I have a paper due tomorrow but am in no mood at all to write, I sort of need to talk to someone but there is no one, so I am blogging.
I am also watching a travel documentary (Passage to Malaysia) on Sabah, on TLC, formerly Discovery Travel and Living Channel. I have this sudden urge to go there, but of course given my financial situation it is hardly wise (or possible, for that matter). I miss the jungles. I miss the humidity, the symphony of jungle sounds, and even the leeches. OK maybe not so much of the leeches. But the coming Thursday I am going home, and my mum's organizing a waterfall trip on Friday, so I'm looking forward to that. It isn't Sabah, but it will be in the jungle.
Ah the Probiscis monkeys appear on TV. The Probiscis monkeys can have erections that last for 24 hours, a piece of jungle trivia for you. Somewhere along the way their human cousins lost that ability and had to invent Viagra.
I think after all the European cities and landscape I'm really hankering for some tropical beaches and jungles. And I miss Malaysia. It's not even the food, like Zewt might suggest with his typical cynicism. It's just this vibe that stirs something inside of me, once I cross the Causeway I feel warm and instantly relaxed, and I know that I am in a good place. Sure, bad things are happening back home, but bad things happen everywhere. It's just that when bad things happen at home, it hurts more. And at this point I am worried about the world more than anything else, petty politics and racist people seem miniscule compared to the loss of 5,000 species yearly, rising sea levels, melting permafrost, etc. The whole world is driving towards a huge metaphorical concrete wall that will kill us all, and all we can do is squabble about insignificant matters.
But whenever I talk about issues like these I get depressed. I should go. Have a long night of writing and insomnia waiting ahead of me so I should get started.
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
-24: Hello World
Sometimes I wish that you and I would run parallel, in mutual indifference to each other.
I don't want to think about your worldly problems anymore. I don't want to defend you and your little people anymore. Your little people can continue to think that climate change is still debatable. Your little people can spill oil and destroy the little wildlife that you have. Your little people can use all the little plastic bottles and plastic everything that they want. Your little people can trade parts of you in, just for convenience or profit.
And then I realize that it is not you who I find fault with. It is your little people, and their little minds, and their little efforts to make me and my convictions look silly.
Hello world. I am tired but I will continue doing what I think is right.
I don't want to think about your worldly problems anymore. I don't want to defend you and your little people anymore. Your little people can continue to think that climate change is still debatable. Your little people can spill oil and destroy the little wildlife that you have. Your little people can use all the little plastic bottles and plastic everything that they want. Your little people can trade parts of you in, just for convenience or profit.
And then I realize that it is not you who I find fault with. It is your little people, and their little minds, and their little efforts to make me and my convictions look silly.
Hello world. I am tired but I will continue doing what I think is right.
-62: The world gone wrong.
I've been reading the news and there've been so much bad news that it's depressing. I'm not talking about the Malaysian front - I've been much happier since I've given up reading about Malaysian politics. But looking all around, there's the Iceland volcanic ash closing down most airports in Europe (Linda who was supposed to leave on Saturday, has been stranded at my place till today) causing indefinite suspension on everything air-travel related, earthquake in China killing more than 1700 people, political unrest in Thailand paralyzing the local economy and causing bloodshed, plane tragedy killing Polish leaders -
I need to get back to work but I just can't shake off this feeling of gloom, of intense suffering and sadness going on around the world, while I sit at my little desk and bury my head into academic literature, having no direct consequence of making a difference in this mad world.
I need to get back to work but I just can't shake off this feeling of gloom, of intense suffering and sadness going on around the world, while I sit at my little desk and bury my head into academic literature, having no direct consequence of making a difference in this mad world.
The lunatic is on the grass.
Was at the office by 8am this morning, to beat the morning sun. The location of my new place is a 20 minute walk to my office, which is pretty cool because it means that I don't have to waste time on buses or MRTs, and I shrink my carbon footprint, yeah! All the more to compensate for flights that I take =P
There is also a recycling station directly downstairs, I can see it from my room window nine floors up. So now I have two more trash cans, one for bottles and cans, and one for paper. Takes a bit more effort, because I'll have to take the recyclables down instead of just disposing everything through the rubbish chute in the kitchen that makes trash disappear magically (never ceases to amaze me). But I'm happy about it. It's one of the little things, out of many others, that makes my place so great.
