Hey folks, I just found out that a couple of thieves broke into my parent's house in Kathmandu last night. My parents live right outside Ring Road but apparently that was the fifth such event in the neighborhood in the last few months. Once the thieves broke in at 2am, they first went to the living room, took the TV outside the house along with some shoes that were in the lobby. Then they went into the kitchen and took a chulesi... apparently they didn't have too many weapons with them. Then they went into the room my mom was sleeping in and asked where my dad was. My mom started screaming and they told they'd kill her if she shouted. Two of them gagged and went around the house looking for my dad. When my dad heard the commotion, he woke came out to the lobby and they tried to hit him with a khukuri and a sword. He asked what they wanted and that he would give them whatever wanted. They wouldn't say anything. And when they tried to hit him with the khukuri, he blocked the khukuri with his hands. The khukuri got in between his right thumb and the forefinger so he got cut badly. And while he was resisting them, another one hit him hard on his head with a chulesi. My two younger brothers were sleeping upstairs and being the deep-sleepers they are, they didn't wake up for a while. When they heard all the commotion, they started yelling at the thieves and ran down the stairs. I guess the thieves were a little surprised there were others in the house and fled, with my dad bleeding heavily and my mom in a state of shock. When they panicked and fled, the thieves didn't take the TV or the old shoes that they had taken outside the house. They didn't ask for money or jewelry. They didn't even take away the few pieces of jewelry that my mom was wearing. But they took away the remote control, which one of them had put in his pocket. And while some of them were beating up my parents upstairs, one of them was staying outside, trying out my brothers' shoes that they had taken outside the house. And when he realized he had to flee, he left all the shoes, including his own that he had neatly unlaced! Luckily enough, the thieves didn't take much away. And my parents weren't hurt too badly. My dad has a couple of stiches on his head and a few more on his palms. But their peace of mind had been taken away for ever. I wouldn't even have found out about all this had I not called home out of a hunch this morning. Parents these days try not to tell their kids(who're living away from home) everything for fear their kids will worry too much. But who will we get concerned about if not our own parents? With my long story, I wanted to remind all of you to call home once in a while - if you aren't doing so already. There's too much happening in this world. We ourselves are going through enough hardship in our lives. But let's not forget to keep in touch with our near and dear ones - even when they're far far away! TitoMitho.