issue 1

Social Networking

Plus 977

Com

plem

enta

ry C

opy

| May

-Jun

e 20

12

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au2

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 3

Off We Go!

Hello 977ers,One of the most daunting tasks for humankind is getting started and we have decided to get started. We sure have been off to a bouldered start

but we are driven to get through this rough patch. With this Nepali Lifestyle Magazine +977, we aim to connect all the Nepalese living worldwide.

We want to be their voice and provide a platform to all those youths who are taking initiations in their own feld regardless of their occupation,

background, ethnical group or geographical location. We want to support and bring forth the capabilities of the Nepali youths and encourage

them in their initiations to move ahed. To start with, +977 will focus on Nepali youths and lifestyle and will update about what is happening within

the Nepali community worldwide from Australia. Not to mention, we hope to lend our support to the businesses run by Nepali entrepreneurs in

Australia. +977 is going to be a unique means to keep in touch with the Nepali community. With this magazine, we aim to - besides bringing

our community together - unify our community and make their bonds stronger than ever. We know what it is like to be away from home and

family. We cannot totally compensate those absences but what we can do is make up for the anxiety and frustrations that spring up from the

loneliness. Let’s hope we succeed in doing so. We cannot help but thank Mr. Nischal Basnet for adorning the cover of our very frst issue. We

could not have asked for a better personality for the start. As an iconoclast for Nepali youngsters, he inspires us to live with vision, talent and

potentials as he has. Being a visionary person that he is, he will continue to lead the youth of today to a better path showing them how

to sow the seeds of dreams and how to reap the success after toiling hard. It would be ungrateful on our parts not to mention our supporters

and well-wishers who did bear with us during our frst struggling days. They have been patient enough to allow us the time we needed. We

are fully aware that the wait was getting longer. Still, they understood and endured. Now that we are fnally here, we are keeping our fngers

crossed that everything turns out well and that we are welcomed and loved by all. Any suggestions and tips on our shortcomings are more than

welcome. As they say, getting started is less than half the job, we still have a long way to go. We vow to keep coming back with what you want

to read on our magazine. All we are asking you is to support us in our initiation

Kushal KC

Publisher | Founder

FrOM THe PuBLISHer'S DeSk

Our TeamPublisher | Founder

Kushal KC

Manager | Co-FounderErshad Ahmed

AdvisorBimal Bhattarai

Editorial TeamAneesh Shrestha

Mani JoshiRomu Shrestha

Mukunda KhanalPradeep Chapagain

Suraj Pradhan

In house DesignerRaames Sangat

In house PhotographersBikram Malla ThakuriVivek Jung Basnet

Public RelationAbiskar Bhujel (Melbourne)Rishan Acharya (Sydney)

Prakash Dhamala (Sydney)Rajiv Chaudhari (Darwin)

Suraj Aryal (Perth) Suraj Kandel (Brisbane) Ram Sharma (Adelaide)

Design ExpertiseHimrose IT & Media, Nepal

+977 is a Nepali Lifestyle Maga-zine published in Australia by Nine

Double Seven Pty Ltd | ABN 73 154 677 326 | Corporate Office Suite 303, Level 3 468 George Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Australia |

Inquiries, feedbacks or concerns can be reached at inquiry@plus977.

com.auwww.plus977.com.au

Photography by Vinod Parihash

DESIG

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+977 | May-Jun 2012 | Issue 1 | Volume 1

CONTENTS

66Leap of cultural faith

24Restructuring the way we perceive the world of radio

56FAshIon

Giving a chic touch to your sense of

style

67TRAvEl

Pristine back country experience

14 FEATuRIng MoDEl

A visionary hotshot leading the youngsters

12FICTIon

Life expects you to be prepared For worst Case Scenario

36REAlITy bITEs

What's on your mind? But do not forget to check on your

real life too.

52gouRMET

There is More Fun in eating than meets the eye

24lAunCh

Revolution kicks off in style

9gAME REvIEw

Taking you through the latest innovations

Inside

Cutting edge game that is on the prowl

Accessories Designed Practically

for Real People

Feature Model The brightest and the best.

Connect and share with the people in your life both in person and on your social networks.

Rhythm Brothers set an exanple by quietly beginning the media revolution

Experience Langtang

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 9

Game Rev i ew

(Defense Of The Ancients), a mini-map for Warcraft III (The Frozen Throne) by Blizzard, Valve Corporation developed a sequel for it named as DOTA 2 which is playable on Steam. It comes under Real-Time Strategy genre (RTS) and is still in the development process. “Icefrog” is the lead designer for DOTA2 and also the current developer of Warcraft Mod map DOTA. The gameplay and characters are similar to that of DOTA. The only difference is that DOTA2 is more detailed in its 3D environ-ment and gameplay.

About the gameplay of DOTA2, play-ers can choose either “The Radiant” faction located at the southwest corner of the map or “The Dire” faction located at the northeast corner of the map. Players are then allowed to choose from a range of Heroes based on Strength, Agility and Intelligence. All Heroes have different skills which can be leveled up till 25 from the combat experience gained during the game. The primary objective of the game is to destroy the opponent’s main towers known as “Ancient Fortresses” situated at opposing ends of the map, pushing 3 lanes and destroying Strong Towers on the way. Weak units called creeps are spawned in every lane when moving toward the tower in the lane. He-roes gain levels by either killing those creeps or killing the opponent. Neutral creeps spawn at specific places on the map. Gold is the main resource for buying items. One gold is granted

every second to every player but if heroes kill creeps, neutral creeps, heroes or destroy tow-ers, they get extra gold. More levels and gold is gained if opponent’s hero is killed and other enemy structures are destroyed. Basically play-ers need to get more creep kills and prevent the opponent from leveling up. Ganking is a common word in this game where players group together and try to kill opponents by combining their skills. A great timing of Gank can turn the game around. As for items, there are a range of items depending on their price and effectiveness. All the items are useful if used in the proper way. There are items which can be combined and can be turned into more powerful items. Two Secret shops are located at the top and bottom lanes and one main secret shop is located at the Radiants area between the middle and bottom lanes.

As I said before, Heroes falls under three categories Strength (Str), Agility (Agi) and Intelligence (Intel), they get stronger after lev-eling up and purchasing items according to the situation of game. All heroes can level up to a maximum of 25. Normally Heroes have 3 nor-mal skills and maximum of 3 upgrades and one major skill which can be taken at level 6 with 2 upgrades, rest of the upgrades are stats (gaining more healthpoints (hp), mana and increase in str/agi/int according to type of hero. Items can be purchased from shops at the base or from secret shops. Players have healthpoints (hp)

and mana indicated by mana bar and hp bar. Each side has a fountain situated at the base where players can replenish their mana and hp. Each player has six slots to fill in with differ-ent items. Players start off with some starting items which are low in cost but as the game progresses and gold flow is good they can buy other items or luxury items. So utilizing gold for the correct items is necessary.

Players can either play in normal mode, played mostly in random servers with random gameplay or captain`s mode played in profes-sional levels with picks and bans of heroes to balance the game. Normally it takes about 25 to 60 minutes for a game to finish. In Computer gaming history DOTA2 is the first game which had a tournament of over $1,000,000 pool prize money. 16 of the top teams of DOTA around the world battled for the glory, with the winner selected by Valve. The team Na`Vi snatched first place from E-HOME in an epic battle.

The Full version of DOTA2 is set to be released by the end of year 2012. Currently random people are selected from the stream of people who have taken part in surveys and given a beta key to the game. Each week 150 beta keys are distributed and updates are released such as new heroes, changelogs etc. This allows players to play the beta version and give feedback to the development team about gameplay and mistakes known as bug to increase the quality of the game.

After a massive success of DOTAReview by: Utsav Singh

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au10

App Name :ViberDescription: Viber is an Android and

iPhone application that lets you make free phone calls and send free text messages to other users that have Viber installed any-where in the world. It is free software with good quality sound. They have more than 40 million users.

Pros: Free calling and texting to any-one else who also has Viber installed. It automatically dictates all the contacts from your contact list that have Viber so you can benefit from using free calls.

Cons: Can be used by two people only if both of them have Viber installed.

App Name: Nepali PatroDescription: Nepali Patro is a great cal-

endar to have in your mobile to keep track of Nepali dates, events and festivals. It is available for both Android and iPhone.

Pros: It highlights all the important festivals and occasions on the top of the calendar for every month making it easy to browse

Cons: It lists every moon placement making it bit confusing if you are looking for main events only.

App Name: InstagramDescription: It is an apple applica-

tion which has made sharing photos in Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr easy, fast, beautiful and fun. It has good amount of filters for immediate processing.

Pros: Any photo taken by any camera can be edited and shared by transferring to phone and using Instagram.

Cons: The changing User Interface had made it difficult to follow than last one.

App Name: TV & Movie Guide

AustraliaDescription: It is an app that will allow

you to view what’s on TV and also look up movies and session times in cinema across Australia. It lists free to air channels in Australia.

Pros: It can be customised to view only the channels you want.

Cons: Every cinema is selected by default, it would be better if you could just select the ones you want instead of dese-lecting the irrelevant ones

App Name : Where’s My DroidDescription: This is an Android app

to recover and track lost android phones. It has lots of features like remotely lock device, remotely wipe data, notification of changed SIM card or phone number, find phone by making it ring/vibrate, find phone using GPS location and more.

Pros: It is easy to use have straightfor-ward in execution and operation.

Cons: Unfortunately the app does not switch on GPS automatically, so you'll need to make sure GPS is always activated if you feel a loss or theft coming on.

