Lots of Sugar, Flour & Butter later...

a random almond pear tart photo I forgot to post up...

The Belated Campaign Finale Post
I really wanted to go back and review the amount of SUGAR, BUTTER and FLOUR I've used up in the three months of baking just so I can have a cool title to the finale post... but being disorganised as I am it didn't happen obviously, time wise I'd rather spend it on.... more sleep!







Unfortunately, all good things come to an end
I have finally made it to the end of the longest-bake-sale-ever... it certainly feels like it's been going on forever to me! Some of you may be wondering, what next? At the moment, I'm just really enjoying time off baking, and looking forward to making my first wedding cake order in a month's time which requires planning and research and testing and testing... coz I've never made one before!!! and it's suppose to be the one cake you're not suppose to stuff up in your life... so I'm quite nervous about it. I'm also constantly reminding myself to go into sugar/baking rehab soon in the hope to one day be able to fit into my clothes again... the constant rainy weather is not helping :(

But before everyone goes on with their lives and forget about me...
Let's have a quick recap on what happened in July, August and September 2010!

In 90 days, the total amount raised was, drum roll please...
roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll ......

US$5022 in just over a month and an extra A$2635 after I stopped baking everyday.

Hip-Hip Hooooray! 

that's nearly one and a half wells that will potentially serve 375 people for the next 20 years! Sweet sweet numbers! Yeah, and I did it just by baking everyday, how I've proved all the skeptics wrong! (including myself).

another random pic of carrot cake just to prettify this post

Not only did I exceeded my initial goal in record time, I raised another $2635 which will go towards building a second well with Well Wishers. That's coz I don't want to risk losing any more cash donations to the black hole of foreign exchange and international transaction fees!  (Hello charity:water if you're reading this, you might want to consider setting up in Australia?) I even had to turn down a few cake orders in order to stay alive. Or else, I guess it would've been possible to raise enough to build 2 wells! I've learnt to know my limits...



So what did I get out of it all?
I decided it was just easier to donate all baking related costs even after I reached my initial US$5000 goal, cos it makes sense, the return from my input is worth it. This is probably the best value for money birthday gift I can buy for myself anyway. I have everything I need already and money is something I can make up for in due time while some things can't wait! (okay, so the electricity bills were shockingly high, and my holiday has to postpone...) still, you know, it's just money, and I'm usually not this kind of a person, but I placed myself at the point of no return. Besides, PEOPLE ARE DYING FROM THIRST! 

The experiences I've gained through this campaign has all been positive, .................okay I lied, the unwanted 5+ kgs of body mass gained in all the wrong places is a negative achievement. But even the late night struggles, having to juggle work with baking, lack of social life and personal time, and dealing with the negative sides of human nature... looking back, I really didn't anticipate all the extra drama when I first started out and have managed to surpass - it's been awesome! I'm happy with the amount of money I have raised in the set time but I'm most proud of being able to inspire and excite others into giving through my campaign.

I must admit, at times I have felt really burnt out physically and emotionally, but luckily for me baking is therapeutic to a degree. Although my health has suffered from the lack of sleep and stress, I still feel energised when I know there are people out there that care and support the cause that I believe in. Plus, I essentially killed three birds with one stone?!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Got myself a well for my upcoming 27th birthday!! 
2. Had the opportunity to bake to my hearts content, cleared off a few items from my to-bake's list
3. Successfully spread the word about the global water crisis around the globe

... and made friends along the way...

A few things I proved and learnt through my experience...

• Eating cake everyday will make you FAT
• Lack of sleep everyday will make you FAT and GRUMPY
• A new habit can be developed with a little persistence
• There are nice people around
• God doesn't exist
• Sugar is addictive

Someone asked me how many marriage proposals have I received since I started this charity work... I can't believe there hasn't been one either! (God doesn't exist)Well, the lines are still open hot-men-of-the-universe, please send your applications titled "will you marry me?" with a photo attached and name your favourite cake to sugar4water@gmail.com ...... jokes aside, seriously, I'd like to thank you all for being so kind and supportive, you know who you are :)

About Blog Action Day 2010
I saw a Charity:Water notice on facebook just before and found out about Blog Action Day 2010 which is held annually on the 15th October where bloggers from everywhere unite and blog about the same issue to bring global awareness. This year's issue is WATER! So it made sense for me to mention about it here... if you're reading this and you blog, please go enlighten your readers about stuff outside their little bubble!

I'm so over preaching about how giving is way more rewarding than receiving (it's true though!) and I've been pleasantly surprised along the way at how infectious and "magnetic" the act of giving is. I encourage everyone to do something like this simply because you can and you get to feel fuzzily empowered. If someone as disorganised as me, someone who really only has four reliable friends can do it, anything is possible! So next time you're feeling generous or lost or can't decide what to splurge on for your own birthday - go buy yourself a well!

I'm both happy and sad, mixed feelings about the end of Sugar4Water, maybe it's just the beginning to something bigger (it has crossed my mind)... but for the time being, I'm focusing on getting my health back on track before I dive into the next random stint. Oh, I should get some tax benefits from the donation I send off to Well Wishers, that's a little "gift" for my efforts from you and the tax man.

Thank you for helping me make a little difference in the global water crisis. It's simple to start your own campaign and you can really do anything to raise money or just awareness, you never know, you might inspire someone out there who's got the cash and generosity!

Okay, I'll finish off now...
Hopefully I'll get notified like they promised when my well gets built, then I can show it off to everyone here :P so y'all can see where your money went! So, check back once in a while...

Meanwhile, stay fuzzy, and remember giving IS receiving.

With lots of sugar and rainbows,
xxx. amy :))))