The Dollar Thing

The pasture on the other side is not always greener as a matter of fact. Often we are deceived by our own intuition that we are worse ourselves and others better, we are deceived by the notion that life abroad (particularly Australia) is always better, always lucrative and easy while the reality isn’t. The physical appearances that we often see on the social Medias like Facebook is just a show, a show that displays behind that broad smile and fancy dresses or delicious foods on table is an equal amount of pain, hardship and struggle. The dollar thing has become the word which I think is used too superficially. The Kuensel’s story about 20 Bhutanese being robbed and cheated says it all but not even a part of real story because the story doesn’t end after you reach there or after you get visa, it is just the beginning.

The unfortunate and pity story shows how we Bhutanese are easily influenced and easily driven by dollar thing and some good lip service. It shows how we become victim and are easily defeated by that temptation of wanting more and getting more. 90 percent of Bhutanese wouldn’t deny their wanting to join this bandwagon if opportunity knocks their door. After all who wants to get rot on the same chair and receive the same amount of meagre salary at the end of month when everything that really matters in modern world is money, comfort and wealth? But the sad thing is that the realities are different.

I study in New Zealand and considering the fact that Australia and New Zealand is almost same in all sense, I don't see and feel that life there (or here) is a blessing at all. Of course there are Bhutanese whom I know, living kingly life here. Their jobs are secured and honorable and so is their life. But that is exception and not the point. I have heard from reliable sources that in Australia there are too many Bhutanese that often there are cases like thefts, fights and commotions among themselves. It is a shame, which only indicate a strong wave of desperation. Even to get a cleaning job (which is perhaps the only option for most) is not easy, we ought to submit curriculum vitae, go through all the screening process and test. So if you are thinking about all these I say consider thinking twice. It is a different story about those studying on scholarships, otherwise I say back off.

Back to School

 Once again I am back to school days I mean back to teaching-learning season only difference that it is a different one. Waking up at 6AM, preparing pack lunch for the day, readying for an interesting day and riding on the bike for twenty minutes to the institute, I love it. I have always liked going to school as a kid, no matter how much beatings I got for doing naughty or for not doing well in studies, it never occurred to me that I will leave going to school.

As a matter of fact I still remember when I was six years old and my mom took me for admission to a nearby school (lauri primary school, year 1995) which was an hour walk from my house. The principal was Mr. Dawa Tshering (I don’t know where he is now) who rejected my admission after knowing that I was too young to walk in the morning and evening to and from the school as a day scholar. I remember crying like little baby, nagging my mom and resisting to go back home while my mother was dragging me out of embarrassment herself. It wasn’t just me, there was yet another, a friend and my cousin who was two years older than me. He was rejected too and he too was taken to by his loquacious mother. The problem with him was although aged for preprimary admission, he was short, and couldn’t touch his left ear over the head by his right hand and so he failed the usual testimony and hence rejection. We cried in unison till the gate of school which convinced our parents to once again request the principal to reconsider. In the meantime I also had another elder cousin brother who was in class six then.  I guess because of him, the notion that he might take care of us both, the principal was convinced and we both got admitted to school. I don’t remember how since then the time flew, but I have never in my life regretted and hated going to school. Going to school was so much better in many ways. As a day scholar, we were served lunch from the school and guess what, it was rice and dhal and Japanese tinned fish which was rather new for us and a kind of picnic ..:P

Going to school escaped so many things, from cattle and scary jungles, field works under the blazing sun and stormy rain and the worst ever- flour (Bokpi as we call in sharchop, I hated so much as a child, remember we were served with lunch at school?) I don’t know how that first year passed but I managed to get pass. Then when I reached class II my parents enrolled me as a boarder student since I had to walk more than hour to school. It was tiring for me and my parents after all it was better staying in hostel and frankly I liked the boarder life although the worst I can remember now out of all the odd is about the starvation. The food served from school mess was just never enough. Most of the time we (I) would go to bed with half-filled belly. Sometimes when rushing for second share, friends could get into that big mess pot! What a memory? And quite frankly who cares about education or passion as young kids? It was out of mere fear or something else that would drive us into studying harder. Who would have known all the rubbish about passion or ambition or logics behind the theories anyway? We just needed to get pass, that’s all.  But somehow it feels so right to have experienced it all because it is the starting point, the basic foundation.

