The Perfect Match

 With the long silky black hair hanging on her shoulder, she was none less than an angel. She looked even more beautiful with the velvet sleeveless top that she was wearing . The red lipstick on her lips suited her perfectly. She was the most beautiful woman i had ever seen.She was a perfect angel.

I couldn't believe myself that i was right in front of a very gorgeous woman whom i had seen countless times in my dream. Even though, i had seen a blurred image of her in my dream i could none the less feel she was the same girl of my dreams.Yes, my dream girl. I pinched myself every now and then to make sure i believe it was a reality.

She was all smiles and blushing and so do i.

I knew my heart instantly. My heart whispered isn't she the one? How i wanted to touch those lovely hairs. How much i wanted to go closer to her and hold her soft fair hand. How much i wanted to hug her.

Our conversation ranged from introductions, to family matters, to music, to movies, to politics, to future. We chatted continuously for nearly few hours. I dont have even the slight knowledege how time flew by so fast. As fast as the wind, may be. May be, that what happens when one falls madly in love, yes love at first sight.

Ohh, how much i adored her or liked her or fell in love with her. All at once. Feelings are so hard to understand.I can admit it was love at first sight.

 She was charming, witty and intelligent and of course not to forget beautiful within and outside. So, true to be in love. All wonderful combination in a single soul. I envied her for taking my heart away.

While i was dreaming in my thoughts. She asked me what i liked the most? I muttered enough courage to speak to her.

Ahh, my poor heart was racing. So fast that i could hear my own heart beats. I didn't know what i should be saying. I didn't have any proper and definite answers. I couldn't be saying this and that since there are so many things i usually like and do. Moreover it was HER at this moment. i couldn't help myself to tell her it's you dear. How ever being a shy and introvert guy that was out of my mind.

Finally after enough contemplation, i decided to tell her i liked watching television.I whispered watching television since voice do not come easily at this time. I felt like i lost my voice. I couldnt even properly hear my own whisper. But not letting her to think something weird like television soaps, i said a little loudly and proudly sports and news.

What type of sports? She was there blah, blah....

I was lost again. I couldn't hear her. All i saw was her lips moving. As i was contemplating again whether to propose her and simply let my heart open for now. And what if she doesn't think the same way i do. My pride for rejection urged  my poor self to shut down at the moment.I finally decided i would let her know when the time was right.

Silly thoughts overtook my otherwise calm self. I was acting like a fool but it happens in love, i reminded myself. Even great and powerful people acted foolish when in love.

Suddenly my zeal to know her better let me speak my mind.

As i was about to ask her what's her favorite things was.I cleared my voice and as i was about to ask.. Then, oh my bad luck. Couldn't have any thing worst than at this moment. The lights turned off. My poor webcam and internet chatting abruptly ended. The height of worst frustration and know what it took few days for the power department to fully restore the electricity in our locality.  I am still thinking of our resumption.


(haha this short story is originally written by myself only inspired from numerous short stories i read in naija. stories. I didnt copy paste from here and there so please bear with my grammar. Thanks once again readers and i would love to hear from you).

Few things i liked & disliked about ESCAPEDES

In the last post, i mentioned somewhere that i am reading Escapades Awakenings by Dorji Dhratyul. It is an interesting novel by a Bhutanese Author set in the rural village of Mamung, Zhemgang. It has a Bhutanese touch. When reading it, i felt i was connected with it. There is Bhutanese in every essence.

The book is written in a simple language which is easy to understand. It brings a good insight into our society. It is lively and full of interesting accounts.

Book lovers especially Bhutanese literary writers/readers will love it.

And, i really appreciate Mr. Dorji Dhratyul for bringing out such a lovely book solely focused on women, our Brave Bhutanese women. In fact, what makes it extra more special is The book is written by a man. A man taking all the effort to address woman's social issues.

However, there is still room for improvement.

In any case, this is not a book review. Here are few things which i listed as likes and dislikes. But the opinion is solely mine.

Few things i liked:

a). It presents some interesting storyline and details. It has tried to bring into account all things associated with Bhutan, like the culture, tshechu, festivals,etc. This information is useful, helpful and knowledgeable to people like me. I really appreciate the author for bringing in all those details.
b). It is an eye opening to learn about what happens in rural villages when so called govt.officials in the pretense of touring the area do. The young village girls and the village Tshogpa and Headman have to try to please the officials by lavish welcome and entertainment ceremonies for the guest.
c). Moreover, all due to them and their selfish deeds how so many innocent young village girls are exploited. It is worthy to note that in the name of culture how this so called tradition is becoming an eye sore. As a result, many fatherless kids are born and how single mothers endure to raise them. 
d). I liked how the author brings into light the plight of young children who have to work for others. It is not often that a yound maid or alu tami succeeded in their masters house. They have to go through all the hurdle like getting beaten up, sleep without food, scolded for no reasons etc.
e). The author takes us into a very humble village, with lots of hardworking, kind and selfless villagers (rustic- what the author uses now and then).

