Last Sundown

If tonight's the night all comes to an end, will it be a shame?

If this cold breeze above my bed be the last thing I breathe, will everything remain the same?

If I leave tonight the world that nourished my dreams, will the earth consume not only me but also my life's aspirations? Why not? There's no point of keeping thoughts alive as the brain withers away with the body that protected it and unfortunately kept it imprisoned at the same time.

If tonight's the night, there's no point in arguing, no more reason to regret unrealized accomplishments. For no longer is the mind restricted to the fear of a worldly thinker hiding cowardly behind a safe smile

But if these stars dictate that I need to go, will they give me time for things left unsaid? For bright as they may be in the sky, they're still dim compared to the twinkle of a certain someone's eyes.

I know tonight's not that night for I have a myriad things undone. And though I to the universe is but a single grain of sand, I know the waves will labour constantly just to return me safely to shore.

Love the Earth You’re In

Earlier this morning, I earned more than two thousand steps walking from the office to our house. Rather than feeling fit and renewed, I felt that my new found regimen was actually hazardous to my health. Then, I realized, I was better off riding the jeepney on the way home.

Setting aside the peril of crazy motorists in a world deprived of pedestrian lanes and side walks, I found myself playing hide and seek with the scorching sun though it was barely pass six o’clock in the morning. That’s okay, I can manage. Instead of dealing with vitamin C offered by the mighty sun, I opted to utilize my hooded jacket and just attempted to ignore the bystanders curious of my out-of-place fashion pick. That’s right, I don’t need the C right now, I have supplements at home – I just had carcinogens for breakfast.

And if the sun’s rays are not enough, the streets offer another recipe for cancer – smoke. Yes, smoke belchers reign over the street putting the over population of China to shame. And to think that I live in one of the relatively greener cities in the country, I can’t imagine having to walk from Buendia to Gil Puyat without my trusty handkerchief (I tried this once and kids, don’t try this at home). I don’t know why we let them get away with this. It’s like robbery in broad daylight. The policemen charged motorists all the time with bending existing and non-existent rules ranging from not putting your seatbelts on to not following an invisible traffic sign. Then why can’t the law against smoke belchers be upheld? I know we have one somewhere between the gazillion bills and rules that our legislators passed.

All right, I can still tolerate the smoke. My hands are enough to cover my nose and mouth in one swift motion since I have long abandoned the use of handkerchiefs. Doing just that, I was able to get rid of the stinky smell from the surrounding and the silent poisoning care of carbon monoxide and other harmful gasses.

What now? Oh, did I forget to mention particulates? No, this is not merely the “pollen bodies” that triggered your asthma and kept you sneezing for hours. Forget about trying to block them with your hands because preventing them to enter your pipes will just leave you gasping for air. These minute matter enter your body without warning causing the mightiest of the lungs to bow down and disintegrate over time. Not bad for such tiny particles, huh? Another case of David beats Goliath only in this case, millions or probably billions of Davids entering your body and making you sick. But hey, who’s counting?

I know there are plenty of other environmental risks posing danger to our incredibly vulnerable body. However, I’m no longer aware of any other immediate threat that everyday brings. And so does billions of people around the world. Those who had grown so accustomed to the filthy air and infested waters no longer pay attention not knowing that those were causing our withering health. And that ignorance poses the biggest threat – the apathy that the majority expressed is detrimental to the entire population. But I have a dream, that one day, white radiation and black pollution will walk hand in hand and leave me free to roam not just the street I walk but the only earth I know.

Alexis Marian Africa
www.posham.blogspot.com
www.walk-a-ton.blogspot.com
Lipa City, Philippines

“If trees could speak, they would cry out that since they are not the cause of war, it is wrong for them to bear its penalties” - quoted

How my face broke my fall…

How my face broke my fall…

There I was, minding my own business, speeding down the slope when my pants caught up with the bike’s chains. My mind was racing even faster than gravity’s pull. But there was no escaping the inevitable. Einstein or whoever discovered gravity was wrong; there was no constant formula for free fall. Not that it was wilfully schemed. For in those milliseconds, I was able to conjure a whole different scenario reaching as far back as agreeing to take over the ride, as far back as deciding to stay after the meal, beyond deciding to say ‘yes’ to an invitation for a morning in the park. All those thoughts, all those feelings and eagerness to join in a special day lead to something memorable in a way I never deemed it to be.

It all started with the news of a colleague facing charges that might earn him the pink slip in our company. This guy is the one whom we abased, at first, during times that we were ignorant of what he is, the person that he is. A mistake that was easily surpassed by time. We, of course started there together, learned as a wave but he was longer than any of us in that company’s relatively new site.

Going back, as we tried to decide what to pursue next, the crocodile’s nest or the human maze, a friend of mine handed me a bike, the one I that I was too sleepy to rent in the first place. But hey, it’s there, it’s fun, so why not, right?

