Stuck on the highway with a flat tire and a broken jack-screw

What would you do when you are stuck on a highway with a flat tire? If you have been in situations like this before, you will probably say- "Why does this happen to me always?" and if you've never been in these situations, you would panic like me. And what would be your reactions when you finally have everything in place but the jack-screw is broken? I know, I know. Anger would not know its bounds.

Waiting for friends to arrive can be very boring of course when the temperature is as low as -5 degrees. But, if you have a camera handy, then you might as well do some photo-shoot. And that's what we did. And of course, we got strange looks from people passing by, but they were too fast to realize we were just being silly.

With banners saying "Our protests will continue" and "Fulfill our demands," we definitely had our shares of fun. Albeit little cold, it didn't stop us from taking pictures with different poses. This incident taught us two important things: to be patient and to take the most of the situations which I hope we did to its best. Emergency lane on the highway for almost 4 hrs was really scary too. The cars, trucks running on the highway (the speed limit was 55mph) seem to be running way faster. We got scared multiple times when 18-wheeler would run on the right lane next to us. But, at the end of the day we had an album worth of pictures, and memory worth of experiences.

Thanks to the help from our dearest friends Deepak Baral and Dev Gurung. This experience would not have been complete without a silly mistake from Dev to lock himself out of his car once we had the spare tire fixed. We then had to wait for next couple of hours for his insurance to arrive and let him in. Then, again in the cold January afternoon. There is a piece coming soon, written by Sudeep Bhattarai where he describes the day from his angle, the background behind, and its consequences. Stay tuned my friends.

Never give up in life. Always cherish the moments as they happen. Every moment in life in precious.
Best,
Bishal Paudel
Vanderbilt University

CNN Heroes from Nepal

"CNN Heroes of the Year 2010" went to Anuradha Koirala of Maiti Nepal.To all of us who are aware of socio-economic status of many villages of Nepal, Maiti Nepal and Anuradha Koirala are not unheard of. Maiti Nepal, established primarily to rescue Nepali girls trafficked to India into prostitution, has expanded itself to accommodate women suffering from family violence, torture, and social hatred. Anuradha Koirala has sacrificed her life to help those women become independent and live a meaningful life. The objectives of Maiti Nepal and its affiliated organizations reflect the true service to humanity. We need to respect the existence of other individuals if we expect to receive a meaningful status from society. Lets be grateful for what Anuradha Koirala has done to change the social inequality and support those helpless women, who would otherwise suffer throughout their lives. But, as evident from the recent uproars in Nepal and India about rapes and assaults, these sort of crimes had not subsided a bit. Instead they display a social loophole in which women are constantly assaulted in one form or other- be it within one's own family, or from outsiders. Anuradha Koirala has made all of us proud not only by becoming "CNN Heroes of the Year 2010" but also by changing our mind, and increasing awareness among people in remote villages about girls trafficking, which is such a heinous crime. This award is not an end but just a recognition of a tremendous work and service to a better cause that Koirala has worked tirelessly throughout her life.Please be grateful to such heroes in the world, and the bravery and courage they have shown to fight against the existing traditions, and inequality in society. 

