Are You Smarter Than A Sixth Grader?

When was the last time you were in sixth grade? Last year, four years ago, or maybe even ten years ago? It’s true that we don’t retain all the information we learned from times ago, but who kno.ws. You might surprise yourself!

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.”

August 2nd – August 8th

It seems like yesterday when the school bell rang, “Free at last! Free at last!”, but believe it or not school starts in exactly three weeks. Well, for me it does. For someone else it might be two and to another, four. Whatever the number of weeks till school, the countdown has definitely begun. From back-to-school shopping to back-to-school bed time changes, it’s all coming back. Fast.

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!

Living With The Past

Excerpts from my next novel, modified to fit my life:

It’s not a wonder that you wish for things that aren’t in your periphery. A vision of sorts is always on the back of your mind, a better life, the grass that is truly greener on the other side. Your face looks better on Megan Fox’s body and your body looks like the amount of money BP is losing every second – with Aishwarya Rai’s face, of course.

Then there are those things the less shallow ones feel for. Finding the cure to the disabilities they still believe they were blessed with. Getting out of a halfway house, because, as many have said, it truly isn’t home.

Sometimes you miss things you used to have, as well. For those paralyzed, the ability to move, and for those suffering from depression, the ability to love. For me, it’s not that I’ve lost it, but more that I’ve lost in touch with it.

My family. Mia famiglia. Sure, I have a five minute “Namaste, ke cha?” with my family once a week, but that is nowhere in comparision to walking arms in arms with your hajurbah or hajurmah down a crowded street that smells of momos and biryani. What I miss is knowing who your neighbor is, playing “Antakshari” in the back of the two-hour long school bus ride, not getting asked everytime I say that I’m from Nepal if I’ve ever climbed Mount Everest, having friends – Nepali friends - that can actually speak the language of their beloved motherland, and having teachers that berate you because you refuse to speak English during lunch hour.

That is what I’ve lost intouch with. And the power to change that relies heavily on fate. On that note, here’s to a wish that everyone can one day be reunited with their families, no matter if you’re just missing them, or if you’ve been taken away from them. Best wishes are always in the way of those with the best intentions.

Website of the Week

Other than www.texasnepal.com, check out this cool website I found, that, let’s just say will help you get to know more about…me. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+bhabika+joshi <<<<Check it out!!

Song of the Week

Simsime Panima – Prem Raja Mahat.
Listen to the ORIGINAL song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QSCkCvXlTg&feature=related.

Photo of the Week

Me withe none other than Prem Raja Mahat, the singer of Simsime Panima at the 2010 ANA Convention held in Boston.

Video of the Week

The Only Exception – Paramore

Book of the Week

Mortals: Hayden Roux Chronicles by Bhabika Joshi

Synopsis: 

Imagine being stuck in a world where every blade of grass is green, it’s all trimmed to the perfect size and every child is well-behaved just as their parents would wish them to be. This is what Hayden Roux has to go through day after day, from beginning to end, but what she doesn’t know is she’s about to be thrust into an eccentric place, where a very big secret is waiting for her. Her difficult life of being hated by everyone takes an upturn when she finds herself in the midst of White Grover.

While trying to fit in at school, she has the big, challenging task of finding the beloved Pearl. Through broken friendships and lost trust, Hayden experiences a journey that she won’t soon forget.

There’s just one simple question: Is she willing to die?

Mortals will take you into her world to discover the answer to that very scary question!

Week of June 28 – July 5

It’s almost impossible to find someone without an iPod or iPhone or the new iPad nowadays. If you’re reading this, you or someone in your family probably has one (if not all) of the three, don’t they? Since the release of the iPod in 2001, almost 300,000,000 iPods have been sold. How big is that? Well, let’s put it this way: there are 307,006,550 people living in America. Only about 7 million in America don’t have an iPod. That’s how big it is.

In our new generation, we rely on apps to do so much for  us. For today, I’ve gathered some of the best, free iPhone/iPod apps that I’ve tried and fallen in love with. If you have your own app to add to this, suggestions are very much welcome.

Facebook. On a larger picture, over 400 million people have a facebook, which means pretty much everybody has the facebook app. Why shouldn’t they? With the click of a button, all your FB media is open. Photos, wall posts, unread messages, and even ”like” pages are available on the Facebook app. This is easily one of the most useful apps in the app community. Best of all, it’s free!

Mail. This app doesn’t even have to be purchased. It is already downloaded on your device when you buy it. It is simpy the easiest way of checking your email when you have more than one. For example, I have four email addresses, and with this app, all I have to do is click it open and it checks all four without me having to type in a password/username/personal id for every single email. (To add email addresses, check out the settings and click the box labeled “Mail”.)

Dictionary.com. This app not only tells you the definition of a word, it can also find a synonym, and antonym, and a reference to that exact word. And it runs without the need for wifi (except for the reference part). If you shake your device, it can also take you to a random word. If you’ve forgotten what word you looked up last, there’s a tab for every word you have looked up. With internet connection, you can also get the “Word of the Day” delivered right to your device!

