What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That’s not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that’s the burden of a year.
By: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
One of my friends said; one burns 200 calories* just to get out of the bed, in a wintry morning, to get to the work. I say it’s more like 400 calories; 200 on bed itself while you are just thinking about waking up, and 200 to actually get up. Though some might argue that’s a fantastic way to burn calories, trust me it’s no fun to wake up at 5-6 am every weekday, in these chilling condition.
Hope ya’ll are staying warm and cozy; wherever you are, except down under (Australia). Below, a recent picture taken from my window. And, a choreographed picture of a flower on snow; to make things brighter, even in gloom 
* Note: just for the sake of talking, not a fact
One of the bitter part of celebrating festivals (like Dashain) in a foreign country is that you don’t have any holiday atmosphere to go along with your rituals. As soon as you get out of your or your friend/relative’s house, it is business as usual. There is no festive environment, forget the holidays; it is like celebrating the festival in isolation and in patches. If I have to remember Dashain in Nepal at this moment, I would say: rituals for ghatasthapana, flying kites, fifteen days or month-long holiday, empty streets of Kathmandu, good food, my parents always buying the exact same cloths for me and my brother, fulpati rituals, astami, nawami, tika and blessing from elders, etc. Things that we took for granted or overlooked in Nepal are sorely missed here; the religious and cultural significance of a certain festivities is not complete without the festive atmosphere that precedes them.
As I mentioned in one of my previous post, we not only celebrate our own festivals here but are also culturally involved in the local festivals. We do get holidays for those, but the festive atmosphere encourages us to enjoy the culture even more. For example in Christmas, for weeks, there would be lighting and christmas carol everywhere you go, people everywhere seem happy and cheerful. Regardless of your religion, creed, or faith; I believe all the religious holidays are meant to be celebrated among families and friends. People everywhere sparing some time to get together and have fun. I tend to celebrate them all, as a means of getting together with friends and family, even if that’s not always economically viable 
Following are the few pictures I took around my neighborhood (you can click on them to enlarge).
If you are raising your eyebrow after reading the heading, I don’t blame you. This post is listed under my “I love to drink” blog category, so those who are regular to my blog can pretty much expect what’s coming up. As most of you might know how my loss of appetite for liquor has hurt that particular blog category, but I still find a way to get around it. Today I’m writing this post under the influence, not the liquor but general anesthesia 
Continue reading ‘Jiffy Lube, Dentist, and Sai Baba’
Following are the few of my recent pictures, taken within the 5 mile radius of my apartment. These pictures are more about what nature has to offer, than the camera tricks or editing; they are straight out of my camera. Enjoy
It’s been a little more than a year that I moved to Baltimore, and I still struggle to chaperon my visitors for the city and it’s vicinities tour. If someone is in Baltimore area for a very short visit, then it’s a piece of cake, I take them to the Inner Harbor. The Inner Harbor has it all; the aquarium, the science center, lot’s of chain restaurants, boat rides, and tons of other potential spots and scenes to capture for their Facebook There is also Fort McHenry close by to wrap up the combo Harbor trip.
If it’s slightly longer than a day visit, then it spells trouble for me. Not all want to go to the zoo, not all want to go for a hike in the trails, and going to a museum is an absolute no. Interests and time limits (enough for the harbor visit, but not for hours of hike) makes the above choices more difficult. I don’t know if its because that Nepal is blessed with so many natural wonders, we Nepalese want to see more physical structures. For any natural phenomenon to catch our attention, it has to be of a big magnitude, like Niagara Falls or Grand Canyon. Washington DC (less than an hour drive to my west) is always there to bail me out, but after multiple visits through the same routes has made it a very dull place for me. Even when it is extremely fascinating for the new visitors, I only go there if I am made to 
Continue reading ‘What to do in Baltimore?’
I have slowed down, limped, and even crawled; but I still vow to continue blogging. Today, ‘On the journey’ celebrated it’s third birthday, and it hopes for the same continued support and love from all the readers, well wishers, and critics towards its future march.
