Photography Club: Action Plan 2015

This year, I am taking charge of the Photography Club at school. I am not a professional photographer, but I am a photography enthusiast. I have designed the following objectives and activities for the academic year 2015.

Photography Club: Action Plan 2015

Aims & Objectives

· To develop creative skills and technical abilities in the craft and art of photography, as well as to gain a basic understanding of camera functions.

· To share photographic knowledge and experience with others.

· To provide a meeting place for those interested in photography and, where practical, to offer advice and assistance to members—including guidance on careers and the future of photography.

· To make the enjoyment of photography accessible to a wider community, such as fellow students.

· To promote and cultivate appreciation for the art of photography among the general public.

· To present a large, colored, framed group photo to outgoing staff as a keepsake of colorful memories.

· To organize a group exhibition (photo show) after one year of club activities.

· To plan photo trips (both indoor and outdoor) and, if possible, invite local photographers to share tips with the club.

In achieving our objectives, our weekly activities are:

Week	Activities	Learning Objectives
1 March	-Familiarizing the club -Discuss aims and objectives -Select student club coordinator
2	-Familiarizing Photos and camera -Create a small photo studio to display photos	Understand photography
3	-Group photo outings-staff, class and groups photos	Memory through photo
4	-Display photos on the board for students order
5	-Sorting photos - Maintain video archive for our presentations(Provision)	-to be filled after the activities
6	-Field trips and outings, taking passport photographs	-
7	-Guest speaker experts and instruction courses (provision) -Sorting photos
8	-Create a website or a blog that not only shows the objectives of the club but also constant photos updates and also showcase some of the members’ works.
9	-Sorting photos
10	-Exploring and learning the fascinating world of digital photography. Experience is not necessary, just a love of taking pictures and the desire to learn and improve your skills. (class)
11	-Sorting photos
12	Display photos
13	-Sorting photos
14	-Share students' inspirations & skills in all aspects of photography in an atmosphere of camaraderie and fun. (Class)
15	-Annual Photographic exhibitions open to everyone
16	-Awards for merit points earned through photographic accomplishment

A final thought:

-Use Social networks such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook promote our activities and plan to create Bhutan photography club.

Developed and coordinated by Saacha Dorji

Trivia Facts about Life

Do not be so sad if a river runs dry,

But be in no doubt—love remains constant:

Love for the gods,

Love for father and mother,

Love for the dear ones of life, held in the mind.

Do not be so convinced of the death of the soul,

But believe: a body expires like invisible air.

A greater conqueror then conquers the soul,

Which surrenders to the deeds it has done.

Do not be certain about the future's fate,

But wish that good will come about.

Do not turn back to the past—

The past of old pains,

The past of dreams,

The past of the dead.

For in this life,

If joys remain, they overcome sadness.

Life is a walkway to meet others:

Frowning and smiling people,

Distresses and traumas,

Comforts and worries,

Destitution and ease,

Low and high.

And it crosses the way to each tomorrow.

Life is designed with different species of disorder.

Higgledy-piggledy is life—

Like trying to shave with a blunt knife.

It takes a lifetime to master through,

Only to exit at last to the grave.

Time is passing.

It is real.

There are countless things to care for,

Innumerable to love,

Limitless things to wonder about.

It ends with aspirations—

Only to betray you at last.

You weep to die. It is vain then.

In the war of life,

Everything is unfair.

Innocents are killed in the backlashes.

Bad overcomes good,

And good overcomes bad.

These mixtures

Are everyday experiences.

Life lives on…

And this is how life is to live.

AWOL

I was absent without leave (AWOL) from my blog post for almost two months. Yes, two months. I feel guilty—not because I abandoned my loyal readers (both of you), but because I didn’t even bother asking for permission from my own blog. That’s right. I didn’t file Form 27/4, didn’t get it stamped, didn’t wait for approval from the Ministry of My Own Schedule. Shameful.

In my defense, I was busy. Busier than a giant sleeping crocodile. Which is to say: not busy at all. I just wanted to rest after teaching and working until my brain felt like overcooked noodles. So I did nothing. For months. And you know what? Life went on. Life, that sly old fox, doesn’t care whether you’re climbing mountains or lying on the floor questioning your existence. You do the most, you have a life. You do the least, you still have a life. I tried to do absolutely nothing, and life just shrugged and carried on without me. Rude, but efficient.

