New York visit

Manhattan

Governors Island 

Statue of Liberty

World Trade Centre

Times Square

Tibetan traditional musk in American Natural History Museum 

Dinosaur in American Natural History Museum, NYC 

Egyptian mummy in Metropolitan Museum, NYC

View from Empire State Building

the reasons I won’t be coming – Elliot Perlman

This book comprises of nine interesting stories. Perlman is tells his stories with varied introductions and storylines. Some of the stories really moves you and gets caught up in reading till the end. Some stories have awards to their name, which I must say it deserves it. Among this stories, I liked most the last story of the book A Tale in Two Cities, which is the lengthiest of all. Story ranges from thriller to love story to human conditions. You may not want to miss some of it. But don’t get discourage to find the story you don’t like. And honestly I did not get few stories what it was all about.

Perlman has a unique narrative skills, he can perfectly put down his ideas, descriptions and plots. It’s written in simple and easily understandable and is a good read. What I like is his skill to narrate the whole situation or life into a short description. 

Memories I wish it exist and doesn't exist but existed

I lay on a wooden bench in a small park on a beautiful sunny day with my view on few clouds floating in the blue sky. Thimphu's weather was extremely beautiful. Light wind gusting in the willow trees, standing few yards from my bench. I was probably laying there for about an hour now, thinking randomly about life and work. I thought of my childhood days in a remote school and that too in a boarding dormitory. I was unable to take care of my own things and it really was difficult for me to wash my own cloths. I have hardly done that at home. I always wished my mom to be in dormitory whenever its weekend. Nevertheless, one of close friend always does the washing for me so in return I treated him in fact treated us lunch or dinner. I pondered how memories can float like the clouds above, and slowly fading away unknowingly.

Just an hour later, a lady just sat next to my bench and she was smiling at me. I smiled back too. She looked younger than me in around twenty two or three. She had long black hair, wearing skinny jeans with a black top. Her smile was beautiful and infectious. I wondered where this lady is from and what made her come to park, though it was none of business. I turned toward her and she was staring at me. All I could do was think, why she is staring at me, is something wrong with me, does she know me or do I know her. She greeted with her low voice and introduced herself as Yeshay. I introduced myself as Rinzin. We talked, actually she talked most of the time about her life and her dreams, I was there listening and nodding to her every line. And we exchanged our phone numbers, since then we were chatting like there was no tomorrow. So, I started to like her more and maybe she did too.

It was one day that she told me she was going out with her friends and we chatted erratically thereafter. Everything seemed to be doomed for me, since I longed for her and only her by now. I couldn’t figure out why we were drifting apart, leave meeting each other aside, we weren’t even chatting properly. I felt awkward to chat with her. I thought on it a lot but couldn’t really figure out anything. I wondered why on earth I met Yeshay, if I hadn’t met her I would be having good times. I couldn’t forget her easily, she was long gone far from me now. Probably, she saw some incompatibility between us or she just met another guy much better than me, anyhow I didn’t have any quality that was so great. We didn’t contact each other, I rejoiced the moment we met. I felt lucky to have met her, which in fact I feel little bit stronger now. I always wish to thank her. I was there, lying on the same bench again wondering how I would have been, if I was with Yeshay.

Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki MURAKAMI

Haruki Marakami’s book Wind-Up Bird chronicle is one of his best novels, it has some awards to its name. This hard-to-review masterpiece vaults into first rank international fiction novels.

Toru Okada leaves his job and stays home unemployed while his wife, Kumiko goes for work. He is more like an emotionless man but thinks too much. They somehow get divorced upon losing their cat in first place and subsequently, most of the things tend to remain mysterious to Toru. They named their cat Noburu Wataya derived from Kumiko’s borther name, Noboru Wataya. Toru meets lots of somewhat mysterious and crazy-like people like Malta and Creta Kano sisters, Mr. Honda, a World War II lieutenant and strange Akazakis. He develops friendship with May Kasahara, whom he met when he was looking out for cat, and their relation tell us how small things and thoughts matters.

The buried secrets of the World War II are described vividly and intensely, that some of it might be disturbing (one can skip this chapter though). Russian and Japan conflicts, Mongolian guy skinning a Major, faraway torturous prison in Siberia and the secret agents; all these take us to the secrets of World War II.