App Name : TripView Sydney LiteDescription: This app gives you access

to Sydney bus, ferry and train timetables, letting you work out how long a journey from point A to point B will take. You can save routes if you purchase the full version, and you can access information about ser-vice interruptions.

Pros: Supports all suburban and inter-city CityRail services

Cons: Unfortunately available only in Sydney. Timetable data is derived from the web based timetables, so it does not take into account any delays, cancellations, or track work.

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 11

Arcam drDockThe drDock is docking system which is compatible

with the complete Apple family including iPads that will connect perfectly to a digital TV or any AV receiver via HDMI, to a PC via USB and etc. Another better news is that the drDock does not use the inferior Apple internal audio, as the built in DAC takes care of all that. The drDock syncs all your devices and, with the exception of the iPad, charges them too, whilst the handy remote controller will give you all the control you need without getting off the couch with full support for iOS devices including power, volume, play, pause, skip/seek, repeat and shuffle functions.This is a sensible and highly affordable addition to your digital home set up and one that will keep all the members of your Apple family very happy indeed.

LG Lucid An Easy To Use Android Phone

LG Lucid an LTE enable Android 2.3 smartphone that has 1 GB RAM, 5.0 Megapixel camera, 1.2 GHz processor, slick design and swift data. The quality of the camera is impressive. It is ideal for the first timer in smart phone trend. It has preloaded applications like Gmail, Netflix, YouTube, Android Market, SmartShare, and many more, which will keep you wanting more. With its 4 inch Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen, superior outdoor visibility, an auto adjust feature and 700 nits of brightness, it looks good in any light. It is an all rounder phone, you can check the sports score, checking your kids or office. Its dual core processor plus 4G speed makes multitasking easy. The gadget is 4.69 inches tall, 0.45 inch thick, 2.45 inches wide and weighs 5 ounces. The volume rocker button and microUSB port are situated on the left hand side of the smartphone, while the 3.5mm headphone jack on top to the left. You will find the power/sleep key on the right hand side of the device.

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au12

“lucid dReam”

Fic t i on Lucid Dream

It was one of those winter nights, when rain without any greed was pouring, when cold and thunder were expressing their rudeness and when a bus was challenging all the nature’s power and was

competing with the speed of Trisuli River to reach its destination.

Everyone was embracing the chilly cold weather and was falling deeply asleep on the passenger seats but Anjali was so eagerly

waiting to reach her target. The driver was so tired and wanted to complete his task and i.e. driving and speeding up more often than

not. Anjali

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was excited to meet her childhood friend, long time boyfriend Avash who was returning back to his hometown after completing his studies to get married with Anjali and to turn you and me into us together, forever and ever.

The clock had just struck 1 in the morning and they were nowhere near their destination. It was the time to have dinner for the travelers so, the bus pulled over at one of the roadside restaurants. Along with other people Anjali too went to freshen up. After that she ordered a plate of rice and started with it and just then somebody called her from behind. When she turned back she saw Avash standing just few steps away from her. Disbelief and excitement got the best of her, she could not hold herself back. So, she ran to him in no time and hugged him tightly.

He explained that he had reached home early. The wait was getting ominously long until he could not wait anymore to meet her. And, there he was, holding Anjali tight in his arms, to have some quality time together. Avash was driving his own vehicle, so Anjali abandoned the bus jumped into the first seat. With him alongside, that long, cold, lonely and boring journey had turned into a smooth, warm, and an interesting one. Hand in hand, eyes in eyes they together talked about their past, the

hot and happenings of their life, how they held up when they were away for so long and mostly they kept expressing their sacred love for each other.

In the whole journey, mostly, Avash was the one recalling every little memory of them together, about his excitement for their mutual future and was asking for forgiveness if there was any mistake he had made so far. With the background music “lajalu muskaan le priyesi” the environment was turning more and more romantic. Slowly the clock moved to 3 and suddenly the warm hand of Avash turned to cold, Anjali was shocked when she felt the sudden change that he just went through but he just kept continuing his sentences so she kept numb. She was faintly falling into sleep and the last word she heard from him was I love you.

Hey! Anjali wake up. Are you with me? Stay with me. Suddenly she started hearing a faint voice. It compelled her to open her eyes and when she did that what she saw was that her mom was crying and trying to wake her up. It took her a few moments to come around. At first she thought it was just a dream because just a little while ago she was with Avash driving along the long way home but as the sound turned louder and louder, she came to terms that it was not so and the disaster had

struck them. She rushed towards her mom and asked what was wrong and how she reached home? Her mom explained to her everything in a weak voice that they found her with her luggage sleeping on the door step and also the reason behind her crying that Avash had died in a car accident. After knowing the facts she collapsed then and there.

Avash and Anajali who were going to marry were in relationship since they had known the meaning of love. They were coming back to each other to take their long term relationship to the next stage of love, marriage, that is. So that same day when Anjali was returning back to her hometown, Avash too was driving back home. But on his way back, he had had a severe accident and been rushed to the hospital. After the hard try of doctors, they had given up on him. Avash had lost his life at 3 0’ clock in the morning, so, when they were driving together the change of Avash’s body temperature was a last touch of his to Anjali. His body was taking last breath at the hospital but his soul was with Anjali. That night, he was there to bid a proper farewell to his love of his life, to express how much he loved her, to show her what and how much she meant to him in his life, to ask forgiveness if he had made her cry and last but not the least to see his love’s smiling face for one last time.

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au14

cove r S to r y Featuring Model

A Prodigy

with high

APtitude And

nAturAl gift

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Fashionwise

Model Featuring

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+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au16

Photography: Mingma Sherpa

When Loot was released people were unsure of how the movie would turn out but slowly it gained momentum and today it stands as the highest grossing Nepali movie, celebrat-ing glorious 51 days and still going strong at various theatres in Nepal.

Loot, a story about Haku Kale (Saugat Malla), a man with a Master Plan for a bank robbery and how he finds his accomplices, plans the robbery to successfully rob a bank. It is a story about frustration, love, relationship, friendship, betrayal and greed.

One of the important reasons this movie is so well received is that it tells a story about the lives of ordinary Nepali people of Kath-mandu rather than getting a script inspired by Bollywood or Hollywood movies. Everyone

who watches the movie can relate to the movie and its script reflects the reality of everyday life in Kathmandu. The humour infused in the movie from time to time makes the audience genuinely laugh, they are not just forced comic scenes. The well defined characters in the movie are in sync with the story which makes the movie very different from most of the other movies currently being made in the Nepali movie industry.

When did you first start getting into films ?

There was a film festival last year and I participated in the competitive sector and my movie was selected among the top 5. It was a short movie and the name was “Innocent”. Talking about movie making, after returning from Australia in 2009, I had a mindset that I would make a movie and I was ready for the

struggle in doing so. I had no contacts and my family background did not belong to the film making fraternity. Luckily, I got a chance to work as a production assistant in one of the upcoming movie “Goodbye Kathmandu”. I consider myself lucky to have had the chance to assist a director which gave me a chance to understand every aspect of film making and I understood the importance of input from the bottom up.

So, do you think you got into movies out of chance or luck ?

While in Australia, where I used to play football for “Nepalese Thunderstorm Football Team”, I had promised myself and my seniors in the team that I would make a film that I would want to watch as an audience within 5 years. Luckily not even after 2 years, Loot hap-

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 17

up close and Personal with

Nischal

Fashionwise

Model Featuring

pened which I considered as my life’s biggest achievement.

How do you want to be introduced

since you have so many talents ?I just wanted to make a name for myself

when I came into this line so I would just want to be known as a film maker.

What was it like to direct your 1st film? Was it different from what you had imagined ?

In every creative field, there is no room for satisfaction. So, I had everything in mind that I wanted to put on screen but as I see it now, there are places I wish I would have improvised. There are lot of mistakes in the movie which could have been eliminated.

How did you come up with the story for Loot? What inspired you or led you to make this movie the way it is now? Were there specific scenes you had envisioned in your mind (when writing the story) ?

I had the first draft written in one night. The only thing that I had in mind was to make a movie that the audience can relate to. We rehearsed every scene before actu-ally shooting it. Each and every scene in the movie was already in our mind before even shooting them. But although we had in mind what we needed in the movie, due to various factors, we had to compromise and thus change or improvise during the shoot.

Was there any hesitation on your part to make the movie ? Why or why not ?

When I started this movie, I never thought of depending on others. I wanted to produce as well as direct this movie for my own satisfaction and I wanted to relate that with the audience. At the moment, the audi-ence in Nepal is divided. There are certain group of people who will watch nepali mov-ies every month and another who will watch only if the reviews are good and they don’t care how many Nepali movies are releasing each week. Even I fall into the latter category. I wanted to bring them together and I was focused to do this at all times while making the movie.

At any time during the production, was there ever any doubt that you could pull it off ? Or were you pretty confident by that point ?

Not at all. In this one and half year of this movie making, I saw nothing but the movie. I had invested so much of my passion and hard work in to this movie that there was no room for any kind of pessimism. I was confident whatever I was doing was right. The whole team working with this movie knew and had faith in the project. I knew what I was doing and that has paid off well.

What was the hardest part in making of this movie ?

I would say the hardest part in the making of the movie was those that were out of our reach. For example, the technical prob-lems along with the load shedding gave us problems in the most unexpected time. Even the censor board gave us some hard time by

asking us to mute some words when we were already tight on schedule for movie release but we managed to get past all the difficulties.

How do you feel now that the movie is so well received ?

It feels great to be appreciated. I never thought it would be this big. I just wanted to reach more audience in the urban sector who would not go to the theatre to watch nepali movie but maybe the stars were on my side this time.

What is your next step, anything in the pipeline ?

