IS IT RIGHT TO HUNT?

Hunting is an activities created by our ancestors a long time ago. The purpose of it is to prevent the extinction of humans being. A part of me was grateful for our smartness but the other side of me says otherwise…

Hunting is still an event that is being practiced by human nowadays, but the purpose of it had long evolved into, simply, for the money that is gain from those killed animals or just purely for the pleasure while doing the process.

I could still remember… a couple of weeks back, my friends and I was having some short conversations while waiting for our lecturer to arrive, this is how the conversation goes…

Girl A: so did you do anything interesting last weekend?
Boy A: I went hunting…
(Group woo-ing)
Girl B: wow that’s so cool!
Girl A: so did you gun down anything?
Boy A: yeah! I shot some birds and a dog!
Girl B: wow, how to you feel?
Boy A: OH it was awesome!

Disbelieved with the conversation that we were having, I kept silence. Did he just said “it was awesome?” this was the thought that pass through my mind while my friends continued on to the next topic.

It was then that I realized that human really is an omnivore. Is it really natural instinct that hunting makes our mind and body thrill? I can never…no… I will never want to understand the feeling behind those callous actions! Taking away lives to keep me thrilled and entertained, it is just pure cruelness!

In addition to that, not only do people hunt for pleasure, the main factor that has put numerous animals into the ‘endangered species list’ within these couple of years is due to the fact that increasing number of people hunt for their body part. Skin, horn, fur…you name it… those hunters were blinded by the amount of money they gain from the kill that they had long forgotten about the inhumanness behind it. Is human being really such a barbaric creature?

It is challenging for me in trying to convince people into changing their mindset. Deep within me, I know that having this naïve idea of believing that, ‘maybe my writing is going to make a difference about how people act and behave’, is going to be nothing more than another pointless attempt. Anyone who had tried to persuade others into doing something outré will understand my feeling. This is a fact that i had comprehened a long time ago. I am no one. I’m neither famous nor outstanding...i am really just an ordinary girl…so why should people listen to me? What right do i have or in whose position do i think i am to have these thinking that I might make a difference?

Regardless of all these queries, if I could just make an exception to one person…even if it is just a mere 0.001% chance of me being able to alter a being, that's all it takes for me to give my best shot.

Think about what Steve Irwin, the world greatest wildlife warrior, was trying to express? He went through miles of journey to show the world the amusingness of wildlife, trying hard to abridge the gap between human and other animals, trying to bring across the message that, if you look carefully, we are actually just like any other animals living on this planet! All we are trying to do is just to live our lives to the fullest. Is this a good enough reason to lead us to the elimination of the rest to ensure that we are always the superior one? The answer is simple…no, because, like us, they are giving their best to achieve the same goal. Trying their best to stay alive; trying to survive! To be short, what I’m trying to bring across is that, there will not be any good enough reasons for us to hunt animals.

We cried and mourned after receiving the news about Steve's mishap. We were sad because he was always seemed to be the image representing the wildlife. With his presence, somehow it feels like there is a gleam of hope for the wildlife. The news of his death is almost as if saying that the lifespan of wildlife is soon to be coming to an end.

We were heartbroken when our world greatest hero die. Instead of grieving for him and can do nothing about what had already occurred,why don’t we hold ourselves together and try to fulfil his passion for animals and make this world a more welcoming place to live in?

IF THE BUYING STOPS, THE KILLING WILL TOO!

Happy 22nd Birthday Kor Kor!

Why celebrate BIRTHDAY?
“The various customs with which people today celebrate their birthdays have a long history. Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating - complete with lighted candles - in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year.”

My brother is celebrating his 22th birthday today! 老哥，祝你生日快乐，希望你今天玩得很愉快！我在这里祝你，身体健康，工作顺利，心想事成，天天愉快，一年比一年幸福！hee…that’s about all the Chinese greeting I know hahaha. Hope you have a wonderful holiday and hope that today will be a memorable day for you! May all you dreams come true! 加油！oh…also, hope that the legend is true and that this birthday will ensure your safety for the coming years!!!

From: 你老妹

An Inconvenient Truth- Global Warming

glacier national park-in 1910

glacier national park now

An Inconvenient Truth- Global Warming
A documentary presented by Al Gore. In this documentary, Al Gore showed us the ugly side of ourselves. He reveals an eye-opening truth on what’s going to happen to the future of our planet earth.

