Home is Where My Heart is...

Phuntsholing, Bhutan

Lawn outside the House

Phuntsholing, Bhutan

Too much of anything is NEVER good

Somethings in life such as "drinking lots of water', "brushing every day, eating vitamins, sleeping, etc we learn are good for us but what happens when we over do it and obsess over its capabilities???
Here are 5 things that we often consume too much and not realize how harmful they can be to the body:

1. Water
   -Drinking too much water can cause water intoxication because of a hitherto undiagnosed tricky heart. When the body takes in more water than it loses, it is called 'over hydration'. This happens when the heart, liver, kidneys or pituitary gland are not functioning properly. In these cases your doctor will restrict fluid intake and you may be given a diuretic to increase urinary output.
   
   
   
   
2. Vitamins:Vitamins are double edged sword. Some are not passed out gently out of the system after they've served their purpose. They remain there to wreck unsuspected damage.
   -Vitamin B: formally called Folic acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine and so on has become fashionable as pick me up shots. In certain people they cause rash with anaphylactic shock and even death.
   -Vitamin A: taking over 300mcg can cause drowsiness, irrtability, vomitting, peeling of skin. It is dangerous in pregnant women and may put older people at risk for hip fractures.
   -Vitamin D: over 2000 IU and over 2500 ml of calcium daily can cause loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, high blood pressure and may damage the kidneys.
   -Vitamin E: over 1500 UI daily increases the risk of bleeding and can cause hemorrhagic strokes in people who are also taking blood thinner. Weakness, fatigue, nausea, and diarrhoea are also side effects.
    
3. Dieting
   Instead of meaning sensible meals, the word now implies load shedding, which has become popular obsession. As its simplest weight loss requires consuming fewer calories that the body uses. For example, half a pound of weight loss requires 10 days of consuming 200 fewer calories a day. Most healthy weight loss requires you to consume 1200-1500 calories a day.
   -Fad diets lacks essential nutrients, such a protein, iron, zinc, and provide the same volume of food by upping fibre and fluids.
   -High protein carb diets work like a dream for the first week or so, as the body converts stored carbs into energy and excretes large amounts of water. But after this initial stage the weight loss slows down.
   -Famous diets such as Atkins(high protein) or Pritikins (Low protein) known to cause dehydration, high cholestrol, kidney stress, loss of bone density and metabolic disturbances.
   
   Exercise
4. Too much exercise may lead to over training which can make you susceptible to injuries and illnesses.Exercise is a stressor which has a catabolic effect on the body. You know you are overdoing it if your workouts suddenly feel harder than usual or you're losing ground despite the fact that you're working hard. If the pain continues than your body is trying to tell you something.Your body needs time to recover, and your muscles will grow if you chill them so start slow and steady if you're a beginner and same goes with weight lifting.
   
   
5. Brushing
   Over enthusiastic brushing in the push to get sparkling white pearly and banish tooth decay gets the work in reverse. It is the act of brushing that is more important. Anything over 3 times a day, of 2 minutes and with a hard or medium brush can strip away the protective layer of enamel, which is only 1-2mm thick and cannot be reformed as it has no cells. thus, the inner layer of your tooth gets exposed leaving them yellow and sensitive to hot/cold, sweet/sour foods. this is called Tooth brush abrasion.
   
   
   

Your existence matters~

"I've let my walls fall down, the enemies have finally invaded... Should I surrender or die by my sword with honor like a Japanese samurai??..."

It seems like i have felt this before with the feelings that are taking over much stronger than anticipated... Normally called De-ja vu but I am not even sure what is normal anymore..??
----(thoughts at 4 am)

We, our minds, body and spirit are so occupied by trying to do the right things in life that we often neglect trying to enjoy doing things that we genuinely love... And only in moments of despair when we hear of someone that has either passed away or has only a few years of life to live, then we start to question our very own existence. Reality is what would you do if you knew you had just a few more months or years to live?


I thought about this question for a good long duration and it is definitely difficult to see things with a clear perspective to understand what would be important and what would matter if i were to be faced with death in a short time... Even though life is still pretty much unpredictable, i wonder if anything else besides Family, Love, Friendship would matter?...Like Work? House? Car? Money? Technology? would these matter as well...definitely say yes but to think about it deeply... would it really matter that you missed work one day or wore the wrong shoes? or had no computer to check emails??

