rants

A day’s hike to Chisapani, Nepal

I don’t hike, period!

However, I am at times goaded into following the pack. Throw in a few incentives such as the opportunity to test out my now not-so-new camera pack, I accede myself to the physical abuse of body and soul.

The hike officially began for the nine of us (Abhit, Ashok, Badri, Dadi, Dibbesh, Gyanendra,  Ratna, Sanjay and myself) at the park entrance of the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park in Pani Muhan. A haze overhead showed no sign of clearing at 8:00 AM, as we entered the national park. Rather accustomed to the road up to Nagi Gumba (nun monastery) having been there quite a few times already, I was rather candid during my walk uphill. The steps near the monastery were a different story, as I ran out of breath every few steps. (more…)

By Utsav, ago

Holi hai!

Holi began with a rather lazy start of a day with breakfast in bed, mildly irritated by the loud music blaring off speakers in the neighbourhood, as I surfed the internet in bed. Yes, I have lights on Saturday and Sunday for a few hours. Thank you NEA!

Post lunch, Dhungel phoned to say that he was on his way to pick me up to “do something this Holi with the home boys”. Repulsed at the idea of having to duck my way onto the pickup point with rooftops festering with kids and exuberant adults, who’d be more than happy to tip a bucket of fetid water over or hurl plastic bag projectiles at passersby, I left the sanctity of my bed. 🙁 (more…)

By Utsav, ago

learning to click

This is my first post for 2011! This year, the reasons (read excuses)  have been numerous.

  1. writer’s block
  2. limited electricity (16 hours or is it 18? Heck, I have given up counting)
  3. trouble finding my niche: I dabble with technology, while I have an egging  for the environment and literature.
  4. Very close friends of mine got hitched. I had to be part of their merriment. Afterall they were giving up a major portion of their lives into servitude 🙂
  5. A sblog scraper site – dhintang.com, (I am not dignifying this site by providing a link) who scrapes all my content and a whole other Nepalese bloggers’ (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)  content as well. Read perishable press’s opinion why one should take action against content scrapers.
  6. I have been oogling Android makes (read mobiles) and hoping to get one in my already negative budget.
  7. But most important of all, I have found a new hobby  – photography; and have been reading/researching incessantly on it while indulging myself into weekend photography.

    8. (more…)

By Utsav, ago

Academic SPAM or vanity publishing?

I received an email from an associate from LAP Lambert Academic Publishing some time back, stating that they found my thesis entitled “Application of GIS in the study of land cover distribution, geomorphometry, terrain and water quality in Asi Khola Subwatershed” in the library at Kathmandu University and wanted to publish it in the form of a book. Furthermore, they would do all this for free!

I do have a few friends and colleagues who were quite elated to have been approached by an genuine European publisher. One of my friend’s book is now  available on Amazon for a whopping $70. Back then, I said good for you and shelved the idea. However, this time around when I was approached with a similar proposition, I did find it rather odd. I immediately Googled the publisher in question, and came up with quite a number of chilling references in different forums and blogs that indicated that this was a very sophisticated scam. After I updated my close knit circle of friends of the same, one even made a joke that this was probably done by a Nigerian stationed in Germany. (more…)

By Utsav, ago

First love!

I took upon an invitation to watch this movie at Jai Nepal. This was my second Nepali movie after “Sano Sansar”. I was not very impressed back then either, but I solaced myself because it was a commendable effort from the Kollywood fraternity and the sound track was also hum-worthy.

movie poster available from the Facebook page
However, this movie – First love, does have its share of quirks that really bothered me. The plot is nondescript; much inspired by a plethora of plots, the most prominent being the last American virgin.

(more…)

By Utsav, ago

foot in mouth incident I!

There is this new Caucasian face in the bus whom we completely ignore and go about making jokes like our usual selves – we’re this raucous gang of three, four miscreants who huddle in the last two seats and make conversation on god-knows-what-not all the way home. This new face Read more…

By Utsav, ago