Anyway, it was the perfect time to be with family. We sat, we talked, we ate, we slept. Glamorous? No. Necessary? Absolutely. Because otherwise, where was the time? Oh wait—here’s where:

Breakfast: 7am. School: 8am. Classes: 8:30am–4pm. Staff meeting: 4–5:30pm. Household chores: 6–7pm. Dinner prep: 7–8pm. Goodnight sleep: 9pm.

Nothing in between. No gap for wondering, “Who am I?” No slot for “stare at ceiling and contemplate caterpillars.” I hate this timetable. I wish life had no timetable—carefree, no fella says anything, nothing to conform to. But apparently, people fear that without a schedule, we’d all become feral, immoral creatures robbing banks in pajamas. And honestly? They’re probably right. Conformers gonna conform.

Back to my two months of glorious, guilty silence:

First, we stayed at home. Not our home—we don’t have one of those. We have a rented-our-home. A home that belongs to someone else but temporarily smells like us. We collected firewood for the bhukhari to fight the biting winter. Then, most evenings, we had warm ara. By “we,” I mostly mean “me.” By “warm ara,” I mean “the official drink of ‘I’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow.’”

Watching TV and movies was a pastime. Now it’s a trauma. We’ve watched enough to last three winters. I’ve seen so many bollywood movies that I now hear the dun-dun in my sleep. We are officially, certifiably, fed up.

Then came the BCSE Class X evaluation in CST, Phuntsholing. Oh boy. I thought of writing pages about it, but most of it would be unfit for polite education department —or any department that might report me to authority. I’ve learned that positive things are rarely taken in. You must be diplomatic. Suave. A velvet-gloved ninja. Otherwise, you’re a loser. So let me be diplomatic: the evaluation happened. I evaluated English. So did everyone. Except one teacher.

One brave soul arrived drunk on the first day. His evaluation ended on that first day. He had to go all the way back to eastern Bhutan. His drinks, apparently, were more important than exam papers, money, and family. I don’t know whether to salute him or send him a liver donor form.

The rest of us? We were familiarized with the paper. Thoroughly. In fact, the paper familiarized itself with us. We became one with the paper. Then we were divided into groups: essay, letter writing, language, grammar. I was in letter writing. Every day, we corrected nearly 1,200 papers. Let me repeat: 1,200. In a sane world, that would require more days, fewer papers, or more evaluators. In this world, we just hurried and hoped for the best. Errors? Possibly. Especially in awarding marks. But who’s counting? (Hopefully not the students.)

This tedious, back-breaking, soul-squeezing evaluation went on for twelve days. No breaks. No mercy. We worked tenaciously to the final day. And at the end, every teacher was more bankrupt than ever before. Phuntsholing had eaten our cash like a hungry goat. Many of us spent to the last ngultrum, dreaming of TA and DA. But our TA and DA? Not given. Not deposited. Not even a week after the work ended. Teachers had no money to top up their cars. No money for the drive back. They left contorted—like human pretzels of financial despair.

I don’t know what BCSE does all year. Maybe they practice. Maybe they meditate. Maybe they count paper clips. All I know is: the money came after a week. Good or bad, things happened. And we—single-handedly—cannot blame anyone. Because in the great comedy of life, there’s always enough blame to go around.

So that was that. Then we came to Gelephug, where we are stationed now. The heater is weak. The Ara is strong. And the next blog post? Let’s not make any promises we can’t keep.

£500,000 Free

I received a message on my mobile saying I have won 500,000 Pounds from the Nokia Company. Five hundred thousand. Pounds. From Nokia. Yes, that Nokia—the same company that gave us the indestructible brick phone from 2003 and then gracefully vanished from the face of the earth. Apparently, they've resurrected themselves just to hand me a life-changing fortune. How thoughtful.

The only problem? I have no idea where or when I registered my number to win such a massive amount. I don't remember entering any contest. I don't remember clicking any link. I don't even remember owning a Nokia phone in the last decade. But who needs memory when luck is knocking, right?

Then came the email. Polished. Official. Demanding. They want my bank account number and details to "deposit the money." Ah yes, the classic: Give us your keys so we can fill your house with gold. What could possibly go wrong?

Now, I know what you're thinking. "This is false. A sheer fraud." And you're absolutely right. I didn't give them anything. Not a single digit. Not even the courtesy of a reply. Because once you hand over your bank account number and details to these generous strangers, something magical happens: your account money will vanish. Poof. Like tea in a government office. Like weekends during exam season. It will be drawn out to nowhere—probably the same nowhere where Nokia's phone business went.