Now when I go to the institute every day it is different, every day I go to the institute with the aim to learn something new, to with the aim to be able to do well so that when time comes I don’t have to think back and regret about all the bygone days. This is my passion, my love and profession after all, a trade that demands dedication, hard work, consistency, experience and exposure. Flying in the air is not a Joke and so is preparing to be able to do so. Every day I wake up with the wish that I take most out of this ten months duration of going to this marvelous school. Three months is already gone and it has been pretty fine so far, hope it will be the same for the remaining months as well.

Happy weekends…J

Evening's Rambling Thoughts

I was wondering how a little things in life give us so much joy and happiness, how a broken pieces of simple toys can have great impact in us and how even one step ahead or behind in life can make huge difference. Even being able to understand so clearly the basic concepts in class rooms can ignite and make you feel so contended and satisfied; it is like why didn't I realize it before? If only i knew it before?

Engineering wasn't really my thing, but somehow I ended taking that up by chance and consequently landed into a completely different industry-Aviation, an industry that works on trust, integrity and honesty and I tell you it isn't that simple. What is so simple without challenge anyway? Three months into doing basic course and i am already thinking like what have i learnt in one and half years as a trainee engineer? What have i learn doing B-tech for four years? Every day is a new stage, an unfold of new world and every week an exam day to assess.
The beauty that adds to this is the faulty we are taught by. We only know how much we could have done had there been a teacher in school life who really loved and cared about his or her profession. But sadly in Bhutan we have just too little teacher who are genuinely interested in their profession and who struggles to make go classroom out of genuine interest. I hate to say but there are just few.

I wish if only our teachers are bit more honest and mindful. When a student throws question, either the teachera take it as a challenge, get their ego hurt or the students are discouraged and embarrass in front hurting their self esteem. This results student confining to themself, feared and full of doubts. But this is just a generalization which I have noticed, I still salute to all the teachers whom I have been taught by. Fortunately I have met some of the best ones and I thank them.

Just some rambling thoughts, have a good weekend folks.
Cheers...!

posted from Bloggeroid

More than Education

In life it is not just the education that is very important than anything. It may be the engine that drives everything but without things like basics exposure and experience, there is hole and we end up getting tangled into the world of embarrassment and shame. It is not just the education that will take us through all the thorny road and the ladder of success and blessings but others like the simple social and modern norm, the culture and customs of a particular place equally supplement if not more and without these, life becomes rather awkward and one ends up hurting ourself.
There are certain things one ought to be aware of and know about, something like how one orders at KFC in a dignified manner, how an unintentional approach or a conversation in a circle can hurt someone near you; how a simple ignorance can blow up into flares of confusions nd disorientation. Ultimately it is about information, experience and exposure. Some way or the other, these are what our life is made up of.

The accent is one thing I am yet to get used to, I mean if you are some common people just like me (the mediocre) understanding even the language you learned as main medium and spoken can sometimes be very annoying. You just don't understand what the other people is trying to convince and at worst you just make the other more confused and lost. Although the instructors out here are most of them English origin, I am yet to catch the style of their speaking.

Anyway just remember that the widest gap ever imaginable would be between one's expectation and reality. There is nothing as free lunch, be prepared to face anything that comes for it comes with costs.

posted from Bloggeroid

The Battling Question

Life is but a battling journey

Every new day is a fresh battle for each one of us.

We fight for pride, for fame, out of jealousy

Out of need and desperation,

We fight for our own survival!

Be it a kingly luxurious one

Or that fearful hell for less fortunate ones

We fight and there is just never end

We create our own battle out of mercy

Out of frustration, temper and fallacy

We fight for internal peace, solace and redemption.

We fight for love, for care, for attention

How often do we realize this is something we ought to live with?

That this is just the part of life?

What matters at the end of day?

Age of Adaline

I watch lot of movies, in fact a lot of movies and television series because it is the only thing that drains my leisure time besides reading which unfortunately has left me doesn’t interest me for a while. Some movies no matter how much critics say is a waste of time, you never enjoy, I often watch movies after recommendations from friends or after reading reviews. A friend from Mauritius recommended me to watch this movie: “Age of Adaline” which I watched and it was just worth spending my leisure time.

It is a movie about a girl staring Black Lively who meets with a kind of miracle where she never gets aged after 29 years. It portrays the realities of life that we might have to face and how it is to live a big secret, the struggles, the fear, and the lies. It is a beautiful story with romance, suspense and surprises in between that totally glues you with the screen.

After watching the movie it was like really? What if that happens to us in reality? Sometimes we silently wish if only we could outlive, if only the good moments lasts long but imagine that wish is granted just for us miraculously.  Do you think it will be worth praying and wishing? Watch the movie how it might seem. I would rather wish living to the fullest knowing that life is uncertain.

Cheers…