Google. What is there to complain about google? Nothing. In this handy app, you get all your google answers in a little app. Search “James Avery” and you will find anything from the actor who played Will Smith’s uncle in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to James Avery Craftsman American, “the maker of sterling silver, gold, and gemstone jewelry.” This app, for iPhone users, even has a voice command button. Speak and it’ll answer your wishes.

Wikipedia. All the world’s knowledge within reaching distance of a fingertip.

Music. These are some of the best music apps around. I will admit there are more good ones, but all of these are free. First, Pandora is a streaming radio. All you have to do is pick an artist, song, or album you like, and Pandora will set up a list of songs that match your pick and you show you music you might like. Great if you’re looking into trying new things. The second app is amazing for looking at what’s hot and what’s not. It gives a list of every year from like the 80′s and the top 100 songs in those years. In the 2010 list, you are sure to find artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, and the two biggest hits right now: Katy Perry and Usher. The third app, every single person has: Tap Tap Revenge. Come on. Admit it. It’s addictive. Along the likes of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, Tap Tap is sure to have you r-r-r-r-rocking.

    

Sunny Side Up by code poet on Flickr is in the running for one of the most viewed pictures on Flickr. As of right now, this picture has been viewed 1,510,715 times.

Book of the Week

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Synopsis (from allycarter.com): When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide.  When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

Song of the Week

Pray For You by Jaron And The Long Road To Love.

See it here! Jaron And The Long Road To Love – Pray For You

4th Week of June

What have you been watching for this last week? What will you watch for the next month. Here’s my guess: it rhymes with Corld Wup. Well, you’re not the only one. Welcome to the viewing pleasure of FIFA World Cup 2010.

Any where from the controversy of the Jabulani ball that has slipped the hands of more than one goalie to the excitement over Ghana’s win as the first African country on African soil to ever take the winning game title, this world cup has everyone on their seats. Who am I rooting for? The team who wins of course! I’m kidding. I’m hoping our friendly Brazilian friends from South America wins.

Cuju

So where did football start? There was a  military document found in China that corroborated a game called Cuju, played around the second century B.C. It  involved a sport very similar to modern day football; it was played by ”kicking a leather ball through a small hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two high poles.”

FIFA

In 1904, Frenchman Robert Guerin founded FIFA. Today, it includes 208 member associations. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

*SPOILER ALERT* If you haven’t watched the games and don’t want to know information about the 2010 FIFA World Cup, don’t continue! *SPOILER ALERT*

The Talk Around the Block

I would love to shed some light on some topics that have caused some ruffles in the FIFA community. Please do share your thoughts in the comment section!

First: the ball. The Adidas Jabulani has raised some eyes ever mostly since goalkeeper Robert Green let go of the ball that sealed a tie between England and USA, which otherwise would have just been a win for England. And, seeing their last game, England probably need that win. You tell me. Is it the fault of the new and “perfect” ball or the fault of the players?

Click here to watch: Robert Green Mistake.

Second: the referee. Koman Coulibaly “disallow[ed] a Maurice Edu goal in the 2010 World Cup match between USA and Slovenia” that has heads buzzing. The goal obviously went in and everybody saw it go in, but because of this unnecessary move, USA tied with Slovenia in what clearly should have been a win.

Click here to watch: Koman Coulibaly.

Third: the French fight. Not only did France catcha big surprise with  Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, they caught us again. On half-time on the game with Mexico, striker Nicolas Anelka got into a dispute with manager Raymond Domenech which caused his immediate dismissal from the team. The next day, team captain Patrice Evra and team trainer Robert Duverne got into a heated argument that resulted in the team’s practice having to be canceled. Let’s hope France picks up the mess and returns to our dear hearts soon!

Click here to watch:Robert Duverne VS. Patrice Evra

Fourth: the vuvuzelas. Ech! The buzzing sound heard in the background of the World Cup games is a little instrument called a “vuvuzela”. According to published news reports, the players and viewers have been trying to ban them from the World Cup, but the FIFA President will have none of it. He believes since they are in South African soil, they should adapt to South African culture, much like the vuvuzelas themselves. But, of course, that won’t stop football fans watching from their homes to swiftly press the mute button. After all, it’s really about the game, isn’t it?

That’s all the controversies and it has barely been two weeks! But, what really counts are the goals. If you go to: http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/schedule/, Yahoo! will provide you with every score (Like Portugal’s AMAZING 7-0 game!!) of every 2010 FIFA World Cup score so far and upcoming games AND times.

World of the Week

ensign (noun): a flag or banner; a badge of office or authority; a sign, token, or emblem; the lowest commissioned officer.

Picture of the Week

Book of the Week

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Synopsis (B&N): 

The celebrated author of The Last American Man creates an irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure and spiritual devotion.

By the time she turned thirty, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern, educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house in the country, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love and the complete eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all of this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, left her loved ones behind and undertook a year-long journey around the world, all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the chronicle of that year. Gilbert’s aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature, set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Italy, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, where, with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise Texan, she embarked on four months of austere spiritual exploration. Finally, in Indonesia, she sought her ultimate goal: balance—namely, how to somehow build a life of equilibrium between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. Looking for these answers on the island of Bali, she became the pupil of an elderly, ninth-generation medicine man and also fell in love in the very best way—unexpectedly.

A memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment. It is also about the adventures that can transpire when a woman stops trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. This is a story certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.

Song of the Week

Live It – Cherryholmes

First Week of June

There’s only one word running through the mind of millions of kids right now: S.U.M.M.E.R. The school year is over. Whether you’re about to be the top dog or the fresh fish, new experiences await.

Some people are proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish this year. Others are not. Around my own school, I’ve been hearing a lot of There’s-always-next-years and I-can-try-agains or even This-year-I will-make-the-honor-rolls. To those people, trust me. It really is not that hard. You’re in a country where dreams can always blossom. Somehow, setting your mind to program a little bit less on FarmVille and a little bit more on Othello can make a huge difference.

And since there has to be a reason why I’m talking about how to do better in school, I now bring you: best-websites-to-go-on-even-if-you’re-bored,-or-you’re-just-doing-homework-that-will-surely-help-you-with-your-homework-no-matter-what-media-has-taught-us.

You know when you need to find the answer to a history question, but no matter where you look, you can’t find it? Well, I’m going to list websites that have provided tremendous help to me and might provide help to you as well. Here goes!

Answers.com

In this website, all you need to do is type in a keyword (for definition) or a question and it will provide you with the answer. Example?
Q: Who was the first elected prime minister of Nepal?
A: Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala. He led the Nepali Congress, a social democratic political party. He was the Prime Minister of Nepal from 1959 to 1960.
(Help from Netra for this one!)

CIA-The World Factbook

If you want to know about the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, or transnational issues about any country on Earth, this is the place to go. They have page after page of information about every single country and even a page dedicated to the world, giving facts about the Earth as a whole. Example?
Q: How many airports are in Nepal?
A: 47 (in 2009)

Google

There is no doubting the maginifique power of the mighty Google. It provides answers to almost any question on Earth, but sometimes, you must really search deep down and look around before you find something. Nonetheless, how many of us haven’t started our queries on Google? C’mon, we all do it. Example?
Q: What is the capital of Nepal?
A: Kathmandu.

Wikipedia

I don’t care how much people bash Wikipedia. It has worked 100% of the time for me, and I trust it. I once read an article titled, ” Wikipedia is the greatest source of information ever [citation needed].” The author stated that Wikipedia has led some wrong answers and it is not trustable, although many college students seem to think it is so. Sure, it may been an easy way out, but sometimes you don’t have time to read a book on who won the Grammy in 2003 for Album of the Year. Example?
Q: Who won the Grammy in 2003 for Album of the Year?
A: Norah Jones for Come Away With Me. (Found in 36 seconds, using a stopwatch!)

No Fear Shakespeare

Ever need help on Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II, Henry V, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, any of his sonnets, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, or the Twelfth Night? This website is here for the rescue. No Fear Shakespeare provides a side-by-side version of Shakespeare’s original play and a modern version that we all can understand. Example?

Original (Prologue in Romeo and Juliet):

Two households, both alike in dignity
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage—
The which, if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Modern:

In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy families become lovers and commit suicide. Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents’ feud. For the next two hours, we will watch the story of their doomed love and their parents’ anger, which nothing but the children’s deaths could stop. If you listen to us patiently, we’ll make up for everything we’ve left out in this prologue onstage.

CliffsNotes

Like No Fear Shakespeare, CliffsNotes helps the reader understand what something means in a college-bound book. The website has in-depth analysis or short-cut summaries. It has a character map that shows how each character relates to the other. I used this website to help me study for a test about The Odyssey and without it, my ‘A’ would not have been guaranteed. Example?
Q: What does the first chapter of the Kite Runner mean?
A: Chapter 1 opens with the words “December 2001.” A nameless narrator immediately refers back to the winter of 1975, when the narrator “became what I am today” and obliquely mentions an event that occurred in an alley when he was twelve years old. The narrator then mentions a phone call last summer from a friend in Pakistan, Rahim Khan, and unatoned sins. Going for a walk, the narrator notices kites flying in the San Francisco sky. He recalls Hassan, the harelipped kite runner and list names such as Baba, Ali, and Kabul. The chapter ends with another reference to 1975 and the assertion that the event that transpired in the winter of 1975 “made me what I am today.”

Word of the Week

Contumacious(adjective) stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient.
Provided by: dictionary.com

Example

“He was a world of trouble to you, ma’am,” said Mrs. Hubble, commiserating my sister.

“Trouble?” echoed my sister; “trouble?” and then entered on a fearful catalogue of all the illnesses I had been guilty of, and all the acts of sleeplessness I had committed, and all the high places I had tumbled from, and all the low places I had tumbled into, and all the injuries I had done myself, and all the times she had wished me in my grave, and I had contumaciously refused to go there. (CliffsNotes)

 

Picture of the Week

 

 

A Philippine soldier blows his bugle along the halls displaying engraved names of soldiers fallen during the World War II at the commemoration of US Memorial Day at the Manila American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, Manila.

