Saturday, 3rd November 2007: Elephant Sanctuary Weekend and other news.Dr. J, who is on the MNS Council, had inquired if I could advise or assist her in the neutering and release of some stray dogs in her area. She was willing to pay for the surgery and transport costs, and I have made it a point to always give 100% of my time and effort to those who seek help with worthy causes. The dogs are prime candidates for Neuter-and-Release because of the high tolerance and acceptance of the local community of stray animals. The people in the neighbourhood were happy to feed the dogs and there was no call to euthanise the dogs. I have proposed a few dates for the neutering appointment.
Nature Society-wise, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government has granted Green Living a certain sum of money to conduct outreach activities in conjunction with National Recycling Day. My Green Living 3R poster-handouts will be distributed to community centres, Residents’ Associations and schools nationwide. (Leave me a comment if you want to have the soft copies of the printouts and other educational materials). I have been given RM1,500 to conduct an event at state level and have so chosen 24th November to conduct a 3R Day at the Kota Damansara Community Forest.
I am suffering mild volunteer burnout, however, and will need to send out announcements to recruit more subcommittee members and volunteers for next year. I need to start applying for the ABN-AMRO fund for environmental projects before the year is out because it is getting ridiculous that I am forking out so much of my own money. I would rather put my money into grassroots stray animal neuter-and-release exercises.
Work-wise, I am quite comfortably straddling both the Corporate and Litigation departments right now. I’m not making much progress with marketing, though, and will have to work harder at finding new clients in this harsh, competitive city market. Legal practice has become another sausage factory these days, so unless we can give our clients Best Value, we can forget about being on their panel.
Took a break from volunteering at the SPCA this week to bring the members of the State Bar Environmental Law Committee and their guests to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary for an eco-junket. I’ve been there before in 2005 and I think the Wildlife Dept is doing a relatively good job there with the elephants. With the right resources, leadership and encouragement, the Sanctuary could improve greatly in terms of environmental and health standards and in their outreach and education efforts.
Soldier Boy Z is my guest on this trip (as an early birthday present), and I had little difficulty persuading him to lead the convoy to Lanchang in our Ranger. We arrived at the Sanctuary early and had time to reconnoitre and visit with the elephants before we regrouped for lunch. There was the obligatory informative and touching video presentation on elephants after lunch, and the tour of the Information Centre, before we gathered at the open field to feed and meet the elephants.
I relinquished my elephant ride ticket to another as there weren’t enough tickets to go around. I did, however, manage to sneak onto Abot’s back for a dunking in the river after the land rides were over. I went back to the parental home after the outing, and was grateful to receive text messages over the weekend from the participants who all thanked me for an enjoyable day.
Elephant River Baptism
I hope we weren’t too heavy for Abot. He only had to take one step and then drop us in the water, though. It’s not as though he had to walk a few metres.
Cute babies! Cute babies!
One for the album: (Clockwise from left) Syazwani, Mun Yee, Lim, Yanty, Azura and me. Abot and Myong are the elephants in the background.
Monday, 5th November 2007: Sustainable Energy Conference and other news
Represented the Enviro Law Committee at the Inaugural Malaysian Sustainable Energy Conference today. I must regretfully report that the turnout was discouraging. Although there was representation by several government agencies and energy / fuel industry players, there was inadequate representation by those in the private sector despite the importance and urgency of the topic at hand.
Even the data given by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications was outdated, and the officer left before we could have a Q & A session.
It was in the middle of a lively discussion on energy intensity, competitiveness and sustainability that Eugene (i.e. Vegan Eugene, who is not to be confused with Drinking Buddy Eugene or Eugene-Who-Opened-A-Law-Firm-In-His-Apartment) text messaged me to let me know that the 2 calico kittens he had rescued for vaccination and neutering had died of viral infection.
Despite our best efforts and despite having taken the kittens to the vet, the kittens did not respond well to treatment and practically wasted away before Eugene’s horrified eyes. It was really tragic because we had never intended things to end this way. I had wanted Eugene to continue with his stray animal rescue efforts, but I guess he doesn’t have the constitution for it and needs a break to get over the grief. Rest in peace, dear kittens. I’m so very, very sorry.
