Healthy Heart!

Keep your heart strong and healthy!

Stay in LOVE!!!

Be loving not just today but always!

(hmmm.. sometimes easier said than done

especially when you are with difficult

people but GO on anyway!)

Happy Valentine's day today...

and a LOVEly day always!!!

Poo-Pooh Home

Nope, I'm not referring to Winnie the Pooh's home though I sometimes watch the cartoon with my nieces and nephews. I'm actually talking of the possibility of having homes built with some materials from manure. Yup, manure!!!

I just came across an article that says that US homebuyers may find themselves walking on manure floors soon as the US Department of Agriculture and the Researchers in Michingan State University say that fiber from processed and sterilized cow manure could take the place of sawdust in making fiberboard.

I have often heard of manure being used as organic fertilizer. Compost from chicken manure is quite common in our country espcecially in the rural areas. I have even seen lots of manure pies (well, they were round and looked likes pies!) being dried in the streets in India. From what animal, I really don't know! And I have wondered a long while what they use it for until i read that they are used for fuel. How? I still don't know but i guess they're used pretty much like how we use charcoal for cooking (sure hope not for barbeques though!!!) We also learned in school a long time ago how biogas is produced from manure and other farm waste materials. Am not really sure but I think our example then was the Maya farm.

Well using manure as fertilizer and for energy is already great. But homes made from manure??? That's even better! Especially for our country that needs low cost housing for the people. I hope they perfect the technology soon and I hope that such technology comes to our country fast!

What's even better is if they just don't use manure from farm animals but DOGS as well!

I see a lot of dogs poos in our streets especially in the morning. Maybe if researchers find a way to harness them for building homes and for energy, then owners would not let their dogs poo just anywhere? Maybe if the price is good like the prices of certain goods in junk shops, the owners would even consider building poo structures for them? Maybe if the demand for dogs poo is great they feed their dogs well??? And maybe if dogs' poos command value, then the owners would not let their dog stray in the streets anymore? And if so, I don't have to worry about stray dogs and stray poos anymore!

Ahh excuse me, sometimes weird thoughts follow good thoughts!

Bay walk and beyond

Last Friday was the last day of Felix in our company after more than 20 years. I would say that he is one of our best field auditors! He said he and another auditor who also recently resigned were going to treat me out but the latter called that he could not make it so I told Felix that I will treat him instead and they could treat me another time. He agreed.

We went to Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard. I have passed the area a couple of times but I have never really ventured on walking or hanging out there. We got there around 7:30 pm and the colorful streetlights were already lighted. There were also a lot of people there already. All sorts of people! From babies in stroller to oldies in walker… local tourists to foreign tourists. At first we just walked along the whole stretch observing the scene. There were several “open air” restaurants there with some of the waiters/waitresses offering their menus to passersby. There were live bands, folk singers, solo performers accompanied by minus-one music. You could eat in one of the restaurants that sponsor the music/band you are interested in so you could be properly seated or if you have NO such budget (actually food are not really that expensive) you could just stand while watching or sit in the some part of the stretch of the breakwater. There’s no one really there that’s going to stop you.

We noted a short cruise ship that gets passenger in one area (you could just join the 1 hour and 15 minutes ride or opt for ride with dinner) and some men actually fishing. I asked one if he caught anything and he pointed to me his bait with a squid running after it (he didn’t catch it though and threw his bait again).

There we also kiosks and other peddlers and places offering Henna tattoo or e-loads for the cellphones. There were people handing out brochures for Real Estate or prayer leaflets. There were some people walking or jogging. There were families, friends, officemates, classmates (they were in uniform) and of course there were lovers too! There were all sorts of people and the crowd was getting thick as the night goes deeper!

The weather was nice plus the moon was almost full! We finally decided to eat in a place that has folk singer and stayed in a table near the breakwater overlooking more colorful lights from a distance. A lot kids would come to our table and sell us roses or small balloons and I would shake my head and tell them to offer them to lovers instead!

After dinner we decided to walk the stretch again to let the food go down and to observe some more. We noted some dinosaurs (am not sure of what material they were) and lots of kids (yes even if was already late) playing and some being photographed by their parents. We also observed closely the different statues there including the one of Ninoy Aquino and Evelio Javier. Even decided to sit with them while Felix read their short Bio. And on our second walk we noted several street performers most of them doing pantomime. I thought one dressed somewhat like a Russian was really good, at a distance I thought he was a statue but when we got near he would move when you place some money I his box. Of course they were far from doing an act like Jerome Murat but they entertained lots nevertheless.

