On my toes.

Someone asked me a few days back, why do you take so many pictures of your feet? I told her just what came into my mind then, "Because I like taking pictures of all the places I have been to." I got back home and wondered, do I really take so many pictures for people to start noticing? Well, I dug up all the albums on the memory chip and here it is, not all but some of the places I have been to with memories- trust me, when I was typing down the caption, I wanted to pour my heart out but that would just be too long. Hehe.

This is it. 

Enjoy.

Also, will soon come up with an updated version of this. I will take this seriously now. Giving more attention to my attention seeking feet!

Chyang- Lahana- Henna tattoo- Blackout. 

Probably the first dog I was not scared of. Maybe because he was too lazy to chase me. --Lumbini, Nepal

Rain, reflection, wires.- Jawlakhel, Nepal

On my 18th Birthday. Waiting for friends. -- Kupondole, Nepal

Chatti, the typical Nepali footwear. -- Babermahal, Nepal

This one has so many memories- from being stranded to witnessing a woman beat the hell out of a guy who was abusing her. Dhan ropne mahina, Asar.--Sindhuli, Nepal

SNOW! My converse gave up half-way through the adventure. So Hello Kitty it is! :) --Jiri, Nepal

I sat under an umbrella with my best friend while it was raining like crazy and we were trying to admire nature then. Haha. -- Connaught Place, India

Beautiful Phewa Taal as the backdrop. Tired after cycling almost through Pokhara, Nepal.

I was waiting for my delicious Pizza when it started to rain and I had to come out to feel the rain on my face. The pizza was yummy heaven BTW. -Swayambhu, Nepal

Probably one of my favorite-st places in Nepal. Basantapur Durbar. 

I miss these cute shoes. Rajinder Nagar, India.

Metro Station- Waiting for a friend in my cool Keyboard flip-flops.

Another favorite- Patan Durbar Square, Nepal

Monsoon.

Our Monsoon under the Umbrella. :)

Just some Typography!

The dark Blue text in the middle was supposed to look like " ♪ "

But yeah, trying out Typography! 

Music ♥

What is Typography?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typography

Whatever.

Yeah.
Story of our lives.

A Writer is, after all, only half his book.

The other half is the reader.

And from the reader, the writer learns.

Thank god lips  do not finish like Chocolates. 

You can have them anytime! 

:*















Photo: deviantArt.com

Mr. Cutie!

A few days back, my old grandpa came all the upstairs to my room and sat down next to me. Still panting for breath, he told me, “I want to die”. I was shocked. Why would he want to die? He had such a good life- just when I was thinking of this, what he told me made me want to roll on the floor laughing. He said, “I lost all my teeth. I can’t chew no more- I can’t eat tasty food no more.”

My 89 year old grandpa is the cutest person on earth! He is the type of person who loves eating- like me and I always wondered why I was such a foodie! Dadu- that’s what I call him- is the type of person who loves it when everyone is around him talking, giving him maximum attention. He asks me everyday where I am headed to- trust me, EVERYDAY, in spite of knowing that I am leaving for work! He is the one who calls me at 5: 30, that’s when I get off work and ask me what I am getting for him. He loves patties. He calls them Vegetable patty from Annapurna! And he asks for it every time- every day.

My elder sister left for UK a year ago and when we talk to her on Skype, Dadu is the first one to shed a tear. He misses her and always complains about how I don’t love him. She always got him patties, cheese, dairy milk, cheese balls and peanuts. While I am the bossy one! Not letting him eat anything that makes his health worse. He was a chain smoker when I was a small girl and it was on my 7^th birthday that he had a major heart attack and since then, even though I love him, I am very mean to his eating/ smoking habits! I occasionally find cigarettes under his pillow, in his pockets, and at times, I catch him red handed- smoking and he gets nervous. Well, I am not a monster, but my granddad is scared of me!

On days when either one of my daddy or I am late, he waits for us in the veranda. No matter how late it is, his face lights up with a smile once we are both home and have dinner with us. He loves it when my mother gets an off day from work. Partly because he gets to chat with her but the main reason being she will cook whatever he demands her to. And putting it on his words, “Aja buhari ghar basne, meetho khaja khana paiyo.” it’s amusing how such a small thing makes him happy. But today, something changed in me, I realized something that I should have long time back! I got my Dadu patties from Nanglo bakery and told him I got it from Annapurna and he didn’t believe me! How come he even knows about it? However, seeing him chomp the patties with joy dipping it in his afternoon tea made me smile. And it was then that I realized, I always thought I would be happy with a new mobile set, free gifts, new clothes, and wow, the list would go on forever! But seeing Dadu smile, I was happy.

When I am falling.
And Falling
Falling,


Just be the Parachute that lets me 
fall right to your heart. 

And it rained~

Dipak and Dinesh! :)

Its sad that people are so selfish to want parts our beautiful Nepal for themselves.

And the worst part is, there is nothing we can do.
The protesters- more than half of them don't even know why they are out on the streets. The ones who are dumb enough to take the lead don't know the consequences - I bet.

I am a Bramhin, My best friends are Chettri/Newar my teacher was a Gurung, my neighbor, Muslim. And we learn from each other, everyday. Celebrate the same main Festivals, eat the same food; basically live the same lifestyle with no difference. 

