Thou shalt not

1. Thou shalt not practice yoga
2. Thou (females) shalt not wear men's clothing
3. Thou (females) shalt not practice lesbianism
4. Thou shalt not exhibit ghosts, ghouls and supernatural beings
5. Thou shalt not convert out of the religion

Spotted in a job ad

Any takers?

1. Financial Services Consultant
   
   

   Melbourne - Inner | Accel | Package + staff benefits

   
   

   An incredible organisation where employees are valued and respected. This will be the last place you'd ever want to work. Work with a bunch of friends

   Consulting & Corp. Strategy > Consulting

   
   

Meh

Feeling apathetic? Bored? Indifferent? Or maybe something's just mediocre. Well I've got the perfect word for you. MEH!

Or, given its meaning, perhaps meh might be a better way to present it.

The Collins English Dictionary is officially recognizing this bit of US slang for it's 30th anniversary edition. Here's an example of how to use it:

I'm feeling so meh about money politics in Malaysia.

Spring cleaning

I was cleaning out my room the other day, finally kicking all my mom's decades old and never-again-should-see-the-light-of-day clothing out of my closet. That's the trouble with leaving home and then moving back in - when I was gone, my room became the forgotten land for everything that my family didn't really want/need but might eventually have a use for one hopeful day down the road. And because I was only ever back for short visits, I didn't care about all the junk piling up in the corners of my room and in my closet. Living out of a suitcase really isn't that bad.

But when it finally sank in that this time I'll be getting a job and living at home for a while, I realized it was time to put down some roots, and stop living out of a suitcase. And yes, it took five months for that to sink in. Did I mention I'm a slow learner?

Anyway, at the end of the process, I ended up with two huge garbage bags worth of clothes, some old spectacles as well as an old CRT monitor and TV to get rid of. So I started researching recycling options.

1. Old spectacles

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Malaysia has a spectacle recycling program. The first thing that popped up when I Googled it was Enviroman's blog article. Apparently the program has been running for some time since the post was dated February 2007. Called Give the Gift of Sight, the program is collaboratively run by the Lion's Club and the MBPJ. For a list of collection centers, please visit Enviroman's blog.

2. The usuals - paper, plastic, glass, aluminium etc.

Alam flora, one of the country's biggest rubbish collection companies, runs a recycling program for all the usual suspects. Check out their website for more information on collection centers. The coolest part is that they actually pay you for all your recyclable waste. They also take old CRT monitors and other electronics, but you won't be paid for those.

3. Old Clothes
I found out the the PJ Community Center in Section 17 takes all sorts of old junk and then gives it away to charity. We loaded all the old clothes in the car and took a drive there but it was closed. Haven't figured out when the opening hours are yet, but hopefully that'll happen soon.

4. Old Furniture
I've also got some old, but serviceable furniture that I want to get rid of so when I saw the Seri Sinar truck driving around, it was a gift from the gods. Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar takes recycling very seriously, servicing 100 recycling boxes in the Klang Valley and even sending trucks to pick up your bulky items for free. To schedule a pickup, check out this page.

Formaldehyde woes

If you're in the habit of wearing Victoria's Secret bras, heck if you even own a Victoria's Secret Angel's Secret Embrace bra or a Very Extreme Me Push-Up bra, beware. Roberta Ritter of Ohio, USA, together with dozens of other women have filed a class action lawsuit against the popular lingerie company, claiming that the bras gave her welts that were "very red, hot to the touch, extremely inflamed, blistery, (and) itched profusely." Definitely not a nice condition to have on any part of your body, let alone there.

The thing I can't figure out is, why do they use formaledehyde in the manufacturing of these bras? Are these push up bras supposed to keep your boobs looking perky by... preserving them in emblaming fluid? 0_0

So I did a check on sources of formaldehyde

• Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation - Installed in homes in the US in the 1970s but discontinued.
  
• Durable-press fabrics, draperies and coated paper products
• Cosmetics, paints, coatings and some wet-strength paper products
• Pressed wood products, especially those containing urea-formaldehyde glues. Includes particleboard, shelves, cabinets and furniture, plywood, fiberboard.
• Combustion sources - Burning wood, kerosene, cigarettes, natural gas, and operating internal combustion engines (e.g. cars)

But here's the scary part. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) publication on formaldehyde indicates that it is a carcinogen, although the risk is believed to be small at the level that humans are typically exposed to.

According to the article, normal levels are usually at 0.03 parts per million (ppm), both outdoors and indoors, but because of all these products that are emitting formaldehyde indoors, where air circulation is typically lower, the formaldehyde levels may increase indoors.

Eco-USA has a scarier message

You are exposed to small amounts of formaldehyde in the air. It occurs from both natural and man made sources although combustion is the largest source. If you live in an unpopulated area, you may be exposed to about 0.2 parts per billion (ppb) of formaldehyde in the air outdoors. In suburban areas, you may be exposed to about 2-6 ppb of formaldehyde. If you live in a heavily populated area or near some industries, you may be exposed to 10-20 ppb. You may also be exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde during rush hour commutes in highly populated areas because if is formed in automobile and truck exhaust.

So what to do? We can't, obviously, all become agoraphobes because there are a lot of big bad cars out there that emit tons of formaldehyde and other crap. We can't stick our head in the sand and hope the problem will go away. But what we can do is to raise our awareness of the problem and do what we can to reduce our exposure to formaldehyde in our own homes.

The EPA recommends:

Purchasing pressed wood products such as particleboard, MDF, or hardwood plywood for construction or remodeling of homes, or for do-it-yourself projects, that are labeled or stamped to be in conformance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) criteria. Particleboard should be in conformance with ANSI A208.1-1993. For particleboard flooring, look for ANSI grades "PBU", "D2", or "D3" actually stamped on the panel. MDF should be in conformance with ANSI A208.2-1994; and hardwood plywood with ANSI/HPVA HP-1-1994. These standards all specify lower formaldehyde emission levels.

Purchasing furniture or cabinets that contain a high percentage of panel surface and edges that are laminated or coated. Unlaminated or uncoated (raw) panels of pressed wood products will generally emit more formaldehyde than those that are laminated or coated.

Using alternative products such as wood panel products not made with urea-formaldehyde glues, lumber or metal.

Avoiding the use of foamed-in-place insulation containing formaldehyde, especially urea-formaldehyde foam insulation.

Washing durable-press fabrics before use.

Also, improving ventilation, removing the offending product from your home and sealing the surfaces of formaldehyde-containing products that are not already laminated or coated are some additional steps that you can take.

Seems like everywhere you turn, these days, there is a carcinogen lurking. But I've always believed that "everything in moderation" is a good mantra to live life by, and knowledge is power. As a consumer, I believe that we have the power to shift the production patterns of industry by choosing not to buy cheap but dangerous products. Of course it's easier said than done, but you have to start somewhere, right?