My trip to the supermarket reminds me of anyone who takes huge profit from a shitty post. There's actually a choice to decline the payout but of course, why do that if it makes you feel good to look such an A to everyone. If one is benefitting greatly from a cheap product, then that person or corporation would not even care about his/her reputation, your health, or the environment anymore. There has been an article that says most of these people have brain damage or that they lack empathy, ahem.

I observed that in most of the countries I had traveled to - the poorer, the cheaper the products. Most of the Chinese corporations have been continuously manufacturing all these cheap products in small packaging these days - money. If you live in a beautiful island, or if you scuba dive and you see all these small packets in the sea, you will just feel guilty buying any of this cheap stuff. I want to avoid going to the supermarket so as to minimize my consumption and waste but it is kind of hard to balance being poor and protecting the fish at the same time.

It might be easy for you to suggest to boycott these products, but hey, don't blame little people, they have enough of the blame. These products are shoved down to their throats because these things are around them now. Don't forget who takes the tax cuts, hmmm. Buying these things means little profit/food for them too, like reselling these cheap products in poorer neighborhoods with people who cannot afford to buy big packs in the supermarkets. The result is that the packets are just thrown to the sea. The result of profit and production, let's justify inequality even more. Awwww, are we happy now? Bow.

It's a whole cyclical consumption that is happening these days which is worst in the developing nations. It is easier to propose to not support these products but the problem is, can you provide for the poor? Can you teach them to provide for themselves? Can you reeducate them to go back to off-grid living? Can you tell them to stop making babies when they are just victims of culture, religion and government corruption? Can you tell these corporations to back off and stop living off the poor when that is the way to make your own country rich?

If you live in the so-called happy countries with no problem such as this, then it might be difficult for you analyze the situation and propose a solution. Handouts won't work, nope! Use and abuse, desperation is the way to go - there you go! If you travel and live in any of these developing countries, you might understand this issue and everything I'm crying about.

The people don't even check the nutritional value of any of these products anymore. Food is almost free, why grow peas? No need for the backbreaking farming - thanks to advertising. Ha, it makes me laugh when I see a tourist judges how people consume these products and all that. Excuse me? Let's stop washing our hands, shall we? It is not only the Chinese corporations that are bringing these products into town, there are popular fast-food chains being introduced these days too, even contributing to more waste. Let's not forget that there's even a bigger government, a bigger corporation benefitting from the legions of poor.

I don't take pleasure in exposing you to reality, although I doubt that sometimes. I just want you to understand the world as I see it and perhaps there's hope that you would wake up, who knows? If you are one of the few greatly benefitting from the majority, destruction of marine life and all this waste, then I would understand why you don't want change - it makes sense to me. Just don't expect me to support you in all your endeavors.

For my QA people out there who take everything I share against me - you seriously have no clue, do you? You just based it on these little articles which are just bits and pieces of me, the social issues and everything shit. You are not getting the whole picture yet. Yeah, yeah, all the cheap talk and a few cents of upvote won't work for me, but it might afford me a cheap little candy, daddy. Fine, I'll give what you think a serious thought - oh wait, no way, you can be bought? Oooopsie, sorry, I'm just hungry.

Moving Forward

Let's look at the bright side, shall we?

Now I found my own little ways these days. I do believe that little change is better than no change at all, naaaaa I'm not one of those do-gooders, fuck, I just can't afford to buy a lot of things - forced minimal consumption. Well, if I can afford to buy more things, I would be traveling around more and not have a house with lots of appliances and a nice car. However, there are many ways to minimize waste and I'm sure you have your own ways too.

1. Eat out less often - even though food is still cheap outside, but remember cheap means more packaging and waste too. If I get to eat out, I just don't use drinking straw anymore, yeah, I can't remember the last time I have used a plastic straw. I drink straight up, gulp it like a man. It just makes me feel guilty that one plastic straw might be thrown to the sea and a silly little seahorse might go play with it. Try scuba diving, you might actually feel guilty using plastic stuff if you get to pick up rubbish in the coral reef.

2. Use reusable bags - I try not to go to the supermarket all the time, and I try my best to go to the fresh market - whatever is cheaper for me. I just bring my backpack most of the time and opt not to use plastic bags unless I need those for the bin. The staff always looks at me strangely whenever I ask her to put the stuff into my bag because you know, it is something new to her. Sometimes I would tell her that there are already lots of rubbish in the sea and it makes me feel bad to contribute more. My boss before told me once that there are biodegradable plastics now and that I should not worry about waste so much, uhmmm, so where are these biodegradable plastics?

3. Use water bottles - the only good thing is that there are people who make money from soda bottles, cans, and plastic water bottles - they collect and sell it for food. I might even do the same in the near future! I stopped buying plastic water bottles but these tourists need to buy their own sports bottle or something. Those mineral water bottles are such a huge waste contributor, I mean the people, the only way is to stop buying or probably just stop drinking fresh water all in all. For the snowflakes, the water might be too bad, awwww. You can boil the water and put it in your water bottle and you won't die, promise.

4. Reuse jars and bottles - I had a boyfriend who told me to stop cleaning those sandwich spread and pickle jars because I was like his grandmother. He just didn't understand the guilt I felt by throwing those, or maybe it was just my ocd, who knows? When I came back from my trip, it meant I had to start over, buy things. I bought some necessary things in order to survive but I'm not going to buy those shiny little things and other dust collectors - I hate cleaning. I might sound like your grandma again but I consume the food and reuse the jars. It is cheaper than buying a whole new container just to put sugar or other things.

5. Stop buying a lot of things - I make my trip to the supermarket less often because it is depressing inside, not only because of the packaging but of the many things I cannot afford. I really have no choice but not to buy a lot of things. Instead of buying those little sachets or small packs, I buy a big bottle, a big pack or something that could last for 2 weeks or 1 month. I just think that in my own little way, I could create an impact, and I hope that everyone does the same too.