PaSsu Diary- Journal of an Ordinary Bhutanese

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300260772012-01-28T23:21:18.990+06:00PaSsu Diary- Journal of an Ordinary BhutanesePaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-25945739839505542142012-01-21T01:23:00.000+06:002012-01-21T01:23:55.856+06:002012-01-21T01:23:55.856+06:00Hotel California in Punakha

Tea Break I only heard of it like a story from a far off place, though I am into teaching for five years now, that it's such a fun at the winter correction camp in Punakha High School. They say it's like hotel California- "You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave." I am in Punakha School as well but on a different mission. I am training teachers of Punakha and Gasa under

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com7Punakha High School27.6903716 89.887930427.5777891 89.7300019 27.802954099999997 90.0458589http://www.passudiary.com/2012/01/hotel-california-in-punakha.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-51852658209883365402012-01-19T00:23:00.000+06:002012-01-19T00:23:54.482+06:002012-01-19T00:23:54.482+06:00

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-4548194372257465762012-01-17T13:30:00.000+06:002012-01-17T13:30:18.607+06:002012-01-17T13:30:18.607+06:00Why Everything Happens in Thimphu?

Night in Thimphu, From bhutanmajestictravel.com "Why everything happens in Thimphu?" was the question I often asked, sometimes in desperation, often in frustration and at times in sadness. Wherever our works begin it has to end in Thimphu, and without going there for umpteen times nothing gets done. From wherever the buses travel the road must end in Thimphu. Every taxi seems to head to

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com8http://www.passudiary.com/2012/01/why-everything-happens-in-thimphu.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-21399923495285144632012-01-10T12:56:00.000+06:002012-01-10T12:56:00.721+06:002012-01-10T12:56:00.721+06:00The Other Gender

When you sign up for an account on internet you have to fill in a form, and I bet you must have wondered what that "Other" below "Male" and "Female" meant. I always thought Bhutan will never have to worry about it but looks like the time has come. Funny No More All brows in Wandue went up when Dechen first came there from Paro. She was the boy who appeared in headlines following an issue with

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com2http://www.passudiary.com/2012/01/other-gender.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-76215045035708546002011-12-31T23:59:00.000+06:002012-01-01T00:51:18.260+06:002012-01-01T00:51:18.260+06:00Last Post of the Year 2011

This is my last post for the year 2011 and I am so happy that I wrote over 90 articles this year with many of them printed in national papers. At this time I could hear the last minute count down to the New year and here I am doing the thing I love the most -blogging. Fire works are cracking in the Phuntsholing sky and hundreds of people are screaming but I am celebrating the 202882 hits and 228

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com13http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/last-post-of-year-2011.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-40764023003996442011-12-31T23:50:00.000+06:002012-01-01T21:39:57.910+06:002012-01-01T21:39:57.910+06:00Our Faith, Their Business

I am a true Buddhist but I am still amazed at the amount of money people are investing on pilgrimage to Bodhgaya and other holy places across India. At this time if you are in Phuntsholing you will see how our people are struggling, sweating, arguing, fighting and what not to get a ticket to Bodhgaya. Buddha sure attained his enlightenment there but he didn't promise enlightenment for us by

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com2http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/our-faith-their-business.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-78680023939478751862011-12-31T23:00:00.001+06:002012-01-03T22:10:44.192+06:002012-01-03T22:10:44.192+06:00J.Brands Clothing

Northface to Southface One place you will get the best brands of clothing is the J.Brands, the brands everybody wears and nobody wants to admit. The J.Brands, or in short JB is the only place I know where second hand clothes are sold in mass. The clothes come from far as the USA and Japan. The very business is illegal if you dig its roots- it was donated for the poor Asian people but somehow

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com2http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/jbrands-clothing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-11123602047050399082011-12-27T02:07:00.002+06:002011-12-27T02:07:54.522+06:002011-12-27T02:07:54.522+06:00Phuntsholing Youth and My Car

I was surprised when police didn't see the forest fire under the clear blue sky, but later today I was surprised no more- Phuntsholing police has too many thing to take care of. There wasn't a day I didn't see groups of youth swaying by road under the influence of some intoxicants. And today some of then crossed their limits on to my car. My poor already-injured car was peacefully parked

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com4http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/phuntsholing-youth-and-my-car.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-73171631154317370742011-12-27T01:02:00.003+06:002011-12-27T01:02:32.740+06:002011-12-27T01:02:32.740+06:00Reporting Forest Fire

