I Can Live Without AC

There is a friend of mine, who can't sleep without air-conditioner. She always turn on air-conditioner in her room, whenever she go to bed. I once asked her, why she need air-conditioner everytime she go to bed ? Isn't it enough by using fan only ? She answered, I don't know, I just feel better with air-conditioner, it's cooling the room different with fan. Then I asked again, "so you have tried using fan when you sleep before ?", she said "well, not yet". Soon after hearing her response, I'm like, what ? are you kidding me ? tryin to compare things that you never tried before ? 

Well, I still can't get it. I mean, she has no idea exactly how does it feel sleeping with fan, but she confidently said air-conditioner was better than fan. What are you looking for by using air-conditioner ? a cold room to help you get a quality yet comfort sleep, right ? Fan is more than enough, i think, well, okay this is my personal opinion.

Actually there are many points I can show you all, why do I prefer fan than air-conditioner. Air-conditioner, more than 50% electrical energy consumption in homes is for the air conditioner (AC)*. It means that, using air-conditioner suck lot of money from your pocket. Not just for the electricity, but air-conditioner  it self, buying air-conditioner is much-much-much more expensive than fan. After you buy it, you do still need routine maintenance services, which need much more money than fan, and all those money being sucked from your bank account. It will eroding your financial slowly but sure. 

Okay, we have seen in terms of it's economic aspect. Now let we see it in terms of go green living aspect.The use of air-conditioner will produce chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane and ethane, which contribute to ozone depletion **. 

Yes, I prefer to not use air-conditioner, but then again it is your right to use or not to use air-conditioner in your home. Even though you will choose to use air-conditioner, there are still many ways you can do to use it wisely, for example leave the thermostat alone, keep the curtains closed, keep your air-conditioner out of the sun, etc ***. not just for you but sure for the world too. 

The point, in my opinion, by not using air-conditioner, you become a hero. You have save your self, yet you save the world too.


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sources :
*   http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/SecInfo/ConsS.pdf
**  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorofluorocarbon
*** http://saveenergy.about.com/od/homecooling/tp/ac_usage.htm

Don't Bring Too Many Clothes

I love traveling so much. Let say this is my passion. I remember the first time I had feeling for traveling was on my early childhood. I was on my kindergarten back then, my parents took me to their hometown Sigumpar in North Sumatera, near to Lake Toba. I was so happy that time, my first time experience on a plane, my first experience seeing a place other than city I lived.

My heart on traveling continue up till now. For the last three years, I've been traveling to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and some areas of Indonesia, like Bali, Jogjakarta, Solo, Surabaya, Lombok, The Komodo National Park in NTT, Krakatoa Island, and many others. There was one time when someone asked me, why do I love traveling like very much. Simply I answered, because the world is too beautiful to not be explored.

Since I travel a lot, a lot of my friends asked me, what they should note when traveling. Actually, being a traveler is easy and simple. One of the most important things people should know about traveling is not bring too many clothes. Traveling is not like we're moving our household into a new place, it's about the experience it self.

Why do we have to bring so many clothes ? You don't want to pack and bring a too big bagpack rite ? You don't want waste your travel time just to taking care of your things on your bag, do you ? Get simple. Take a note, what's your trip is all about ? beach, mountain or what ? do adjust to your destination place and of course the weather. Do bring more black clothes than bright color. You don't need to wash your black clothes so often like birght colors, it means you save on your detergent to wash, which means that you save your financial.

Do re-use !! For example, if you traveling about 10 days, five clothes will be enough. You can use your first one in day one and six, your second cloth on day two and day seven, and so on. Instead bring many clothes, why don't you bring perfume, to avoid bad smell of your used clothes, so you'll have a good smell and people will not notice if you wear a cloth that have been used before.

Not only make your traveling more simple and fun, bring enough clothes reduce the excessive use of detergents and also save world water-supplies. Be a smart traveler !!

I'm Proud To Be A Cyclist

I remember when I was in elementary school, it's like 16 years ago. I was 8 back then, my first time learned how to ride a bicycle, my friend's bike, not mine. It took me more than three hours, before I finally made it to ride it by my own. I still remember, how happy I was at that time, and everytime I ride my friend's bike. 

Now, at my 24 years old. The happy feeling because of riding a bicycle still the same or even more. Finally for the first time in my life, I can have my own bike. It started from last year, after couple times passing through Sudirman street on sunday morning, watching thousand cyclists riding their bike for the Car Free Day annual event (it's once in every two weeks), making it look like a big parade. Many cyclists from all over Jakarta come into Sudirman street with different types of bikes. It makes me think that it would be great if I have one and join this big parade every sunday.

In february 2010, after two months colleting money, buying the spareparts, working on it with my friend, finally my first ever bike was completed. I assemble my own bike with my friend, a fixie, white color, not so that great compare to those millions rupiah bike, but I do feel happy for having it. 