Housemate David has not moved in yet, he'll probably move in this weekend or later. Right now I am staying alone, enjoying the space that I can call my own, finally. On the day that my parents returned to KL, the second day that I moved in, I lay spreadeagle on my mattress, buried in the midst of boxes and bags, and slept. For hours and hours. Woke up, thought about unpacking, and went back to sleep. After all these months, I could finally relax and unwind and... rest. From July I'd been rushing from one event to another, one country to another, one bed to another. I felt like I could sleep forever. And from that day I have been waking up every morning with a smile on my face.
My room is gorgeous. It is bright and airy (windy even, at times), fully unfurnished, meaning that I moved into an entirely bare room. This allows me tremendous creative space. I've planned the whole room out and know exactly how it will look like after I'm done with it. Right now it's a big mess but that will change after I get some storage space. My faithful wall map of Asia (with Europe thrown in) will go up on the wall beside my bed. I'll have a chill out corner, with soft lighting and a rug and lots of cushions. Dark curtains. A small book case half concealed under a table cloth.
And the kitchen! I can finally buy vegetables in bulk because we have a cool new fridge (as opposed to the old broken one with the previous Landlord of Nightmares), have milk, put my eggs in, have fizzy drinks, so on and so forth =D I've been cooking noodles the past two nights just putting together whatever I can think of, coming up with a final concoction of:
charcoal noodles + onion + carrot + tomato + egg + seaweed + milk + vegetable stock. Tastes pretty good actually. I also eat it out of the pot. One less dish to wash =D
I think I will make mushroom soup tonight. Maybe I should experiment infusing rice with a mushroom soup base. Make some sort of risotto-like thing, which in case of failure will just turn into mushroom porridge.
Yup I'm pretty happy =) Oh yeah I am going to donate blood this afternoon. Yes, after two times of rejection (a year ago my veins were too weak, 8 months ago I was sick within 3 weeks before the donation drive) I am going for the third time. I connected the dots and figured out the problem. Twice I went on Fridays, twice I failed! Coincidence? I don't think so. Haha just kidding. Anyway third time's the charm, fingers crossed. Back to work!
There is also a recycling station directly downstairs, I can see it from my room window nine floors up. So now I have two more trash cans, one for bottles and cans, and one for paper. Takes a bit more effort, because I'll have to take the recyclables down instead of just disposing everything through the rubbish chute in the kitchen that makes trash disappear magically (never ceases to amaze me). But I'm happy about it. It's one of the little things, out of many others, that makes my place so great.
Housemate David has not moved in yet, he'll probably move in this weekend or later. Right now I am staying alone, enjoying the space that I can call my own, finally. On the day that my parents returned to KL, the second day that I moved in, I lay spreadeagle on my mattress, buried in the midst of boxes and bags, and slept. For hours and hours. Woke up, thought about unpacking, and went back to sleep. After all these months, I could finally relax and unwind and... rest. From July I'd been rushing from one event to another, one country to another, one bed to another. I felt like I could sleep forever. And from that day I have been waking up every morning with a smile on my face.
My room is gorgeous. It is bright and airy (windy even, at times), fully unfurnished, meaning that I moved into an entirely bare room. This allows me tremendous creative space. I've planned the whole room out and know exactly how it will look like after I'm done with it. Right now it's a big mess but that will change after I get some storage space. My faithful wall map of Asia (with Europe thrown in) will go up on the wall beside my bed. I'll have a chill out corner, with soft lighting and a rug and lots of cushions. Dark curtains. A small book case half concealed under a table cloth.
And the kitchen! I can finally buy vegetables in bulk because we have a cool new fridge (as opposed to the old broken one with the previous Landlord of Nightmares), have milk, put my eggs in, have fizzy drinks, so on and so forth =D I've been cooking noodles the past two nights just putting together whatever I can think of, coming up with a final concoction of:
charcoal noodles + onion + carrot + tomato + egg + seaweed + milk + vegetable stock. Tastes pretty good actually. I also eat it out of the pot. One less dish to wash =D
I think I will make mushroom soup tonight. Maybe I should experiment infusing rice with a mushroom soup base. Make some sort of risotto-like thing, which in case of failure will just turn into mushroom porridge.
