It is that interesting time of the year, isn’t it? The New Years and Christmas is just round the corner. Good festive vibe is in the air. Everyone is looking forward to the year 2010 with new hopes, goals and dreams.

Over Coffee, I was chatting with my friends this afternoon. Suddenly I noticed an interesting phenomenon I have been experiencing for many years now.

As we sat there in a cafe tucked into a little alley amongst the high rise steel and glass building of Sydney CBD a friend proclaimed, ”I will definitely burn this 10 kilos belted around my stomach in the year 2010”. Then the other added,”I have plans to get back to my yoga and meditation class from the first day of 2010”.

As the conversation progressed my thoughts drifted back to the past where many of us made similar resolutions and held similar conversation end of each year. In the New Year’s I have noticed this repeating trend where enthusiasm to keep up to the goals set, evaporated in the thin air after couple of weeks or months. Have you noticed it too?

Dear readers, I made a commitment to myself few years ago to share my thoughts through my writing and public speaking in clubs & forums. I still remember some 6 years ago where group of our friends got together and decided to join public speaking forum. This we thought would help us realise our dreams of being seasoned public speakers. Fortunately, this year I have been provided with an opportunity to be a guest speaker to few forums and clubs in Australia and abroad.

Recently, I decided to catch up with my friends with those I shared a common goal of being a proficient speaker. I was saddened to learn that none of them pursued towards their dreams. One said,”I have a family and kids”. The other said,”I have business to look after.” And the other added “I have 9-5 commitment to my work”.

Well, take your time readers, take a moment, try and analyse the common thread between above two examples.

Now, let me share with you an incident that helped me understand the common thread in the examples I have put forward. I hope it helps you in the same way.

During Sept-Oct I was away on a business visit to various parts of South Asia. I also took this trip as an opportunity to visit my family and good friends in India and Nepal.

I spent some time in Nepal which coincided the great festival of Dashera. This festival is equivalent to Christmas celebrated in Australia. This 15 daylong celebration signifies the victory of good over evil. On the 10^th day all the family members get together to receive blessing from their elders.

On this particular day I was being blessed by my 78 year old grandmother. She began by saying “try not to be a man of success but of value.” These words of Albert Einstein from a lady who did not even attend a day of school, I was taken aback.

Then referring back to our conversation the day before, where I had put forward my frustrations, obstacles, hardships and challenges that I have been facing in my ventures and my thought to give up…she continued…I know you will do well and good ,just like the way you have handled all the situations in your life so far.

I am very proud of you my son and I know you are doing well and moving forward to the Life of Your Dreams. Absolutely, there are challenges and hiccups but I will share a story with you which I hope will be blessing for you this Dashain.

She wore a loving smile on her face, took a deep breath, held my hands and placed it across her chest and began the ritual.

There was a man who planted a rose palnt, watered and weeded it faithfully. Before the plant blossomed he stopped and examined the plant.

He saw the bud would soon bloom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought,”how can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?”

Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom…..it died.

My grandmother paused for a moment to allow me to sink the story into my head. Then she said,”It is the same with every situation or circumstances that we face.”

She continued,”Many of us look at situation/circumstances we are facing only as thorns, the defects, the pain or the sacrifice. We fear that nothing good can possibly come to us from such situation we are facing. Then we neglect to water the good in the situation and eventually your dreams, your goals and your resolutions die.”

With a sad expression on her face for the way I had handled my situation  but that encouraging twinkle in her eyes she took me by her arms and kissing my forehead she said,’ Once in a while my son everyone needs to be reminded of this greatest truth of life. It entirely depends what you want to see the thorns or the roses”

Dear readers I do not know what your goals, dreams or resolutions are, but I urge you see the roses in every situation that you face and not the thorns.

Lastly, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life of your dreams “as David Henry suggested.

(Anup Bhandari is freelance writer, motivational speaker and CEO of Nirvana Groups he can be contacted via email at anup.anupbh@gmail.com)

This is story of a couple, Harke and Maya, who migrated to Australia in mid 2006. Like any other migrant they arrived at Kingsford Airport Sydney with ambitious dreams and colourful hopes intertwined beautifully with nervousness and fear of the unknown.

