Treasure troves

Libraries are underrated places. I realised this when I visited the Jurong Regional Library last weekend. When most people would enjoy a night out socialising with friends, I was thrilled to tuck into a cozy corner in the library with a cup of coffee and my laptop and delve into deep levels of thought. The interior of this massive 4-storey building was designed with a fountain and next to the absence of human chatter, it was the noise of running water that filled the ears. I didn't notice the hours pass by while I productively did my work, until I heard the 9:00 pm closing announcement.

For a membership fee that costs next to nothing, the public gets access to an enormous collection of reference books, magazines, microfilm, documentaries and movies. Not only that, there there are plenty of places to sit and read or study in silence. There's a small cafe inside the library for short breaks. The library even provides wireless internet and power outlets for charging laptops and phones! Another interesting concept I noticed about libraries here (compared to my time as a child) is that books borrowed from one library can be returned at any other library branch and the location of specific books can be tracked online. 

While going around in circles trying to locate the toilets in this large building, I accidentally discovered a section on movies! And this month, they had doubled the number of movies that can be loaned in one go to SIX!!

I came home with a good haul of movies, including "Ramona and Beezus" for a trip down memory lane

When I was in secondary school, the library had several books by the author Beverly Clearly which I enjoyed reading. One memorable character was Ramona Quimby who is portrayed as a very curious, imaginative and mischievous little girl who causes a lot of trouble (mostly unintentionally) to the ones around her, especially her elder sister Beezus. Efforts to rectify things often makes things worse and the author takes us on an entertaining journey through it all.

The collection of  Ramona's stories by Beverly Clearly

Another well loved series which this reminds me was The Littles by John Peterson. This series features a family of tiny, intelligent humanoid creatures with mouse-like features living in a house owned by the Bigg family (who are humans). The stories consist of colourful characters and many gripping adventures which brought me a lot of joy.

Image Source: netbys.com

Speaking of treasure troves, I found this noteworthy link on The 46 Most Brilliant Life Hacks Every Human Being Needs To Make Life Easier. My favourite was the one below *evil grin* :

How to stop people from stealing your pens at work

An Autobiography: Approaching Full Circle

"What A Wonderful World" - A powerful 2 minute video that sums up what it is that we are going to lose if we don't change or get involved 

If we were to compare the Earth's habitable environment to a good family inheritance, we are not only spending it away faster than all the time it took our ancestors to save up, we are also borrowing credit from what might have been the inheritance of our descendants. As world's population increases and moves towards development, we have exceeded the Earth's natural capacity to supply in relation to the existing demand. Of course, we don't contemplate on this on a regular basis so the normal tendency is to passively navigate ourselves around the tell tale signs (and the not-so-obvious ones) towards comfortable and profitable goals that often provide instant gratification.

I'm guilty of it too.

Looking back from where I am now, my yearning to get involved in the conservation field has, somewhat ironically, taken me to United Arab Emirates and Singapore. These two countries topped the globe in terms of their ecological footprints (UAE at No. 3 and Singapore at No. 12) according to the WWF Living Planet Report of 2012. Not only that, I am currently an employee of the Oil and Gas industry which is largely responsible for the depletion of the Earth's natural oil and gas reserves and indirectly responsible for increased Green House Gas emissions in recent history. This is just one example of how our sophisticated lifestyles – just as they are interconnected with the Earth's biological ecosystems – are also dependent on activities setting the planet on an irreversible course of destruction. The way I see it, we are all (to varying degrees) part of the problem and part of the solution to this environmental crisis.

Sri Lanka is a country with abundant natural resources having one of the highest biodiversity densities of Asia and I called it home for the first 18 years of my life. As a child, I loved spending my time outdoors, doing regular rounds of “garden patrol”, observing various plants and animals that were a common sight and spending time by a river that flows beside my house. One of my greatest joys was rescuing injured, sick or abandoned animals and nursing them back to health. It was a role I took up very seriously and for which I had the full support of my parents. 