Fiw things i disliked:

a). The story of rag to riches, poverty to strength and power, corporate success and political power looks more like a Bollywood mixed . The protoganist is so ambitious that she even uses herself to promote her business. (Oki its a fiction) Something so similar and familiar.
b).Cant even imagine the situation in a scenario similar to what happens when Chechey meets Jamyang for the first time. Oki, even if you are siblings from the same biological father and if you dont know each other. If a girl or boys falls in love with each other only to realise they are biologically related by their father. What a shame. 
c). How ever the author missed the thriving Drayang culture. In my perspective it would have been better to include the Drayang Culture too. Since it's so much popular now a days. And, for a girl with just Class IV passed, it couldn't have been any better.

On a general note, i like the story. It is captivating, simple, bold and plain. It is well written. It brings light to evil in our society and life.

It is available for Nu. 600 only. It is also available online in pothi.com.

Hope you guys will have the time to read it.

She was My first Love

Dear Readers,

Welcome to June. June is a wonderful month for me filled with lots of memories. A couple of days from now i will be marking another new chapter of my life. Ohh don't get me wrong, its just that I will be celebrating my ........th birthday.

So, to start of the wonderful weekend i laid my hands on ESCAPADE Awakening, a Bhutanese novel by Doji Dhratyul.

Oki, Are you still feeling the Poll Hangover? Wake up Guys. It's a new day and the Poll results are all over. Not seriously inclined with Politics, i missed the opportunity to cast my secret or sacred (as have been the reading in the media) vote. I missed the NC Election too. Never mind, i have finally thought to cast my sacred vote in the final round, i.e on 13th July 2013.

Feel the rain, the onslaught of summer. Its been raining for days. I like it today morning rain and sun.It was amazing.

However, i would like to leave my readers with this short creative story. Very sweet and beautiful but non the less sad. No matter what, it is worth reading. The simple language format used by the writer and the way it is narrated further exemplifies the underlying of the story.

Hope you will enjoy it.

She Was My First Love

Just like the queen of the night oozes its fragrance at night time, reminding it of a day that was beautiful and giving it hope of another beautiful tomorrow, so is this story of mine. A story of two young minds, finding a common understanding and appreciating the value of friendship, togetherness and love. Even though the forces of nature sometimes destroy the beauty of the world, we still appreciate the times that we were happy and thank God for giving us the good old memories to muse over and merry in.

The age was seven and the class was primary two. Significant things, difficult to forget happened that year. It was the first and only time I topped the class, it was the first and only time I won a prize and it was the first and only time I had an almost perfect friend and lost her.

Her name was CHIDINMA.

She was my classmate, new in the school, fair in complexion and I thought she had behavioural problems because she was really slow with everything she did, both academically, in movement and in speech. Everyone in class saw her as a ‘dollard’ who could not comprehend a thing and struggled to be a step ahead of the least. I didn’t see her that way. Maybe I was biased. Why shouldn’t I be? She was beautiful and always had that look in her eyes like the looks I saw in the eyes of the hollywood actresses. She reminded me of the movie ‘ANNIE’ whenever I looked at her.

My likeness for Chidinma grew and I was always happy going to school every morning. My mum thought I had suddenly fallen in love with school. It wasn’t school mum, it was Chidinma. I shared my biscuits with her on one of her lonely breaks and from that day, we became friends. Only then did I discover she wasn’t the ‘isi aki’ everyone thought she was. We grew from class mates to friends and from friends to close friends. She neglected the girls when they called her ‘spoilt’ for preffering the company of the opposite sex during break and I neglected the boys when they called me ‘woman wrapper’ for choosing Chidinma instead of playing ‘police and thief’ with them.

Soon, my Chidinma began to bloom academically, proving my instincts right and proving the other pupils wrong. She must have needed time to settle in properly which I guess was the reason for her initial poor scores. I liked her even more after her breakthrough.

We used to walk home together, holding her younger ones and sharing tales we wouldn’t tell the others at school. She became my best friend as we fondly called it back then. We shared biscuits, talked about things appropriate for our ages, and sometimes, I resisted the urge to do those things I saw people do in movies to her. Yea, I resisted the urge to kiss her.

