अमेरिकी अडियो उपकरण निर्माता JBL ले हालसालै GO 4 नामक नयाँ सानो आकारको ब्लुटुथ स्पिकर नेपालमा लन्च गरेको छ। अमेरिकाको युट्युब टेक समीक्षकहरूले यसलाई ‘बजेट’ स्पिकरको रूपमा वर्णन गर्छन्, अनि एक नेपाली समीक्षकले पनि यसलाई ‘बजेट’ स्पिकर नै भन्छन्। अमेरिकामा प्रतिव्यक्ति आय ३८,००० डलर भन्दा बढी छ, र नेपालमा करिब १,५०० डलर छ। यो बुझ्न सजिलो छ की ६० डलर को ग्याजेट अमेरिकामा बजेट-अनुकूल हुन सक्छ तर नेपालमा यो हुन सक्दैन। यसले ग्याजेट समीक्षकहरू बीच विभिन्न देशहरूको आर्थिक भिन्नताहरूको बारेमा बुझाइमा रहेको खाडललाई हाइलाइट गर्दछ। उनीहरूले प्राय: स्थानीय बजारको अवस्थालाई विचार नगरी प्रचलित टेक समीक्षाको शब्दावली दोहोर्याउँछन्। वा हुनसक्छ वास्तविकता फरक छ। हुनसक्छ नेपालमा मानिसहरू यी महँगा ग्याजेटहरू किनिरहेका छन्, र यो म मात्र हुँ जसको कमाइ यस्ता उपकरणहरूमा धेरै खर्च गर्न पर्याप्त छैन।
वर्ग City Life
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So frequent road disasters
Hey folks, it’s no secret that Nepal’s roads are like, totally synonymous with drama. I mean, just check out the recent buzz – three big accidents in one day, 19 lives gone, and heaps of people injured. It’s like a bad movie, but unfortunately, it’s real life, and it shows Nepal’s road safety is in serious trouble.
But these accidents aren’t just random; they shout out loud about the messed-up things going on in Nepal’s transport game. The roads are a hot mess, full of potholes, falling apart, and with signs that are about as helpful as a chocolate teapot. And don’t get me started on the vehicles – some look like they’re from the dinosaur age, and their tires and brakes are like ticking time bombs.
And then there’s the human factor – the most dangerous of them all. People driving like they’re auditioning for a Fast and Furious sequel, not giving a hoot about rules or other drivers. Speeding, overtaking on blind corners, and just generally acting like they own the road. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
And who pays the price? Not just the poor souls in the accidents and their families – the whole country gets a raw deal. Lives lost, people messed up, and the economy takes a hit. Imagine planning a holiday in Nepal, and all you hear about are these crazy dangerous roads. Not exactly a selling point, huh?
Fixing this mess needs a real shake-up. We gotta get serious about enforcing traffic rules – breathalysers, speed cameras, and giving reckless drivers a real kick in the butt. Fixing the roads is a no-brainer too – good construction, regular upkeep, and signs that actually make sense.
But here’s the real deal – we need a change from the inside. We’ve gotta create a culture where we all play nice on the roads. No more showing off like we’re in a Fast and Furious movie – let’s respect the rules and each other. We can do it with some public campaigns, teach people how to drive without being jerks, and get the community involved.
Nepal’s roads used to be all about the adventure, but now they’re just a hot mess. Let’s stop the tears and tragedy by admitting we messed up. We need everyone on board – better roads, strict rules, and a mindset shift toward safety. Only then can we turn these dangerous paths into highways that actually take our nation forward.
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Dashain exodus
Dashain, Nepal’s most celebrated festival, is usually a time for family gatherings, blessings, and festivities. It’s not just a religious and cultural event but also a crucial social occasion. What’s particularly striking during Dashain is the mass return of people working or studying in Kathmandu to their hometowns across the country. Their heartstrings pull them back to their roots and loved ones as the festival approaches, highlighting the cultural, emotional, and economic significance of Dashain for Nepalese.
The journey home for Dashain is filled with anticipation and a deep sense of belonging. Traveling long distances, crowded transportation, and sharing gifts, money, and food are common. The salary bonuses they receive enhance the celebrations, underlining the importance of returning home during this festive time.
This annual migration is a heartwarming reminder that, despite how far people may travel, there’s no place like home during festivals.
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Well done, Arika!
Arika Gurung wins a historic silver medal in karate for Nepal at the ongoing Asian Games in China. It is second medal for the country in the Games after a bronze medal glory by the women’s kabaddi team. It is also Nepal’s only third ever silver at the Games, but yet to win any gold medal. Nepal’s history in international sports is marked by very limited success. The country, with the population of over 30 million, has struggled to make a significant impact on the global sports stage. While there have been sporadic achievements in sports like cricket and martial arts, Nepal’s overall performance in major international events has been underwhelming. In spite of facing challenges such as inadequate access to proper training facilities, modern equipment, and qualified coaches, Nepali athletes continue to bring honour to their nation.
Congratulations Arika and women’s kabaddi team of Nepal, we are proud of you!
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Searching nose
While riding my bike, I happened to pass a garden with blooming jasmine flowers, and the delightful fragrance that drifted through the air immediately lifted my spirits. This encounter was rather fleeting, lasting only a few seconds, but it was sufficient to invoke feel good effect. Such occurrences are not uncommon in my life; whether it is walking by a tempting food stall, going for refuelling with distinctive petrol smell, or handling crisp new banknotes, pleasant scents have the remarkable ability to awaken positive emotions within me.
Several years ago, Google played a humorous April Fool’s prank on the public known as “Google Nose.” This prank purported to offer users the capability to search for scents, which, of course, was purely a jest. However, if such a concept were to become a reality, it could potentially revolutionize the way we engage with our environment. The power of a pleasing fragrance is an incredibly effective tool for reducing stress levels.
