tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300260772024-03-18T20:24:17.596+06:00PaSsu Diary A Journal of an Ordinary BhutaneseUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger726125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-39336737091021872252023-11-10T12:16:00.003+06:002023-11-10T12:16:40.995+06:00Billionaire Cinderella<div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Sara Blakely is the founder of <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/SPANX?__cft__[0]=AZUZ7Vl15hEqDhC9dZh1nZ48qRldTrUji5PnDtrl23EZtxQ3fECTcwpc2znA0auwT7J-XtqPImePElvzfD0sJFCeENvaVKlNbtf5r5ekXq_7k_mpY-qaq3pu1PcmYPuf5D8BRssaCFbh2ANf8o9CK1Vt_b1gkqUxL6J57eDLDAiMedu_cuCHHLeI-jytGsMBW5Q&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">SPANX</span></a>,</span> who was named the world's youngest, self-made female billionaire by Forbes Magazine and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in 2012.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In a few weeks, Sara is going to launch her new product, that shoe she is wearing: Sneakers with Heels. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>is in our country with Sir Richard Branson.</div></div></div><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="699" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpassudiaryblog%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02smSpxcrUZWJqTdQhpMZ1TgyMj8yYQceWChDpJTWvLEKg5a4PohBKKdybNrR1THool&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-19248798631260498802023-11-02T18:37:00.000+06:002023-11-02T18:37:18.024+06:00Quinoa Recipes for Bhutanese<p> Certainly! Here are five delicious and nutritious quinoa recipes:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. **Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Mediterranean Vegetables:**</p><p> - Ingredients: Cooked quinoa, chickpeas, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, red onion, feta cheese, olives, fresh parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.</p><p> - Instructions: Toss cooked quinoa with chickpeas and a variety of chopped vegetables. Add crumbled feta cheese, olives, and a dressing made from olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. **Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans:**</p><p> - Ingredients: Bell peppers, cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, cheese (optional), cilantro, salt, and pepper.</p><p> - Instructions: Cut the tops off bell peppers and remove seeds. In a bowl, mix cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and optional cheese. Stuff the mixture into the peppers and bake until peppers are tender.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. **Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Quinoa:**</p><p> - Ingredients: Cooked quinoa, shrimp, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.</p><p> - Instructions: Sauté shrimp in olive oil and minced garlic until cooked. Toss with cooked quinoa, fresh lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. **Vegetable and Chickpea Curry with Quinoa:**</p><p> - Ingredients: Cooked quinoa, chickpeas, mixed vegetables (e.g., carrots, peas, cauliflower), coconut milk, curry paste, garlic, ginger, onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.</p><p> - Instructions: Sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in a pot. Add mixed vegetables, chickpeas, coconut milk, and curry paste. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve over cooked quinoa and garnish with lime juice and cilantro.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. **Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers:**</p><p> - Ingredients: Cooked quinoa, black beans, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and your choice of toppings (e.g., lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, etc.).</p><p> - Instructions: Mash black beans and mix with cooked quinoa, breadcrumbs, egg, finely chopped onion, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Form into patties and cook on a stovetop or grill. Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember, you can always customize these recipes to suit your taste preferences and dietary restrictions. Enjoy your quinoa dishes!</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-90263575204393726852022-12-31T17:07:00.002+06:002023-01-05T16:43:25.206+06:00Top 10 Brand Bhutan Promotors Beyond Borders<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The year 2022 has been a tremendous year of transformation and risk-taking for Bhutan. We have finally done many things that we have only thought about or didn't even think about to this day. It's too early to get any sense of where it would take us but what matters is that we have done it. I am optimistic that it will be worth it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Of the many things that we braved to change, even though they seemed to be working fine (because just fine isn't enough anymore), is the transformation in the tourism sector. The sudden rise in the SDF from $65 to $200 shocked the sector, but that's where the idea of an exclusive destination gets real. We just have to wait and see if this was a masterstroke. I have reasons to believe it is. But we have to put in some effort to promote Brand Bhutan as an exclusive destination across the world and not just on paper. We must make the world curious as much as we have to make ourselves ready. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I made a list of the top ten Bhutanese citizens who have managed to create curiosity in parts of the world and made people ask, "Where is Bhutan?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Department of Tourism could use these people as ambassadors in the regions they are popular or at least recognize them in some form because if we are to put a cost on their contributions to the promotion of the brand Bhutan- it's going to be priceless. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwSo84-A_XRFvUV-8ac0JZ5Nxu_SVaAduTerdkKhIW1bU1yWUczlRfDGlaHtruz9vq8VIqcOAlqlbWho8mBgF60irVRjPJHE1kiPZYiVA_8vJEqspZovSO4GdOShOOmAhw0vmHZpgD_0kF3c-TZ7RlZbPbHhHn95TBAXGo_Df4SdC-X56OB8/s2000/Top%2010%20Brand%20Bhutan%20Promoter-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2000" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwSo84-A_XRFvUV-8ac0JZ5Nxu_SVaAduTerdkKhIW1bU1yWUczlRfDGlaHtruz9vq8VIqcOAlqlbWho8mBgF60irVRjPJHE1kiPZYiVA_8vJEqspZovSO4GdOShOOmAhw0vmHZpgD_0kF3c-TZ7RlZbPbHhHn95TBAXGo_Df4SdC-X56OB8/w640-h512/Top%2010%20Brand%20Bhutan%20Promoter-2.png" width="640" /></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>1. (Druk Thuksey) Pawo Choyning Dorji:</b> We all know about the Oscars nomination of Pawo's Lunana, a Yak in the Classroom, but we will never know the extent to which his film has promoted Bhutan globally. There is no way we can ever organically reach so many countries, cultures and languages as Lunana did. Therefore, I put him at the top of the list. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIc0-z_7ei5TcIuAlkNoIcCt9uYnyuOFSztSqKceMNjvghaRGBJYwG_I0ss5-Ztdkmm9i5Shoa9VRhlGLFBlO148GpwCWKjR7DdpUJVPJagY9QgzjyAIBOehQIYR7OpW3tJ6ppCeRv0uwmq1pkAjV22Spm0eNBkgJBKzrhJ41Rl_3h5dqNRU/s926/276145497_4937524566338691_6111414886521902981_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="923" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIc0-z_7ei5TcIuAlkNoIcCt9uYnyuOFSztSqKceMNjvghaRGBJYwG_I0ss5-Ztdkmm9i5Shoa9VRhlGLFBlO148GpwCWKjR7DdpUJVPJagY9QgzjyAIBOehQIYR7OpW3tJ6ppCeRv0uwmq1pkAjV22Spm0eNBkgJBKzrhJ41Rl_3h5dqNRU/w399-h400/276145497_4937524566338691_6111414886521902981_n.jpg" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pawo Choyning Dorji, Filmmaker </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>2. Dasho Tshering Tobgay: </b>Dasho's TED Talk captured the attention of millions of people across the globe on our country's extraordinary leadership, environment and culture. That talk alone must have created billions of dollars worth of goodwill, network and climate action. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETBNwIETxo32BJUoTZgMqVcb12dtoQaD0evrW_nQNDtldWEVypjpkMj931UWCQ3plZQ7IFTvEsLVAaFyEv_wOTSlrK3sVlMxxdcU99TH2X1vzHWadw7S33ENcKfs-RkcSJn7ncQ6_1CJynKGgG8btxCuyiEkCXapFN34zLB5huJBcyPYsoao/s586/TsheringTobgay_2016-embed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="586" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETBNwIETxo32BJUoTZgMqVcb12dtoQaD0evrW_nQNDtldWEVypjpkMj931UWCQ3plZQ7IFTvEsLVAaFyEv_wOTSlrK3sVlMxxdcU99TH2X1vzHWadw7S33ENcKfs-RkcSJn7ncQ6_1CJynKGgG8btxCuyiEkCXapFN34zLB5huJBcyPYsoao/w400-h400/TsheringTobgay_2016-embed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Motivational Speaker</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>3. Sangay Tsheltrim:</b> A bodybuilding champion turned actor with a military background fascinated the Bollywood audience, as he played against Bollywood superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. He has introduced Bhutan to parts of India where we are hardly known. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRYRECOLuBYRwVrlX7wGR13CMYLYKupaCeEGPc3Wl21qfEGR99VA0ncxibIMFGh3CdwLm-5qeGocP6F_EvhUlUiCmD3qvXADaSo1ziMmJ-9n5wzDMeWAiZVPRV6E1QsdXGheowen_vqEd3cqTIPcYmHcPIiqffCI17sUeJz4_W50rZnYD0v0/s960/313401468_5820938507945730_7613377945180000292_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="958" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRYRECOLuBYRwVrlX7wGR13CMYLYKupaCeEGPc3Wl21qfEGR99VA0ncxibIMFGh3CdwLm-5qeGocP6F_EvhUlUiCmD3qvXADaSo1ziMmJ-9n5wzDMeWAiZVPRV6E1QsdXGheowen_vqEd3cqTIPcYmHcPIiqffCI17sUeJz4_W50rZnYD0v0/s320/313401468_5820938507945730_7613377945180000292_n.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sangay Tsheltrim, Bodybuilder, Actor</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>4. Kelly Dorji:</b> Kelly was the only Bhutanese we had in the international film industry for decades. He has shared the silver screen with the biggest names in Indian cinema, and to this day, we see him on TV every few days. His roles in south Indian cinema are particularly glamorous even though they are negative roles. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH7hAtfcVaXg2q728kpHcQsDtqG2X6kkfuaMncgTv76KQSOyZ0_eyWZgDhobWYxPN0k8Wtf5BjsnnEYx3fUqgc68L8u-V1eAuO-QUUHlaK4xbEDXtHsw7dVkkxOxLG3BLplqudEuyRUlGVs6MP7EBQm-xbMSmO6Z6jPd-SO_lkOKwyAg7MQQ/s1648/318148273_10166862522215580_2858834846764035822_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1648" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH7hAtfcVaXg2q728kpHcQsDtqG2X6kkfuaMncgTv76KQSOyZ0_eyWZgDhobWYxPN0k8Wtf5BjsnnEYx3fUqgc68L8u-V1eAuO-QUUHlaK4xbEDXtHsw7dVkkxOxLG3BLplqudEuyRUlGVs6MP7EBQm-xbMSmO6Z6jPd-SO_lkOKwyAg7MQQ/s320/318148273_10166862522215580_2858834846764035822_n.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly Dorji, Actor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>5. Pinda Panda</b> is a celebrated gamer and streamer living in Malaysia. She is living a life that most young people dream of. She has a huge fan following; for them, she is their introduction to Bhutan. She should appear in kira sometimes to fascinate her fan on the big gaming platforms. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zQtjNIcNZUGb7Q1lZgBTueuscK9N6YhTY2iXOFG3KMs1vn29uFcFL95_7eGdfcygkSMCFFFhrcuMLcdOzErVVeT4X8XzFOUmDIJbXI1l3UfqaSqRUe2HGtvIDyRwqPWR_-EvIpbPh_oZdRRcroqRVkix0BjMLRCOUGJvrmq9B-j-AnmDst0/s1362/287041002_570892167727513_211560159351585462_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="1360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zQtjNIcNZUGb7Q1lZgBTueuscK9N6YhTY2iXOFG3KMs1vn29uFcFL95_7eGdfcygkSMCFFFhrcuMLcdOzErVVeT4X8XzFOUmDIJbXI1l3UfqaSqRUe2HGtvIDyRwqPWR_-EvIpbPh_oZdRRcroqRVkix0BjMLRCOUGJvrmq9B-j-AnmDst0/s320/287041002_570892167727513_211560159351585462_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinda, Gamer</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>6. Chencho Gyeltshen:</b> He took Bhutanese football to a whole new level by breaking the glass ceiling and starring in clubs in India. He made the whole country watch Indian premier leagues on TV. He made the commentators shout "Chencho from Bhutan" a hundred times in a match. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1pblZIwmEyunihegzaMjxoa0lvYJkoNTGQoWYjdmoR1CWUnYNWD_oIB-nvBTO99K0tUiR28mcyl0oczRjrYwq2oBYH-d-xN8b-7cFZqITzxBZ_NMkQnJbagw_8jTmoop32m_WzRLn0HHIe0YsC-wy_IDRmLMEORFF4pNaPKj1fdk1wuu3Ls/s582/269514993_629158791900577_3657899247768418960_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1pblZIwmEyunihegzaMjxoa0lvYJkoNTGQoWYjdmoR1CWUnYNWD_oIB-nvBTO99K0tUiR28mcyl0oczRjrYwq2oBYH-d-xN8b-7cFZqITzxBZ_NMkQnJbagw_8jTmoop32m_WzRLn0HHIe0YsC-wy_IDRmLMEORFF4pNaPKj1fdk1wuu3Ls/s320/269514993_629158791900577_3657899247768418960_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chencho Gyeltshen, Football Player</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>7. Phub Zam:</b> Chechey Phub Zam, who emerged from a singing show, found her calling as a different breed of a singer who could touch people's hearts with a special voice for spiritual songs. She tours Buddhist countries across the Himalayan region, singing spiritual songs and spreading happiness. </span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhILdYTjVSeTeI-sekLNBy9Ndt94Ug-odq_W9F1upLHaXSYG-O28jLKki9fVjXY9xPy4tN-7tQyj17VZMC5g9h9b-gbLzIMGFR7zRtyDiE-zTc2fZuXZ2gkniPUUketbuO7o332X6CUREvZz8X4jRL7lg6sbzsXWYG9lLlqaWUeJCt7idptU/s525/322290829_453849850288362_1665203028963670025_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhILdYTjVSeTeI-sekLNBy9Ndt94Ug-odq_W9F1upLHaXSYG-O28jLKki9fVjXY9xPy4tN-7tQyj17VZMC5g9h9b-gbLzIMGFR7zRtyDiE-zTc2fZuXZ2gkniPUUketbuO7o332X6CUREvZz8X4jRL7lg6sbzsXWYG9lLlqaWUeJCt7idptU/s320/322290829_453849850288362_1665203028963670025_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phub Zam, Singer</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>8. Ryhaan Giri:</b> This young man introduced himself to us from the Voice of Nepal stage. His captivating voice, combined with his sweet nature and good looks, is capturing the imagination of the Nepali population. He is creating an image of Bhutan in Nepal that they haven't known.</span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerSWInE3aSxdLtNGXa42sb_9myiWpSWAzb8hzyFNseQQtW1wdyvFht0ZXxffTrl1B2goM_7N5AuX5m7Z-PTAx3WGHShyCc9G-Cvv9bClG4NntjKHnG_AxDa8WT5_vQuf2mKcfX7kyJc4KlxnwJFb4NrXSBx5bR6Pt2eX4i7vHlwN5-zjfo2g/s500/318700360_136065149247910_4373354177923915003_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerSWInE3aSxdLtNGXa42sb_9myiWpSWAzb8hzyFNseQQtW1wdyvFht0ZXxffTrl1B2goM_7N5AuX5m7Z-PTAx3WGHShyCc9G-Cvv9bClG4NntjKHnG_AxDa8WT5_vQuf2mKcfX7kyJc4KlxnwJFb4NrXSBx5bR6Pt2eX4i7vHlwN5-zjfo2g/s320/318700360_136065149247910_4373354177923915003_n.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryhaan Giri, Singer</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>9. Ugyen Choden:</b> When Ugyen appeared on some foreign TV shows giving interviews, she amused us with her candid remarks. We didn't know she was building a career in Nepali Cinema back then. Now, she is much loved in Nepal with back-to-back projects. If Ryhaan makes the Nepali girls scream out his name, Ugyen will do that for the boy. </span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDh_jg7_-Yu2Gj_8ewW0mJpCO0hbQ3Od2i9mQ6zN4IZaWgVUzKy11NW4OO8heL9TMsdmEXWttzTAehvs1tclmSpG11ZA2_zetQgQO6if9GHHHKZAIPVM0M0_2SPIR8_RjDPMZU_r1AIUSFkItGroAcY188-p_5XG6Ku9qqNLeksjCCKPB5w4/s1502/312541521_644154310712679_2756338344965245884_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="1432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDh_jg7_-Yu2Gj_8ewW0mJpCO0hbQ3Od2i9mQ6zN4IZaWgVUzKy11NW4OO8heL9TMsdmEXWttzTAehvs1tclmSpG11ZA2_zetQgQO6if9GHHHKZAIPVM0M0_2SPIR8_RjDPMZU_r1AIUSFkItGroAcY188-p_5XG6Ku9qqNLeksjCCKPB5w4/s320/312541521_644154310712679_2756338344965245884_n.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugyen Choden, Actor </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><b>10. Tashi Choden:</b> Tashi was into modelling and acting in the last few years, and it seemed like that was it, but the young girl changed it all for a new beginning by contesting for Miss Bhutan 2022 and winning it. The next phase of her life has just started, and she will undoubtedly represent Bhutan on the world stage in vogue. </span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMObmf2bDwGkMZSbT9RhMsydsFBnywzNIdgnvuoSDlQTne_UTDJN4Td6xc5ntOkRuxK0xlz97lFpnPVxzLf2njCWMAtyxsng7bXygeEHiyWu6dXDgzmRRfm7Y9UKv2tdNPZJSlTZyrlfhRjXEbB2vqBezwux0oVVY-7ffOEXEL1dLG5tHVrs/s546/290085744_108187678608354_2207452984997771285_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="546" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMObmf2bDwGkMZSbT9RhMsydsFBnywzNIdgnvuoSDlQTne_UTDJN4Td6xc5ntOkRuxK0xlz97lFpnPVxzLf2njCWMAtyxsng7bXygeEHiyWu6dXDgzmRRfm7Y9UKv2tdNPZJSlTZyrlfhRjXEbB2vqBezwux0oVVY-7ffOEXEL1dLG5tHVrs/s320/290085744_108187678608354_2207452984997771285_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-39437119813556719002022-12-30T18:36:00.001+06:002022-12-30T18:36:41.588+06:00Reviving School Museum in Bajothang<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">One of the last things I did before leaving Bajothang was starting a school museum club and physically creating a school museum. But that was in 2014, and after I left, my idea almost died. In the first few years, I would call my old friends to inquire about the status of my museum; each time called, I got more disappointed until I stopped calling. