These kids won my heart
GUYS, PLEASE CAN YOU help me buy lunch for someone?
When I was in the Philippines earlier this year, I visited this ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE group of youngsters (above), who were being fed by brilliant staff from an NGO.
I was so moved I was speechless (not something that happens to me a lot, to the immense sorrow of the cursed unfortunates who work/ live with me).
I wanted to take these kids home with me so much that I found myself looking around for a VERY LARGE sportsbag.
More recently, I was shocked to get this email from Lawrence, one of the staff: “We are urgently looking for people who are willing to sponsor the malnourished children's outreach feeding program. These children are in danger of extreme sickness and death.”
The price of rice and basic foodstuffs is mounting, and is way beyond the budgets of these needy communities. The cashbox to buy rice needs constant topping up.
Of course, I did exactly what you would do: I wrote back immediately and said yes. In fact, I pledged to give them all the profits from my new book.
But that means that my original plan to send out a free copy of the book to loyal contributors is scrapped. Sorry! Instead of getting a free book, you’re getting the opposite: a plea from me to please please please buy as many copies as you can. My apologies.
Is the book any good? Only one person has read it so far, and she gave it a great review: “It’s better than ‘50 Shades of Grey’!” Wow, er, thanks, Elli. That may possibly qualify as the worst great review in the history of the world. A better write-up about the book can be found in this Time Out feature here.
All the money I get will go to Lawrence (below) and his team to buy rice for the kids.
To buy a copy from anywhere in the world, you can just go to this site. Why not buy five copies and give them to friends? Or enemies?
If you live in Hong Kong, you can pick them up at bookshops such as Bookazine, Dymocks, etc.
If you are an ebook person, the ebook edition will be out very soon.
If you want an autographed copy, I am talking to the bookstores about doing a signing session – will publish the date right here as soon as it is settled.
Hope to have good news for Lawrence before Christmas.
(Picture of the kids by Michelle Lie)
