The Goddess Market Place is brought to you by the beautiful Goddess’s at Aurora Alchemy Singapore as they recreate the most ancient and successful marketplace – the Temple of Diana in Ephesus.

Its going to be so super fun and magical and there is even a FREE Meditation from 4:00-4:30pm

So come on down for a wonderful day.. Hope to see you there.

Our Rub A Dub Candles and Melts will be available to purchase at the upcoming Saturday Purrzaar as part of the “Cats of The World” photo exhibition at The Arts House.

The exhibition runs from 10th – 30th September and the 2 Saturday Purrzaars are on Saturday the 15th & Saturday 22nd September! This cat photo exhibition is dedicated to our furry feline friends who never fail to sniff out a warm out-of-reach spot to curl up in any corner at any place of the world… We hope to celebrate their grace, mischief, craftiness, aloofness and sloth with the photos pooled together from all cat-loving photographers; amateurs to professionals.

Exodus Brand will be donating a percantage of all sales made at the Purrzaar to the Cat Welfare Society !

We will be joined by lots of exciting pussy loving vendors! You can check them out by clicking HERE

We just watched this documentary the other night and it was really inspiring, so much so that we decided to slightly rearrange our lounge room so we could grow more edible plants using the beautiful sunshine that comes through our windows. Its really not so impossible and even if you start small, I mean really small with your own herbs its something!

Edible City is a feature-length documentary film that tells the stores of extraordinary people who are digging their hands into the dirt, working to transform their communities and do something truly revolutionary: grow local Good Food Systems that are socially just, environmentally sound, and economically resilient.

Learn more about Edible City Grow the Revolution HERE

Find Edible City Grow the Revolution on Facebook HERE

What you will need to get started

• 2 x plastic tubs – one tub should be smaller in height than the other so it can fit inside and have a gap at the bottom.
• a drill
• bedding material – newspaper, cardboard, hay or dried leaves,
• 1 small bag of good quality soil – nothing with anything nasty in it like chemicals, salt or non-organic fertiliser.
• 1kg of composting worms – we use Malaysian Blue Worms
• clean water in a spray bottle.

Step 1: Getting Holey

I purchased our tubs from Ikea (sizes are:  large L57cm x W39cm x H42cm & small L57cm x W39cm x H28cm). Drill holes into both tubs as shown below.The holes are to let oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.

Drill holes into both sides of the large tub. Make sure the holes sit lower than the inside tub will, my holes are a little more than half way down. These holes help any carbon dioxide (that flows down) escape.

Drill holes into bottom of the small tub. This is to let any moisture drip down and collect in the bottom container.

Drill holes into the lid. The lid fits on the smaller top tub and keeps your worms protected and the holes allow oxygen to flow in.

Step 2: Making the Bed

Worms dont like the light or the heat, so having a good cosy bedding that they can hide in is very important. This also creates spaces for air and easy movement for the worms.  The worm bedding can be made out of a mix of recycled materials like shredded newspaper & cardboard, dry leaves or hay and a big handful of good quality soil as grit for the worms digestion.  As mentioned above make sure the soil is organic and does not contain any nasties.

I used last weekends newspaper, an old cardboard box & some organic hay mulch (used for hamsters & rabbit hutches).  Mix the shredded newspaper & cardboard with the hay & soil till its about two-thirds full.

Add in your handfuls of soil here … My worms were already in a good quantity of soil so no need to add in extra.

Once you have all your bedding materials in,  spray with clean water until it feels like a damp sponge (damp NOT wet). You don’t want your little guys to dry out!

Step 3: Moving In

This is the fun part (if your not squeamish). Add your worms to their new home! Spread them around and watch them bury down into the bedding material. Don’t worry worms do not have teeth so they are not going to bite you!

Once your worms are in cover the top with a piece of newspaper to help keep the light out. Spray the newspaper with clean water so it is damp.

Put the lid on your tub and you are done!!! Keep your worm bin in a cool dark place but make sure it is getting enough airflow.. We keep ours on a shelf in the kitchen. (A special thanks to my husband (thats him below hehe) for helping me document the making of our worm farm)

Step 4: Looking after your new friends

Worms can eat up to their body weight in food scraps daily! Please note that too much food will result in bad odours, make sure your worms are eating what you put in the bin before adding more. Too little food will result in thin pale worms so keep your eye on them. If you are worried about bugs or odours bury your food scraps just under the surface of the bedding material and remember to cover with newspaper.