This story begins early morning, the day, it drizzled and dark clouds covered the skies. Their extended family came from far away to bless the newlywed .On the third day of their marriage they were making this journey across the seas.

The atmosphere had sweet smell of incense. Deep multi partitioned brass plate held the auspicious offerings. The prayers were to be made to their gods and ancestors for good luck. The offering plate was stashed with whole coconut, khatta (Buddhist good luck scarf), rice seeds mixed with vermicelli & curd, petals of flowers. In addition, two brass vases filled with water were placed on the either side of the main gateway. This ritual guaranteed good luck and success in the long journey that lay ahead.

Just when they were ready to leave the house the prayer ceremony began. Harke’s mother breaks the coconut on the floor and offered the coconut water to the dead and the immortals. The ritual proceeded to Tika Ceremony, the couple were blessed by their elders and in the process pasted red coloured rice on their forehead, wrapped a khatta around their necks and placed flower petals on their head.

Almost all the elders blessed to the same theme -good life in Australia! However, young cousins mockingly prayed aloud for Socceroos in the next World Cup -2010 in context to Australia’s proud loss to Italy.

The moment had arrived to make their way to the airport. As the wheels rolled over the muddy galli (narrow dirt road) tears were shed .Unable to match the watering eyes Harke waved to the family from the rear view mirror. For some reasons he knew the life would not be the same again. As they drove past muddy narrow roads of Kathmandu his memories flashed the good moments he had shared with his family and mates in this town.  This was the town where he belonged, without doubt his heart was bleeding but he knew that the right thing to do was to leave.

Discreetly wiping the tears off, he turned to his wife. She was gazing out the window. Maya was dressed in red, head to toe -a sign of newlywed. She wore a gold necklace with black beads-mangla sutra which signified the vows of marriage not just for a life but seven lives and line of red vermicelli ran right through middle of her head.

She was born and brought up in New Delhi, India and had arrived 10 days earlier for preparation of the wedding. She belonged to the renowned warrior tribe Gurung famously known as Gurkhas.

Gurkhas are best known for their history of bravery and strength in the Indian Army’s Gurkhas regiments and the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas. They had served the Crown of Nepal, Ranjit Singh of Lahore, Crown of Britain and in more recent years the Republic of India.

They have also been the main character in many British tales of bravery and loyalty .In fact, love for their family and hope of providing better life & opportunities for their children compelled them on being front-line combatants (scapegoats) in malaria infested jungles and most treacherous battle terrain around the world. Their commitment to this profession was death itself. The legendary bravery of the Ghurkha soldier is epitomized by their motto – ‘it is better to die than be a coward.’

Both Harke and Maya had defied their parents and the norms of their family. They were the first in their extended family to marry outside their caste.  As defined by Wikipedia, “caste system in Nepal is like the Indian caste system, is highly complex and continues the traditional system of social stratification of Nepal. The caste system defines social classes by a number of hierarchical endogamous groups often termed as J?t. This custom is found in both the Hindu and Buddhist communities of Nepal. However, in Nepal people sometimes erroneously use word caste to mean their race or ethnicity.”

Harke hailed from a modest Brahmin family from hills of Naudada in Midwest Nepal. His grandfather-Prem Bahadur was orphaned at the age of seven and was forced to leave the village by corrupt Mukhiyas (head of village) who were eying on his land. The seven year old somehow reached the gigantic city of Calcutta, India .He survived the streets and eventually became a professional driver. Prem Bahadur left no stones unturned to educate his son. His son, Ram Prasad, completed his bachelors of commerce with outstanding grades at the age of 19 and took his family back to Nepal. On return, Ram Prasad bought his ancestral property.

