tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12122800731914872062024-03-05T17:59:24.426+11:00Tashi DendupQuests, Quandaries, and Quirks of an Ordinary Bhutanese. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-67140039662151155992023-05-22T21:40:00.033+10:002023-07-03T14:56:32.140+10:00A Slice of Goulburn <p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> The Big Merino </span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3UfCW_5Jl54s_Agle8PwMOT9Vk64FGpPKqtMC6Q2DlyTlgqB8YdZ1x9Q_zxjEQMJf68EJutTTXn6dak4Xbf_VFxIRCLfKRti629aUI0WhjwbtrnzZD_FDVHuClqIkqFf8aWlhI33zCkfQzbK4EPoSAUlvm9L68FU1c3_1huC4aIyKeOOXSKZyidt9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3UfCW_5Jl54s_Agle8PwMOT9Vk64FGpPKqtMC6Q2DlyTlgqB8YdZ1x9Q_zxjEQMJf68EJutTTXn6dak4Xbf_VFxIRCLfKRti629aUI0WhjwbtrnzZD_FDVHuClqIkqFf8aWlhI33zCkfQzbK4EPoSAUlvm9L68FU1c3_1huC4aIyKeOOXSKZyidt9=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big ram standing tall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg44yFqoIb-Rb5p-c2tnFCLP-1unYvEvk-5DYTSbdnbZGeT_s2g-7InYL2qkeVDYO6GKm1y7K-ruE044kf8h5GRovlGAUcboeIk5byNccx7-k37gxYVx3GTvvf-mynvATqMLxIZ-F-teCJxF5KekL8Dqf69K7VcXoFfvTNlhuhdczGHAuJtjZy9sjp8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg44yFqoIb-Rb5p-c2tnFCLP-1unYvEvk-5DYTSbdnbZGeT_s2g-7InYL2qkeVDYO6GKm1y7K-ruE044kf8h5GRovlGAUcboeIk5byNccx7-k37gxYVx3GTvvf-mynvATqMLxIZ-F-teCJxF5KekL8Dqf69K7VcXoFfvTNlhuhdczGHAuJtjZy9sjp8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oops!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Big Merino Gift Shop</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6JVK4nUxw5CrZl94WH0kAGT8v8tGCe_c7Ys71LPgc1yqi-D6Hv98oqZ8lnrA7t_3QU7dogKA_XzXL2E1bnhAB610XqtOjaTjvBBKA2AMssYi4_UUBaiXwqfs0q17Trq6dIG4em85knIns4g_a7ekxnGyNrGgTi0SXe65h5hY9YeD0N2l0Whjfl1Tu" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6JVK4nUxw5CrZl94WH0kAGT8v8tGCe_c7Ys71LPgc1yqi-D6Hv98oqZ8lnrA7t_3QU7dogKA_XzXL2E1bnhAB610XqtOjaTjvBBKA2AMssYi4_UUBaiXwqfs0q17Trq6dIG4em85knIns4g_a7ekxnGyNrGgTi0SXe65h5hY9YeD0N2l0Whjfl1Tu=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">The Rocky Hill War Memorial & Museum </span></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwVB0y5QmGfh3UX_SURUpbQ6m4xjL2RgtlNOZ4iVkwTi7xVAu6MGzFKltzxxbdlh70yqXM0wXzcGroCF4juZi570x1WvnkV4FaYYAYmMftszK3lQ9Mnq71y6e9y8NzAM-AWbWYPC2vVXPDpK71uYjJdlKlzhuZwfHlyZ91szFISGiAX0AiRBkSJRFn=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-60248651095231094932023-04-19T16:07:00.008+10:002023-04-20T12:09:16.132+10:00Mobile Photo Gallery<p><br /></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/AVvXsEht150kFrZfAFu36jfvvAgrX4sZJSI8VjKta94VIJtsguDlbOOH2YG98wCGFwcWcmwv7QZ6I76fNVu0H0R7d2KKKHhzHEHdvt5qENMGx5JSmxRdlfMFEXAIXRL5ws08vDeKtGgiIQsGAvspP-eq5O4BJbo4q_j1SypEmz2dCKowt1yidr2DcdpeS_wa/s4340/IMG_20181130_134855_050.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2272" data-original-width="4340" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht150kFrZfAFu36jfvvAgrX4sZJSI8VjKta94VIJtsguDlbOOH2YG98wCGFwcWcmwv7QZ6I76fNVu0H0R7d2KKKHhzHEHdvt5qENMGx5JSmxRdlfMFEXAIXRL5ws08vDeKtGgiIQsGAvspP-eq5O4BJbo4q_j1SypEmz2dCKowt1yidr2DcdpeS_wa/w640-h336/IMG_20181130_134855_050.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Aerial View of Crown Plaza from the High Gates Building, Canberra</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><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/AVvXsEi_3GHs9cEkWBLRQLZUIbJhrdqJyWZT1gT8gnyEeXBOSeb00emKsBP5FnGjtudPQVsNA1X5MH93NlaemqyIqeEDGjCXCojuHt_TFiwvG1gnQZHNJvSjNAy1rcwpgSFdIb8-8AeIwxJ0KtcQVujbXSaktcAAe9X842ith5PtuXgPVIf42J3TiBslALfn/s2840/IMG_20191002_055204_637.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2840" data-original-width="2272" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3GHs9cEkWBLRQLZUIbJhrdqJyWZT1gT8gnyEeXBOSeb00emKsBP5FnGjtudPQVsNA1X5MH93NlaemqyIqeEDGjCXCojuHt_TFiwvG1gnQZHNJvSjNAy1rcwpgSFdIb8-8AeIwxJ0KtcQVujbXSaktcAAe9X842ith5PtuXgPVIf42J3TiBslALfn/w512-h640/IMG_20191002_055204_637.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Concrete Jungle = Sydney CBD</span></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/AVvXsEhuXl5CoDVS4QFE3BlSb2swnLs8-XLoOfSY3slqlgPYQkubwgLwPzNOndryEribzbWmZ_KG8j6m1JcbrmvSOK6PWSI9Dgn8wj5pKDRW3tn-UIYlFZJFPXzdv2QcJiwo5IzYoz43PboEoY3-h6BucIZ3EZBQr20a6_UEUevc_xMt-1z_6ZRFoe3BrXLd/s3264/IMG_20190420_124122.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXl5CoDVS4QFE3BlSb2swnLs8-XLoOfSY3slqlgPYQkubwgLwPzNOndryEribzbWmZ_KG8j6m1JcbrmvSOK6PWSI9Dgn8wj5pKDRW3tn-UIYlFZJFPXzdv2QcJiwo5IzYoz43PboEoY3-h6BucIZ3EZBQr20a6_UEUevc_xMt-1z_6ZRFoe3BrXLd/w640-h480/IMG_20190420_124122.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong, Australia</span></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/AVvXsEgAAjLK0-nIWg_fCIhJe-SUklkmz7qGZcAcTXBIZEvMPyj1soxN4GHIoa64eUAo731xDiTuvBzB6TjviC_EHHC7yn4herE4fecYk_NHew_aaWmJtJW_zAb-9_Hd2oyslgq9Kr3vz3e2rgMe_qAIm4agse3lkrM2ERclw_FlpQivwU-FDZLXnSJ3wNfI/s2880/IMG_20190106_165730.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="2880" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAjLK0-nIWg_fCIhJe-SUklkmz7qGZcAcTXBIZEvMPyj1soxN4GHIoa64eUAo731xDiTuvBzB6TjviC_EHHC7yn4herE4fecYk_NHew_aaWmJtJW_zAb-9_Hd2oyslgq9Kr3vz3e2rgMe_qAIm4agse3lkrM2ERclw_FlpQivwU-FDZLXnSJ3wNfI/w640-h316/IMG_20190106_165730.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A gallant ship just halts just next to the Opera House in Sydney</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEjNxlVXpww0s2y4fY3-Kc6O5fMyMUVwZIdLac3jMURzmVtjbSwwtG-RSoLyw_0GkjppJo0uAKHGzXbiNJ4YfQxGLoFXhndIW_I3nYvN_xugMCxxmzEE1fX70CitEpGm0RK3CMayIZG-jslbWPqotJ-dqr_r3Qy39QlaZA9jlyee_YM8pBxX_T5-3FUp/s2990/IMG_20190127_154616_118.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2272" data-original-width="2990" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxlVXpww0s2y4fY3-Kc6O5fMyMUVwZIdLac3jMURzmVtjbSwwtG-RSoLyw_0GkjppJo0uAKHGzXbiNJ4YfQxGLoFXhndIW_I3nYvN_xugMCxxmzEE1fX70CitEpGm0RK3CMayIZG-jslbWPqotJ-dqr_r3Qy39QlaZA9jlyee_YM8pBxX_T5-3FUp/w640-h486/IMG_20190127_154616_118.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the oldest photos in my gallery. I took this photo in 2018 using iPhone 5.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEgG0ahOn4VqZthzhjt3dFzVwWUF7-7NErkTo0SSaIYvbhNDuOV0Rn0an-qDkrkxMHfqNOzOV_yCqzC29cvUFAFkK7KeFxqN48Ocp66rqvKB9t91SLfgpJuYbcfBQpiozU8FdJlt75XXVIaVgsJP87PssKAnzyf7Z8QwvslZeqxycVkxmLmQXKlm-EWM/s2059/IMG_20190320_072838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="2059" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0ahOn4VqZthzhjt3dFzVwWUF7-7NErkTo0SSaIYvbhNDuOV0Rn0an-qDkrkxMHfqNOzOV_yCqzC29cvUFAFkK7KeFxqN48Ocp66rqvKB9t91SLfgpJuYbcfBQpiozU8FdJlt75XXVIaVgsJP87PssKAnzyf7Z8QwvslZeqxycVkxmLmQXKlm-EWM/w640-h480/IMG_20190320_072838.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Can you hear the silence tiptoe down this path?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEj0ODq_MdFP2anLvVOFQ5FuXayBhT4gEI_e0Y3Qt6t9NCtAVxfPEqjLpBiPS4fIThlqubkrd3Ox6rsF_qljAvqE4XdrrwlszKL191yz42vHcs0LUog3NnPTQD7p3TafFzsKX4bp3s5wbq--C2tOu5H336IpjaGGwzMj3jkAfDxnKpv9ZuMrGgURHfQA/s2059/IMG_20190407_132128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="2059" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ODq_MdFP2anLvVOFQ5FuXayBhT4gEI_e0Y3Qt6t9NCtAVxfPEqjLpBiPS4fIThlqubkrd3Ox6rsF_qljAvqE4XdrrwlszKL191yz42vHcs0LUog3NnPTQD7p3TafFzsKX4bp3s5wbq--C2tOu5H336IpjaGGwzMj3jkAfDxnKpv9ZuMrGgURHfQA/w640-h480/IMG_20190407_132128.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just next to Scrivener Dam in Canberra</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEjcXfIYbM9Drr06oHkDkD6rmU0tauoL7GV8H_n2scl7s9HDjidbfpYnDBDJ0WgsoYBhC7g5KA3_0MMeMR3GFRew1viOcpVVjZN1ZYMcSHSfCjLO8ZHYkd978UGCqwbjyivDcpTwpvr_-f1oCXraXbwO2GStNXroaodP8T36tKq85i3su55p6UT2M5tB/s3264/IMG_20190531_145838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXfIYbM9Drr06oHkDkD6rmU0tauoL7GV8H_n2scl7s9HDjidbfpYnDBDJ0WgsoYBhC7g5KA3_0MMeMR3GFRew1viOcpVVjZN1ZYMcSHSfCjLO8ZHYkd978UGCqwbjyivDcpTwpvr_-f1oCXraXbwO2GStNXroaodP8T36tKq85i3su55p6UT2M5tB/w640-h480/IMG_20190531_145838.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We look back and move on and this has been the way with life.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEjxzqeYgxzX5hdc-ycsFAweyDfwwNbp7sYvsH3FetrSGZm24cxW18tYywEYY6e-qCJDnkLYpyeq_w-NDxHHM9ua6cdpBiRDrt8AA1DgS6gxBGQfd8VdQzWfNQ522SXtcYC-_Q_XZW63oGbdN6F1izzW9WOhlm8LoaZQcORidH4VchXXJ3l34ADLcpW1/s4608/IMG_20190419_172212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzqeYgxzX5hdc-ycsFAweyDfwwNbp7sYvsH3FetrSGZm24cxW18tYywEYY6e-qCJDnkLYpyeq_w-NDxHHM9ua6cdpBiRDrt8AA1DgS6gxBGQfd8VdQzWfNQ522SXtcYC-_Q_XZW63oGbdN6F1izzW9WOhlm8LoaZQcORidH4VchXXJ3l34ADLcpW1/w640-h480/IMG_20190419_172212.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My mate can ride this horse. It's beerified.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEidRjGf6XZeJrJMZB2AkwID0iMYSyIm2wpTjyCe-_ybS5AMHsdd8zOmlvk0HLF7n144xiDeVyep2ASEsfbzblEDVxecyXEqsbhXmT4plsTTnpp8IwChfkMtfDFmw51NHyQXPRME5dtK_iNaNX1OTm-p7gVhnldNWBzCwQoQNP94buGDV8nbEIC-Ei3V/s2059/IMG_20190407_132626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="2059" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRjGf6XZeJrJMZB2AkwID0iMYSyIm2wpTjyCe-_ybS5AMHsdd8zOmlvk0HLF7n144xiDeVyep2ASEsfbzblEDVxecyXEqsbhXmT4plsTTnpp8IwChfkMtfDFmw51NHyQXPRME5dtK_iNaNX1OTm-p7gVhnldNWBzCwQoQNP94buGDV8nbEIC-Ei3V/w640-h480/IMG_20190407_132626.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What's it like?!</span></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/AVvXsEjl8cEnF9JFdsVB08rO7cH8TjAMIawgsbuLUnPPDCHUwqsuYpOvhaHCz6cfxYf7umhAugltPj7n1_YonSHA2KqnZh1r1aSITb3Y0LewJhXE_MCSIGlz8Hc2t92bVU20tLMAEz5HEFk5jvpuyIy4sJpurfOLU2ERqOB4XniGq4c7Ag39jDTU3Qmb_jrI/s4608/IMG_20190420_103418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8cEnF9JFdsVB08rO7cH8TjAMIawgsbuLUnPPDCHUwqsuYpOvhaHCz6cfxYf7umhAugltPj7n1_YonSHA2KqnZh1r1aSITb3Y0LewJhXE_MCSIGlz8Hc2t92bVU20tLMAEz5HEFk5jvpuyIy4sJpurfOLU2ERqOB4XniGq4c7Ag39jDTU3Qmb_jrI/w640-h480/IMG_20190420_103418.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wollongong Beach</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEjhATJK7aDjaGEPGULL60jO6EfP1E8mpSGsM0UR-Mnf4V50Ynamb46cpki17gVkt5IQrB1lVorE0jbLEjS2ZMxn9f6VoTZgCQflCVA2kFqZFuaHhynuLwDdQeUk1uIHAKrs1kSrVzMzl5hH0UCN7SjyOoE6Ty0OEZis8IxqXrCoeHiWOtK0CIK2lILo/s3264/IMG_20190420_170504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhATJK7aDjaGEPGULL60jO6EfP1E8mpSGsM0UR-Mnf4V50Ynamb46cpki17gVkt5IQrB1lVorE0jbLEjS2ZMxn9f6VoTZgCQflCVA2kFqZFuaHhynuLwDdQeUk1uIHAKrs1kSrVzMzl5hH0UCN7SjyOoE6Ty0OEZis8IxqXrCoeHiWOtK0CIK2lILo/w640-h480/IMG_20190420_170504.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">'The Good Reader Books' at Bowral in NSW</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEipKuqaIA0DUhf7DCkQVYS3pYXGBY3vxRiFP6bA_B5uQ1o2arQVsn7Ze_3osPLlXXRflF7S_3oWzKwoPLR7trCnVSb5MOYcL7ld7V_N_iwKLzQkhZdv8kxwCr1-oGBXukreqnrF55zUfqlMZOgm-eWSsAloKgqQDmRgPCJ3uT1kOgeduJVGvs7B-MQ3/s3264/IMG_20190420_170404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKuqaIA0DUhf7DCkQVYS3pYXGBY3vxRiFP6bA_B5uQ1o2arQVsn7Ze_3osPLlXXRflF7S_3oWzKwoPLR7trCnVSb5MOYcL7ld7V_N_iwKLzQkhZdv8kxwCr1-oGBXukreqnrF55zUfqlMZOgm-eWSsAloKgqQDmRgPCJ3uT1kOgeduJVGvs7B-MQ3/w640-h480/IMG_20190420_170404.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The quiet Bowral Town in NSW</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEggEyDIMkEtLNOOAbYx_hxcYtK0xbKYk2ZnFQyFY4HKOEl7n9dWtwpUqrFgp0-kVKWiWqZBsYngUYuGYwCm3669sqRBim-G4cX_zeZlNackwH3ImpgOa_XBiwkucpvFryWRVzcKwIsXW6F1k6M4lb1wnZ5Ix5Eke4nk8Yxr6WbRs9yvJO2RavtAJyeu/s4608/IMG_20190420_105652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEyDIMkEtLNOOAbYx_hxcYtK0xbKYk2ZnFQyFY4HKOEl7n9dWtwpUqrFgp0-kVKWiWqZBsYngUYuGYwCm3669sqRBim-G4cX_zeZlNackwH3ImpgOa_XBiwkucpvFryWRVzcKwIsXW6F1k6M4lb1wnZ5Ix5Eke4nk8Yxr6WbRs9yvJO2RavtAJyeu/w640-h480/IMG_20190420_105652.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wollongong Lighhouse Lookout</span></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/AVvXsEiLpCjc9JkF6J6zZGOh2ccIIGMkS9ZG25pxD1XKrknAkPtt3xpD24SvkLlkOLc6720NKq2n54wA-xnwYy48tzszN5YAlVCplAMOBVciDWihLAwWmy5wNjXfus4tFdmUxI1aureua7jk2WMYJNBjZFH_DBFbU08_ydHO5u5CtI2wjXgLe7g-VWLCpouc/s4608/IMG_20190729_104226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpCjc9JkF6J6zZGOh2ccIIGMkS9ZG25pxD1XKrknAkPtt3xpD24SvkLlkOLc6720NKq2n54wA-xnwYy48tzszN5YAlVCplAMOBVciDWihLAwWmy5wNjXfus4tFdmUxI1aureua7jk2WMYJNBjZFH_DBFbU08_ydHO5u5CtI2wjXgLe7g-VWLCpouc/w640-h480/IMG_20190729_104226.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fall...is soon followed by Spring but who follows us? Our offspring?</span></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/AVvXsEhbHYv6SNl_10WdtMIXKzdrhe6pk2BZxVhdIJOnOuEAsq-45YDq7yLxGbDfIn_iKWrp9AA_EuJqVOS6ksM2HyIZl-GKNrXOd0yGP2qKepNscy9nl1imWizia2TXVd9jRs999Z3sTgLeQQLr8LgmehkBwLPlcslF0YIx9WdVla7xp1uA5BnkZnSuS22j/s4608/IMG_20190730_101836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHYv6SNl_10WdtMIXKzdrhe6pk2BZxVhdIJOnOuEAsq-45YDq7yLxGbDfIn_iKWrp9AA_EuJqVOS6ksM2HyIZl-GKNrXOd0yGP2qKepNscy9nl1imWizia2TXVd9jRs999Z3sTgLeQQLr8LgmehkBwLPlcslF0YIx9WdVla7xp1uA5BnkZnSuS22j/w640-h480/IMG_20190730_101836.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nishi Building in Canberra</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEi-29i-x69ak5wQ2zwbgM957W1ebLFUHdOUXC-bYamVvmqPb4cMXGFbsdhq9zvynacia2PSslztPq4RqLZbkDkw5L9o1JWjEUqeCMdngXNEZvTmh7bpARL6WhWTLhKFyIaZ_jrpDQggMvSoSVZ3I5R3gbK3Q7YYuRy1IFoexRDbATaPQkgcFORf5fYg/s3627/IMG_20190915_152522_198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1899" data-original-width="3627" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-29i-x69ak5wQ2zwbgM957W1ebLFUHdOUXC-bYamVvmqPb4cMXGFbsdhq9zvynacia2PSslztPq4RqLZbkDkw5L9o1JWjEUqeCMdngXNEZvTmh7bpARL6WhWTLhKFyIaZ_jrpDQggMvSoSVZ3I5R3gbK3Q7YYuRy1IFoexRDbATaPQkgcFORf5fYg/w640-h336/IMG_20190915_152522_198.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kingston Foreshore in Canberra</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEgvkoIFwQV4k-bvTi0BBw7aCOyvR_IQ43npVeMIjBmLOwtTALBMTPOfw4jxBH03LpwNVrwkZxe_Gjnm9S4cfkNsA5Bs7TBVZiNwKi1Ch46fXdq2lknLsCwkT-2iY8XFSMxTja2Ii-vz5Dmc4nRfSRrT_R-AxLSVLNDWUkUQaqGT7EwboVUP07zGLWat/s1850/IMG_20190916_124629_409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1850" data-original-width="1849" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkoIFwQV4k-bvTi0BBw7aCOyvR_IQ43npVeMIjBmLOwtTALBMTPOfw4jxBH03LpwNVrwkZxe_Gjnm9S4cfkNsA5Bs7TBVZiNwKi1Ch46fXdq2lknLsCwkT-2iY8XFSMxTja2Ii-vz5Dmc4nRfSRrT_R-AxLSVLNDWUkUQaqGT7EwboVUP07zGLWat/w640-h640/IMG_20190916_124629_409.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This just came out pretty good.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEga3S4TPImF3dMTo9RXNoiOJIHbYlpBQtdG9uRpXeahoxOR793t5Z8nCLvoWXX7UscLkw-8vOF-6TfgVe_HvCu3g0p7uHJN4GKnTn39G7XxJAVh_L9Z4QN337JZTXrHhxlp6VymKZZg2XP7NcjYEH5fescTSSDg8eqyfqJvU3W2lGOj9BfaJKCTbQcK/s3264/IMG_20191123_210659_893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3S4TPImF3dMTo9RXNoiOJIHbYlpBQtdG9uRpXeahoxOR793t5Z8nCLvoWXX7UscLkw-8vOF-6TfgVe_HvCu3g0p7uHJN4GKnTn39G7XxJAVh_L9Z4QN337JZTXrHhxlp6VymKZZg2XP7NcjYEH5fescTSSDg8eqyfqJvU3W2lGOj9BfaJKCTbQcK/w640-h480/IMG_20191123_210659_893.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tried macro but this is what I got.