Something smells fishy?

Assalaamualaikum..

It's getting fishy up in here!

Yep, today's post is about fish. Thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (such an English name, hee. Love it!). You might recognise him from The River Cottage series on The Asian Food Channel on Astro. Last year, he was busy with his Free-Range Chicken movement, and this year he's fist-ting up for a fish fight.

Here's the thing. European Union states that fishermen are allowed to fish on a quota. Meaning, a fisherman aiming to catch, let's say Cod, is allowed to fish until he reaches a certain amount, let's say 100,00 Cod, then he must return back to land. This quota was implemented to protect the endangered fish population and to prevent over-fishing. The fishes that are over the quota must be returned back to sea before they reach land.

However, the most efficient equipment to catch large amounts of fish are nets. I mean, we can't expect fisherman to supply the people's demand for fish, one by one on a rod now can we? And so, by using nets, fishermen have no control over what type of fish will get caught in them, especially in a mixed fishery where many different fish live together.

Fishing for one species often means catching another, and if people don’t want them or fishermen are not allowed to land them, the only option is to throw them overboard. The vast majority of these discarded fish will die.

Because discards are not monitored, it is difficult to know exactly how many fish are being thrown away. The EU estimates that in the North Sea, discards are between 40% and 60% of the total catch.

Others are prime cod, haddock, plaice and other popular food species that are “over-quota”. Fishermen are not allowed to land any over-quota fish; if they accidentally catch them – which they can’t help but do - there is no choice but to throw them overboard before they reach the docks.



So, you wanna help?

Here's how:

1. You can click here and sign up to support the campaign. By supporting the campaign, your name will be included in a letter to be sent to Commissioner Maria Damanaki, members of the Common Fisheries Policy Reform Group, and all MEPs.

If you would like to read the letter, click here!

2. Spread the word! Ask your friends and family to give their name to the cause too. To know more about Hugh's Fish Fight, visit their official website, http://www.fishfight.net/. To learn more about the solutions and ideas put forward by some NGO's on how to solve this problem, read up on it here.

3. For some scaly fun, take Hugh's Fish Challenge!

A simple act of just giving your name, WILL make a difference.

Sign up! It'll only take a sec >_<

Assalaamualaikum...

Resources: http://www.fishfight.net/

A little goes a long way..

Assalaamualaikum..

First up, thank you to Atikah Yusof for her enthusiasm and interest =) Alhamdulillah..

She asked for some simple tips on how to support worthy causes, charities, etc. So here it goes!

 Tip top tips to get started!

TIP 1

Do what is easy for you - To hear and see others put an effort to give back to the community/environment, inspires us to do the same. And when the upsurge of motivation rides us, we want to get on board, NOW.

A second later though, we think again, 'Wait a sec, I don't have a car to go to the recycling center nor the opportunity to go to charity events. I'm on a tight budget and time just always seem to be against me.'

Here's a quote for ya.

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll get, what you've always got" - Anthony Robbins

The trick is to do what you've always done, but do it differently.

Example:

a) What you do with your time online. Most of us catch up on facebook, go through new photos on tumbler, read our friend's blogs, skype, gaming, some do their research on assignments or follow up on world news and etc. We use the internet for leisure, academics and business. But we rarely use it or think of it as a way to give back to the community, help charity work or support environmental efforts.

Spend a few minutes to search for some sites that are trustworthy, such as The World Wildlife Fund, The Red Cross, GreanPeace, etc. If you come across new organisations that you've never heard of, browse a lil' through their site to get a vibe of their goals and agenda. Then, do what you can! May it be giving your name to be included in a petition or supporting a campaign or spreading the word or doing simple online activities.

b) Separate your trash and chuck the recyclables at your nearest recycle bin.

c) Keep a foldaway recyclable lil' bag in your handbag or bag. I use mine as a keychain so it goes everywhere with me! Aren't they cute?

