Coffee- The right way to start off a day

Nothing else it seems works for me in jump starting my day as coffee. It's the perfect way to start off the day for me and drives away the sleep real quick. I prefer coffee to tea, since it has it's own unique flavor and aroma which I just cannot get enough of. In comparison, tea just seems so bland and listless. I always buy the small coffee pouches since they can be consumed quickly, therefore will not be ruined by any moisture present in the air. I noticed that transferring it to an air tight jar is not really effective. Some people buy the raw stock. Then they roast the beans at home, grind the beans until it turns into powder. Finally it is put into a coffee machine where you end up getting a freshly brewed cup of coffee. but this process it just too time consuming and tedious for me. I just do not have time to go thru all this process. Instant coffee is a great substitute for me as I am always short on time and get similar taste and aroma in a jiffy. So I'll be back in a few. Lemme go and get that mug of coffee before it gets cold.

Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson - The passing of an era

The two news items which people must have heard now are the deaths of Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both were stars in their respective fields and earned respect for the work done onscreen. They both had their ups and downs but I think it was Farah who kind of disappeared into the wilderness and not much about her was heard.

Farah Fawcett I remember from Charlie’s Angel television serial long back. There wasn't much of a plot to this show but it was worth watching as it was one of the better shows when compared to the rest of the stuff shown. The other serials which I remember watching which she was in were "The Flying Nun," "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Partridge Family." They did provide alot of good entertainment value for the whole family which is sorely missing these days. I really do not know which other serials she was in since it was so long ago. I think at some point in time she made a transition to movies and the only one for which she is remembered for is "The burning bed". But sadly her televiosn success did not follow her to the big screen for some reason.

I think she had been battling cancer for some time until she lost control to it at a later stage. It's an awful thing to happen to anyone. Not only is the patient affected but everyone is traumatized by it at some point in time. The survivors live in constant fear about it recurrence. She never had an easy life but she did try her best to succeed in the things which she tried her hand in. Hopefully, wherever she it at this time may her soul rest in peace.

I won't speak ill of Michael Jackson even though he was a bit strange odd ball one. He did very strange things in the last 15 to 20 years which kept me wondering "Why?” I must admit a bit hesitantly that I did grow up listening to his music and at one time I liked some of his songs before I moved on from this particular music genre to my current fav one which is now metal. Hopefully, my metal friends won't notice this post and start ribbing me about my choices of music in the past. I guess this is my so called skeleton in the closet. lol. What's yours?

Seriously, looking back he did manage to influence the music industry alot and changed the music industry's perspective of the world. When he started out he was very talented and seemed really dedicated to his field but it seems like he got side tracked at some point in time. One thing which I do remember was that the Thriller was the biggest selling album at that time and was the high point of his musical career and the Black or White album was also worth listening to.

Due to the later actions done by him, I kind of lost the respect I held for him and started wondering what would make a man do these things. Even though he was one of the great entertainers of this era, I think there was too much time and space which was devoted in the media to his death. I sometimes wonder if other big entertainer will be given the same treatment as this one when they finally pass into the other side. He had always been in the limelight for one reason or other ranging from cosmetic ones to the baby dangling from the hotel room railing and the media went crazy when they found out.

On an ending note, I hope wherever he is at this time he is content, happy and his mind has been put to ease from his troubled past. He did manage to entertain us and gave us something worthwhile to listen to on radio or watch on television when we turned these things on. Hopefully people remember that he has family members which are getting over this loss and hopefully people will remember this and respect their privacy when they need it the most.

Hot humid weather

With summer over and monsoon officially started, the weather has turned hot and humid. This type of weather is simply unbearable. While indoors, we have the air conditioners cranked up making the indoor climate bearable. But step out of the a/c zone and everyone starts sweating. This type of hot humid weather is a natural occurrence. We have hot summer months, and this is followed by the monsoons. Since all the atmosphere is all hot, the rain evaporates mighty quick. The end result is humid and mucky weather. The only relief is when the winds starts blowing and pushes out all the humid air. This hot humid period occurs only during the initial period of monsoon. During the later stages, our monsoons are quiet pleasant. But watch out for the bugs. they simply seem to multiply like crazy during this period.

Reducing forest cover

In the last couple of years I noticed that a lot of tress have completely disappeared. There used to be a lot of greenery in our area, but all I usually see all around is concrete jungle and bare spots. The road which is in front of our house once used to be a tree lined house. But these trees had to give way for a flyover which is being constructed and the widening the road. I really do miss these trees which used to line our road. The tress used to provide shade to one and all, with the added benefit of reducing the intensity of the dust storms that is a regular occurrence during summers. The flyover had become a necessity due to the increased traffic. But the city should provide an alternate site where an equal number of trees can be planted to compensate the loss of existing trees. Modernisation is good as long as it does not harm our environment. With the reduction of forest cover our climate has undergone a drastic change. At times, it has become totally unpredictable. This process can still be reversed by going on a tree plantation drive on a war footing. In some areas it has already started, but we need to increase the coverage.

It's a mess out there

Our planet is a mess. Just look around and you might notice how much damage we have done to our planet. There are innumerable landfills containing toxic material besides regular household garbage. Sometimes it gets dumped into the oceans and it not only contaminates the waters but also destroys the ocean environment. Something about it before it becomes irreversible.

But on the same note, people are becoming more environmentally aware. But it is not enough just to plant a few trees, segregate the garbage and then forget all about it. Educating the masses should be the top most priority of our government. It has to start from the grass root level for it to succeed. The civic authorities should take an active lead in guiding people towards the right direction.

The civic authorities in our area are sometimes are a little lax in carrying out their civic duties. We need to have more treatment plants for treating raw water that is sent to homes/offices and increase the capacity of the waste water plants so that our rivers are not contaminated. It is only a matter of providing more funding, proper city planning, and willingness to adapt as situations change. Sometimes it is just a matter of changing the mindset of not only the officials in charge, but also the people. But that is sure to change with people becoming more aware of their surroundings. Plus, we have become more environmentally friendly. A lot needs to be done and we need to be more pro-active than ever before. It will take some time but at least the damage can still be reversed.