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-88876789818002152282023-04-16T18:17:00.035+10:002023-04-20T12:09:44.515+10:00Giving Photography a Serious Thought<p></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="462hd" data-offset-key="f6sdv-0-0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fafafa; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.2px; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="462hd" data-offset-key="25t8c-0-0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fafafa; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.2px; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="25t8c-0-0" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-block="true" data-editor="462hd" data-offset-key="25t8c-0-0" style="border: 0px; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; letter-spacing: -0.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="25t8c-0-0" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="25t8c-0-0" style="border: 0px; font-size: x-large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Now that I am taken interest in photography, I have rummaged through my old photos and here they are. I took all these photos using my old phone, a Huawei Nova 3e between 2018 and 2021. </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="462hd" data-offset-key="fdj69-0-0" style="border: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="fdj69-0-0" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="fdj69-0-0" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: times;">In the meantime, I still take photos using my iPhone while I gather my thoughts on how to take this hobby of mine a step or two further. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">There are a lot of things I need to consider right from determining my photography goals. Once done with this, it will be easier for me to focus on the type of gear I need to buy and also, the type of training I would need. </span></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="462hd" data-offset-key="e793i-0-0" style="border: 0px; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; letter-spacing: -0.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="e793i-0-0" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="e793i-1-0" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></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/AVvXsEgEW4sjyOkpBrCFSNwhmYSedG8RpDHpCHvxMy_wcGo9f1UKs5xbZNFd6WAl6UkRXGtADIo1S9Xhsbd6x_za2o6SIOXJzTIB3Ocx5F0-EfDZEkJoGaGBP51wD2c4XTk7_zwQL2l4OL_IyWShkJInNyql62nNr4EHOtqU0RSBEh65QtHcx72QHTHP7H7q/s4320/IMG_20201019_025940_645.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW4sjyOkpBrCFSNwhmYSedG8RpDHpCHvxMy_wcGo9f1UKs5xbZNFd6WAl6UkRXGtADIo1S9Xhsbd6x_za2o6SIOXJzTIB3Ocx5F0-EfDZEkJoGaGBP51wD2c4XTk7_zwQL2l4OL_IyWShkJInNyql62nNr4EHOtqU0RSBEh65QtHcx72QHTHP7H7q/w512-h640/IMG_20201019_025940_645.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All it takes is a pair of keen eyes to spot beauty such as this. </span></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/AVvXsEharXB6BZbXq3ROwDHoSRicONLgXMb0Z6X2IoBxn4GVppOCr8CnmrmhHiFmggMJ7bFlO3-BlaTBUP2DofBOR1XdKx9PSZFMG-zn25FA5fH_XmU_HBJyQ8mfMJTUVMo_Zo5g6te1-3tzNDfYNh8MCFu64Q5iu4aBw-3y-q2uGDbxbQZfJCEk5egv4KxA/s4608/IMG_20201010_095455_440.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharXB6BZbXq3ROwDHoSRicONLgXMb0Z6X2IoBxn4GVppOCr8CnmrmhHiFmggMJ7bFlO3-BlaTBUP2DofBOR1XdKx9PSZFMG-zn25FA5fH_XmU_HBJyQ8mfMJTUVMo_Zo5g6te1-3tzNDfYNh8MCFu64Q5iu4aBw-3y-q2uGDbxbQZfJCEk5egv4KxA/w640-h480/IMG_20201010_095455_440.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Can you spot Chimi Lhakhang, the famous temple of fertility?<br />Find out more about this temple on: <a href="http://www.punakha.gov.bt/en/tourism/chimi-lhakhang" target="_blank">Punakha Dzongkhag website </a></span></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/AVvXsEheaTfP-lvOEIdRruQUteN4ZBLXeBz65zUs806pi0SUTYwNQS6r-hVWLV4Zi7Ie6M2Quak4O3Yh7gfRIJ5Q2vfYSmOBn89ncaJ6xBCABb5n3RnuvBfJWVxQ3iVXkObHEKD5gNljE0FZXa5kVQvml-mASe_YxHAf1k6VvpUjz8KbOT3ypptj0nywZD9t/s4608/IMG_20200920_200047_888.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaTfP-lvOEIdRruQUteN4ZBLXeBz65zUs806pi0SUTYwNQS6r-hVWLV4Zi7Ie6M2Quak4O3Yh7gfRIJ5Q2vfYSmOBn89ncaJ6xBCABb5n3RnuvBfJWVxQ3iVXkObHEKD5gNljE0FZXa5kVQvml-mASe_YxHAf1k6VvpUjz8KbOT3ypptj0nywZD9t/w640-h480/IMG_20200920_200047_888.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Clouds plant a soft peck on these Wangkha hills. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj7M7OHt6CVlnb2cmUH_WkjcWDIeLNhhJbLUZpIdmkFUPr4BWwNFa_FRXNwVFlN53C6jd0qWhEXYMJCPHDfOaMwHHhqzwZ7HpDzObVk64L3vuCj8kHkSa3J3LGksZbBfk3icBHKAni8Dpuw7zKrL1NXtZZCn-7WHABWi6YR-Bk4yLBkneTGDiyuyb/s3060/IMG_20200916_075955_870.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj7M7OHt6CVlnb2cmUH_WkjcWDIeLNhhJbLUZpIdmkFUPr4BWwNFa_FRXNwVFlN53C6jd0qWhEXYMJCPHDfOaMwHHhqzwZ7HpDzObVk64L3vuCj8kHkSa3J3LGksZbBfk3icBHKAni8Dpuw7zKrL1NXtZZCn-7WHABWi6YR-Bk4yLBkneTGDiyuyb/w512-h640/IMG_20200916_075955_870.jpg" width="512" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I wonder if these chilly drops of water prick into the spine of this blossom, awakening in her some longingness, some sensuality.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></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/AVvXsEiwfy5XiXLavnH2hsGo15L5jzWOBqBHNTroT9dnxHQDnnhW2nEchsu-hENhFYv-alxy4E9lCq4zsn0TbwDwrmqjXhiVpvff1ko97B9uIh9IoKMTrXup3y9hPv8xMV7bdjeFBysvJgxEbBa6xahtvB1jTll8Hk0f-wLMfUkdK9OW7S6y2l2CRQND6SzG/s4608/IMG_20200911_214452_617.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfy5XiXLavnH2hsGo15L5jzWOBqBHNTroT9dnxHQDnnhW2nEchsu-hENhFYv-alxy4E9lCq4zsn0TbwDwrmqjXhiVpvff1ko97B9uIh9IoKMTrXup3y9hPv8xMV7bdjeFBysvJgxEbBa6xahtvB1jTll8Hk0f-wLMfUkdK9OW7S6y2l2CRQND6SzG/w640-h480/IMG_20200911_214452_617.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a reason why no external forces could impregnate Bhutan. Thanks to these brave sentinels.</span></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/AVvXsEgWddr4YiM4stynochGPWnk-xScjo3f5Srmmt5pBHCWpcfxFICqORTDCtpVtuQvjbi2WhtQ6pqdFbSZkjAQjPS7ynlGGmRxMg_R-DxUTXIz5KtvK4m7vcranOCVtFUY0mYz46r8ptQe9yzPSV_8Pt_E3vzVI4eNxayvqfJdmgTzjSNJzLKnj2s6dlBN/s3456/IMG_20200908_163841_794.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWddr4YiM4stynochGPWnk-xScjo3f5Srmmt5pBHCWpcfxFICqORTDCtpVtuQvjbi2WhtQ6pqdFbSZkjAQjPS7ynlGGmRxMg_R-DxUTXIz5KtvK4m7vcranOCVtFUY0mYz46r8ptQe9yzPSV_8Pt_E3vzVI4eNxayvqfJdmgTzjSNJzLKnj2s6dlBN/w640-h640/IMG_20200908_163841_794.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The human-traffic controller in the heart of the capital city. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></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/AVvXsEjmH0DxZOtixlHRd7IKsyglByJX3mQJHiz0J4GQLiM_SZOsPiUk8shPeEjH9oHvaDWcJbJOBSwCRK1biDJcFbYGqHQpq4_ps2NopjkSbbolCSK0hjUY9xjSGNT5tCSh1N85jxGGLHZGF7tlWo8M-sBH0Lzq9jW1nUg_5Wj1neI9TywC6oe4rQuQbE0d/s4608/IMG_20200830_104750_316.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH0DxZOtixlHRd7IKsyglByJX3mQJHiz0J4GQLiM_SZOsPiUk8shPeEjH9oHvaDWcJbJOBSwCRK1biDJcFbYGqHQpq4_ps2NopjkSbbolCSK0hjUY9xjSGNT5tCSh1N85jxGGLHZGF7tlWo8M-sBH0Lzq9jW1nUg_5Wj1neI9TywC6oe4rQuQbE0d/w640-h480/IMG_20200830_104750_316.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bumthang, where you find a piece of Switzerland in Bhutan. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEhjXP5r0HAaDJxdiat7wj_jPRRMmFxwHi3-XK1pQ6GNHnQCS_veophzthtR5ioaK2WaziL_saFeiIn4kKIP_j_Qsko5pQ5d164e6htRT62unHDrRldV9x2cxfmCPkzrjbuBqnw6UeQOb3x-YeEGCBngxxbhQcgoc-m6bpgriz4EwOOahIQ0lthN4xTT/s4519/IMG_20200420_100800_222.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2366" data-original-width="4519" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXP5r0HAaDJxdiat7wj_jPRRMmFxwHi3-XK1pQ6GNHnQCS_veophzthtR5ioaK2WaziL_saFeiIn4kKIP_j_Qsko5pQ5d164e6htRT62unHDrRldV9x2cxfmCPkzrjbuBqnw6UeQOb3x-YeEGCBngxxbhQcgoc-m6bpgriz4EwOOahIQ0lthN4xTT/w640-h336/IMG_20200420_100800_222.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So they ask me if I am a beach boy or a mountain man!</span></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/AVvXsEgoBeczNNHvpwu8gOPjPDq275gdeO-mbsmM3Kn2pdZHNbqGtexV6fymG0zL7pBCIGZ2lWICT7VjctlU4gVJJViR0E-LUYpvnONkTnyqUhZXk9P5w6ARZIHdQLXgNSpYnYXw7z854GsD1MwK9TyIMROS58P1fkleWbsWPLWxNPelNFrZLpDZNVRPEfA-/s4320/IMG_20200705_203833_315.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBeczNNHvpwu8gOPjPDq275gdeO-mbsmM3Kn2pdZHNbqGtexV6fymG0zL7pBCIGZ2lWICT7VjctlU4gVJJViR0E-LUYpvnONkTnyqUhZXk9P5w6ARZIHdQLXgNSpYnYXw7z854GsD1MwK9TyIMROS58P1fkleWbsWPLWxNPelNFrZLpDZNVRPEfA-/w512-h640/IMG_20200705_203833_315.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A BW capture of Zangtopelri, Wangchhu. </span></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/AVvXsEhDUp3n_kw99ozQN9lTmW1pcrjkpge62F5vcYswWA5CIZZ1kjR8U2yzjXQSBOBxKzhrujlGrvPlzGLhpfew73SmwzwZwUXfmD8FhWEbphA6AVfnf3UgfTpRI-DKvBQZB5GKteBHmXIuWsx0IiIkN2D1Abw2At9PyoeOdh9YDynA5ds_X0HOLGFsU02-/s4608/IMG_20200624_193308_498.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUp3n_kw99ozQN9lTmW1pcrjkpge62F5vcYswWA5CIZZ1kjR8U2yzjXQSBOBxKzhrujlGrvPlzGLhpfew73SmwzwZwUXfmD8FhWEbphA6AVfnf3UgfTpRI-DKvBQZB5GKteBHmXIuWsx0IiIkN2D1Abw2At9PyoeOdh9YDynA5ds_X0HOLGFsU02-/w640-h480/IMG_20200624_193308_498.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunsets in Sarpang remind me of some slow-burn Hollywood flick.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEiIN5v77maWV_7n_kbiqMpibTENgutPp3gvYLrHQ4-2nFxDlXb5P_clg6qkbLsrLjDZcJXHNifFNOrcSobfiBIliL_CdRNO5ndyyQE29X0uQ1fpzwvtmRFD0mAMgWKgOET24_ppCGyYVHrPSU8E2CLx8gJGFKWocu-Ay7e9fnzh3QM39wNsvDF8O03q/s4608/IMG_20200530_220402_439.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIN5v77maWV_7n_kbiqMpibTENgutPp3gvYLrHQ4-2nFxDlXb5P_clg6qkbLsrLjDZcJXHNifFNOrcSobfiBIliL_CdRNO5ndyyQE29X0uQ1fpzwvtmRFD0mAMgWKgOET24_ppCGyYVHrPSU8E2CLx8gJGFKWocu-Ay7e9fnzh3QM39wNsvDF8O03q/w640-h480/IMG_20200530_220402_439.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of clouds and prayer flags; and of Bumthang.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEhbYYpezr20qH0ZZNhejNM5gsMlJasNmWl92poKJRBMbwzV7DNi-x9E7e-XdqnByAgAmUkTZlDveCVOE8Bm2o07y5LgAYGb55WtGUx2es_gdb978C454GJOgRxq8dT-7EpOre-f2-G9O5IoguHAIqJwpzBXND0p7AYNGj4C-2e6lMNNaqUTSSB7PhyU/s4608/IMG_20200609_131952_768.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYYpezr20qH0ZZNhejNM5gsMlJasNmWl92poKJRBMbwzV7DNi-x9E7e-XdqnByAgAmUkTZlDveCVOE8Bm2o07y5LgAYGb55WtGUx2es_gdb978C454GJOgRxq8dT-7EpOre-f2-G9O5IoguHAIqJwpzBXND0p7AYNGj4C-2e6lMNNaqUTSSB7PhyU/w640-h480/IMG_20200609_131952_768.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wangchhu town always gives me a bit of The Giver (by Lois Lowry) feel. You'd know it if you'd been there!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEjBWjwV7ikamz_5so4c3qALop_4mMTx-5H5r04uvnakjfl_zsLb1X53wvlPlZpUql0Kp3sdDbvwA7IsjIlCPScTzQQIPZNOI---7SGA6LZP2dExpzopaevzlPgU-fvmBB4I8r1gHmzXHe6oSIAJ9SyPnj27pzvoYxFUzDw-QmPi4o5w4cECi03Ipuns/s4608/IMG_20200423_114026_884.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWjwV7ikamz_5so4c3qALop_4mMTx-5H5r04uvnakjfl_zsLb1X53wvlPlZpUql0Kp3sdDbvwA7IsjIlCPScTzQQIPZNOI---7SGA6LZP2dExpzopaevzlPgU-fvmBB4I8r1gHmzXHe6oSIAJ9SyPnj27pzvoYxFUzDw-QmPi4o5w4cECi03Ipuns/w640-h480/IMG_20200423_114026_884.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chendebji Chhorten<br />It's associated with a lot of stories, particularly of the demoness that troubled the commuters in the past. <br />Check this link for more: <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chendebji-chorten#:~:text=An%2018th%2Dcentury%20Nepali%2Dstyle,subdue%20demons%20and%20evil%20spirits.&text=Atlas%20Obscura%20User)-,Been,Want%20to%20Visit%3F&text=Sitting%20in%20a%20verdant%20valley,off%20evil%20spirits%20and%20demons." target="_blank">Atlas Obscura</a> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><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/AVvXsEgeL8hmXsmX7-4kyVus5Q0JzcRMQRrzg2XVVtc2_qZRMUBOU1cdF2kElcg3aKxF0ipABMkYW5XQbE12oYTDUAhA-ofMSmSqGiS6e2zW7aIAW0RuH8WVB_nja9-_2A7LWqGM77pcsoPnOPianxWvh5zxW9I3FEfr4RPi_HVoz4Yi4vbtqKrUVjB31swH/s4608/IMG_20200421_084454_097.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL8hmXsmX7-4kyVus5Q0JzcRMQRrzg2XVVtc2_qZRMUBOU1cdF2kElcg3aKxF0ipABMkYW5XQbE12oYTDUAhA-ofMSmSqGiS6e2zW7aIAW0RuH8WVB_nja9-_2A7LWqGM77pcsoPnOPianxWvh5zxW9I3FEfr4RPi_HVoz4Yi4vbtqKrUVjB31swH/w640-h480/IMG_20200421_084454_097.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsha Tsha in Chhoekhor, Bumthang<br />Find out more about this on this Facebook feed: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bhutantourer/photos/tsha-tsha-a-buddhist-transliteration-of-sanskrit-word-is-the-clay-votive-in-tibe/810157255737591/?paipv=0&eav=AfZgmvxKZg4k06m5u0j6H033qC5A_7w_BXEXDEhe0Us7wtGPB4WVzSUxg4AIMZbBEhc&_rdr" target="_blank">Bhutan Tours</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEjpaeDLC_G3aSOtcj56PP-oJKcNr4rMbgcGwKPBB0KygViV7fgzk2xt-4OBMoxLnVHgzwM9tosb1MAUWnsLIYWtCmi6tCdaMhVUOvZFWCItgzEMfxJycNnC4WKe2C8UsfQ3Oo9VRkMn0xq4Pmufzqq975MJ5h20zvfETj33Unc-4Rw-TCVNW2vkbi-9/s4608/IMG_20200417_144523_615.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaeDLC_G3aSOtcj56PP-oJKcNr4rMbgcGwKPBB0KygViV7fgzk2xt-4OBMoxLnVHgzwM9tosb1MAUWnsLIYWtCmi6tCdaMhVUOvZFWCItgzEMfxJycNnC4WKe2C8UsfQ3Oo9VRkMn0xq4Pmufzqq975MJ5h20zvfETj33Unc-4Rw-TCVNW2vkbi-9/w640-h480/IMG_20200417_144523_615.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Butter lamps at Jampel Lhakhang in Bumthang. My father passed away there and this is offered in his name, in conjunction with the Buddhist norms.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></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/AVvXsEiBJmNRqgemGkGbwBdJmUgbv8huZFma2mKdDr_w_C_i7Z-5lCZXtFP_QM_yzg1SftW8kPBtiBffBL8TrMeeeJd8K_AwPir7e7HxxhtCPIr_Tm_9xag27nL34WloMHxkKyKPi2ltwp7NvhJ_-cndw1fzNDIjnqhxxVNEtDp4SmYSDV8W6h5VKo7WG8xZ/s3264/IMG_20200414_101634_743.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJmNRqgemGkGbwBdJmUgbv8huZFma2mKdDr_w_C_i7Z-5lCZXtFP_QM_yzg1SftW8kPBtiBffBL8TrMeeeJd8K_AwPir7e7HxxhtCPIr_Tm_9xag27nL34WloMHxkKyKPi2ltwp7NvhJ_-cndw1fzNDIjnqhxxVNEtDp4SmYSDV8W6h5VKo7WG8xZ/w640-h480/IMG_20200414_101634_743.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.peling.org/" target="_blank">Kenchösum Lhakhang</a> in Bumthang<br />I see it, the photo's too grainy. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Have you ever thought about how a mother must have felt when she is asked to choose one favourite from her children? I have heaps of similar photos and it is equally hard for me to select just a handful for the post. Perhaps, all beginners experience this pain.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-87166984466754620122022-04-23T17:08:00.009+10:002023-04-16T22:39:48.486+10:00Out on a Quest<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-HrA7tPkQSDSRAV4j9BpBNSNHX39FjkgyNCBQvNYj9OTKu4vaEIc4Eagx9b78up0zqzGwTZoju2YuBqxyK0KqokSckcGUAOooqkF3KEy0qlXCBs_yqaQJ5jPXY7iPtNDbcUg-BJVegdDABW_Ejxu2QquFakVZygiAscSEm9G3G-umrqR24lhvci7/s1758/IMG_0522.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="1284" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-HrA7tPkQSDSRAV4j9BpBNSNHX39FjkgyNCBQvNYj9OTKu4vaEIc4Eagx9b78up0zqzGwTZoju2YuBqxyK0KqokSckcGUAOooqkF3KEy0qlXCBs_yqaQJ5jPXY7iPtNDbcUg-BJVegdDABW_Ejxu2QquFakVZygiAscSEm9G3G-umrqR24lhvci7/w468-h640/IMG_0522.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With sword in hand and courage in heart,</span></span></div><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The conqueror sets out to make his mark,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">To carve his name in history's pages,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And prove his worth to all the sages.