Morning Vertigo

Let's call him Sentul. Well, as in Brooklyn, Paris, Jordan and Sydney, this guy is named after a rather popular city. Born and raised in Ampang, Sentul grew up with enough love and education a modern KL life could offer to the city's own son. As fate was kind to him, as per my own writing permits so, he then became, rightfully so, an adult with a great heart and intellect so charismatic you'd wish he mention your name in his conversations with his other brainy friends. Not because you wish to be heard among the great minds in the country. No. It's just because he has also a very beautiful voice.

Talented bastard.

But hey, this is fictional writing. And by the way, he has ocean blue eyes.

If you haven't attempted to picture him yet, let's say he has that boy-next-door kinda physical look, say Pierre Andre but with personality as 'bubbly' as Aznil's but with less make-up.

Today, he's 29 years old, single (or secretly involved with a partner) and at this moment of you reading this exact line, imagine him on an expensive, as in KLCC-expensive, penthouse balcony looking over the crowded KL rats racing, a very slow race in fact, back and forth through Jalan Ampang at 8am.

He's still in his pyjamas. Yes, he enjoys being the very few adults in this country, or probably this decade, who still wears pyjamas to bed. Sipping his hot tea with honey - clover, of course - his eyes caught a long stream of cars, motorcycles and cranky van drivers waiting behind the main entrance gate of the opposite office tower causing massive angry trails spreading over Jalan Ampang.

Should he be worried that he's supposed to be down there opening the gate?

Go Green

Have I actually told anyone that I'm actually a green building consultant? I think I did. Just thought I didn't conveyed it well enough. I mean, many may have lost in those bomoh's analogy, high performance building shits, modelling, etc.

To put simply, sure, I'm a green building consultant.

This 'green' label has been quite an 'in' trend going on these days. While money is still some sort of source for higher social status, being 'green' seems to be heading the same direction too. Although I'm speculating that within the origin of this trend, 'green' is just simply an excuse for poor people to have some value in society.

Stranger A: "Why are you walking instead of going by car?"
Green B: "I want to save fuel so that less CO2 is produced and pollute the air."
Traitor C: "Nah, B is broke."
Green B: "F**k you C"

Well, I don't really care really why are you 'green' anyway. The more reason you think you have to be green means better business for my 'green' industry.

But, personally, I don't like the word 'green'. It's misleading and its too trendy to be taken seriously. Not that I don't like the rather 'glamourous' environment I'm living in, but it's just starting to deviate from my core purpose of my work. Well, if you still think I'm actually a green building consultant, you should read the whole entry again, or go back to school and learn to read between the lines.

Nevertheless, I care very little. Ego is a small price to pay to earn my next pay. However, I still wish the small amount of readers here to understand the true meaning of 'green'.

But, there is no true meaning of green anyway except its just a colour used to paint trees or your vommit. And oh it's also a colour typically associted with envy and jealousy (ahh what wonder a simple research could bring).

Let's use Brundtland's idea in 1987, that sustainable development, or perhaps 'green' development, meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs.

So.

I'll break the above definition down for you:

1. "..meets the need of present.."
2. "..without compromising the ability of future generation.."
3. "..to meet their own needs.."

Mm, I think i gonna stop here. This is going well for me and my brain is starting to shut down. I'd prefer to continue this when I'm more refreshed.

Until then, go green.

The Science of Romantic Evening

I’ve always been a big believer in numbers. I also take step directions pretty seriously – well, not as in I’d be pissed off if anybody skipped step 2 but I respect the time and effort pulled off by the kind lady who spent countless hours figuring out the simplest way and the most understandable approach to put up a chair from IKEA.

Although this entry is not about step directions – it’s about numbers. Statistic may fall under it but I still don’t have the proper ‘umbrella’ term for the thing I wanted to tell you about. For now, let’s take it as it’s about numbers.

Lux level at your classroom : 400 lux
Lux ratio for highlighting a Mona Lisa on your wall : 10 to 1
Minimum background sound level at your office : 5 dBa

I’m not very sure if these figures even intrigued you in any way. Nevertheless, numbers matter. I hate to spoil your first spark with your girlfriend but romantic settings can be calculated and reinvented. She can experience the same spark with another guy – you just got lucky to run by her that time. Although timing too can be estimated too but I’d prefer not to go too far by saying I can customize fate.

