April 21, 2020 at 7:46PM

Day 2776: City Names

Tokyo, Nairobi, Berlin, Helsinki, Rio, Denver, Moscow and Oslo - These cities will never have the same meaning after bingeing on netflix during #Coronovirus pandemic.

#MoneyHeist #Lockdown

April 17, 2020 at 7:48PM

Day 2772: Ojaswi’s four - An open letter!

Dear Ojaswi,

We have just celebrated your 4th birthday during Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic amidst social distancing and lockdown.

I wanted to write this letter for you today and for all of your birthdays (whenever I can) for you to read when you grow up.

You have been so so excited about you becoming ‘Foryearzold’ (as you would say). You have been asking when you would turn four ever since Shanaya turned four - three weeks ago. You haven’t been able to keep your smile off your face since this morning.

Out of all the gifts you received you loved the cars set of lightening McQueen, Obviously. And you were too quick to show your dress to Shanaya later in the day over the video chat. We went to Nilesh kaka’s house to celebrate your birthday. We respected social distancing so kept our distance as much as we could – so you didn’t get any cuddles or kisses from Kaka, Kasia Kaki or Maa. But we enjoyed a lovely cake, Yomari and a delicious dinner cooked by Maa.

I’m still trying to wrap my head round the fact you’re now 4 years old, already. But I can remember every moment when you have made my heart melt leading up to your 4th Birthday. It’s hard to take on board that you’ve been part of our family for 4 years, but equally it’s hard to remember what it was like without you.

You are like the missing piece of the puzzle that makes our family perfect. You are the most incredible little girl – you are beautiful inside and out, and I wish that more people in the world were like you, as it would be a far better and happier place.

If you see someone is sad you try to make them happy again. You tell everyone close to you that you love them several times daily, totally unprompted. You stop watching your favourite TV shows Peppa Pig or Tayo, you will put your cutlery down during a meal - to lean over and give Mummy or me a kiss or a cuddle.

All you want and need in your little world is love. Love from Mummy, Oneek dada, Maa and me – and ofcourse Kasia Kaki, and both the Kakas. Love from your friends. You want to receive it as that’s your currency. That’s what you give. Every time you know you have been naughty, you come up with ‘you are my best friend’ or ‘I love you’. Every time Oneek dada gets a compliment, hug or kiss - you would need the same immediately and demand ‘What about me?’

You love sleeping a lot in the car, if the drive is more than minutes you are fast asleep. But there are two things that wakes you up straight away – swimming and the conversation about your favourite cake.

However, you have a habit of waking up at 4.30AM disturbing Mummy’s study time. But I absolutely love that, every morning you climb on my bed, cuddle me and lie with me – sucking your thumb. I feel like staying in bed forever – and I do – being late to work almost every morning.

You go nuts when I forget to hug and kiss you before I leave home. Sometimes, you make me come back in to house to hug and kiss. But will I ever complain.

Not only do you give lots of love, but you provide us with tons of laughs too. The way you dance in an African tribal dance routine, the way you swirl around, flutter your eyelids and the way you tell me off - they are all very funny. You are our little clown and it’s a role you’ve developed into more and more.

The things you say, the facial expressions you pull and pretty much everything you do cracks us up.

Spending time with you literally lights up our lives - even though you can be very demanding.

It’s funny how you can just walk into my 1-2-1 meetings with my boss (while I am working from home) and demand chocolates and get your demands fulfilled without any resistance.

You are loved by so many people.

But you have very few selected friends. Shanaya tops the list as you call her your best friend. The other ones are from your nursery - Ryan and Ella. You are also very fond of Ananya, Aswin, Nishad and Ruben dada. You absolutely adore ‘baby’ Elliot. You just love staring at him. You think he is very cute. When I ask who is cute, daddy or Elliot – you say, ‘Daddy is not cute’.

All the adults you spend time with (nursery teachers, child minders, uncle and aunties, grandmothers and grandfather) gush over how adorable you are – not just your cheeky face but also your unique personality and the way you are. We can’t walk down the street without people stopping to look at you. There’s just something about you that everyone loves.