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpz6YUBrxmccTh8216nIkRQFn6XoGqk2rx9mdSU8hnrsJ5brCT4-FuVlZFFNB1myZi5JOKmGmhp4v72n3I-RpE3FdOjw4Ltm55omWLkjWBm835TWCJ2ndLNZL5A2vRays8QD1jiD6_sRJxko2jj-bn0-pMwNZF1IvfVS0Kk4kbVJAUbzP97A/s1600/IMG_2193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpz6YUBrxmccTh8216nIkRQFn6XoGqk2rx9mdSU8hnrsJ5brCT4-FuVlZFFNB1myZi5JOKmGmhp4v72n3I-RpE3FdOjw4Ltm55omWLkjWBm835TWCJ2ndLNZL5A2vRays8QD1jiD6_sRJxko2jj-bn0-pMwNZF1IvfVS0Kk4kbVJAUbzP97A/w640-h478/IMG_2193.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014: My Students and I on the trip to Matalungchu</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Fast forward to 2022, and out of the blue, I got a call from a teacher in Bajothang, Mr Norbu, who traced me out as the founder of the museum and shared his passion for reviving it. He called to ask me to attend the opening of the museum. </span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydy6oOJP-lDkCXkqvbQVgRoUBqWGMN-aIVYUsQfDRmsb2j-wcpanoWT_u5d3PqVKaCOBctyWDTOtus_5cK59WPhmhigpd3fCFz-Nngvk5kdyY-_iAaIL9FfL22LcdQ-IH-mLFw7kZhBE95xwdW1Mz4uV-llobufY0zVfRZh-hxGsRnc4kUOw/s1600/IMG_2253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydy6oOJP-lDkCXkqvbQVgRoUBqWGMN-aIVYUsQfDRmsb2j-wcpanoWT_u5d3PqVKaCOBctyWDTOtus_5cK59WPhmhigpd3fCFz-Nngvk5kdyY-_iAaIL9FfL22LcdQ-IH-mLFw7kZhBE95xwdW1Mz4uV-llobufY0zVfRZh-hxGsRnc4kUOw/w400-h299/IMG_2253.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014: Look what we found.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgAcjX389RXdGKT60J-Hi_e2f9mJGKr8xm2r3DdtrJk87sDQwkPQ0Ke1UunwxyJkjg87_dhjokrRud5fpRBpGpgMHQaDql-f_c0Cftl_MPODkoNJGH0-CaWxoABJK4ekSb-FYKWDDe5MpDyURbxLVQI6ep-ZjuJgXxkVkHAXIgodlqLmUJIc/s1600/DSC_0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgAcjX389RXdGKT60J-Hi_e2f9mJGKr8xm2r3DdtrJk87sDQwkPQ0Ke1UunwxyJkjg87_dhjokrRud5fpRBpGpgMHQaDql-f_c0Cftl_MPODkoNJGH0-CaWxoABJK4ekSb-FYKWDDe5MpDyURbxLVQI6ep-ZjuJgXxkVkHAXIgodlqLmUJIc/w400-h225/DSC_0150.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Oven Maker</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After he called, I walked down memory lane on <a href="https://www.passudiary.com/search?q=School+Museum" target="_blank">my blog to the time my 22 students and I joined forces to start a new club.</a> I remember starting the club to convert the old building into a museum and protect it from being demolished. That old structure has a fascinating history that makes it worth preserving. It's said to be the first structure built on the empty plains of Bajothang during the reign of the Third King. The place was created to serve as the centre of commercial ventures, a new idea of a marketplace back then. </span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyeGcr_ps-6YwNsca-X1n76VUQMFEfA-inpR8wynoshL__C3ZsENDy9O_UBrgNKEqBe4ZBT0j3ZUo33auOpVgtdnYHySE-nGYhVIQrN3Xst3L1wVXAV37b1V_K2hCcWBI61TaZhh8uI6OikauWpk8bzCa88uQR7uuNnBbDXgQfOzCp7datpE/s1280/320556290_5736402819746228_4284167202443324962_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyeGcr_ps-6YwNsca-X1n76VUQMFEfA-inpR8wynoshL__C3ZsENDy9O_UBrgNKEqBe4ZBT0j3ZUo33auOpVgtdnYHySE-nGYhVIQrN3Xst3L1wVXAV37b1V_K2hCcWBI61TaZhh8uI6OikauWpk8bzCa88uQR7uuNnBbDXgQfOzCp7datpE/w640-h480/320556290_5736402819746228_4284167202443324962_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Norbu posing with the Museum Signage ( It's the same board we made in 2014)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuTh2pAYS34kaEQNSOM9RBO6ioWoDXyxfdlETS4_fmohj2xD4in-L5CFwFdOAx0UbQhWS940_tlPSSrIgN9-SyBJ4Vo_ryM6304PbiV1d49ce1pDDtsYiKv0Ic02Bmwh_qcSQYV9lIz2Ee1AjGZpPeizGD41-4LKY_yVui7aeSroH_iM9E_U/s2048/320827395_472429458368859_4249820878481691725_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="2048" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuTh2pAYS34kaEQNSOM9RBO6ioWoDXyxfdlETS4_fmohj2xD4in-L5CFwFdOAx0UbQhWS940_tlPSSrIgN9-SyBJ4Vo_ryM6304PbiV1d49ce1pDDtsYiKv0Ic02Bmwh_qcSQYV9lIz2Ee1AjGZpPeizGD41-4LKY_yVui7aeSroH_iM9E_U/w640-h310/320827395_472429458368859_4249820878481691725_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Structure housing the Museum.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: medium;">I am grateful to Norbu for gathering a bunch of young people around him to revive the project I had started and for reaching out to me to be a part of it. He recognized the importance of that project, which showcases rural artefacts that are alien to urban Bhutan. The importance of the school museum will only grow with time as we distance away from our roots. Even when we were starting the project in 2014, many of us couldn't recognise half the artefacts we collected. Imagine what it will be like now and worse in a few years when Bhutanese children are born in a foreign land. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGO9S1uc27UbkKXBjxuh7Mou9-zvhltMpOqylwEP0CTYmmVlQNZbFCpbjfNZyq-FiQxRY6sYjLuAov6g8AdNiVzFHiJEaYrMxLqMNvkgwfkNiKKJQG11cJbwVGdYuTho3Mx90w4IpX8URii8-wmADV2JQ0P8xL_jcH_AadaXLrFqgBF7tCfu0/s960/museum%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="960" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGO9S1uc27UbkKXBjxuh7Mou9-zvhltMpOqylwEP0CTYmmVlQNZbFCpbjfNZyq-FiQxRY6sYjLuAov6g8AdNiVzFHiJEaYrMxLqMNvkgwfkNiKKJQG11cJbwVGdYuTho3Mx90w4IpX8URii8-wmADV2JQ0P8xL_jcH_AadaXLrFqgBF7tCfu0/w640-h478/museum%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Kids who made this happen. I wonder where they are now. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: medium;">Mr Norbu knows more than just reviving the dying project; he made it an important event in Wangdue Dzongkhag but inviting the Lam Neten and Dzongda to inaugurate the School Museum on the 115th National Day. </span></p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="702" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWangduephodrangDzongkhag%2Fposts%2Fpfbid033KBaQYLBGQNF89Jr75qHWgVK9fVgf53uMs5qJFCvk9XTcay3ortzjqzYVKqerB7yl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-72948526327173746422022-12-30T17:41:00.003+06:002022-12-30T17:41:21.439+06:00Chening Dorji- A Driver to a Published Birder<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chening Dorji is more than a person; he is one of the most inspiring stories you will hear. He was a primary school dropout who had to leave because of financial difficulty. He dropped out to help his parents and lived a life of a villager. After over a decade of cow herding, his desire for education brought him to Thimphu, where he became a driver for </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="xt0psk2" color="var(--accent)" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/RSPN-Bhutan-350598148378654/?__cft__[0]=AZWMbpdGr8i1NSCVa6bYbWH03l1aXRfm5IZgst1zD5oYbjJJ7oMlvaoCb5FNsTjz068X0usKn-aLFiN8mri0tn3RdadA493z2V4xehzrKswZrtsJGHeEGgogkoOBhH_T228ZaWWzPYcURMjHJ5MRVEtVPo2UFdT0AewgHkOp3LZ56MOtm1y0xhfUExvHOmy9wXk&__tn__=kK-R" role="link" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--accent); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">RSPN Bhutan</a>. </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNulyBZSehU4fS-MtaoyRU3146KcXSa7hesfO16YhAEdxbHpX-Si4-UGRxbApFME7tx6bgc-Cxf_6Srbc61cr-1IeKZrfhyee-mgOr4qKkLIL9pKa6BUHDg9ghaAgZVmCj0XJFI7tjjApOv4n0Br5GnVv9I85oGfTWjNrlNOL66fkMkrNYHg/s2048/322725643_1606789163088371_3859676411175634141_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="2048" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNulyBZSehU4fS-MtaoyRU3146KcXSa7hesfO16YhAEdxbHpX-Si4-UGRxbApFME7tx6bgc-Cxf_6Srbc61cr-1IeKZrfhyee-mgOr4qKkLIL9pKa6BUHDg9ghaAgZVmCj0XJFI7tjjApOv4n0Br5GnVv9I85oGfTWjNrlNOL66fkMkrNYHg/w400-h394/322725643_1606789163088371_3859676411175634141_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">A villager man coming to Thimphu and becoming a driver is no story to tell. But wait, as a driver, he just didn't drive around people, wash the car and wait for his salary. He did more. He drove around environmentalists, ecologists, conservationists, and all prominent wildlife experts. He didn't just drive them around and wait for them near the car; he joined them in the field. </span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Among many, while driving Aum Rebecca Pradhan, </span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">a renowned ecologist with RSPN,</span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"> to the field, he showed his interest in learning from her about plants, animals and wildlife. She took notice of his genuine thirst for learning and started grooming him. He was her driver on the road and apprentice in the field, that too a great one. </span></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">On the other front, his former executive director at RSPN, Dr Lam Dorji too saw the passionate learner in Chening and sent him for a basic English language course in India. What difference can a basic language course make to an ordinary person? But Chening proved to be more than an ordinary learner, which Dr Lam Dorji recognized. In a few months, Chening returned with impressive literacy skills that opened his gate to unlimited knowledge. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NLR5GKNk_d65q2KLfUOFL-2PR6l1DcdX9oHVRibl1pawXo02FeFkgny267wDmHif6CjFNmbBTMmI0RU4IoK_TgKzfluNRpcQ8SrtLVuyglxgL7Xv_HONqbNXHmqa-gfAtLLokvo2jbDwUWtnahW5oEfA9jAXDrhNMgKYge80fcNUWri94yg/s1330/321974942_868682227784805_4447442050480683422_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="1153" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NLR5GKNk_d65q2KLfUOFL-2PR6l1DcdX9oHVRibl1pawXo02FeFkgny267wDmHif6CjFNmbBTMmI0RU4IoK_TgKzfluNRpcQ8SrtLVuyglxgL7Xv_HONqbNXHmqa-gfAtLLokvo2jbDwUWtnahW5oEfA9jAXDrhNMgKYge80fcNUWri94yg/w346-h400/321974942_868682227784805_4447442050480683422_n.jpg" width="346" /></a></div></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The pleasant man, now equipped with literacy, didn't spare any opportunity to learn while driving wildlife experts around in the field and turned himself into a professional birder and photographer, who is now a resource person for young Bhutanese Birders(YBB). And now, he is a published author of a bird photography book, Wings of the Dragon, Birds from the Kingdom of Bhutan. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The second edition of his books is out. But it's not for sale, sadly. If you wish to grab a copy, contact <span class="xt0psk2" color="var(--accent)" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/BHUTAN.WWF?__cft__[0]=AZWMbpdGr8i1NSCVa6bYbWH03l1aXRfm5IZgst1zD5oYbjJJ7oMlvaoCb5FNsTjz068X0usKn-aLFiN8mri0tn3RdadA493z2V4xehzrKswZrtsJGHeEGgogkoOBhH_T228ZaWWzPYcURMjHJ5MRVEtVPo2UFdT0AewgHkOp3LZ56MOtm1y0xhfUExvHOmy9wXk&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--accent); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">WWF Bhutan</a>,</span> where he works. The book is published by his office in recognition of his extraordinary talent and story. </span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-11164134653448383012022-12-23T17:10:00.009+06:002023-01-06T17:19:29.443+06:00Personal Transformation 2022<p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">When I came out of the last lockdown, I could feel my cheeks hanging and my belly visibly swollen. I was beginning to snore while sleeping, which often awakened me. I had backaches and beginning to feel older than my age. </span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">That's when Sangay Tsheltrim reminded me of the offer he gave me a year ago. He said, "you are younger than me but look at you..." </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I owe it to you, brother. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>That's when I told my lazy self that it was now or never and started going to <span class="xt0psk2" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--accent); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/thimphumusclefactory/?__cft__[0]=AZVe8sGHx-Dei3R42jRvNiSlFAI9CVtQmjl-jKSu3FlAUjGqM0YoMdefwrJjPfsfIvKCO9AT0N15kb16lO7l3TAh8Rmg5NM2s5_GBFIGjzEFC3D0-p2mgHoxO2wGq8UPjqfD60RdVBVRn7dGMmRpIUkAo7_zvQEfS4F1CAZJGCEzHvEQRL0GZFcnDLLFRU9BKwA&__tn__=kK-R" role="link" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--accent); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">Thimphu Muscle Factory Champion's Gym</a>.</span> </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">It wasn't easy. Every morning I wished I didn't have to wake up to go to the gym, but soon things changed. The snoring disappeared. Backaches gone. After the morning gym, the day felt so good. Gradually, the tummy went back in. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHA8j7YWnQmZl-mtjbZ1rOQKvFJtECCPBusZG1OaGcspu1wosuiSe9oBHcxkf5H0ge-rRcNec926egS-APU4-VpWmxQctx7NAm5V-lbiMWzttWltIxTCPva4yIr1i56HhwnGapmEkVF221yXaiWm9UuXROuMSl4VLrcRF0qMA7R9VmJcCm3w/s1080/Before.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHA8j7YWnQmZl-mtjbZ1rOQKvFJtECCPBusZG1OaGcspu1wosuiSe9oBHcxkf5H0ge-rRcNec926egS-APU4-VpWmxQctx7NAm5V-lbiMWzttWltIxTCPva4yIr1i56HhwnGapmEkVF221yXaiWm9UuXROuMSl4VLrcRF0qMA7R9VmJcCm3w/w453-h453/Before.png" width="453" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-17530331769396931152022-11-18T23:51:00.004+06:002022-11-19T12:35:15.980+06:00CSO Contribution to Sanitation in Bhutan<style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Georgia",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Georgia",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Georgia",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Georgia",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Georgia",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:595.0pt 842.0pt;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:9840974;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:863031644 134807567 134807577 134807579 134807567 134807577 134807579 134807567 134807577 134807579;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
-->
