If I have forgotten to mention, Kathmandu is also a city with a great sense of RUMOR. I was astonished to find some of my old friends of Engineering College knew whom I had met the past week. What an anticlimax! As far as the exhibition was concerned, I was blown away by both the brilliance and creativity of the students of pulchowk. She told me this was only the architectural department. Some of them had stayed almost a month in campus working day and night to finish for the exhibition. I was thoroughly impressed. After hearing that she was primilarily interested in interior designing, i thought of my room that had been transformed into a tornado since my return to KTM. "mero room ni design gardeu hai?" I joked. She smiled, blushed and turned serious. I knew then it would be quite a while when I would hear from her again. That evening, I found myself in redundant thamel once more with old friends whom I hadn't seen since the last exam in SLC. You know how it is when you meet old friends from school--those never ending conversations. Every now and then, I would remind them of some of their characteristic habits and highlights of school and they'd be thoroughly surprised on how I remembered them. "you have such a good memory, you should write these stories" I told that I had been writing for some time. "have you heard of sajha.com?" I asked hopefully. Most of them shook their heads and suddenly one old friend burst into a boisterous laughter. "oh yah! I know I know. We visit that site sometimes from work" "sacchikai?" "yah. Isn't that the site where guys talk about gals like they haven/t seen a single good looking gal?" he went on sarcastically "oh yah! then people write about how they'd change Nepal in points and people congratulate him as if he'd already made a major contribution?" I told him it wasn't all like that. but he cut me off "Listen! I have nothing against people going to US, earning and enjoying their lives. Look at me. I decided not to go abroad. I work three jobs, my parents are retired but i make enough and still be able to enjoy some time with old friends. Above all, i might not be working in remote places, but at least i am here working for the country. How many of you have done that?" he shut me off completely. I don't know if I was shaken by his talk or was jealous that he was living my dream. The next morning I woke up with Gandhi's famous quote "You must be the change to see the change in this world" There! off I went to the travel agency to change my departure date. Why not extend it by a couple of weeks? I have yet to see more than half of KTM. I waited in the waiting room. Hours ticked by. I knew one of the people working in there but I stayed in the line. People came and went by saying they had come to see "arun sir, mina miss etc etc etc. Finally after three hours, I was called in. It was less than two minutes work. "lau bhai po aaunu bhako raicha. mathi sidai aako bhaye hunthyo ni. ma gardi halthen ni" "hoina dai, fursad nai thiyo, pheri dherai manis line ma thiyen" I told him the truth. He gave me back my tickets and mentioned "bhai mind nagarnus hai. tara Nepal ma yesto taal le bachna chai tapain lai dhau dhau parcha" He was absolutely right. If I had a busy schedule, I probably would have gone the royal road. Who wouldn't? we've practiced this custom since eternity. We talk of political change, cultural change and societal change. I wonder how many of us are willing to change at a personal level. I am no saint either. Without my friend's connection to the army, do you think we'd be able to camp out 500 m above KTM that too in the border of KTM inside the staff army college. Life comes to prick you in full circle here. [ and Yah RatoBatas, you are not forgotten. I met couple of your students whom you had taught off spin and leg spin bowling. They bowl faster than brett lee now. I also visited your hometown which looks so much cleaner, but it does have that nostalgic "JAAND" smell I adore. I am so tempted to take my camera and click all around, but I don't want to look like a tourist in my own hometown, would you?I also met couple of your fans who looked like angels in the twilight around sarswati than. They have not forgotten your rockstar stature and your killer hair re. OK do you want a major role than this? ]