According to Sarita Bhatta, this was the third annual Teej Celebration organized by Indreni Cultural Association in DFW area. She also added that this year’s program was even more successful than before with participation of more people since the association now has their own cultural center for events like this.

Below are some selected photos from the event. [Photo: Rita Phuyal & Anoj KC]

This is originally taken from the game show, “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” Let’s face it, after about four years, we’ve had enough fifth grade questions. Let’s move on to the sixth grade, shall we? (I didn’t come up with the questions, but I did come up with this.)

How to play? There will be 20 questions that you will answer. The answer will be in between the (  ). To see the answer, highlight it, or click the right button on your mouse and click “Select All”.  As you’re going, count up the points to see if you’re still a pro in the sixth grade. Just remember to have fun:)

1. What two continents did the Silk Road connect?

(Europe and Asia)

2. What world peace organization replaced the League of Nations?

(the United Nations)

3. Is the past tense of the verb “prefer” spelled with two or three “r’s”?

(three (preferred))

4. Did Scott O’Dell write Island of the Blue Dolphins or Treasure Island?

(Island of the Blue Dolphins)

5. How much is 8 times .05?

(.40 or .4)

6. What do surgeons remove from a person’s body during an appendectomy?

(the appendix)

7. What’s the official language of the Netherlands?

(Dutch)

8. Which country still has an emperor: China, Japan, or North Korea?

(Japan)

9. ”Our neighbor gave us a kitten.” Which word is the indirect object?

(us)

10. Which U.S. President was once a movie star: Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan?

(Ronald Reagan)

11. Which city is divided by the Danube River: Budapest or Istanbul?

(Budapest – in Hungary)

12. Is a “third-world” country highy industrialized or still developing?

(still developing)

13. If you’re “in the doghouse,” are you in trouble or sharing space with a dog?

(in trouble)

14. All of the earth’s oceans are connected. True or false?

(true)

15. How would you measure the volume of a room?

(Multiply length by width by height.)

16. Is acid rain produces by carbon monoxide or sulfur dioxide?

(Sulfur dioxide)

17. Is the strip of land known as Baja California an isthmus or a peninsula?

(a peninsula-surrounded by water on three sides)

18. What people conquered Greece around 44 B.C.E.?

(the Romans)

19. Give the plural of the word “sheep.”

(Sheep)

20. Did Louis Armstrong play mainly jazz, bluegrass, or hard rock?

(Jazz)

Grading!

Grading!

Grading!

0-5: Better luck next time.

6-10: Brush up on your sixth grade skills and all will be well.

11-15: Ooh! So close. Maybe you should look over some things.

16-20: Whoa! You are smarter than a sixth grader!

(Leave a comment. Are you smarter than a sixth grader?)

Picture of the Week

Book of the Week

The Lovely Bones: Alice Sebold

Summary: Alice Sebold’s haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones, unfolds from heaven, where “life is a perpetual yesterday” and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie’s resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her “simplest dreams,” where “there were no teachers…. We never had to go inside except for art class…. The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue.”

The event will feature Sarah Gurung (1^st runner up, Miss Nepal 2004 and Ms. Asia Pacific) and DJGorkhali from DC along with Pratikshya Shrestha, Bimina Ranjit and other ANA Models. This Fashion extravaganza is first of its kind organized by Nepalis in Houston and will have Open Bar and MoMo available.

Event Details:
When – Sunday, September 26, 2010
Time – 8PM – 2AM
Where – Milan Pavillion, 6603 Harwin Dr, Houston, TX 77086 (Map)
Admission – $25

Flyer for the event, click to enlarge.

For More Details please contact:
Anup – 646 247 4931
Amit – 443 983 6935
Kripal – 443 847 0963
Nabina – 682 553 1706
TexasNepal.com is a media partner for this event.

Update – Below is recently released poster for the event (September 3, 2010)

Fast Food in Big Picture by mymodernmet.com

Fast food does not seem so good after studying this, does it?

[via mymodernmet.com]

Select size that fits your desktop resolution:
Download 1600×1063
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Location – Grapevine Lake
Photo – Mukunda KC

Teej Celebration 2009 in Euless, Texas

Nepalese Society of Texas (NST) is organizing a grand TEEJ Celebration Party at the Temptation Cuisine in Irving, Texas on Saturday, August 28, 2010 as part of its continued effort to promote the values of Nepali traditional festivals.

Teej is one of the most celebrated festivals of Hindu women in Nepal which is marked by fasting all day and worshiping Lord Shiva at the end of the day wishing for long life of one’s husband. Unmarried girls fast as well wishing to get married to a gentleman, someone they like.

The festival also symbolizes caring and joy among family members. Celebration include eating DAR (rice pudding), singing and dancing with women in red attire.

Click here to view photos and videos from Teej 2009 Celebration in Euless, Texas.

