Rethink.Reduce.Reuse.Recycle

1 Month has passed since the celebration of Earth Day. How am I doing?

I google this, and I guess well yeah. Its not easy to break a habit.

Scientists say it takes 21 days to change a habit¹ because we often resist change.

According to yoga teachings ², it takes:
40 days to change a bad habit into a positive one;
90 days confirms the new habit in you;
120 days allows the new habit to become who you are;
1,000 days ensures you have mastered the habit. Source: here

How am I doing with this changed of Habit of mine.?

Rethink

Do I need to buy that Top? yes! Do I need to spent RM 99 for one top? Er... No.... At least, the habit of rethinking lands me on RM 90 for 3 tops + 1 free top. Now, thats worth buying. (Excuse me, since I havent bought any work clothes or done any retail therapy for the past 6 months)

But I do plan out my monthly budget and list out the items I need to buy for the household 1 week before I get my pay. This is to avoid me from buying unnecessary items. I have done this for the past 1 month and I notice that I was able to stretch my pay till the end of the month! Thats a positive impact.

Reduce

Usually, I will pack food from nearby stalls and they will give me polystyrene packaging , plastic bag & plastic utensil . I have done this for the past 3 years. 1 x 22 days x 12 months x 3 years. = 792 polystyrene that's not biodegradable.

Now I bring my own tup.perwa.re when ever I want to pack food from the stalls.I even refuse the plastic bag at all times! Since, I eat in the office pantry I have everything I need there.I'm sure you think I'm such a boring person. I splurge for lunch once in a while, but I guess I want to save and don't want to splurge unnecessarily. I like to maintain my lunch @ RM5 a day. I'm learning to be frugal.

Reuse

Now , I keep a small reusable and foldable carry bag in my handbag. Its easy for me to put in my weekly purchases from the grocery store. It gives me a nice feeling that , small things done by me hopefully can give some impact to others. Its a long way, what a better time to start than, now... Right?

Recycle

This is what I do 80% of the time. Its not easy to rethink,reduce or reuse I will resort into recycling all items that is recyclable. I even put them in a biodegradable plastic bag. It may be a bit expensive than your normal plastic bag. But for the future of my children. I don't mind..

So, thats my update towards living a sustainable life with my children and future children . What change have you done? Do share.

Let's get you the the recycling bin

My Everyday Road to Work

KUALA LUMPUR: Dalam satu lagi contoh menteri turun padang untuk meninjau masalah rakyat, Menteri Kerja Raya, Datuk Shaziman Mansor, hari ini berkereta untuk merasai sendiri bagaimana pengguna lebuh raya terpaksa menunggu lama sebelum dapat membayar tol. Ketika berada di plaza tol Jalan Duta di sini pada jam 8.45 pagi tadi, beliau mengambil masa hampir 15 minit sebelum dapat membayar tol di lorong bayaran tunai. "Itupun pada suasana trafik yang tidak sesak. Bayangkan pada waktu puncak, Secara puratanya, 20 minit terbuang bagi pengguna tol lebuh raya semata-mata untuk membayar secara tunai di pondok tol," katanya selepas membuat tinjauan itu ..... source Berita Harian Online

I watch the evening news last night and I'm impressed to see a minister came down to see the 'real' everyday situation that is faced by the citizens of KL. I have been using this toll exit regularly for the past 1 year.

Ever since I used this paying road to get to work, I've learned that I need to ensure my tou.chNg.o card has sufficient balance at all time. Experience of being stuck at the cash booth with lorries and hundreds of cars in front of me everyday has caused some stressed in me.

I do wonder whether, government or P.lus is looking into this problem? I already have some simple solutions that concessionaries could try and see whether it could help to lessen this long misrable queue and jams. (The idea to abolished the toll, is a better option though!)

Exitting Highway
1. Have you seen Malaysian drivers, swerving left to right, and are not in order when the road was just newly tar with no white lines? Well, it shows that people need guidance to drive straight! Please lay down the orange cones for us in order to know where is the queue line.

2. Move the cash toll booth to the opposite side of the road (this applies to duta toll). The strectch of road is short (regular users of Duta Toll will understand this). Hence the spillage of queue which affects smar.tag and touc.hNg.o users smooth driving.

3. Malaysian attitude in queing at toll booth is a disgrace. I wonder where they get the idea that if they queue up in 1 lane, they are considered quieng for all 20 lanes!! Hence, jumping into the lane which they think is going faster (applys to all - cash, touc.hNg.O & smar.ttag)

Entering Highway
Since the opening of du.ke highway, there have been an increased volume of cars at the Duta Toll Area. I notice this for the past 2 weeks.

1. Again, put some orange cones to give us some queing guide. Seriously, sakit otak everyday. What's the point having touc.hng.o card if the cause of the jam is because Malaysian doesnt know how to queue up? Buang masa!

2. Peak hours, please close the 'tambah nilai' booth. Malaysians by now should already learn to find other alternatives to reload their cards. I usually reload mine at the banks. Why are we so lazy? When are we changing our mindsets and way of life?

Are we going to go tru this for the rest of our lives?


One more thing, its hard to buy those Smar.ttag as they always informed that they are out of stock. Isn't that a stupid answer? How is the company that produces this smar.ttag sustaining its business? If they can't provide the product to the citizen, why bother appointing them as a provider? Why don't we upgrade to a better toll collection system that is cheap?

Any minister care to solve this mystery?

I want?

Me and hubbs have been looking around for a landed property. It is too early for us to purchase another property (we bought a condo in Dec '07). However, with 3 adults plus an active kid in the house, we thought the best is to buy a landed one.(Since renting a property will pretty much a crazy idea).

I've fallen in love with this house and the area. It has a huge living hall upstairs, moderate kitchen space, gated area and 2 Playgrounds (con - masterbedroom bathroom is super small!)Plus, it fits our budget really well! Its nearby both our parents and my siblings. We're praying hard that we could get any house in the this area within our budgeted price. I want! We want! If we don't get it, bukanlah rezeki kami. But if we do... Alhamdulillah.

Happy Mother's Day

I had a simple Mother's Day celebration and I guess everyone had a great Mother's Day Out .I was having a simple brunch with hubby, but after that I was feeling a bit pissed-off. Not at hubby offcourse, I'm just pissed at another mother.

After brunch, we stopped at 7.E before we head home. As I was about to pay my stuff, I was looking out towards this grandmother who is standing in a shocked looking into the car. I was wondering to myself, whats in the car. Perhaps its a pet dog.

To my disbelief...its child! Probably a 1 or 1 1/2 y.o child. She was standing at the passenger seat smiling away at the old lady.I was flabbergasted, pissed and in shocked. The mother of that child was inside 7.E. How could you leave that child in the car? She is still considered a baby. I was mad! and I was cursing that mother away. I looked at the mother who was still inside 7.E from my car with a dagger look.

Anything can happen to that child. Someone could drive away with your car, even if you have lock that car its still not a reason for you to leave your child. Some of you may think, its her child. Let it be. But if you're a parent or at least a decent human being you will understand a child is a responsibility. You can't treat a child as if its a toy. Its a life, a living life.

I have heard so many horror news/stories about kid's left in the car. Some ended in a tragic death. That's why I could not accept a small child to be left alone in the car.

Hubbs and me left the car slowly, giving the mother just enough time to get back to her car. I am trying to erase that cute gurls face from my mind.