Toru goes to the bottom of the well for some reason or no reason for few days as described by lieutenant while sharing his war experiences with Mongolians and Russians. Most of the time, Toru tries to contact or find his wife or ex-wife but some unknown factors of her brother Noburu Wataya plays major role to keep away Kumiku from him. The whole thing is somehow related to each other like Toru to World War II, well tale with Toru and lieutenant, Wind-Up bird that cries and winds spring, which only Toru hears.

Story keeps us going and its unpredictable what comes next. Murakami has profoundly put his imagination into words, and we tend to delve into his beautiful yet mysterious world of imagination.

A Wind-Up Bird Tattoo (Source: google)

Cockscomb it is! Looking into the past

 Today unexpectedly, out of nowhere, I thought of cockscomb flower also known as Red Celosia. I like it's red velvet color and the pattern of the flower, its showing some labyrinth form of evolution. I could vividly remember its image attributed to the time I spent some time taking picture. But somehow, I couldn't recollect it's name, I thought for sometime but it led me to nowhere near. There, I was digging my files for the photograph, particularly aiming the photo-files with place's name in the south Bhutan. 

Captured somewhere in south of Bhutan in October, 2013. 

It's really a worrisome for me, if I don't remember the name of a plant/flower or even if i don't know it. It is kind of difficult to keep my mind at peace. Flowers keeps lingering and shouting in my head as long as I work my ass out. There are times that I give up but doesn't forget the flower. So, after going through for about an hour I came across what I wanted. You know the feeling, I was like on top of the world, my mind completely settled down. With picture came the name as a package. 

Close-up picture of cockscomb (Celosia argentea)

Framed Himalaya: Lachen Valley

A wonderful coffee-table book, Framed Himalaya: Lachen Valley by Tenzing Ingty, Barkha Subbha, Samar Momin and Dharmendra Lamsel, is a photo documentary of an unexplored and mystical part of the world, Lachen Valley in the north of Sikkim, India.

Authors are a group of young researchers enthusiastically exploring the unexplored. The book describes everything from culture, tradition, landscape, plants, amphibians, animals to land degradation. It contains perfectly aimed angles and high resolution photographs, of which some of it includes rare pictures of plants and landscapes.

A worth reading, exquisite and profound book. It shows us high biodiversity within a small patch of valley and portrays a true treasure trove. It reminds us how vulnerable they are, the culture and tradition of the people known as Dokpas and Lachenpas, landscapes and biodiversity. They are degrading and in a sense changing due to various factors such as human-induced activities or climate change. Hence, the book reminds ourselves the treasure hidden in the fragile Himalayas and its significance. What I like the most besides the content, is the presentation of the book, I must say it’s professional. This book is one of the first kind from Lachen. 

The book is available on Amazon/FramedHimalaya

Enjoy the book! 

My Thanksgiving Week in Boston, Massachusetts

This year's Thanksgiving would be the first one I am experiencing! I got a week long Thanksgiving break, so I decided to pay Boston a visit, which is around four hours journey from Vermont. So, I met my friend in Boston after two years, first one being met at a conference and became a close friend. I got a chance to have Thanksgiving meal with my friends relatives in Boston, which was a great feast. Taking a break from work and hanging out with friends in a new place isn't a bad idea after all.
Here are few pictures below but no pics of the meal :( and more pictures coming soon:

Massachusetts State House

I don't really remember the name of this house :( 

Boston Clock Tower

Chapel at Harvard University

That Girl in My Dream or Am I Really Dreaming

Breathing and sweating heavily, she was looking so weary. I looked at her for a while expressionless without a thought. I felt as if I was resting and having time of my life. Rest or vacation is out of question at my work. I could hear in the background a faint beautiful song playing. I felt like I heard this song before, it was ‘Beautiful Sunday’ by Daniel Boone. And of course it was Sunday. She increased the volume and the song started to play louder and louder until I opened my eyes.

It was a call, seven in the morning. “Hello, Good Morning!” said my boss. “You got to pick a guest from Paro airport at 10, sorry for informing you late”.

I reached out for water and had a sip to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. I thought about my plan for the day and said “Sure, I will be on my way”.

“Good, I will message you the details. Good Day!” He hung up and I hung up too.

I went to kitchen and got myself a good breakfast. I thought about my work, as I usually do most of the time. I sense that I am more efficient whenever I work alone. I had an advantage of being single and had a small office set up at the corner of my two bedroom apartment in the heart of the Thimphu city.

