You’ve Got Mail

It is spring here, and I am enjoying You’ve Got Mail with sips of red wine and strawberry instead.

No doubt, I love watching You’ve Got Mail. I have watched it over a numerous times. However, the main point is Why do I watch You’ve Got Mail? Well if you guys are expecting the answer of a love and hate relationships between the characters, Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly then let me warn you now. You will be disappointed. I am not going to dwell in the secret chat and exchange of emails, the longing of not knowing the actual identity and still having a liking for each other, and wondering will they actually fall in love after hating each other so much. My own thoughts might prove to be colourless to the romantic people out there as my version behind my fondness for this movie is a bit of distraction to those readers.

Books and Bookstore. I remember going to buy books (both course books and others) and standing in a long queue to buy as it was flooded with customers. I told the shopkeeper the name of the book on the one side of the counter and he handed me the book on the other side of it. I never had the opportunity to go inside book store, admire the tower of bestsellers, check the books according to their genre in the aisle, marvel on the beautifully displayed books in the shelves, hold them in hands, read first few pages; all of this was what I wanted so badly then. I am referring to Biratnagar, a city in Nepal where I was born and spent my significant years of life before moving elsewhere.

“Reading books is like helping people to become whoever it was that they were going to turn out to be, because when you read book as a chid it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life really does.” I absolutely agree with this and the way Kathleen Kelly delivers this powerful message to Joe Fox makes me delighted. For me, this is an affirmation on the value of Reading.

The bookstores, The Shop Around the Corner owned by Kathleen Kelly, and The Fox Books Store, owned by Joe Fox, both I found very enticing. First offers personalised experience where the visitor can feel that people in the shop know you as an individual rather than a customer; where as the later is a giant bookstore, a commercial one which has no limitations, yet able to provide customers with a feel good experience with cheaper price, cafe, comfortable place to sit down and read. The ambience made me wonder and think then how lucky one must feel to go and experience both kinds of environment.

Later, when I moved to Australia to pursue my Master’s degree, I was enthralled to find the exact portrayal of bookstores here, both the giant ones and the little ones. The huge library in my Uni, and the 24×7 elab, I literally fell in love with them and my love with books grew stronger day by day. I used stay in library studying, the pressure of assignments deadline always on top of my head, and also secretly cherishing the thoughts of living the movie dream that I once dreamt of. I still make it a point to allocate some time to go and study in public library and enjoy my own time with a cup of coffee despite of other weekend commitments with my son and my better half. It is spending my “Me” moment.

Autumn 🍁🍂 I am a sunshine type of person. Hence, I have always preferred Summer over Spring, Autumn and Winter. However, this movie has romanticised the vibes of autumn so deliberately. The scene where Kathleen and Joe open their respective doors to get to work and get welcomed with the decidous trees ready to drop their leaves, not to forget how they put on a perennial show with the outburst of colour, the multiple shades of orange, yellow, purple, red and brown. There are other movies that have suceeded in doing the same, but it remains meaningful to me. This movie made me appreciate Autumn, and it’s aura and conclude the feel that yes, it is definitely picturesque to see the decidous leaves on the ground. Mother Nature!

Lastly, Starbucks. The reason why I wrote Starbucks is not the coffee it has to offer, but the logic of decision making Joe Fox offers while ordering a cup of coffee. He argues that the whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for those people who lack the ability of decision making, yet they are capable of making five decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. You have a wide range of options to choose from: Short, tall; strong, weak; light, dark; caf, decaf; low-fat, non-fat et cetera. As a result, people who don’t know what they are doing, by paying the price, they not just get a cup of coffee, in addition to, are able to define their sense of self.

My weak and large latte @imagobakeryandpatisserie

Well mine order is simple. It is a weak, large latte and I go to my regular cafe called Imago bakery and cafe in Elizabeth Street, Hobart and my most of my instagram post are from the same place. Being a communications student, I have read many journals and discourse on Starbucks as a part of my assignment of my course. Hence, I found the logic funny and relevant from a layman’s version.

I know my profound thoughts have disappointed the romantic readers. However, my aforementioned opinions are inclined more towards the practical point, and although, I did not mention the topic of love interest between Kathleen and Joe, my main focus was towards my love for the elements that mattered the most to me in the movie whether it was the weather, coffee or books and how it has helped me reshaped my ideology in the days ahead.

To conclude, as Franklin P Jones said, “Love does not make the world go round. Love is what makes the journey worthwhile.”