There are few projects that have been of-fered to me but I am not yet determined about them. I am still in the Loot hangover and the movie is still doing good. I just want to fully enjoy the success before I can jump into other projects. I deserve some rest after one and a half year of hard work.

What do you want to say to people who haven’t watched LOOT yet ?

Its all about choice and I can’t drag them. We have tried to make a good movie and everyone has appreciated so I request them to go and watch it once and maybe decide if the movie is worth all the praise and accolades it is receiving.

Haku Kale is immortalized and thanks to Saugat Malla, did you have any other actor in mind while building up this character ?

by Mingma Sherpa and Mani Joshi

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au18

cove r S to r y Featuring Model

In the beginning, the character was Kale and not Haku kale and it was based on myself. After choosing almost all the characters, we were not sure whom to cast in the part of Haku Kale who could do justice to the character. One of my friends suggested me Saugat dai’s name and it clicked and I met him and told him the story to which he agreed right away. Later, I gave him my script and told him we could develop more to it and expand it. I had given freedom to all the actors and the inputs that helped me the build up. Haku Kale is to-tally Saugat dai’s idea. There would have been no other actor who could have lived up to the character. The full credit for the character goes to Saugat dai.

The ending of the movie suggests there might be a sequel in the line. Have you thought about it yet ?

I personally believe the climax plays major role in the movie. So I wanted to make sure the climax was different and “incomplete” for the audience to understand. The reason the climax have been left that way was to give the idea of the present situation of the country where the negative character wins. I have not yet thought about the sequel and have no plans as of yet to

bring a sequel of the movie.

What was the reason you chose to come to Australia? How long did you stay in Australia? What did u do/study while in Australia ?

I stayed in Autralia for almost 2 years. I was initially there to study 3D animation but because of various reasons I changed my course to Hospitality. I studied it for almost 2 years and during my last semester unfor-tunately the college was shut down by the government.

Most people who come to Aus don't re-turn to Nepal. Why did you return or think of returning to Nepal ?

I never had that in- ten-

tion to stay back in Australia. It must be the love for my country, my parents and my friend that led me back into Nepal. I always wanted to come back and do something here instead of staying back plus I was not satisfied at all with the kind of life I was having and the kind of work I was doing there.

What do you want to tell people who want to go back to Nepal ?

The country needs young people like us. Leaving one's country and settling down in a different country is almost like leaving your parents when they are old. I understand our country is going through a rough phase right now but I am sure there are better days stored in for our country and I look forward to it. But then again, these are my views and it is not necessary everybody has the same opinion.

Photography: Vinod Parihash

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I stayed in Autralia for almost 2 years. I was initially there to study 3D animation but because of various reasons I changed my course to Hospitality. I studied it for almost 2 years and during my last semester unfor-tunately the college was shut down by the government.

Most people who come to Aus don't return to Nepal. Why did you return or think of returning to Nepal ?

I never had that intention was to stay back in Australia. It must be the love for my country, my parents and my friend that lead me back into Nepal. I was wanted to come back and do something here instead of staying back plus I was not satisfied at all with the kind of life I was having and the kind work I was doing there.

What do you want to tell people who want to go back to Nepal ?

The country needs young people like us. Leaving one's country and settling down in a different country is almost like leaving your parents when they are old. I understand our country is going through a rough phase right now but I am sure there are better days stored in for our country and I look forward to it. But than again, these are my views and it is not necessary everybody have the same opinion. tand our country is going through a rough phase right now but I am sure there are better days stored in for our country and I look forward to it. But than again, these are my views and it is not necessary everybody have the same opinion.

Some LOOT trivia• Loot” grossed over Rs 25.5 million in seven weeks making history for being the highest earning Nepali movie of all time (need more facts here)

• Haku Kale character is mirrored by the director’s own personality

• Originally, Loot was written for a short film

• First draft of the loot was written in one night from 10PM at night to 4AM

Fashionwise

Model Featuring

Photography: Mingma Sherpa

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even ts Happening

Nepal Nachcha Sydney 2012

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Party CenterN e p a l i N e w Ye a r P a r t y 2 0 6 9

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I f you were in Kathmandu in the mid 90's, you must have fond memories of the time when FM (frequency modula-tion) radio was first introduced in Nepal. It was one of

the best things that happened in that decade for people like me, who enjoyed a wide variety of music. Choosing between vari-ous music stations to listen to was a great treat and stations like Kantipur FM, HITS FM, Classic FM, and Image FM paved the path for all other FM stations to come.

At that time, two brothers who called themselves Rhythm Brothers also made their impact on the FM front with their cap-tivating voice, witty sense of humour and good personalities. It was their playful shenanigans that saw them climb to the top of the ratings chart and claim recognition as the modern day voice of FM radio.

I used to love them as they were presenters who could make you listen, rather than just hear and their programs were largely unscripted and instead, consisted of real chitchat and impromp-tu humour unlike some other programs in which it felt like the RJs were just reading from a paper. I still remember

the eve-nings with load shed-ding, when

I had used battery operated radio just to listen to them; and Music Jam used

to brighten up my evening. It was one of the best programs of its time and the brothers were able to make their mark on everyone's memory.

Then I finished high school and decided to come to Aus-tralia. The day I came to Sydney, I missed a lot of things from home like my family, Nepalese food but I also missed listening to the show. It made me wish that it would have been so much better if I had an opportunity to listen to the show form here as well but unfortunately it was not possible.

Not until now that is. Yes you heard me right, now Asish and Prasan Syangden along with Manoj KC and Cabinet Shrestha have started a new radio station in Nepal and they named it very aptly, calling it REVOLUTION RADIO. In short it is also know as RVL Radio.

Talking to Asish about how they came up with this new

Let the

begin !

We were just talking about radios and how

things have become monotonous in this area

and that we wanted to do something new.”

� by Mani Joshi

launch Let the Revolution Begin

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concept for radio in Nepal, he said “Me and Prasan, and Manoj (from 1974AD) hit on the idea of online radio in Manoj's room. We were just talking about radios and how things have become monotonous in this area and that we wanted to do something new.” As great ideas are always appreci-ated, they were joined by Cabinet Shrestha when he heard the concept and they expanded from the home studio to Moksh complex in Jhamsikel.

They worked really hard to convert their concept into real-ity and recently launched the radio station with a grand party called “Revolution at Moksh”. It was a black carpet (yes, not red carpet) event attended by many influential people of Nepal. It was a magnificent event introducing Revolution Radio fol-lowed by musical performances of Hemant Rana, Albatross, Subani Moktan, 1974 AD and Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory.

Revolution Radio has music for every taste from dance numbers, blues, metal, Nepali adhunik, Nepali folk, pop and rock music. They have live broadcasting from 7 am-11am (12.15 pm to 4.15 pm Sydney time) everyday in the morning and the same time in the evenings as well. They are focusing not only on the audience in Nepal but also on people around the globe especially Australia, USA, UK and the Middle East.

I have been listening to them during my lunch breaks for a few weeks now and I'm loving it. The sound quality is really good and they play a great range of songs. It is easy to interact with them via facebook, twitter or Skype. You can even have a peek at the studio from their RevCam.

So don't forget to tune in to Revolution Radio, I bet you will love it. Please visit their website www.rvlradio.com for more information.

They are powered by SUBISU Cablenet and partner with The Himalayan Times Kathmandu Conservatory, AGNI Incor-porated Pvt. LTD.

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• Asish Syangden• Prasan Syangden• Samriddhi Rai• Elisha Scarlet Shrestha• Yanik Shrestha• Bhadrayo Chari • Sumeet Sigdel,

• Sumita Gurung • Dj PhuCHheY• Monica Jha• Pretty Limbu

The voices behind the revolution radio are:

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I look around; books, files amassed everywhere, frustration amassed inside me. “Rush,” the tick-tock of my clock clamors. So, I hasten up to my routine. Thoughts take unpredictable shapes and mock at my life again. In my imagination, I color my life the way I want. I don’t have to wait; for my exam result to judge my potential, a boss’ order to do something, my parents’ permission to experiment life! I don’t wait, I DO! And surprisingly, there’s no intervention at all; my will is ineluctable!

Why am I so eaten-up by worries and exhausted here in my reality but so enthusiastic and active, in my thoughts? I scan through the newspaper; Shakespeare’s words: “Be thou great in deeds as thou great in thoughts” -the thought of the day. Indeed, what’s the point in only plunging into an endless ocean of reveries? Imagining big and doing nothing – where

does that lead me to? My imagination should have a better point than being just a too regular entertainment; an effortless habit that takes me to a terra incognita of immeasurable but imaginary happiness that I’ve bestowed the power upon to devour most of my time as if it’s innocuous, when it’s not; when, in actuality, it’s poison is spreading its ever-growing tentacles in every part of my life, showing me dreams of versatile perfection but abandoning me, again, in my reality where flowers don’t always bloom when I want them to.

Why does sun refuse to shine as brightly at my real world as it does in my imagination? There are only incessant questions! I look around trying to distract myself; I spot an old fellow working against his age, shouldering heavy loads with no complains. His wrinkles speak of efforts he’s made to justify life. I realize

it’s no good blaming the sun for not shining, flowers for not blooming, the world for not making things easier for me, my fate for not spoon-feeding me! WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? The real me and the imaginary me are no different persons! My imagination can be my guidelines and when I get to do it for the second time in my reality, what’s stopping me?

What’s stopping each of us from creating a world of our individual creativity? A dark wall made up of our apprehension and reluctance! Once we dare to live our dreams, making our imagination a weapon, we can get going! And the interventions that might knock at our door every now and then, we know better than just giving up, don’t we?

wEAPon oF IMAgInATIon

I dream. I wake up. The contrasting pictures give me

paroxysms of chagrin. Back to reality, life hardly accepts being

painted by my favorite color.

