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diy: reorganizing

if there was one thing that ondoy taught me on a more personal level, it's the importance of organization.  specifically, it's the need to place everything where they will avoid being flooded.  during ondoy, and santi last weekend, i've had to scamper to take files and boxes to higher ground because water was seeping in through the cracks at the floor.  i remember thinking i really need to move stuff to new places.

All The Small Things

Change, like death and taxes, is inevitable.  Millions of years in the future, the earth will die either from the sun's scorching heat as it grows old, or from the freeze when it burns out.  But the current rate of climate change is alarming.  For years, scientists all over the world have been warning us that the world as we know it is rapidly going down the drain, well ahead of its time.  And several events of the recent past have supported that premise, but it's as if it still hasn't sunk fully into our consciousness.

 

If anything, Typhoon Ondoy (International name: Ketsana) lends us a more tangible and proximate wake-up call.  Add to that the devastation of Northern Luzon from the fickle-minded Pepeng (Parma) and we are given front-row seats to what possibly is in our immediate future.

 

Climate change is a sum of effects.  And while some countries certainly have greater contributions, we as individuals are not blameless.  What seem like little things we do individually, like throwing out an almost-unused sheet of paper, grows exponentially when more people who have the same mentality do them as well, and do them repeatedly.  Let me repeat that: little things add up to big things.  That sheet of paper could add up to a whole tree wasted, and that tree would eventually become a whole forest denuded.

 

On the flipside, we don't have to make a big-ass gesture to save Mother Earth.  The little things we do, while not much, becomes significant when we do them repeatedly and consistently and in large numbers.  I'm putting here a list of what little things we can do to start off:

 

1.  Cutting corners.  Starting with my first sample, I have now been reusing scratch paper for doing my sums.  Yes, even scratch paper that has print on both sides.  I pick out the ones with good white spaces so I won't be distracted.  The rejects, we use in the office as placemats.

 

2.  Brown bagger.  Our town of Los Baños has already eschewed the use of plastic bags and is using paper bags even in supermarkets.  Boxes are also being used for bigger and bulkier purchases.  Some merchants, like our local Panaderia Pantoja, even gives back 1 Peso if you don't use a paper bag for your purchase (and stow your bread in another bag).  The good thing about this is that people bring the good habits developed in LB to other places, and the impact gets bigger and bigger.  So whenever I can, I refuse plastic bags.  I just stow my purchases in my handbag or a reuseable shopping bag if I brought one.

 

3.  Turn it off.  Not only are we wasting precious electricity when we leave appliances on, we are also increasing our carbon footprint.  Yes, I am guilty of this especially when I'm waiting for Glee to finish downloading.  For starters, choosing lights that expend less energy helps.  And at least switch on Sleep when watching tv in the middle of the night.

 

4.  Tumbling down.  I love going to Starbucks because I save 5 Pesos when I use my tumbler for my drinks.  I didn't start out bringing a tumbler everyday, and I still prefer bottled C2 over water, but as I write this I am making a mental promise to put in water in my tumbler instead so that I'll save a lot more money that I'll otherwise spend on softdrink that come in PET bottles or worse, plastic cups.

 

This list is not nearly enough.  In fact, I found another good list here: http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/climate/causes.htm and I'm sure others have posted their own lists as well.  I wonder, what would you put in your list?

 

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This is the first time I've participated in Blog Action Day.  I know, I'm late.  But it's still October 15th somewhere in the world, isn't it?

realities

it's been a week.  seven days of being glued to the computer, tv and phone, shocked and sad and thankful all at the same time.  of alternating between needing validation and assuaging guilt.  of trying.  of making excuses.  of trying to find the right words, and keeping silent when there are none.  of being angry, and realizing the futility.  of looking for something more.  of making promises.  of waiting for the right time.

my personal morality yardstick is caring.  and this week, we saw what happens when we don't care enough, but on the other hand we also witnessed what miracles we achieve when we care a lot.

this isn't over.  though it will fade as we move on, it will never be over. 

eyes wide shut

maybe i really have massive blinkers on.

