Western Eyes With Eastern Scriptures

Eyelid twitching refers to an involuntary eyelid movement which may happen all of a sudden without any stimulation. For some, it lasts for hardly a few moments and eventually stops. But for some, this irritating and annoying involuntary twitching lasts for days, weeks and months at its worst. Following is what most of the westerners thinks about it:

"The world is full of individuals having some or the other form of muscle twitch in their body.  Involuntary twitches can range from petty and slightly annoying habits to more consistent and highly irritating behavior, which appears extremely erratic and the victim is simply helpless. In most cases, the twitching habit lasts for a short time and eventually fades away, while in some cases it remains for years together as a harmless muscular movement or a highly annoying form of body movement. Involuntary eyelid twitching is one such example. Involuntary eye twitching or eyelid twitching is also known and referred to by many as benign essential blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm or simply blinking disorder. There are different types and forms of this annoying phenomena ranging from mild habitual forms to seriously abnormal forms"

 Like wise, we the Bhutanese (or Buddhist in General) also have our own belief system for this. According to our system, we believe that twitching in different location, especially around our eyes, mean different things. Its as good as  foretelling something in advance! For example, twitching of an upper right eyelid signifies that, a person will soon be blessed with wealth, where as the twitching of a lower right eyelid signifies the impending misfortunes. Similarly, twitching of the upper left eyelid signifies that a person will fall sick, risk being dead and not fulfilling the expectations and endeavors. Twitching left lower eyelid on the other hand signifies that a person will succeed in all his endeavors. 

Personally, I did not believe in this system. Its long outdated orthodox. Logically speaking how can an eyelid twitching bring wealth, death, peace, success, sickness, failure and fulfillment? I simply did not find any correlation there. That's why I have always allowed my liberalness to play a part here.

But last year was a different story all together. I had the longest eyelid twitching of my life. It actually started way towards the end of 2010 and lasted till July 2011. And certainly many things did happen that year in my life. I had the longest eyelid twitching around my lower right eye and upper left eye. Both weren't a good sign. As if the divinity wanted to prove the belief system to me, many unpleasant things ensued in my life:

1. In the January 2011, our family lost almost 25% our yaks in a fire outbreak.
2. I had had the worst possible car accident of my life. (Damaged 3 cars)
3. Lost the gadget that I valued most in my life, -my Camera
4. Lost my most expensive shade, My Rayban sunglasses
5. My father nearly died of a stroke. Many a time, I had to travel between Bumthang and Paro, all alone day and night.
6. Like me, my father-in-law had his share of worst car accident. He broke is leg and nearly killed my grandmother and three other people.
7. I got my  first ever scholarship application rejected by a Japanese University.
8. Got selected for Indian Government Scholarship with flying results! Which many consider as a bad luck because I cannot go and clean toilets and earn dollars. Many still feel going to India for masters as being equivalent to going to a slum.
9. I got Officially warned for writing a letter to my MP on a issue that I did not agree.
10. Became miserably sick in India, from a viral fever.

These things had a profound impact in my life. There are surely things in this universe which cannot be explained in the light of real world phenomenon. Eyelid twitching is perhaps one such mystery that cannot be easily ignored. 

Now that I am having another round of eyelid twitching, I am little anxious. But this time its the upper eyelid of my right eye. It had has been twitching for about a week. To my happiness, it signifies that I will have lot to eat and will be able to accumulate lot of wealth too! And true to the prediction, these days I am relishing a lot on puff in a near by shop. It really taste great. My Indian friends have difficulty finishing just one but there I am easily swallowing two puffs in one go.  As for wealth, I am planning to buy an ipad..but wondering where the money is going to come from....LOL......

Have a nice day folks............................

The Living Art Called Bonsai

Today morning, I had the privilege of visiting a small yet beautiful botanical garden. It was a very brief visit though. Its a Bonsai garden maintained by Mr. Nagendra, alias father of one of my Friend here in Ahmadabad. I have seen such  dwarfed plants before but I never really knew more about its origin and its importance.