Know You rse l f Weapon Of Imagination

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According to the Wikipedia, “Social media is a use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into

an interactive dialogue.” In other words, “Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interac-tion, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.”

A small group of Nepali Twitter users’ group TFC Nepal (@tfcNepal) celebrated its first an-niversary on 24th March, 2012 with some orphans in the presence of CNN Hero 2012 nominee Pushpa Basnet in Kathmandu. TFC Nepal is a group of Nepali Twitter users which was started last year by like minded youths with an aim to bring smiles on the faces of the needy. This twitter group has already helped five different organizations including orphanage and schools.

TFC Nepal is not funded by any organizations; rather individual members are contributing and do-nating whatever amount they can to this group. It’s a great example of conversion of online activities to offline action via social media.

A few weeks ago, Nepal government gave 20 Million Nepali Rupees to UCPN Maoist’s leader Prachanda’s son Prakash Dahal and his group to

climb Mount Everest. But as the news broke out on radio, television, websites, blogs and social net-working site, people started criticizing and protest-ing against the Government and Prakash Dahal. The protests went so viral over different social media that, Prakasha Dahal couldn’t defend against all the criticisms that were popping up in social media like Facebook, Twitter and Blogs. He even deactivated his Facebook account for some days. Due to this intense pressure on the social media, he finally decided not to take the money from the Government to climb Mount Everest.

These two cases are just examples of how the youths are using social media in Nepal for the betterment of the society and the country. It’s obvi-ous that the youths are the primary users of social media and are triggering offline activities through them. When we talk about the changes that happen through social media, we shouldn’t neglect Nepal Unites, a Facebook group which ran a campaign asking Constituent Assembly members to draft the constitution in time.

Social media is now challenging the main stream media such as paper, TV and radio. Informa-tion can be found by just navigating through cyber-space, which has made social networking sites the most effective way to disseminate information.

Social Media & Youth Activism in NepalSocial media have great business value as well.

These days, businesses are embracing social media to make their reputation online. Social media can be used as a marketing channel as well as to build relationship with customers, and as a support chan-nel. You might have heard that, in Venezuela more than two hundred people were hired just to manage the President’s Twitter account.

However, social media has just entered Nepal and it’s in its initial phase. I hope to see more devel-opment in social media sector in the coming years. The youth are highly engaged in social media to communicate with their friends and family through sites such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. They don’t use social media just for fun or just to fool around but are serious as well and are using it to bring about change. In this article, I have just given a general overview and some successful campaigns about social media, though there are limitations & disadvantages to social media. Let’s use social me-dia for the betterment of our society and country.

Anil [email protected]://aakarpost.comTwitter: @aakarpost

Soc ia l Social Media & Youth Activism in Nepal

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Life as a student is always tough, chal-lenging, exciting and at the same time, confusing; especially for those full fee paying international students who have not been privileged with financial support from their parents. Nevertheless, it makes you feel proud about all your accomplishments and makes you a better, self-confident and independent person.

The data for Nepalese, international stu-dents, in Australia is still inconclusive but I estimate over 50,000 are currently studying here. All of them have their own tales about their life as a student. Surely some have achieved more than others but no one is ex-empt from problems and challenges. Work, assignments, exams, personal problems, financial hardship, relationship, family and the list goes on. But that is the beauty of life. Life without challenges is incomplete and colourless.

As an international student, I have been through this facet of life. I still recall those days and the challenges I faced. I enjoyed every bit of it. Obviously, I am not the only

one on board. From these hurdles, many les-sons were learnt and many close friendships were formed. I am proud of how I faced them and do not regret any of it.

After completion of Intermediate in Sci-ence (I.Sc.), the next phase of my life was to be decided. I was offered a full scholarship to study Electrical Engineering in India but I had Australia set on my mind, as my next destination. At a young age of 18, I arrived in Australia in 1996 as an IT student. I had no relatives nor did I have any friends here. The challenges were far greater than I had anticipated but I was thrilled to face them all one at a time, though they seemed never ending. I quickly got adapted to the technol-ogy, lifestyle, language and the problems. I still recall those days of embarrassment on not being able to use the new technology such as ATMs, train, bus, Internet, mobile phones and many more. I had no one to guide me through unfamiliar gadgets and territories. My memories of knocking on every door for a job are still fresh in my mind. It did not take long for me to make new friends who shared every walk of my

Life As An InternationalStudent In Australia

life here.

Although I enjoyed the new life, I had no hope or intention of living in Australia permanently. It took me a while to save enough money to study in a university and I finally joined University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in 1998 for further education. It was again a new challenge for me. I en-joyed every moment at UTS except the days in which I needed to pay the tuition fees. I often asked myself if it was worth paying so much for my studies, since after converting Australian Dollars into Nepalese Rupees it was a nearly a small fortune. Permanent residency was not in the equation back then. I was among only a handful of students who were prepared to shell out so much for a good degree instead of enjoying cheaper fees at very flexible colleges and earning Australian dollars.

The Howard government introduced fa-vourable policies for International students for permanent migration in 1999 - 2000.

i n t r ospec t i on Life As An International Student In Australia

By Sanjeev Sharma

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The number of students joining universities and other courses grew significantly. Most of them had only Permanent Residency (PR) on their mind. Who would not choose to live in this beautiful country at a time when Nepal was going through a bloody Maoist insurgency. The focus of interna-tional students shifted towards getting a PR instead of a quality education. Getting a PR was taken for granted after completion of 2 years of study in Australia. Quality Austral-ian education was a thing of the past and everyone started making money due to the craze for PRs. Some would classify it as buying certificates for a PR rather than try-ing to make a successful career and future for themselves. It took no time to degrade the perception and importance of an Austral-ian education.

The boom in international students started in 2006 and lasted till early 2009. A large number of Nepalese students entered Australia and most of them just had a 2 year study and a PR at the end of it on their mind. First of all it was too easy to get a student visa and after completion, to apply and get a PR. These factors led to much confusion for genuine students, in select-ing the area and level of study. Those who had no interest in Cookery, Hairdressing, Accounting and IT, enrolled in those courses just for the PR. Interest and level of study

was not given any priority. PR driven study took over gaining knowledge, education and skill.

After 2009 things took a U- turn for students. Changes to student visas and ever-changing migration policies led to a big confusion in the PR industry. Again students started flocking to new loop-holes to get a PR. These ever changing rules and uncertainty of getting a PR from the disci-pline of study they had chosen finally led to frustration among students as some of their decisions based on the quickest route to a PR proved to be a total waste of time and money, that could definitely have been bet-ter spent. The realization of importance of quality education and interest in it started to be felt again among international students. Consideration of long term prospects started to outweigh short term gains.

In the past 16 years in Australia, I have witnessed all the ups and downs in inter-national student sector. Those who have prioritised education over other things are still very happy and are doing well. Whereas the other group of students are still con-fused and many regret their decision on compromising on education to get a quick PR. Surely there is nothing wrong to dream of a better life and permanent migration to Australia, nor is there anything wrong with

studying trade courses, but career and inter-est of study should take priority. A capable person can fit anywhere in the world and utilise their full potential. Globalisation has made the world smaller and so we should not limit our view to just one corner of the world.

As a stakeholder in international student sector, I also have a vested interest in being involved in the future of this industry. The government has long term plans for Educa-tion and Migration which will take genuine students and skilled migrants on board. Make no mistake; it will work out better for all stakeholders including international students. I know many international students who are already in Australia are feeling betrayed and left behind by the changing government policies but it is never too late to start on the right track. It is not the end of the world. No one can take away knowl-edge, experience and the skills that you pos-sess. With the proper knowledge and skill, over time you will definitely succeed.

The need and time to put priority on your career ahead has come. A wise decision should never be debased. Slow and steady wins the race!

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Reminiscing back to the history, the world seems so beautiful with all those dreamers that despite whatever the political scenario, personal life, their existence have been quintessential & impactful. And they are all proven even centuries later today. Men of dignity and pride, they have created the history giving grounds to all those great works in whichever field they stepped on. From science to music, from arts to politics, their works will always be memorable and inspirational.

As the adage says, “Lies and great works can never be hidden: both of them will be seen soon”. And those great works made these names great. They brought drastic

changes in good ways in their respective ways: Gave a new face and meaning to lot of things. Those remarkable deeds were not achieved easily; definitely not a cakewalk and no one should forget that. Behind their great works lie their hard work, dedication and even blockades. Overcoming all the hurdles ended up giving their works recognition and a better place. And here we have a list of some personalities who were influential, rebellious and made this world a better place to dwell in. Their names tell a story which later became history and we pay tribute to the history that was.

DREAMERS NEVER DIE

Nelson Mandela Often known as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name; or as tata (Xhosa: father), Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (born in 1918)

served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of

Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life in prison: served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years

on Robben Island. Following his release from prison in 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, while introducing policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality in South Africa. To make South Africa free of apartheid was possible only because it had a dreamer like Mandela. And not only South Africa did get rid of apartheid but this success stood as an example for the whole

world.

Dennis Ritchie Where there are people whose dreams gave the world a brighter day, some are such whose dreams gave brighter techno –days. Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie (1941- 2011) was such a man who can be credited for everything we

know today about Windows, iPod and Android. An American computer scientist who "helped shape the digital era”, he created the C programming language and, with long-time colleague Ken Thompson, the UNIX operating

system. Ritchie and Thompson received the Turing Award from the ACM in 1983, the Hamming Medal from the IEEE in 1990, the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton in 1999, and Japan Prize for Information and Communications for his work in the development of the UNIX operating system in 2011. Ritchie was the head of Lucent Technologies System Software Research Department when he retired

in 2007. He was the 'R' in K&R (a common reference to the book's authors Kernighan and Ritchie) and commonly known by his username dmr.