The first few rounds were uneventful, we just went around in circles until genius decided to break it up and explore the park. Then, I followed David because he was first in line and got the hang of it. I pedalled so hard which seemed effortlessly at the time that a few minutes later, I was ahead of him. Then, without any rational thought present in my brilliant brain, I went ahead and chased an automobile. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, I continued with all the speed I can muster down the slippy concrete cement - all that using a ragged bike with no body shield disregarding the fact that I had no sleep the previous night leaving me with no defences whatsoever.

And then it happened. All hell broke lose as my pants tangled up with the chains. Inevitably, the bike lost controls as the pedal and back tire froze together with my heartbeat. Luckily for my heart, it was just temporarily – brought about by the excitement of the “situation”. I thought about how it would end. Pondered on how I should fall. Rewinding the events even slipped my mind. But then it hit me, there are sets of eyes less than a great distance from where I stood or whatever you want to term it. I wondered how their faces looked like as they witness mine sweep the ground.

And it happened. It pricked but I guess the pain was overwhelmed by the emotion. It may sound like absurd but I kinda liked it. The pain, the fear, the excitement – it made me feel alive. Like out of the mundane soiree, I had thrilling rendezvous with the earth! Not in the way that I brushed with death because all my face got to brush up against was some grass and gravel but it was the sweetest “mudpie” I had in months.

Of course it was awkward. Not to mention that I had to commute and walk home with blood stains on my pants. Not that it was really noticeable that half of my pure white jacket was smudged by mud. It didn’t even bother me that when I got home, my mom had this look saying “what else is new?” from all the times I went home with bruises and cuts all over. But still, there was something that can ruin a great experience. Indeed, I realized fun was over when I needed to clean up, and the hydrogen peroxide seemed more like acid burning through my skin followed by the stinging sensation found only in betadine. With that, I remembered, to be careful the next time.

23 Feb 2008, Bluroze Farms

Happy Heart's day!

The moon shone one snowy eve and asked the stars around him a simple question:

"Anyone elses heart breaking at this very moment?"

A blue star just below him dimmed it's light and tried to veer away from the discussion..
But the moon was persistent, he lowered his head and asked the star:

"What's your story?"

The star looked away and whispered,

"Well, I handed it to my friend and I told him to hold it for a while because I was trying to open the new safe i built (the combination was really tough to code, you know). he was looking at it and walked around the room for a while. but then my heart was uneasy and he lost grip.. so it broked.. there.."

The moon turned around and gave way to the rising sun, and the star mourned in solitude.

Volunteerism: A Path to Fulfillment

Volunteerism: A Path to Fulfillment

By Alexis Marian Africa

Volunteerism is widespread throughout the world. Countless people driven by altruism seek to take action in order to help those in need. Certainly, a simple smile from a deprived family or a sick kid wipes away the exhaustion a volunteer feels. However, in terms of environmental volunteerism, the pay-off is subtle to the eye. This is where genuine selflessness comes in. And the earth has a funny approach when it comes to rewards.

The organization of choice for this article is the GREENPEACE International. This is a non-profit organization that caters to the needs of mother earth by focusing on the “world’s most crucial threat to our planet’s biodiversity and environment”. Established in 1971, Greenpeace poses as earth’s voice and fights to stop climate change, protect ancient forests, save the oceans, stop whaling, say no to genetic engineering, stop the nuclear threat and so on.

Before I joined this organization, I pictured myself going to the field and doing the dirty but rewarding dirty work. With this thought, I couldn’t wait to start and save the world! However, in my first week of membership, I learned that I could do so much for the environment even in the comfort of my own home. That’s right! Thanks to technological advances in telecommunication, I could easily come to the rescue to an ancient forests miles and miles away!

That was in fact the first action I have accomplished. Through electronic mail, I was able to communicate to an international company my disgust on how they destroy nature for profit. The company in question is the Kimberly-Clark, the producer of Kleenex tissue. Because of unethical practices done by Kimberly-Clark, Greenpeace decided to mobilize concerned people in order to make the former understand the detriments of their production. The campaign aims to put a stop in the mindless flushing of ancient forests down the toilet.

Aside from being a cyber activist, there are a lot of other ways to assist Greenpeace to help the planet. First, you can make a donation in order to facilitate different activities. Second, you can be a field volunteer. They will train you to ensure you do the right job for the right thing. In addition, most of their employees started out as volunteers. Third, you can help spread the word (like what I’m pretty much doing) so that more and more people will get involved. Fourth, share your thoughts and ideas! They will surely listen to your concern. Lastly, if you really want to make volunteerism your vocation, work for them! There’s nothing more rewarding than doing something that makes a difference and having the job you love!

Don’t just take my word for it! Visit their site right now!

Greenpeace.org