Today is the day that marks the end of 2014 and tonight, we all are going to sleep for one year. I mean, we will be sleeping in 2014 and waking up in 2015. As we bid farewell to 2014 and welcome the new year 2015 tonight, I get a sense that we are starting on a new journey through another 365 days.
My brother-in-law and his wife who live in a government quarter just across the road from my house have a lot of stories to share about some mysterious things happening in their house at night which, science cannot explain. Since they shifted to the house about three years ago, they have noticed a number of so-called paranormal activities going on in their house especially at night. They say that they can often hear somebody walking around the rooms or somebody flushing water in the toilet and coming out, or some mysterious sounds in and around the house. Almost all of their guests have the same complaints and they now believe that something is not right in the house.
9th December 2014 was the 5th birth anniversary of my youngest son Rigden Subba. As usual, we decided to treat our children with cake and sweets, and of course, some simple gifts, just to make them enjoy the day among themselves. Actually I had wanted to make it a grand celebration and invite close relatives and friends, but my wife rejected my proposal on the ground that there was nobody at home to help her with cooking and making other logistic arrangements. So, we only invited her brother and his wife for a simple dinner at my place. To mark the day, I had asked my wife to order a birthday cake that morning.
18th December is the annual Judgment Day for students throughout Bhutan. It’s a big day for both students and their parents because this is the day which all of us have been anxiously waiting for. It’s the day on which our children who go to school harvest the outcome of their year-long hard-work and struggle and it’s the day for parents to find out whether what they have invested in their children’s education for one year has borne any fruit. After all, it’s the day which decides the next move of our children. But if you are not cautious enough, a small typing error on the results sheet of your child, which the school authorities attribute to the computer, can mar the academic performances of your child.
The shops around Thai Temple area are just within a walking distance from where I live and my children often go there on their own to buy things. But last year, my eldest son Thukten Subba was made to realize that going to even to the nearest shop alone and that too with money in hand is not always safe in Thimphu.