I bought mine at Jusco, though you can buy these at souvenir shops, art shops, Giant and even at some top quality pasar malam.So the next time you purchase something, kindly decline the plastic bag, just whip this out and tadaaaa...! Intsant bag out of nowhere 0.0

d) Turn your lights off when you leave a room

e) Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth

f) Use a biodegradable plastic bag for your rubbish bin. Its only a teeny bit more pricy.

g) For those who have a printer at home, buy two types of paper. A cheaper, thinner 70gsm, 60gsm or even 50gsm paper and a heavier, better quality 80gsm paper. Use the 70gsm paper for test printing or light printing work and use the 80gsm paper for important documents and for double sided printing.

h) support 'Green' products and companies.

i) when photocopying simple notes or work just for your reference, ask to photocopy in 'image com'. 2 original papers will be copied on a one side of a paper, half for each original page. And if you ask for back and front photocopy, 4 original papers will be photocopied on a single piece of paper, 2 on each side of the paper. Yeah, that sounds a lil' confusing, sorry. It might take a second thought to figure it out, haha. Give it a go though. The writing will obviously be smaller but still readable. It'll save ink and paper! Kill two birds with one stone =)

And there are lots more things you can do. InsyaAllah, I'll post when I can. The point is, whichever one you choose to do, do what feels easy for you. Don't overwhelm yourself. You don't have to straight away join a charity society or go to an orphanage or drive to recycle centres or do hours of voluntary work. Start with baby steps and we move on from there. Fit in these new little changes in your daily routine.

Simple changes, a little effort here and there, will snowball into a real positive difference for this world.

Hope this was helpful! More to come, God willing.



Assalaamualaikum..

Get on the wagon!

Assalaamualaikum...

As some of you may know, I'm kinda of a 'green' freak sometimes. And ever since I've discovered the recycling centre in my area, I'm kind of getting addicted to recycling, haha. Nowadays, as I walk to the neighbourhood shops or drive by in town or have lunch in a restaurant and I pass by recyclable litter, I have to contain myself from picking it up. It's an ethical and social conflict I have. I wanna pick up that discarded drink can or bottle so badly but I'm afraid of what people may think of me. On occasion, I do give in and I pick up rubbish (not from bins though!) and try really hard not to let other people's judgements affect my cause for a better, cleaner, sustainable environment.

Alhamdulillah, since I've started recycling at the Kent Soon Recycling centre just outside of Uda, I've managed to earn about RM200+ . I recycle bit by bit and on one trip to the centre I get an average of RM3. And I get a boost in my earnings especially when there's a boost in my trash during spring cleaning or we have guests over for dinner.

Though this side income, I have to admit, has influenced and even has kept me motivated to continue recycling, my heart and conscious still urges me to continue recycling because of the greater good of the environment. The more I know about recycling and its affects, the more I want to keep at it and invite others to do so. The more I recycle, the more I think it's such a simple thing to do and the more I want to remind others to do so.  The more I recycle, the richer I get! Rich I tell youuuu, Rich! *does evil laugh as thunder crackles in the background* Mua, mua, muahahahaha!

Anywayyyy, yeah, join me in recycling, people!


Most people say that separating rubbish is troublesome but there's a simple solution for that. Have two bins! One for normal trash, while the other is for recyclables. It's a split second decision and chore, you either throw it in the bin on the left or the right (whichever way you susun your bins). And the next time you take out your trash, just chuck the recyclables in the recycle bin. If there isn't a recycling centre nearby, of course you would have to do some research on where the nearest recyclable bins are in your campus/ work place/ neighbourhood. Or just wait for the 'surat khabar lama' lorries to make their rounds. But once that is done, recycling will become a routine and you wouldn't think of it as an impossible task any more. Simple!

Alhamdulillah, I've persuaded two of my friends to recycle as well. And I help them to send their recyclables to the centre. And one of them collected RM60+ for a whole pile of stuff she sorted out because she 'intensive' cleaned her house for raya. Ada newspaper, monitors (she got RM14 for one of em! even if you send to computer shops they only take it for only RM5), printers, cardboard boxes, old cards, plastic bags, dolls, bags, tins, old books and magazines, bottles and memang banyak ar barang dia. We had to make two trips to the centre and on each trip my car was packed, the back seat and the boot was full! Phuh, penat jugak angkut barang masuk and keluar kereta but it was worth it.