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">He faces foes both great and small,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And battles on through victory and fall,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Through blood and sweat and tears he fights,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And emerges stronger, with each new plight.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">He conquers lands and nations too,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And spreads his rule, both just and true,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">His subjects kneel before his might,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And hail him as their guiding light.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Yet in his triumphs, he knows full well,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The price of conquest, and its bitter spell,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">For every victory comes at a cost,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And every gain may soon be lost.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Thus, the conqueror stays ever vigilant,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Against the foes that seek to challenge him,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">He guards his lands and people with care,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And stands ready to face whatever is there.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">For he knows that to conquer is not enough,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">To truly triumph, one must be tough,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And hold fast to one's ideals and dreams,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">No matter how hard the battle seems.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">So let us all take inspiration from the conqueror,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And strive to be our best, each and every hour,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">For in our own small way, we too can conquer,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And make our mark, with power and wonder.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i></i></p><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: right;"><i>-An inspiring poem generated on ChatGPT.</i></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-48441287102262232032022-03-13T11:53:00.006+11:002022-03-13T11:57:03.907+11:00The Seafarer and the Hermit<p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The Seafarer</span></b></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The fragrant summer breeze encapsulates the verdant valleys bringing forth, as it often does, a muffled whisper from the seas miles apart. But, there’s a pandemonium in my head that I hear no whisper even when it speeds past right through me. As the sun wearily traipses on the distant horizon, I realise that I’m waiting there for a special messenger from the seas.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"></span></div><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The breeze tells me a tale of a seafarer. He was once a mighty king but relinquished his throne for his desire to sail far and beyond in search of glories he’d never found on land. He sailed on until his hair turned hoary and died by the shore. But the waves still crash on the shores today hoping to see him rise, pull the mast, and sail again.</div></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><div style="text-align: justify;">And the whisper softens and it's heard no more. The breeze has gone up the mountains to fetch me another message. </div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></div><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #262626; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Hermit</span></b></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></div><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I wait by the casement for the summer zephyr for I know it's mountains to fetch me another message. The seafarer's tale has left my heart in splinters but I've managed to piece them together just in time. Hush! I can hear my long-awaited guest arrive now.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></div><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><div style="text-align: justify;">He tells me a tale of a recluse seated with his eyes shut and lips muttering a prayer inside a dark cave tenanted by bats. He was once a feared bandit known far and wide for his notoriety. But, he saw his late father in this dream one night and he was never the same man again that morning since. With his eyes swimming in tears of repentance, he vowed to atone for all his sins and peccadilloes. A hermit then he chose to become and followed the Buddha's path until he breathed his last.</div></span></span><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: red;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: red;"><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">~To all the Apas for their Light.</span></span></i></div></span></i></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-8217965389592548962021-09-07T04:17:00.005+10:002021-09-07T04:20:00.449+10:00Yes, I am Ambitious <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Note: As a teacher back then, I have always had the highest regard for my students and I persevered to match their ingenuity. I wrote this and lived by it until the very last day. </i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span>I am a schoolteacher, and as expected of one such, I teach students on a daily basis. I have over 30 odd students in each class. I know the Prime Minister of Bhutan is sitting in my class; so do the lawyers, political leaders, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs…</span><span> My students have a colourful future.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></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/AVvXsEjiGzK7oBx8e-0N7LCxKjVHdCt0MKvxCQYKWjqS7hye0vcaWfy1DzWAI2nF4rTz_rDwMpI5_n1lHFGRji0f2kQoehKBZmd3h6MPZnnA281o6T9NLtrxSEY3ASbCUx2yEGVpdkpj432w6d4/s707/WhatsApp+Image+2021-09-07+at+12.03.43+AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="707" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGzK7oBx8e-0N7LCxKjVHdCt0MKvxCQYKWjqS7hye0vcaWfy1DzWAI2nF4rTz_rDwMpI5_n1lHFGRji0f2kQoehKBZmd3h6MPZnnA281o6T9NLtrxSEY3ASbCUx2yEGVpdkpj432w6d4/w400-h305/WhatsApp+Image+2021-09-07+at+12.03.43+AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lit. Coord. at work</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">However, I must hasten to add that there is no bigger student than myself in my own class. I have missed the chance of becoming all those that my students have a prospect of, but that does not stifle my ambition anyway. Knowing I do not have a chance only fuels my ambition instead. I grow more and more ambitious day by day, and my only ambition is to become a better teacher every day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-54062186580909453972021-09-07T03:46:00.011+10:002021-09-07T04:31:26.712+10:00It's quite something to be teacher, and something else to be primary teacher <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“If I couldn't have been an engineer, I would've been a teacher. Not a high school teacher, not a college teacher. A fifth-grade teacher. I specifically wanted to be a fifth-grade teacher ever since I was in fifth grade.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This was something I wanted to do since so early in life. Who knows where these things come from? Probably because my fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, Miss Skrak, was so good to me and I liked her so much. I felt she had helped me so much in life by encouraging me. And I believed, truly believed, that education was important.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><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/AVvXsEjDgUgMUxPELCoz_BlwVlyaC_ysP2bPqVvIxqygPme46kuGui4VSfKR-BdIlOJkSQAnEV71MyXSbuaiJXO7JH6Ou6y__eWh1_sMEWofox0hgvf2IneujNRZ1DShh_7DvhVXRwOuim5GYIs/s600/WhatsApp+Image+2021-09-07+at+12.03.28+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgUgMUxPELCoz_BlwVlyaC_ysP2bPqVvIxqygPme46kuGui4VSfKR-BdIlOJkSQAnEV71MyXSbuaiJXO7JH6Ou6y__eWh1_sMEWofox0hgvf2IneujNRZ1DShh_7DvhVXRwOuim5GYIs/w400-h300/WhatsApp+Image+2021-09-07+at+12.03.28+AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first batch of students</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I remember my father telling me way back then that it was education that would lift me up to where I wanted to go in life, that it could lift people up in values. I remember how he said that the world was kind of screwed up at the time—there was the Cold War between the USSR and the United States and all that. And he said that with education, the newer generation could learn from the mistakes of their parents and do a better job.”</span></p><p>Excerpt From: Steve Wozniak & Gina Smith. “iWoz.” Apple Books.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-44589766664081793592021-09-05T04:55:00.007+10:002023-03-18T01:57:44.232+11:00Where are we headed, education-wise? <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">If you take a look on social media, there are people of all sorts posting something daily. As a former teacher myself, one thing I noticed there recently is the growing frustrations teachers felt since the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic has not only challenged but also crippled the ‘normal’ way of delivering education. Today our teachers grapple with NNC, BPST, lesson and TLM planning and preparations, CA, interventions for students with LD, assignments, setting questions for exams, evaluations… The list is seemingly infinite. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And what is worse is, there are some schools understaffed. It is quite common in rural schools. The situational irony is that there are many B.Ed. graduates sitting at home (because RCSC would not recruit them) despite them undergoing years of strenuous training only to turn into couch potatoes after graduation. B.Ed. is a technical qualification. Therefore, someone who is a B.Ed. graduate is only fit to teach. They are NOT eligible for any other jobs, technically speaking. Even if they apply, they do not make it to the shortlist, let alone talk about the interviews. Interestingly, RCSC recruits general graduates to teach on contract as NCT in the name of addressing teacher shortage. What a shameful quick-fix! If anything, that only warrants more issues in the long run. That makes me wonder if RCSC at all cares about the quality of education. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Oh, they seemed like they did when I had a brief meet-up with some of their high officials on school visits just before I applied for my resignation. They argued that they had to recruit general graduates as NCT (and not the recent B.Ed. graduates) supposedly for the benefits of the regular teachers. Seeing us struggle to process what they just said, they hastened to add that “recruiting an NCT has fewer financial implications than recruiting a regular teacher.” Although there was nothing we could nod in affirmation, we still had to shrug and pass a nod perfunctorily. After all, our job was just to teach; it was them who decided who taught or who did not, with or without a teaching qualification. But deep down, I made a silent prayer: please do not blow it up! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I still keep my close eye on the education landscape in Bhutan even today. I reckon I will do this until the very end of time. In line with this, a friend of mine had recently experienced something quite interesting. He resigned from teaching for personal reasons some years ago. However, upon seeing an empty slot for a substitute teacher in English’s role, he could not resist applying for it. With a master’s degree to his name, he was quite confident that the role was coming his way. As fate would have it, that never happened. In fact, he did not even make it to the shortlist. Largely taken aback, he contacted HR, and he got the following reply: </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></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/AVvXsEgKopVlizrF4E75khaQKnpIa5AD7DRSFqseWfKdsSHmqvNml_JDDzsR4pEF-rQwPpi5r0Fs_QuWvR2lLTPNmW2N2Ku4HKeoMAQJ2x1Wj7Eqkizbl-bX7m3rlRJi9J6wPyrXJ3P4830gax8/s1742/Screen+Shot+2021-09-05+at+12.52.31+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="1742" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKopVlizrF4E75khaQKnpIa5AD7DRSFqseWfKdsSHmqvNml_JDDzsR4pEF-rQwPpi5r0Fs_QuWvR2lLTPNmW2N2Ku4HKeoMAQJ2x1Wj7Eqkizbl-bX7m3rlRJi9J6wPyrXJ3P4830gax8/w400-h311/Screen+Shot+2021-09-05+at+12.52.31+AM.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Intrigued, I promptly asked him what he had replied to that message, and he said he just said, “Las!”. As I prodded him further as to why he did not justify to him, he quipped there was no way such a person sitting on HR’s chair could understand what it takes to teach English when all he thinks is otherwise. That made sense to me. Literally. It is similar to a hacking case in India. Someone got his Facebook account hacked and he went to the cops. The cops thought he had lost a book all the while. </div></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">So that took me back to the RCSC’s preferring NCT over B.Ed. graduates. I may be wrong but I can see it is a huge compromise on the quality of education. Why can’t they see it? What makes them so myopic? And at the end when questions are raised about the education quality, it is teachers and teachers alone who are dragged through the guillotine, more often than not. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Oh, I am at least glad that the HR my friend had to deal with is not our education minister. It is better to have a goat sit on his chair otherwise. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-44479094042500446902021-09-01T06:40:00.009+10:002021-09-11T02:28:52.901+10:00What's on my mind? <div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbcNtPd2tv4IiSuojofOVZtprLykOpz02hbellgjJNgYJoMUcjmP1zerlnsKchasxjHzQ6_8T4Ykv64R5zQ6Pyv1meDdvOIfWEoXgKzSlPg9rsJyBCocqhV76qUQx41ffjOSDLPCoy2E/s2048/IMG_20190729_230322_751.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbcNtPd2tv4IiSuojofOVZtprLykOpz02hbellgjJNgYJoMUcjmP1zerlnsKchasxjHzQ6_8T4Ykv64R5zQ6Pyv1meDdvOIfWEoXgKzSlPg9rsJyBCocqhV76qUQx41ffjOSDLPCoy2E/w640-h480/IMG_20190729_230322_751.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">You are not really impressed with a drop of water because you think it has no value. So, you look away and leave, apparently in a quest for some better, bigger stuff elsewhere. Just then this drop of water slips into the ocean. Now tell me, my friend, doesn’t it have any value? If you still think no, go ask the ocean. </div></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Likewise, it so happens in life that you leave some stuff behind including the people once you cared so much about believing that you deserve to move on for your ‘supposed’ bigger dreams only to realise that those who you left behind have doubly prospered in your absence. Oh yes, they might break down and long for your return but eventually, they will learn to get up and move on (with a heavy heart) just like you did. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-28777674140555126302021-07-21T15:40:00.007+10:002021-07-21T15:45:20.994+10:00Gone with the wind <p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I have learnt through Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) on July 20, 2021, that the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) has discontinued Bachelor of Arts in Bhutanese and Himalayan Studies at the College of Language and Cultural Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work at the Samtse College of Education, and Bachelor of Arts English and Dzongkha at Sherubtse College. The news report states that RUB has been receiving feedback that more than 60% of the graduates still remain unemployed and the worst is these courses did not even meet the eligibility criteria for Post Graduate Diploma in Education offered at Samtse College. Hence, the decision to discontinue offering these courses from this year. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">As I try to process this piece of information, I find myself deeply disconcerted. First off, I have never understood why BA Social Work at Samtse College was introduced at all. What adds to my confusion is that this course was introduced just a couple of years ago. When a newly introduced course does not even survive the first five years it is a statement in itself that the planning had been quite myopic, so to say. In bold and underlined. As a matter of fact, I had a presentiment when it was first started and it was founded on the premise that the course did not ‘promise’ much in terms of employability. Let us face it, as much as we, as a community, aspire to progress knowledge-and-information-wise, it is quite unlikely for us to head anywhere if we simply downplay the prospect of employment for the graduates. After all, we cannot just sit at parental home and work when work there is none. I am certain that BA Social Work was not introduced with the idea that the graduates will be social workers on allowance coming from their parents. </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">As for BA Dzongkha and English, I believe that it was introduced in 2006 (?) or so when the Class 12 curriculum was in the final stage of the Bhutanisation process (although it stood, in principle, already Bhutanised in 2006 itself). Honestly, I still struggle to figure out why this course was introduced out of nowhere. Back then, it required a minimum of 85 in Dzongkha and 65 (or thereabouts) to be eligible to study this course. The entry criteria itself sounded like it was more of a Dzongkha course to me. I wanted to study English like a normal BA English but the introduction of this course made me revisit my plans. For a Commerce graduate in Class 12 like me, there were not many alternatives like Science and Arts graduates enjoyed. For us, it was just BBA or BBA or BBA. There was no room for what-ifs. The point is, the courses were limited then and we had to choose (I find it apt to call it a Hobson’s choice instead) from the limited range made available to us. If we were persistent in studying something not available within Bhutan, the only way forward was India or somewhere nearby. Since Bhutan could only offer limited courses, I thought that these courses were offered based on the demands of the job market. But I was naïve to think likewise. </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I do not have much idea about BA in Bhutanese and Himalayan Studies. But I can make out we would never need a host of job seekers with this degree except for a handful. I have heard about some professors who teach similar subjects in foreign universities but it is so done in English. </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">So what we can deduce from this is that employability should be a top priority even if we might hate to admit it when new courses are introduced. We cannot vouch for education and dismiss the need for the employability aspect. It is when this aspect is not met, courses like BA Social Work meet their demise. As such, this calls for a serious job market study and analysis before a new course is introduced and also after every interval to assess the employability aspect of the existing courses. If this due diligence cannot be undertaken by competent agents and authorities, then why send our children to universities? They do not need a degree to sit at home and play PUBG. </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>Original News Article: <a href="http://www.bbs.bt/news/?p=154084" target="_blank">RUB discontinues three programmes</a></i></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-54631344482382905472021-07-07T09:39:00.008+10:002021-07-09T09:21:51.993+10:00Relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy; a review<p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Abstract</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Teacher efficacy is a much-sought-after quality in teachers anticipated by the global education system. It has gained immense popularity in the recent teacher education research circles, amid claims on the deterioration in education quality and growing teacher attrition. The study reviews the literature published between 2000 and 2019 on preservice teacher education and its relationship with teacher efficacy across various contexts, followed by analysis using the constant comparative method. The findings reveal that there is a positive relation in most of the contexts and as such, their practices could provide visions and strategies for the contexts where preservice teacher education is incongruent to teacher efficacy development. The findings have implications for teacher education programmes and future research.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Keywords</b>: preservice teacher; teacher education; teacher efficacy</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Introduction</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Education plays a pivotal role in the pursuit of socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and political development of every country in the world. It is teachers who helm the education system and no education system works without them. As such, “teacher education program, being an integral part of the education system, has greatly expanded and will expand further for catering to the fast-emerging needs of the country” (Rahman, Jumani, Akhter, Chisthi & Ajmal, 2011, p. 150). Rahman et al. (2011) further argue the excellence of the population in every country largely depends on the quality of its teachers. While teacher education refers to various programmes encompassing a range of training and workshops for both in-service and preservice teachers, it is preservice teachers that entail greater care and attention. After all, it is the earliest phase for high school or university graduates after they get into the teaching profession. The experience they gain during this formative phase contributes to the formation of their identity and beliefs as individuals and professionals. Some research even questions if it should be recruitment or the proper preservice teacher education that creates a good teacher, sound in content and adequately thorough in every aspect of a teaching role. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Teacher efficacy is based on social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2006) and it is conceptualised as individual teachers’ beliefs in their own ability to “plan, organise, and carry out activities that are required to attain given educational goals” (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2009, p. 1059). Guskey and Passaro (1994) further defined teacher efficacy as “teachers’ belief or conviction that they can influence how well students learn, even those who may be difficult or unmotivated” (p. 4). Interestingly, it is found to influence many educational outcomes such as teachers’ persistence, passion, commitment and instructional behaviour and these ultimately determine the student outcomes such as student achievement and motivation (</span>Ashton & Webb, 1986; Midgley, Feldlaufer & Eccles, 1989; Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). During the last two decades, the research literature also shows a growing interest in teacher efficacy. Teacher efficacy has always been a topic of interest not in the education research realms alone but also in the society at large (Kleinsser, 2014; Soodak & Podell, 1996). According to Arizona State University (2004), teacher training programmes affect the following outcome areas: teacher knowledge; teacher attitudes and beliefs; teaching practice; school-level practice, and student achievement. Preservice teacher education, in particular, is seen as the most appropriate stage where teacher education institutes and universities can implement the appropriate reforms and interventions that the governments and policymakers propose for them (Orchard & Winch, 2015; Rahman et al., 2011; ). Woodcock (2011) demonstrates that “teacher efficacy could be the key to determining the success or failure of the teacher” (p. 23). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">On the contrary, researchers are posed with a lack of agreement in the field on the measurement of teacher efficacy as it is conceptualised and measured differently by different people (Berg & Smith, 2018; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2010). Although this inconsistency prompted different researchers to use different measurement tools like ‘Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale’ developed by Tschannen-Moran, Hoy and Hoy (1998), ‘Norwegian Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale’ designed by Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2007), and with others simply developing their own adaptations, they are too specific that they risk validity and opportunities for useful applications in different contexts (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Therefore, in this case, low teacher turnover, student achievement, teacher commitment and satisfaction, and teacher confidence are seen as an apt indication of teacher efficacy. Owing to its inconsistent nature, Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001) consider ‘teacher efficacy’ as an elusive construct. Besides, the major issue lies in the relationship between preservice teacher education programmes and teacher efficacy; it is important to find out if preservice teacher education programmes contributed towards building a sense of teacher efficacy in them. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Understanding this relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy will demonstrate certain areas of preservice teacher education that need reforms, revision, and revamping to comply with the demands of modern times. It will inform the various stakeholders of the prevailing trends in the system and possible solutions to resolve the existing issues, and that will ultimately ensure higher quality in teaching and learning, and the education system altogether. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This paper is divided into three main sections: methodology, analysis and discussion. The first section describes the methodological considerations of the study. In the next section, findings are delineated in three themes corresponding to the three research questions. The last section discusses the preservice teacher education practices that lead to the development of teacher efficacy in most of the contexts as opposed to some contexts in need of better visions and practice.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Methodology</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Research questions</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This study has undergone many levels of modifications. Earlier, the purpose of this study was to explore the mismatch between preservice teacher training programmes and effective teaching. However, the reading of selected literature in this area prompted me to shift the focus of the study to understand the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy. The terms like ‘teacher training programmes’ are less common in the recent literature although it was quite rampant in the older ones. The most common term that replaces ‘teacher training programmes’ in the recent literature is ‘teacher education’. This study establishes its main focus on preservice teacher education and its relationship with teacher efficacy in mainstream schools across various contexts, and it does not cover other aspects of teacher education outside this focus like in-service teacher education. Three questions were asked: (1) How does teacher efficacy affect the quality of teaching and learning?; (2) What is the significance of preservice teacher education for teachers?; and (3) What is the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Data</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Data was primarily collected from the Asian Pacific Journal of Education Information, Education Research Complete (EBSCOhost), ProQuest Central, Google Scholar using the following search words: “teacher education”, “teacher efficacy”, “preservice teacher education”, “teacher performance”, and “teacher beliefs”. Besides, secondary keywords such as “relationship between teacher education and efficacy”, “preservice teacher beliefs”, and “preservice teachers and efficacy” to further narrow down the search. Also, Google Chrome, Ask, and Safari search engines were also used. Publications only in the English language were obtained with most of them being primary research-based peer-reviewed academic journal articles. A total of 35 articles were retrieved from the database altogether, with virtually half of them in Asian countries and the other half in non-Asian countries. It included 2 conference papers, 1 university lecture slide, and 2 books. Over 75% of the articles retrieved were published between 2000 and 2019, with a few as early as 1986. It is worth mentioning that the data collection did not focus on the preservice teacher education and its relationship with teacher efficacy in a single geographical context alone, but had its focus on the international landscape specifically in the mainstream school context. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Data collection, in essence, was done keeping my interest in the loop: to learn more about the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy. Initially, I was not sure if I wanted to delve deeper into this topic but when I read a magazine article on the same topic by Rapheal (2019), it not only sparked more interest in me but also helped concretise the idea of pursuing the same for the review, although the initial concept was to explore the discrepancies alone in the preservice teacher education and its failure to cater for the teacher needs in the field. