About Love (1) August 9, 2010
Posted by admin in : Insight, Living, love , add a commentThat Treacherous Thing …
I vividly remember my long afternoon walks in the park du Luxembourg in the Latin Quarter in Paris, as I used to lived across from it, Rue d’Assas. There were retired men talking about their war stories and playing pétanque, lovers silently hugging on benches, people just trying to be friends with each other, and me, flaneur crossing the park because it was on the Eastern side (the 5th arrondissement) that the philosophers were based, rue d’Ulm and I felt something vibrate in me there, just breathing the air & imbibing philosophy and the hype that came with it; it was a pilgrimage to my promised land. For years, as I routinely crossed that park, the same APlatonic depressing idea haunted me upon seeing the lovers embracing & cuddling each other on the benches, the idea of the transitory aspect of such intensity, and its potential reversal. The more intensely enthralled two being are with each other the harder they will try to hurt each other upon separation. They seemed to want to unite with each other, care about each other, protect each other, minister the smallest need in the other, cure the other of the small wounds, but, at some point in the future they might be inflicting the most scathing injury to the other. The nonlovers might be less close, but, in all likelihood, they should unconditionally stay friends, or, at least they are not expected to inflict harm on the other. I realized that there was an element in this treacherous thing called love that was not for philosophers.
(Words: Nassim Taleb)
(Picture: Colors ~ Rabin Karki)
Tired of Pretending June 21, 2010
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentGet Real.
Work is Overrated. May 27, 2010
Posted by admin in : Business, Living , add a commentPeriod.
Never Regret Anything that Made You Smile January 6, 2010
Posted by admin in : Living , 1 comment so far 
Year 2009 in words December 28, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentThis year started with an MBA on mind. Almost all the paper works were done for my top priority colleges and admission results were expected. But still I was wandering on applying to few more colleges (I was so desperate to start my MBA this year). Time for results and loads of emotion swing with some results on my favor and some beyond my control. Joy when accepted at VT, ecstasy when accepted at Pittsburgh and was rejected at UMASS.
Work was always fun at Bikalpa. ‘Work hard, party harder’ anthem was never let down. Numerous ‘Party of the century’ by the Bikalpians, but the greatest was mine … says every one.
Came to VirginiaTech for my MBA, New road to New York in 18 hours, loved Blacksburg, learned the football game, all of a sudden my football became soccer, facebooked and twittered like never before, never been so confused and determined at the same time, cycling never was so fun, met some great new friends at VT, enjoyed all those VT Nepalese get together and parties, played bhailo in Tihar, danced for the first time, enjoyed the first snow fall, experienced the different American system of study, first semester - was smart enough to get lucky and loved the tail gates and the VT football games at Lane. Last weeks of 2009 was for the overwhelmingly impressive New York City and life keeps getting better and I have never been so sure that there is hell lot to be explored in one life. For the moment, it’s the New Year eve at Time squares New York.
Life was not always fun in 2009. I tore my ankle ligaments and rested for almost one and half months. Got rejected twice for F1 visa, made ad hoc back up plans (now I wonder some of my back up plans were better than plan A). There were broken promises and relationships. We are not perfect but we don’t live in a perfect world either.
Few things stayed the same in the year 2009. My faith in love, friendship and my belief on life and beyond is as optimistic as ever. And the new challenges keep on getting tougher.
Thank You Friends. Cheers to 2009!!
Hello Holidays! November 21, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentHoliday starts early here at VT with almost 9 days for the ThanksGiving. The only complain about the holidays is that they run out quite fast.
Let’s enjoy the freedom.
Travel & Ticketing Agents in Nepal sucks and why the companies in Nepal never scales BIG August 16, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living, Rant , 2commentsRecently while planning my US trip I consulted a few ticketing agents in Kathmandu about the air ticket details: the prices, airlines and transits. The first thing that you notice (only after a visit to couple of them) is, they are not entirely sure what they really offer. It really discomforts me to see a sales man struggling to answer a client’s query. Aren’t they paid for that? The other most significant thing is their inconsistencies with the information they give. The most probable reason: They are all lying and trying to make the customer pay higher if he/she is ignorant about the ticketing information. They lie everything. I have experienced so many instances of booking the bus front window seat and ending up at the ever bouncing back seat. And they keep on lying.
And then I went to this agent (only the third one I visited) and when asked about the fare they mentioned almost 20% cheaper compared to what I was prepared to pay. I rechecked about the same airways and the route and everything was same. Hello? Obviously as every normal people I would be drawn to the deal. I reserved the ticket. Five days prior to the flight I went to pay for and collect the ticket. Then all of a sudden they tell me that the rate they gave me earlier was of a different route with transit in Delhi (which I was destined to avoid after my disastrous time on my way to Europe last year). The new rate was still higher than the one I have previously figured. Obviously just 5 days to my flight and so many things to finalize I won’t be running for ticket prices. I got the ticket and paid the price. I thought the worst was over but was proved wrong when I got into Abu Dhabi transit. I was assured by my ticketing agent that I had a hotel booking at the Abu Dhabi transit but later found out that my ticketing agent has left no stone unturned to torture me. The Etihad Airways staff had a hard time convincing that I was fooled by my ticketing agent. How could someone do such to his customer?