Your worms will eventually eat through the bedding material. Every few months add extra bedding material as necessary to maintain it at three-quarters full. Remember the bedding must remain not to dry and not to wet.

The Benefits of Keeping a Worm Farm

Besides the fact that worms consume and recycle your food scraps that would otherwise be going down the rubbish shoot, they also produce “worm castings” and “worm juice” or “worm tea”. These are the products left over after your worms have devoured the organic scraps you have fed them. They are really beneficial to your garden and especially to your edible plants.

Worm Juice is the liquid that collects in the bottom tub. Check this daily by lifting out the top tub. Any liquid collected can be diluted 1:10 with clean water and used as fertiliser on your garden or potted plants.

Worm Castings otherwise known as Worm Poo can be collected from the top tub and sprinkled in the garden or onto potted plants. It is recommended a mix of 20% worm castings & 80% organic potting mix.

So there you have it!! I hope this helps with making your own worm farm.

Need Help?

If you have any questions about making your own worm farm please feel free to contact me (Sammi Tan) at exodusbrand@gmail.com or on +65 8444 5733

Alternatively I can purchase & set up your kitchen worm farm for you at a cost of $100 PLUS the cost of the worms and other necessary items you require such as tubs & soil.

Happy Farming!!

Sammi xx

We will have all your favourite candle smells as well as some extra little bits and pieces to bring a smile to your dial.

This August, the Public Garden will have an exciting venture with Singapore’s Bras Basah Bugis Precint. So come down and say “G’Day” xxx

To read more about Rub A Dub Candles & Melts CLICK HERE

To find out more about the wonderful Public Garden Guys CLICK HERE

Hope to see you there – Sammi Sparrow xxx

I’ll get straight to the point, I am about to ask you for money! But I am only asking because I believe one person can make a world of difference.

My little brother DJ will be taking part in a 550km cycle over 16 days from Saigon, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia in the fight to eradicate Human Sex Trafficking globally & in particular South East Asia’s Cambodia.

DJ rang to tell me about this opportunity he had to make a difference and asked me to watch a short 12min film on sex slavery in Cambodia. It was uncomfortable to watch and some things just jumped out at me and stuck like glue inside. Here are just a few horrible facts of life on the not so green side of the fence.

• Sex Slavery is the 3rd most profitable criminal industry in the world  with profits over $10 billion a year
• Girls as young as 3 years old are taken from or sold by their families and wanted for their virginity which some believe cures AIDS or makes you younger. Some girls are even re-stiched over and over again to be re-sold as virgins.
• These women and children are kept in cages and forced to take up to 15 clients per day. If they do not do as they are told they are starved, beaten or electrocuted.
• 2,000,000 women and children are sold yearly into the sex trade, 300,000 being in SEA and 40,000 in Cambodia. 1 out of every 4 girls in Cambodia finish up as sex slaves.

Please watch the short film below to see for yourself.

How it all came about.

My brother works for a company called LexisNexis. This company regulary donate to a non-profit organisation called Project Futures who raise awareness and funds for organisations who work to eradicate sex trafficking. Project Futures in turn works with the Somaly Mam Foundation which is featured in the video above. LexisNexis nominated DJ to take part in the Cycle Challenge and after watching the video he gladly accepted.

Where your donation goes.

As part of being nominated for the ride, DJ had to commit to raising minimum AUD3250.00. Every dollar really does count.

• Every dollar donated by you will go direct to the Somaly Mam Foundation.
• DJ will pay for his own flights, accommodation and meals and take his leave from work as leave without pay.
• LexisNexis will also make a donation of $5000

DJ has made it clear that he does not expect a large sum of money from each individual, that even a $5 donation makes a difference. Or if you can’t make a donation can you please help spread the word.

So I am asking  you to help by donating using this link (CLICK HERE to DONATE).

I am really proud of my brother and wish him every success in his ride.

Thanks for listening and lets make a difference.

