Repair Repair Repair... What about my jeans' butt?

I've recently been on a repairing/altering frenzy. My clothes that is. Clothes that I've grown out of... Erm, actually, I grew smaller. I shrank. So, most of my clothes either don't fit, or I can only wear those with belt loops and the waist scrunches in so bad I look like I'm wearing my hubbie's clothes. Well, maybe not that bad. 

Luckily I found a decent place nearby who does basic alterations. The lady owner seems a little blur sometimes, but otherwise nice. And she seems very kind and friendly to her staff of more ladies at the sewing machines. The ladies are actually locals. I like that. Providing jobs and empowering ladies locally. Which means they're usually better paid too. Me happy.

A while ago, I did another round of filtering my clothes to determine which I have left collecting dust because they just won't stay up. Got quite a few pairs of shorts. I'm happy. I've been thinking of getting new shorts. But now that I've got my old pairs, I'm really quite excited about bringing them to size! And I loved them too. Now I get to love them again! Yay! And I don't have to go out spending hours hunting for stuff that usually don't fit me, don't look good on me, or are made of poor quality materials, and if they're not, cost the earth to buy!

Except, my last pair of jeans. I've not worn them for months now. They are a pair of nice Levis just about less than 2 years ago. What the heck are jeans  made of these days?! They've got a very big patch of threads on the bum spreading from the middle seam outwards. I can't wear them out. A little too risque. It's been sitting there. I've been thinking endlessly, if not for that 'tear', it's otherwise still a very very nice pair of jeans.

:(

Can fix ar? Well, most sites I've been to just says that's the worst part to fix (you just can't prettily) or fix enough to make them wearable only while you're painting. There was a site recommended by many ecofriendly sites. I got really excited. Went to the site and checked them out. Wow, the visuals are so cool. They could really repair them. Like Jotun color matching thingie except this is for thread. Coolness.

But this is in the States. That's $7/inch and for international postage, $85. 

Hmph. 

Hari Organik

CETDEM's co-organising a Hari Organik with various other organisations. One of which is 'Slow Food' Klang Valley. 

I'm quite excited. I remember reading about Slow Food in the UK. It's nice that it's reached our shores. Increasing wealth and prosperity while at the same time decreasing time has really made an impact on our views and intake of food. I look forward to attending this weekend. If you're interested. Here're the details! :D

Jalan 19/22 Padang

1st August, 3rd October and 5th December 2009

8.30 - 2 pm

More info: 

of@cetdem.org.my

www.cetdem.org.my

Tel: +603 7875 7767

Save the turtles! :D ... the Turtle Ranger way

There's a trio of ladies who's trying to raise awareness for Turtles. They'll be travelling across Malaysia in a 'turtle' car (aka. the Volkswagon).

One of the first public contact will be this Sunday, 26 July  2009 at the Sunway Pyramid Main Entrance. 

Check them out! I won't be there unfortunately. I'll be looking out for seahorses and dugongs.

HSBC Online banking sucks!

Okay, this is not particularly related to Terra. But maybe it is. Reducing trips to bank etc. 

This evening, while doing my regular fund transfers on online HSBC, I encountered a very very serious annoying problem with their service. 

Very often with HSBC or any of the other banks for that matter, while you're conducting a transfer, sometimes their websites may fail or be under service or something along those lines and they'll put up some sort of an error message telling the transaction cannot be done and asking you to come back and try later. 

That's what happened this time. I gave all the particulars, clicked confirm, ok. Service error. Come back later. Oklah. Few minutes later, try again. Confirm. Ok. Went through. Moved on to the next transaction. Checked balance. 

*GASP*

The previous transaction went through twice! That transaction was worth over RM4K each! Ouch!

Called up to HSBC, they denied everything. Said it's the customer's (aka ME) fault. Told me to go talk with the beneficiary of the funds transferred to. 

Service. Go fly kite. Angry angry angry.

More on worms. Danger danger!

While doing some research on composting worms, I found a fact that's of importance to anyone who is currently doing or thinking of doing vermicomposting.

The worms that are used in vermicomposting are exotic (meaning they're not local species). And worms to begin with have voracious appetites. If these hardy imported species get onto the forest floor, they will chomp away at all the thick leaf litter that nourishes tree saplings, prevents erosion and aside from that, due to their digestive system, the worms change the soil chemistry making it more alkaline. Rainforest floor is acidic and bacteria do not tolerate acidic soil thus this protects plants from disease and insects. However, when worms are introduced, they produce calcium carbonate which acts like lime on acid soil. This changes the microbial fauna from fungal to bacterial. And with rapid chomping and pooping, it overloads the soil with nutrients which injures the plants and/or leaches into streams and lakes. And if you have a tree garden, watch out for them too! 

Earthworms don't belong in forests. Forests decomposers are fungi, microflora and and fauna.

Point is, make sure your worms stay in your composting bins and out of our precious rainforest. 

These information were mainly based on studies done on Woodland floors. I'm not sure yet if they affect our tropical forest floors similarly, but the logic is there. If anyone has a more scientific confirmation on  this issue, please do respond! Thanks.

Vermicompost in Hulu Kelang!

I've been hunting high and low for some composting worm. Well, affordably that is.

Today, coming back from Sungai Congkak, I stumbled upon a place which sells the 'baja' (fertilizer). I drove in. Nobody. 

I'm going to try again tomorow! Well, calling anyway. They had a phone number and email. I'm so excited. I hope he can sell me worms! I'm not out to do it for commercial reasons. I just need it for my kitchen waste!

Wish me luck!

No Tuna or Waste Food? Dilemma dilemma

Most people who knows me well would know that I don't eat tuna. Why, coz at 12, I was apalled that one of my favourite animals then, dolphins, get caught when tuna does. And usually dies before they get thrown back into the sea. So, from then on, I would consciously avoid eating tuna. 

These days I realize that tuna doesn't get it that great either. So, that's another reason. But then, so does any other living creature that gets eaten. I'm trying to reduce my animal food intake. At the same time trying to balance between ethics and nutrition. 

Okay, but when you have a piece of tuna in front of you (not by choice) and nobody's eating it. And you know it's going to end up in the bin, thus wasting food. What's a girl like me to do? Do I leave it? Do I eat it? 

I chose to not touch it. 

Until the end when we're about to leave and it was still sitting there miserably in a sea of clean plates. 

Chomped it down. :( Good or bad? Sigh...