Thanks to Mr. Nagendra, I finally got some clue as to what this Bonsai thing is all about. He told me that Bonsai is a living art. In Japanese, They call it "Bonsai" which is equivalent to Chinese term 'Penzai'. A "bon" he told me is like a pot or a tray typically used in bonsai culture and "sai" is Plant or a planting in it. Therefore in English, the word bonsai is often used as an Umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots. He also told me about the differences between the bonsai and dwarfing. But for now lets not go into detail.

Me with Mr Nagendra in his Botanical garden

This art actually originated in China and then later on flourished in Japan. This form of art has become so popular in Japan that today when a family look for a bride, the first thing they ask is whether a bride knows  something about bonsai! (well find it out if you are in Japan now) He told me that, its similar to Indian family looking for a bride who knows to cook and dance etc. 

I took this picture when i was in Malaysia in 2009

Well, with people like Mr. Nagendra, it appears to me that now the bonsai art has even reached to the Indian subcontinent too. The way he cared to talk about the art was truly inspiring. Through it I was also able to see his passion and love for the art. I think he have come a long way. But after seeing so many plants which still requires lot of treading and managing, I also think that, he have a long way to go too. I wish him all the best.

I took some pictures. Have a look. But I am sorry for not being able to write more about those plants. If in coming days, Mr. Nagendra, educates me more on those trees, well then I promise to come up with a separate and more elaborate post on it. But for now enjoy the pictures.

My Trip to Tokyo; Conclusion

As we came out of the bus, it was a bright sunny day then, the officials from the Customs Training Institute (CTI)  of Kashiwa came to receive us. There were three men and four ladies to greet us at the gate. All of them looked young and I supposed them in their mid 20s. They all looked gorgeous in their tidy dress. All men wore black suits while ladies wore skirts and long jackets. They all bowed their head to welcome us.

I smiled back and bowed my head  in response. I shook hands with all of them and told them that I am Kuenzang form Bhutan. They reciprocated the same, but my poor memory couldn't do justice in remembering their lengthy and difficult-to-pronounce names.   

As we proceeded further inside, the hostel had a standard far better than those 5 star hotels in Bhutan. It had electronic doors that required password to open and close. The wooden floor were well polished and looked very bright. The hostel also had a kitchen, laundry room and a separate TV rooms. Everything looked well planned and well arranged. They handed us the room keys and told us not to take our shoes to our room. (Because they feared that we would destroy the well maintained wooden floor) Instead we were given a pair of soft rubber slippers to wear while moving into the room.

I walked to my room with the slippers on and finally made to my room. The room had a metal door and it didn't have a number. They have put my name and along with the National flag of Bhutan. This honestly made me feel proud and happy. I took out my camera and took a picture if it. I felt like I was given VVIP treatment.

My Name on my door

I was soon called to the conference hall where all the participants from different countries gathered for the opening ceremony. The ceremony was chaired by one of the senior most official form the Tokyo Customs along with the technical experts of World Customs Organization (WCO), Regional Office for Capacity Building for Asia Pacific Region, Bangkok (ROCB) and the officials form Regional Intelligence and Liaison Office (RILO) Beijang.

Opening ceremony was soon followed by an Introduction and orientation program. All the participants choose to introduce in English. There were people who spoke fluent English while there were also few who could not converse well in English. During the orientation program, other than the history of the Institute, participants were mostly briefed on dos and donts of the hostel. We were strictly advised not to cook in the hostel kitchen and that we would be served all the meals form the official mess in the dining room.We were also given our long and most eagerly awaited daily allowance. For people like me, the organizer even reimbursed the cost of air tickets. We were all paid in US Dollar.

That moment surprised me because I was paid a hefty sum of US dollar 1400/- for a five day seminar with free accommodation, free food and free air travel. I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. To pull myself back to reality, I even approached the organizers to find out whether the amount they paid to me was right. That was a lot of money and it truly was a windfall gain and cornucopia of fortune. As the day drew closer to dusk, I went back to my room, with my hands still holding the money in disbelief.

In the evening, we were all invited for a welcome dinner. I couldn't eat much but  talked a lot. I talked with  most of the delegates and all of them had a fair knowledge of  my Country. They knew about the benevolent king we have. They also knew that development in my country based more on human happiness than material well being.