To me, it would be the people i love that would matter the most. This would be a really great time to analyze who would make it to the inner circle and to carefully think who would actually be there for you when it all comes down in the end... Most days we don't make time to spend with others, go to meetings or attend birthdays, dinners  but rather choose that time to shut ourselves out of the world somehow... Reflecting back was it worth missing it all?

Think about when was the last time you told people that mattered how much they meant to you or how much you love them? if you haven't, why wait for another moment that may never come but start right here, right now how much it matters to have them in your life. It's never too late to do the things you want to do, make a schedule, to do lists and as you go on living day to day check those list out one by one (something like a bucket list). Spend time with those you wish to be around with, eat what you wish to eat, make music, exercise and hit the gym if you like, make a short documentary, take pictures, attend birthday's, travel around the world to places you always wanted to go, listen to granny's stories, cuddle your lover in bed before sleeping, start a foundation, appreciate nature and the beauty of the world and overall take time to enjoy the little pleasures life has to offer...because life is short and when death comes, it doesn't think twice...


Don't worry about the small things, just do what matters to you the most and do it NOW.

Your life is a gift that many people wish to have so cherish it, make a difference and enjoy now to the fullest.

World AIDS Day

We've all seen the Red ribbons that people wear on their coats or pinned to their bags... Ever wondered what it stood for? Most people i talked to today had no clue to what the full form of AIDS was... At least I'm glad i am not one of those and its thanks to the General Knowledge class we had to take in St. Helens Secondary school where these information so called 'knowledge' was drilled into us constantly. So for those of you who still don't know what it is; AIDS stands for "ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME".

Every year on December 1st, the world celebrates "World AIDS Day". It is celebrated globally to raise awareness on the AIDS pandemic that is caused by the HIV infection that kills many hundreds of people around the world each year. Hearing true life experienced stories from people infected positive for HIV is surely what moves me into wanting to reach out to them. Just like how in Bhutan, a rather positive milestone was stepped when a 38 year old man came forth with his positive HIV status in public after 20 years of being infected making him the pioneer in speaking out about being infected and i hope he sets a leading example to those who are still hiding behind their disease in fear of being stigmatized by society.

But little did i know too myself on what actually HIV and AIDS is so today i took the time after class to learn more about it and how i could pledge in raising awareness...And with this day commencing i pledged to help raise awareness by going to a Free HIV test clinic that was set up in the science center at UBC and educated myself so i could not only help myself but others in regard to this disease as well.

The first thing i did was i pledged myself and went to the free HIV testing clinic that was being offered by UBC health center and got tested for HIV. The nurse asked me a protocol series of questions but the one that stood out for me was when she seriously asked " If you were tested positive for HIV would you go out and harm other people...?" I had to pause for a few seconds to think if that was a serious question or not and with a unsure laughter i said of course not and hearing my unsure laughter she said yes i know it's a weird and funny question but its part of my job that i need to stick to these questions... But yes it was good to know that she found it weird as well... i am not a sadistic person to inflict pain and suffering on others and i hope there are no people like that who would like to inflict suffering on others except i did hear one time about the Tutsi population in Rwanda who rape babies as they believe that it would strip away of their HIV status....which is very disturbing and at the same time appalling to even imagine takes place in some corner of the world like many rituals and practices we are ignorant of still.

She took a poke at my finger and collected some blood and ran some tests and not surprisingly of the results it displayed 'negative' :). Thanking her after our small conversation on Bhutan, i left the clinic to enjoy my friend performing some neyo, Usher, tracy chapman cover numbers downstairs at the building...

Reflection: My U.B.C

Often in life we end up whining and complaining about how certain events like High School or University Years seem to be such a long journey and once undertaken feels like it will never end. But in reality, it's not that long as we anticipated instead it finishes as quickly as it begins...