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Analytical procedures</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Constant comparative method (Glaser, 1965) was used to analyse the data. Through an iterative process between research questions and data, the selected articles were coded in a reverse chronological order followed by reading them several times to locate the thematic categories and relationship between them. Open coding of the articles led to five broad categories:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>review of preservice teacher education and its relationship with teacher efficacy in Asian and non-Asian contexts; </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>studies of preservice teacher education practices;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>studies of teacher efficacy and its relation to education quality; </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>evaluation of the effects of preservice teacher education on teacher efficacy development; and</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>discussion of visions to improve preservice teacher education. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Depending on a frequency count of recurring themes and patterns in the articles, these broad groupings were reduced to three categories according to research questions through axial coding: influence of teacher efficacy on quality of education (categories 3, 4), the significance of preservice teacher education for teachers (categories 2), and the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy (categories 1, 5). And in the selective coding, the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy came out as a focal point.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Analysis</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This section reports on the findings of the three research questions, namely: (1) How does teacher efficacy affect the quality of teaching and learning?; (2) What is the significance of preservice teacher education for teachers?; and (3) What is the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Influence of teacher efficacy on quality of education </b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The quality of education continues to spark debates and attract a lot of interest around the world irrespective of the educational contexts. Generally, the quality of education is largely considered synonymous with student achievement with little or no concern for student motivation. Cheng (1995) establishes that “education quality is the character of the set of elements in the input, process, and output of the education system that provides services that completely satisfy both internal and external strategic constituencies by meeting their explicit and implicit expectations” (p. 2). Education quality depends on quality teaching and it is only efficacious teachers who can deliver quality teaching. The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Initiative aspires to create a world where every child is not deprived of the opportunity to receive quality education (Strode, 2013). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Zakeri, Rahmany and Labone (2015) assert that “the importance of teacher efficacy lies in its strong link to quality practices” (p. 158). Similarly, Rahman et al. (2011) present factors responsible for quality teaching that include well-defined theories and practices of teaching and learning, socio-economic ideological needs, and the existing structure of the education system. Most importantly, education quality depends on the “ability, hard work and dedication of the teacher” (Rahman et al., 2011, p. 149) which is otherwise termed as teacher efficacy. Colson et al. (2017) support this argument: “teacher is a key player in the success of the individual student in the classroom” (p. 66). Cheung (2006) also notes that “education plays the significant role of providing quality education in teaching basic knowledge and skills to students and training them to become independent and lifelong learners to be able to handle problems in this fast-changing society” (p. 438). Having recognised its importance, the Hongkong government has tried to restructure the education system to achieve its goals, while teachers in Hong Kong grapple with the challenges of adapting to ever-changing reforms in education (Cheung, 2006).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Significance of preservice teacher education for teachers</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Preservice teacher education is of paramount importance for teachers as it helps them discover their niche in the teaching profession. On the flip side, if it falls short to equip and empower the preservice teachers as required, the consequences can be disastrous. Rahman et al. (2011) define preservice teacher education as: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It is the training provided before the employment of teachers and is generally a prerequisite for it. It is aimed at the professional growth of the teacher and is planned and provided in such a way that it leads to the development in him a positive attitude towards education and towards improving his own performance in terms of better student learning (p. 151). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The teaching profession is a call that many do not feel obliged to answer given a lot of stereotyping that surrounds it. It is interesting when some fresh high school graduates, undergraduates or postgraduate students take up teaching, but it is difficult to ascertain how genuine they are in their pursuit of becoming teachers. Duckworth, Quinn and Seligman (2009) reported in their narrative that an individual’s three positive traits which comprise grit, life satisfaction, and optimistic explanatory style contribute towards the indication that they are likely to perform better as teachers. Therefore, Duckworth et al. (2009) suggest that when recruiting and selecting teachers in the preservice teacher education institutes, positive traits such as grit, life satisfaction, and optimism must be considered to a great extent. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The popular terms ‘teacher by chance’ and ‘teacher by choice’ are thus born with the former most likely to quit sooner or later. Worse, teacher attrition has always been a perennial issue worldwide and it poses a great risk on the retention and sustainability of teachers (Colson, Sparks, Berridge, Frimming & Willis, 2017, p. 66). In Australia, it is reported that almost half of the new teachers leave within the first five years of teaching, with more than 50% of individuals who hold a teaching degree never teach at all (Heath, 2018). While teacher attrition is caused by many factors like remuneration, workload, and job satisfaction, the least acknowledged cause is the lack of aptitude and commitment to overcome challenges posed by the teaching profession. The nature of the teaching profession is stressful and it often culminates into teacher burnout (Prilleltensky, Neff & Bessell, 2016). However, The responsibility to provide the necessary qualification to them falls to preservice teacher education. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In such unfavourable nature of teaching as a profession, the aspirant teachers are vulnerable to this negative influence early on. Preservice teacher education has a vital role to play towards creating a sound teaching workforce as they are better placed than schools particularly in the promotion of the three kinds of theoretical engagement necessary to good teaching (Colson et al., 2017; Winch, 2015; & Rahman et al., 2011). Orchard and Winch (2015) add that this argument is based on two contentions: First, universities and preservice teacher education institutes employ a greater number of staff experts in this task including mentoring benefits (Lai, 2005); and second, the environment of a university and preservice teacher education institutes is more conducive to the theoretical learning needed by new student teachers, away from the immediate pressure of the workplace. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One of the best things that happen to preservice teachers at this stage is their practicum experience wherein they get the opportunity to test their theoretical knowledge on real-life teaching situations (Berg & Smith, 2018). In this case, Bandura’s (1997) four sources of self-efficacy belief are considered as they relate to the practicum experience: mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, and physiological arousal. Berg and Smith (2018) assert that practicum allows preservice teachers to learn from both their peers and practising teachers. Rahman et al. (2011) also conclude that “teacher training was positively related to effective teaching. This relationship was statistically significant and positive for overall student achievement” (p. 155). In conclusion, “efficacious teachers are more likely to stay in teaching, put more time into teaching and show greater effort in classroom planning and organization and greater enthusiasm for teaching” (Cheung, 2006, p. 436). The implication of attrition is the loss of quality graduates, which can, in turn, impact the development of a robust teaching workforce of higher quality.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tschannen-Moran et al. (1998) note that efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers are associated with stress and commitment to teaching including the satisfaction with support and preparation. Those with a higher sense of efficacy showed a greater inclination to find greater overall satisfaction in teaching and experienced less stress. Conversely, the reverse is also true. The relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy differs from one context to another. In this study, the relationship between them is considered both positive and incongruent to each other. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Positive relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Rahman et al. (2011) report that teacher education bears a positive relationship with teacher efficacy in terms of student achievement, in particular. Utley, Moseley and Bryant (2005) corroborate this claim with their research findings where the progress in elementary preservice teacher education showed significant improvement in the teaching of science and mathematics. Although the success of good preservice teacher education depends on a range of factors, the good preservice teacher education is likely to produce efficacious teachers. However, teacher educators often face the challenges of selecting curriculum content to teach preservice teachers, choosing methods in preparing them, motivating them to learn, assess their learning, and dealing with individual differences among them (Rahman et al., 2011). To this end, Berg and Smith (2018) suggest the following based on their works in New Zealand: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> “to ensure that a capstone practicum experience enhances preservice teachers’ teacher self-efficacy beliefs, teacher educators should make certain that students are well supported to experience mastery success, receive appropriate verbal persuasion, have role models who offer affirming vicarious persuasion, have role models who offer affirming vicarious experience, and are guided to make sense of their physiological and affective states” (p. 538). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Furthermore, Berg and Smith (2014) observed that “concerns are often addressed directly in teacher education programs as preservice teachers are presented with strategies and asked to reflect on their practice” (p. 34) but helping them develop robust teacher efficacy beliefs could better address the concerns. As much as quality preservice teacher education brings about greater teacher efficacy, Tschannen-Moran, Hoy and Hoy (1998) contends, “Undergraduates with a low sense of teacher efficacy tended to have an orientation toward control; they took a pessimistic view of students' motivation and relied on strict classroom regulations, extrinsic rewards, and punishments to make students study” (p. 235). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Discrepancy between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The preservice teacher education programmes across the globe have been called into question, on the premise new reforms have to be made and implemented for teachers to meet the demands of the ever-changing times (Orchard and Winch, 2015). The discrepancy between what preservice teachers expect would happen in their first year of real teaching and what actually happens is known as ‘reality shock’, and despite the best efforts in preservice teacher education, such occurrence gives way to high turnover and low retention of novice teachers (OECD, 2005). Whitney, Golez, Nagel, Nieto and Nieto (2002) have found that “the master teacher had a greater influence on student teachers’ future classroom behaviours than did university supervisors” (p. 69), and that summons some reforms in the preservice teacher education in general. A study conducted by Berg and Smith (2014) in Malaysia, New Zealand and England highlights that the cultural contexts matter as Malaysian preservice teachers were reported to have comparatively low teacher efficacy beliefs on the contrary to their counterparts in New Zealand and England. In Hong Kong, although preservice teachers were comfortable using new strategies to teach than in-service teachers with long teaching experience who were equally comfortable with their own way of teaching, it was still felt necessary for both of them to attain courses in this area frequently to boost their efficacy (Cheung, 2006). Nevertheless, Tschannen-Moran et al. (1998) and Woodcock 2011) caution that once the efficacy beliefs are formed, they tend to be somewhat resistant to change. Thus, there is an exigent need to form higher efficacy beliefs early on.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Discussion</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This study was designed to explore the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy in mainstream schools in a general context. It also looked at the success and ineffectiveness of preservice teacher education in building teacher efficacy. Similarly, while they shared a positive relationship in most cases, incongruencies were also evident in some cases particularly in non-western countries like Malaysia (Berg & Smith, 2014). Berg and Smith (2014) noticed “a notable absence of multiple country comparative studies” (p. 22) implying a direction for future researchers. The findings presented here are somewhat consistent with the literature on preservice teacher education and its relationship with teacher efficacy except for some gaps caused by contextual differences. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The findings also raised some considerations for future research. The future researcher could question the relationship of preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy in inclusive and diverse classroom situations given the student population is becoming increasingly diverse everywhere (Whitney et al., 2002). In so doing, they could also explore teacher concerns studied by those responsible for preservice teacher education,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">as this is important in the development of new teachers (Dunn & Rakes, 2010). Berg and Smith (2014) felt “no research was found that examined whether similar concerns are evident cross-culturally” (p. 22). A similar concern was also raised by Cheung (2002) as he noticed some decent work done around in-service teachers’ efficacy, but the preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs were the least explored. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Notwithstanding these limitations, a vision for preservice teacher education in relation to teacher efficacy development can be drawn particularly for the contexts where the preservice teacher education is not deemed vital for teacher efficacy building. It ought to be seen that the most notable influences on the growth of teachers’ sense of efficacy are experiences during their preservice education years (Mulholland and Wallace, 2001). Firstly, efforts could be made to make teaching an attractive profession bereft of the prevailing stereotypes. Orchard and Winch (2015) emphasise on “the need to offer effective support in the critical years immediately after initial qualification, so more new teachers choose to stay on in the profession” (p. 30). In addition, they must be exposed to a well-balanced curriculum that contains content mastery, sound technical know-how and adequate practicum experience in the field, and most importantly, providing mentoring throughout this initial journey into becoming a teacher. In short, future research should include larger data collection for a context in focus in order to avoid bias and generalisation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Through a review of the research works surrounding preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy, this study contributes to research on how preservice teacher education is related to teacher efficacy in mainstream schools with no specific focus on one particular context. The analysis revealed that the relationship between preservice teacher education and teacher efficacy is positive mostly in the non-Asian countries like the US, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway (Duckworth et al., 2009; Rahma et al., 2011; Berg & Smith, 2018; Cheung, 2006; and Mulholland and Wallace, 2001)while on the other hand, some discrepancies were noticed in Asian countries, particularly Malaysia (Berg and Smith, 2014). However, other Asian countries like Singapore, Pakistan, and Iran did not have any significant disparity between teacher education in the preservice and teacher efficacy. 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Quality assurance in Education, 5(1), 22-31.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Cheung, H. Y. (2006). The measurement of teacher efficacy: Hong Kong primary in‐service teachers. Journal of Education for Teaching, 32(4), 435-451.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Colson, T., Sparks, K., Berridge, G., Frimming, R., & Willis, C. (2017). Pre-service teachers and self-efficacy: A study in contrast. Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education, 8(2), 66-76.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Duckworth, A. L., Quinn, P. D., & Seligman, M. E. (2009). Positive predictors of teacher effectiveness. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(6), 540-547.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Dunn, K. E., & Rakes, G. C. (2010). Producing caring qualified teachers: An exploration of the influence of pre-service teacher concerns on learner-centeredness. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 516-521.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Glaser, B. G. (1965). The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Social problems, 12(4), 436-445.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Guskey, T. R. & Passaro, P. D. (1994) Teacher efficacy: a study of construct dimensions, American Educational Research Journal, 31, 627–643.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Heath, K. (2018). 10353 Issues and challenges in school improvement: International perspectives, session 9, week 9: Teacher professional identity [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://uclearn.canberra.edu.au/courses/5360/files/832597?module_item_id_403472</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ingersoll, R. M., & Smith, T. M. (2004). Do teacher induction and mentoring matter? NASSP bulletin, 88(638), 28-40.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Johnson, R. F., & Birkeland, K. W. (2002, September). Integrating shear quality into stability test results. In Proceedings ISSW (pp. 508-513).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Kleinsasser, R. C. (2014). Teacher efficacy in teaching and teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 44, 168-179. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Lai, E. (2005). Mentoring for in-service teachers in a distance teacher education programme: views of mentors, mentees and university teachers. Paper presented at the Australian Association for Research in Education International Education Research Conference, Sydney.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Midgley, C., Feldlaufer, H., & Eccles, J. S. (1989). Change in teacher efficacy and student self-and task-related beliefs in mathematics during the transition to junior high school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(2), 247.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mulholland, J., & Wallace, J. (2001). Teacher induction and elementary science teaching: Enhancing self-efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(2), 243-261.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">OECD (2005). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. Paris: OECD.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Orchard, J., & Winch, C. (2015). What training do teachers need?: Why theory is necessary to good teaching. Impact, 2015(22), 1-43.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Prilleltensky, I., Neff, M., & Bessell, A. (2016). Teacher stress: What it is, why it's important, how it can be alleviated. Theory Into Practice, 55(2), 104-111.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Rahman, F., Jumani, N. B., Akhter, Y., Chisthi, S. U. H., & Ajmal, M. (2011). Relationship between training of teachers and effectiveness teaching. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(4).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Rapheal, J. (2019, March 2). Teacher training programmes: why do they fail? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/teacher-training-programmes-why-do-fail-dr-jeny-rapheal/ </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2007). Dimensions of teacher self-efficacy and relations with strain factors, perceived collective teacher efficacy, and teacher burnout. Journal of educational psychology, 99(3), 611.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and teacher education, 26(4), 1059-1069.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Soodak, L. C., & Podell, D. M. (1996). Teacher efficacy: Toward the understanding of a multi-faceted construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 12(4), 401-411.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Strode, A. (2013). Participatory Action Research for Development of Prospective Teachers' Professionality during Their Pedagogical Practice. Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education, 4(1), 80-90.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tschannen-Moran, M., Hoy, A. W., & Hoy, W. K. (1998). Teacher efficacy: Its meaning and measure. Review of educational research, 68(2), 202-248.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and teacher education, 17(7), 783-805.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Utley, J., Moseley, C., & Bryant, R. (2005). Relationship between science and mathematics teaching efficacy of preservice elementary teachers. School science and Mathematics, 105(2), 82-87.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Whitney, L., Golez, F., Nagel, G., Nieto, C., & Nieto, C. (2002). Listening to voices of practicing teachers to examine the effectiveness of a teacher education program. Action in Teacher Education, 23(4), 69-76.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Woodcock, S. (2011). A cross-sectional study of pre-service teacher efficacy throughout the training years. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(10), 23-34.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Zakeri, A., Rahmany, R., & Labone, E. (2015). Teachers’ self-and collective efficacy: The case of novice English language teachers. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 7(1), 158-167.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">PS: One of my major assignments for the Capstone unit at the university. </span></i></b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-73719933238589299082021-05-11T05:52:00.009+10:002021-05-11T05:52:51.028+10:00Did you ever know that?<p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Your capricious habit </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">often disconcerts me </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">and I know not </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">what to make of you. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">You are a bolt </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">that takes me by surprise </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">and a lightning </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">that disappears in a flash, </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">leaving me in utter disbelief. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">You glide along </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">with the fragrant summer breeze </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">and visit the peasants </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">with showers of joy. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">And I see you </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">as the kindest of all. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">But, you can be wrathful too. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">And in winter, you come </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">in light fluffy flakes, </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">and people, young and old, </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">rejoice in your coming. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Oh, Weather! You know they love you, right? </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-63270719729199661492021-04-12T04:18:00.008+10:002021-04-12T04:34:03.589+10:00Proud Moment<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">One thing that makes a teacher's chest swell in pride and joy is when their students do well be it in the exam, competition, or in life. I've had such moments too as a teacher. Once there was a boy called Jambay Kinley I taught during my prac at Wangdue LSS back in 2009. He went on to top all Bhutan Class X and Class XII board exams later. But you know, teachers can already prefigure that each student they cross their paths with is meant for greatness. And here's an award-winning letter (at the <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">47th International letter-writing competition organized by Universal postal union and Bhutan Post in May 2018) </span>penned by Tshering Yangchen Lhamo. I taught her English for two years at Samtse LSS. I'm posting this letter (as it is) here for the beautiful message it contains. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Samtse Higher Secondary School </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Samtse, Bhutan </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">27th March, 2018</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Dear readers</span></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I have been a letter throughout my life. I have been travelling since the inception of the civilization. During this period, I have been seeing a lot of wonderful as well as the worst changes in the world, some of which are unimaginable. However, the most common, important and ignored problem everywhere, from my point of view, has been the increase in plastic pollution. Plastic has captivated the land, air and water since time immemorial.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">In the past, during the time of your ancestors, I have not seen a single piece of plastic in your surroundings. The environment was clean, fresh and healthy. The air was clean, the oceans and seas were as blue as the sky and everywhere I went, there were beautiful flowers, which would enlighten me from within. Life thrived with vitality and bountiful nature. Different types of trees, flowers, animals, birds and fishes brought glory to the world. The mountain peaks would stand tall with the nestling snow shining and sparkling like jewels. The earth itself was heavenly then. But now, I am grieved to see that everything has changed, for the worst.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">At present, everywhere I go. I see plastics, both on land and in the rivers and oceans. Moreover, we never know, but there might be plastics even on the moon. That would totally break my heart it if actually happens. Nowadays, the air is ladened with dirt and the land and water bodies are all filled with plastic products. Dirt controls the land, water and air. How powerful are thy hands? And how ignorant thy minds? Even the food you eat and water you drink are not safe and are becoming harmful.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">All my life, I have seen these things happening right in front of me. I have seen people ever using plastics. How shameful it is! While shopping, they put whatever they buy in a plastic bag, even after having a basket in their hands. And it’s infuriating to know that its because plastics are very cheap. But, does it mean people can overuse plastics? Definitely not! Then, I have seen children throwing wrappers and bottles wherever they want to, but not in the bins even when it is right near them. This surprised me the most. Some do not even dare to look at all the plastic thrown in the surroundings, rather than pick those up.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Due to people’s ignorance on the effect of plastic pollution, animals and humans are dying. Ground water has been polluted and it has become very difficult and expensive to clean the affected areas. Feeling depressed for these situations is an understatement words are just not enough to describe how disappointed I am too see these things happening.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Nonetheless, I have also encountered some people, who are concerned for this world, doing something great for this world in their own little ways. They do not use plastic bags while shopping and try to recycle and reuse the plastic products they have. Moreover, they involve themselves in cleaning and reducing waste and educating businesses and communities on the effects of plastic pollution. This people make me feel swollen with pride and gives some hope that there are good people in this world.