Thank you for stopping by my blog. Consider this as a scenic stop in your travel on the highway of life. You will read some fresh food for thought, see ordinary things pictured at a different angle, and perhaps leave with some ideas or inspiration stamped with my own brand of humour and insight.

"Come as strangers and leave as friends." - anonymous

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Why should you go with MoGo? I am your ordinary mom,next door neighbor,co-worker, subway buddy, blogger friend. Join me as I share my tips and feedback on an ordinary life in these extraordinary times.I can be your voice or the trigger that makes you find your own voice. Come join me and find out. What are you waiting for? Let's go!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Let's Go Volunteer!

National Volunteer Week in  Canada was on April 10-16, 2011. However, there were many volunteer events held throughout the whole month. I had been sending many volunteer applications since becoming unemployed, but I didn't get a match up until recently.

My neighborhood mall was hosting a clean up event for Earth Day and I gladly accepted the call. I was happy about this because I believe we should save the environment for ourselves and for future generations. All I had to do was show up that morning and get ready to go outdoors. It was a cold and windy day but luckily the rain didn't come. I had on 5 layers of clothing topped by the brightly-colored volunteer shirt they gave us to wear. It sure was easy to spot us even from a great distance!

After a brief welcome speech from the mall management, all volunteers joined their teams and headed for the outdoor mall area they were assigned to clean. My team of 8 people cleaned up the surrounding area near the grocery store and the highway. Three of them were employees of the mall and the rest of us we re shoppers and students. Armed with our poking sticks, a rake, garbage bags and garbage bin, we picked up trash bit by bit. By the end of the morning, we had gathered approximately 10 bags of garbage!

People do not realize that even the smallest piece of wrapper or cigarette butt they toss aside hurts the environment. The earth is our only home and all of us must do our best to protect it. Picking up trash may not be a glamorous task but somehow we all did our small part to make a difference.

We ended our volunteer work with the outdoor barbecue the mall provided. Despite the cold, it was a good experience and I even made some new friends. We also got some free flower seeds to plant in our own gardens. All volunteers were able to sign a board and make their mark to commemorate the day.  I look forward to doing it again next year! 

Friday, April 8, 2011

Let's Go Do A Good Deed

I tried an experiment this week. One day I decided to see how many random acts of kindness I would witness. I counted 21 good deeds in one day! You can read all about my experience as I travelled from home on the subway.

Sometimes it it easier for us to ignore strangers that we meet or encounter as we go about our daily routine. During our morning commutes, we tend to close our eyes to snatch a few minutes of sleep and fail to see the elderly person needing a seat. Some people just ignore them purposely!

At the grocery, we can get impatient at the cashier who is taking too long to ring up our purchases. Perhaps we fail to observe that she too is tired from standing up the whole day.

Is there anything we can do to make a difference in someone else's life? Sometimes even a smile will help to make someone's day brighter. During this Lenten season, I challenge you to do at least one random act of kindness and see what change you can bring to a stranger's life.