Hoping to create many wonderful journeys in the Autumn, with a large weak latte, accompanied by You’ve got mail.

The Comparison Games

“Aama, have you seen my Year One, report card?” the question was raised by my 7 years old son, while being on a mission to search for the same frantically. Once he got hold of his previous year’s report card, he deposited both his previous (Year One) and current (First Term, Year Two) on the table, and started watching them intently. His action and enthusiasm towards his search spiked my curiosity, hence, left me no option than to figure out the reason behind the same. I expected a long answer from him in return, however, he surprised me with his one-word answer “comparison”. His reasoning was simple enough for his age; by comparing both his report cards, he wanted to figure out the subjects, and areas where he performed well and the rest that he requires to improvise.

However, being his mother, the word comparison has been introduced to me, but from a different perspective. My beautiful best friend’s company in my high school days resulted in me placing myself very low compared to her. We were in our teenage years, hence, it was natural that I was hit with a small pang of comparison. Although, I have to admit that she never showed any signs of supremacy. And as time passed, maturity took dominance over comparison and we share a healthy relationship to date. Similarly, being bred in a strict household, my father always instilled the value of education in both me and my brother, and the word comparison always existed, not between us, but about the consequences, if we do not realize the value of education.

Comparison is everywhere in our day-to-day life, either intentionally or unintentionally, ownself and by others. A very simple instance is household shopping where the comparison of prices at Woolworths and Coles is obvious, as a result, buying at a cheaper price will lead to a sense of satisfaction of being able to save some dollars. Similarly, comparison travels with me in a cup of coffee, stretching down not only to the price and taste but includes the aroma and ambiance of the café as well. This provides me the assurance of an early start of the day, where I can read with utmost convenience, sipping my coffee prior to work.

I have to admit that besides reading books, it is my absolute favorite activity to log in to Goodreads, and read the reviews posted by Goodreads Community. This gives me a moment to contemplate the books and also consider the diversity of opinions of members of the community. In this pursuit of mine, landing on a decision of which one to read comes effortlessly to me.

In Grammar, when we compare two or more things, we called it comparison and comparative and superlative forms of adjectives help us in doing the same. However, it holds a much deeper meaning. It might be a reason for encouragement or discouragement, as it is evident that my Lil boy took it as a means of encouragement to progress in his collective report of academics and behavior. When being compared, there are high prospects of landing in satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The difference is with whom we are being compared and whether we wished to be compared or not? What matters the most is our perspective and what we yearn towards, comparison either constructive or destructive. The choice is all ours!

* Aama is the word for mother in the Nepali language.

Cheers to Rejection

Have you ever tasted one of the most significant cocktail named Rejection? It is prepared in the most sophisticated bar of human society and is served to us quite often in different occasion of life: personal or professional, only to realise that humans do not want to taste it, but then, do you ever have a choice? So, how does rejection taste? Bitter, Sour, Salty or Tangy? The answer is not sweet, definitely.

As mentioned earlier, I have tasted this cocktail known as rejection frequently via email which summed up as “We appreciate your interest however, at this stage, we have identified other candidates who more closely match our needs for this role”. So here, I had to drink this cocktail referred as Rejection offered by an employer, where I applied for a position they had advertised for.

Once I finished my Master studies, there was a point of time when I applied literally at 50 places for opportunities.  To my dismay, I got rejected from 49 places. The high hopes of receiving a positive response once you hit the send button in your gmail page gets shattered when an email with aforementioned body appears. The feeling of not being accepted by others is very disheartening. It shocks you, breaks you apart and makes you lose belief in yourself.

Similarly, on the personal front too, rejection can be a burdensome baggage to carry. Imagine the pain you have to go through, when you realise that the person whom you so deeply love does not want to make it forever and gives you all the wrong reasons on earth to discontinue the relationship.

But what stands out among all the odds is that you rise and shine despite what happened. It is necessary to accept the fact that turmoil happens in life, and you have to face it, embrace it and grace the moment as an opportunity to prove yourself that rejection actually provided you a platform to encounter the reality of life and you are still going strong.

In spite of my frequent taste of rejection, later when I got selected for an internship opportunity from one place out of the 50 that I applied for, I overcame all the negative emotions that were a part of the parcel of rejection. In fact, I was able to carve a career for myself due to this one single acceptance which I had not anticipated. Therefore, we need to accept the fact that we have to deal with it every single day, no matter if the occasion is personal or professional.

And, finally, A toast to ones who thought that I deserve to taste rejection, I know this is not the end and there will be many moments in future ahead awaiting where I might be rejected, but I happily say Cheers!!