I came to Vancouver to study here at the University of British Columbia in the year 2007 (seems ages ago doesnt it?) but i clearly remember the first days of school like it was yesterday. We had to attend international student Gala orientations and the first day of school was orientations as well to explore the places on campus mostly. I don't think i attended all the events on the schedule as my mother had come along to Vancouver as well so i went back to her after classes until she left. But i remember being really happy exploring the city with my mother, the weather was nice and sunny, i opened my first bank account, bought textbooks, became friends Yeshey Lhaden, lived in KoreaHouse(KU) in Place Vanier where i met some of the coolest people i still am good friends with (Brandon, Chris, Paula, Laurel, Cam, Amanda, Michelle, Brendan, Julie, Kelvin, Brad, and Jack)... Having the independence and freedom to lead your own life with no curfew, rules, no-one monitoring you like back in High School was a wonderful feeling. Through these experiences i learnt to be a better person and the place grew on me eventually and even after 4 years i love this city, university and the people dearly that leaving all too soon kinda makes me sad...

As second year passed, third year came and soon i was a senior about to graduate. Time sure does go by in a jiffy~
I wouldn't say i was the brightest student here, but of course i had my strengths and weakness in the subjects i took. There were some pretty interesting courses i took, some which i hated, some which i was forced to take and some which i embraced wanting to know more. Linguistics, Geography, Philosophy, Asian studies, family studies, Choir, Statistics, Sociology, Earth and Ocean Science, Criminology, Gender studies, Race and Ethnicity, German, Religious studies are only some to name of the classes i took while i was here at UBC. I loved how diverse it all was and the options to learn more was thrilling but sometimes it often made me question how depth could i really go? When i picked my major as sociology i was very excited to learn it all but by the end i was a bit sad how UBC did not have a particular focus like how some business students or science majors have. So here i am two weeks into completing university with a sociology degree and i have no focus in any field but i am very much interested in international or community development for my further studies in a few years.

In life you come across many obstacles and roadblocks, its not how you wait for it to be cleared with time but rather how you go around it to find alternate routes... Here in UBC i found myself experiencing many of those and i can proudly admit that i did not stumble or fall down to them but rather found other solutions that helped me come back on track. I have enjoyed my time here, met amazing friends, soaked enough rain for a lifetime, braced the cold, woke up to early morning classes, stayed late nights at the library, skipped classes (yes everyone does), started drinking excessive coffee, got introduced to a new culture, stopped eating at McDonalds, played in Basketball leagues, went to watch soccer game (Whitecaps vs. L.A Galaxy), developed leadership skills, changed houses every year, stayed for a short summer, partied in Downtown Vancouver, went to concerts (Match Box Twenty, Beyonce, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Mika, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, Joshua Radin, Sara Bareilles, DJ shows), shopped crazy, was an international student peer, ate Japa Dogs, etc... the list goes endless and it is these moments that i will forever cherish and as the saying goes that "it is not the place but actually the people that  make up the place"...I definitely  agree with that!!!


Now it's time for me to leave this beautiful place that i have grown so much to love and i am not sure where or when life will be kind to me again to return here but i promise you that i will come back one day sooner or later. Thank you Vancouver for all you've been including the rain and the beautiful fall, Thank you UBC for accepting me in the first place way back in 2007 and Thank You to all the people i've met during my short journey here... It was worthwhile and i will never forget~

Much love, peace,, happiness and i hope our paths may cross one day...!!! xoxo

If I had my moment

Now that i have the secret to your heart
I wont give it away so openly
Its true what they say that:
you don't know what you have till it's gone...
So i'm giving it my all
and loving you how its suppose to be...

I didn't understand the initial feeling
but it warmed up my heart,
from the butterflies in my tummy
to the weakness in my knees...

Is this how we fall in love?
Are we to be feeling this way?
They make it look so easy in the movies
 But then again that's Hollywood...

I never cheated on you nor  i ever will
that's a different person not me
Might have set eyes on somebody else
But you kept bringing me back stronger than before...

Then i heard you fell out of love
and forgot what we had
The memories left behind all tainted and unforgotten...
I wished we'd never met
But then i wouldn't have realized how you played me
Like a puppet on a string...

So i drank my summer away
because you hated the girl that i was
I changed and came back five years later
And that's when I caught your eye
By then i was already in the arms of another man...

I'm a better person now because of you,
You changed the way i looked at love
and made me believe in something more than just from above
I still pray for us to be together someday
Just not today, tomorrow but maybe another lifetime ...

