III. College Experience; thus the architect’s journey began

When I was asked, by the interview panel for the selection of scholarship courses, why I am not preferring Mathematics honor in third world, but rather the architecture course in India, little did I know that saying being architect means being an independent entrepreneur than depending on government job would mean that I had no idea about what architecture is all about. Thinking that preparing drawings and making money as architecture was my first sin. And that architecture is just about building was another mistake. I was learning bricks, pencil thicknesses, paper sizes, giving half cut to the paper, grinding the metal piece in workshop, carrying a chain in the rose garden beside the college, sketching the flower, and computer, before I even started drawing any building.

Photo courtesy; http://getawayisland.files.wordpress.com/

Many friends in the class had already learnt few things about engineering drawings, read about architecture and had coaching on architectural software. I was the dumbest in the class because all I did during the pre-scholarship period was being excited about going to India and do architecture.  All I had was a foreign face and big blank head. One day, a computer teacher asked why we chose architecture, and many gave answers from having a dream to build their own name to having sent by parents to having not qualified to IIT and therefore choosing Architecture. I on the other hand, bluffed them that our government needs architects as we have hardly 50 architects for the developing country and god be great, we in fact needed architects then, but now I cannot say about that anymore. With each passing day, I survived by copying what my friends did. Sometimes, even though my submission was the copied one, I used to score better grades, however, most of the times it made me think whether I chose the wrong profession or not. I was not learning anything than copying other’s work. I was wondering what the architecture is about? By the way about the mathematics which availed the opportunity for me to get enrolled for the architecture course formed a very small part of our course. And it was just a semester course which finished by just studying about differential equation.

Hostel life was of course more homely. With senior Bhutanese friends consoling us that they were also clueless in the beginning and that with time, we would settle well into the web and enjoy the course. Most of times, carrying a big parallel bar, and a roll of A1 Sheet, like everyone, I drove on ring road in auto-rickshaw to the college, come back to the hostel, visit a senior’s room for a friendly talk, have dinner, then go around asking my friends about the home work and spend half the night preparing the drawings by copying from my friends. By the way, it wasn't the building drawings, but rather a brick bonding drawings, arch patterns, basically all that was not about building which I dreamt(at least I thought so then). 

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II. College Experience; Settling down in Delhi

Delhi can be a small dot in the great Indian map, but, population wise, it cannot be undone. With more than a crore population, I was like thrown into the pool to survive and thus thrive. School of Planning and Architecture, widely known as SPA, had a hostel campus and college buildings separated by more than 10 kilometers  It was Rs.50 away from hostel in New Friend’s Colony to the college in ITO (Income Tax Office) area in auto-rickshaw  While on a train from Howrah to Delhi, a guy with whom we shared a compartment told us that the college we are going is deemed like an IIT for architects. It was very motivating and felt blessed until I saw a single building attached with the oval auditorium, and that we were told building is the architecture block, and the hostel had a big single building complex as the student hostel. For such a reputed college, how can an infrastructure be poor?

College Building, SPA, at IP estate, New Delhi

We got admitted and we were sent in different sections. Architecture department, had so many courses from undergraduate to the masters, but UG-Architecture had the maximum number of students from the two sections per batch. I was placed in First Year Section ‘A’ while two of my friends were placed in the other section. Being in a class of so many Indian friends and a very few people who looked like our tribe, it was a very difficult experience initially. However, I made friends with them, and my understanding of Hindi served me well in getting closer to them. Some faculties would teach in Hindi, while most of the faculties taught in English  And a three hour long classes would end by 5.PM in the evening. As usual, we would board the Auto-rickshaw to get to the faraway home.

Hostel Block, Taimoor Nagar, New Friend's Colony, Delhi

Hostel was very tight for the students who were there before us. And having been late by a week, it was a difficult situation for us to get the hostel rooms. We ran here and there seeking help from seniors and it ran abruptly into nothing. Finally, we decided to stay in a guest room which cost us 200 per night. It was pretty disappointing for our college fee and hostel fee were paid together, and yet we ended up having to pay for the accommodation  After trying hard for two weeks, we decided to take up a room in Laxmi Nagar, 10 minutes drive from the college. Being away in an unknown city, and having not settled well, we stayed in a very small room, and that room was pretty expensive. It cost us Rs. 14000.

We kept on trying to report to the  DAHE back in Bhutan about our situation, but nothing happened.Finally after staying for 15 days, my friend, Jamyang succeeded in getting us a flat in the hostel complex. He approached Director, and that was our third try meeting director and requesting him to attend to our problem.

Being in Delhi itself is a big challenge but to be out there with no proper accommodation and least help, that is all together another bigger problem. 

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My Autobook Entry

As I unfold my memories, I am fascinated with the idea of a thing which we used to do in schools, filling up the fancy books of friends with stuffs which we called our favorite. It's so exciting to think that even when we are limited with knowledge and wisdom, we still had things to love and idolise. Auto book writing, as it used to be called then, was one fancy book where we would find someone's everything if we were to stalk.

Recollecting, I compiled my auto book entry.

Today recollecting back these things, I wondered whether all these things were genuine or not. I used to write most of the time to go through the photographs of the girls and read their auto entry. I am sure, many of you sure must have once or more entered these things in auto books of your friends. 