As seen from PHSS There is hardly any forest in Phuntsholing and the little they have was on fire this morning. During the tea break we saw a thick curl of smoke rising over the Toresa and right then we knew it was from across the river. I quickly took a snap in my iPad and reported it on Breaking the News- Bhutanese Social Media, the group I created on Facebook to tip off news media. We

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com0http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/reporting-forest-fire.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-86526658837935158842011-12-23T16:49:00.001+06:002011-12-23T16:50:45.618+06:002011-12-23T16:50:45.618+06:00Ngultrum Identity

Ngultrum (Nu) is almost losing its identity even before it had one. Forgive me if you find me ignorant but I can't help wondering why our currency is not acknowledged as it should be. I don't know why we have to pay over Nu.50 for a US$, I am just thankful it is as powerful as Indian Rupee. It's surprising to learn that there are many powerful country whose currency value is lower than ours,

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com2http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/ngultrum-identity.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-9823523129361108202011-12-22T14:39:00.002+06:002011-12-22T14:42:40.309+06:002011-12-22T14:42:40.309+06:00Snake and Ladder in Bhutanese Public Service Delivery

Tshering Wangdi's report on "Revolutionizing Public Service Delivery" in Bhutan Times on 18th December brought me immense happiness after having gone through a long procedure of acquiring a trade license for my brother last week. My eleven page thick application form required signature from over ten individuals from different locations and needed over six legal stamps and numerous photocopying.

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com2http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/snake-and-ladder-in-bhutanese-public.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-9189462529671068582011-12-20T02:35:00.002+06:002011-12-20T02:35:51.821+06:002011-12-20T02:35:51.821+06:00Preserving Paro Town

My visit to Paro last week gave me an opportunity to look at the town in a whole new perceptive. I have spent seventeen years of my life in Paro but it never felt that way until I spent these five years away. After having seen the changing faces of many Bhutanese towns the old street in Paro town is something that made me stop and wonder and then wish. The Beautiful Paro Paro Tshongdue the

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com1http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/preserving-paro-town.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-58299962168584632112011-12-13T01:41:00.000+06:002011-12-23T14:07:11.547+06:002011-12-23T14:07:11.547+06:00My Home Haa-ppiest

Why the study showed Haa as the happiest Dzongkhag? I know it's not a mistake, I grew up in Yangthang and despite all the shortcomings I have fond memories from my childhood. When I look back I wonder how it was possible for us to be happy. Today, I know all the factors that are necessary for social well-being and therefore happiness in the community but surprisingly Haa is deprived of many of

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com0http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/my-home-haa-ppiest.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-41216345024268696832011-12-13T01:30:00.000+06:002011-12-15T11:51:51.198+06:002011-12-15T11:51:51.198+06:00Invitation to Bhutan

My sister in-law is a Japanese, living and working in Taiwan. She visited my brother for the first time after their long Facebook relationship in September and spent over a week with my family. She enjoyed her times with us so much that she sacrificed her job and bonuses to meet us again in October. Fifteen day stay made her even more happy and wanted to come here again. This time I thought I

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com2http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/invitation-to-bhutan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-80065487212006968352011-12-13T00:33:00.000+06:002011-12-13T00:39:13.988+06:002011-12-13T00:39:13.988+06:00US Dollar Across to the Eastern Bhutan

Many Bhutanese like me must have excitedly waited for the completion of airports in Bumthang and Tashigang and I personally wanted to make my first trip to Tashigang by one of the domestic aircraft. The long wait finally ends at the announcement of domestic airfares; looks like it was never meant for us. The airfare is not only insanely high for most Bhutanese but also proudly converted in US

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com8http://www.passudiary.com/2011/12/us-dollar-across-to-eastern-bhutan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-50133313408775257852011-11-30T23:42:00.001+06:002011-12-01T13:21:48.737+06:002011-12-01T13:21:48.737+06:00My Daughter Becomes Two

On 29th November 9:29PM my daughter became 2. They say the height of a two year old multiplied by two will give their adult height. So I measured her the very minute she became two and found she's 87 cm tall, which means she will be 174 cm tall by the time she becomes 20- She is going to be 2 cm taller than me. The long fearful wait for her teeth is finally over. I didn't count but there are

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com8http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/my-daughters-becomes-two.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-65758991787839417202011-11-29T00:10:00.001+06:002011-11-29T02:19:04.687+06:002011-11-29T02:19:04.687+06:00Social Stigma- Can we afford one more?