</style>The emergence of Bhutan's own national civil society organization (CSO) in the sanitation sector is a recent development. However, with their volunteers and activities at the grassroots levels, their contributions are significant in raising awareness, civic responsibility and influencing social changes. The decades of government efforts found a complementing partner in civil society to make it complete.<br /><br />Following are some of the contributions made by the national CSOs in sanitation;<br /><br />1. <b>Policy Dialogue: </b>CSOs contributed significantly to influencing, lobbying, drafting and reviewing national sanitation policies, guidelines, and roadmap. They are also a major player in creating awareness on sanitation issues and mobilizing volunteers to become a part of the solution. They are also responsible for highlighting the government's efforts and letting people do their part. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ_cYn4FWa21Ae0qrWBN3wpNvEPQR7poMsra_dzvb6CVfbokyyN1iUYlEeGmhkodG0kp6EBZMvIGe_-KJfwx44uYU2-R3fe8sEstTC9A5XnOeBJ3NnWy8R8gmZOWS4wHE8JbyqTS3bQ_7OjoAeSALGXZqr0FoBTYXmjZdooixEUOytZDJpI/s4843/20181219-5P1A0931.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3229" data-original-width="4843" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ_cYn4FWa21Ae0qrWBN3wpNvEPQR7poMsra_dzvb6CVfbokyyN1iUYlEeGmhkodG0kp6EBZMvIGe_-KJfwx44uYU2-R3fe8sEstTC9A5XnOeBJ3NnWy8R8gmZOWS4wHE8JbyqTS3bQ_7OjoAeSALGXZqr0FoBTYXmjZdooixEUOytZDJpI/w566-h377/20181219-5P1A0931.jpg" width="566" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8BJdLR0mmkh0d8PXv7eWSEz_H9MllxWteIdQpeWtcJNpqr-2R0uE_sAoERl5UFP90iSs9oLO-sCm3-EjL-RmiP7G-8NDi3qjQ6IReAxrxauL95yzu3j1pSg6B3JmreJMWatfZvBXHIhEflY39GuPZhfh99LLUzlAxQ1xVFO_n_TXx6phJcY/s4128/20190207_113754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8BJdLR0mmkh0d8PXv7eWSEz_H9MllxWteIdQpeWtcJNpqr-2R0uE_sAoERl5UFP90iSs9oLO-sCm3-EjL-RmiP7G-8NDi3qjQ6IReAxrxauL95yzu3j1pSg6B3JmreJMWatfZvBXHIhEflY39GuPZhfh99LLUzlAxQ1xVFO_n_TXx6phJcY/w566-h318/20190207_113754.jpg" width="566" /></a><div><div><br />2. <b>Proper management of public toilets</b>: many public toilet facilities have become defunct without proper ownership or management. CSO volunteers conducted mass cleaning campaigns to make the facilities usable and handed them over to caretakers.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXzmTdu1xNDwFVXSvp0OEihTKHyIdjefaRc5uJNefH-ZA4jtClSeia3GaTWI4dFGMi8WYX-PTVFbZuhn5fIGrnLpl5zT-uknfqdauUnd9zJrNWWL4VeEvGxJrpQRAW8kujuvbn_8p819IetdgYhTXIQyPKQOleynVDwklSYGDfNfPkklYzQg/s1391/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-26%20at%2008.54.28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="1391" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXzmTdu1xNDwFVXSvp0OEihTKHyIdjefaRc5uJNefH-ZA4jtClSeia3GaTWI4dFGMi8WYX-PTVFbZuhn5fIGrnLpl5zT-uknfqdauUnd9zJrNWWL4VeEvGxJrpQRAW8kujuvbn_8p819IetdgYhTXIQyPKQOleynVDwklSYGDfNfPkklYzQg/w580-h165/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-26%20at%2008.54.28.png" width="580" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA02swd4WrkYDYJp2kRVqI3E-TvMzFxMrf-0ghbJ5Tn5jHso-yboSFwcv3shfJeXStLKJx6bKyJngxfzD97FcfO7TIqCDyasTSD1ZWe1LOdyDDT7ZXzfbCvz6Z7U_9iqp1JZyNcJR0A2jwL3rp_5u63gu869q8MrJMBG_ZkgVoAbSwLJ32_TA/s4608/20190702_163120.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA02swd4WrkYDYJp2kRVqI3E-TvMzFxMrf-0ghbJ5Tn5jHso-yboSFwcv3shfJeXStLKJx6bKyJngxfzD97FcfO7TIqCDyasTSD1ZWe1LOdyDDT7ZXzfbCvz6Z7U_9iqp1JZyNcJR0A2jwL3rp_5u63gu869q8MrJMBG_ZkgVoAbSwLJ32_TA/w574-h323/20190702_163120.jpg" width="574" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: center;">3. </span><b style="text-align: center;">School Toilet Upgrade:</b><span style="text-align: center;"> students were using old toilets that are difficult to clean and maintain hygiene. With students using unsafe and dirty toilets, their behaviours are reflected in the way the Bhutanese perceive toilets. Realizing the influence of school toilets on overall national sanitation, CSO partnered with the Ministry of Education and development partners to upgrade over 2800 units of school toilets using smart methods and technologies. Over 400 school staff are trained to carry out maintenance work. </span></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdneoVk2vw4lScI4SCC0cjksFIakF-jFt8heBOyQS3xL6FZxsTBZx11YSThUT8XYMzslcR-5pwDkJXAQDd3kGLDmknCrTIHCcCnqLowFNO6FPvdRkRcVQiEll4sVzXwKTsbgJBPOM9fCfCaWQ1PboSj4zdgNvh82tFDQcl7Lmy62SXWzV-RnI/s2016/received_389645738572108.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="2016" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdneoVk2vw4lScI4SCC0cjksFIakF-jFt8heBOyQS3xL6FZxsTBZx11YSThUT8XYMzslcR-5pwDkJXAQDd3kGLDmknCrTIHCcCnqLowFNO6FPvdRkRcVQiEll4sVzXwKTsbgJBPOM9fCfCaWQ1PboSj4zdgNvh82tFDQcl7Lmy62SXWzV-RnI/w540-h304/received_389645738572108.jpeg" width="540" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK0fU2QcOctB9kV3hGdrNKlUJMrCt3aYNfUZx7NtK85cD-LkW1sLUhSe3FEt8fdpaHlNQUUCqtkME3Wj00fPPk2WH7X1M6Xciv3Ky8GeVFW9XLi_bE2whRRX4yu9XGIglxk-WXbn3ZfN541vvgXDtCQaoRmpbEibt7TMimPGP25JuKFZZiGE/s1435/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-26%20at%2008.40.32.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1435" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK0fU2QcOctB9kV3hGdrNKlUJMrCt3aYNfUZx7NtK85cD-LkW1sLUhSe3FEt8fdpaHlNQUUCqtkME3Wj00fPPk2WH7X1M6Xciv3Ky8GeVFW9XLi_bE2whRRX4yu9XGIglxk-WXbn3ZfN541vvgXDtCQaoRmpbEibt7TMimPGP25JuKFZZiGE/w541-h232/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-26%20at%2008.40.32.png" width="541" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDE1s67GIhZzpETQmpY3RgUt90xd4ZubbttNlmJEiEdKo75vTel1gE893x4n3ZCaYvPgG7WLvaX6ZXkd-V-lgTjpCTRuOWJGz9M2UJCPUKE97dsLT7eVZ4bPcP4yy0UZlyU5DN3W3nBjdEngjap74m4lmcwoT9X61Ze3NF5BERQYXrtX4x0c/s4128/20180912_135442.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDE1s67GIhZzpETQmpY3RgUt90xd4ZubbttNlmJEiEdKo75vTel1gE893x4n3ZCaYvPgG7WLvaX6ZXkd-V-lgTjpCTRuOWJGz9M2UJCPUKE97dsLT7eVZ4bPcP4yy0UZlyU5DN3W3nBjdEngjap74m4lmcwoT9X61Ze3NF5BERQYXrtX4x0c/w537-h302/20180912_135442.jpg" width="537" /></a><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHx2EaNRWMnqgtnqWOEzSohHNxsd5v5qkMSXpxYaF7vRgwgKOesH3w0JcXL9650XLW0SmkMO0FIpAixcFiQF8f5IBcOKzamvOHJYn7FA3C268hQ6VJx5qEGQtdvw-vHBO6A_44FWHUzXGXSmQXHntZT01oxRLEDJIp1V7olSJkB20jffrfCE/s4128/20190604_104147.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHx2EaNRWMnqgtnqWOEzSohHNxsd5v5qkMSXpxYaF7vRgwgKOesH3w0JcXL9650XLW0SmkMO0FIpAixcFiQF8f5IBcOKzamvOHJYn7FA3C268hQ6VJx5qEGQtdvw-vHBO6A_44FWHUzXGXSmQXHntZT01oxRLEDJIp1V7olSJkB20jffrfCE/w535-h301/20190604_104147.jpg" width="535" /></a><br /><br />4. <b>Monastic School Toilet</b>: to make toilet facilities in the monastic schools clean and safe for the monks and nuns, the old toilets were upgraded using the same method carried out in the schools. The monks are trained to maintain and manage the facilities hence. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyDsC9jK_bIoNpYk14j_59wikVXXds9T0ePq0bVKgR8Ms8ZNakzEdqiLROt5BL5_DAAZbp-4GyxlF0aFku5BoDKBPzu66cTznwgqnhoh93U2YdiuZ3D910pYcvZ4bUHbE2-z9PCFQ1d7l-ZgBYhg8lqm4ocYzvzu_NWLQknbvUGRMAP83xHg/s841/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-26%20at%2007.37.23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="841" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyDsC9jK_bIoNpYk14j_59wikVXXds9T0ePq0bVKgR8Ms8ZNakzEdqiLROt5BL5_DAAZbp-4GyxlF0aFku5BoDKBPzu66cTznwgqnhoh93U2YdiuZ3D910pYcvZ4bUHbE2-z9PCFQ1d7l-ZgBYhg8lqm4ocYzvzu_NWLQknbvUGRMAP83xHg/w537-h401/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-26%20at%2007.37.23.png" width="537" /></a><br /><br />5. <b>Toilet for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and Elderly</b>: For people who cannot go to the toilet or use ordinary toilets due to disabilities, age or sickness, CSOs have taken various initiatives to either make toilets accessible or bring in innovative technologies to put toilets closer to the people. Small portable toilets were introduced as bedside toilets that are made available to people in various forms and models. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgan2eXrjGQdbsHNsKGQ0O_fb96-9xHtz0O6Q2qPKA6Wspa50ZFP1TDh24dejZ81yMOFfp9f09Q1IIbx9fUWou7u234u-ujn41_0MdAjeIGwWltkLNDI_KaB4J25w9HivHRfPekH6ubrsbrmxpbA_HhqI0XL_3pJnvIXkCy8Yw6wGUW1zB9_2w/s600/Bhutan-Toilet-Org-creating-sensible-toilet-culture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="600" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgan2eXrjGQdbsHNsKGQ0O_fb96-9xHtz0O6Q2qPKA6Wspa50ZFP1TDh24dejZ81yMOFfp9f09Q1IIbx9fUWou7u234u-ujn41_0MdAjeIGwWltkLNDI_KaB4J25w9HivHRfPekH6ubrsbrmxpbA_HhqI0XL_3pJnvIXkCy8Yw6wGUW1zB9_2w/w501-h283/Bhutan-Toilet-Org-creating-sensible-toilet-culture.jpg" width="501" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeqxAEwJQOnDzcR5DygleeRLA0j1ym7F1x7M0M3S70S4h3bYB005MtNrMzTRdAxW1ESSoz4jao8UBC0oi4BVGzlK1zq59h16lOz1rEVibzno2ao-rIg_2qa2K29kD4cQK61TBBFcJ7-kNFUOAZJpYEffUzYo7m_Wref-SQZxK3H03j0mpjOE/s874/bedside.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="874" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeqxAEwJQOnDzcR5DygleeRLA0j1ym7F1x7M0M3S70S4h3bYB005MtNrMzTRdAxW1ESSoz4jao8UBC0oi4BVGzlK1zq59h16lOz1rEVibzno2ao-rIg_2qa2K29kD4cQK61TBBFcJ7-kNFUOAZJpYEffUzYo7m_Wref-SQZxK3H03j0mpjOE/w502-h282/bedside.png" width="502" /></a><br /><br /><br />6. <b>Emergency Toilets; </b>During the pandemic, hundreds of duty stations were built along the borders and hundreds more outside the quarantine facilities. CSOs rose to the occasion and helped provide sanitation facilities for duty personnel across the country and for the displaced communities and schools. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBGCrVK89Ure2xlPpverA_1gCwBBED2BO2ViQh_hKKZB6rpBHeThscAjMZaihPqGdqNgxQw-zUmLz_SLRAzhrJ9f11E2UJKf6txudYIQNRXKDEk3JFjs3QIxrsasCOT0Z4pvXLEcCQY65G9hlEEq3tE548Lq7Pv6roo8WGEasg4bhuc6Gz-U/s4128/20190219_182323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBGCrVK89Ure2xlPpverA_1gCwBBED2BO2ViQh_hKKZB6rpBHeThscAjMZaihPqGdqNgxQw-zUmLz_SLRAzhrJ9f11E2UJKf6txudYIQNRXKDEk3JFjs3QIxrsasCOT0Z4pvXLEcCQY65G9hlEEq3tE548Lq7Pv6roo8WGEasg4bhuc6Gz-U/w505-h284/20190219_182323.jpg" width="505" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSb9YrhF-DSxLgDJwKZFbG7aF4NzPebqExETbHkv1Fd_yse2hopD8xC7nTlywNGUm1tq0ffw8nsPdSCv44u2Sl_O2Juja-c22hkfOZJAWMEm--wHWjeAchkMZYXEHt5qlJJ6C-R84zKJHzu4nh6W5b0n8nGgQE9tDBvOktUptBG9e2VghoTM/s4608/20201203_130559.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSb9YrhF-DSxLgDJwKZFbG7aF4NzPebqExETbHkv1Fd_yse2hopD8xC7nTlywNGUm1tq0ffw8nsPdSCv44u2Sl_O2Juja-c22hkfOZJAWMEm--wHWjeAchkMZYXEHt5qlJJ6C-R84zKJHzu4nh6W5b0n8nGgQE9tDBvOktUptBG9e2VghoTM/w503-h284/20201203_130559.jpg" width="503" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfxePLMTXXOC0qenObKntgu_RYCigI4VEQ6Sdjob2o0lYr5ngZW6oL-5OF_hLIAiBdxSMWXmDIQJFwmsJNftyRzcONNaZ8pNVTQZpD8YY3daM2pv22wO1LcB1Amo8lIZMT6-iZo6BHcUj7EOFF_ssPMBmxPB0bBn06uHSdiLfHzakXq6E0_Y/s836/Emerg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="836" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfxePLMTXXOC0qenObKntgu_RYCigI4VEQ6Sdjob2o0lYr5ngZW6oL-5OF_hLIAiBdxSMWXmDIQJFwmsJNftyRzcONNaZ8pNVTQZpD8YY3daM2pv22wO1LcB1Amo8lIZMT6-iZo6BHcUj7EOFF_ssPMBmxPB0bBn06uHSdiLfHzakXq6E0_Y/w501-h282/Emerg.png" width="501" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br />7. <b>Rural Toilets:</b> CSOs have worked with communities that are hard to reach and that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in improving their livelihood. Communities are empowered with economically viable activities and provided housing and sanitation that are resilient and in coherence with their environment. About 1000 rural families who could not afford sanitation facilities were supported by various CSOs. On top of that, CSOs have brought in technologies to upgrade hundreds of old rural toilets to speed up government efforts to achieve 100% ODF. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgwrMXN7kvbQy3wDl70tPEy4RBCUhaKsZ_YMraZMjgSO9CtDRaCZNjIKjkxIvraCizk0oqlvFl4Au4Ce6Ix4nL7vNgqccd-i-rBRxDb6LEl4_XQJZsJBWJmTvAr2crpvBj8lgQhItcHELZfvXVNolmgUKOhV3MJ-Q93QEwOXtlPuzs8slBj4/s1728/73524487_509108066594496_6237515114887512064_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1728" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgwrMXN7kvbQy3wDl70tPEy4RBCUhaKsZ_YMraZMjgSO9CtDRaCZNjIKjkxIvraCizk0oqlvFl4Au4Ce6Ix4nL7vNgqccd-i-rBRxDb6LEl4_XQJZsJBWJmTvAr2crpvBj8lgQhItcHELZfvXVNolmgUKOhV3MJ-Q93QEwOXtlPuzs8slBj4/w530-h397/73524487_509108066594496_6237515114887512064_n.jpg" width="530" /></a><br /><br /><br />8. <b>Event Toilet: </b>During events, the venues do not have sufficient toilet facilities. These events usually lead to massive public health issues. But CSOs have developed modern interventions to provide portable toilet facilities and safe temporary toilets to tackle the issue.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwuJ6Wnm831N11qUza0xQlBtEtUpSTdo3SjddNeG5FdkeCWceRowJHO_V-XNnd8pfmRWL5OKDjTHjG_20bvPnJwplQNxNoS1kflIOaBuDGaZsGVITyTt0GzXilz_7dFLW3PD41b1iduP-CA2IyS_Q9TBDTatXm365kVQ3B8PAwRt3Q1Daxlw/s4128/20180707_182045.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwuJ6Wnm831N11qUza0xQlBtEtUpSTdo3SjddNeG5FdkeCWceRowJHO_V-XNnd8pfmRWL5OKDjTHjG_20bvPnJwplQNxNoS1kflIOaBuDGaZsGVITyTt0GzXilz_7dFLW3PD41b1iduP-CA2IyS_Q9TBDTatXm365kVQ3B8PAwRt3Q1Daxlw/w530-h297/20180707_182045.jpg" width="530" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAqmNYcWi3mPNGsBLTcp4DaH8iO3BHghIK7elEgME9r9UfjjM4P2qYV266ZcHg4Eq3ef73QD_xW7-GN8gr6xb3pUYiuzXgX4864HpHBp9cucKzvAzLcIob6_T72xc618er_IFc6Hu2RIv8HgKQ70vk8RysHsJITv7XXPNPwxo8tDDzF6VtB8/s4128/20181129_151226.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAqmNYcWi3mPNGsBLTcp4DaH8iO3BHghIK7elEgME9r9UfjjM4P2qYV266ZcHg4Eq3ef73QD_xW7-GN8gr6xb3pUYiuzXgX4864HpHBp9cucKzvAzLcIob6_T72xc618er_IFc6Hu2RIv8HgKQ70vk8RysHsJITv7XXPNPwxo8tDDzF6VtB8/w527-h296/20181129_151226.jpg" width="527" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudtITIgncuwfVsa9ZI-Mt9OgETRwMthfImDAwAGiOpKWFHAfYv_5BOxoj0MzAsfT1rUxsMEXWihocWU8Tk0TDixKk60AiyC82vRgdTzCBCD6GKOjiOCu__QbhsbRQLZTrt5Y3c69vAGzRiqLfwsxwqqbxRtt7xvsSlumFxTUASb5pWDnggZQ/s1280/urinal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudtITIgncuwfVsa9ZI-Mt9OgETRwMthfImDAwAGiOpKWFHAfYv_5BOxoj0MzAsfT1rUxsMEXWihocWU8Tk0TDixKk60AiyC82vRgdTzCBCD6GKOjiOCu__QbhsbRQLZTrt5Y3c69vAGzRiqLfwsxwqqbxRtt7xvsSlumFxTUASb5pWDnggZQ/w529-h298/urinal.jpg" width="529" /></a><br /> <br /><br />9. <b>Professional Toilet Managers</b>: There are no professional sanitation workers. We have been dependent on foreign workers to deal with the dirty job. CSOs have worked to create opportunities for the emergence of local professionals who are proud and skilled in doing the job. Over 200 Bhutanese cleaners are trained to manage toilets professionally. <br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DGwrV21siwx1eFRRgkaZUH0kQ4pzimlZ-nQvN_CUO4aEjrAix66S6XQHK7ER2Cs4-dxCob2DvJfSbGshruuyegB3mq-96I1ogYAkpnZHcLlamuO7M3KmMalMXsstqhKMGWCP1Vhq8yci59IZ98qp9meUdqtmlTVEKrJEPVsOwu8SoWJnvBk/s4032/IMG_0730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DGwrV21siwx1eFRRgkaZUH0kQ4pzimlZ-nQvN_CUO4aEjrAix66S6XQHK7ER2Cs4-dxCob2DvJfSbGshruuyegB3mq-96I1ogYAkpnZHcLlamuO7M3KmMalMXsstqhKMGWCP1Vhq8yci59IZ98qp9meUdqtmlTVEKrJEPVsOwu8SoWJnvBk/w527-h395/IMG_0730.jpg" width="527" /></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Note: </b><span style="font-family: courier;">The above write-up is a brief note prepared to be included in a national presentation to be made at SaniLearn Workshop in Sri Lanka. It includes the works of CSOs like <a href="http://www.bhutantoilet.org">Bhutan Toilet Org</a>, <a href="http://www.tarayanafoundation.org">Tarayana Foundation</a>, <a href="http://www.absbhutan.org">Ability Bhutan Society</a>, <a href="http://www.rspnbhutan.org">RSPN</a>, <a href="http://www.rotarybhutan.org">Rotary Club of Thimphu</a>, among others. I am sharing this to celebrate CSO's contributions to sanitation to reserve World Toilet Day.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">And as the founder of Bhutan Toilet Org, I would like to thank UNICEF, Save the Children, WHO Bhutan, the Education Ministry, Helvetas Bhutan, the European Union, SARAYA, LIXIL, Dept of Tourism and friends from Japan who supported us in carrying out the above activities. I want to remember all those generous private donors for believing in us. Look how far we have come. Thank you so much. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto">Today, we offer our solemn gratitude to His Majesty the King for the vision, direction and handholding from the beginning and throughout. We rededicate our commitment to take it to the end without any compromise.</div></div></span></div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-63636876769868577532022-09-29T15:15:00.003+06:002022-09-29T15:35:20.131+06:00A Letter to Author <p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">It's not every day that I receive a mail from a reader who loved my book or otherwise. There are not many readers, and not many readers take their time out to write a review or a mail. That's why when I do get a message, I really treasure it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Following is a heartwarming email from a young girl who finished reading my book in two days. It goes to show that she really enjoyed it. From a short mail, I can make out that she is quite a reader, and for her to like my book is a significant compliment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Besides that, the timing is important to me. It's been over four years since my book was published, and all the hype is gone with the wind, yet for someone to read my book a<br />and write to me makes me </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Dear Author,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">This might be an odd way of expressing my appreciation, but I couldn't find a better way of connecting with you. (I preferred email for my lengthy message )</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">I must say, you are really an inspiring figure for youths in our country. I have heard a lot about you and your contributions to Bhutanese society from others. Still, to really be honest, I never actually knew who you were. Perhaps I never tried to discover the works you have done, or I haven't read any piece of your collection yet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">Just recently, I finished reading your book "PasSu Diary", which I got as a recognition prize during the reading week in my school. I am not a bookworm, but I do enjoy reading. However, I hardly read a book till the end as my interest in reading truly depends on how the writer expresses each line. This might sound weird, but it has been my style ever since I was a kid. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGnnYOVABdCDhb0kMr1duyQkRWUC8twn4E_HNiZTqsr79JzXlS_t2ILY1ZNlJOos2zWSw2vZOAEy_c-UE3GGb9E1V3RUKNmoVGV_mVIg-fJ8pfn5XSxiY5tGMQ2OwgQSS9MLHeXk7DuwH21wiFwmrwQ86kHLNUxd5TXVcpoJkoxL_0ghAyZg/s496/received_629148064930636.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="356" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGnnYOVABdCDhb0kMr1duyQkRWUC8twn4E_HNiZTqsr79JzXlS_t2ILY1ZNlJOos2zWSw2vZOAEy_c-UE3GGb9E1V3RUKNmoVGV_mVIg-fJ8pfn5XSxiY5tGMQ2OwgQSS9MLHeXk7DuwH21wiFwmrwQ86kHLNUxd5TXVcpoJkoxL_0ghAyZg/w175-h244/received_629148064930636.jpeg" width="175" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The moment I read the first lines of your book, it just gravitated my soul towards the next page and so on. Trust me, I was done reading your book just in two days. Reading your book was like getting an opportunity to be part of all the events in flashback. Your writings also give a sense of pride and a raw perception of being a Bhutanese. The sentences in each chapter boosted my thinking capacity. No other prize could have been better than this book.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">As I went on learning about you, I discovered that besides writing, you had been a social activist in various fields, and above all, you are someone that youths can look up to. Your writings have motivated me to become a passionate reader and a responsible citizen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">A bunch of thanks to you :) </span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"> </span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; text-align: right;">- Sonam Tashi Lhazom</span></p></blockquote><span style="font-family: Great Vibes;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">If you are interested in my book, here is the link to get it from <a href="https://www.booknese.com/book/passu-diary-a-journal-of-an-ordinary-bhutanese" target="_blank">BOOKNESE</a> or buy the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFFD54K3/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=passu09-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=5b6daae22f7d8aca96589695852dd197&creativeASIN=B0BFFD54K3" target="_blank">eBook version from Amazon</a>. </span><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-5639491709840784972022-09-27T13:50:00.006+06:002022-09-29T15:22:54.636+06:00A Dangerous Thruelbub Belief <p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcor0K4n-G5N0Lc8q_CruDOUUppAJhZRSJGjIn0ZDPniFc11jb3dWmCxEXH3KMmdxqmttUJxKnYTNF4JFh1TjazFFGm5nXPKlkieorC9FKiM54S7KXFPV3hPFuwTGrrHWemEOxo4t3wEONDVgOYZmOKkxWF9pdnFACJEfQavbnJv86v04aFK0/s903/A1wheelrealm-56a0c4133df78cafdaa4d32c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcor0K4n-G5N0Lc8q_CruDOUUppAJhZRSJGjIn0ZDPniFc11jb3dWmCxEXH3KMmdxqmttUJxKnYTNF4JFh1TjazFFGm5nXPKlkieorC9FKiM54S7KXFPV3hPFuwTGrrHWemEOxo4t3wEONDVgOYZmOKkxWF9pdnFACJEfQavbnJv86v04aFK0/s320/A1wheelrealm-56a0c4133df78cafdaa4d32c.jpg" width="260" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />It's dangerous to believe that you could wash away the sins (Lay) you have committed, bad deeds you have done, or harm you have caused to others just by bathing on </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thruelbub?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZVGbeI5YDsjqZXpSkJBngvdZ6VgMsdwI1Oqh8IGG82kjGlBo4MLxpL9o1RKMax-LjFBmMVLLiaARY9ZRAeeIdC9_bP0ynTgTN37KdQ8LHZamKgBQ5uf4k7UMt3YEgzjIPNCei5k189nfG1UmovF7prs0V6bYX4r9awHUbwJo0PUjA&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--accent); cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#Thruelbub</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or visiting a temple. </span></span><p></p><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">No, you have to be good and do enough good to outweigh the bad you have done. There is no erasing or washing away the bad you have done. You can only drown them in the sea of good you do. </span></div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Don't be fooled into believing that a shortcut exists. A day like Thruelbub is rather a good day to stop being an <a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>a**hole and start being a good human that everyone is capable of. </span></div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Thruelbub is a good holiday to celebrate with your family and feel blessed. It's not a day that will wash everyone's sins and set them free to commit more sins for the next Thruelbub. No, it can't be that easy. </span></div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Sorry for the bad news, but I hope you had a good time.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="294" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpassudiaryblog%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0LXrjhzDt8CPABHNisKgvwdsU5SHVfPSLkpwyi83ebiGJM4RM7KBKDucfKhsspj2Al&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-73735149357953136142022-09-19T17:38:00.003+06:002022-09-20T12:27:43.701+06:00Bhutanese Monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMQ6_dwORj9VPYMTyCxTmn0rWebFOL5Nx9Mwm22tsJ1ByFRswUJ36OSLfvr_lZC0ptCCFWlvnv49sI89R6lNpIttOj7_6zFX3EOte5oE34wLKEWSSsq-hNuXmgPQ0ae0mKyhKRDCj30ZqyD4krilIauTacsCPmOu7583oiw8zBrD5iN_NOQQ/s998/Kings%20and%20Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="998" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMQ6_dwORj9VPYMTyCxTmn0rWebFOL5Nx9Mwm22tsJ1ByFRswUJ36OSLfvr_lZC0ptCCFWlvnv49sI89R6lNpIttOj7_6zFX3EOte5oE34wLKEWSSsq-hNuXmgPQ0ae0mKyhKRDCj30ZqyD4krilIauTacsCPmOu7583oiw8zBrD5iN_NOQQ/w585-h360/Kings%20and%20Queen.jpg" width="585" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, the news touched every corner of the earth, including us, who never had anything to do with the queen. While some grieved the death of the queen they had loved all their lives, others celebrated the profound life of a monarch who ruled for seventy years.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeVO9a8XqlQpmuwEtBC6FfH00b3nz5idP3kc8iBRaEQZgpB9CqIsa6Ced6zJYg3T5Pptr794IE6X0SIomGBpY9ob1gueiO0lm9WFKRapM1cUWAvUBxTmayby3s8lw7MjHtqJIYvyt0jPio_SezL-h7R9P7tfxsrPFtJAjqzEYzVPdrAJRF20/s900/ugyen-wangchuck-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="900" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeVO9a8XqlQpmuwEtBC6FfH00b3nz5idP3kc8iBRaEQZgpB9CqIsa6Ced6zJYg3T5Pptr794IE6X0SIomGBpY9ob1gueiO0lm9WFKRapM1cUWAvUBxTmayby3s8lw7MjHtqJIYvyt0jPio_SezL-h7R9P7tfxsrPFtJAjqzEYzVPdrAJRF20/w362-h302/ugyen-wangchuck-1.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Bhutan, are attending the funeral of the Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom. From the short video clips, we could feel the profoundness of the moment, where a young monarch pays his sincere tribute to another monarch on the other side of the planet. </span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">We can only imagine the significance of such a gesture. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80PC19_8MKjA-Cel1ISSbye-SSM8-_9j7O8CNiC88EFonNLWYwF8854dJ5CNXEezO0zuMz5fw9vnSmVF1B9f9rwAKkVr0v-NC-Ya9Rhz1W9Xp_TdXtKs3fFY_1gyBKET5rldso_MLwxnvh2u5uovCKlGJOUNRwGaEvOtxCS6jU5LpdZ_ZvKw/s1169/3b49579be78b69b714b165971621cdcf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="827" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80PC19_8MKjA-Cel1ISSbye-SSM8-_9j7O8CNiC88EFonNLWYwF8854dJ5CNXEezO0zuMz5fw9vnSmVF1B9f9rwAKkVr0v-NC-Ya9Rhz1W9Xp_TdXtKs3fFY_1gyBKET5rldso_MLwxnvh2u5uovCKlGJOUNRwGaEvOtxCS6jU5LpdZ_ZvKw/w284-h402/3b49579be78b69b714b165971621cdcf.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Isn't it fascinating that Her Majesty was born in 1926, the same year our First King, Gonsar Ugyen Wangchuck, passed away? It was the same year Second King Jigme Wangchuck ascended the Golden Throne. He ruled for 26 years and passed away in 1952, which coincidentally is the same year Queen Elizabeth began her era. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYf6sDdfISyJhOFQAot0WaAzJYJ1CJF-ky8y1g8O9lwyuNzeIMRTqUx04sIcFe2DOm7J9TAFnrM4cz0ffo4d4izqBIKFyl_JQb_Iuih01wc-h0vNs-fdJ4zjp0ai6oUski1NlLtj5R-HTB8ESwyrOvDGx8_i-EDfC5ye6BXgD6VrHxu0rRPI/s587/jdw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="480" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYf6sDdfISyJhOFQAot0WaAzJYJ1CJF-ky8y1g8O9lwyuNzeIMRTqUx04sIcFe2DOm7J9TAFnrM4cz0ffo4d4izqBIKFyl_JQb_Iuih01wc-h0vNs-fdJ4zjp0ai6oUski1NlLtj5R-HTB8ESwyrOvDGx8_i-EDfC5ye6BXgD6VrHxu0rRPI/w291-h356/jdw.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">So, in 1952, Third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, ascended the golden throne at the age of 23, while Queen Elizabeth did the same at the age of 26. He was three years younger than her. If he had lived his full life, he would be 93 years old. Unfortunately, he died too soon, in 1972, at the age of 43. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">With the untimely demise of the Third King when the Crown Prince was only sixteen, our country was pushed to the edge of a dark era, but this blessed Kingdom was rescued by the young King in the most historical way. His Majesty, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, ushered Bhutan into an era of unprecedented peace and happiness. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt6j5NjZqmompSIODhPISh2W6t2fbzQFJVJhF2ZPOKKEuH4d9qYaW8wE6Ym91Y4Ryb9BD7gWfn2TkODnqNXJJHoH0KuQs6VAUQ1nXT3OlWeYSw0CAVwKN8TrzbqFWVhrUicIFNX67p-3xTgRq4ADRW-5Coq2kCpyEi_ZVkMGuQ8uN5yy1vhk/s882/195330464_1849672181867403_8548317767153264851_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="720" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt6j5NjZqmompSIODhPISh2W6t2fbzQFJVJhF2ZPOKKEuH4d9qYaW8wE6Ym91Y4Ryb9BD7gWfn2TkODnqNXJJHoH0KuQs6VAUQ1nXT3OlWeYSw0CAVwKN8TrzbqFWVhrUicIFNX67p-3xTgRq4ADRW-5Coq2kCpyEi_ZVkMGuQ8uN5yy1vhk/w322-h395/195330464_1849672181867403_8548317767153264851_n.jpg" width="322" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">In 2006, when His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo abdicated the throne at the young age of 51, he surprised the world in more ways than we can ever comprehend. If there was one lesson the world and, for that matter, the late Queen herself could have learned from our Great Fourth, it was the detachment from power and empowering the next generation at the right time. He further engraved his wisdom for eternity by putting the retirement age of 65 for future kings in the Constitution of Bhutan. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsaed7Ye9qc9ajrMm0aWlBSDQoDuCJOjhL_PbFPrD5MLgai6c8sQyXP1QGTT8e0uzTTTc-JtFy90FOVBJNJz4kSW8PyFLmV0WyAAded4UdeytMKtOt7cMxotX5a_XCL077qdEW7PBosTeTTzeD7la9QojR81aN6HRVthFUWcO8XQXCwc2CzE/s796/tumblr_4812754f19a9a6cdf0120f046e4ecd25_9a885ac4_540.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="540" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsaed7Ye9qc9ajrMm0aWlBSDQoDuCJOjhL_PbFPrD5MLgai6c8sQyXP1QGTT8e0uzTTTc-JtFy90FOVBJNJz4kSW8PyFLmV0WyAAded4UdeytMKtOt7cMxotX5a_XCL077qdEW7PBosTeTTzeD7la9QojR81aN6HRVthFUWcO8XQXCwc2CzE/w320-h472/tumblr_4812754f19a9a6cdf0120f046e4ecd25_9a885ac4_540.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"><br /></span></p>In 2006, when our Beloved Fifth King ascended the Golden Throne, he was coincidentally 26 years old, the same age as the Queen when she took office back in 1952- over half a century ago. The coronation of His Majesty, Jigme Khesar Namgay Wangchuck, was the happiest coronation in the world where the healthy father King crowned the son who was more than ready. The wedding of their majesties and the birth of two princes in the presence of the Great Fourth were events of profound happiness that the Kingdom of Bhutan experienced for the first time. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, lived across the era of four Bhutanese Kings- from Second King to the Fifth. It was also within this period that the United States of America saw fourteen Presidents come and go, 13 of whom met the queen. Her life and death are, therefore, of significance to the world. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">May Our King and Queen be blessed with Queen Elizabeth's longevity. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">May the Queen rest in peace. </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-73227242277538737352022-09-19T11:00:00.005+06:002022-09-19T12:43:07.957+06:00PaSsu Diary is now available in eBook on Amazon <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGGFB6u3AJMaPncpvpkWO9qpPfXR5EyDIlOPDpT8myY8d__0gr3RtkVP9SCARpm9afEJj2dusLA3oLk6EGDXlZZgROVAPm6RWt0gcXyEk2aGgx8S5pVDiHlvvBvL91BSzol4AcEVA40mwNAfq04t7qnE0rr_nectDpOU1rqI9HWB7S-BbwnQ/s3362/PaSsu%20Diary%20Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3362" data-original-width="2408" height="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGGFB6u3AJMaPncpvpkWO9qpPfXR5EyDIlOPDpT8myY8d__0gr3RtkVP9SCARpm9afEJj2dusLA3oLk6EGDXlZZgROVAPm6RWt0gcXyEk2aGgx8S5pVDiHlvvBvL91BSzol4AcEVA40mwNAfq04t7qnE0rr_nectDpOU1rqI9HWB7S-BbwnQ/w481-h672/PaSsu%20Diary%20Kindle.jpg" width="481" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Click on the picture or <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BFFD54K3" target="_blank">HERE</a></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-86894918170578246282022-09-15T17:52:00.002+06:002022-09-15T18:08:53.456+06:00The Bhutanese Front-page from April 2016<p>While looking for something in my trunk, I found this issue of The Bhutanese Newspaper carefully preserved in a folder. My wife says she treasured it. I am grateful to The Bhutanese newspaper for printing this picture, which is the greatest moment in my life, on the front page of the April 2, 2016 issue. It was during the initial years of Bhutan Toilet Org, that we were making feeble attempts to change the state of Bhutanese public toilets. </p><p>This moment that's captured in this picture is significant because it was there His Majesty the King put his hand on my shoulder and blessed me on this long journey to change toilets in the country. It was this picture which convinced my mother that I was on a mission far more significant than her disappointment in my resignation from the government job. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazR1HHl1EfGhJg-LNHDiXogf22949s4iicGO2P0IuqA3pEFvbJ8vTtmRNnCsw1BFFCipEckAfV5kFCDYsAo3h0oV1KEmjyUBBn27bHx8jXtGLyaunfn2vD-1Jz4HHwu70PbFYfJtox-kbo363wraABos_2ejy4LFNHAUa-6qXeeNFKS-2GPw/s3662/20220914_215446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2362" data-original-width="3662" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazR1HHl1EfGhJg-LNHDiXogf22949s4iicGO2P0IuqA3pEFvbJ8vTtmRNnCsw1BFFCipEckAfV5kFCDYsAo3h0oV1KEmjyUBBn27bHx8jXtGLyaunfn2vD-1Jz4HHwu70PbFYfJtox-kbo363wraABos_2ejy4LFNHAUa-6qXeeNFKS-2GPw/w623-h401/20220914_215446.jpg" width="623" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-45007446745095981432022-08-27T15:27:00.003+06:002022-11-10T17:18:38.588+06:00A Good War in 2003<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The old saying that '<i>there never was a good war</i>" was proven wrong in 2003.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">No Bhutanese from my generation or older will ever forget the December 2003 war Bhutan had to fight against the Assamese separatist groups along our southern borders. The outlaws had relocated their camps in our territory after the Indian Army conducted operations Rhino and Bajrang in the 1990s. For two decades, they occupied the deep jungles inside our southern borders and wreaked havoc on both sides of the borders. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRMDzC3pGEGAank8yNfPNvMOI1WgfYzwD3zvQp6wVk2uSdXPWMJFb2DD0e17zvNKn7WKKQJqvdckFRWQpu_B0LM43VO1ACETn7QeQSFNWjmvTKOTZZt8WS5cs70fSw6f_QZoS_KX7n62qxJq5Pwxe1hxOn2Ud9vTETuwZZ-a2e64jP0phOHc/s1993/AGood%20War%20of%202003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1993" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRMDzC3pGEGAank8yNfPNvMOI1WgfYzwD3zvQp6wVk2uSdXPWMJFb2DD0e17zvNKn7WKKQJqvdckFRWQpu_B0LM43VO1ACETn7QeQSFNWjmvTKOTZZt8WS5cs70fSw6f_QZoS_KX7n62qxJq5Pwxe1hxOn2Ud9vTETuwZZ-a2e64jP0phOHc/w584-h335/AGood%20War%20of%202003.png" width="584" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The peaceful Kingdom of Bhutan has not known war since 1865. With a small army, we avoided all conflicts, even when the militants were bullying us without a care for our sovereignty. The outlaws would roam freely in our southeastern town with their guns. Our choice for a peaceful resolution weighed heavy on the friendly relationship we shared with India because the militants were launching attacks on India from their bases in Bhutan. India could have easily destroyed those camps by conducting a military operation and air strike, but they respected our sovereignty and refrained from any aggression on our soil. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">His Majesty, the Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, firmly believed it could be resolved peacefully and tolerated their aggression for a long time. He would humbly sit down for peace talks with petty militant leaders who would make outrageous demands. When all hopes for peaceful resolutions were shot down by the unreasonable militants, His Majesty the King made the painful decision to take up arms against them.</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMq0ZlFrQfi-7zTnbsUEhOvlIuF5ihYKT0WomvJ9a-Akklf5BT7j9xloMPGXZLjWNEF_7RWAsUBbnhud6s4OugQIzhHyJ-2mmNEIpSgY9KtIn0nKOop7okZUXcCdMnanbiXEPdALiW4iLroxjBkE6wR0UgjiGjQ26KaEfi8JzuLoRnepZeNs/s500/artworks-000203951030-0l3b91-t500x500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMq0ZlFrQfi-7zTnbsUEhOvlIuF5ihYKT0WomvJ9a-Akklf5BT7j9xloMPGXZLjWNEF_7RWAsUBbnhud6s4OugQIzhHyJ-2mmNEIpSgY9KtIn0nKOop7okZUXcCdMnanbiXEPdALiW4iLroxjBkE6wR0UgjiGjQ26KaEfi8JzuLoRnepZeNs/w494-h494/artworks-000203951030-0l3b91-t500x500.jpg" width="494" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">I had just finished high school and was serving as an apprentice teacher in the isolation of Sombaykha, entirely cut off from all the news and confusion of an impending war. By the time we turned on the radio on the National Day of 2003, the war was over. It was brief, and the victory was ours. All the myths we heard and our fear of the militants were defused. Finally, after two decades of aggression, kidnapping, extortion, murder and lawlessness, we got our gift of peace back. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The war was significant for many reasons. It's perhaps the only war in modern times where the country's King led his force on the frontline. His Majesty the Fourth King showed the world what it means to be a true leader of a country. His bravery and compassion have no examples in the world. He even refused to celebrate the victory. He rather conducted big prayer ceremonies for the lives lost on both sides. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The end of the war brought unprecedented peace to the people of Bhutan and Assam. Today, when we travel from Samdrup Jongkhar to Nganglam or Gelephu or Phuntsholing without a worry, we must be grateful to His Majesty the King and his brave soldiers who brought peace to the region. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">However, beyond the gift of peace and security to the people, the greatest beneficiaries of that war were the wildlife in Manas, both in India and Bhutan. I watched a 2016 Discovery Channel program, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCwDgnhCA0A" target="_blank">Manas: Return of the Giants,</a> where they showed how Manas was destroyed by a two-decade insurgency, resulting in an almost complete loss of wildlife. The militants killed every animal that fetched a good price in the black market to fund their operations. The biggest victims were the Tiger, Elephant, Rhino, and Gaur, among the hundreds of endangered species. The lawlessness led to the illegal felling of trees and the killing of animals for trade and food. <br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ccKOBCRoo_H-vBOVhVBcTG6F8kCPCHrW1TDRNk7hm3IIU9v6urJui8o3NySiUcHLgwShuS3obyrfM2ZGUbzNVp4fxWI_3TiG_hM_UPVtwlnEfdJFjCDzcTz9sNkzo2fa3WvDyNkT-bZozbtJNNuW7gdWjG_OW8qTsDlLjrTt5gG30Bwf4do/s369/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="369" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ccKOBCRoo_H-vBOVhVBcTG6F8kCPCHrW1TDRNk7hm3IIU9v6urJui8o3NySiUcHLgwShuS3obyrfM2ZGUbzNVp4fxWI_3TiG_hM_UPVtwlnEfdJFjCDzcTz9sNkzo2fa3WvDyNkT-bZozbtJNNuW7gdWjG_OW8qTsDlLjrTt5gG30Bwf4do/w564-h208/images.jpeg" width="564" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The award-winning documentary has covered how the end of the insurgency saved Manas from total destruction and how wildlife is slowly reviving from the brink of extinction, but they have failed to acknowledge Bhutan and our King for the 2003 war that ended the insurgency for once and for all. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Regardless of their admission, I teared up in pride as I watched the return of the magnificent animals to Manas after the war, knowing well that our King led a war that has not only brought peace to people in the region but also saved entire wildlife. That's when I felt there was a good war, and it was led by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-86946523747942118582022-06-29T11:51:00.004+06:002022-06-29T13:37:32.166+06:00An App for Caring Parents<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Dear Parents,</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Your children are going to hate me for revealing this secret to you but I am sharing this because much like I love my daughter and I care about her wellbeing, I am sure you feel the same about your children. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">My daughter is among the first generation of children who are mostly babysat by smartphones and tablets. They know how to handle digital device far better than us. We don't even know what they are doing on their phones, do we? What apps they are using? what contents are they accessing? who are they interacting with? How long are they on their phones?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Giving smartphones to your young children is like sending them on a solo trip into an unknown city. There are two ways you could ensure their safety on the journey; </span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">either your child is well prepared to fend for themselves against the evil forces out there</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">or you accompany them on the journey and make sure they are safe. </span></li></ol><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I wish our children are prepared to fend for themselves in the cyber world but that's not the case. Everything happened too soon too quickly for them to be able to prepare. Therefore, the only option is to accompany them on </span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: medium;">the journey;</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">How? Much like literally accompanying your children on a journey, you have an app called <a href="https://families.google.com/familylink/" target="_blank">Google Family Link</a> that gives you parental control over your children's devices. It allows you to set screen time for your children, approve app downloads, restrict contents from certain websites, monitor their activities and also physically locate their devices using GPS. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHE1EHtjWkcgjD5Yfe1qTpE-1H11NJPoLZpYLRNEolO-5Y9AAdlahjwb_Y8Pp6tGMnXsyT6ERUwzjuyV8j_38M6zW84dJiH3Xa1fifKab8occscPWZ6u7pSzN-zGjZra3mRS0K4Ob71mQbPiyKlByxDHMIipC_YUnUyETAUXH5FzDaVOEJbg/s526/blog%20Family%20Link.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHE1EHtjWkcgjD5Yfe1qTpE-1H11NJPoLZpYLRNEolO-5Y9AAdlahjwb_Y8Pp6tGMnXsyT6ERUwzjuyV8j_38M6zW84dJiH3Xa1fifKab8occscPWZ6u7pSzN-zGjZra3mRS0K4Ob71mQbPiyKlByxDHMIipC_YUnUyETAUXH5FzDaVOEJbg/w449-h449/blog%20Family%20Link.jpeg" width="449" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">Physical</span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"> Well-Being</span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Children may not like this but it's only for their safety and wellbeing. During the last lockdown, my daughter was using her phone more than her usual time and I was worried. Her eyesight worsened and she even developed a frequent headache. I suspected it was because of her long screen time but she refuted. It was only after I used <a href="https://families.google.com/familylink/">Google Family Link</a> that we discovered she spent over 12 hours on her phone. It was a revelation for herself too. She didn't know she used phone that much. Then we mutually agreed to budget her screen time. Things improved. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The excessive time our children spend on their phones have a huge impact on their physical and social wellbeing. I don't have to tell you much on these subjects. Therefore, it's best to budget their screen time using <a href="https://families.google.com/familylink/">Google Family Link</a>. You will be shocked to see how many hours our children spend on their phones. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">Do we even know when you children are sleeping? </span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">We are literally blinding them and allowing them to become socially awkward</span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"> beings. </span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Mental Well-Being </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The other more dangerous aspect of being out there in the virtual world on their own is their safety and their mental and emotional well-being. Do you know what sort of contents are they exposed to? Do you know who they are interacting with? Internet can be so unkind to our little children who may not be ready to digest some contents or interact with strangers. They may be at risk of being scammed or being fooled into doing things. If only you knew what sort of apps or websites they are visiting then you will be able to monitor, isn't it? Well, with this app you can do just that. You will see if they are really in the Google Classroom or straying on Tiktok; if they are shooting a video and editing it or simply chatting or gaming. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">My daughter agreed to wait till she attains the legal age of 13 to join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=ninzi%20show">Facebook </a>and for now her mother and I are managing her Page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=ninzi%20show">Ninzi Show</a>. She's also prohibited from joining other social media platform until the approved age, but that's not without an incident. Every now and then, she is on Instagram or Tiktok. She even has a Facebook account. But we agreed to wait and I know for sure that she isn't breeching her terms because if she did I would know from the App. Many parents have allowed their children on social media way before they are 13, including my nieces and nephews. I hope they are safe. To ensure that, at least see how long they spend on each app and if they spend way too long on certain apps then see what they are doing there(by checking their phones physically, because you don't see what they are actually doing)*.</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5hb7-ce23uwo6jOgF5DUSUwdaxvOBGhHGP2Ed924BizBtvFsKM8WkKYRikUat0AULl0lPjQ9X9NLSXdxdY4MNjsWQJr0eap0xOgWfyTVofKuGo3zteTG9f7IgXmpKErof6elOJQmgGg6GY4q7mdpEEdGllloZEjJzpQIq9joFRbakGsRLhU/s1440/Ninzi%20and%20I.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1440" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5hb7-ce23uwo6jOgF5DUSUwdaxvOBGhHGP2Ed924BizBtvFsKM8WkKYRikUat0AULl0lPjQ9X9NLSXdxdY4MNjsWQJr0eap0xOgWfyTVofKuGo3zteTG9f7IgXmpKErof6elOJQmgGg6GY4q7mdpEEdGllloZEjJzpQIq9joFRbakGsRLhU/w550-h418/Ninzi%20and%20I.jpeg" width="550" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><span style="font-size: medium;">*</span><i>Google takes into account the privacy of the children and therefore don't allow parents to spy on everything they are typing or looking at. I am sure they have the children's legal rights taken care. The children must be informed of the features. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">If need be I will soon do a demo video to show how to install and use Google Family Link. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><u><a href="https://www.tashicell.com/">This awareness post on children's wellbeing in the digital world is brought to you be TashiCell. It's a part of their initiative to create a safe environment for children on the internet. </a></u></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-10579811115903251192022-06-29T08:47:00.002+06:002022-06-29T08:47:25.976+06:00The Raven Squad- A Film Review <p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Raven Squad was trending so much on social media to ignore. My daughter </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/ninzishow?__cft__[0]=AZVrqDJKTAFYcO1BIS38pk_zazqMconC8yUxj1gJMNisok0Eyd71cBvEeiQpKtY4yf_GnXwOhUsRQqWQqO2dK9bbuvOHMnXdd9KiVKs9ZnAehFmZtrr5F4nUfFLEMsmB6WF0Kos0wtZ6c9g_erjo0rxefh8B3Mww9yW_t96HlTdhTQ&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Ninzi Show</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> insisted on watching it. Moreover, it was long due for me to watch a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/KinleyRigzinDorji.official.page?__cft__[0]=AZVrqDJKTAFYcO1BIS38pk_zazqMconC8yUxj1gJMNisok0Eyd71cBvEeiQpKtY4yf_GnXwOhUsRQqWQqO2dK9bbuvOHMnXdd9KiVKs9ZnAehFmZtrr5F4nUfFLEMsmB6WF0Kos0wtZ6c9g_erjo0rxefh8B3Mww9yW_t96HlTdhTQ&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Kinley Rigzin Dorji</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> movie. I love the young man’s character, attitude and maturity but haven’t watched any of his movies yet. Same for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/sonammaxchokii/?__cft__[0]=AZVrqDJKTAFYcO1BIS38pk_zazqMconC8yUxj1gJMNisok0Eyd71cBvEeiQpKtY4yf_GnXwOhUsRQqWQqO2dK9bbuvOHMnXdd9KiVKs9ZnAehFmZtrr5F4nUfFLEMsmB6WF0Kos0wtZ6c9g_erjo0rxefh8B3Mww9yW_t96HlTdhTQ&__tn__=kK-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Sonam Max Choki Page</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bD3BEHNBPrG1MBzyCFQ_lDkyVoNG2ird3Dx2tsor1yzGZJF0MlzdIIv6Hxc-yHpcKRimHUcy5MXwLPZuJ8SF9NpabOr1fueQTERvG-666TNqTnz2mzSNyhHd21Ovqqag47sPgYyOl8asVcGaOWKjMmdWcO8Fvh3VeCtA532AobEeIv3KtbQ/s2048/288633462_566206538237308_7237339558705168742_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="812" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bD3BEHNBPrG1MBzyCFQ_lDkyVoNG2ird3Dx2tsor1yzGZJF0MlzdIIv6Hxc-yHpcKRimHUcy5MXwLPZuJ8SF9NpabOr1fueQTERvG-666TNqTnz2mzSNyhHd21Ovqqag47sPgYyOl8asVcGaOWKjMmdWcO8Fvh3VeCtA532AobEeIv3KtbQ/w457-h812/288633462_566206538237308_7237339558705168742_n.jpeg" width="457" /></a></p><p></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">First thing, I didn’t expect the hall to be housefull after so many days. The stairs were filled with young people who are aspiring to become something like the Raven Squad.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdod07R3SRa7Iph4FyxRb7rs3qX4mosWOiG5xnVv_2ZlsF8RSPxaKVRTfUTk1lMGms9kP07JF0HNuW8OCLYGp6HsWy9HNWJM2f87jmBPXcTMhu2xND4DSW8TZL3VQdBj70K_freaPNRsORpz4tEDzltUB74ZzHtjDbHBYsnHHS6jZPKEU5awY/s2048/288215391_566206568237305_8451144971142738663_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1406" height="513" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdod07R3SRa7Iph4FyxRb7rs3qX4mosWOiG5xnVv_2ZlsF8RSPxaKVRTfUTk1lMGms9kP07JF0HNuW8OCLYGp6HsWy9HNWJM2f87jmBPXcTMhu2xND4DSW8TZL3VQdBj70K_freaPNRsORpz4tEDzltUB74ZzHtjDbHBYsnHHS6jZPKEU5awY/w353-h513/288215391_566206568237305_8451144971142738663_n.jpeg" width="353" /></a></div></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The movie is about a doting father who fails to appreciate his little MJ son. He realizes it a little too late. He loses his son but to keep his son’s dreams alive, he brings many broken dreams together to form the Raven Squad of success. He sacrifices everything to keep the squad dancing because for him that’s the process of healing. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The story may not sound quite new, but the characters and their dance talents make all the difference, not to mention the occasional jabs of humor that are so well crafted and timed. The background of each squad member has a story that is meant to connect to every youth out there; you are one of them. The new faces have done a good job in magnifying those roles. Kids are going to love them so much. </span></div><div dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kdIYxjeqf0tn36f-EUI8L3wdxAJU2WLqOX1o1Pxxhb2ZlchknYYmFjmbGITMIFIFDaT-GErJx_breJxybZLZhABoVwWBg7hh0s2mW6JuZNS96WvY0BEje4R11QPS4jEOD4_J4U-kEZfvPmXZvQ5PJHmqB0qQ5B7oygMvEkJ1as_UuGbOXTA/s2048/288145289_566206614903967_1640611508190552273_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1534" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kdIYxjeqf0tn36f-EUI8L3wdxAJU2WLqOX1o1Pxxhb2ZlchknYYmFjmbGITMIFIFDaT-GErJx_breJxybZLZhABoVwWBg7hh0s2mW6JuZNS96WvY0BEje4R11QPS4jEOD4_J4U-kEZfvPmXZvQ5PJHmqB0qQ5B7oygMvEkJ1as_UuGbOXTA/w400-h533/288145289_566206614903967_1640611508190552273_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">It’s a motivational film; it will inspire a lot of youth to pursue their dreams in not just dancing but in every form of expression that’s there; I loved the way the film has turned the profession of dancing and cab driving into something so attractive. Good Job, <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/sonammaekay.penjor?