During the Christmas holidays, I volunteered to follow my aunty whenever she was going to the market because I knew we would always pass her house along the route. I used to peep in and wave if I saw her but if not, I’ll just go to the market feeling the pains of an unfulfilled mission. This I did until she travelled to her village to spend the new year. I waited patiently. Built up my courage and rehearsed a scene on how I’ll kiss her when she returns. I didn’t know much about love, I was too young to know but the feelings I had for her was next to love if it wasn’t love.

Then…

The day of resumption… Three days…. One week…. Two weeks…. Absence.
Then an obituary…

Her fair face, smiling in black and white with her mother and siblings. The siblings I used to hold. It was her, involved in a ghastly motor accident, burnt beyond recognition. Number plates, tooth and other little clues were used to identify them. Her family was wiped and I couldn’t hold back as hot tears filled my eyes. I knew what death was at seven and it meant I’ll never see her or her little ones again. I’ll never get to kiss her.

And I went to school everyday, looking at her vacant seat, wishing she could come back so that we can walk home together like we always did but it never happened. I walked home alone, lonely and sad. Memories of our three months old friendship flooded my head each time I walked home and tears were forced to fall sometimes.

Back to present…

That is how I remember it. Thanks to childhood innocence, I wasn’t depressed for so long even though my academic performance that term was a little below my usual performance and I lost that zeal for school that mummy loved. I still remember her every now and then. Even till this day, the memories flood back sometimes and each time I remember her, I feel happy for the opportunity to have had that kind of friend. Soft spoken and strong, intelligent and wonderful and lest I forget, beautiful. Now, she’s not a major thought as Biola *my girlfriend and maybe my future wife* has stolen my heart but she will always remain in my memories till I die.

She was my first love.


Source: Romance Meets Life


(This short story was first published on Naijastories.com)
(Please do not copy it in any form. Should be reproduced/published only after acknowledging the source)

Have a wondeful weekends.

gardens, flowers, fruits !!

How many of you ever thought of taking vegetable gardening as a hobby? Well, we all belong to a country where farming is still practiced. Many of our people live in villages across the country harvesting fruits, vegetable,grains, rice for us. Have we every thought of thanking them for their hard work? Well for instance, we import a lot of products from our neighboring country, India. Whether its sun, rain, storm they toil hard for us, to keep the food in our table, to make us healthy.

Well, how many of you are aware that sometimes farmers in India, along with their entire family take to such extreme steps like suicide due to heavy debt they have incurred and for which there is no any other alternatives than to give up their life. My heart weeps for those people seriously.

Next time, when the food is laid in your table to be served to you please try to remember all those selfless hardworking people who struggle to help you lay your dinning table beautifully like the farmers who tilled the dry field till something can be grown, to their anxiousness waiting for the new plant to sprout, to the joy when there was abundant rain or sunshine when required, and to the contentedness when watermelon, grapes, tomatoes, asparagus, peas flourished in their garden. Finally, the happiness they get when they sell their products.And, also not to forget  the packers, truckers, middleman who are all involved in the process.

But due to rapid modernization as well as social economic development in the our country, i think a lot of our younger generation haven't even have stepped in a garden. But its oki. The vast land we have in the capital are turning into concrete blocks. And, there is not even a little space for cultivation as more and more people live in buildings, and some people who have land want them to turn it toa fine tall building.

Well, in the wake of urbanisation, Michelle Obama's first book ''American Grown'' (The story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America) offers insight to gardening, the White House kitchen garden, her anxiousness in being a novice gardener and finally to celebrating gardening.

 It can be interesting to read for fellow gardeners whose hobbies are gardening as it gives insight into some of the most popular gardens in and around America. This book can be an inspiration to gardeners.

American Grown by Michelle Obama.
"American Grown" is the story of the White House kitchen garden by Michelle Obama.

The book contains some stunning pictures too. She started gardening in April, 2009 and her book takes you through all the seasons.

The book was launched in 2012 and Mrs. Obama  hopes that the book encourages others to start growing their own food, especially given the health benefits of doing so.






According to Mrs. Obama, millions of people don’t get a chance to come to Washington.  They hear about the garden; they don’t get an opportunity to see it.  So she wanted to use this as an opportunity to tell people about how they started it and how what thought about it, who all is involved in her book.

And, she adds ''It’s not just the story of the White House Kitchen Garden; it’s the story of community gardens all across this country, because the truth is the idea of the White House garden is not unique.  Community gardens are a mainstay in so many communities across this country, from rural America to my neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago''.

 Oki, i think it is a good experience to try kitchen gardening in your backyard. After reading her book, i really admire the first lady and her initiative to promote healthy living.

