Green is said to symbolize the new. So, a MEANINGFUL GREEN YEAR to all!
Speaking of things green, here are some
...
1.
Conserve electricity. We will be forced to anyway, at the atrocious and unbelievable rates that electric companies such as Meralco are charging consumers. Better to divert extra energy to calling for a repeal of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), which brought upon the scourge of more expensive power rates in the first place.
2.
Throw away garbage properly. Metro Manila produces more than 7,000 tons of trash daily, a quarter of which ends up in clogged waterways and biologically-threatened rivers such as the Pasig. Do your part in reducing the unnecessary spread of solid waste by disposing of it properly.
The same holds for seemingly insignificant but disposable items, such as candy wrappers, empty softdrink cans, leftover food wrappers, and loose paper. It's utterly disppointing to see that people who loudly obsess with "keeping clean, neat and fresh" won't think twice of throwing litter in the streets, out of car windows, and elsewhere in public--even when there are trash cans lying around the place for the whole world to use. Although I generally maintain that the MMDA's ubiquitous
pink street signs border on the morbid ("
Walang tawiran nakamamatay" - 'No crossing the street: deadly') to downright moronic ("
Bawal ang tao dito" - 'Humans are prohibited here'), there was one that made perfect sense in the context of this annoying litterbug mentality among Filipinos:
Maliit na basura ibulsa. (Too bad that 'Bayani's boys' inexplicably display these in the middle of national highways such as EDSA.)
3.
Quit smoking. It's a real health hazard, an additional (and non-essential) expenditure, and it stinks. If you can't, then try not to do it around people who would otherwise benefit from the absence of noxious second-hand smoke. Remember that the Philippine health care system isn't exactly efficient nor cheap. And that there are better ways to handle stress, social anxiety, and ennui than through puffing your lungs out as if your existence hinged on it. As the hilarious quote attributed to Brooke Sheilds points out: "Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." (hahahah).
4.
Say 'NO' to destructive and plunderous projects in our communities. Prevent the Lafayette and Marcopper mine spills from happening all over again: stop foreign TNC mining and large dam projects right in their tracks, way before they get a foothold on public land.
5.
Write or lobby lawmakers to reject lopsided trade deals such as the JPEPA. Out of the hundreds of possible trade products in this Japan-Philippines agreement signed by GMA and Koizumi, at least 141 were classified by the DENR as "environmentally-sensitive" if handled improperly, including clinical waste, and hospital discards. Far as I know, the only real local 'commodity' that the Philippine government is really capable of exporting to Japan are nurses, so go guess who's the loser at the receiving end of waste importation?
6.
Protect the local fishing industry and marine biodiversity. If you thought Nemo and Sebastian were cute, then think of how giant corporate trawlers from Japan, the US, Canada, and Australia are quickly depleting our aquatic resources, degrading our coastlines and coral reefs and depriving some 8 million Filipinos of their livelihood from small-scale fishing.
7.
Boycott Petron. For causing the largest oil spill ever on Philippine waters in Guimaras. For (oops) doing it again with the Misamis oil sludge spill. For flatly refusing to compensate for the damages. For going about its perfunctory clean-up operations without providing adequate protective gear for residents paid to do so. For endangering the lives, health, and livelihood of the community in the process. Need one say more?
8.
Plant trees and protect our forests. Face it: the Philippines no longer has much forest cover to speak of. An estimated 90% of Philippine old-growth forests have already been cut down due to massive log importation, commercial deforestation, and timber licensing agreements throughout the Spanish, American, and post-Commonwealth periods. But while helping a tree or two grow is noble in itself, it's going to take much more than small-scale reforestration efforts to reverse the devastation produced by the systematic and colonial plunder of our resources.
9.
Don't vote for incompetent Environment USecs running for higher public office in the 2007 national elections. They didn't quite do a good job at the DENR, how can we expect them to do a better job as Senators or Congressmen?
10.
Support the peoples right to free and fresh water. Land-locked countries often go to war with each other over water rights--a historical reality which has generally spared this
archipelago, where freshwater supplies are theoretically abundant and accessible to the majority of the populace. This, as history also shows, is not true: in terms of freshwater availability per citizen, the Philippines ranks as the second LOWEST among all Asian countries. This is largely caused about by water privatization and pollution related to waste dumping by commercial industries such as mining and logging. Quit drowning in apathy, reclaim our water reserves for the benefit of all. #
...And 12 Resolutions for Myself
The simpler, the better. So here goes:
1. Wake up at dawn. So that I may witness the fragile teethering of a world between slumber and consciousness: the primordial and ethereal flow of repose and awakenings unimpeded by the mundane flow of human follies... NAAAH! So that I get to arrive at the office earlier AND have more time to write press releases, heheh.
2. Learn how to cook.
3. (Upon fulfillment of Resolution # 2) Cook more vegetables and eat more fruits. They come in more colors and shapes than meat and are kinder on the digestive system. Ideally, they should also be cheaper.
4. Write more often and in more forms . And not just when the need arises.
5. Paint and draw. These two things I haven't really done ever since deciding to go full-time in 2004. See resolution # 4.
6. Have time for art history research. This year, I had perfectly valid excuses for my utter absence of output. Next year, wala na !
7.
Visit a mining-affected community or an area affected by large-dam operations. 8.
Keep in touch with family and friends more often .
9. Maintain a CLEAN desk. This is the hardest to do. I share a cramped 2'x2' meter cubicle with three jolly male officemates, none of whom are really serious about keeping stuff tidy and aesthetically-acceptable. At home, my desktop bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain aerial photograph of wartime Manila, taken right after returning American planes bombed the city to smithereens. This year, I'll win the war against debris, disorder and dust balls! As Starstruck and First Quarter Storm veterans would say: Dare to believe, dare to struggle, dare to win!
10.
Bike to work. So am saving up for a bicycle (
plug: care to donate one instead?).
11.
Quit my annoying habit of hair-pulling. Found the clinical term for this disorder in my sister-in-law's books: trichotillomania. It is possible to wean oneself away from this anxiety problem without drugs, that's certain.
12.
And lastly: Sleep earlier. The old adage holds true: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
You Are Not a Cook
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You know cooking isn't for you, and you wouldn't even consider trying to make a homecooked meal.
And this is a very good thing. You've saved all your friends and family from unintentional food poisoning!
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A meaningful New Year to all!