__cft__[0]=AZVrqDJKTAFYcO1BIS38pk_zazqMconC8yUxj1gJMNisok0Eyd71cBvEeiQpKtY4yf_GnXwOhUsRQqWQqO2dK9bbuvOHMnXdd9KiVKs9ZnAehFmZtrr5F4nUfFLEMsmB6WF0Kos0wtZ6c9g_erjo0rxefh8B3Mww9yW_t96HlTdhTQ&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Sonam Maekay Penjor</span></a>. You played the father figure well. I am tempted to play that role. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Besides the youths, the cab drivers are going to love this film. There is one song that I foresee every cab playing from this day on. It will spread love and kindness among them. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">And Dear <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/KinleyRigzinDorji.official.page?__cft__[0]=AZVrqDJKTAFYcO1BIS38pk_zazqMconC8yUxj1gJMNisok0Eyd71cBvEeiQpKtY4yf_GnXwOhUsRQqWQqO2dK9bbuvOHMnXdd9KiVKs9ZnAehFmZtrr5F4nUfFLEMsmB6WF0Kos0wtZ6c9g_erjo0rxefh8B3Mww9yW_t96HlTdhTQ&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Kinley Rigzin Dorji</span></a>, I am blown by your flare in acting. You are born for stardom. You have it all in you. Your director, <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/Karma-jerry-1476073015987124/?__cft__[0]=AZVrqDJKTAFYcO1BIS38pk_zazqMconC8yUxj1gJMNisok0Eyd71cBvEeiQpKtY4yf_GnXwOhUsRQqWQqO2dK9bbuvOHMnXdd9KiVKs9ZnAehFmZtrr5F4nUfFLEMsmB6WF0Kos0wtZ6c9g_erjo0rxefh8B3Mww9yW_t96HlTdhTQ&__tn__=kK-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Karma jerry</span></a> has managed to showcase your talent to the max. Now, I know why the young kids are so in love with you. It’s my first film of Sonam Max Choki too. And O’ boy, she is a breath of fresh air. I am going to watch more of her movies now. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Wish you big at the box office! </span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-5666179292273496282022-05-05T10:57:00.007+06:002022-05-05T23:25:01.197+06:00Blame Not Your Country. It’s the Committees<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I was chatting with a friend who was reprimanded for writing stuff on Twitter, which, according to a 'disciplinary committee', violated the civil service code of conduct. He said the committee has decided to withhold his promotion for a year as an administrative action. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_rJPOje8IFHI4Y8l2oF1Gl5rOggY4ZzCsh0g1agYC6UgLF39Gydh_34OAL_SHKkh_Fmvy_wLrTUJY9fCvdMJ9cZeVg48-CPtuveQs3CbAuVPi2y_Q64IbAHM5U1KndqY5eCZEqYjZzviTwWH5bSHrxY8-MQjN6xn6oKJrtXDY2Rd--f8SZo/s290/twitter.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="290" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_rJPOje8IFHI4Y8l2oF1Gl5rOggY4ZzCsh0g1agYC6UgLF39Gydh_34OAL_SHKkh_Fmvy_wLrTUJY9fCvdMJ9cZeVg48-CPtuveQs3CbAuVPi2y_Q64IbAHM5U1KndqY5eCZEqYjZzviTwWH5bSHrxY8-MQjN6xn6oKJrtXDY2Rd--f8SZo/s1600/twitter.jpeg" width="290" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br />He said he didn't write anything so out of the ordinary to be punished. He said they scrolled up and down his Twitter feed to see if he had really written anything so wrong to violate the civil service code of conduct. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I told him to appeal to the committee and ask them to prove their charges because the official letter states he can appeal within 10 working days.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">"I don't think that will work. I might land up making it worse. I will rather resign and go to Australia." He said. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">"If that has pushed you to the brink of resignation, then what's the problem in appealing and facing the committee? What could possibly go wrong? Even if things don't work out, you could still resign." I said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">"Awooo, laakha du mena Bhutan na." He said, which shocked me. His statement paints a different picture of Bhutan. It sounds as if it's dangerous to speak up in Bhutan. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">So, I told him, "Man, don't bash your country for the action of the so called committee that is made up of a bunch of pleasers who think they are doing their job with utmost dedication. Your country didn't fail you; the committee failed you. You are not fighting against your country; you are fighting against the committee. Please know the difference and separate the two."</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWC7s2sEZ1SGgyo3Aw08ta6iSH7O3k1MU8eOgGvRkGkL-CPsPQctVXMUr53e_OfYx0aGs-PBIp1JQB6seubtpxvLF28VyYOhpdtNHX3a7cOtMAei1_Y8b0nE9yaqPgbrCBAdtNvwui9xkkZjJhCkDljLkwzW0RW0YnURGw4IY-AVjvjP85Y4I/s820/committee.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="820" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWC7s2sEZ1SGgyo3Aw08ta6iSH7O3k1MU8eOgGvRkGkL-CPsPQctVXMUr53e_OfYx0aGs-PBIp1JQB6seubtpxvLF28VyYOhpdtNHX3a7cOtMAei1_Y8b0nE9yaqPgbrCBAdtNvwui9xkkZjJhCkDljLkwzW0RW0YnURGw4IY-AVjvjP85Y4I/w480-h253/committee.png" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">It was easy for me to say this, but for him, holding that letter in his hand, the fear was real. God knows what sort of big words and names they must have dropped when handing the letter to him. Here is my personal request to all those committees, please don't let ordinary citizens bash their country for your actions. You have to own it up. You can't use names and acts and clauses to threaten people and make them shit bricks. You are doing big disfavour to this country. These committees are whittling away at Bhutan's unique democratic culture that the successive kings have painstakingly built over the last decades. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The best ways around to help civil servants avoid violating clause 3.3.16.2, Chapter 3 of BCSR 2018 are;</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Conduct social media literacy to help them use the platforms productively. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Create open internal platforms for dialogues with the assurance that they won't be reprimanded.</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Otherwise, it will only breed hostile anonymous communities that will go beyond attacking policies into defaming individuals, family members and even their beloved country. That's worse than violating the civil service code of conduct. </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-58983281622260526602022-05-03T02:44:00.000+06:002022-05-03T02:44:37.995+06:00Do You Help Your Neighbour? <p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br />If a loaded truck pulls into the parking lot near your building, you know that a new neighbour is shifting in. You know it from the load in the truck. No matter how you pretend, you know there has been an empty flat in the building since the last occupant left. You even know why they left and where they moved to. So you have been expecting a new neighbour.<span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">But in Thimphu, you somehow don't come out to welcome your new neighbour. You peek through the window but don't even open your door to say hi. You don't think it's your business. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXWJH-jT1a-wbJP2v4qbXqyI-TJQV5MVISdMR2xF_PIKmDkgivUa3AjyqpLpIjRtWFlGPNtUacMfmGk9IBVjlOdAeZ4Jj_aa7Pb2NpetSR5-qzPDfMbzHfeq4_VzSiojslrIQ5mAdL8WosfHbfPViqNj7Wq0GM9Hb7cb58eb5VGrpj4Vcmes/s3653/20220502_120820.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3653" data-original-width="2604" height="575" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXWJH-jT1a-wbJP2v4qbXqyI-TJQV5MVISdMR2xF_PIKmDkgivUa3AjyqpLpIjRtWFlGPNtUacMfmGk9IBVjlOdAeZ4Jj_aa7Pb2NpetSR5-qzPDfMbzHfeq4_VzSiojslrIQ5mAdL8WosfHbfPViqNj7Wq0GM9Hb7cb58eb5VGrpj4Vcmes/w409-h575/20220502_120820.jpg" width="409" /></a></span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Having come from a village --where we come together as a community to help each other build houses, harvest crops, celebrate birth, grieve deaths and so on-- when I see a new neighbour, I go out to greet them and help them unload the truck and carry their stuff up the stairs into their new home. On the other hand, my wife will either prepare tea or arrange cold drinks for the newcomers. </span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">We extend the same courtesy to outgoing neighbours too. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">If a friend or a relative is shifting their house and I'm aware of it, I go to help them even if it's not anywhere near the neighbourhood. If necessary, I will take my pickup truck along. And my wife will prepare tea or a meal depending on the necessity of the situation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">When I went to help a friend shift his house today, my expectations were low from his neighbours. Sure enough, no one came out of their homes to help us. Neither in his old neighbourhood from where we were moving nor in the new community. Forget about helping us; there were two incidents where we were asked to move our truck so that they could drive into their parking. They could kindly park somewhere else for a while.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">My wife offered to make tea for us, but I had to drive all the way </span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">back home</span><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"> to pick it up, so I scrapped the idea. But I thought there would be other friends and relatives with all sorts of refreshments and lunch. Guess what, we had to order home delivery food. I lamented how Thimphu has quickly outgrown our beautiful Bhutanese way of life, community ties, and traditional values.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0GtybAktrmqE4t4B6XRwVsLWqIO1uFtuj3PBy2uozS92rPIzOPS0HTf0MAkJXQEg3nYFMCg0SVGEJYmsqyQdHsRYntdwCi-uygmufA4-s9oqn39qSudpcgvGGXTLf1O3NHpbhuIlJK9cRVZDl-39lanbwYquCvJdgyoOH3JVz9k7yOwIqJ0/s3355/20220502_133157.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3355" data-original-width="2604" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0GtybAktrmqE4t4B6XRwVsLWqIO1uFtuj3PBy2uozS92rPIzOPS0HTf0MAkJXQEg3nYFMCg0SVGEJYmsqyQdHsRYntdwCi-uygmufA4-s9oqn39qSudpcgvGGXTLf1O3NHpbhuIlJK9cRVZDl-39lanbwYquCvJdgyoOH3JVz9k7yOwIqJ0/w391-h505/20220502_133157.jpg" width="391" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Special Elite"; font-size: medium;">When I pointed that out to my friend and his wife, they said it's still way better than in Australia, where they can't bother their friends, so they hire professional logistics whom they pay by hours. They are grateful that quite a few of us came to help. Someday even this might become a story to tell. </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-84004211647880897052022-04-25T00:34:00.004+06:002022-04-25T00:39:02.734+06:00The Process of Writing- My Debut Hosting on Bhutan Echoes <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-iE-ESzl1dY6lQweF5kWDHglg5eF6zyXmQZPcz_50E0gA-uz7VTGW-gaSUVTmrfFPgfZ4ngFQSW7WYjdvknzqXLCRTN6eqsX9YaddTvjHcjmYmzWu1dmHrdd76fP4MSJRzafkRp5oMh3t3ke_UR27uoPoQ6ZefXuEdwA_Ujh86fV6_lw8X0/s1440/278907157_5408673469191705_4333468490693607967_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-iE-ESzl1dY6lQweF5kWDHglg5eF6zyXmQZPcz_50E0gA-uz7VTGW-gaSUVTmrfFPgfZ4ngFQSW7WYjdvknzqXLCRTN6eqsX9YaddTvjHcjmYmzWu1dmHrdd76fP4MSJRzafkRp5oMh3t3ke_UR27uoPoQ6ZefXuEdwA_Ujh86fV6_lw8X0/w547-h411/278907157_5408673469191705_4333468490693607967_n.jpg" width="547" /></a></div>I feel honoured to be given this opportunity to host a session on the <i><span style="font-size: medium;">process of writing</span></i>, a subject that is close to my heart, a subject that I worked so hard to understand when I co-founded the Writers Association of Bhutan and a subject that's at the heart of what I do with <a href="http://www.booknese.com">BOOKNESE</a>.<p></p><p>You will see how natural and spontaneous we are during the discussion, not because we rehearsed so much but because the subject was as close to their hearts as mine. My guest Tshering Wangchuk, former CEO of Business Bhutan and BBS, is the author of <a href="https://www.booknese.com/book/a-thousand-footprints" target="_blank">A Thousand Footprints</a>. My Other guest Utsav Khatiwara is an editor who works as a lecturer at Royal Thimphu College. Within an hour that I spent with the two outstanding personalities, with whom I haven't had so much associations in the past-- especially I met Utsav for the first time on the day of the shoot-- I felt a lot richer in terms of my knowledge on writing and publishing. </p><p>Save all your questions until the end of this show;<br /></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="314" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbhutanechoes%2Fvideos%2F2528138937329060%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-21342021186467693022022-04-21T22:22:00.002+06:002022-04-21T22:38:31.291+06:00My Floating Bed #DIY Project<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">You don't need a floating bed to have a good night's sleep, but if you must, please invest in a good mattress instead because that has a considerable effect on the quality of your sleep and, therefore, the quality of your life. I don't have to dig into the science to prove how good sleep influences a good life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">If it's the mattress that matters, why did I work on a bed? A floating bed, rather? At first, I was into making a headboard for my old bed. I spent a long time reading and writing in my bed, and it was painful not to have a soft and sturdy headboard to lean on. </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RuPdonmsfDQNQCkpLzM105pLfWvy1yI8HSmCnSPyvtRtFDw4AO5F_Pfg1aw1R3alzBzQpMLcD9rdyydk-iRls3Oc45dYpEEvwoqXi6Da9Xa8H2jhGHfdInHzz5ByMxKXn0iQ8sooBhTju4yN3pYRFulim6uAhZJ4RCz6hMJFmadWbaiRHNc/s4624/20220420_090300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RuPdonmsfDQNQCkpLzM105pLfWvy1yI8HSmCnSPyvtRtFDw4AO5F_Pfg1aw1R3alzBzQpMLcD9rdyydk-iRls3Oc45dYpEEvwoqXi6Da9Xa8H2jhGHfdInHzz5ByMxKXn0iQ8sooBhTju4yN3pYRFulim6uAhZJ4RCz6hMJFmadWbaiRHNc/w637-h358/20220420_090300.jpg" width="637" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">I worked on a headboard that I always wanted to have. I had a mental picture of one. The ones I saw in the market were not within the budget I could afford and not quite the kind I wanted. My Headboard came out better than I thought. I went beyond wood and carpentry into foam and cloth. I didn't stop there. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WtxOiakIP2_omojGV3Fj_gXU-YtgURf7L7bZdEsKPJr9-a6BkZtxSDfI4cBp7EWkx5-v7dkKweHnRcy_9RxntrGAL9HlkmVgbSZrlOjZ1gp3UceTISEwwFAGNp5FSoC7NmmsOEyUPbf2WVtvlg0WVTC7CQjLYvAMNWAybAOYyBC3Yqqj9So/s4624/20220420_090313.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WtxOiakIP2_omojGV3Fj_gXU-YtgURf7L7bZdEsKPJr9-a6BkZtxSDfI4cBp7EWkx5-v7dkKweHnRcy_9RxntrGAL9HlkmVgbSZrlOjZ1gp3UceTISEwwFAGNp5FSoC7NmmsOEyUPbf2WVtvlg0WVTC7CQjLYvAMNWAybAOYyBC3Yqqj9So/w600-h338/20220420_090313.jpg" width="600" /></a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Why did I even want a headboard in the first place? I wanted to read and write in my bed; that's when I felt the need to have a reading light attached. Now that I have an electrical item attached, I thought, why not add another feature to make life easy; I added a mobile charging station on both ends of the board for my wife and me. No more messy extension cords and chargers on the bedside table at night. </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTOA_l0kz8i4ovtvvhgDpjK_dl-4XVCndvHSobU5PNr68EryyXRGrYi8IVTRXKuTVjidiIs6UKP789_2IRA4eDhf2YkDV5KSzVceHn9bVFobiq5E_CJqEokkWblCFaeU7rb4AvyD99blHv5_5JRZiFevqygDrGZASOy45UhYzMDUWc70i4JY/s4624/20220420_090132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTOA_l0kz8i4ovtvvhgDpjK_dl-4XVCndvHSobU5PNr68EryyXRGrYi8IVTRXKuTVjidiIs6UKP789_2IRA4eDhf2YkDV5KSzVceHn9bVFobiq5E_CJqEokkWblCFaeU7rb4AvyD99blHv5_5JRZiFevqygDrGZASOy45UhYzMDUWc70i4JY/w617-h347/20220420_090132.jpg" width="617" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Initially, it was a standard two-pin plug, but a friend suggested I have a USB charger and remove the need for an external charger. Likewise, I had a reading light that had a small switch that was difficult to locate, especially when I was sleepy and trying to turn off the light; therefore, the same friend suggested I go for a light that would turn on and off by mere touch on any part- and no switch.