Thursday, 8th November 2007: Deepavali
Decided to spend Deepavali in PJ with Coach and the gang, instead of back at the parental home visiting with neighbours and old friends.
Woke up early to weed the garden and clean the house. Went to Coach’s place for lunch. Brought a gift for his dog, Bima, instead; as Coach had expressly asked me not to bring him anything. Had a scrumptious lunch with a good deal of beer. Chatted with our old friends: Moorthy, Indran, William and the others. Took Bima out for a walk. Was asked to stay for dinner but declined and went home to look after the cats. Did some spring-cleaning and spot cleaning of The Officer’s Mess. Went to the night market in SS2 at night to stock up on fruits and junk food, drafted a report, did some Energy Audit calculations (which is taking ages to complete) and hit the sack with a warm cat on each side of my bed.
Saturday, 10th November 2007: Involuntarily Sober Weekend
Had an argument with Soldier Boy on Friday night, which made me resolve to go to the pub to unwind. Lillian and Jack were to come over to The Officer’s Mess first to drop off some things they wished to donate to the SPCA and the Taman Megah Children’s Home.
Lill and Jack had a ball playing with the Pix and Chloe, and we lost track of the time because we were busy nattering and paying so much attention to the cats; and so, in conclusion, I didn’t go out to the pub and remained sober because it’s no fun drinking at home.
Was invited to attend a 3R Campaign event launch at One-Utama Mall on Saturday morning, but decided to forgo it to take Pixie to the vet instead because he had vomited all over the dining room. It was only after I was certain that Pixie would be okay at home with Jake and Jess (God bless them!) that I went to the SPCA.
It was a wet and miserable day at the SPCA. Reve and Marianne had accompanied some of the ‘Last Chance’ dogs to Noah’s Ark, a no-kill shelter in Johor. Shu Ning and I could not take any of the dogs for walks or give them baths due to the foul weather. Shu helped the vets and staff with the young animals and new arrivals. I cleaned the Cattery, Hospital, Maternity Kennels and all the enclosures and office area.
Would you believe it, the rain stopped at 1930 hours just as we had put the dogs back into their quarters and locked up the shelter. It just wasn’t their lucky day.
Went back to Rawang on Saturday night in time to attend Mrs. Ganesan’s Deepavali dinner across the street from the parental home.
Spent Sunday with Amber and cleaning the parental home as usual. 2 months left until the Chinese New Year. The spring cleaning must begin soon.
Thursday, 15 November 2007: The Parents’ Wedding Anniversary
Mom and Dad celebrate 36 years of marriage today. I bought them a Brain Trainer, which is basically a handheld game device for people who aren’t usually video game players. I tried it out for about a week before I gave it to them. Honestly, I’ve never realised that arithmetic could be so exciting. By the end of 2 minutes, I was practically yelling out the answers: “16!!! 7!!! 20!!! 23!!!”
Brain Trainer
There are 3 basic modules: Arithmetic, Focus and Memory, and I instructed my parents in each. Their progress with it was amazing. You could see improvements within hours; it didn’t even take a few days. If they took 4 minutes to do 100 arithmetic questions in the morning, by evening, they took a mere 2 minutes and 45 seconds, and got all 100 correct at that. By the end of 3 days, they scored 20 in the Memory Test (a sort of numerical Kim’s Game) when my best score was only 6. And my associates say I have an elephant’s memory!
I highly recommend the Brain Trainer to anyone who believes in improving their mental dexterity, and as a useful and engaging gift to senior citizens or as an alternative to video games for the younger set. What’s more, you get to check your progress and it shows you a little graph to make you feel good about how much you have improved over the months. It’s worth every cent.
Twin Bro, his girlfriend and our cousin Ping (the Boy Scout) joined us for our parents’ anniversary dinner at the King Crab. Our cholesterol level probably shot through the ceiling and over the roof that night. Boy Scout was studying in a community college and was his usual considerate, humble self. I gave him $50 to buy himself some things that he may need for school and almost had to knock him unconscious before he would take the money. Tsk. Some kids.