As an educated young man he helped start a school in the village where he worked as the principal for few years .Then he eventually moved to Kathmandu to work in a leading Tours & Trekking company as a director. Next 35 years he worked hard as his career soared to the heights beyond his imagination. Harke, his son always got in troubles as a teenager. When this happened, Prem always said, “I and your mother have sacrificed our lives for you, we sweat our teeth & bones, hope you respect it”.  Harke and Maya, understood theirs roots very well .They also had a fair understanding of their ordeal their parents and forefathers had been through to evolve their families to current stage.

Maya’s grandfather was a front line soldiers who faced the swords and bullets for his British master in a war which was not his. Harke’s grandfather was orphaned and homeless at the age of seven. Nevertheless, these people worked hard to see their son become highly educated men earning both respect and wealth.

Migrating to new land for opportunities was not new to their families. What was new was their context; they were arriving in Australia as equals and not as second class soldiers or marginalised orphan. They had language, education and work skills required to succeed in their new country. But more importantly they brought with them the audacity, courage, vision and belief that “life is what you make of it.”

If you choose they learned that life of streets can be a history or hardship, obstacles are just like swords or bullets in battlefield but the good news is that it does not kill but makes you stronger. The newlywed had plans to work in their respective field for two years, adapt to new lifestyle of their new country, save some money and start their own business.

Harke and Maya were deeply touched by their friend Dorje .The couple are sincerely thankful and indebted for sharing few important Mantras (principles) of life. Dorje spent his youth as a monk. Dorje had taken the couple on a drive to the outskirts of Kathmandu few days before their marriage. They revisited the monastery where their friend had spent few years as a monk. On the way back Dorje took them to a beautiful spot with 180 degree view of Kathmandu Valley. He said, “This place has revealed life’s biggest secret to me.”“How to be a millionaire?” asked the couple.

Without much reaction, Dorje asked Harke to say out his name aloud. Harke shouted to top of his voice, Harke! Not much to his surprise, he heard a voice in the mountains repeating,” Harke, Harke, Harke, Harke…”

Oh he exclaimed this is an echo point! Without saying much Dorje continued,” As I complete the phrases, please repeat it with me, to top of your voice.” Harke agreed. Dorje said,” You are scared!” hesitating for a moment but obliged to their agreement Harke repeated the words on top of his voice the mountains screamed back: “you are scared!”

Harke told his friend to stop this child like game but the Dorje continued with the next phrase “You are kind” as Harke repeated the words aloud the mountains screamed back: “you are kind!”Then other phrase followed, “You are beautiful!””You are compassionate!” and then stopping for a moment the Dorje requested Harke to pay close attention and continued the exercise, “I am a champion!”, “I love everyone!”……..by this time the couple were surprised to this strange act of their friend and could not understand where this was leading to.

Then Dorje stopped smiled at them and said, ”Did you guys enjoy this madness?” I thought my Guru was crazy when he unfolded this secret to me. Then Dorje went on to explain, my friends you call this an echo point, but actually this is a life point. It gives back everything you put into it. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions and giving.

Both of you stand on a very important transit of life where you are about to get married and move to new land of opportunities. Dorje Continued,” I have learned that if you want more love in your life, you should give out more love, if you want more happiness strive to give more happiness to others…..this relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life. Life will give you everything you have given to it.”

“Your life is not a coincidence, it’s reflection of you!”

That last piece of reflection in transit was interrupted by the immigration officers at Sydney, “Good day mate! How are we today?”

Anup Bhandari is motivational speaker and writer and CEO of Nirvana Groups. He can be contacted at anup.anupbh@gmail.com.

As the new SOL will be a comprehensive, targeted list, the current Critical Skills List will be revoke It will be replaced by a new Skilled Occupations List of high-value professions and trades drawn up by Skills Australia.
The revocation of the current MODL will not affect those who at the date of announcement:

• hold a Skilled—Graduate (subclass 485) visa, or have a pending subclass 485 visa application and are yet to apply for a permanent or provisional General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa, or

• have a pending GSM visa application

• In simple language its not going to effect the current onshore PR applicants on the process, TR visa holders and those TR application in process who applied for TR before 8 th Feb. 2010,they can still apply for the permanent residency but should apply PR before 31 dec 2012 .

