It is more agreeable to have the power to give than to receive.

It's been a long time since I updated my last post.  I am so glad to report that our Cupcake-Sell-A-Thon for Brendan and his family was a great success! 

I made the following flavors for the Cupcake-Sell-A-Thon last week:

The Summer Cupcake (vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting)

Coca-Pop Cupcake (chocolate and coca cola cupcake with cherry frosting)

Ms. Rosie Cupcake (vanilla cupcake with rose water frosting)

The Dude Cupcake (chocolate cake with bacon bits, PB frosting and champagne pomegrate filling)

The Classic Cupcake (vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream)

The Chocolate Lover (chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting)

Everything was sold within the first half hour, and we even needed to limit people to buy only 2 max. for the first round.  Some people even gave me more money than the cupcake actually cost.  Besides selling those amazing cupcakes, we also have a secret auction for a half dozen cupcakes, which came with each flavor) to boost more funds for the family.  The secret auction went so successfully and it got sold for 100 dollars=)  I hope that the funds we collected during the sale could help Brendan and his family to pay off some of their bills.  Also, glad to hear that Brendan is a very tough little guy.  He has been recovered very well and hopefully, he could leave the hospital by end of this year. 

Ms. Rosie Cupcake without the rose pedal

The Classic Cupcakes and the Summer Cucpakes were both sold out quickly.

Coca-Pop cupcakes are a lot of people's favorites

Ms. Rosie Cupckes got dressed up with a edible rose pedal

The Dude Cupcakes are not just popular among the dudes. 
They were so popular among the ladies too.

Hurry up, only two Ms. Rosie left! 
And Tony (Brendan's dad) shared some recent pictures of the family and Brendan with us.

Gone Gone Gone...

The secret auction.  The half dozen got sold for 100 dollars!

This time, I gave up using fondant for decoration.  I used edible rose pedal for the Ms. Rosie Cupcakes, a small stripe of bacon for the Dude Cupcakes, and a cherry and a straw for the Coca-Pop Cupcakes...they came out as cute as my hand crafted fondant toppers.

I had so much fun of planning and organizing this Cupcake-Sell-A-Thon and I was touched by all the kind people, who came out and support.  This meant a lot to me, Brendan and his family.  You guys ROCKS!

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.

Story of little Brendan -

On June 12th, 2012 Amy and Tony Belello took their 14 month old son into the emergency room due to an accidental fall from a changing table earlier in the morning. A CT scan revealed a “peach sized mass” in the back of his brain/skull and he was rushed into emergency surgery at CHOC hospital in Orange, CA to have it removed and tested. The test came back positive for a type of cancer referred to as Medulloblas toma, a Desmoplasti c style tumor. Neurosurgeons where confident that they had removed most of the tumor and additional fragments. Doctors informed Tony and Amy that he had two weeks to live if the tumor was not removed. Several MRIs, a lumbar puncture and ultrasounds followed and showed a good result with no cancer developing elsewhere in his body.

Brendan has been at CHOC since July 1st and will remain there until December 2012 receiving chemotherapy. The chemotherapy is additional treatment to destroy any remaining cancer cells that may be in his body, which could quickly develop into the original fast-growing brain tumor.

Tony and Amy Belello also have a 3-year old daughter named Collette. The family is forced to be separated during the next 6 months while Brendan undergoes treatment. They also must continue to work full-time jobs in order to maintain medical insurance. Brendan will have one of his parents at his side 24/7 during this process. Your support will help this young family get through this difficult time.

I have never worked with Tony (Brendan's dad) since he had transferred to our San Diego's office when I first started.  However, I did have chance to meet him and his family during our Company's Christmas party last year.  I still remember how cute his two little ones were at the party. It absolutely broke my heart when I hear about what little Brendan has been going through. 

I am always trying to sneak a way to give back to the people in need.  I contacted Tony few weeks ago about a cupcake-sale-a-thon's idea to raise money to help the family.  And Tony was so excited about my idea and very thankful to see someone loves to help his family.  I know that it's not a big event, but I guess every help and every penny count.  And I am glad to hear that Brendan is doing so good at the hospital.  He is such a strong little hero. 

This won't be my last cupcake-sale-a-thon.  I am sure I will organize more cupcake-sale-a-thon in future to help whoever in need. 

Be a Donor, Become a Miracle.

I have this sweetest and prettiest friend I met through my older sister in college.  After we left Pasadena City College, we hardly saw each other due to our busy schedules and other reasons.  However, we still managed to see each other once in a long while.  Even though I didn't get to see this friend a lot; I still see her as one of handful good friends of mine in the States.  I just found out this friend has been going through chemotherapy in treating her cancer from our mutual friend.  She is a very tough and positive girl and she is SO READY to fight a good fight for herself and her family.  I heard that the chemotherapies are doing well; however, the only way to cure her illness will be finding a 10/10 AHA matching bond marrow.    My friend is also having a bone marrow registration drive for her at Agape Bible Missions Church (ABMC), located at 535 West Roses Road, San Gabriel, CA 91775 at 1pm this Sunday.  If you are living in Los Angeles area or we be around, please stop by and register to be a donor. If you are not going to be around in Los Angeles area, but want to help, please kindly register on American RedCross's website.


Here are some frequently asked questions about registering to be a bone marrow donor:

1) How could they determine I am THE ONE?
According to the President of "Be a Hero, Become a Donor", they will use your race, blood type, and Human Bone Marrow Plasma (AHA) to determine you are the match for the patient. 

2) After register to become a donor, what do I need to do?
NOTHING...until they call you when they determine you are the potential donor for the patient.

3) How do I know I am eligible?
Almost everyone is eligible; however, if you have sickness or you have doubt, please refer to the medical guidlines and find out more.  

4) Could I go to work the next day after I donate the bone marrow?
After donating, it requires very minimal time to recover to back to normal.  
5) Who will be responsible for the medical fees?
The insurance company of the patient will cover 100% of the medical fee, transportation fee and even hotel fee (if needed).


6)  Why don't they try their brothers/sisters or even cousin?!
According to recent studies, even brothers/sisters from the same parents, only have 25-30% chance of having 10/10 AHA matching bone marrow.  Therefore, relying on other donors are very very very critical!!!


For more Q&A, please click here.

The Bigger The Better...Cupcake

When Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian left Paris Hilton, she met this new giant cupcake, and she could become her new best friend because she is lower maintance than Nicole and Kim, and also they are less famous than them.  But for sure, she attracted as much attention as Nicole, Kim and Paris all three combined together.  LOL!  Just kiding.

We often hear American said "The Bigger The Better"...hey hey hey, I am talking about cupcake.  Found this GIANT CUPCAKE online and would love to share the picture with everyone.

Location: Detroit, Michigan

Date: August 15, 2009

Cupcake measurements: 4 feet tall and 11 feet in diameter

Make way for the newly crowned "queen cupcake"! The cupcake, baked by the Merengue Bakery in California, has earned the title of World’s Largest Cupcake in the Guinness Book of World Records. With the help of GourmetGiftBaskets.com, the confection was able to earn the prestigious title of "queen" as it was decorated pink in support of the Susan G. Komen foundation, a leading organization in the fight against breast cancer.

But wait, the GIANT cupcake above is no longer the largest one anymore.  Because in October 2009, a new giant cupcake was created by Passion for Pastry in Boca Raton, Fla.

Location: Boca Raton, Fla

Date: October 3, 2009

Cupcake weight:  1,316 pounds