I was also fortunate to spend various phases of my childhood with my two grandfathers, from whom I have learned much about using resources in a "sustainable manner" - a term I didn't come across until many years later. My maternal grandfather was an advocate of “reduce, reuse and re-cycle” policy where he carefully made the best use of all paper, plastic, metal, glass and wood until they had no more uses. My paternal grandfather supported the livelihood of local farmers and he himself was a passionate planter who selflessly left behind the fruits of his agricultural labour for the benefit of his future generations. With those early influences, among others, caring for the environment that sustains us may be associated to me with a sense of obligation rather than being just a passion. 

Since arriving in Singapore in 2004 to do my undergraduate studies, I've had all my basic necessities and creature comforts. However, growing up was a slightly different affair in Sri Lanka. We had to live in a sparing manner since most basic resources such as water and electricity were limited and we were constantly affected by power outages and periods of drought. My village didn't have the infrastructure to tap into the national water supply, but we were fortunate enough to have naturally occurring wells and a river nearby for basic needs for water. 

Dubai was my home for a brief 2.5 years while I completed an overseas work assignment from 2010 onwards. The United Arab Emirates is a rapidly developing country and Dubai is a melting pot of foreigners from all over the globe. The new environment, new challenges, new acquaintances and my new-found sense of independence suited me well. My boss who was a co-owner of the company took an interest in my potential and supported me in becoming a certified ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems Internal Auditor to audit company policies and procedures, although it was not my main scope of work. After trying out various responsibilities within the company, I realised that my personal strengths and continued interest in relation to a career would lie in work that required careful observation, attention to detail and doing lots of writing.

It is easy to assume that a rich desert city such as Dubai which is heavily dependent on the abundant natural oil and gas resources in the region to maintain its luxurious artificial splendor would have zero interest in conservation. However, even there I found active conservation groups such as EWS-WWF and the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) which organises environmental awareness and conservation activities (most notably their turtle rehabilitation and release programs). On a hopeful note, both these groups had a substantial number of passionate volunteers, young and old, supporting their causes. Within the UAE, I also managed to travel to places such as Fujairah (one of the seven “emirates” or states making up UAE) which had better weather compared to Dubai and coral reefs to be explored. Also within driving distance was Musandam (Oman) which was a popular location for dolphin watching. One interesting place that I could not visit in my time there was Bu Tinah Island - an official finalist for the “New7Wonders of Nature” competition in 2011.

The next phase of my life brought me back to Singapore in 2012 where I am currently employed as an ISO Quality Auditor. My work revolves around quality assurance for fabrication of FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading) units and assisting with statutory/ regulatory compliance for these units sailing to offshore oil fields such as Brazil, Angola and the Gulf of Mexico. From an environmental perspective, my work contributes to ensuring that vessels leaving the port comply with the standards of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – most notably the MARPOL (Marine Environment Protection Committee of the IMO) Standards - to minimise marine pollution resulting from the vessels' gas emissions, sewage, garbage, oil discharges, ship recycling, ballast water and use of anti-fouling substances. 

But ideally, I want to do more.

In the past, I have enjoyed short volunteering stints with Nparks at Pulau Ubin, assisting the staff with guided board walks at Chek Jawa and conducting forest patrols to remove traps and snares. As a SEC Earth Helper, I once participated in a Horseshoe crab rescue and rehabilitation project which required the assistance of volunteers to remove the crabs entrapped in abandoned fishing nets at the Mandai mudflats and at the same time, doing a population survey of the two species of horseshoe crabs (mangrove and coastal) in the area. 

After trying out a few similar experiences, I've settled as a volunteer Docent at the Singapore Zoo (in the Reptile Realm) where I feel quite at home. For the past 2 years, I've been part of a team of volunteers that engages the public and spreads awareness of animals (in my case, reptiles) and help spread the conservation message. This activity brings much meaning to my personal mission as I get to share my knowledge with a growing number of members of the public who come in search of meaningful encounters with wildlife rather than mere entertainment. Not only that, I get to stay close to animals (such as during my Keeper Attachment) and meet and learn from people as passionate as I am (or more even) about wildlife and the environment. 

