Zero calorie, Jeri Swari and Ye

Keto Diet, a carb-free diet, and weight loss are new hashtags in town. Never mind, I am on the same race. I am in my best shape ever, with no sugar and protein-focused diet. Saturday is exceptional, I enjoy Jeri Swaari and Mapuwa, bought from the authentic traditional hauwae shop, located at Naradevi, the centre of central Kathmandu. Bal Cha ko pasal is more than a century old. I am also told that the current saauji is the fifth generation.

Jeri Swari (not Jeri puri) makes me look forward to Saturday, In addition to a walk across Layeku (Durbar Square in Newari), the food is something to die for. Forget Keto and forget the calories. I close my eyes and ....

As I walk around Ye, the old towns area from Kone to Thane, I wonder how the traditional Newari names are perishing. Now, Ye has been covered up as Kathmandu, Yala becomes Patan. And Maru becomes Basantapur. The new names make little sense to me. The Newari names of the location have stories behind, there is an explanation and history. Finally, I am sorry to see that there is also a story behind the caged god and ugly humiliating notice boards. #BuddhaWasBornInNepal

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1000 Miles And Counting

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Spicing Up My Run

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On November 1, 2025, I completed my first full marathon. I mean 42.195 kilometres, at the Kathmandu Marathon. It was rewarding and worthwhile. It was pure joy. One big, proud check off my bucket list. I had been preparing for this moment for months. I registered for it a long time ago, as an early bird. My training wasn’t exactly at an “elite athlete” level, but I did what I could: some long runs, some short ones, and some high-pace “show-off” runs. YouTube coaches and Garmin training plans became my virtual trainers. A week before the marathon, I got symptoms of a cold. A runner's biggest fear - my nose ran faster than I did. I googled "how to recover from a cold soon?" and the internet basically said, nothing much, it would take its usual course of about a week. I googled “how soon can you run after a cold?" Answers were not encouraging. But I wasn’t giving up. I took medicine, drank plenty of water. A few pre-runs that week were slow and tiring. I could only hope ...

Do The Hard Things, But...

My daily routine is so set now that it almost seems boring. But I love to turn boring things into interesting things. Firstly, we have always been told, "Do what you love to do." I do not buy this. There is nothing wrong with doing the thing we love to do, but what if we don't love the thing that we have to do, ie, 'the hard things'? I have built a habit of doing the hard things, which I started to love doing, but not always. Yesterday was my scheduled running day, but the morning brought a heavy, relentless downpour. Running in the rain after you are already out on the road is tolerable, but stepping out the front door into a torrent feels counterintuitive and strange. All day at the office, I felt a lingering sense of incompletion. My body missed the familiar, satisfying fatigue that comes from a morning run. I kept promising myself that I would make up for it after work. The moment I arrived home, I changed into my running gear and headed south into the cool ai...

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