Amber in a Vase

Today is my moms 45th birthday. So old! I keep getting flashes of the future when all this will be gone and I am living an adult life.

Anyway, because it's her birthday, we all got her a gift. My sister made her two shrinky-dinks earrings and my present to her was a vase. It was an IKEA vase that she had chosen, I wasn't even there when she had bought the vase.

I think she had a fine birthday. For breakfast she was treated to J. Co. Donuts by a friend. For dinner she was taken to a Korean Barbecue (RM50 for a few slices of meat!) by my dad.

Of course, I had to poke her a bit by asking if I could tag along. When she said no (in a kind, don't-want-to-hurt-your feelings-way) I go into self-pity. "I haven't had fine dining for suuuuch a long time."

But I really couldn't go anyway, since today is the deadline for two huge pieces of work, my portfolio and school. I was in cruise control until I found out I had a test to do I had overlooked. So it was rush, rush.

But I did everything on time, then I turned my attention to her present. How do you personalize something that you hadn't bought and that you saw second? It was a vase like a wine bottle. So I decided to fill it up with tea and cork it.

Did that. Gave it to her. But, it ended up with my sister and I drinking her tea.

More Expensive Fuel Please

I am an environmentalist. I am probably the only real environmentalist I know. Like Lisa Simpson in The Simpsons Movie, I go around knocking on doors trying to spread the message and getting those doors slammed in my face.

Fuel prices went up last week from RM1.92 to RM2.70. There are rumours that they might even crank up the meter to RM4 by July. If Malaysia is crying now because of a 78 cent increase, Malaysia will be wailing hysterically when it goes up to RM4.

I don't own a car so I'm not feeling the pinch as everyone else is. I'm not going to own a car anytime soon so I'm not worried about the price going up to RM4. In fact, I'm not worried at all.

My position is that Malaysia has been incredibly selfish. Children who are sheltered and pampered become spoilt. The Malaysian government has been the spoiler parent, covering up its precious rakyat from the terrors of the world market. More expensive fuel? We'll keep the prices low for the people by subsidising it with...the people's money!

My mom says the the increasing fuel prices is BN's vendetta against us. I say that it was bound to happen anyway. I'm actually pleased that fuel prices are going up.

Global Warming is a touchy subject but I believe that it really is real. I believe that it is a problem that has been thrown to humanity to solve. I also believe that it would take something big to change the mindset of people and nations.

Nothing seems to have worked so far. Trying to educate people, tugging at their heartstrings with images of polar bears drowning out of a lack of ice. But money might just do it. If money is the root of all evil, this time it could be the root that makes the broth that saves us.

So that's why I'm actually glad of more expensive oil, because it will force the world to reconsider itself.