And guess what.. I even managed to persuade my favourite mamak shop to recycle some of their rubbish too, of course it's Osman! I've a friendly relationship with some of the staff there and I learnt my tamil from a couple of their workers and I talk tamil to all of the workers there. Though they keep changing staff members among the Osman restaurant chains and I see different faces every few months or so, I enjoy going there. And even though their recycling habit isn't consistent and at most times they forget but once in a while they still do even when I forget. For example, they sell sweets on their cash counter and one day, when the stock of sweets finished, they gave me the containers. I was pleasantly surprised and even kept a few for myself to put the load of kuih raya my dad bought. The rest I sent to the recycling centre. Alhamdulillah. So...

GET ON THE WAGON, PEOPLE!

No, I don't mean this one..

nor this one..

definate no no, 0.0

what the.... haha

nope...

ah, some what close..

yeah, you guys get what I mean right, haha. And if any of you are interested in recycling at my centre or need me to send you to a centre or you wanna pass your recyclables to me, just holla k.

Happy recycling =)

Assalaamualaikum..

Recycling info..

Assalamualaikum..

To Pui yee and for others who care and have a heart and are responsible citizens of the Earth and are thoughtful and cares for the future generations needs and sustainability, here is some info about the recycling center =)

Address: Kent Soon Recycling Centre sdn bhd, No. 85l-3, Batu 1 1/2, Jalan Tampoi, 81200, Johor Bahru.
Telephone: 07-2362088 / 07-238376
Open hours: weekdays; 8.30am-5.30pm, weekends; 8.30am-4.30pm
Things they take in for trade: Tin, air conditioning units, printers, CD's, metal, copper wire, monitors, plastic, steel, brass and paper products.

If you're not certain on some items, whether they are recycable or not, its ok, just bring it to the center and they will sort everything for you according to their categories. The ones that they don't take in, they will help you dispose it and deduct the weight from your gross amount of goods. Your net weight of goods will be calculated and you will be paid in cash for it.

If any of you need help in recycling just give me a call k. Whether its about directions to the center or you need transport to the center pon boleh. I don't mind being the middle man. If you guys meet up with me or anything, just pass me your recyclables. I know it sounds weird, "Eh, syahidah! Here, take my trash.", haha but i don't mind. Every little bit helps.

Assalamualaikum..

p.s: thank you to all the readers, friends, teachers, family members (kak ain = eskimo! muahaha), blog hoppers, whoever you are; thanks for taking time out to visit and for the feed back. InsyaAllah, more posts on the way..

R.E.C.Y.C.L.E

Assalamualaikum...

Alhamdulillah, I've found a recycling center just outside of Uda. I know recycling bins are around but unfortunately, there are still some people who treat them as rubbish bins and toss in their trash in with the recyclable goods. This makes the recycling procedure more lengthy and more resources have to be used up. More time is spent in separating and sorting the items and more labor is needed to clean and process them.

So, I'm taking my recyclable goods straight to the center. This way, i can help to reduce the load that is contaminated by the rubbish and I am certain that my 'throw-aways' will have a second life as another product.

Now that i think about, sometimes the weirdest things make me happy. I spent three hours at a bank the other day, opening another current account as well as a fixed savings account and signed up for two SSP's (Sijil Simpanan Premium). After three long hours of form filling, going things over with the financial adviser, asking questions and queuing, i walked out with a smile as if I've made a home run =) Even though my convent teammates weren't there to high-five me but i felt good about myself, knowing that I'm investing my money and putting it to good use.

I felt equally happy today. It took a while to find the recycling factory but it was worth it. There were piles of cardboard stacked to the ceiling, shredded paper compacted into cubes and neatly lined, there was a mountain of cans in one corner, bags of recycled wire, bits and bobs of electrical machines, a heap of of old screws, bolts and nuts, a mound of printers, a trailer filled with plastic bags, a big box full of discarded CD's, a corner of old iron rods and scrap metal and a section for other plastic products like old mobile phone covers and damaged plastic casings.
I was in awe 0.0 I thought to myself, "This is soooo COOL!". I mean, we've all seen images of recycling centers on TV and we have a rough idea of what the process is like, but to see it in action was amazing (to me at least, hehe).