The issue here is, do they care about their customer? Not one bit. They only think about making quick money no matter what it costs them. With this mentality they would never get a loyal following. I would never visit that agent again nor would I recommend it to anyone. Someone please tell them the story of a goose that lay golden eggs every day.
So they have pretty much the same sort of customer pattern every day. They have new customer everyday and can never retain their old customer. And without the customer flowing, you never get BIG.
Bending the Trends June 22, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living, Music , add a commentWell at times I really get bored with the everyday norms. Although I hate surprises, I do believe in experiencing a different feel every now and then.
Jack Johnson’s Break down fits almost perfectly.
I hope this old train breaks down
then I could take a walk around
and, see what there is to see
time is just a melody
With all the people in the street
walking fast as their feet can take them
I just roll through town
And though my window’s got a view
Well the frame I’m looking through
seems to have no concern for now
so for now II need this
old train to break down
oh please just
let me please break downWell this engine screams out loud
Centipede gonna crawl westbound
so I don’t even make a sound
‘Cause it’s gonna sting me when I leave this town
And all the people in the street
that I’ll never get to meet
if these tracks don’t bend somehow
and I got no time
that I got to get to
where I don’t need to be
So II need this
old train to break down
oh please just
let me please break downI need this
old train to breakdown
oh please just
let me please breakdownI wanna break on down
but I can’t stop now
let me break on downBut you can’t stop nothing
if you got no control
of the thoughts in your mind
that you kept and you know
you don’t know nothing
but you don’t need to know
the wisdom’s in the trees
not the glass windows
You can’t stop wishing
If you don’t let go
of the things that you find
and you lose, and you know
you keep on rolling
put the moment on hold
the frame’s too bright
so put the blinds down lowI need this
old train to break down
oh please just
let me please break down
I need this
old train to break down
oh please just
let me please break down
I wanna break on down
but I can’t stop now
Song: Break Down (Jack Johnson)
Zen - Buddism March 22, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentI found this text as an email signature of one of the professors who replied to me. Well the response was not as I expected, however, this text was worth noting.
The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether his working or playing. To him he is always doing both” - Zen Buddhist
Being A Student … Again March 21, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , 2commentsWell it’s been about 2 years now not being a full time student (I hadn’t been part time too apart from reading random books and articles). This is the longest break from my study as far as I can remember. It seemed that I have been a student my entire life.
Actually I have planned for my mba studies this fall but why not try doing the job I do the best - being a student. So the other day I was infact a student at the British council for my public speaking course. It’s a good feel being at my desk, facing the white board and obeying my teacher’s instructions. Great. I love to be disciplined sometimes.
The most interesting part of this class is its actors (the students) and the tutor. The first class was just a casual introduction and a warm up speaking exercise but the professionalism composition of my class mates was impressive to say the least.
We have software engineers, a program manager, a lawyer, an advocate, a doctor, an UNMIN official, a model, a business man, a film maker and a couple of students. What a variety?
During the initial experience sharing session I can see each one of us have experiences as diverse as colors in a rainbow.
So I am really looking forward to the rest of the course with this unique blend of classmates. Btw, the tutor is a sweet lady, a motor bike fanatic who has worked and seen the world. Interesting.
Can it get any better?
It is Never Too Late to be What You Might Have Been February 12, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , 1 comment so farAge is a quality of the mind:
If you have left your dreams behind,
If hope is cold;
If you no longer look ahead,
If your ambitions fires are dead
Then you are old.
But if from life you take the best,
And if in life you keep the jest,
If love you hold;
No matter how the years go by,
No matter how the birthdays fly
You are not old.
By
~~Edward Tuck
16 Hour Loadshed: A Survivor’s Diary January 31, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentI would be really pleased if i have a 50% chance of seeing a bright buld on switching on. But with 8/24 the probability of getting light at any hour and 4 of those precious hours i would be sleeping, I am left with 4/24 chance of getting the power.
Ok here’s a normal day. When I wake up either there will be electricity for an hour (if I managed to wake up at 7 am) or one hour after I woke up.
So first things first. If I have an hour of power in the morning, the first thing I would do is to get to the kitchen and use my rice cooker for the meal (this will save some of my efforts). I would tap in all my appliance and gadgets. I will charge my notebook, my handy, my ipod and the emergency lights. It looks good to see all my gadgets feeding at the same time. Meanwhile my house owner would use the crucial power hour to pump the water up the tank so that we would have the running water (still a luxury here in kathmandu) for the next 24 hours.
Afternoons are ok. With the power generator in the office, life has been lot better. But afternoon sessions are also marked with frequent power cut off. And I feel that the generator is running for every minute of the day. Its consistent noise and smoke never seems to disappear. At the end of the day i always have a mild headache due to the constant smoke from the power generator.
Lunch time. We, the employees of the two companies sharing the power generator, usually go out for lunch at the same time so that we could give the generator a much needed rest. The evening schedule is, either i have the electricity from 4pm to 8pm, or upto 12 pm from 8 pm.