I've heard that many people have fallen prey to this scam. And I believe it. Because let's be honest—who wouldn't want to believe that 500,000 pounds is just one email away? That's the beauty of scams: they sell hope. Expensive, bank-account-emptying hope.

For your reading pleasure (and warning), here is the emailed letter in all its grammatical glory:

NOKIA MOBILE COMPANY LIMITED

Attention
                                    Reminding notice
Dear winner this is to remind you that your prize money with our company
which is currently deposited with our affiliate bank in Thailand will soon
be declared dormant by the bank.

We urgently await your correspondence to this by making contacts to the
Bank, following and fulfilling the requirements given to you so
that you will not forfeit your winning amount.

Yours in Service,
Mr. Christian Davies
Admin Chairman
Nokia Company United Kingdom

(…………………………………………….Next email……today)

Dear winner,

This is to officially inform you that your application has been approved for payment, we have forwarded your winning information and payment approval details to our paying bank in Bangkok Thailand

You are required to contact the bank via email for the payment and transfer of your winning prize fund. Please remember to quote your approval number when you contact the bank for their easy reference.   Your approval numbers is : LUT/500/2014. 

krungsri_remittance@live.com

BELOW IS THE CONTACT INFORMATION OF BANK OF AYUDHYA PUBLIC COMPANY THAILAND.

BANK OF AYUDHYA PUBLIC COMPANY.

#.1222 Rama III Road,

Bang Phongphang, Yan Nawa, Bangkok 10120 Thailand

Contact opening hours from Monday to Saturday.

E-mail: remittancekrungsri@ asia.com

krungsri_remittance@live.com

Phone Number: +66902971032

Contact Person: Mr. P. Thonglor, Director.

Respected Sir,

APPLICATION FOR FUND RELEASE NOKIA MOBILE COMPANY UNITED KINGDOM APPROVAL NO: LUT/500/2014

I write to apply for the release of my fund in regards to the winning notification that was received from Nokia Mobile Company Limited United Kingdom. I was made to understand that this sum of (500,000.00 GBP Pounds ) is deposited in a temporary Account in your Bank.

I hereby request that the above mentioned sum be remitted to me at the earliest.

For further details, please contact

Nokia Mobile Company United Kingdom

 ................................................................................................................................................................

Everyone dreams about a thousand pounds. But five hundred thousand? That's not a dream—that's a hallucination with zeros.

Let's be honest: nobody gives away 500,000 Pounds for free. Not your mother. Not the government. Not even that rich uncle who "loves you very much" but somehow always forgets your birthday. And certainly not Nokia—a company that has probably been more generous with ringtones than with cash in the last fifteen years.

But just for a moment, let's pretend. Let's pretend this is real. Let's pretend that somewhere in a parallel universe, a Nigerian prince and a resurrected Nokia executive are shaking hands and signing checks in my name.

If—and this is a very wobbly if—this were actually true, here's what I would do:

First, I would donate 400,000 Pounds for rural development in the country. Yes, you read that right. Four hundred thousand. I would build roads, schools, and maybe a statue of myself holding a Nokia 3310. Why? Because generosity looks good on everyone, and also because 400,000 is too heavy to carry to Dubai.

Then, with the remaining 100,000 Pounds, I would buy a big flat in Dubai. A flat so big that I could get lost inside it. A flat with marble floors, golden taps, and a view of absolutely nothing except other rich people's balconies. I would sit there, sipping overpriced juice, and tell myself: "You earned this, you magnificent fraud-fighter."

But here's the plot twist. The heartbreaking, absolutely predictable plot twist.

This is just a fraud.

And a dream. A beautiful, shimmering, 500,000-pound-shaped bubble that bursts the moment you read the words "kindly share your bank details."

So please. Be careful. Keep your account number to yourself. Keep your dreams alive, but keep your passwords closer. And the next time Nokia—or anyone else—promises you a fortune from the grave of mobile phones, just smile, delete the message, and go back to your regular, non-millionaire life.

After all, the only thing worse than not winning 500,000 Pounds is winning the chance to lose everything you already have.

Stay skeptical. Stay safe. And never trust a ringtone company with your rent money.

Reading Religious Books(NRY)

(To commemorate the National Reading Year (NRY))

I have read books. A great many books. Most of them were English literature—stories, novels, verses about love, war, and people who never seem to need a bathroom break. But these days, I have switched genres. Dramatically. I am now reading philosophical books. Books of religion.

