Weekend Reflections – September 7, 2025

Dear Blog,

This week, I received the package of the imported multivitamin supplement that I had ordered recently. I've been taking multivitamins for the past couple of months because I follow a restrictive diet and feel I've been falling short on some essential vitamins and minerals. I was taking a different multivitamin before, but I gave it up because I wasn't feeling much of a difference. After some research, I found that this brand uses superior forms of certain vitamins (like B12 and B5) and has a much better overall profile.

I've taken half the dose for the past two days, and the most immediate effect I've noticed is that my dreams have become incredibly vivid. I haven't had dreams like this in a long time. Maybe this has to do with the high level of Vitamin B6 in the supplement; I remember reading years ago in a book on lucid dreaming that B6 can help boost the chances of having them. However, on the first night, I was actually jolted awake by a scary dream. Another thing I noticed is that I've been sleeping very deeply, which might be due to the Apigenin in the supplement. I recently heard on an Andrew Huberman podcast that apigenin is part of his recommended sleep stack. I have some prior experience with it from years ago when I drank chamomile tea (which naturally contains apigenin) and I used to consistently feel sleepy all day because of it. Right now, I do feel slightly groggy as well.

I've seen concerns online about this multivitamin having mega-doses of certain vitamins, but I figure I can counter that by taking only half the recommended serving. I've also heard about studies saying multivitamins have no effect, but I'm sure there are just as many studies that say the opposite. Sometimes, too much information can lead to a kind of mental paralysis, making you unsure which path to take.

The second thing on my mind is the frustrating kind of people I have to deal with at my organization. I work in a Public Sector Undertaking. I won't go into too many specifics, but one recent incident makes my point abundantly clear.

My Reporting Officer (a Regional Manager) was recently transferred on promotion. I sent an email to the Personnel Department as early as June 30, 2025—when I had to take a half-day leave after getting drenched in heavy rain on my way to office—requesting that my Leave Supervisor in the system be updated. I didn't take any leave after that until August 27, the day my nephew was born. When I applied for a half-day leave that afternoon, I saw that my leave supervisor still hadn't been changed.

I called the relevant person in the Regional Office and explained the situation, mentioning that I had already emailed the department in-charge (who right now was on a long leave abroad visiting her daughter) back in June. She told me to call back after September 1st, once the HR portal reopened. I said I would send her an email right then as a reminder to follow up after the 1st. She seemed hellbent on stopping me from even sending the email. I sent it anyway.

I received a weird response from her that very day. She noted the time of my call and my email, and complained that despite her telling me "repeatedly" the portal would open after the 1st, I had emailed her. I replied clarifying that my email was simply a continuation of my June 30th request, and that "at your earliest convenience" didn’t mean "immediately." I am surprised that the regional office's personnel department doesn’t have a ticketing or tracking system for employee issues.

I had to take another leave on September 5th. I applied for it the day before, and still, no change had been made. I’ve decided to CC her and the regional manager on all my leave requests until she does what’s needed.

I have a rule for dealing with people like this at work: once I encounter them, I never speak to them verbally again—everything must be in writing over email. You might say I’m generalizing based on one person, but I have another, much worse recent example involving the regional Accounts In Charge—though that deserves a blog post of its own.

Why do people in higher offices look down on those of us on the frontlines? Why are people so petty that they get egoistic over a simple request to do their job?

The last thing I want to mention before I conclude (though there’s so much more I could talk about) is the disastrous 2025 monsoon in the Himalayas. This weighs heavily on my heart because my soul is tied inextricably to those mountains. While the root cause is climate change, the enormous damage from heavy infrastructure development—like four-lane highways and hydro projects—and unregulated tourism cannot be denied. The recent warning from the Honourable Supreme Court on July 28th felt late, but necessary: “If things proceed the way they are as on date, then the day is not far when the entire State of Himachal Pradesh may vanish in thin air from the map of the country.”

I’d like to go to sleep now—it’s already 11:45 PM, and I have to travel to work early tomorrow morning. I hope it doesn’t rain on my way. Another reason I’m concluding hastily is that I just need to publish this. I decided to write again after eight years, and I won’t let the pressure to write a perfect post stop me. Having too many things in my head to write about often stops me, too—I couldn’t finish the blog post I started on August 3rd for exactly those reasons.

Good night!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, doctor, or nutritionist. The mentions of supplements and their effects in this post are based solely on my personal experiences and independent research. This is not medical advice. Please consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen to ensure it is appropriate and safe for your individual health needs.