Decades later, though much has changed in my life in terms of location, occupation and attitudes since my time in Sri Lanka, working towards animal welfare and experiencing natural habitats still brings me the same joy. I feel a sense of relief every time I visit a nature reserve or a wildlife sanctuary or read about passionate conservationists like Sir David Attenborough or Gerald Durrell, or see someone throwing a trash into a recycle bin or hear of an innovative technology that uses sustainable energy sources - because despite the odds, there still is hope.

This environmental crisis that we face today is a grave one, with consequences already showing and affecting most of us. It helps to have passionate and conscientious people uniting and lobbying for climate change, loss of biodiversity and such, but without the support of governments to enforce adequate legislation and environmental management systems governing our industries, we may have already lost this battle to conserve biodiversity, reverse climate change and ensure a habitable planet for our future generations. Besides spreading awareness, on a personal level there is much we can do like volunteering, taking a little extra effort to recycle trash, reducing/ reusing the products that we have taken for granted, getting involved in pro-environment community activities and, for those who can, supporting conservation efforts financially.

Mother Earth, which we have stressed beyond her capacity, has the ability to heal herself given our support and time. But the question remains: how willing are WE to do what is required of us?

A green affair

Observing changes in Singapore over the last decade I have been here, I notice a positive shift towards environmental consciousness brought about by authorities such as the National Environment Agency (NEA), NParks Board, National Climate Change Secretariat (NCSS), Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). One obviously visible change to is the abundance of recycling bins placed in residential areas and in public places.

Since implementation in September 2012, our household recycles whatever garbage we can. Slowly, over this period of nearly two years, my housemates also got into the habit of separating their non-recyclable waste from the recyclable ones on their own accord despite their low-level interest in environmental/ wildlife issues. All it took me to win the cooperation of my housemates was to place a special bin for recyclables and display consistency in the initiative by setting an example. Now what if we applied that simple formula on a global scale with a pinch of education and perhaps a little encouragement in the way of small rewards? The results would be tremendously significant.

I was riddled by what really happens to the garbage we dispose in Singapore. Does my negligible contribution to the overall recycling efforts of Singapore actually count, I wondered. This thought stagnated at the back of my mind until earlier this week. Recently, a colleague of mine was intrigued by Sri Lanka as a tourist destination after I brought him some tea (which the island is famous for) from home for sampling. He then lent me the July 2014 edition of Expat Living and pointed me to one of articles which featured hiking adventures in my hometown in Kandy. Not only did I make a mental note of where I would like to visit on my next visit to Sri Lanka, my curiosity also led me to accidentally discovering the infographic below.

 An "Aha" moment after finding out what really happens to our garbage in Singapore as published in the July 2014 edition of Expat Living

Basically, the waste we recycle (paper, glass, plastic, metal, clothes, etc) makes its way to the Material Recovery Facility where it is sorted, baled and sent to local and overseas recycling plants. The solid waste that we conveniently throw down our chutes makes its way to one of four waste to energy plants in Singapore, where it is incinerated and reduced to 90% by volume. The heat generated by the process is used to generate electricity to power the boilers. The air released is filtered of dust and pollutants as per environmental standards. Following incineration, the any leftover ferrous scrap metal is sold to a local steel mill for recycling. All non-incinerable waste and ash is transferred by barge to Semakau landfill situated 8km from the main island of Singapore.

Even a simple FAQ like this also goes a long way in creating awareness among the general public

Source: Expat Living

Semakau will meet Singapore's need for landfill space for about 20 more years until 2035. By then, let's hope the further need for landfill sites will be vastly reduced by active public participation in reducing, re-using and recycling efforts.

The final year of my twenties!

Holy shit! It's nearing end of July. As a result of not blogging regularly, be warned I'm probably going to burst in this blog.

I rushed home to get all of it out as much as possible, so I can make some extra space in my head to maintain a hypothetical vacuum.