Sammi Sparrow xxx

DONATIONS: http://makingadifference.gofundraise.com.au/page/DJ84

Exodus Brand “Rub A Dub” Massage Candles and Melts are made from 100% soy wax.  The many benefits of burning 100% soy wax are above and beyond that of their paraffin wax counterparts. Below we have listed some of the benefits of candles made from soy wax.

1. Soy Candles are Clean Burning - Of course, nothing that burns is entirely smoke-free, but there is drastically less soot from a soy candle than from a paraffin candle. Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct. David Krause, a researcher of air quality, has presented evidence that the soot from paraffin candles has many of the same compounds – including as many as 11 carcinogens – as burning diesel fuel. In other words, it’s like having a miniature 18-wheeler in your living room, or worse, your bedroom. Soy wax, on the other hand, has never been shown to give off any carcinogens at all. It also will not leave unpleasant soot-stains or discolor walls, ceilings, draperies, or furniture.

2. Soy Wax is Long Burning - Lighting a soy wax candle and an otherwise identical paraffin wax candle side by side is almost shocking in the difference of burn time. The soy wax candle is likely to last at least a third again as long, if not more, than the paraffin candle, some well over twice as long. Part of this is due to the fact that soy wax burns at a much cooler temperature than paraffin.

3. Soy Candles are Biodegradable, Non-Toxic and Water Soluble - Because soy wax is just hydrogenated soybean oil, it is, naturally, biodegradable, non-toxic, and perfectly harmless to the environment, not to mention children and pets. Also, because it is water soluble, spills and stains can be cleaned up with soap and water.

4. Soy Holds and Throws Scent and Colour Better than Paraffin - Because it is natural, and because it is cooler-burning, soy wax holds color, and both holds and throws scent better (this means that the candle fragrance stays strong longer, and gives off more scent when burned) than paraffin, and therefore make much superior scented candles and aromatherapy candles.

5. Soy Wax Candles are Made From a Renewable Resource that Helps Farmers - Soy is a highly renewable resource, unlike petroleum, and helps support agricultural growth.

6. Soy Wax Candles are More Cost Effective - Because they are so much longer burning, soy candles end up much cheaper in the long run, even if they have a slightly higher initial price tag.

More on our “Rub A Dub” Massage Candles & Melts here

Candles available at Blackmarket Orchard Central and Ana Boutique

Source: Green/Simple Leave @ Suite 101

Picture: Tyrone David Photography

I personally recommend this to everyone!! Sifu Fofoa is my very own Sifu and I have been practising Wing Tsun under him for over a year now. I find it has helped me in many ways especially with my focus & confidence! Also the team at Recognize Studios are amazing!  So there it is pretty easy sell right … Sign up details are below.

GROUND N’ POUND WING CHUN

By: Sifu Fofoa Temese
7th Level Practician (World Kung Fu Masters Organisation)
3rd Generation Instructor in the Ip Man Lineage

Learn about Self Defence, Confidence, and Discipline for the mind body & Soul.

1 time Introductory Workshop $38.
1st July Sunday 1pm – 3pm, 2 hours.

Lessons starts Friday 6th July 2012
3.30pm – 5pm
Monthly Card classes for $90.
Registration $20. (Registration waived if attended workshop on 1st July)
Walk in $29.

To register please send an email to nic@recognizestudios.com with the following details:
1.) Name:
2.) Contact number:
3.) Email:
4.) Workshop or Weekly Lessons

The first pillar: Breathing

This one of the most important pillars, as it is present in all types of physical activity. Breathing provides oxygen and oxygen supports life. If your breath becomes shallow it will affect your performance and you wont be nearly as fast, strong and enduring as you can be.

No matter what kind of physical activity you engage in, try to keep your breathing as deep and constant as possible. This requires a great deal of practice but once you start grasping the basics of it you will find yourself performing much better.

The second pillar: Footwork

Footwork is not just what the feet does, it’s also how your legs move and how your feet moves in accordance with the body. In all types of physical activity theres footwork involved, you might not notice it, but even swimming involves footwork. Professional swimmers spend a lot of time practicing how to move their legs optimally.

