Scooter practice along the beach

Today was an eventful day as I visited the Terra Nova and practiced scooter riding. The day started with work at Whitespot from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm. The work was hectic, and I was looking forward to some relaxation later in the day.

After work, I returned home to find my wife, and we decided to go to Joe's place for dinner. As we were on our way, Joe suggested that we practice scooter riding before dinner. He knew that I had been wanting to try it out for some time, and he was happy to let me practice it.

We drove to the Terra Nova, Thompson area along the beach, and we were greeted by a beautiful view of the ocean. Opposite us was the YVR International Airport, and we could see planes taking off and landing in the distance. It was a picturesque location, and I was excited to start practicing. I could feel the cool breeze over my head and mortar rumbling beneath my feet and enjoyed the ride.

Joe gave me some more advice to ride the scooter, and it was a great experience. It took me some time to get the hang of it, but by now with his guidance, I was able to ride it smoothly. I also encouraged my wife, Chador, to try riding the scooter, and she gave it a shot for the first time. She was a bit nervous, but with practice, I am sure she can ride it too.

We practiced for around 2-3 hours, and it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the experience of riding a scooter, and it was a great way to spend time with Joe and Mercy.

After practicing, Joe and Mercy took us to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. We had a great time, and the food was delicious. It was a perfect way to end the day.

Overall, it was a memorable experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to try something new. I look forward to practicing scooter riding again in the future.

Grandvile Island and Stanley Park, Vancouver

"Come rain or come shine! Plan will proceed "remarked Joemar when I mentioned to him that the weather is not fine to go outside. Another day (7th April 2023) was spent exploring Vancouver, but the weather got too erratic, much like the pregnant mother's emotions. We moved to Stanley Park in a shower that soaked the morning.

Mercy, Chador, and Author in front of
A-maze-ing Laughter.

One of the biggest parks, Stanley Park is located primarily within Vancouver's metropolitan setting. There are beautiful views of the ocean, sea, sky, and woods over a nearly 400-hectare expanse. There are several trails, stunning beaches, and historical and natural attractions nearby, offering a wide range of adventure opportunities. It is the hub of attraction for people from all walks of life, in my opinion. Unless otherwise reported, it is open from 6 am to 10:00 pm and is accessible by walk, bicycle, or public transportation.    

Author and Joemar at English Bay Beach.

Following that, the weather improved, and we proceeded to Grandvile Island. It's a wonderful place to be but it never seemed to me like an island since it's very crowded. It reminded me of street marketplaces that are similar to Bangkok or India. People from various walks of life go there to take sea rides, spend the weekend with loved ones, or getaway. We had plenty of time to visit every part of the Island because Joemar could secure parking for his car until 5:00 pm. He sponsored us and took a 40-minute seaboat cruise (20 minutes back and forth). Upon eating lunch, we browsed the majority of the souvenir shops. There were also several street performers, magicians, singers, etc. entertaining the public and at the same time making living out of it. 

Author, Chador, Street performer, and Mercy
at Grandwill Island.

We spent some time listening to one man sing a Spanish song before taking pictures with him after his performance.

While we got back from the location, Joemar took us to see the downtown steam-powered clock, which has been running since the 1870s. One of the historical sites in Vancouver that draw so many tourists each day is this very steam clock. After that, we had a stroll around Canada Place.

After returning from Downtown, we headed to a nearby airport at  Larry Berg Flight Path Park to try out electric scooters. I had the chance to learn and practice riding an electric scooter thanks to Joemar, who brought one along. It was fortunate enough for me that I had never touched such equipment in the past to have such a chance to learn today. I could successfully learn how to balance while riding after a few hours of practice and felt so bad for letting Mercy outside in the chilly weather. It was a significant step for me in my lifelong learning of how to bike and drive. We signed off the day after everyone had committed to come to practice the following day and went to dine with them at the Chinese restaurant, where we all relished in as many noodles to our heart's content.

Even though it was still cloudy and raining on Saturday, we went ahead and practiced for a while. I now feel more confident as a result of it.

Joemar and Mercy, thanks for the great weekend!