when we (meaning my mum, aunt, two uncles and myself) drove down for a long weekend at nyc, i was not prepared. i didn't have an agenda, except to make sure we not get lost and manage the meet-up with my cousin. i had vague ideas about striking out to get the nyc experience, but i guess i'm too chicken. so when my uncles decided to go out and watch larry carlton perform a set at the famed blue note, i had to go with them if i would ever have something unique to remember of that weekend.

which was not to say i enjoyed every minute of it. i realized i'm not really into instrumentalists, though i appreciate how good they are. i guess music without words don't quite strike that chord within. and to think the only part i really, really enjoyed was when i realized he was playing the lord's prayer and i was the first to recognize it. after that, i had already drunk half a bottle of corona so i was a bit fuzzy.

maybe it was that corona that did it. because after the set, when the lights went on, we discovered we were sharing a table with this spanish guy who was nursing a bottle of red by himself. being the talkaative guy he is, my older uncle chatted up the guy (his name was jorge) and discovered he was a promoter. etc, etc. and i was like, bleh. because i really didn't know how to chat up someone i didn't know, much less a guy, i instead gave off the vibe that i couldn't care one way or the other. when in fact i really, really cared.

i don't remember whether he was hot, or even cute. i don't think i even bothered to look too closely. which now, i realized, is the whole problem. i know i have a defeatist attitude. i've heard that line about people loving people who love themselves. but i honestly don't know how to go past that. because i'm too chicken.

first day high

so. in another attempt to pursue unfinished business after, well, finishing graduate school, i am embarking on a four-month journey to a healthier body.

oh geez.

saw the davids concert last saturday. i was planning on going, a long time ago when david cook has just won ai, but when it was finally happening i lost interest. then i ran across an officemate who was watching, and so i went. ended up staying up until dawn keeping busy because i had to stay out until i could go on the first bus home.

david archuleta is a sweet kid. i still wish he'd grow into his own person really soon, but i have to give the kid some slack since he is just a kid. and i can't fault his singing. it's the stage awkwardness that needs some more work.

on the other hand, david cook is obviously very comfortable performing in front of people. and plus points for performing a fleetwood mac song. klashfopihqkwnfkjhqshjf i love his taste in music.

and little bits of that night led me back to love of fleetwood mac's the dance special.

three, two... one

three people i know showed up in my dream last night.

two of them knew each other.

one of them i thought i'd forgotten, but whom, it seems, i can't get over.

drunk blogging

yes, i know i've never done this before because i've never had dsl on my fingertips at times like these. actually, i've never been this drunk and gone home like thisin a long, long time. so this really is a first time for many things.

i'll come driving as fast as wheels can turn

in my post-strama to-do list i toyed with the idea of resuming the actuarial track, and i finally took the first step. in another incarnation of the list, i noted another item that needed immediate attention: driving lessons.

after 15 years, i'm finally doing it.

i've finished 6 of the contracted 10 hours of lessons. and i'm proud to have survived slex exit traffic last saturday, and going 60 kph on the national highway yesterday, with no liabilities. all that's left is practice, practice, and more practice. cross-fingers.

this doesn't mean that i'm no longer scared of getting involved in a traffic skirmish, especially if traffic police is involved. *shudder*

theme song: eraserheads, overdrive. linlin and i couldn't help but look at each other when ely sang that very appropriate line during 030709:

plis, plis lang turuan nyo akong mag-drive
gusto kong matutong mag-drive (kahit na wala akong kotse)
gusto kong matutong mag-drive (kahit na walang lisensya)

the mind never rests

life is just one long lesson plan.

after the frying pan that was my stint at agsb, today i've jumped into the fire.

actuarial exams are never easy. not when i was still working in a life insurance company. especially not now that i'm working for a non-life company and out of the actuarial circle. but i've been thinking about giving it another shot before giving it up altogether. the exam i'm taking is a much easier topic to wrap the head around than the first exam; besides, my cousin, who's 7 years younger, is taking the same exam and i'm presented with a ready-made study partner.