Week of May 2-8

I stared at the blank mass of html gone crazy. Well, a blank mass of nothing on the computer screen, anyways. How long had I stared at that thing? It kind of disgusted me now. Like how forty dollars worth of a single fish looks nasty after sitting in the refrigerator for over a week. It loses its zest. The flavor somehow evaporates onto thin air. But unlike water, it doesn’t cleanse and replenish itself. It hangs there, reminding you that you had just spent forty buckaroos ornamenting the trashcan.

It was the stubborn glaze of sunlight sifting in through the window in tiny grains – like a surveillance video watching my every movement – that was bothering me, I realized. I clamored over the window and gazed at the last specks of sunbeams that had lasted through nine. Somehow things had started disappearing, taking the only bright, yellow object with them. An iota of time later, the stars would scrambled around the sky like the puzzle laying out across my desk. One tiny part fitted into the next, but if you looked just close enough, a gap seperated them and gave them their individuality.

The day, if you must know, was December 31, 2008. I was in bed snugly by ten, the warmth well into its full array. People across the district were gathered amongst themselves, a chance to see their loved ones first thing in a brand new year. 2009 was supposed to bring something to the world. It could have been a thinner, more beautiful you, or a top-of-the-class-engineer-graduate you. Whatever it was, something felt desonantly right.

People grabbed magazines off the racks and experimented with their brains. They wore high heels or walked for the first time. For an autistic child, his or her resolution would be to talk the following year, while a paralyzed man sitting amidst flowers on a hospital bed may want to glide through the open air as the fireworks shattered the sky every eve. You may have wished for an “A” in Advanced Biology, and I could’ve wished for one, too. There were wishes blooming everywhere; at least that part was true.

I was only thirteen. Thirteen and a half, but high school looming in like ever before. The thought of being an adult in five more years just didn’t appear to me what a creamy chocoloate sundae would look like to a child. There was nothing appetizing about having to start living for myself. As Mahatma Gandhi once quoted, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” That was exactly what I was afraid of on New Year’s Eve, 2008, a year so many people were ready to leave behind. That was exaclty what I was afraid of: making a mistake.

I’ve lived my life like it’s the start of something new. I’ve never felt that this was the peak of my living. There was always something that could be bigger or better. 100 in an Algebra test? Could’ve been better. Twelve page short story? Why not thirteen? More than someone pushing me, I’ve pushed myself. That one mistake I was fearing would demolish chances, I thought. I was wrong. It would only teach me black from white, right from wrong. Like my 8th grade history teacher told us, stop looking for the gray when there really only is a black and a white.

It has been less than two year since that day, but I have learned so much. I know when I am fourty-five what happened to me thirty-two years ago won’t make a minute difference.What matters more is that today, even if I make a mistake, I’ve learned to release that fear and never make that same mistake again. The greatest mistake I could ever make is fearing my whole life that I was going to make one.

As the clock rang twelve and fireworks burst through the still air, I closed my eyes and whispered, “I will make a difference in 2009.”

I took chances that year. When will your time come?

Happy May, everyone.
Love, Bhabika

Word of the Week
nepal (noun)
1. a constitutional monarchy in the Himalayas between N India and Tibet. 22,641,061; ab. 54,000 sq. mi. (140,000 sq. km). Capital: Katmandu.

Picture of the Week

Taken by yours truly, Bhabika Joshi

Challenge of the Week
The definition I gave for Nepal was bland. Can you give me your definition of what the word, “Nepal” means to you?

नेपाली भाषा तथा सांस्कृतिक बिध्यालय

नेपाली भाषा तथा सास्कृतिक बिध्यालय डालस मेट्रोप्लेक्स को अर्विङ र डेन्टन शहर गरी २ ठाउँमा अवस्थित छन् | नेपाली सोसाइटी टेक्सास र अन्तरस्ट्रिय नेपाली साहित्य समाज अन्तर्गत सन्चालित यी दुई स्कूलहरुको स्थापना आजभन्दा ५ वर्ष अगाडि भएको हो | यो भन्दा अगाडि डालसका समाजसेवी, अभिभावक तथा बौधिक ब्यक्तित्वहरुको अग्रणिमा अर्विङको हिन्दू मन्दिरमा पहिलोपल्ट बिधिवत स्थापना भएको मानिन्छ | विभिन्न रोह अवरोहका बावजुद पनि नेपाली भाषा तथा सास्कृतिक बिद्यालय अहिलेसम्म पनि गतिशिल अवस्थामा रहेको छ | यसको श्रय हाम्रा बौधिक ब्यक्तित्वका साथे आफ्नो भाषा, धर्म र सन्स्क्रिती प्रती चिन्तित अभिभावकहरु धन्यवादका पात्र छन |

नेपाली भाषा तथा सास्कृतिक बिध्यालयका उद्देश्यहरु निम्न छन
१ ) नेपाली भाषा तथा अक्षरको ज्ञान
२ ) नेपालीको भौगोलिक अवस्था को परिचय
३ ) नेपाली धर्म, सन्स्क्रिती, चाड, पर्वको ज्ञान
४ ) योग तथा ध्यानको अभ्यास र यसको फाइदाहरु

