Mountain Pose....

I was making some changes to the layout of this blog by moving the links of our wwoof hosts into a separate section when I had the chance of going to their websites once again. I remembered all of them with fondness, Phantassie in Scotland, Old Chapel in Wales... But the memory that grabbed me the longest and with the most profoundness was our time in Canary Islands - Fuerteventura, Spain. Those brown sandy mountains, so enormous, so commanding, so everlasting. I remember my eyes stuck out the window whenever we were in a car for those 2 weeks we stayed with Silverio and family. I just could not take my eyes off these magnificant things of nature. Mountains.

I understand now why in ancient times, people worshipped mountains. LikeMount Fuj, like Mount Agung in Bali. Uluru in Australia. Not only do they give life (water and irrigation) but physically, they are the oldest permanent features in the world as we know it. Oceans are constantly moving, our land is mostly covered by earth and vegetation that change and grow and layer upon each other.

But mountains, especially the old ones, are physically frozen history of the world. Imagine, some of these mountains were formed like 500 million years ago. That means, 500 million years ago there was a big techtonic shift in the earths crust and a mountain range is created. So mountains are like the earth's crust being shoved up from beneath into the sky. It must have been spectacular. But also, these mountains are living things as well. They absorb energy from millions of years of being exposed to energy. Thus we have crystals right? So if you think what a little crystal filled with energy can do, imagine living next to these gigantic gigantors of mountains? Mountains are filled with energy of the earth & all the people who lived on it for millions of years.

It makes so much sense now if you think of it. Why do people like to climb mountains? Mountain climbing enthusiasts try their best to come up with a sound reason why. Things like, it gives u a wonderful sense of well-being. Or getting to the top releases endorphins. The views are spectacular... These are all true. But seldom people explain further or say what causes the wonderful sense of well-being? Why does getting to the top release endorphins? What so great about a real view when I can see the same on tele? Climbers tell you its not the same. Just like how diving-enthusiasts will tell you watching the underwater ocean on tv is nothing like the real thing.

Its the energy of these mountains. Its the wisdom. Its being surrounded by mother nature's oldest wise men. (I came up with that myself!) I can feel the age of these mountains. Like the mountains of Bali, I could feel its wild youth. Its crazy lushness of thick bright, almost luminous green foliage. Its fertile rich land, like a teenage mother, nursing her baby. While in Scotland, the mountains are so bare. So worn, so old and tired. Reminding us of Scotlands tragic pasts. So much war, pilaging, death on those hills. From the viking days up to the victorian age. But its rivers (or as they call it, Lochs) glisten in a silvery sheen, like the silver lining. I remember trying to channel my inner William Wallace whenever we were walking in those hills in Strontian. Takes my breath away just thinking about it.

And then, the Fuerteventura mountains. Hauntingly bare. Its cocao colour whispers tales of the past to me. Although I dont know the stories exactly, I am feeling its energy so strongly just from my memory.

So this post is dedicated to mountains. Bjorn and I are so so glad we discovered this wonderful activity. It has impacted us in deep deep ways we probably havent realised. Its been about 6 months now since we left our european wwoofing/climbing trip. And reminiscing now, is making me realise how much it has changed me, particularly my understanding of this confusing world around me. Crazy huh?

Atalaya De La Rosa - a view from the top of the mountain we climbed of our hosts' house. Look at that mountain range in the background. It was just magnificant being there.

During our first climb up a Scottish Mountain, we took a wrong early turn and ended up taking 8 hrs to reach the road instead of 5hrs. Was scary like hell but we made it. This was a shot we took just before we took that wrong turn. I was amazed at the view of this valley as the mist lifted. Endorphins were being released at a high rate here.

Shot of Bjorn at the top of Ben Resipol, after which we got lost.

Walking somewhere in the Cairngorms, Scotland. Descending and 'buay tahan' the view here man. Stunning.