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-S999WIEwrob1d9o5-5T9FqAXAsZTwzA2a3BFgK0KG5tCZkgBDz5tg3Bp5viIPnvLPRqQdBGf2-SJcdlR_OLlr_isfZxo1RlC5a87TgOH42yPEyqT0xgJJlcu_W__S7s6SOdsWiDtsN4DJS_aN91DcUspJoJCHFNKweqNzjvaFS_HE-_Kgh8/s4624/20220420_090209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="668" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-S999WIEwrob1d9o5-5T9FqAXAsZTwzA2a3BFgK0KG5tCZkgBDz5tg3Bp5viIPnvLPRqQdBGf2-SJcdlR_OLlr_isfZxo1RlC5a87TgOH42yPEyqT0xgJJlcu_W__S7s6SOdsWiDtsN4DJS_aN91DcUspJoJCHFNKweqNzjvaFS_HE-_Kgh8/w376-h668/20220420_090209.jpg" width="376" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Only after I had the magnificent headboard built and attached to my old bed did I realize that I needed a more matching bed. I wasn't so confident about making a bed. But when I saw the floating bed concept, I knew I could do that. I knew I could do better. Thus, I worked on it, and I had the bed done within a few days. I brought it home and coupled it with my headboard. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">Going strictly by the recipe, I even added an LED light underneath the bed to glorify the floating effect. I stole the LED lights from my daughter's room. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLTik63-c7BFQvxd3mLa_Q8Kf__wU2db7Hmfl5zIFevc0hc9AJ0l0_dcBeQq2mY638O5q5zL2pu-8tDnh7MR_f0xXNshUnyVUE0TEO2hL4O5cSPlEQo4cgkxgXVv4RqDlVmj4ZQAsTNksiU_nN_pJ9cx0nEINEskpGxWEXgXxthw-spGrg87c=s4624" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLTik63-c7BFQvxd3mLa_Q8Kf__wU2db7Hmfl5zIFevc0hc9AJ0l0_dcBeQq2mY638O5q5zL2pu-8tDnh7MR_f0xXNshUnyVUE0TEO2hL4O5cSPlEQo4cgkxgXVv4RqDlVmj4ZQAsTNksiU_nN_pJ9cx0nEINEskpGxWEXgXxthw-spGrg87c=w627-h352" width="627" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">The satisfaction of having done the bed didn't last long because I felt something was missing. The headboard and the bed looked like they were from different planets. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">From my experience of working on a friend's zen bed, I knew I needed to wrap my bed in the same cloth as the headboard. I went back to the fabric store from where I bought the foam and clothes to get an additional cloth. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARL1cpbXqB8ZLb3fq98rqvRWfkUt12vMHc5Imrg9xpodXf2Kh_DgFQYOldlP4JRUkC9Im2iYV8QANUdXs6T_lErEbmENfLLd1kUBCovv3sG_CGdrEICyB1KxRza29lPn7Oi6EHzJ4j0aeosLlrx2fTBrvKfoc0GJUBjiA4AD2c-Bv_HeW274/s4624/20220417_121802.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="793" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARL1cpbXqB8ZLb3fq98rqvRWfkUt12vMHc5Imrg9xpodXf2Kh_DgFQYOldlP4JRUkC9Im2iYV8QANUdXs6T_lErEbmENfLLd1kUBCovv3sG_CGdrEICyB1KxRza29lPn7Oi6EHzJ4j0aeosLlrx2fTBrvKfoc0GJUBjiA4AD2c-Bv_HeW274/w446-h793/20220417_121802.jpg" width="446" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">There you go! The bed seemed like it had grown out of the headboard. It looked soft and comfy all of a sudden. It came out the way I loved it to be, far better than I thought I was capable of making. It was definitely an accidental success, and I have learned so much from experience. I am willing to share them. </span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9yldjlvIbnjio0ek6zaM2lvI-gsInwUQHOwH4moQzxj3WN-T6zm58CY6l6my2IT9D8ppDQmYgpx69-oKg1qwcmuj1EFfDpfLl3uUywP6Ekcl6bqk2n_lYUSxrOCJniY8iz6sLaX7ziHCq_FrBGCQxRmoDcS5nRZdNlmxzy2CKnJIQKNSpCI/s4624/20220417_130937.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9yldjlvIbnjio0ek6zaM2lvI-gsInwUQHOwH4moQzxj3WN-T6zm58CY6l6my2IT9D8ppDQmYgpx69-oKg1qwcmuj1EFfDpfLl3uUywP6Ekcl6bqk2n_lYUSxrOCJniY8iz6sLaX7ziHCq_FrBGCQxRmoDcS5nRZdNlmxzy2CKnJIQKNSpCI/w664-h374/20220417_130937.jpg" width="664" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">And finally, I have my floating bed. My daughter has taken away the LED light, but it looks great either way. The concept of having the bed floating is both aesthetic and functional; there are no issues when sweeping the floor around and underneath the bed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RuPdonmsfDQNQCkpLzM105pLfWvy1yI8HSmCnSPyvtRtFDw4AO5F_Pfg1aw1R3alzBzQpMLcD9rdyydk-iRls3Oc45dYpEEvwoqXi6Da9Xa8H2jhGHfdInHzz5ByMxKXn0iQ8sooBhTju4yN3pYRFulim6uAhZJ4RCz6hMJFmadWbaiRHNc/s4624/20220420_090300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RuPdonmsfDQNQCkpLzM105pLfWvy1yI8HSmCnSPyvtRtFDw4AO5F_Pfg1aw1R3alzBzQpMLcD9rdyydk-iRls3Oc45dYpEEvwoqXi6Da9Xa8H2jhGHfdInHzz5ByMxKXn0iQ8sooBhTju4yN3pYRFulim6uAhZJ4RCz6hMJFmadWbaiRHNc/w651-h366/20220420_090300.jpg" width="651" /></a><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Special Elite";">And yeah, Good Night!</span></div></div><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-8008971478895979572022-03-19T00:13:00.005+06:002022-03-19T00:36:44.192+06:00Wooden Bathtub (Wa)#DIY<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Wa (ཝ) is a wooden tub that's generally used for hot-stone baths. It's an outdoor thing, but I have always wanted one that I could keep in my bathroom. I have asked my brother Samtey to make me one in his furniture house in Punakha. It took a while, but he finally delivered it early this year between the two lockdowns. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYJ8Duk2iizIqKSv8za4a0vOcVPW68Bxyy7sZZoLQNEe4pxsAREhHTEpqsYi9g60iD0UX2hwIXehu3RKSrWTnjFVMo6ORJssIlyx9IUS1iR50FA42m_FCHNxqdAttiKA-e0ghRqB8-VraiCBSW4dT-Q-3ecEgThCPoNLCld1pzcm9uHlRcT3M=s2604" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1984" data-original-width="2604" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYJ8Duk2iizIqKSv8za4a0vOcVPW68Bxyy7sZZoLQNEe4pxsAREhHTEpqsYi9g60iD0UX2hwIXehu3RKSrWTnjFVMo6ORJssIlyx9IUS1iR50FA42m_FCHNxqdAttiKA-e0ghRqB8-VraiCBSW4dT-Q-3ecEgThCPoNLCld1pzcm9uHlRcT3M=w542-h413" width="542" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I loved it, but his version was not the traditional shape that I wanted. The base area was equal to that of the mouth, which took a lot of water to fill. My 50-litre geyser was useless. So I planned to remodel it to suit my taste. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiXzuMzc2hxUhhlru1UXPNoonke-0RAAJ4aNVmqzsFqDIMiMKP9wldpK8uXe6AMWHoV1ZvhTPQWQQqu0TRl7oa91HjPt_cImNH2C5OoAPnnNfvaXwrjerHys3z12ozL3TpXEztILFovOdUUwrqPQUc-5oMBpGS0YKGmDskd0RgVhH7m7PpZ6g=s2884" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2884" data-original-width="2377" height="573" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiXzuMzc2hxUhhlru1UXPNoonke-0RAAJ4aNVmqzsFqDIMiMKP9wldpK8uXe6AMWHoV1ZvhTPQWQQqu0TRl7oa91HjPt_cImNH2C5OoAPnnNfvaXwrjerHys3z12ozL3TpXEztILFovOdUUwrqPQUc-5oMBpGS0YKGmDskd0RgVhH7m7PpZ6g=w473-h573" width="473" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">My Remodeling Plan</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">It was a scary experience. I was tearing apart a well-made tub without even knowing if I would be able to put it back into the shape and size I wanted. I was ambitious. I liked the Wa to have some modern features to make it easy to use. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I cut off almost half of the original tub and achieved my desired shape. It looked great. But because of the angles I have added to the structure, I had to play around with slopes on all the sides, including the bottom part that comes into contact with the base. I added a waste coupling to make draining easy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLcROb0fiNGSXZMpgZp0XRNZ4gthLmWTqakglNGlZO9MhTinFQ_ZgpXqqvqikzXB3m6F8RbHWhD9jL71smnT-3fNYPUmIJAGhNDRsykE0-rmk5i0Gx2n1pX8t6QpncUbbGW5lEfeBM_roBcnk-DLHjIzSCgfRe_P3Qc7bcuk61yck-ZeHh9Go" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="646" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLcROb0fiNGSXZMpgZp0XRNZ4gthLmWTqakglNGlZO9MhTinFQ_ZgpXqqvqikzXB3m6F8RbHWhD9jL71smnT-3fNYPUmIJAGhNDRsykE0-rmk5i0Gx2n1pX8t6QpncUbbGW5lEfeBM_roBcnk-DLHjIzSCgfRe_P3Qc7bcuk61yck-ZeHh9Go=w430-h243" width="430" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">When testing with water, there were multiple leaks. It seemed like a failure. Thanks to my indigenous knowledge, I know the leaks are normal. There are two ways to contain them;<br />1. stuff the gaps with cloth pieces using a sharp object</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">2. keep the tub filled with water. The leaks will disappear gradually.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="992" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDcV7-gtL-W4HUGgEjEjg-kl0NfpYy9T4c_6cEt8D5W_DDWu8Ebt4SXnmaX5_HdvSvzeVFfjP_nIpQzIBZ5o_yx4JgX6aKogtvsNV00TL4f63IwtNSq9XTp8_Aq2BjZWgDQgA3xnTw1mhSAFMqd2GCLyyWklbONMPGnscpoEfPdy_QkHdQeLo=w558-h992" width="558" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I tried a new trick. I applied silicone sealant. More than half the leaks were gone. The tub was still leaking. Then the good old method of keeping it filled with water solved the rest. Now my bathroom smells of a sweet pine tree. </span></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWxuZg0hSgMv9uT_CdHZxcnTwnuCOGaRNo936nWche2ZCyTMc1bHUMwo8-v-m1x4dAHDSQWEDPeahXtMC4y-mWFLoJ-DfXTE4D-OH6EyhT6qgw6f2ZqNNi2v8haMkDKa3p1UpFYYHOnPzl14qS2zSnXsGCjmkAPxwgs280lbFh1Yu4km4iAXY=s4624" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="702" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWxuZg0hSgMv9uT_CdHZxcnTwnuCOGaRNo936nWche2ZCyTMc1bHUMwo8-v-m1x4dAHDSQWEDPeahXtMC4y-mWFLoJ-DfXTE4D-OH6EyhT6qgw6f2ZqNNi2v8haMkDKa3p1UpFYYHOnPzl14qS2zSnXsGCjmkAPxwgs280lbFh1Yu4km4iAXY=w395-h702" width="395" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Inside of the Wa</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZQJNAy4CN2J_fsljh3mnosBQyubVeTComxwAcWT9v3i4EbxoBHbAJsu1YWx1LFoYu4InDSep9fNpnvH_7JQzw8fmFLw5KWskeK8dtGvkNXpMuBbh6xkmPBTfkdl1XwRzSr-oklIQI2QbZjWWY9ZqJKO8Fn1B761F4TRODpBrw8kdoHcouj10=s4624" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="763" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZQJNAy4CN2J_fsljh3mnosBQyubVeTComxwAcWT9v3i4EbxoBHbAJsu1YWx1LFoYu4InDSep9fNpnvH_7JQzw8fmFLw5KWskeK8dtGvkNXpMuBbh6xkmPBTfkdl1XwRzSr-oklIQI2QbZjWWY9ZqJKO8Fn1B761F4TRODpBrw8kdoHcouj10=w429-h763" width="429" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The Wa in my bathroom</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br />This interesting project gave me the confidence and desire to do more. I have worked on over <a href="https://www.passudiary.com/2022/03/four-simple-diy-project.html" target="_blank">six small projects</a>. The Wa project is the second biggest and my second favourite. The number one on my list is an unusual bed concept I worked on:- Floating Bed. <br /><br /></span><p></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="693" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpassudiaryblog%2Fposts%2F507713164086646&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-31108498001949909492022-03-17T12:27:00.004+06:002022-03-17T23:48:23.084+06:00Four Simple #DIY Projects<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">During the lockdown, the two things that I avoided were thinking about the lockdown and talking or writing about the lockdown. I didn't want to pretend not to be affected by it. I rather didn't want it to affect me. I set out to work on some carpentry projects to keep myself busy. I didn't know I was good at it. Maybe I wasn't good at it first but as I did more projects I improved. It surprised me and my wife. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><u><b>3 Shelves for the kitchen</b></u></span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">I found a dozen bottles of oil and sauces behind the gas stove. They are there because of the frequency of use. Placing them any further from there could disrupt the process of preparing food, therefore I built a single layer shelf right behind the gas stove. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilGG6i50q_YcDYoaP8SQiF-qLOeswQSbDRrTK-032i1Xf_jvIXSPLt3Fn8k9_rmEl1Q6h3pL_TlaZRL9EFvqfK7qynWLBwhUiIq8PqGWgo5vlszEIo-wnbZrgvcMJOqdpM7BW_CYsJlklWyy6E7NW4BHqnZC01PsCMzWcKxrW084_JuE9eif8=s4624" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilGG6i50q_YcDYoaP8SQiF-qLOeswQSbDRrTK-032i1Xf_jvIXSPLt3Fn8k9_rmEl1Q6h3pL_TlaZRL9EFvqfK7qynWLBwhUiIq8PqGWgo5vlszEIo-wnbZrgvcMJOqdpM7BW_CYsJlklWyy6E7NW4BHqnZC01PsCMzWcKxrW084_JuE9eif8=w345-h613" width="345" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">When the oil and sauce bottles found their place, the containers holding tea ingredients and other spices were jealous. They were in a plastic cabinet, which was eating up a lot of space on the kitchen table. So I sacrificed my supposed-to-be bookshelf for them. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih24a2Siua8KEclr9m6fL40ERLOCPvkLt6R9CCZ-ILwpyuenqCXhMHdTl5wnSe7ClN5C-CKqdr4dSpG4Mu1WL2e6SY1jwD7PCJ0HMUIMMPRlb_NgCboztTHu8-B8dVe-jEX58YWDj-BlashxJfQnQs2a_dDlcSgIl1aogT50edbwWpOmKvM_4=s4624" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih24a2Siua8KEclr9m6fL40ERLOCPvkLt6R9CCZ-ILwpyuenqCXhMHdTl5wnSe7ClN5C-CKqdr4dSpG4Mu1WL2e6SY1jwD7PCJ0HMUIMMPRlb_NgCboztTHu8-B8dVe-jEX58YWDj-BlashxJfQnQs2a_dDlcSgIl1aogT50edbwWpOmKvM_4=w345-h612" width="345" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">For the pots and pans, I found the easiest way out. I got some angle clamps from the hardware store and built two layers of shelves for them. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUCe-PrExuVBfxQda6-gQkQ6I6CmeqSQmYJKD-atQVjHQ_huND1uZrXLbBOwuawhvScVA_L-dCama985c4QlGb-totmiDWkvRMn3RcEJuGRKNkjZ3uYDZkUG8QUbtyofwFI3rqVUacUxqyYb-z4n0NnygZpSOjYZHTdETcHMUzig0IDRWF2v4=s4624" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUCe-PrExuVBfxQda6-gQkQ6I6CmeqSQmYJKD-atQVjHQ_huND1uZrXLbBOwuawhvScVA_L-dCama985c4QlGb-totmiDWkvRMn3RcEJuGRKNkjZ3uYDZkUG8QUbtyofwFI3rqVUacUxqyYb-z4n0NnygZpSOjYZHTdETcHMUzig0IDRWF2v4=w345-h614" width="345" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">One Shelf for the Bathroom</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">One shelf led to another. With inspiration from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anikasdiylife" target="_blank">The DIY Life with Anika</a>, I made one for the bathroom as well. </span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq-kVUFrJNyGh3CzU46IvLHRo2n9T0qyvvNsD1TgAbpWmW2vtlMdSpbYVphWNng6fuj2Qvja9-1VjwVz6wzwIukORmu-tqNmUQQ3UDsBHLw00t0Kd45ik43neMv4bxaFTnI4k0lPCB_MdZAb4Y3s9AqPz_uwz7XI5P0z5UGXVhIQx43UI0wOQ=s4624" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="621" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq-kVUFrJNyGh3CzU46IvLHRo2n9T0qyvvNsD1TgAbpWmW2vtlMdSpbYVphWNng6fuj2Qvja9-1VjwVz6wzwIukORmu-tqNmUQQ3UDsBHLw00t0Kd45ik43neMv4bxaFTnI4k0lPCB_MdZAb4Y3s9AqPz_uwz7XI5P0z5UGXVhIQx43UI0wOQ=w349-h621" width="349" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Special Elite;">These are the simple ones I worked on. The next two will be much bigger, more complex and of course, my favourites. </span></div><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-49258214273030950682022-02-28T23:18:00.001+06:002022-02-28T23:38:11.321+06:00A Simple Tip Before Buying a Phone<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">It's not everyday that we buy phones. We save, we wait, we sacrifice a lot before we could have enough to buy a new phone and say goodbye to the old one that's giving us all sorts of trouble. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">After all the waiting, you don't want to land up with a wrong phone or wrong price, therefore, see if this short video makes sense to you:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpassudiaryblog%2Fvideos%2F5080782782015862%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>