Today, having a bike, not just for joining the annual car free day, but being a cyclist has become my lifestyle. This is my green statement. I'm happy doing this, eventhough many friends of mine saying that I'm a victim of trend, I don't care. They have no idea how many positive things that I can get from this, in addition to being happy, there are many benefits for our health by riding bicycle. 

By doing a routine cycling, we can control and reduce body weight yet builds muscle and burns body fat. Some research also has shown that women who regular cycling will reduce the risk of breast cancer*. Riding for several miles does promote tension reduction and (usually) a feeling of well-being, in short, riding a bike is healthy, fun and a low-impact from exercise, not to mention it is a perfect energy-saving transportation.

Lot positive things I got from cycling, no matter what people will mocking at me for back in to retro, the thing is I'm proud to be a cyclist and will always be. 

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* source from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2743965.stm

Sharing Is Caring with FOOD.

FOOD is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body, according to wikipedia.org. We all know that we can't live without food. It is really mandatory needed for us, humanbeing, to survive. Can you imagine how your life would be if you are live in hunger ? You may be happy now to have what-so-called well-fed parents or family. You might no need to think what you have to eat, how can you provide food for yourself, how can you cook the food, etc because of your rich parents. 

Try to think back, have you ever throw your unfinished food ? when you have food served in front of you, and you just eat half from it and you just throw it away another half of it, while many people go to bed hungry because they have no food at all. 

From now on, please, think before you eat. If you think you are not that so hungry, don't take too much food on your plate, so there will be no food left over and wasted or if you with your friend, it would be better if you ordered one portion food for the two of you. Don't forget starts to concern for those people who still living in hungry. There are many ways you can do, by donating, join as a volunteer for WFP or ONE organization, or you can just starts spreading the campaign, to STOP the POVERTY and HUNGER. Together we can, because Sharing is Caring.

Jakarta, more than just a traffic-metropolitan-jam city

Jakarta, as the capital city of Indonesia make this city as the largest. More than 9 million people live in Jakarta, with more than hundred new cars appear in Jakarta’s street each day, making it as one of the worst traffic jams city in the world. What would happen with this fact ? STRESS. Your mind soon or later become stress, and no other way to get relax but briefly escaped from the traffic jam and go for a short holiday trip.
Such as the philosophy of China, we all need yin and yang in our lives, and thank God for that, Jakarta has it’s own yin and yang for us to enjoy or to take. We may hate Jakarta for it’s crowded and traffic jam, but we can also praise this city for it’s nature beauty. There were thousand islands, located on north Jakarta, with it’s beautiful beaches. Two hours (approximately, depend on which island you want to visit) from Marina Ancol harbor or Muara Angke, will definitely make you forget the fatigue, the stress of Jakarta for a moment.

Where do you plan to throw away your stress and fatigue? There are Tidung island, Pramuka island, Untung Jawa island, Semak Daun island, Ayer island, etc. Let say going to Tidung island, many tour packages that offering to go to this island. You only need to spend about 300K – 500K IDR to have your two days-one night holiday, the more people the more cheaper you’ll get. With those amount money, includes return boat’s ticket from muara angke (or marina) to tidung, welcome drink, bicycle, accommodation, meals (once barbecue), snorkeling and boat for hopping-islands. Such a great deal right ? you can find about this package tour all over the internet. Google it !!

Feels not right traveling with tour package? Want to have more adventurous trip and more cheaper? why don’t you try to go backpack, build a tent and bring your own mini-stove? Give it a try. Go to Semak Daun island, an inhabited island, not really inhabited, there is one small family live there and maintain the island. It’s not a big island, you could do walking surround the island within only 10 to 15 minutes. The beach here is really beautiful, with it’s smooth white sand. How much money do we need to go to this island? Less than 300K IDR.

You don’t believe it? Let’s we counting now. Return ticket boat from Muara Angke is 70K IDR, which will bring you to either Pramuka island or Tidung island. From those island you can take ‘ojek’ a small boat to go to Semak Daun island which will cost you about 10K IDR – 20K IDR (depend on your bargain skill), but be sure to rent a snorkeling equipments there if you want do snorkeling, the rent fee about 25K – 35K IDR (there were no snorkeling equipment to be rent in Semak Daun Island). In Semak Daun, you can build a tent there and pay to the guard of the island (it’s up to you how much you want to give to the guard, but please do give a reasonable price, like twenty to fifty thousand would be fine). Doing hopping-island, will cost highly if you do it just by your own. The boat cost is 300K – 350K IDR for each boat, so you better share the boat with other people who do the same thing with you in Semak Daun island (you know, there is always another group or people who also spend the night and build a tent there). If you can get another 5 person with you, it will cost you around 60K IDR, lot cheaper. How about meals? Make sure you have your own mini-stove and food from home to be cooked , so you don’t need to buy anything in the island.

Let's assume that you'll in group of five persons. The cost will be 70K IDR + 20K IDR + 10K IDR + 35K IDR + 60K IDR =  195K IDR per person. See ??  you still can have a great time in this traffic-metropolitan-jam city even with low budget. Don’t you should feel like grateful instead complaining for being a resident of Jakarta?