*no related experience to these words above, just inspired from stories and songs i heard right now~

Snowy Mountain Peaks

There is always something so beautiful and blissful about the time of the year when it starts to snow. This is my weekend at Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Even though i went up on top of the peak to Snowboard i had to take the opportunity to take pictures and embrace the beauty of it all... I wish the pictures came out as beautiful as i saw it with my eyes but i hope you all enjoy it as much as i did!

Deep thoughts at 2 am: Part II

Continuation (Part 2)

...When it all came to me as a surprise I accepted it and challenged the way I feel about this person! Days turned to weeks, weeks into months and then a year and 3 months... With distance it seems shorter but it has been quite the journey and I can almost like compare it to a car... If it doesn't get enough conditioning and servicing time to time on a regular basis then it won't seem to function in a proper manner nor will it work in the long run. Similarly, relationships too need this conditioning whether it is the individual or the relationship as a whole picture!!!

With 11/15 months being apart on a short term basis to every 4 months, it has taught  me to bare with the stormy tides and hope for a better weather once it's all over :) and that's what I exactly did... I tried and held on to see if I could love or if he could teach me how to love...

This made me feel stronger than I was before, braver to endure and then smarter to fight decisions and by being precautions about my actions so the same mistakes won't happen twice!!

Of course, I would be lying if i said that my relationship with my partner is perfect as firstly nothing is perfect even if we keep trying to get there but i mist acknowledge that we do have quite a bond as compared to the other couples around us!Being apart from each other for strenuous weeks continued this one year and 3 months but it has taught me that "you must never try to change who you are at the cost of others, not to be taken advantaged off by your own blood and  some times Accept that friends are just bad at keeping in touch!!

So i musnt expect anything from anyone and as time went by just like the passing clouds from above, I kept my heart and emotions closed out to the rest of the world as I thought and believed that it is possible to love suddenly. With days we started playing this game called loyalty where we had to build trust up... But I tumbled like the boulder of Sisyphus who kept trying to push it up the Mountain and it kept rolling down once it reached the top!!! Of course human fallacy is inevitable and I didn't intentionally start conversations knowingly with the officer but rather it was a built up of friendship that led the road elsewhere instead of the middle path! Nothing else was involved but naive conversations and messages and I guess feelings do stray apart when you lose touch!

It was the month of April earlier this year where I felt neglected and ignored by my partner and guess who was there for me? The other guy who listened to my stress, shared jokes, light hearted conversations and kept me company when I needed the most.... The bond got closer after that and I really considered him a good friend but life always has a funny way of presenting situations in the most unexpected manner so when I was back home in the summer, it all spilt out like a jack in the box! Sprang out to surprise everyone including myself actually... I had no idea where it was all going except that i knew it had to end somewhere and it did.. They say that every beginning comes from some other beginning's end and just like that the last strand holding back was snipped with a huge scissor that didn't come from my hand. "Mitagpa" as my tattoo reads means impermanence and a lot in life have i realized are not permanent right from relationships to friendships, things, situations and some times there are things that you just cant see until it gets too late...just like people who flip out at the last minute or all of a sudden you start to see after 3 long years of knowing the person and then all of a sudden he's a total stranger that you start to question yourself why you didn't see that coming in the first place? It's also plainly said by many that "Love is Blind" and i can't agree more to it as i clearly didn't see what i got myself into and now i do understand it all after stepping out for the freshest air i ever did breathe... 


Like Camus in his novel, he says much of our life is built on the hope for tomorrow and yet tomorrow is a step closer to the end (death) and thus it becomes our very own enemy as people live so uncertain about life and death that once the world seems so estranged and inhuman, true knowledge of it all and the rationality just cannot explain the world. Everything becomes absurd and meaningless once it is recognized...Just like that uncertainty continues to rule our lives making me realize how important everyday is to live to the fullest with no regrets and set backs.

to be continued to Part III ...

Snow in Mid November

Deep thoughts at 2 am

Emotions run deep, clearly at the second hour of the first day when darkness falls over the city blinding the source from the light. And here, i tend to find myself in perfect solitude reasoning for my very existence and how it taught me to love...

