Something meaningful? Recycle these.

The next time you think about throwing away your old or out of fashion cutleries or cooking utensils, think about "Food Not Bombs Kuala Lumpur". This movement is made up of a group of volunteers who collect unwanted foodstuff and vegetables from the market to cook vegetarian meals for the destitute.

Other than foodstuff, they are also looking for:

1) pots
2) pans
3) trays
4) platters
5) plastic plates
6) any utensils for cooking or serving food

Go to their website and click on "Activities" and it will lead you to the time and locations where food will be served. If you are interested to be part of this group, sign up or call Kimy at 012-2438406 or Nunu at 012-3488260 for details of their next monthly meeting at S & M Food Court, Kota Raya.

Rotten fish sell.

Do you know that rotten fish can be used to make fertilizer? I came across an article written by Briscoe White of The Growers Exchange and he has provided some useful information about this fishy kind of fertilizer if you intend to try one. There are two types in the market, that is, the hydrolyzed fish or the fish emulsion.

About hydrolyzed fish fertilizer:
1) For the truly organic version, only North Atlantic fish that are caught at least 3 miles offshore are used.
2) The fillets are cut out for human consumption, while the fish carcasses go into the grinder to form a mixture of chocolate milk like consistency.
3) Ocean fish contain the full range of nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and growth hormones and none of these are lost because the fish are cold processed.

About fish emulsion
1) It is processed from the left over parts of fish you will not eat.
2) The oil are removed and the parts are boiled down to a 50% solution.
3) The heat destroys all the essential nutrients and chlorine is used in the process.
4) Compared to hydrolyzed fish fertilizer, it smells like old rotten fish.
5) It has syrup like consistency which tends to leave residue in sprayers.

Why choose organic over Synthetic fertilizers? Jacob has the answer for you through his science project, "The Effect of Both Synthetic and Natural Fertilizer on the Germination of Corn".

So, you are more ambitious and would like to make your own? Then hang on to your decomposed fish leftovers, seaweeds picked from the beach or canned fish products with expired dates and read "How do you make homemade Fish/Seaweed Emulsion?", posted on Garden Web.

With news of global warming and reports of fishes dying from lack of oxygen or pollution, this recipe will come in handy one day and may well be a business idea for you to consider venturing into.

Disposed chopsticks? Bryan Parks wants them.

Today I received a very interesting powerpoint slide about disposal chopsticks. If you are living in Asia, putting a pair into your mouth as you eat is something that you would do without a thought. But before you do it again, here are some questions and answers for you to ponder upon first.

1) What are disposal chopsticks made of?
A: They are made from wood cut from Bamboo Trees. A 20-year old tree could produce 3000-4000 pairs of chopstick. Taiwanese use more than 100billion pairs and that means 29 million trees are being cut every year.

2) How are they processed?
A: Once they are cut to size, they are bleached using sulfites and Hydrogen Peroxide (to make them less prone to mold). They are then left in the open to dry. After that process, they are packed in bulk to be shipped out to the importer.

3) It takes 1 month to ship. So what could these chopsticks be exposed to on the ship?
A: Rats & cockroaches.

4) Are disposal chopsticks disinfected before they are individually wrapped?
A: A primary school student experimented by soaking disposal chopsticks in a beaker of water for one week. She tried growing green peas in the solution and noticed that it took a longer time to grow and they wilted when they reached the height of 5-6cm. Smoke from burning these chopstick is tested to be acidic. This proved that there are residues of the chemicals used on the chopsticks.

5) What is the natural colour of wood? What is the colour of your disposal chopsticks?
A: Avoid using disposable chopsticks which are very white as this means that they may have been bleached excessively. Also avoid using them for barbecues or leaving them in the soup. (Sulfur dioxide, a sulfiting agent, is a colorless and water-soluble chemical, so it can leach into your food unnoticed).

6) Is it possible to recycle and re-use disposal chopstick?
A: As reported by reliable sources, it was found that the disposable chopstick are being recycled by bleaching them in sulfur and Hydrogen Peroxide. So, it is best to bring your own chopstick when eating out.

Sulfites is permitted by the U.S Food Drug Administration (FDA) to bleach and preserve food, fruits and vegetables within a regulated limit. Excessive ingestion of sulfite or sulfite-sensitive people can develop breathing difficulties, asthma, skin rashes, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

I do not know how accurate this process report is but I will opt to request for reusable fork and spoon if I am offered a pair. Why? Disposable chopstick can affect our environment. Think about trees that have to be cut down and the mounting waste they create.

And if you are wondering what you can do about the waste, then it is time to think like Bryan Parks, an American, who has lived in China for several years. Find out why he started Kwytza Kraft and what he can create with disposal chopsticks to make a living.

Manual Typewriter? An "in" thing?

Computers have made manual typewriter obsolete. It is very unlikely for you to discover even an electrical unit in an office. I do wonder if it is still being used to teach basic typewriting skills because there are now so many interesting software in the market that teaches you how to type with speed.