10 years ago on July 19th, I landed in Singapore for the first time. What a saga it's been! So what's different between Shu now and the Shu who landed here 10 years ago? Summing up in a few words, I'd say the now-Shu is richer, more confident, wiser, more positive, more comfortable in her skin, happier and more out-spoken than that shy, timid 19-year girl who left home alone for the first time. It hasn't been a journey without adversity, but I've surfaced and I am doing alright. *Pats self on the back*

For all I know, the Shu of 10 years from now may find now-Shu to be highly conceited.

Sir Little John is away on vacation for 3 weeks! I was given a long list of to-dos in his absence but to be honest, without his actual presence, I drift to day dream mode too much. Actually, it's terrible. Left to myself, my hyperactive brain drives me crazy with mind chatter. I foresee more blog posts in the next few weeks.

We are bombarded these days with disturbing news of the second Malaysian passenger plane MH17 that met with an unfortunate disaster resulting in the loss of 298 precious lives. Not only that, there's more unrest and violence going around all over the world. I wish people would just stop trying to hurt and kill each other. In other curious news, the local library board has come under fire for planning to destroy three children's titles after it received e-mail complaints that the books are not "pro-family". Following public criticism, two of the remaining books have been moved to the adults section, where parents can opt to let their children read it under supervision.

And Tango Makes Three (based on a real zoo story) features two male penguins who behave as though they are a couple and raise a chick.

Shu thought to herself "Let's eat some non-Asian-ish dinner tonight - you know, food that hasn't been boiled beyond recognition or bathed in a sea of spices". So a cup of home made (and home grown) avocado milkshake, with raw tomatoes and a fat mushroom bun it was.

I went to a spa today. Who knew a simple bookworm can get rewarded with a complimentary spa on their birthday month for being loyal member of a particular book store chain! I double checked with trusted friend/ bookworm Katy Kat to make sure it wasn't some prank because it sounded too good to be true. I went anyway. And it was a good call. I explored a new area of Singapore and just like they promised, I relaxed my tensed muscles, reduced water retention and enhanced my blood circulation. Look at me blogging away!

After the "aromatherapy wellness treatment" and as I expected, I was enticed to sign up for an attractive 10-session package deal at $680 ("Interest free installments for credit card payment!! Get 2 additional sessions for free!! Get 12 body scrub sessions also for free if you sign up today!! Let me talk to my manager to get you a special 7-session package at a students' rate!!" Why, I'm not even a student). 

I guess I've become better at politely declining persuasive sales people. When faced with such situations, I now picture myself to be a brick wall and watch them attempt to walk past it after I've nicely said "No, Thank you." *evil grin* 

It took many years to develop this skill. I remember an occasion when as a student, I responded to quiz on TV and was notified I was the winner of a free facial and skin consultation session with a leading skin care company. I was a beggarly student back then and willing to pounce on any free lunches that came my way (Really Shu?? Didn't you go claim a free spa session just today??). So I went feeling like a real winner and after a pampering facial session, two aggressive saleswomen cornered me in a room and coerced me to sign up for a package deal. I desperately refused many times saying I only had a couple of hundreds left in my account to live through an entire vacation month and spending $180 was not an option, but they didn't let it go. In the end (very nearly in tears), I signed up just to get away from there, wasted a precious $180 and never even went to claim those paid facial treatments. I ended up borrowing cash from a friend to live through that semester break.

Another one of my housemates is leaving the country next month and we're down to two in a big house. Very unwillingly and with the intention of retaining our comfortable apartment, we advertised our master room to potential tenants. Day before yesterday, our new flatmates moved in. To protect their anonymity, I shall call them Brother Bear and Goldilocks. Sharing a living space with other humans is not always fun (they could be serial killers, for example) so I drafted a lengthy list of terms of conditions in case we end up with a bad experience. Also if problems escalate, a nitpicky and passive aggressive Shu is not pleasant to deal with.

Dear Brother Bear and Goldilocks,

We are happy to welcome you both as our flatmates! [Well, sort of.] 

Here's a re-cap of what we agreed on before you moved in and a few other things (that we may have failed to mention that day) which is better agreed upon as early as possible. If you have any concerns on any of the items below or want to add in any other conditions, we can discuss further.