Until i was done with high school, I've studied at two schools that were both based on the christian faith and I've learnt that the bible (1 Corinthians 13:4) teaches that: "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not boast, it is not proud" but I actually wonder if the author himself actually did fall in love to actually write this or was it the teachings of his preacher?
Of course, love is patient to those who are in long distance and have to wait months before seeing each other, and it has to be kind because without kindness there is no relationship and bonds developed at times. It does not boast but some people do to make others feel horrible for being single and that goes along with having pride too. So i don't really see how i agreed on this before and its hard for something like this to exist to think about it and i am sure many Christians out there believe that as well but who am i to judge right? All i can say is that 'Jealousy' and 'Pride' are very often hard emotions that tend to haunt us no matter how much we may try to eradicate it...Love is defined differently to every one of us and it is not how we follow step by step that is written in some book but rather how we as unique individuals understand this concept that allows us to love another with no clear boundaries or steps.

Often love can be ironic as we tend to ignore those who adore us, adore the ones that ignore us, love the ones who hurt us and hurt the ones that love us. I cannot say that i know what love really is as i am only 23 and had just a valid relationship but from my prior experience of being with someone for 3 years has definitely taught me how not to love someone and trust them entirely. Being in love is a completely different feeling that is indescribable for anyone but yourself to understand. The experiences may be similar or coincidental but i think no love is the same!

The love i was most familiar with was the love i got from my family and friends. It wasn't until i was done with my high school that i actually decided to experiment with love and see how it feels to love somebody. To cut a long story short i gave it a try and it lasted for 3 years with ups and downs like a relationship is normally suppose to be but i never knew it was possible to fall out of love until it happened to me in the third year of the relationship...  funny how it all happened but i think it was all because he was more in love with me than i was ever with him. We developed a bond and shared proximity and i cared and loved him but sooner or later "shit hit the fan" and just like a volcano, the contents built up to provide enough force to emit out all that was building in and finally caused an eruption that caused damage but not extensively...

Then as unexpected as it all happened, when i wasn't looking at all, love surprised me and came out of no where. It found me on a random night/early morning on September 4th...
(to be contd...)

Poetry on the go

"It will rain and wash away the past
If you Come away with me
You'll see and understand
So let it rain over you and me..."

The clouds got heavier and darker
As I found myself standing at a crossroad
Watched the rain hit pavements
As i lived the blissful moment

My feet got wet but didn't matter
The rain trickles down my face
Drenching every part of me slowly
Who said loving someone is easy?

We held on as the waves got rough
Anticipated the tides to come
Life was what we made of it
And it rained every single day

Our hearts stayed silent
Soul searching was what he said
But the rain carried on
Just like the clocks that keep ticking...

Katy Perry-The One That Got Away

The Postlude to the video:
I loved you and made you happy and nothing else could come between but now you've left me to love another, you've have shattered all my dreams. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, You make me happy...

This song is one of my favorite songs by Katy Perry.. The lyrics are so meaningful, and the sweet Ballad about lost love and finding the guy then getting matching tattoo's on her 18th birthday before hearing later on that he got his removed so she know the relationship is over. The music video is beautiful :) just like the song and it tells one not to make things that may change the relationship.



Another song i can't get enough of: Marry Me by Train.


"Forever can never be long enough for me 
Feel like I've had long enough with you 
Forget the world now we won't let them see 
But there's one thing left to do..."


I love it how it is so romantic, and how it captures the honest passion of loving some one and being in love with that some one. It also portrays how one can never get close enough to the person and even if you so end up spending all the time in the world with each other, there is actually no amount of time that will really give you enough time with each other.. ou end up realizing that It is never enough...

Besides 'Drop of Jupiter', 'Words' and 'If it's Love' and 'Hey, Soul Sister', this has got to be one of my all time favourite song because of not only his voice but by the way he captures the romance in the songs... "_"

Whistler from the Lens

Bhutan: The pursuit of Happiness

Ted Talk Halifax: Silver Donald Cameron on Bhutan

Malcolm X

When I'm born I'm black, when I grow up I'm black, when I'm in the sun I'm black, when I'm sick I'm black, when I die I'm black, and you... when you're born you're pink, when you grow up you're white, when you're cold you're blue, when you're sick you're blue, when you die you're green and you dare call me coloured. 