Silver City, Richmond, BC

Silver City Cinema Hall, Richmond, BC

Joemar and Mercy brought Chador and me to Silver City on April 2, 2023, where we watched John Wick: Chapter 4. Certainly, Keanu Reeves and the movie John Wick have had a lot of influence on me. A famous actor born in Canada inspires many people both on and off the screen and in real life.

Movie poster on the wall of the entrance hall.

The maestro assassin (JW), compelled by grief and vengeance, is on a bloody vendetta to regain his freedom that is due. He encounters his friend with a gun in the High Table-designed course, turning friends into foes. After years of enduring great adversity, he finally finds a way to end the High Table’s curse. 

Once the film drew to a close, we took a detour to familiarize ourselves with the area and the amenities offered to the general public. Afterward, we visited Value Village, then Walmart, and had dinner at the Nandu restaurant, which is situated behind Walmart.

Selfie with Joemar and Mercy. 

For a good spend day, gratitude shall be theirs.

Family friend from Philippine

Canada is one of the countries that have the best immigration policy and this is serving the purpose of pull factors drawing immigrants from all walks of life across the world. Traveling around Vancouver would reveal all types of the diaspora who had all come to trap the better opportunities in this beautiful city. Of the tens of thousands of individuals that live in Vancouver, my wife and I are destined to meet a really lovely family who are originally from the Philippines but have lived here for more than a decade. It didn't take long for us to bond, and they have been very kind and really helpful to us. 

What makes them so special is that they do everything from hosting a meal to touring us around; from sharing groceries to instilling moral support; from facilitating us to finding employment to teaching us how to live in a new city. They have generously filled the void left by my parents' and relatives' absence. Being with them is all about happiness and positive energy, which settles the mist of some problems that we encounter. The care and affection that they continue to bestow on me are extraordinary, and I am truly grateful.

They have taken out their time to drive my wife and me to beaches, seashores, and restaurants, and some more plans are in the pipeline for the future, though I failed to schedule the trip with them to Whistler on March 26, 2023. I often think about what could I have done in my previous life so that god has blessed me by introducing my family to such wonderful people. My wife and I are truly grateful to them, and may our aspirations to return them the favor for so much they are doing for us would come true soon. 

They are Joemar and Mercy. As the name resonates, Jolly is Joe, and Merficul is Mercy--a very sweet couple indeed.

Dinner hosted by Joemar's Family at Earls Kitchen + Bar, Richmond, BC.

ལང་ཚོའི་གཏམ་གྱི་སྙིང་ཁུ།

 

༄༅།། བདག་ཅག་རྣམས་ཀྱི་མེ་ཏོག་གང་ལ་ཕོག་པའི་ལྷ་སྐལ་ དུས་གསུམ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཀུན་གྱི་ཞིང་ཁམས་དབྱེར་མེད་མཚུངས་པའི་འབྲུག་ཡུལ་ནང་ ཚེ་ཧེ་མའི་ལས་དབང་གི་རྒྱུ་རྒྱ་ཆེ་བས་ད་རེས་རང་ཡང་མི་ལུས་རིན་ཆེན་བརྙེད་པའི་ཡུལ་ སྔོན་ལས་འཕྲོའི་རྐྱེན་གཏིང་གཟབ་པས་སྐྱིད་པའི་བཟའ་ཚང་དུ་འཛོམས་ ལྷག་པར་དུ་ཕུན་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ཕྲིན་ལས་མངའ་ཐངས་རྒྱས་ཏེ་གནས་འབྱོན་མཁར་ལུང་པ་ལུ་སྐྱེས་ཏེ་ བསྐལ་བ་དང་ལྡན་ཡི།