A Virtual tour of Salamanca Market

When we arrived Salamanca market on a Saturday morning, it was beaming with glory and glamour. The air was filled with the strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and me being a coffee lover appreciated the embracing atmosphere of this place. As we stepped inside, I prepared myself to explore the uniqueness and popularity this street market actually holds, and is proudly known as Salamanca Market.

Undoubtedly, a flock of people welcomed us and reminded me that we need to keep up our pace with the hustle and bustle of this market. I could see various pairs of eyes including mine bespectacled eyes observing apparels, organic produce, artworks, ceramics,  handmade jewellery, handcrafted beer, wines, cheese displayed in the stalls with fondness and the sellers explaining about them to satisfy the quench of curiosity to the visitors.

As a result, there were some buying the items in stalls and some thinking about the possibility of buying it. At the end, I could see was the customers satisfied with what they bought and most importantly, the sellers convinced with their marketing skills and the profound thought that they are able to make a mark of themselves and their products to the visitors.

This whole scene appeared artistic to my eyes, the reason being the concept of this kind of market has slowly disappeared from the scene of our modern, globalised and digital world. We are so deeply embedded with the advancement of technology that we tend to forget where our roots are, where we actually came from, how we have developed to the stage, where we actually are now.

Therefore, I actually believe that this place holds the originality, with the efforts of the local producers  and designers on a mission to make it vivacious and colourful. And, yes indeed, they have succeeded!

P.S. I have a few pictures of what I saw in the market. Hope you will be tempted to visit this place next weekend. If you do, then, my believe in the power of words will get more stronger.

The vintage dress flaunting on the trees reflects the rich history that Tasmania holds.

These hand made dolls reminds me of my childhood when I spent most of my time playing with my dolls.

Who does not love vintage? Well If you ask me, I simply adore them.

An answer to the chilling cold with the varieties of handmade beanies and mufflers this stall has to offer.

A perfect spot for kids to enjoy. I fell in love with the vibrant colours and the innocence displayed by these toys.

The three little musketeers.

How can people make them so top notch perfect? They look exactly like real birds.

I wonder how happy the birds will have to find a home of their own.

Laws of Attraction 💑

He is brown, she is fair.

He prefers black coffee, she chooses latte.

He is practical, she is romantic.

He misses loneliness, she enjoys popularity.

He is boring, she is vibrant.

He is quiet, she is wild.

Yes, he and she are a reverse of each other.

Despite of the contradictions, have not you heard that opposites attract?

PC: dreamstime.com

Book ❤️ Bookish

How can someone make noise in a library? Seriously! This was my instant reaction when I heard the sound of giggle from a guy sitting next to my chair in the library. I was deeply arrested in Ayn Ran’s Fountainhead, and amid a pin drop silence, I found his giggle pretty thunderous. However, what took me by surprise was that there was a reason behind his careless giggle: a book he was reading. And, I realised, he is a person who lives the emotion of life with reading.

Every morning when I commute to work, I see people captivated with the pages of book/some with kindle lost in the world of book they are reading. Similarly, one morning, I was reading too. It was the book Prayogshala by Sudheer Sharma. Suddenly, a voice interrupted me with a question, “excuse me, may I know where are you from?” When I replied, “Nepal”, he said the font devanagari in the book tempted him to speak with me. It took me by appreciation that books can act as a medium to connect people in a foreign land.

The fond memories of me, a grade 6 student and my mother taking a rickshaw ride to a bookshop in order to buy the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens holds a special meaning to me. This was the first book that I got besides my textbook and I read it with great interest because the child in me was aware that none of the questions were going to be asked from this book for my exams.

I was brought up in a large family, where National Dailies, weeklies, magazines, novels always frequented and we had a room (not a library though) to store all of them. With politics being the hot cake, I listened my father, uncle and other guests discussing about communism and capitalism during those years. However, Mother authored by Maxim Gorky was the first book which inspired me to explore my journey of reading with enthusiasm. I stumbled on this book during my summer holidays at my aunt’s (father’s sister) place, and realised how a book holds so much significance in one’s life. And with maturity, I have understood how reading and living the characters and events of the book helps to derive the maximum happiness in a person.

Reading, I believe helps to uncover the power of imagination in a human being. Promotion of reading culture is essential for the development of critical thinking and innovative skills. When I watched the movie Twilight, based on a novel of the same name, I was delighted to see that some of the scenes turned out to be the exact as I imagined while reading the novel. I was also able to travel India, Indonesia and Italy while reading through the pages of the novel Eat, Pray and Love. At times, I felt that my brain is too busy imagining people and traveling places while being stationed in my own room.