Countries I have Visited :)

1. Afghanistan
2. Akrotiri
3. Albania
4. Algeria
5. American Samoa
6. Andorra
7. Angola
8. Anguilla
9. Antarctica
10. Antigua and Barbuda
11. Argentina
12. Armenia
13. Aruba
14. Ashmore and Cartier Islands
15. Australia
16. Austria
17. Azerbaijan
18. Bahamas, The
19. Bahrain
20. Bangladesh
21. Barbados
22. Bassas da India
23. Belarus
24. Belgium
25. Belize
26. Benin
27. Bermuda
28. Bhutan
29. Bolivia
30. Bosnia and Herzegovina
31. Botswana
32. Bouvet Island
33. Brazil
34. British Indian Ocean Territory
35. British Virgin Islands
36. Brunei
37. Bulgaria
38. Burkina Faso
39. Burma
40. Burundi
41. Cambodia
42. Cameroon
43. Canada
44. Cape Verde
45. Cayman Islands
46. Central African Republic
47. Chad
48. Chile
49. China
50. Christmas Island
51. Clipperton Island
52. Cocos (Keeling) Islands
53. Colombia
54. Comoros
55. Congo, Democratic Republic of the
56. Congo, Republic of the
57. Cook Islands
58. Coral Sea Islands
59. Costa Rica
60. Cote d’Ivoire
61. Croatia
62. Cuba
63. Cyprus
64. Czech Republic
65. Denmark
66. Dhekelia
67. Djibouti
68. Dominica
69. Dominican Republic
70. Ecuador
71. Egypt
72. El Salvador
73. Equatorial Guinea
74. Eritrea
75. Estonia
76. Ethiopia
77. Europa Island
78. Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
79. Faroe Islands
80. Fiji
81. Finland
82. France
83. French Guiana
84. French Polynesia
85. French Southern and Antarctic Lands
86. Gabon
87. Gambia, The
88. Gaza Strip
89. Georgia
90. Germany
91. Ghana
92. Gibraltar
93. Glorioso Islands
94. Greece
95. Greenland
96. Grenada
97. Guadeloupe
98. Guam
99. Guatemala
100. Guernsey
101. Guinea
102. Guinea-Bissau
103. Guyana
104. Haiti
105. Heard Island and McDonald Islands
106. Holy See (Vatican City)
107. Honduras
108. Hong Kong
109. Hungary
110. Iceland
111. India
112 .Indonesia
113. Iran
114. Iraq
115. Ireland
116. Isle of Man
117. Israel
118. Italy
119. Jamaica
120. Jan Mayen
121. Japan
122. Jersey
123. Jordan
124. Juan de Nova Island
125. Kazakhstan
126. Kenya
127. Kiribati
128. Korea, North
129. Korea, South
130. Kuwait
131. Kyrgyzstan
132. Laos
133. Latvia
134. Lebanon
135. Lesotho
136. Liberia
137. Libya
138. Liechtenstein
139. Lithuania
140. Luxembourg
141. Macau
142. Macedonia
143. Madagascar
144. Malawi
145. Malaysia
146. Maldives
147. Mali
148. Malta
149. Marshall Islands
150. Martinique
151. Mauritania
152. Mauritius
153. Mayotte
154. Mexico
155. Micronesia, Federated States of
156. Moldova
157. Monaco
158. Mongolia
159. Montserrat
160. Morocco
161. Mozambique
162. Namibia
163. Nauru
164. Navassa Island
165. Nepal
166. Netherlands
167. Netherlands Antilles
168. New Caledonia
169. New Zealand
170. Nicaragua
171. Niger
172. Nigeria
173. Niue
174. Norfolk Island
175. Northern Mariana Islands
176. Norway
177. Oman
178. Pakistan
179. Palau
180. Panama
181. Papua New Guinea
182. Paracel Islands
183. Paraguay
184. Peru
185. Philippines
186. Pitcairn Islands
187. Poland
188. Portugal
189. Puerto Rico
190. Qatar
191. Reunion
192. Romania
193. Russia
194. Rwanda
195. Saint Helena
196. Saint Kitts and Nevis
197. Saint Lucia
198. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
199. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
200. Samoa
201. San Marino
202. Sao Tome and Principe
203. Saudi Arabia
204. Senegal
205. Serbia and Montenegro
206. Seychelles
207. Sierra Leone
208. Singapore
209. Slovakia
210. Slovenia
211. Solomon Islands
212. Somalia
213. South Africa
214. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
215. Spain
216. Spratly Islands
217. Sri Lanka
218. Sudan
219. Suriname
220. Svalbard
221. Swaziland
222. Sweden
223. Switzerland
224. Syria
225. Taiwan
226. Tajikistan
227. Tanzania
228. Thailand
229. Timor-Leste
230. Togo
231. Tokelau
232. Tonga
233. Trinidad and Tobago
234. Tromelin Island
235. Tunisia
236. Turkey
237. Turkmenistan
238. Turks and Caicos Islands
239. Tuvalu
240. Uganda
241. Ukraine
242. United Arab Emirates
243. United Kingdom
244. United States
245. Uruguay
246. Uzbekistan
247. Vanuatu
248. Venezuela
249. Vietnam
250. Virgin Islands
251. Wake Island
252. Wallis and Futuna
253. West Bank
254. Western Sahara
255. Yemen
256. Zambia
257. Zimbabwe