Next day, the seminar on IPR actually began. We were given countless handouts and reading materials. There were also some delegates who gave their presentation on the status of IPR infringement and IPR protection action plans in their country. We had few of the resource speakers from companies like YKK, HONDA, NOKIA, MPA and SONY etc. Participants were mostly educated on the subjects like, IPR policy of Japan, Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), WCO IPR strategy, IPR and the problematic postal system and WCO Model legislation of IPR. Some of us carefully took notes form the presentations when some of our friends peacefully slept on their chair.

Back in the dining hall, I felt comfortable dining with my colleagues for India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal. We basically had the same manner of dining compared to those people form China, Japan and Europe. We were mostly served rice and fish. Sometimes we were also served egg and and vegetables too. Of all the meals, I enjoyed breakfast most because of its sheer varieties. I went to thank cooks after every meal and sometimes our conversation got prolonged. They were mostly elderly looking ladies and they had very good  knowledge of geography; Mot of them knew where Bhutan is.

We also had a day  half day program in Tokyo Customs in Odaiba. The officials there basically took us through the working areas of Customs like the scanning area, assessment area and to the Customs museum where the seized IPR infringed goods were displayed for the public to create awareness. The museum also had a collection of uniforms of the different customs administrations around the world. The seized wild life products like crocodile skin and polar bear skins were also displayed.   

During my shopping day in Akhiabara city with my friends

Soon after our half day program with the Tokyo Customs, we were all taken to another part of Tokyo called Akhiabara. The guide in the bus told us that, it is the City of the Electronics (of the world). People often had the saying that " you name it and Akhiabara has it".

We all went out to check the authenticity of the statement ourselves. We were given only limited time but it was worth spending. I spent  most of my time in just one departmental shop. They virtually sold anything between the sky and the earth; from food stuffs to flowers, garments to garlands, cameras to candy and toys to truck. They had it all. I bought a gold plated spoon which had a picture of a lady in traditional Japanese costume and the beautiful mount Fuji. I bought it for my daughter. 

Most of our friends came back with different items. Few of them bought digital cameras without even knowing how to operate. Few of our friends, whose main purpose of the trip was to ensure IPR protection, came back with counterfeit laptops.

On our lat day of the seminar, we were all given a CD that contained seminar materials and the pictures taken during the seminar. The organizer of the seminar reminded us to get proactive with the IPR enforcement. They also gave us the certificate of participation along with a gift form Japan Customs, which was digital watch. The certificate with the WCO logo looked prestigious and digital watch with the logo of Japan Customs looked precious. We were also given a list of all the participants which also included details like e-mail address and telephone numbers. We all agreed and promised  to keep in touch, both officially and personally. We took numerous photographs and vowed to remember the place forever. As we bid adieu to each other some participants went emotional.
With that, I closed my beautiful and fairly tale like stay in the beautiful city of Kashiwa. Today after 4 long years, I still fondly remember the city in its full beauty; the beauty of  foot paths where elderly people went for walk along with bicycling youths; the beauty of noiseless and unperturbed traffic; the beauty of peach trees and the spring festival; beauty of the sun rays and the clear blue sky; beauty of cold ocean current  in the early mornings and late evenings and the beauty of the warm breeze in the afternoons, Those memories still enchants me and makes me nostalgic.

 Today I look at a faded gold plated spoon, a non functional digital watch  and certificate with torn edge and tell myself that I have lived in my "dream land" once.

My Trip to Tokyo: Part Two

Me, during the seminar

I waited for nearly an hour, (enough time to conquer the whole world,)  but still no one showed up. I pretended to look normal even though I felt the abnormal sense of loneliness in the middle of bustling crowd. To sooth myself,  I kept on  moving between the bank and information desk. I pretended that I was in no hurry to leave the airport and that I didn't require the services of the information desk which was nothing but a  noisy piece of announcement. I Kept myself busy by going to Bank and reading the information brochures that were available for public.

