Lotus's Perspective- Journey through my teaching career.

Pumpkin curving; Source-Google images The last three months of the year are highly looked forward to, and largely anticipated by many sections of people in the world. It could be attributed to having several holidays, festivals, (exams may be?) and above all the coming of the end of the year, or rather coming of the new year?! Yesterday was the eve of Halloween, "a n annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in Canada , Ireland , the United States and the United Kingdom . It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints' Day , but is today largely a secular celebration" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween ) This is my fourth time observing this annual event. So yesterday too like last year, I with my two roommates went to Melbourne downtown to join the thousands of people in their best choice of costumes to mark the event. The roads leading to the downtown as normal were closed for traffic, and they were fenced from every...

Ever since my friend Mr. Yeshi Dorji, a final year B Ed. (teacher trainee) at Samtse College of Education, under Royal University of Bhutan offered me to publish this story in his upcoming Book (seen at the right), I guess it has undergone a few times of editorial touches. So firstly I want to thank Mr. Yeshi for being kind enough in offering me a space in his book. Secondly, I would like to thank all reviewers for sparing their precious time and making my article readable and especially to the chief editor Mr. K. C. Jose, a lecturer of Samtse College for his valuable feedbacks and necessary changes.** Bhutanese Traditional Kitchen: 'Arsang'- the pot for making Ara resembles the one at the left. Photo credit: The Bhutan Travel Guide Bhutan has come a long way in terms of infrastructural development, and it has seen the state-of-the-art buildings mushrooming for the last few decades. It has, with no doubt, raised the living standard of the generally primitive people of the nati...

Lisa Marie Presley and 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson. Photo credit: Google Last night, despite my busy schedule, I kind of felt like watching TV, so I grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. Subsequently, I went to the channel 11 where NBA basketball game Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks was broadcasted. I watched the first half of the game, and scrolled down the channel guide. There I bumped into the Oprah Winfrey Show featuring a very attractive looking woman and Oprah. Immediately it caught my attention, not because she is very attractive and her eyes are very sexy, should I say?, but because their conversation sounded very emotional and 'real'. Although I had no idea about who that pretty woman is then, I glued myself to the TV, and waited for her name to appear on the screen. Within a moment and to my relief, a tag bearing the words 'Lisa Marie Presley' appeared just below that pretty woman. By the way, I had the 'google' search engine page alr...

After I have confirmed that I wouldn't be able to retrieve the phone, I declared it 'lost' and published a status on my Facebook page requesting friends to ' drop me your numbers in my inbox', but kept the story to myself. Heres how I 'lost' my phone three days ago. It was a dinner time, and having gotten home quite exhausted from the school, I headed in laze to the kitchen, downstairs, to help myself. I stuffed in all the leftovers to a plate, almost built a mountain out of it, and put into the microwave and let it heated for about two minutes. Then, I gobbled them up in few minutes. Got the dishes done, wiped the oven, and responded to the natures call. I was in the restroom (toilet) and relieving quite naturally until I heard a splashing sound beneath me. When I looked down in a rather terrified mode in a quest to find what that splashing sound was, I saw my three year old Motorola phone drowned into the ocean of water and pee and seemingly very suffocate...

One day when I was doing my Intensive English Course (rather called as English as a Second Language (ESL)) at an ELS center based in our university, I received an email asking me to submit a kind of report on how I was doing, and what my feelings about the Fulbright grant were. Having been only couple of months then, I felt so burdened and short of ideas to write. However, since I was mandated, I wrote a few paragraphs in a form of email, and sent it to them. Then it was forgotten completely until I received an email correspondence of the Fulbright Foreign Student Newsletter , Issue 10, published on July 2008. I scrolled down to check if there was any pictures, but I was surprised to find my article. Although, my article didn't address any issues or bear any professionalism, I thought it was cool. So I am reproducing it below: EXPERIENCING A WHOLE NEW FULBRIGHT WORLD by Pema Wangdi, 2007-2008, Bhutan I am Pema Wangdi, a 2007-8 Fulbright grantee from Bhutan. Currently, I am studying...

Dhur Da Chham: Photographed from the cover of Tshering Tashi's Book " "Bold Bhutan Beckons" It is a "No Gain, No Pain", not the famous saying "No pain, No gain"! The article " Reluctant mask dancers " by reporter Gyempo Namgayl of Bhutan Observer brought to light perhaps the most itching issue about the difficulties being faced in the village community to conduct their annual or bi-annual Tshechu(s) - the festivals. It is no new thing, in fact the local leaders have been facing similar difficulties for years. Now children go to modern school, and nobody wants to stay back at village and become "Gomchen", hence no dancer. As a village kid, I would be eagerly welcoming the Tshechu season, and I would be totally in a festive mood. I can vividly remember how I enjoyed those unique dances showcased by our monks and elderly people which now remained as a story of past. About five years ago, the last time I saw Tshebar Tshechu, it ...

This poem was written when I was studying at Nangkor Higher Secondary School in 11 Science. It obviously shows how I was stuck by the thunderous love with the relationship ending in a lightening speed! To maintain the originality, I did no editing and proof-reading of any sort. So please bear with the grammatical errors, and reading it with light heart would help for I retain no hard feelings on her. Oh! My Heart! Never stoop for she is no worth than own life. Here the death man lies... What cares the beauties on them? Reddened on his checks and smiling face white-washed Yet, no special path for him to leave this world! Than to follow the equal route does the poor fellows. You the unfaithful, And impious wench! As if immortal and eternal you are. Boundless are your talks propelled by The influence of thy boneless tongue. Talks! How to define it? It makes man laugh, and cry too. Thine truth-less talks spoken in dreamily Were merciless insult to me. But now you are against my wish. Dream...

The author Mr. Gyalpo Drukpa is currently undergoing LLB in NALSAR University, Hydarbad, India. He is the second topper of the Bhutan Higher Secondary Education Certificate (BHSEC) 2005. He studied at Nangkor Higher Secondary School, under Pema Gatshel district from 2004-2005. This essay, which was asked during annual examination, was written in the year 2004 when he was studying in 11 Arts. He maintains a blog, and should you be interested, follow him at http://www.gyelpothungshingp.blogspot.com/ Yes, indeed! Yes. To advice and instigate others to speak the truth has become almost like fashion. It is very unrealistic and to great extent hypocritical. In order to make other's mind bow, first and foremost thing, ones mind should be arrow. Before telling others, one should be perfect. But parents and teachers instigate students and children to speak the truth verbally. They, themselves are not perfect in this case. Our parents and our teachers teach the fatherhood of God without them...

"Is it a dream?" No, it surely happened...! Five months had swiftly rushed out and the day had come for the students to leave school for vacation. The day was pleasantly sunny, yet it was a horrible day in fact! Leythro was having a refreshment of cool drinks in the bar located just next to the school, with Rigdhen Namgyal, one of his closest friends and the sponsor of the drinks. When everybody was on their way rushing toward their respective villages, why he chose to hang out over drinks carried some hidden meanings, only to his knowledge. Although he was physically present with friends, and seemingly felt refreshed with drinks, mentally he was lost in a great worry. "How can I meet her? Does she expect me to be waiting here?...?" He pondered over it again and again, yet not even hinted a slightest discomfort about friends' endless thought-provoking talks. He just wished that he wasn't with them in the first place. He had all the rights to cut short the co...