After unloading my things, a worker separated everything, weighed it and gave me a receipt to cash in at the counter. I'm pleased enough to know that i can help in saving the environment, but getting paid to do so, i was like "Where my money at? Give me those bills lady!", haha. Those 'surat khabar lama' lorries tu, i da biasa da, but they only collect newspapers and plastic bottles. The stuff they don't take in, i used to throw in the bin guiltily. I know most of the stuff have potential to be reused or recycled tapi nak buat macam mana, tak kan nak simpan je, so to the trash heap it went. BUT NOW I CAN....

AND..

recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle more, more and MORE and visit the recycling center MORE!!! Me happy >_< ngeee..



Assalamualaikum...

A penny's worth..

Assalamualaikum..


I recycled a total weight of 32.8kg of goods today and i got RM6.60 for it. Honestly, I'm more excited about the fact that i can recycle rather than about the earnings, they were just icing on the cake for me.


Then, i remembered those people on the streets we see scavenging for cans in rubbish bins. Imagine how its like for them. An empty can only weighs a few grams, they have to collect at least a hundred just to get 1 kg of cans which is sold at a price of 20 cents.

Take a look at this man. He must at least have a few hundred cans in there and may be a couple hundred of bottles. From the way he's pulling at the cart, it sure does look heavy. Rationally estimating, let's say he has 150 kg. That's about the equivalent of two men sitting on that cart, just think of it as a rickshaw ride. Yeah, that would be logically possible. More than 150 kg, would be a challenge even for the most experienced rickshaw men. Now, for 150 kg, this man would get RM30.


Contemplate..



How did you earn and spend your last RM30?


If you're reading this, it means you have internet access, which is a luxury. From this, i assume you're not scavenging in the streets.

A reminder to myself before others, be thankful that you have an education. Be thankful that you might have better job prospects, InsyaAllah. Be thankful that you have parents or other family members that work hard and give you money. No matter how much they earn, they still work, so that you don't have to work as hard as the man in the picture.


Assalamualaikum...

Bag the bag..

Assalamualaikum.

Ireland pathed the way in Europe, taxing plastic bags in 2002 and have now reduce plastic bag consumption by 90%.

Australia closely followed, by charging 10 cents for plastic bags from supermarkets and retail outlets.

China has banned free plastic bags.

In 2005, Rwanda banned plastic bags.

Bangladesh has banned plastic bags.

On March 27th 2007, San Fransisco became the first U.S state to ban the use of plastic bags. Oakland and Boston are considering a ban.

Israel, Canada, western India, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Taiwan have also banned or are moving toward banning the plastic bag.

Malaysia?

"KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 -- The Government does not intend to impose charges for plastic bags from supermarkets or retail outlets although it recognizes that these bags pose a threat to the environment and hamper efforts to inculcate the recycling mentality among the people" - Bernama

Haa, i know what are all the Malaysians thinking now. It goes something a bit like this:

"Tu la Government Malaysia ni, da tahu benda tu tak bagus untuk environment tapi tak buat apa-apa pon leii. Tengok la negara-negara lain, even third world countries macam Rwanda pon dah ban plastic bags tau. Huh." - in classic rojak style ofcourse >_<

Now before all of us go around high-five-ing eachother, think again. Do we really need to wait for a ban?

It starts with us.

Kalau pergi pasar tu, bawak la beg siap-siap. Whenever we plan to go shopping for anything, anywhere, just bring along a bag with you. And for us girls, most of us already have handbags, casually chilling on our shoulders. I have a reusable and fold-able bag in my handbag and also tucked away in a hidden zipped pocket, i have a spare plastic bag for whenever i need it.

Even if you've forgotten to bring one with you, try to reduce the number of plastic bags you use by not asking for another when purchasing your next item. Now, I've done this more than a couple of times. However, whenever i refuse any sort of packaging, the counter staff or salesperson looks at me and either give a little chuckle or ask me why i don't want a plastic bag. Most of the time, after i give them a short one sentence response, they nod their heads and comply to my request, all the while still sniggering. These instances did tick me off at first, but now I've become accustomed to it and usually leave without a second thought. Unfortunately, not all my encounters end in such ways.