འབྱོན་མཁར་དགའ་ལྡན་གྱི་གཡུས་འདི་ གངས་ཆེན་རྭ་བས་བསྐོར་བའི་དབུས་ ཕུ་སྟོད་ཡུམ་བཟང་མོ་དང་མདའ་སྨད་སློབ་དཔོན་ཟམ་པའི་བར་ མཐོ་གངས་དཀར་རྩེ་ལས་དལ་གྱིས་འབབ་པའི་གམ་རི་ཆུ་གི་ཉེ་འདབས་ལུ་ ཕན་དང་བདེ་བའི་འབྱུང་གནས་བཀྲིན་ཅན་གྱི་ཚོང་ཚོང་མ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེ་འབྱིན་རླབས་དང་ འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་རྒྱབ་བསྐྱོར་ལས་ འཛམ་གླིང་གཅིག་བསྒྱུར་གྱི་འགྱུར་བ་ལྟར་དུ་ ལུང་པ་ཆུང་རུང་རྩྭ་ཆུ་འཛོམས་ཟེར་དོ་བཟུམ་ མཉེ་མཁོ་མཐུན་རྐྱེན་ཚང་  མི་སེར་ཚུ་ག་ར་དགའ་སྐྱིད་ཀྱི་དཔལ་ལུ་སྤྱོད་བཞིན་པའི་ངང་ཡོད།

ལུང་པ་འདི་ཁར་ མི་སེར་སྤྱི་མཐུན་བསོད་ནམས་ལས་ མི་སྡེ་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཅིག་ སྤྱི་ལོ་ ༡༩༩༩ ལོར་ གཞི་བཙིགས་མཛད་ཡོདཔ་དང་ གཞན་ཡང་སོ་ནམ་ལས་ཁུང་ ནགས་ཚལ་ལས་ཁུང་ སྒོ་ནོར་ལས་ཁུང་དང་ སྨན་ཁང་ཆུང་བ་བཅས་ཀྱི་ཡིག་ཚང་ཚུ་ སྤྱི་ལོ་ ༢༠༠༩ དེ་ཅིག་ཁར་ལྷོད་ཅི། དེ་མ་ཚད་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་དམངས་གཙོའི་རིང་ལུགས་འགོ་བཙུགས་པའི་ཤུལ་ལུ་ དམངས་གཙོའི་གཞུང་དང་པའི་ངོ་ཐོག་ལུ་ ལུང་པ་འདི་ཁར་ མེད་ཐབས་མེད་པའི་སྣུམ་འཁོར་ལམ་དང་གློག་མེ་ཚུ་ཡང་ལྷོད་དེ་ མུན་བསྐལ་གྱི་གཡུས་བཟུམ་ཐམས་ཆགས་སྡོད་མི་འདི་ གནམ་ནུབ་མོ་ཡང་ཉིམ་ཤར་དོ་བཟུམ་གྱི་གནས་སྟངས་ཤར་ཏེ་ དགའ་བ་དང་སྟབས་བདེ་ཏོག་ཏོ་ཡ་སི། 

ཤེས་རིག་གི་ལིའུ།

མི་སྡེ་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཆགས་སའི་ས་གནས་འདི་ ཧེ་མ་མཇུག་མ་གཡུས་ཟེར་སླབ་སྲོལ་ཡོད་པའི་ས་གནས་ཁར་བརྐྱབ་ཡོདཔ་དང་ དེ་ཡང་འབྱོན་ཁར་གཡུས་ཀྱི་མཇུག་ལུ་ སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་མཇུག་མ་བཟུམ་ཡོད་པའི་ས་གནས་ཁར་ཡོད། ང་རང་དྲན་པ་སྨིན་མ་སྨིན་ཅིག་གི་རིང་ ས་གནས་འདི་སྒང་ཏོག་ཅིག་སྦེ་སྡོད་རུང་ ལུང་པའི་ཕམ་ག་ར་གིས་ རང་གི་བུ་གཞིའི་མི་ཚེ་ལུ་ཐུགས་བརྩེ་བས་གོངས་ཏེ་ གུང་པ་རེ་ལས་མི་རེ་རེ་བཅའ་མར་གཏོགས་དགོ་པའི་སྒྲིག་གཞི་བརྩམ་སྟེ་ ལག་ཆ་སྟ་རེ་དང་ཏོག་རྩེ་ གན་ཏི་དང་ལྕགས་ངར་ཚུ་ལག་ལེན་འཐབ་སྟེ་ ད་རེས་ཡོད་པའི་སློབ་ཁང་ཚུ་རྐྱབ་སའི་ཐངས་རྒྱ་ཆེནམོ་ཅིག་ལུ་བཟོ་ཡོདཔ་མ་ཚད་ སློབ་ཁང་ཚུ་ཡང་གནམ་བྱཱར་གྱི་ཤ་མོ་ས་ལས་སྐྱེས་དོ་བཟུམ་ རྐྱབ་གནང་ཡི། སློབ་གྲྭ་འདི་བཟོ་ནི་འགོ་བཙུགས་པའི་ཉིནམ་ལས་ ལུང་པའི་མི་སེར་ཚུ་ དཀའ་བ་ཁྱད་དུ་བསད་ ངལ་བ་དངས་དུ་བླངས་ ལྕི་བ་རྒྱབ་ཏུ་འཁུར་ ཤ་ཁྲག་གཟན་ནུ་བོར་ཏེ་ དཀའ་བ་གྲངས་མེད་དཔྱད་ཡོད་པའི་ལོ་རྒྱུས་ཚུ་ རྒྱ་ཤོག་དཀར་པོའི་ངོས་ལུ་བཀོད་པ་ཅིན་གྲངས་ལས་འདས་སྲིད། 