Computer historian Paul E. Peruzzi said after his death: "Ritchie was under the radar. His name was not a household name at all, but. . . if you had a microscope and could look in a computer; you'd see his work everywhere inside."

William Shakespeare Literature, the word is synonymous to William Shakespeare (1564-1616). From a child to an adolescent and to aged,

the name is very much familiar. An English Playwright of the 17th Century, creator of Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Shakespeare is that image which takes you to that theatrical world which seems so lively. His works take you to the

settings of English/ Elizabethan Globe Theatre. No one can separate Shakespeare from not only English literature but from literature itself. Dramatic world as well poetic one, have been enriched by the great products of stupendous mind of Shakespeare. Centuries later here we can find how influencing his works are that Omkara, a Hindi movie, was made upon his tragic play Othello. He surely was a hero of literature.

B iog raphy

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Mahatma Gandhi There was a man moving on the path of non-violence fighting for the freedom of his country, for Indian

Independence. Just a plain clothe over his body carrying a stick, wearing round glasses, he dared to fight the strong with words, not arms. Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) (1869-1948), who in the

history of India and to the world, has been an exemplary man, the footsteps of whom many people follow. If that was not true, movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai would not have Mahatma Gandhi in it. Though he remains history, he is immortalized in many movies & the movies inform what Gandhi means to all. With great struggle

and patience he carried on his fight for freeing India and finally India saw the light at the other end of the tunnel. Sadly he was shot dead by an assassin just a year later India got its freedom. And this name revolutionized the whole

world. Gandhi remains alive, even though modernity is here. And so do simplicity & humility.

John Lennon John Winston Lennon (1940-1980) was an English Musician and singer-songwriter. One of the founding members of all time hit band The Beatles, John Lennon became an icon in 20th century and gave iconic solo like “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine”. And song like When I’m Sixty Four shall always be with you as your amigo. But his songs were not just to entertain. Instead, they were a medium of expression of plea for

peace and progress in nation. He revealed rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, his writings, in drawings, in films and in interviews becoming controversial through his political and peace activism. This gave him adversaries as well that he was murdered after his release of “Double Fantasy”. However, his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. Ergo, John Lennon is the Angel that fought for people.

Steve jobs No man is far away from the name Steven Paul Jobs (1955 – 2011) today. An American businessman and

inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution, he was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs was co-founder and previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006,

following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. But what makes him even more recognized is because what Apple has achieved all these years have been possible because of this man who was once fired from Apple itself: Started NeXT,

which later got Apple’s attention and in 1996 was merged in Apple with Jobs as an interim CEO. Jobs was a man with deep insight and a heart with strong will to bring something amazing in the tech-world, Apple then started to reach a place where

today it is already that height where others want to reach: iMac, iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software, and iTunes Store were his introduction to that pinnacle. And what more could be said about him when “i” is all in the air.

Generations to generations these names get a hold with obeisance. We can see how different time got bigger dreams that spread crossing over the seas to the whole

world. They were the dreamers; lived their dreams. Their worlds were away from ordinary souls where no one would easily wander off. They always dreamt higher and kept faith in living in it. They not only lived it but inspired people to feel it as well and take them as well together. Ergo, they are deemed as the souls of world

that shall always get a body this way or the other way.

‘What you dream is not that important. What is important is that you should keep dreaming. Dream to reach your

dream, dream to bring whole world in your dream of success.’

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Rea l i t y B i t es Facebook Generation

By Mani Joshi

We are the Facebook generation. If you are like me and millions of others then you have Facebook, Twit-ter, Skype and even a Blog. You can’t pass a single day without surfing the internet and LOL, XOXO and BRB are the most used words, if I may call them so, in your conversation. And you can’t imagine your life without

your smart phone and definitely not without internet.

Facebook has changed the way we communicate with our friends and family. It has allowed us to be in touch with our friends and look at their lives in pictures or even videos. In my case, it has reunited me with

my friends from my Kindergarten / preschool after 20 years and Face-book has helped me keep in touch with my cousins and relatives who live in different countries. I even became friends with my husband’s relatives in Facebook long before meeting then physically.

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www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 39

With its “What’s on your mind?” question (status update), it has allowed me to know how my friends were feel-ing and made it easy to wish someone a “Happy Birthday” which I would have never done otherwise and same goes with sharing photos. I used to email photos to multiple people before but now all I have to do is upload them in Facebook and tag the people I want to share the photos with. You know your friends have viewed the photos when you get likes and comments on them.

I have received the news that some-one got engaged, married, had a baby, went on a holiday or even died (I am se-rious) via Facebook. These news would have never made it to my ears (or eyes in this case) if it was not for Facebook so I have to thank Facebook for all that. Also, I have used Facebook’s events function to invite people for birthdays. As everyone I needed to invite to the event was already in Facebook, it just made my planning a lot easier. It has an RSPV option which allowed me to keep track of the guests easily.

Twittering, Blogging and Skyping are a few other things apart from Face-booking that we think are an essential

part of our life like the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. We feel we cannot live without them.

Twittering and following the tweets of celebrities and unknown people, writing a blog to an unknown audience and Skyping instead of talking on the phone has made our life super busy these days as it takes time to manage all our social networks.

So in this busy virtual life have you ever paused for a second and thought about the people in your life, the REAL people, yes I am not talking about your Facebook friends but the real flesh and blood people, friends, family, col-leagues, neighbours, people you see

every day, people you used to know and who had been an important part of your life.

Do you have anyone in your life with whom you used to pick up a phone and talk that you stopped because you are so busy with your virtual life now?

Do you have friends who live over-seas and you used to write an email fre-quently but now stopped writing your emails since they are in your Facebook?

Do you feel better when someone calls to ask you about your holiday or do you feel better if they comment on your photos on Facebook?

I am asking these questions because I used to be very active on Facebook. I went through a phase (which many of you may identify with) when I felt like I was judged on the number of friends I had in Facebook. It put a lot of pressure on me to accept requests from anyone just so that I could push the number of “friends” ever higher. I have never accepted a request from a total stranger but I have from people who I had just met once and may never meet again in my life. I felt good and popular to have so many “friends”.

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au40

GenerationI wanted comments and posts on my

wall and thought I definitely needed to maintain my Facebook page to keep in touch with former classmates, and rela-tives who live far away from me. I tried to chat whenever I was online and post regular updates to let them know how my life was rolling. I used to like and comment on other’s posts and photos regularly. I spent lots of time doing this.

Then there was a game called Farm-ville I played on Facebook. There were many games and still are but this was the one I got hooked on. It was simply too addictive. I actually used to time my life around it and even put alarms to remind me that I have to login and play the game. I spent a lot of time plough-ing, harvesting this virtual Farm for points and rewards.

The game started on the lowest level so you wanted to complete it to get to

the next one and then the next after that and so on. The game showered you with all these virtual animals and gifts so you can keep going. You even got ribbons that made you feel special. I swear, one time, I spent 3 hours moving my animals and trees to make the farm bigger so I could have extra plots to plant more virtual crops. I was literally becoming a farmer spending so much time on the game. If I had a real farm I’m sure I would have made a lot of money from those produce I grew at the farm.

When I talked to people around me, it was not only me who had that craze. Many of my friends were guilty of this and I saw lots of Status on Facebook saying “Can someone please gift me a horse”, “Why is no one sending me any pigs?” Pigs and Horses were all you thought of all day long. And they weren’t even real!

Can you believe there were peo-ple in this world even crazier than me about the game? They were making cheat sheets for the game and forums were flooded with the questions on how to make points easily so that you could climb up the levels and beat your friends. Also people were spending real money to buy virtual stables or pagodas. God, could we be any more unreal?

That’s the day when lightning struck me (metaphorically of course or I wouldn’t be writing this would I?) I asked myself – “What was I doing with my time on Facebook? Why did I have to be number one among my friends in this stupid game?” I also had no real desire for all of my Facebook friends to know that I went on a holiday or what I liked or who I was with. That day I went and cleaned up my Facebook. I organ-ised my Facebook friends into groups according to their importance in my

life. I made sure only a few people who really mattered to me could really see what I did.

Ideally, I should have deleted anyone who was not a part of my life any-more and kept only a few as my friends but I admit I was too chicken to delete them. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. I was quite sure they wouldn’t notice but I kept thinking about the small percentage who would.

I realised that in real life I have only a handful of friends that I can count on, which means all 300+ friends that I had in my Facebook were not real

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 41

friends, just people I know. They won’t be there when I need help or advice. They don’t feel sorry when I am down and won’t support me when I need a hand, so should I share my personal thoughts, feelings and my life with these strangers? My answer was definitely a big fat NO.

“I had the most wonderful meal today.”, “I went to a spa today.” and so on are just some examples of the Status updates that you can read every day on Facebook. Do you think any-one out there is really interested in that kind of information about your life? Do you care what time your friends wake up, where they go to, what they eat for breakfast, who they are hanging out with? If you don’t really care, do you think anyone else cares about your Status updates?

When I was doing a First Aid Train-ing the other day, the trainer pointed out to us that in case of an emergency (touch wood it never happens) if you need to comfort anyone who is in distress, just go and hug them, as a hug works to calm a person. Real human touch always has magic that no words you type or any comments on Facebook can even compare to. I realised then that we are losing touch with real hu-man bonding due to this virtual social networking.