1. The Contract
Your agreement with us is for the use of the master room from 19 July 2014 to 31 December 2014.
The monthly rent for the master room should be paid no later than the 28th of every month.
You will have to pay a little excess for the utilities in case you have family members visiting and the monthly bills go above average.
You will receive 1 copy of the keys for the master room, front door, gate and mailbox.

2. Utilities Usage
Your rental amount includes water, electricity and Internet (wi-fi).
Air conditioning is not included in your rental amount, but if you need it, we can arrange it at an additional charge since our monthly utility costs will then increase and there will be regular AC unit servicing charges.
You are free to use the Cable TV service while it is available and this will be considered as "complimentary".
We also hope that you will exercise good judgement in conserving water and electricity.

3. Use of common areas, appliances and other items
All common areas in the house can be used freely without restrictions.
Common appliances such as the washing machine, kettle, toaster, rice cooker, microwave, oven, TV and iron are for everyone's use with no restrictions.
Common expenses like the gas cylinder for cooking, toilet paper, kitchen towels, dishwashing liquid, cleaning fluids, small repairs not covered by the landlord, etc will be charged to the common house account to be shared by all of us.
Normally anyone can buy common items required, retain the receipt and claim it later.
Please buy your own laundry detergent.

[We missed to mention not to leave the toilet seat up. Grrr.]

4. Food
We have no restrictions on your cooking schedules.
You can use any of the utensils (saucepans, cups, dishware, etc) available in the kitchen.
For convenience, let's manage our accounts separately for food items such as vegetables, rice, bread, tea, milk powder, sugar, other groceries, etc.

5. Visitors
As a gesture of courtesy, please inform us in advance if you are expecting any visitors.
For the comfort of everyone, we try to entertain our visitors with minimal disturbances to the main tenants.

6. Keeping our living space clean
As agreed, we will take turns to clean the common areas in the house (hall, toilet upstairs, kitchen + toilet downstairs + laundry area) within the agreed dates.
Cleaning will be done at least once a month or more if required .
General cleanliness of common areas and courtesy is expected for the comfort of all tenants e.g. not leaving dirty dishes in the sink for too long, emptying dustbins regularly to keep away cockroaches, keeping the fridge clean and free of old food, cleaning any spills, removing laundry from the clothsline when dry, etc.

7. Renewal of contract
Subject to agreement from you and us, we can consider renewing the contract for another term of 6-months or 1-year. This can be finalised around Oct-Nov 2014. Note that the final approval lies with the landlord and the Housing Development Board.

8. Termination of the contract
As this is a 6-month contract and our ability to keep the house depends on us having enough people to share the total rent, we hope you will understand that and not terminate the contract early so we won't have to go through the trouble of looking for new tenants once again or end up paying more individually till our contract ends.

9. Conflicts of interest
Let's agree to communicate openly and directly on any concerns so we can resolve them early and avoid any unpleasant situations. 

Please review all of the above and let us know if you have any concerns. Otherwise, drop us a reply to confirm your acceptance of our conditions. [WE HAVEN'T SEEN AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT YET.]

Thanks and we hope you will have a comfortable stay in your new home in Singapore.


It's late, and I should probably blog about my holiday in Sri Lanka another time. 

PS: I turned 29 this month! 

Rediscovering my roots

Shu's Toastmasters Club celebrated the year end party on 28th June 2014. This year's theme was "International Day" and despite Shu's anti-social tendencies, she decided to participate. The actual reasons that changed her mind elude her now. 

This post is mostly to highlight all the incredible people who stepped up to my hour of need (and at times showed more enthusiasm than I did!) and how this random social event sent me on a nostalgic trip doing things out of norm to rediscover my roots.

The announcement of the party set in motion several missions:

• Find a traditional dress and get dressed in it!
• Prepare a Sri Lankan food item
• Prepare a 2-minute speech about the country
• As the day's Table Topics Master, prepare 10 topics in line with the theme

The dress

In a state of panic, I turned to my Fashion Advisor (aka. the Sister) for help. She found a good-hearted Aunt who went out of her way to donate one of her daughter's office saris and get it altered to my measurements. This blue sari travelled from the Aunt's place to my parents' place.