By then I realized, that I have waited more than an hour. I reluctantly approached the information desk and requested the lady there to do me a favor. Although she understood my need in advance, I, in my most  polite manner still, requested her to announce my name and that a person, waiting for me could kindly come and pick me form the information desk. Another person followed my suit too. His looks confirmed me that he was a Thai  national, His round face, some what flattened nose,  dark black hair and  tropical fair skin said it all to me. On seeing his jacket, he became a subject of more interest for me because the logo on his back read "Customs". I choose not to be explicit about my interest and kept silent

The lady at the information desk proceeded to make the announcements, but faced a difficulty pronouncing the name of a Thai man. I tried to help her out and amazingly it worked. A minute after announcements were made, a pale and exhausted looking lady soon appeared. I saw in her hand, a torn chart paper with my name along with the name of that very Thai man. Before she could even utter a word, I told her that we were waiting for her. But she had her own points to prove to us, She told us that we have come through a wrong channel, (the residents returning) and not through the right channel (Foreigners channel)

She not only dragged our bags but dragged us as well. She warned us about the possibilities of missing a bus to our hotel. We ran helter-skelter down the steps and finally made it to the bus that was about to move. We hurriedly got into the bus and took a seat next to each other.  As I took a deep breath to sigh out all the anxieties, he finally gave me his visiting card and at the same time began his  introduction. I had no visiting card  in response but I gave him my introduction too. Later, we also went on to discuss about the same flight we took from Bangkok. We also discussed  how popular our future King was in his country, known as "Prince Jigme"

With those discussion, we finally reached our hotel. The large sign board read "Washington Hotel" and the huge concrete building dazzled in the evening light. Inside, there were few hundred people who eagerly waited for the room keys to be distributed by a man at the counter.

I finally got my room key, which rather looked like a voucher card and not like the keys that I was used to for the last 27 years in my life. with key, I was also given a complementary breakfast coupon too. I was given a room at the 6th floor and there were also others who had the room on same floor with me. I cautiously entered the elevator with other people and carefully observed which buttons to press for exit and entry respectively.

The sound like a gong indicated that I have finally reached the 6th floor. I got out and went on to open my strange door with the strange key. To my relief, the instructions were clearly given and I could easily open the door.  It was something like  "insert the card and twist the knob when the green light blinks"

I entered my room expecting so many surprises. I carefully vouched the room with all the leaflets and brochures in the room. One leaflet said "Never leave your key inside the room while you go out" I sincerely obeyed the instruction and  put my key in my pocket. I started to check my room in detail to find that there was a  bed  that  rather looked too large for a single person along with the side table that had switches at the side and lamp on it. The window appeared large but were permanently locked. I was later told that those windows were permanently locked to protect people form committing suicide. It had a rubber curtains which I did not bother to open or touch it. The small refrigerator was stocked with all the fizzy drinks. I later realized that it was my wise decision to have not even touched those items. If  I did, then I would have ended up paying a fortune for that. The Telephone set looked just like the one I had back home, so it drew no attention of mine. The television screen however attracted my attention. The thin and slim screen was connected to a cable but  had only one channel; -Japanese version of  BBC along with a channel that played short clips of porn movies. Later I came to know that TV subscription cards were available at the lobby for one thousand yen. I bought one thinking that I could also watch other channels apart from BBC and short porn clips.

Then I went on to check the bathroom. It was quite dark inside but never the less it was well furnished with a tub, toilet, detergents, clean towels, bathrobe, shower and a torch with a chargeable battery. I thought to my self that, perhaps, people in Japan also keep contingencies like torch. 

By the time I completed my inspection, it was already dark out side. I could see the resplendent street lights on the road and airplanes with lights, hovering in the nightly sky. I had no appetite for dinner. The light form lamp was simply too faint and dim and therefore I felt a pressing need for my room to be electrified. With the right option safe and intact in my pocket, I completed all my wrong options and ended up spending a night with a just  table lamp and a a torch lighting up my room.

With my bitter failure to put on the light, I was about to go to my bed for a sound sleep, when my door bell suddenly rang. It was a lady from the transportation department. She gave me a few handout papers and told me to be there in the lobby at 630 am. She disappeared immediately.

As I went through the handout papers, one clause suddenly worried me. As per the clause, it required me to pay a sum of Yen 26000/- next morning to the organizers. It also stated that the participants should at least have another sum of yen 26000/- to cover up the other incidental costs.

For gods sake, I had only USD 300/- which is equivalent to Yen 34800/-in total. where in the hell am I suppose to get that much money form. If the thing of light was insult, then thing of yen surely came as an injury to me. It took away all my sleep and peace. I regretted being there and thought that these people have all gone nuts. suddenly I started missing my home. I  became insomniac and became wretched. That was the first time I felt home sick in my entire life.