Another thing that bothers me is the privacy on these social networking sites. I am an IT professional, so I use all my

skills to take major precautions to avoid the privacy pitfalls that are ever present on the internet. I feel sorry for people out there who post all their details on social networking sites without knowing the risks that they face. Putting personal information on Facebook or online in general is not safe and can make you a victim of identity theft and cyber crimes.

Many people will like to have strict control over their personal information which is difficult if you are on Face-book, unless you are very careful not to divulge them. We all like to make sure our personal information is only visible to our trusted friends, not the whole world but the constant updates and frequent changes made by Facebook has made it difficult to keep control of the privacy of our information on Facebook.

First and foremost always be aware of what you are sharing online and with whom. You can edit the privacy option in Facebook so if you have not done so already please go and edit it to

make your personal information secure. Make sure your contact information is private and control who can access your information like photos, wall informa-tion and status updates. It is easy to stop sharing information with total strangers. If you don’t know how, just Google it and you should find tutorials on how to do it. Be aware and alert every moment.

Someone wise once said, “We realise the value of time only once we are old” so let’s balance our life and utilise our time from now so we don’t regret it in the future. There is no harm in being on Facebook but also make sure you have friends you can connect to outside of it. Call a friend instead of leaving a com-ment on their post, try to hug a friend instead of “poking” them on Facebook and definitely have a few real friends than just the hundreds of virtual friends online. We should always admire and appreciate what is innovative so there is nothing wrong in building your social networks on Facebook but don’t forget the real world while you are chasing the virtual one.

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au42

7 Mantras 2 Become 1 R o c k S t a r !K. Minkus and J. Slayter are two unique breeds of entrepreneurs and executive coaches. In their recent publication, they have outlined 7 mantras for business & explained how to succeed using them. So check this out !

Sto r y 7 Mantras 2 Become 1 Rock Star !

1) Know “WHY” you are in this business: People are always thinking about how to make money and it makes them too opportunistic. They start doing as many things as they can and try to handle multiple jobs at a time. Some people think of working early morning shift at one place and start another work during lunch. They even work evenings and weekends somewhere else. In total they are working seven days a week. They forget why they are doing all this, because they have no vision. Decide what you want to do whether business or a job. Focus on one strategy on how you will reach your goal by setting a strong target and do not use tactics to just earn money in the short term.

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au44

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3) Make sure that “Value” is perceived: This is a common oversight which causes most people to reduce the effectiveness & growth of their business. The worst sales people always try to convince customers of the value

of the service they are providing. Until you have a cultivated mar-ket, setting your rate according to the market will always put you at the mercy of the people you prob-ably don’t want to be servicing. Make sure your professionalism is well paid. Be firm, ask your-self: “How much should I charge for my services?” Then, set the rate that you want to charge not what the customer wants.

4) “ONE” thing at a time: If you look at successful people who own or are involved in mul-tiple companies, you may start thinking about getting involved in multiple businesses at a time. You may think about “multi-ple income streams”. Seriously, the idea of developing multiple

income streams at the same time doesn’t really work! In fact, they always think of having one suc-cess at a time and then sustaining those streams of income, while they systemise and then move on to another project. For example; I have 6 companies currently that I make money from. But each time I set each company up - the advice I had for myself was fo-cus, focus and focus on the ONE company that I was working at, at that time.

5) Get in front of your “TAR-GET” market always (offline and online). There are two paths to quickly getting in front of cus-tomers and getting a company off the ground.

a) Use your current phone

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 45

Rock Star !

book and database (offline). So many people resist calling up their friends, family and current customers to ask for new busi-ness or referrals- but that’s really where it`s at! That’s where almost 90% of the business will come from during the start up period. So remember it’s time to get on the phone and call everyone in your phone book to let them know what you are doing and that you are looking for new custom-ers !

b) Start an online campaign: Today most of the business cam-paigns are quickly spread via the internet - hence the whole social

media craze as a way of market-ing. So, understand the power of social media and GO USE IT !

6) Ask for the “MONEY”: The biggest reason small businesses don’t make money online or of-fline is because the customers are unclear about how to pur-chase their service or product. So “KEEP it SIMPLE”. Your mar-keting campaigns, telephone calls and webpage need to be customer friendly so that it’s clear to your customers how to buy your ser-vices/products so that you get the “MONEY”.

7) Let customers “BECOME” your sales force: The fastest way companies grow is when their customers become their sales force, affiliates or advocates.

All that’s needed for that is:• Keep customers happy and

they’ll get kick-butt results: they will tell at least 10 people (found by research)

• Make a clear pathway so that an excited customer can refer people easily

• A cool incentive plan (not just any type - but a cool one i.e. referral bonus)

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au46

Spor t s News Update

Sports update

Challenge Cup Exit Nepal failed to score a single goal at home in their 3 games in the AFC Challenge Cup 2012. The hosts lost

0-2 against Palestine in the opening game of the tournament followed by 0-1 and 0-3 losses to Maldives and Turkmenistan respectively. Nepal failed to convert many chances into goals even though they played beautiful games against formidable oppositions. FIFA president Sepp Blatter inaugurated the tournament at full house Dasarath Stadium. It was his first visit to the tiny nation by the leader of governing body of world Football. Following the exit, Nepal head coach Graham Roberts resigned from his post.

Complied By: Pradeep Chapagain

Century King Little Master Sachin Tendulkar scored

his 100th international century becoming the first batsman ever to reach that unbelievable milestone. Sachin completed his 100th ton during India's Asia Cup encounter against Bangladesh. Following the century, he completed his set of ODI and Test hundreds against every Test playing nation on the planet. He is also the leading run scorer in both formats of the game.

Crashed World Cup Dreams

Nepal failed to qualify for the ICC Twenty-20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka later this year. Following the loss against Canada in their last group-stage game of the qualifiers, Nepal's world cup dream was shattered. Nepal managed to win just three games out of seven in group stage as they defeated Hong Kong, Bermuda and Denmark whereas they lost to Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada and Papua New Guinea.

Shakti's Rise Nepali star spinner Shakti Gauchan got

a call for trial from Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Rajasthan Royals. Gauchan, who performed extremely well in ICC World T-20 Qualifiers, went to Nagpur, India to join other teammates for training session. The move was initiated by Nepalese coach Pubudu Dasan-ayeke. It is still unknown whether Shakti will play any IPL game this season but the training opportunity with players like Rahul Dravid, Shaun Tait, Brad Hogg etc. itself is a big step for Nepalese cricket

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 47

Magical MessiBarcelona super-star Lionel Messi has

just become the highest ever scorer of the Catalan club. Messi broke the 60-years old record of club legend Cesar Rodriguez who had netted 232 goals for Barcelona during his peak time in 50's. The little master of the game scored his eighth hat-trick of the season during Barca's 5-3 win over Granada at Camp Nou. The three times FIFA World Player of the Year is just 24 and looks to score many more goals in future to break several other records.

Fed- ExpressRoger Federer claimed his 73rd career

title beating surprise finalist John Isner in the final of Indian Wells Masters. The Swiss icon defeated Isner by the scoreline of 7-6, (9-7), 6-3 to win his fourth title in Indian Wells. He had defeated Rafael Nadal in the Semi-final to book the final date with Isner who upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in another Semi-final. Federer is also the leading player of the game with 16 Grand Slam titles to his credit.

Nole Power World no. 1 Novak Djokovic continued his good form clinching the Miami Masters title beating British Andy Murray in the final 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). The reigning Wimbeldon, US Open and Australian Open champion is in peak of his career since 2011. British Murray had made it to the final after his semi-final oppo-nent Rafael Nadal withdrew from the match due to knee injury. Djokovic is eyeing to get his first Roland Garros crown in French capital later this year.

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au48

I am not Nepali nor can I speak fluent Nepali language, but I am regularly surrounded by Nepalis because I’m the soon-to-be wife of a Nepali man.

Since 2008 when I met my partner Rabindra, I have become very close to many Nepalis in the Brisbane community.Something I have noticed amongst the community here is that many Ne-

palis are really interested in getting to know me, and well, I think it’s because I’m an Aussie.

NEARLY everywhere I go I seem to be the ‘odd one out’.

expe r i ence NEARLY everywhere I go I seem to be the ‘odd one out’.

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Whenever I am at a gathering with Nepalis, they love talking with me and they seem to treat me with a new level of respect that

I’m not used to.For some it’s a level of fascination to

see an Australian woman so interested in Nepali culture.

They want to know: Can I cook dhal bhat? Do I wear a sari, tika and chura? Can I speak some Nepali words? Do I like Ne-pal? (By the way the answers to all of these questions are yes!)

They laugh when I talk about my hajuraama and hajurbuwah or when I try to sing some Nepali song in my weird Aussie/

Nepali accent.But I also think it’s because

many Nepalis do not have many other ‘white’ friends and they seem to be genuinely interested in meeting someone who has come from a dif-ferent background to them.

I’ve noticed that when Nepalis move abroad, they tend to stick together, not wanting to venture outside their Nepali community.

Maybe it is because Nepalis feel that because of their unique culture, they can’t fit in, and they find it hard to relate to Australian life.

I mean, most of us Aussies grew up in a free, forward-thinking soci-ety where women wear bikinis on the beach, we marry who we want, kids do what they like without wor-rying what their parents think, we get drunk and we’re proud of it.

Compare that to a very conserva-tive society where adults choose their child’s husband/wife, where drinking and smoking is looked down upon by society, where girls are scolded if they wear something too revealing and religious/culture traditions are respected widely by the younger generation.

On the other hand, I know a few cases of Nepalis who have discarded their Nepali culture when they moved abroad, and revelled in their new sense of freedom, giving little thought to the Nepali values they’ve thrown away.