The Burning Candle: Be grateful and pray for those who are un-fortunate than you.

Some live the life which most people dream about. The lap of luxury, where everything goes right and there is neither trouble nor worry. But some live life so painfully as another day comes forth, another new fight and the struggle continues. Each day these people live towards this struggle and keep their hope hanging so that one day this would all be a dream rather than the harsh reality staring straight at their faces. They hear the screams of salvation calling from the heart with an open hand with day after day desolation but still there is no hope left for those who believe!!

There is a road which leads into these circumstances and down this road there are thousands of dreams awaiting and only opportunity can knock on the door. And this road is the one where the beggars and the choosers find their so called destiny from which they are saved in the light of faith for everyone to see.  This is when time passes by quick in the glimpse of a second and what’s left behind are the days of eternity where nothing else is left behind not even old souvenirs. For them the old statues stand still where it use to be and all one sees are the bleeding scars of humility, and hear the screams of salvation from this life calling from the heart.

It has been a long time ever since I saw such painful cries and the redemption of these people. This brings me back to the days I knew long before it even existed. The days which left me behind and went forth but now its over and it is time to vision things from a different light. Flashbacks of yesterday and faces of tomorrow still haunt me time to time and out of this desire I traveled miles high and low in search for what I have seen the world through these small eyes. For every living day I know it takes more energy out of me each time to see such suffering and discomfort to people in this world. As the candle burns I've learned one thing so far in my life to live your life but say a prayer for all that you've got and be grateful.

 And as the candle keeps burning pray for those who are less fortunate than how you have been with trust and honesty like you really meant it. Just follow your heart and swear by the ones that you love for it is a life for the taking that surrounds you which are full of liars and thieves. But it's the truth that pulls you back to reality and through all the years and the painful tears; it’s been a mountain that I must climb. And for every living day it's clear, I've turned a page in time. To live your life and say a prayer for all that you've got and be grateful for those.

Whistler 2011

So over the weekend i took a trip to Whistler, stayed at the Pan Pacific for a night and enjoyed some sightseeing even thought the ski lifts and the gondola's were all closed since it wasn't the season yet but it was definitely worth it from getting there when it wasnt snowing to taking pictures at the olympic rings, eating supposedly the "best ice cream in canada", then lunch at the yummy  Mongolian Grill to just walking the entire village that looked pretty huge on the map :)

Apart from that got some pictures after eons of days and weeks of not being able to get a good day to take pictures...so finally tried and it seems i'm forgetting my own camera features. Even though there were not many people there at this time of the year i believe about 60,000 people occupy whistler once the ski and snowboard season opens for all.

Well one interesting feature to note on my trip there was that, i noticed bazillion Australians living in Whistler. When i asked why, one guy was pretty disappointed at how his own people have been behaving and it seems that they just come here to party and enjoy life rather than like working in his case... From starbucks servers, to icecream shop vendors, to hotel bell boy, managers to almost everyone there was australian. Apparently to them the mountains, ski, snowboard and living in a cold places appeals to them much more than their own beautiful city.

I couldnt disagree with that as when i woke up and looked outside my window, the view was spectacular and breathtaking that i couldnt stop looking. The whistler village was beautiful and surprisingly it wasn't cold for me. I seriously think something could be wrong with me as i do not feel cold like the others here. When they're freezing cold and not enjoying the weather, i'm enjoying the crispiness of the cold :)