I had the privilege of watching both Anuradha Koirala (Maiti Nepal) and Pushpa Basnet (ECDC) receive the CNN Hero of the Year awards. Anuradha received the honor in 2010 and Pushpa followed her in 2012. Although both of their works were based in Nepal, they received applause and praises from all over the world. Both times when Anderson Cooper announced the winner of the coveted award, I was filled with joy. They had represented Nepal in an international arena through their selfless service for a very genuine cause. The kind of service they devoted their lives on is often neglected in Nepal, and most other developing countries. They rose above the cynics and critics to carry on with their mission. I’m sure we recognize they had lot of obstacles on the way, but they never gave up. The award not only does a justice to their service but also to their perseverance and self-belief. Moments after the social media were filled with ovation for our heroes, as well as frustrations towards our politicians. In 2010, as Anuradha landed in Tribhuwan International Airport, guess who was at the receiving end: some of our politicians. Such an act of shame on their part not to recognize their negligence towards the nation. Yet they didn’t waste a moment to hop over the news felicitating the Heroes. I often felt like saying our heroes are worth more than your felicitations; they have done tremendous job despite the limited resources they had. Only if these politicians could learn something from these heroes, Nepal would be so far ahead.They really need to realize the national interests are beyond the interests of their parties. If they truly understand anything from these heroes, they need to show us, the people their comprehension by putting it to work. If they do not comprehend, then they don’t deserve to welcome our heroes at the airport. And guess who is celebrating this honor more than us: our politicians. Yeah, you heard it right. They are busy in toasting for Pushpa's success at top-notch restaurants in the capital. And guess where is the money coming from? I don't even need to tell you where it comes from, you know it very well. I feel like reiterating what my school principal used to say: "What a shame, what a shame."

Nothing is Lost

This is the first time I'm making my poetry available online. I would highly appreciate any feedback, suggestions, comments on it.

Thanks;
Bishal Paudel

Please find the link below to access pdf  file of the Poems. If you have any issues, please email me.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=forums&srcid=MTgzMDg5NDQ2NjM2ODAxNTQ5ODQBMDQwOTIxNzAxMDI5MDMxMDIwMTIBV2VoLVd2dm5TWWdKATQBAXYy

Life is beautiful

If Only.....

Guest Blogger Series-- Part 2

Under the eucalyptus tree
I was trying to recollect all the memories 
Memories that came in bits and pieces 
And, those that came in continuum 
But, the intermittent rain brought chaos 
To the serenity of my memories.

Things have plummeted since that fateful day
Never to turn back to the same again
And, I have been petrified 
Feel like a lost soul in a crowd
Never to be repaired
Never to be rejoiced,
And, never to requiem.

Summer is just around the corner
The sultry sun intimidates
My friends make an effort to cheer me up
From this turmoil
To be near and smell the salty water
And, walk on the sand with the sun setting on the horizon
To experience the same ecstasy 
That we had shared the year before

But, I am clinging by a thread of ‘if’
If only I had prayed further
If only time had waited a little longer
If only I had a moment to linger
If only I had a last hug to spare
If only I had...

And, now only if I could regret lesser!

A piece by Epsilon.

A Ray of Hope

Disclaimer: All the characters in this story are fictitious. If it bears any resemblance to any one living or dead, it is by pure coincidence.

"A Ray of Hope" is my first attempt in story writing. The main character, Ben is a young professor in his mid 30's in Vanderbilt University who is highly successful in his professional life. Already the Head of Department (HOD) for Physical Chemistry, Ben's success is rare in his field for somebody of his age. However, like everybody else, he fails too. He has failed horribly in a pursuit to a happy family life. In the beginning, it might be his attachment to his career, and high aspirations that came as obstacles, but as time goes on, he realizes he is hollow in his sentiments, and feelings. He is fearful of the commitments. Through a rough patch in his disgruntled relationships, he discovers a meaning to his life. He comprehends what is actually worth in life. ``A Ray of Hope'' unfolds this metamorphosis in Ben's life as he, himself, begins to see it.

If you would like to know more about Ben, make a payment online. I will send you the ebook as soon as the payment is received.

It's only $0.99 USD (99 cents).

Words from the Readers:

Sudeep Bhattarai, Nashville, TN:

I do not have much patience in reading. However to my great surprise, when I read the first 3 chapters of Uncle Ben's story, I was asking more. I was desperate to read the other chapters. As far as I remember, the last time it happened to me was while watching the TV series "Prison Break", and it was because of the suspense in each episode. But this time, it is not only because Bishal created suspense in his writing, but also because of his way of presentation, the flow in his writing and the lesson he wanted the readers to learn. Uncle Ben's story taught me to be serious about my life. I should say that this is a great piece of writing by Bishal, given that this is his first attempt in story writing. I see a bright future in his literary journey. I encourage him to move ahead.