Details about the celebration:
When: Saturday, August 28, 2010 after 7 p.m.
Where: Temptaion Cuisine, Irving (Map)
Entrance Fee: $10 (Free for kids under 12)
Contact: NST Office @ 972-887-3018

For more details regarding the party please contact NST Executive Committee Member, Mrs. Pushpa Lata Bhandary (Ph # 682-230-2397).

Everybody wants to be better than last year, right? I hope so, atleast. So, in honor of being bigger and better than ever before, I’ve compiled a list of things that can make you the student that gets the grades worthy enough of making it on the refrigerator.

1. Take notes and lots of it.

When your teacher repeats something like a broken record, it probably means it’s worth listening to. Always have a notebook and pencil handy. Yes, pencil, not pen. (Unless required.) You can erase off a pencil mark, not a pen mark. Also, as you start getting older, learn to use the art of shorthand, because lessons can go by pretty quickly and you won’t have time to jot down every last word.

2. If at once you fail, try, try, again.

If you’ve been getting A’s and B’s all your life, you’re probably not going to start getting 100′s on all your report cards right off the bat, because there’s probably someone who has been getting those grades all his-slash-her life and will continue to get those grades. Don’t stop, though, because I promise you, if you give effort, you will see results.

3. Learn to say no.

This sort of goes with hanging out with the right crowd. If you’ve got friends that party it up till 2 AM on Wednesday night, I’m going to take a plunge and say it’s probably not because you’re learning about deoxyribonucleic acid. You are allowed to have fun, but don’t abuse the priviledge! So, a few times a week, learn to say “no” to your friends and finish your homework and your chores. In the long run, it will matter.

4. Dress to impress.

You have to learn to look good and approriate at the same time. Just because you’re dressing for school, though, don’t wear big baggy sweatshirts and throw-on jeans, either. Clean up your looks so it’s healthy and savvy at the same time. (Something great to wear is polo shirts!)

5. Start early and finish right.

Just because it’s summer does not mean that you can’t study. You can. Nobody wants to learn during break, but it’s THREE MONTHS long. Trust me, you’ll have forgotten way more than you’ll have learned. The last month or so, sit down a few times a week and refresh your memory. If you’re really feeling up to it, grab some books on classes you’re taking in the fall and brush up so you’ll be ready to impress. Also, finish right! Yes, you have to do your homework everyday. Yes, you have to learn everyday. It’s a part of life. Just remember, the harder you try today, the easier your life will be when you grow up.

Nepali Word of the Week

Namaste [nʌmʌsˈte]: hello.
Example: Namaste, my name is Bhabika.

Book of the Week

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

Shay Bourne – New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years – has only one last request: to donate his heart post-execution to the sister of his victim, who is looking for a transplant. Bourne says it’s the only way he can redeem himself…but with lethal injection as his form of execution, this is medically impossible. Enter Father Michael Wright, a young local priest. Called in as Shay’s spiritual advisor, he knows redemption has nothing to do with organ donation – and plans to convince Bourne. But then Bourne begins to perform miracles at the prison that are witnessed by officers, fellow inmates, and even Father Michael – and the media begins to call him a messiah. Could an unkempt, bipolar, convicted murderer be a savior? It seems highly unlikely, to the priest. Until he realizes that the things Shay says may not come from the Bible…but are, verbatim, from a gospel that the early Christian church rejected two thousand years ago…and that is still considered heresy.

Change Of Heart looks at the nature of organized religion and belief, and takes the reader behind the closely drawn curtains of America’s death penalty. Featuring the return of Ian Fletcher from Keeping Faith, it also asks whether religion and politics truly are separate in this country, or inextricably tangled. Does religion make us more tolerant, or less? Do we believe what we do because it’s right? Or because it’s too frightening to admit that we may not have the answers?

Song of the Week

Carrie Underwood – Undo It

Picture of the Week

From restartmyheart.tumblr.com!

INLS Dallas chapter is organizing the event to celebrate the 197th Birth Day of Aadi Kabi (First-Nepali Poet) Bhanu Bhakta Acharya. The event aims to promote and preserve Nepali language and literature in foreign soil.

Event Details:
When: Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 2:00PM
Where: NST Center – 940 N Belt Line Rd Suite 129, Irving, TX (Map)

INLS Dallas Chapter encourages all Nepali community members to participate in the event and be part of their effort to promote and preserve Nepali literature here in DFW Metroplex. For more information, please contact following INLS officers:

1. Mr. Basu Bhandary (Fort Worth, Ph #6824722472)
2. Mr. Bhim Karki (Plano)
3. Mr. Basu Sharma (Plano)
4. Mr. Shiva Acharya (Denton)
5. Mr. Bal Joshi ( Denton)
6. Mr. Chhabi Chapagain (Irving)
7. Mr. Rudra Gnyawali (Irving)
8. Mr. Yadav Khanal (Euless)
9. Mrs. Indira Bhusal (Denton)
10. Mr. Sashi Bhattarai (Keller)
11. Mr. Shiva Kafle (Irving)
12. Mr. Prakash Pandey ( Coppell)

[via email from NST Google Group by Basu Bhandary, President, INLS Dallas Chapter]