Think this was Spain, north, close to the Pyranees. It was a successful self climb for Bjorn and I. We got a map and everything and had to make a few hard decisions in terms of direction when the markings or map was not clear. All the decisions were right (well almost) and we made it back to the village to catch our train back on time. 16km worth it.

The vegetables tastes earthy - post earth day rant

This evening, our mom told us that the organic vegetables that we bought for her to cook had an earthy taste which the normal unorganic vegetables she bought didnt have. My sense of taste is generally quite poor. So everytime someone tells me about how something tastes like which I dont get, I get curious and tend to ask a lot of questions on it.

So anyway, she says that the organic vegetables had a 'soil' taste. And the only obvious reason for it of course is that it was grown in soil! Unlike most of our 'normal' vegetables, which are grown hydroponically in chemical nutrient solutions. Thats why you never see an insect hole, they are all perfectly shaped, not a blemish in sight, bright and almost neon green sometimes.

Come on, how can anyone not notice the difference in vegetables we all ate in the 80s and the ones we eat today? I remember how I'd find a caterpillar in my sambal kang kong once in a while, and how the kai lan were always holey. The rice definitely have a lot more weavils. Nowadays everything looks so darn perfect.

Some people call it R&D, I call it a stupid, careless, selfish, short-sighted con. A con that most people fallen for in the last decade. We have been conned by the chemical industry, the processing food industry, the pharma industry, supermarket industry. And the con is simply that we've been made to believe food that looks prettier & lasts longer is better for you and the ones you should spend your money on. Even though they have poisons in it (which u helped pay for) that will cause your very slow and painful death.

So the next time someone says the veg tastes 'earthy', tell them congratulations, they are one meal less from being slowly poisoned to death. And that they are eating vegetables, grown on earth (the planet), on earth (the soil), the way it has been for the last 12,000 years - the tried and tested way. Until some 'clever' people decided about 100 years ago that it was a good idea to use new experimental poisons to make them grow sans earth/soil - so that the brainwashed people of the new consumerist world can buy them once a fortnight so they can store it in their fridge and still look pretty after 10 days & not die of shock of seeing an insect in their 'earth' - food.

We're earthlings. We can only eat food that's produced on earth. No where else.

Updates!

Apologies for being quiet for so long. Just that, we've been busy! Yes.

Ok, so as not to bore people, I'm going to place some photos here and narrate a little of what we've been up to.

Here are some images from Fireflies Organic farm in Lim Chu Kang. We went there 2 weeks ago with a french journalist, Alex who is covering a story about the farming side of Singapore. Is there one? Yes, albeit small, there is a thriving community of about 150 plus farms in Lim chu Kang that do fish to veges to goats, mushrooms and even frogs.



The next day, we were busy working as station masters for a team building event we're doing with GUI and Gardenasia. It's green themed so we drew pretty eco-friendly messages on the ground with coloured chalk. It was a bloody hot day (as usual) so we were dripping buckets of sweat at the end of this. But it was nice and we took some photos.



A couple of days ago we were back at Bottle Tree Park and check it out! The ground nuts we sowed barely 2 months ago are all almost ready for harvest.

Before pic (2 months ago)

2 days ago pic - check out the lush foliage in the BG!

Close up of the ground nuts

And finally, after suffering for so many months without a proper pillow, I bought myself one of those foam support pillows that my neck and shoulders craved so much. The scary thing was that the sales lady told me to air it out for a couple of days before using as it has a 'new pillow smell' due to it being in its plastic casing for too long. Bullshit! More like my pillow was dripped in friggin cancer-causing flame-retardant chemical and inhaling it too soon will lead to some kind of brain damage. I dont even know if airing it for a couple of days will help the situation. In anycase, Im putting it out here on our love little balcony garden which Bjorn has been working so so hard on, hoping that loving kindness meditation and the positive energy of the plants will have a good effect on the pillow. *cross my fingers*

Pillow being aired out at Upper east coast road