Blog Award

Liebster Blog Award from Dumcho Wangdi

Award From Dumcho Wangdi

Thank you to Dumcho Wangdi (http://dumchowangdi.blogspot.com/) and Monu Tamang (http://monutamang.blogspot.in/) for the awards. As an amateur blogger, this means a lot to me.

It took me a long time to reply to Dumcho’s questions because I’ve been really busy—both physically and mentally. First, I was transferred and faced some issues with my relieving order due to a blog post. Second, I had to travel constantly, which left me exhausted. Third, with the new academic year underway, I’ve been busy with my students: preparations, celebrations, and planning. As a result, I couldn’t update my blog. Today is no different, so I’ll answer the questions very briefly.

Here are Dumcho’s three questions from http://dumchowangdi.blogspot.com/:

1) Write three things that you love being a blogger.
a) Writing and publishing
b) Reading and learning
c) Comments and replies

2) Share two reasons why readers should read your posts.
I write mostly about change—personal feelings of inequality and disparity, unheard voices, and critical discussions of what’s happening around us, including freedom that remains unclaimed. I feel readers should read to understand the world around them.
Also, I write to find my voice and affirm my identity. I may be the ugliest, I may be bad, I may do wrong—but I am here. I am here like everyone else, trying to reshape life to become the best I can be.

3) Tell one thing you always want to add to your blog.
I’ve always wanted to add a good design. I feel a bit disheartened when I see other, more beautiful blogs. Mine has an amateur design.

Liebster Blog Award from Monu Tamang

 

Award From Monu Tamang

Now, let me answer Monu Tamang’s questions. I remember asking him many questions in class too, and he answered intelligently—I felt foolish for asking such simple questions. They were far below his level. Thank you, Monu, for nominating me. He asked seven questions.

1) Describe your blog in three words.
A wise voice.

2) Describe yourself in three words.
Observant, conscious, and a dreamer.

3) What is the motive behind your blogging? Or, what do you actually intend to convey to the world through your blog?
A voice for change. A dent in the paint. The thrones of life. Writing for right. Freedom—the sound of silence—and other condiments of thoughts and feelings. Big thoughts in small words. People sometimes misunderstand: the blog contains purely personal expressions and may not always be true. These are my observations and are not intended to hurt anyone, implicitly or explicitly. The content is for general benefit and a voice for change. My post http://saachad9.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-voice-for-change.html caused unintended trouble, and I had to remove some content.

4) What do you aspire to be within the next five years?
A teacher, a teacher, and an experienced teacher.

5) How do you view your life? Jot down a few sentences on your attitude or perception of life.
I’ve written many things about life—almost all my posts touch on it. Let me summarize my latest learning in one sentence: In life, don’t act smart, act intelligently. Sometimes losing is winning.

6) Bhutan is regarded as the Land of Gross National Happiness. How far does this philosophy align with the real lives of Bhutanese people, and what is your perception of this concept?
GNH shouldn’t be indoctrinated. It cannot be injected like medicine, nor taught directly. But it can prevail. It must be lived in society—a compact, connected, helpful society that creates harmony and peace is a GNH society. The foundation of GNH, or any form of happiness, is the basic goodness of each individual. Individual goodness reflects the society we live in. Personal happiness cannot be heightened solely by understanding happiness; it can also be heightened by understanding unhappiness. I wrote more about this here: http://saachad9.blogspot.com/2013/05/happiness-redefined.html

7) Can you offer some inspirational lines to youngsters who will emerge as future bloggers?
Blogging enhances your profession, develops personal abilities, and builds your profile. It keeps you up to date—it’s like a diary. I’ve been encouraging my students and anyone who likes writing, and I will continue to do so.

A Song to be Noted

I like this song ‘Complain’ from the film Bob Roberts lyrics, The Vandals. I am reproducing here in my blog. I have been busy these days and didn’t get time to write.  

Some people must have.
Some people have not.
But they’ll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain.

Some people will work.
Some simply will not.
But they’ll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain.

Like this: It’s society’s fault I don’t have a job.
It’s society’s fault I am a slob.
I have potential no one can see.
Give me welfare. Let me be me!

Hey, Bud, you’re livin’ in the Land of the Free.
No one’s gonna hand you opportunity!

Some people must have.
Some never will.
But they’ll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain.

I don’t have a house. I don’t have a car.
I spend all my money getting’ drunk in a bar.
I wanna be rich. I don’t have a brain.
Just give me a handout while I complain.

Or this: I wanna stay in bed and watch TV.
Go out weekends in a limousine
And dance all night takin’ lots of drugs
And wake up when I wanna.