I have watched this movie over and over countless times. Every time I watched this show, I will always experience a strong sense of inspiration flooded upon me. I had tried countless attempts to think of a solution that could save our earth…or you could say, our only home.

I started recycling, signing up for Green Energy, turning off electrical appliances when not needed, encouraging people to be environmental friendly and all sort of other methods, simply because I believe that if we tried hard enough, together we could prevent some catastrophes from happening! Is it so frustrating that, no matter how hard or how many times I tried to make people understand this fact, it always turns out to be a futile attempt.

Global warming had occurred and yet people failed to see the impact that it could do to us.

• The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.2


• Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.


• The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.4


• At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.
  

I truly believed that without the need for me to name out all these catastrophic disasters that had occurred within these short decades, the majority are smart enough to realize that the situation would not resolve itself if we continue to live like the way we do today.


In the movie, Al Gore mentions a couple of facts that I find it quite perturbing. He point out that, “Starting from 1970 there was a precipitous drop in the amount, extend and thickness of the artic ice cap. It has diminished by 40% in 40 years and there are research shown that within the next 50-70 years in summertime it will be completely gone!” It is hard to believe that the artic will run out of ice… the reality is harsh but true. In addition, he also stated that, the amount of melting happen in Greenland within these few years was enomous and if the melting continues at this rate; if Greenland broke up and melted; massive flood will occurred through out the world. The sea-level of countries like:

1. Florida,
2. San Francisco bay (a lot of people live in these area),
3. Netherlands(one of the low land countries),
4. area around Beijing and Shanghai,
5. Calcutta (India),
6. New York City

These countries will encounter disastrous flood, 100 millions of people living in those area will lose their home. Tony Blair’s scientific advisor once said this, “…because of what’s happening in Greenland right now, the map of the world will have to be redrawn…” However, we could prevent all of these devastations from happening simply by taking the initiative and unite as ‘one’ to help rescuing our planet earth. I am not saying that it’s going to be an easy task, but I have faith in our society. I have confidence that if we stand together and strive for the better, there will definitely be hope left for our future generations to enjoy the wonders of our earth.

The intentions behind this movie were clear and succinct. He help us understand that,

“our collective nervous system, sometimes it takes a sudden jolt before we become aware of danger, if it seem gradually , even if it is really happening quickly, we are capable of just sitting there and not responding and not reacting…”


“…after the horrible 9/11 we said never to happen again, but, is it possible that we should prepare against other threat besides terrorist? Maybe we should be concerned about other problems as well… It is up to us to look at how we think about it; because our way of thinking is one of the vital factors that transform our relationship to the earth...”

It is heartrending how people are trying to flee from the reality instead of facing it. When atrocious natural disasters occurred, people used to claim that our environment is going crazy and that all sorts of strange catastrophes were beginning to occur.Even after such exclaimation by ourselves, ironically, we still failed to realise the message that earth is trying to bring across! Is it really fair for us to say that our environment have betrayed us? Or... if we think carefully, should it be the other way round? It is always easy for us to censure others and not reflecting the fault that we have created. It is always easy to put the blames for today's environment on the big industries and factories instead of ourselves.

However, instead of pointing fingers on who is to be blamed, why don’t we see through the fact and start correcting the mistakes that we had done? Trying to overlook the problems and deal with it some other time will always be the easy way out, but... rather than spending precious time on having such dreadful thoughts, why don’t we start comprehending the fact that, the longer we neglect the troubles, the bigger it gets! We have to start appreciating and not take our nature for granted because, the luxury that we experience now might not be here for our children.

“I believe this is a moral issue, it is our time to seize this issue and it is our time to rise again to secure our future…”

I strongly believe that if all of us play a part in saving our earth, miracle will happen…

I want to have faith in mankind...

i want to have the thinking that deep down inside us, we still love our earth and not just treat it as a place for economic bloom...

Green Tips
General
Pure soap is a good general-purpose cleaner which is completely biodegradable. Use it on the dishes.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a good multi-purpose cleaner, deodoriser and fabric-softener. Use it instead of harsh chemical commercial products.
Add salt to pure soap for extra scrubbing power.
To make a natural air freshener spray, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in 2 cups of hot water and add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Vinegar is a mild disinfectant and can also be used to clean glass. Dilute it first!
Eucalyptus oil is a disinfectant and also removes ink and grease stains.
House plants naturally purify the air.
Sprinkle carpets with baking soda an hour before vacuuming.
Unplug your phone charger from the wall when you're not using it. Transformers draw about 40% of their maximum energy when plugged in and not in use.