My mother felt that the sari wasn't traditional enough for the occasion and although I was of a similar opinion, I didn't want to object after all the trouble the Aunt took (she even sent me a hand-drawn guide on how to wear a sari). In the events that followed, my mother combed the streets of Kandy town to find me a very traditional batik sari to be worn in the "Kandyan" style. This red and black batik sari then traveled to Singapore, along with matching jewelry (some of which were heirlooms handed down from my grandmother to my mother) through the dad of one of my housemates. The Aunt's blue sari also made its way to Singapore and I've made a note to put it to good use at another opportunity.

The goods traveled a long way in time and distance to grace this event!

Dressing up in a traditional sari is quite a challenge for anyone who rarely wears it. Long ago, a sari involved wrapping oneself in several hundred metres of cloth kept in place by a million safety pins (and that's a mild exaggeration), but now there is also the convenient option of something called a "ready-made" sari for dummies which involves the minimum amount of cloth required and far fewer safety pins. My housemate stuck to her word and stayed back home on her weekend to help me dress up. For this, I was immensely grateful.

Many good compliments were received regarding the dress, including this one from my closest classmates from high school

The food item

I'm not the best cook in the family and I'm not even a sweet-tooth. About 2 weeks in advance, I asked my mother for the simplest recipe she can think of. So she gave me a couple of recipes which she though would suit my level of skill and experience in making a traditional sweets (which was near-zero!).

I did a trial run of something called "naran kavum" which is basically a sugary grated coconut ball coated and deep fried in a batter of rice flour (yes, it is actually very simple to make in theory). A very willing colleague accompanied me to Little India to find cardamoms and coconut for this recipe as well as a traveling bag for me to take home.

It wasn't a great success - the coconut mixture took over half hour to set, which shouldn't be the case. It refused to bind properly into balls. When I looked at the packet of wheat flour in our cupboard (which my mother told was a good trick to help with binding), it was inhabited by a tiny nation of grain weevils. Although I was tempted to use a bit of that flour, I didn't and instead, poured some "kithul treacle" as damage control. The end product looked authentic but barely passed in terms of taste and it was way too sugary for my tastes!

 

Shu's certified weavil-free "naran kavum"

As I was expressing my anxieties to Katy Kat over repeating the same recipe for the party, she very kindly offered to bake a Sri Lankan "Love Cake" for me. I jumped on the offer in a flash before this chef could change her mind! After what I assume was a long Skype-guided tutorial session on her mom's perfected recipe, Katy Kat had her second (and successful) attempt at baking a Love Cake! Goodness knows what trouble she went through to find the ingredients and bake this delicious crunchy/ nutty/ aromatic cake. She tells me I was fortunate that she accidentally found crunchy melon strips in Singapore for this recipe which we previously assumed was found only in Sri Lanka!

It all turned well. Everyone, including the party guests enjoyed the cake!

(Photo courtesy of Katy Kat)

 Shu also made this tag well in advance, but no one at the party had the same idea so I didn't use it at the party

The Event

                                                    Plenty of options even for vegetarians

(photos courtesy of a member who I'll call DB)

The party was a great success. We had guests consisting of 9 nationalities from all around the world; Singapore, Mauritius, India, China, Sri Lanka, England, Hong Kong, Cameroon and Malaysia. They were dressed in their national costumes and for dinner we feasted on a huge spread of mostly home-made international cuisine. It was a fun night of chatting, eating, getting to know more about each other's culture through food, stories and playing games. Not once did I look at a clock like I usually do at social events.

With all energy spent on preparations and rushing straight from work, I completely missed out on preparing a decent 2-minute speech and so I declined the offer to present it during the party. I however volunteered for the role of Table Topics Master since I quite enjoy preparing topics for this session of the Toastmasters tradition.

I was also voted "Best Dressed", an award that I jointly shared with Mrs Cameroon.

Making a celebratory toast with Sprite! 

(photos courtesy of a member who I'll call DB)