It absolutely cracks me up when you think you’ve nailed all the alphabet. You can now write and recognise your name, and I love your obsession with ‘C’ while learning phonics as ‘/k/’ or writing. Its really funny to see you write ‘C’ in a correct way for million times and even teaching me how to write a right way but when writing it in sequence after A and B - you make it face the wrong way. So, you have discovered your own way of getting it correct. You make dots first and then write over them to create C. Absolute genius.

You are little more adventurous than your brother when it comes to climbing and dare devil stunts. You certainly are fearless. You have already learnt to ride a bike without stabiliser which has even surprised Oneek. You still don’t know how to brake and stop though because the bike to too big for you, but you don’t cry when you fall down failing to stop by yourself. You make me take picture and video of you cycling all the time. Do you realise how difficult it is to run backward and take picture or video of you cycling from the front. You are a total poser. You say ‘cheese’ all the time a camera phone is directed to you.

You love water- I have a feeling that you might become a swimmer.

You have a knack of singing, too. You can remember all the words of songs that you have listened to. When you hear the initial guitar riffs of ACDC – you say, ‘Daddy, that’s Back in Black. I know this song. I love this song’. I think its hilarious that you love rock songs already.

If I had to choose one word to sum up this past year as a family, it would be HAPPY. I don’t think any of us has ever been this happy. Individually or as a family.

Thank you for bringing your special love, joy, fun, laughter and happiness into our family life and into the lives of everyone you touch. Words might not be my thing, but I am literally lost for them when it comes to expressing just how much I love you.

You, and your brother, are the highlight of Mummy’s and my life, and you make us both insanely happy.

So today and every day of your life, remember that I love you more than words can ever say. Keep being you, keep being happy and keep living and loving life every day.

Daddy!

Templeman Road, Hanwell - London.

April 14, 2020 at 7:49PM

Day 2769: Biska: Jatra - Will And Festival

During this Covid-19(Coronavirus) Lockdown, we haven't been able to celebrate festival. However, this advent culture lover and my dear friend Sushil Prajapati has been able to create the whole experience of the Biska: Jatra in his backyard. Absolute salute to him and I am very proud to say the least.

Biska: Jatra: The Nine Day long festival of Bhaktapur, Nepal and its sequence talks and acts about social order and disorder and it is only right that this has to be done in the social order or social distancing due to Coronovirus lockdown.

Vast majority of festivals both hindu and buddhist in South Asia is celebrated by the lunar calendar cycle. But Biskas Jatra is celebrated according to the Solar Calender - the only other festival that I can think of that is celebrated according to solar calender is Sanlhu : Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu.

(...More on Biska: Jatra soon)

April 3, 2020 at 7:49PM

Day 2768: International Student Helpline

Merging NepSocs started a free helpline for International students who are in trouble in the UK because of lock-down due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus).

Merging NepSocs have now spoken to more than 100 students in trouble and helped them in various possible ways. The team has also prepared a 'Hardship Funds - Information Pack' - in this you can see which university has the provision of Hardship funds and how to apply for it. The pack can be assessed here: http://mergingnepsocs.com/.../Hardship-Fund-information...

If you are an international Student and are in trouble because of lock-down due to Coronavirus, please fill the form below for free help:

Form - https://bit.ly/2UwlQgX

April 1, 2020 at 8:22PM

Day 2765: MoMo Workshop

Weather’s bad - Make MoMo, have MoMo

Weather’s good - Make MoMo, have MoMo

Someone’s happy - Make MoMo, have MoMo

Someone’s sad - Make MoMo, have MoMo

There’s a reason - Make MoMo, have MoMo

There isn’t a reason - Make MoMo, have MoMo

There’s Coronavirus threat - Teach PhD students how to make MoMo, have MoMo

Well, that’s MoMo Logic!

Yak Bites came up with this brilliant idea to let the Dumplings explain a Doctorate and teach PhD students how to make vegetarian MoMos in workshop. Here, 8 PhD students expressed their Doctorate via MoMos - just before the lockdown due to Coronavirus at NEPAL in London!

15 March 2020, Shepherds Bush London

#MoMoLogic #MoMoLife #IntellectualizingFood