Why the sudden change? Simple: my age is drawing closer to death, and old age is nicking in. Not kicking in—nicking in, like a petty thief stealing my knees, my memory, and my ability to stay awake after 8pm.

It's time now to prepare. To practice some good things before DreyNagchung summons me to his court. I don't know what the dress code is there, but I suspect it's not casual.

As a matter of fact, we don't know when we're kicking our bucket. But kick the bucket we must. This is not news. Everyone knows we all die. Even your neighbor who thinks he'll live forever by drinking raw garlic juice knows it—he just doesn't like to admit it.

To understand more about life and death, I have read books. A small sample:

· Thich Nhat Hanh's books (calming, like a cup of tea that also judges you)

· Wentz's The Tibetan Book of the Dead (spooky title, surprisingly practical)

· Sogyal Rinpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying (the sequel nobody asked for, but everyone needed)

· The Dalai Lama's book series (so many volumes, so little time before death)

· Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse's two books (short, sharp, and spiritually humiliating)

And other books of Buddhism. All these books are philosophies, theories, and stories. All of them teach us to be good, helpful, and altruistic. Wonderful advice. The catch? These things require practice. Lots of practice. And because of my legendary laxity—truly, I could win an award for procrastination—these theories have been remaining as theories. I am so weak at practicing every day that my meditation cushion has now been repurposed as a backrest for watching TV.

Today, I am almost done with The Way to a Meaningful Life by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Like his other books, this one teaches the meaning of "I" and the realization of the meaning of the mind. I am a layman. A simple man. A man who still gets excited when the ara is warm. Understanding all this is hard. But as a human—a dying human—I feel it is very important to try.

Here are some extracts from the above-mentioned book. Brace yourself.

"When Buddha taught the four noble truths, first he identified true suffering, sources, cessations, and paths, and then said: Sufferings are to be recognized, but there is nothing to be recognized. The sources of suffering are to be abandoned, but there is nothing to be abandoned. Cessation is to be actualized, but there is nothing to be actualized. The path is to be meditated, but there is nothing to be meditated." (pg 156-157)

Read that again. Or don't. Either way, apparently, there's nothing to do. Which is convenient for lazy people like me.

His Holiness also talks about "form and emptiness," quoting the Heart Sutra:

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form is not other than emptiness; emptiness is not other than form." (pg 164)

This has very deep meanings. So deep, in fact, that after reading it five times, I forgot what I had for breakfast. Which might also be emptiness.

And then there is this profound statement from Buddha about the nature of mind:

"In the mind, the mind is not to be found; the nature of the mind is clear light." (pg 171)

The Dalai Lama provides an explanation. Thank goodness. Because without it, I would have simply nodded, closed the book, and gone back to wondering why my phone charger never works.

Finally, there is a concise—truly, just 15 minutes—book called The Path to Dharma, published by the Commission for Religious Organizations, 2012, Bhutan. It's in both English and Dzongkha, which means you can be confused in two languages instead of one. The book discusses karmic cause and effect, different lives, virtuous and non-virtuous acts, and the nemesis of each act. It's worth knowing where we are going before we die. Even if that place, according to the Heart Sutra, might be nowhere at all.

So read, dear friend. Read while you can. Because one day, DreyNagchung will call your name, and you'll want to have at least pretended to understand emptiness.

Or not. Either way, there's nothing to be done.

Three Wise Monkeys

From Google Guru

People say that there is no such thing as evil and that everything is good in itself. If this is true, then everything is at peace.

There are three basic commandments for our spiritual progress and wisdom, known as the three wise monkeys: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

The question is: what can we look at now? Turning a blind eye to others' misconduct is not, I think, a true sign of good conduct. It is more like ignoring it. Moreover, it tells us to refrain from looking at things that may cause sin in someone else, without caring what others do.

I believe this is the time to see more, hear more, and speak more. It is not what we absorb, but what we produce from ourselves that pollutes our souls. By not seeing, not hearing, and not speaking evil, nothing of that same evil shall be generated from us. We must restrain ourselves from watching dirty movies, uttering dirty words, or engaging in any undesired activities.

Evil has many interpretations. The baseline of all is to protect us—our souls—from ourselves. Life is how you see it, I think. If you want it to be happy and beautiful, you must see the beauty in everything you experience. You read beautiful books so that you have a beautiful mind. Like the laughing Buddha, the three wise monkeys are a form of feng shui for better living.

Eddie Murphy said it best in Brooklyn Vampire: "If there was no evil, you would never know what good is, right? So evil is good."