So, what do you do with manual typewriters other than collecting them as antique? Should you collect broken ones knowing that you may not be able to find someone to fix it? Don't bother cracking your head on that as Andrea of tabtypewriterkeyjewelry.com has already figured that out and created a family business out of it.

You guessed it, she has created bracelet, pendants, earrings and watches with all the colourful tabs from unwanted typewriters that she can lay her hands on. If you think they would not look good enough to wear as jewellery or they will look monotonously boring, then check out her range of bracelets.

So, go to the store room and see if you could still find something from your grandparents' days. Look at them with Andrea's eyes and see if you could create a keepsake jewellery out of your find to remember them by.

Recycling for God

Yes, my belief in the higher power is my 7th incentive towards recycling for a greener environment. Is there a religion you know of that does not encourage one to love nature. Let my little poem help you rediscover this love:

Nature, the living creation
Loves mankind unconditionally
Satiates the senses in every way
Through the air inhaled
Thirst it quenches
Titillating fruits tickling taste buds
Look, palates inspiring venison
Fulfilling too
Those pleasing sounds
The warmth that touched the skin
All seen, smelt, heard and felt naturally
What have mankind given in return
...in the name of development?

In my search for religious teachings about loving nature, I came across an article, "Religion Is a Bond Between Man and Nature" by a Hindu spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi, lovingly called 'Amma' or the "hugging saint". The following is an extract of what she has written that inspired me to write the above poem. I feel that it clearly highlights the differences of Mankind vs Nature:

Look at a tree.
It gives shade.
Even to the person who cuts it down.
It gives its sweet delicious fruits.
Even to the person who harms it.

When we plant a tree,
We are only concerned about the profit.
When we raise an animal,
We think about what we will make from it.

If the animal ceases to benefit,
We will have it destroyed without a thought.
As soon as the cow stops producing milk,
We will sell it to the butcher to make money.
If a tree stops yielding fruit
We will cut it down and make furniture
Or something else from it.

If Amma's article does not touch you enough to consider recycling, maybe this will:

"People love those who are kind to them as well as true perfection and transcendent beauty. They also love those who are kind to those whom they love and for whom they have mercy" - (Extracted from Discover Islam)

Wahsi Paper Doll? No, lah. Plastic.

My friend came over with a book "Japanese Washi Paper Crafts" by Robertta A Uhl and requested that I learn some of the stuff there so that I can teach her. Though hand crafting is my forte, it can be a very challenging task when you do not have the material required to work with, such as, the washi paper.

Not one to be easily dettered, I pull out whatever stuff I have on hand and created my first Kokeshi Doll.



Accept for some cellophane and double sided tape, none of the material I have used to create this doll is new. If you want to create your own, look out for:

1) Toilet paper roll (2 pieces).
2) Plastic bags in different colours to mix and match for the costume.
3) Black plastic bag for the hair.
4) A piece of string.
5) A ping pong ball.

If you would like to see some Japanese doll designs to inspire you to create your own, check out the following websites:

Japanese Kokeshi Dolls made with ping pong ball, plastic bottle and paint.

Read about its tradition and watch a "Step-by-Step Explanation" on YouTube showing you how a wooden Kokeshi Doll is created.

Lots of information on Carving Dolls Techniques by Hirano Masamichi

Want to read more about them? Judy Shoaf has a lot to say about them.

Polymer clay leftovers? Before you throw....

If you have been working with polymer clay, you will soon realised that it can be a very expensive hobby, especially when you are not inspired enough to finish the slab you have been working with. If you do not store the leftovers properly, they hardened rendering them useless.

So, following are some inspirations for you to work with to clear any leftovers.

Making Sculpting Tools

Miniature Babies

Make it Heart Felt or create your own beads and your own jewellery.

Here are some beads and a heart pendant necklace created and given to me by my craftie friend at BeadAquaria. Don't you love her colour combinations?


Something for the house? Your curtains need some tassels?

Maybe your Crocs need new charms to liven up your walks?

You can also mix all the leftovers together to form one colour and then paint it with Colored Liquid Sculpey after you have molded it into the shape you want. Check out this glass bowl holder posted on Polymer Clay Express.

So, I got you interested in working with polymer clay? There are many techniques you can play with and you can find them all on Polymer Clay Central.

Are there other uses for polymer clay? Let Susan Lomuto expand your creativity on that. Check out her techniques page if you aspire to create like her.

For more inspiration, also check out what Donna Kato, a professional in polymer clay art is recommending you to see.

Not creative. Now what?

Some less artistically inclined people wonder what they can do to help keep the environment green. If creating art out of abandoned material is just not your forte too, try this out.

Find a place and find someone who can talk about keeping the environment green. Set the date and inform your friends about it so that you can learn with them some tips about saving energy = saving money = creating awareness about global warming.

"Linking Climate Change to Engergy Use and Transport", is the interesting topic, Anthony Tan, the Exe Director of Centre for Environment Technology and Development Malaysia (CETDEM) will be talking about at:

Sungai Long Buddhist Society
Date: 9th July 2007
At 8.30pm.

Need map to location?

Do your part for the environment and help spread such information around.