My mother is the person in whom I have always found the utmost passion of reading. I grew up seeing her reading newspapers, articles, magazines and novels. We often shared our love for books and discussed the ones that both of us finished reading. She also has up to date information of current affairs, politics, society, international affairs and she credits it to her passion of reading. I am glad this reading gene has been transferred to me from her.  And, this is the only hobby which can help you to interact with various people with confidence and cross borders without the need of any visa approval.

Adieu, 2016

Year 2016, you left us and will never come back. Now, you will only remain in our heart, our memories. In 2016, I had achievements, but with pinch of challenges, I also succeeded to bask myself with the sunlight of positivity, although the umbrella of negativity tried a lot to keep me deprived from the same.

I lived my dreams; I graduated in Masters of Professional Communications from Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia. Of course, It did not come easy. I stepped out of my comfort zone,  left my son, family, close friends, career behind in order to fulfil my dreams. The initial days were quite difficult as the due dates of assessment submission, presentation would drive me crazy.

The final semester was very tough for me, I was sick and I had to submit my thesis as well. I spent hours in library researching and working on my thesis, and hence, unsociable. However, nothing lasts forever. Eventually, I finished my studies and it was all due to the unconditional love and support of my better half and my parents that helped me to cope with the homesickness and pressure of studies.

My move to Melbourne was an unplanned one. After several rejections, I got an opportunity of internship, and thus, I arrived here, the most liveable city of the world. Besides my internship, I also explored the variety of taste this city has to offer in a platter. The tasting started from coffee to graffiti, cuisines to plays, tourist destinations to the various languages, I hear people speak in the train, tram, bus and street lanes. And me, a keen observer, tried to absorb the multiculturalism slowly and happily.

I also worked as an intern partly for the Consulate General of Nepal for Victoria office. The interaction with the people who came to apply for visa showered me with mixed feelings of happiness and pride. I met some people who visited Nepal regularly, and always looking forward to visit again. When I raised the question why, the answer was “simply natural, no artificial”. Some with the vivid memories of their travel years back and curious if the people are still warm, innocent and hospitable as it was long time back. Such curiosity of theirs makes me proud of our ancestors, and the traditional and cultural values they have instilled in us.

Some were very concerned for the people hit by the massive earthquake of 2015 thus, travelling to donate and volunteer to help the people in affected areas. Therefore, the opportunity of internship allowed me to know how people from other parts of the world still care for Nepal and have a positive image of the country and it’s people. I am sincerely thankful to Mr. Chandra Yonzon, Honorary Consul General of Nepal to Victoria for providing me with this opportunity.

It is very exciting to welcome the new year 2017 with loads of happiness and enthusiasm. But this time, I decided to avoid resolutions as I want to see if I really need the same in order to stay happy. I, therefore, wish for joy in spite of the challenges I am offered, the negativity I am hit with, the distance from my family and will continue to do things that inspires me and keeps me happy. Hey! 1 January 2017, I start with self-acceptance!

My Incomplete Sissy Affair

“If I had a sister, it would be so much fun to exchange clothes with her”, this was my ultimate reason behind the wish of wanting a sister terribly, whilst I was young. However, as I grew up, I knew this wish will never be granted, since I was gifted with a brother instead. As time passed on, I still shared the secret wish of having a sister with my mother and to which she always responded with a laugh and the answer that “you have cousins and they all are your sisters too”. I agreed with her answer to some extent, but I always added the fact that they are younger than me whereas, I needed someone who is similar to my age and with whom I can share my clothes. Silly me!

With the tick tick of the clock, my wish of sister remained the same, but the reasons changed significantly. As I grew up to a teenager, I wanted a sister with whom I can get a piece of advice on the clothes I wear, first crush, talking about the movie (A walk to remember – in own ishtyle), sharing the real deep feelings of the novel (Love Story by Erich Segal), talking about the funny incidents of classroom, burdens of homework etc.

However, when I crossed the teenage and found myself climbing the ladders of maturity, I found that I was occupied with my studies and career that the circle of my friends kept me occupied and the tied knot wish slowly started to loosen than before. The pressure of doing something on my own or as we say “Standing in own Feet” (Afno khutta ma ubinu- A popular proverb as said in Nepali) overruled it.

