Green

How do we change the world? Is it even possible to change it? Don't you have to be the President of the United States to do so?

Not that he has done anything much to change the world. Maybe it's true what people said about him. That he is too young, too green. And the world is already red and blue. With a tinge of pink somewhere is eastern Russia, and a shade of gray somewhere in central Asia. Green is not the colour to be to change the world. Green is only good to be associated with trees, and forests, and my old car. Although the car is quite dirty and has been unwashed for more than three months now.

And what about the promises made about changing the world? About making the world a better place? About having a greener world, where everyone recycle, reduce and reuse? Now we are talking about getting green. Suddenly green is the new pink. And everywhere you go, you see green. And everyone is obsessed about saving the rhinos. And the pandas and tigers. No more forest burning. No more pollution. No more constructions. But we all know those are just lies. And in a way, we play a part in those lies. Because we are the ones burning the forest and polluting the earth. We are the ones littering and driving around in our cars.

Maybe I should stop using my old green car. Maybe I should cycle to work. But I need a new bicycle then.

Maybe I'll buy a green one.

Above and below

It’s not rocket science, and you don’t have to be a genius to do it. It’s as simple as tying your shoelaces. But then again, no one does that anymore, except probably for school kids. Even those kids nowadays prefer those Velcro shoes, no more untied shoelaces. No more, “hey, your shoelaces are untie,” and you look down and POW, one big smack right up your chin. Yeah, old trick of the book, plenty of villains got away with that trick. Including the Ocean Master, half brother of Aquaman.

But if Aquaman can breathe on land, then that can only mean one thing. The world is not fair. Here I am gearing myself up to go underwater, with equipments that cost more than what I make in three months, and back-breaking tanks, with some contraption stuck in my mouth, and there goes Aquaman surfacing and climbing into the boat. “Enjoy the deep,” he told me.

I don’t see him putting anything in his mouth, nor is he wearing any tanks or breathing apparatus to help him breathe above ground. You dump a fish on land, and it will gasp for air and die after a while. But you don’t see Aquaman gasping for air. And he is still alive, as far as I can see. He is even smoking a cigarette now. I bet he can’t do that down there. Yeah, smoke all you want, Aquaman. Better even, fill up your lungs with the natural goodness of tar and tobacco. Maybe one day, I will see you gasp for air, with your tar-filled lungs bursting for oxygen, and your smirk turned into agony, and your face turning blue. Now that would be a sight.

And then maybe, just maybe, the world is fair again.

This, that, and the other

This is what we all look for. A good friendship, between a man and a woman. Now, a lot of skeptics out there do not believe in friendships between a man and a woman. Now, I'm not talking about those run of the mill, typical hi-bye friendship, this is more like the close-knit, share everything kind of friendship. There is always something at stake when it comes to those kind of friendship. How can those two be so close without developing feelings for each other? And what about the physical attraction? Unless one party resembles a beach whale (no offense to any whales out there), there must be some sparks, if not a big one, at least a small tiny spark that of course, could ignite into a bigger one.

Nevertheless, despite of all that, sometimes, it does work. The friendship, not the spark. Years of being there for each other, talking to each other, accompanying one another to the movies, having dinner together, those ought to create a sense of comfort and security between the man and the woman. A sense of knowing that there is a line drawn somewhere, and that line will always be there, for friendship sake. Cross the line and things will never be the same again. Ever.

That rarely happens, but in certain circumstances, it does happen. Let say, for experimental purposes, the man and the woman decided to have a physical relationship, maybe out of desperation, or even probably boredom. Hey, it happens, okay. There are instances where you have not had a working relationship for a very long time, so you start to look closer, say under your nose. And you suddenly realised that you have been friends with her for so long now that why not just sleep with her? It doesn't have to be a complicated relationship. You already have this going on with her, now all you want is that.

So the both of you come up with a set of rules to make sure that the friendship stays intact, plus you get the bonus of having a physical relationship. Three simple rules:

1. No calls the day after that
2. Spending the night is optional
3. No good night kiss

Now, these rules are important. It eliminates the pressure of feeling the need to be responsible, when you are not a couple. You are just friends, and will remain so. Most of the time, one party is expected to call the day after sex, probably to say something like, "last night was a mistake," or "last night was wonderful, I'm already missing you," or "are you free tonight?" And there is no need to spend the night after having sex, you can just pick up your clothes and head home. But since it is optional, of course you have the liberty of sleeping over (and there is always morning sex, but we all know how that's going to end). And most importantly, you don't feel the pressure of kissing your date goodnight when it wasn't even a date to begin with. It's just two friends, having dinner together. So no good night kiss. Simple as that.

Of course, now that you have this and that, things couldn't be better. I mean, you're still friends, and you're having sex with your friend every now and then. But beware, it won't last for long. Sooner or later, this and that won't be sufficient enough. Because sooner or later, you would want the other. And that's when things get complicated.

Because you see, the other is simply, a total relationship. Commitment and responsibility. Calling every day, kissing goodnight, spending the night. Those are all in the other. And now that you have this, that and the other, you are now officially, a couple.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. But if things didn't work out, then just remember, you might lose this. And you will definitely won't have that with her anymore. Ever.