དེ་བསྒང་འགོ་ཐོག་ད་ལྟོ་སློབ་རིམ་བློ་གསར་ལྷབ་ས་དང་ འདི་གི་གཡས་ཧོང་ལུ་ཡོད་པའི་ཁྱིམ་དེ་ལས་ བ་མིན་པ་ཤིང་གི་འོག་ལུ་ཡོད་པའི་སློབ་དཔོན་སྡོད་སའི་ཁྱིམ་གསུམ་ལས་བརྒལ་མེདཔ་མ་ཚད་ གཞུང་གི་ཧོང་ལས་སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་ལུ་ ལྟོའི་གསོལ་རས་ཡང་མེད། སློབ་ཕྲུགཚུ་ཉི་མའི་ལྟོ་རང་རང་སོ་སོའི་ཁྱིམ་ནང་ལས་འབག་འོང་དོ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན།

འབྱོན་མཁར་མི་སྡེ་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཆུང་བ་འདི་ སྤྱི་ལོ་ ༡༩༩༩ ལོ་ནང་ འགོ་ཐོག་གཞུང་འབྲེལ་དུ་འགོ་བཙུགས་པའི་སྐབས་ སློབ་དཔོན་གཅིག་དང་སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཁལ་ལྷག་ཙམ་ཅིག་ལས་མེད། གཞན་དལ་གཞི་ང་ཡང་འགོ་ཐོག་སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུའི་གྲལ་ལུ་འཛུལ་ནི་གྱི་དཔའ་བཅམ་ཡོད་རུང་ དེ་ཚེ་ལོ་ ༥ རྐྱངམ་ཅིག་ལང་ཡོདཔ་ལས་འཛུལ་གཞུགས་ཀྱི་འགོ་སྐབས་མ་ཐོབ། ཨིན་རུང་ཤུལ་མམ་ཀྱི་ལོ་ སྤྱི་ལོ་ ༢༠༠༠ ལུ་འཛུལ་གཞུགས་འབད་ནི་གི་འགོ་སྐབས་འཐོབ་སྟེ་ ངའི་ཤེས་ཡོན་གྱི་ལམ་འགྲུལ་དེ་ འདི་ལས་འགོ་བཙུགས་ཅི།  

ངེའི་མི་ཚེ་ནང་་འབོརན་གསེར་བ་ཕངས་ འབགན་རི་བ་ལྕི་ མནོན་བག་ཆགས་ཆེ་བའི་གནས་ཡུན་འདི་ ང་རང་འབྱོན་མཁར་མི་སྡེ་སློབ་གྲྭ་ནང་སློབ་ཕྲུག་འབད་སྡོད་པའི་ཚོར་བ་ཚུ་ཨིན།

24 March 2023

I awoke to the gloomy weather that had soaked Richmond, British Columbia once more. Clouds banded together to satiate the presence of their texture against an empty blue sky. Upon performing my morning chores, I went to Bridgeport Station to ride the Skytrain to my college. The train was not as full as it had been on other days, but this did not concern me. Looking to the right, towards northern Vancouver, are snow-capped mountains that reminded me of my beautiful homeland. The memories stung me with a sweet venom, dousing past scenarios over my mind one after the other until I realized my departure from home that three months had elapsed since my arrival in Vancouver, British Columbia.