If it’s the former, I should make home before 7:30 pm so that i could use the 30 minutes of power for my rice cooker. [Phew]. If its the latter, i won’t mind staying at the office as late as 8 pm so that i can savor the power.
The toughest part is pumping the water from the supply pipe to our tank that happens once in every two days. From the combination of the power schedule and the water schedule, we only have a day with electricity to pump the water to our tank. That leaves us with manually pumping the water at 3 am in the morning. Can life gets any tougher?
Usually when I have a complete darkness at 8 pm i am left with very few options. I work in my pc for about an hour, use my energy back up light for next hour. Then no power.
Candles? Yes. How long? Until I start having burning eyes.
Moral: Live with the rules, and your life doesn’t get that worse.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - The Highlights January 28, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentIt’s been about a year I read this book. Influential. I make little summary while reading and that helps to gain a quick idea about the pages read in the past. i did the same with this book. Today i found that page in one of my old files and i felt that this should be digitally saved not to repeat the same mistake.
- Practice the ‘Heart of the Rose’ at same time, same way every day (umm i forgot what heart of rose means. some kind of yoga may be. have to go through the book once again. see that’s why summary is useful)
- Garden -> Mind -> Filled with dellightful treasure
- Lighthouse -> Power of goals and the imp. of discovering your calling in life
- Kaizen: constant & never ending improvement
- The only limit to your life are those that you set yourself.
- Practice:
- Rest Break: Healing power of silence, come to know who you really are
- Physical: yoga
- Deep breathing: not just to survive, but to thrive
- Vegetarian food
- Be the student of life: You can much utilize from the classroom of existence
- Read for at least 30 mins daily
- Every evening after a full day of productive work, retire to a silent corner of your home and reflect on your day
- The only way to improve tomorrow is to know what you did wrong today
- Rise with the sun
- nothing to extremes, everything in moderations
- If you do anything for 21 days in a row, it will become a habit
- Live eveyday as if it was your last day
- Listen to music; it is a solace at all times
- The ritual of spoken word: mantra; man (maind) tra (freeing)
- You sow a thought, you reap an action. Reap an action, you sow a habit. sow a habit, you reap a character. Sow a character, you reap your destiny.
- Thought -> Action -> Habit -> Characters -> Destiny
- The power of simplicity
- One must never live in the thick of the thins
- Unless you reduce your need, you’ll never be fulfilled
- When the student is ready, the teacher will appear
- Life gives you what you ask of it, it’s always listening
- When you control your thoughts, you control you mind. When you control your mind, you control your life
- sotori: constant awakening
- I am more that i appear to be, all the world’s strength and power rests inside me
- Live with discipline, will power
- Discipline is built by consistently performing small acts of courage
- Enlightened people are power driven
- Don’t let other steal your time (this i must practice very often)
- Be ruthless with your time. Learn to say ‘No’
- The quality of your life will come down to the quality of your contribution
- Cultivate richer relationships
- Happiness is a journey, not a destination
- Embrace the present
I can immediately feel the positive vives just by going through it. Good words can make good life.
Talking Basics January 23, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentMy Europe trip has left me wondering about how people think differently (or rather how we have to think) on things that effect ours lives daily. Back home we usually face a daunting task of getting petroleum and gas as we like. We need to be in queue for hours to get our bike refueled and it might take a month to refuel your gas cylinder. Obviously they matter to us greatly in everyday life. So if things get better and we get those daily needs without much hassle then these things excite us. We talk about how we managed to remain without being frustrated during 9 hours a day load shed. We inform our friends and relatives that life’s getting easier, or you can get those things at these particular places. If not we discuss how the fuel shortage problem has hit us hard again and how difficult and tiring it is to get to the office walking. We discuss about how long we waited in queue to get refuel or to what extent we went to get a bit of what we wanted. The monsoon is ending soon and the topic will now shift from fuel shortage to the daily load shed. We talk about these voids usually. It’s not a hobby it’s a necessity, you have to learn to survive. Wise men said “sorrow is divided when shared”.
These talks are a total shock in Europe. infact people there have never ever imagined in their worst nightmare that getting your bike refueled will take you hours or you have to wait a month to get your cooking gas cylinder or you have to face 9 hours a day daily load shed. They haven’t worried about those things ever and it’s likely that they won’t’ have to in future too. Infact I didn’t find anything they should be worried about. Perfect living condition, good income, healthy and happy people, clean and healthy surrounding, cheerful and friendly people, adequate resources, perfect weather etc…Did I say weather??Yes. The only thing I found them worrying is about the weather.
When I was there we have weekend’s plans to visit the Alps. But they were worried about our plan at Wednesdays as they already knew what the weather is is going to be in the weekends. It rained on both the weekends. They often discuss about what the weather is going to be in the next couple of days. I wouldn’t have worried about the weather a bit. Back home in Nepal it would have been a trivial to worry about the weather. why would I worry about the weather, I have to get a new cooking gas cylinder, my fuel is going to be finished in a week’s time and I don’t have sufficient petrol for my bike too.
Life January 22, 2009
Posted by admin in : Living , add a commentlife is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which i have got hold of for the moment, and i want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. — George Bernard Shaw
I believe that’s the way of living.