This book is a celebration of farming, kitchen gardening and stuffs that are relevant to a daily gardener. Cheers to our gardeners and farmers.

in anticipation of the Royal Baby

 I want to join the millions of people worldwide who are expecting the arrival of the royal baby. The Duchess of Cambridge looks stunning even in her seventh month of pregnancy. She seems to be very hardworking and dedicated to her work.

According to close friends and sources the royal baby is due on Saturday July 13th . But royal watchers and fans all over the globe will still need some more days, weeks to know whether its a boy or a girl. I am proud that she didnt go for scanning to check the sex of the baby.

I have heard that the most beautiful phase in a woman's life is during pregnancy & other issues I've heard is "if a mother is glowing, has very clear skin, its a girl.. Only time can tells us of it. But if the royal baby is a girl, then she may become a beautiful woman like her mother. And, of course who doesnt know the would be father is  a real prince charming.

A tale of 2 people!!

God is wonderful. He is the sole creator of so many beautiful things in our lives as well as the beautiful people we are surrounded with.I never thought i would have so many wonderful creatures around me & i would grow up with them & i would be so fond of some of them.

I am always comfortable with the first person narration and also hopefully it suits me the best.


When I try to remember my happiest moments and they make me the saddest too. So, happy and sad goes along with each other for me.

When i think of the short time/moment i spent with my father it transforms me into a wonderful era of love, hope and life. Back then, as an arrogant and ignorant child, i always cursed God for taking my father away from us (he was barely 44 years old, and we were just too little and innocent to handle his untimely death). I used to cry in my heart when i used to see my friends with their father. I always used to feel that vacum in my life. My heart was filled with pain. And even watching a movie with a death scene brought immeasurable hardness and uncontrollable pain for me.

Years passed my uncle (father's younger brother) fill the void in my life. He was a blessing in disguise. He looked after us (me and my siblings). So, things were keeping at its best when all of a sudden he too left us to the world from where no one can return.

So, this December will mark the birth of his life in another world.

This is the tale of two people one who brought me to this world and the other who brought back life to me. I wonder if my father was alive what impact would have on me. How would he advise & treat a growing teenager, eligible for marriage daughter and a married daughter? This will be the different phases of my life but how will he be tolerating it all because for a parent their children will always remain as children.

Now i dont curse God or any one for taking my father & uncle away as this is the way of life. We are born to die. Some die too early and some later but no one can live forever. That is why Buddha said everything is impermanent in this world.

 

I am always thank full to both of you for being with me at some point of time. Life is short but ultimately you have lived your life fully and thats why you left us so early and may be God has some other projects for you.

Keep smiling and be cheerfull whereever you are.

 

Queen of Bhutan Tulip

                                             Queen of Bhutan Tulip

Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan, Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, received Dutch ‘Queen of Bhutan’ tulip bulbs on 4 December 2012, at the Royal Palace in Thimphu. Her Majesty granted an audience to Phuntshok Chhoden Tshering – Honorary Consul to The Netherlands in Bhutan, Kees Klein – Honorary Consul to Bhutan in The Netherlands, Tshering Yangki – owner of the Gardeners shop in Thimphu and Henk de Jong – bhutan+partners.

Her Majesty referred to her love for flowers as well as to the longstanding friendship relations between Bhutan and The Netherlands when speaking to her guests.
The ‘Queen of Bhutan’ tulip reflects the national colors of Bhutan and Her Majesty’s personality: ‘warm and kind in heart and mind’.

The ‘Queen of Bhutan’ tulip was launched in the Netherlands on 22 September 2012 at the Floriade, World Horticultural Expo in Venlo.

The public launch of the Tulip in Bhutan took place on 4 December 2012, at the Nehru Wangchuck centre in Thimphu in the presence of government officials, diplomats, business people and representatives from the Dutch community.

The ‘Queen of Bhutan’ tulip is a bhutan+partners initiative and gift to Her Majesty on the occasion of the Royal Wedding in October 2011. The Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi and the Dutch flower bulb industry supported the initiative.

The Tulip with deep red petals edged with golden yellow colours is cultivated in the Netherlands by Fluwel and will be available in Bhutan through Mrs Tshering Yangki’s Gardeners shop, Centenary market in Thimphu Bhutan. ( Rea more at http://www.bhutanandpartners.org/2012/12/queen-of-bhutan-receives-tulips/)

 Royal Weeding Pic

Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen addresses the national celebration of 25 years since the signing of the international treaty to protect the ozone layer. Her Majesty is Bhutan's Ozone Ambassador.