and friends, together with Schick-Energizer, Kaspersky and Autogridz magazine, they raised RM35,320 on August 21^st, 2010 at a shaving ceremony at Social Changkat, Bukit Bintang.

(Bald4Good participants)

AIESEC Malaysia pooled together its network of communities such as AIESEC Alumni Malaysia, Local Comittees in Taylor’s University College, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaya together with student members, Michele Chang and Low Tzu Peng to deliver on a total of RM4680 to Hospis Malaysia

(AIESEC President Mohammad Alif representing AIESEC participants)

Similarly, The Truly Loving Company’s Wonderladies whipped up a charity breakfast spread in HP Towers and engaged neighbouring offices to support their initiative. A total of RM1480 was netted from their sales of delicious pastries and cakes.

Bernama TV as the official TV partner of the campaign organized a Garage Sale in Wisma Bernama on October 5^th, 2010 and engaged their staff to contribute pre-loved items for sale. They raised a total of RM1270 to fulfil three pledges allocated to them and donated the balance of RM720 to Hospis Malaysia.

(Fayzrul Yaakob representing Bernama TV)

 (Final Amount Raised)

Julia Chong, CEO of The Truly Loving Company, said “We welcome the way TLC Promise Me campaign engages individuals as well as corporations in a relevant yet rewarding manner.” She thanked the individuals for going the extra distance in fulfilling their pledges and added that TLC’s Promise Me had delivered an additional 23% worth of funding for new medical equipment on top of its original list of pledges to Hospis Malaysia at the beginning of the campaign.

(Original list of 15 pledges promised to Hospis Malaysia. 15 pledges = 15 pieces of equipment)

Visit www.tlcpromiseme.com to be inspired on how youths are the change they want their community to be.

We bagged our lunch last Monday!

Fundraising-At-Work No. 2: Everyone pledged to bring our own lunch to work and bag our lunch money for Madam Tan’s cause. No guilty ones and hence no fine this time around but we had fun at our little food-tasting banquet!