So many things went through my encounters, yet just a handful of them was valuable. I take those to my heart and prepare for the upcoming sessions. My Tier I likewise came to an end on this day by taking the 15-point quiz. That only took 35 minutes, and then there were some assignment reminders/discussions. After the class, I pulled through Yaletown's busy streets before boarding the train back home.

When I got home, it was already midday, and I promptly submitted my last assignment on the ACCT subject. It officially concluded my Tier-I, which was followed by a two-week sabbatical. Tier II will formally commence on April 11th, 2023, which I am quite excited about. Time passed by so quickly, and the first three months seemed like a cloud of dust billowing from my palm.

In the evening, I called my friends in Bhutan and had an hour-long teleconference with them. The major element of the conversation was updated on individual conditions and developments. It has filled the long sucked space of lonesomeness and restored my presence so as for me to strive harder for tomorrow.

It was written beneath a shower of spring sun rays, with the waving flowers in the air outside the window of 9211 Kilby Street, Richmond, BC.      

ས་མཐའི་ཁྱམས་པོ།

༆ ང་ནི་འཛམ་གླིང་ཡངས་པའི་གླིང་ལ་བསྐོར་སྐོར་བྱེད་དེ་ཁྱམས་པའི་སྤྲང་པོ་ཅིག་ཡིན། མི་ལོ་དུ་མར་མི་ཚེ་འཚོ་བཞིན་པའི་བུ་རང་གིས་ཡོད་ཚད་འཚོ་བའི་ཆ་རྐྱེན་སྐོར་རྩད་ཞིབ་དང་ཐབས་ལམ་གསར་དུ་རྟོགས་ཐབས་བྱེད་ཞིང་། འགྲུལ་བཞུད་ཀྱི་འཚོ་བའི་འཁོར་སྐྱོད་ཁྲོད་འཁུར་ཡོང་བའི་སུན་སྣང་ངམ་ནང་སེམས་ཀྱི་ནག་ནོག་དག་ལ་གཙང་སེལ་བྱེད། དེར་མ་ཟད་ངལ་ཞིང་དུབ་པའི་ལུས་ལའང་ སྟོབས་ཤུགས་ཁ་སྣོན་འཕར་ཏེ་ཡང་བསྐྱར་སྤྲང་པོ་རང་ནི་ཡ་ཡུད་ཀྱི་ལམ་དུ་སྙེག་པར་བྱེད།

ཡ་ཡུད་ཀྱིལམ་དུ་འཇུག་ནས་སྤྲང་པོ་རང་ལ་ལྷིང་འཇགས་སམ་ཞི་འཇགས་ཀྱི་དབེན་གནས་བསྐྲུན་ལ། ལུས་ངག་ཡིད་གསུམ་ལ་འཛིན་པའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་ཕྱི་ནང་གསང་གསུམ་དུ་གནས་པའི་བར་ཆད་ཆ་ཚང་སོས་དལ་བག་ཕེབས་ཀྱི་སྣང་བའི་མཁའ་རུ་ཡལ་བ་ལྟ་བུའི་ཚོར་སྣང་སྦྱིན།

ས་ནག་པོ་འདོམ་གྱི་འཇལ་ཞིང་སྤྲིན་དཀར་པོ་ཐོད་ལ་བཅིང་ནས་ སྐྱ་རེངས་དང་ས་སྲོད་ཀྱི་མཚམས་འགྲུལ་བཞུད་བྱེད་ཚེ་ངེས་ཏག་ཏག་ཚོར་བའི་གཏིང་རིམ་ནས་བཤད་མི་ཤེས་པའི་ཚོར་བ་དེ་ནི་ངོ་མ་ཧ་ཅང་མཛེས་སྡུག་ལྡན་པ་ཞིག་རེད་། ཚོར་སྣང་དེ་ནི་ས་ཐག་གི་ཁྱམས་པོས་མ་གཏོགས་སུས་ཀྱང་རྟོགས་མི་སྲིད།

