Why I do not Like myself today

I don’t know why I didn’t take pictures. Whipping out my phone to capture something that is interesting is as normal as breathing for me. As I wrote the last sentence, it hit me why I didn’t take the picture. I hesitated, and then dismissed the idea because what caught my attention, today, was a three year old baby and not a non-living Thing. She was not a non-living object that would not take offence or be affected by me freezing her in that moment, for posterity. She was not normal.

Pedestrian Day, 5/June/2012

31st May was the day I received the announcement (first called, “No Vehicle Day”, and later, “Pedestrian Day”) along with directives for panel discussions on BBS to raise awareness. Raising awareness was up everyone’s alleys (include the stakeholders), but implementing it? Even before 5th June, there was nervousness. Would things go as planned?

Is freedom choosing between Coke and Pepsi?( feeling like a rambling misfit today)

I haven’t seen a lot of Pepsi around lately. It has become quite elitist. Not that I like carbonated drinks, I prefer my green tea. Thank god there is no binding rule that says I have to drink one or the other, or none. My green tea could become quite expensive, what with the Rupee Crunch and the import tax, but at least I can choose to drink plain water.

If only there was this freedom in other aspects of life.

There’s been a lot of freedoms coming my way these days: Freedom of Choice, Freedom of Expression, and also Media Freedom.
Freedom, that quality of being exempt from external control, interference, or regulation looks wonderful on paper, and sounds even nicer when spoken about.
Experiencing it, is an altogether different matter.

Ethnic cleansing, was it, Kai Bird?

These two words: Ethnic Cleansing make me very uncomfortable, for obvious reasons.  Especially, when it is used in relation to Bhutan. I am a Bhutanese, and I have lived in Nepal.

The TendrelthangTruth: yours or mine?

This is old news, now. That story about the cop beating up a school boy. Yet, the October ghosts haunt me, call out to me to listen. Sometimes, I do.

Love this Lapis Lazuli necklace!

Powdered lapis was actually used as eyeshadow by Cleopatra! How extravagant!

“Afghanistan was the source of lapis for the ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, as well as the later Greeks and Romans.  Lapis lazuli is found in limestone in the Kokcha valley of the Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan, where the Sar-e – Sang mine deposits have been worked on for more than 6,000 years”.

This makes the stone even more desirable! Available right here in Thimphu at the Norling Handicraft store for a whopping Nu. sixty thousand…tried it, loved it, but sadly, cannot afford it:”(

I want this lapis lazuli necklace *sigh*

Awesomeness in Bhutanese shops!

I love the Owl, reminds me of the Owl King from the Legend of the Guardians…been loving owls for some time now. Have a shirt, and a pair of earrings with owls, as well! Replacing my love for butterflies with the wonderful Owls! 🙂
This was in a handicraft store, downstairs to Plum’s cafe, and is yours for Nu.11,000. Or if you feel kindly towards me, you could gift it to me, I would be eternally grateful!

Photo Courtesy: Karma Tshering Wangchuk

Glorious October

As I watch His Majesty perform the Zhey with the Prime Minister, other ministers, and Members of Parliament, I marvel at how unique we are. Nowhere in the world would you see this. We as Bhutanese have many reasons to be proud. Not only is our King the humblest among rulers, he is also the most compassionate.  He is as normal as you and I, even in his expression of affection.

The murmur of Prayer Flags

It was the first time that I travelled to the highest pass in Bhutan, and probably the first time that I ever crossed the tree line, while still on land. And this is as legitimate as my adult memory allows it to be. It was also the first time that I had ever driven that route.