यी उल्लेखित उद्देश्यहरु प्राप्तिका लागि हाम्रा अभिभावकहरु तथा volunteer मित्रहरु हरेक शनिबार नेपाली स्कूलमा दिनको १२ बजे देखी २ बजे सम्म जम्मा हुन्छन | नेपाली स्कूलको शुरुवात हरेक हप्ता नेपाली राष्ट्रिय गान बाट हुन्छ | यस पश्चात हाम्रा volunteer साथीहरु द्वारा योग तथा व्यायम सिकाउनु हुन्छ | केही समय देखी हाम्रा विधार्थी भाई बहिनिहरुद्वारा नै योग तथा ध्यान को अभ्यास गराउदै आएक छन |लगभग ४५ मिनेटको योग तथा ब्यायाम पछी १५ मिनेटको ध्यान गराइन्छ | योग तथा ध्यान गर्न सपूर्ण बाल बालिका र अभिभावकहरु धेरै उत्साहका साथ भाग लिन्छन |

आफ्नो देशको सन्स्क्रिती, कला र पर्बहरु बचाइ राख्नको लागि नेपाली स्कूलले विभिन्न कार्यक्रमहरुको आयोजना गरिरहेको हुन्छ जस्तो कि गुरु पुर्णिमा, सरस्वती पूजा, होली पुर्णिमा, शिवरात्री, बुद्ध जयन्ती का साथ साथे कवी गोष्ठीका र कबिता वाचन | मलाई लाग्छ हाम्रा यी बाल बालिकहरु यो बिदेशी भूमीमा रहेर पनि आफ्नो देशको सबै चाड, पर्व तथा सन्स्कृतिबाट नजिकिएका छन | नेपाली स्कूलमा आएर मैले नि धेरै कुराहरु सिक्न पाएको छु | हरेक कार्यक्रमहरुमा हाम्रा अभिभावकहरुबाट विद्यार्थीहरुलाई खाना तथा स्न्याक्स का लागि देखाएको उत्साह सर्हानिय छ |
डा. चिन्तामणी योगीज्यूले जहिले आफ्नो भमणमा डालसवासिको तारिफ गर्नु हुन्छ भन्नु हुन्थ्यो यदी तपाईं डालसमा हुनुहुन्छ र आफ्नो छोराछोरिहरु नेपाली स्कूलमा जान्छन भने ढुक्क हुनुस् | वहाँको नेत्रित्वमा पछील्लो २ वर्षको समर क्याम्पबाट हाम्रा बाल बच्चाहरुले धेरै कुराहरु सिक्ने मौका पाए | वहाँले सिकाउनु भएको बिहानी मन्त्र, भोजन मन्त्र र रात्री मन्त्रहरु आज सम्म पनि हाम्रा बच्चाहरु सबैको घरमा पालन गरी रहेका छन | यस बाहेक समर क्याम्प बाट हामी अभिभावकहरुले समेट धेरै सिक्ने मौका पाएका छन |

हाम्रा सिमित स्रोत र साधनका वावजुद पनि नेपाली स्कूल आफ्नै गतिले अगाडि बढीरहेको छ | तर हामीले सोचएको जस्तो राम्रो भएको छैन, हामी अहिले सम्म क ख ग मै सिमित छौ | यसको लागि हामीलाई योग्य शिक्षकहरु तथा भोलेन्टरहरुको खाचो छ | कोही साथीहरुले जिस्काउछन, यो बिदेशी भूमीमा नेपाली स्कूलको औचीत्य के भनेर? जवाफ त धेरै छन तर जवाफ दिएर हिंड्नु भन्दा नि यहाँ नेपाली स्कूल नमूना को रूपमा बिकास गरी देखाउने हामी सबैको धोको छ | तेसैले हरेक शनिबार छोरालाई लिएर नेपाली स्कूल जान्छु, मनमा धेरै आशा र सपनाहरु लिएर | छाती फुलेर आउछ जव छोराले क ख ग पढेको सुन्दा अनी कम्प्युटरमा समाचार पढ्दा छोराले पनि नेपाली पढ्न कोशीस गरेको देख्दा मेरा सबै निरशाका बादलहरु हटेर अर्को शनिबारको पर्खाइमा हुन्छु | धेरै अभिभावकहरुको गुनासो नि सुन्ने गरेको छु, नेपाली स्कूलमा केही सिकेन भनेर | एक छिन सोचउ हप्तामा १ घन्टाले हाम्रो बच्चाहरु ले के सिक्लान ? तर सबै अभिभावकहरु पनि आफ्नो घरमा नेपाली भाषा तथा हाम्रो सन्स्कृतिको महत्व बारे बुझाउन कोशीश गर्‍यो भने होस्टेमा हैसे हुनेछ | तेसैले आउनुस् हामी सबै मिलेर आफ्ना बाल बालिकाको भविश्यको लागि नेपाली हुनु को गर्व र परिचय दिउ ताकी भविश्यमा उनिहरु आफ्नो शिर उचालेर आफ्नो सगरमाथा र बुद्धको देशको परिचय दिन सकोस | जसरी सबै मिलेर नेपाली मन्दिरको लागि जग्गा किन्न सफल भएका छौ त्यसरी नै हामी सब मिल्यो भने हाम्रो स्कूल विश्वमा नमूना बन्नेमा दुई मत हुन सक्दैन |