Thanks,
Prajwol
Enjoy few of the recent pictures from my camera. Please click on thumbnails to enlarge.
I believe there are three types of health care systems in the world. One is like in Britain or Canada, where the government either runs the whole health care system or runs the health insurance program. The people pay hefty taxes for it, but everyone is covered.
Second is like in Nepal, or in any other developing country, where health insurance is almost non existent. If you have money, you can find best of care. If not, then good luck in waiting for your appointment in government hospitals. Not a sound system, but fairly simple to understand.
Third is similar to what we have in United States of America, which I feel is the combination of above two. If you are above the age of 65 or a military veteran, then the system is more like in Canada, the government takes care of you. If you are below that age, then you need to purchase the ever expensive health insurance. If you have a pre-existing condition; good luck in finding an insurance provider. Even if you find one, it’s very complex to figure out what your insurance plan covers and what it doesn’t. The bottom line: health care system in America is best suited for wealthy or healthy.
The American legislator are currently trying to come up with a new health care legislation that will insure all uninsured people, and make it more affordable and stable for the ones who are already insured. There seems to be strong emotions in both sides of this legislative debate. I am, especially, fascinated with the opposition of this legislation. They have branded President Obama as both socialist and fascist for trying to overhaul the current health care system in America. I personally feel both of these accusations towards Mr. Obama are hyperbolic, but what amuses me more is how the “opposition” is trying to brand the proposed legislation (work in progress) as both fascism and socialism. Fascism and socialism are two opposing ideology. Even if the accusations were assumed to be valid, they contradict each other.
No matter how developed a country is, no matter how literate the people are; politics is always going to be politics: dirty.
Image source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u107/health%20care.jpg
सांझ ५ बजेको भेलामा सबै जसो नै आइ पुगीसकेका रहेछन, बिचरा एक जना भण्डारी दाजु सबै केटीहरुको माझ रहेर आफ्नो बुढीलाई सहयोग गर्दै रहेछन; कहिले oven मा मासु हाल्ने त कहिले trash फ्यांक्न जाने । तिजको एक हप्ता अगावै “दर” भनेर दरो कक्टेल पार्टिको तयारी गरेकी रहेछिन भण्डारी भाउजुले । एक छिन सबैले एक अर्काको खोज-खबर / hi-hello गरे, अनि त्यस पछी appetizer र wine संगै सुरु भइ हाल्यो आइमाइहरुको favorite topic: कसको दु:ख बढी दु:ख, र कसको बुढो झेल्न गार्हो
म: अनि साथी, काम कुरो मिल्यो कि ground work सम्म भए पनि सकेर आयौ ?
साथी: खै साथी के मिलेन के मिलेन । केही टुङो पनि लागेन, न त कुनै ground work पनि फिजाउन सकियो ।
म: Ground work पनि भएन? केही नभए पनि बिउ त कम से कम छर्केर आयौ कि जस्तो लागेको थियो ।
साथी: कहाँ साथी; पानी नपरेर कस्तो सुख्खा थियो, केही रोपनी हुनै पाएन नि ।
म: सुख्खा त हुनु नपर्ने, धेरै fertile छ भनेर पो सुनेको थिए ।
साथी: २०-२२ बर्षको मात्र fertile हो साथी, हाम्रो उमेरको लागि सुख्खै सुख्खा हो ।
म: त्यो त साथी अब जति ढिलो गर्यो उति नै गार्हो हुँदैं जाने त हो नि । २४-२५ बर्ष सम्म भए तिमीलाई ठीक हुन्न र?
साथी: अलि पढे लेखेको २४-२५ बर्षका सबै बाहिर, बाँकी रहेका २४-२५ बर्षकाहरु कि त पढ्न नसकेर बहिर जान नसकेका वा तिनीहरुका आ-आफ्नै २७-२८ का रहेछन ।
म: लौ न, फेरी यतैकालाई झनै गार्हो होला ?
साथी: गार्हो रहेछ । मैले धेरै जना बाट सुनेको, आजकाल काठमाडौंमा केटीहरुको कमि पनि छ रे ।
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