Yesterday was Earth Day

Yesterday, was our only planet’s day and I was stuck in the office. Not the Earth day I have imagined at least for myself. However despite that I didn’t get to join lobby groups or planted tress with my fellow youths (which what I would have wanted to do) I would still like to give a small contribution, although late, in raising environment awareness.

As I continuously watch the news and surf the web, the facts on our Earth’s degradation and abuse caused by us, the supposed to be stewards of this only planet, are overwhelming. Figures on carbon emission is rising every year and the forecast of the coming decades are frightening.

Let us make Earth Day not as a symbolic celebration filled with empty rhetoric, but a day-to-day occurrence in our choices, habits and actions for a more sustainable environment for our children and our children’s children.

Below are 8 simple things that you can do to contribute in our cause for the Earth.

1. Understand what’s going on with our environment. Research on pollution and its causes. Recognize the bad to know what not to do.
2. Join environment groups in your local community. If you don’t go out much, you can join online environment communities. Being with like minded individuals allows you to understand and delve into the issue more.
3. Recycle. Know the word and then do it. Segregate your garbage. Don’t throw out those old newspapers, ketchup bottles, plastic coke bottles and such. You can store them for the mean time, and later on sell them or give them to “we buy scrap” entrepreneurs. See, you can still make money out of garbage.
4. Conserve water. Don’t waste it, it’s a precious gift that will run out eventually if we don’t use it properly.
5. If you are going to a nearby place, opt to walk or use a bicycle rather than use a vehicle that emit carbon monoxide.
6. Use fresh food as much as possible. Avoid eating too much processed food or fast food. These type of food usually contribute to a gain in weight and to the amount of trash.
7. Don’t buy things that you don’t need. Things that you usually buy out of plain envy or want will usually just go to the trash or be left unused after a few months.
8. Conserve Energy. Turn off the lights, the fan, the aircon, TV, radio, etc. whenever you’re not in the room, you’re not using it or if the need is not immediate.

Let’s be proactive in solving Earth’s issue. After all, we only have one planet and her name is Earth.

Idiots are bad for the health. Really, they are.

“Idiots in your office are as hazardous to your health as cigarettes, caffeine or greasy food…” Please click on the image to read the news clip.

Beating the heat

I was inspired by Raj’s list of how to beat the heat. Every year, I have noticed that when summer comes the temperature is higher compared to the other year. Indeed global warming is getting worse so start participating in the Earth Hour people!

Since we still have to face the wrath of Mother nature, Inspired by Raj’s tips, I came up with my own set of tips of how to deal with the heat.

1. If you can, try to avoid exposing your skin to the sun from 9 am to 4 pm. The UV rays from the sun is cancerous during this time. However if you just can’t, follow Raj’s heed, avoid the Sun’s intense glare starting from 11 am - 3 pm.
2. Make sure that you wear a SPF sort of lotion or sunblock. This will protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
3. Wear cotton shirts and city shorts for a more comfortable and cool feel. Us girls can opt to wear a sundress, the material is light and comfortable.
4. Wear a cap or hat when the sun is really shining with all its glory.
5. Wear a good pair of sun glasses. This will lessen the sun’s glare in your eyes.
6. Inside your house, make sure to open up all windows to make sure that air can circulate. This will also prevent humid air indoor since good ventilation is provided through the open windows.
7. Put your electric fan to high gear or turn it up to level 3. Summer is the best time to turn your air con to really cold to appease the heat.
8. Drink a lot of fluids to keep hydrated. To make your drink more enjoyable, make sure you stock your freezer with a lot of ice cubes to go along with you juice drinks or water. Summer is also the perfect time to make fruit shakes and smoothies.
9. Nothing beats one creamy ice cream.
10. If you own a car, park it in the shade as Raj suggested. You can also get yourself your own sunshade at any car accessory store. “Sunshades reflect sunrays by blocking the sunlight coming through the windshield. They were designed primarily to help prevent heat build-up and protect your vehicle. Since they act as a radiant barrier, they can help reduce the heat in your car in addition to blocking 99 percent of damaging UV rays in the protected area.”
11. Go to the beach. It can be totally refreshing.
    
12. You can also opt to hang out in the mall. Imagine the free very cool air conditioning it offers.
    
13. Last but not the lease, a simple rain dance won’t hurt. However as Raj said, rain is usually near after extreme heat so rain shower is probable during the dry season.
    

Cosmopolitan and Playboy. What do they have in common?

“Playboy addresses men and Cosmopolitan addresses women, yet the visual rhetorics of both magazines reflect the male gaze and promote the idea that women should primarily concern themselves with attracting and sexually satisfying men.” Read more about this article.

Do you agree or disagree?

Architectural Rendering

I have been very busy lately which is why I haven’t had time to post or nurture my blogging fixation. Anyway, I got some little time to spare now.

Since Maurisyo has been hired to work for LazyAnimation, he has been very busy tinkering his new nifty computer and has been sending me architectural rendering samples almost everyday. I guess one of the reasons why I’m posting his work on my blog, aside from sheer natural bias, is that his recent designs are very refreshing. It’s very minimal, yet highly stylish. He is breaking away from two things in my opinion. First, he is breaking away from the usual Filipino architectural designs. Although you can already see a lot of modern buildings in Cebu, especially in Manila, but compare it to other countries, Philippine architecture is just so behind. Second, he is slowly breaking away from Medallaaj. Alex Medallaaj is a known Cebuano Architect and I must say I love his designs; although I’m not his avid fan but James would often point Medallaaj’s works and they generally pass my taste. Back to James. Medallaaj is one of his mentor and many of his designs before were like Medallaaj’s very own however lately you can only see traces of Medallaaj’s unwavering influence over a student and a fan.

Below are a few of his architectural design and rendering.