For martial artists it’s even more important to optimize the footwork. I have whitnessed fights being settled quickly because one fighter simply was outclassed by footwork, you may recall the famous words of the boxing legend Cassius Clay aka Muhammed Ali - “Dance like a butterfly, sting like a bee”

Footwork is easily one of the most overlooked of the five, so make sure that you practice all sorts of footwork. Work on how to both quicken the pace of your steps and slowing it down.

The third pillar: Core

The core is the midsection of the body, it includes everything from your hips to your spine. The core muscles works to support your balance during dynamic and static training. If you’re not able to support your core, you will not be able to generate power.

Great examples of core strength can be found in gymnastics where the gymnasts are able to support their core during various static body-levers and during dynamic excercises like ring gymnastics.

The fourth pillar: Technique

Technique is another very important aspect of physical activity, technique enables us to conserve energy through spending less energy required to complete a motion. Through perfecting technique you will become faster and more enduring because your body will be capable of performing the movements more precisely with less energy spent.

A great example of this is olympic powerlifters, there are men and women lifting more than double their bodyweight over their heads. This cannot be done through sheer force and strength, a great amount of technical skill is required to do this.

Of the five pillars, technique is probably one of the most specific pillars. Technique can be learned only through repetition of movement until your body learns to perform a specific movement with as little effort as possible.

The fifth pillar: Power

Power is often confused with the term “physical strength”, these two should not be confused as they are very different in their nature.

Strength is most commonly measured by the amount of weight a person can lift, carry or hold in a static position. Power is measured by how much kinetic energy a person can generate, in a specific movement.

The faster the person can move his fist from point a to point b, while keeping the mass constant (the weight in the punch), the more kinetic energy is generated, and the harder the punch will be.

In the olympic lifting excercise, the snatch, power is measured by how fast you can move as much weight as possible, to the top position. Thus the heavier the weight, the more kinetic energy is needed to bring the barbell to top position. Because of this, the weight is related to the amount of power the person can generate.

What this tells you is that power is always related to the mass and the speed of which the mass moves at. This is especially important for martial arts. You want to generate as much power, over as short a distance as possible.

SOURCE: www.knudtskov.dk

source: permacultureprinciples.com

Permaculture Flower

The permaculture journey begins with the Ethics and Design Principles and moves through the ket domains required to create a sustainable culture. The spiral evolutionary path joins together these domains, initially at a personal and local level, and then proceeding to the collective and global level.

Some of the specific fields, design systems and solutions that have been associated with the wider view of permaculture are listed below.

Land & Nature Stewardship

• Bio-intensive gardening
• Forest gardening
• Seed saving
• Organic agriculture
• Biodynamics
• Natural Farming
• Keyline water harvesting
• Holistic Rangeland Management
• Natural Sequence Farming
• Agroforestry
• Nature-based forestry
• Integrated aquaculture
• Wild harvesting & hunting
• Gleaning

Building

• Passive solar design
• Natural construction materials
• Water harvesting & Waste reuse
• Biotechture
• Earth sheltered construction
• Natural resistant construction
• Owner building
• Pattern Language

Tools & Technology

• Reuse and creative recycling
• Hand tools
• Bicycles and electric bikes
• Efficient & low pollution wood stoves
• Fuels from organic wastes
• Wood Gasification

Education & Culture

• Home Schooling
• Waldorf education
• Participatory arts and music
• Social ecology
• Action research
• Transition culture

Health & Spiritual Wellbeing

• Home birth & breast feeding
• Complementary & Holistic medicine
• Yoga, Thai Chi & other body/mind/spirit disciplines
• Spirit if place, indigenous cultural revival
• Dying with dignity

Finances & Economics

• Local & regional currencies
• Carpooling, Ride sharing & Car share
• Ethical Investment & Fair Trade
• Farmers Markets & Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
• WWOOFing & similar networks
• Tradable Energy Quotas
• Life Cycle Analysis & Energy Accounting

Land Tenure & Community Governance

• Cooperatives & Body Corporates
• Cohousing & Ecovillages
• Native Title and traditional use rights
• Open Space Technology & Consensus Decision Making

Source: permacultureprinciples.com

We consult and design for projects of all scales including the following:

We have experience in the following climates:

You can contact us at exodusbrand@gmail.com

Best Indie Boutique
Blackmarket
Also a winner in the same category last year, proprietor Jasmine Tuan’s 1,500-sq. ft. boutique is still the go to place for edgy contemporary fashion, with its unpredictable mix of quirky menswear (brands like Evenodd) and funky accessories (Stone For Gold).