• Those who will apply TR after 8th Feb. 2010 must have their occupation on the new Skilled occupation list(SOL) to be announced on 30 April 2010 to apply for a permanent residency.

In addition, the new SOL will not apply to people applying for a Skilled—Graduate (subclass 485) visa who at 8 February 2010 hold a:
• Vocational Education and Training Sector (subclass 572) visa

• Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) visa

• Postgraduate Research Sector (subclass 574) visa.

However these student visa holders will be required to have an occupation on the new SOL to apply for a permanent GSM visa.

More than 20,000 offshore applicants(i.e. applicants from outside Australia) who applied to migrate to Australia before September 2007 under outdated rules that allowed lower English skills will have their applications withdrawn and their $1500-$2000 applications fees refunded under the changes.

source: immi website ,daily telgraph

He doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to the pub, he is very friendly to anyone,’’ Mr Baniya said yesterday.
When he didn’t have any work, we went to places together to search for jobs. He helped me a lot, and I tried to help him a lot.’’
Several employees at the market where Mr Shrestha works as a cleaner said they knew him as a softly spoken and tireless worker.
“He’ll always say hello no matter what,’’ Matt Costello from Dee Why Fresh Butchery, said.
“He’s just the type of guy who’s nice to everyone.’’
Mr Costello said Mr Shrestha assisted as a cleaner at the butcher’s shop in addition to his general cleaning duties at the market, working “three or four jobs’’ to cover the $20,000 or more he paid each year in student fees.
“He’s one of the most work-oriented guys you’ll ever meet,’’ Shaun Greening, from Dee Why Fresh Butchery, said.
“You couldn’t happen across a quieter, nicer bloke.’’

Another local businessman, who did not want to be identified, said they had “put the hat around’’ to help Mr Shrestha with his recovery.
“He’s just one of those really nice, harmless kind of blokes,’’ he said.

One of two teenagers charged with bashing Mr Shrestha is a Tongan national from Auckland who has only been in Australia on holiday for three weeks. The 17-year-old accused continues to stay with his aunt at Dee Why.
Police allege the second teen charged, Melenga Kanongataa, 19, and the youth who cannot be named for legal reasons grabbed Mr Shrestha from behind and punched him in the head and body.
After Mr Shrestha fell to the ground the pair allegedly kicked him in the head.
Northern Beaches police crime manager Craig Wonders said police believed the alleged attack was unprovoked, random and did not involve robbery.

Mr Shrestha was taken to Royal North Hospital where it is understood he remains in an induced coma and is being treated for fractures to his eye sockets and cheeks, bleeding to the brain, extensive swelling, lacerations and bruising.
A hospital spokesman yesterday confirmed he remained in a serious but stable condition.
The pair were arrested within minutes of the alleged assault after a taxi driver who was nearby called the police.
The teenagers were each charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm while in company.
But while Mr Kanongata was refused bail in Manly Court on Monday, Bidura Children’s Court granted bail to the youth.

Mr Kanongataa will appear at Central Local Court tomorrow while the youth will reappear at Bidura Children’s Court on March 30.

Birthdays are happy events,
Times when dreams come true.
So dream a good dream (and let someone know!),
It just might work for you!
Have a happy celebration
One you’ll always recall,
And be aware on this day of days,
You’re the most special person of all!
May this birthday be just the beginning of a year filled with happy memories, wonderful moments and shinning dreams

From
Aungura,Bhawana,n Bijay

The UK Border Agency has taken this decision in response to an unexpectedly high number of student visa applications at this time of year in parts of South Asia, and will therefore stop accepting any new applications under the Tier 4 student route in affected areas, including Nepal and North India.

The temporary suspension will allow the UK Border Agency to continue to scrutinise applications thoroughly and to manage the visa process efficiently for all our customers in Nepal.

Customers who have already made appointments at the visa application centres in Kathmandu to submit their Tier 4 visa applications from 1 February onwards will have their appointments suspended until the UK Border Agency begins accepting Tier 4 visa applications again, and will then be given priority.