However in the majority of peo-ple this is not the case and I find that many stay true to their strong values but want to become more involved in Australian life which includes making Australian friends.

The majority of my Nepali friends have told me that I am their only Aussie friend.

This upsets me as I find it really sad that some Nepalis have been here for five, six or even 10 years, and don’t even have one Australian friend.

And I’m not just talking about that

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group of work colleagues you go out for lunch with once a month or that girl you talk to at the shop down the road.

I’m talking about being actual friends with Australians where you meet socially, talk about private issues and become to rely on one another as a friend.

As time goes on and more Nepalis begin to live in Australia as permanent residents, I would love to see them finding new, supportive friendships with non-Nepalis as well.

I can’t imagine moving to a new country and not making new friendships with the locals.

I would feel somewhat rejected from the society, even if I didn’t make an active effort to make new friends.

As many cultures assimilate into the melting pot that it is multi-cultural Austral-ia, I would like to know how many Nepalis out there have close friends who are not Nepalis.

Can you say that you have an Aussie, European or American friend?

If not, why not? Is it because you’re not interested in

making friends with an Aussie because you don’t think you can relate? Or did you try but you felt they were not interested in get-ting to know you?

Is it because you’ve never had the chance to befriend an Aussie? Or you tried but you felt a level of racism directed at you?

Are Australians easy to talk to? Or do you think Aussies are generally unfriendly to people from international backgrounds?

I remember when I first started meeting Nepalis back in 2008, many were too shy to talk to me because they were ashamed of their English speaking ability.

But as many become settled in Austral-ian life where English is spoken at college, work and even at home, it’s safe to say they can no longer be shy about their level of English speaking.

I think it’s time to brush off your inse-curities about making friends with more Aussies and give it a real go.

You might even find that some Aussies become fascinated at your stories- your childhood, your culture and your journey from Nepal to Australia.

There is a chance you could freak them out when you mention your grandfather has three wives, you eat goat meat (and the intestines) and that you come from a family of all arranged marriages.

Mostly though, I think Aussies will become enthralled in your stories; I know my Aussie friends love hearing about Ra-bindra’s stories of life in Nepal.

I would be interested to know your ex-periences of making Australian friends. You can email me at [email protected]

Until then, Namaste.Casey-Ann Seaniger is an Australian

journalist and blogger who has a fascina-tion with all things Nepal. She blogs about Nepali-Australian life and intercultural relationships at www.whitegirlinasari.wordpress.com

+997 2012 | www.plus977.com.au52

Ingredients4 duck thigh pieces11 cloves garlic1 ( 1/2 inch ) piece fresh ginger1 stick cinnamon 1 tablespoon salt1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds1/3 teaspoon whole black peppercorns1/8 teaspoon Szechwan pepper2 bay leaves4 whole cloves1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil3/4 teaspoon garam masala1/3 teaspoon ground turmeric1/3 teaspoon chilli powder1 pinch fenugreek seedhandful of cabbage, red onion and cucumber julienne for saladfew coriander leaves8 cherry tomatoes

Method1. Put duck in shallow pan with three garlic,

ginger, cinnamon, half tablespoon salt, coriander, black peppercorn, szechwan pepper, bay leaves, cloves and water to cover

2. Boil it , and simmer in medium- low heat, about 35 minutes.

3. Taking out the duck , discard spices. 4. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the meat , adding

garam masala, turmeric, salt, chilli powder untill browned and crispy.

5. Heat the oil in another small pan, fry fenugreek seed to slight black in colour ,discard it, then fry remaining garlic and cherry tomatoes.

6. CFor plating the dish, place half handful of salad in middle of plate , put 2 duck pieces at top, around with fried cherry tomatoes and fried garlic, and sprinkle fried fenugreek seed around the place.

Pan - Fried Duck ( T a r e k o H a a s k o M a a s u )

Serves 2

Gourme t Bon Appetite Receipe and Dish prepared by Suraj Pradhan

www.plus977.com.au | +977 2012 53

Makes 4 to 6 serve:Ingredients:

10 to 12 (1 inch thick) fish steaks (trout, bass, carp) 1 fresh lemon or lime1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground turmeric2 teaspoons ground yellow mustard seeds1 clove garlic minced1 teaspoon cayenne pepperSome lemon slices for garnish Vegetable oil enough to fry Fried rice half cup, cooked (for garnish on the side)Cucumber for garnishHerbs for garnish (Coriander/ Watercress/ Basil/ Parsley)Half cherry tomato for garnish

Method:1. Place fish steaks in a bowl squeeze lemon or lime juice on it

and add salt and turmeric and marinade the fish well.2. Let it stand for 10 minutes to absorb the salt, then add mus-

tard seeds, garlic, cayenne pepper and mix them too on the fish, then put the fish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

3. In the meantime, put enough oil into a deep pan to fry the fish in and heat the pan, once the oil heats up, gently slide the fish steaks into the oil.

4. Turn the fish frequently, until they are firm and golden brown on all sides (usually 5 to 7 minutes).

5. Drain the fish and place them on a paper-towel to remove excess oil.

6. Transfer the fried fish to a serving dish, garnish with the slices of lemon, cucumber craft cut and fried rice in a conical shape, and scatter herbs on the plate. Also put the half cherry tomato on the rice.

7. Serving this dish with soup or lentil is the best.

Modern Nepali Style Fish Fry

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Langtang National Park is the nearest national park to Kathmandu. The area extends from 32 km north of Kathmandu to the Nepal-China (Tibet) border. Langtang was designated as the first Himalayan National Park in 1970-71, and was gazette in March 1976. While the main reason for the park is to preserve the natural environment, an equally important goal is to allow local people to follow traditional land use practices that are compatible with resource protection.

Langtang is an interesting Tibetan-style village with stone- walls enclosing houses and fields where you just might see your first yaks. The Langtang National Park headquarters is also located here. Trekking to Langtang is just another amazing trip in Nepal.

Langtang Valley Trekking routeKTM-DHUNCHELooking at a map, Langtang seems quite close to Kathmandu, but in reality you still have to endure a jarring 8hour ride in a wheezing bus to get to Dhunche. About 45 minutes out of Kathmandu, you pass through the town of Kakani where there are great views of Mustang, a grouping of peaks only partially visible from Kathmandu and Trisuli, a busy bazaar town, often called Trisuli Bazaar. The river, which flows southwest, is very popular with rafting companies and you may see a group getting ready to put in here.

For many years, this was the start of the Langtang trek, but there is now a rough road to Dhunche that bypasses the old trail and cuts the number of days necessary for this trek. It is a rough road to Dhunche and during the rainy season there are frequent landslides, which may keep the road closed until sometime in mid-October. For part of the way, the road clings to the edge of a steep mountain. Dhunche is an attractive village with large stone houses. Here, there is a police checkpost where you must show your trekking permit and pay the entrance fee for the Langtang National Park, which you will be trekking through. This is more or less the "gateway" to the essentially long, narrow valley running parallel to the Tibetan border and hemmed in by high, snow-capped peaks. From your tents, excellent views of Gheng and Langtang Lirung to the north and Ganesh to the west are visible.

DHUNCHE-SYABRU Trek starts with walking along the road descend to Trisuli River to Thulo Bharkhu and then steep up to ridge through the pine woods. From here you have fine views up the valley towards the Tibetan border - about 20km away - a taste of things to come. The trail out of Bharkhu climbs a steep slope to the top of a ridge where there is a good area to take a break. This is a good place for bird watching too. You have now entered the Langtang Valley and you can see Mustang to the west, Tibet to the north, and Langtang Lirung in the east. You will also be able to

Langtang Expansive, Diverse and difficult magnitude to

comprehend.

Combination of the conveniences of the modern age with the

freedom and adventure of living on the edge of a vast, unspoiled

wilderness. While you are here you will find out why Langtang is called the last great place on the face of

Earth.

Trave l Langtang

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see, on a ridge top below you, the village of Syabru. The trail contours around the ridge at first before descending a short steep slope into Syabru.

SYABRU-LAMA HOTEL The trail starts meandering through the cool deciduous forests of oak and maple that cover the lower sections of the valley and climbs through massive stands of spruce, fir and blue pine. Towering walls close in and your paths will skirt precipitous drops, which fall into a silt-laden river below. It's a classic transition from temperate lowland forest to high-altitude Himalayan valley. Descend through the village of Syabru and continue down the ridge until you come to a trail to the east that drops sharply off the ridge and through a dense forest. Cross a bridge over a tributary of the Langtang Khola and then climb for a short distance. The trail continues level for a ways before descending, still in forest, to the Langtang Khola. The trail follows the south bank of the river through a deep gorge with no views of the mountains, crossing another tributary in about an hour. In another hour from this tributary, cross yet another bridge to the north bank of Langtang Khola. The trail begins climbing up from the river at this point and in an hour, shortly after the trail levels off, you join the old Langtang trail from Syarpagaon and Syabrubensi. Another hour from this trail junction brings you to the Lama Hotel in the tiny village of Chongong. At this point you start to become aware of the firm control the government exercises over the parks - with results that are often good, but sometimes questionable. On one hand, there are strict controls on tree-felling, and the park has remained mercifully free from the satellite dishes that dominate some over-trekked parts of Nepal.

LAMA HOTEL-LANGTANG VILLAGE A day further on the forest peters out and tantalizing glimpses of snow-capped peaks starts appearing. From the Lama Hotel the trail climbs steadily to Ghora Tabela with glimpses of Langtang Lirung through the trees. At times the trail becomes very steep but only for short distance. Gradually the air becomes thinner and the climate colder. At Ghora Tabela the trail leaves the forest and a spectacular view of Langtang Lirung appears. Once a Tibetan resettlement camp, it is now an army post. There is a good lodge to stop by for lunch. Continue up the valley, leaving the forests behind, the trail ascends steadily up to Langtang village, passing below a monastery. After Langtang, you can see a community of typical flat-roofed Tibetan houses and the valley flattens and broadens into open pasture. This is perfect for raising yaks, and you'll see these imposing beasts everywhere.

