have been...consumed by so much necessary evil that im missing out on alot of other things that i should be doing. like enjoying my books, watching movies, read some more, watch more anime and drama, take in the morning sun, EAT! all this uni thing is getting on my nerves, course selection, moving in, getting around...VISA! stupid counter 2 lady in a brown tudung (no offence, really just for easy identification) was just so dispassionate and RUDE. started throwing my stuff and giving that annoyed face. i get it, ur job is not the most thankful but DONT TAKE IT OUT ON US. i wish there's a program somewhere, like an installation wizard: check the stuff you want and click install. reboot and voila, there you have it. all this is really, mind-numbingly dumb. planning is good. overplanning is overkill. time to take a step back and breathee.
shopping at challenger with kp was HILARIOUS. it's true, ask him.
I wanna teach. anything.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
been reading abt plastic bags and food wastage quite a bit in the papers recently. kinda disappointing that singaporeans by and large are taking things for granted. in the face of climate change, devastating natural disasters, food shortages and energy costs increases, people seem to be penny-wise but pound foolish. buy cheaper alternatives? yes, but throw away the leftovers just the same. going shopping? never mind our own bags, the store will provide us with plastic bags anyway. where's the sense in that?
BYOB day, every first wednesday of the month, is simply grossly insufficient. When many countries or states/ cities have gone the way of outlawing THE plastic bag, including china, 1 miserable day out of 30 a mth is simply...pathetic. moreover, paying 10 cents for a plastic bag when one forgets to bring his own bag is simply not disincentive enough to discourage ppl to do so, since stores cannot simply refuse bags to customers, especially those with many purchases. so perhaps making such ppl buy a $10.90 tote (and enough totes to fill up all those buys) would be a more effective way to deter use of plastic bags. the use of plastic bags has become such a way of life that people dont think twice when using them - all the takeaways, grocery purchases, effectively all things under the sun. rising affluence has resulted in greater apathy towards the wanton use of plastic bags or disposables in general. all that talk abt a buy-and-throw society is ringing louder in this day and age. we seem to have taken for granted that there will be an incessant stream of polyethene bags, till the end of time, never mind that crude oil has gone above USD$120 a barrel.
The government can simply ban the use of the bags, but that will simply be an easy way out. and look where has that gotten us - remembering to bring plastic bags only because of the thought of having to pay for one is simply...unjustified. this is something that anyone can make a difference, simply by refusing bags for small items or bringing our own. a bit bright, i know but that's the point - creating awareness. when the demand has fallen appreciably and people have moved on from plastic bags then will the authorities seal its fate, "why deliberately create friction with the people?" and so we all do what we can. right. this is a movement and it cannot simply come from top down. we have to all want it. and the question is, are we ready? i suppose we are, just that the inconvenience may need some getting used to.
Another evil that rising affluence has spawned is the amount of food that we waste. Think SAF Cookhouse and u'll get a piece of the jigsaw. now multiply that to hotels, restaurants and hawker centres - all forms of eateries big and small - and the puzzle is complete. how many people throw food away simply because it is "not nice"? or procure in excesses such that they have gone bad before they are even consumed? or worse, simply because there's too much excess and leftovers simply wont do for reputable establishments. what about the millions and billions who have to starve everyday? no need to think of africa, wad about those back home who have to stuggle for their next meal? skip the carbs, pick out the greens. has anyone learned about a balanced diet. or at least, if you know you wont be eating it, health reasons or not, dont order it. this time, even the businesses can chip in. leftovers and ingredients may not be their freshest but they can still be edible. instead of dumping them into landfills and incinerators, why not just deliver them to soup kitchens or charities where the poor and needy can benefit? of course such a network needs a concerted effort and perhaps the authorities could step in. but all is easier said than done. :(
we have gotten used to many things and taken things for granted. that's a sad reality and will take generations to change...or not. perhaps a cyclone needs to hit us before we start waking from our dreams.
BYOB day, every first wednesday of the month, is simply grossly insufficient. When many countries or states/ cities have gone the way of outlawing THE plastic bag, including china, 1 miserable day out of 30 a mth is simply...pathetic. moreover, paying 10 cents for a plastic bag when one forgets to bring his own bag is simply not disincentive enough to discourage ppl to do so, since stores cannot simply refuse bags to customers, especially those with many purchases. so perhaps making such ppl buy a $10.90 tote (and enough totes to fill up all those buys) would be a more effective way to deter use of plastic bags. the use of plastic bags has become such a way of life that people dont think twice when using them - all the takeaways, grocery purchases, effectively all things under the sun. rising affluence has resulted in greater apathy towards the wanton use of plastic bags or disposables in general. all that talk abt a buy-and-throw society is ringing louder in this day and age. we seem to have taken for granted that there will be an incessant stream of polyethene bags, till the end of time, never mind that crude oil has gone above USD$120 a barrel.
The government can simply ban the use of the bags, but that will simply be an easy way out. and look where has that gotten us - remembering to bring plastic bags only because of the thought of having to pay for one is simply...unjustified. this is something that anyone can make a difference, simply by refusing bags for small items or bringing our own. a bit bright, i know but that's the point - creating awareness. when the demand has fallen appreciably and people have moved on from plastic bags then will the authorities seal its fate, "why deliberately create friction with the people?" and so we all do what we can. right. this is a movement and it cannot simply come from top down. we have to all want it. and the question is, are we ready? i suppose we are, just that the inconvenience may need some getting used to.
Another evil that rising affluence has spawned is the amount of food that we waste. Think SAF Cookhouse and u'll get a piece of the jigsaw. now multiply that to hotels, restaurants and hawker centres - all forms of eateries big and small - and the puzzle is complete. how many people throw food away simply because it is "not nice"? or procure in excesses such that they have gone bad before they are even consumed? or worse, simply because there's too much excess and leftovers simply wont do for reputable establishments. what about the millions and billions who have to starve everyday? no need to think of africa, wad about those back home who have to stuggle for their next meal? skip the carbs, pick out the greens. has anyone learned about a balanced diet. or at least, if you know you wont be eating it, health reasons or not, dont order it. this time, even the businesses can chip in. leftovers and ingredients may not be their freshest but they can still be edible. instead of dumping them into landfills and incinerators, why not just deliver them to soup kitchens or charities where the poor and needy can benefit? of course such a network needs a concerted effort and perhaps the authorities could step in. but all is easier said than done. :(
we have gotten used to many things and taken things for granted. that's a sad reality and will take generations to change...or not. perhaps a cyclone needs to hit us before we start waking from our dreams.
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