अन्तमा, डा. चिन्तामणी योगी ज्यू ले भन्नु भएको कुरा याद आउछ, हामी बिदेशमा बसेर नेपालको लागि केही गर्न नसके पनि आफ्ना केटाकेटिको अगाडि नेपाल खत्तम छ वा नेपालको बारेमा नकारात्मक कुराहरु नगरि दिनु होला | हामी सब आफ्नो बाल बालिकाको निम्ती चिन्तित छौ | तसर्थ नेपाली स्कूलमा आफ्ना बच्चाहरु ल्याउन नसकेता पनि भिडियो गेम र टि भि को समयलाई अली कटौती गरी आफ्ना बाल बालिका सँग नेपाली गीत गाऔ र नेपाली अक्षरहरुको गेम खेलौ |

धन्यवाद

स्वयम्भू शाक्य
प्रिन्सिपल

qwerty.doc

Before I begin with my post, here is the actual title of this week’s blog: Second Week of April. My previous title made you open this post though, didn’t it?

Yes, there is actually a reason why my blog is entitled “qwerty.doc” this week. Let’s be serious, here. How many of you guys have ever titled your word document “jshvdjskh”?

*raises hand* It’s okay. You’re not alone. We usually end up typing random gibberish because we can’t think up of a title. This is the same if you’re writing a book, writing an essay, or writing a research paper. The title is, definitely, one of the most important aspects of writing. When you’re scanning books to read, does your eye inflict on 1000 Ways To Quickly Write An Essay or perhaps 10 Smart and Simple Tips On Writing? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if you’re finding out how to do something in an easier way, that you go search up a book that looks simple and sweet.

I know, I know. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Let’s be real here, though. In the 21st century, we want the cover to eye-appealing. So, today, my mission is to make sure you have an easier time naming things.

The first thing you should consider while naming something is the main subject. If you’re writing an essay about a new book you just read that’s title Three Little Words, then your essay may be titled “Reflections on Three Little Words”. Simple? It really, really is.

Say you have no idea on what the title should be and you’re in a random need of a word. I’ve got two solutions. The first one I learned in fourth grade when we had a published author come and visit our elementary school. She told us to go to a magazine and find a word. This word could be the title, name of a character, setting, etc. For your convienience, let me go grab a magazine and turn to a random page. Here is what I’ve found on Page 25 of a random U.S. News magazine.

Title: Lunesta

Time: Morning

Motto: A great tomorrow start tonight.

Wondering what the page was about? Lunesta, the sleeping pill:) Of course, maybe opening up to a random page might give you weird results, but nevertheless it’s a good thing to pass time with. Next, another way to come up with a title is by googling “Random Word”. It works. Here’s the first website it came up with: http://watchout4snakes.com/creativitytools/RandomWord/RandomWordPlus.aspx.

I am on that website. Okay, it’s asking me to list the word type and the complexity. Let’s go with… Adverb and Very Uncommon. What’s my random word? Drum roll…ANDANTINO! Now, tell me that you wouldn’t read a book with the title “Andantino.” They also have Random Sentence and Random Paragraph generators in this website if you ever need entertainment. Here are my sentences and paragraphs:

Sentence: A liquor deeds the algorithm across the touched slave.

Paragraph: Should the ranged award affect Susie? The tragedy blacks a dialect across the guiding triumph. Susie contours Bob. Why won’t Susie imprison Bob?

Hmm…quite fun. Now, if you’re writing a story and you need a name, you can find a name generator on this exact website! Let’s find a name…from the 1850 census (♪We can’t move forward, until you mail it back!♪), a female’s first name, atleast four letters, up to seven letters long, does not being with “F”, and ends with “A”. Here are the top 25 names:

LINDA , BARBARA , MARIA , LISA , SANDRA , DONNA , LAURA , JESSICA , CYNTHIA , ANGELA, MELISSA , BRENDA , ANNA , REBECCA , PAMELA , MARTHA , DEBRA , AMANDA , TERESA , GLORIA , THERESA , ANDREA ,  SARA , WANDA , and JULIA.

Again, this website is: http://watchout4snakes.com/CreativityTools/Main/Main.aspx. If it isn’t helpful enough, there are 27,900,000 results for random word on Google. Hope all your “naming” endevours go perfect!

Word of the Week
Andantino (adv.)
1. slightly faster than andante —used as a direction in music.

Picture of the Week

Boulevard du Temple, taken by Louis Daguerre. This is the first ever photograph of a person/people. (They are along the sidewalk.)

Events

April is Austism Month. Show your support for the cure of autism by wearing blue.

Movies

New movies that came out this past Friday were: Clash of the Titans, The Last Song, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?, The Greatest, Leaves of Grass, and The Warlords. If you’ve seen them, be sure to tell me if you liked them or not!