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">If everyone tries to ‘reduce, refuse, reuse and recycle’ plastic products, won’t this world become as clean and heavenly as it was before? Think about it. These small things can bring about great changes in the world such as preventing epidemics and problems related to health because, these days, even bottled water have plastic products in them. We can prevent the death of so many living beings and most importantly, we can prevent global warming, climate change and acid rain.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Basically, what I strongly want to say is that you need to do everything you can to reduce plastic pollution because I have heard from one of letter-friends that since the 1950s, on estimated 6.3 billion tons of plastics have been produced out of which only 9% has been recycled and 12% incinerated. The remaining 79% have been left as it is. Mother Teressa has truly said that “if every person in the world would clean their own door step, the whole world would be clean.” So let us all work together to keep our earth clean and green throughout, with no plastic on sight, lets unburden the burden collectively.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Thanking you<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Yours Faithfully<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Tshering Yangchen Lhamo<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Class IX A</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-11261681808638537152021-03-21T09:20:00.005+11:002021-03-24T07:52:12.042+11:00Will you? <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">When the summer's heat leaves</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">And the winter's cold isn't here yet</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Will you smile and sigh in heaves?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">And when the winter's finally here </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">But the spring is still far away </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Will your face still hold that cheer? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">But when I lie on my deathbed </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">With my eyes cast on the horizon </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Will you remember we've ever met?</span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-31600839119351398482021-03-21T09:17:00.008+11:002021-03-24T07:52:50.030+11:00Decluttered <p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">There's no pride in walking away </span></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">When all you want to do is stay;</span></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Nor is there any comfort in staying </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">When your heart is set on going! </span> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-25951631025552902002021-03-21T09:14:00.004+11:002021-03-24T07:53:24.411+11:00Silly Thoughts<p style="text-align: justify;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">My innards want to go on and on with dogged determination, but it's my soul that often seeks some respite along the way. That doesn't, however, mean I'm slowing down or digressing from where I oughta go, but just that I need some fertile moments for retrospection. Perhaps, that's how I shall feel doubly fulfilled at some cul-de-sacs of my never-ending journey.</span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-47239820042098514412021-03-21T09:11:00.011+11:002021-03-24T07:53:40.889+11:00 It is it…<p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X5NiNRYJkAZSaMeldDxk7uD-WPKj9CCMFekrWLz8yv_UCJeK7IRy3v51isWkNM3osVHTOKq1iVvMwTxhTE_aNz8hwwRVB9nimgKfkboZrQqkuNNEOMwJ-jILFonwRgvT_Jos-YgrF3Q/s1080/119053247_125905469236797_6900751167247743474_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X5NiNRYJkAZSaMeldDxk7uD-WPKj9CCMFekrWLz8yv_UCJeK7IRy3v51isWkNM3osVHTOKq1iVvMwTxhTE_aNz8hwwRVB9nimgKfkboZrQqkuNNEOMwJ-jILFonwRgvT_Jos-YgrF3Q/w400-h300/119053247_125905469236797_6900751167247743474_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lower Thimphu</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">On this warm lazy noon I sit<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Thinking of life and all bit by bit</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And funny it throws me into a fit<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Beating all my wisdom and wit<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And happiness is but a missed hit</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">So I retire into the night less lit<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Trying to find solace in my pit<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-80559520868744260912021-03-21T09:08:00.006+11:002021-03-24T07:54:02.027+11:00 Deepest Mires of My Soul <p style="text-align: center;"></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/AVvXsEifzBNsD97bekcFXADnG6vzRSlO4qyRILOG6_FMzDv4G7zXZSOX6rPk4xGBLb6qXcSNa6nDq7dGkOfLPhtiMBDMAzw0Etw-8DTIrvFfoYaiXMBRiFM5jJqs0Ez7W6RFZf7s0xG-B3OUJys/s1080/108819021_740054503422597_9202464724852969522_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzBNsD97bekcFXADnG6vzRSlO4qyRILOG6_FMzDv4G7zXZSOX6rPk4xGBLb6qXcSNa6nDq7dGkOfLPhtiMBDMAzw0Etw-8DTIrvFfoYaiXMBRiFM5jJqs0Ez7W6RFZf7s0xG-B3OUJys/w640-h480/108819021_740054503422597_9202464724852969522_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chamkhar</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The storms have weathered me cold </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">that now I lie wearied and beaten</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">lowliest amongst the low </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">but there's a crumb of fire</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">still smouldering</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">in the deepest mires of my soul</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-39168698415286348322021-03-20T22:31:00.005+11:002021-03-20T23:21:19.446+11:00Shrink into the Skies and Seas<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/AVvXsEi6QVax0I6Ownixrw-mhhyHBnyY53DzuTzdro_wAr17p4j_XoEpwl-GA4ZXtrBRgGfyiO6_wx2hbh7z0LNHLqgoZ1zrsKt0mYeo6nUCKvz82fRswarC2gA4zHTuMsUeVIYdmuSSQpKYu48/s2048/sea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="2048" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QVax0I6Ownixrw-mhhyHBnyY53DzuTzdro_wAr17p4j_XoEpwl-GA4ZXtrBRgGfyiO6_wx2hbh7z0LNHLqgoZ1zrsKt0mYeo6nUCKvz82fRswarC2gA4zHTuMsUeVIYdmuSSQpKYu48/w640-h335/sea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wollongong Beach, New South Wales</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">My last tankard is emptied and the barrel</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">goes dry, but here I still am, to drink</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">my life to the lees. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I crawl my way home and my tidiest apparel </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">is soiled, and there I am, at the brink</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">of my life that flees. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And as I lie spread-eagled, my last stairwell </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">awaits, and I am everywhere, only to shrink </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">into the skies and seas. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-86308716967916582132021-03-18T03:29:00.012+11:002021-04-02T06:28:11.188+11:00 Succinct Notes on My Maiden JSYB<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This is a personal account of <a href="https://team1global.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Team1Global</span></a>'s major meet-up called 'Jump Start Your Business' (JSYB). It was the first of its kind that I attended back in 2019. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="https://team1global.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Team1Global</span></a> or simply <a href="https://team1global.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">T1G</span></a> is a platform that offers entrepreneurial education and business opportunities. They have a series of intricate procedures of bringing in new recruits and once they are brought in, they are groomed to act on their own through the provision of entrepreneurial and self-improvement education. That is the education part. The next is the business part and it emulates the pyramid model by putting up <a href="https://www.amway.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Amway</span></a> products for sale. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"><span> </span><span> </span>Sydney</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: right;">5/1/19</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">It was altogether a new experience for me and I could not have thought of starting my new year any better than this. Prior to attending this, I had certain apprehensions. I thought it would hardly be any different than watching the recorded clips of the very event later. However, the experience of being there is completely at a whole new level. Seeing a huge boisterous throng, I was totally awestruck, and seeing a magnificent line-up of speakers left me star-struck. I realized T1G is a new revolution of sorts. I literally felt the T1G wave all over, with goose-pricks taking me off-guard. Now I understand why my mentor and sponsors emphasized on the need to go attend this event first hand, in the very first place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxoG35wbkZqpOhO3a7Ae8c9l5i-KR-sHG5YmW4hXkh62uSnIyIZBpd1u-9eyCibfG4HX-VpUOEliLAU3sAtGg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">In addition to the general session, I am overly gladdened that I could also attend the preceding session which was on leadership, chiefly for the leaders in this business. Thanks to my mentor and sponsors who deemed I was ready to get the most out of that too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The first couple onstage was Ajaya and Madhumita. Young but highly successful, and they had that special presence onstage that moved me instantaneously. They not only possessed a gift of gaff but also, had an excellent sense of ethos, pathos and logos. One of the highlights of what Ajaya said will remain indelibly etched on the annals of my memories: “My manager owns a better car than me NOT BECAUSE I CAN’T AFFORD IT BUT BECAUSE HE CAN’T RESIST IT”. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The couple talked about mentorship, positive self-talk, building a shield, ownership, self-image, and value time. While each of these is important, I felt mentorship, positive self-talk, and value time are more pertinent to me at this point in my life. Mentorship wakes us up from living a life of lies and put us back on track which leads us to the realization of our much-coveted but less-pursued dreams and aspirations. It sets us on fire and grooms us so well that we are amply shielded with an arsenal of positive attributes and vibes that the force of negation this world lashes at us stands no chance. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Positive self-talk reminded me of the classical conditioning theories that I studied in my undergrad which basically means we can condition our responses irrespective of the stimuli (through positive reinforcement). It is clearly displayed in the Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots” where the lead characters keep saying “All’s well” and gently rubbed over their left chests (supposedly where the heart is located) every time they came across difficulties. They said that our hearts freak out easily because they are cowards, but they can be easily fooled too. So the best way to fool them is by convincing them that everything is alright even when it is not. Rashmi, in one of his audios also shows us some of the positive self-talk we can do. I always do this. I just talk with myself. I look at the mirror and say, “Tashi, you are the best!” and I hear a roar of laughter coming from behind (of course, from my wife), but that does not stop me. I am glad that now she understands why I do this.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And time management is the master-key that can unlock all the mysteries of our problems in life. Every problem in our lives one or the other way rises from the ill-management of time. Everyone gets just 24 hours regardless of one’s social standing, creed or ethnicity. It is quite sad to note that time is what everybody takes for granted, and it worries me a great deal that I am no different in time management. Watching the 2011 Hollywood film “In Time” starring Justin Timberlake made me realize how we are uncontrollably governed by time. But, it is Madhumita’s insight into creating 15 minutes time pockets that I think opened my ways. It is simple but something I have never realized that I could have thought about that too. It is going to make my assignment time a lot easier and manageable this coming semester. In addition, the Eisenhower goal setting formula is bound to make my time management a lot beautiful experience.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Hemant and Smitha followed next brightening up the stage all the more. One best thing that Hemant said was the difference between LIFTERS and LIMITERS, and spelt out that we ought to lift ourselves and be our own best cheerleaders. The couple also made it clear that “Life is only getting busier and tougher, and if you can’t do it today (build your business), forget about tomorrow.”</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Samir and Jasmine had the audience glued with their let’s-get-down-to-business attitude. They dexterously dissected the model this business is set and operates on and explained each segment in strings of eloquence. I am looking forward to seeing this clip released on the T1G website and revisit it all over.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Lastly, I would like to add some random picks:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“A group of sheep led by a lion can beat a group of lions led by a sheep”-Hemant & Smitha</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“You make a noise and sheep run. You make a noise and lions come.”-Hemant & Smitha</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“In this arena, you are the one who’s adding value in others and not the other way round”- Ajaya & Madhumita</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“You can’t have coaching before mentorship.”- Ajaya & Madhumita</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“Failure is a success in disguise.” – Ajaya & Madhumita</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“Go-givers vs go-getters”</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“Until you are free in thoughts, freedom of speech doesn’t mean anything.”