LANGTANG- KYANJIN GOMPA You may notice that the valley above this point is U-shaped. Below Langtang, the valley has the characteristic V-shape of a river-carved valley. Leaving

Langtang, you ascend gradually to a chorten (a small Tibetan Buddhist stupa) behind which is a very long mani wall. The trail passes two small villages and the village widens. You cross several streams and a moraine before arriving at Kyanjin Gompa. Between Langtang and Kyanjin Gompa, the views just get better and better where you will see Yansa Tsenji and Kimshun to the north and the Langtang Himal to the northwest. Since you will probably arrive before lunch, you will have time to do some exploring in the afternoon, though you may be experiencing some discomfort from the altitude. Alternatively, take a good rest and allow your body to acclimatize with the high altitude as much as possible to be fully-prepared for more ascending during the next day.

KYANJIN GOMPA A day hike farther up the valley past the airstrip will provide more spectacular views that include Langtang Lirung, Ganchenpo, Langshisa Ri, Dorje Lakpa, Lenpo Gang, and Urkinmang. A 4hour walk to the east of Kyanjin Gompa from the village is Tsergo Ri. If you start early in the morning and are well-acclimatized, you should be able to climb this peak and return to Kyanjin Gompa in 1 long day. The reward for climbing to the prayer flags on its summit is a magnificent view of the Langtang Lirung, the mountain that dominates the valley. There are numerous alternatives side trips. The surrounding area, especially to the north, is vast and has many smaller, uninhabited valleys - ideal for high-altitude, backcountry trekking. Several of the more moderate local peaks are quite climbable and provide breathtaking panoramic views of mountains in Tibet, including the Xixa Pangma. If you have the inclination and the right equipment, the upper Langtang Valley can also be used as a base for glacier exploration.

KYANJIN GOMPA-LAMA HOTEL Since you will be acclimatized and will be descending, you should be able to reach the Lama Hotel in a day's walk (approx. 6hours) from Kyanjin Gompa.

LAMA HOTEL-SYABRU From Lama Hotel you should be able to reach Syabru in another 6 hours descending. Keep retracing your steps.

Main Tourist Seasons:a From mid-October to mid-December and from mid-

February until mid-April the weather is usually clear but cold at higher elevations.

a From mid-April to mid-June, it is warm but often cloudy with thunder showers, spring flowers at their best.

a Summer monsoon lasts until the beginning of October. During the winter month’s daytime temperatures are low and snow may occur even at low levels.

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LITTLE BLACK DRESS

fromWork 2 Play .

WHaT 'S iN Accessories

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...in the cupboard and this autumn we are going to

make it work overtime by adding extras you may

already have in your closet.

Every woman has a little black

dress...

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Have you ever thought how boring life would be without a few accessories? You can wear an ensemble multiple times; yet if paired with the right scarf, statement necklace, or a stunning pair of earrings, they look new and refreshing. Such is the power of accessories; they instantly freshen up an old look without much effort. With the right pieces, even the most basic outfit can be transformed into something chic and incredible, making you look like a million bucks. They can be worn to dress up an outfit or evendress down.

Famous style icons have always understood the power of accessories: who can forget Coco Chanel and her layered necklaces, Audrey Hepburn and her scarf, Elisabeth Taylor and her diamonds. Acces-sories make you feel more confident and show how interesting your personality is. Collecting interesting & intricate items and mixing & matching them with your wardrobe can create looks that reflect how you are feeling at the moment; they add so much to your personality.

It's all about

ACCESSORIESby Romu Shrestha

WHaT 'S iN Accessories

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It's important to choose your accessories ac-cording to your individuality and be careful not to overdo it. Remember, less is more; keep it chic by choosing only one statement piece, either wear a statement necklace or big earrings, don't wear both at once. If you are not into jewelry, you can getaway by teaming your outfit with a chic bag and a pair of stylish shoes. You can even match your handbag and shoe for that polished look but of course that's optional.

If you are on a budget, always spend on acces-sories, they don't cost as much and unlike clothing items, they are still wearable even if you gain that few extra kilos!! Spend on pieces that are timeless & classy and look for the ones that you can use to get more wear out of each wardrobe piece and to create new outfits.

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American by BirthNepali by Marriage

expe r i ence American by Birth Nepali by Marriage

“Can you see Mount Everest from your house?” I asked

my friend, a native of Kathmandu. We were sharing French

fries in the campus cafeteria, and I was trying to make con-

versation. I remembered the glossy photos of past Everest

expeditions in the National Geographic magazines I re-

ceived each month, like a prize, from my grandfather after

he had finished reading. Every article on Everest started

with the expedition team departing from Kathmandu; a yel-

low star on the map followed by dotted lines that connected

the city to the top of the world. I assumed the giant moun-

tain towered on the outskirts of the capital, like an ancient

skyscraper of rock and ice.Photography: Mingma Sherpa

By Colleen Callahan-Panday

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My friend narrowed his eyes, searching my face for signs of sar-casm. Finding none he smirked, and responded, “Oh yeah, and some times during gym class we hiked to the sum-mit to have a glass of tea.”

I had only been at the university for a few weeks, so I was almost naïve enough to believe him. I knew very little about his country aside from the maga-zine pictures, an unfortunate side effect of 1990s American public education. High school curriculums simply weren’t very “global,” at least when it came to non-Western countries.

A year later I would meet my future husband, not more than a few hundred feet from the cafeteria where I first started to learn about Nepal. He was bean-pole skinny, with medium-length black hair, and glasses that tinted in bright sunlight. He was quiet, and sweet, and would occasionally

leave a sticky note on my dormitory door.

It has now been almost nine years, and not only have I been to Nepal, I have seen Mount Everest with my own eyes—while panting for breath on the steep upward climb to Namche Bazar. It took a small plane and two days of walking to catch a misty glimpse of the mountain, and would take several more days of walking if I wanted to touch its feet.

I have come a long way. I am now part of a Nepali family and my identity includes words like buhari and bhauju. I celebrate American Thanksgiving and Dashain, Christmas and Tihar. Our home is often filled with laughter and conversations with friends in both English and Nepali.

I have fallen in love not just with a man, but also a country.

My journey has not been without bumps. I cringe each time my father-in-law greets me at the airport by pinching my arm and exclaiming joyfully about how “fat” I have become. Ironically my mother-in-law compares the amount of rice I eat to that of a five-year-old child, but I have to surrender; I will never be able to keep up in the daal-bhat department. However, my biggest hurdle has been language—that same hungry five-year-old would clearly beat me in a Nepali oratory contest—but I lumber on, still feeding my mind a few new words every day.

In many ways I have become a hybrid. I am American by birth and Nepali by marriage. As the years unfold, our cultures are better interwo-ven, pulling two worlds together with a tighter thread.

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Movie Time

Apabad

The Dictator

Story of a rebellious youngster who takes on deep-rooted social doctrine while trying to pave the way for a better future Apabad seems like an another ‘must watch’ movie on the cards. Rajballav and Nisha starrer Apabad is written and directed by Subash Koirala. Rajballav Koirala has taken up the role of the everyday middle class guy who is tangled in the unrelenting battle with the society that stands in every step of his way. Perseverance finally pays off and it is not the matter of if but it is the matter of when if you have what it takes to bear with the painstakingly slow process of change. This movie can win quite a few accolades from the critics and can churn money out of box office too. Wait until the movie hits the theaters in the third week of May.

The Dictator is a harrowing account of a dictator who goes at the great length to make sure his people never see the light of democracy. The political drama is based on the best-selling novel Zabibah and The King by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The movie stars Sa-cha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Megan Fox and John C. Reilly among others. The movie is directed by Larry Charles. Screen-play was readied by Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, David Mandel.

The movie is slated for release on May the 16th of 2012.

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Sayaad

Blackmail

Sunil Rawal’s directorial venture harps upon the contemporary society and the problems youths are

faced with today. While problems related to the drugs, youngsters and crime look like the topic at the core

of the movies these days, it remains to be seen how prepared our industry is to do justice to the stories.

Sayad reflects on the story of the college going stu-dents who are nothing but brats owing to the hostile

circumstances. Indifference on the part of the parents, unprofessionalism on the part of the teachers and the desire of the young students to go a step further gets them into doing drugs, getting on the wrong side with

the law and ultimately ruining their future. It shows the current mindset of the young population and the back-

drops that are responsible for the problems in ques-tion. With everything said and done, this flick makes to

the list of another intriguing movie without a doubt.

Nepali film industry is gradually bracing the wind of change. Youngsters are taking to the industry and the audience is feeling the breath of the fresh air. More and more directors and producers are venturing into the industry with new concepts and experimentations.

Debutante director Madhu Sudan Bhattarai is all set for the release of his movie Blackmail. Suman Singh, Jeewan Luitel, Shweta Bhattarai can be seen in the lead roles. The movie revolves around the trust factor and the elements of risk involved in trusting others blindly. At the end of the movie, it leaves the audience with the message that blind faith on someone could have repercussions. The moral is think twice before believing on others no matter what the relationship is.

This thriller cum suspense cum triangular love story has youth as focus group. It remains to be seen if the movie succeeds in wooing the young population that their sights are set on.

The movie is scheduled to release in August in Nepal. The production team is planning on going global. 977 movies Australia is eyeing its Australia release somewhere in the late July.

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