जातिय आन्दोलन आत्मघाती नबनुन्

हामीले जाने बुझेको ईतिहास भनौ लेखिएको ईतिहास, किम्बदन्ती र परम्परा, सन्स्क्रिती र चाड पर्बको आधारमा भन्दा नेपालमा जातिय र क्षत्रिय बिभेद थियो र कुनै न कुनै रुपमा अझै पनि छ भन्ने कुरा घाम जस्तै छर्लङग छ । एकातिर देश र समाजको सामाजिक परिस्थिती अर्कोतिर राज्यद्वारा बितरण गरिने साधन र श्रोतको असमानताले समाजमा कथित उपल्लो र तल्लो जातका बिच आर्थिक, राजनीतिक, शैक्ष्यिक, भौतिक लगायतका क्षेत्रहरुमा हैसियत समान रुपमा स्थापित नभएको कुरामा पनि शायदै बिबाद होला । समान अबसरको अभाबमा हरेक जाती र बर्गको समान रुपमा उत्थान र बिकास हुने कुरा नै भएन । राज्यको सम्रचना केन्द्रित र एकाधिकारबादी भईदिदा एक दुई बाहेक तल्लो भनिने जातका मान्छे भान्छे हुने परिस्थिती थिएन । समाजमा कुनै जात वा जातिलाई नियतबस दबाइएको भन्दा पनि त्यो एउटा परम्पराको रुपमा लिइएको थियो । शिक्षाको कमीले गर्दा कथित तल्लो भनिने जातहरुमा पनि आफु माथि थिचो मिचो भएको महशुस थिएन । कर्मको खेल, पूर्वजन्मको पाप वा त्यस्तै दैबी कारणले आफु त्यो जात वा कुलमा जन्मनु परेको र त्यो भोग्नु नै ईश्वरको कृपा हो भन्ने गहिरो विश्वाश दलित र जनजातिहरुमा थियो । एक पुस्ता देखी अर्को पुस्ता सम्म परम्पराकै रुपमा चल्दै आएको थियो यो जातिय बिभेद ।

१०४ बर्से राणा शासन ढलेपछी २००७ सालको क्रान्ति पछी बिस्तारै धेरै थोरै जनतामा चेतनाको बिकास भयो । आन्दोलनकै रुपमा बिकास हुन नसके पनि २०४६ साल सम्म आइपुग्दा नेपाली समाज मन्द गतिमा रुपान्तरणको प्रकृयामा थियो । राजा र सम्भ्रान्त बर्ग र कथित उपल्लो जातको चाहना नहुँदा नहुँदै पनि शिक्षामा बढ्दै गएको पहुच, चेतना र अन्तररास्ट्रिय प्रभाबले तल्लो भनिने जातिका मान्छेहरु पनि शासनको वरीपरी कताकती देखिन थाले । समाजमा रहेको असमानता हटाउने, सबैलाई समान अबसर प्रदान गर्ने, उनिहरुका जातिय र क्षेत्रिय बिभेद जरै देखी अन्त्य गर्ने भन्दा पनि केही टाठा जनजाती वा दलितका नेतालाई पद र पैसामा भुल्यायर समस्यालाई अल्पकालिन रुपमा समाधान गर्ने प्रयत्न गरियो । त्यही ब्यक्ती छानेर पीडित जनताका आवाजहरु मत्थर पार्ने सिल्सिलामा थुप्रै जनजातिका र केही दलित नेताहरु समेत राजनीतिमा देखा परेको देखिन्छ । फोहोर सफा नगरी लाम्खुट्टे नियन्त्रण गरेर समस्या समाधान गर्ने प्रब्रिती जस्तै त्यो बर्ग माथिको भेदभावलाई कायमै राखी आफ्नो अभिस्ट पुरा गर्ने तर्फ सत्तासिनहरु लागे । तर बागमतिमा धेरै पानी बगिसकेको थियो । त्यस्तै चेतनाको फल्स्वरुप २०४६ सालको जन आन्दोलन सफल भयो । उक्त आन्दोलनमा हरेक तह, तप्का र बर्गका जनताले उत्साहपुर्बक भाग लिए । उनिहरु सबैले उक्त आन्दोलनलाई आफ्नै मुक्ती आन्दोलनको रुपमा सम्झेका थिए । जनताको त्यो अपार समर्थन र सहभागीतामा भएको आन्दोलनले पञ्चायत बिदा भयो । यहाँ सम्म आइपुग्दा बिद्रोह गर्ने अवस्थामा नपुगे पनि पिछडिएका जाती र बर्गमा आफ्नो हक र अधिकार प्रती अनौठो जागरण पैदा भईसकेको थियो ।