</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“Your purpose needs to evolve over time.” -Smitha</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“If you don’t have a dream dying for, you will not have a life living for.”- Hemant</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“Every decision you make is attached to your lack of money.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">“PHD: People Headed to Diamonds.” I remember my friend saying that it stands for Permanent Head Damage. I am not sure if I will ever go PHD in the latter sense, but I can and I will in the former sense.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And the panel talks added a lot of values. They simply displayed the level of commitment and passion for this business. More so, they revealed their understanding of this business.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Wrapping it up, I am just reminded of someone who said, “JSYB actually stands for Just Start Your Business. So just JUMP START” and I found it so so true.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"></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/AVvXsEgGWSJYf5NK0QsO9IRlxv4Wm6WRkjzbp5HsGgwNMWiSBTAmlGdJ4wy0uHyFE2-QRNiegnYsOGVtPBfLFX4PXGY7qJRK-o7yLyo2Ya8HFGb8QpU_zRddIuKn2Tc08fYc6f0IPJe4JlUJ41I/s1080/dendupedia_2.0_20210401_185351.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWSJYf5NK0QsO9IRlxv4Wm6WRkjzbp5HsGgwNMWiSBTAmlGdJ4wy0uHyFE2-QRNiegnYsOGVtPBfLFX4PXGY7qJRK-o7yLyo2Ya8HFGb8QpU_zRddIuKn2Tc08fYc6f0IPJe4JlUJ41I/w400-h300/dendupedia_2.0_20210401_185351.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Prabir in full command in one of the monthly meets. </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Pointing to the stage, my mentor-coach, Mr Prabir said, “Do you see yourself amongst them one day? If you do, you will live it.” I am sure I did when I said this to my wife, “One day I will make the world pay to listen to my story.” </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span>ps: This note pieces my take-aways. I know some lines are quite corny but I decided to put them up regardless. However, it is not that I didn't edit out some (cornier ones). The catch is I am no more a part of this platform for I had quit it for personal reasons. But, I must admit that I liked the education part a lot and it helped me a great deal in finding 'clarity' in my life. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-20732559416961752862021-01-07T03:06:00.017+11:002023-03-18T15:58:01.799+11:00The Other Side of 2020 Pandemic <p><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNdXOh0f8Jn31oU2sCEpFmL75nwm8pyN_IsCaBG60YdsmwA-L9n_gLYpok0erzFzDt1UTZj4G6Nbn9knMW8C21Oa9LVkv4W3HCt2JT1EnWWyXibTNSAYB2fS5ClMywZxO-1r01EnkOxk/s463/images.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="109" data-original-width="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNdXOh0f8Jn31oU2sCEpFmL75nwm8pyN_IsCaBG60YdsmwA-L9n_gLYpok0erzFzDt1UTZj4G6Nbn9knMW8C21Oa9LVkv4W3HCt2JT1EnWWyXibTNSAYB2fS5ClMywZxO-1r01EnkOxk/s320/images.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">2020 has found a snug place in the annals of the world history for its sheer notoriety. The 2020 global outbreak of Corona Virus has claimed over a million lives worldwide. According to WHO, the death toll stands at 1,848,704 with 84,474,195 active COVID-19 cases as of 5.47pm CET, January 5, 2021. </div></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span>The onslaught of this virus has upended the world throwing it deep into the irremediable crises and any attempt to restore the world order has proven disappointingly futile. As the world still hunts for a combative gear against this deadly virus in the form of vaccines, there is this tiny dot in the world map called Bhutan where a lot is going on lately. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span>It is not that Bhutan is COVID-19 free. Bhutan does have it. There are 456 active cases with no death as on January 4, 2021, according to the Ministry of Health. Despite the ongoing COVID-19-induced pain and panic looming large, 2020 has made Bhutan come together as one formidable unit in a fight against the pandemic. The nation is small, so is the population. But the fight Bhutan has put up is no small. With His Majesty at the helm, the Bhutanese lots come forward and contribute in various ways possible towards this fight. What makes me wonder is about the spirit of ‘voluntarism’ people harbour—where does it come from altogether? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span>Generally speaking, Bhutanese folks are good-natured and kind. So, is kindness responsible for ‘voluntarism’? If that is so, what is the shared denominator of ‘kindness’ across cultures and religions? Professor Nielson* thinks that it is “that of being something to others” which he beautifully consolidates in the act of ‘giving’ or ‘volunteering’ for that matter. In this sense, there is no greater volunteer than His Majesty the King Himself, particularly during such unprecedented times. He who forgoes His own safety and comes out to lead by example is no ordinary king. More than the kindness that the Bhutanese lots exude; it is His Majesty’s inspiration that draws the nation into ‘voluntarism’. Dasho Karma Ura** also corroborates that His Majesty “conveyed the warm sentiments he has about unity, cooperation, spontaneous sacrifice, and voluntarism that the people have shown” in His 113th National Day address on December 17, 2020. Besides, His Majesty the Great Fourth, the King in retirement, also travelled extensively in the south to reach out to the army of outreach workers and front-liners and boosted their morale. So, when Bhutan has Their Majesties doing all they can, it is only natural that Their subjects come out volunteering for the larger good of the country, kindness or not. </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/AVvXsEiJsAPOrvmw9Ilb8TnvvPEr1V1vwENJgD7KjBGDfYo31Bq7UNn8-jQ1a0G9isER6-_Ck0_E7sGdybIwAeLj4jUDJIpysV4PCwJjolhQgxPHHZGZ2MrLSIQx7WC9gQAJUG1ionknWrVkKYA/s341/bt_king120702.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="341" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsAPOrvmw9Ilb8TnvvPEr1V1vwENJgD7KjBGDfYo31Bq7UNn8-jQ1a0G9isER6-_Ck0_E7sGdybIwAeLj4jUDJIpysV4PCwJjolhQgxPHHZGZ2MrLSIQx7WC9gQAJUG1ionknWrVkKYA/w640-h413/bt_king120702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their Majesties the Fifth and the Fourth Kings<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PC: Kuensel</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span>However, it is indescribably heart-warming to see youth around garbed in orange as ‘De-Suups: The Guardians of Peace”—a group of volunteers under the direct command of His Majesty. Unlike other better-offs, they have nothing much to offer to the nation around this time. But, they have something better that does not even have a price tag and that is their time. I am confident when I say that they come forward on their own volition to partake of this fight not because they are kind, but because they have understood His Majesty’s golden words to the core. Let me also hasten to add that this does not rule out them being kind. </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/AVvXsEgYi1fYqP81nWy97fMZ-ymxniWN43Xib6kfx0mAyAZJ9PZmuOzYlbg0INUzB164T4PBnoLDQJSiLeqz3typixm6D0i327WcM9O22_J2WO1CVLqWCHT5-1eWJzMlPF4DJ8xsRHpDkgIsllk/s600/w-1-600x330.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="600" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYi1fYqP81nWy97fMZ-ymxniWN43Xib6kfx0mAyAZJ9PZmuOzYlbg0INUzB164T4PBnoLDQJSiLeqz3typixm6D0i327WcM9O22_J2WO1CVLqWCHT5-1eWJzMlPF4DJ8xsRHpDkgIsllk/w640-h352/w-1-600x330.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their Majesties the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck with De-Suups<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PC: Google images</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> In sum, the chaotic COVID-19 climate has indirectly bolstered ‘voluntarism’ in the Bhutanese youth, the most important of all. The fact that they have volunteered only reassures that the country is in the good hands for the future, in the hands of those who can look at the adversities eyeball to eyeball and overcome them as long as this spirit (of ‘voluntarism’) lives in them strong. </span></p><p><br /></p><p>*Thomas Nielson is the Professor at the University of Canberra, Australia. <span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></span></span> http://www.thomaswnielsen.net/giving-key-solving-problems/</p><p>**Dasho Karma Ura is the President of The Centre of Bhutan and GNH Studies, Bhutan. <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span>https://kuenselonline.com/a-delightful-wonder-the-113th-national-day-address/</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-18659572446535052562021-01-06T18:28:00.001+11:002021-01-06T18:47:20.824+11:00The Muffled Muse<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/AVvXsEg4qasoruWA0hJJrgyRX4kfcIV8rvdlniM1MUz78CTgegNN4Hk75PG2LEKqhVkcddC6clM1uzi0SgmRHBK32KxPAidmeJLqDKf5h4_T1ubB1H-Req0zoRUfZqdF7iwi1xpZyZ5cOcecc2Q/s2048/butter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qasoruWA0hJJrgyRX4kfcIV8rvdlniM1MUz78CTgegNN4Hk75PG2LEKqhVkcddC6clM1uzi0SgmRHBK32KxPAidmeJLqDKf5h4_T1ubB1H-Req0zoRUfZqdF7iwi1xpZyZ5cOcecc2Q/w640-h426/butter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy: Mani Wangdi, Teacher, Samtse LSS</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">For someone who’s known for his protracted raves,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">What would a word account to him?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">For a coward who dies myriad times each moment he lives,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">What would death mean to him?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">For a callous gravedigger,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">What difference would he feel to dig his own grave?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">For a habitual naysayer, </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">What would it be like for him to dwell in the dark?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">For a seasoned trouble-maker, </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Would aught at all trouble his conscience?<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PS: First posted on social media. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-61106589401178441882021-01-06T05:09:00.002+11:002021-01-06T05:09:54.224+11:00Conspiracy <span style="font-size: x-large;">Words conspire with each other </span><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">And devise a vilest plot ever—</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">To pencil some faux poems</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">And emboss them with a heart</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">On the empty scrolls of minds</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Of one and many a soul</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Nothing but a motley of poems</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Crocheted with tall tales of femme fatales <br />And beauteous balls and bards</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Of the human world and heaven</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">And many a thing obvious </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">And yet wrought in oblivion</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PS: An old poem from my virtually forgotten oeuvre. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-54685270988586573202020-12-11T06:09:00.003+11:002020-12-11T06:35:22.140+11:00...this life<p style="text-align: justify;"><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/AVvXsEiheCKDmrXEHHO5po47HOvtmfpKwEVJ869n6P8W-vQ1VeOJTT3xuIRArheuYNWDBWvA3LWnredcE1qA8RdE18jJq7EDa0GUV0-Bje0PdFiUvzbyv6lTj9VFJhrdF_rCn7DytXx1gaxRebY/s2048/IMG_20190420_103258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheCKDmrXEHHO5po47HOvtmfpKwEVJ869n6P8W-vQ1VeOJTT3xuIRArheuYNWDBWvA3LWnredcE1qA8RdE18jJq7EDa0GUV0-Bje0PdFiUvzbyv6lTj9VFJhrdF_rCn7DytXx1gaxRebY/w640-h480/IMG_20190420_103258.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wollongong Beach, NSW</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I'm awake in my sleep and I'm asleep in my wakeful hours. There's an angry storm in my head and a vicious volcano in my heart ready to burst anytime; and an earthquake that sends electricity down my spine, giving my body shivers and shudders. I'm troubled—mind, body and soul. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">One question I couldn't find the answer hitherto is: WHAT IS LIFE? I've seen fools to charlatans, and charlatans to erudite scholars talking about life at its length and breadth and yet, I'm least satisfied with them. It somehow seems that it's rather a time for me to start pursuing the answer myself than wait for the shower on a sunny day. But how? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Ambitions rule while we're alive only to realize its sheer vanity at the face of death. And while we accept life with stoic endurance somehow, can we accept death in the same spirit and in the same style? What if everything the world says about the after-death is but a blatant lie? Do we have backup plans?</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212280073191487206.post-73854632108573143522020-11-15T16:17:00.007+11:002021-03-20T05:08:29.487+11:00Down the college memory lane<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: times;">As I look back, I do miss those halcyon college days. They were one of the best episodes of my life. The English lectures that I avidly looked forward to, some Primary Classes (which weren't of my interest) where all I did was pass perfunctory nods like all good students do for the love of teachers' efforts, the Nu 2-per-cup lemon tea I relished in the canteen after the class hours, the haa's and huu's I breathed out loud in the even Taekwondo club with Master Kezang Dawa, the college library I loved to be in because it was the only place where AirCon was installed, the football field where I greeted countless goals in my net (much to my mates' chagrin)--it's never so easy to be a goalkeeper, the last-minute adrenaline in having to complete a mountain of assignments, the hours I spent in Yongba's bar for a pint or two, the train dances I did with my friends in the once-in-a-month jam sessions, the late-night chantings and cheerings for Manchester United in the hostel TV hall, the crush that got crashed like it happens with most of the boys... and the list goes on (I'm only getting started).</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmQWsX__hJRxuQSvQNzVcO3IRvkbFVX8OYSO2yLfOxI5p4WZuIGAPNJajfdKCrP4W1TXAAua7lDmEwuFZHldFCWHR9qmetd7153z-si54ClI4c9j04dv7TiTmJHe3k3OkExf25PRV1HU/s2048/IMG_20191028_140442_654.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmQWsX__hJRxuQSvQNzVcO3IRvkbFVX8OYSO2yLfOxI5p4WZuIGAPNJajfdKCrP4W1TXAAua7lDmEwuFZHldFCWHR9qmetd7153z-si54ClI4c9j04dv7TiTmJHe3k3OkExf25PRV1HU/w400-h300/IMG_20191028_140442_654.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">College Marathon, 2010</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0