I was paying for a take-away lunch at the counter of a restaurant i frequently visit and a conversation took place between the Pakcik and I, it went something like this:

Pakcik was reaching for a plastic bag behind his counter.
Me: Oh, tak apa la pakcik. tak payah plastic.
Pakcik: Ha. Kenapa tak nak? *surprised expression with eyebrows raised*
Me: tak apa lah pakcik, saya tak nak.
Pakcik: Ha. Tak apa pulak, amek je la. Nah...

He proceeded to put my packed lunch in a plastic bag, giving a little chuckle and shaking his head. I wasn't in best of moods that day and i thought to myself, "Were u just born yesterday? Macam la tak tahu kenapa.", but i just smiled and tried to stop him as best i could while being polite.
Me: Tak apa lah pakcik, saya tak perlu.
Pakcik: Tak perlu? Kan lebih senang nak bawak.
Me: Tak apa, saya pegang je. Saya boleh bawak.
Pakcik: Haha. Kesian awak nanti. Apa lah awak ni. Haha.

I tried to not to get irritated but other thoughts crept into my mind, "Kesian? Kalau orang cacat tu boleh la kesian. Do i look that retarded to you?". I just continued to smile and reached for my packed lunch from within the plastic bag, leaving the plastic on the table.
Pakcik: Nanti kalau terlepas kang, ha, nasi beterabuh kat tengah jalan nanti, heh. *his chuckle not so little anymore*
Me: tak apa, saya pegang guna dua tangan.

I tried to leave but he seemed determined to diss me.
Pakcik: Kalau terjatuh nanti?
"Kalau jatuh tu, nasib la. Sapa suruh tak berjaga-jaga. Kalau jatuh masuk longkang tergolek-golek pon, nasi tu tak akan terselamat kalau dalam plastic beg pon.", i thought to myself.
Me: InsyaAllah tak jatuh.

I walked away but i could feel his eyes on me and heard him dissing me behind my back to his workers.


Be patient with those who are ignorant or act ignorant. Start with yourself first and hope that others will follow. We can't stop the world from producing plastic bags, but we can reduce the demand for it. Just do what we can, save a lil' here, save a lil' there, whenever you can.

Assalamualaikum...

Plastic troubles..

Assalamualaikum..

The plastic bag. We can get them when we purchase something, anything. May it be a cup of corn from the side road stall or a classic Jimmy Choo heel from the trendiest mall. Some are plain, some are colourful, some are big and some are small. Some are cleverly made for high-end branding while some are specially designed just to take out the trash. The plastic bag is an efficient way to carry goods. It is hygienic, light in weight yet considerably strong.

But what happens to the plastic bag after we’ve put on our heels?

Most likely, they’ll go in the bin. Even for those who are thriftier will only reuse the bag a couple of times. After a little wear and tear, the bag loses its value and is disposed of. Most of them make it to the rubbish dump and are buried underground. Some make it out to the seas and dance with the waves. While others fly freely going wherever the wind takes them.

The affect?

This...

Plastic bags pollute the earth. They have been found roaming the harsh lands of the Article circle, up North and they have also been found drifting in the Falkland Islands, down South. In between these two distant lands, plastic bags stir up havoc.

Plastic bags do not decompose, they photo degrade. Over time, they break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers. It takes 1000 years for one plastic bag to completely photo degrade. Even when they do, they contaminate the soil.

Plastic bags kill wildlife. Nearly 200 different sea life including whales, dolphins, seals and turtles die due to plastic bags. They die after ingesting plastic bags which they mistake for food. Birds get entangled in the plastic bag and die a slow and painful death.

Plastic bags litter our streets and are scattered throughout our forests. They clog drains and natural water pathways and cause floods.

Plastic bags are made from crude oil. This black goo is precious and limited. Crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and other organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the earth's surface. It takes thousands of years for all these molecules and compounds to gel and make such a magical liquid that the world currently depends on. Such a prized resource. Approximately 60 - 100 million barrels of oil are required to make the world’s plastic bags each year. The manufacture of plastic bags add tonnes of carbon emissions into the air annually. Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year.

1 trillion? Hang on a sec. How much is that again?

1 trillion is one million million million. That’s the number 1, followed by 18 zero’s!

Think twice when you use a plastic bag. Look at the bigger picture of things.

Reduce your use of the plastic bag.

Assalamualaikum..