The UK Border Agency’s Regional Director, Chris Dix, said:
“The UK Border Agency remains committed to providing an efficient visa operation for all our customers. We aim to process applications fairly, thoroughly and as quickly as possible. We will also take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the visa operation works effectively.

“The visa operation will continue to work hard to process the student applications that we have received so far and ensure that they all meet the required standard. We will review the temporary suspension in one month’s time.”

Along with the Mahadev, there are scale model replicas of 12 other Jyotirlinga, 108 human made lingas represent the Rudra names of the Lord Shiva and 1008 fannings Lord Shiva representing his Sahastra namas. Each figuring represents a small mandir of Lord Shiva and therefore there are total of 1128 small mandirs inside the Mukti-Gupteshwar mandir which is very unque to its kind.
Architect’s impression of the Mandir complex before construction

In the Sanctum there is a 10 metre deep ‘vault’ which comprises 2 million handwritten notes each saying ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ from devotees around the world. There is water from 81 rivers including major rivers from Australia and from five oceans, and eight precious metals. Good wishes from holy men and other dignitaries around the world have also been placed in the ‘vault’.
Each morning a Brahmin priest conducts the ritual sustenance of the 13th Jyotirlingam, 12 replicas of other Jyotirlinga, 108 Rudra Shivas and 1008 Sahastra nama Lord Shivas.

There are three other mandirs besides the Mahadev’s mandir. These are the Matha Mandir, Ramparivar Mandir and Lord Ganesh Mandir.

Some Facts About The Construction of the Mandir

• Construction began in September 1997.
• The 13th Jyotirlinga was consecrated on the day of Mahashivratri on 14 February 1999.
• Approximately 1450 square metres of floor area is built underground. The only structures above ground are the amenities building and Lord Ganesh’s mandir which is built in the middle of the Mandir ‘sarovar’ (dam).
• 65,000 cubic metres of earth was moved to build the subterranean structures.
• Total concrete used: (a) High-strength concrete (32 Mpa) 860 cubic metres, and (b) Normal concrete (20 Mpa) 380 cubic metres.
• Ten precast concrete elliptical arches were laid for the main hall of Lord Shiva each weighing 18 tons. A 130 ton capacity crane was required to erect the arches and the operation took nearly 10 hours.
• 230 tons of reinforcing steel was used. The total length of the accessway and driveway is 350 metres.
• When full, the dam holds 4.5 million litres of water. The dam is 4.0 metres deep at its centre.
• The dam required approximately 30,000 cubic metres of earth to build its embankment. The maximum height of the embankment is 9.0 metres from natural ground.
• 4500 trees and shrubs have been planted throughout to beautify the site.
• Total cost of the project to date is approximately $AUD 5.0 million.

How To Get To The Mandir

The Mandir is at 203 Eagleview Road, NSW, 2566. From the road, you will see a long red brick fence capped by green wrought iron fencing. As the temple is underground, you won’t see a conventional temple structure from the road.
When approaching uphill along Ben Lomond Road away from Minto railway station, turn right at the roundabout onto Eagleview Road. The Mandir is not on the corner of Ben Lomond Road and Eagleview Road but is the next building from the corner. This can be confusing because the building on the corner is called the “Shri Siva Mandir”. When you see this sign, keep going! The Mukti-Gupteshwar Mandir is the next site.
Alternatively, you can go to www.street-directory.com.au for a detailed map. Search for 203 Eagleview Road, Minto, NSW, 2566.
If you come by public transport, then during daylight you can get off the train at Minto Railway Station (on the Minto Road side) and get a taxi. The cabfare is about $AUD 10 and the journey takes about 10 minutes. If you come by train before sunrise or after sunset, then it’s best to continue on the train to Cambelltown Railway Station and get a taxi from there. The fare is about $AUD 15 and the journey takes 15-20 minutes.
During a large function, when coming by public transport, you can usually arrange for someone already at the Mandir to collect you from Minto Railway Station.