Yup I'm pretty happy =) Oh yeah I am going to donate blood this afternoon. Yes, after two times of rejection (a year ago my veins were too weak, 8 months ago I was sick within 3 weeks before the donation drive) I am going for the third time. I connected the dots and figured out the problem. Twice I went on Fridays, twice I failed! Coincidence? I don't think so. Haha just kidding. Anyway third time's the charm, fingers crossed. Back to work!
Vegetarianism and a home at long last?
I am working on some posts on the Burning Man, but they're coming on really slowly. I hate the paradox where you resolve to blog your best, but that intention hampers your writing abilities instead because pressure kills inspiration. You then feel like you cannot write to save your ass and would be better off doing something else, such as learning the ukulele. By you, I mean me, of course. And I would really love to learn the ukulele.
Anyway, pressured writing has never done anyone any good (I tend to leave them as drafts, and you tend to never get to read them), so here I am on a break, to give you an update on the exciting life that is mine!
Firstly. I have turned vegetarian. I even bought a t-shirt to seal the deal on the day that I made the decision to commit, that's how serious I am about the whole thing. I only buy t-shirts with messages that I mean.
This picture is taken by Yuen, my officemate (to new readers of my blog). We are supposed to do a writeup about ourselves and send in a professional-looking picture, to put in the university website. This is the picture that I am putting up in the site, taken by Yuen with her cell phone. This picture is also a statement that the university does not pay us enough to take studio pictures. Yuen's is also taken with her cell phone, with a thinker pose, with a chin-propping arm in the picture.
But I digress. I've told my mum my decision, and being the cool mum that she always is, she gave me no beef (pun intended) and respected my choice. Right now she's on a mission to get more information for me on how to eat properly without denying my body of necessary nutrients. I love my mum.
Why I'm doing it? My primary motivation to change my diet is to lessen my footprint on the environment. It might be apparent for some of you who have followed my blog for a bit, that I am quite passionate about global warming. There are times when I feel that we are headed towards a brick wall, or off a cliff, or any mode of inevitable death that occurs to me at that moment.
It is deeply unsettling. I want to do something. I'm aware that just by living, I consume energy, whether I like it or not. It does not help that I have an insatiable thirst to travel, and flights contribute a lot to carbon emissions.
I've been thinking about vegetarianism on and off through about two years, from when I was travelling with Val and Robert. Along the way I met many others, who have inspired me incrementally - until the fateful last day that I spent in San Francisco, where I met this guy Jim on the train to Davis. Jim is a soft-spoken guy who used his credit card to help me buy a train ticket because I only had cash. We started talking about a variety of topics, until we touched the subject of vegetarianism. I don't know how or why, but I found myself telling Jim that I would do it. I would commit to never eating meat again.
The last time I promised some random person that I would stop eating something was at Motueka, New Zealand, where some people were rallying for a petition to stop McDonalds from being introduced into the small town. I signed the petition and promised never to eat McDonalds or KFC ever again. I have kept this promise for two years to date.
Most people I've met do it for animal rights. To be brutally honest, animal rights would not push me over the brink. I mean I do sympathize with all the animal suffering, but I've never been passionate enough about it to stop my meat consumption. But when I became aware that probably the most effective way to stop global warming and environmental pollution is to stop eating meat - each bite became increasingly laced with guilt. Maybe I will blog at length about it someday, I'm feeling rather sleepy now and am in no form to lay down cogent and extensive arguments. Read this and this instead.
I also realized today that a vegetarian meal has a pleasant side bonus of being at least 50 cents cheaper than the normal meal with meat. The narrowing down of my options mean that I spend less time wondering about what to eat, and just be thankful that there is something on the menu for me. Often there are not. Other issues that I am thinking about is my continuation of dairy and egg consumption, although they too come from the farms that cause the damage, but I don't think I can drop eggs and cheese for the time being. I am also wondering about whether to cut myself some slack when it comes to fish - although that would make me a pescetarian instead. Decisions decisions.
