Aquainted with The Night

Robert Frost (1876-1963)

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have out walked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been acquainted with the night.

It’s a bit sad, I know, but it is one of my favorite poems. There’s much debate on what it really means but to me, it is about loneliness, depression and death. At several points in my life, I have read this poem and thought to myself: “Now here’s a guy who truly gets me.” Those days when I felt so alone and so sad, it was this poem that made me feel that I’m not the only one who has ever felt the way I did. Knowing this, I didn’t feel so alone anymore and has helped me cope with whatever feelings I had at the time. He is truly a great artist and whom I consider a friend through his writing.

Hope in Garbage

Living in a third world country, we are plagued by our inefficient garbage disposal. Although we currently have laws in place, instructing us to segregate our plastics, biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage, but strict penalties are not enforced in case we do not comply. This is mainly because our friendly neighborhood garbage men takes care of it for us because there’s money in it for them. They get to sell the paper, aluminum cans, etc. for themselves. Yet, we still have loads of municipal wastes that are simply dumped in open fields. We do not have enough proper recycling centers, properly managed landfills or even incinerator plants.

Those three garbage disposal centers are the most common facilities throughout the rest of the world when it comes to handling your garbage. Recycling plants only handle about 30% (in the U.S.) and 40%-60% (in Europe) of the total garbage generated. Landfills take forever to decompose garbage. Plus the fact that if it’s not handled properly, there is a danger of it contaminating the ground water. Although incinerator plants seem ideal because they get rid of trash and at the same time generate electricity, but they emit huge amounts of carbon monoxide in the air thus converting our beloved garbage into something we could literally breathe in and adds greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

When it seemed like there is truly no hope of ever getting rid of our trash problem, here comes a new addition to the list of garbage disposal facilities created by the Plasco Energy Group. It is a waste-to-energy plasma gasification plant. Basically, what it does is it uses plasma to not only effectively decompose garbage at a fast rate and reduce it to 1.3kg of heavy metals and activated carbon per tonne, it also produces synthetic gas which could power engines to produce electricity (or can produce fuel gas like hydrogen). The ashes generated from the plasmagasification of the garbage creates slag which could be used for building materials, road bed aggregates, insulators and even jewelry. To top it all off, instead of the city paying for garbage disposal services, it can actually earn from getting rid of it. Thus, making garbage in itself, a commodity.

Their ingenuity has filled me with hope for my own country. If a third world country like ours cannot afford to buy a plasma gasification plant, then it is possible to sell our garbage instead of paying someone to get rid of it. Then, maybe in time, we would be able to afford one. It could in turn help bring down electricity costs, help us convert to hydrogen powered vehicles easier and soon after, could bring down costs of basic commodities and goods. It could also bring so much needed focus on conserving our beautiful tropical country with its gorgeous scenery, dive sites, beaches and wonderful people who deserve much more than what they have now.

I know I am over simplifying things and we’re still a long way off since the plasma gasification plant is still in its testing and approval stages, and the fact that my government has to sort through a lot of internal problems, I can’t help but feel hopeful that I might be able to see a huge environmental transformation in the world within my lifetime. It may be, that the very garbage we are using to harm our earth might be the very same thing that can help transform it.

Coffee of Choice

Mine: A huge cup of cappuccino.
My Husband’s: A double shot espresso.

I was just playing with my camera during one of our coffee dates and it wasn’t until I was going through the photos that I realized that there’s so much you can tell about a person’s current state of mind when they order coffee. We were no different.

We had this date during a time when he had to supervise work being done in a mall after office hours. I simply tagged along since I had nothing better to do. And there it is, the message any keen observer would see: The huge cup of cappuccino says that I can take my time because I had nothing better to do (good thing I brought a book with me) and his double shot espresso translates that he needs a “wake up quick” coffee fix because his day wasn’t quite done yet.

Every day feels like I’m choosing a cup of coffee. There are some days that I feel I need a pick me up while in some, I feel like I could just lazily breeze through. Whatever coffee I choose for the day, I always bear in mind that it is a choice. I know that though there would be days when I’ll need that double shot espresso… but I would much rather go through my days with a HUGE cup of cappuccino.