Deep inside, I consoled my self and said that, things should work out well because I have come here to represent my administration; -my country. I tried multiple ways to bring down my emotion with multiple self consolations.

 The next morning, I got up way before the wake call and got dressed. I tried to make a phone call to my family but someone in Japan responded and I was charged 10 Yen. I couldn't even eat my complementary breakfast.

I met my Thai colleague in the hotel lobby and I tried to discuss the same matter with him. He showed no interest and seemed least bothered. When I showed him the paper I was given, he took a glance at it  and said that I was given the wrong paper. He told me that those papers were actually meant for the private sector people and not for government delegations.

I immediately approached the lady and told her of the errors (of her) that took away my sleep and made me home sick. She was swift in acknowledging her mistakes and immediately apologized me.

Soon all the participants got into the bus, that apparently looked like a house in itself and we began our onward journey to Kashiwa. I slept the entire journey to compensate my lost sleep.

We finally reached, Kashiwa at around 9 am local time.

My Trip to Tokyo; Part one

Me in (Red gho) during the photography session

As far as I can remember, It was in the fall of January 2007, that I got a nomination letter from my office to participate in my maiden ex-country seminar. The seminar was on "Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement in Asia Pacific region" and it was scheduled to take place in Kashiwa, Chiba in Tokyo city,. The seminar was expected to  last till 16th March starting from 12th of March.

The idea of trip to Tokyo, just after my probation period in civil service was too much to believe. As much as it has been a subject of pride for me, that much has also been the subject of envy and covet for my friends. Viewing things form the perspective of a beginner, it honestly enthralled me; -realizing a trip to my "dream land" was especial in its fullness.

With just one month, there was hardly any time left to be wasted in waiting, so began my pre-departure formalities in rage and earnest. It included included exchanging e-mails on regular basis with the organizers and collecting countless "no objection certificates" from various agencies to get my passport processed.  Apart from those processes, It also included lot of cumbersome papers works at my head office too. By virtue of working away from the Head office, I also had the liberty to travel frequently and  complete the formalities before deadline. I was even entitled to make my travel and allowance claims from my office. I  remember exaggerating my travel claims which enraged my boss. I also remember how my boss nearly ate me up; -raw for this conduct.

In a weeks time, I got the visa for Japan and I was almost through with, so called the pre-departure formalities. The post departure, however haunted me day and night. It brought to me more questions than I could ever answer. Questions like how would the telephone booth in Bangkok look like and where would it be located in the airport ?  How would I get a taxi and how much would they charge me ? How would I catch my flight to Tokyo next morning sort of  things continued to preoccupy my thoughts until I finally got introduced to man from Thailand who works for Thai airways through one of my cousin. We initially met on phone, completely stranger to each other.

I bought my air ticket but on credit from Tashi Tours and Treks. I promised to reimburse the same when I  get back.

With my trip lurking and ever nearing, my state of confusion augmented further. I sent countless e-mails to my counter part with regard to the transportation arrangements. I Googoled every day about the travel tips, particularly relating to Japan and Narita International airport. I made incessant phone calls to my stranger friend in Bangkok and spoke to him about my zero knowledge about international travels. We discussed and  made numerous arrangements so that he could identify me and pick me up. He told me that, he would come in green T-shit to pick me up. I agreed without any qualms. I also called up my head office; -many a time  to make sure that I was well fortified for my upcoming trip.

Finally on 10th of March, I boarded the flight KB 126 at 1015 local time. As I took my seat No. 6F, I could sense the flow of emotion through my central nervous system, The sense of satisfaction was overwhelmingly  immense and that I lacked words to describe. All I could do was sit  aback and  silently thank my parents for the sacrifices they have made for my education.  I Thanked my King and leaders for having created a system of Education that has brought me thus far. I thanked almighty god for having me born as a Bhutanese. I thanked my supervisors for having me nominated for the trip and I also thanked my teachers for the lessons they taught me with all their heart and head. That was it. I have spent more than half of my life in schools and colleges, perhaps to see myself in the position I was in.