*topic change*
Today I viewed a room. True to my tradition of taking the first room that I view, I have decided to take it. So I am going over on Monday to shake (hands) on it. It is marginally cheaper than my previous room but much smaller. However the living environment seems to be much cleaner and I do appreciate not having to cringe at the body hair on the bathroom floor every time I enter the bathroom. So, does it mean that I am going to have a home soon? I certainly hope so, if there are no creepy landlords or crazy housemates out to get me. I will be staying with a Chinese family (pregnant mum, six year old kid, granny - three generations, oh gosh) and a Mexican guy.
I am going to Malacca tomorrow morning to meet my parents. I haven't packed. I haven't done my laundry. I haven't tidied up Jia Ling's room so she won't have a fit when she gets back from Shanghai on Sunday. It is 2:43am now. Woe is me.
Right, I better get going. I think I am actually inducing jet lag upon myself. I think I deserve it.
Anyway, pressured writing has never done anyone any good (I tend to leave them as drafts, and you tend to never get to read them), so here I am on a break, to give you an update on the exciting life that is mine!
Firstly. I have turned vegetarian. I even bought a t-shirt to seal the deal on the day that I made the decision to commit, that's how serious I am about the whole thing. I only buy t-shirts with messages that I mean.
This picture is taken by Yuen, my officemate (to new readers of my blog). We are supposed to do a writeup about ourselves and send in a professional-looking picture, to put in the university website. This is the picture that I am putting up in the site, taken by Yuen with her cell phone. This picture is also a statement that the university does not pay us enough to take studio pictures. Yuen's is also taken with her cell phone, with a thinker pose, with a chin-propping arm in the picture.
But I digress. I've told my mum my decision, and being the cool mum that she always is, she gave me no beef (pun intended) and respected my choice. Right now she's on a mission to get more information for me on how to eat properly without denying my body of necessary nutrients. I love my mum.
Why I'm doing it? My primary motivation to change my diet is to lessen my footprint on the environment. It might be apparent for some of you who have followed my blog for a bit, that I am quite passionate about global warming. There are times when I feel that we are headed towards a brick wall, or off a cliff, or any mode of inevitable death that occurs to me at that moment.
It is deeply unsettling. I want to do something. I'm aware that just by living, I consume energy, whether I like it or not. It does not help that I have an insatiable thirst to travel, and flights contribute a lot to carbon emissions.
I've been thinking about vegetarianism on and off through about two years, from when I was travelling with Val and Robert. Along the way I met many others, who have inspired me incrementally - until the fateful last day that I spent in San Francisco, where I met this guy Jim on the train to Davis. Jim is a soft-spoken guy who used his credit card to help me buy a train ticket because I only had cash. We started talking about a variety of topics, until we touched the subject of vegetarianism. I don't know how or why, but I found myself telling Jim that I would do it. I would commit to never eating meat again.
The last time I promised some random person that I would stop eating something was at Motueka, New Zealand, where some people were rallying for a petition to stop McDonalds from being introduced into the small town. I signed the petition and promised never to eat McDonalds or KFC ever again. I have kept this promise for two years to date.
Most people I've met do it for animal rights. To be brutally honest, animal rights would not push me over the brink. I mean I do sympathize with all the animal suffering, but I've never been passionate enough about it to stop my meat consumption. But when I became aware that probably the most effective way to stop global warming and environmental pollution is to stop eating meat - each bite became increasingly laced with guilt. Maybe I will blog at length about it someday, I'm feeling rather sleepy now and am in no form to lay down cogent and extensive arguments. Read this and this instead.
I also realized today that a vegetarian meal has a pleasant side bonus of being at least 50 cents cheaper than the normal meal with meat. The narrowing down of my options mean that I spend less time wondering about what to eat, and just be thankful that there is something on the menu for me. Often there are not. Other issues that I am thinking about is my continuation of dairy and egg consumption, although they too come from the farms that cause the damage, but I don't think I can drop eggs and cheese for the time being. I am also wondering about whether to cut myself some slack when it comes to fish - although that would make me a pescetarian instead. Decisions decisions.
*topic change*
Today I viewed a room. True to my tradition of taking the first room that I view, I have decided to take it. So I am going over on Monday to shake (hands) on it. It is marginally cheaper than my previous room but much smaller. However the living environment seems to be much cleaner and I do appreciate not having to cringe at the body hair on the bathroom floor every time I enter the bathroom. So, does it mean that I am going to have a home soon? I certainly hope so, if there are no creepy landlords or crazy housemates out to get me. I will be staying with a Chinese family (pregnant mum, six year old kid, granny - three generations, oh gosh) and a Mexican guy.