I was really enjoying myself but we have done the stretch twice already so we decided to cross to the other side and pass through Rajah Solaiman park (did I get that right?) then head for Remedios Street towards the Malate area where the night life is. Felix initially told me that business there was probably affected by the boom in the Baywalk area but he retracted his word after seeing the thick crowd there also not just inside restaurants and venue places but also outside. I was just happily observing the scene and noted the Remedios circle. Don’t really know how it looked before it was renovated but the paver tiles and seats were nice and wide. When we got to the other side of Remedios Street, Eating establishments were already lesser and there were little or no people at some point. But I knew that it would head straight to Taft Avenue where we could get an FX ride so we continued walking. After all the weather was really conducive for walking. At one are we noted a big white house with gold paint around its windows and the glass windows painted white. At first I thought it was a funeral parlor but I noted that the doors were not wide. In fact I observed 2 male foreigners on the door waiting to be let in. Of course I was curious and I was asking Felix what he think it was. Well Felix was curious too, probably more than I was so asked the people nearby what the place was. They said it was a business club and we both looked at each other and smiled… Hmmm… just what is a business club??? We again talked about the windows. They were painted white so no one could really see what’s inside. So his guess was as good as mine and this time we were not just smiling but chuckling as well. We could already see the LRT (light rail Train) posts and knew we were near our ride home. We were lucky to get front seats in the FX ride and after a few talks we were content to just be silent and enjoy our trip back home!

That was one good walk!

Swarmed!

I was still in my way home when I felt hungry. I decided to buy a bottled tea drink in a convenient store and head to a fastfood in a small mall. I was already going in to the mall entrance when a street kid approached me asking for my bottled drink. I already extended my hands to give it to him when I noted that he has another unconsumed bottle so I told him “Meron ka pa, ah!” (You still have one) At that he said “pera na lang ate” (give me change instead, big sister). I pulled out my wallet to get some change when suddenly other kids swarmed around me with their hands extended asking for change too! I backed off and told them NO. I suddenly did not like the idea of giving change. The guard at the entrance also immediately shooed them away.

Okay, I lost the desire to give change but I wanted to give them something. I thought food would be better so I immediately went to a kiosk just near the mall entrance and bought 4 ensaymada (cheese bread?) and headed back to the entrance BUT when I got back, none of the kids were in sight. I asked the guard where they were but he just shrugged his shoulder. Told him to tell them that I’ll give them something if he sees them but I wanted to eat first since I was really hungry!

It didn’t take long for me to eat. When I got back, I asked the guard again if he saw any of the kids but he said “No”. I stood there for a while looking around but can’t see any street kid. Finally decided to walk to my ride knowing that I’ll see some street people somehow since I see a lot of them when I go home at night. I walked slowly but I didn’t meet any.

Funny! When you are not looking for them, they are everywhere BUT when you are, they seem to vanish.

So, I was already waiting for my ride and wondering if I’ll be taking home the ensaymadas afterall when I saw my younger sister (rather she saw me) who also stayed late in the office. We took the ride together and I offered her the bread and she was glad since she too was hungry.

I was still thinking about those kids, and wondering if maybe I should have pulled out my wallet again while I was in the mall entrance. The sight of it seemed to attract streetchildren like honey to a fly!

Hmmm… not seemed actually but more surely.

It has happened a lot already! In fact, last December on my way out of the church one of the lame beggars there approached me showing me her crutch, telling me that she badly needed it to be fixed (and it was true). I did not have money then and told her I’ll give her another time. Next time I saw her, she showed me how she crudely fixed her crutch so she can use it. It was also near Christmas time so I took a crisp bill from my wallet and she was happy. She was the only one in the church door then but when I gave her the bill, several others surrounded us asking for some too since it was Christamas! I didn't know where they came from. There were just too many. Good thing I've got crisp bills that time, I almost did not have money left for my transportation after that... oh well!!!

Anyway, back to the street kids, it is not really good to be giving them money since you see some of them sometimes play cara cruz (heads or tails) when they get your change. You get mixed feelings seeing them! Sometimes you feel sad that you can't do anything to change things! Sometimes when I get these feelings I remember trio song of Magdelene, Judas and JC from Jesus Christ Superstar... I can still hear Jesus' answer Judas...

"Surely you're not saying we have the resources to save the poor from their lot! There will be poor always, pathetically struggling, think of the good things you've got! Think while you still have me, move while you still see me, You'll be lost and you'll be sorry when I'm gone!!!"

When I'm swarmed with difficulties, I still feel that I'm a lot better than most people that it is so easy to appreciate things, even small things that come my way! And I also don't give often to street kids (I'd rather give to church) but sometimes, I do feel moved and I act (sometimes push myself to act) on the feeling. Then, sometimes, some street people reject my gift too preferring something else that somehow I feel either embarassed or irritated. Still I go on. After all I know that life has blessed me more than them.