We had a first-rate dinner, although it did burn a hole in my pocket. Went back to The Officer’s Mess after seeing the parents off and spent the rest of the night cleaning house and doing the laundry. God, I do miss having the Brain Trainer with me. Now I feel like getting one for myself.
Friday, 16 November 2007 – Sunday, 18 November 2007: Parties, Pubs and Pups.
Our office had its monthly birthday celebration on Friday evening. I helped with the cleaning up and left early (I had finished my work earlier) so I could go to the pub tonight. Went home, cleaned the Officer’s Mess, fed and cleaned up after the kitties and managed to talk Jake and Jess into coming with me to our neighbourhood pub.
And what a great time we had with the company, the booze and the music. Mizan is such a consummate musician. I had asked Martin over as well and was determined to drink him under the table. Drank responsibly this time and stopped after my 6th vodka. My former law school lecturer, Mr. Reuben, was there, and so I went over to say Hi. Martin alleged that I’ve always looked like a Teacher’s Pet to him; so I trashed him for saying that.
Martin had to leave by midnight, and then Ashley (Ashley the New Zealander, not to be confused with Ashley Who Owns Top Hat Restaurant, or Girl Ashley, or Bushcraft Buddy Ashleigh) came in, sat at the bar next to me and ordered a vodka-lime. I was drunk and loquacious by now and so I engaged Ashley in a lengthy exposition on Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas.
One hour into the discussion, Ashley started massaging my hands, comparing our palms, telling me that I am the most beautiful woman he’s ever met and whispering sweet nothings into my ear.
I jumped off my bar stool, paid my bill and beckoned to Jake.
“What’s up? I still haven’t finished my drink,” complained Jake.
“Let’s get going,” I agitated. “or Ash is going to follow me home. He thinks I’m his destiny. He thinks we have a future together. He says I’m the one he’s been waiting for.”
“Ho-kay!” Jake slams the payment for his drinks on the counter and motions to Jess. “Let’s get going”.
The two of them laughed and hooted all the way home about Ash being my ‘new beau’ and I swore I’d never discuss theatre and the arts with inebriated artists and musicians ever again.
Went to bed with a raging headache, so it stands to reason that I would wake up with one, too.
Upon getting up on Saturday morning, we took Pixie to the vet for a checkup. The vet was surprised to find 3 grownups accompanying one petulant cat to the clinic. “You sure are a lucky kitty”, said the nurse to Pixie.
I collected Pixie’s follow-up meds, went back to the Officer’s Mess, cleaned the house, loaded the recyclables into The Battletank and fixed a pineapple and celery salad meant for Solider Boy’s surprise birthday party and put it in the ‘fridge to chill before leaving for the SPCA.
I had a temperature and a headache when I woke up in the morning, and it still showed when I got to the SPCA. Chelvy, Dr. Pushpa, Linda and Reve took one look at my flushed face, rheumy eyes and sweat-covered forehead and instructed: “Go home. You’re not well. You shouldn’t be exerting yourself.” I replied that I will be okay soon and proceeded to walk the dogs.
Shu Ning was already there but she was busy trying to look for a cat that Jacinta was fostering that Shu had inadvertently allowed to escape, so I walked the kennel dogs alone and gave the dogs baths and tick rinses.
There was a rescued dog in the main Pound that has only 3 legs, and he was such a picture of self-assurance and trust that I could not help but feel special fondness and admiration for him. What a dog! He wasn’t the kind of dog to wallow in self-pity, and that made me want to take him to work with me to show others what optimism and true grit are. I am pleased to report that the shelter will not put him down, but will continue to care for him for the rest of his natural life and rely on him to advance the cause of animal welfare and adoption from shelters.
The water pressure at the shelter was Third World Low on account of the maintenance work being done to the Hulu Langat Dam, so we had to make do with less water for cleaning. I then had the brainwave of buying a bottle of biodegradable disinfectant floor wash, and so I diluted the disinfectant and swabbed the floor with it so everything would be clean without the need for hosing and rinsing. I washed and disinfected the Cattery, the Maternity Kennels and front area of the shelter before leaving at 1730h for Soldier Boy’s party.