Whereas, now, when I find myself in a different phase than before, where I am acting in different roles of daughter, wife, and most importantly, the mother, my heart have started to paint the strokes of bright colours in my fading thoughts again. Whilst juggling with the various roles in home and office, I find myself reviving the wish of having a sister again. If I had one, I would have shared the experiences of my pre and post pregnancy, share the joy and insecurities of motherhood, window shop & watch movie together, criticize and appreciate each other, plan and discuss about our and babies future together and many more.

Most of my friends are gifted with sisters and the rapport they share with each other have always made me envious. Even I am fortunate to have a few friends with whom I find myself at ease. When I am with them, I am at my comfort zone, we chat nonstop, be the best critic whilst shopping, share the same cone of popcorn whilst watching movie, laugh at each other foolishness, cry on pain, pull each other legs, be a watch dog for the weight issue,  plan a get together at each other home often, seek for advise and always support each other.

And, here I am again, comforting myself again that it does not matter if I do not have my own biological sister, since I have friends who are more than sister to me. I can share what I want to and I know they are always there for me when I seek them and I do not have to wait even long. I am blessed 🙂

P.S. This does not mean that I do not love my cousins and my only brother, of course, I love and miss you all. No Offence to any of you.

Decision Making – Yes, My Cup of Tea.

A couple of days back, whilst shopping at Bhatbhateni, Chelsea, my sister’s daughter, who will turn 5 within a couple of weeks, her shopping skills caught my attention. I was checking out clothes for my son when she suggested us a pink woolen cap for him, finding it hard to deny we remarked that pink symbolises for girl, whereas, Aayam, my son is a boy instead.  After hearing this, she arrived with a blue one, suited perfectly for a baby boy.

This action of her stunned me, which made me wonder if I was that smart enough to decide back then when I was of her age and I know I was not. I even get confused at certain times, but not always. When I go shopping, I get confused which one to choose among two good pair of clothes or shoes. Although, I plan on what I want, but there are many times though not always, when I have ended up on something else. Being a complete foodie, deciding on a food item from the menu has also always been a challenge for me as well.

Decision making, I feel, plays a significant social role from the day we are chosen to be born on this earth. Deciding the name of new born, the school he/she should be enrolled, the subject one should study after the completion of higher secondary level, the career one wishes to embark etc. are all the bullet points that arises as a challenge for the parents.

However, right decision making is significant in order to bring out positive results, and make an effective change in life eventually. Sometimes, a wrong step whilst making decision often led to destruct one’s life with the action of regret forever. As a result, it is important that we become swift in the steps of deciding rather than getting confused and being delayed. On the contrary, it is also important to balance both our mind and heart when we are in the process of same and be proud of our decisions.

Flashback – 2013

As I scroll the cursor of my life downwards towards the year 2013, I find it filled with experiences which I have never expected to happen. However, I am glad that they actually happened and taught me great lessons in the so called class of life. In a nutshell, I believe, I had the perks of being me and knowing myself. As a result, this time I would not state the whole year in terms of my achievement but, I would list out the moments which has helped to find the real me.

The most incredible was the one when I got to experience motherhood with my son Aayam. With motherhood, a long list of emotions has enlisted in me, especially the pain and gain, which I believe has developed me to be a tougher and protective person. This changing role, have made me realized why our parents are our role models and to what extent they go for their offspring happiness.

The most unbelievable one was the emerging of distance with my best friend since childhood where both of us failed to bridge the gap which I believe, developed due to our busy lives and geographical disparity. Acceptance is the most important factor required not only in friendship but in personal and professional relation as well. Once you have this, it avoids you to blame others for any unfortunate results. You need to accept the fact that you simply cannot hold on with a person if he/she does not want to and moving on is not that easy as it seems while pronouncing.

The most interesting one is my belief in right time. We get scared that we might not get what we yearn so truly madly and deeply but we succeed in it when the right time for each of them arrives. There is a saying, “Nothing comes ahead of its time, and nothing ever happened that didn’t need to happen.”― Byron Katie. Therefore, no matter how desperate we get for the things to happen, it is important that we wait for the right time in order to taste the fruit of success.

Finally, the most difficult but very important one is the realization of “Let the dogs bark, the wolves howl, the lightnings flash and the crows caw, you continue doing your job!” Although, there are people who gossips about you but, what matters is the focus on goal without an inch of distraction. If you succeed in doing it then there is no one who can stop you to have what you want.

Never stop dreaming, believing and eventually work hard to turn them in reality. Happy New Year 2014!