जातिय बिभेदको सिकार बनेका दलित र जनजाती, भेदभाव र क्षेत्रिय उत्पिडनको सिकार बनेका तराइबासी र कर्णालीबासिले सोचे अनुरुप २०४६ सालपछी पनि परिवर्तन भएन । न दलित माथि हुने अमानबिय व्यबहारमा परिवर्तन आयो न त क्षेत्रिय असन्तुलनको अन्त्य नै । फल्स्वरुप समाजमा निराशा उत्पन्न हुन थाल्यो । समाजमा बिद्यमान यिनै अन्याय र सत्ताधारिहरुको अकर्मन्यता र अन्त्रद्वन्दको फेरो समातेर माओवादी आन्दोलन सुरु भयो । माओवादीका असल र जनप्रिय कामले भन्दा पनि शासकहरुका कृयाकलाप र सामाजिक बिभेदले उक्त युद्ध फस्टायो । माओवादीको उपयोगीताबादी निति थाहा पाए पछी कतिपय माओवादी बाट छुट्टीयर त कतिपय आफ्नै हिसाबले जातिय र क्षेत्रिय मुक्तीको लागी शशस्त्र र निशस्त्र आन्दोलनहरु सुरु गरिए । समाज एक किसिमले बिखण्डित हुने खालका गतिबिधी हरु हुन थाले पछी जाती जाती बिच लडाईं नै भई नसके पनि तिक्तता बढेको छ । तराइ टुक्रिने देखी जातिय सन्तुलन भत्किएर गृहयुद्धको समेत खतरा देख्नेहरुको सङ्ख्या कमी छैन । लौ बर्बाद भयो, बाँच्न गाह्रो भयो, उपद्रो भयो जस्ता कुरा मिडियामा, चोक गल्ली र चिया पसलमा पढ्न, सुन्न र देख्न पाईन्छ ।

हो यस्ले समाजमा केही खल्बली ल्याउन सक्छ, तनाब ल्याउन सक्छ र सही समाधान हुन सकेन भने जातिय युद्धको समेत खतरा हुन सक्छ । दलित, जनजाती र पिछडिएका बर्गको माग लाई सही रुपमा सम्बोधन गरिएन भने समाज पक्कै बिखण्डित हुने खतरा ईतिहासमा सबभन्दा अहिले बढी छ । उठेको चेतनाको स्तर र लग्भग सबैको हातमा पुगेको हतियारको कारण त्यो स्थिती नहोला भन्न सकिन्न । त्यस्तो स्थितिबाट रोक्नको लागि सर्बपक्षिय, सर्बदलिय र सर्बमान्य सम्रचना खडा गरिनु पर्दछ जस्ले देशभित्रका सबै जात जाती बर्ग र क्षेत्रका जनताको अवाज र जायज मागहरु सम्बोधन गर्न सक्ने सर्बाधिकार पाएको होस् । सबैका जायज माग हरुलाई अग्रगामी सोच सहीत अनुमोधन गर्ने र नाजायज, बिखण्डनबादी र अतिबादी सोचलाई अस्विकार गर्ने हिम्मत सबैमा हुनु पर्दछ । अर्कोतिर समाजमा बाहुन क्षेत्रिहरुको सङ्ख्या र योगदानलाई नजरन्दाज गरिनु हुन्न । २१औ सताब्दिमा पनि खाली जातिय कुरा निकालेर सम्पूर्ण समस्या समाधान नहुन सक्छ । बिगतमा वा पुर्खाहरुबाट अन्जानमा वा नियतबसनै गरिएका गल्ती भए पनि त्यस्को सजाय अहिलेको पिढिले भोग्नु पर्ने अवस्था आउनु हुँदैन । एउटा पक्षलाई अधिकारसम्पन्न बनाउदा अर्को पक्षको हित बिपरित हुनु हुन्न भन्ने हेक्का राखिएन भने त्यस्ले अर्को बिद्रोह निम्त्याउन सक्छ जुन राष्ट्र र आम जनताको लागि हित्कर हुन सक्दैन । गलत परम्परा त्यागिनु नै पर्छ, अन्याय र अत्याचार बन्द गरिनु नै पर्छ, जातिय बिभेद अन्त्य हुनै पर्छ, क्षेत्रिय असमानता निमिट्यान्न पारीनु पर्छ जस्बाट सबै जात जाती र जनताको समान अधिकार स्तापित होस् । जाती जाती बिचको सद्भाव ब्रिद्धी होस्, समाजमा सबै अटाउन् । कसैले पेलिएको वा हेपिएको महसुस गर्नु नपरोस् सबैको चाहना यत्ती हो । आधुनिक नेपाली युबाहरुको आबाज यही हो जुनसुकै जात वा समुदायका भए पनि । तर ईतिहासमा पुर्खाहरुले गरेको गल्तीलाई कोट्ट्याएर सचेत नयाँ पिढिमाथी रिस पोख्नु पक्कै जायज मान्न सकिन्न । आउनुहोस् बिर्सौ पुराना कुरा, नयाँ ईतिहास रचेर नयाँ नेपाल निर्माण गरौ जहाँ सबै बाँच्न पाइयोस, सबै हास्न पाइयोस् अनी सबै नाच्न पाइयोस् । बिद्वेस, अपमान र घ्रिणाको गर्हौ भारी बोकेर शान्त, सुशिल र सभ्य नेपाल कदापी बन्न सक्दैन । सबैलाई चेतना होस् ।

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