དྲན་གདུང་། སྐྱོ་གདུང་། མནར་གཅོད་ག་འདྲ་ཞིག་གིས་རང་ལ་མནར་ཅིང་། དམིགས་གསལ་ངེས་ཅན་འགྲོ་ཡུལ་རྩ་བ་ནས་མེད་པའི་ལམ་ན་ཁོ་ལ་ག་དུས་ཡིན་ཡང་འདུག་རོགས་བྱེད། ཉིན་ལྟར་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་འཛིང་དང་འབྲལ་བའི་དབེན་པའི་འགྲོ་ལམ་ཁྱེད་ནི་ངའི་ནམ་ཡང་ལམ་རྒྱུས་བྱེད་མཁན་ གྲོས་བཏབ་གྱིན་པའི་སློབ་སྟོན་པ་ཁྱད་དུ་འཕགས་པའི་ཤེས་རབ་མངའ་བ་སྟེ། ང་ནི་ག་དུས་ཡིན་ཡང་ཁྱོད་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སྙེག་བཞིན་པའི་འགྲུལ་པ་སྟེ་ཡིན། ང་ནི་ཡ་ཡུད་ཀྱི་ཆེད་དུ་འཆི་འང་མྱོང་ལ་གསོན་འང་མྱོང་།

I am a person who has been travelling on this planet for some time. I have spent many years examining all avenues available and seeking out new means of livelihood. Amidst all, this journey has removed from me the worldly arousal and anchors of animosity. Additionally, the worn-out, battered body has restored its vigour to continue with this adventure.

Embracing this route has brought me tranquillity and contentment. All of my troubles and hardship became apparent to me at this point, and all of the obstacles I had been facing within, without, and hidden domains vanished into the void of peace and pleasure.

I have been travelling and measuring the earth's and the sky's length at dusk and dawn, and this has enabled me to experience those lovely sentiments one could ever desire to have. Adventurers are the only ones who can truly understand such experiences.

Nostalgia, despair, and whatever other tribulations I may encounter, graciously befriend me as a traveller who has no definite destination. Be my mentor and counsellor, endowed with excellent wisdom, and kindly escort me along the serene journey that is free of all the mundane commotion. I shall be your ardent pursuer and traveller no matter where I am. Both my life and my death will be devoted to this quest.

A New Start to New Year

It's a new year and a fresh start in Vancouver, Canada. I always keep thinking of Bhutan being close to Canada merely sharing a border as long as my thinking remains activated to auto-pilot mode. Then I try to think of the distance I’ve traversed to come to pursue my aspirations and realize the actual distance through reminiscing the lessons acquired about world maps in my past geography lessons. 

Since I was born in the 1990s, my generation has traveled quite a distance, yet I have inadequate experiences than I should have. When I joined my previous organization, I was able to formally discipline my mind and actions in the field of profession. For this distant past, I feel as though it unknowingly prepared me for this fate. Being at the Ministry has given me a wealth of knowledge about both the bilateral and multilateral spheres in international affairs. Everything, I achieved and accomplished is likely to have a strong bearing when I live among the Bhutanese diaspora in a foreign country. 

Ana Sonam is the incumbent President of the Bhutanese Association in BC. Before we left for Canada, my wife contacted her through the Facebook page, essentially asking for her help in putting up a house. Through Ana Sonam's assistance, I eventually managed to move into one of the flats in Richmond. When we arrived here, Ana President graciously consented to our request and took care of everything. Without her guidance and support, I can’t imagine situations we would have encountered otherwise. After being so acclimated to our own country's policies and circumstances, living in this developed nation comes with a variety of unique considerations.

Although much has been seen, there is still plenty to learn. My virtual orientation started on March 1, 2023, and finished on May 1, 2023. As the interaction between lecturers and students began, UCW student affairs inundated us with emails to keep us abreast and remind us of the prerequisites. I had to visit the university multiple times since I was confused about how I had registered for my courses. I visited the RO and the student help section, but to my dismay, they couldn’t resolve my issues. I meticulously reached out to them, but the responses were none to my satisfaction. There have been few responses for frequent forwarding of emails but eventually, I was able to address the issue and properly register for the course.

