Believe it or not, since the introduction of recycling bins in our kitchen, we have just been constantly surprise (and appalled) at the mounting recyclable waste accumulated over time. Almost every product we buy off-the-shelf has an element that can be recycled.  Everything from plastic wrappers, plastic bottles or cups, old newspapers, cereal boxes, juice cartons, tin cans – the list seems endless!

As if that’s not enough of a waste shocker, according to statistics from the Department of Environment (DOE), an average Malaysian produces 0.8kg -1.2kg of waste per day. That’s an average of 30kg of waste a month! Statistics also show that the biggest waste contributors come from urban areas. Yes! Urbanites like you and I who thrive happily on convenience and spend blithely without thinking twice.

The horror does not end here. If waste is not separated at disposal point, EVERYTHING (literally everything) ends up in the landfill. No waste collector will care enough to rummage through our garbage and pick out what can be recycled and what can’t. Hence, all of us need to play our part, and it all starts at home.

We’ve tried to minimize our waste by bringing Tupperware containers when ordering take-out, declining plastic bags at the supermarket and refusing to take plastic cutlery instead using our ‘SPORKS’ when on the move. Still there are products we can’t avoid buying despite realizing how laden it is with excessive packaging.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by rubbish (literally), especially when information is sparse even in a thriving city like KL. So here are a few tips to help make recycling easier for you!

How to start? While fancy colour-coded recycling bins would be a nice inclusion at home, a simple box or garbage bag is really all you need to sort and hold your recyclables. We bought ours from IKEA (although not the wisest decision since we’re adding up on plastic purchase – however esthetic elements and durability won us over). You will need at least 3 bins/boxes/containers, for; paper, plastic and aluminum.  Another for glass if necessary.

What to recycle? Virtually all newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cardboard, cereal & juice boxes, glass bottles, plastic wrappers, aluminum and tin cans are recyclable. Remember to flatten boxes and aluminum cans before dumping it into separate bins. As for plastic bottles, remember to remove the cap and rinse the bottle. Both the cap and the bottle go into the same bin but will be sorted again at the recycling center.

Where to bring your recyclables? At certain locales, DBKL, MPPJ or Alam Flora will have designated days to pick up recyclable waste. Ask your neighbours if you are not sure. Another option is to bring your recyclable waste to recycling centers around your area.

Alam Flora has made life simpler for all of us by listing down recycling centers within Klang Valley. It’s best to identify a center near your home or office for added convenience. Click HERE to see the list.

Alternatively, if you feel like doing a good deed, you can send recyclables to a disabled home in SS2, PJ. They collect recyclables to sell in order to earn money to run the home. There are drop-off boxes at their centre.

Lovely Disabled Home
No 1, Jalan SS 2/5, (opposite Taman Bahagia LRT station)
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact person: K.K Lum (Director) @ 03 78739622 / 013-3409622

In the age of digitization, finding a physical photo album or prints are hard to find. Photos are burn onto CDs, uploaded on Facebook, shared on Trip Advisor and emailed to friends. Whilst this digital phenomenon has made destinations more ‘accessible’ and it has also allowed friends to digitally travel with other friends without leaving our seats – it has also rid us of the nostalgia of flipping through physical photo albums and cleaning dusty albums whilst having a good laugh or cry over memorable milestones.

Since technology is moving so rapidly, we figured that one day, photo albums will not exist and we better create an option before its to late! We still want to have the assurance that pictures and physical memories can be accessible in the event our nation’s power source goes kaput or if our hard disk crashes.

So we decided to continue our meticulous efforts in creating scrapbooks! We’ve spent hours sorting through colours papers, choosing borders, buying embellishments, sticking, stamping and stenciling – it’s what we do with our free time, our together time – reliving our trip once again through the creation of our 4th photo book.

It is quite far off about 40mins from PJ and the directions are quite misleading too. We got lost initially but managed to get back on track. The drive was worth the while. For avid photographers who are looking for mid-aerial views of KL city scapes – this would be a snapshot haven for you. For those who want a different dining experience with fresh hilly air and a starlight panorama of the city – this would be a unique gastronomic experience. If we have friends visiting from overseas, this would be a great place to bring them.

We strolled our way up the hill and there to greet us were 2 restaurants. One was serving some steamboat Chinese cuisine and the other a fusion of Mediterranean and Italian. We chose the latter called Bread & Olive.

To help our stomachs digest the heavy meal, we climbed up the watch tower and Terence got busy camera. The weather really helped as visibility was close to perfect and we could literally see every street lamp on the road. KL is beautiful to behold!

Since it was predicted that CNY would leave the city roads clear of traffic, we did some exploring by foot and wheels. We drove to Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve where our 2 hour hike would start. The terrain is mild and easy on those looking for a stroll in the forest. We attempted the shorter trails first then the longer ones. There was one that took us right up to Menara Kuala Lumpur. We walked up to the base of the tower and since it was still quite early – 8.30am, not much was happening.

Then two corn cob shaped building caught my eye. KLCC was just a stone throw away, we decided to walk there instead of driving there. The familiar feeling of slipping our feet back into tourist/travelers shoes set in. We were exploring our own city now because it felt so foreign. Signs we don’t usually look out for somehow seem to be staring in our faces. All my life I had this prejudice about KL signages. KL will be the last on my list when it comes to good signages. But I found that quite untrue for this particular part of the city we were exploring. It was actually pedestrian friendly with arrows pointing us in the right direction. Thumbs up to DBKL!

We initially wanted to get tickets to the Sky Bridge since we were already there. But to our surprise the queue was already catterpillaring when we got there at 850am. Instead we had a long relaxed breakfast and headed back on foot to Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve and lingered awhile at the mini zoo at the base of KL Tower.

The vital lesson I’ve learnt is to consciously make time for God and the people closest to you. Easier said than done but it’s the only guarantee of staying sane in the maze of the typical urban schedule.

Here are some updates on what my fingers have been dabbling with:

• Meeting up with people! Friends are home for the holidays. Our home has been coined mamak No.2 and our kitchen has fully utilized to cook up a storm for privilege guests. Terence usually the chef – will share some fabulous recipes soon!
• Splattered Paint: Year-end events are always lots of fun. We face painted 100 kids at our last event. This weekend we’d be busy dolling up a venue for the birthday of a special one year old.
• Gearing up for the start of Rangers next year. I’d be embarking on some new challenges in hope to gain a greater perspective of what it means to be a servant leader.
• Christmas gifts: Of course I’m not going to tell you what it is! All I can say is that we’ve been creatively ambitious with out gifts this year.
• Getting ready to make our mark in Vietnam – yes! We’re flying again, this time to Hanoi for another backpacking adventure. Can’t wait to roam the streets, experience Christmas the Vietnam style, meet the locals, indulge in the street food and hike in the mountains of Sapa!

2009 is going to be a wild ride! What a journey it has been for 2008. I wouldn’t have it otherwise despite the rough edges. I’d be turning a year wiser tomorrow (yay! to the extra wisdom and urgh to the change in numeric) and my journal will yet again be filled with pages of thanksgiving and milestones of life. I’m quite sure I’d dig up my dust filled journal 20 years from now and thank myself for appreciating life in writing.