earth day.

[candle light. ]

sunday contained among its twenty-four divides,
singapore's first earth hour.

given that the very dismal, very practical, (and put together, very singaporean) comments by the 'average person on the street' are not at all warm to "switching off" (for what!?), i wasnt expecting the eternal lights of singapore go half black. but im pleased that my home was among the darkened ones, and the large french restaurant i happened to be dining at also dimmed (well, the cooks needed to cook) its (many) lights. the few tables of us who were sitting in the restaurant at the quieter corner of clarke quay had ourselves draped in a very dreamy, disquieting half-light.

with our little pocket taking earth hour ("i'm sorry ah, but we'll be turning off our lights for earth hour at 830pm soon, i did say that right, right? earth hour." says very casual mina-like waitress) seriously, outside seemed preposterously dazzling.

it is primarily symbolic. like valentines day, a small, sentimental bit that isn't carried on, let alone fully actualised, much of the rest of the year, doesn't matter much, even if the symbolised meaning is potent enough. we live in the physical world, and that is often where wars and loves are played out and judged.

still.. symbolism stands strong because it can make aware, persuade, unite.

and. who can begrudge the small gesture when real changes are out of the question?