Dear all, please note that from now on I’ll be blogging from http://www.whitericeculture.com

Cheers,

Nicole

My niece, turning 4 this month. Loves napping on my bed every afternoon after a good dosage of milk.

Curating the beach, transforming into art using plastic debris, it’s fantastic

I don’t know why it took me so long, but it did.

All along I’ve treated recycling as something that’s more “by the way”, and good to have, without truly appreciating what it contributes to.

Similarly climate change is an area which I know is very prevalent and real (I read about it everyday in the news), yet I’ve never felt the urge to do anything concrete about it - it felt too…big of an issue to tackle.

This morning, I picked up a book from the library called The Necessary Revolution. I couldn’t put it down the whole evening - it stirred something in me and made me really uncomfortable and guilty, and a few (basic) realizations dawned upon me:

• The alarming rate of our energy consumption, and the finite nature of the non-renewable resources. I am guilty of leaving lights or air-con on when I don’t need them, thinking I’ll just end up with a higher electricity bill - without thinking about how affordability really isn’t the point here, but the finite nature of these non-renewable energy sources.
   
• The alarming rate of CO2 we are producing, through excessive production and consumption. 
   
• The amount of garbage we produce on a daily basis - i was appalled by how much garbage 2 people can produce when we were camping in NZ 
  
  
• A reminder that all the rubbish that I throw away without recycling doesn’t just disappear because I’ve chucked it in the bin - Incinerator, landfill, CO2.
   
• How little I recycle, it’s shameful. I saw how homes in Europe do it as though it is second nature and I want to, too.
   
• How EVERYTHING in this ecosystem of ours is intricately linked and we are in a real danger of screwing things up at the rate we (that would be all of us) are going.
   
• That the era of industrialization brought a lot of progress and wealth but only at the expense of the environment, and its people. Look at Singapore - non stop rapid economic growth for the last 45 years, but many people I know are not necessarily happier or healthier. It makes me sad.
   
• The state of the earth that we are leaving to our next few generations to clear up (if it is reversible). Oh shit.

So now what?

Start.

(Image credit: The Necessary Revolution)

Currently at Chapter 1. This book is so good I can’t put it down. It is ironic that the more ‘advanced’ we get and the more we progress, the more we yearn to get back to the basics and appreciate normal simple things - a symptom that something’s not quite right. We are consuming and producing way too much. Consider these facts:

• wealth of 200 richest people in the world exceeds the combined annual income of the world’s 2.5 billion poorest people
   
• 8 billion tons per year of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide are emitted globally. This is 5 billion tons more than the biosphere can absorb
   
• concentration of CO2 in oceans and biomass are far above historic levels, causing problems such as ocean acidification and how much more these natural CO2 sinks can absorb. If they start to absorb less, more CO2 will concentrate faster in our atmosphere, driving global warming faster
   
• there’s a long time lag (30-50 years) before the full effects of CO2 are felt - think about what we are leaving behind for our kids
   
• many great diseases (think: cancer) have become far more prevalent today due to toxins in our bodies that come not only from food ingredients but also chemicals in products
   
• from Food Inc (the book below): industrial farming - chickens, pigs, cattle holed up in pens and cages so small they behave abnormally (eg pigs biting off other pigs’ tails), fed hormones so they grow faster, bigger, fatter, so they produce more for us to consume. It sounds so wrong :(

What can we collectively (and individually) do to make a difference to create a more sustainable future?

How much do you think about the food you eat? Do you care where your food comes from?

very moving talk 

A stellar year

Flying in to Singapore, I always thought it looks like Lego-land of sorts from above with all the HDB flats. This is a great photo essay from a fresh pair of eyes on this Lego city I call home.

(Click on title above)

How People Live In The Suburbs: A Vintage Illustrated Gem
Maria Popova, brainpickings.org

“Swinging is a good time to close your eyes and make-believe.”Much has been written about what makes a great city, with recent theories placing walkability atop the list of favorable assets, deeming suburbs among the least desirable, most…

It’ll take a while for me to digest all that I’ve experienced in the past 5 months. It wasn’t so much of where we have visited (places which aren’t really considered obscure/exotic per se), but more of the journey and the experiences along the way. As I settle back at home during this festive period, turn 30, and soon get ready to return back to work, here are a few perspectives which I’ll like to bear in mind for future:

1. Less is more - Camping makes one realize how little we need to be happy and have an amazing time on this trip, how resourceful we can get when it comes to making the most out of what we already have, and how nice it is to get back to the basics - less of material possessions and more of meaningful relationships and appreciation of nature. Plus, less clutter to clear. 
    
2. Do the most important thing first thing in the morning - I first read this on the HBR Blog, and it stuck with me throughout work and my travels. We’ll never really have enough time to do EVERYTHING that we want to do, but I realized that once you get the most important thing done first thing in the morning, everything else will feel like a bonus. 
    
3. Never stop exploring and challenging limits - It’s always a humbling experience, but it’s what made me learn more about myself and my environment. Special thanks to EB for being an inspiration and support on this front!
    
4. Do what matters most now - There’s no guarantee of living till 40, 50 or 60. This extended time off came with an opportunity cost (no salary for 6 months, no promise of a job upon return) but it’s the best thing I could have done, and everything that happened during this period was something money CAN’T buy. 
    
5. Have enough time for yourself - Not while playing the role of a son, a daughter, a mum, an aunt, a colleague, a friend etc, but as you, even if it’s an hour away from everyone else to read a book helps. 
    
6. Practice gratitude and contentment 

30 today :)

Traditional birthday meal: Mee-sua (a type of noodles) and red eggs as a symbol of longevity

Home, rediscovered. A corner of the Botanical Gardens (entrance near the new Circle Line MRT station)