When I’m trying to say here is you can have a romantic dinner by taking care of the followings:

Ambient lux level : 50 lux
Humidity : 45%
Lux ratio of you and the background : 7 to 1
Background music level : 30 dBa

And of course a dozen of other stuffs just to compliment the above factors. Why the above figures matter? Because you probably can only get 50 lux at a secluded away-from-shopping-centres fine dining restaurants. Higher lux level will not keep her relax for too long – lower would just increase her anxiety. Anything above 60% humidity will cause your brain to think this is just another average day and it bores her. 45% will have better probability of making her excited. If the lux ratio is higher, she may have difficulties keeping her focus at you. Anything lower, you’ll be as bland as the tasteless wallpaper they have at the background.

A perfect date?

Maybe, but it helps. If only I have a girl to experiment this with.

P.S. The above specified 'magic' figures are not necessarily justified. I'm too lazy to run a quick research about anything at the moment. Although they may not be too far off though.

The Smurfs Had it Before

A couple of days has become about 2 weeks. I'm pretty bad in estimating my own time. Oh well, no one's hurt so that's cool.

I'm not changing anything at the moment. While I'm trying to keep away the thought that no one actually cares, the item on today's blog to-do list is that I have something to say (or write), apparently. Well, rather than babbling on and on about what I have in mind about selecting the colour of the curtains, I think this is more refreshing.

People often ask me, "Am I doing this green enough?". Given the nature of my 'professional' life, I get that pretty much now and then. You can also probably guess that they're just joking around anyway. I don't think they're expecting a blue (or green) ribbon by just not using plastic bags to carry out a 1.5l bottle of Coke out from Giant. A pat of on the back perhaps?

To be honest, what do you feel when they refused you plastic bags when you're checking out a gazillion items from the store? Although I don't think there's any store refusing to give their customers plastic bags since the alternative is that they charge you for it.

But the point I'm getting at is, do you feel that you have done something good? Or do you feel something as if you have done a little bit of sacrifice for something that you can't actually feel?

I mean, congratulations to many of you that feel proud or fulfilling when you throw old newspaper into the correct recycling bin. It's not that I'm saying it's not good enough although I bet some of you geniuses can sense some condescending tone over there. Truthfully, I sincerely think it's good to see many civillians starting to have some conscience and do something about this 'green' stuffs - true story.

Honestly, I do occasionally think about the environment, i.e. refuse plastic bags, throw correct stuffs into the correct recycling bins, etc. But I feel good about them, and for me, if you still can't catch my previous drifts and turns, feeling good is not the right way to feel.

What's the right feeling then?

Nothing.

Yes, we should feel nothing when we do all these 'green' stuffs. Because it should not matter. 'Green' is just a word, or a term, invented by humans to represent sustainability. The major objective is to sustain, and to sustain is what we've been wanting to do all this while. It's not something new. That's what humanity has been developing us for centuries - to sustain ourselves as whatever we wish to be as long as we can.

You know who's green? The Smurfs. Yes, I know they're, in fact, blue but truly, they are 'green'. Self-sustainable community. They have been living just among themselves, creating and providing food in the community for decades without any need of having any sort of fish to be shipped from thousands of kilometres away. They integrate trees and earth forms into their architectural designs. They produce minimal CO2 from wood burning but they compensate with planting back trees. They are net zero carbon community and you have never heard them bitchin' about being green.

Being 'green' is not something hip or new. It's what we've done for centuries as human beings - to be sustainable. The Egpytians built the pyramids to last for thousand of years. Our grandparents scolded us if we waste food. The economy is built to last for not 100 years but, if possible, until that super giant meteor strikes again.

Being sustainable is not something new. We have savings because we want to have some money to splurge when you're holidaying in Venice when you're 50. Now, we have to save some plastic bags, metal waste, fuel, etc because if you don't, Venice probably will not be there anymore.

Maybe I'm exagerrating, but at least it's not as exciting.