Spring: A season of hope and inspiration

This trip could have never come at the right time than this. I got this chance to go to Paro, a 45 minutes drive from the capital on a weekend for some office meeting. It was a complete break from my mundane and sometimes stressful work. 

And I got to see these beautiful peach baby blossoms at Kyichhu lhakhang at Paro and managed to take few pictures. For many springs I have wanted to take pictures of peach blossom. Until today I didn’t get the perfect time and the perfect peach blossoms as good subjects :).

Next to autumn, spring is the favorite part of the year for me. At last it came with the soft laughter of April suns and shadows of April showers which I love to its end :). To this, I'm reminded of Ernest Hemingway’s words from A Moveable Feast,

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person had died for no reason.”

It is in the spring that life rejuvenates itself from the cold winter and a revelation of new life, hope and inspiration is seen and felt. My once dead flowers in the garden had sprung to life again and watering and caring it gives me immense joy and new hope.  It’s the time for new plans and goal making.  

All the pictures are from Kyichhu Lhakhang in Paro. I love Paro for its picturesque location and the pleasant weather. It’s one of the most historic valleys in Bhutan with an approximate population of 20,000 only (Source: Google). And it is the home to the only international airport in the country.  

And see what I overheard at the lhakhang (I was not eavesdropping :P, I was taking pictures only ^__^)

Chilip Aum (Foreign Woman): "I would like to see a takin before I die. But what is a takin?"
Chilip Aap (Foreign Guy) : "Its like an American buffalo, with the head of a goat designed by divine madman."

I was full of amusement and it made my day.

Blogging thus far

Often I think I am fairly new to blogging when I look at the number of posts I have done thus far. But it has been two years since I started this blog.  

So, if asked “what do you blog on?” I swear I would turn beetroot in embarrassment because there is no specific topic I blog on. If you read my posts, you will find that there isn’t a specific topic of my focus. In fact it’s merely the hodgepodge and mundane things I am related to. Thus, the blog name i Relate To That.   

So you may ask “why the pain of maintaining a blog then?”

 

   1) I started blogging to rekindle my love for writing (as if I was a writer then *laughs*). Whatever little I knew to write, I wanted to keep the passion alive and write for others and for myself to read. I tell you, writing isn’t any one's cup of tea. It involves a great deal of thought-processing for me, and it literarily bogs me down. I wonder how writers keep their writing-hearth burning. 

    2) I started writing to vent out my thoughts and opinions. Blogging to me is an escape from the distress of everyday life. I’m never at that elated height of happiness whenever I’m done with a post. The act of hitting “Publish” button is as simple as it seems but the sensation of its accomplishment is great. Do you also feel the same? To increase my happiness level, I should write more and more and empower myself… (hmnnn...a note to self). 

   3) To connect with like-mind. Blogging brings like-minded people together. Starting this blog has helped me find birds of my own feather and apart from my work and other things I spend a major part of my time on reading other’s blogs. The times I’m not blogging, I’m busy reading your blogs even if I don’t leave comments. Reading indeed is the most delightful habit.  

Blogging has revealed the whole wide world in upside down to me. Oh talking of upside down, have you watched the movie Upside Down, a 2012 sci fi romance by Juan Solanas. It’s worth the 100 minutes of your life. 

The connection I have been able to garner through blogosphere is tremendously great. It has been able to connect me to people from all over the world, learn everything about anything. And I hope to continue this with new wonders and excitement until my 3rd anniversary of blogging. 

How have your journey into blogosphere been thus far? 

    

The stories of my Toothbrushes

**Tock!!!

Toothbrush A (TA) : Who is it?

Toothbrush B (TB) : Oh hi…er…I didn’t know I would find a friend here.

TA : Friend? Who sent you here? Miss R?

TB : Ummnn…I’m not sure of her name. We were brought from a supermarket, me and toothbrush Green but she seems to be nowhere in sight now.

TA : What???(frowns) it hasn’t been six months yet, how can Miss R try to replace me this early?

TB : Well I don’t know, maybe I’m here for someone else.

TA : That’s impossible, until this morning, Miss R didn’t have any plans of having anyone shifting/coming over. 

