TIGblogs - Tina T.H. Lee's TIGBlog http://thlee.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us Darling Be Brave http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482781

Morning smile

whispers to

night tear,

lsquo;Yoursquo;ve made it throughrsquo;.


]]> Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:09:00 EDT http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482781 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 The Only Words I Need http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482783

Believe it.

Know it.

Do it.

Live it.

Love it.


]]> Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:09:00 EDT http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482783 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Silver Lining http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482785

Rain drops

Little sparks onto the concrete;

Rainbow.


]]> Tue, 27 May 2008 01:05:00 EDT http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482785 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Change http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482787

At last, a clearing

Irsquo;ve walked upon,

Still in the woods.


]]> Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:04:00 EDT http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482787 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Living It Up http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482789

Life,

Sunrise, sunset,

A dream.


]]> Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:04:00 EDT http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482789 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Forward http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482791

I take a step,

Breathe,

And look back.


]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:01:00 EST http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/482791 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Are you on Facebook? If you are, help TIG win!! http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/317803 help TIG win $50,000! from Facebook's Giving Challenge! We need as little as $10 per person. Give TIG a gift this holiday and be sure it'll be shared with the youth of the world! :)

Click, join, and donate to the cause now!



THANK YOU!!]]> Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:31:00 EST http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/317803 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Spread the word. Spread The Net! http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/64989 Millenium Promise Conference yesterday. Speakers such as youth philanthropy titans Craig and Mark Kielburger, famed economist Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, former US president Bill Clinton and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow delivered inspiring and motivational presentations concerning children of the world and poverty.

Launched during this glorious event is the Spread the Net Campaign, co-chaired by Canada's own Belinda Stronach and Rick Mercer in partnership with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and UNICEF Canada.

"Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by mosquitoes. In Africa, it’s the largest single cause of death of children under 5 years of age. Pregnant women are also especially vulnerable."

Spread the Net - www.spreadthenet.org

"Without concerted actions, the death rate is expected to double in the next 20 years."

Spread the Net - www.spreadthenet.org

"A bednet provides a physical barrier to mosquitoes. It reduces the chance of being bitten by mosquitoes. A bednet is a simple way to prevent malaria infection. Bednets are coated with insecticide so they not only keep out mosquitoes, but they are killed on contact. Insecticide-treated mosquito bednets have proven to cut the death rate of malaria up to 50%."

Spread the Net - www.spreadthenet.org

"The goal: to cover Africa in blue bednets and stop death by malaria. It raises funds so that Unicef can procure and distribute bednets at no costs to the families receiving them. Every $10 collected will purchase a bednet for a child in Africa.

It's about all of us saving all those children in Africa. It’s a simple, effective, inexpensive way to make a BIG difference. It’s about life and death. It’s war on malaria. 10 bucks can buy you a couple of cappuccinos or a bednet to protect an african child for up to 5 years. It’s something you can do right now.

1 net. 10 bucks. Save lives."

Therefore, spread the word and Spread the Net, friends, save lives.]]> Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:40:00 EST http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/64989 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 My Kind of Youth http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/60603 This short article/essay is now featured on the Soul Graffiti LLC website as I was appointed Director of Youth Projects, to head the Youth Graffiti division. I am sharing the article here with everyone again. And I welcome any comments, questions, and contributions.

I seldom link the character of kindness to my peers, that is, youth, for I know the times they go through and the emotions they bear during… the angst and insecurity typical to the times of youth often alienate them from the world, giving them no relief to begin considering the others. But I’m wrong. Not about the complex emotions youth go through while in transition to adulthood, but about the character of kindness in their nature. Indeed, I’ve been pleasantly surprised on several occasions: I’ve witnessed a young gangster man hold the door open to a father and his son at an arcade, fifteen-year-old girls help an unfamiliar old lady carry her groceries to her home, a stern twenty-years-old boy offer a hug to a crying two-year-old, and a small group of high school kids stop and help push a middle-aged man and his car out of snow… These are all admirable examples of kindness given by youth and my fortunate observance of these occurrences certainly taught me a few lessons as well as uplifted my spirit from the seemingly gloomy world. The truth is; kindness is a great virtue that can exist in even the smallest gestures, from anyone, anywhere. I never understood that fully until very recently, one ordinary night.

That ordinary night, my godparents had welcomed my sisters, myself and our friends (that they had never met) into their home for dinner. My godparents have been my mentors on kindness ever since my childhood and their natural warmth easily broke the ice. We had a pleasant dinner interspersed with hearty laughs. After dinner, everyone settled in the living room and some began singing on the karaoke machine as others watched and listened or renewed conversation. I sang for a while, but worried about some of my friends whom I knew would likely feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment, around unfamiliar people. So I took a pause and turned to a girlfriend who was playing with her digital camera to ask her how she was. We chatted for a little before she excused herself to the washroom. While waiting for her, I picked up her digital camera and started playing the pictures she’d taken. Then, there it was, kindness, effortlessly manifested in those pictures. She had recorded, shot after shot, my smiling godmother and her daughter in her lap, my sisters happily breaking into songs, and our other girlfriends laughing and conversing… My girlfriend wasn’t a photographer; not amateur, not professional. She was probably just taking pictures to pass the time. Yet, in the pictures she took that night, I felt appreciation and recognition for the beauty and tenderness of human interaction. That innocent awareness is kindness. To be able to appreciate and recognize beauty in others is kindness. Discovering those pictures in my unsuspecting friend’s camera was like uncovering a treasure at a familiar yet mostly unexpected hiding site, a both simple and profound find, certain to make a mark in my heart and memory.

That moment was my soul graffiti. Kindness is everywhere and it can be observed in anyone, all it requires is the heart’s eye. After that ordinary yet insightful night, I believe I now have an improved and heightened sense for kindness: I will see it, not only in youth, but from anyone, anywhere, at any time.]]> Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:54:00 EST http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/60603 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333 Nuances in Light http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/15644
What would you rather experience :

A) Brightness all your life?

OR

B) A ray of light after some trials of darkness in your life? Why?

My own choice would be B.

Allow me to explain my position: Similarly to Plato's analogy of the cave, I would consider lifelong brightness a parallel to ignorant bliss whereas "trials of darkness", on the other hand, would signify possible obstacles and challenges in life, exposing one to reality. Thus, surviving these experiences and learning from them would bring about a light - not only of bliss - but also of clarity and wisdom. Such light would be much more moving and consequently better cherished because it was earned with character.]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2004 23:15:00 EDT http://thlee.tigblog.org/post/15644 45.5 -73.583333345.5-73.5833333