The continuous 2 day strike that might extend into 3 days strike tomorrow is of now use. Why not sit and talk instead of paralyzing the whole Country? 

But again, like always- would that help?



Nepal has never had a dispute with any other Nation. So why start a war now among-st the citizens?

Peace Gumba- Pokhara; Nepal

And today,
I danced in the rain, thinking of you~

We do not change as we grow older; 

We just become more clearly 

ourselves.

Colors!

Just some pictures I took on the Delhi Streets! =)

The Never Melting Snowman!

Like any other after- work day, I walked past Freak Street after meeting friends at our junction in Basantapur and stopped at Snowman. The plain glass wall that showcased the cakes got my mouth melted. Without a second thought, through the old wooden door that has been there forever- by forever I mean since the time I entered the “Teen hood” and since the time I started to frequent Snowman, I went into Snowman café (Snowman, the place that serves the best cakes ever- well to me, it sure does).  The place was crowded and lit by candles (the lights were out) making it look homely and warm.

I looked around for a seat and it was amazing how foreigners overshadowed the number of locals there. In spite of being a small place with plain décor and walls smeared with murals that must have been at least ten years old, the place is always crowded! I grabbed a seat right next to the counter and looked at the cakes for not less than 3 minutes and ordered for a Chocolate Cake. It’s funny, but I always do that, look at the menu for a long time and order the same thing every time!

It had been quite some time that I had been there! As soon as I was done with my SLC, this place was my junction with friends and we played cards all day long, sang songs, bullied each other, made noise, got scolded for making too much noise and what not. Snowman had so many memories from my past; it was a part of who I was. As a teenager. Times when we thought we knew about everything- like a typics teen! God knows what we talked when it came to politics, but we did! Not only Politics but Love, life, religion and all the serious things. There were days when we didn’t have anything to talk about and enjoyed just being on mute mode. We got there as soon as it opened, i.e. at 8: 30 just for the sake of passing time and amazingly, the bill never got over 500 for 7 people. Making us want to go there the next day!

All of those friends were lost! They are now in different corners of the world but we do have wonderful memories of Snowman to hold on to. The c music selection was just so good! Listening to Beatles and John Lennon sing songs through the old speakers there and the hippies walking shoe-less made us feel like we were in the 1950’s! There were so many friends we made in Snowman! Every time we passed, we exchanged smiles, added each other on Hi5 (that was the trend back then). Just as my thoughts meandered all over the place, Raju dai caught my eyes and we exchanged a smile. I had heard about Raju Dai, the vendor of the café from many of my friends before and since I was alone and he was doing nothing, I started a conversation.

I told him how much I loved Snowman’s Chocolate cake and Cappuccino. And what he said next, surprised me! His mother made all of the cakes every day. That was something amazing and wow! I popped up more questions and he told me that his father, Ram Prasad Manandhar opened up Snowman in 1965A.D. as a small bakery where his wife made German influenced cakes! With passing time, the number of customers grew in an alarming rate. He told me that Chocolate Cake sells the most and then Juice/ Lassi. And he got a phone call and our conversation ended but it was an interesting chat.

After having been here for so long, I never knew what it was all about! Then, the clock struck 8 and I had to be home! So, I payed my bill which was merely Rs. 100 and walked through the swinging doors yet again! And I thought to myself, “I’m coming here again tomorrow!”



Thankyou Sudeshana, Raju Dai and Aman for posing for the pictures! =)

Prayer Flags.

"Wind is the natural element of the horse. As it gallops across the plain the wind arises to meet it, its long tail and mane flowing freely as it speeds through the stillness of the air, creating wind. Both the wind and the horse are natural vehicles of movement, the horse carrying material form and the wind ethereal form. Prayers are carried on the wind, and in Tibet the prayer flag is known as the Windhorse, Lung Ta, in Tibetan."

- from The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by Robert Beer

Shambhala Press, 1999

I remember going to Swaymbhunath Stupa when small and being fascinated by the long chain of  rainbow colored perfectly shaped rectangles hanging down from a piece of thread. It was just so beautiful and pleasant to watch- as a child and till date. For some people it might just be a colorful Mala and to some just something to decorate the temple with. They are called Prayer Flags, Healing Flags or Peace Flags. 

It has a set of five colored rectangular shaped cloth and are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. The five colors represent the elements and the Five Pure Lights and are arranged from left to right in specific order: blue, white, red, green, and then yellow. Different elements are associated with different colors for specific traditions, purposes and sadhana. Blue symbolizes sky/space, white symbolizes air/wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements.

And as far as I have heard, it is believed that every time the wind passes through the Flag, the mantras are spread out in open letting the environment be peaceful and wonderful. In fact I brought back all of my friends in India the Prayer Flags and its strange they didn’t know about it. So they just called it the Rainbow colored long- long Mala from Nepal. I have one too in my room. For good spirits and well being along with a great way to pump up the look of the dull old boring room!
Place one in yours too!
Easily available in the Buddhist temple areas or Thamel/ Basantapur!

Source: Wikipedia.
Photos: Kundan Tamrakar/ Nischal Oli.
P.S. The background for my Blog shall remain so for a while from now! :)
Spreading Peace and Prosperity!