***Miss R had been having sensitivity problem with her teeth for a couple of days so she brought TB to replace TA since TA had become frail.  Then came Sensodyne fresh gel(S)…

S : Hi girls, just the two of you here?

TA & TB : (In unison) YESSS…

S : Oh thought I would have some more girls for company, sigh!

***That evening Miss R comes into the bathroom for the routine cleansing before bed.

TA : Here comes the boss…sniff sniff..Lets see..Who she will use.

***Miss R picks up S and TB.

TA : No! Why is she leaving me out? :’(

S : It’s because you are too frail to solve her sensitivity problem, don’t you see how smart and stiff TB is? TB and I will solve all the sensitivity problem of Miss R, give me Five now TB. Yay! :)

***The next day... 

**Tock!

TA : Who is it now again?

Toothbrush G (TG) : ugh…It’s me TG.

TA : Who on earth is it now again? Why does Miss R keep sending toothbrushes again and again when we are already crammed in this little shit of hers? >.<

TB to TG : Oh hi…it’s you! Remember we came together from the supermarket the other day? Actually I was looking for you when I first came here. Where were you all this time?

TG : Umm…I’m not sure but I was kept in some dark closet until now, thank goodness it’s so much open and bright here hehe.

TA : Hmnn… looks like Miss R is replacing you TB.

TB : Oh no…not so soon. What’s wrong with her?

***Miss R actually found TB too hard and hurtful for her weak teeth. It was damaging her gums while using TB. Miss R had accidentally used her sister’s new toothbrush (TG) they bought together. Not satisfied with the quality of the 3 toothbrushes, Miss R bought another one home the next day, Toothbrush Blue and white Stripped (TBW).    

TA, TB and TG : Oh look who we have here? A new roommate?

S : Thank Gawd, at least she is sexy and beautiful compared to you fatty ones o_O.

TBW : Hi girls, are you all together? I didn’t know Miss R was so fond of toothbrushes: P. Why are you all useless now waiting to be of use for something else than brushing teeth?

TA : You just wait, your turn will come after a day…smirk…

P.S : I was amazed at the number of toothbrushes I changed in a month. Blame my poor shopping skills for not being able to choose the right toothbrush as if I was using a toothbrush for the first time, Sigh! Unable to stop my amazement for the lack of my choice for toothbrush, I thought why not blog on it, thus this post :). Hope you had fun reading as much as I did on writing it. 

 

 

30 before 30

I’ve been working on this and finally I’m done with my 30 before 30 lists. I’m trying out or rather planning on to do 30 things before I hit 30. I have exactly 4 years and seven months to complete the lists below:

1.  Study abroad

2.  Read 200 books (I have started with Aleph by Paulo Coelho)

3.  Try bungee jumping

4.  Go on a writing retreat

5.  Visit a leprosy hospital

6.  Visit a inmate in a prison

7.  Write a handwritten letter to a long lost friend and send it through post

8.  Join a yoga class

9.  Learn photography

10. See the cherry blossom in Japan

11. Trek to the nearest mountain in Thimphu

12. Ensure my life savings (I haven’t done that yet :/)

13. Join a book club

14. Volunteer for a good cause

15. Visit a water kingdom  

16. Master the art of making pancakes

17. Watch My girlfriend is a Gumiho (a Korean drama all over again)

18. Learn to ride a bicycle

19. Host a tea party

20. Be someone’s mentor

21. Visit a red light District

22. Watch sun-set everyday exactly at the same time for a week

23. Go on a road trip

24. Go to an amusement park

25. Visit a fish spa

26. Learn to become a morning person

27. Take a train ride across India

28. Send a message in a bottle

29. Gift an infinity ring to someone special

30. Sleep under the stars on a balmy night

I plan to achieve these goals at 30. Have you had a list yet or planning to make one? Share it with me, I would love to listen to yours.

Well, February had been a very stressful month for me, though it is the shortest month of the year, I felt it was the longest.:(. Now its March and finally with the warmth in the air since its spring, I hope to have a wonderful and a blessed month and I wish the same for you.