I thought about my dreams, I couldn’t really recognize the lady in my dreams neither I could recollect most of it. I just remembered that I had a good dream and she was there. All I could vividly remember was her pretty little face with dark long hair and her light brown eyes. She was beautiful, looked like she was in her 20’s as I am. Whatever, it was just a dream and maybe it was normal for a man to dream such things. I set off to Paro.

It was a sunny Sunday with few clouds lingering in the sky. Airport looked utterly empty when I arrived but gradually people filled in at the reception. I still had forty five minutes to kill. I checked my mail and messages. My boss had messaged me the details with a photo. It read “Channarong, Director, Thailand Transport Department, age 45. Hotel: Ema Hotel, Room 802. Take him for a coffee or lunch after check in”.

I printed his name and stood at the reception with many others. I looked at many different names flashing toward the exit door. I wondered how people created names, so many names, different names, some of which I can’t even pronounce. Name has to be unique and identifying something or someone. But then there were different kinds of name, tables and chairs doesn’t have individual names but we do. A man was heading towards me. I checked the photo on my phone, they look similar but not same. Real one looks tall and gentle, hair kept well and his face so fair. It looked like his photo was taken when he was ten years older.

“Welcome to Bhutan, it's a pleasure to have you here” I said smilingly. “Thank you” he replied with even broader smile than mine. We introduced each other and returned. While on journey we talked about weather and transportation and checked him in the hotel. We agreed to meet for a dinner later at his hotel. Hotel had an exquisite touch of traditional and modern architecture and located few minutes away from town overlooking the Thimphu river.

At the dinner, we had long conservation about our work. He wanted to see the transport system in Bhutan, so he will be traveling to others parts of the country for around eight days. My job was to pick him up and drop him at the airport. We ordered rice, ema datsi and sikam and two lager beers. He told me about the life in Bangkok and how time run so fast without one’s knowledge, and how he started to feel relaxed in Thimphu. That was contrasting to me, as I didn’t take a break from work for ages and all I thought was work. I really needed to come out of this realm and be myself and have a good time of my life at least for a while.

I asked “Channarong, do you take a break from work sometimes?”

With a grin he said “Well, I take some break every year. You know, we humans can’t be robots, even the robots shut down. I spend most of my time with my family and friends. I think everyone takes a break at least once in a year!”

I questioned myself “Am I the only one, who doesn’t even care to rest myself? I don’t know how to care myself?” I thought over what to answer and replied “It is true. I am also thinking of taking a break soon but I didn’t decide anything on it”

He said with excitement “Why don’t you visit Bangkok? I would recommend that!”

I thought it was a good idea to go to a far place for a while and I also got saving enough for the trip. So, that was it, I decided to visit Bangkok after two weeks in December. It might also help me to get rid of cold winter here. At around 10pm, we were done for the day.

I sat on my couch and started to read. Out of nowhere, I remembered that dream girl. She seemed to be saying something to me, I can’t recollect anything besides her pretty little face. I couldn’t get rid of her image, she was just there, implanted in my mind. I turned the TV on, went briefly outside, nothing seem to work. I got a bottle of beer from refrigerator and took a long sip. It looked like it is working somehow. I wondered what if I see the girl for real.

I would say “I saw you in my dream last night”

She would say “Wow! You don’t even know me, how comes?”

“I don’t know”

“I don’t know either”

So be it. Our conversation would simply end. I went to my bed and started to read again until after few minutes I fell asleep.

I dreamt of her again. She was lying naked with me in my bed with her soft and slim body against me. She was in deep sleep and looked so vulnerable, sleeping like a child. I watched her and a faint thought aroused in me, saying that I knew this girl somehow. I have met her somewhere, but she doesn’t seem to be familiar to me. I touched her hair, it was so silk and had some floral smell. I tried recollecting but couldn’t even figure anything nearer. Suddenly, call rang from afar, and grew louder and louder until I opened my eyes. It was an alarm clock and 8 in the Monday morning. I still continued to think about the girl for a while but in vain. My boss called me after some 30 minutes to accompany Mr. Channarong to his office, ringing Beautiful Sunday on Beautiful Monday.