In a world where we are often bombarded with visual and auditory stimuli, the introduction of smell-based search technology could open up entirely new dimensions of human experience. I’m already imagining a restaurant with food delivery service which allows us to smell the food before they dispatch it.
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Being a temporary vegetarian
I belong to the Newa community of the Kathmandu Valley whose cuisine is a vibrant fusion of flavours, history and cultural practices. Meat, especially that of buffalo, is the central ingredient of our cuisine. Food plays a significant role in social interactions and family gatherings in my culture and being a vegetarian is very difficult. When I decided to be vegetarian for the month of Shrawan, it created a sense of social isolation and discomfort. Friends and family find it difficult to accommodate dietary preferences, leading to awkward situations during shared meals.
Also, transitioning to a vegetarian diet requires a shift in cooking skills. We are accustomed to cooking meat-based dishes, it was challenging to create flavourful and satisfying vegetarian meals. Without the experience of cooking proper vegetarian dishes, we struggled to explore options resulting in monotonous and unappealing meals.
Yet I survived the whole month of being a vegetarian and decided to continue until the end of Gunla festival which is the sacred month for the Newa Buddhists.
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Nepali time
Kathmandu is full of reckless road users, whether they are pedestrians, or bikers, or motorist, or public and school bus drivers, or heavy load truck drivers – whether men or women, old or young or children, they are always in hurry. It feels they value in reaching their venues more than their own life. Unfortunately, that is not the case at all. We are always known for coming late in every program. The term Nepali time is so popular that there is not a single event that starts in time, not a single flight that takes off in time. Even the programs organized by the influential international parties usually have delayed start due to late arrivals of the chief guests. Being late is generally a status symbol, people in power comes late because they have so many affairs to sort out. Irony is that, we have tradition of seeking for auspicious time called sait/muhurt that have accuracy of split seconds which we disregard it nevertheless. This has surely discouraged people who comes in time, who believes in punctuality. In fact, this has actually punished them. I believe this is the reason we don’t give value in time. This is the same reason our development projects are prolonged for infinite time because we think being late is normal, extending times are normal and delaying events are normal.
Now going back to road, I still wonder why people are violating speed limits, why people are crossing roads haphazardly, and what would they gain from saving few minutes more, walking few steps more because we are not reaching our venues in time anyway, our projects are not completing in time anyway. Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in road accidents in Kathmandu. Many of these accidents are caused because you are always in hurry. Why take risks that can shorten your life? Be cool and use roads safely!
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Cultivating reading habits
While we are more interested in other activities, such as watching TV, playing video games, or using social media, we do not appreciate value in reading books, or we have not been encouraged to read at home or in school. There are many reasons for this. The cost of books is a barrier for many people, and there are limited libraries where people can read and borrow books. This makes it difficult for people like us with low income to get their hands on books. Reading is often seen as a luxury or a hobby for the wealthy. Also, young people here usually do not see their parents or other adults reading, and they are less likely to develop a reading habit themselves.
Affordable editions of books can help to cultivate reading habits by making books more accessible to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. When people can afford to buy books, they are more likely to read them. This is because reading is a discretionary activity, and people are more likely to engage in activities that they enjoy and that they feel are worthwhile. Affordable editions can help to show that reading is a valuable activity that is accessible to everyone.
With present emergence of online shopping in the country, especially in Kathmandu, there is a wide range of affordable alternatives of printed books available. It is surprising and delighting to see many best-sellers available in just couple of hundred of rupees. This is the best time to embrace such low-cost edition books and open a gateway to intellectual growth and personal development. It is needless to highlight other benefits of reading habit here.
In a society dominated by digital media and fleeting distractions, developing a reading habit is more vital than ever.
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Disappearing road markings
Zebra crossings are there to improve road safety by giving pedestrians a designated place to cross the road and alerting drivers to their presence. These crossings are something that stays visible for a month and remains disappeared for entire year in my city. Not only zebra crossings, the most of other road markings remain invisible for most part of the calendar. They are one of the basic low-cost safety measures. They are those lines, symbols, and colours that you see on the road when you drive or walk. They help us to follow the rules of the road and stay safe. However, no one is bothered by their absence here, not authority, not law enforcers and not pedestrians ourselves, and obviously no one is complaining. No wonder, road users are not safe, and we have frequent accidents.
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Nepali films? Not again
I used to be an avid Nepali film lover. In the early and mid of 2010s, Nepali films had upgraded in storytelling, acting, music and technology. The quality of theatres and film watching experience had vastly improved at that time. People flocked to watch their favourite Nepali films in the theatres. Even I didn’t miss at least 1 film in a month. Loot, Talakjung vs Tulke, Jatra, Kabbadi, Saanghuro, they came like in a series that wowed us. Nepali actors had their unique fan following back then. Gradually, they were spoiled by their stardom. They stopped putting efforts in their work. They took people like me for granted. I watched series of trash films, Phateko Jutta, Shatru Gate, Chhakka Panja 2, Kohalpur Express, and some of them were produced by the acclaimed artists. I watched one horror film, Sunkesari, in which crowd in the hall laughed whenever the ghost character was shown in the frame. That was the worst film experience ever, and after that, I was done with Nepali films. I have stopped watching Nepali films not only in theatres but overall. Occasionally, I used to go to theatres for Hollywood films but that had also stopped after covid pandemic. More than often, there are news that Nepali films do not last even for 3 days in the multiplex theatres due to lack of audiences. Friends are planning to watch newly released yet another series of Chhakka Panja but I know it will be disappointing. I probably missed some of the critically acclaimed films like Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali in this time but never wanted to back in the theatres to watch Nepali films again.