Every once in a long while there comes a disease that changes the fate of millions and test the rest of mankind. The last such disease was leprosy that infected the human civilization for over 4000 years. This disease divided human race into two, human and leper. The leprosy stigma was so strong that lepers were forced segregated and quarantined, deprived of basic rights and warmth. In medieval

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com6http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/social-stigma-can-we-afford-one-more.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-49087983460735940592011-11-28T15:38:00.001+06:002011-11-29T02:34:25.336+06:002011-11-29T02:34:25.336+06:00Encyclopedic of Bhutanese Hotels

I didn't know there were so many hotels in our country until I came across hotel.bt. Out of curiosity I checked a few hotels I know to see how good the site is, and I am thoroughly amazed at the collection of precise information backed up by beautiful pictures. It covers the hotels across the country and now I can already choose a hotel in any part of the country depending on my budget. And

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com1http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/encyclopedic-of-bhutanese-hotels.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-73767559661499369352011-11-18T09:11:00.001+06:002011-11-18T13:37:43.631+06:002011-11-18T13:37:43.631+06:00Rising Star- Promote Little Tshering Dorji

Little Tshering Dorji is a fifth grader with magical voice. There are about five YouTube videos uploaded by pemajigs in last three days, and I couldn't help watching them over and over. The boy has that charm in his voice which I never felt in most Bhutanese singers. He is as good as those kids on SaReGaMaPa Lil Champs, only he needs some training and support. If you haven't heard him

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com13http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/rising-star-promote-little-tshering.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-61542629255067369352011-11-16T00:18:00.001+06:002011-11-16T22:44:21.281+06:002011-11-16T22:44:21.281+06:00Dear Daughter, you were wonderful today

You just slept. It took a long time, you were feeling strange, I know, it's your first day without milk in your entire life. But we could see you were trying so hard, you already finished over five bottles of orange juice by the time you closed your eyes. Thank you babe, for being such a nice girl today. You have always been so cooperative when it came to taking big steps in your life like the

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com10http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/dear-daughter-you-were-wonderful-today.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-45998700419847551332011-11-11T16:14:00.001+06:002011-11-11T17:23:26.354+06:002011-11-11T17:23:26.354+06:0011.11.11- Remembering Young Jigme at 17

At 17 I was in high school trying to figure out why my mathematics teacher didn't like me, why the warden had to be so strict, why all the beautiful girls were scared of me, and what was I doing there in school. I had all the time to live my school life day by day. Little short of financial luxury but I had nothing to worry much about, it was a beautiful school and food was sufficient, hostel

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com14http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/111111-remembering-young-jigme-at-17.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-4339652839915336632011-11-04T01:53:00.000+06:002011-11-04T01:53:34.689+06:002011-11-04T01:53:34.689+06:00Singaporeans Believe in Bhutan

Two weeks ago when Mr. Khaw made a conclusion about Bhutan I was disheartened. I thought he took away a wonderful friend from us because we count on Singapore when it comes to technological development. I knew his believes were his own yet I couldn't deny that those words were spoken in the parliament. I just sat down and wrote a letter to him, fully aware that my words won't make it anywhere

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com22http://www.passudiary.com/2011/11/singaporeans-believe-in-bhutan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-26998255793324855592011-10-21T01:01:00.000+06:002011-11-09T22:21:59.656+06:002011-11-09T22:21:59.656+06:00To Mr. Khaw BoonWan, What did you expect?

(This is in reply to National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan of Singapore on his comments made on our country ) Dear Mr. Khaw, I was not surprised when you said Bhutan is not the last Shangri-la on Earth, because I had a friend from your country who found Bhutan only "full of mountains and valleys". When you visited Bhutan, what did you expect? Those flying mountains you saw in Avatar? or

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com179http://www.passudiary.com/2011/10/to-mr-khaw-boon-wan-what-did-you-expect.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-70945354473682678802011-10-20T23:32:00.001+06:002011-10-20T23:32:15.527+06:002011-10-20T23:32:15.527+06:00Gaddafi Killed, World Healed

God gave Gaddafi everything a man could desire for in life, only he failed to understand his purpose of life. Over years he thought he was the god, deciding who should live and who should die- same thing that bloody Hitler did over half a century ago, and same thing his contemporary Saddam pursued. But the cow dung didn't learn anything from their fateful ends. He rather died a dog's death, much

PaSsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614890147769005398noreply@blogger.com8http://www.passudiary.com/2011/10/gaddafi-killed-world-healed.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30026077.post-29562814834448962102011-10-17T14:13:00.000+06:002011-10-17T14:13:50.060+06:002011-10-17T14:13:50.060+06:00