Re-purposing Fail

VENDO CUP

Workmate:
Vendo cup ba yan?
Referring to the paper cup I re-purposed as a pen-holder.

Me:
Yup.

Come holiday season...

Workmate:
Hey Rae, I have a gift for you.

Me:
Wow, thanks!

When I opened the gift box, found out that it's a pen holder.


BROWN PAPER BAG

Me:
<Workmate2>, ito yung list of to-dos natin for the week.
Handed her the list written on a clipped piece of brown paper bag.

Workmate2:
Ms. Rae, wala ka na bang message pad? Marami pa tayong supplies.

Me:
Not sure, pero ok lang, ito muna gamitin ko.

After a few minutes... Workmate2 brought me 4 message pads from the supplies closet.




On the one hand, it's a re-purposing fail. On the other, I'm thankful that I have thoughtful workmates.
 

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Preaching your way into changing someone is futile (and annoying).

Since last year, I've been taking my environment-friendly efforts really seriously. But as much as possible, I don't preach about minimalist/ eco-friendly living at work or even at my parents', when I go home to their place.

As Leo of Zen Habits once wrote, people who come to the decision to change their lifestyle (e.g., becoming vegan, minimalist, eco-conscious, and what-have-you) undergo a thought process.

Something like:
(1) you had an observation or you witnessed an event that made you come to a realization that you have to change the way you live your life;
(2) you think about it and picture how your life is gonna be like with the change;
(3) you think some more and eventually mentally accept this new lifestyle and come to the decision that you want to do it.

That decision-making thought process made me stick to my decision because I know why I want to do it and I've adopted new principles that empower me to carry on with the change.

This also means I can't just barge into someone's house or talk to a random person in a bus and tell them, "hey, you have to embrace this lifestyle because yada yada yada."

First of all, it's annoying.

Second, it's classic douchebaggery. You can't and shouldn't control other people. They have brains to think for themselves and that should be respected.

Third, if I do get someone to do as I say, they'll probably just follow me blindly and thoughtlessly without regard to why something needs to be done -- just so they can SHUT ME UP. Guess what will happen when I'm no longer around?

Unless people go through that same realization and thought process... change won't happen. The most we can do is to serve as an example (shoving 'example' in other people's faces don't count).

5 of 30: 30 Things I Learned in 30 Years

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I Can See

I am a very sensual person.

When I go somewhere, I want to experience everything -- to see, hear, touch, and smell everything the place has to offer.

That is why I never really understood the many people who love taking pictures.  Taking pictures makes me feel distracted from really being present and basking in the beauty of everything around me.

I always forget to take pictures. The vacations where I had the most pictures of were when I was with someone who loved taking pictures.

I don't want to capture a moment in a still photograph. I want to see things with my own eyes, not behind a lens.

Some time last month, while I was waiting for E to bring our coffee, I decided to explore other features of our camera aside from the click button. I wanted to make the most of waiting time to practice taking good macro shots for Scatterbraintures.

I looked around for stuff to take photos of until I gazed towards the night sky.

I took a lot of shots but I was never really able to capture every bit of beauty I saw -- how the moonlight tries to peek through the palm tree and how the artificial light outlines everything else.

The closest I got to the real thing was this:

From that moment on, I understood why camera-loving people love taking pictures.  And I am thankful people like them exist.

It is very hard to put in a photo what our eyes can actually see. I believe that's what photographers are aiming for.

I know I will never have the same passion that photographers have. And I know I will still forget to take pictures. But now, I appreciate the great deal of work that went behind every beautiful travel photo I see.

I will also be forever grateful for my eyes. Because not even the best camera lens can see beauty the same way our eyes can.

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Re-purposing Brown Paper Bags

I'm still not sure how I feel about retail establishments moving from plastic to brown paper bags. I use the former as trash bags.

Also, I only walk home from the supermarket. If the store near me decides to use brown bags, I might have to take a cab just to bring the groceries home. I wonder, will a cab ride home be more environment-friendly than two large plastic bags?

That might only be applicable to me. But in the grand scheme of things, I really am curious as to how big a difference this recent move will make.

I will never forget the documentary I watched some time in high school when people tried digging up 20 years worth of trash only to find out that the newspaper buried from 20 years back still hasn't biodegraded.  Since trash is compressed, there's not enough oxygen necessary for it to decay.

So before my brown bags reach the landfill, I decided to think of ways to reuse them. Currently, I can only think of one: cutting them into rectangular pieces and use them as message slips.

I punched holes in them so I can put them in my notebook.

Any other ideas?

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The Sun Shines on The Evil and The Good

4 of 30: 30 Things I Learned in 30 Years

I believe that my actions have consequences.

If I lie, people won't trust me anymore.

If I tell the truth, I might earn someone's trust.

If I borrow money and fail to pay for it on time, I will be known as someone unreliable and will always carry the shame at the back of my mind.

If I help someone, I will feel good about it and maybe someday that person might be there for me too.

If I kill someone, I will go to jail or get sentenced to die.



But, I also believe that even if I try to be a good person, I should NOT expect that only good things will happen to me. I also expect that good things can happen to bad people.

This is one of the most empowering things I learned in life: that good things can happen to both good and bad and people, and bad things can happen to both good and bad people.

To know and expect that life can sometimes be unfair is very freeing. That's not to say that I will tolerate injustice when I see it.  It just means that when something bad happens to me, I will know that 'it happens'. That's just the way life is, and I will accept it, move on, and do something about it. It also means that when seemingly bad people are blessed, I won't feel bitter and deprived.

I used to spend time getting either sad or angry and thinking: why does this have to happen to me?! Why is life unfair? or something like: why do good things happen to him? he's a total bastard!!!

That precious time, I could've just spent doing something about the unfairness or doing something productive.

There is power in being able to do something.


There is power in attempting and choosing to be a better person even when you know it will not be rewarded.


There is power in being able to stand your ground even when you see cheating a-holes reaping the good stuff and not feeling like: I should've just cheated as well.

There is power in not getting stuck in bitterness.

Lastly, there is power in choosing to do things not because you have to by some law of the universe or because you're afraid of going to hell when you die. There is power in choosing to do or not do something not because of the lure of a reward or a fear of punishment.

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