Hey, Bud, you’re livin’ in the Land of the Free.
No one’s gonna hand you opportunity!

Some people will learn.
Some never do.
But they’ll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain.
Yeah, they’ll complain and complain and complain and complain and complain.

Phuntsholing in Winter

Winter is not really winter in a place called Phuntsholing. I mean, you won’t be freezing or frolicking in snow. Instead, you’ll be sweating in traffic. It remains one of the busiest places, and commerce thrives during this time of the year. People from the highlands move down to the lowland south in winter—like birds, but with more luggage and fewer wings.

Southern towns like Phuntsholing, Gelephu, Samdrup Jongkhar, and Samtse see their populations multiply overnight. During summer, the opposite happens—the damp heat of the southern belt pushes most people back upward, as if the towns themselves are exhaling.

Phuntsholing receives the highest number of people during winter. People come from all over Bhutan for numerous reasons. Some come to bask in the warm winter sun. Most come for trade—to sell oranges, potatoes, and other goods. Others come to shop for school children, to visit, or to attend a religious ceremony. Consequently, Phuntsholing becomes crowded, dusty, and at times dangerous. A man was badly beaten up last night for no apparent reason. The reason? Probably someone took the last parking spot.

The religious ceremony conducted by His Holiness Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche draws a huge number of people from all over the world, including India (Sikkim), Nepal, and elsewhere. It’s a spiritual gathering with earthly crowds.

Everything is good in Phuntsholing except for money and places to stay. Every household receives numerous guests: children, parents, relatives, friends, and friends of friends—and friends of friends of friends who somehow know your aunt. The house where I am staying currently has ten guests, and at times the number rises to twenty. Twenty! That’s not a house. That’s a hotel without a reception desk.

What a crowd to attend to! It looks like a Lochey (a religious ceremony held at home)—except nobody invited half these people. The most challenging times in such a house are sleeping and eating. Meals are not prepared by a single cook but by several. Kilograms and kilograms of rice are boiled in three large rice cookers. You haven’t known fear until you’ve seen three rice cookers hissing at you simultaneously.

At bedtime, bodies lie scattered on the floor like corpses—some even without mattresses or blankets. You step over legs, arms, and the occasional snoring uncle. It is such an uncomfortable home to be in. Everyone behaves their best to impress the host. Smiles are frozen. Burps are suppressed. My cousin, our host, is good. He doesn't change. He remains the same throughout: simple and straightforward. While the rest of us are performing, he’s just being himself. Annoying, isn’t it?

Now, when I talk about change, I always think of it in a slightly strange way. People change. A few people change a great deal. There was once a loudmouthed non-performer who impressed higher bosses with his lip service. A real talker. A doer of nothing. He was a good friend—same grade, same kind of standard. But when he became the boss, the world turned upside down. Besides becoming a boss and changing his attitude, he changed his attitude toward others. He forgot his friend. He never talked. He never helped. He was useless to his friend. What kind of change is that? That’s not promotion. That’s personality deletion.

I tell people—especially my students, and whenever I have the chance to speak on occasions—that they must not change in certain ways. You can change. Your ideas must change. Your living standard must change. Your attitude will change. But you must never change your heart. I tell them to be good. Goodness is the basis of everything. Do good, be good, and good things will come back to you.

And also, if you have a mattress and a blanket, please share. Because in Phuntsholing in winter, the only thing colder than the weather is the floor at 2 AM.

Chiphen Rigphel Project Training

The Chiphen Rigphel Project workshop commenced on December 23, 2013, and will conclude on January 1, 2014. The ten-day workshop is currently being held at Gelephu Higher Secondary School. There are 22 participants from two dzongkhags—Zhemgang and Sarpang. According to the name list from the Ministry of Education, more than 28 participants were expected. However, many enlisted teachers did not turn up for the training. An apparent reason, supported by hearsay, is related to the benefits they are entitled to receive. "Teachers coming from faraway places like Bjokha are not provided with mileage, porter, pony, or other allowances. They ended up spending more here than what they earned," said a teacher who requested anonymity.

The participants are being taught basic computer skills, including how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and basic internet applications. The training aims to equip them for the ICT world.

One of the resource persons, Mr. Dawa Tshering, said that the project aims to teach everyday computing knowledge. "We have many senior participants who have never worked on computers before, but it is satisfying to see that they show interest and learn considerably," he said.

"Format Painter, Excel filtering, Google Drive, Wizards, and some other features are new to me. It's worth attending," said Mr. Ugyen Dorji, one of the participants. "We still have more days to go," he added with a smile.

Here are some photos:

A Group Pic

Dawa doing presentation

Another one

So Engrossed

And Engrossed