World's Greenest Homes: Part 1

I have to admit I do not qualify as a tree-hugger. I like to drive, I like cars (some find that arguable), I used air-conditioning and I work for an Oil & Gas-related organization.

But I've always liked nature - well, the likeable side of it. Have I mentioned I love visiting farms and forests? My grandparents owned a fish-farm in Bukit Panjang when I was young. I've never actually stayed there before but weekends were spent running around the ponds with my cousins, chasing dragonflies and rolling around the carpet-grass lawn. There were lime trees, rambutan trees, durian trees around the house. I remember the vivid colors of bright fuchsia bougainvillea, crimson and yellow hibiscus and the fragrance of the lime blossoms. The old zinc-roofed house has since been replaced by towering public housing now. No trace of the old kampungs can be found, safe for that grey Singtel building (used to be Telecom) along Woodlands road. In the same Bukit Pankang vicinity, was the previous site of my secondary school, Bt Panjang Govt High... I spent 3 years in that old campus, while students from most other school did their 2.4 click runs in 6 rounds of the usual boring 400m brick-colored, we did ours in a old mudtrack that runs along the Bukit Panjang canal, kingfishers were frequently spotted sitting on the railing - it's why I loved spotting them so much, even now, their striking blue plume are really hard to miss, the irony is people usually don't see them, because they never look out for such things.

But, I have digressed enough. I just caught an episode of World's Greenest House on Discovery Travel & Living, showcasing eco-friendly houses around the globe. Interior design is something that stays relevant especially since we have just redecorated and moved into our new home. We've to admit that the minimal design and renovation was done in strict limitation of time and budget. I wished I had ideas about what I want in my house before I started looking for one.

In the episode I watched, a couple in NYC spent 2 years renovating a 3-storey 3,600 square-feet house they bought, because they undertook the work themselves - demolishing the walls, clearing the mould from the ceiling, all the time insisting on using only recycled, eco-friendly materials and installations. Incidentally, I am falling in love with the idea of bamboo flooring and furniture (not rattan tho), they are the fast self-replenishing material that can replace wood - wikipedia writes that bamboo plants are known to grow 24cm daily, I heard on the program that it grows 18cm. The best part is, they look GOOD.

So I just wanted to share this, while the memory is fresh. I have the habit of reading my old blog entries and reminisce, so I'm leaving this here, for me to come back to later, hopefully when I have another house to renovate :)