Shopping
Buy fruit and vegetables loose, not in plastic bags.
Try to buy products with minimal packaging, or in containers which can be refilled or reused.
Choose products made from recycled materials.
Reuse plastic shopping bags (eg for fruit and vegies) and/or take your own large shopping bag or box to the shops. Buy a healthy vegetarian lunch at the Melbourne Uni Food Co-op (1st floor, Union House). They also sell bulk organic foods like rice, pasta, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, etc. Take your own bags and containers.

Bathroom
Don't leave the tap running while brushing your teeth.
A shower uses less water than a bath.
Have a small bin in the bathroom for rubbish. Don't flush it!
Don't wash hair down the drain; put in on the compost heap instead.
Avoid shower curtains (and other things) made from PVC.
Use the half flush option instead of full flush if there's not much to flush!
In Australia, the driest inhabited continent, try to limit your shower to three minutes. You smell just as sweet with a short shower!

Kitchen
Place your fridge away from direct sunlight and heaters.
Check the energy rating of new appliances before buying.
Place a small dish of water with a few drops of vanilla essence in the fridge to make it smell nice.
Clean the rubbish bin with baking soda to absorb unpleasant odours.
Always use a sink strainer (drain sieve) and NEVER pour liquid grease or oil down a drain.
Less energy is needed to boil water in an electric kettle than on the stove.
Thaw frozen foods before cooking, to conserve energy.
Put a lid on the pot to boil water faster.
Go vego! Fruit and vegetable production is far 'greener' than meat production. Organic is best, of course.
If you do eat meat, try to buy free-range, organic meat products. They're better for the animals AND you!
Many chemicals released into the environment are stored in fat tissue: another reason to cut excess fat off meat and avoid high-fat dairy products.

https://www.trinitycollege.vic.edu.au/greenteam/content/about/index.php

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

The visit to Mornington Penisula! :)

The beauty of nature is really miraculous. Sometimes, an action as simple as gazing at the sky can seem so magical. Sadly, the harsh reality has made most people neglect this amazing environment that we used to have.

Shame to admit, but to the majority of us, our unpolluted and innocent mind had long overpowered by our indecent greed. Embarrassed, I have to confess that I am one of those people who give in to power, status and wealth. I once came across this sentence while watching animal planet, “The earth can sacrifice for our NEEDS but not our GREED.” Indeed, these few words had but me into a huge amount of undesirable guilt.

This simple statement had placed me into intense thoughts. It makes it difficult for me not to wonder, how we could create such a chaos from this beautiful plain! I questioned what power does ‘advancement’ have? How can it influence us to such a point that we can indiscriminately rip up the ocean and cut up the trees? It is such a catastrophe that we are destroying nature in such a speed that before we even become aware of it, the damages were long beyond repair. It is heart breaking to imagine that our future generations will not have the chance to experience all the remarkable effects that nature had implanted upon us.

Nature has an extraordinary power. No matter how many times you look at it, it always seems so beautiful and the effects never dwindle. I asked myself, when will people start to acknowledge the fact that, no matter how much authority we’ve gained, how wealthy we are or how superior we’ve become... ... without nature, ultimately, it left us with nothing…

From: http://www.pennyparker2.com/nature.html stated that,

"Nature can bring a lot of beauty into our lives. Nature has a way of affecting our moods and it can force us to change our plans. Nature is responsible for the sun, clouds, rain, and snow. When it is sunny and bright outside, we feel cheerful inside. When it is cloudy and rainy, we often feel gloomy. When there is a beautiful and starry night, the moonlight makes us feel romantic.
When we see the leaves budding on a tree or when a timid flower pushes through the frozen ground, or when we smell the freshness of spring, new hope will always come to us. Nature is truly an intrinsic part of our lives.
When we wake and see a sunrise, when we walk and feel a breeze, when we gaze at the mountains and the splendor of the seas, when we see the earth renew its beauty at each season of the year, and when the stars shine at night, we should be so very thankful to the Lord for giving us all these wonderful and miraculous things. Learning to become more aware of nature can truly have a good effect on our lives in the way we look at things and in the way we feel about ourselves."