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My football team; Bhutanese Architects team

Football has now become a one of the most written topics here in my blog. And admittedly, football has become just more than a part of a life. Even though, I console my friends that football is just a part a part which comes under some part of a life and that there’s nothing to get serious about it. But deep down I know that I am more into it like many out there. I am happy when Real Madrid wins, more importantly when Ronaldo scores the winning goal. I am also happy to see Barcelona lose a match and anything couldn’t be better than Madrid beating Barcelona.

Real Madrid Team

Letting the best of football be, we have our own team built with ourselves. It’s been almost a year, BIA 11 (Bhutanese Institute of Architects 11) have been most of the time at the losing end of the game. There are many matches where we lost heavily, but there are also few matches where we really made a statement of a winning team. It’s bitter sweet memories and after my family, football is what I love most. I am quite sure we would have contributed to the Changlimithang more than 50k so far. Afterall, even when we won, we paid around Nu.150 and when we lost, it doubled.

BIA 11

In the cold wintry winds of Thimphu, we have often found ourselves thinning the pocket almost every match. There was no improvement at all. Once we lost a match by more than a dozen goals and that one of the opponent back out of the game. We lost heavily and that the game was discontinued made us feel so low. However, revenge was served to them when we won the next match against them, and it was around 8 to 3 goals. Since then, we always took it serious and now we have established ourselves as a decent team.

By the way, we are open to challenge any team out there, so if you have your team, we can have at least some sort of friendly match.  For the record, we lost our latest match and we are in 4 match losing streak.

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Cristiano Ronaldo sends a letter to Miami Attorney asking to drop charges against the pitch invader

I have always admired Cristiano Ronaldo ever since I learnt to love football. He's been inspirational and a idol for me. He may be the cockiest footballer, save Ballotelli, and an arrogant footballer, but for a fan like me who's been following his football for over six years now, he's showed his better side more often. 

Ronald hugging his superstar idol Ronaldo

During his match against Chelsea, 2013 in Sun Life stadium, USA, a young man invaded the pitch and hugged Ronaldo which eventually led to the criminal charges levied against the intruder. However, the new twist to the incident is that Ronaldo writes a letter to the attorney requesting to drop the charges against the intruder. Read the following letter; 

My name is Cristiano Ronaldo and I play for Real Madrid. I was playing in Sun Life Stadium when a fan entered the field. His name is Ronald Gjoka, a young college student. We hugged, and we spoke for a while, until security arrived to escort him off the field. He was not aggressive or violent in ANY way. What's more, he did not put up any resistance when the security guards and police arrived.

As I understand it, he has admitted his mistake and understands the importance of security. He is a young man of twenty who grew up without a father and was raised by a single mother. He attends Palm Beach State Community College, Florida, with an international student grant.

I am concerned because I understand he may face problems with immigration and with his college if the criminal charges against him are not dropped. He was immediately taken to the Stadium's security area and then spent a day and a half in jail. It seems he appeared before a judge on Monday accompanied by his attorney who asked for the charges to be dropped, but you chose to ignore his appeal.

I understand your position and the importance of enforcing rules and laws. However, I respectfully request that you and your office reconsider this decision and dismiss the two criminal charges this young man faces. I would hate to see him face criminal charges for his mistake. By all accounts he has a bright future ahead of him and I'd hate to see this future ruined by an error of judgement. Thank you. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me directly at any time.

Sincerely, Cristiano Ronaldo".

Courtesy: Marca.com

And eventually, the guy was dropped of one of the charges on Ronaldo's request.

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Fifa World Cup in Bhutan

Football, the global religion, like any other country, has taken our country completely to another level of global excitement and celebration. Today, we have every kids wearing jersey of famous footballers, idolizing the football gods, and enjoying the every bit of game not just in television but also in a playing ground. The artificial turf, which is the only above standard football ground for us at the moment is always occupied with the football matches from morning 8 AM to 12AM midnight. And the heavy fee which ranges from Nu.2500-Nu. 5000 per match doesn’t deter people to come all the way from Trongsa to come and play a one and half hour match. It just shows how much Bhutanese are into the football.

Even with such craze, Bhutan participating in the FIFA world cup remains the most dreaded dream of ours. Bhutan’s only international tournament is SAFF championship, where Bhutan remains an undisputed underdog of the tournament. The tournament of course helps our players give the exposure, however, whether Bhutan have the capacity to host the tournament or not, we have not been able to get the nods from the governing body to organize it in our country.

FIFA world cup trophy which will be landing here in Bhutan. Photo courtesy; www.kuenselonline.com

TheFifa world cup trophy, as a part of its world tour would be brought to Bhutan in December. Fifa with more members than the UNO, kind of deserves a big applaud for promoting the event and in a way, bringing the globe together for the common cause of leisure and oneness. For Bhutanese aspiring footballers, this prestigious trophy landing in our soil would surely serve to instill the new enthusiasm. And it would surely inspire our Football Federation to promote and help the football education receive enough attention and instigation.  Of course, BFF is already up with another artificial turf at Changjiji which translates into more facility, more football, more enjoyment and more financial outcome. 

The other final trophy

Well, for the record, we are past that 2002 event where FIFA organised the football match called ''the other final", when Bhutan took on Montserrat, then the two lowest ranking countries in FIFA ranking, coinciding with the FIFA world cup final 2002. Today we are 207th out of 209 countries. However, Montserrat has moved on to 193rd. 

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