Minutes before the actual  take-off, the flight attendants, who were (are) considered as the finest and most good looking ladies in the country, gave us the pre-flight briefing, which included welcoming of passengers on board and  in-flight safety demonstration. It was my genuine but humble privilege to have been served by those beautiful ladies. They served all the passengers in most amicable way. As my fellow passengers got themselves engrossed with tea, coffee. lunch and liquors, I was lost in mesmerizing sights of dazzling clouds, whose splendor held me spellbound. An hour later, our flight landed In Zia International airport in Dhaka to pick up the joining passengers.

From there, it was a long flight. However, we finally landed in Bangkok at around 1330 local time. The  enormity of airport was way beyond my comprehension. There were thousands of passengers scurrying in all the directions. There were also passengers who apparently looked lost and nervous; just like me.

As soon as I got out from the pick-up van, I looked around for the telephone booth but sadly I was directed to the terminal door by the security personnel. I, some how managed to reach the immigration check point by following fellow passengers. Since I was carrying an official passport, I was accorded faster clearance there. I also got through the Customs check and finally I was out of the terminal building. I started looking for my friend, who promised to come in green T-shirt to pick me. To my utter dismay, there were virtually thousands of people in green T-shit whom I believed had the same purpose; -pick up the passengers like me; lost and lonely.  I finally approached a lady, whom I mistakenly took her to be an information desk personnel. I told her that I wanted to use her phone for a while, but she insisted me to buy a new sim card or else use the public phone facilities provided I have some Thai coins.  Later, I availed my request when she finally discovered that I  was a coin-less and sim-less man. She dialed my friend's number and he instantly responded. It was a relief beyond my imagination.

It was even greater relief, when he finally started calling my name "Kusang" for Kuenzang. He kept his words and as promised, he was in green T-shirt. He has even booked taxi for me. We needed no formal introduction because we knew each other well through our telephonic conversations. He was a man in his late 40s. He looked not so tall and not short either. He spoke fluent English in his Thai ascent. He had a look of scholar and face of an aristocrat; (the high society people as referred in Thailand)

We went straight to his residence.We stayed a while in his room discussing things like; my flight timing the next day and the amount of money I have for the trip. He sounded very insecure, when I told him that I have USD 300. He  inquisitively asked me as to whether that amount would suffice my trip.  I told him that I am on official visit and that I have nothing to spend on. With that little chit chat session, It was time for us to go out for a dinner.

Soon two of us joined a group of people. Most of them looked Thai but there were also people from Europe and China. He introduced me to them and all of them approvingly welcomed me to the group. He told me that they were all millionaires; -so called the high society people, and true to his assertiveness, they were all decorated with expensive garments and jeweleries.

Moving to the dinner, it was all about duck; duck skin, duck flesh and duck limb etc.  People talked more and ate less. I thought to myself that, perhaps, that was an aristocrat way of dining.

In hours time, dinner was served and bills were paid, two of us bid them good night and headed out to explore Bangkok city in its full night glamor. He took me to the departmental stores. He also took me to the night club where naked ladies used their female reproductive organ in performing stunts. Stunts that entertained animal-like humans. The gross misuse of those organs shocked me bitterly and I immediately told my friend about my displeasure and that its not a place worthy of spending our precious time. We came back home and went to bed.

From there it has been a  history  and story in making for me. Next morning, my friend dropped me till airport. He also told me to take some money form him, for which I refused. I told him not to worry about me and that I will be back on 17th of March.

I got myself checked in with ease. It was a scheduled flight TG 643 that would take me to Tokyo. I was supposed to take gate No. "G". Obviously I expected to find it after I cross gate "F". I kept on following countless "F" gates and  finally reached to end of  "F" line. But  still couldn't  find gate  "G". I immediately realized that my assumption and hypothesis has gone wrong some where. This called for my immediate reverse move. I almost took an hour to get back to my initial point. Exhausted and almost broken; I got there and  came to know that I missed my gate by a margin. It was still Ok because I did not miss my flight.

 
30 minutes later, I boarded the flight and I  was  about to begin my longest journey of my life. After enduring long and sleepy flight journey of more than 6 hours, the flight finally landed in Narita International airport. I got through Immigration and Customs swiftly and waited for someone with my name tag to show up in the lobby. I waited for hours and still there was no sign of any one with whom I have discussed about my transportation arrangements.