Lazy Women's Guide to a Cleaner Earth

If you're not living in a cave, I'm quite sure you now that our earth is in quite poor-poor state. Human making mountains and hills of garbage. Human cut down the vastness of tropical forest. Human polluting the air we breathe. Yes, it's all caused more or less by us. So it's only natural that we have an uncomfortable nagging feeling that we have to do something about it.

"But, but, I'm no Greenpeace, nor I'm a Tree-hugger!" Stop whining and pull yourself together. You don't have to throw rotten eggs to celebrities who wear fur, nor should you tie yourself up on a tree (but it could be fun, don't you think?). If you say, you're lazy, I'm more of a lazy ass than you. So being this lazy, I think I will share some stuff that I find no trouble at all, yet make me feel like I'm loving back the earth that has been thoroughly supporting me all my life. Please note that, it may not feel like it's significant of actions if done by one person only. But think if it's contagious and suddenly we are a city full of earth-loving SOB's. Ain't it a pretty picture.

OK, maybe I exaggerate the bit on 'saving the earth'. By that I mean reduce trash and probably a little saving on the fossil fuel and less carbon-monoxide on the oxygen. And here is what I do:

• I bring my lunch from home. How is it saving the earth? Less food bought from street vendor by Office boys= less paper/plastic/styrofoam waste. If you're in the situation where you cannot bring your lunch from home, eat out. Eat in the vendors, eat in restaurants. Doing lunch at the office every day sucks anyway (that's what I do every day).

• I keep a coffee tumbler at home, one at the office, and hopefully someday I will bring one every where. How is it saving the earth? Similar to the above. Nowadays where coffee is more of a lifestyle than just a happiness-inducing beverage (that's me), it seems everybody has to has the paper or plastic cups with green circle marks on them on one hand. Just imagine how much waste per day we coffee drinkers made. So get a tumbler (they sell nice affordable ones at ACE) (this is not a sponsored post), ask the baristas to fill it with glorious delicious coffee, pay and then leave. Try to take it every where you go.

• I bring my own non-disposable water bottle everywhere. This is where I'm so lazy. I'm not the kind who look for water when thirsty. I could go for hours without water until realizing that I almost died from dehydration (lebay). So keeping a water bottle in my bag seems like an easy way out. I could refill it whenever I have the chance (at home, in the office, in restaurants, in the gym, just about anywhere). I know we are encouraged to drink more than 8 glasses of water a day. But can you imagine if that water comes from those cups and disposable bottles? How much garbage you'd reckon can come from that 'healthy' habit? Get non-drip water bottles such as Rubbermaid or Lock&Lock (again, not sponsored, but will accept freebies) so you can simply throw them into your bag without having to worry you'd flood your trinkets.

• I bring my own bag to supermarkets (and stores, if possible). This is actually the easiest thing that I have ever done. You don't need fancy bags for grocery. I bought 3 big bags from Superindo and they're very strong. I have them carry heaviest stuff and have yet to fail me in any way. I always bring it whenever I want to do grocery shopping. Also in my every day bag, I keep a fold-able tote. Just in case I need to do an impromptu shopping.

• I don't want to be one of the people that complain every day about the traffic, yet driving to and from work alone in the car. I remember reading this tweet from someone and it's like hitting the nail in the head: "before you complain about the traffic, please look around. If you're alone in the car, you're a part of the problem, not a part of the solution". BRAVO. Whoever you are. Sorry I forgot your twitter ID. "But what should I take instead of my own car? Jakarta's public transportation sucks!" Again, stop whining and pull yourself together. Of course if you absolutely have no choice but taking your own car, alone, to every where you go, then do it. But some of the lucky ones who have the option. For example; you love those bikes, you have a shower on your office (my excuse why I don't bike to work), go by bike. If in between your house and your office there's a straight, undisturbed (impossible) bus lane, take buses. Whatever works for you. But carpooling isn't going to hurt either. Just pick not-too-chatty, non-BO people as car-mates, and I'm pretty sure you'll have a blast of carpooling every day. By the way, if you have to ask, I take Trans Jakarta bus every day.
  
  
• I pee in the shower (well, not really).

Those are pretty much the actions that I do every day. Of course it's not enough and if I had the chance, I so would crank it up a notch. Like making compost, or order trash bags that are actually made from banana leaves and totally bio-degradable. Or getting a Prius? No? But, you know, I'm too lazy. So maybe some day.

These are some notes that could follow this post:

• Plastic generally need 500- 1000 years to decompose.
• Styrofoam, in other hand, need roughly a million years (I know, surprised me too).

Finding the 'Good' in 'People'

As you grow older, you have less friends. This sentence is not generally true for everyone. I know quite many people that still have buckets of friends though they're older than me. But it's very true for me.

When I was young, I don't care about it that much. I surround my self with anyone that remotely care to be around me. I would make a date with them again, again and again, even if I got stood up quite often. Then I realize. One of the truest test for friendship is time. No matter if you live at different continents, at different stages on life, could see each other about 2 times a year, the connection would still be strong whenever you talk to each other.

Friends come, friends go. Few friends stick, few have become mere acquaintances. Some even become quite nemesis that you prefer to avoid (or set 'stealth' on messengers).

But there are friends that are in some kind area, that you cannot quite categorize. They have been through a lot with you. Whether it's school or a job. You might or might not connect. You might or might not have things in common. But they are your friends nonetheless. Maybe you grew apart for certain numbers of years, then you reconnected (no thanks for Facebook). I don't have specific feeling for it (or maybe I don't feel at all :-p) but I have my mailing lists and my Facebook Groups from elementary school, high school (all 3 of them) and college (all 2 of them). I try to keep it small in numbers, and I don't participate actively in most. I would come to small gathering (I dislike big gathering) and only give a peep when I'm being asked (like, never). I'm still among a small circle of friends of my Al Azhar high school, whom I still contact heavily. We were very close then, we did everything together because we were the geeky outcasts, so there.

I have learned to view my best friends are my guarantee to good conversation and good laughs. Good conversations are still one of my biggest pleasure. As much as I love to chat with my bffs, I love to meet new friends and found out that we could have an extended version of a good conversation starting from getting-to-know-each-other. That's why I don't like big gatherings. I will be far more enjoying myself having one-on-ones or two of friends, in a quiet place with (preferably) a bottle of beer, talking and laughing silly until wee hours in the morning.

What about the friends that have proven themselves I cannot converse with them even in half an hour? (we'd be out of subject to talk to then and have awkward silence). I don't see them often anyway, and usually I would find one or few things that I love about them so I can keep loving them as friends, although we cannot be closer than we already are.

I have this one friend, that I don't have anything in common with, but I love how she really looks at me when we talk, and when we greet each other, she would kiss me on the cheek earnestly with her nose and lips (not one of those cheek to cheek sissy stuff). Strange as it may sound, I love her because of that. Another friend, who is annoying as hell. More often than not, we would yell at each other. But I love him because he's the only one who understands when I quote the silliest lines from 'Friends' and we can laugh our ass off just because that silly reason.

Again, as much as I love my friends and acquaintances, I'd like to steer away from liars, back-stabbers and friends who abuse me. I don't mind being used, but not abused.

I thank the universe that I have my friends. I thank every Gods that I have my best friends. For no matter how low I feel, it's them (aside from my family) that can make me feel that everything is worth living again.

Thank you for bearing with my morning ramblings that is my first post.