My wife attended multiple interviews with several organizations and was hired by now. She did, however, also decline to work for some organizations due to privacy considerations. In a similar manner, I also participated in a few interviews to acquire a part-time job. With this, my University's teaching sessions will begin on January 9, 2023, but I will begin taking classes on January 13, 2023. I'm eager to study and am looking forward to it.

A Roller coaster Ride

A year was sufficient to make or wreck the long-accumulated choices and goals. With the advent of several Covid protocol and the pandemic that afflicted the entire planet, life has everywhere imparted profound lessons about impermanence. Everyone, regardless of age, socioeconomic standing, gender, or religion, is a part of the global community's common cycle and is susceptible to the domino effect.

We just woke up to the call of sequential lockdown as the year 2022 began but as the year's end drew near, the world still couldn't get rid of its burned. Along the way, I have been busy complying with the system and performing my duties as per the assigned mandate. I never would have anticipated or expected that I would make this choice so quickly.

It was a year that was truly unnoticed in the midst of a roller coaster. I had a sea of obstacles that had thousands of emotional, psychological, and moral stress tentacles. My dearest loved ones were always there to encourage me while I handled all of this. My route has been opened up and I have reached this point safely thanks to everyone's prayers and blessings.

Thank you 2022 for this thrilling but a rewarding ride.

 

May everything be auspicious! 

The prayers answered

The months that succeeded the resignation from service have thoroughly tested my forbearance and spun my emotions inside-out. Anxieties plagued the days, and worry consumed every moments. It has bolstered my fortitude to deal with the outcome that may not have been envisaged. 

After two months of waiting, the heavily hyped breakthrough finally surfaced as the wonderful news opened its account. The Triple Gem’s blessings and my parents' prayers coalesced on the good news of the visa grant on November 26, 2022. Then the joyous heart began to beat to the pulse of ecstasy. 

I owe gratitude to everyone who has contributed to my achievement and showered goodwill, and this gratitude will always be due to all.

Meetup with my college-mates

 

Time does not pass, but it does go on. Another wonderful bead was being threaded to our rosaric cord of friendship as it continued...along the thread of time. On November 19, 2022, I had a short get-together with my college friends over supper at Mughlai Kitchen in Thimphu. Phurpa's wife and son have also joined us. Such an affair is infrequent because everyone is preoccupied with their own business. In previous meetups, we all had one thing in common, but on that day, something defined me apart. I joined the team as a non-civil servant for the first time nearly four years later. I was once again unemployed and plebeians alike, with many individuals haunting the town, warring for one's luck to nourish their stomach. I am grateful for my friends for the treat which is more of a parting gift at the turn of my next course of life.

With all my prayers, I wish them all the best!

Journey to Delhi- the gateway to my Next….

The Autumn sun soaks itself along the shore of the horizon and in dusk’s breast the day retires into the darkness. Not knowing when the dawn would strike, the serene night sings above the rooftops, sneaking through the dreams of many people beneath and lulling them deeper into the slumber. In the olden days, the day breaks to the call of rooster…coco-rico… and it was upon that soothing tone to which one would wake up from the bed and embark onto the daily chores.

However, around this time, as the old fading midnight retreats away from the sunrise which grows so near, people are too techno savvy and depend on the varying alarm tunes that rattles one’s eardrum to cast off the sleep and emerge from the cocoon of bed. It was a similar case I experienced at the crack of dawn on 24 October 2022 to pursue the journey towards Delhi via Siliguri when my phone alarm kept hasting me to set off my journey. Of late, Bhutanese people have begun to realize that the greener pasture on the other side has been the arbiter of their destiny. Thus, many who are capable of deciphering their future have moved in droves to countries like Australia, the USA and Canada.

Concerning the same note, my journey too has commenced and I arrived at Thimphu bus terminal in time but the frigid weather has got my face nearly stripped off its warmth. After I took my seat in the bus (Meto Transport), the distance gradually progressed and the more we descended the further we immersed into the heat; the larger the expanse of space we covered the busier the city became and the longer the duration we traveled the denser was the population. We crossed the border securely around noon, and as we traveled farther into the city, we were swarmed by cars and it became noisier, which I found repulsive. Almost after a round of clock, we have reached Siliguri, at the bosom of a kind and welcoming host- Ana Chimmi and Ata Tshering.

