The Murder of the Wise

This tree is 21 years old (I really counted the rings in it). It could be as old or even older than the buildings around it. It was cut for I don't know what exact reason but if you want to hear a stupid one, here it is. It was felled because it destroyed the buildings around it. Or maybe because it gave so much shade it feels so cold in winter. Just great, huh! In my viewpoint, these buildings have occupied so much they are the ones destroying this tree and the lives that depend on it. 

To tell  the truth, this happened in my neighborhood...a place that is strategic to be hidden but with what has been done, it just exposed itself and become an easy target. Well

Not only this tree was felled, there were a few more. Bushes and grasses were removed, too. You know what's the most idiotic about this? Those bushes and grasses were removed to shoo away snakes! Well, guess what? When the forest is gone where else do you think animals go? In your own backyard! And with what happened, soil erosion is definitely imminent and trees are not the only ones to fall but the hills themselves. If only nature could choose to bury the people who have these kind of acts with it! Ahhh!

I was watching while this magnificent tree was being cut. What could have I done? Nothing! I didn't do anything! Except swearing to myself that I would never live in such a place and be surrounded with people that are apathetic and dumb, who only know how to get their asses and bellies bigger and fatter.

What could you have done?

ITBP 1st Battalion Officers' Mess: Joshimath

~ ITBP 1st Battalion Officers' Mess at Joshimath ~

ITBP 1st Battalion is situated along the Joshimath - Auli road, about 3 kilometers from Joshimath proper. The battalion is built in hilly areas. One can expect to find buildings in a ladder form accessed through curvy road (like the below picture) and steps. This one is almost at the top of the ITBP area. Along with this building are residential areas for officers (Assistant Commandant grade). Below it is a small ground for physical activity. Then below it is the administrative building.

What I like in this campus is that it is covered with trees and plants aside from its curvy features - taking the steps up and down would be a great exercise. What I don't like is where it is situated. It's along the Joshimath - Auli highway which, during skiing season, could be very busy. Add to it is the entrace where one can notice a not-so-well-managed road - pretty narrow and bumpy, and a zero garbage/waste disposal - plastics all around and sewage canal is heavy with plastics, too. 

Joshimath - Badrinath Highway

 ~ Joshimath - Badrinath Highway starting at Vishnuprayag junction ~

As seen in this picture: Vishnuprayag bridge and the road towards Badrinath taken from one of the viewpoints along the curves of Joshimath - Vishnuprayag road. The road is curved mirroring the snaky features of Alakhanda river originating from the highlands of the Himalayas. It's concrete for a few kilomaters. The rest of the highway till Badrinath, starting at a few hundred meters before Govindghat is a combination of rough, rocky, and bumpy, scary road since the heavy floods took place in early June of 2013. Road re-construction is still going on.

A Fruit-load Breakfast

It's been a while since my last post and this time, I intend to keep this blog updated everyday.

Anyway, it's December, winter, and a season for citruses. As you can see, what compose the above plate are citruses, namely: orange, malta, kinno; guava and carrot. These are for two people for breakfast after a small cup of tea. Along with these fruits, my husband and I are munching nuts, too, like almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews with raisins, flaxseeds or sunflower seeds.

Funny to include it here but I just want to share one of the usual scenarios that my husband encounters during his usual OPD. Most patients come with common cough and cold and when my husband asks whether they eat citruses fruits they would reply outrightly that they DON'T because these fruits give them cough and cold. Then my husband eventually say, "you're avoiding them and yet you still get cough and cold? How can that be?" And they just smiled or scratch their scalp because they couldn't find any fault in that logic.

Nature isn't dumb. The reason these fruits are available in winter is for us to devour them in plenty to avoid getting cough and cold. Simple as that! When do you want to eat them? In summer? Well, you will miss your chance because obviously, they are not available in summer.

Fruits & Nuts Breakfast



So this is our usual breakfast. It just varies depending on the season because every season gives different kinds of fruits and other produce. So this time, we got a bowl of pomegranate (sometimes it's more than that depending on the size of the pomegranate); 1 sweet lime or mosambi; 1 or more adho or peach; 2 varieties of apples; 1 mango (it's green but once cut it's yellow and sweet and we generally eat the skin-after thorough washing, of course- which is a very good source of fiber) and a bowl of nuts (almonds, pistachios & cashews - 10 pieces each).

Generally we add cucumber, local (the ones that are very big but very immature on the inside). We like this one better than the usual green which is commonly available in the  market.

Well, apart from a small of tea in the morning, the rest of breakfast is mainly composed of fruits and nuts, with a glass or 1 1/2 glass of blended fresh mango juice. We don't buy juices which are in boxes or pouches. We make juices at home, may it be banana, pineapple, grapes, or mango. This month and the previous 2 months we have had mango juice 3 times a day with banana juice once or twice a day. We also have 1 or two nashpati or I think it's a local pear, a small one but soft.

Like I said, the variety of fruits could be many and so depending on what we get from the market that's what we'll have.