Another headline about the Starbucks reorganization is out; the world’s number one coffee shop is switching back to ceramic cups for its drinks, using the paper ones only upon take-out. With the amount of paper cups the company uses per day, changing it to reusable cups is a big step for our environment. It also saves them money since mugs last for quite a while.

I like Starbucks, especially the steps they take to protect the environment. That said, I think this switch is a really good idea. Ceramic mugs are great since they are cost-effective, reduces the use of paper cups, and in the long run, has weaker environmental impact because of the sheer number of uses it can take before it needs to be trashed.

Paper cups are actually better only if they are reused, but why would you want to do that? I don’t want to drink from a paper cup someone else drank from. Ceramic is much safer. And it’s a better insulator, and leaves no weird taste in my coffee. I hope to see them near where I love soon. I heard that it’s already implemented in some places in Europe.

Ceramic all the way! Who’s with me?

Mother’s Day is special to me. It is because I love my mother very much. Of course, I love my dad too, but mom is truly special to me. It might sound corny, but she’s the wind beneath my wings, my inspiration, the one that I look to when I’m down.

I’ve lost count on how many times she’s helped me up, how may times she’s supported my decisions, how many times she’s comforted me when those decisions turn out to be bad ones.

I can remember an incident a few years ago. We were outside, taking a stroll in the park. That was when it started to rain. My mother, being the selfless woman she is, made sure I was well-covered with the umbrella, getting herself wet in the process. As she shivered and smiled, I couldn’t help but feel love. She knew that I couldn’t afford to be sick that week, so here she was, being herself, taking the fall for me.

Never was there any doubt in my mind that she would suffer for my sake. I would do the same for her, but she never lets me. That’s what mothers do. If ever I become one in the future, I would like to be a mother like my mother is. And I’m sure she’ll love my children the same way she loves me.

Happy Mother’s Day.

An online friend of mine from the Philippines recently told me this story. In his country, it is common to see street vendors with hand-drawn carts selling fried processed fish or squid balls, especially near schools. I don’t know how they stand eating that stuff! Anyway, the food was skewered on small wooden sticks. Times are hard over there, so some vendors would pick up the sticks tossed away by the children and actually re-use them.

The fact disgusted him, but he could see why they did it. Profit was very small for such a vendor, barely feeding him for the day.

This particular day, he saw a vendor picking up the discarded sticks. Making a face, he strode over to the man and tapped his shoulder. He asked the man what he was doing.

The older, poorer man smiled and replied that the local parish priest disliked the trash, and he was cleaning up after the people that did not bother to throw them away in the right place. Needless to say, my friend was stunned…and humbled.

He was taught a valuable lesson that day. Don’t assume the worst of people. There are still decent ones in this world, ones that can teach you valuable life lessons like my friend was taught.