The day arrived for me to be in Bangkok. Channarong was also in Bangkok and I met him the first day I arrived and had dinner together. I stayed in a not-so-expensive hotel. There I was in a busy city but with a good amount of time, time to do whatever I like and go wherever I like. I went exploring city and seen most of the things for the first time in my life. I was lost somehow in my own thoughts. At night I went to bars and day I went to malls, beach, parks and restaurants. It was one of those nights in a restaurant, I saw her, the girl in my dream. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Maybe she is just similar to the girl in my dreams or maybe she is the one. I thought I was dreaming. I went to restroom and washed my face. It is real, I am real. It was so creepy to see her. She was sitting idly with a tiny coffee cup on the table. I stared at her for how long I don’t know, but it seemed to be long. She looked more beautiful than in the dreams wearing pearl necklace, dark skinny jeans and long textured black top and had a tiny bag.

She walked towards me and said in English “Sir, can I talk to you for a moment”

I replied expressionless “Sure, sorry I was staring at you. It was… just… out of curiosity”

“Not a problem, I am Kanya by the way”

“I am Yoezer. I don’t know whether you will believe it or not, I wanted to tell you something. Something that seems crazy and out of the world. It’s a fact and it has been around me for a while now. I wanted you to know that I saw you at least two times in my dreams” I said carefully thinking I might sound stupid.

“Oh… how should I respond to that? I never heard of anything like that, but I believe you. You seem like an honest guy. You look familiar to me but I don’t think we have met before. You are not a Thai too”

We started to get close and had dinner together. All I could think was her in my dream and her in front of me. I saw her naked lying next to me and I knew her floral smell. I couldn’t believe these things were happening in real. I thought everything is possible in this world, but I still mulled over it. I met the girl in my dream and now what. We became really good friends and we exchanged our numbers before I departed back to Thimphu.

Back to work and now I got something extra to work on. This dream thing kept lingering in my mind almost every hour except while sleeping. I didn’t dream of her anymore. I called Kanya after some gap, asking her whereabouts and had some usual friendly talks.  That night I went to a music club for a couple of beers and to socialize myself after an office brainstorming meeting. Club seem to have a pleasant number of customers and a local band playing “Nge Thimphu”. I like the song though, reminds me that this is my Thimphu and this is where I belong. I sat around the corner and ordered a beer. I thought about the dream girl again. I turned around to familiarize myself and suddenly I saw the dream girl in Thimphu too.

PS: This is my first attempt to write a story, just a random thought 

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History ~ Elizabeth Kolbert

A Review

A thought-provoking book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize winner, shows how human have major influence in extinction of any kind of species. There were five mass extinctions which led to reduction in diversity of life over time. We are here in the period of Anthropocene, where thousands of species are disappearing before our eyes.

Kolbert, as a reporter tells us how species are being led to extinction through history and science which date back before the era of dinosaurs. Also describes how fossils tells us story and chronology of extinct species and the drivers for extinctions. Extinction history brings to light the major concept, what lies ahead in the face of human destruction. Book takes us back to the very ancient era of evolution and describes the wonders of species. She shows how scientists are risking and devoting their lives to trace back and document the lost species and conserve the present day endangered and critically endangered species. She also shows that humans are the one endangering the species around the world since thousands of year back and will continue to do so, eventually risking their own species. The lost species are gone forever, from giant dinosaurs, mammoths to great auks to micro bacterial, except for some of bones remaining in the museums, book tells many more species are in queue.

Kolbert explains very well with hard science, history and at times with humors. She managed to extract as many as information from numerous scientists around the world and delivers as an entertaining and engrossing legend. This fact-based book is an eye opener to the general public at large and contributes toward immense understandings of sixth extinction. It also reminds us the sense of urgency to contribute towards conservation of diversity of life directly or indirectly.

Visit to Camel's Hump, VT

Was on a hike to Camel's Hump mountain in Vermont, which was indeed great we did on the Sunday otherwise I would have wasted it. This four-hour hike was worth it, icicle-like snow cover on the dwarf fir tree shimmering in the sunlight was an unforgettable memory. The mount indeed looks exactly like a camel hump hence the name says it. Quite a people though, expected very very less people at this time of the year, which is usually very cold. 

Here are few pictures from the trip:   

Icicles on a fir growing among the rocks

View of New Hampshire mountains 

Deciduous trees, an aftermath of the fall