Mystery of Economic Development

Guest Blogger Series Part 1

Piece by Sushil Khadka

http://skhadk.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-mystery-of-economic-development.html

5K and a new adventure

Lately I've been enjoying running. When I was in college, I always wondered how people could enjoy running for nothing. Now I reflect back, and wonder how wrong I was. It was just a matter of time once you start running that you begin to get the feel for it. I don't recall how exactly I got into running. As I got into running more and more, I decided to take part in a some races in the town. The first race that I took part in Nashville was MayorChallenge5K. My goal was to finish 5K in 20 minutes. I must have set my expectations pretty high without realizing how tough it is with very limited practice. The first two hills went pretty well, but the third hill I had lost almost all. Thanks to the crowd who cheered the runners all the way. Drinking water while running was not a good idea. If I had known that, I would have certainly avoided water. Water made me slow down a bit, but I managed to finish just after 23 minutes. I need to improve, and I know its gonna be tough.

Flying in the dark

I laughed, people thought I was crazy,
I cried, people thought I was insane,
I smiled, people thought I was out of my minds,
I knew then, whatever I do,
They will never stop with their own judgments.

I knew life goes on, despite what they say,
Despite their sarcasm, and bitter looks,
I found a path to lead my life,
A bit lonely it may seem, but who cares when,
Solitude is better than hatred.

I paused the Vivaldi's Four Seasons,
To listen to their heartbeats,
Their breaths hiding the bitter poisons,
But, did I ever wonder what they meant to say?
With their gestures floating in the air,
I ignored every bit of them, to find a peace in my mind.

I let it run, each moment that came my way,
I might have been scared of the past,
The recurrent theme of animosity,
I might have pondered about the future,
But, did I really care what came next?
Every day bringing the sheer surprise,
I realized life is worth flying in the dark.

Recall

Clean trousers, grey shirt tucked in, 

He walks along the lines to follow, 

A dark void that's just been created, 

Failed imagination to summon Apollo. 

Chains that drag his feet along, 

Much to the pain that resides and taints, 

Glory that he basks amidst this misery, 

Reflects nothing else but the historic ruins, 

Dreams that never shatter, he recalls a tale, 

A paradise they call it if that exists at all, 

Morning woes that follows a nightmare, 

Faded bliss he tries to track on the trail, 

He walks with his head held high, 

Like a soldier that conquers a post, 

Nothing to mourn, he whispers, 

Just the goodbye kiss he misses the most,

Yet he smiles as he marches on, 

The path he never thought he'd cross,

The destiny that's just been redefined, 

A vague memory of his youth still lingers.

Again, he thinks every thing has an end, 

As the sun fades beyond the dark clouds, 

Some embrace the pain as glory, 

While some hide it as a pale shroud

One more push

The brown leaves that I crush every day, 

Beneath the bike wheels I roll, 

The point of journey, uphill that I dread, 

Every day makes me think-"Just one more pedal to complete, 

Then I'm downhill again";

Long, deep breath, almost drained with sweat,

I push myself for the last time, 

I realize its just one more cycle to go through, 

The breeze that whispers across my ears,

Tells me to stop,

And rather walk, 

I go deaf to all the voices that I hear, 

Despite the tribulations, the fatigue running down my legs, 

I muster all the courage, 

To climb up the hill every day;

Hurray! my inner self proclaims each time, 

The moment my bike rolls itself again. 

My daddy told me life ain't easy when I was a kid, 

I looked at my life then, and thought why not? 

I confess it was easy then, 

Until I bumped into the real world, 

I recall the moment I almost gave up, 

My daddy said just one more push, 

One more time that you ought to kick, 

Now I think I was being stupid-giving up,

How I wish I had my bike then, 

To remind me to pedal once again.