On the journey

The vivid images of Imran Khan lifting the 1992 World Cup was enough to get me into cricket , I never looked back  since then. I used to play a lot when I was younger, but I am now confined to periodic following over the Internet.  In those two (almost) decades, Australia were always on top. Many people, when they don’t have their favorite sports team playing, tend to support the underdogs;  and I am no different. Since they were not my favorite team to start with, they were always the team I was rooting against. Nothing personal against them; they never were underdogs hence never garnered my support.

I am keenly following the current Australia Vs South Africa test series, finally my support for an underdogs seems to be paying off. South Africa, the perennial chokers, just handed a series defeat to Australia in their own den. A feat most recently achieved by Richie Richardson’s team in 1992/1993 season, 16 years ago.  Though India just handed a series defeat to Australia, South Africa are the ones to nail the coffin with a series win at Aussies own backyard.

It seems that Australian supremacy of world cricket is slowly waning down. Who knows if I would be supporting Australia next year, there is  a good chance that they won’t be starting as a favorite for rest of the year

I am not big on greeting cards, I always feel  it’s waste of paper. Some might disagree, I have seen people collect cards throughout their lives, but that’s not my cup of tea. I don’t want to give cards, and I don’t expect either. But I keep on getting those unilaterally, especially during Christmas.

I don’t remember ever storing any cards, they all have similar fate: to trash cans. I believe most people do that too, so why waste paper. If you want to wish use E-cards, that way you can fulfill your objective as well as save the environment. This is why I love Facebook, no more birthday cards

Having a foreign name is no fun either, here are the list of names addressed to me in half dozen Christmas cards that I received at my work: Praswol,Prajwal, Praswal. Only one got it correct as Prajwol. Forget the Americans, in one of the invitation that I recently received from a relative was addressed as Mr. & Ms. Gazal

Christmas Card Source: www.allthingschristmas.com

One of the better aspects of us Nepalese is that we are ready for any fun or celebrations. I deduce to that conclusion simply by looking at the amount of holidays (public) that we have in Nepal as well as comparing my own experience among other nationalities here in United States. 

When I was student, I felt the international students to be in distinct disadvantages compared to the Americans when it came to partying. Most of the internationals endured more economic hardships, the repercussion of law was harsher, it was not our home turf, and we did not have immediate backing of our parents (or benefits of citizenship) either. Those disadvantages ensured that we worked even harder to strive for better, but in the meantime we didn’t let up our culture of fun; we were one of most happening nationalities (given what we had to work with). The Chinese and Indians might have gotten better career opportunities later on, but we Nepalese sure did enjoy every minute of our college days. We now can look back and say “Oh….I did get A in that subject, but after the test we had a blast” instead of “Oh….I did get A in that subject, and after the test I went straight to bed”. I don’t know if the same fun culture is the reason why Nepal is still backward, however I would always prefer “what I did” over “what might have been”.  

Someone told me that all meat shops in DC metro was out of lamb meat during Dashain season, that shows we haven’t forgotten our culture (may have modified slightly based on where we live and our needs). Also, we seem to have picked up the local culture like Christmas and Thanksgiving (as a culture not a religion). Those two are local (public) holidays, so why waste those two days watching movies while the rest of the population are doing something else. So we gear up for stuffed turkey during the thanksgiving family gathering, and sharing of gifts during Christmas dinner; both with an inclusive social theme.