I am going to Malacca tomorrow morning to meet my parents. I haven't packed. I haven't done my laundry. I haven't tidied up Jia Ling's room so she won't have a fit when she gets back from Shanghai on Sunday. It is 2:43am now. Woe is me.
Right, I better get going. I think I am actually inducing jet lag upon myself. I think I deserve it.
Post from the Green Tortoise
I'm going camping tomorrow! Shall be away from civilization (well sorta - first night we're going to be at Las Vegas), or the online world anyway, so I'm putting down a post right now to appease my hordes of readers who hopefully will not suffer from withdrawal symptoms while I'm gone.
San Francisco has been great. I'm sharing the room with a writer guy who sold all of his possessions after spending 65 years accumulating them. We share a bunk bed, he sleeps on the lower bunk. He has nightmares every night involving scumbags and fuckers. I know that because he yells threats and insults at them in his sleep. It is definitely a very interesting way to wake up, and my only regret is that I am unable to recall any of his colourful monologues because I go back to sleep and forget everything. Damn.
So Peter the Writer is a member of the Asian Art Museum, so I was his guest for today and managed to get in for free. I am proud to say that I have not paid for any museums in the US so far, amazingly. I've always been able to freeload one way or another. In New York it was Jian Hui with his corporate passes, that got me into The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). (I was even able to pawn one extra ticket at the Met Museum that Jian Hui gave me for $10 - half price - the French family was happy, I was happy.)
Then in San Francisco, on Wednesday, coincidentally it was the third Wednesday of the month and the free day of California Academy of Sciences. I had to queue for 2 hours to get in though. It was insane, probably the longest queue I've ever queued at, ever. I reached the Academy at 9:20am, it starts at 9:30am. By the time I got to the end of the queue, according to the guy who was standing there counting the people that were in the line, there were about 2,700 people in front of me. I only got to see the actual building after 1 hour of being in the queue. The family behind me was very entertaining though, and I spent the best part of the two hours just eavesdropping on their conversations.
Hmm they're going to have Beer Olympics in the Green Tortoise Hostel, but I'm not really in the mood to drink tonight so I'm actually going to commit the sacrilege of saying no to free beer. A polar bear probably died somewhere in response. Oh wait - that wasn't me. That was CLIMATE CHANGE!!! I was reading The Drug Issue by the San Francisco Bay Guardian (a whole issue laced with articles on substances that make you high, no shit, SF is cool like that) and there was this advertisement inside by the Republicans, I assume, since they were dissing Obama and the Democrats, that actually claims that manmade global warming is a scam. I think my blood pressure rose significantly.
If any of these people behind the ad actually took the trouble to queue for 2 hours like I did to enter the California Academy of Sciences (for free, since they sound like cheapskates who wouldn't pay 20 bucks to go into a museum) they would know that manmade global warming is scientifically proven and we are this close to crossing the threshold of no return. Mass extinction would occur. This is not the first time that mass extinction has occurred because of climate change, it would be the 6th. But all the consumption of humankind has caused unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide which positively correlates with rising temperatures. In other words, we are causing this.
Think of all the problems that rising temperatures would cause. Some examples: changes in migratory patterns, destruction of sensitive ecosystems, ocean warming, rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, better environments for mosquitoes and diseases that they spread... the list goes ON AND ON. And these people have the cheek to deny everything.
Oh yeah. The ice caps on Mount Kilimanjaro are going to be gone by 2020. Catch them while you can.
*deep breaths*
OK the rant has ruined my mood somewhat. I shall stop here.
San Francisco has been great. I'm sharing the room with a writer guy who sold all of his possessions after spending 65 years accumulating them. We share a bunk bed, he sleeps on the lower bunk. He has nightmares every night involving scumbags and fuckers. I know that because he yells threats and insults at them in his sleep. It is definitely a very interesting way to wake up, and my only regret is that I am unable to recall any of his colourful monologues because I go back to sleep and forget everything. Damn.