so here it is. less than 6 weeks till exam day, and loads of topics to study. some i'm more than familiar with, and some i know i really have to put some effort into. but i always was a crammer; and though i hated being one, it seemed the only way i can get anything done.

this is me finally taking charge of my future.

forever would be fine

not all was lost.

from the first chord of magasin, to the last stray note of toyang, the eraserheads (plus jazz) gave us the show we've waited 6 months (and 6 years) for. made especially poignant by the passing of a friend and collaborator, the final set (or to be accurate, four final sets) was all us fans could hope for and more.

the energy. the crowd. the shared knowledge, and the new tricks. the hard banging and the smooth sailing. the effort to make this not just a sequel but also an experience in its own right seemed to have paid off.

tease me. buddy, why did you have to run the bassline for the fabulous baker boy (and not sing)? same goes for marcus and combo on the run. hmpf.

versions. huwag mo nang itanong, di ko sasabihin sa 'yo (eh di 'wag.); kailan lounge ( so pretteeeeeeee); and alapaap lite. headspin.

name that tune. i admit that i'm not the biggest eraserheads fan. but my friend lin, who i don't think is as rabid a fan as i am, stumped me by beating me to the title of spoliarium. though i managed to beat her the other five times.

what genius. as the show went on, lin realized just how many eraserheads songs were actually really good. as in non-alienating, radio-friendly good. and because my head was muddled by alternative poser shit, i also just realized, they were good.

it was not a perfect night; for me, it was perilously close to being ruined. but you know what? i don't care anymore. because when ely called out for marcus for the impromptu set, i heard the proverbial click. history was made, and they made it good.

why i wasn't happy at the eraserheads concert

make no mistake. i enjoyed the concert last night. really. the music was great, no question about it. and the effort to make this a different show from the last time really paid off.

i just feel shortchanged.

in fact, a lot of us were feeling shortchanged. i was in the silver a area, and when we got to the venue, the people were like sardines. i wouldn't have cared about that too much, because generally the people were pretty decent. but when you can't see shit you have to take issue.

the main culprit is the smart tent (or tents, i might as well include the one further front) put up in the gold area that was right in front of the railings. given that it was close to the exits, so the people in the middle of the field have an unobstructed view. but those close to the edge 1) couldn't see the stage (unless they played hide and seek); 2) could barely see the 4 video walls on top of the stage; and 3) couldn't even view the videowall in the middle which was where we would've watched the concert anyway.

the secondary culprit is the layout of the videowalls. sure, it's inevitable that some people would have a better view in some areas, but surely not to take away from others who paid the same tickets to see only people's heads. and the silver a area where i got to was so narrow that people didn't have much room to move about and see beyond people's heads. i couldn't help comparing it to the rihanna concert with videowalls everywhere. and even if there were a lot of people in our area, we had a lot of room to move around especially in the middle so we wouldn't be stuck at the side and behind a frigging tent. behind the frigging tent would have been fine because we had a good view of a videowall which was mounted at the side. but noooooo.

the clincher? i had friends who were in the bronze section. and they had a better view of a videowall than i did. now tell me, producers, why my ticket was worth one thousand pesos more. i certainly didn't feel the difference got me anything better.

i'm trying to curb my spendthrift ways. so when the haagen dazs attendant asked if i'd get the belgian cone, i opted for the regular cone instead.

new year, new life?

happy new year!

i have this vague idea that i do not blog about christmases. probably because i'm too busy at that time of the year, and blogging about it in retrospect loses appeal with every day that passes in the new year. i'm not going to mess with that tradition now.

instead, i'll just blog about new years' resolutions. or not. or maybe my aching tummy (crab never agrees with me)... or maybe not that one, either.

oh what the heck. i'm in no mood to be all philosophical and-slash-or witty when i have less than six hours of sleep ahead of me.

besides, we now have dsl at home. i can now blog any-fricking-time i wanted to.

ps. oh, about that new life? horoscope's being very positive about this year's prospects. here's hoping it'll come true, especially since FRICKING BIOLOGICAL CLOCK HAS BEEN MAKING ITS PRESENCE KNOWN. [/rant]