For the full list of winners go to is.asia-city.com

The full range of Exodus Brands’ Rub A Dub Candles & Melts are available at Blackmarket No. 2  in Orchard Central #02-10

I want this T-Shirt for 2 reasons .. 1) It looks damn cool … 2) Wearing it will hopefully help me channel Mr Lee’s dope moves when I am practicing Wing Tsun!

The Jun Fan Gung Fu club of Seattle was conceived by Bruce Lee and started during the year 1960. It was started as a school and was active through 1967 and closed during that year. Shortly after, it was re-activated as a private club and remained that way until 2005. For years the school operated as a private club whose members were instructed to not talk about it. We were not looking for new students and rarely were people allowed to watch. Students that were taken were screened for those with only the utmost dedication and seriousness.

This is a Bruce Lee Store Exclusive!

A contrast zipper stitch recalls a bit of flavor from 1960′s Hong Kong while the front and back art pays tribute to Bruce Lee’s first Institute in Seattle Washington. All art is hand crafted and soft hand printed on premium super soft, bamboo cotton blended crew neck.Limited edition exclusively available from the Official Bruce Lee Store while supplies last.

Source: brucelee.shop.sportstoday.com

This May, the Public Garden Flea Market is held in conjunction with Singapore Arts Festival. Click HERE for more details! So come down and say “G’Day” xxx

Public Garden operates a flea market comprising Singapore’s best independent businesses and creative individuals. Public Garden is an alternative to big-box retail with a free spirit.

Read more about Public Garden HERE

Love them on Facebook HERE

I love this picture! Reminds me of sitting around the dinner table with the family and watching my younger brother push his peas around the plate hoping they would eventually disappear and hearing my mum say “DJ, eat your peas!”

I love my peas and they are good for you too! And even better they are good for your garden! They are a leguminous plant and are great more pumping much needed nitrogen into your soil which makes it yummier for all your other plants growing in it! So go on give peas a chance! – Sammi Sparrow

Health benefits of green peas

• Peas are one of the most nutritious leguminous vegetable, rich in health benefiting phyto-nutrients, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.
• Peas are relatively low in calories when compared with beans, and cowpeas. 100 grams of green peas provide only 81 calories, contain good amount of soluble and insoluble fiber but contains no cholesterol.
• Fresh pea pods are excellent source of folic acid. 100 g provides 65 mcg or 16% of recommended daily levels of folates. Folates are B-complex vitamins required for DNA synthesis inside the cell. Well established research studies suggest that adequate folate rich foods in expectant mothers would help prevent neural tube defects in the newborn babies.
• Fresh green peas are very good in ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Contain 40 mcg/100 g or 67% of daily requirement of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful natural water-soluble anti-oxidant. Vegetables rich in this vitamin helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
• Peas contain phytosterols especially ß-sitosterol. Studies suggest that vegetables like legumes, fruits and cereals rich in plant sterols help lower cholesterol levels in the body.
• Garden peas are also good in vitamin K. 100 g of fresh leaves contain about 24.8 mcg or about 21% of daily requirement of vitamin K-1 (phylloquinone). Vitamin K has found to have potential role in bone mass building function by promoting osteo-trophic activity in the bone. It also has established role in Alzheimer’s disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
• Fresh green peas also contain adequate amounts of anti-oxidants flavonoids such as carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin as well as vitamin-A (provide 765 IU or 25.5% of RDA per 100 g). Vitamin A is essential nutrient which is required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is also essential for vision. Consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• In addition to folates, peas are also good in many other essential B-complex vitamins such as pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin, and pyridoxine. Furthermore, they are rich source of many minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, zinc and manganese.

Source: nutrition-and-you.com

“Permaculture for me is the only answer that the world needs and it’s the only methodology that will work, that will build the worlds resources in a way that they are permanently replenish able instead of concentrating on finite resources we obviously need to enhance the living resources and we can do it thousands of times more effectively, positively and quantitively than anything that we’ve ever imagined before using this system. So its something really worth engaging in and that’s what I do.” – Geoff Lawton