So Peter the Writer is a member of the Asian Art Museum, so I was his guest for today and managed to get in for free. I am proud to say that I have not paid for any museums in the US so far, amazingly. I've always been able to freeload one way or another. In New York it was Jian Hui with his corporate passes, that got me into The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). (I was even able to pawn one extra ticket at the Met Museum that Jian Hui gave me for $10 - half price - the French family was happy, I was happy.)
Then in San Francisco, on Wednesday, coincidentally it was the third Wednesday of the month and the free day of California Academy of Sciences. I had to queue for 2 hours to get in though. It was insane, probably the longest queue I've ever queued at, ever. I reached the Academy at 9:20am, it starts at 9:30am. By the time I got to the end of the queue, according to the guy who was standing there counting the people that were in the line, there were about 2,700 people in front of me. I only got to see the actual building after 1 hour of being in the queue. The family behind me was very entertaining though, and I spent the best part of the two hours just eavesdropping on their conversations.
Hmm they're going to have Beer Olympics in the Green Tortoise Hostel, but I'm not really in the mood to drink tonight so I'm actually going to commit the sacrilege of saying no to free beer. A polar bear probably died somewhere in response. Oh wait - that wasn't me. That was CLIMATE CHANGE!!! I was reading The Drug Issue by the San Francisco Bay Guardian (a whole issue laced with articles on substances that make you high, no shit, SF is cool like that) and there was this advertisement inside by the Republicans, I assume, since they were dissing Obama and the Democrats, that actually claims that manmade global warming is a scam. I think my blood pressure rose significantly.
If any of these people behind the ad actually took the trouble to queue for 2 hours like I did to enter the California Academy of Sciences (for free, since they sound like cheapskates who wouldn't pay 20 bucks to go into a museum) they would know that manmade global warming is scientifically proven and we are this close to crossing the threshold of no return. Mass extinction would occur. This is not the first time that mass extinction has occurred because of climate change, it would be the 6th. But all the consumption of humankind has caused unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide which positively correlates with rising temperatures. In other words, we are causing this.
Think of all the problems that rising temperatures would cause. Some examples: changes in migratory patterns, destruction of sensitive ecosystems, ocean warming, rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, better environments for mosquitoes and diseases that they spread... the list goes ON AND ON. And these people have the cheek to deny everything.
Oh yeah. The ice caps on Mount Kilimanjaro are going to be gone by 2020. Catch them while you can.
*deep breaths*
OK the rant has ruined my mood somewhat. I shall stop here.
The thing about Earth Hour.
It's always the same argument, isn't it. Why should I vote? Not like I'm going to make a difference. Why should I throw garbage in a can when there is so much litter lying around? Why should I change my lifestyle when other people won't?
For me, I don't care what other people do. I do my bit. I reject plastic bags as much as I can. I bring my own utensils to the canteen that only uses polystyrene utensils, or boycott it when I don't feel like eating crappy food and washing my own utensils. I try to use power conscientiously. I've got loads of room for improvement, I know that, but at least I try.
Earth Hour is a world-wide PR stunt, not hippie-run, and loads of people are capitalizing on it. So what? Somewhere, it might inspire people to change their lifestyles. To turn off their appliances when they're not using them. To talk about what they can do, with like-minded people. To explain to their children why the national landmark was blacked out for an hour. To make a symbolic gesture that LOOK CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING, what can we do about it?
Look I know there's a lot of crap happening in this world. I know a lot of people are disillusioned. I agree that climate change will not be reversed by a one-hour world-wide publicity stunt. But whinging about it, taking a stand against it because you don't want to be seen as a follower of fads, will bring positive change? We keep harping about "people's attitudes", forgetting that we are the people. We are the attitudes that need to be changed.
The other day, I met a prof on my floor who beckoned to me and banged a tin thingy that he was holding. "Look," he said. I looked. "I brought my own utensils too!" he said, proudly. I had met him in the canteen once, quite some time ago, and he saw me using my container. "Just wanted to let you know that you're inspiring people around you!" he beamed. I wasn't even trying.
Just because you don't see the difference that you're making, does not mean that you did not make a difference.
And that's my stand on Earth Hour.
For me, I don't care what other people do. I do my bit. I reject plastic bags as much as I can. I bring my own utensils to the canteen that only uses polystyrene utensils, or boycott it when I don't feel like eating crappy food and washing my own utensils. I try to use power conscientiously. I've got loads of room for improvement, I know that, but at least I try.