Regular activities held at the Mandir:

• Vishnu Sahastranam and Hanuman Chalisa Chanting (Alternative Saturdays at 10am, We are looking for your participation.)

• Every Saturday evening, Yoga and Meditation Classes 5pm – 6:30pm.

• Every Monday evening starting 18th January 2010 – AUM chanting. meditation and pranayaam. Come out from old habits and be happy. Live longer life. Time: 7:30pm.

• Dear Parents, give true human nature knowledge to your children from Gurukul School. Your children can learn all kinds of morales. Enrollment Day: Sunday 24th January, 2010. Time: 5pm to 7pm every fortnight (every two weeks).

Contact

Mukti-Gupteshwar Mandir:
Address 203 Eagleview Road
Minto, NSW, 2566
Australia
Phone 61 (02) 9820 3751
61 (02) 9824 7886
Fax 61 (02) 9820 3942
Email info@muktigupteshwar.org
Web: http://www.muktigupteshwar.org/index.asp

Firework video of New Year 2010 sydney Australia
source:Sydney.com

Venue:  107 Crystal Street, Peter-sham Town hall, Peter-sham;

DTG: 2 Jan 2010, starts at 6p.m. sharp then goes till late;

Events: Puja by famous Buddhist Lama Awatar (14 Reincarnation), Gurungs’/Nepalese traditional/modern dances, dramas, comedies, live dohories and usual DJ at the end;

Ticket Price: $20.00 for students and pensioners, and $25.00 for the rest, this includes-

“Free Buffet Dinner”.

Sponsors: a. MR Tanka Gurung Platinum, Yetihomes for re-furbishing, building or buying new homes and duplex for two families and many more …. b. MR Bhabani Oli Platinum, Oli & Associates for Accounting, Migration, Taxation, Educational, Superannuation and many more…..

Contact: If you have any queries regarding above, please contact Ram Gurung or Secretary Gobin Gurung on 0422 031 661, 0425 241 309 and 0423 909 783 respectively.

TENS of thousands of overseas students studying expensive courses in Australia in the hope of securing permanent residency could be sent home empty-handed under changes being considered by the Federal Government.

The Herald has obtained a document prepared by the Immigration Department recommending changes ”in the relationship between the lodgement of an application and the legal obligation to grant a visa”.

This means immigrants who have met the demands of the current system and would be automatically accepted could be arbitrarily refused.

”This is going to spark mass panic,” Karl Konrad, a migration agent who has seen the document, said.

Such changes could affect anyone seeking to gain permanent residency through the skilled migration program, but would have the gravest effect on students who have spent thousands of dollars and years of their lives on courses here on the presumption they would secure residency.

There are 137,000 such students here waiting on approval who could have the rug pulled from under them if the changes are made retrospective.

”The Australian Government has grown fat off these students with the lure that they can get permanent residency,” Mr Konrad said.

It is understood the Migration Institute of Australia was to have been briefed by the Government but that the meeting had been delayed until next week.

The chief executive of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, Andrew Smith, said such a change would immediately cut the number of students coming into Australia.

”[Schools] have taken deposits, hired teachers, set up classes … there would be a considerable commercial impact,” he said.

Mr Smith said the Government had created the expectation among foreign students that they could achieve permanent residency through study and had a responsibility to them as a result.

A spokesman for the department said the document was part of a consultation process and no decision would be made on the changes until next year.

The document also outlines recommendations to reduce the number of unsponsored skilled migrants accepted, but making it easier for 457 business visa holders to become permanent residents.

It notes ”perverse outcomes” in the system that make it easier for a hairdresser to achieve permanency than a scientist. It noted that ”integrity measures” in the skilled migration program needed review.

Australia’s $16 billion overseas student industry has been plagued with controversy over the past 12 months, with students demanding action from police over allegedly racially motivated attacks and appealing to the Government to better regulate the private colleges.

This year more than a dozen schools have collapsed, leaving students out of pocket and uncertain over their immigration status.

News source: Sydney Morning Herald