<p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I am a Samsung loyal and so is my family. It's a combination of being reliable and affordable at the same time. It's a smart choice. And before I upgrade my phone I always spend a substantial amount of time studying the phone and comparing prices on <a href="https://www.tashicell.com/phones/samsung" target="_blank">TashiCell</a> website, where they have transparently published everything including the big discounts. <br /><br />By the time I go out to the outlet I know about the phone more than anyone and I don't look around at all, I just grab the phone I have chosen online. </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-9644312540155929992022-02-28T23:04:00.001+06:002022-02-28T23:04:12.768+06:00Ani Passo - A Tribute <span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Date: 2020-10-25</span><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">My ani Passo was a gentle lady who loved my father, her youngest sibling, so dearly. My late father, Phub Dorji, was as young as her children and therefore she took care of him like one of them. My father, being an uncle to her children, made sure that he lived up to the status he had in the family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Their family was devastated when my father was killed in an accident in 1984. He was their bread earner and as much as he was a dearly loved brother and Asha. I was a baby when this happened. People looked at me and cried. Every time they saw me they felt pity on me. I didn't have a father anymore. Besides my mother, who lost her husband, it was Ani who felt the deepest pain. Seemingly, she saw her brother in me because she loved me dearly. She won't say it aloud but I knew she did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">She was a quiet lady. Her husband was a powerful Nyeep of Gangtay Palace then and she was said to have spent her younger days in the company of Royals at the Palace. But her luck soon ran out, when her husband was terminated from the palace for alleged abuse of power. He was later said to be arrested and imprisoned in Paro Dzong after the assassination of the Prime Minister, Jigme Palden Dorji in 1963. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Her husband, after his release from the prison, never came back to her. He left for Gasa and married another woman, and perhaps few more later. It was a fair deal to do so back in their times. A man could travel and father so many children in their ways, and not even be responsible for them. My Ani is said to have been so hurt that she refused to talk to him. As a child, I used to remember him visiting Haa and staying in the same house with Ani and her children. I thought he was still her husband. I never saw anything uneasy about him being in the house. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">But later I understood that her reunited with his children only much later in their lives. She and her children were left to fend from themselves all their lives. Acho Dorji related to me the story of how he met his father in Thimphu when he was employed for the first time in Thimphu. He said their father left them when they were still small and only then they met him. He started reappearing in their lives from then on. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Ani was a nucleus of the family and she attracted people from near and far in her days. Her house in Yatshotenkha would be the venue of the festivities even during the lochay. Nowhere in Yangthang, I remember people having so much fun during lochay. Even though their house was in the woods, far from the village, people walked to be there. After the lochay was over, we used to have dozens of people sleeping over. Ani was such a warm person that everyone would show up. She has raised her children to be equally warm that even they were no less. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I have paid her visit at least twice a year as long as I can remember. I looked forward to meeting her as much as she did. She won't show much but I knew she loved seeing me. Later, I went to meet her with my wife, and soon I went with my daughter. She has seen me as a baby and now she was seeming my daughter. It became a full circle in her life. In her own family, her granddaughter gave her a great-granddaughter and they have a beautiful life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">But I feel, like all families, when Sonam Yangchen went for Paro to work with her husband and she Ashi Yangzo was away each day, Ani must have suffered the isolation badly. She must have felt lonely and sad but she could never articulate it because that was the life she knew. I wonder whose idea it was to build the house at Yasotenkha, away from Yangthang. It was a romantic idea in the beginning but with age that was a wrong place. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Ani started losing her sense of hearing and vision. Or maybe she was alright but she was losing her mind. When I visited her in the last few years, she has only two things to say, that she can't hear me well and that she can't see me well. I think she could see and hear. She just couldn't comprehend. It wasn't much later that one night she forgot her way home. The whole of Yangthang was alerted to look for her in the forest. It was a cold winter night and we couldn't imagine she would survive. She was found the next day from near Talung. She hadn't walked much. When she was brought home, which was filled with people from all over, she didn't even know what was going on. She didn't even know she was lost and found. She was lost. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">She became a child again. She was gradually forgetting everything. She family, her speech, her ability to walk and eat and even go to the toilet. She back a baby in the diaper. She would look at you love a small baby and make sounds like a baby would do. If she was a baby we would find that cute, but when an old woman does that we found it crazy. I don't know if her children have done enough. I am just a nephew. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">I felt a sense of liberation when she passed away. I couldn't imagine her being trapped in that body that won't even move. I realized why death was important. And later, I felt a little sad that such a beautiful soul who didn't even harm a fly had to die that way. But again, I thought she died that way because that's the most blessed way to die; neither she felt the pain nor us. Everyone welcomed death. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The storyteller in me was seeking a poetic justice in the fact that Ani never spoke to her ex-husband even though he appeared in their lives every year for at least 20 years. And the fact that she died without speaking to him was a satisfying yet empty feeling. Did he hurt her that deep? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Why did my ani lose her peaceful mind? </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-58404036482392956232022-01-31T20:59:00.002+06:002022-01-31T21:06:21.945+06:00Egg-nomy- The Fragile Economy of Eggs <span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">In the last decade, the ban on import of eggs gave rise to a booming poultry business and thus we achieved egg self-sufficiency within a short span of time. In fact, the massive growth in local egg production changed our dietary habits and we saw a steep upward curve in consumption of eggs in Bhutan.</span><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKI8653lnk13S0FeBzPqYnv4PKfMnO5cAWw-2rrAqnBnvh5mnngsDB96vnirOpSMxgHfUgv1hJTD2Xy0faV6zvIRpQgZjTihDaPEMILaEJDqVC4Y3vz_FY6UZfNR0ZJymtL8CEsV9OqhKa3_g_h9N-R9OELTCoWQ8c5RLb7wstRNaenLRyV_4=s2048" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKI8653lnk13S0FeBzPqYnv4PKfMnO5cAWw-2rrAqnBnvh5mnngsDB96vnirOpSMxgHfUgv1hJTD2Xy0faV6zvIRpQgZjTihDaPEMILaEJDqVC4Y3vz_FY6UZfNR0ZJymtL8CEsV9OqhKa3_g_h9N-R9OELTCoWQ8c5RLb7wstRNaenLRyV_4=w441-h248" width="441" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Picture Source: Cee Dee Ventures (Facebook)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br />Just another decade ago, egg was a delicacy. My mother would promise to give me an egg fry if I passed my exam. Families would save two to three pieces of eggs for special occasions. If someone broke an egg by accident, hell would break lose. I don’t think kids these days can relate to this, because now we buy eggs in trays and have it as a quick meal whenever we wish. <br /><br />But seemingly we had all our eggs in one basket or to put it literally we had all our birds feed from one basket. BOOM! With a fault in one batch of feed, we lose our self-sufficiency status overnight. <br /><br />With the sudden drop in the production of eggs, the supply chain was badly hit and the cruel market force driven by the greedy middlemen shot the price of egg over the roof. This is a bad market where price rises because of the misfortune of the others. I didn’t study business; in the open market, it may be considered fair enough for the price to increase with the rise in demand and drop in supply but in the business of karma it’s not going to pay. <br /><br />Now, when the government is importing eggs to fill the gap, a news report says, some farmers are not happy. When the price of the eggs on my table has made me sad, I have no heart to care about the happiness of some farmers. I rather lobby for more import to control the price in the local market. We just cannot do business the conventional way, we must care, we must feel, and ripe what we saw.</span><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-45284173039110149452022-01-29T01:27:00.002+06:002022-01-29T14:27:27.515+06:00Where the Hills Have More Prayer Flags than Trees<span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">The Buddhist funeral ritual of offering 108 prayer flags has the potential of wiping off acres of forest every year. To get a perspective of the threat it poses, look at the hills stretch overlooking Lanjophakha to Taba, there are more prayer flags than trees. It’s so haunting to look into that direction and realize that it will continue to expand further. It's now buddhism against environment, which is not supposed to be. What have we done? </span><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWkc66L6jjyRlKenY7aXcfwwehAOPP6UrBxxsTgl6abgc9iN_AvfQGn3K75YOzFD5JlfBijFL838zc9Hf8kBU2uO5VjUvNb6SYuyytvzr_2P485hWqokUBw-YoVw2lTe0XdB6dmI1npsRobRIK8WU7gX9k8yf_psY8F7_N7LAJ3ZmhqfD11RM" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWkc66L6jjyRlKenY7aXcfwwehAOPP6UrBxxsTgl6abgc9iN_AvfQGn3K75YOzFD5JlfBijFL838zc9Hf8kBU2uO5VjUvNb6SYuyytvzr_2P485hWqokUBw-YoVw2lTe0XdB6dmI1npsRobRIK8WU7gX9k8yf_psY8F7_N7LAJ3ZmhqfD11RM=w616-h347" width="616" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prayer Flag Hill</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> I have raised this issue before and even made a few tangible suggestions to make it sustainable. In one article, I suggested the need for every <a href="https://www.passudiary.com/2015/06/108-trees-in-lifetime-for-citizenship.html" target="_blank">Bhutanese to plant 108 trees as a citizenry mandate</a> so that we could equate that with the trees we would cut down for the ritual when we die.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> In another article, <a href="https://www.passudiary.com/2015/06/108-prayer-flag-business-social.html" target="_blank">I floated a social business idea to startup prayer flag hiring company</a> to help bereaved families deal with arduous process of hoisting prayer flag at an affordable cost by reusing old pole or finding alternative such as bamboo, plastic or steel poles. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMaWmBBhtKwwNqOtaiMy9Dum0I9J9dnrcULDV_ly9ZfwEFWY0uAxf3aNYjazwoosuaGwzfz_7r7IEFWVpl9nLtPQgyxq_K96iIuwEdV4e3XqfS7t5Tp8nJ395HgCwGJroXpnML1zAF3pD27txazgs3mRNYGS13YI6nnBrc3wD-J439Gdiwjc4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMaWmBBhtKwwNqOtaiMy9Dum0I9J9dnrcULDV_ly9ZfwEFWY0uAxf3aNYjazwoosuaGwzfz_7r7IEFWVpl9nLtPQgyxq_K96iIuwEdV4e3XqfS7t5Tp8nJ395HgCwGJroXpnML1zAF3pD27txazgs3mRNYGS13YI6nnBrc3wD-J439Gdiwjc4=w590-h332" width="590" /></a></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">To do more on this, I have been part of a micro project where we promoted treated bamboo pole as an alternative flagpole. We couldn’t even make a dent because we realized that there is a huge resistance. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> The big question we must address is, why 108 poles? It’s fundamentally flawed to count the poles when the ritual is about the prayers printed on the flag that will flutter in the wind. Shouldn’t we be counting the number of lines of prayers we are offering in the wind? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOioZ_U2FoOOFMqVUAVqyVpZOXrZ8HYl_kHqlyWE6eUCpLOCEPJQJNXIWMR4LodlsQJlWYga_oPAwU-NwPktORT7eARSFGu_2nLiSYKoe5ZBwOOK83zR7n1Fmg_NCnQfSO_cbokRal1_RwRndKOEYFtRO-bJpoMQZ1p6FD5CetHlv7ntQuOwg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOioZ_U2FoOOFMqVUAVqyVpZOXrZ8HYl_kHqlyWE6eUCpLOCEPJQJNXIWMR4LodlsQJlWYga_oPAwU-NwPktORT7eARSFGu_2nLiSYKoe5ZBwOOK83zR7n1Fmg_NCnQfSO_cbokRal1_RwRndKOEYFtRO-bJpoMQZ1p6FD5CetHlv7ntQuOwg=w418-h314" width="418" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> To make it worse, there is funny logic that states that bamboo and steel poles that are hollow inside cannot be used for offering prayer flags. Who is deciding this for us? Is it a <i>wrong number</i>? Otherwise, wouldn’t an offering that has done lesser harm be a more profound offering? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqDT7vdQ2F9P6So67ZtngBPeyxMz1uZKhagaasdtvBqoQ5qkMdM8bvZVQ3OtbvP1pR-KHYAH5VilPRJTMIDUfPKm-R8_LmDTjOparY4uxO9tCH38xgl5_BHUubJawwZPjc6DBzfaydxeZZpyilco_oJIZzFmpbOBRM1Soh8Jbr6uHZ4td8LOc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqDT7vdQ2F9P6So67ZtngBPeyxMz1uZKhagaasdtvBqoQ5qkMdM8bvZVQ3OtbvP1pR-KHYAH5VilPRJTMIDUfPKm-R8_LmDTjOparY4uxO9tCH38xgl5_BHUubJawwZPjc6DBzfaydxeZZpyilco_oJIZzFmpbOBRM1Soh8Jbr6uHZ4td8LOc=w602-h339" width="602" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bamboo Flagpoles in Southern Bhutan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> I am not an extreme conservationist, I rather believe in sustainable harvesting of trees. I believe in felling a matured tree to build shelter and produce furniture. But I am opposed to the idea of felling young trees just to stretch a layer of prayer flags on it. Every tree is a golden goose and felling them for a mere pole is like killing the goose. It’s an unworthy sacrifice of a valuable natural resource. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> There are more reasonable ways to make the offering; </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">reuse old flagpoles that are lying all around uselessly. Make all the existing flagpoles public property that anyone can reuse once that prayers are faded. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">use ropes to stretch prayer flags between two poles or around one big pole. There are some fine examples. Make them popular.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">explore recycle plastic poles. I think my friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yontentharchen" target="_blank">Karma Yonten</a> can do this. He has shown the possibility with his eco-green poles.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">use steel poles. It’s far more economical because you can resell them. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">and I am wondering if it’s possible to cut out flagpoles from a big matured timber using some machine. (Business idea?)</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Special Elite"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwqFhQIiZUagTufUGNaGfVIcqq0t_GMhy851gUq5E_5OKP87paDsrfJ9xzjmXIkN79sNowDa2sqhUUZwzyP8OIzgqs3ltWXKH7TerP7pyCMtkkyc3yANyjBbeug2irBNXxqWffq2vhYBLwjsB90-PzzKuXCWgOtr776GzZjm1i8etK5jHgrQ4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwqFhQIiZUagTufUGNaGfVIcqq0t_GMhy851gUq5E_5OKP87paDsrfJ9xzjmXIkN79sNowDa2sqhUUZwzyP8OIzgqs3ltWXKH7TerP7pyCMtkkyc3yANyjBbeug2irBNXxqWffq2vhYBLwjsB90-PzzKuXCWgOtr776GzZjm1i8etK5jHgrQ4=w530-h298" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reusable Ru-dhar pole</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> But as long as permits to fell young tree for flagpoles are freely available, why suffer a change? We are too lazy to explore better ways. We are happy with the old world, and there are old minds advising us to resist. People gossip about you not doing enough <i>gewa</i> if you don’t do it the old way. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"> Therefore, there should be a systemic effort to putting an end to this mindless culture of massacring young trees for nothing worthwhile: </span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/frmdbhutan" target="_blank">Department of Forestry</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/frmdbhutan" target="_blank">Forest Resources Management Division</a> must stop issuing permit for flagpoles. We must put a ban on felling young trees for flagpole or any other purpose. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Department of Culture and Zhung Dratshang must create awareness on how the offering is about the prayer on the flag that flutter in the wind rather than the pole. Pole can be anything or nothing. Prayers matter.</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Special Elite; font-size: medium;">Let's state the truth that it's so sinful to cut a young tree for hoisting a prayer flag.</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.passudiary.com for more stories </div>PaSsuDiaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093842074035376280noreply@blogger.com2