I scratched my head in inhibition and prayed our encounter would one day favor a way in which I would reciprocate their generosity. Along with this current of gratitude flowed another stream that charged the ambience to take deeper roots of synergy amongst all of us. There the host Ana Chimmi and Ata Tshering remained- bright and full of radiance, their interaction with us are genuine paste and comfortable, their service draped in the caring hand and their heart brimmed with happiness that I could clearly figure it out. It sparked my imagination as they appeared like a flowering creeper and a tree, sharing each other, all the vernal blossoms and strength. With each other's trust and an unwavering bond stretched into infinity, they decided to ascend and transcend together.

The day after, by autumn trees alongside, the busy Siliguri Train station came to life with the approaching Sikkim Mahadananda Express. Ana Chimmi accompanied and escorted four of us while Ata Tshering seen us off at the station. Life is but a journey, we say it evermore, passing under the moon’s cold sheet, the train wheeled around the bends producing noise from squeals, horn blasts and clickety-clack. In an endeavor to enter our much sought after future, the five of us will move up to Delhi's door and peer through a future window. The two days and a night’s journey was a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Amid the frenetic ebb of time, the journey seemed to have perched on the path of openness and our chemistry blossomed into a beautiful flower, undeterred by waves of hesitation as the train moved to the rhythm of an iron drum.

At Delhi, all five of us eventually resigned to the bed in Hotel Raj Villa around the midnight of 26 October 2022 after a tiring journey. We were able to successfully attend our appointments and accomplish the mission without too many difficulties the next day. The fear of Auto driver’s deception and looting loomed large over my cranium but their habits did not match Ana Chimmi’s dauntless calibre and bravery in managing the situation. The final day in Delhi was quite young as we boarded the plane to Bagdora but it has shed off a harsh strain of busy Delhi from all of us. Rather the Bagdora airport presented us with the fresher air and gentler ambience.

Finally, we completed the circle of journey and once again all of us were embraced with excellent hospitality at Ana Chimmi’s residence in Siliguri. It is difficult to articulate in words the support and blessings we received from them. I have no concept of where to begin or where to conclude when conveying my gratitude for Ana and Ata. Weaving words after words together to make phrases doesn't appear to be adequate to accurately express our gratitude. This is how the narrative should have ended, but it did not. Let me state that our story will continue from this point on and that it will never stop….

P.S. 

Another reason for making this journey special is that it was the first long distance trip with my wife. Every moment was special and entombed in my memory trove.

    

     

Changing Tides

I once had a dream, and I've had dreams ever since—dreams of leading a normal, decent life, a condition-free lifestyle that nonetheless adheres to fundamental principles. Gone are the days, I treaded the most demanding route of struggles for the finest jubilant victories. I have indulged in the most formulaic routines and uncovered a trove of lessons. I have received few notable awards, but I have missed out to take advantage of many opportunities available. On a handful instances, I've made my parents proud and on others, I too have underwhelmed them. Some things in life are indeed compensable, but many are not. Thus, I want to cherish the moment of existence more than whatever perks I throw in the towel.

The change in the direction of the wind has caught me by surprise. I had to maneuver my tide as it will ebb and flow yet I shall face it and enjoy the ride. Even if the world splits in two with a clap of thunder, I will still pursue my heart, which is a path that leads somewhere unknown but definite. I won't be returning, may thistles cover previous pathways but I shall proceed forward toward a bid to reach the call of destination that I know not. I shall lower the tone of my dream a bit otherwise they would just bring about despair but I took the choice to move in the direction that lacks a limit and yet is brimming with possibilities for exploration -the atmosphere that is judgment-free, open for dialogue, and gives people the freedom to express.

I've anticipated this moment for a while, and it too shall pass and many shall come forth. Whatever transpires, may it be for the best. All choices comprise considering trade-offs and embracing risk. Dreams are all about grandeur, forsaking challenges for an intended goal. Happiness is all but a pieces fitting oneself into the pie of reaping benefits. To navigate my life, I shall constantly aspire to strike a balance of my heart and mind.