Went home, cleaned up, put his present (a rain jacket and pants set, a Coleman emergency blanket and a card with a poem I composed) in the car, together with the salad, 4 cartons of fruit juice and some ‘Telur Pindang’ (spiced hardboiled eggs) for the party. Reached Mee Hong’s house and helped her get things ready.
The other girls arrived soon after and then Z arrived but didn’t seem too surprised. I guess it was because some thickhead had text-messaged him and asked him “What’s your favourite food?” and informed him that “Everyone will be there.”
He was surprised, though, by the amount of effort we had put into making the party a success, and touched by all the gifts he received. Later in the party, we viewed slides of the photos Z took of his China trip.
Went back to the parental home after the party. The parents were away in Penang for someone-or-the-other’s wedding, so I had the house to myself. Spent Sunday cleaning the parental home, dismantling and cleaning the cookerhood, looking after Amber’s needs, washing the cars, drafting proposals and reports and taking Amber on a ride in The Battletank.
It’s been quite a week.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: 13 NOVEMBER 2007
MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO REDUCE PLASTIC BAG USAGE
I commend the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Malaysian Plastics Forum for organising a much-needed public forum on the 3Rs (Reducing, Reusing and Recycling) of plastic bags on Saturday, 10th November (“Hypermarts to cut down on plastic bags” NST 11.11.07).
I must, unfortunately, express deep disappointment that the parties concerned chose to implement only soft approaches that are limited in their actual impact, such as ‘advising’ shoppers and providing reusable plastic bag collection facilities within the premises of the participating retail giants in the Klang Valley for a certain period of time.
I am not optimistic that these facilities will be fully or properly utilised. The Malaysian public is notorious for contaminating recycling bins with non-separated, soiled and unrecyclable waste. Can the organisers of the Forum persuade us that by the end of the trial period, the plastic bag collection bins will not be full of soiled and torn bags and other rubbish?
In addition, without proper incentives or penalties in place, there is little reason for the public to participate in such a scheme.
I fear the public forum is just another form of ‘greenwashing’ in order to boost the public’s confidence in the institutions involved, when nothing of genuine and lasting impact has actually been decided upon.
The plastics industry is understandably wary of any policies that will restrict plastic bag usage, but as with all successful innovators, they must be willing to consider other options, for instance, manufacturing biodegradable plastic bags.
We must remember that it takes 11 barrels of crude oil to manufacture 1 ton of plastic bags. Plastics will not remain cheap for long, and consumers must be weaned off their dependence on plastic bags through a combination of public education efforts via the mass media as well as through incentives and penalties, which may include:
1. Setting up Express Checkout Counters for shoppers who bring their own bags or refuse plastic bags. To ensure its effectiveness, such counters should not stock plastic bags at all, and shoppers who use this express lane but then demand for bags will then be directed to queue at regular lanes for their bags.
2. Giving incentives in the form of bonus or shoppers’ points or even cash rebates for shoppers who decline plastic bags. Giving out token gifts such as keyrings and mugs should be avoided as it entails the unnecessary consumption of resources and increases waste.
3. Charging shoppers for plastic bags and making it a nationwide policy that encompasses all retailers, including wet markets and small businesses to ensure compliance; and to fine businesses that, in order to attract customers, announce that they ‘do not charge for plastic bags’;
4. Shifting to biodegradable plastic bags, the cost of which will be borne by shoppers in order that those who bring their own bags will still enjoy lower costs, faster checkouts and other incentives.
5. Including wet markets, petty traders and stalls in any policy that aims to restrict plastic bag usage and waste. Small businesses must charge for plastic bags, switch to waxed or brown paper or biodegradable bags, or face a fine if the area surrounding their business premise has an unacceptable amount of plastic litter. Any such policy must be preceded by a media blitz to educate the public, allow for an adjustment period and quash allegations that such policies serve only to inconvenience the ‘rakyat’ and enrich retailers and manufacturers.
The token acts of installing collection bins and ‘advising’ shoppers and hypermarkets, while well-intentioned, seems to me too timid and apologetic a measure to effectively help an ailing planet.
Judging by the amount of plastic waste choking our country, Malaysia needs to take fearless, progressive and practical steps to halt and reverse the damage done to our natural environment.
E. L. WONG
PETALING JAYA, SELANGOR
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