i HEART earth

(i just realized, looking at the entry’s title carefully, if you rearrange the letters forming the word HEART, you’ll get EARTH. I didn’t know that until now.)

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truly, when you step out of your boundaries, there’s a whole new world waiting for you to discover. that exactly what happened to me when i visited bangkok.

yes, this may be related to our thai trip but i want to focus on something in celebration of earth day today.

our trip to the safari world was scheduled on our last day in thailand. we left the hotel by 8:00am to make it in time for the various animal shows. typical bangkok weekend…scaldingly hot and crazily busy.

upon arrival, we joined other tourists–again, local and foreigners alike–taking pictures in every square inch of the themed park. 

   fast forward to post-lunch break, we went to the safari’s souvenir shop, where it’s innocently waiting (but strategically located adjacent to the buffet hall) for tourists to swipe  and spend. i was looking around when i saw the ad of o’bon–"pencils for the environment," it says (rephrasing it). after seeing polar bears in the safari world, i was still emotional. and to find something in support of the environment, it’s like discovering an oasis in the desert. o’bon’s "booth" is near the entrance. while my other friends got lost in the throngs of tourists who just finished their meals, i let o’bon’s interesting merchandise transport me to somewhere else–far from the chattering chinese. as expected, the items were a bit pricey. but the numbers didn’t kill my interest. i wanted to hoard most of the pencils but most of my baht already flew days before. so, i decided to pick a box of o’bon’s wildlife series 2B set pencil (that comes in a box of 10), which i planned to share with my friends back home. 

o’bon pencils, according to their website, is made from quality, recycled newspaper pencils. These pencils are non-toxic and have met European standards (EN-71), whatever that is. Also, these are 100% environmentally-friendly pencils that saves the environment. Uhm, yes, they don’t use timber unlike the ones we commonly-use. The pencils are water-resistant and last 2 to 3 times longer than ordinary wood pencils. And what made me decide to give some to my nieces and nephews is that these pencils are splinter free. 

since my arrival, i’ve already distributed most in the set to my dear friends hoping that they keep and use the pencils in their daily lives (aha! what a dream!). and, hopefully, they’ll continue to support companies who think of the environment more than economics.

i don’t know if o’bon has reached the philippine shores. but my search for these amazing items will begin. if the search will be futile, i call on  o’bon  to help me  bring your products to my islands. 

as i celebrate the earth day today, i hope i could inculcate upon myself the preciousness of our only home. i know that i am not just joining the bandwagon surrounding the hoopla that is global warming. like other crusades that i’m supporting, my love for our only planet will not be punctuated as i end this entry. it will go beyond turning off all the light sources every afternoon for an hour (which is driving my niece and nephews crazy), it will be more than using the dipper after every toilet use, it’s more of a love to the only place that i can call home.

happy earth day!

*sparkles!