where the moon shines

One night, alone in my bed, I couldn’t sleep. My mind was working overdrive. My attention was somehow directed to the trashbag we had hanging by the doorknob of my bedroom. It was an SM shopping bag and I was puzzled by what was written at the bottom: BIODEGRADABLE.

I was itching to turn Alfred’s laptop on and do some research right there and then. But I had already turned off the wifi router downstairs and I really didn’t want to make myself up more by walking all the way down and then up again. So I decided to leave it until the next day.

I forgot all about it though. The next day, I wracked my brain for what I wanted to research but couldn’t remember what it was. Today, I saw three or four blue SM plastic shopping bags on a chair – obviously my parents went shopping on Sunday afternoon. Then I saw it again: BIODEGRADABLE.

Was it possible? I asked Alfred. We finally looked it up.

I am disappointed that there is not much press about SM’s – the largest shopping mail chain in the Philippines – initiatives like this. I mean, they should totally use it in their advertising. Here’s one story I found on Google. And there are a lot of shoppers who blogged about this too. They have photos posted as well, which is what kept me from posting my own photo of the bag. Haha.

BUT. There seems to be a question of proper disposal still.

On the Wikipedia entry on Biodegradable Plastics, it says

“Proper composting methods are required to efficiently degrade the plastic, which may actually contribute to carbon dioxide emissions.”

Okay, I’d really like to know more about bioplastics and the proper disposal of such. Like, would it better if we use the SM bags to line our trash cans or would that mean it would also end up in landfills and would still not be decomposed as fast as literature says it should? I’d rather not research much on it right now though. At least not now. So if you have any useful links that can tell me more about this, be sure to send it over?

I appreciate that SM is taking steps to address the problem of environmental degradation, at no obvious added cost for the consumers. Maybe Robinson’s and Ayala Malls will follow suit? They should also encourage buyers to bring their own reusable bags.

*Click the photo and it’ll take you to the movie page in Yahoo.

Before I saw CSI on Cable on Sunday night, I watched What Happens in Vegas on DVD.

Predictably – Ashton Kutcher was disgustingly lovable! Haha.

I enjoyed watching and I had some laughs. I wasn’t creeped out laughing on my own in the middle of the night . It was a fun movie to watch.

I have to agree with my friend though, they don’t really make a cute couple, but I guess they were effective for their respective roles. It was quite easy to figure out the story. It makes for very light watching – no analysis needed. They did try to put something else into the story – like a background for why Jack was such a jerk, or why Joy was so uptight. But they just played on the same things over and over so there wasn’t really much there…

But that’s the up side to this movie too: just plain fun to watch.

Oh, here’s a thought too. What made Joy bet on Jack? I mean, apart from him going to the retreat and saving her ass, what did Jack show her that made her bet on him? Or was she just saying it out of pity. I get how easy it was for Joy to be herself around Jack, and not to wish she was something or somebody else. But the other way around? I didn’t quite get that.

Anyhoo. I still enjoyed the movie and would recommend it for anyone who’s bored . I also agree that for any relationship to work, the individuals have to somehow come to terms with their own demons. If they can’t rid themselves of it, at least they should know that they have quirky issues.

What Happens in Vegas also got me thinking: what does it really take to make a marriage last? What makes a union a marriage? My parents have been together for over 30 years. I was at my grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary just before I started my freshman year at the university. I’d still like to believe that most marriages in the Philippines do last. Will Alfred and I make a good marriage?

Yesterday, he mentioned to me that he has casually told his parents our plans to get married in June of 2009. Casually. It was his eldest brother’s despedida lunch and that brother’s father in law casually asked his mom when Alfred had plans to tie the knot. So he told them. That was it. We don’t know how we’re going to tell my side of the family. It feels kinda weird. Haha.

Have we prepared ourselves for it already? Do we bring out the best in each other like Jack and Joy did? Though sometimes it doesn’t look like it, I still think that we do.

I just watched an episode from the latest season of CSI, and though there was no crying or shouting, I felt like it was one of the most emotional episodes I’ve seen of the show. Granted, I hadn’t seen what happened to Sarah earlier on in the season and I’d have to hunt those episodes down right after this post, but I was so engrossed today.

Bullet wound/s through the neck – will Worrick survive that? That’s got to be tough. I was hoping that Nick would come out of the diner and see the undersheriff (from afar even) leaving the scene and then he notices Worrick slumped on the wheel. At least that way Worrick has a chance to survive?

I can’t explain how I was feeling, you know? I’m not exactly a big fan of CSI, I watch on and off and I don’t really care if I miss episodes (seeing as I don’t know what has happened to Sarah). But it’s just…

Worrick can’t really be written of can he? He’s gone through so much to keep his job as CSI. But I must admit, I saw it coming. There was a bittersweet vibe as they left the diner one by one. I thought it would happen as soon as he walked out the door. When I saw the under sheriff, that was it.

Anyway, wouldn’t it be wonderful to work with people who truly cared about you? People who will hold no judgment and will look for that which will prove your innocence when you are being misjudged by others. They really pulled together for Worrick there. Would my colleagues pull together for me like that? Would yours?

Anyway, CSI New York is up and they’re dealing with James Bond wannabe thieves. Gotta pay attention to that.

Alfred was supposed to take me to the market today. I wanted to look for materials for a project I want to work on, including materials to make my own glass bead magnets. It didn’t happen.

One of my former agents who happens to be his drinking buddy rendered his last day at work last night and so they and a bunch of other guys went out for booze after shift. I understand that and all, but he was the one who promised we’d go today. And it isn’t as if he’d have time tomorrow either. He has a family thing to go to since his brother’s leaving to work abroad in a few days. I wouldn’t bet on Monday either.

Sometimes even when I feel like ranting about things like this (him not following through on something) I want to kick myself in the butt. After all, I don’t have to let him ruin my plans. I should be capable of going my own way if I really have to. I mean, he doesn’t always have to be around to escort me. There are also several other people I can ask to go with on outings like what I had intended earlier.

But, he’s the only one I feel comfortable with for what I had planned out for today. I’m out on a specific mission and I would need his input.

Still. It’s not as if I couldn’t do it on my own.

I hate that I’m not really as independent as I believe myself to me. It’s like I’m all talk, but when it comes right down to it, I can’t do it. I can’t do anything.

That’s it. Whether anyone’s going with me or not, I will go out tomorrow.

Okay, I won’t exactly be going to Divisoria or Binondo on my own, but I will go somewhere else that I can navigate on my own.

Okay, I will admit it. I just had to turn the computer on before I went to work this (or yesterday) afternoon, and do a little more browsing. While going through the beautiful handmade products over at Etsy, I got several ideas and set out to learn what I could about them.

I saw a store that sold bags made from recycled plastic bags so I wanted to find out how those were done. I also remembered a comment on a blog post I read about a quilt made from coffee cup sleeves (amazing work). It was about fusing plastic and using that to water-proof the quilt so it can actually be usable. That led me to searching the net for fusing plastic bags.

It appears to be a very simple process. I can do it. I want to do it. But I have no idea what to make. You know, I wouldn’t know what to use the fused plastic fabric for. The different sites showcase various uses for it, but not one thing that I would really want to make for myself or others that I know would be used everyday. Know what I mean? Ahh, me and my ideas. I really should have a partner in crime who is far more creative or artsy than I am.

If you’re interested, head on to Etsy Labs for the simple tutorial, and you can check out this short video too.