Earth Hour is a world-wide PR stunt, not hippie-run, and loads of people are capitalizing on it. So what? Somewhere, it might inspire people to change their lifestyles. To turn off their appliances when they're not using them. To talk about what they can do, with like-minded people. To explain to their children why the national landmark was blacked out for an hour. To make a symbolic gesture that LOOK CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING, what can we do about it?
Look I know there's a lot of crap happening in this world. I know a lot of people are disillusioned. I agree that climate change will not be reversed by a one-hour world-wide publicity stunt. But whinging about it, taking a stand against it because you don't want to be seen as a follower of fads, will bring positive change? We keep harping about "people's attitudes", forgetting that we are the people. We are the attitudes that need to be changed.
The other day, I met a prof on my floor who beckoned to me and banged a tin thingy that he was holding. "Look," he said. I looked. "I brought my own utensils too!" he said, proudly. I had met him in the canteen once, quite some time ago, and he saw me using my container. "Just wanted to let you know that you're inspiring people around you!" he beamed. I wasn't even trying.
Just because you don't see the difference that you're making, does not mean that you did not make a difference.
And that's my stand on Earth Hour.
EARTH HOUR!!!
Rooarrrrr!!!!
Don't know what Earth Hour is? To make it simple for you, on March 28th 2009, whereever on earth you are, at 8:30pm, you're supposed to turn off your lights. For one hour. That's Earth Hour.
Let me illustrate for you the magnitude of this event. On this day,
Malaysians! It's lights off for Putrajaya. Petronas Twin Towers. Penang Bridge. Dataran Merdeka.
Elsewhere, but no less important! Great Pyramids of Giza is going to turn off. Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral in France, the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, Niagara Falls, Hong Kong's Symphony of Lights, Stockholm Castle, Acropolis, will all be dark as well.
To a smaller scale! NTU Graduate Hall (where I'm staying in) is turning off corridor lights of alternate floors.
Even extreme cynics agree.
WHY?
Do you want to vote for global warming?? Do you?? Think about the children!
However you do it. Do it. Sign up and be counted.
Don't know what Earth Hour is? To make it simple for you, on March 28th 2009, whereever on earth you are, at 8:30pm, you're supposed to turn off your lights. For one hour. That's Earth Hour.
Let me illustrate for you the magnitude of this event. On this day,
Malaysians! It's lights off for Putrajaya. Petronas Twin Towers. Penang Bridge. Dataran Merdeka.
Elsewhere, but no less important! Great Pyramids of Giza is going to turn off. Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral in France, the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, Niagara Falls, Hong Kong's Symphony of Lights, Stockholm Castle, Acropolis, will all be dark as well.
To a smaller scale! NTU Graduate Hall (where I'm staying in) is turning off corridor lights of alternate floors.
Even extreme cynics agree.
WHY?
THIS IS THE WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL ELECTION, BETWEEN EARTH AND GLOBAL WARMING.
On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour.
Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on.
The results of the election are being presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. We want one billion votes for Earth, to tell world leaders that we have to take action against global warming. [source]
However you do it. Do it. Sign up and be counted.
Earth Hour 2008
I am participating in Earth Hour 2008, which is a global movement of turning your lights off for one hour, on 29th of March, 2008. It is a symbolic gesture to recognize the significance of global warming and climate change, and on this date some cities such as Bangkok, Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane, Christchurch, Manila etc. (click here for comprehensive list) would turn off their lights at 8pm.
You can sign up here to register your support, and tell your friends about it. Apparently Malaysians are quite responsive as we are ranked the seventh in number of supporters, following USA, Canada, Australia, UK, NZ and India. Also you can click here for the list of Malaysian businesses and schools which are participating.
By the way, I googled "climate change", and was quite surprised to find out that Malaysia actually has a group targeting climate change! It is called the CETDEM (Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia), not a very specific name is it? Anyway there are three major aspects that they work on, i.e. climate change, organic farming and sustainable energy. And apparently it has been around since 1985! Interesting, I shall read more into it.
*To be updated constantly*
To the following list of people who signed up for the event, thank you! =D And spread the influence!
1. Asa - who told me about the event
2. Seow - first one on my account!
3. Melissa Tan =D
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